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PLIBERSEK IGNORES CONSERVATION ADVICE ON MAUGEAN SKATE

Minister Plibersek has ignored her own department’s conservation advice and is failing to show the strong political leadership necessary to help prevent the Maugean skate from going extinct.

New conservation advice states that for the Maugean skate to be afforded the best possible chance of survival impacts of salmonid aquaculture on dissolved oxygen concentrations in Macquarie Harbour must be “eliminated or significantly reduced”. The advice explicitly states that the fastest and simplest way to achieve this is by “significantly reducing fish biomass”.

Yet, on the eve of Threatened Species Day, Minister Plibsek made the underwhelming decision to ignore this advice, and instead opted for a $2.1 million funding announcement focused on creating a Maugean skate insurance population if it can’t be saved in its wild home.

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

“Minister Plibersek’s decision to ignore her own department’s conservation advice tells you everything you need to know about how captured the Labor party is by the big salmon corporations that are trashing Tasmania’s magnificent waterways.

“What’s the point of having a Threatened Species Scientific Committee and establishing a Maugean Skate National Recovery Team to help save the species, if you then disregard its key findings?

“Minister Plibersek has the power to act and to save the Maugean skate from extinction and she needs to pull every lever available to her to make this a reality, yet her decisions so far have been completely underwhelming.

“Clearly Minister Plibersek is failing to show the strong political leadership necessary to protect the skate, making the survival of this ancient species a political decision.

“The Minister’s failure to heed her own department’s advice also raises significant questions as to whether Labor is serious about its Zero Extinction pledge.”

ANOTHER INTEGRITY TEST FOR LABOR AS GREENS DEBATE ANTIPOVERTY BILL

This morning Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for government services and social services, will debate the Greens’ Antipoverty Commission Bill.

This Bill would set up the Antipoverty Commission, an independent body to provide independent and transparent advice to the government about alleviating poverty in Australia.
The Bill goes further than the current interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee which is due ahead of next year’s budget, and provides a clear framework for a robust body to tackle poverty.

The Greens’ Antipoverty Commission is a benchmark to assess future legislation and to ensure we have the best chance of eradicating poverty in Australia.

Greens spokesperson for government services and social services Senator Janet Rice said:

“Successive governments have used the lack of a national definition of poverty as an excuse to keep people living on inadequate income support payments. We need a national definition of poverty – one that takes into account different needs and contexts, and one that the government can be held accountable to.

“This week in Parliament has shown that the Labor Government has some major issues when it comes to dealing with transparency in politics. Establishing more truly independent bodies to advise government is an important starting point.

“While the Greens support the concept of and work done by the interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, it is abundantly clear that the original committee does not go far enough to tackle poverty in Australia. There’s no way to ensure that the people appointed to the Committee are truly independent from vested corporate interests.

“Poverty is a political choice. Labor is choosing to keep millions of Australians on income support well below the poverty line. All Centrelink payments must be raised above the poverty line to $88 a day.

“If this last year of a Labor government has shown us anything, it’s that they do not take tackling poverty seriously. We need an explicit focus on addressing poverty in the shape of a commission to develop a national poverty line. We need an independent commission that listens to people with direct experiences of poverty and experts who make independent recommendations to the government.

“At this stage, the combined cost of living and housing crisis aren’t going anywhere and people’s lives are getting harder. A truly independent Antipoverty Commission will help us navigate this difficult time and be the self-standing body we need to guide us on how to fix it.”

TRANSPARENCY DENIED; DEFENCE EXPORTS TO SUDAN

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT DEFENCE RELATIONS WITH SUDAN IN A TIME OF HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Since April, Sudan has faced a humanitarian and political crisis. Clashes between armed groups and a military coup are now bordering on a civil war.

The Australian Government has failed to meet the calls of the Sudanese community for increased aid to the country. Today, the Labor Government and Coalition have failed the community yet again, working together to refuse the Greens Order for the Production of Documents request for transparency over the 9 defence export permits that Australia has issued to Sudan.

