Category: Australian News

In a major enhancement to the Australian Army’s long-range strike capability, the Albanese Government has selected the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), investing $2.3 billion over the decade and delivering a second long‑range fires regiment at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia.

This decision follows a comprehensive competitive evaluation process by Defence.

As the 2026 National Defence Strategy sets out, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) requires greater capacity for long-range strike to defend Australia.

A second long‑range fires regiment will significantly enhance the ADF’s ability to engage targets at ranges of up to 500kms, transforming to more than 1,000kms with future increments of PrSM. This will increase our capacity to respond effectively to contingencies in our region and work with our allies and partners.

As set out in the recently released 2026 Integrated Investment Program, the Albanese Government is investing up to $37 billion over the next decade, including enabling data and systems, to develop and enhance the Royal Australian Navy, Army and the Royal Australian Air Force’s targeting and long-range strike capabilities.

HIMARS are already in service with the Australian Army as part of the first long-range fires regiment. These launchers were used at Exercise Talisman Sabre 25, firing a PrSM two years earlier than planned. The second regiment will complement Army’s existing HIMARS capability – delivering a proven, highly mobile and lethal strike system aligned with Australia’s strategic and operational requirements.

The Albanese Government is establishing a sovereign missile manufacturing industry in Australia, including missiles fired from the HIMARS launcher.

The first Australian-made Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missile was test-fired by an Australian HIMARS this month, and last year Australia and the United States established a cooperative program for PrSM to pave the way for future domestic production.

Both missiles will have Australian industry participation in their supply chains, including for locally manufactured components and sub-components.

Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles:

“This is a decisive investment in Australia’s long‑range strike capability that will bolster our Defence Force and help keep Australians safe.”

“This capability delivers on the National Defence Strategy direction to accelerate and expand the acquisition of land-based long-range fires to provide the ADF with a deployable strike capability to protect Australia’s northern approaches and contribute to sea control and sea denial.” 

“This is another significant milestone as the Albanese Government continues to invest in an integrated, focused force that meets our strategic circumstances.”

Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“To defend Australia, our Army needs a stronger long-range strike capability – and we’re delivering it.”

“The Albanese Government is investing up to $37 billion over the next decade on targeting and long-range strike capabilities for the ADF.”

“We’re already making missiles that can be fired from the HIMARS – and this decision will create even more demand for PrSM missiles within the Australian Army and deliver more opportunities for PrSM manufacture in Australia.” 

The Victorian Greens say that Labor must explain why there is no evidence that $1.35 million of taxpayer money meant for forest restoration was used as intended.  

A new VAGO report states that $1.35 million given in grants specifically allocated for ‘site rehabilitation’ were gifted by Labor but they have failed to provide any evidence of work delivered, achieved environmental outcomes or that funds were used as intended. 

The Victorian Greens say that it’s outrageous that millions in public money can be spent with no evidence that forests were rehabilitated as planned – and as a result there are likely large tracts of Victorian forest that have been left with no forest rehabilitation. 

VAGO’s report only looks at one portion of the $1.5 billion the Victorian Labor Government has given to the logging industry to stop native forest logging.  

The report found that the Victorian Labor Government failed to comply with rules, leaving gaps in its recording and oversight processes.  

The audit followed a series of allegations dating back to May 2023 that government grants meant for supporting workers into sustainable jobs were being exploited to log Tasmanian forests. The Victorian Greens Leader, Ellen Sandell referred the allegations to VAGO in March 2024. 

the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell: 

“Labor needs to explain why there is no evidence that taxpayer money specifically set aside for forest restoration and rehabilitation were used as intended. 

“It’s outrageous that there’s likely huge parts of the forest that have been left without any rehabilitation because Labor gave millions to the logging industry – and nobody ever had to prove how this money was spent. 

“Labor doesn’t care about our environment or our forests, but is happy to give millions handouts to loggers, and this is just another example of this”

The Victorian Greens have called for pop-up protected bike lanes for six-months on Sydney Road to encourage more people to ride during the fuel crisis. 

The Greens say Sydney Road is notoriously dangerous for cyclists despite being a popular destination for locals who often travel by bike. The nearby Upfield bike path is overcrowded. 

