Category: Australian News

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must make a series of major changes to his Government’s proposed religious discrimination laws to address the severe concerns of Australian faith leaders that the controversial package of legislation will be a backwards step for religious schools and communities.

Shadow Attorney-General Senator Michaelia Cash said: “I have consulted widely with faith leaders across the country in the past few weeks and what is apparent from the feedback of those leaders who have been consulted by the Government is that they do not support the bills as proposed.’’

“They have raised numerous areas of concern with me and want the government to make changes,’’ Senator Cash said.

“For example, faith leaders have consistently told me that the Federal laws would be irrelevant if they do not afford protections from State and Territory laws that seek to erode religious freedoms,’’ she said.

“The Prime Minister should guarantee that religious schools are able to ensure that their staff members’ conduct and behaviour adheres to the school’s religious ethos,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Hundreds of thousands of Australian families choose to educate their children in faith-based schools, and that choice ought to be respected,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is worrying that the Government seems inclined to adopt changes that would leave religious schools with a potentially huge and ongoing exposure to litigation risk,’’ she said.

“It is even more worrying that they seem intent on doubling down on these changes byputting forward legislation that ensures that, in almost all cases, schools will end up paying for the costs of that litigation. These costs will inevitably be passed on to parents.’’ Senator Cash said.

“Faith leaders have clearly told us how their ability to educate in accordance with their faith is being cut away, slice by slice, by state and territory governments – and that this affects not only their places of worship but their ability to build communities based on clear values in the thousands of faith-based schools across Australia,’’ she said.

“It is gravely concerning that the Government seems prepared to wash its hands of this issue. It has given no indication it will adopt any type of positive protections that might address these concerns,” Senator Cash said.

“To the contrary, the Government has indicated it will move away from the positive language that it previously supported in Parliament when it voted on the Coalition’s 2022 Bill. Instead, it appears set on dealing with religion almost as an “exception” to discrimination laws. This has been a long-term issue for faith leaders, who do not see freedom of a religion as a mere exception, but instead as a fundamental human right that is protected under international law,’’ she said.

“It is time for Mr Albanese to release his religious discrimination legislation for public scrutiny and stop trying to govern behind closed doors. Australians deserve better,’’ Senator Cash said.

Today’s increase in the unemployment rate to 3.8% is another worrying sign for Australians struggling with the cost-of-living crisis under the Albanese Government.

The March 2024 labour force figures saw nearly 7,000 jobs lost across the economy. There are 57,000 more people unemployed now than a year ago, and youth unemployment is stubbornly higher than it was when Labor came to office.

There are now more people unemployed than there were at the last election.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Australians are facing uncertain economic times, with no solutions from the Albanese Labor Government.

“Australians are paying the price for the Albanese Labor Government’s economic mismanagement.

“Household budgets being smashed by higher prices, higher mortgage repayments and higher taxes, and people are working harder for less.

“On top of that, there are now more unemployed people than at the last Federal Election, and a record number of people are working multiple jobs just to keep their heads above water.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash said she was particularly concerned that the labour force figures showed a significant increase in the number of Australians who are unemployed.

“The March 2024 figures show an increase of 21,000 unemployed Australians in a single month. We now have 57,000 more unemployed people in this country than a year ago.” Senator Cash said.

“Instead of trying to encourage the hiring of more Australians, the Albanese Government has created extreme uncertainty for businesses through its industrial relations changes,” Senator Cash said.

“Businesses are extremely confused about new laws surrounding the employment of casual workers, and about their ability to contact employees outside work hours after Labor’s ‘right to disconnect’ changes.” she said.

“I am also concerned that the Albanese Government is focused on an internal ideological debate about our employment services system rather that actually trying to get Australians into jobs.” Senator Cash said.

“It is worth noting the warning delivered by Gary Banks, the founding chair of the Productivity Commission, about the anti-productivity policies of the Albanese Government,’’ she said.

Mr Banks wrote today that: ‘provisions locking in past agreements and unions effectively having veto power over innovations, legislative provisions to restore industry-wide bargaining and to control non-permanent (read non-unionised) work arrangements – will diminish the scope for the win-win enterprise deals that are needed and see more production decision-making influenced by the regulator’.

According to the data, 2022-23 saw the worst average emergency department wait times in a decade, while the wait times for elective surgery have almost doubled compared to 20 years ago.

Capacity has also reached critical levels, with the proportion of public hospital beds available for every Australian over 65 at an all-time low of 14.3 beds per 1000 population.

This comes as the Coalition has been calling on the Government to take urgent action to fix the primary healthcare crisis, which we know is only adding further pressure to our already strained hospital systems.

Last year, we saw more than 1.2 million Australians avoid going to a GP due to concern over cost, as bulk bulling rates collapsed to decade lows.