Senator Steele-John, Australian Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs said:

“I am proud to be working with the Sudanese diaspora community here in Australia. They are desperate to understand the relationship between Australia and the militants currently ripping apart their homeland. Instead of supporting the community, today the Government and the Coalition voted against a Greens Order for Production of Documents that would have provided clarity on Australia’s role in defence exports to Sudan.

“Australia has a bad track record when it comes to exporting weapons. If the government has nothing to hide about their weapons trade with Sudan, they should make public all information relating to their defence exports.

“The granting of defence permits to Sudan over the last 6 years is highly concerning to the diaspora community. It is impossible for the Australian Government to know where these weapons are now, and concerning to know that they may be playing a role in this conflict.

“The Greens are calling for the Australian Government to condemn the ongoing violence, and to work with the international community to work toward a peaceful, sustainable resolution. Additionally, we must end the fear and ensure those who are in Australia from Sudan are granted permanent protection in Australia.”

LSenator David Shoebridge, Australian Greens spokesperson for Defence said:

“It is a deep insult to the Sudanese diaspora that the Albanese Government refused to provide information on weapons exports.

“Labor is continuing the Coalition’s plan to make Australia a global arms dealer. Putting dollars and profits ahead of basic human rights and a better world.

“The Australian Government should condemn the violence in Sudan, not fuel it through sending weapons.

“With increasing weapons exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE the Albanese Government is fueling an arms race in the region.

“We should be proud of the things we make and sell. Instead, the Albanese Government wants to hide what we are selling, to whom and why.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson for Aid said:

“Sudan is in a complete crisis. People are fleeing conflict and they desperately need basic necessities and humanitarian aid. The UN has called for $1bn in immediate assistance.

“There is a complete humanitarian disaster unfolding with people in urgent need of food, water, shelter and healthcare. Instead of exporting weapons of war, the Labor Government must step up and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to people in Sudan.

$1.65 million penalty for prohibited pathology lease arrangements

A pathology provider in New South Wales was ordered to pay the Commonwealth a pecuniary penalty of $1.65 million, along with legal costs of $200,000, for entering into four leasing arrangements that contravened the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act).

The Chief Executive Medicare on behalf of the Commonwealth instituted civil proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia (the Court) against Healius Pathology Pty Ltd (Healius), trading at the time as Specialist Diagnostic Services Pty Ltd.

The department welcomes the judgment handed down on 18 August 2023, which related to lease arrangements entered into by Healius over a six-year period for pathology collection centres co‑located at two dermatology practices in Castle Hill and Kingswood in NSW. The Court noted expert valuation reports relied on by the Commonwealth that the agreed lease amounts were “between 100% and 470% greater than the market values”.

The Court held the lease arrangements were substantially different from market value. They were “serious contraventions that are deserving of significant penalties” particularly in respect of general deterrence to the pathology industry. The Court was satisfied that a significant penalty was warranted due to Healius’ substantial position in the pathology market, its large size and financial position.

The Court took into account that Healius’ conduct in the litigation was cooperative, including by accepting the contraventions and penalties.

The department will continue to enforce compliance with the prohibited practices provisions in the Act and engage with lessors and lessees where concerns are identified, with the expectation that steps will be taken by the parties to address the concerns.

The department suggests that rent paid per square metre for a medical centre premises may be used as a guide to determine a proportionate rent for space occupied by a pathology collection centre within the medical centre. The department also encourages regular review of lease arrangements and recommends seeking independent valuations of premises to ensure compliance with the Act.

More information and guidance about compliance with the prohibited practices provisions can be found on the department’s website at https://www.health.gov.au/topics/pathology/compliance.

Albanese Labor Government fails to provide mental health relief as suicide rates rise in the cost of living crisis

Melissa McIntosh MP, Federal Member for Lindsay, is concerned the Albanese Labor Government has failed to take serious action on tackling Australia’s mental health crisis, as suicide rates rose by an alarming 7% in 2022 in the nation’s most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria.

Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, peak body Suicide Prevention Australia published its annual State of the Nation report and quarterly Community Tracker.

