Category: Australian News

Minister Tony Burke and the weak Albanese Labor Government are refusing to stand up for vulnerable women workers who want the right to leave Australia’s most militant union, the CFMEU.

In the Senate today Labor said they would not support a private Senators’ Bill brought forward by Senator Jacqui Lambie. Senator Lambie’s bill will enable the manufacturing division of the CFMEU, which includes the Textile, Clothing & Footwear workers, timber workers and furniture workers, to hold a secret ballot to consider whether they wish to demerge from the CFMEU.

Senator Michaelia Cash said the Coalition strongly supported the Bill.

“We have seen numerous examples of intimidation, standover tactics and even violence from members of the CFMEU,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is no wonder that textile workers, including a very large number of women, want to split off from the CFMEU and form their own organisation,’’ she said.

“Labor talks a big game about standing up for women but when it comes to a test like this they show their true colours,’’ Senator Cash said.

“We know Labor hates small businesses but it’s also obvious now that they hate small unions as well,’’ she said.

In 2020 the Coalition brought forward and passed important legislation allowing greater freedom for registered organisations, which the Labor Party actually supported at the time. Now Labor has removed those freedoms and refuses to back their re-instatement.

“This Government is hopelessly beholden to the big unions and in particular the CFMEU. We know its all about the millions of dollars those large unions give to Labor,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Minister Burke and the entire Labor side should bow their heads in shame,’’ she said.

Meta’s refusal to renew deals made under the News Bargaining Code is highly disappointing.

The Coalition put the code in place to address bargaining power imbalances between multinational digital platforms and Australian media companies.

The News Bargaining Code is critical competition policy to ensure that global social media giants do not abuse market power and that Australian publishers are fairly remunerated for the content they create.

This is important to support Australian jobs, small businesses, and a competitive media market that delivers good outcomes to consumers.

The government must consider all options under the existing legislation to support Australian publishers and deliver a sensible outcome to support Australian media.

When Meta made similar announcements in the UK, France and Germany in September last year, the government should have immediately taken measures to prevent this from happening in Australia.

The recent experience of Canada’s negotiations with Meta were also a clear indication of its intentions.

If the government is serious about competition, they must not allow digital service providers to hold Australian jobs and publishers hostage to dominant market power.

This is a critical test about whose side the government is on: Australian jobs, media, and publishers – or large multinational tech giants.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Labor has been caught on the back foot.

“This is another example of a government that’s asleep at the wheel.

“This is a world leading competition policy, and the government needs to use it.

“The warning signs were there and the government ignored them.

“Labor has been all talk and no action.”

Shadow Minister for Communications David Coleman said the government must take action.

“The News Media Bargaining Code was a world-leading initiative of the Coalition Government. It has played a vital role in ensuring that Australian journalism is properly valued online. The Albanese Government must ensure that all parties are fully compliant with the Code, now and in the future.”

Prime Minister Albanese hosted Malaysian Prime Minister the Honourable Anwar Ibrahim for an official visit to Australia in Melbourne today. The two Prime Ministers held the second Australia-Malaysia Annual Leaders Meeting.

Malaysia is an important regional partner and friend to Australia. Leaders discussed their desire to bring our people and economies closer together, guided by our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

The Prime Ministers agreed to a range of initiatives to achieve this vision.

The Southeast Asian Economic Strategy highlighted the digital economy as a priority growth area for Australian business in Malaysia. In response to this opportunity, leaders announced a new agreement to encourage collaboration between Australian and Malaysian technology companies, which will boost two-way investment.

Leaders also welcomed new cooperation on maritime decarbonisation and clean energy which will reduce shipping emissions and drive cooperation on renewable energy uptake.

A new Maritime Cooperation Package reflects the importance of maritime trade to Australia and Malaysia. This partnership will bolster maritime cooperation between Australia and Malaysia, strengthen maritime domain awareness capability and build expertise in international law of the sea and marine environmental protection.

Our people are the greatest asset to our relationship, with more than 170,000 people of Malaysian heritage calling Australia home.

The leaders agreed to collaborate more closely on education – from early childhood to university, and on opportunities for our young sportspeople to develop together.

Australia is also pleased to support Malaysia’s democratic reforms through the Australia-Malaysia Institutional Strengthening Program, which will support Malaysia’s work to strengthen government integrity and transparency.

In recognition of the evolving security issues we face together, Australia and Malaysia committed to working more closely to manage cyber security threats and train our professionals in cyber skills. The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation.

