Category: Australian News

Background

The Finocchiaro CLP government has today announced they will initiate a 12 month trial allowing civilians to possess and use pepper spray for personal protection. The NT will be the second jurisdiction to do so, following WA.

Pepper spray is a dangerous substance for both the user and the person it is used against. It can cause permanent disability, vision impairment, breathing difficulties and burns. It is especially dangerous when used on children. It should not be made available in our community. 

The NT Greens oppose this trial and demand that the CLP listen to the experts and people with lived experience, and take a humane, evidence-based approach to tackling crime. The CLP must not enable the proliferation of chemical weapons in our community. 

Nic Carson, Acting Convenor of the NT Greens

“This policy is highly insensitive and offensive in the wake of two Blak deaths in custody in as many weeks. This initiative won’t make our communities any safer.” 

“If the CLP was genuinely committed to community safety, they’d be properly funding preventative and supportive measures, like therapeutic and rehabilitative programs, public housing, and crisis accommodation.”

“Legalising civilian use of a restricted chemical weapon risks encouraging vigilantism, which is already so often racially motivated against Aboriginal communities.”

“Pepper spray is banned for military use under the Geneva Convention. It is bad enough that the police have an exemption to use it. We cannot allow chemical weapons to become commonplace in our community.” 

“We have already seen the immense social and health impacts of pepper spray when used by police against civilians. We cannot make this chemical weapon more widespread in our community.”

Kat McNamara MLA, Member for Nightcliff

“This is vigilantism masquerading as personal safety and choice.” 

“The CLP is fuelling crime panic with this dangerous trial.”

“This is the CLP sending the message that they have given up actually improving community safety or preventing crime.”

“It’s foolish to think that we can control whose hands these weapons fall into. It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing pepper spray being misused.” 

“We want less weapons in our community, not more. This is an incredibly dangerous and ill-thought-out plan.

New ABS data that reveals rent has increased more in Western Australia than any other state or territory is the latest symbol of the Cook Labor Government’s total desertion of renters.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ latest insights into the rental market, which measures data from around 480,000 private rentals around the country, places the current median weekly rent in WA at a whopping $613.

The figure represents a 75 percent increase in average weekly rent in less than five years.

Prior to 2021, WA’s median weekly rent was $350 – a figure that had remained steady since at least June 2018, the earliest date included in the ABS dataset.

The updated data cements WA’s position as the second most expensive place to rent in Australia only after NSW, further highlighting the urgent need for meaningful residential tenancy reform.

Tim Clifford MLC, Greens WA spokesperson for housing and homelessness:

“For the almost one-third of Western Australians who rent, this latest ABS data is more than just a collection of statistics – it represents a daily reality marked by relentless stress, fear and uncertainty.

“The Cook Labor Government can pat itself on the back as much as it wants for its so-called progress on rental reform, but the data doesn’t lie.

“Labor is tinkering around the edges of the housing crisis and packaging it up as meaningful policy, which is pushing more and more Western Australians into acute housing stress and homelessness.

“The fact that rents began their seemingly endless upward trajectory at the same time WA Labor gained a supermajority at the 2021 election clearly shows where the government’s priorities lie. 

“They had every opportunity to enact meaningful rental reforms, like the ones recently introduced in the ACT. They chose not to – a decision that is crushing everyone from single parents to uni students. 

“WA Labor is trading our basic human right to a safe and secure place to live for the profits of their property developer mates. In a state as wealthy as WA, it is simply unacceptable.

“As the Greens (WA)’s spokesperson for housing and homelessness, I look forward to working alongside the community to deliver real reform to the Residential Tenancies Act, and I won’t stop calling out the government until that happens.”

As the US begins an ‘America First review of AUKUS every rational observer can see that the deal is sinking and it’s time Australia abandoned ship before billions more are squandered.For more than 2 years it has been clear that the US will not supply Australia with second hand nuclear submarines in the early 2030’s as proposed under AUKUS, for the simple reason that they will not have any spare submarines.

Report after report from the independent Congressional Research Service has explained that in the early 2030’s the US will have critically low numbers of nuclear attack submarines. To meet this “valley” the US needs to produce close to 2.5 new nuclear attack submarines a year yet it producing only 1.3. Despite billions more invested in the US submarine industrial base, including from Australia, this has not lifted and likely will not lift due to workforce and industrial constraints.

