Category: Australian News

The Greens have backed the community groups taking legal action to challenge the government regulator’s (NOPSEMA) initial approval of Norwegian oil giant Equinor’s plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
Senator for South Australia and Greens Environment Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said the environmental approval announcement last month was a devastating outcome for the tens of thousands of Australians deeply opposed to the project.
“The Christmas eve approval for drilling in the Great Australian Bight has not gone unnoticed. The Greens, together with the community, will take all steps necessary to stop this environmental destruction from going ahead,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Australians rightly feel as though their pleas for the Great Australian Bight to be protected from oil and gas drilling have fallen on deaf ears. It’s therefore no wonder The Wilderness Society SA and the Great Australian Bight Alliance have decided to challenge the decision.
“South Australians, and indeed the majority of Australians, don’t want our Great Australian Bight turned into an oil field. They don’t want a foreign oil giant destroying our coastline and one of our most precious and treasured assets.
“Just today an Ipsos Australia poll shows the environment is the biggest worry for Australians, above cost of living, healthcare and the economy. This comes after catastrophic fires across the country fuelled by the climate emergency. Australia should be cutting fossil fuel pollution not opening up new oil fields in our oceans. It seems everyone gets that except for the Morrison Government.
“The Federal Government could put a stop to this pain by agreeing to world heritage protection and backing Greens’ legislation currently before the Senate to give the Bight the protection it deserves.”

The Australia Institute analysis released today showing the Federal Government paid exorbitant prices for water rights to a company linked to Minister Angus Taylor is further evidence of the need for a Royal Commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, the Greens say.
In April 2018, Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, referred allegations that the Department of Agriculture significantly overpaid vendors for water in the Warrego catchment, Tandou and the Condamine-Balonne Valley to the Auditor-General for investigation. In April last year, Senator Hanson-Young asked the Auditor-General to audit all water purchases signed off by former Water Minister Barnaby Joyce.
Senator Hanson-Young said she would be drawing the Auditor-General’s attention to the latest documents showing the Department had rejected offers made by Eastern Australia Agriculture for water rights in the Condamine-Balonne valley many times on the basis they were ‘not value for money’ before ultimately paying almost double the price EAA had offered.
“This is further proof these were dodgy deals and exactly why I referred the procurement of water rights to the Auditor-General,” she said.
“The Federal Government has refused to release independent valuations of water rights, companies involved are allegedly linked to Energy Minister Angus Taylor, and taxpayers footed an $80m bill for water that’s never been seen. Then-Water Minister Barnaby Joyce has some explaining to do, the whole thing stinks.
“The Murray-Darling Basin has been riddled with dodgy accounting, mismanagement, and out-right water theft, and it looks more and more like it’s just another slush fund for the National Party and their corporate irrigator mates.
“These scandals aren’t going to go away and the more we find out the worse the story gets. The LNP’s management of the MDB has been woeful from the beginning.
“We need a Royal Commission to get to the bottom of these scandals and I urge all sides of politics to back my bill to establish one.
“Corporate greed and the climate emergency have pushed our biggest river system into drought which is having devastating impacts on river communities and the environment. Getting to the bottom of what’s gone so wrong for the MDB is the least we can do right now to give such a precious water resource a chance of survival.”

