Category: Australian News

Work is planned to start next week on Queensland’s biggest ever social and affordable housing project, jointly funded by the Albanese and Miles Labor Governments.

The big housing build will deliver 490 homes in Woree and will be the biggest social and affordable housing project to be built in Queensland.

It’s aimed at older Queenslanders who are looking to downsize from their current home, and will in turn free up larger homes for families.

The complex will include 245 social, 223 affordable and 22 specialist disability apartments.

The purpose-built, architecturally-designed precinct features modern, low maintenance and energy efficient one and two-bedroom homes for people over 55 and those with disability, and is set among landscaped gardens and picnic grounds.

The Woree site has direct access to transport routes, the Bruce Highway, the local shopping centre and the Woree Aquatic Centre.

The project is being funded through the Miles Government’s Housing Investment Fund, as well as lending from Housing Australia, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) and ANZ as well as a capital grant from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility.

Community Housing Limited (CHL) and Tetris Capital are joining forces to deliver and manage the homes with construction undertaken by FCC Construction Australia and Modscape.

Adopting innovative construction methodologies to help solve the housing crisis, FCC Construction Australia will be joined by local modular housing supplier, Modscape, to help deliver the impressive package of works, with most of the materials and labour planned to be Australian sourced.

Once complete and tenanted, CHL will provide onsite staff and work with support partners to deliver lifestyle programs aimed at reducing social isolation and encouraging active lifestyles.

Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026, weather and construction conditions permitting.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Housing changes lives, and my Government is determined to work with the Queensland Government to deliver more homes all across the state.

“In spite of the No-alition of the Liberals, Nationals, Greens and One Nation we are determined to increase housing supply.

“This project will deliver hundreds of homes in regional Queensland, while complementing our plan to deliver thousands of homes through our Housing Australia Future Fund all around Australia.”

Premier of Queensland Steven Miles

“Every Queenslander deserves a safe place to call home.
“One of the most important things a government can do is build homes for the most vulnerable – something I’m proud to be doing every day.

“In Woree, this 490-home precinct is the biggest housing build in our state. That’s our Homes for Queenslanders plan in action.  

“I have a plan to build more homes, faster while supporting first home buyers, renters and the most vulnerable, and I will do what matters every day to relieve the housing pressures we face while also planning for the future.”

Minister for Northern Australia Madeleine King

“Every Australian needs a roof over their head and a place to call home.

“I’m very proud to be part of a Government that is taking practical steps to build more homes for more Australians.

“This project is a great example of how the Northern Australia Investment Facility is supporting social infrastructure and making lives better for people living in the North.”

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil

“This is about reducing housing stress for Queenslanders and Australians everywhere, because the more homes like these that we build, the more affordable housing becomes.

“This is a fantastically innovative project that shows the Commonwealth is back in the game of partnering with States, Territories and the housing sector to build housing at scale, and to make housing more affordable.”

Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon

“To build more homes faster, we’re partnering with community housing providers and rolling out hundreds more modular homes. This project in Cairns does both.

“Our Homes for Queenslanders plan is delivering – whether it’s building or buying more social homes, working with community housing, helping first homeowners, supporting renters and those sleeping rough.”

State Member for Cairns Michael Healy

“It’s the Miles Government that has been doing what matters for the Far North – with $1,000 off power bills, 20 per cent off car rego and building more homes locally.

“I’ve fought hard for more homes to be built – because it’s what matters to our community – and I’m excited to see what is the largest social and affordable housing project in the state get underway in Cairns.”

Inmates from across NSW Prisons call for free phone calls and education rights in largest inmate only petitions tabled in NSW State Parliament

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson has today tabled two inmate led, inmate only paper petitions in the NSW Parliament. The petitions collected the signatures of over 1,000 inmates from ten of the 32 correctional centres across NSW and call for NSW Labor to provide free phone calls and access to information technology devices so that inmates can access educational programs.