The US knows this even if Australia wants to ignore it.The Greens identified that the AUKUS agreement has an escape clause for the US. It only requires the US to supply Australia with nuclear submarines if the US President certifies the transfer will not impact the US’ own defence capability. No US President, especially not Trump or any future President like Trump, will do this.

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Spokesperson for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said:

“Donald Trump is erratic, reckless and careless of America’s allies and alliances but he does have one fairly constant trait, he puts US interests first and allies last.

“The USA is reviewing whether to scrap AUKUS while Australia has just handed the US an $800 million AUKUS tribute payment. We’re locked into a $375b deal that our “partner” might walk away from.

“It’s time for Parliament to launch a full inquiry into this dud deal, and allow critics of AUKUS a seat at the table, not just a nodding bunch of Labor and Coalition members.

“The USA reviewing AUKUS shows what the Greens have been warning about for years – this deal makes Australia a junior partner in America’s military strategy, not an equal ally.

“The Australian public deserves an urgent inquiry into AUKUS before Labor wastes more billions on submarines we will never see.

“It’s pretty clear what any US review into AUKUS will say, the US does not have any spare submarines to give to Australia.

“Trump will use this review to either terminate AUKUS and pocket the money already paid or extract an even more eye-watering sum from Australia to stay in the sinking project without any hard promises for the US to deliver.

“While Trump considers scrapping AUKUS, Australia remains committed to a spending billions each year on a deal that ties us to America’s military aggression against China.

“We need an independent defence and foreign policy, that does not require us to bend our will and shovel wealth to an increasingly erratic and reckless Trump USA.”

The Greens have renewed calls for the Albanese government to reject a major expansion of shark nets used in the Queensland Shark Control Program.

It comes as yet another rescue operation is underway this morning to save a whale stuck in a shark net off the Gold Coast. 

The Queensland LNP Government has controversially announced plans to expand shark nets, in a move that would need exemptions from already weak federal environment laws. 

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

“The evidence of how damaging shark nets are to our marine wildlife is playing out before our eyes, yet the Queensland government continues to ignore the facts. 

“Shark nets cause mass destruction to marine wildlife, and evidence proves they do not make our beaches safe. In fact, evidence shows shark nets may attract sharks to beaches, where they can feed on marine wildlife caught in the nets.

“The LNP’s decision to expand the use of shark nets in Queensland’s Shark Control Program goes against the advice of its own government-commissioned report. It is a desperate distraction to create division within communities and is sadly straight out of the culture war playbook that the LNP loves.

“Under federal laws the Albanese government has a legal responsibility to protect endangered marine wildlife, including wildlife killed by lethal shark nets and drumlines deployed by the states of Queensland and NSW. 

“I’ve written to Minister Watt imploring him to use Labor’s upcoming commitment to reform Australia’s environmental laws to remove existing exemptions to state-controlled lethal shark net programs that risk federally protected species.”

“Governments can help keep ocean-goers safe by supercharging investment in modern-day alternatives to outdated and ineffective shark nets and lethal drum lines: investing in shark shield personal deterrent devices, shark spotter programs, eco-shark barriers, bite proof wetsuits, and increasing public education are amongst many emerging risk mitigation alternatives.

“A 2017 Senate Inquiry into shark risk mitigation recommended the federal government show national leadership on driving this investment, but this has so far been ignored – it’s time to change that.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Higher Education Spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has called on Monash University to dump its partnership with climate wreckers Woodside Energy amid staff concerns about attempts to cover up a “climate change and energy transition” conference with the gas giant at the university’s Prato campus in June 2024.

Earlier this year, Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced a Bill that requires universities to disclose and divest from any partnerships with dirty industries, including fossil fuel companies and weapons manufacturers. This Bill and Explanatory Memorandum can be found here.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi:

“Instead of covering up its partnership with Woodside, Monash should rip it up altogether.

“Universities should be places that advance the public good, not help morally bankrupt companies like Woodside greenwash their reputation and muddy the science as they torch the planet for profit.

“Last month, Woodside got approval from the Labor Government to proceed with the most polluting fossil fuel project in the Southern Hemisphere. That should be a red line for Monash University, especially since it will be young people, like Monash students, who will bear the brunt of climate collapse.

