Category: Australian News

Today I am pleased welcome Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, to Adelaide for the fifth Australia-Malaysia Annual Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AFMM).

I was born in Malaysia, and as Australia’s Foreign Minister it is a privilege to host the AFMM in my hometown of Adelaide. Australia is a multicultural and diverse nation, home to more than 172,000 Malaysian born people.

Australia and Malaysia are close friends and partners. Our strong partnership is grounded in a shared history of friendship and cooperation, and people to people ties.

The AFMM provides an opportunity to enhance bilateral engagement under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This includes advancing our trade and investment, green economy, education, and science and innovation ties, and our cooperation on defence and regional security, including under the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

I look forward to building on the discussions I had with Foreign Minister Zambry in Kuala Lumpur in February. We share an interest in a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Australia is committed to working with Malaysia to support ASEAN’s vital contribution to regional peace and security.

This is the first time the AFMM has been held in Adelaide. Foreign Minister Zambry’s visit coincides with celebrations to mark 50 years of sister city relations between Adelaide and George Town, Penang.

The Australian Government will provide an initial $6 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the conflict in Sudan.

Australia’s assistance includes $1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide immediate relief including medical supplies, food, water and sanitation, emergency shelter and protection for the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis.

A further $5 million will be provided to Australia’s international partners delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance in the region.

We are deeply concerned by the loss of life and destruction that is taking place in Sudan. We call on all parties to agree to a permanent cessation of hostilities.

A negotiated solution is the only path forward for the people of Sudan.

The conflict has exacerbated the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which was already suffering high levels of food insecurity with large numbers of displaced people.

We urge all parties to the conflict to uphold international law and protect civilians, including health and humanitarian aid workers.

It is essential that humanitarian agencies are given safe access to deliver life-saving assistance to the people of Sudan.

The Australian Government extends its deepest condolences to the people of Sudan, and the Australian-Sudanese community.

Australians in Sudan are advised to register with DFAT through DFAT Crisis Portal Registration.

For consular assistance, contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia or +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.

One Nation has surveyed Central and North Queenslanders, and the results are in – 82.9% of people in those areas support a crocodile cull.  

Crocodile numbers are on the rise in Queensland, Australia, and they are posing a “greater risk to the community,” according to Senator Pauline Hanson. Joining the chorus of voices calling for a cull of the reptilian predators, Senator Hanson said that while the species were protected, their numbers were increasing, and the animals were being found far away from their usual habitats. She also said that the first responsibility of any government is to keep the community safe and that every other consideration is secondary to this priority. 

An “overwhelming” number of central and north Queenslanders, four out of five people, support the idea of a cull, according to a survey undertaken by One Nation. This follows a fatal Croc attack that claimed the life of Laura Publican Kevin Darmody in Cape York over the weekend. 

Polling undertaken by One Nation on Tuesday found that 82.9 per cent of people surveyed in an SMS poll in the electorate of Mirani backed a cull, and 2,700 people surveyed in a telephone poll in the electorate of Hinchinbrook. Respondents were asked if they supported “recent community calls for a crocodile cull in your area.”  

Senator Hanson said saltwater crocodiles had been a protected species in Queensland since they were listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act (1992). “Since then, their numbers have increased, which could pose a greater risk to the Queensland community,” she said. “There is strong community support backing a reduction of crocodile numbers in Queensland.” 

State government data showed 115 sightings in the past 30 days alone and 452 since January 1. A Department of Environment spokesman earlier this week said an independent committee of experts had endorsed Queensland as having a world-leading crocodile management program that was highly effective in reducing public safety risks while conserving wild populations. 

One Nation asks, who are these experts, and do they care if these predators take Queenslanders at an alarming rate? How long will it take for Labor to fix this crisis?  

While crocodiles are an essential part of the ecosystem, balancing their protection with the community’s safety is vital. A cull may be necessary to reduce crocodile numbers and minimize the risk of attacks on humans. However, it is also essential to ensure that any cull is carried out humanely and that it does not endanger the species’ survival in the long term.  

During his visit to the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced 31 May as the date of entry into force of the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA), following the expected completion of UK domestic processes.

