Category: Australian News

A primary concern for people living out bush is the lack of face-to-face banking services in regional Australia. This has been a primary concern of One Nation’s now for more than 20 years.

The national inquiry into banks closing their services in rural areas is uncovering crucial issues that need urgent attention. A recent hearing in Sale revealed a shocking lack of consultation between banks and community members before deciding to shut down their branches.

The disconnect between the head offices of large corporations in major cities and the realities of regional communities is becoming a significant issue. The Senate inquiry heard the concerns of these communities across regional Australia and has heard of innovative solutions to keep banking services in rural areas open.

A Postal Bank would fit Australia’s gap in regional banking services quite neatly and has been implemented successfully in Japan and New Zealand.

The Postal Bank would convert current Australia Post branches into a proper national bank run by the government, providing face-to-face banking services to regional Australians. The benefits of the Postal Bank are many.

Regional and metropolitan councils around Australia are now signing up for the campaign to introduce an Australia Post Bank because of the benefits they see for their communities.

A local bank branch that knows the area and the people was the key to the success of the original Commonwealth Bank, which did incredible things to build Australia before it was dismantled after pressure from private banks. We need a proper banking service in regional Australia that provides face-to-face services to the people.

Many Australian politicians have now realised the damage these bank closures are doing to the bush. A serious and urgent re-think is required or many areas of rural Australia may no longer be viable communities

The Senate inquiry is not a witch hunt into banks, as some have suggested. It is a necessary inquiry to address the lack of face-to-face banking services in regional Australia. The Postal Bank proposal is a viable solution that needs to be explored further. Like so many other issues, we need broad political buy-in from parliament for the proposal to gain traction.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to India from 8 –11 March at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister’s visit to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi will further deepen our strategic, economic and people to people ties with India, a close friend and partner to Australia.

Prime Minister Albanese will join Prime Minister Modi for the Australia-India Annual Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi. The Prime Ministers will discuss trade and investment, renewable energy, technology, defence and security cooperation. The visit will also highlight our strong educational and cultural ties.

Prime Minister Albanese will be accompanied by Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell and Resources Minister Madeleine King. Minister Farrell and Minister King will also lead a delegation of senior Australian business leaders on this visit.

The business delegation will participate in the Australia-India CEO Forum in Mumbai, discussing trade and investment opportunities opened up by the recent Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement and future areas of business to business collaboration with their Indian counterparts.

Prime Minister Albanese will also join Prime Minister Modi at the Fourth Test Match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad. A shared passion for cricket is a hallmark of our long-standing friendship, a relationship that has been enriched by generations of Indian Australians.

This will be the first visit by an Australian Prime Minister to India since 2017.                                                                                

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“This will be my first visit to India as Prime Minister and I look forward to reinforcing the strong bond between our two countries.”

“Our relationship with India is strong but it can be stronger. It is underpinned by our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which underscores a joint commitment to working together to enhance our defence, economic, and technological interests.”

“A stronger India-Australia partnership is good for the stability of our region.  It also means more opportunities and more trade and investment, strengthening our economies and directly benefiting our people.”

 “As we look to the future, India will continue to be an important partner and close friend to Australia. I look forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in Australia mid-year for the Quad Leaders’ Summit and to visiting India again in September for the G20 Leaders’ Summit.”

Deputy Greens Leader and International Aid & Global Justice spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the Australian Government’s decision to co-sponsor Vanuatu’s UN bid to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change. 

The Greens, along with civil society groups, have been pushing Australia to step up and co-sponsor the resolution.

Senator Faruqi said:

“The Government’s decision to co-sponsor  Vanuatu’s initiative is a positive signal to  Pacific nations that Australia is starting to listen to them and their campaign for climate justice.

“Now, Australia has to back this up with strong, credible climate policy at home: a transition to renewables and no new coal and gas. Shamefully, Labor’s safeguard mechanism policy is pro-coal and gas.

“The Government’s decision is reportedly based on a recognition that the climate crisis is the single greatest threat to our Pacific neighbours. At the same time, the Government is nonetheless willing to make the climate crisis worse by opening new coal and gas.”

“Wealthy, colonial countries of the Global North, including Australia, bear overwhelming responsibility for causing and driving the climate crisis. Australia must advocate for global climate justice and critically, must stop making the climate crisis worse by opening new coal and gas.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, has criticised  efforts by the live sheep export industry to pressure Labor into backflipping on their election promise to ban live sheep exports, as reported today.

