Category: Australian News

The Australian Greens have called for laws that will put customers ahead of teleco profits and will call the company to a Senate Inquiry. 

When Parliament resumes the Greens will introduce amendments that establish and enforce stronger telecommunications reliability standards, following a major outage that disrupted essential services and impacted millions of Australians.

Greens spokesperson for Communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: 

“Our telecommunications system is in crisis. Today, millions of people have been impacted by Telstra’s outage.

“Access to a mobile phone and internet data is an essential for everyday life. Just like roads and electricity it should be treated as an essential service. Today’s outage shows how vulnerable the system is and the Government must act. 

“For too long Telstra and the other telcos have put their profits ahead of their customers’ safety and both the Government and regulator, ACMA have failed to hold them to account. 

“Australian’s deserve a reliable service, whether it’s to call the ambulance, call their work, or call their mum. 

“There is currently no legal requirement for Telstra, or any other telecommunications supplier, to provide a reliable mobile phone system. 

“The Greens will move new laws to put customers first. 

“When we return to parliament, the Greens will move to legislate reliability standards to ensure that big telcos, who are raking in the big bucks, are legally required to provide reliable, dependable services

“Millions of Australians rely on Telstra’s services for their everyday communications, work, banking and more. It’s not just an inconvenience when these networks go down, it’s a major disruption.

“Most concerning are reports that some calls to Triple Zero have not been connected. We know from past outages that failures of Triple Zero can be a matter of life and death.

“We will force Telstra to front the Senate Inquiry and explain why this happened and what led to the mass outage, including the impacts of cost-cutting and offshoring of services.  

“The public expect and deserve better from Australia’s largest telecommunications provider. Telstra must explain what went wrong, how many people were affected, what safeguards failed, and what steps will be taken to ensure this never happens again.

“This cannot be left to ACMA to manage. ACMA has become a lapdog, not a watchdog. It has become too cosy with the big telecommunications corporations and does not stand up for the interests of the Australian people.

The Victorian Greens have unveiled the details of their bold plan to bring down the cost of buying a home.

The Greens are proposing to tax ultra-wealthy property investors who own more than $5 million worth of residential investment properties, and use it to abolish stamp duty on homes for people to live in.

The Greens plan comes ahead of this year’s state election where young people locked out of home ownership are looking for bold policies.
The Greens policy helps rebalance the scales of a broken housing system that is set up to funnel profits to banks and wealthy investors instead of helping people who need somewhere affordable to live.

Stamp duty has been heavily criticised by economists as a highly ineffective tax that puts a huge upfront cost on people, making it harder to buy, move or downsize.

The Greens are proposing a system that’s fairer, simpler and built for people, not profits. It starts by abolishing stamp duty on the average home, aimed at eventually phasing it out altogether.

The Greens entire ‘Home You Can Afford’ plan:

Cut stamp duty for owner occupiers: abolishing stamp duty for homes up to $1.1 million, and reduced stamp duty on a sliding scale up to $1.6 million.

Introduce an ‘ultra-wealth’ tax to pay for it: increase land tax to 5.3% for property investors that own more than $5 million in residential investment properties, raising $6.4 billion over the decade.

Stop the demolition and build more public housing: more than double the number of public homes – building over 88,000 public homes, maintaining and upgrading existing public housing with an initial investment of $4 billion.

Cap rents: limiting how much rents can be increased in any one year capped at wage growth (or inflation, whichever is lower).

Victorian Greens housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“People are working hard and still can’t afford a home. We want to bring down the cost of buying a home by cutting stamp duty and taxing ultra wealthy property investors to pay for it.

“If you can afford $5 million worth of investment properties, we think you can pay a little bit more to make housing more affordable for everyone else.

“If young people and renters are ever going to be able to afford a home, we need to bring down the cost of buying a home.

“Stamp duty is a huge barrier for people buying their first home, moving or downsizing. You shouldn’t be slapped with a massive tax bill from the government before you even get your keys.”

Melbourne renters are being slugged with the fastest rent increases in the country, with new figures showing the city’s median weekly rent jumped by more than $20 (3.5 per cent) to $600 in the June quarter.

The Victorian Greens say today’s figures are proof that Labor has failed to protect renters from unlimited rent hikes, with landlords continuing to jack up rents simply because they can.

Independent modelling by the Parliamentary Budget Office shows that if Victoria froze rents for two years from March 2026 and permanently capped future rent increases to wage growth, the average Victorian renter would save $15,590 by 2030 and more than $120,000 by 2040.

Victorian Greens spokesperson for Renting, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“Renters keep getting hit with outrageous rent increases simply because landlords know they can get away with it under Labor.

