Category: Australian News

Australian citizen, Mr Julian Assange, has tonight been reunited with his family in Australia.

His return to Australia is possible due to the conclusion of a plea arrangement between Mr Assange and the United States Department of Justice, which was accepted by a United States court in Saipan on Wednesday 26 June.

This ends a long-running judicial process.

The Australian Government has been clear in its view that Mr Assange’s case had dragged on for too long.

We have, on every occasion and at every level, consistently advocated for Mr Assange’s case to be brought to a conclusion and for Mr Assange to come home.

Australian officials, in particular Ambassador Kevin Rudd and High Commissioner Stephen Smith, have worked closely with US and UK officials in support of these efforts and to enable his smooth return to Australia.

Tonight, we express our appreciation to the United States and the United Kingdom, for their efforts to find a pathway that met the interests of all parties.

As Mr Assange reunites with his loved ones in Australia, we ask that media respect his family’s privacy.

After securing amendments to the government’s Financial Market Infrastructure Bill to require large Australian companies to report against both 1.5 degree and catastrophic warming scenarios the Greens will support the legislation.

The changes to the Bill will also mean the Parliament retains oversight of ASX ownership and not just leave this decision solely with the Treasurer of the day.

The 1.5 degree scenario will test a company’s transition risk, where companies are too slow to respond to the transition, with quickly changing markets and government policy leaving a company’s assets or business model stranded.

The 2.5 degrees or more of warming scenario will test physical risk, which is the damage inflicted by natural disasters turbocharged by coal, oil and gas heating up our planet.

A company or super fund will have to examine how their business or their assets will be affected in a warmed world. For instance if critical public infrastructure they use to get their goods or services to market is destroyed or rendered inoperable.

The existing oversight of the Parliament to disallow a Treasurer’s approval where a company takes an ownership stake greater than 20% of the Australian Stock Exchange Ltd will remain in place.

Senator Nick McKim

“The planet is currently on track for a terrifying 2.5 to 3 degrees of warming by the turn of the century, so requiring companies to test how their businesses will cope in this transformed world will lead to better decision-making and planning.

Better climate risk reporting means investors are better informed and empowered to support climate-smart businesses and pull their money out of companies which have no future in a zero emissions economy. 

As the Liberal and Labor parties commit to expanding coal and gas and making the climate crisis worse, these amendments will focus the minds of company boards on how to deal with the consequences of these decisions by the government and their coal and gas donors.

Getting these stress-tests into legislation means a future climate-denying government can’t unwind these requirements in a radioactive pursuit of cutting red tape.”

In breaking news this morning, Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department of Justice which means he can walk from his prison cell and return home to Australia to be with his family.

The price Julian Assange has paid for telling the truth about the United States military, war and power has been extreme, and the world is thankful for the courage he has shown for so long. 

Greens Senator and Justice Spokesperson David Shoebridge said: 

“I along with millions of Australians are looking forward to welcoming Julian back home where he belongs with his family and his friends. 

“To those around Australia and the the world who have said #FreeAssange, thank you. This would not have happened without sustained pressure from millions of people who support truth telling. 

“To Julian who told the truth and did it knowing he would face a global attack, we are immensely grateful.

“Let’s be clear, Julian Assange should never have been charged with espionage in the first place or had to make this deal. 

“Julian Assange has spent years in jail for the crime of showing the world the horrors of the US war in Iraq and the complicity of governments like Australia and that is why he has been punished.

“We should take a moment to reflect on what this one person has faced, years in solitary confinement, years lost with his family and years of holding to his convictions in the face of impossible pressure.

“Whistleblowers like Julian continue to pay an unfair price for telling the world the unethical and criminal actions of Governments. 

“On this day we again commit to fixing whistleblower laws in Australia and supporting truth telling across the globe,” Senator Shoebridge said. 

Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“This has been a hard fought battle and although justice has not been served today is a day to celebrate that Assange is finally coming home. 

“The persecution of Julian Assange has shone a light on a broken legal system, one in which an innocent man must plead guilty to be free. 

“We should never forget why Julian was targeted by the US for over a decade: for telling an awful, inconvenient truth about war crimes. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should warn Labor members of Parliament that juvenile attacks on the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy could undermine confidence in Australia’s AUKUS nuclear submarine program.

