Category: Australian News

The Greens urge Labor to publicly recommit its opposition to PEP-11 after revelations of the former PM’s extraordinary intervention to kill the unpopular project.

Reports that Scott Morrison secretly swore himself in as resources minister and used the power to roll his own frontbencher over PEP-11 have led to the project’s proponent indicating it may seek to overturn the government’s decision.

If Labor remains serious about stopping PEP-11 it should bring on and vote for the Greens’ Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Fight for Australia’s Coastline) Bill, which would put the demise of PEP-11 beyond doubt and prohibit any future petroleum exploration or production in the area for good. 

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

“We knew at the time that the former PM’s unprecedented intervention to stop offshore oil and gas drilling in PEP-11 was a political decision, given the strong community opposition to this project in several blue-ribbon federal electorates under threat from climate-conscious independents. 

“What these latest revelations demonstrate more than anything are the extreme measures the former PM was willing to take to retain power, and in turn that drilling for fossil fuels off our coastlines is a significant matter of public interest that is deeply unpopular. 

“While Anthony Albanese seeks legal advice on this matter, he should put the minds of those in Northern NSW at ease by immediately recommitting opposition to PEP-11.

“It’s deeply concerning that Advent Energy and subsidiary Asset Energy have indicated they may seek to overturn the government’s decision to reject the PEP-11 project. 

“If Labor remains serious about stopping PEP-11 it should bring on and vote for the Greens’ Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Fight for Australia’s Coastline) Bill, which would stop PEP-11 beyond any doubt, and prohibit any future petroleum exploration or production in the area for good.”

The first step in Western Sydney’s Aerotropolis development kicked off today with work beginning on the first critical piece of energy infrastructure for the area. 
 
Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes Anthony Roberts said the start of work on the new $38.8 million Bradfield Zone substation marks the beginning of the once-in-a-generation development that will change the face of Greater Sydney.
 
“This new 90-megawatt substation is an important step in building the backbone of electricity supply for the Bradfield Estate, providing capacity to power the equivalent of 20,000 homes,” Mr Roberts said.
 
“This is just the start of a huge investment in infrastructure for the Aerotropolis, including for roads, public transport, health facilities and schools that will support our growing population.
 
“Having the right infrastructure in place will be vital to the success of the Western Parkland City, ensuring it is a great place to live, work and invest for generations to come.”
 
The NSW Government released the final Precinct Plan for the Aerotropolis in March this year, paving the way for the development of around 6,500 hectares of land surrounding the Nancy Bird Walton Airport.
 
Member for Mulgoa and Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Tanya Davies said Aerotropolis will be the catalyst for the biggest ever jobs boom for Western Sydney.
 
“This new substation will allow over one million square metres of warehouse, factories and office space to be developed, creating up to 10,000 new jobs in the Bradfield City Centre alone,” Mrs Davies said.
 
“Western Sydney is booming and we expect to around 1.4 million people will be living in the Parkland City by 2036. The development of the Aerotropolis will also support the creation of around 200,000 jobs.”
 
Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Alister Henskens said the Western Parkland City, centred around the Aerotropolis, is an incredible opportunity for the people of NSW.
 
“Through the final precinct plan, we’ve laid the foundations for five new precincts that will not only see a boom in highly-skilled jobs in Western Sydney, but will also facilitate the building of around 11,400 new homes, beautiful new parklands and open space to create a world-class city.”
 
For more information on the Aerotropolis Precinct Plan and the Greater Western Parkland City visit https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Plans-for-your-area/Priority-Growth-Areas-and-Precincts/Western-Sydney-Aerotropolis 

Onshore manufacturing of life-saving mRNA vaccines took a major step forward today, with the Australian Government, Moderna and the Victorian Government finalising all arrangements for the 10-year partnership.

Under the agreements, an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility will be built at Monash University, helping protect Australians against future pandemics, supporting local industry and creating highly skilled local jobs.

Moderna will also establish its headquarters and a Regional Research Centre in Victoria.