The gold-standard trade agreement will deliver unprecedented benefits to Australian businesses and create new well-paying jobs. With the entry into force of this comprehensive agreement, there will be no tariffs on over 99 per cent of Australian goods exports to the UK, opening up new export opportunities, including for the agriculture sector. This includes Australian exports of wine, short- and medium-grain rice, honey, nuts, and manufactured products such as auto parts, electrical equipment, and cosmetic products.

For some agricultural products like beef, sheep meat, dairy and sugar, Australia will have access to expanding tariff quota volumes – within 10 years these tariff quotas will be eliminated completely.

Savings of approximately $200 million a year will be made as tariffs on imports from the UK are eliminated. After five years, all UK imports will enter Australia duty free, helping ease cost-of-living pressures for households and input costs for Australian business.

On services exports worth $4.4 billion in 2021-22, the deal includes commitments on the movement of business people, making it easier to do business in the UK market.

The FTA also provides a framework for professional bodies to agree to streamline licensing processes to facilitate the movement of qualified professionals between Australia and the UK. This outcome will help address the skills shortage in Australia.

Within two years of entry into force, Australians will be able to apply for working holidays in the UK to the age of 35, up from 30, and stay for a maximum of three years instead of two.

Digital trade rules under the A-UKFTA will provide greater certainty and facilitate trade for Australian businesses looking to grow their digital footprint in the UK.

The deal includes strong commitments on the environment, including climate change, and labour. The trade agreement will preserve the right of the Australian Government to regulate in the public interest, including for the environment, education, and health. Importantly, there is no Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism.

For A-UKFTA tariff outcomes, see the FTA Portal.
For further information on the A-UKFTA, see the DFAT website.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“This agreement will deliver significant benefits to Australian exporters, consumers, workers, and our economy more broadly.”

“The Australia-UK FTA represents one of the most comprehensive, innovative and ambitious free trade agreements concluded by Australia to date and strengthens an already close relationship between Australia and the UK.”

the Minister for Trade and Tourism said:

“Our trade agreement with the UK will significantly reduce costs for exporters and assist Australian businesses seeking to diversify trade to a wider range of overseas markets.”

“This agreement will underpin and deepen the already strong bilateral investment relationship with our second-largest source of foreign direct investment in Australia.”

“This deal establishes procedures for artists, including First Nations peoples, to receive royalties when their artworks are resold in the UK.”

The Albanese Government will legislate a national Net Zero Authority to ensure the workers, industries and communities that have powered Australia for generations can seize the opportunities of Australia’s net zero transformation.

The Authority will have responsibility for promoting the orderly and positive economic transformation associated with achieving net zero emissions.

The global transformation to a net zero economy is a massive source of economic opportunity for Australia, its regions, industries and workers.

The previous LNP Government put its head in the sand for a decade and ignored the pleas of communities, unions and business for coordination and support through this massive change.

In contrast, the Albanese Government is acting to capitalise on our potential as a renewable energy superpower.

The new legislated Net Zero Authority will:

1. Support workers in emissions-intensive sectors to access new employment, skills and support as the net zero transformation continues.
2. Coordinate programs and policies across government to support regions and communities to attract and take advantage of new clean energy industries and set those industries up for success.
3. Help investors and companies to engage with net zero transformation opportunities.

To kickstart the Authority’s responsibilities immediately, the Government will recommend to the Governor-General the establishment of an Executive Agency from July 1 this year.

Initially housed in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Agency will also develop advice to Government on the final design and establishment of the legislated national Net Zero Authority.

The Authority will work with state, territory and local governments, existing regional bodies, unions, industry, investors and First Nations groups to help key regions, industries, employers and others proactively manage the transformation to a clean energy economy.

The Government will also provide additional funding from the $1.9 billion Powering the Regions Fund to support existing industry – including rail and aviation – and new clean energy industries, with the creation of a $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream.

Over 150 countries have now committed to net zero by 2050, including almost all major economies and the majority of Australia’s trading partners. With renewable energy the cheapest form of new energy, investor interest in Australian industries is following these trends.