Shadow Attorney-General Senator Michaelia Cash said a social media post by Labor front bencher Andrew Leigh, depicting cartoon character Blinky Bill with three eyes, was a disgraceful example of misinformation likely to undermine confidence in AUKUS.

The post said: “Is this what Peter Dutton wants Blinky to look like in 50 years?”

“This sort of juvenile undergraduate attempt at humour should not be laughed off by the Prime Minister,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Labor has fully supported the AUKUS nuclear submarine program and Mr Albanese should come out and confirm to navy personnel that nuclear submarines will be safe for them to operate,’’ she said.

“As Western Australia will host the submarine program, including storage of waste, Mr Albanese should assure all Western Australians nuclear technology is safe,’’ she said.

“Mr Albanese should pull his front bench and all Labor MPs into line and tell them not to make such attacks,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Andrew Leigh is an assistant minister and should know better. He should immediately apologise and remove the juvenile post from his social media,’’ she said.

“Nuclear is one of the safest forms of energy generation. It’s roughly on par with solar power, and even safer than wind and hydro power,’’ Senator Cash said.

“The technology is safe enough for Australian Defence Force personnel who will shortly be operating nuclear propelled submarines under the AUKUS agreement,’’ she said.

“Australians are smart enough to work out that this type of attack is pure misinformation being pedalled by a Labor Government which has no legitimate objections to nuclear energy,’’ Senator Cash said.

The Coalition welcomes the Canadian Government’s decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity and again urges the Albanese Government to take similar action.

The Canadian Government’s action stands in stark contrast to the weakness of the Albanese Government which has failed to take any action in listing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in Australia.

At Senate Estimates earlier this month, the Government confirmed it had undertaken no work to list the IRGC since it was recommended in February 2023 by the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade References Committee.

The Albanese Government is out of excuses. As the Canadian Government pointed out in listing the terrorist organisation today, the IRGC conducts terrorist activity, both unilaterally and in association with other terror groups including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Canadian Government made clear that a terror listing is an important additional step over and above sanctions upon IRGC operatives and entities. This sends an important message that Canada will use all the tools at its disposal to combat the terror activity of the IRGC.

There is significant evidence that the IRGC is engaged in terrorist activity, and Australia’s laws should reflect this reality. Failing to do so can only further diminish Australia’s standing and demonstrates the Albanese Government’s ongoing failure to adequately support international action such as the multi-nation operation again Iran-backed Houthi terrorism in the Red Sea.

The Coalition has repeatedly made clear that we offer our bipartisan support for any actions required to enable the listing of the IRGC.

Australia must stand with Canada and the US in listing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, and we call on the Albanese Labor Government to take immediate action so that Australia sends a clear message that we do not tolerate acts of terrorism, no matter who commits or supports them.

Weeks away from the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, the Albanese Labor Government has left our National Sporting Organisations without critical funding certainty.

Funding for Australia’s sporting organisations is due to run out in just 7 days time.

With the Government failing to provide the funding needed for the NSOs, the Australian Sports Commission has been forced to step in and prop up our sporting organisations until the end of the year.

The Department of Health and Aged Care confirmed during Senate Estimates that they are ‘acutely aware’ of NSOs concerns that they have no funding certainty into the near future.

This in creating unnecessary stress for sporting organisations at a time when athletes are already dealing with the pressure to make our country proud at the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Shadow Minister for Sport, Senator Anne Ruston questioned why the Government is delaying providing our high-performance sports with funding certainty, especially in the middle of Paris preparations.

“The Albanese Government seem to be waiting for the perfect photo opportunity, instead of prioritising the best interests of our high-performance athletes who are about to represent our country on the world stage.

“The lack of any funding announcement from the Minister of Sport is creating so much unnecessary stress as our athletes make their final preparations for Paris.

“Our sporting bodies have no certainty that they will be able to pay their coaches and essential staff past the end of the year.

“This is not the Australian spirit. In the lead up to the Olympics, we should be backing in our sporting organisations and supporting our incredible athletes as they get ready to put on the green and gold,” Senator Ruston said.

The Opposition calls on the Albanese Government to immediately announce ongoing funding certainty for Australia’s high-performance sporting bodies, so that they have the resources they need to ensure Australia remains a proud sporting nation.

Alongside any announcement, the Government must also provide certainty on the nature of the funding and whether it will be going directly to our athletes and sporting bodies, or to the Australian Sports Commission.