“The funding cuts of successive federal Governments have led universities to cozy up to companies like Woodside Energy and Elbit Systems which profiteer from the destruction of people and planet.

“The Albanese Government must commit to fully funding universities to be places of democracy, equity and public good.

“The Greens stand in solidarity with Stop Woodside Monash, and will keep pushing all universities to disclose and divest from dirty industries.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Higher Education Spokesperson, who is a patron of the People’s Inquiry into Campus Free Speech on Palestine, has responded to the Inquiry’s recently released Preliminary Report (Report).

The Report outlines three preliminary findings:

1) Australian universities have restricted the free speech and academic freedom of staff and students on the question of Palestine;

2) Australian universities have targeted students and staff who express support for Palestine for surveillance and discipline;

3) Universities have used existing policies and devised new policies in an opaque way to target and censor students and staff expressing support for Palestine.

The People’s Inquiry will be holding public hearings in Sydney, Melbourne and over Zoom to allow university staff and students to share their experiences. Observers and media are welcome. Anyone interested in participating or observing the hearings should register here.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi:

“This preliminary report confirms what many students and staff already know- universities have trampled over the values of free speech and academic freedom in their cowardly attempts to shut down support for a free Palestine.

“Shutting down peaceful protests while bombs fall on Gaza is an act of complicity. By silencing those who speak out against genocide, our universities are not neutral — they are choosing to side with a brutal, apartheid regime.

“Academic freedom means nothing if it doesn’t extend to the most urgent moral issues of our time. The universities that have punished students and staff for standing with Palestine are revealing themselves not as spaces of free inquiry, but as instruments of political censorship.”

“The preliminary report makes for disturbing reading, showing that universities are turning into ideological battlegrounds where only state-sanctioned narratives are allowed to survive. This is not just about Palestine — it’s about the death of democratic space.”

“When institutions silence those demanding justice for Palestine, they send a chilling message: that truth is conditional, and that certain lives — Palestinian lives — are not worthy of solidarity. This is a stain on the conscience of Australian academia.

“Across Australian universities, students are already being surveilled, censured, and punished for standing in solidarity with Palestine. Adopting the IHRA definition will only shut down criticism of Israel and intensify the crackdown- universities must resist the pressure to do so.”

APAN President Nasser Mashni:

“This harrowing report lays bare what so many of us already knew: that speaking up for Palestine comes at a cost – to reputations, educational opportunities and careers.

“During the past 20 months, universities across the country have stepped into the role of censors and surveillance organisations, distorting existing policy or arbitrarily creating new policy in order to restrict student and staff free speech and protest rights, and undermine academic independence.

“Universities have also weaponised antisemitism and twisted the concept of psycho-social safety to suppress Palestinian voices and learning about Palestine, deliberately creating a climate of fear on campus for those who oppose institutional complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide.

“This is textbook anti-Palestinian racism: the calculated silencing, erasure and dehumanisation of Palestinians and those who act in solidarity with them.

“The experiences documented by this report, and the hearings and recommendations to come, must mark a turning point for universities. They must defend civil liberties, sever their ties to genocidal Israel, and support Palestinian justice.”

Dr Max Kaiser, Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia:

“This report reveals a chilling reality: universities are surveilling, disciplining, and censoring students and staff who speak up for Palestine. Events cancelled, lectures monitored, students tracked via Wi-Fi—all justified by vague appeals to ‘wellbeing’ and false claims of antisemitism. As a Jewish organisation, we refuse to let our identity be weaponised to shut down legitimate debate. Universities must end these draconian practices and restore the right to speak freely on campus.”

James McVicar, Inquiry Panel Member and Education Officer for the National Union of Students:

“University students and staff have faced surveillance, discipline, and even expulsion for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. History will remember what side our vice-chancellors and politicians stood on during this crime against humanity.”

Councillors will vote next week on implementing a $2 entry fee trial at Beresfield, Mayfield, Stockton and Wallsend swimming centres for the 2025/26 swimming season while retaining a $6 all-day entry fee for Lambton Pool.

The trial of a gold coin entry fee was proposed by Labor Councillors in February this year and would reduce the cost of a single admission at four of the five City of Newcastle-owned inland pools to enhance affordable access for the community.

