Category: Australian News

Members of the Labor Party agitating for improving their stance on the environment must fight for investment, and change on the party’s stance on fossil fuels, if they are to take a strong policy to the next election.
“The real test will be how much they are willing to prioritise funding to protect and restore the environment. If they are on the side of protecting our natural environment, it will need investment,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“We are in the midst of an extinction crisis yet we have little detail on Labor’s plan to save our threatened species. Labor continues to ignore the calls to phase out coal and stop the Adani mine.
“They are still split on drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight, which not only comes at great risk to the marine environment and local fishing and tourism industries, but locks us to burning fossil fuels into the future.
“Until Labor is committed to phasing out fossil fuels, their stance on environmental law and protection will not be enough. So long as we are mining and burning fossil fuels, we will continue to contribute to a warming planet at a time when action to arrest climate change is more urgent than ever. “

In an effort to drum up investment in its ailing Carmichael mine, Adani has again announced the project is about to get off the ground adding to its already long history of false starts, Greens spokesperson for Mining and Resources, Queensland Senator, Larissa Waters said.
“Adani are producing more spin than coal,” Senator Waters said.
“I’ve lost count of the number of times Adani has said they are about to “hit the green light” on their mega coal mine.
“Adani keep desperately reducing the size of their plans to attract investors, but all it proves is that nobody wants their coal, because clean energy is a better investment.
“From environmental law breaches overseas, investigation and prosecution of alleged breaches here, their application for a 12.5 billion litre water-sucking pipeline in a drought-stricken area, fake jobs claims, and the massive scaling down of the project because no-one is stupid enough to invest in new dirty coal projects – the alarm bells are well and truly ringing.”
Senator Waters said today’s Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report makes it clear the coal export industry is in “terminal long-term decline”.
“Between 2014 and 2017, the LNP and Labor accepted $3.94 million from the resources sector,” Senator Waters said.
“The major parties need to stop doing the bidding of their donors in the fossil fuel industry, put an end to the Adani Carmichael mine once and for all and start transitioning to renewables.
“We need real jobs not Adani’s fake jobs. There are almost 10,000 construction jobs being created in renewables across Australia, that’s where our future lies – and must lie – if we are to prevent further damage to our Reef and planet from climate change.”

Our government is backing plans for the Australian War Memorial that will honour Australians who have served in our armed forces, and those men and women who serve today.
Our $498 million investment in the Australian War Memorial’s redevelopment will help them tell new stories in new ways.
It means the Australian War Memorial will be able to display more of their collection and proudly tell the stories from recent years in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and East Timor.
We want to recognise the service of our Australian Defence Force members and safeguard a place for history to present and communicate those stories not yet written.
The redevelopment will increase visitor areas by 83 per cent or ar ound 10,000 square metres to expand the exhibition and public program space which is currently at capacity. The Australian War Memorial will be able to better tell the stories of current and recent conflicts, operations, peacekeeping, and humanitarian missions.
It will include a new temporary exhibition space, improved visitor orientation, wayfinding and amenities, areas for respite and reflection, new education facilities, and a theatre and functions space.
Our ex-serving organisations which play a vital role in supporting our veterans and their families will also be recognised along with the proud communities throughout Australia whose loved ones never returned.
This funding builds on our new Australian Veterans’ Covenant, Veterans’ Card and lapel pin, as well as the $1.4 billion we’re investing for fairer indexation of defence force pensions, free mental health care for all veterans and our veterans to work program.
Whether it’s respecting and recognising our veterans and their families, record investment in defence force capability or building a place where we can proudly tell their stories for generations to come, our government is committed to putting our service men and women and veterans first.

Australia’s Environment Minister has let the public down yet again with her silence on the WWF’s damning report into human-driven mass extinction, the Greens say.
“Today’s WWF report is harrowing. But, as usual, we have not heard a peep from our Environment Minister Melissa Price on how the Liberal Government is going to act,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Australia has a terrible track record when it comes to extinction. We need to stand up, take responsibility, and ensure that we slow this trend down before it is too late.
“Between the WWF report today and the latest IPCC report, we can no longer look away from the impact we are having on our planet.
“Our Environment Minister’s silence in the face of this report is deafening. Yet again, she is missing in action on a vitally important issue that needs to be taken seriously and acted on urgently.
“We need an eco-system wide approach to protecting natural habitats and saving our native flora and fauna. We created this extinction crisis, we need to ensure it doesn’t get worse.”

