Category: Australian News

THIRTY-ONE mayors and councillors from some of the nation’s most flood damaged regions have called on the government to do more to protect communities from tragic and costly extreme weather.

Mayors and councillors from Lismore in New South Wales to Logan in Queensland, released a joint statement responding to one of the worst extreme weather disasters in the nation’s history, calling for urgent action to protect their communities from worsening climate change.

The statement is calling on the federal government to:

Lead the country in delivering on an ambitious emissions reduction target this decade, in partnership with state and local governments, to respond to accelerating climate change at the scale and pace required.
Increase funding sources to councils for responding to climate impacts, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, including providing a minimum of $200 million a year in the form of a disaster mitigation fund and an additional $200 million over four years for a local government climate response partnership.
Invest in preparing before climate disasters strike and take responsibility for coordination of climate impact responses to ensure consistency and clearly delineated responsibilities between different levels of government.
Ensure all disaster response funding extends to all damaged assets and incorporates the principle of “betterment” to allow cities and communities to be rebuilt in a way that takes into account the inevitable future changes in climate and makes them more resilient.
Establish a national body, or expand the remit of an existing one, to support research on adaptation and act as a centralised hub for up-to-date climate change information.

Elly Bird, Councillor, Lismore City Council said, “If we’re to learn a lesson from the catastrophic flooding that we are now seeing happen in Australia every few years, it’s that we are severely underprepared for catastrophic events like this one. We urgently need to address the root cause of the heightened storm threat – climate change.

“Local governments, like Lismore City Council, have been trying to work together with our communities to take action against climate change and build resilience. But we need more support and we need it urgently.

“That’s why I’ve joined 31 other mayors and Councillors from Logan City Council in Queensland through to Eurobodalla Shire Council in New South Wales to call on our Federal leaders to immediately step up and reduce the climate impacts that put our communities in the firing line.

“Now is the time for our Government to lead the country in delivering on an ambitious emissions reduction target this decade to protect communities like ours from the future climate shocks that we know are coming and that we are living every single day.”

Dr Portia Odell, director of the Cities Power Partnership, Australia’s largest network of local governments taking action on climate change said, “Local governments were on the frontlines of climate impacts and needed more support.

“We can no longer leave councils and their communities alone and with little access to essential services, and expect them to spend millions to fix the damages of delayed climate action,” said Dr Odell.

“We know that local governments lack the adequate funding and support they need to rebuild their communities in a way that strengthens resilience and takes into account the increasing climate risks. Councils are already working hard to slash emissions locally and prepare their communities for the mounting climate impacts, yet support from the federal government is sparse.

“The Federal Government must step up to protect communities from catastrophic climate shocks.”

Full list of signatories:

