Month: January 2024

The Albanese Labor Government is undermining Australia Day and it’s paying dividends with 81 councils refusing to conduct citizenship ceremonies on our national day.

The Prime Minister says he has no plans to change Australia Day but judge him on his words not his actions.

The Albanese Government changed the rules to allow locals councils to cancel their citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, and 81 councils have now taken up that offer, according to new data published today.

The Coalition believes that new citizens should have the opportunity to become Australians on our national day.

Labor is undermining the significance of Australia Day and is laying the groundwork to abolish January 26 as Australia Day.

If the Prime Minister wants to change Australia Day he should be upfront with the Australian people instead of working in the shadows to change the date.

The Prime Minister’s hand-picked ambassador to the United Kingdom has already cancelled a long-running charity event held on Australia Day.

The Labor Government is sending the message that January 26 is no more special than any other day of the year.

Australia Day is a proud day for the many thousands of people who will join our multicultural family and become Australian citizens, it should be respected.

Education Minister Jason Clare has set a debt trap for struggling university students after dramatically weakening his ‘support for students’ scheme which fails to deliver the safeguards he promised, Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Henderson has warned.

“The support for students scheme, adopted under the cover of darkness the week before Christmas, is now so weak that universities have no obligation to proactively identify and support students at risk of failing their studies,” Senator Henderson said.

“By axing the safeguards offered by the 50 per cent pass rule, Labor has set a debt trap for thousands of vulnerable students and shown a reckless disregard for the cost-of-living pressures so many young Australians are facing.

The former Coalition government’s 50 per cent pass rule protected students, failing more than 50 per cent of their subjects after enrolling in eight or more units, from leaving university with large student debts and nothing to show for it.”

Under the rule, failing students who faced losing their Commonwealth supported place (CSP) could apply for an exemption on compassionate grounds or move to a restricted study plan such as part-time study or a changed course structure. As revealed in a Senate inquiry into the Higher Education Support Amendment (Response to the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report) Bill 2023, the vast majority of students did not lose their CSP.

“Minister Clare’s claims that more than 13,000 students were ‘hit’ with the rule is a blatant misrepresentation,” Senator Henderson said.

“On the evidence available, most failing students made changes to their university studies to help them succeed, as the policy intended.

“After releasing draft guidelines which were onerous and unworkable reflecting the government’s lack of consultation, Minister Clare has done an about-face and introduced a farcical ‘support for students’ scheme which fails to deliver any additional support for students.

“This is a policy shambles from a floundering minister which is why the opposition opposed the scheme from the beginning.

“Under the draft guidelines, higher education providers were required to implement a policy which ‘must include’ processes to identify and support students at risk of failing their studies including those in need of targeted literacy and numeracy support.

“The final version has been dramatically watered down, with universities now only required to publish on a website ‘information describing’ their current set of student support policies.

“Under the scheme, universities are no longer required to report on the academic outcomes of students requiring support including HECS loans accrued for failed units of study.

“There are no minimum standards of support that universities must provide including for those who are victims of sexual violence or suffer mental health challenges. The scheme has also been delayed until 1 April 2024, with reporting dates for policy outcomes pushed back to the first quarter of 2025.

“While universities have a range of policies to support students, they are not doing enough to stop vulnerable students falling through the cracks. Only 41 per cent of undergraduates are completing their four-year degree in that time, with 21 per cent dropping out altogether.

“For indigenous students, it’s much worse – the four-year completion rate is just 26 per cent while more than a third drop out.

“Labor’s scheme also does nothing to safeguard students from inadequate or bad university policies. It is all puff and no substance from Minister Clare who is not tough enough to hold the universities to account, further underlining how this government is failing to put students first,” Senator Henderson said.

Revelations that the Albanese Government is sitting on a request for more coal shipments from Australia are another sign of Labor’s unreliability hurting Australia’s reputation.

Given Australia provided coal to help with Ukraine’s energy needs ahead of their last winter, a commitment made by the previous Coalition Government, the Albanese Government should have offered months ago to continue this support.

Having failed to be proactive, the least the Albanese Government could have done was to give a quick yes when Ukraine was forced to ask in early December for this assistance to continue.

Due to the Albanese Government’s tardiness there’s every chance Ukraine’s winter could be over before Australian energy assistance can arrive.

As late as it is, the Albanese Government should immediately commit to continue crucial energy support to Ukraine, whose war to defend their sovereignty from Russia’s illegal invasion is also a significant test of democratic nations’ resolve to defend international rules.

Under Labor, Australian support for Ukraine had already slowed, with our nation no longer being the leading non-NATO contributor.

This is a further blow to Australia’s international reputation for being willing to act in defence of our values and principles, with the Albanese Government also in recent months:

Failing to provide a naval ship requested by the United States to join an international effort to keep the Red Sea open to freight in the face of attacks from Iranian backed Houthi rebels.

Diminishing Australia’s strong support for Israel’s right to self-defence by voting for an inadequate ‘ceasefire’ motion at the United Nations, which if adopted would only allow Hamas terrorists the opportunity to rearm and repeat their terror attacks against civilians.

Dragging its feet compared with likeminded nations on the implementation of sanctions, including against Hamas leaders and human rights abusers.

Failing to raise at the highest levels Australian concerns at the actions of Chinese PLA naval vessels endangering Australian Navy lives.

When Australia should be standing up to be counted, the Albanese Government is increasingly failing to act, showing weakness instead of strength.

Happy New Year Australia.

I hope you’ve had the chance to celebrate with friends and loved ones.

There’s no doubt 2023 was a challenging year.

Yet, right around our country, Australians rose to meet those challenges – as they always do.

We achieved a great deal as a nation – and we achieved it together.

That is the Australian spirit.

In these times of global uncertainty, it’s worth reflecting on what we have as a nation.

We are a people of optimism, determination and, above all, fairness.

We have the unique privilege of being home to the oldest continuous culture in the world.

And our society has been enriched and enlarged by people of every faith, background and tradition.

We have so much to cherish.

Let that guide us in 2024 as we make the greatest country on Earth even better.

All the very best to you and loved ones for a safe and happy year.

The thoughts of Australians are with the people of Japan at this difficult time. We are saddened to see the loss of life and destruction following yesterday’s earthquakes. As close friends, we stand ready to support Japan to provide any necessary assistance”.