Since then, we know that out-of-pocket costs have continued to rise to the highest level on record, which means it has literally never been more expensive to see a GP.

It has also never been harder, with the serious impact of the current workforce crisis being felt in GP practices and aged care facilities across the country.

Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston said that the data released today is extremely concerning, but she has been warning the Government that this serious situation is pushing more and more people towards hospitals and blowing out wait times.

“Our primary care system is key in preventing Australians from needing emergency hospital support, but we know Australians are not only having trouble accessing a GP, but they’re also struggling to afford one.

“At the same time, critical workforce shortages are putting significant strain on our aged care facilities as they struggle to meet the Government’s new rigid staffing requirements.

“Aged care providers are also integral in freeing up hospital beds, but the Government has abandoned them amongst these challenges,” Senator Ruston said.

The Coalition continues to call on the Government to implement a national and comprehensive workforce strategy for the entire care sector, as the only way to adequately deal with these pressures.

The Albanese Labor Government must also take decisive action to address the primary care crisis, including by standing up to state premiers on GP payroll taxes.

Shadow Minister for Education, Sarah Henderson, says the Albanese Government is reaping dividends from the misery of escalating student debt, with ATO data revealing Australians paid a record $2.9 billion in voluntary HELP debt repayments in 2022-23, up from $780 million in the previous year.

As a result of Labor’s sky high inflation, the 2022-23 HELP indexation rate was 7.1 per cent, triggering a 272 per cent increase in voluntary repayments.

“Hit by a crippling 7.1 per cent increase in their student debts, 164,000 Australians made voluntary repayments averaging $17,636 in an attempt to pay down or pay off their debt,” Senator Henderson said.

“Despite this surge in repayments to the Commonwealth, Education Minister Jason Clare has sat on his hands taking no action on crippling increases in student debt caused by Labor’s economic mismanagement.

“After an indexation rise of 3.9 per cent in June 2022 and 7.1 per cent in June 2023, HELP loans are forecast to rise by at least 4 per cent this June. This is in stark contrast to annual indexation under the former Coalition government which averaged just 1.7 per cent.

“Since Labor was elected, 3 million Australians with an average HELP liability of $26,494 are facing a total increase in their student debt of at least 15 per cent – an increase of around $4,000,” Senator Henderson said.

There are also growing numbers of very high student loans with the latest data showing 335,293 Australians owe more than $50,000 and 47,847 Australians owe more than $100,000.

“Minister Clare’s lack of action on student debt is abysmal. He has even failed to fix the inequitable ATO HELP payments system which doesn’t account for debt repayments in real time. This is so inequitable that Australians are being indexed on debts they have already repaid.

“While more and more Australians are caught in a student debt trap, Labor has been tone deaf to the cost of living crisis so many young people are facing. It is no wonder domestic university enrolments have fallen by five per cent, compounded by the housing crisis which is putting tertiary study out of reach for so many young Australians,” Senator Henderson said.

Reports today that the Treasurer asked his department for advice on changes to the stage three tax cuts as early as June 2022 raises serious questions about the Albanese Labor Government’s integrity and credibility.

The Prime Minister and Treasurer said on at least 100 occasions they had no plans for changes since the May 2022 election.

The Prime Minister repeatedly claimed earlier this year that his government only sought advice over the summer break.

But FOI documents revealed today suggest the Treasurer sought advice just a couple of weeks after the Albanese Labor Government was sworn in.

It is abundantly clear that Labor says one thing to Australians, while doing the complete opposite behind the scenes.

Voters have a right to ask what else the government has been lying about.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Australians deserve better.

“This is an egregious breach of trust.

“The Coalition’s stage three tax cuts were part of a broader tax reform package designed to tackle bracket creep. The policy went to two Federal Elections.

“Labor’s changes are literally banking on bracket creep, with Treasury’s own forecasts showing it will cost Australians an extra $28 billion in taxes over the next 10 years.

“To add insult to injury, the government is spending $40 million of taxpayers’ money on a spin unit to sell its broken promise. It also appears from reports that the government has spent significant taxpayer funds to block FOI requests.

“The Coalition is the party of lower, simpler, fairer taxes and we will never stand in the way of tax cuts.

“But the way Labor has gone about this – by robbing Peter to pay Paul – and lying to Australians about it is unacceptable.”

Prime Minister Albanese has officially opened Mackay’s Riverside Revitalisation Project which has transformed the former industrial precinct into a destination locals and visitors alike can explore and enjoy.

The $9.7 million project was jointly funded with the Australian Government investing $4.1 million and the Mackay Regional Council investing $5.6 million.

The Prime Minister visited Mackay this morning to join Mayor Greg Williamson, Councillors, council CEO Scott Owen and other stakeholders for the official opening.

The revitalisation includes the recently completed Pioneer River Pontoon at Bluewater Quay and the nearby River Wharves public area.

