Category: Australian News

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today officially opened Exercise Pitch Black 2026 in Darwin, Australia’s premier international air combat exercise.

Over the next three weeks, 100 aircraft and around 2,500 personnel from the Royal Australian Air Force and 20 other nations will take part in training activities and exercises in the skies over Australia’s north.

The biennial exercise is an opportunity to strengthen relationships among our partners and allies by building interoperability through realistic, high-end training from RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory, and RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.

Aircraft from the United States, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Republic of Korea, India, Singapore, Germany, France and Spain as well as embedded personnel from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Brunei, Malaysia, Finland and Sweden will all take part in this year’s exercise. 

By working together with our partners we are able to develop the capability of the Royal Australian Air Force, strengthen our nation’s security and help keep Australians safe.

The community in Darwin and right across the north also play such an important role in the success of Pitch Black, which can only happen with their support.

Locals will have a chance to see first-hand what Pitch Black is all about at the upcoming Mindil Beach Flying Display later this week, and at the RAAF Base Darwin open day on 1 August.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“Australia is strongest when we work closely with our partners.

“Exercise Pitch Black strengthens those partnerships and demonstrates Australia’s commitment to working closely across our region to support peace, stability and security.

“I’m proud to officially open Exercise Pitch Black here in Darwin where it has been hosted for more than 40 years. It’s another reminder of the important role the Territory plays in Australia’s defence and our engagement with the region.

“I thank all of the Australian Defence Force men and women, our international partners and the people of the Northern Territory for helping make this year’s exercise such a success.”

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles:

“Exercise Pitch Black is one of the most complex and significant air exercises which occurs in the Indo-Pacific and this year’s iteration is once again one of the largest in its 45 year history. 

“Through this exercise, our Air Force is showcasing Australia’s ability to bring together partners from the region and beyond to enhance interoperability and deepen defence cooperation.

“My thanks go out to all of the personnel and importantly the local communities across the Northern Territory and Darwin who make this possible.”

Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans Affairs and Northern Australia, Luke Gosling:

“Territorians understand the important role our home plays in Australia’s defence, and Exercise Pitch Black puts Darwin at the centre of one of the world’s most significant air combat exercises.

“We’re proud to welcome around 2,500 personnel from 20 nations to the Territory to train alongside the Royal Australian Air Force and build the relationships that help keep our region secure.

“Pitch Black also brings a real energy to Darwin, and I encourage locals to get down to the Mindil Beach Flying Display and RAAF Base Darwin open day to see some of the world’s most advanced aircraft up close.”

The Australian Government is announcing new support for recovery in Gaza and to strengthen the institutional foundations of the State of Palestine.

The package combines much-needed humanitarian assistance with support for reforms to governance, public institutions, and economic development, as part of coordinated international efforts to advance a two-state solution.

Working with likeminded partners and building on Australia’s recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025, this package supports Palestinian-led efforts to strengthen public institutions, improve economic management and advance democratic governance, helping to build a stronger and more effective Palestinian Authority capable of responding to the needs of its people. 

Targeted funding for early recovery and reforms includes $15 million to the UN Horizon Fund. The Horizon Fund brings UN agencies together to rehabilitate essential infrastructure, including water and sanitation, health, education, and housing, as well as debris clearance and explosive ordnance risk reduction.

Australia’s contribution complements more than $80 million pledged to the Horizon Fund by France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, reflecting a shared commitment to Gaza’s recovery and the long-term conditions necessary for durable peace.

The package also includes $10 million to the World Bank’s Palestinian Fund for Reconstruction and Development (PFRD) to strengthen the Palestinian Authority’s public financial management. The PFRD is supported by Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Sweden, Switzerland, and Iceland.

Strong, accountable and effective Palestinian institutions will be critical to future recovery efforts, regional stability and long-term prospects for peace. We will continue to work with partners to hold the Palestinian Authority to commitments it has made to Australia and the international community which include to reform governance, terminate prisoner payments, institute schooling reform, demilitarise and hold general elections.

Hamas continues to damage the prospects of a two-state solution and reject Israel’s right to exist. Australia remains unequivocal in its condemnation of Hamas, including for its atrocities on 7 October 2023 and its ongoing acts of terror. The Australian Government reaffirms that Hamas must disarm and play no role in the State of Palestine.

By supporting effective civilian governance and public administration, Australia is helping address the conditions that allow terrorism and extremism to take hold, while strengthening the institutions needed for long-term stability.

Funding will be delivered through trusted international partners with robust oversight, accountability, and safeguards to ensure Australian assistance is used for its intended purpose.  

Foreign Minister Penny Wong:

“This package demonstrates Australia’s practical commitment to Palestinian recovery, reform and institution-building. Hamas can play no role in the State of Palestine.