New South Wales
Cr Darriea Turley AM, President, Local Government NSW

Dominic King, Councillor, Bellingen Shire Council

Michael Lyon, Mayor, Byron Shire Council

Mark Greenhill OAM, Mayor, Blue Mountains City Council

Alison Worthington, Councillor, Eurobodalla Shire Council

Amanda Kotlash, Councillor, Hawkesbury City Council

Neil Reilly, Mayor Kiama, Municipal Council

Elly Bird, Councillor Lismore, City Council

Claire Pontin, Mayor, Midcoast Council

Nuatali Nelmes, Lord Mayor, City of Newcastle

Chris Homer, Mayor, Shellharbour City Council

Amanda Findley, Mayor, Shoalhaven City Council

Clover Moore, Lord Mayor, City of Sydney

Jerome Laxale, Councillor, City of Ryde

Penelope Pederson, Councillor, City of Ryde

Chris Cherry, Mayor, Tweed Shire Council

Gordon Bradbery AM, Lord Mayor Wollongong City Council

Queensland

Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor, Brisbane City Council

Darren Power, Mayor, Logan City Council

Brian Stockwell, Councillor, Noosa Shire Council

Tasmania

Anna Reynolds, Lord Mayor, City of Hobart

Victoria

Sally Capp, Lord Mayor, City of Melbourne

Mark Riley, Mayor, Moreland City Council

Lina Messina, Mayor, City of Darebin

Peter Maynard, Mayor, Wyndham City Council

Sophie Wade, Mayor, Yarra City Council

Amanda Stone, Councillor, Yarra City Council

South Australia

Sandy Verschoor, Lord Mayor, City of Adelaide

Karen Redman, Mayor, Town of Gawler

Ann Ferguson, Mayor, Mount Barker District Council

Michael Coxon, Mayor, City of West Torrens

Michael Hewitson AM, Mayor City of Unley

Local Government networks

Better Futures Australia

Cities Power Partnership

Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

ICLEI Oceania – Local Governments for Sustainability

The Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Canberra, her crew and embarked forces have arrived in Townsville today following their deployment on Operation Tonga Assist 22.

HMAS Canberra arrived in the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa on 1 March 2022 to contribute to the Australian Government’s disaster relief and recovery mission following the devastating undersea volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami.

During its mission, HMAS Canberra delivered humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) stores and relieved HMAS Adelaide, which arrived in Tonga on 26 January 2022.

Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, AO, CSC said the ADF’s contribution was part of Australia’s wider relief effort that included regional partners.

“The crew of HMAS Canberra, embarked forces and helicopters, have been steadfast in their commitment to Tonga, carrying on from the good work of HMAS Adelaide and Supply,” LTGEN Bilton said.

“The ADF personnel worked alongside our Pacific family, with Republic of Fiji Military Forces and French Armed Forces in New Caledonia personnel embarking on HMAS Canberra in support of recovery operations.

“HMAS Canberra also operated with Tonga’s Australian-gifted Guardian-class Patrol Boats VOEA Ngahau Koula and Ngahau Siliva, conducting reconnaissance operations and support for the delivery of supplies.

“Years of close cooperation between Australia and Tonga in maritime security and disaster preparedness have made this seamless coordination possible.”

HMAS Canberra also supported Tonga’s COVID-19 response, delivering vaccines and medical teams to ‘Eua and Southern Ha’apai islands. They also transported people from Tongatapu to communities in the outer islands across the Ha’apai and Vava’u island groups.

Operation Tonga Assist 22 delivered more than 417 tonnes of equipment, supplies, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief stores to Tonga.

Defence assistance also included damage assessment and clean-up operations. This was supported by Australian Army personnel from the 7th and 17th Brigades, three CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the 16th Aviation Brigade and a Royal Australian Navy MRH-90 helicopter from 808 Squadron.

Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster and C-130J Hercules aircraft delivered supplies across 19 sustainment flights and conducted eight aerial surveillance flights to determine the extent of the damage. This surveillance will inform future HADR operations.

HMAS Canberra will return to her homeport of Fleet Base East next week.

Although HMAS Canberra has finished her deployment, Australia remains committed to supporting long-term recovery and reconstruction in Tonga.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been patrolling waters in Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to help Australia’s partners detect and deter illegal fishing activity.

The efforts are a part of Operation Solania, the ADF support to regional maritime security, including Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) operations.

This iteration of Operation Solania saw the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) contribute to the FFA’s first operation of 2022 – Operation Rai Balang. This operation was a major maritime surveillance patrol in collaboration with partners across Micronesia and Melanesia.

ADF personnel followed all local COVID-19 measures to ensure the safety of colleagues and the communities in FSM and Palau.

RAN vessel HMAS Melville conducted a contactless port visit in Pohnpei before patrolling the Exclusive Economic Zone of FSM with no personnel stepping ashore.

The ADF’s Joint Task Force 637 coordinates ADF engagement with partners across the Pacific. Joint Task Force 637 Commander, Major General Scott Winter, said the ADF’s support was a major part of its longstanding commitment to maritime security in the Pacific.

“Illegal fishing activity and transnational crime are enormous threats to the region’s fishing industry, which is vital for the economies of our Pacific family.” Major General Winter said.

“By tackling these shared maritime security challenges together with the FFA, our Pacific partners, and members of the Pacific Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group (Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and France), we are working together to protect ecosystems and livelihoods across the Pacific.”

