Category: Australian News

Greens climate spokesperson, Adam Bandt, said that when the Prime Minister attends the G7 summit this weekend, the first time Australia has participated, he must back French President, Emmanuel Macron’s, demands for the Amazon fires to be recognised as an international crisis and made a top priority of the G7 meeting.
“Scott Morrison must back Macron’s call for the world to act on the Amazon climate emergency ,” said Mr Bandt.
“Last week, Scott Morrison bullied and bribed his way out of meaningful climate action at the Pacific Islands Forum but he won’t get away with it this weekend.
“There is no place to hide on the world stage. When Scott Morrison takes his place next to G7 summit leaders tomorrow, he must offer action on coal to cool the planet, not side with the demagogues club.
“The Amazon is 40% of the world’s tropical forests, 20% of our oxygen and up to 15% of global biodiversity. Right now, it is burning out of control. This is an international crisis and Scott Morrison must support efforts to treat it as such.”

Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young will tell Norwegian company Equinor, which plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight, “you’re not welcome in SA” when she meets with representatives from the company in Adelaide today.
Senator Hanson-Young will also highlight the findings of The Australia Institute report released today, showing SA is unlikely to receive any noticeable benefit from tax payments as a result of oil and gas production in the Bight.
“South Australians don’t want our Bight turned into an oilfield and this is the message I’ll be delivering on their behalf to Equinor today,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Drilling in the Bight will be a disaster for coastal communities, for tourism and fishing jobs, and could devastate our unique marine life and beautiful beaches – it’s not worth the risk.
“The Australia Institute Report shows exploration drilling in the Bight would be ‘unlikely to pay any royalty income or tax to the state or federal governments’  and ‘decades of subsidy may be necessary before major oil and gas projects provide benefits to state government’.
“It would be extremely reckless of any government to put more than 10,000 tourism, fishing and aquaculture industry jobs at risk, for little to no economic benefit. Instead, the Bight should actually be protected from drilling and given World Heritage status.
“Polls consistently show the vast majority of South Australians oppose drilling in the Bight, along with the majority of Australians.  It’s high time Equinor start listening and the major parties stop doing the bidding of their political donors in the fossil fuel industry and instead act in the best interests of the communities they’re meant to represent.
“No amount of spin is going to change the minds of South Australians – Big Oil is not welcome here.”

We have lost an Australian original with the passing of Tim Fischer.
Tim Fischer was a dear friend. Jenny and I are deeply saddened by Tim’s passing. Together, with our entire nation, our thoughts are with Tim’s wife Judy, their sons Harrison and Dominic and his extended family and many friends.
Tim Fischer was a big Australian in every sense of the word. Big in stature, big in his belief, big in his passion, big in his vision for what Australians could achieve and big in his view of Australia’s place in the world. As a result, Tim Fischer will forever cast a big shadow on our nation.
Tim Fischer walked his own path with honesty and humility and that is what Australians loved about him.
Tim Fischer served as Deputy Prime Minister from March 1996 to July 1999 and led the federal parliamentary National Party for more than nine years. A former NSW state MP, he was elected to the southern central NSW federal seat of Farrer in 1984 and re-elected five times before retiring in 2001.
Mr Fischer, who served as Trade Minister in the Howard Government, was esteemed by his Coalition colleagues, respected by his opponents and loved by Australians everywhere as he travelled the country in his trademark Akubra hat.
He was an all in conviction politician. This integrity and resolve were underlined when he stood firm with Prime Minister Howard on tough new gun laws following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. They are Tim Fischer’s gun laws too.
Gun laws were not popular in regional Australia in 1996 and Tim Fischer took to the highways and byways to persuade and convince regional Australians about the need for change.
I believe this was his finest moment. Australia will always be in his debt.
Before entering parliament, Tim Fischer served as an Australian Army Officer in Vietnam. As a parliamentarian, he always demonstrated a deep loyalty and affection to service personnel and veterans.
Later in life, he was chairman of Tourism Australia where I had the privilege to serve with him. Tim also served as national chair of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. From 2009-12, he served as Australia’s first resident Ambassador to the Holy See. Tim Fischer also wrote several books, including a number of books about trains – one of his great passions.
My Government will be offering Tim’s family a state funeral to celebrate his life and extraordinary contribution to Australia.
Scott Morrison
 

A Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal at Newcastle that could supply up to 80 per cent of NSW’s gas needs will today be declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure.
Acting Premier John Barilaro said the proposal for the new $589 million gas import terminal at Kooragang Island in the Port of Newcastle would include a connecting pipeline to the existing NSW gas supply network.
“The terminal could be operational by 2022-23 and provide supply for gas-fired power stations, helping to manage energy security during the period in which the Liddell power station is scheduled to close,” Mr Barilaro said.
“This LNG terminal would significantly address this risk and help secure a reliable and affordable future for NSW’s gas supply.”
The project will be declared critical by Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes who said the terminal, if approved, would significantly increase local gas supply, promote competition between suppliers and put downward pressure on the State’s gas prices.
“NSW currently relies on interstate sources for 95 per cent of our gas supply and experts predict a shortfall in supply from existing sources in the coming years,” Mr Stokes said.
The import terminal would expand the locally available gas supply in NSW by 110 petajoules.
Despite being declared ‘critical’, the terminal will still be subject to detailed community consultation and a full and thorough environmental assessment.
The proponent, Newcastle GasDock Company (NGDC), will now need to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the project, which will go on public exhibition for community feedback.
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment will then assess the merits of the project, before making a recommendation to Minister Stokes for a final decision.

Global defence powerhouse BAE Systems will help deliver a new cutting edge space research and development facility as part of a university and advanced manufacturing precinct being delivered at the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian was at BAE Systems headquarters in London to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the company, which will ensure NSW leads the nation in developing tomorrow’s scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
“The Aerotropolis we are building around the Western Sydney Airport is a great opportunity for firms around the world to invest in NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“BAE Systems Australia’s interest in NSW as a destination for this research facility is a huge vote of confidence in our economy and our plans for the new airport city.
“This partnership will allow us to create the high tech jobs we need to keep NSW as the number one jobs market in the nation.”
BAE Systems Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Gabby Costigan said the MOU will allow the company to explore the advantages of becoming a part of the innovation precinct at the new airport city.
“Australia has a long history of innovation in the defence industry, and the Aerotropolis in Western Sydney presents a great opportunity to build on that history,” Ms Costigan said.
BAE Systems has a long track record of supporting the Australian Defence Force to maintain a capability edge and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis will be the home of Australia’s future aerospace industry.
Today’s announcement forms part of the NSW Government’s commitment to creating 200,000 jobs in and around the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
The Aerotropolis will be adjacent to the new 24-hour international (Nancy-Bird Walton) airport at Badgerys Creek. The new R&D facility will be located within a university being developed through a partnership between the University of Newcastle, University of NSW and University of Wollongong (the NUW Alliance), Western Sydney University and the NSW Government.
The Premier and the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres are on a trade mission to the UK and Germany from August 11 to 16.

In the last few days, the Indian Government has shut down phone and internet connections, arbitrarily detained political leaders, evacuated tourists and restricted freedom of movement.  It is disturbing to think of the human rights abuses that could be occurring under the cover of this communications blackout, particularly with an influx of tens of thousands of additional troops.
The Indian Government’s decision to revoke Kashmir’s special status and its relative autonomy under India’s constitution will further erode Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.  It risks a dangerous escalation of violence in the world’s most militarised region.
The Greens urge the Australian Government to speak out and call on the Indian Government to respect the human rights of the people in Kashmir and their right to self-determination.
 

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt, responded to the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) announcement that they will launch legal action against four wind farm operators over the 2016 South Australian blackout, saying the regulator needed to explain why only a few months ago it investigated the blackout, found that breaches of the market rules did not contribute to the event and advised it would not take companies to court.
“The AER shouldn’t be doing the Coalition’s dirty work,” said Mr Bandt.
“In its investigation into the blackout last December, the AER declared that ‘we do not intend to take formal enforcement action in respect of these matters.’ Yet just over six months later they’ve launched legal action.
“Energy Minister Angus Taylor, a known wind-farm opponent, needs to come clean on what role he has played in facilitating this complete about-face from the AER.
“Ageing coal-fired power stations are regularly failing in the heat and they get off scot-free, but wind farms get taken to court by the very same body that investigated and cleared them just a few months ago.
“According to The Australia Institute, Australia has experienced 195 coal and gas breakdowns since December 2017, but the Minister and his regulators turn a blind eye to fossil fuel failures.”
From the official investigation by AER (Black System Event Compliance Report released 14 December 2018):