Education Petition

Currently, there are a limited number of Tertiary Education programs available for inmates in this state, but due to a lack of internet access, computers or email services, it is virtually impossible for inmates to enrol in these courses or complete their coursework. In 2016 the privatisation of Corrective Services Education resulted in an 86% reduction in qualified teachers in NSW Prisons, who still have not been replaced. The number of prisoners who reoffend within 12 months of their release date has increased from 20.8% in 2016 to 23.4% in 2022.

Phone calls Petition

In June 2023 NSW Labor scrapped a service which provided low-cost calls to mobile phone numbers, effectively increasing the cost of a ten-minute phone call from $0.25 to $2.59. Inmates currently receive $16-18 per week, meaning the cost of one phone call is now equivalent to approximately 15% of their weekly income.

Comments attributable to Sue Higginson MLC

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said, “NSW Corrective Services have been operating in the shadows for far too long. People on the inside are screaming out to be heard and now they are asking the Minister for Corrections to respond to their demands directly,”

“It can cost up to $100 a week for an inmate to stay connected to their loved ones. This cost is crippling to most people. To an inmate making less than $1 a day, it is a cruel and impossible price to place on connection,”

“Right now inmates in this state are suffering from “Disconnection Disorder”. They can’t connect to the people they love, because punitive policies in this state won’t let them,”

“Connection and education are two of the most effective factors in reducing recidivism. By denying basic access to technology and educational programs the Minns Labor Government is ripping away the path to rehabilitation inmates in this state have,”

“The voices of these inmate petitioners represent just a fraction of the daily calls begging for reform from inside the hellholes that our prisons. NSW Labor and Corrections NSW must take accountability for its appalling treatment of some of our most vulnerable people,”

The Prime Minister’s “pro-business” comments at a CEO big business event overnight show he is backing big corporations over the environment, say the Greens. Last night marked the second CEO dinner the Prime Minister has attended in a week. 

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens manager of business in the Senate, spokesperson for Environment:

“The Prime Minister may think he is pro-business and pro-worker, but he sure isn’t pro- environment. 

“The Prime Minister is so busy trying to please the mining lobby and big business, that he’s given up on the environment. 

“Mr. Albanese used to care about the environment and climate, but now he doesn’t even want to talk about it. 

“It’s disappointing to see the Prime Minister backing big corporations over our environment and climate.

“Australians didn’t vote for another bulldozer in our Parliament or in our native forests. When Australia turfed Scott Morrison there was hope of a better, more collaborative Parliament. What we’ve seen recently is disappointing.

“The PM should spend less time with fossil fuel and banking CEOs and more time negotiating with the Senate crossbench to deliver outcomes which protect nature.”

The Government’s Nature Positive legislation is currently before the Senate with the Greens and crossbench calling for an end to native forest logging and climate damage to be considered in environmental approvals.

The Australian Greens have called on the Government to take immediate action on reforming Australia’s early childhood education and care system, following the release of the Productivity Commission’s report A path to universal early childhood education and care today.

Australian Greens Early Childhood Education and Care spokesperson Senator Steph Hodgins-May welcomed the Productivity Commission’s support for a universal system that has been championed by the Greens for decades and said there’s no excuse for any further delay.

Greens Early Childhood Education and Care spokesperson, Senator Steph Hodgins-May:

“The Productivity Commission report lays a roadmap on how to fix Australia’s broken early years education system and move towards universal childcare. Now the question is: When will Labor finally deliver? 

“With rents nearly doubling the rate of wages, food prices rising nearly 20 percent in the last four years – families need as much support as they can get right now. 

“The Albanese Government has had the draft report in its hands since 28 June. Every day that Labor delays implementing these critical early childhood education reforms, kids miss out on early education and parents miss out on important paid work.

“The Australian Greens welcome the report’s calls for all children aged 0-5 years to have at least 30 hours of care per week, increased access for the most disadvantaged and remote communities, removal of the punitive childcare subsidy activity test, and greater inclusivity. These are essential steps towards universal, early years education, which the government could implement today.

”But let’s be clear – early years education is a fundamental right and should be completely free, just like primary and secondary school.