Greens science and research spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today slammed the Liberals for their continued attacks on research and academic freedom. Mr Bandt said actions of Minister Birmingham and his successor, Minister Tehan, show the contempt with which the government holds the science and research community.
“The Liberals anti-science and anti-research agenda started with Tony Abbott and has continued long after his departure,” said Mr Bandt.
“Simon Birmingham’s decision to veto 11 research projects that were recommended by experts for funding is a disgraceful attack on academic freedom and independence.
“This veto is another example of power being wielded in secrecy. This latest politicisation of research represents yet another capitulation to the hard-right backbench.
“This government is putting Australia’s international reputation at risk.
“I will be writing to Minister Tehan to call on him to reverse the decision and commit to fully-funding the previously rejected grants and to provide a full explanation for what occurred in November last year.
“The new so called ‘national interest test’ announced today is another example of policy on the run and another attack on academic freedom. I understand there is already a requirement for each grant application to show the ‘national benefit’.
“The Greens will be investigating any legislative or regulatory options available to ensure that the Minister is compelled to publicly disclose the reasons why any grants recommended by the ARC are rejected and to safeguard academic freedom and independence of research funding decisions in Australia.”

The joint letter from Sydney Anglican school principals shows they want to continue to be able to discriminate against LGBT+ people just because of who they are, say the Greens.

‘If what the Sydney Anglicans are saying is that merely being out as LGBT+ is enough to ‘undermine or denigrate the beliefs and teachings of an employing school’, then that’s homophobia and transphobia, not religious freedom,’ said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.

‘The simple fact is no student should be expelled and no teacher or other staff member should be fired just because of who they are. Jesus taught love for all people, not that love is conditional.’

‘The Greens support freedom of religion to be included in a Charter of Rights, and I call upon the Anglican Diocese of Sydney to support us in achieving that. But freedom of religion is not a licence to discriminate against LGBTIQ+ people.’

Australian Greens Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has reiterated her call for a ban on live exports, following the release of the Moss Review which shows that the Department and the Government have failed animals. Senator Faruqi has called for a complete ban on live exports, saying the industry is well beyond saving.
Senator Faruqi said: “While I welcome Mr Moss’s review and proposed changes, it clearly shows the reality that a culture of tolerating animal cruelty is completely entrenched. The shortcomings of the system encompass legislation, regulation, capability and culture. The whole industry and its regulation are based on money, not animal welfare. The writing is on the wall for this cruel trade and now is the time to begin the transition away from it.
“If you need evidence of the contempt this Government has for reform, the Agriculture Minister was handed this damning report in late September and he promptly went ahead and allowed live exporters to increase stocking density and granted an export licence to a company closely affiliated with disgraced live export company Emanuel Exports. The department has even allowed some live export ships to sail without independent observers.
“The Greens remain resolute and stand with the community in demanding a shutdown of this cruel trade. No amount of reviews or tinkering around the edges can get around the fact that this is a trade in misery and is incompatible with animal welfare. The live export industry is well beyond redemption.
“I for one am so sick and tired of second and third and fourth chances being given to the live export industry. They have proved they are incapable of reform and we know as soon as the spotlight is off live exports, we will see any changes weakened.
“My bill to ban the worst aspects of the live exports trade passed the Senate and is stuck in limbo in the House of Representatives. I call on members of the crossbench and those in the Government who care about animals to take action now and bring on the bill for debate and a vote. We could take a huge leap forward to animal welfare if Prime Minister Scott Morrison allowed the bill to be debated.”

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has rebuked Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan’s proposed national interest test as a smokescreen for political interference.
Senator Faruqi said:
“When the Liberals and Nationals say national interest, we know what they really mean. They have such a narrow understanding of the importance of research in all fields, who knows what will be on the chopping block. Perhaps the Minister would like to cut off research relating to trade unions, climate change or asylum seekers?
“A national interest test is a smoke screen for allowing the government of the day to insert their political priorities into the independent research approval process.
“This is a desperate beat up on research and academics to try and revive the Government’s vote which is in freefall.
“If the Minister wanted to act for the national interest he would allow academics to continue the centuries-old tried and tested process of peer review,” she concluded.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, will today speak at ‘Stop the Ramsay Centre! Protest at the USYD Senate’ and will call on Sydney University to drop plans to engage with the Ramsay Centre. Senator Faruqi is a former academic of the University of New South Wales.
When: Today (31/10), 12:30PM
Where: Sydney University (F23 Administration Building, Eastern Ave).
Senator Faruqi said:  “As a former academic, I can unequivocally say that allowing any organisation to control curriculum, let alone one as shady as this centre, is a huge mistake. Sydney University should not even be having this conversation.
“There are multiple schools in Sydney University already studying Western Civilisation already, so what do they really want? They want control. And they want to churn out students with an unquestioning view of what they believe Western Civilisation is. That is their agenda.
“They are seeking a nationalistic and uncritical view of Western civilisation with all the imperialism and colonialism airbrushed out. This is deeply offensive. We must push back hard against this idea cultural supremacy.
“We must stand up strongly and proudly for academic freedom and critical thinking. We will not hijacked by a narrow ideological agenda.”