According to the organisation, the relief measures provided by the Albanese Labor Government in the last Federal Budget have done little for Australian families struggling with the rise in cost of living.

The data from Suicide Prevention Australia paints a concerning picture of the risks of increasing suicide rates, due to distress caused by cost of living and personal debt, housing access and affordability, and social isolation.

The report raises the alarm that for the first time more than half of Australian families (56%) are reporting unprecedented levels of cost of living distress, with nearly half of those surveyed (46%) stating that ‘cost of living and personal debt’ was their highest causes of distress, for the fifth quarter in a row.

Further, the report which surveys organisations working towards suicide prevention notes they are experiencing a 77% increase in demand for services over the last 12 months and 81% require more funding to meet this need. Alarmingly, more than 8 in 10 respondents anticipate a rise in suicide rates over the next year.

Mrs McIntosh said, “In a cost of living crisis, we need more affordable mental health support to assist Australians in need. This is why a Coalition government will restore the full 20 Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions which were slashed to 10 under the Albanese Labor Government.”

“The Albanese Labor Government has been ineffectual in addressing the economic challenges impacting families’ hip-pockets and their mental health.

“Today’s report has called for an urgent whole-of-government response and accelerated implementation of targeted economic policy to give Australians the relief they urgently need.

“We are seeing Australians increasingly becoming at risk of suicide as the bills mount up, with mortgage and rents rising exponentially and daily grocery essentials priced out of people’s budgets.

“I have heard some shocking stories from people across Australia, and they are telling me they do not believe the Government is doing enough to help them or see relief on the horizon.

Australia’s worst air disaster commemorated 80 years on

Australian soldiers killed in the country’s deadliest air disaster, on 7 September 1943, are being commemorated today at a service at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park Sydney

No Australian battalion suffered a greater loss than the 2/33rd Battalion did 80 years ago when, in a matter of seconds, it lost 60 men, killed or mortally injured, and another 90 injured as a result of the US Liberator B-24 Bomber crash in Port Moresby.

In pre-dawn darkness, the Liberator was taking off for a reconnaissance mission with four 500-pound bombs fitted as opposed to the carrying capacity of 12 bombs. For reasons unknown, the Liberator failed to gain sufficient height and hurtled towards the men on the ground in the convoy of trucks lining the airstrip. The bomber came crashing down, spilling forward a wave of burning aviation fuel engulfing the 5 lorries and causing catastrophic damage.

Survivors were sworn to secrecy and details of the crash were kept from the families of those who died to keep up morale during the Second World War.

Minister for Veterans David Harris will attend the special commemoration service with members of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion AIF Association and the veteran community to lay a wreath in honour of all those who served, their families and loved ones.

Minister for Veterans David Harris said:

“Today we remember the members of the 2/33rd Battalion who sadly lost their lives 80 years ago in one of the darkest days of the Second World War.

“In the blink of an eye our nation lost 62 men, 60 soldiers of the 2/33rd Battalion as well as 2 Australian truck drivers.

“We pay tribute to the ultimate sacrifice they gave for their country, to keep us safe. We also remember the 11 airmen of the United States who also perished during the crash. Lest we forget.”

Mrs Yvonne Unitt, President of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion AIF Association, also laid a wreath to honour the association’s fallen comrades.

“Today’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Liberator crash, Australia’s deadliest air disaster, marks another milestone in our association’s important work of honouring and remembering not only the courage, service and sacrifice of our 2/33rd Battalion soldiers.

“Formed in August 1945, 4 days after the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima our association’s work has become even more important because it is one of the few Second World War associations still in existence and has a strong support from the relatives of the 3065 men who wore the battalion’s famous red and brown colour patches into battles in the Middle East, Papua New Guinea and Borneo.”

Further $1.8 billion to power NSW to a clean energy future

The Minns Government will deliver a $1.8 billion boost to help rescue NSW’s energy transition, including establishing the Energy Security Corporation and investing to connect new projects to the grid.

The commitment will help put transmission and energy storage projects back on track, as the Labor Government works hard to keep the lights on during NSW’s switch to cleaner, affordable electricity.