“The Greens have consistently called for free, universally accessible childcare for decades, and while we recognise and support this critical pathway towards universal care as an immediate first step, we must go further.”

The ACT Greens have released a plan to ensure our city remains beautiful, safe and livable as we respond to our changing climate. 

“With Greens in Government the ACT has become a global leader on climate action. We have cut emissions by over 40%, shifted to 100% renewable electricity, and committed to phasing out polluting fossil fuel gas,” said ACT Greens Leader, Shane Rattenbury.  

“But the reality is that our climate is changing and we are already experiencing the impacts of climate change through more frequent heat waves, more intense bush fires, more severe droughts and increased intensity of rainfall events.

“We need to put in place measures across the city to adapt to the changing climate, and prepare for these extreme weather events. It’s important that we protect the most vulnerable in our community as we do this.

“With good preparation we can ease the impact of these extreme weather events on our community and make sure our city remains beautiful, safe and liveable. 

“The ACT Greens will take decisive action to prepare our city and our community for climate change. This means planting more street trees and changing the way we develop to keep our city cool, it means being prepared for heat waves and keeping our community healthy and safe as the climate changes, and it means being well prepared for extended bushfire seasons.” Mr Rattenbury said.

To build resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change, the ACT Greens will: 

• Plant at least 20,000 street trees each year to increase urban canopy cover with a focus on suburbs with the least tree cover, ensuring tree species are climate appropriate and non- invasive
• Bring back the iconic bus stop bunkers – or other types of climate ready, shaded and weather-resistant bus shelters across Canberra with a focus on areas where they are lacking.
• Establish a Chief Heat Officer to coordinate responses to extreme heat events, and develop a Climate and Health Strategy.
• Work with the community to trial and implement city cooling interventions, including active measures such as misting systems and awnings, or passive systems such as water features, street plantings, green roofs and facades
• Increase funding for the Emergency Services Agency and ACT Parks and Conservation Service to reflect the increased bushfire risk, longer bushfire season and increased likelihood of severe weather events.

Deputy Leader of the ACT Greens, Rebecca Vassarotti said the ACT Greens will plant 20,000 trees across Canberra to protect our status as the bush capital of Australia and reintegrate the environment back into our suburbs.

“In a climate crisis, planting more trees isn’t just an option—it’s a crucial part of making Canberra a more liveable city,” Ms Vassarotti said.

“When we’re designing and building our future suburbs, the environmental infrastructure – the trees, plants and green spaces –  is just as important as the roads, the footpaths and buildings.

“But for too long, Labor has treated it as a second order priority, rather than a foundational element to building a sustainable and liveable city. 

“For years, developers have been given a free pass to make a quick buck rather than creating leafy, green, liveable suburbs – and we’re still feeling the impact now. 

“All this has done for Canberrans is turn our newer suburbs into hot, dry concrete jungles in the middle of summer. As the climate crisis deepens, these conditions are only going to become more extreme unless we take urgent action now.

“That’s why the ACT Greens will plant 20,000 trees each year to keep our city cool in the summer and maintain our status as the bush capital. 

ACT Greens Candidate for Yerrabi, Soëlily Consen-Lynch says Canberra needs a network of well-managed parks and waterbodies to cool the city, and believes the government should prioritise areas that currently have the lowest access to green space or are most affected by urban heat effects. 

“Our summers are getting hotter and so are our suburbs,” Ms Consen-Lynch said.

“The ACT Greens will work with the community to trial and implement city cooling interventions like misting systems and awnings, water features, street plantings, green roofs, which will help make our suburbs cooler and more liveable for everyone.”

Today’s announcement builds upon the Greens’ August announcement to pick up the pace on delivering equitable climate action, so that we meet net-zero emissions faster, in a fairer way, supporting those who need it most. 

The Greens’ comprehensive plans to  provide real climate leadership are detailed on the ACT Greens website.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has vowed to ‘turn her back’ on Welcome to Country ceremonies and urged “fed up” Australians to join her.

Firebrand politician Pauline Hanson has called for Australians to push back against Welcome to Country ceremonies conducted by Indigenous people.