The opening included a ribbon cutting at the pontoon, where a Wildcat boat was moored, and a tour of River Wharves.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“I am delighted to be in Mackay to open this important revitalisation of the riverside.

“Parents with their kids, locals enjoying their beautiful river and tourists visiting this great part of the world will benefit from this revitalisation for so many years to come.”

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

“The Mackay Riverside Revitalisation is a great example of the Australian Government working in partnership to deliver critical local community infrastructure.

“This facility provides a new leisure, commercial and tourism offering to support the Mackay Waterfront project and bring fresh life to a former industrial precinct.”

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson:

“Both projects have provided improved public access to the wonderful Pioneer River and were part of the Mackay Waterfront Priority Development Area (PDA).

“These projects will be catalysts for future projects, including private investment, along the riverfront.

“For example, Renew Mackay has recently unveiled plans for a major commercial and residential development on the Brisbane Street car park site adjacent to Bluewater Quay.

“The council-owned building at 8 River Street is also currently being demolished. It will be a prime site for redevelopment and in the interim will also be able to be activated for the community.”

Anzac Day is our nation’s most important commemoration, when we remember and acknowledge the service and sacrifice of Australians who have fought in wars and conflicts since the Gallipoli campaign which began on 25 April 1915.

One Nation pays its deepest respects to our men and women in the Australian Defence Force, both past and present. For us Anzac Day always has been, and always should be, a day of profound national significance.

As this article is being written, the drums of war are sounding and the world is a much more dangerous place. The conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine threaten to expand and engulf more countries (Iran has become directly involved by attacking Israel), while communist China has grown much more belligerent about its claims on a free Taiwan.

On the eve of Anzac Day, Australia is once again at risk of being drawn into a war, and that prompts some important questions: what would be our role in a wider conflict involving our allies, what capabilities can we bring to the fight and – perhaps most importantly – exactly what are we defending and why should it be defended? For what reason should young Australians volunteer to serve and defend the nation and its interests?

If history is any guide, Australians will most likely be put in harm’s way on foreign shores thousands of miles away in support of our allies. As our Anzac tradition demonstrates, Australians have never been afraid to fight and sacrifice for a cause they believe is just.

It could be argued there is much for us to defend. Australia has substantial natural resources and agricultural output that many nations rightly envy, and potentially this makes us a target. Our relative distance and isolation from global flashpoints make us a very difficult target, but this is not just about defending territory. It’s also about defending sovereignty, principles and freedom, and supporting allies who would also defend us if the need arose. Armies and navies have always been required to defend the sovereignty that enables democracies like Australia. As Thomas Jefferson famously said, the tree of liberty needs to be watered from time to time with the blood of tyrants and patriots. The Second World War proved that beyond any doubt: perhaps 60 million people died, including almost 30,000 Australians, in the fight to defend freedom against tyranny.

It was almost 80 years ago when that terrible war ended. Today, the ADF’s needs are very different than those of the Second World War. Today it needs highly motivated, intelligent people capable of being trained in highly specialised technical, tactical and strategic disciplines of narrow scope. The question is: who among today’s generation of young Australians is capable? Pauline Hanson makes a point of consulting both the leadership and the ‘rank and file’ of the ADF, and they universally tell her they don’t favour conscripting unwilling personnel who wouldn’t be as committed as they are. They’re not keen on having young people with that tremendous and unrealistic sense of entitlement that seems so prevalent these days. Defending Australia is very hard work, even in peacetime, and requires discipline and commitment.

But something must be done, and soon. Our overall defence posture is in an appalling state. Our modern weapon stocks are low, our platforms (ships, tanks etc) are ageing and in need of replacement, and we are falling far short in personnel recruitment – we can’t even fully crew our current submarine fleet of only six vessels.

This prompts another question: with Labor and Green leaders routinely shaming and bagging our nation and the values which built and defended it, why would the young people believing these lies even be motivated to put on a uniform? For what values or cause would they fight, if not their own nation and its people? Conversely, why would any sensible young Australian fight for a country essentially remade in the perverse image envisioned by the extremist woke left, as Labor and the Greens are trying their hardest to do?

Anthony Albanese better think long and hard about what he is doing to our national ethos and the impression of our nation he is giving to young Australians, as this young generation is the group he will call to war for nice photo opportunities and to show he is the leader we all wished he was.  And as those drums of war beat, we have one thing and one thing alone to fear: Anthony Albanese’s ideology.

Once again, the service and sacrifice of the Anzacs offers the answer and the example he, and we, should follow. That’s why we hold Anzac Day in the highest regard. At the going down of the sun – and in the morning – we will remember them. Lest we forget.

Patients at the new Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital will have access to cutting-edge scanning technology that will be able to detect cancers earlier.

