Category: Australian News

Today the NSW Labor Government has confirmed their plans for an independent office of animal welfare — except that it will not be independent, not an office and not for animal welfare.

The NSW Upper House has today debated the NSW Greens Independent Office of Animal Welfare Bill introduced by Greens MLC Abigail Boyd.

As part of their platform ahead of the 2023 State Election, NSW Labor committed to introducing a new animal welfare framework in NSW, including establishing an independent office of animal welfare. However, in voting down the bill, the Agriculture Minister made clear Labor’s intentions to introduce their own bill that creates a body that has no operational costs, sees the inherently-conflicted Minister for Agriculture of the day retain primary responsibility for the welfare of animals, and which is required to consult as much with industry as it does with animal welfare stakeholders.

Abigail Boyd, Greens NSW Animal Welfare spokesperson:

“It is truly shameful to hear the Agriculture Minister confirm what we have long suspected — that Labor has no intention of keeping their election commitment to introduce an independent office of animal welfare, and is instead slow-walking towards creating wholly inadequate regulation that will overlook the interests of animals in our state.

“Unless it is truly independent, robustly resourced and responsible for prioritising the interests of animals, Labor cannot possibly call their long-promised reform an independent office of animal welfare.

“Labor is too afraid to do anything that is not in the interest of Big Ag, and as a result we will undoubtedly see animals across our state continue to suffer in the name of profit.

“Establishing an Independent Office of Animal Welfare that aligns with scientific evidence and community expectations has been core Greens business for over a decade.

“Our Greens bill was developed in close consultation with the animal welfare sector and the community, and would have done exactly what is needed to overhaul our outdated animal welfare framework.

“Labor’s failure to support our Greens bill today is yet another broken election promise, and is an insult to all those in the community who have campaigned tirelessly for an independent office of animal welfare for years.”

Today, the ACT Greens have announced an election initiative to scale-up our city’s capacity to grow and produce food, giving Canberrans more access to healthy local food while bringing real competition to the supermarket duopoly.

“Growing the food that ends up on our dinner tables locally rather than importing it from across the country is good for farmers, good for the environment and good for giving Canberrans greater choice to buy and support local businesses,” said Deputy Leader of the ACT Greens, Rebecca Vassarotti.

“The corporatisation of food production in Australia has created a food system that is vulnerable to climate change, unfair to farmers, and which sells food to Canberrans at exorbitant prices while big supermarkets rake in record profits.

“The ACT Greens plan will establish a new food hub in Fyshwick to ensure local farmers have the right equipment to pool, process and distribute the food they grow so that Canberrans can buy it straight from their local shops and markets, not from the supermarket giants.

“This food hub will empower Canberrans to boycott imports from the big supermarkets and buy more local food, giving them confidence in where their food has come from, who has grown it and why their food costs what it does.

“Under the ACT Greens plan, we will combine this new food hub with access to up to $1 million in interest free loans to support projects that help food producers get their food out to local shops so that they can more easily sell to Canberrans. 

“For example, farmers might like to get together and purchase an electric van for food deliveries to local shops and restaurants, or as part of a box scheme direct to the front doors of Canberrans.

“These sorts of programs are the foundation to helping local farms and local farmers thrive. Our suite of initiatives will be good for farmers, good for the environment and good for the bank accounts of Canberrans.

Some of the key initiatives the ACT Greens have announced today include:

• Invest $3.5 million to establish a food hub which will allow local farmers to set up a base of operations for food production and distribution
• Protect prime agricultural land and so farmers have fair, long-term leases 
• Provide $1 million in interest free loans to empower local farmers to invest in collaborative local food logistics and enterprise-building projects 
• Revitalise and refurbish the Canberra City Farm in Fyshwick 
• Establish a farm training centre which will run training and jobs programs for people at risk
• Provide $2 million over four years to fund five full-time equivalent primary school garden coordinators, to support school kitchen gardens
• Invest $600,000 over 4 years to create new large community gardens for the suburbs, using the Community Garden Grants program for smaller projects

The full list of our initiatives for local food is available on the ACT Greens website.

ACT Greens Member for Brindabella, Laura Nuttall, said the ACT Greens will give farmers confidence in the future of their business, guaranteeing fair and long-term leases and establishing a new future farming training program. 

“For too long, farmers have been left in the lurch about how long they will be able to continue to run their business in the ACT. If we’re going to scale-up the role of farmers in growing affordable food for Canberrans, we need to give them certainty,” said Ms Nuttall. 

