Category: Australian News

The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to establish a Working Group in Oakey to address issues relating to PFAS contamination from Swartz Barracks. 

The Oakey Working Group will bring together government representatives, industry groups, local First Nations groups and members of the local community, of whom are invited to join the group via an expressions of interest process which is now open for applications.

For many local landholders and primary producers, PFAS remains a significant concern, particularly the potential impacts on their produce, their ability to consume that produce at home and their businesses access to the domestic and international markets. 

While Defence has connected eligible residents to town water or tank water and completed important remediation work at key contamination areas on base, there is more work to do in the local community. The Working Group will provide a direct pathway for these concerns to be discussed openly, with local community representatives helping to shape priorities and identify practical solutions.

Initially recommended by the independent review of land uses around key Defence bases impacted by PFAS contamination, the establishment of community-based working groups was also recommended in the final report handed down by the Senate Select Committee on PFAS regarding their inquiry into the Extent, Regulation and Management of PFAS.

While the Working Group will offer advice and insights on local initiatives, the PFAS National Coordinating Body will continue to provide oversight and progress the national approach to combat PFAS contamination.

The expression of interest process for community members to join the Working Group opens today and is set to close on Friday, 13 November 2026. Community members are encouraged to apply to join by completing an application form here.

the Assistant Minister for Defence, Peter Khalil:

“People in this community want action and a seat at the table when decisions are being made about the Federal Government’s response to PFAS contamination and the subsequent remediation pathway. 

“The Oakey Working Group will learn from the success and challenges in Williamtown to provide a real opportunity for local voices to speak directly to Defence about PFAS-related issues.

“This community-based working group will ensure we bring the community with us in our effort to respond to PFAS contamination in Oakey and the surrounding region.”

Senator for Queensland, Corinne Mulholland:

“I welcome the establishment of the Oakey Working Group and encourage local residents, businesses and landowners to put their hand up to join the group and ensure the voices and experiences of this community can help shape the government’s response.

“Queensland was the first Australian jurisdiction to ban the future use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams, but we know there is more to do to address community concerns and questions about PFAS. 

“The Working Group will ensure the Government can actively engage with residents, listen and address their concerns, and work together on the issues that matter to locals.”

Australia and Timor-Leste are deepening their partnership through more than $60 million in new Australian investments to strengthen cooperation on security, resilience, and regional engagements.

Over the next five years, Australia will support initiatives to strengthen Timor-Leste’s cyber security and disaster response capabilities and expand the Timor-Leste Police Development Program.

These investments build on the Parseria Foun ba Era Foun (New Partnership for a New Era), signed by Australia’s Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese, and Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, in January 2026.

Building on longstanding cooperation, the package will also support Timor-Leste’s regional engagement as ASEAN’s newest member.

These initiatives include:

• Cyber security uplift: Support to strengthen Timor-Leste’s cyber security capabilities through specialist advisers, cyber incident response support and enhanced protection of critical systems and infrastructure.
• Maritime policing vessels: New vessels for the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL) to patrol Timor-Leste’s waters for maritime security, marine search and rescue and countering transnational crime.
• Digital forensics: Support for the development of digital forensics capabilities to strengthen Timor-Leste’s national policing agencies’ ability to investigate cybercrime and disrupt scam centre operations.
• Disaster response: Measures to strengthen Timor-Leste’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities, including through closer integration with ASEAN and Australian disaster response systems.

These initiatives reflect Australia and Timor-Leste’s commitment to addressing shared security challenges and supporting a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles:

“Australia and Timor-Leste share a history of deep security cooperation, underpinned by decades of security cooperation and strong people-to-people ties. This package reflects the trust and friendship between our countries.

“As Timor-Leste takes on a greater role in our region as ASEAN’s newest member, Australia is proud to stand alongside our close neighbour and work together in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong:

“The Parseria Joint Declaration is driving a new era of cooperation between Australia and Timor-Leste, and these initiatives are a demonstration of our close partnership and friendship.