Once operational, the facility will be able to produce up to 100 million vaccine doses every year.

Once this critical onshore mRNA capability is established, Australia will reduce its dependence on imported mRNA vaccines and our vulnerability to supply disruptions or delays.

It will give Australians local and ongoing access to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine – Spikevax – and give us an onshore mRNA manufacturing capability in the event of a new pandemic, such as avian influenza or another new pathogen, vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variants or a global resurgence of infections.

The partnership will lead to a world-class mRNA ecosystem based in Melbourne, attract highly skilled staff and expand local capability through joint ventures with leading Australian research organisations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a once in a generation challenge that gives us a once in a generation opportunity to come back stronger and better than ever.”

“The pandemic has shown us how important local manufacturing capability is to our security and to our health.”

“This significant deal will protect Australians and Australian sovereignty.”

Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said:

“This agreement means that Victoria will be home to Moderna’s only mRNA manufacturing and finishing centre in the Southern Hemisphere.” 

“We have the skills and the equipment needed to deliver this vital onshore capability – it will save lives, create jobs and strengthen Victoria’s position as a national leader in medical manufacturing.”

“The pandemic has shown us how important it is to have strong sovereign capacity – we’re not wasting a second in making sure we have access to the vaccines we need to keep Victorians safe.”

Minister Butler said:

“I was honoured to sign an agreement today with my Victorian Government counterpart – Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford – to finalise this 10-year strategic partnership.”

“It was a pivotal step in helping protect Australians against future pandemics while supporting local industry.”

Minister Husic said:

“Australia has the world-class capabilities needed to develop and produce the next generation of medical technology, matched with leading researchers and a highly skilled workforce.

“This landmark agreement signals the Australian Government’s commitment and support for sovereign manufacturing capability in critical industries.”

Minister Pulford said:

“We warmly welcome Moderna to Melbourne – this facility and research centre together with Victoria’s world-class science and health tech will generate major medical breakthroughs.”

“We’ll keep making the big, bold investments needed to make sure we have the best research, the best facilities and the best treatments to keep Victorians safe and healthy.” 

Moderna General Manager Australia & New Zealand Michael Azrak said:

“We look forward to being a part of the Monash Clayton precinct and contributing to the R&D ecosystem in Melbourne and across Australia.” 

Today marks two years since Australian citizen Cheng Lei was detained in China. 

Our thoughts today are with Ms Cheng’s family, including her two young children, with whom she has had no contact since she was detained. 

Ms Cheng faced a closed trial in Beijing on 31 March 2022. She is yet to learn the outcome. 

Since Ms Cheng was detained in August 2020, the Australian Government has consistently called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met, in accordance with international norms. 

We will continue to support Ms Cheng and her family, and to advocate for Ms Cheng’s interests and wellbeing. 

Ahead of tomorrow’s Education Ministers meeting, the Greens have called on federal, state and territory governments to address teacher shortages once and for all by properly funding public schools and giving all teachers a long overdue pay rise.

Greens spokesperson on schools Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“It’s not very complicated: to attract more teachers to public schools and provide a world-class education for our kids, governments must properly fund all public schools and pay all public school teachers more.

“Teachers, unions, parents, carers and experts have been telling governments for years that this is the solution to teacher shortages, yet they continue to fiddle at the margins, hoping that the latest incentive scheme will magically do the job.

“There’s no point in trying to cajole more teachers into the profession when public schools are underfunded, pay and conditions are going backwards and morale is low.

“And it’s frankly insulting to hard-working teachers everywhere to talk about new programs to attract the ‘best and brightest’ and reward ‘outstanding teachers’ when existing teachers are so undervalued and underpaid.

“The government’s own numbers show that by 2025 the shortfall for secondary teachers will be over 4,000.

“If governments don’t work together to address the underlying issues of low pay across the board, chronic under-resourcing for public schools and low morale, we are going to see even more hard working teachers leaving the profession.