The One Nation leader delivered a fiery statement in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, describing the tradition as “divisive” and something “many people tell me they are just over”.

Her remarks follow ongoing controversy over a Welcome to Country performed before the GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions AFL semi-final clash on Saturday.

Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, took to the field at ENGIE Stadium in Sydney and bounty declared the custom, typically conducted before major events and meetings, is “not for white people”.

“A Welcome to Country is not a ceremony we’ve invented to cater for white people,” Mr Kerin said. “It’s a ceremony we’ve been doing for 250,000 years-plus BC. And the BC stands for Before Cook.”

The remarks drew the ire of many who felt it was a departure from the norm and felt more like a lecture that some on social media labelled “a disgrace”.

Senator Hanson agreed and called for the practice to cease.

“If they (Welcome to Country ceremonies) are not to cater to white people, then why are white people constantly subjected to them?” Senator Hanson said in the Senate.

“These welcomes are based on lies that Australia is not our home. So many people tell me they are just over it.”

Labor’s proposed ‘Better and Fairer’ Schools Agreement will lock in another decade of underfunding for public schools, cementing Australia’s school system as one of the most unequal and segregated in the OECD.

The Commonwealth Government must raise its offer to fund public schools from 22.5% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to a minimum of 25%. Anything less will lock in another decade of under-resourcing of our public schools.

Greens spokesperson on Primary and Secondary Education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:

“The federal government’s offer is woefully inadequate, and it will consign another generation of young people to an underfunded education.

“Public education is the fundamental building block of Australian society – if Labor can’t fund that properly, what are they doing here?

“Every school parent and carer can see that this is a deeply broken, inequitable and damaging system. 

“Every day this year, the federal Government will give $51 million to private schools, while leaving public schools underfunded. Every day. Who can look a public school parent or carer in the eye and say that’s a fair system?

“The Government must make a choice. Will it further entrench a two-tier system where public schools, which educate the vast majority of disadvantaged students, are forced to struggle by on inadequate funding? Or will it invest in our young people and properly fund our public schools?

“Let me make this clear: public schools, students and teachers cannot be left to scrape by on less than the bare minimum. Labor’s deal is not a deal for full funding.”

Independent Senator for the ACT, Senator David Pocock:

“Properly funding our public schools must be a top priority and I can’t in good conscience back legislation that will bake in underfunding for a decade to come.

“The ACT has been fortunate enough to be the only jurisdiction to hit 100 per cent of its school resourcing standard but even then we’ve got kids without enough chairs in class, teachers burning out, classes collapsing.

“Australia lags behind OECD countries in equitable access to education and the gap between public and private is widening.

“Every Australian child should have access to the best possible public education and that will take a significant funding commitment from all levels of government.”

Independent Senator for WA, Senator Fatima Payman:

“The Labor Government’s glaring failure to fully fund our public schools is not just a matter of budgetary allocation; it’s a question of values and priorities.

“By neglecting public schools, we are condemning another generation of Australian kids to an underfunded education.

“Every child, regardless of their background, their postcode, their parents income, deserves a fully funded, high-quality education.”

Senator for Tasmania, Senator Jacqui Lambie:

“On the back of the Gonski reforms in 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard told Australians that your postcode shouldn’t determine how well you do in life 

“But in 2024 more than half of the $29 billion government spend on schools in Australia goes to private schools! 

“Gonksi was a Labor reform – it blows me away that Education Minister Jason Clare still hasn’t fixed this. While our richest private schools are getting taxpayer money to build libraries that look like castles and sports centres with Olympic swimming pools – my old high school is still using demountables from the late 1980’s.”

The Greens will move for an urgent Upper House Inquiry this week after more revelationsthat cancer-linked forever chemicals have been detected in Sydney’s drinking water catchment – this time well above Australian drinking water guidelines.

New testing has found alarming levels of PFAS concentrations downstream of Medlow Dam in the Blue Mountains at 200 times higher than the guidelines – and upstream at more than 50 times the guidelines.