The C27-J Spartan crew flew nine missions for the FFA from Palau, detecting and reporting over 110 suspicious vessels and helping locate one vessel of interest.

HMAS Melville patrolled around 195,000 square kilometres of the FSM’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and reported seven suspicious vessels to the FFA, significantly contributing to the total amount of all surface unit contact reports.

HMAS Melville’s Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Savage, said the vessel’s deployment to the FSM demonstrated Australia’s commitment to maintaining regional security alongside its regional partners.

“Australia and the FSM have a longstanding partnership in maritime security, and Melville’s crew was proud to patrol parts of the nation’s three million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone,” Commander Savage said.

Melville provided important maritime surveillance support to FSM while it awaits the arrival of the first of its two Guardian-class Patrol Boats to be handed over under the Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP). FSS Tosiwo Nakayama, named after FSM’s first President, was handed over in Perth on 11 March.

The PMSP is Australia’s $2 billion, 30-year commitment to regional maritime security. Under the Program, Australia is progressively rolling out Guardian-class Patrol Boats across the region, replacing Pacific Patrol Boats that were provided between 1987 and 1997.

An Australian Fisheries Management Authority officer also joined Melville’s crew, providing extensive knowledge of Pacific fisheries and regional legal frameworks. This enabled the quick identification of illegal fishing activity and provided actionable evidence to the FFA and regional partners.

The CFMEU is investigating how a builder with a shoddy safety record and poor social procurement practices has won a tender for a multi-million-dollar State Government social housing project.

Disgraced builder, Ironside, has a deplorable record of unsafe work practices and has shown no interest in working with the CFMEU to improve its OH&S and labour standards.

Secretary of the CFMEU Vic-Tas Branch, John Setka, said: “Victorians expect the Government to spend their hard-earned tax dollars on builders who provide good quality, safe jobs, where workers are treated with dignity and respect.

“This mob are anti-union and anti-worker. They’ve refused to come to the table and talk to us about making work safe, and they refuse to budge on paying workers decent, liveable wages.

“It’s disappointing that the government is spending millions in taxpayer dollars to prop up shoddy builders like Ironside instead of reputable companies who are on the bones of their arse and on the brink of collapse.

“We’re looking into how Ironside managed to dodge the State Government’s Fair Jobs Code, which was designed to provide the checks and balances needed to stop dodgy builders from getting their hands on important community projects like this one.

“It’s a bit bloody ironic that the State Government would even consider giving work to a mob that has absolutely no ethics, to build social housing.”

The CFMEU strongly condemns the State Government’s decision to award this building contract to Ironside.

The CFMEU is calling on the State Government to retract any deals struck with Ironside to protect the safety and welfare of Victorian workers and our community.

The Greens have responded with alarm to reports that Labor will dump its policy to add superannuation contributions to parental leave payments, abandoning young families and women at a time of mounting cost of living pressures and rising rates of poverty and homelessness among older women.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:

“If reports are true that Labor will not add superannuation on parental leave, they would be joining the Liberals in giving a middle finger to Australian families, and especially women.

“Dumping its longstanding commitment to pay superannuation on paid parental leave wouldn’t just be small-target politics, it would be bad politics that would betray and disadvantage women.

“Women bear the brunt of our unjust PPL system, punished for their unpaid family work with tiny super balances. It’s shameful that in one of the richest countries in the world, the reward for women for taking time out of the workforce to raise children is often poverty in retirement.

“The government’s retirement income review recommended paying super on parental leave as an important equity measure. Australian parents will be rightly disgusted if both big parties ignore that recommendation.

“Reports assert that Labor say this won’t be a vote changing issue – but if both big parties short-change women, women will change their vote.

“Earlier this month I announced the Greens’ fully costed plan to boost paid parental leave, including adding super contributions, and in balance of power after the election we’ll push the next government to do the right thing and make it happen.”