“These figures make one thing crystal clear: we urgently need rent caps.

“Rent caps would save the average Victorian renter more than $15,500 over the next four years. That’s money people could spend raising their kids, paying the bills or saving for a home—instead of paying off their landlord’s house.

“Renters don’t need more excuses. They need lower rents.

“The federal government’s housing reforms haven’t even kicked in yet. These rent hikes aren’t about absorbing higher costs—they’re landlords taking the piss because nothing is stopping them.

“Victorian renters deserve a government that’s on their side. Labor will always side with the property industry because they are funded by them to stay in power. The Greens are the only ones with the guts to do what it takes to tackle the housing crisis – cap rents, build public housing, end the special treatment for property investors and corporations.”

Background

The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates a two-year rent freeze from March 2026 followed by permanent caps linked to wage growth would save the median Victorian renter:

$15,590 by 2030

$53,517 by 2035

$120,406 by 2040.

Rent controls are a key pillar of the Victorian Greens election policy plan leading up to the 2026 Victorian State election, where the Greens are tipped to win more seats from both Labor and the Liberals. The Greens policy includes:

an initial 2-year rent freeze to give wages the chance to catch up to rents followed by a cap on rent increases to go up no more than the wage growth or CPI, whichever is lowest, of that year in any one year.

Tie rent increases to the property, not the tenant – so renters can’t be kicked out for a landlord to put the rent up.

A ban on rent increases for two years at the start of every tenancy, to give renters security when they move house.

The Albanese Labor Government is backing local jobs and manufacturing through its investments in Australian-made electric trucks – with the first locally built Volvo electric truck rolling off the production line in Brisbane.

The Government’s investment of $70 million with Volvo Group Australia – through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) – will see more Australian-made electric trucks on our roads.

The investment will see electrification of the nation’s trucking fleet by providing discounted finance for trucking businesses and supporting the long-term residual value of electric trucks. 

Volvo offers a full range of electric heavy vehicles and the manufacturing of Australian-made electric trucks is supporting skilled manufacturing jobs and local supply chains.

As demand ramps up we can expect to see more than 1,000 jobs supported at this facility in Brisbane.

Electric trucks are cheaper to run and maintain than diesel, over time those lower transport costs can flow through the economy and help ease pressure on prices for households and businesses. 

The CEFC’s $70 million commitment will help more trucking businesses through discounted finance and residual-value support to help more operators choose these future Australian-made electric trucks. 

Transport currently accounts for around 22 per cent of Australia’s total emissions and is projected to become the largest source of emissions by 2030 without continued action. 

The CEFC has committed more than $200 million in electric vehicle related projects to help decarbonise Australia’s transport sector since its inception.

As one of the world’s largest green banks, the CEFC has worked with third-party capital to deliver more than $600 million in new investment to help decarbonise Australia’s transport sector. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“My Government is backing a future made in Australia – investing in local jobs, manufacturing and industry.

“We have all the resources to be a clean energy superpower – under the ground and in the sky – and projects like this show just what’s possible.

“Electric-made trucks built right here in Brisbane will keep Australia moving now and into the future.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen

“Under the Liberals, Australia watched vehicle manufacturing leave our shores. Under Labor, we’re helping rebuild it for the clean energy age.

“This investment backs Australian-made electric trucks, skilled manufacturing jobs in Queensland, and cheaper-to-run vehicles for freight operators.

“We want Australia making more things here, and we want businesses to have the confidence to choose cleaner technology that saves them money.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, the Honourable James Marape MP, have today announced the entry into force of the Pukpuk Treaty.

Australia and Papua New Guinea are now formally allies. This is Papua New Guinea’s first alliance with any country, and Australia’s first in more than 70 years.

The Pukpuk Treaty is underpinned by a mutual defence commitment, recognising that an armed attack on either country is a threat to both nations, and the security of the region.

It commits Australia and Papua New Guinea to consult, cooperate, and if required, act to meet a common danger, while explicitly safeguarding sovereignty.  

It also reflects a shared commitment to peace and stability in the Pacific, and affirms our mutual respect for the sovereignty, independence and the territorial integrity of our neighbours.

The treaty will strengthen integration between the Australian Defence Force and PNG Defence Force. It will enable our nations to quickly and effectively respond to shared security challenges, and support Papua New Guinea’s sovereign defence capability.

The treaty supports the expansion and modernisation of our defence relationship, including recruitment of each countries’ citizens into respective defence forces.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“The entry into force of the Pukpuk Treaty is a momentous step in the relationship been Australia and Papua New Guinea.