Our athletes must be supported to do what they do best, and that is making our country proud as they compete on the world stage.

The Albanese Labor Government’s Homes for Australia plan will deliver significant new funding across the country to build more homes with a new national housing agreement beginning on 1 July.

As part of the new 5-year National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness which starts on 1 July 2024, states and territories will share in $9.3 billion.

The funding will help to combat homelessness, provide crisis support and build and repair social housing.

This new agreement includes a doubling of Commonwealth funding for homelessness, which state and territory governments must match.

States and territories will also share in a further $1 billion outside of the agreement directed towards crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence, and youth, through Housing Australia.

The Albanese Labor Government will also help nearly 1 million Australian households with the cost of rent by delivering a 10 per cent increase to the maximum rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, as part of the first back-to-back increase in more than 30 years.

The Government’s Budget last month also included:

• Training more tradies to build the homes Australia needs with 20,000 Fee Free TAFE and pre-apprenticeship places for the construction industry.
• Working with the higher education sector on new regulation to require universities to increase student accommodation, taking pressure off the rental market.
• Increasing the Government’s line of credit to Housing Australia by $3 billion, and liability cap by $2.5 billion.
• Providing up to $1.9 billion in concessional finance for community housing providers and other charities, to support delivery of 40,000 social and affordable homes under the Housing Australia Future Fund and National Housing Accord.

This significant new investment is part of the $32 billion in new housing initiatives the Albanese Labor Government is delivering through our Homes for Australia plan.

The Albanese Labor Government has already delivered $2 billion to states and territories through the Social Housing Accelerator to deliver around 4,000 new social homes.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“I know firsthand the life-changing power that a secure roof over your head provides.

“That’s why my Government is committed to delivering more homes, more quickly, in more parts of Australia.

“This Budget means more tradies, fewer barriers to construction, less talk and more homes.”

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Julie Collins:

“This historic new agreement with states and territories will provide much needed funding to support homelessness services across the country and help build more Homes for Australia.

“The agreement is another important demonstration of our Government’s collaborative approach to addressing Australia’s housing challenges.

“We understand that working together is the best way to ensure more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home.

“That’s why collaboration is at the heart of our $32 billion Homes for Australia plan and the ambitious national target to build 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade.”

Homes for Australia funding by State and Territory

State and territory	$9.3 billion National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness (estimated funding 2024-25 to 2028-29)
New South Wales	$2.82 billion
Victoria	$2.36 billion
Queensland	$1.86 billion
Western Australia	$993.2 million
South Australia	$625.1 million
Tasmania	$195.3 million
Northern Territory	$290.2 million
Australian Capital Territory	$157.4 million

Today I announce the recipients of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) grants program for 2023-24.

The CAAR grants program aims to strengthen collaboration between Australia and the Middle East and North Africa region by advancing areas of shared political, economic, and social interest and building a greater appreciation of each other’s cultures and values.

Projects under the CAAR grants program are focused on the areas of innovation and sustainability, health and sport, social cohesion and gender equality, and arts and culture.

The ten successful projects for 2023-24, which will receive a share of $452,000 in funding, include:

• Workshops for Early Childhood teachers in Saudi Arabia to promote gender equity when teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics, hosted by the University of New England.
• A partnership with Fred Hollows Foundation to broker linkages between St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group and Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology will improve the delivery of eye health services and lay the foundation for the early recovery phase in Gaza and future eye health missions in the broader region.
• A training and leadership camp in Qatar focused on building leadership skills for Muslim youth footballers, organised by the Bachar Houli Foundation.
• A project promoting circular entrepreneurship between Australian and Arab entrepreneurs through the establishment of a Blended-Living-Lab, run by James Cook University in collaboration with Abu Dhabi University (United Arab Emirates) and King Abdul Aziz University (Saudi Arabia).

More information about the CAAR, the grants program and the full list of successful grant recipients can be found on the CAAR website.

A Unesco recommendation not to declare the Great Barrier Reef be placed on a list of World Heritage sites “in danger” is a triumph of lobbying and spin over science.

The recommendation – to be considered by the World Heritage Committee next month – goes against a 2022 decision by the IUCN and World Heritage Centre scientific committee, to recommend the reef be placed on the “in danger” list. 