• “Overall, the investigation found a high level of compliance by market participants with their obligations. However there were instances in which obligations were not complied with. The AER considers the breaches found did not contribute to the state going black, and that all core obligations were met”
• It goes on to say (in the detailed report): “While we have found some areas of non-compliance with administrative requirements in the Rules, we do not intend to take formal enforcement action in respect of these matters, as we consider that it would be more effective to focus on remedial recommendations for improved processes. Further, we have noted the unprecedented circumstances as part of our consideration of all the available information.”

Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has commented on reported details of university performance-based funding measures. Senator Faruqi is a former academic with the University of New South Wales.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The Government’s plan to tie measly funding increases to misguided performance measures is just the latest episode in their storied history of undermining higher education in Australia. It is just another excuse to not fund higher education properly.
“The Government has completely ignored the university sector and experts’ advice that their plan won’t deliver the amount of funding needed while having unintended consequences that may include incentivising universities to enrol fewer students.
“In particular, the narrow-minded use of graduate employment as a measure of success for universities betrays the purpose of our public universities. We cannot allow their collegial, public-focussed mission to be displaced by the Liberal’s vision of unis as just factories for the workforce. Universities should be much more than this. They are places of learning.
“Universities are desperate for a real funding increase. The Greens have a plan to fund free undergraduate university and TAFE, and boost university funding by 10 per cent to improve learning and teaching conditions, reduce class sizes and enable researchers to pursue solutions to the big problems of our time,” she concluded.

Australian Greens Senator and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has condemned the Government passing the Criminal Code Amendment (Agricultural Protection) Bill 2019 through the House of Representatives. The Bill is likely to be considered by the Senate at the next sitting in September.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The Greens will not be party to the passing of laws that will silence protest and jail animal welfare investigators and activists. Trespass and incitement are already offences, it’s clear these new extreme laws are just about targeting those who expose animal cruelty’
“This is a dressed up anti-protest and ag gag bill that takes us further down the road to a police state. This is just the latest bill in a long line of legislation designed to protect big agribusiness from scrutiny and transparency. It is designed to stop the public from using their democratic right to protest.
“People do not have faith in the animal welfare compliance mechanisms in this country. Unenforceable guidelines for the protection of farm animals are completely inadequate. We should be debating national animal cruelty laws with real accountability and enforcement to protect farm animals.
“Australia really is in the dark ages when it comes to animal welfare. New Zealand has already banned mulesing and the European Union has banned battery cages. Sow stalls are banned in the United Kingdom. While many, particularly small farms in Australia don’t use these cruel practices, many still do, especially industrial factory farms.
“Rather than improving animal welfare laws and practices, this Government is obsessed with attacking those that expose horrific mistreatment of animals. They are on the wrong side of history,” she concluded.

Senator Janet Rice today introduced a motion to disallow the Gene Technology Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2019.

“The deregulation of new genetic modification techniques being pursued by this government has huge economic risks to Australia’s $48 billion agricultural export industry,” Senator Rice said.

“This deregulation could potentially kill our organic farming industry and massively hamper our traditional agriculture export industry too.

“While the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has assessed this issue on a scientific and health basis, it has paid no consideration to the market impact of deregulation, nor has it properly consulted with the farmers whose livelihoods will be affected.

“There is a strong chance organic regulators locally and internationally will decide that since Australia has deregulated this technology, farmers will lose their organic certification. Without that certification, the organics industry would collapse entirely.

“Europe already says these new technologies are genetic modification technologies, and the risk is that if we proceed with this deregulation, countries such as China and the European Union could reject our exports.

“Australian agricultural exports to China alone are a nearly $12 billion industry,covering a huge suite of agricultural commodities.

“Many in the farming community are concerned that they’re going to lose access to export markets and the government hasn’t allayed those concerns.

“The Greens hope to receive cross-party support when this disallowance motion comes to a vote in the September sitting weeks.”