Category: Australian News

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.

Australia is supporting Solomon Islands in the conduct of its upcoming Joint Elections on 17 April 2024, including through investment in logistics, operations and training, Australian election observers and the deployment of additional police and defence personnel.

The 2024 elections are historic for Solomon Islands as this is the first time National, Provincial and Honiara City Council elections will occur on the same day.

Through a AU$25 million package, Australia is delivering assistance in logistics and voter registration, training for electoral officials and voter awareness initiatives.

This builds on our longstanding cooperation with the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) to strengthen the electoral cycle, improve election administration and boost women’s participation in the political process.

At the invitation of the Solomon Islands Government, Australia is deploying additional Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to help deliver safe and secure elections.

As part of the Solomons’ International Assistance Force (SIAF), the AFP is working with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force alongside partners from Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

The ADF will work alongside the New Zealand Defence Force to provide logistics and enabling support.

Australia will also send parliamentary observers to monitor the elections: Kate Thwaites MP, Bridget Archer MP, Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC and Anne McEwen OAM, former Senator for South Australia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP:

“Australia has a long history of supporting democracy in the Pacific and will continue to work with our regional partners to support prosperity and security based on our shared values. The ADF’s support to the Solomon Islands Joint Elections is a further demonstration of our strong partnership.”

acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher:

“Australia is a longstanding supporter of democracy in Solomon Islands. With a relationship based on mutual trust and respect, we are pleased to respond to the requests of Solomon Islands, and provide substantial support for upcoming elections.”

the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP:

“The Australian Federal Police continues its strong partnership with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF). Together, the agencies have continued to build RSIPF capacity off the back of the successful Pacific Games security operation in 2023, in preparation for the Joint Elections.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

“Australia is pleased to be providing election logistics and security assistance to these important elections. Our support responds to Solomon Islands’ priorities, and is a natural extension of our deep and longstanding bilateral relationship.”

Today’s declaration of a fourth global coral bleaching event reaffirms only the strongest political action on climate change and environmental law reform can secure a future for the Great Barrier Reef – which is now 75% bleached.

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson: 

“Transformative action to reverse climate change impacts on the world’s reefs has been possible, but political will and determination has let us down – including by successive Australian governments. 

“In recent weeks the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority quietly released data showing a shocking 75% of the Great Barrier Reef is now bleached, caused by extreme ocean warming from the burning of fossil fuels. 

“The world is now watching, we can’t continue to monitor the Great Barrier Reef to its death. Our government must take a leadership role in protecting the Reef by increasing Australia’s climate ambition and improving our broken environment laws.

“Frustratingly, Labor appears satisfied with a weak climate target that is consistent with degrading 99 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, and is failing to show meaningful accountability for breaking its election promise to deliver comprehensive environmental law reform.

“You can’t acknowledge climate change is the biggest threat to our marine ecosystems on one hand, and on the other rip open new coal and gas projects that are cooking our oceans. It’s completely disingenuous.

“So long as Labor is beholden to vested interests and big corporations, Australia will never get the climate action or environmental protection it needs to save the Great Barrier Reef from being annihilated by political stupidity.”

The Albanese Government will support a further two major critical minerals projects in Queensland and South Australia, helping deliver the building blocks for a future made in Australia while creating hundreds of jobs and opportunities.

The Government will provide $400 million in new loans to Australian company Alpha HPA to deliver Australia’s first high-purity alumina processing facility in Queensland.

The Alpha HPA project in Gladstone is expected to create around 490 jobs during construction and more than 200 jobs on completion.

Gladstone is a vibrant city of critical importance to the continuing economic prosperity of Central Queensland, and in hosting Queensland’s first high-purity alumina processing facility, it will be at the forefront of Australia’s critical minerals industry.

The company will use Australian owned IP and technology to process high purity alumina – a critical mineral used in LED lighting, semiconductors, and lithium-ion batteries and other high-tech applications.

The loans will be provided by Export Finance Australia (EFA) through the Government’s $4 billion Critical Minerals Facility, as well as through the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility and EFA’s Commercial Account.

The Government has also conditionally approved $185 million to Renascor Resources to fast track the development of Stage One of its Siviour Graphite Project in South Australia. The original loan was approved in February 2022, and this decision means that Stage One of the project will be brought forward sooner.

This project will deliver significant economic benefits to South Australia. Stage One will deliver around 150 construction jobs and 125 jobs once operational in Arno Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, with Stage Two expected to deliver a further 225 construction jobs and more than 120 jobs once it is operational in Bolivar, near Port Adelaide.