The proposal was strongly endorsed during community consultation, with 95% of respondents supporting the trial and 92% indicating they would visit pools more frequently if entry fees were reduced.

Executive Manager Community and Recreation Lynn Duffy said City of Newcastle recognises the importance of its inland pool network to the community.

“Our swimming centres play a vital role in fostering community connection, providing accessible opportunities for physical activity, social engagement and water safety education,” Ms Duffy said.

“The trial will provide valuable data to allow Council to fully consider the risks and benefits of making this a feature of our inland pools for future seasons. 

“Our pools are among our most popular community facilities, attracting more than 430,000 visitors during the 2024/25 swimming season, which is the second highest attendance level across our five pools in more than 30 years.

“Lambton Park War Memorial Swimming Centre accounted for almost 60% of those visitors across the season and so will not be included in the $2 entry trial, to ensure we continue to support the safe and effective management of that facility and reduce the risk of overcrowding. Lambton will remain the most affordable pool with similar facilities in the region.

“However, proposed $2 entry fees at our four other inland pools including Mayfield and Wallsend, which are just 6km away from Lambton, would ensure easy access to reduced entry fees for all residents, with swimmers also enjoying continued free entry to the much-loved Newcastle and Merewether Ocean Baths.”

Implementation of the trial would require amendment to the management agreement between City of Newcastle and pool operator BlueFit.

The trial is expected to cost City of Newcastle $900,000 in 2025/26, which includes subsidising the reduced entry fees and accommodating higher operational expenses such as increased staffing and lifeguard services, and greater facility maintenance requirements.

City of Newcastle would also invest around $200,000 into enhanced security measures at all pools including CCTV and AI-driven safety technologies.

These costs have been added into the draft 2025/26 Budget, which is also set to be considered for adoption at next week’s Council meeting.

“We are committed to investing in and improving our pools to ensure they continue to meet the expectations and evolving needs of our community,” Ms Duffy said.

“Adequate lifeguard coverage, security measures, and crowd management strategies are essential in maintaining the safe and efficient operations of our pools while ensuring compliance with industry standards, balanced with affordability. 

“Safety remains the highest priority for our pool operations. Should this trial be implemented, City of Newcastle will work with BlueFit to plan for potential surges in attendance.”

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil’s promise to slash red tape in home building risks handing our urban environments to property developers whose only concern is profit, according to Australian Greens Housing spokesperson, Senator Barbara Pocock.

O’Neil said last week that detailed planning regulations and construction codes are creating barriers for builders and that she wants to meet with the states to talk about how to dismantle these. Senator Pocock acknowledges the need for a careful review of planning processes but says Labor needs to include action on unlimited rent increases in its discussions with the states.

Senator Barbara Pocock:

“The Minister’s announcement that she will intervene in state housing regulation – something Labor have long argued is impossible when opposing rent caps, reveals Labor’s refusal to stop unlimited rent increases is an ongoing choice. They could stop them if they want to. 

“Either Labor was misleading renters when they claimed to be unable to work with the states to freeze and cap rents, or they are trying to pass the buck on missing housing targets now. They can’t have it both ways.”

“We need more housing built more quickly but what we don’t want is poor quality housing in bad locations. I acknowledge there is a dire need to lift productivity in the housing sector and reframing regulation will help achieve this, but we must be very careful undertaking reforms in this area to avoid greenlighting shoddy developers who will deliver substandard dwellings in inappropriate settings.

“Many of these regulations are in place to protect consumers, protect the environment and make our urban areas more liveable. We can’t afford to lower our standards on safety and sustainability as we try to improve efficiency.

“The housing minister is keen to exert pressure on the states to change planning regulations. However, when we Greens call for restrictions on rents she declares rents are a matter for the states. With a national crisis affecting millions of renters, it’s time for some consistency. I am calling on Clare O’Neil to commit to including rent controls in her discussions with state and territory governments.

“The housing crisis in Australia can’t be solved simply by increasing supply. We also need to dampen demand especially from wealthy property investors. Changing the way capital gains tax and negative gearing work in the housing market is also essential to clear the way for first home buyers. 

“These tax breaks make home ownership unaffordable for too many Australians and turbo charge intergenerational inequality. We need action on housing, but we need the right set of policy solutions to ensure equity and liveability in our urban environments.”