Tourism businesses and fire-affected communities around the country will receive much needed support from the Morrison Government’s National Bushfire Recovery Fund today through an initial $76 million tourism recovery package to protect jobs, small businesses and local economies by helping get tourists travelling across Australia again.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was throwing its support behind the country’s $152 billion tourism industry as part of an initial push to help the sector recover after a devastating blow from unprecedented bushfires.
“Our federal response to these devastating bushfires is comprehensive and unprecedented,” the Prime Minister said.
“More than 6000 defence boots on the ground, more than $50 million in emergency payments already in hand and more to come, $76 million in new mental health support to first responders and local communities, $50 million to support wildlife recovery and habitat restoration, $75,000 grants to our farmers to help them rebuild, and now surging our support for our all-important tourism industry. It’s all part of a clear plan to lead our response to the recovery driven by our National Bushfire Recovery Agency.
“Australian tourism is facing its biggest challenge in living memory.
“One in thirteen Australian jobs rely on tourism and hospitality so our $76 million investment is an urgent injection to help all those hotels, restaurants and cafes and tour operators get back on their feet.
“This is make or break for many businesses and tourist hot spots and not just in those areas directly hit by the bushfires.
“This is about getting more visitors to help keep local businesses alive and protect local jobs right across the country and especially in those areas so directly devastated such as Kangaroo Island and the Adelaide Hills, the Blue Mountains and right along the NSW Coast and East Gippsland in Victoria.
“We’ve heard directly from local operators, industry leaders, communities and the states and territories. Their message is to act now and that is exactly what we are doing. And we’ll be working closely with them all to deliver on our recovery plan to get these regions back up and running.”
The Government’s initial tourism recovery package responds directly to calls from the tourism sector and includes $20 million for a nationally coordinated domestic marketing initiative and $25 million for a global marketing campaign to drive international visitation.
A further $10 million will be provided for a regional tourism events initiative across bushfire affected areas, $9.5 million for an international media and travel trade hosting initiative, $6.5 million to support tourism business’ attendance at the largest annual tourism trade event, the Australian Tourism Exchange, and $5 million for our diplomatic network to educate that our tourism, international education and export sectors are open for business.
Federal Minister for Tourism Simon Birmingham said the funding boost would help get tourists back into areas that need it most but also make it clear that Australia is very much open for business.
“Tourism is the lifeblood of so many communities around Australia and it’s absolutely critical that we help to get people back visiting those communities that rely on tourism,” Minister Birmingham said.
“These bushfires have dealt the biggest reputational blow to our tourism industry that it has ever faced internationally. Losses caused by cancellations and collapsing booking numbers stretch well beyond those communities directly affected by fire into the many Australian towns that rely on international visitors to sustain tourism jobs.
“My message to anyone thinking about a holiday – from here or overseas – is that Australia’s towns and our incredible parks and beaches are open for business and they need your help.
“Just as it will be a long and challenging process for communities as they rebuild from fires, it will also take time and sustained effort to recover from the saturation media coverage and mistruths told online that have scared potential visitors away, including from parts of Australia that remain completely unaffected by fire.
“We will break from the practice of Tourism Australia exclusively focusing on international visitors and urgently kick off a local campaign because Australians are best placed to immediately understand that most of our country remains as safe to visit as ever.
“Tourism Australia will work with all states to upscale their existing and planned efforts to increase tourism visitation. This will include support for efforts in both bushfire affected regions and elsewhere. We understand acutely that regions that neighbour bushfire affected regions as well as the broader national tourism sector have been impacted by this crisis.
“Australians have shown enormous compassion towards fire affected communities and donated in record sums. For those who can, the next best way to help fire affected and other tourism dependent towns is to make a booking for a short break, visiting these towns and helping to sustain their small businesses and local jobs.
“Our international marketing campaign and extensive hosting of international media or travel trade partners will demonstrate to the world that Australia is very much open for business, that we maintain incredible tourism experiences in every state and territory and explain the regeneration that the Australian bush goes through after bushfires.
“I assure Australia’s tourism industry that we will work with them through this tough time to ensure visitors once again flow into our nation, supporting jobs for hundreds of thousands of Australians.”
This initiative forms part of the Morrison Government’s initial $2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Fund.

Chair of the Senate’s Environment Committee Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has announced today she will move for the Faunal Extinction Inquiry to examine the impact of the catastrophic fires across the country on endangered wildlife and flora.
Senator Hanson-Young said the already-established Inquiry gave the Parliament an opportunity to immediately get on with what needs to be done to protect our native fauna and flora in the wake of the fires.
“Before the fires started, Australia already had one of the worst extinction rates in the world. Now more than a billion animals have been killed by fires across the country and thousands of hectares of habitat destroyed and we are only half way through summer – we don’t have time to waste,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“The Faunal Extinction Inquiry can hit the ground running. The Committee can get out into the fire-ravaged areas so senators can see the extent of the devastation first hand, and bring together stakeholders and experts so recommendations can be made to the Parliament about what needs to be done to prevent further species’ extinction.
“Species like the Kangaroo Island dunnart and black glossy cockatoo, koalas, and even mainland quokkas in WA, have been killed, injured and suffered huge losses to their critical habitat.
“The Senate needs to do what it can to aid fire recovery and ensure adequate funding and plans are in place to protect our native species and the environment they live in.
“We cannot rely on the government to get this right, they haven’t committed anywhere near enough money for fire recovery. It’s going to take a lot more than petty cash from the government to really tackle this environmental crisis.”