“The ACT Greens will make sure farmers can have confidence in the future of their business by recognising prime agricultural land as part of changes to zoning rules, and providing long-term leases to create a pipeline of affordable and sustainable food for many years to come.

“Securing the future of our farming workforce will be a key part of our plan to scale-up affordable local food production in Canberra. That’s why we will create a new education and training program to support people to become local growers.

“We will proactively open up this training scheme to Canberrans experiencing barriers to work, such as people who have experienced homelessness or have had contact with the criminal justice system, to provide them with stable employment and a pathway to learn about and succeed at being a local grower. 

“This is modelled on successful long-term programs overseas that have demonstrated that local food is a pathway for people to rebuild their lives” said Ms Nuttall. 

The Greens will force a Senate vote this week for a ban on gambling advertising. The Greens will move in the Senate for a ban on gambling advertising in an amendment to the Communications Legislation Amendment (Regional Broadcasting Bill). The ban would apply to broadcast and online platforms.

Senator Hanson-Young is spokesperson for Communications and Manager of Greens Business in the Senate:

“Labor should honour the legacy of Peta Murphy, not the profits of parasites in the gambling lobby.

“Australia banned tobacco ads in this country because they did acute harm. Gambling companies profit from addiction and misery, targeting our kids and wrecking families. They must be banned too.

“It’s time for Parliament to listen to the experts, respect public opinion and back a full ban on gambling ads.

“The gambling lobby may have deep pockets, but the public want strong action. Our amendment will be a test for Labor and the Coalition this week.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, to Australia from 15–16 August 2024 as a Guest of the Australian Government.

Prime Minister Albanese will meet with Prime Minister Luxon in Canberra for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting.

The leaders will discuss modernising our economic relationship, strengthening our Alliance and broader security partnership, and supporting our Pacific partners.

This will be Prime Minister Luxon’s third official visit to Australia.

Prime Minister Luxon travelled to Australia in December 2023 for his first overseas trip as Prime Minister, as well as visiting for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in March this year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Australia’s relationship with New Zealand is one of the closest in the world, built on our shared history and generations of cooperation across the Tasman.

“I am looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Luxon in Canberra for his first annual Australia–New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting.

“We will continue to work together to advance our collective interests and to achieve a peaceful, stable, prosperous and resilient region.”

Today I announce the recipients of the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program (ACDGP) for 2023-24, which promotes Australia’s vibrant creative sector and First Nations experience and expertise internationally.

The Program also aims to deepen bilateral partnerships, strengthen Australia’s reputation as a modern, diverse nation, and build people to people links internationally.

Promoting the vital role that First Nations stories play in Australia’s art and culture is a priority for the Program and Revive, Australia’s National Cultural Policy. This year five First Nations applicants received grants.

I congratulate the 11 successful grantees, including the following projects:

• A Pacific Tour of Burrbgaja Yalirra 2 by dance company Marrugeku to build connections through workshops and tell histories of migration, relocation, cultural adaption and survival.
• Ngulmiya Nundhirribala will perform and collaborate with leading Indonesian musicians in Jakarta, Ubud and Makassar.
• Australian filmmakers will be able to show their work in Germany, Denmark and Iceland, at the Down Under Film Festival.
• Outdoor screen projections of urban ecological futures by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology will feature in Hong Kong.
• Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands artists and educators DEM MOB spoke and performed at the 2024 International Indigenous Summit in Toronto, Canada in June.

There has been a surge of interest in representing Australia on the global stage, with a record 229 applications received, the highest number of applications in the Program’s history.

Further information on ACDGP can be found on the DFAT website.

US President Joe Biden announced that a new AUKUS agreement has been signed with Australia that contains secret “political commitments”.

This new AUKUS deal supersedes the previous agreement formulated under the Morrison Government, which entered into force in February 2022.

Attached to this new agreement is an undisclosed “Understanding” which covers the approaches the respective governments will take to the new agreement and provides “additional related political commitments.” These additional political commitments have been kept secret.

The new agreement will allow for the transfer of naval nuclear propulsion plants and other equipment, including equipment needed for the disposal of naval nuclear propulsion plants.

The agreement also expressly protects US intellectual property, including the prevention of information, material or equipment going beyond “the jurisdiction” without the consent of the US.