The investment forms part of the government’s commitment to rebuilding the essentials in our state, including ensuring homes and businesses have reliable power at the lowest possible cost.

The government will commit an additional $800 million to the Transmission Acceleration Facility to connect the state’s Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) to the grid sooner and bring forward the benefit schemes for communities.

The NSW Government’s funding injection will support early works in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, around Dubbo.

This renewable zone, the first in NSW, is expected at its peak to support around 5000 construction jobs and bring up to $10 billion in private investment in the region by 2030.

The funding will also maintain momentum in the other planned REZs, the Hunter Transmission Project and the Waratah Super Battery.

The Transmission Acceleration Facility speeds up the delivery of new transmission projects by funding early work in the zones, along with funding community benefit schemes.

Investments will be ultimately recouped from the private sector developers of the REZ projects once projects reach financial close. That money will then be recycled back into the facility to support the development of future REZ projects.

This takes the total government commitment to the Transmission Acceleration Facility to $2 billion since its establishment in 2022. The facility is administered by the Government’s Renewable Energy Zone infrastructure planner, EnergyCo.

The NSW Budget will also confirm $1 billion to establish the Energy Security Corporation, delivering on another election commitment.

The Energy Security Corporation will make investments in storage projects, addressing gaps in the current market, and improving the reliability of our electricity network as we transition to renewables.

This could include investing in community batteries and virtual power plants that will allow households and communities to pool electricity generated from rooftop solar, reducing their reliance on the grid and cutting their power bills.

Once established, the ESC will make investments in commercial projects, similar to the way the Clean Energy Finance Corporation operates.

The ESC will be established with funding from Restart NSW. The government will be consulting with stakeholders through the development process.

The NSW Government is also announcing a key milestone in the delivery of the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

The government will this month submit the project’s Environmental Impact Statement to the Department of Planning and Environment for approval, and it will go on public exhibition within weeks.

These investments support the government’s response to the Electricity Supply and Reliability Check Up and will help deliver the target of 12 gigawatts of new renewable energy generation and 2 gigawatts of long duration storage by 2030.

Premier Chris Minns said:

“We inherited a renewable energy roadmap that was off course.

“We’re determined to get NSW back on track when it comes to the energy transition, and this announcement is part of that.

“We need to get back on track so that we can produce cleaner, more affordable energy for the people of this state.

“We want the state to be able to invest in solutions that ensures reliability in the system, keeps the lights on, and creates new jobs for the state.

“This is a serious, long-term step towards ensuring we get the transition right.”

Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe said:

“This additional $1.8 billion investment puts the renewable energy roadmap back on track. It will accelerate the transition to renewables, to ensure NSW households and communities have a reliable supply of clean, affordable electricity.

“This is a once-in-a-generation transition that requires massive investment and coordination from government and cooperation with the private sector.

“These investments will reignite the first of our Renewable Energy Zones in the Central West-Orana and make sure local communities see early benefits.

“We’re not just investing in large, grid-scale projects. We want to give households and communities more power to make choices about how they generate and use energy. That’s why the Energy Security Corporation will invest in projects like community batteries to help more households use their rooftop solar to become self-sufficient.”

Commemorating Battle for Australia 81 years on

On the first Wednesday in September, Australians come together for Battle of Australia Day, to honour the service and sacrifice of all those who served in defence of Australia in 1942 and helped contribute to the defeat of Japan during the Second World War.

Minister for Veterans David Harris laid a sprig of wattle today, alongside members of the veteran community at the Cenotaph in Martin Place Sydney on the 81st anniversary of the day.

Prime Minister John Curtin used the term ‘Battle for Australia’ after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Soon after, Australia suffered direct Japanese attacks, including the bombing of Darwin, with many merchant and Navy ships sunk defending our shores.

Over 39,000 Australians died during the Second World War, most of them in the campaigns in Asia and the Pacific. Many more were wounded in action and approximately 22,000 Australians became prisoners of war.