Children attending child care and students in bushfire-declared communities will receive additional mental health support.
Students from bushfire-declared communities will also receive special consideration to access scholarships for higher education.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan said child care centres, preschools, schools and universities are important community touchpoints that are helping families and children get back on their feet after the bushfires.
“Our Government is supporting child care centres, preschools, schools and universities in their important work, which is why I convened a meeting of education sector representatives this week,” Mr Tehan said.
“The message from that meeting was loud and clear: we need to focus on our young people’s mental health because these bushfires will impact communities long after the flames are extinguished.
“Our Government will provide an additional $8 million for mental health support through Beyond Blue to fund an extra 25 Beyond Blue liaison officers and supporting clinicians to work with local schools and early childhood services in bushfire-affected communities.
“We are offering extra funding for school chaplains which will be available to state and territory governments on request.
“Our Government will also re-prioritise funding within the Community Child Care Fund for bushfire-affected areas. This funding could help pay for temporary premises, replacement of damaged playground equipment, or wages for affected staff.”
Mr Tehan said the families of more than 90,000 children in bushfire-declared local government areas (LGAs) that might incur a Child Care Subsidy activity test debt for the 2019-20 financial year, would be exempt. This is similar to the exemption provided to Child Care Subsidy recipients in drought and flood-affected LGAs last year.
“Families can still claim the Child Care Subsidy even if their work, study or volunteering hours have been impacted by the bushfires.
“When it comes to rebuilding schools, funding is available through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement for the restoration of essential public assets, including public schools.
“Our Government is also providing an additional $400 (a total of $800) for each child that has qualified for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment which will help families with education expenses.
“To help students from bushfire-affected communities to attend university we will give special consideration to their circumstances if they apply for one of more than 1,000 scholarships through the $58.1 million Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships program. Given the immediate needs of the situation, these scholarships have been brought forward and will open from Monday.
“Following our meeting this week with representatives from the education sector, our Government will also work with the sector to implement their suggestions about how to improve bushfire management and recovery.”
This includes:

• Investigating ways to draw on the experience of retired teachers, principals and counsellors to support schools in disaster-affected areas.
• Working with the states and territories to improve access to information for child care providers on what to do in a bushfire and resources on air quality and managing the impact of smoke.
• Making available to children, students, educators and families the Emerging Minds material on fire trauma, smoke and general education support.
• Sharing with families and educators research on the effects of bushfires on child wellbeing.
• Investigating the inclusion of trauma informed learning as part of Initial Teacher Education courses.
• Working with universities to utilise their psychology and counselling resources to support existing mental health initiatives.

Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie said child care and school were critical considerations for families affected by bushfires.
“In my electorate we are already seeing the community beginning to get back on its feet, with rebuilding work under way,” Dr Gillespie said.
“We also need to focus on the mental wellbeing of our communities, especially our youngest members.
“Education is so important and our Government’s program will help ensure we mitigate the impact of these bushfires on our children and their education.”
For more information visit www.education.gov.au/support-bushfire-affected-communities.

Greens Senator Janet Rice has slammed Bridget McKenzie’s handling of the sport program, giving $100 million in sport grants to favour Coalition target seats in last year’s federal election, rather than awarding grants based on merit.

Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for Sport said:

“This looks like a government rort designed to win elections.”

“Senator McKenzie should be ashamed of her actions. To ignore the merit-based assessment of Sports Australia for almost half of the successful applicants, and instead decide to award grants based on political gain, is a clear and unforgivable misuse of taxpayers’ money.”

“Australians expect transparency and accountability from those in power. Senator McKenzie’s decision-making process was completely unsporting, with clubs in safe seats hampered in their chances of winning a grant.”

“We will pursue this in Senate Estimates and will consider seeking the support of the Senate for an inquiry.”

Reports today of another mass fish kill in NSW caused by ash and sediment from bushfires running into the Macleay River, is the disaster experts had been warning about and needs an urgent response from water ministers, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“I wrote to state and federal Water and Environment Ministers yesterday urging them to meet as a matter of urgency to coordinate a joint effort across fire-affected states to ensure safe, clean water supply.
“Today we hear of a 70km long mass fish kill on the NSW mid north coast – this didn’t just happen overnight and the catastrophe isn’t over yet. The Federal Government needs to tell us what they did to mitigate such a disaster and what they are doing to prevent future fish kill events.
“No government can say they weren’t warned. More fish kills, like that seen at Menindee last summer, had already been forecast for this summer due to drought.
“Experts have predicted waterway and catchment contamination because of ash, debris and carcass run off, posing a risk to drinking water and leading to the starvation of oxygen in our rivers and lakes.
“The Murray-Darling Basin Authority reported this week that bushfires burning across the southern Basin will impact water quality in some catchments when the rain finally comes.
“The Federal Government must lead an urgent Water Pollution Action Plan to deal with the immediate water crisis and looming consequences for Australia’s water security.
“Right now we are seeing one ecological disaster after another because of the fires. This is what the Climate Emergency looks like. The Federal Government was warned and failed to adequately prepare. They must not continue to be so complacent when public health and the future of native species is at risk.”

