Category: Australian News

From today, parents and teachers will be able to find out how much extra funding their local public school will get under a Shorten Labor Government, and what a difference this will make for their kids.
A new website – www.fairgoforschools.com.au – will give each school an estimate of the extra funding it can expect in the first three years of Labor’s plan.
Labor will provide an extra $14 billion for public schools to deliver the biggest school investment in Australian history.
Every student in every public school will be better off under Labor’s plan.
Parents and teachers know what this could mean for their children: more one on one attention, an extra teacher or teacher aide.  This funding will give schools the resources they need to help students master the basics such as reading, writing, maths, and science, and offer a broader range of subjects including languages, coding, the arts, and vocational education.
Our extra investment will transform public schools across Australia and give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential, no matter where they live, or how much their parents earn.
Australian schools should be the best in the world, and every Australian child deserves the best start in life.
Labor believes that for parents to have real choice, governments have a responsibility to make sure our public schools are second to none.
But at the moment, because of Scott Morrison’s cuts, almost nine in ten public schools will never get to their fair funding level.
Over the last five years all the Liberals have done is attack public schools and slash their funding.
Scott Morrison doesn’t think the 2.5 million students in the public school system deserve fair funding – he thinks he can get away with his cuts.
Labor can pay for better public schools because unlike the Liberals, we’re closing tax loopholes for the top end of town and making multinationals pay their fair share.
Scott Morrison’s record as Treasurer is three budgets of cuts to schools, all to pay for his tax handouts to the big banks and top end of town.
Labor has different priorities – we will crackdown on multinational tax avoidance and give our kids a better future by investing in schools.
At the next election there will be a clear choice for voters – Labor’s commitment to invest in public schools, or the Liberals’ cuts.

Greens Co-Deputy Leader and climate change and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP today backed separate calls from unions, a UNSW study and the Australian Conservation Foundation for an independent energy transition authority to manage the closure of coal-fired power stations. The Greens will reintroduce legislation to establish an independent statutory authority, Renew Australia, to oversee the transition of Australia’s electricity system to one based on renewable energy.
The Greens’ bill, which did not receive support from Liberal or Labor when previously introduced, would spend $500 million to establish Renew Australia, legislate a timetable for the closure of coal-fired power stations to provide certainty to workers and communities and create a $250 million Clean Energy Transition Fund to assist coal workers and communities with the transition.
“To avoid the mistakes of Hazelwood’s last minute closure and to ensure a just transition, a clear plan is needed to manage the energy transition,” said Mr Bandt.
“The Greens have been calling for the establishment of an independent statutory authority to manage the energy transition since the last election, but our calls have been ignored by the major parties.
“The Greens are of one mind with mining unions, academics and conservation groups on the need for an independent statutory authority to oversee an orderly transition away from coal.
“The old parties created the mess of the National Electricity Market and the Liberals are failing to act on the transition to renewables, let alone the management of that transition. We need a new public authority to lead the transition to a new energy system, without leaving coal workers in the lurch.

“The old parties have a habit of adopting Greens policies, from a royal commission into the banks to legislating to protect penalty rates. I hope they’ll ‘borrow’ this one as well.”

The Australian Labor Party is pleased to announce that Dr Brian Owler has nominated to be Labor’s candidate for Bennelong at the next federal election.
Dr Owler is a neurosurgeon, former president of the Australian Medical Association and past president of the AMA NSW.
As President of the AMA, Dr Owler led the campaign against the Liberals’ Medicare Freeze and GP Tax.
“As a doctor, a surgeon and a health advocate, I’ve dedicated my career to caring for people and serving the community.
“I’ve seen the pressure that’s been placed on hospitals and staff because of the Liberals’ funding cuts, and I’ve seen how undermining Medicare is bad for patients and for GPs,” Dr Owler said.
“I believe there is a critical choice at the next election over the future of health care in Australia. We can’t risk more Liberal cuts to health care. That’s why I’m putting my hand up.
“I want to pay tribute to our former candidate, Lyndal Howison. She is a formidable local campaigner with strong Labor values, and I’m pleased I’ll be able to rely on her support and advice during the campaign.
“I want to represent Labor in Bennelong because only a Shorten Labor Government will prioritise Medicare and local hospitals, and provide a positive vision for Australia.”
Labor Leader Bill Shorten welcomed Dr Owler to the Labor team.
“Labor believes it should be your Medicare card, not your credit card, that determines your access to health care in this country,” Mr Shorten said.
“Brian has spent his career fighting for quality, affordable health care, because he knows firsthand the difference it makes to people’s lives.
“Brian lives and breathes Medicare and he’ll be an outstanding addition to the party that created Medicare and defends it every day”.
Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek said a vote for Labor in Bennelong is a vote for better healthcare.
“The next election is a choice between protecting Medicare and hospitals, or more of the same Liberal cuts and chaos under Scott Morrison.
“The Liberals in Canberra have cut hospitals, frozen the Medicare rebate, and now they are outsourcing Medicare jobs to labour hire companies.
“Morrison and the Liberals will always attack Medicare. Bill Shorten and Labor will always protect it.”