During the Great War, the golden wattle was used as a symbol of unity on the home front, and this continued through the Second World War. The resilience of wattle, to withstand our nation’s harsh weather of droughts, winds and bushfires, represents the spirit of the Australian people and sprigs of wattle are laid as a tribute for the Battle of Australia commemoration.

Minister for Veterans, David Harris said:

“The Second World War was the first time that our nation and our land was under attack.

“Today we come together to remember the efforts of our veterans who protected our nation. Who fought to defend our border, our mainland and throughout the Pacific to keep us safe.

“Their efforts, eighty-one years ago, contributed to the first defeat of Japanese forces on land in New Guinea, with the Battle of Milne Bay.

“Whilst the early years of the war focused on Europe, it was during 1942 that Australian forces drew on the spirit of the Anzacs to hold off and eventually overcome the Japanese along the Kokoda Track and other significant battles in New Guinea and throughout the Pacific.

“On the home front, we defended the attacks in Darwin and later in Sydney Harbour. All these efforts helped to win the war against Japan.

“It is these efforts and sacrifices that we remember today. Lest we forget.”

Immediate past President of the Battle for Australia Association in NSW, Colonel Davis Ross CSC (Ret’d) said:

“Today we honour the service and sacrifice of our solders, sailors and air crew as well as all the efforts on the home front. We remember their contributions against the aggression of the Japanese forces, that led to a victory in the Battle for Australia.”

Labor’s $2.7 billion broken promise

The Minns Labor Government’s $2.7 billion coal tax grab will risk jobs, increase energy prices, and add to a growing list of broken promises.

“This is a Government that can’t be trusted – before the election Chris Minns matched the Coalition’s promise not to raise taxes, and now he’s done exactly that to pay for his unfunded election promises,” Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said.

“It’s clear that Chris Minns can’t keep his word. He promised to roll over Active Kids and then slashed the program by 85%, he promised that he would deliver Metro West and now there is a question mark over the project, he promised no privatisation but is looking to sell off public land, and he committed to end secret rent bidding before backflipping – the list goes on.”

“The Labor Government’s coal tax grab is needed to plug the budget blackhole created by another Labor broken promise, namely no unfunded public sector wage increases.”

Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope said this was the Minns Labor Government’s attempt to fix the Budget black hole of their own making, which is risking our state’s fiscal security and Triple A credit rating.

“This is a Government that in the past 24 hours alone has announced an unfunded deal with the Teachers Federation and flagged an extension of Eraring without any idea of how long or how much it will cost the NSW Budget.”

“This tax grab risks higher energy prices and jobs across NSW, not just in the mining industry but for small businesses that no longer have the margins to absorb the increased input costs.”

Labor failing the budget test

The Minns Labor Government has caved under union pressure to sign a one-year deal with the Teachers Federation, driving the NSW Budget further into the red with unfunded wage offers.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said the deal is another example of a broken election promise by the Minns Government.

“Before the election, Chris Minns promised that public sector wage increases wouldn’t cost anything – they would be paid for with productivity offsets,” Mr Speakman said. “Now we know that the Labor Government promises to its union bosses will cost the NSW Budget billions of dollars, and the Government has yet to tell us which programs, services and infrastructure will have to be cut,” Mr Speakman said.

Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope criticised the Treasurer for not revealing the true cost of this deal with the Teachers Federation, which is tipped to exceed over $1.4 billion over four years, in addition to the cost of any future wage increases.

“The Government seems to be confused about exactly how much this offer will cost, because they have a Treasurer who just makes things up as he goes along,” Mr Tudehope said.

“This Budget won’t be worth the paper it’s written on because we know that Labor will give into every other union’s demands, no matter the expense.”

Shadow Education Minister Sarah Mitchell called for more certainty for teachers into the future.

“We all want the best outcome for our teachers, but there is a serious concern here about what will happen in 12 months when a new deal will have to be negotiated”, Ms Mitchell said.

“The union was adamant that 2.5% in the years ahead was not enough, so Labor needs to come clean about what have they promised for future years and what price they will pay to deliver those promises.”