“Our alliance reflects the deep trust we share as the closest of neighbours, partners and friends. 

“In an uncertain world, this treaty demonstrates our shared commitment to a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.”

The Australian Government is helping grow rugby league across the Pacific, committing $250 million over 10 years to the Pacific Rugby League Partnership.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today joined his counterparts from Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga in Brisbane to launch the new partnership, which aims to strengthen the link between sport and opportunities in education, leadership and employment.

The leaders were joined by the Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), Peter V’landys and representatives from a number of Pacific rugby league federations.

The Australian Government’s commitment to the partnership is part of its $600 million investment in rugby league across the Pacific, which includes support for the entry of the Papua New Guinea Chiefs into the National Rugby League (NRL) in 2028.

Australia’s funding for the partnership will deliver more than just a pathway for emerging talent across the Pacific. The Pacific Rugby League Partnership has three main pillars – community and grassroots, pathways and academies, and elite and international.

Early initiatives of the partnership include: 

• Expanding existing youth engagement and violence prevention programs to reach more communities.
• Establishing primary and high school competitions in Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, supported by a network of teachers accredited as coaches.
• Setting up programs in each country to promote girls’ competitions.
• Building men’s and women’s national competitions across age groups.
• Continuing to deliver Pacific Championship matches and identify opportunities for NRL and NRLW matches to be played in the Pacific.

The Pacific Rugby League Partnership will be delivered by the ARLC in partnership with the national rugby league federations of Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“The Pacific Rugby League Partnership is about far more than a game – it’s an investment in people as much as it is sport.

“Through one of Australia’s favourite sporting codes, we are bringing our Pacific family closer together.

“In communities across Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, this will help create pathways – not just into sport but also education, leadership and employment.”

Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, Pat Conroy

“Sport has a unique power to connect people in a way that few other things can.

“For decades we have watched talented players from the Pacific star in the NRL, and in more recent years the NRLW.

“The Pacific Rugby League Partnership will support player development at the same time as increasing school attendance and promoting healthy lifestyles and respectful relationships.”

The Victorian Greens are calling for a ban on developer donations as reports today say that wealthy property developers are pledging hundreds of thousands of dollars to One Nation in exchange for commitments to scrap Victoria’s vacant homes tax.

The report says that major property developers have pledged significant donations after receiving assurances One Nation would seek to repeal the vacant homes tax.

The Greens secured the vacant residential tax because there are over 100,000 homes sitting empty in Melbourne alone, which is unacceptable in a housing crisis where renters and first home buyers can’t find somewhere they can afford to live.

Other states have already banned donations from property developers, but the Greens say that the Victorian Labor Government has refused to do so.

The Victorian Greens have repeatedly called for a complete ban on political donations from property developers, gambling companies and other industries with significant financial interests before government.

In the face of vested interests attempting to lobby political parties ahead of this years’ state election the Greens are calling on Labor at the very least to follow New South Wales and the ACT by banning political donations from property developers and gambling corporations.

the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:

“This is exactly what’s wrong with politics. When Labor, the Liberals and One Nation all pocket donations in return for policies and kickbacks that favour their donors, it’s corrupt, it’s dodgy and it’s screwing over everyday Victorians.

“The Greens are the only party that doesn’t take big corporate donations. Unlike Labor, the Liberals and One Nation who sell off their policies to the highest bidder.”

The Victorian Greens say new figures showing more than 5122 Victorians are waiting for alcohol and other drug treatment are a damning indictment on Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government who are failing to properly fund frontline health services. 

New data from the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association shows the number of people waiting for treatment has more than doubled since 2020, with around 40 per cent of people seeking support still waiting to be assessed. 

The Greens say that when someone reaches out for help with addiction, they should be able to access treatment immediately – not left waiting months while their health deteriorates.

The Greens say that access to mental health care, drug and alcohol treatment is essential for community safety and that proper investment in frontline services takes pressure off hospitals, police and prisons that are all currently being overwhelmed due to Labor’s reckless and reactionary policies that have been rolled out without proper planning and resourcing. 

The Greens have consistently called for greater investment in community-based mental health and alcohol and other drug services because getting people help early saves lives and reduces pressure on hospitals, police and the justice system.

the Victorian Greens health spokesperson, Dr Sarah Mansfield: 

“Investment in alcohol and other drug support should be a priority, and the fact that the waitlists have blown out like this is an indictment on Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government.

“Every month that a person is stuck on a waitlist, that person is at risk of losing their life. That’s the cruel cost of Labor’s failure to properly invest in treatment. 