The shift to net zero emissions by 2050 must happen fairly for Australians in emissions-intensive industries and the communities they live and work in.

The regions that have always powered Australia can power Australia into the future, but we need to seize those opportunities. This Authority is about leaving no-one behind as this global shift continues.

The Albanese Government intends to recommend to the Governor‑General that he appoint Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM as the next Australian Public Service Commissioner, for a five year term commencing on 11 May 2023.

This follows a merit-based selection process chaired by Ms Katherine Jones PSM, Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department.

Dr de Brouwer is currently Secretary for Public Sector Reform and has over 35 years of leadership experience in public policy. This appointment comes at a critical juncture for the Australian Public Service (APS) as the Government implements an ambitious APS Reform agenda, led by the Minister for the Public Service, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher.

As APS Commissioner, Dr de Brouwer will continue his work to build a stronger Australian public sector that delivers better outcomes for the community, acts as a model employer and contributes to a fairer and more inclusive Australia.

Dr de Brouwer has served as Secretary of the then Department of the Environment and Energy, and in senior roles at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Treasury, the Australian National University and the Reserve Bank of Australia. He has also conducted numerous reviews for government, including as a member of the Thodey Review panel on reform of the APS in 2018.

Dr de Brouwer was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2011 for outstanding public service in the development of international economic policy, in particular his work to progress Australia’s agenda at the G20.

Mr Peter Woolcott AO retires from the office of APS Commissioner on 10 May 2023. We thank Mr Woolcott for his significant contribution to the APS – and the Australian people – over his four decades of public service.

Senate committee recommends government take urgent action on poverty, but Labor refuses to support their own calls while in Opposition to raise Jobseeker above the poverty line

An interim report tabled by the Greens-chaired Senate Community Affairs References Committee today outlines the devastating impact of poverty on millions of Australians and recommends the government take urgent action to address this crisis, and prioritise policy measures in the upcoming May Budget that specifically target rising inequality and entrenched disadvantage, including through the income support system.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, Labor Senators refused to support proposed recommendations for an increase to Jobseeker or establishing a national definition of poverty, changes that would benefit vulnerable Australians who are in dire need of support. This comes off the back of Labor calling for a national poverty definition and a raise to Jobseeker, Youth Allowance and other payments while in Opposition, including supporting recommendations in an inquiry report in 2020.

The Greens’ Additional Comments make these two recommendations:
That the Australian Government immediately increase the base rate of Jobseeker and other income support payments to $88 a day, regardless of age. 
That the Australian Government establish a national definition of poverty.

Senator Janet Rice, Greens Social Services spokesperson and Chair of the Committee, said:

“The inquiry heard powerful testimony on the impacts of poverty on students and young people, single mums, domestic violence survivors, and those struggling to keep a roof over their head on payments that are well below the poverty line.

“When we have millions of Australians on starvation-payments, people trying to escape domestic violence, young people struggling with their mental health and dropping out of uni because they can’t afford it, and thousands of people who can’t afford food as well as their medicine, it’s hard to understand how the Labor Government can morally justify not raising income support.

“If Labor does choose to raise the rate of JobSeeker for people over 55, that’s a welcome step. But we don’t accept that we can’t afford to raise the rate for everyone. 

In opposition, Anthony Albanese is on the record saying that the rate of income support is inadequate, and Labor supported previous senate inquiry recommendations to raise the rate of Centrelink payments. Are they now saying that it’s only inadequate for those over 55 years of age? It’s hard to believe the Labor Party hold any core values if they can so easily call for one thing in opposition and do the opposite while in government.

“Poverty can have dire impacts on your physical and mental health, and your ability to find work and maintain relationships, regardless of whether you’re 20 or 60. That’s what the Senate Inquiry evidence has clearly shown. And Labor Senators sat in the room listening to all of it.

“Labor needs a wake up call. They’re not going to get away with tinkering around the edges of a system that’s killing people. 

“Poverty is a political choice and the Labor government is spending $368 billion on nuclear submarines and $254 billion on tax cuts for the rich instead of doing the bare minimum for people living below the poverty line in a cost of living crisis. 

“The Labor Government can’t keep burying their heads in the sand and continue to ignore the millions of renters, single parents, students, women, and people with disabilities all doing it tough.