Research from Monash University found that over 60 per cent of women would ride more often if they felt safer, and they particularly pointed to a lack of separated bike lanes.

A 2020 costing from the Victorian Parliamentary Budget Office found that temporary physically separated bike lanes in the stretch between Brunswick Road and Glenlyon Road would cost just $300,000 for 6-months. 

Safe cycling infrastructure group, Critical Mass, will be conducted a protest ride from the State Library to Sydney Road on Friday 24 April to call for safe bicycle infrastructure and accessible tram stops before the Brunswick level crossing removal works start in 2028. Critical Mass protests have attracted hundreds of cyclists at past protests.

The Greens say safer bike lanes would support more people to ride to shops, restaurants and locations along Sydney Road, supporting local business.

Victorian Greens Candidate for Brunswick, Adam Pulford 

“With the cost of fuel rising, people are driving less and more people are looking for free or cheap transport alternatives. When there is safe cycling infrastructure, more people choose to ride.”

“Our community has been calling out for protected bike lanes on Sydney Road for years and despite two people dying while riding on Sydney Road and countless other incidents, Labor has ignored us time and again.”

“The Greens are putting solutions on the table, protected bike lanes are a simple way the government can help people save money while also improving safety and cutting emissions.” 

The Greens are today calling on the Government to introduce a ‘Big Tech Tax’ following revelations that billions of dollars generated in Australia by global tech giants like Meta, Amazon and Google are being shipped offshore. 

Greens spokesperson for communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young: 

“Big tech companies make billions of dollars off Australians and it’s time to make them pay their fair share with a Digital Services Tax. 

“We will look closely at the details of the News Bargaining Incentive draft legislation that has been released today and participate in the consultation ahead of its introduction to the parliament.

“Big tech platforms make massive profits from ripping off the content of journalists and creators, but they are also making billions from monetising the personal data of Australians and shifting profits offshore.

“Billion-dollar tech corporations are exploiting loopholes and shifting profits offshore, and Australians are rightly asking why they’re getting away with it.

“It’s time to end the free ride for Tech billionaires and impose a proper and enforceable tax on big tech.  

“Companies that trade in Australia should pay tax on the money they make in Australia. It’s as simple as that.

“New reports show that in the last year alone, Meta generated around $1.7 billion in revenue from Australia, but shifted roughly $1.5 billion offshore. That’s about 87 cents in every dollar. 

“In the same period, Amazon generated close to $6 billion in Australian revenue, Google approximately $2 billion, and Meta itself billions more.

“This is tens of billions of dollars out of the pockets of everyday Australian users,  being sent immediately offshore by these massive corporations without any contribution to Australian taxes. 

“They are gaming the system and ripping Australian households off. The community has had a gutful and want the system fixed.      

“It’s time the tech bros paid their fair share back to Australians.

“A Digital Services Tax would raise approximately $11.5 billion according to the Parliamentary Budget Office, which could be invested in real cost of living relief as Aussies struggle through the economic crisis caused by Donald Trump’s war. 

“A Big Tech Tax is a crucial first step in reining in the enormous power these companies wield. Not only are they making extraordinary profits, they are also harvesting and monetising the personal data of millions of Australians, while ripping off the work of Australian journalists and creators.

“These foreign-owned corporations continue to make huge profits from Australians while resisting regulation at every turn. That has to change.

“Now more than ever Australia needs to stand up for our national interest against Donald Trump’s billionaire oligarchs like Zuckerberg, Musk and Bezos.

A Senate inquiry into the job and program cuts at the CSIRO has today released its final report, exposing a deliberate shift away from public good science at the nation’s leading scientific research agency.

The inquiry revealed the CSIRO is suffering chronic underfunding masked as strategic reform, causing workforce destruction, loss of sovereign capability, and deliberate subversion of climate science.

The Greens are urging the Government to reverse all funding and staffing cuts, commit to increased and ongoing funding for “public good” science, and urgently establish an audit of CSIRO facilities to ensure its sustainability and viability.

Greens spokesperson for finance, public sector, workplace relations and employment and Senator for South Australia, Barbara Pocock:

“The major parties’ responses to the evidence provided through this inquiry are pathetic. This was an inquiry into “funding and resourcing for the CSIRO” yet neither made a single recommendation to actually increase funding or resourcing. It’s frankly shameful, and our dissenting report calls out their failure.