“A lasting peace requires legitimate governance, economic opportunity and security for both Palestinians and Israelis.

“Australia will continue to work closely with international partners to help create those conditions.”

Minister for International Development Dr Anne Aly:

“The humanitarian needs of Palestinians remain immense, and communities will require sustained support to recover and rebuild. This funding package will complement our existing humanitarian assistance.

“This investment will help strengthen institutions, advance reform efforts and support communities as they work towards recovery and resilience.

“Australia’s development assistance delivers practical outcomes for vulnerable people while supporting the governance and institutional reforms needed for long-term stability and prosperity.”

The Victorian Greens say that Labor has rolled out the red carpet for big tech companies, approving a boom in hyperscale AI data centres without adequate protections for local communities, cultural heritage, the environment or Victoria’s renewable energy transition.

It comes after reports the Allan Labor Government is considering fast-tracking two more mega-projects in Truganina and Mickleham in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, via the government’s Development Facilitation Program.

AI data centres consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, can require fossil fuels backup generation and place significant pressure on local infrastructure while only creating a handful of ongoing jobs.

The Victorian Greens are calling for a moratorium on all new data centres until mandatory standards are in place to protect communities, the environment and the state’s energy supply.

the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:

“AI is the new extractive industry and if Labor keeps giving big tech corporations like Meta, Amazon and Palantir special treatment without the right rules in place, they’re going to take our resources and leave Victorians with very little to show for it. It’s the great big gas rip off 2.0.

“It’s our communities that suffer with more trucks, air pollution, risks to drinking water and more expensive energy bills because we haven’t planned for how to feed these energy hungry data centres – keeping Victoria hooked on coal and gas.”

The Victorian Greens warn Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government not to further capitulate to vested interests and instead invest in countering gas lobby propaganda. It follows the release of gas industry-funded polling on Victoria’s transition away from gas today.

The poll, commissioned by the Australian Energy Producers, comes amid an expensive, coordinated campaign by the gas industry to protect its profits, including sponsorship deals, advertising campaigns and lobbying designed to slow the transition to cheaper, cleaner renewable energy.

The Greens are calling on the Victorian Labor Government to counter the millions being spent by the gas lobby and invest in a mass public communication focused on the benefits of switching to cheap, clean electrical projects.

The Greens said Victorians are being hit by rising energy bills because governments have failed to invest fast enough in renewable energy and home electrification, while fossil gas companies continue to profit.

The party says that the Australian Gas Network is spending millions in attempting to ‘greenwash’ fossil gas – including by sponsoring Masterchef Australia – because it’s afraid of people switching to cheaper, cleaner electric products.

Since becoming Premier, Jacinta Allan has already walked back Victoria’s commitments to phase out gas and approved the first new gas drilling projects in over a decade.

the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:

“We know Labor will say or do whatever it thinks will keep it in power, but it must not take its cues from polls funded by the fossil gas corporations profiting from keeping Victorians hooked on fossil fuels.”

“The fossil fuel industry is spending millions of dollars plastering its logo across MasterChef, flooding our screens with advertising and even trying to influence what children learn in schools – all so they can keep selling our gas while paying next to no tax.”

“What Victorians actually want is lower power bills and hope for the future. That doesn’t happen from caving to big polluters, it happens by investing in cheaper renewable energy, helping households electrify their homes and making big polluters pay for it.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has serious questions to answer following fresh allegations of corruption and improper government intervention on Victorian Big Build projects.

On ABC’s 7.30 on 30 June, the Prime Minister was asked whether he had sought assurances from Premier Jacinta Allan that Commonwealth funding would not end up in the hands of organised crime. His response was unequivocal: “Well, of course.”

Just two weeks later, The Age today has published fresh allegations from a former senior Victorian Health Building Authority executive alleging government intervention on behalf of the CFMEU on a Commonwealth-funded hospital redevelopment, alongside further reporting of alleged corruption and criminal influence across Victorian Big Build projects.

These allegations raise serious questions about the assurances the Prime Minister claims he received from the Victorian Government.

Australians deserve to know what assurances the Prime Minister received, whether he still stands by them, and whether he remains confident that Commonwealth taxpayer funds have been properly protected.

The Prime Minister cannot simply rely on assurances while serious allegations continue to emerge. He owes Australians an explanation.

The Albanese Government should stop hiding behind assurances and heed the calls of almost 50,000 Australians who have signed Senator Maria Kovacic’s petition for a Senate inquiry into CFMEU and construction sector corruption. The Coalition stands ready to support such an inquiry when the Parliament next meets.

The Albanese Government will invest $10 million to support upgrades to the Birthing, Maternity and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Darwin Hospital, ensuring Territory families can continue to access high-quality maternity care close to home.