“Poverty is a policy choice, and this government is doubling down on their choice to leave people without heating or food or medicines as they struggle to pay the rent. 

“In the upcoming budget, Labor must scrap their stage 3 tax cuts for billionaires and the ultra-wealthy and lift income support rates above the poverty line.”

As a general practitioner, I am concerned about reports in the media about possible exacerbation of shortages of medicines once 60-day dispensing is implemented from 1 September 2023.

It is important not to create unnecessary concerns in the community about medicine shortages, especially for those people who rely on daily medications to manage their medical conditions.

Given the careful way this initiative is being rolled out in stages, and with patient safety and continuity of medicine supply being paramount, I can confirm that there is no basis for these concerns. 

The Therapeutic Goods Administration closely monitors medicine shortages and facilitates the supply of alternative medicines as a priority.

Importantly, doctors will still have the choice, in consultation with their patients, to prescribe medicines in the quantity they consider safe and clinically appropriate for each individual patient’s circumstances.

On behalf of the people of Australia, the Australian Government will make a national contribution of $10,000 to Western Australian charity Friends of the Western Ground Parrot in honour of The King’s Coronation.

This contribution will go towards the conservation of the Western Ground Parrot, a rare and critically endangered bird found in the remote Cape Arid National Park and Nuytsland Nature Reserve, to the east of Esperance.

The Western Ground Parrot is shy and rarely seen, as they spend most of their time on the ground in low dense heathland.

It is estimated that there are only 150 Western Ground Parrots remaining. In recent years, bushfires have impacted their known habitat which has threatened the last wild population.

Friends of the Western Ground Parrot Inc. is a registered charity that supports conservation of this rare Australian parrot. They raise funds for recovery and awareness projects, including monitoring and translocations to create a secure second wild population.

Past contributions to mark significant Royal occasions have supported the conservation of the Bilby, Mountain Pygmy Possum, Numbat and Koala.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“His Majesty King Charles III has long championed conservation and sustainability, so I am pleased to mark his Coronation with a national contribution to the conservation of the Western Ground Parrot.”

“Known as Kyloring by the Noongar people, the Western Ground Parrot is listed as critically endangered. This contribution will complement other conservation efforts underway to protect the Kyloring.”

Website: Friends of the Western Ground Parrot Inc

Website: Threatened Species Action Plan – Western Ground Parrot

Greens Treasury spokesperson Senator Nick McKim responded to the RBA’s decision to raise interest rates by 25 basis points at today’s board meeting.

“This decision beggars belief and will smash renters and mortgage holders even harder than they were being smashed already.”

“On the RBA’s own admission, interest rate rises are the wrong response to an inflation spike driven by corporate profiteering and supply side issues.”

“The RBA is out of control. Treasurer Jim Chalmers needs to use the powers that he has and step in and overrule this decision.”

“This is exactly the situation that Section 11 of the RBA Act was designed for.”

“If Grim Jim Chalmers refuses to act it will be a tacit endorsement of the RBA smashing renters and mortgage holders.”

“Chalmers’ PhD dissertation was a hagiography of former PM Paul Keating but Jim Chalmers is no Paul Keating.”

“Last week Keating came out in defence of the Section 11 powers and explained how his threat to use them forced the hand of the RBA.”

“Chalmers could learn a valuable lesson from that.” 

“The Greens have drafted a private members Bill to strengthen the existing safeguard that gives the Treasurer the power to overrule the RBA.”

“Next week’s Budget needs to now be the frontline for tackling high inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.”

“But instead, Jim Chalmers looks set to yet again pass the buck to the RBA and hand down a budget that tinkers at the margins to avoid upsetting Labor’s big business mates.”

“Jim Chalmers should be handing down a budget that taxes the corporate super profits that are driving inflation and that taxes the rich that are profiting from high interest rates and low rental vacancies.”

“He should then fund cost-of-living relief such as putting dental and mental health into Medicare, abolishing student debt, and raising the rate of income support.”

“The last 12 months have only shown that we need greater scrutiny and accountability of the Reserve Bank, not less.”