The Greens have called on universities to take a zero tolerance approach to sexual violence and harassment on campuses, after the results of the latest National Student Safety Survey revealed that many university settings remain unsafe and unsupportive of student survivors, especially young women.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:

“It’s shocking how little has changed since the 2017 survey that formed part of the Human Rights Commission’s Change the Course report.

“The findings of this latest survey reveal that students, particularly female students, remain unsafe and unsupported in many university settings.

“Students have been speaking out for years about sexual violence and harassment on campuses across the country, hoping that sharing their traumatic experiences would lead to universities taking action and being held accountable.

“Organisations like End Rape on Campus have worked tirelessly to keep these issues in the spotlight and get universities to ensure student safety.

“Today’s results show that not enough has been done.

“Universities must finally take this matter seriously. They need genuine zero tolerance policies; transparent, timely complaints procedures; and appropriate support to students from the moment they raise concerns. Universities must ensure residential colleges have professional, trauma-informed staff and clear accountability for enforcing sexual harassment policies. They must engage EROC and survivors in designing, implementing, and evaluating education programs, reporting mechanisms, and support services.

“The National Plan to End Violence Against Women should include specific indicators for university settings to hold universities to account and ensure students are safe and respected.”

Following an extraordinary day of testimony at the Senate inquiry into oil and gas exploration and production in the Beetaloo Basin, The Greens have today reiterated their support for Traditional Owners who continue to oppose the proposed ‘climate bomb’ fracking project.

At the Darwin hearing, chaired by Yamatji Noongar woman and Australian Greens Senator for WA Dorinda Cox, Traditional Owners expressed concerns at the continued absence of Free, Prior and Informed consent.

The Greens are also deeply concerned to hear testimony to the Inquiry that: 

• if fracking goes ahead in the Beetaloo,it will be impossible for the Government or Opposition to meet their Net Zero by 2050 targets 
• The promise to require all emissions to be offset as a condition of lifting the NT fracking moratorium in 2018 has now been abandoned. The NT government falsely claims they can’t require gas companies to force offsets and are relying on Angus Taylor to do it.
• Government bureaucrats and politicians are having more meetings with the gas industry than Traditional Owners and pastoralists combined.
• The head of the Department approving drilling wells came straight from the gas company and exploration permit holder, Santos.
• Pastoralists plead that gas companies and agriculture can’t coexist in the Territory. There is simply not enough water for Traditional Owners, Pastoralists and gas companies
• Fracking poses serious contamination risks to groundwater, soil and air
• The initial exploration of wells alone will use 2.2 billion litres of precious water, and release at least 1 million tonnes of emissions
• Santos and Sweetpea have not undertaken stakeholder engagement prior to the development of Environmental Plans.

“In the middle of the climate emergency, the Northern Territory Labor government supported by the Federal Liberal and Labor parties want to open up Australia’s biggest ever gas field for oil and gas fracking by big corporations,” Senator Dorinda Cox said today.

“Traditional Owners have been very clear – they don’t want this fracking to go ahead. They don’t want their lands and waters to be poisoned. They don’t want this climate bomb. There is no free, prior and informed consent – and this should be a necessity given the enormous scale of this potential climate disaster.”

Senator Thorpe added that, “Successive governments have undermined First Nations land rights and heritage protections to favour big corporations, who often make big donations to the Liberal and Labor parties. We need to balance the scales.”

Scott Morrison is doling out $50 million of public money to big gas companies to frack the Territory, including long-term Liberal allies like Empire Energy and just announced another $50 million more today to prepare studies for where the pipelines will go

The handful of companies and their owners involved in this proposed project have collectively donated $3.7 million to the two major parties over the decade.

Committee hearings remain ongoing. On Friday, the Senate Committee is expected to hear testimony from gas companies Origin Energy, Tamboran, Santos Limited as well as three federal Government Departments. 

To help get more local doctors trained in the specialties Australia needs, the Morrison Government is providing $708.6 million to continue the Specialist Training Program (STP) for four years from 2022.

Since 2010, more than $1.4 billion has been invested towards the program, which supports training positions outside of traditional metropolitan teaching hospitals.