Senator Faruqi said:

“Labor went to the last two federal elections with a policy to end live sheep export, a measure that polling repeatedly shows is supported by a clear majority of people.”

“The Government must stare down this brazen attempt by a cruel and brutal industry to bully it into backflipping on that promise.”

“The industry’s claims that it has reformed and can now be trusted is rubbish. Sheep continue to die in large numbers on live export ships and suffer oppressive heat stress.”

“We know even the most basic transparency measures, such as independent observers, are not being followed, making a mockery of any of their animal welfare claims. The Government is being taken for a ride by this cruel industry.

“The industry is right on one thing though: Animal welfare campaigners won’t stop at just the live sheep industry. Live animal export should be shut down entirely, as New Zealand is doing. It is simply incompatible with animal welfare.”

The Greens call for immediate Tasmanian devil population surveys in temdudheker/Woolnorth and on pilitika/Robbins Island, after very sad and shocking revelations today that devil facial tumour disease – responsible for wiping out 95% of the Tasmanian devil population – has been detected in an area of the state’s north west previously considered disease-free.

Greens Senator for lutruwita/Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“This news is absolutely devastating. Tassie devils are only just clawing their way back from this horrendous disease, whilst also battling a myriad of other pressures such as becoming roadkill, land clearing, mining and logging.

“The Greens call for Tasmanian devil health surveys to be conducted urgently in and around the remaining temdudheker/Woolnorth populations and on the critical pilitika/Robbins Island, to help better inform conservation management plans. 

“This shocking news adds urgency to acting on roadkill mitigation measures, such as reducing speed limits in the area, as agreed upon in the recent Circular Head Council meeting. 

“My colleague Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP and I will be writing to the Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek today to bring this sad news to her attention. We will also seek urgent assistance for health and population surveys as part of the devil’s federal recovery plan and stress the need for increased focus on devil protection and conservation in this critical area.

“The Federal Government has responsibilities under the EPBC Act to help devils recover, but hasn’t committed a cent towards the devil’s recovery in the last five years and this needs to change. 

“Abandoning the Tasmanian devil now, after so much time, money and love has been poured into keeping the treasured species alive and healthy, is a cruel death sentence.”

ABS figures released today show that further interest rate rises are unnecessary.

“The RBA should not continue to raise interest rates when inflation is slowing,” Greens economic justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“The last nine rate hikes have already smashed renters and mortgage holders. Any further rises will just send even more people to the wall.”

“We also learned today that 2022 was the best year on record for corporate profits.”

“Corporate profiteering has driven inflation up and piled on the cost of living pain.”

“Meanwhile, the share going to workers was the lowest ever in 2022. Yet those who are struggling the most are expected to fix the problem by copping higher rents and mortgage payments.”

“The figures show a shameful reality: the rich are getting richer while workers are getting the smallest slice of the pie since records began more than six decades ago.”

“We don’t need more rate rises. Jim Chalmers needs to stop sitting on his hands while the RBA punishes households.

“He should freeze rents, introduce a corporate super profits tax, and start providing genuine cost of living relief like putting dental into Medicare, wiping student debt and raising the jobseeker rate.”

Greens’ Treasury spokesperson Senator Nick McKim has responded to the release of the Tax Expenditure and Insights Statement and the government’s proposed changes to superannuation tax concessions.

“The big question the government is yet to answer is, what will these reforms be used to fund? Labor’s Stage 3 tax cuts are the elephant in the room.”

“Modest changes to superannuation tax concessions to help pay for a $9,000 tax cut is just a money-go-round scheme for the rich.”

“Jim Chalmers is proposing to rob Peter to pay Peter.”

“Any budget that includes the Stage 3 tax cuts makes us a less equal society.”

“The Tax Expenditure and Insights Statement shows just how much tax breaks already favour the rich.”

“The Stage 3 tax cuts are only going to make this worse.”

“Labor cannot claim to be a party of the working class while they’re implementing a quarter of a trillion dollars in tax cuts, three-quarters of which go to the top 20% of income earners.”

The elites are well and truly in charge of the Voice agenda, with a recent declaration they plan to use the Voice to seize power. Many Aboriginals you chat with on the street would tell you their dreams are about a better future for their family and kids, not the elitist Voices of parliament.

Dividing Australia along racial lines has long been a goal of extremist elites who try to tell Australians how to run their lives.

Now the extremist elites have let slip how their vision of how the Voice will work.