The Albanese Government is investing $12 million through the 2024–25 Budget, to purchase and install a Quadra Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Molecular Imaging scanner. The Victorian Government and The Alfred Foundation will match this funding.

This scanner is better able to detect smaller lesions meaning cancers can be diagnosed sooner.

The funding was announced as the Prime Minister opened the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre with Premier Jacinta Allan. The Commonwealth Government previously contributed $50 million to the construction of the centre.

It will also increase the safety of patients and staff, by performing faster scans with a lower dose of radiation.

The scanner will support an additional 2,600 scans annually, more than doubling current capacity to 5,000 scans.

Demand for PET/CT scanning services continues to grow, and this scanner will help to meet this demand.

In addition to being used to diagnose and treat cancers, the scanner will support critical medical research.

The scanner will increase Australia’s capacity to run clinical trials in ‘theranostics’ which is an emerging field in oncology that integrates molecular imaging and therapy to provide personalised cancer treatment.

It’s believed this will be the only scanner of its kind in Australia that is used for research, and cancer treatment and diagnosis.

It is expected to be operational by June 2025.

It is estimated around 165,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in Australia and sadly more than 50,000 people will lose their lives to cancer.

Facilities such as these are essential to help save more of those lives.

The Commonwealth is investing more than $2.8 billion over the next four years to improve cancer outcomes, excluding the cost of Medicare services and pharmaceuticals.

Prime Minister Albanese

“We are pleased to partner with the Victorian Government to deliver better cancer care for Victorians.

“This scanner will mean Victorians have access to a cutting-edge scanner which will support cancer research, diagnosis and treatment.

“This scanner will reduce wait times for Victorians who need a PET/CT scan and double the number of scans performed in Australia each year.”

Minister Butler:

“This scanner is faster, safer and can detect cancers earlier meaning many Victorians will receive an earlier diagnosis, which is so important in cancer care.

“Researchers will have the opportunity to use this scanner for clinical trials which could lead to potentially ground breaking discoveries.

“This investment is part of the government’s commitment to ensure Australians have access to affordable, world-class healthcare when and where they need it.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Papua New Guinea from 22 – 25 April to meet with Prime Minister Marape, walk sections of the Kokoda Track and commemorate Anzac Day.
 
The Kokoda campaign lasted from July to November 1942, with about 56,000 Australians involved. Around 625 Australians were killed and over 1,600 were wounded along the track.
 
Each year many Australians take the challenge of walking the Kokoda Track, alongside Papua New Guineans, to not only test their limits, but to reflect on the events that took place.
 
The trek retraces the footsteps of Australian soldiers and those who walked alongside them during the Kokoda campaign.
 
The Prime Minister will spend two days walking the Kokoda Track before standing shoulder to shoulder with Australians and Papua New Guineans at the annual Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Isurava memorial site.
 
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
 
“The Kokoda campaign and the Kokoda Track form part of our national identity, a defining chapter in the story of those who risked and lost their lives in defence of Australia and in our shared history with Papua New Guinea.
 
“Kokoda is a name that lives in Australian legend. It captures the spirit of courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice forged between Australia and Papua New Guinea during World War II.
 
“Participating in this walk is a solemn way to honour to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who walked this same ground, people from Papua New Guinea and Australia, serving and sacrificing together in defence of their home.”  
 

The Albanese Labor Government has launched another lengthy report concerning Australia’s military, which changes almost nothing but manages to hand billions more to a defence establishment that continually fails to deliver.

The Albanese Governemnt has announced a staggering $330 billion spend on Defence over the next decade, the vast majority going into the same white elephant projects such as nuclear submarines and (very) future frigates that have been burning through public funds for years.

Today’s announcement follows multiple other reviews from the Defence Strategic Review, The Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Review and the Defence Industry Development Strategy, now the Integrated Investment Program and the National Defence Strategy.

None of these has challenged a Defence leadership that has overseen failure after failure and each one has promised more public funds into a broken system.

Greens Defence Spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge said: “This latest review fails to deal with the giant AUKUS-sized-elephant in the room that has eaten up Defence’s budget and imposed the extra cost of less stability and the peace in the region.”

“With every major weapons platform retained regardless of their efficacy, if there is a tough decision here I cannot see it.

“No major procurement decision has been reversed here, no serious feathers have been ruffled in any of the services, which is clear evidence of weak political leadership.

“If more reports and meaningless catchphrases made us more secure then Minister Marles would get a gold star.

“Tiny initiatives on more defensive weapons are all that is possible when so much of the budget is soaked up on 20th-century platforms like nuclear submarines, frigates and attack helicopters.

“This is a major missed opportunity to refocus our defence spending to a much more affordable, less aggressive and more achievable direction that is aimed at defending Australia rather than threatening our neighbours,” Senator Shoebridge said.