“Labor must come to the table with a plan that lifts resourcing for public schools to meet the minimum School Resource Standard and raises the pay for all public teachers significantly.”

The Australian Greens say today’s report into workplace culture in NSW Parliament shows that the toxic boys club of politics extends beyond Canberra.

NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Deputy Leader and member of the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards said:

“The Broderick report is nothing short of traumatic and devastating. Sadly, however, it does not surprise me that this is what has been revealed about my old workplace.

“The sexist and racist underbelly of parliamentary work has been exposed again and again, and needs to end. Bullying and harassment cannot just be accepted as part of our political culture. It has to be eradicated at all levels.

“As a member of the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards, which is looking at enforceable codes of conduct for parliamentary workplaces, I’m committed to making sure that the highest standards are set and followed. It’s beyond time to get this done, and to implement all the recommendations of the Jenkins report.

“As leaders, it is our responsibility to set the best example for others to follow. That means a safe and respectful workplace free from bullying, harassment, sexual assault, sexism and racism. Nothing less is acceptable.”

Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on women said:

“Today’s report has devastating similarities to the appalling behaviour in federal parliament outlined in Commissioner Jenkins’ Set the Standard report just last year. It’s yet another wake-up call about the need to do politics differently.

“We need more diverse, inclusive, and respectful parliamentary workplaces to end the toxic old white boys club that has allowed bad behaviour to go unchecked for too long.

“Toxic behaviour is not confined to parliament, and the Greens will continue to call for a positive duty on employers to make all workplaces safe and national efforts to address the gender inequality that drives this behaviour.”

The Greens have called on the nation’s education ministers to tackle the root causes of the teacher shortage crisis, after today’s roundtable failed to produce a credible plan for real reform.

Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“It’s great that teachers had a seat at the table at today’s Education Ministers Meeting. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that the ministers were really paying attention. 

“Despite listening to stories of 65-hour work weeks and crippling workloads, we heard almost nothing about that in the media conference that followed the meeting. Instead, the conversation turned quickly to recruitment and training.

“If you want to stop the exodus of teachers from the profession and attract more people into it, governments have to address pay and conditions.

“To tackle teacher workloads, the system needs to be resourced properly. Right now, nearly every public school in the country is receiving less than 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard, which is the minimum funding level required for students to achieve the minimum standard.

“Meanwhile, funding to private schools has increased at five times the rate of funding to public schools, and Australia has one of the greatest education funding inequality gaps in the OECD. This needs to be reversed.

“Similarly teacher salaries have gone backwards when compared to other professions over the last 30 years. Creating higher pay points for a select few won’t address this problem. We need a competitive pay structure for the profession as a whole.

“Frustratingly, none of this is new. Teachers and their unions have been raising these issues for over a decade.

“The December roadmap must include strategies to immediately address under-resourcing of schools and pay and conditions for all teachers. Otherwise it’s still just talk.”

Analysis provided by the Parliamentary Library predicts that Labor’s housing plan will deliver only 3% of the social housing Australia will need by 2032. 

According to estimates provided by the Parliamentary Library, Australia currently has a shortfall of 524,200 social housing dwellings, and this is projected to grow to 670,600 dwellings by 2032. 

This estimate takes into account the number of people who are homeless, currently on social housing waiting lists and low-income renters who are in rental stress, to provide an estimate of the total unmet need for social housing dwellings in Australia.

Under Labor’s policy, the Housing Australia Future Fund will build 4,000 social houses each year over 5 years, a tiny fraction of what is needed.

Max Chandler-Mather Greens Federal Member  for Griffith said:

“Housing in Australia is in crisis and Labor’s plan falls short by 97%, which is a pretty spectacular failure.” 

By building only 3% of the social housing Australia needs, Labor is guaranteeing the housing crisis will get worse – millions will remain homeless, stuck for years on social housing waiting lists or in serious rental stress. 