“Every dollar invested in treatment reduces pressure on hospitals, police and prisons – and crucially, saves lives. If Labor is serious about community safety, it needs to stop treating drug and alcohol treatment as an afterthought. Helping people get well is one of the best ways to prevent harm before it happens.”

Responding to reports that AI company Anthropic plans to secure 1.4 gigawatts of Australian data centre capacity, Senator for South Australia and Chair of the Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence and data centres, Sarah Hanson-Young, said:

“Big AI won’t seem to take no for an answer when it comes to destroying Australia’s copyright regime.

“Reports that Anthropic are continuing to lobby to undermine Australia’s copyright laws are deeply concerning. If they want to use copyrighted material to train their AI, they should pay for it like everyone else does.

“After strong pressure from rights holders, the Albanese Government has already ruled out a text and data mining exemption for AI. It would be a betrayal of Australia’s creative industries if they went back on that promise now.

“The building of 1.4 gigawatts of new data centre capacity could have a massive impact on Australia’s energy, water and environment. The community deserves to have a say on whether or not they want to become the data centre dumping ground for US based companies.

“We need a moratorium on the building of new hyperscale data centres until we get the regulatory settings right. 

“AI is the new extractive industry, and we cannot allow companies to lock in vast amounts of Australia’s energy, water and data resources before proper rules are in place. Strong regulation must come before sweetheart deals and backroom contracts.

“Australia cannot afford to sleepwalk into a big tech AI experiment. The public deserves a clear understanding of what these massive data centres will mean for our environment, our energy grid, local communities and Australia’s creative industries and copyright holders before any major decisions are made.

“The Senate Inquiry is now accepting submissions, and I encourage anyone concerned about the impact of AI and data centres on their community, industry or environment to make a submission. This inquiry is an important step in ensuring Australia gets the rules right before this industry becomes too big for governments to regulate properly.” 

The fifth hearing of the Greens-led Senate Inquiry into intergenerational housing inequity, held in Sydney today, showed an increasing number of experts support the case for rent caps, as renters face runaway rent increases.

Additional evidence to the committee today showed:

• Renters (31% of the population) face deep housing insecurity due to insecure rental contracts, unlimited rent increases and no-cause evictions.
• Renters don’t feel they have options: they endure rent increases unchallenged and forego making maintenance requests to avoid facing evictions.
• Lifelong renters don’t have assets to pass down to their children for a house deposit, which perpetuates intergenerational housing inequality.
• Social housing has fallen from 5.7% of dwellings in the 1990s to 3.6% today, and Australia sits well behind the OECD average of 7.1%.
• Current government investment in social housing is inadequate to reverse the decades-long decline in social housing stock.
• Lack of government of investment in social housing has contributed to acute housing need and homelessness.
• Working hard and saving no longer gets ordinary Australians into home ownership.
• Younger people are giving up on the great Australian dream of ever owning a home.
• Australia is becoming an inheritance society rather than a wage society.
• People with parental support are nearly twice as likely to own a home compared to people who don’t have parental support.
• Wealth is increasingly held by a minority of wealthy older households. People aged 65+ have received around 8 times the increase in overall wealth compared to people under 35 over the last two decades.
• For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, housing inequity is about intergenerational dispossession. Housing shapes health, education, safety and connection to community and culture and it is an investment in self-determination.

Greens spokesperson for finance, housing and homelessness and Senator for South Australia, Barbara Pocock: 

“This inquiry makes it clear that governments haven’t delivered relief for renters. 

“We’ve heard powerful evidence from young renters who are struggling to meet unexpected rent hikes, who are facing possible eviction.

“The current rental market is the most unaffordable in Australian history with some of the highest rates of rental stress.

“Too many renters are just one rent hike away from eviction or homelessness.

“Renters don’t have a buffer – they are the buffer. When interest rates rise, landlords pass the cost straight on.”

“House prices have skyrocketed – up three times faster than wages in just five years. The average home now costs $1 million. 

“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, housing inequity is the legacy of intergenerational dispossession. Investing in housing is key to self determination.

“After four years in government, Australia’s housing crisis is now Labor’s housing crisis. 

“Labor has locked in existing tax breaks for wealthy property investors and super profits for big corporations – while renters pay the price.

“Labor’s priorities are clear: tax handouts for wealthy investors, super profits for corporations, and higher costs for everyone else.

“Labor’s plans to fix the housing crisis are not touching the sides. After four years of rapidly increasing house prices and astronomical increases in rents, we urgently need solutions.

“Labor needs to introduce rent caps and invest directly into building good quality homes and renting them to people who need them at prices they can actually afford.”