In December 2023, the World Health Organisation concluded that forever chemicals are carcinogenic. There is no safe level of exposure without a risk of adverse health effects.

“The Health Minister needs to come clean about exactly what’s in Sydney’s drinking water. As recently as Budget Estimates last week, Minister Park said that Sydney’s drinking water is safe, yet now we have independent testing showing PFAS concentrations well above the drinking water guidelines,” said Greens MP and water spokesperson Cate Faehrmann.

“I wrote to the Health and Water Ministers back in June seeking urgent independent testing which they refused to do. Then last week, I was informed that as a result of recent media investigations, Sydney Water and WaterNSW have added PFAS monitoring to their testing procedures.

“It shouldn’t have to take media exposure before the government acts, yet that’s exactly what’s happening. And the public shouldn’t have to rely upon independent testing for the truth to come out about what exactly is in their drinking water and whether it’s safe.

“Members of the public are writing to me in confusion and distress. They don’t know whether they should be drinking the water coming out of their taps. Meanwhile the government says it still doesn’t know the source of the PFAS and it could take months before they do.

“It’s not good enough. The Government can’t be trusted to tell the public everything they need to know about this issue. The public deserves answers and that’s why I’ll be moving for an urgent Parliamentary Inquiry into this issue this week,” said Cate Faehrmann.

The Australian Greens have today called for a federal investigation into missing First Nations men and children in Western Australia, after years of inertia by police and government.

In a letter to the Australian Federal Police Commissioner and the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Greens Senators Dorinda Cox and David Shoebridge said the WA Police Force had had enough time to act, and that it was time for a larger, federal investigation.

In recent years seven First Nations WA men – Zane Stevens, Jeremiah “Jayo” Rivers, Wylie Oscar, Clinton Lockyer, Wesley Lockyer, Brenton Shar, Jimmy Taylor – have gone missing.

The Greens say their families have been in a holding pattern ever since, and deserve better.

While the WA Police Force seems to continue operating as though its business as usual, the government has yet to formally respond to the Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Childrens report which was tabled over a month ago.

A rally will be held in Perth today for missing First Nations people.

Australian Greens First Nations spokesperson, Senator Dorinda Cox:

“The police and the government are failing the families of these missing men.

“These are humans, people whose families are sitting in a holding pattern waiting for any news.

“Instead the police seem to be operating as though its business as usual, and the government won’t even respond to the Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Childrens report which was tabled over a month ago.

“Families shouldn’t need to go to public meetings, rally, or fund private investigations to get answers.

“We haven’t even seen rewards being offered for information relating to these cases, yet we have for property offences in Western Australia.

“First Nations people are going missing and have been disappeared by systems at an alarming rate – we are demanding truth-telling and action.”

Australian Greens justice spokesperson, Senator David Shoebridge: 

“Families of missing people shouldn’t have to fight the justice system to get answers about what happened to their loved ones but they do.

“We know that police responses to First Nations families can retraumatise those seeking help and that substandard investigations by police mean missed opportunities to locate missing First Nations men.

“The racist justice system has failed these men and their communities for too long and a comprehensive investigation is urgently needed.”

On the second anniversary of the incarceration and tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini, the Australian Government is imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on an additional five Iranian individuals.

Mahsa Jina Amini’s death galvanised months of protests in Iran, which were brutally quashed by Iranian security forces.

The individuals sanctioned today include senior security and law enforcement officials who have been complicit in the violent repression of protests in Iran.

The human rights situation in Iran remains dire, particularly for women and girls. In early 2024, Iranian authorities launched a new campaign to enforce mandatory hijab laws through increased surveillance and harassment. Female human rights activists continue to be detained and handed death sentences.

Today’s listings mean the Albanese Government has now sanctioned 195 Iran-linked individuals and entities across multiple sanctions frameworks, including almost 100 individuals and entities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

These sanctions illustrate the Government’s commitment to holding Iran to account for human rights violations and other destabilising activities.

Australia stands with Iranian women and girls in their struggle for equality and empowerment.

For further information on Australia’s sanctions settings, please visit the Sanctions regimes page on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.