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson: 

“The burning of fossil fuels is literally cooking our oceans and degrading marine ecosystems across the globe, and nowhere else has this been more politicised than on the Great Barrier Reef. 

“Only two years ago the IUCN and World Heritage Centre scientific committee recommended the Great Barrier Reef be placed on the “in danger” list largely due to devastating climate impacts. Yet the Australian Government lobbied against this recommendation and has continued to rip open new coal and gas mines. 

“The Unesco recommendation not to declare the Great Barrier Reef be placed on a list of World Heritage sites “in danger” is a triumph of lobbying and spin over science.

“Successive governments have lobbied hard and splashed cash on the Great Barrier Reef to buy political cover instead of treating the root cause of this magnificent ecosystem’s decline; which is rising emissions from burning fossil fuels.

“The Albanese government has previously claimed it’s ‘on track’ to have national climate targets in line with keeping global heating to 1.5C, but we know this is completely disingenuous. 

“No amount of conservation efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef will shield it from the impacts of new coal and gas projects.

“The world will continue to watch the plight of the Great Barrier Reef moving forward, and as a custodian of this great natural wonder the Albanese government should remember this next time it inevitably looks to approve another fossil fuel project.”

The Greens have negotiated amendments to the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024 and will support the legislation’s passage through the Senate.

As a result of Greens negotiations, we have secured significant changes to the government’s prescription only legislation that risked criminalising people for possessing vapes for personal use. The changes include:

1. Vapes will be available from a chemist as a Schedule 3 pharmacist-only medication for adults over 18 years old, rather than requiring a prescription from a GP. These will be plain packaged and properly regulated vapes. Data of vape purchasers will not be recorded.
2. GPs can continue to prescribe therapeutic vapes, and a prescription will be the only pathway for vapes for people under 18 if they are deemed clinically appropriate. 
3. Possession of personal use quantities of any form of vape will not be subject to criminal charges. There will be an 8-month personal possession amnesty period. Commercial quantities sold by retailers other than pharmacies will be unlawful.
4. As this is world-leading legislation, there will be a review of this legislation after three years.
5. There will be an expanded disposal framework via pharmacies.
6. There will be stronger regulations around advertising to healthcare professionals.
7. Additional funding will be announced to support young people quitting vaping.

Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens spokesperson for health

“The Australian Greens are deeply concerned about increasing rates of vaping amongst children and see increasing nicotine dependence rates as a significant public health problem.

“The status quo in Australia is far from ideal. It’s unacceptable that children have access to flavoured vapes, and vaping products that have been entering Australia are unsafe, falsely labelled and have dangerous unknown ingredients.

“We’ve heard from parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals about their deep concerns about the impact of vapes. It’s time for change.

“The Greens do not support prohibition, that is why we have successfully secured changes to this legislation to ensure that vapes remain out of the hands of kids, but adults can access them via a pharmacy, and there’s no chance of individuals being criminalised for possessing a personal vape.

“The Greens will support the amended legislation.

“The Greens have secured a carefully regulated scheme that focuses on public health outcomes, reducing harm and minimising use, particularly amongst children.

“We must ensure that no one is incentivised to return to cigarette smoking and that people can get support when they need it. That’s why the Greens have focused on making sure adults can get access to therapeutic vapes when they need them. We’ve moved the government from a cost-prohibitive prescription model to a model where adults can pick up a vaping product from their local pharmacy without a prescription.

“No one should be penalised for personal use of vapes. The prohibition of drugs has failed. The Greens are pleased that we have secured amendments to this legislation that will ensure that no person will be criminalised for personal possession of a vaping product. 

“We need to ensure that disposable vapes are no longer littering our streets and waterways, and we need to reduce lithium battery fires. That’s why the Greens have pushed this government to commit to action on a vaping products amnesty and ensure there are convenient and safe disposal locations.

“The implementation of this legislation with amendments will be a world-first, and because of this, we’ve secured a legislated review of this legislation. A review in 3 years will allow us to see if the harm-reduction settings are right. Across this time, we urge the government to focus on improved data collection, support and education for our community and above all ensure that we have the harm-reduction settings right.

“The Greens have been willing to work with the government to amend the legislation to ensure that no person will be criminalised for the personal possession of vapes, that people can access therapeutic vapes as needed, and we’ve secured a review of the legislation so we can ensure that it’s meeting its harm-reduction goals.”