Renascor Resources will deliver the sustainable and ethically sourced production of Australian-made purified graphite, for use in lithium-ion batteries required for electric vehicles and renewable technologies.

The Critical Minerals Facility has now committed to support projects and jobs across the country, including in Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese

“We are building a future made in Australia with secure jobs in our regions. Today we are demonstrating what that means here in Gladstone and in South Australia.

“The global race for new jobs and new opportunities is on. Our Government wants Australia to be in it to win it.

“These two critical minerals projects will help secure good and secure jobs in manufacturing, and clean, reliable energy.”

Queensland Premier, Steven Miles

“Today’s announcement by the Prime Minister demonstrates the confidence government and industry have in the great state of Queensland.

“My Government has backed Alpha HPA from the very beginning, by providing State Development Land for this critical minerals facility, more than $21 million in funding to get stage 2 of the Alpha HPA First project off the ground and a $30 million investment to assist Alpha in making sapphire glass, right here in Gladstone.

“Queensland is truly the place to invest and this project delivers more clean economy jobs in Central Queensland processing the critical minerals needed for LEDs, semiconductors and batteries.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell

“Australia is positioned to be a renewable energy superpower.

“Our Government is committed to unlocking new critical minerals projects, to support the net zero transition and secure a future made in Australia.

“These projects will create hundreds of high-paying local jobs and manufacturing opportunities, while also helping to diversify Australia’s critical minerals exports with new opportunities to supply into Japan, Korea and beyond.”

Minister for Resources, Madeleine King

“The Australian Government is committed to building our critical minerals resources and processing industries to diversify global supply chains and help the world lower emissions.

“Australia’s critical minerals and rare earths are key to building renewable technologies such solar panels, batteries and wind farms, as well as defence and medical technologies.

“The investments announced today help create a new industry in Australia, supporting local jobs and economic development, and building the bedrock of a future made in Australia.

“The road to net zero runs through Australia’s resources sector.

“Gladstone is a city of great importance to the economic strength of northern Queensland and to the country and this project will put the city at the forefront of Australia’s critical minerals industry.”

Queensland Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing, Glenn Butcher

“The Albanese and Miles Governments working together on this means support of Alpha HPA’s next stage is more evidence of our commitment to a clean, green future for Queensland.

“This project brings together two of my greatest passions: Gladstone and manufacturing and I look forward to seeing this fantastic job-creating development move forward.

“We will be able to make more things here in Queensland and use the world-class Gladstone port to export our products to the world.”

Australia condemns Iran’s attacks on Israel this morning.

Iran has ignored our call, and those of many other countries, not to proceed with these reckless attacks.

Anyone who cares for the protection of innocent life must stand against these attacks.

This escalation is a grave threat to the security of Israel and the entire region. It risks greater instability and devastation across the Middle East. Australia continues to support regional security, including that of Israel.

Iran’s ongoing flouting of international law, its egregious human rights abuses and threat to international security is why this Government has imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans, including Magnitsky-style sanctions, on 85 individuals and 97 entities.

Australia will continue to work with the international community to increase pressure on Iran to cease its destabilising actions and to prevent the conflict from spreading.

Australians in the region should monitor local media for public safety updates and follow the advice of local authorities.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia).

The Greens have called on the Education Ministers Meeting to put action on school refusal at the top of its agenda, after Labor squibbed its response to a Senate report into the crisis.

The government has agreed or supported in principle two of the 14 recommendations in the Education and Employment Committee’s report into “The national trend of school refusal and related matters”, which was tabled in August 2023.

A national Lonergan poll commissioned by the Greens found that two in five families experienced what advocates prefer to call “school can’t” in the last 12 months.

Greens spokesperson on Primary & Secondary Education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:

“Parents, carers and advocates have been crying out for help and action on school can’t for years, but those cries have fallen on deaf ears.

“This is a national issue that requires a national response and Labor has thrown it in the too-hard basket.

“The inquiry’s report recommended a range of very basic measures to begin to address this issue and provide much-needed assistance to families in crisis – including developing a national action plan and providing funding for a peer support group – but Labor’s response will leave those families without much hope.

“School can’t is a crisis of exclusion. Students are being forced out of rigid, commodified and under-resourced educational systems that are not fit to meet their complex needs.

“Families experiencing school can’t aren’t able to access appropriate support for their children or themselves, and their physical health, mental health and financial well-being suffer as a result.

“The next Education Ministers Meeting must put this issue squarely at the top of the agenda.”