This investment will increase the hospital’s capacity to meet growing demand while improving the experience of women, babies and families. Following Healthscope’s closure of private maternity services in 2025, an additional 250 babies are expected to be born at Royal Darwin Hospital each year.

Families in the Northern Territory will benefit from upgrades to birthing suites and maternity wards will increase capacity and co-locate maternity outpatient services at the hospital.

This funding will also provide more single rooms, so mothers do not have to share facilities, deliver more spaces for patients’ families, and provide more space for clinical staff to work and store equipment.

This investment will ensure pregnant women in the Northern Territory can continue to access the care they need close to home.

It is expected the upgrades at Royal Darwin Hospital will be completed in late 2027.

This investment follows the Albanese Government’s record hospital funding in the Northern Territory. NT hospitals will receive close to $1 billion in additional funding.

the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“Having a baby should be a joyful time, and families deserve high-quality care, no matter where they live.

“This investment is about making sure Territory women and their families can continue to access the care and services they need.

“It’s on top of the record funding we are providing to NT hospitals because every Australian deserves access to quality healthcare.

“It’s another example of my Government investing in better health outcomes and stronger maternity services for the Northern Territory.”

Minister for Health Mark Butler: 

“This funding is about delivering practical improvements that will make a real difference for Territory women and families.

“By investing in Royal Darwin Hospital, we’re delivering better facilities, greater capacity and stronger support for women at one of the most important moments in their lives.”

Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy: 

“All mothers and mothers-to-be deserve safe, affordable and accessible maternity care. 

“Our $10 million investment means Territory mums, babies and families can access high quality maternity close to home.”

Member for Solomon Luke Gosling:

“I made a commitment to secure this $10 million for improved maternity facilities and services at Royal Darwin Hospital, and today I’m delivering on it.

“This investment strengthens public maternity care, but it does not replace the private maternity service Darwin lost. The NT Government now needs to work with private providers to restore that service and give Territory women genuine choice about where they give birth.”

The Australian Government is deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that authorities in Laos are not pursuing the most serious charges in relation to the methanol poisoning deaths of Australian citizens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones.

This devastating news will only add to the immense pain and grief suffered by the families and friends of Holly and Bianca.

We have consistently made clear our expectations that charges should reflect the gravity of the tragedy that claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024. This includes the Prime Minister and I expressing these expectations directly to our respective counterparts.

What happened to Holly, Bianca and four other foreign nationals should never have happened.

Since their deaths, Australia has advocated for a thorough and transparent investigation that takes into account all available evidence and for those responsible to be held to account. We have engaged repeatedly and at the highest levels of the Lao Government to support that objective.

The Prime Minister and I appointed Mr Pablo Kang as Special Envoy to continue Australia’s efforts and explore all avenues to achieve progress in the investigation. Mr Kang has engaged extensively with Lao authorities on behalf of the Australian Government and the families, with whom he has maintained regular contact.

The Prime Minister and I have asked Mr Kang to travel to Laos today to convey the Australian Government’s objections and reinforce our expectations for an investigation that delivers justice for Holly, Bianca, and the other victims of the methanol poisoning. The Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has also called in Laos’ Ambassador this morning in Canberra.

Next week I will again put Australia’s views directly to my Lao counterpart when I travel to Manila for the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings.

These discussions in the coming days in Canberra, Vientiane and Manila will help inform next steps.

The Albanese Government will continue to advocate for Holly and Bianca’s families with the Lao Government at every level, and will continue to provide consular assistance for as long as required.

As ever, our thoughts are with the family and friends of Holly and Bianca.

Reporting today confirms that Labor’s NDIS cuts will be disastrous for disabled kids and autistic people, with almost 145,000 autistic people to lose their supports.

The internal documents reported by the Guardian also show that two-thirds of the 241,000 people who will no longer be eligible for the NDIS in 5 years will be children.

These supports are often used for speech therapy, to build social skills, strengthen independence and help kids attend school. Alternatives do not currently exist for kids, and the government has failed to explain what programs are planned for teenagers with autism.

Ahead of the public hearings for the inquiry into the NDIS cuts recommencing on 30th July, the Greens say Labor should withdraw a bill already doing so much harm.

Acting Australian Greens Leader Mehreen Faruqi said:

“Autistic people and children with disabilities will be hurt the most by Labor’s cruel NDIS cuts, the biggest cut to a government program this century.

“The parents of 154,000 children will today be wondering what comes next for their child – when Labor takes away the support that lets them go to school, build social skills, and to play.

“These kids are being deprived of essential supports because Labor is too cowardly to tax gas exports, to stop sending billions to the USA for AUKUS submarines that we’ll never get, or to stop the $30 billion a year in tax handouts to wealthy property investors.