The program allows participants to train in a multitude of medical environments, including private hospitals, specialist rooms, clinics and day surgeries, Aboriginal Medical Services and non-clinical settings.

Minister for Regional Health, Dr David Gillespie said the extension of the program will mean 920 full-time equivalent places annually, with at least 50 per cent of training to occur in regional, rural and remote locations or private settings.

“This four-year extension of the Specialist Training Program allows specialist trainees to continue to take the opportunity to train in rural communities, which we know creates a higher likelihood they will remain or return after their training is completed,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Already the program has benefitted more than 190 regional, rural, and remote locations, and has seen an increase in rural training from 309 full-time equivalent places in 2018 to 380 places in 2020.

“This investment, coupled with our investment in rural GP and rural generalist training, is part of our deliberate strategy to grow our rural medical workforce.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said that an important focus for the program from 2022 will be to increase the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specialist workforce, aligning the program with the recently released National Medical Workforce Strategy.

“Our Government is committed to improving access to quality health care for all Australians, regardless of where they live. This program is an important foundation for that,” Minister Hunt said.

“The program will help to deliver actions of the National Medical Workforce Strategy, including an increase in specialist training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“This ensures that Indigenous Australians and regional Australia more broadly will benefit from a redistribution of the program’s existing specialist workforce, ensuring more services and training can be delivered where it is needed most.”

The additional funding to extend the program is being provided to 13 non-GP specialist medical colleges already funded under the Specialist Training Program. The funded colleges are:

• Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD)
• Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM)
• Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (ACSEP)
• Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA)
• College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM)
• Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA)
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP)
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)
• Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA)

Further information about the program can be found on the Department of Health’s Specialist Training Program web page.

The Morrison Joyce Government is investing more than $4 million across country Australia to increase access to specialists for patients and encourage more specialists to undertake their training in regional, rural and remote areas.

The funding will be shared across eight projects that will support more specialists – such as dermatologists, emergency medicine specialists, sports and exercise physicians, surgeons and psychiatrists – to undertake rural and regional placements and training.

Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie said the investment through the Morrison Joyce Government’s Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program will use innovative approaches to better support trainee specialists in locations with shortages of specialists.

“There is strong evidence that undertaking medical training in a regional or rural setting increases retention rates,” former regional doctor, Dr Gillespie said.

“The Morrison Joyce Government is rapidly expanding and innovating rural training opportunities not only for non-GP specialists such as this, but for GPs, nurses and allied health professionals.

“This investment will improve distribution and supply of specialist medical training in areas of undersupply that will also meet the needs of regional, rural and remote communities.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said several of the projects will trial new methods for supervising non-GP specialist trainees, including remote supervision, rotation of supervisors, and a hybrid model which blends on-site and remote supervision.

“One in particular will be delivered as a consortia approach in collaboration with the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people trained as non-GP medical specialists across most specialities,” Minister Hunt said.

Dr Gillespie said he often heard dermatologists and psychiatrists are in short supply in country Australia, and three projects funded in today’s announcement would directly assist with getting more of these two specialities to the bush.

“The Australasian College of Dermatologists will roll out two programs that will boost training opportunities for this speciality in Townsville, Darwin and Katherine,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Psychiatrists are in undersupply nationally, especially in rural and remote areas. The funded project being ran by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists will employ three specialists that will play a crucial role in implementing the national Rural Psychiatry Training Pathway.”

Projects are located in Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, with others focussed more broadly in rural and remote area across Australia so that all country patients can benefit from this investment.

The FATES program will run for four years from 2021-22, providing a total of $29.5 million for new and innovative approaches to non-GP medical specialist training, and support for trainee specialists to transition to rural practice.

