Month: August 2025

Criminal proceedings against the NSW Forestry Corporation have been commenced by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) alleging 29 offences committed in Tallaganda State Forest in 2023. The offences under the coastal integrated logging rules, the Forestry Act and the Biodiversity Conservation Act include failure to conduct habitat surveys, failure to operate competently, logging of protected giant trees, and destruction of habitat of threatened species including the Greater Glider. The offences are alleged to have occurred across seven compartments in Tallaganda State Forest and have a maximum penalty that could exceed tens of millions of dollars.  

At the time of the alleged offences, a dead Southern Greater Glider was discovered near ongoing logging operations, and a review by the EPA discovered 20 protected den trees for the threatened glider species were set to be logged. These discoveries caused consecutive stop work orders to be issued by the EPA with the Corporation eventually declaring the logging ‘complete’ without any further work.  

Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said:

“The Forestry Corporation is a serial offender. This latest prosecution is well overdue, but it will not bring back the forest and the Greater Glider habitat that has already been destroyed and as time has shown, it will not stop further offending. The community is constantly reporting illegal logging to the EPA, yet logging continues across the state with the bare minimum of intervention.”  

“The Forestry Corporation is costing the public millions of dollars every year in losses and yet blame community scrutiny and legal action for their failed business model. Now the EPA is prosecuting them again, and taxpayers are footing the bill for the Corporation’s illegal actions as well as its financial losses.”  

“Industrial logging is destroying our native forests and driving the extinction of Greater Gliders and other forest-dependent species. It is also driving climate change by destroying our most important carbon stores. The Minns Labor Government cannot claim to be serious about biodiversity or climate while allowing this industry to continue.”  

“Tallaganda is not an isolated case. This prosecution is important, but more Tallagandas are happening every day across the state, often with no action taken at all. For every case that ends up in court, there are dozens more where illegal logging goes unchecked.”  

“Native forest logging is not just a crime against nature, it is a crime against the community. It is time for Premier Minns to end this industry once and for all. Until then, the Forestry Corporation will keep breaking the law, forests will keep being destroyed, and the public will keep paying the price.” 

“Racism against migrants and people of colour in this country is not new, but it has been blatantly normalised and legitimised in the media and by politicians fanning the flames of hate that foment right-wing extremism.

“Migrants like me have been told repeatedly to put up, shut up or ‘go back to where you come from’. Is it any wonder the far-right feel emboldened to publicise their racism on the streets of our cities? These rallies must be called out for what they are: acts of racist fear mongering and hate.

“The Labor government must end its racist dog-whistling on migrants and refugees and its crack down on pro-Palestine protestors and instead focus on the urgent implementation of the National Anti-Racism Framework.

“The Greens will continue to support communities who bear the brunt of white supremacy, neo-Nacism, and right wing extremism.”

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Immigration, Senator Shoebridge:

“As Greens, we will always oppose and actively seek to dismantle and disempower far-right extremism wherever we encounter it.

“We also need to be honest about the fact that anti-migrant rhetoric inside the Parliament and in the media has fed into these extremist views.

“Too often, the policies and discourse in Australian politics seek to divide and whip up fear. This has real-world implications, and we are unfortunately watching that in real time now.

“Immigration and welcoming new friends, workmates and family to this country only strengthens us as a nation, and it helps build a better and richer society for us all.”

“We are in solidarity with every community that is targeted and concerned by these hateful rallies.

“While a handful of bigots are pushing to divide us, let’s instead centre and empower the millions of Australians who are helping to build and be part of, a caring and welcoming country. They are the voices we need to prioritise and they come from across the rainbow of people, places, faiths and nations that make up multicultural Australia.”

Evidence at the Greens-led Senate inquiry into the Government’s delayed aged care changes have revealed the shocking state of the Home Care Package waitlist is much longer than previously thought.

Department officials also revealed that zero new aged care packages have been released since 1 July, contrary to the Minister for Aged Care Sam Rae’s claims this week.

Waitlist blowout

Department officials made available new data revealing 121,596 people as at the end of July are awaiting an ACAT assessment. The official waitlist of people already in receipt of a Home Care Package shows over 87,000 people are waiting for care for which they have been assessed. [1]

This suggests that the effective total number of people awaiting home care is already over 200,000 long.

The waitlist is only growing thanks to the Government’s delays on aged care from 1 July to 1 November. 