A Shorten Labor Government will make the biggest investment ever in Australian netball by a federal government, committing $20 million over two years to Netball Australia.
This investment will help fund a range of Netball Australia’s grassroots participation and engagement programs, and ensure a strong future for netball in Australia – from local netball clubs, to our Super Netball stars and our outstanding national team, the Diamonds.
The funding will also support Netball Australia’s bid to host the 2027 Netball World Cup in Australia.
Labor’s commitment is great news for more than 850,000 women and girls who participate in netball, and will ensure that both grassroots and elite netball gets the best support it has ever received from government.
Netball has the highest rate of female participation of any club sport in Australia. AusPlay research released in April this year showed netball is particularly important for girls’ participation in organised activity outside of school hours. The benefits of team sport for kids is well known, particularly for girls in helping to develop confidence and self-esteem, learn new skills and make new friends.
The rapid rise of elite female sport in Australia is a great thing. It means Australian girls are seeing more sporting role models more often on the TV, and are inspired to take up sport themselves.
But it also means that netball isn’t competing on a level playing field in television coverage and sponsorship space. While the expansion and broadcast of women’s footy and cricket has been supported by revenue generated by their elite male competitions, this is not an option for netball.
Labor’s $20 million investment will ensure that netball, which has done so much for women’s sport for so long, can keep pace with the rapid expansion of elite women’s competitions in other sports.
Labor has made hard budget decisions to ensure our priorities are fully paid for – we will make multinationals pay their fair share and close unsustainable tax loopholes, because we want to help a new generation of young girls fall in the love with netball and inspire the next generation of Aussie Diamonds.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has called news that the former Education Minister, Senator Simon Birmingham, personally intervened to block research grants outrageous. She has also called for a completely independent process, free from Ministerial interference.
Senator Faruqi said: “As a former academic, I am horrified that the Minister intervened to block research grants. This is a massive and outrageous overreach from the Government.
“Research Grants are not there for the Minister to pick and choose based on his own political prejudices. The Australian Research Council should be trusted to guide research funding, free from political interference.
“Academic research is too valuable to be hijacked by a narrow ideological agenda.
“No Minister can be trusted with the power to block research grants. There should be a completely independent process, separate from Ministerial interference,” she concluded.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has called news that the former Education Minister, Senator Simon Birmingham, personally intervened to block research grants outrageous. She has also called for a completely independent process, free from Ministerial interference.
Senator Faruqi said: “As a former academic, I am horrified that the Minister intervened to block research grants. This is a massive and outrageous overreach from the Government.
“Research Grants are not there for the Minister to pick and choose based on his own political prejudices. The Australian Research Council should be trusted to guide research funding, free from political interference.
“Academic research is too valuable to be hijacked by a narrow ideological agenda.
“No Minister can be trusted with the power to block research grants. There should be a completely independent process, separate from Ministerial interference,” she concluded.

Residents in outer suburbs have been appalling neglected by successive governments failing to properly invest in public transport, say the Greens, following the publication of Infrastructure Australia’s Outer Urban Public Transport report.

‘This report shows just how successive Liberal and Labor governments around the country have failed to properly plan transport solutions for people in outer suburban areas, who are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic jams for several hours a day,’ said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.

‘People are crying out for accessible, reliable and affordable public transport. Instead we have governments throwing money into expensive, polluting toll roads that do nothing to solve congestion and mean that people living in the outer suburbs have no other option but to drive.’

‘As our cities grow, we have to give people the choice of high quality, fully integrated public transport – trains, trams and buses. That’s the only way we will solve our transport problems.’

‘We have to make sure public transport is planned properly. It’s not just a matter of announcing big flashy projects. We need comprehensive integrated transport plans across the country that prioritise public transport, and walking and cycling.’

Greens environment and water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will today write to the Auditor-General to investigate reports of more scandal in the National Party.
“Reports that the National Party executive was paid $850,000 for drought-proofing that never eventuated are serious allegations. Today I will be referring this to the Auditor-General for investigation,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Another day, another scandal involving the Nationals. Scott Morrison’s Special Drought Envoy  Barnaby Joyce’s ‘nothing to see here’ attitude in response to these reports of rorting is typical of the former Deputy Prime Minister.
“The drought is crippling our farmers and to add insult to injury, the Nationals are brushing off these reports like they do with every scandal they find themselves in.
“The Nationals cannot be trusted with spending billions of dollars on drought relief and water management properly.
“Rorting and misusing taxpayers’ money are serious allegations and another reason why we need a federal anti-corruption body.
“The fact that Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack believes we don’t need a federal anti-corruption body says it all. The Nationals will always protect their own – no matter what their indiscretions – above the interest of our nation, our river, and the Australian taxpayers.”

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has called the Government’s so called ‘Choice and Affordability” package a private school slush fund. The fund is part of extra money announced for private schools by the Prime Minister in September, which Senator Faruqi has previously described as “hush money”.
In Budget Estimates today, the Department confirmed that it was a “decision of Government” and couldn’t answer how the figure was $1.2 billion figure was arrived at. The Greens have also confirmed that they will move to disallow the fund and call on the Government to reallocate it to the public system.
Senator Faruqi said:
“What has become pretty clear is the Government plucked the $1.2 billion figure out of thin air as a way to pay off the private school sector.
“This whole program is a farce. There are no rules, no criteria and the Department seems to have no idea how the amount of the enormous $1.2 billion private school slush fund was arrived at.
“The Greens unashamedly believe that with public money, public schools have to come first. It is beyond reprehensible that while one in ten public school classrooms in New South Wales are demountable, the private schools will be getting billions in special funds.
“There is absolutely nothing stopping the schools spending this money to subsidise school fees for wealthy parents. What a slap in the face for public schools.
“The Greens will be moving to disallow this fund as soon as it comes to Parliament,” she concluded.