There is also a provision in the agreement that will allow the UK and US to intervene in the arrangements between Australia and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Senator David Shoebridge Greens Spokesperson on Defence said: “Joe Biden has just announced that there is a new AUKUS agreement, and told us how our own government has made secret “political commitments” that go alongside the new AUKUS deal.

“The silence from the Albanese Government on this is deafening, Australians should not have to find out from Washington what our own Government is doing.

“What is so damaging to the Albanese government with this new deal that it has to be kept secret from the Australian public? There are real concerns the secret understanding includes commitments binding us to the U.S. in the event they go to war with China in return for getting nuclear submarines.

“AUKUS 2.0, which now comes with a secret side deal, is driving us further into the US war plans with China.

“People are rightfully concerned about US war plans, about the US nuclear weapons in Australia and about losing independence over our military. Albanese making secret political commitments to the US only fuels those fears.”

Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs said: “This new AUKUS pact puts into writing what so many in our community already knew, it signs Australians up to the next half-century of US foreign policy and undermines Australian national sovereignty in favour of US strategic interests.”

“The fact that the Albanese government would make secret political agreements with any country let alone one potentially about to re-elect Donald Trump is abhorrent. It will destabilise our relations with our Pacific neighbours and the world.”

“The Albanese government’s cowardice to not even acknowledge these agreements with the Australian people and instead let the news be announced via the United States shows an utter lack of respect or regard for the community every MP in this country is elected to serve.”

“In the last 50 years, the US has overseen illegal bombings of Cambodia and Laos, supported fascist coups around the world and brought Australia into two senseless wars in the Middle East that killed millions. Anthony Albanese seems content to sign every Australian up for Act 2 which could very well include Donald Trump.”

New documents have revealed that the NSW Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe, defied the advice of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and her own Department to keep the coal fired Eraring power station open beyond its planned closure date in 2025.

Greens MP and spokesperson for Climate Change Sue Higginson said “These documents confirm the information we had been provided about the direct intervention by Penny Sharpe to Eraring at the expense of prioritising the pipeline of new renewable projects. This evidence stands in stark contrast to the public posturing that the Minns Labor Government has taken in relation to carbon emissions reduction and Climate Change,”

“It is apparent that the Minister has directly manipulated the independent process that AEMO uses to determine the energy needs in NSW. It has given a false primacy to the importance of coal fired energy in NSW and has come at a cost of $450 million to the state and will make the legislated targets of 50% reduction by 2030 impossible,”

“When the Minister announced the Government’s emissions reduction targets last year, the alarm bells rang. They were trying to implement targets that were no better than the former Government and resisted all attempts to strengthen their signature climate laws. This resistance now makes more sense,”

“It is difficult to identify a single concrete step that the Minns Labor Government has taken to mitigate or adapt to the changing climate, despite having an Opposition and Crossbench that is prepared to work with them on stronger climate action,”

“The refusal to end native forest logging, or to make climate ready changes to the planning system, are moving NSW backwards on our climate readiness. This $450 million gift to the coal industry is not the only betrayal by this Government on climate, but it does seem to be the most secretive and it’s extremely problematic,”

“We have worked hard to try and help the Government and NSW. From their climate laws to other opportunities to reduce emissions and to prepare the community for the harsh realities of our future. Now we have this proof that the Government seems to be working against their own commitments and the best interests of NSW. To say I’m disappointed is the burning understatement of the century,” Ms Higginson said.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens Senator for SA, Spokesperson for Environment:

“Reports that the Albanese Government have signed a secret AUKUS deal with the US are deeply concerning. The Albanese Government wants to legalise dumping nuclear waste from the US and the UK here in Australia.

“Labor need to come clean and guarantee that South Australia will not become a nuclear waste dumping ground for the US and the UK.

“South Australia has long been the target for a dangerous nuclear waste dump and Labor need to clearly rule it out before the election.

“Between Labor’s nuclear subs and Peter Dutton’s nuclear power obsession, the Greens remain the only party in South Australia fighting to protect our nuclear-free state.”

The Albanese Government have once again shown Australian families they care more about politics then tackling rising cost of living pressures and inflation.

Today’s announcement on child care wages is further proof that Labor is all about spin, not substance. It is abundantly clear that the Albanese Labor Government does not have a meaningful plan to restore the Australian way of life.