Zero new packages since 1 July

Under questioning from Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Department officials also revealed that there have been no new packages released since 1 July.

Labor have been defending the delay by saying that they’ve been releasing more than 2700 packages a week [3]

The Government has been under intense pressure over the growing waitlist, and a majority of Senators have signalled their intention to use the passage of enabling Aged Care legislation through the Senate to force the Government to address the blow out in the delay.

The inquiry on Friday heard that there is universal agreement among providers and independent experts that the overall delay in aged care reforms to 1 November is prudent, but there is no reason the government could not release additional home care packages now.

Officially, wait times for medium priority packages are 9-12 months from assessment, including for the highest “Level 4” level of care.

The Greens were the only senators to oppose the original Aged Care Bill 2024, with both major parties and the rest of the crossbench supporting its passage. 

Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Greens Spokesperson for Older People and Chair of the Inquiry:

“The Greens are calling on Labor to urgently release enough home care packages for everyone who needs one, and they could do it this week in the Senate.”

“There is literally no reason why the Government cannot release more packages aside from stubbornness by a Minister who is out of his depth, and a Labor party that can never admit when they’re wrong.

“Minister Rae has misled older people when he says he has been releasing packages each week. Today it was revealed that no new packages have been released since June.”  

“Under this system you have to wait for someone else to die or move into residential aged care before you can get support at home. It’s unconscionable.

“The wait list for home care has exploded out to 200,000, a figure that the Government was desperate to hide. The minister must front up, release more packages, and explain himself.

“Older people are not commodities, they must be treated with respect, dignity and care, but this system resembles a cattle yard with an indifferent Minister at the gate. 

“As the Royal Commission said, the financialisation of aged care has been a disaster. We must build an aged care system that is actually about delivering the care that is needed, when it is needed.”

References

[1] From the inquiry:

4:42pm: Joan Blackwood, assistant secretary, accessing homes division. The data we have given you is from the date that the referral is issued to the date that the support claim is completed for the relevant individual. Thank you. I can also speak to the point around the number of people waiting for an aged care assessment. I do have some data available, if that would be helpful. So as at the end of July, we have a couple of ways that we track this. One is total assessments on hand that are outside the recommended KPI markers for assessments, and one is total assessments on hand. The second number is 121,596 people.

[2] From the inquiry, approx 4:45pm:

Senator Allman-Payne: Is this actually a new supplier packages or is this the recycling of packages from people who no longer need them? 

Department: Thank you Senator, it is the latter and I believe the minister has been clear about that in his public commentary as well. 

[…]

Senator Allman-Payne: Okay. So I’d just want to make sure, we have got an ageing population, we got more people in need of care every week and a growing waitlist but there hasn’t been an increase in the overall number of packages that have been released at this point, we are just seeing packages recycling through the system. 

Department: Yes. 

[3] (Sky News, 27 August🙂 

RAE: We are rolling out packages every single week. The average since September last year is 2700 packages a week.

GILBERT: So it hasn’t dried up completely?

RAE: No. The average was 2700. Up until November, we’ll continue to roll out on average above 2000 packages every single week.

City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council welcome confirmation today from the Office of Local Government (OLG) that ratepayers are not exposed to any financial risk associated with Newcastle Airport.

The OLG recently undertook a review of the financial relationship between Newcastle Airport and its shareholder Councils (City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council). 

The review found that the OLG is satisfied that the airport’s operations and securitisation of its assets will not adversely affect the financial sustainability or operational capacity of either Council.

The outcome of the OLG’s review into the Airport’s financial structure is welcomed and we look forward to focusing on the Airport’s strategic role in driving the growth of tourism, exports and local economies for the future of the Hunter.

City of Newcastle is aware of a rally being promoted for Newcastle Foreshore on Sunday 31 August.

The event organisers do not have an Event Authorisation for the use of Foreshore Park or any other location and have had no engagement with City of Newcastle.

City of Newcastle also understands the event organisers have not engaged with NSW Police and have not applied for a Form One (Notice of Intention to Hold a Public Assembly).

City of Newcastle supports the right to peaceful protest but does not tolerate the racism promoted by event organisers.

Racism has no place in Newcastle.

The Minns Government is continuing its smart programs that deliver benefits to regional NSW communities with a new multimillion-dollar investment to address childcare shortages in three western NSW local government areas that will benefit many people and local economies.