“As close neighbours and partners, Australia and Timor-Leste are working together to address shared challenges and ensure the peace, stability and prosperity of our region.”

Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Tony Burke:

“The Timor-Leste Police Development Program has operated continuously for 22 years and is built on the principles of cooperation, mutual respect and a shared commitment to justice.

“This package will upscale the Timor-Leste Police Development Program to ensure it remains responsive to serve the interests of the Timorese people and contribute to regional stability.

“Due to the global nature of cyber threats, it is in our shared interest to ensure critical systems and infrastructure remain resilient. That’s why, as part of this package, we’ve committed more than $19 million for a cyber-security uplift, including an investment in specialist cyber advisors, cyber incident response support and enhanced protection of critical systems and infrastructure.”

Our hearts and thoughts are with Helen Haines, her family, her loved ones, the people who work with her and her community, in the face of this violent, shocking and senseless attack. 

We send strength and warmth to Helen’s closest, and hold hope for Helen’s health and recovery. We are immensely grateful for Helen’s work and what she brings to our world. 

There is no place for any forms of violence in our communities or our politics. The violent rhetoric targeted towards women in public life is a stain on our democracy, and reflective of a deep misogyny that exists in society and makes women more likely to experience violence from men. 

Our democracy is founded on strong and robust debates and displays of ideas and beliefs. At the core of our democracy is, and must always be, the space for expression of differing opinions.   

In solidarity with Helen and her community, we must all move forwards with a renewed and deep commitment to non-violence in our society and politics.

-Abigail Boyd, Dr Amanda Cohn, Cate Faehrmann, Jenny Leong, Kobi Shetty, Sue Higginson, Tamara Smith & The Greens NSW

Claims by MACH Energy, that they would sack 400 workers at the Mount Pleasant Mine unless the Minns Labor Government passes legislation to increase their rate of coal mining, are being questioned after it was revealed that new job advertisements were posted by MACH shortly after the Minns Government announced special laws to allow more coal to be mined.

The announcement by Premier Chris Minns, that special laws would be written for MACH Energy, has caused former Supreme Court Judge Anthony Whealy to call for an independent investigation into the Government decision over public integrity concerns.

Sue Higginson, public interest environmental solicitor and Greens Spokesperson for Climate Change and Planning, said:

“The Government is being fed lies about the job numbers at Mount Pleasant, and they are lapping them up while selling the integrity of the NSW planning and legal systems down the river,”

“MACH Energy’s own documents show that the increased coal mining that will be allowed by Minns’ special laws would only create around 100 jobs, completely undermining their threat to fire 400 workers if they didn’t get their way,”

“This is state capture, a form of modern day corruption in our democracy, where billion dollar corporations are writing laws that benefit them, in defiance of the law as laid down by the High Court of Australia and there is no public oversight of that process. Anthony Whealy is right to call for an independent review of this Government decision and the Greens support this,”

“The Government has decided to step over the independent planning process, they are stepping over the High Court of Australia, and they are trashing the rule of law and supplanting the rule of coal, all while the available evidence suggests that they are being lied to by a massive international mining company,”

Cate Faehrmann, Greens Spokesperson for Mining, Coal and Gas said:

“When wealthy mining companies say jump, Chris Minns says how high. Stuff what the courts say, stuff what our planning laws say and stuff the climate.

“The Premier has clearly been taken for a ride by MACH Energy and this job ad proves it. The company didn’t need special legislation to authorise it to increase coal production. It was doing it anyway.

“The Planning Minister knew for almost a year that MACH Energy was mining more coal than its approval allowed, but he sat back and did nothing.

“Despite the courts ruling that MACH Energy’s approval to mine coal out to 2048 was invalid, it told the world it had approval to do so.

The Senate Economics References Committee’s first public hearing into Social Housing, held in Canberra today, heard evidence of serious failures by the Government to deliver its promised social and affordable homes to people in need.