“We’re already hearing from disabled people and their loved ones who are being cut from the services they relied on. The threat of these cuts is already drying up funding and doing harm to thousands of people.

“Labor’s cuts to the NDIS are one of the cruelest acts perpetrated on a community by an Australian government. The Greens will continue to fight to see this cruel attack on disabled people scrapped.”

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said:

“This is an appalling and dangerously irresponsible Bill that sees Labor forcing 145,000 autistic people off the NDIS because they are too cowardly to tax the superprofits of corporations.

“The government has no explanation for what will happen to autistic people, and kids with other disabilities who lose their supports, because there is no plan. They are booting hundreds of thousands of people off the NDIS when there is no alternative.

“Labor decided to balance the budget by removing disabled people’s critical supports because they were too cowardly to tax gas exports, or scrap the tax perks for property investors instead of grandfathering them in the last budget.

“Thankfully, the momentum behind these cuts is crumbling, and public opposition is growing as people realise they will leave hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their families without carers, equipment and supports they rely on every day.

“The Greens will fight alongside the disability community to stop these cuts. Labor and Liberals should listen to the powerful testimony of disabled people and shelve this bill.”

The Victorian Greens stand in solidarity with teachers and education support staff taking industrial action, saying the Allan Government must deliver a fair pay and conditions deal that values the people educating our children.

Victorian teachers are the lowest paid in Australia despite facing some of the highest workloads, with the average school employee working around 12 hours of unpaid overtime every week.

By October, experienced Victorian teachers are set to earn more than $15,000 less than their counterparts in New South Wales.

The Greens say that unless the Allan Labor Government addresses pay and workload, Victoria will continue to struggle to attract and retain the teachers and education support staff schools desperately need.

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:

“Teachers and support staff shouldn’t have to be fighting this hard just to be paid what they’re worth.

“Victoria is meant to be the Education State. We have it on our number plates, for crying out loud. We should be leading the country, not paying our teachers the least in the country, having them work the most overtime, and underfunding our schools.

“Labor can find billions of dollars to fund their political pet projects but then doesn’t have enough money to pay our teachers and support staff a fair wage. It is shameful.”

Greens respond to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s AI speech.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson for communications, arts and environment and chair of the inquiry into AI data centres:

“AI is the new extractive industry, if we don’t have the right rules in place big tech companies will take our resources and leave Australians with little to show for it.

“We need a moratorium on the building of data centres until there are laws in place to properly regulate their impact in Australia including energy, water use, environment and communities.

“It is essential that we get the rules right. To do that we need a pause on the approval and construction of new hyperscale data centres while we do this important policy work.

“Just because big tech companies want to move at hyperspeed, doesn’t mean that we need to fast track and roll out the red carpet for them. We need to take the time to get this right, if we don’t there will be serious consequences for our energy grid, water, environment and climate.

“The Albanese Government needs to show the Australian people that they are more than just talk when it comes to putting the interests of Australians ahead of the interests of big AI companies.

“Today’s announcement that there will be rules for the building of data centres is welcome, but with more than 90 data centres already in the pipeline we cannot allow a free for all in the meantime.

“A key part of getting the rules right is protecting Australian artists, creators, journalists and copyright holders who all need their work protected from the extractive AI industry.

“AI companies want to build data mining factories that strip mine our knowledge, culture and intellectual property. This is theft. We do not allow other industries to pick and choose what laws apply to them, big tech should be no exception to this.

“The test for the Albanese Government will be how strongly they protect Australia’s knowledge, culture and environment.

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson for digital rights:

“If this government was serious about accountability it would be building an independent regulator and giving it strong statutory powers, not just building another door inside the PMs office for tech lobbyists to knock on.

“This is another power grab from one of the most centralising PM on record, keen to ensure he doesn’t face another rogue Minister with a vision for serious regulation of this technology.

“Providing government data for US AI companies raises real questions about consent, privacy and surveillance risk for all Australians and it’s hard to see how it’s in the public interest.

“A coordination office in Canberra doesn’t stop a single kid getting harmed tonight, and no amount of branding changes the fact that this government still hasn’t legislated a single enforceable protection.

“Not only does this announcement not provide any meaningful steps for building sovereign capability, the PM is also leaving Palantir embedded in the agencies holding Australians’ most sensitive information including Defence.

“The Prime Minister points to Five Eyes as if that settles the sovereignty question, but our closest security partner is also home to the AI companies that are the biggest security risks across the public and private sectors.

“He’s calling this an AI for Australia plan but the future he mapped out is controlled by American billionaires, not Australian communities.

“Australians need an independent AI regulator with real powers, mandatory guardrails, and legislated protections for kids, workers and creators.

“What we got today was a red carpet for Meta, Palantir and Amazon that leads straight to the PM’s office.”