These important and practical initiatives will see more generations of Australians and Malaysians studying, training, and working together.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“I was honoured to welcome Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Australia for his first official visit as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

“The Australian Government is committed to deepening links with Southeast Asia, and Malaysia is a longstanding friend and partner in the region.

“Looking to the future, there are enormous opportunities to be realised by closer cooperation between Australia and Malaysia.

“Australia and Malaysia share a firm commitment to an Indo-Pacific region that is open, stable and prosperous. I look forward to continuing to work with Prime Minister Anwar, particularly as Malaysia takes on the role of ASEAN Chair next year.”

The Australian Government has imposed additional targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on three Russian officials linked to the prison where Alexei Navalny died.

This announcement follows the Magnitsky-style human rights sanctions the Government imposed on seven individuals involved in the mistreatment of Mr Navalny in the IK-6 Penal Colony prior to his transfer to IK-3.

Mr Navalny died in IK-3, one of Russia’s harshest prisons, on 16 February 2024.

At IK-3, Mr Navalny was held in sub-zero temperatures and reports suggest he was repeatedly subjected to stretches in punishment cells. After his death, the Russian Government withheld Navalny’s remains from his mother for over a week.

Our thoughts are with Mr Navalny’s family and his supporters in Russia and across the world as they mourn him at his funeral later today. We recognise the work of all in Russia who promote democracy and human rights.

Australia holds President Putin and the Russian Government responsible for Mr Navalny’s treatment and death in prison. These sanctions, and those imposed by our partners, reinforce our commitment to accountability for Mr Navalny’s death.

Australia again calls for an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Navalny’s death.

Australia must get on board with the global billionaires’ tax proposed at the G20 meeting, the Greens say.

“As the gulf between super-wealthy and everyday Australians widens, the need for fair tax policy grows every day,” Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“The G20 proposal is for a 2% annual tax on the world’s richest people, which would be the bare minimum, given the frightening pace at which they have accumulated wealth in recent years.”

“While billionaires have seen their fortunes more than double since the start of the pandemic, millions of Australians continue to grapple with the cost of living crisis.”

“Amid a backdrop of rising inequality and a climate crisis, the global tax on billionaires is a moral necessity.”

“The Greens have long advocated for making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share, aiming to redirect wealth towards creating a society that values people over profit.”

“By supporting measures such as an annual wealth tax on billionaires, Australia can invest in essential services like healthcare, education, and social services, which have been eroded by years of neglect by the major parties.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host leaders of ASEAN and Timor-Leste for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne from 4-6 March. 2024 marks 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first external partner.

Australia has strong and far-reaching ties with the region. We are connected by families, friends, education and business.

As a bloc, ASEAN is Australia’s second largest two-way trading partner. More than one million Australians have Southeast Asian heritage.

During the Special Summit, Leaders will discuss bolstering ASEAN-Australia cooperation, our vision for the region’s future and how we can work together to address shared challenges. A focus of the discussions will be on Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, a blueprint for stepping up Australia’s economic links with the region, launched by Prime Minister Albanese in September last year.

Preceding the Leaders’ engagement, there will be a range of meetings and events across four thematic Tracks that will bring together Australians and Southeast Asian business and community leaders, experts and academics to discuss:

• Boosting economic engagement;
• Supporting an accelerated clean energy transition;
• Increasing practical maritime cooperation; and
• Supporting the region’s current crop of emerging leaders.

In addition to the Special Summit, Prime Minister Albanese is honoured to host official Guest of Government programs with a number of Southeast Asian leaders:

• HE Ferdinand Marcos Jr, President of the Philippines;
• The Hon Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia;
• HE Mr Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR; and
• HE Mr Pham Minh Chính, Prime Minister of Vietnam.

The Prime Minister will also hold the Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders Meeting with the Prime Minister of Singapore, HE Mr Lee Hsien Loong. He will have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Timor-Leste and with the ASEAN Secretary-General.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Australia is proud to be ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner, sharing 50 years of mutual respect and cooperation with our friends in Southeast Asia.

“Building Australia’s links with the countries of Southeast Asia is a priority for the Government.

“The Special Summit commemorates our shared history and focuses firmly on the future – on how we can deepen our ties and Australia’s engagement with our region.

“Australia sees ASEAN at the centre of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region. Strengthening our relationship ensures our shared future prosperity and security.

“I look forward to welcoming my counterparts to Australia to discuss the shared challenges facing our region, opportunities to enhance our prosperity and how we can build on our strong relationships.”

The Australian Government has imposed Magnitsky-style targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on seven prison officials involved in the mistreatment of Alexei Navalny.