The expansion of the Government’s Workforce Activation Program to three new areas – Carrathool, Hay and Warrumbungle Shires – will be funded with $4.39 million to expand or upgrade eligible early childhood education and care services.

Improving access to childcare can have a significant impact in helping stay-at-home parents, particularly in underserved rural areas, stay in the workforce.

A recent study by the Regional Australia Institute confirmed that not having access to childcare services is hampering the ability of people to maximise their contribution to the local workforce.

This disproportionately impacts regional towns like these and contributes to worker shortages in essential services such as health care and education, plus in local businesses.

By freeing up people to enter the workforce this will have an immediate positive input to the local economy.

Projects eligible for funding include workforce attraction and development initiatives to address workforce shortages, infrastructure upgrades to accommodate more children, and service improvements.

The second phase of the pilot program builds on the success of the $5.6 million announced in November 2024, which created 189 additional childcare places in Broken Hill, Bourke and Cobar over the next 18 months.

Since November 2024, childcare centres in Broken Hill, Bourke and Cobar have advertised for additional childcare educators, engaged experts to deliver staff training workshops and finalised building plans for expansion.

The pilot program expansion considered childcare places available, population growth and the needs of communities where families may face more barriers to accessing childcare.

Applications for the grants open on Friday 29 August 2025, and close on Friday 7 November 2025.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:

“We know that access to childcare in regional NSW is key to helping parents and carers return to work or training which will then contribute to their local economy.

“This $4.39 million investment means more families can fully participate in the workforce in Carrathool, Hay and Warrumbungle Shires and that is a positive outcome on many levels.

“The Minns Government is committed to growing the economy in western NSW and breaking down barriers to workforce participation and helping more parents and carers, particularly women, delivers a great return for everyone.”

Program beneficiary Alex Page said:

“It’s important that my wife and I can remain at work, we both undertake fairly important roles in terms of servicing our local community.

“Without being able to access childcare, my colleagues and I wouldn’t be able to be in the workforce, and I’m one of the lucky parents whose kids have fulltime care across the week.

“All around Broken Hill it’s very hard to get employees to work full time because they can’t get childcare, and with greater access to childcare we’ll be able to have more people back into the workforce – it is a gamechanger.

“To have the ability to move to the region and have access to childcare more easily would make it far more palatable and enjoyable for families to move from a major metro centre.”

Program beneficiary Sarah Baum said:

“If I didn’t have access to childcare services, I wouldn’t be able to regain the financial independence to financially contribute to our household.

“With funding coming into childcare in Broken Hill creating additional childcare places will trickle on and flow out through the community.

“You’ll have more people earning more money and more people injecting those funds back to into the economy and you’ll have more people returning to work which will hopefully entice more people to come out to our region to help grow it.”

The Albanese Labor Government is supporting the growth, resilience and sustainability of Australia’s agricultural sector, with an additional $1 billion in new loan funding through the Regional Investment Corporation (RIC).

RIC administers support for farmers facing hardship with concessional loans for farm businesses and drought-affected farm-related small businesses.

This new funding will ensure farmers can continue to access concessional lending to improve their long-term resilience and profitability – and brings total support for the agriculture sector through RIC loans to over $5 billion.

The Government will also support the broadening of RIC’s loan scope to include assistance for improving climate resilience, boosting sector productivity, and supporting agriculture to be part of Australia’s net zero transition.

This additional $1 billion in new loan funding demonstrates the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to RIC beyond 30 June 2026.

This will provide certainty around RIC funding and concessional lending for Australia’s farmers while the Government finalises the full response to the Review of the operation of the Regional Investment Corporation ACT 2018.

To date, over 3,400 loans have been supported through RIC, with more than $3.6 billion in settled funds providing direct on-farm benefit.

These new commitments build on the Albanese Labor Government’s rural support and drought resilience funding which has helped Australian farmers to prepare, adapt and respond to a range of hardships and issues including drought.

Minister Anthony Albanese

“I have seen firsthand the toll that extreme weather events like drought take on regional communities.

“That is why my Government is backing our farmers who are doing it tough by continuing the Regional Investment Corporation.

“This is about helping farmers to manage cost pressures and free up cash flow so they can continue producing the products we all rely on.”

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP

“The funding we are announcing today underscores our Government’s enduring commitment to supporting Australian farmers who are facing hardship.

“We are committing to concessional loans over the long-term to give farmers certainty that there will always be support available, including those impacted by drought.”