“The Federal Labor Government plans on spending $224 billion over 10 years on the Stage 3 tax cuts, but only $10 billion on building social and affordable housing, which is a real kick in the teeth for the hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of a home.”

“The Greens plan would see at least 250,000 public and affordable homes built over 5 years, and 1 million over 20 years, which is exactly what we need to ensure everyone has a place to call home.”

“We have the capacity, money and resources to build enough public housing for everyone who needs one, we just need to break the hold banks and property developers have over our political system.”

On the Climate Change Authority Report into the international offsets market released today, attributable to Greens leader Adam Bandt MP:

“The government must reject international offset accounting tricks.

“This Morrison-era report, commissioned by Angus Taylor to justify his government’s Paris accounting tricks, should be binned.

“We need to cut emissions here in Australia so that we get the benefits of transitioning to a zero economy. These international offsets just delay action and could also undercut our farmers, who could earn income from helping draw down pollution locally.

“The EU no longer allows international offsets and Australia should ban them too.

“If climate action is left to accounting tricks, pollution will go up and we won’t stop the climate crisis.

“Some of these supposed “carbon credits” are nothing but hot air: they don’t represent real cuts to emissions, they get traded hundreds of times, and they give corporations a free pass to keep pumping pollution into the atmosphere.

“The climate crisis and the threat of floods and fires is urgent. Any carbon reduction scheme must see emissions actually come down and carbon drawdown activities increased.

“If we want to turn the tide on climate breakdown we need to see negative emissions, with more carbon drawdown through reforestation than pollution output. The time for ambition is now and we can’t waste time on schemes that achieve net nothing.”

On Tamboran Resources’ submission to the Climate Change Bill enquiry, attributable to Greens leader Adam Bandt MP:

“The gas industry would rather the government sign off on widespread crop failures, water insecurity, extreme heat and flash flooding rather than take reasonable steps to avert the worsening of the climate crisis.

“No amount of spin from the gas grifters changes the fact that the Beetaloo Basin project will lift Australia’s pollution by up to 13%.

“Fracking the Beetaloo Basin is impossible if the government wants to meet even its weak 43% target.

“There’s no room for new coal and gas in our future.”

The Greens have urged the Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to consider the emissions and climate impact of billionaire miner Gina Rinehart’s proposed expansion of a coal seam gas project in Queensland.

According to reports today, South Korean steel maker Posco will partner with Rinehart to lift production at the Senex venture in the Surat Basin with work set to begin in coming weeks. 

The plan still needs approval by the Environment Minister and comes just days after the Albanese Labor Government passed their 43 per cent climate target bill through the Lower House. 

Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Any new or expanded coal or gas projects will blow Labor’s already weak 43 per cent target out the water. 

“Approving more coal and gas in the midst of a climate crisis is reckless and dangerous. Minister Plibersek should rule this one out too.

“It is clear we need a climate trigger in our environment laws to require the Minister to consider the impact the emissions from the project will have on the climate crisis. 

“The comments from the Resources Minister backing in the future of coal and gas are a very worrying sign. 

“If the Albanese Labor Government is truly committed to tackling the climate crisis then making sure they, and the government that comes next, don’t approve projects that make it worse is a must.

“Gas is not a transition fuel, there’s no shortage and expanding production only further lines the pockets of billionaires like Rinehart and big fossil fuel corporations, while making the climate crisis worse and doing nothing to lower power prices for everyday Australians.”

Greens spokesperson for mining and resources Senator Dorinda Cox said:

“Mining companies operating in the Surat Basin have repeatedly breached Native Title Land Use Agreements and have not enacted free, prior, and informed consent with Traditional owners and we simply cannot let it happen again. Enough is enough.

“Governments must stop destroying First Nations people’s cultural heritage in favour of untaxed billionaires who get public funding and resources for free.

“The Federal Government is heading the wrong way by creating a vision for Australia’s future resources industry that is backed in by coal and gas. It should be focused on investing in green resources and creating a clean energy export industry, including renewables-generated fuels such as Green Hydrogen.”