Evidence to the committee today showed:

• As end-August 2026, Housing Australia has provided 1,607 of its 40,000 social and affordable homes target.
  • That’s 4% of the HAFF target – when we are more than 40% into its timeline
  • Only 57% of these, 1607 are additional dwellings. The rest are purchases of existing dwellings. They don’t add more houses to housing stock.
• Housing Australia doesn’t have a plan for what happens if funded providers can’t deliver the homes they’ve been contracted to by their 30 June 2029 deadline.
• Housing Australia was unable to answer questions about how many homes in their 40,000 target are public housing.
• ‘Affordable’ housing is defined by Housing Australia as rent paid at 74.9% of market rate, which would plunge many households into housing stress. Their definition of ‘affordable’ is unaffordable to many.

Greens spokesperson for finance, housing and homelessness and Senator for South Australia, Barbara Pocock:

“This hearing has revealed massive delays to the Government’s housing strategy. The Government is nowhere near achieving their social and affordable target of 40,000 and it has no contingency plan.

“Under the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), just 1,607 social and affordable homes have been added to housing stock – a mere drop in the ocean for the 640,000 households in need of a roof over their heads.

“Throughout the hearing, Housing Australia has shown itself to be incapable of answering basic questions about their program to deliver social and affordable housing. If they can’t answer these questions, then who can?

“As Labor’s principal response to the worst housing crisis in living memory, Housing Australia has shown itself to be woefully inadequate to the challenge. 
“It’s shocking that in the midst of this housing crisis, the Government doesn’t even have a dedicated department for housing. 

“I went into this hearing today expecting to learn more about the Government’s delivery on social housing but my questions were met with inadequate responses from Housing Australia.

“The HAFF and the Government’s overall housing response is too small, too slow and too complex. It is nowhere near the scale we need. And it is an administrative failure.

”I hate to think what the post-war leaders who built Australia’s public housing would have made of this morning’s hearing. Our forebears met a housing crisis in a much poorer country, in the aftermath of war, amidst big material shortages. Today Labor has so many more resources at its finger tips but it is failing on every front and missing every target.

“Successive Labor and Coalition governments have severely neglected investment in public housing and community housing, which has dropped to a record low of 3.7% of all housing stock.

“We need a national target of at least 10% of public and community housing as a share of all housing stock. 

“It’s time for the Government to get back into the business of building public housing directly. We’ve done it before, we can do it again. And we need a federal housing department that can lead and deliver, not a series of struggling separate silos missing every target.”

Public hearing link

Program

I am deeply saddened and distressed by the news out of Wangaratta tonight involving Dr Helen Haines MP.

I’m praying for Helen and thinking of her family and loved ones.

This is a shocking day for our nation. 

No one should be targeted in this way.

Australians will be angry and appalled by the attack on Helen outside her electorate office in Wangaratta.

Our nation cannot become a place where violent attacks are normalised.

I’ve spoken with the Prime Minister, and we are united in our view that political violence must never be accepted as part of public life.

I hope Helen, her family and her community across north-east Victoria know that Australians right across the country are thinking of them and holding them in their thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.

In too many ways, the world is a more dangerous and divided place than it was a generation ago.

And often as Australians when we see political violence elsewhere we take pride and comfort in the idea that our democracy is different

More peaceful, more stable, more respectful.

This is why the horrific attack on Helen Haines has so shocked our nation.

This was an attack on a hardworking, intelligent and thoroughly decent woman who is beloved in her community – and respected across the Parliament.

Right now, our priority is to wrap our arms around Helen’s family, friends and community.

We wait with hope and prayer that the great strength that Helen has always shown comes through this.

As time goes on there will be increased debate about what this means for our democracy.

We don’t know the motivations of the alleged attacker. But it will be alleged this was a deliberate act.

For some time now I have joined with our security and law enforcement agencies in calling to lower the temperature of political debate.

The warnings have been clear.

This is not just an issue for politicians, of course. It’s an issue for our entire society.

Ask anyone who works in retail or hospitality, and they’ll tell you about the rise in anger, abuse and even violence they have been facing in recent years.

Social media has no doubt played a role in this decline: polarising the political debate, algorithms pushing people into their corners and promoting rage over reason.