The Australian Greens call for an independent inquiry into the death of 24 year old Kumanjayi White, a Warlpiri man with a disability, in Alice Springs on the 27th May 2025.

We acknowledge the profound grief and anger felt by Kumanjayi White’s family, the Warlpiri and Yuendumu communities and First Nations peoples across the country. 

We express our deep sorrow over his death and for the racism, violence and systematic over-incarceration of First Nations people that has led to 597 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the Royal Commission. 

Leader of the Australian Greens and First Nations spokesperson, Larissa Waters:

“The Greens share in the sorrow and outrage felt at yet another First Nations death in custody, the tenth already in 2025.

“How did a hungry young man on disability support end up as yet another death in custody, and how is the nation supposed to accept police investigating themselves over this?  

“The Greens condemn the Northern Territory Police’s refusal to support an independent inquiry into Kumanjayi White’s death.

“We have long called for independent, transparent investigations into Aboriginal deaths in custody, led by culturally safe processes and free from police or state interference.

“There must be the immediate establishment of a fully independent inquiry into the circumstances of Kumanjayi White’s death, with full powers to compel evidence and witness testimony.

“We must properly resource community focused solutions led by First Nations people.

“The Greens remain committed to our work alongside families, communities and grassroots organisations to end Aboriginal deaths in custody and uphold the rights and dignity of First Nations people.”

Greens Justice spokesperson, David Shoebridge: 

“My thoughts are with the Warlpiri and Yuendumu communities and First Nations peoples across the country as they grieve another Black death in custody. 

“The family of Kumanjayi White have called for an independent investigation into his death and an independent commission into structural racism, including police conduct and the Greens support these calls.

“We implore governments at all levels to listen to community on how to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody, and then act. 

Kat McNamara MLA, Member for Nightcliff

“We are at a crisis point in the Northern Territory with regular news about racism within the Police and ongoing attacks upon the rights of Aboriginal people and communities. 

“Every day on average 24 First Nations people are taken into custody in the NT, a significant over representation.

“Aboriginal controlled initiatives need to be resourced properly to lead us toward real reform and justice.

Today Leader of the ACT Greens Shane Rattenbury, alongside Deputy Leader of the ACT Greens, Jo Clay have launched a measured yet ambitious big corporations tax to safeguard essential services from being cut in this upcoming Budget.

Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury said the announcement will provide a pathway for the ACT Government to ensure the next budget does not cut essential services just to balance the books.

“In the last few months, we have seen the Labor Government rake up a $387 million overspend on the health budget and indicate they will need to make tough decisions to manage future spending.

“In the context of a budget that is pushing at the sides, and a national crisis in essential services like housing, healthcare and transport–we need a plan to fund the things Canberrans really need, right here, right now.”

The Greens plan announced today would introduce a new taxation threshold, for corporations with an Australia wide payroll of over $200 million a year, like Coles, Woolworths and the big banks – raising $107 million every year.

“Companies that operate in our city and make billions in profits, like Qantas and Wesfarmers, should be paying their fair share of tax. But instead, they’re raking in massive profits while Canberrans struggle with the cost of living,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“In just the first half of 2025, Woolworths pocketed a $1.7 billion profit—while a record number of Canberrans are turning to food banks because they can’t afford to eat. The contrast couldn’t be starker.”

Deputy Leader of the ACT Greens and Spokesperson for Finance, Jo Clay said the move will save services from being cut and help the government to fund more things Canberrans really need, like health and housing.

“Too many people are facing homelessness, sacrificing meals to feed their kids, or skipping medical appointments. We can’t afford service cuts when people in Canberra are already struggling,” Ms Clay said.

“Taking services away from our community is not good economic management – it increases disadvantage and pushes more people into crisis.

“We just saw the government need more money for the hospital because people cannot get affordable care before they reach an emergency. Balancing the books won’t work if you’re hurting the people you’re supposed to represent and kicking costs down the road.

“If the ACT Labor Government truly believe they are progressive and practical, then they will tax the corporations making billions in profits off everyday people in Canberra and redirect that into the services people need and want.”

Today’s announcement pushes upcoming changes to the ACT’s payroll tax to be more ambitious, fair and ensure the services people in Canberra want and need are actually funded.

The policy will not impact small or medium sized businesses. It will ensure the largest and most profitable corporations in the ACT are paying their fair share in tax.