“Sustained underfunding of CSIRO is actively degrading Australia’s scientific workforce and eroding sovereign capability.

“CSIRO workers are facing relentless uncertainty about their jobs and research. These are highly skilled workers essential to Australia’s scientific future. 

“Specialised scientific expertise takes years, often decades, to build. Once lost, it cannot be quickly or easily replaced. Losing their expertise would be a serious blow. 

“Australia is not just underfunding science – it is dismantling the workforce and capability needed to confront the defining challenges of this century.

“This is about choices and the Labor Government is choosing to subsidise fossil fuel companies in the midst of a climate crisis over ensuring our nation’s resilience and sovereign capability through essential science.

“Gutting CSIRO is part of a broader process by successive Labor and Coalition Governments to weaken Australia’s public sector.

Greens spokesperson for Science, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson:

“Evidence to the inquiry makes clear that the challenges facing the CSIRO are the direct consequence of chronic underfunding by governments. 

“These funding pressures are driving a shift toward short-term, applied work at the expense of deep, long-term climate science. This is not an incidental outcome, it is a direct consequence of policy and funding choices, and it carries significant national risk.

“The CSIRO has spent decades building the knowledge, infrastructure and skilled workforce needed to model Southern Hemisphere climate systems. This is not something that can simply be outsourced or picked up elsewhere. Rebuilding it would take years of sustained investment and the cuts now underway risk losing it altogether.

“The CSIRO needs additional funding and a new commitment from current and subsequent governments to real increases in the resources available to our premier public science organisation.

“With public good science funding under siege globally, it has never been more important for the Albanese government to invest in the CSIRO.”

Thirty years after the Port Arthur massacre, the terrible, indiscriminate cruelty of that day remains beyond understanding. 

Australia pauses today to remember the 35 people whose lives and futures were so pitilessly stolen from them just because they happened to be there.

We think of everyone whose world was shattered by the loss of those who had been the bright centre of their lives, their love left desperately wrapped around an absence. 

Our hearts go out to everyone who has lived with decades of loss, and every survivor and loved one who is no longer with us but was shadowed by an inconsolable grief for the rest of their days.

We think of all who survived but with memories that would never soften.

We express our gratitude to the first responders who arrived in scenes of unspeakable horror but somehow found the strength to do their duty.

We think of the broader Tasmanian community, which was shaken to the core, but came together in love and extraordinary resilience – and in the process, lifted Australia when we so desperately needed it.

We honour the extraordinary courage that emerged from shattering grief. We think of Walter Mikac who channelled his devastating loss into a call for national action on gun reform, writing to Prime Minister Howard with a message that echoes through the decades: “Be strong, act now”. 

Australia is a better place because the Government and the Parliament of the day came together to answer Walter’s call. 

This is what we hold on to – the abiding memory that somehow amid the most terrible darkness the best of humanity found a way to shine.

Three decades on from that day when our nation stopped, let us stand together as we stood together then, united in love for everyone who never came home. 

I am pleased to announce I intend to recommend to the Governor-General that she appoint Ms Meghan Quinn PSM as Secretary of the Department of Defence.

This is a historic appointment with Ms Quinn becoming the first woman to substantively hold the position of Secretary of the Department of Defence.

Ms Quinn has a distinguished career as a senior leader in the Australian Public Service and is currently the Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

Ms Quinn has advised Government on a wide range of Australian and international policy matters. She previously held several Deputy Secretary roles at the Department of the Treasury and was head of the Secretariat for the ‘Australia in the Asian Century White Paper’ at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Prior to this, Ms Quinn worked for BHP and the Bank of England.

In 2009, Ms Quinn was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in the development of climate change policy.

Ms Quinn’s term will commence on 18 May 2026 for a five-year period.

I would like to thank Mr Greg Moriarty AO for his service as Secretary of the Department of Defence, and I look forward to working with him in his new role as Australian Ambassador to the United States of America. I would also like to thank Ms Cath Patterson for acting as Secretary.

The Albanese Government is taking the next step to ensure Australian journalism is sustainable now and into the future.

Draft legislation to establish a News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) is now available for consultation.

The proposed legislation addresses a limitation in the long-standing News Media Bargaining Code which allows digital platforms to avoid their obligations by removing news from their service.