Mr Navalny was detained at the IK-6 penal colony, a maximum-security jail known for its systematic abuse of prisoners. He was regularly mistreated, denied healthcare and placed in prolonged periods of solitary confinement. He died in custody on 16 February 2024.

The Australian Government is deeply shocked and saddened by the death of Mr Navalny. These sanctions are the next step in Australia’s efforts to hold to account those responsible for grave breaches of Mr Navalny’s human rights. We will continue to work closely with our partners to hold the Russian Government and all involved in Mr Navalny’s death accountable.

The Government’s first tranche of Magnitsky-style human rights sanctions, announced on 10 December 2022, included individuals involved in the 2020 poisoning of Mr Navalny.

Australia holds President Putin and the Russian Government responsible for Mr Navalny’s treatment and death in custody. As Australia has made clear to Russia, we join calls for an independent and transparent investigation into Mr Navalny’s death.

We acknowledge Mr Navalny’s heroic contribution to promoting democracy in Russia and his tireless opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s regime – work for which he has paid the ultimate price.

This announcement builds on our recent actions in response to human rights abuses in Russia. This includes sanctions in response to the poisoning, arrest, trial and sentencing of Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Australia’s statements in key multilateral forums.

The move towards a credible and secure Digital ID has large potential privacy benefits if done well and clear risks if it is rushed or mishandled. 

Today the Parliamentary inquiry into the Digital ID scheme provided its report on the Bill. The Committee received hundreds of concerned submissions from members of the public and organisations with concerns about privacy, ensuring protections for those who won’t or can’t access digital ID and bias in technology including facial recognition. 

The dissenting report from Greens Senator David Shoebridge describes these concerns in greater detail and is available here in the report. 

Greens Senator and Digital Rights Spokesperson David Shoebridge said: 

“This Bill represents a unique opportunity to rebuild trust in the Government’s digital capability. 

“It is clear from the many hundreds of individual submissions that have expressed serious concerns about the privacy implications of a Digital ID, that the Government has not yet earned this trust. 

“The bill does not create a ‘honeypot’ of new data so it’s unfortunate that the Government is insisting on granting law enforcement bodies access to the scheme.

“Insisting on law enforcement having access to the scheme gives the impression that there is a large and useful data set that police and security agencies will want to access. This is not true, the Bill only allows for the interrogation of existing secure databases that already exist at a state and federal level.  

“Insisting on law enforcement access to the Digital ID scheme creates the false impression that it creates a new honeypot of data and that inevitably undermines public confidence in the reform.

“The Greens want to ensure that a new digital ID does not further the existing digital divide in the community.

“If people can’t access a digital ID, or choose not to have one, then then they must still have reasonable access to critical services and not be excluded from participating in social or economic activities. 

“An inclusive digital ID system must be designed as inclusive from the ground up with particular attention to disability inclusion. A simple step here is including proof of age cards as recommended by Blind Citizens Australia.

“We also share the concerns of many groups that uncritical use of biometric and facial matching data could perpetuate existing biases. There needs to be a solid plan to ensure this isn’t baked into the scheme from the beginning. 

“Every one of these concerns can be addressed by well directed amendments in the Senate and the Greens will be working with the government and other parties to achieve this,” Senator Shoebridge said. 

Prime Minister Albanese and President of the Republic of the Philippines HE Ferdinand R Marcos Jnr reaffirmed the strong relationship Australia and the Philippines share during the President’s first official visit to Australia this week.

President Marcos’ address to a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament highlighted the close cooperation between Australia and the Philippines under our upgraded Strategic Partnership, signed by Leaders last year, and our shared commitment to an open, resilient and prosperous region.

Leaders’ announced the following new Memoranda of Understanding to implement key priorities of our Strategic Partnership, including:

• Enhanced Maritime Cooperation to strengthen our existing civil and defence maritime commitments;
• Cyber and critical technology to harden our resilience against cyber attacks and encourage cooperation on the digital economy; and
• Cooperation between our national competition commissions to enhance effective competition law and policy.

The Prime Minister also announced a new $20 million investment to support the Philippines to reform, and improve access to, its justice system.

Next week the Prime Minister will welcome President Marcos and other Southeast Asian leaders to Melbourne to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue at the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“The Philippines is one of Australia’s key partners in Southeast Asia – we share a vision for an open, stable and prosperous region.

“The President’s historic address to the Australian Parliament articulated our shared vision for the region and for the thriving Australia-Philippines relationship.

“Our nations have never been closer, and realising opportunities through our Strategic Partnership will bring great benefits to Australians and Filipinos.

“I look forward to continued discussions with President Marcos at the ASEAN-Australia Summit.”