The Country Music Association of Australia is delighted to announce that multiple Grammy and ARIA Award winner Keith Urban, has established a scholarship for the CMAA Academy.
The Academy program precedes Australia’s largest music event – the Tamworth Country Music Festival, held each January in the nation’s ‘Country Music Capital’.
The two-week residential skills and career-development program was, and still is, a unique and world-leading initiative which has helped launch the careers of many of our current genre’s stars including Sara Storer, The McClymonts, Travis Collins, Amber Lawrence and The Sunny Cowgirls to name just a few of the 500-plus artists who have graduated since the Academy was established 21 years ago.
The inaugural recipient of the Keith Urban Scholarship is Heath Lancaster, who originally hails from Gladstone, near Kempsey.
“We chose Heath as the first recipient of this special scholarship as he has shown great musical talent and potential as an all-round artist – as a musician, singer and songwriter,” The Academy director Lyn Bowtell said.
“The Academy staff members can see a bright musical future for Heath if he chooses to pursue it as a career.”
Keith’s stellar career began in 1990 when the then 22-year-old won Australia’s premier talent search competition, Star Maker at the Tamworth festival.
Following the 1991 release of his self-titled debut album that produced four charting singles, Keith relocated to Nashville.
The rest, as they say, is history with every possible award – including US Entertainer of The Year (in 2005 and 2018), establishing him as one of the brightest stars in the world’s largest music market and one of our most successful music exports ever.
Many of The Academy graduates have targeted Toyota Star Maker as the first rung on the ladder to success, with fourteen of the past twenty winners of the prestigious title having come through the program.
The program focuses on songwriting, presentation and career/business skills and features guest lectures and mentoring by our leading artists – many of them ex-graduates themselves.
On receiving the news, CMAA President Dobe Newton, who helped establish The Academy said:
“This generosity is typical of the man who has never forgotten the part Tamworth played in launching his stellar career, typified by an unscheduled gig on his Australian tour last year to assist the many thousands of farmers, rural workers and communities affected by drought. The Keith Urban Scholarship will create a lasting legacy and hopefully allow a talented and determined young artist to follow in his footsteps. Thanks mate!”

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed Murdoch University’s decision to drop their counter claim for financial damages against academic whistleblower Dr Gerd Schröder-Turk but has said they should drop the entire suit. Dr Schröder-Turk spoke publicly about his concerns regarding inadequacies in Murdoch University’s policies for recruiting international students in 2019.
Dr Schröder-Turk is challenging the University’s decision to remove him from the university Senate following his comments and is being counter-sued by Murdoch University.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Academic freedom in essential to our universities. University staff must be free to critique their institutions without fear of reprisals like the one targeted at whistleblower Dr Schröder-Turk.
“The University has dropped the financial component of their claim only after sustained pressure and a public relations disaster, but it continues to pursue Dr Schroeder-Turk because he spoke out about university practices he was concerned about. The University’s decision to remove him from the Senate is just as objectionable – and just as much a PR disaster – as their abandoned pursuit of financial damages.
“I stand with Gerd, university staff and their union in their defence of the academic freedom that underpins our universities.
“I’m deeply concerned Murdoch University’s unprecedented legal action against Dr Schroeder-Turk is having a silencing effect on other academics and whistleblowers. The University should admit it was wrong and drop the entire case.”

Will Hodgman is a Tasmanian and Liberal legend whose leadership has engineered the state’s remarkable turnaround.
He leaves behind a record of distinguished service.
Cutting unemployment from 7.6 per cent to 6.0 per cent and creating more than 19,200 new jobs.
Turning the tide on the 1,000 Tasmanians who left the state each year with the latest figures showing the population grew by almost 2,000 people from mainland Australia in net terms.
Working closely together to deliver the Hobart and Launceston City Deals, a $2.8 billion infrastructure program for projects like the Bridgewater Bridge, Bass, Murchison and Midland Highways, not to mention the Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects.
I want to congratulate Will on his leadership and the achievements of his government and thank him for his friendship and support.
As the current longest serving premier, Will has also made a great national contribution not just at the COAG table but in his quiet advocacy for the interests of Tasmania and Australia at every opportunity.
In his maiden speech, Will paid tribute to the tremendous role model his father was, including as a fellow Parliamentarian, hoping to “display the same level of passion, commitment and service to the community”. I think the record shows, Will, you have done that in spades over your more than 17 year parliamentary career and your father would be rightly proud.
Will has been not just a leader for Tasmania, but a tremendous friend and support to me.
I wish him, Nicky and their family all the best as they move to this next stage.
Scott Morrison