Project details:

Specialist medical college	Project title	Location	Funding amount
Australasian College of Dermatologists	An innovative and collaborative model of hybrid supervision for specialist dermatology training in Townsville.	Townsville, QLD	$455,731
Australasian College of Dermatologists	NT Supervisory Rotational System	Darwin/Katherine, NT	$612,128
Australasian College of Emergency Medicine	Blended Remote Trainee Supervision Pilot	South West Victoria (Warrnambool) and Townsville, QLD	$324,000
Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Physicians	Remote Supervision Pilot	Broome, WA	$205,607
The College of Intensive Care Medicine	WA Training Pathway Project	Western Australia	$418,026
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists	Rural Director of Training Pilot Program	To be determined	$830,366
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons	Rural Accreditation – Addressing Barriers to Rural Specialist Training	National	$848,196
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists	Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association Specialist Trainee Support Program (AIDA STSP)	National	$501,977

The Morrison-Joyce Government has locked in $5.4 billion to build the Hells Gates Dam in North Queensland that will create thousands of jobs while delivering water security for the region, particularly for the agriculture sector.

Through the 2022–23 Budget, the Government will guarantee funding to build the dam, subject to the completion of the final stage of the business case, expected in June this year.

Hells Gates is anticipated to open up as much as 60,000 hectares of irrigation across three agricultural zones in the Burdekin, supported through a 2,100-gigalitre dam and bolstered by three downstream irrigation weirs.

The project is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs and inject up to $1.3 billion of Gross Regional Product (GRP) into North Queensland’s economy during construction alone.

During operations, new and expanded agricultural opportunities are expected to support more than 3,000 regional jobs and generate up to $6 billion in GRP.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said delivering water infrastructure in North Queensland was vital to securing a strong economy while supporting farmers and industry.

“We need to build more dams in Australia. Building dams makes our economy stronger by supporting our agricultural industries to realise their true potential,” the Prime Minister said.

“Water is a precious resource and we need more dams to better use that resource.

“We’ve done the homework on Hells Gates Dam and it’s now time to get on and build it. We have put our money on the table, so let’s cut the green tape, get the approvals and get it done.

“This dam will help turn the Burdekin region into an agricultural powerhouse, helping our farmers to stock supermarkets and feed Australia while also securing North Queensland’s water supply and security.

“This investment will kick off a jobs boom across North Queensland for years to come, creating thousands of jobs while generating work for small businesses across the entire north, including in Townsville.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the Government’s investment would help North Queensland realise its full potential.

“North Queensland holds enormous agricultural opportunity and this funding for Hells Gates is part of our plan to unlock this major irrigation expansion,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“Irrigating the regional soils of the Burdekin will help the region realise its full potential as a producer of the food Australians and the world needs, driving us closer to taking agricultural production to over $100 billion a year by 2030. This will create more jobs and generate more wealth for our nation.

“The sooner water flows in the west, the sooner we can sell more products to the world and earn the money that will help make Australia as strong as possible as quickly as possible.

“We have put the money to build Hells Gates in the bank and we are ready to get on with the job.”

Federal Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson said the project would have a significant flow-on effect for Townsville.

“We’ve backed this project right from the start because it is something that will create jobs and drive the economy forward,” Mr Thompson said.

“The Townsville Port is well-placed to handle exports from the region, especially after our forward planning and investment into the channel widening project.”

Special Envoy for Northern Australia and Senator for Queensland Susan McDonald said the Morrison-Joyce Government is serious about big-ticket projects in Northern Australia, not only to store water but to drive industry, agriculture, renewable energy and provide jobs to grow regional populations.

“The focus on our north has never been greater, and this focus has been backed by real action and a renewed vigour in how we provide the funding and regulatory framework needed to drive mining, grow business confidence, boost primary production and increase Indigenous involvement,” Senator McDonald said.

“We’re building roads, streamlining environmental approvals processes, and encouraging our mineral sector, making it easier for business to recruit workers and ensuring communities can thrive.

“The Northern Australia agenda is a significant undertaking that we are committed to seeing through.”

Today’s announcement builds on the suite of dams and water infrastructure projects the Coalition is already investing in and delivering across Queensland, including:

• $600 million towards the restoration of Paradise Dam;
• $505.65 towards the delivery and construction of Urannah Dam;
• $183.6 million towards the Rookwood Weir;
• $180 million towards the Hughenden Irrigation Scheme; and
• $30 million towards the Big Rocks Weir.