Labor has bypassed the independent Fair Work Commission process all at the behest of their union masters. Labor has traded away billions of dollars for a cap on child care fees that only lasts twelve months. This deal offers no real relief to Australian families who can’t afford child care or are struggling to find a child care place.

If child care fees grow at the 4.4 per cent cap over the next year, by the time of the election, out of pocket expenses will have increased by over 8 per cent under Labor – so much for cheaper child care. Families can plainly see that any benefits from Labor’s policies introduced in 2023 have been eroded ever since.

The Coalition wants to see higher real wages for all Australians, including hardworking childhood educators. But the key to meaningful wage increases is to bring down inflation and boost labour productivity.

The Prime Minister’s claims of up to $155 per week pay increase fails to take into account the ongoing cost of living crisis which will see around half of these nominal gains eroded by inflation. In December 2025, next year beyond the election, when this policy comes into full effect is when inflation is forecast by the RBA to once again jump up to 3.7 per cent – thanks to the Albanese Government.

The Treasurer has previously been caught out using nominal wages, not real wages, to claim Australian’s are better off. Labor does not learn – it continues to spin.

Working Australians have seen their living standards collapse under Labor because of soaring costs. Labor’s failure to break the back of inflation means hardworking families are paying higher prices, higher interest rates and higher taxes for longer.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said this policy announcement was another empty promise from a Prime Minister who is out of touch and out of his depth.

“All educators do incredibly valuable work for our communities. Of course we would like them to have better pay.

“But today’s announcement from the Prime Minister shows he doesn’t understand why Australians are under so much cost of living pain: Labor’s homegrown inflation.

“As the Reserve Bank Governor noted this week, government spending is adding fuel to the inflationary fire. That means inflation, and therefore interest rates, will stay higher for longer.

“The latest ABS Living Cost Index tells us that cost have soared by over 18 per cent for working families since Labor came to power.

“We have also seen real wages for employees fall by 9 per cent and living standards by 8 per cent.

“Australians are suffering immensely because of Labor’s economic mismanagement. Things will not get better until inflation has been beaten.”

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Angie Bell said early childhood educators deserve better than this Labor Government who continue to use them as a political football.

“Early childhood educators do an incredible job caring for and educating our youngest Australians, but the reality is that this policy is a pre-election sweetener, and an effort to appease Labor’s union paymasters,” Ms Bell said.

“Labor promised families cheaper child care, and yet 12 months on and out of pockets costs have increased by 8.4 per cent, and there are still no new places for regional Australians suffering from no access.

“What happens in two years when the 15 per cent has been paid and the cap on restraints is lifted? It’s Australian families who will ultimately foot the bill.”

The cost of living crisis is getting worse for Australians and the Albanese Government’s inability to manage the economy and their reckless spending is hurting families and businesses around the country

Today’s announcement is just another example of Labor delaying until after the election. After more than two years of promises they do not have a real plan.

Australian families deserve better than Labor.

True to form, the Albanese Labor Government has continued its weak response to the CFMEU’s infiltration by bikies, gangland and underworld crime figures with rookie workplace relations Minister Murray Watt thinking a deal with the Greens will fix the mess.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Senator Michaelia Cash said it was clear from Mr Watt’s press conference that he is collaborating with the Greens.

“It appears Murray Watt is collaborating with the Greens to write the legislation that is likely to preserve John Setka’s legacy and influence,’’ Senator Cash said.

“The Greens have never been able to bring themselves to condemn John Setka or the CFMEU so why would the Government go to them on this legislation?’’ she said.

“The Coalition has not been briefed by the Government on this legislation. Shadow Cabinet and the party room will consider this in the usual way when we have been given the detail.’’

“Murray Watt is all talk. He’s been a proud cheerleader for the CFMEU for many years and is now pretending he’s getting tough on them,’’ Senator Cash said.

“The Albanese Government needs to introduce legislation to deregister the CFMEU when Parliament returns next week,’’ she said.

“They also need to admit their abolition of the ABCC has been a disaster and should immediately commit to reinstate the ABCC with increased powers to police the industry,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Anything less would add to the already weak response this Government has had to the crisis engulfing the CFMEU,’’ she said.

“The Albanese Government is desperately trying to fix a problem they created when they abolished the ABCC,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Murray Watt was the one who proudly pushed this disastrous policy through the Senate and he also led the charge that blocked the previous Coalition Government’s Ensuring Integrity Bill, which would have directly combatted registered organisations and individuals operating outside the law,” she said.