They declared from their lofty positions on high, “The Indigenous voice “will have a lot of power” and will not passively wait to be consulted,”

“There is a misconception that it will have no power and it will have no influence. I mean we can debate that for ages but of course, it will have a lot of power. It will have a lot of power because it’s a constitutional voice that is mandated by the Australian people and that gives it a lot of power,

“It will make the representations. So it’s not a consultative body in that it is sitting there waiting passively for the Commonwealth to consult it or bureaucrats to consult it.”

These revelations should send a shudder down the spine of every decent Australian. The Voice will have power, will interfere in government and will be an activist body (code: home for extremists like Lidia Thorpe).

The words used by the elitists who are pursuing the Voice are the worst-case scenario for Australia.

These people have now placed on record their desire to usurp Australian democracy and that spells disaster for the way we live and everything we stand for.

Source: Professor Davis and Ms Anderson, co-chairs of the ‘Uluru Dialogue’ quoted in – The Australian 28/02/2023

Today the Prime Minister led a Cyber Security Roundtable, focused on the whole-of-nation effort required to protect Australians and our economy, with the aim of making Australia the most cyber secure nation by 2030.

We invited leaders from the public service and our intelligence agencies, and independent experts from business, industry and civil society, to share their expertise and experience.

We discussed ideas including incentivising best practice cyber behaviours, growing Australia’s cyber security sector and raising national cyber awareness, to shape a new strategy.  One that will give Australian businesses and families confidence, stability and security, in the face of rapidly evolving threats.

The Albanese Government also announced it will establish a Coordinator for Cyber Security, supported by a National Office for Cyber Security within the Department of Home Affairs, to ensure a centrally coordinated approach to deliver Government’s cyber security responsibilities.

Input from today’s roundtable will inform the development of Government’s 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy.  That Strategy will be led by the Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, Clare O’Neil, the first Cabinet Minister to hold the portfolio of Cyber Security.

The Cyber Security Strategy Expert Advisory Board, appointed by Minister O’Neil, has released a public discussion paper seeking feedback on the development of the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy.

The Prime Minister and Minister O’Neil thank today’s leaders for their roundtable input, and encourage all Australians to share their views in the discussion for a safer cyber world.

The discussion paper can be found here.

Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP said:

“Strengthening Australia’s cyber security is a fundamental priority for our government because we recognise it is essential to the way every Australian lives and works and trades and learns and communicates.”

“This is a fast-moving, rapidly-evolving threat and for too many years, Australia has been off the pace. Our government is determined to change that. “

“I want to thank those who participated in the Roundtable for their innovative ideas, considered feedback and constructive approach to addressing the cyber security challenges facing our nation.”

“For businesses these days, cyber security is as important and essential as the shop having a lock on the door.  We need all Australian businesses to be able to protect themselves and – just as importantly – protect their customers.”

the Minister for Cyber Security, the Hon Clare O’Neil MP said:

“Getting our cyber security settings right will take time, and Australians should be prepared for more cyber incidents in the coming years. However, it is clear that Australians expect more from businesses holding their sensitive data, and Government has a central role to play to ensure everyone is pulling their weight.”

“As a nation, we cannot sleepwalk into our cyber future. I want Australia to be the world’s most cyber secure country by 2030. I believe that is possible, but it will take a concerted effort from industry and Government alike.”

“Industry needs to put cyber security at the heart of its business decisions and practices, and Government needs to walk the talk and work with industry as genuine partners to build a nationally consistent approach.”

“Today’s roundtable demonstrated the potential for a truly national approach. I want to thank those who attended the roundtable for their willingness to contribute to Australia’s cyber security, and for their constructive feedback on the direction of the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy.”

Greens Leader Adam Bandt says a new report showing coal and gas emissions will overwhelm the government’s Safeguard Mechanism underlines the need for the government to stop opening new coal and gas mines.

The report released by Climate Analytics today found the government has substantially underestimated projected emissions from Australia’s existing and committed coal and LNG production, and that in 2030 these projects alone would exceed the total permitted emission limits of the government’s proposed Safeguard Mechanism. The report shows emissions from gas could in fact increase by 36% and from coal by up to 116% by 2030. 

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

“This report shows new coal and gas will break the Safeguard Mechanism. 

“The numbers are here in black and white.

“Labor needs to get real. You can’t tackle the climate crisis while opening up new coal and gas mines.”

Climate Analytics Report available HERE