A Shorten Labor Government will tackle multinational tax dodgers to help pay for our priorities – better schools, better hospitals and protecting Medicare.
Labor will implement a number of measures targeting multinational tax avoidance and high wealth tax dodgers, saving the budget $4.8 billion over the next decade, including stopping companies claiming illegitimate deductions for travel to and from known tax havens.
Working Australians pay their taxes – it’s only fair that multinationals pay their fair share too.
Labor will also close a loophole that allows companies to deduct bad debt from related party financing arrangements.
These measures build on Labor’s existing plans to make the tax system fairer for all Australians.
Labor will make firms undertaking business in tax havens disclose that to shareholders and make significant tenderers disclose their country of tax domicile.
We will introduce public country-by-country reporting, work with superannuation funds to make sure they develop guidelines for tax haven investments and stop citizenship shopping by requiring Australians with foreign residency to report to the Tax Office.
Tax havens are used by drug-runners, extortionists and counterfeiters. Around four-fifths of the money shifted to tax havens is estimated to be in breach of other countries’ tax laws. Half the money in tax havens is estimated to be owned by the top 0.01 percent. One estimate suggests that Australians have around $100 billion parked in tax havens.
Australians know that when multinational tax dodgers and the super-rich don’t pay their fair share, we can’t fund our education and health systems properly.
While the Coalition is paralysed by infighting and indecision, Labor has made serious decisions to balance the budget, pay down debt and fund its positive policies for schools and hospitals.
Labor knows what needs to be done and will continue to lead the debate on multinational tax avoidance.
If the Coalition was serious about tax fairness, it would adopt Labor’s plan.
LABOR’S MULTINATIONAL TAX CRACK DOWN – SAVING THE BUDGET $4.8 BILLION

• Tighten debt-deduction loopholes used by multinational companies, improving the Budget by $3 billion over the medium term.
• Capping deductions for managing tax affairs at $3,000.
• Close a debt deduction loophole to ensure consistent treatment in related party financing arrangements.
• Automatically deny deductions from companies for travel to and from tax havens.
• Increase penalties for individuals and entities promoting tax evasion and avoidance.
• Crack down on citizenship shopping by requiring all individual Australian taxpayers to notify and declare to the Australian Taxation Office if they have residency or citizenship of any other jurisdiction and the name of that jurisdiction.
• Introduce public reporting of country-by-country reports, ensuring the release of high-level tax information about where and how much tax was paid by large corporations (over $1 billion in global revenue).
• Provide protection for whistleblowers who report on entities evading tax to the Australian Taxation Office and, where whistleblowers’ information results in more tax being paid, allow them to collect a share of the tax penalty (a reward of up to $250,000).
• Introduce a publicly accessible registry of the beneficial ownership of Australian listed companies and trusts, allowing the public to find out who really owns our firms.
• Introduce mandatory shareholder reporting of tax haven exposure, requiring companies to disclose to shareholders as a ‘Material Tax Risk’ if the company is doing business in a tax haven.
• Appoint a community sector representative to the Board of Taxation to ensure community sector voices are heard in tax design and review processes.
• Introduce public reporting of Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) data and require the annual public release of international cash flow data.
• Require all firms tendering for Australian Government contracts worth more than $200,000 to state their country of domicile for tax purposes.
• Develop guidelines for tax haven investment by superannuation funds.
• Require that the Australian Taxation Office’s annual report provide information on the number and size of tax settlements.

Restore Labor’s $100 million threshold for public reporting of tax data for private companies, which was raised to $200 million by the Liberals and Greens in a move which exempted two-thirds of private firms from tax transparency.