Under the Incentive, digital platforms operating significant social media or search services are encouraged to do commercial deals with eligible news publishers as the preferred model, with generous offsets provided to reduce their liabilities.

Platforms who elect not to do commercial deals with news publishers will need to pay a charge as a proportion of their revenue, with any charges collected to be distributed back to the news media sector.

Consultation on draft legislation is open until 18 May 2026. Draft legislation is available at https://consult.treasury.gov.au/c2026-763377.

The Government is also developing the distribution mechanism to return any money collected by the NBI back to the Australian news media sector to support the employment and critical work of journalists.

A strong and diverse news sector is vital for a healthy democracy, and the Albanese Government is committed to ensuring a viable future for public interest journalism.

Stakeholders can have their say on how any money raised is distributed to the media sector.

The consultation paper is available at www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say. Submissions close on 18 May 2026.

the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Journalists are the lifeblood of Australia’s media sector, playing a vital role in keeping communities informed about the news that matters to them.

“Local news matters to local communities and these stories can’t be told without Australian journalists.

“My Government will always back Australian journalists and Australian news.”

the Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport, Anika Wells

“There has never been a more important time to ensure journalists are supported to keep Australians up to date with the latest and most accurate news.

“This is part of the Albanese Government’s work to make sure our laws keep pace with changing digital technologies and deliver outcomes that are in the interest of the Australian public.”

the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Daniel Mulino

“In an increasingly uncertain world, it is crucial Australians are able to get news seen through Australian eyes and with an Australian perspective.

“This remains the case whether it is news from overseas or from just around the corner, being delivered through traditional or innovative ways.

“Large digital platforms have an important role to play in providing access to news for all Australians and being partners in innovation, we would like to see them work with the news media on commercial deals with benefit to both parties.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of Japan, Her Excellency Sanae Takaichi, to Australia from Sunday 3 May to Tuesday 5 May 2026.

This will be Prime Minister Takaichi’s first official visit to Australia since taking office.

This year marks 50 years since the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan – the foundation for our relationship of trust and friendship today.

Our Special Strategic Partnership is underpinned by deep trade and investment ties, growing security and defence cooperation and enduring cultural ties between our nations.

Prime Minister Albanese will meet with Prime Minister Takaichi at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday 4 May 2026 for the Australia–Japan Annual Leaders’ Meeting.

The visit will be the fourth time the leaders have met, with previous meetings last year on the margins of the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the APEC Summit in Gyeongju and the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“I am honoured to welcome Prime Minister Takaichi to Australia for our Annual Leaders’ Meeting where we will continue to work together under our Special Strategic Partnership for the benefit of our people and the region.

“50 years ago, our nations laid the foundation for a partnership based on trust, shared values and mutual respect by signing the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

“Australia and Japan share strong strategic alignment. Our cooperation is essential to maintaining a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

“Our enduring trade and investment ties underpin our relationship, creating jobs, providing opportunity and delivering economic growth to both our nations.”

Pike River families to join preview screening in Maitland
 
Family members of mineworkers killed in the 2010 Pike River tragedy in New Zealand are touring Australia ahead of the Australian launch of the Pike River movie, with the Mining and Energy Union holding a screening and Q&A in Maitland on Thursday.
Pike River preview screening and Q&A
· 6pm Thursday 30 April, Reading Cinemas Maitland
· Special guests: Anna Osborne, Sonya Rockhouse, Daniel Rockhouse
The movie depicts the true story of mining families fighting for justice following the 2010 New Zealand disaster that killed 29 mineworkers. It follows the story of Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton was killed in the explosion; and Sonya Rockhouse, whose son Ben was killed at Pike River. Sonya’s other son Daniel was one of only two mineworkers to survive the explosion. He now works in the Australian mining industry.
The Pike River disaster was felt deeply throughout the Australian mining industry, with many Australian mines rescue personnel deployed in disaster response and recovery efforts.
Anna and Sonya have been leaders in the community campaign for justice for Pike River families, fighting for management accountability and stronger safety laws. They are available for interview.  
For media attendance at the screening or to arrange interviews, contact media@meu.org.au
The film will be released generally on May 14:   https://www.madman.com.au/pike-river/