It is an essential part of our democracy for public representatives to be able to walk through festivals, go to local sport, go into shops and engage with people directly. Being
genuine members of the community we are privileged to serve is fundamental to how we do our jobs as members of parliament.

It is a healthy and visible way to push back on the anonymous, polarized, fractured political debate we see online.

That everyday ordinary connection between members and senators and their electorates is a precious feature of our democracy.

And if it is lost we will never get it back.

That is why this is a test of our national character.

We will always have issues on which we disagree – but we must be able to do this without challenging or questioning the loyalty to Australia of those who have a different perspective.

There is more than enough cruelty, violence and hatred in the world without us adding to it.

We can disagree – but we need settle those disagreements at the ballot box, as we have always done.

We need genuine debate. We need more respect. More kindness. More listening and less shouting.

And if we want a role model and an example in this we need only to look to Helen Haines.

Teachers should be banned from promoting LGBTIQ+ sexualised and gender fluid ideology to children, according to Family First.

NSW Legislative Council candidate Lyle Shelton said kids can and should be protected from bullying, but these programs should not be used to smuggle harmful ideology into the classroom.
 
Mr Shelton’s comments come as the NSW Teachers Federation promotes its participation in this weekend’s Newcastle Pride Parade.

“Mums and dads don’t want their kids’ teachers promoting queer culture.
 
“Sexualised and gender-fluid concepts have no place around children,” Mr Shelton said.
 
“Parents do not want schools to be confusing their children about their gender and putting them on the trans train to puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and irreversible surgery.”
 
If elected to the NSW Parliament next March, Family First will move to protect children from these concepts by requiring teachers to stop promoting the agendas of the radical LGBTQA+ political movement.  

Today I announce six new appointments to Australia’s Commission for International Agricultural Research. I am pleased to welcome:

• Ms Victoria Anderson – Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
• Professor Neil Andrew – Chair Professor of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong
• Professor Christopher Findlay AM – Honorary Professor of the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
• Ms Erin Gorter – Director, Grower Group Alliance
• Professor Peter Kanowski – Professor of Forestry at the Australian National University
• Mr Peter Varghese AO – Chair of the Australian Public Policy Institute

Commission Chair Ms Fiona Simson has also been appointed for another term.

The Commission provides expert advice to the Government on international agricultural research programs, research priorities and the allocation of program funding through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

Each member was chosen for their expertise in specific areas of international agricultural research, governance and board leadership, science and innovation, and development policy.

I thank outgoing Commissioners Professor Lindsay Falvey, Dr Michelle Freeman, Ms Lukina Lukin, Dr Beth Woods and Mr Tony York for their service to the Commission and commitment to sustainable agricultural development.

Labor has finally admitted there may be a problem in their aged care assessment algorithm with a review into their Integrated Assessment Tool.

Today though, they rejected the urgent measure that human override be reinstated by voting down a Greens amendment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner Bill.

The Bill contained both the establishment of the office of the Commissioner on a permanent basis, and a separate schedule related to the controversial aged care assessment system.

The new schedule was tacked on to the bill last month to serious criticism from the Greens. The ‘escalation pathway’ contained in the schedule does not restore human override by clinicians, instead allowing the Department to review decisions. This pathway was harshly criticised by experts in the hearing on the Bill. 

The Senate has previously passed a bill to reinstate human override for assessments, and a Greens motion to scrap it altogether.

Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Greens spokesperson Older People:

“Labor’s aged care assessment tool is broken, it is systematically underassessing older people, especially those with cognitive issues, frailty and mental health conditions.

“Older people are dying because this tool is denying them the care they need, and the Labor government is blind to it.

“We have been told to wait for the much-needed review, but older Australians cannot wait any longer. They need human override to protect them from this broken tool now.

“The Greens amendment would’ve immediately restored human override by clinicians, and it is disappointing that Labor and the Coalition have not taken this opportunity to do so.

“We know that Labor can reinstate human override at any time with the stroke of a pen, and every under-assessment that this tool spits out is a political choice by this government.”