Category: Australian News

In a balance of power position, the Greens (WA) will negotiate to ban fracking across the whole of the Kimberley.

Currently, fracking is banned in WA’s south west, Peel, Perth and parts of the Dampier Peninsula, leaving the Kimberley open to the highly polluting, destructive industry.

This fracking carve out for the Kimberley was created in 2018 by WA Labor under former Premier Mark McGowan and has led to Texan fossil fuel company Black Mountain applying to drill and frack 20 oil and gas wells in the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment in the stunning West Kimberley.

The WA EPA is currently assessing Black Mountain’s proposal and a decision will be required of the WA Government after the election.

In December 2024, Environment Minister Reece Whitby approved Woodside’s North West Shelf extension which could pave the way for fracking proposals in the Kimberley.

WA’s Kimberley region is home to tens of thousands of First Nations people who have protected and cared for their Country for more than 60,000 years.

The Kimberley has the largest, most intact tropical savannah left in the world and its nature and culture, with vast dramatic landscapes, are the draw cards for the $500 million tourism industry.

It is full of globally significant wetlands, free-flowing river systems and pristine oceans, and provides refuge for threatened wildlife that have disappeared from most of Australia. 

The Greens will hold the major parties to account and give the Kimberley the protection it deserves. 

In a balance of power position, the Greens will push for:

• Extend the current fracking ban to cover all of the Kimberley and the midwest. 
• Rejection of Black Mountain’s proposal to drill and frack 20 oil and gas wells in the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment. 
• Increase protection for the Kimberley’s stunning intact natural landscapes, rivers and oceans through a co-design process with Traditional Owners. 

Greens WA candidate and Fossil Fuels Spokesperson Sophie McNeill:

“WA Labor caved into pressure from fossil fuel companies in 2018 and gave them a licence to frack our state’s most stunning and untouched region. It is past time for this to end. 

“Fracking is banned for good reason in the south west, Peel and Perth regions. It is a dangerous, risky practice that destroys and poisons water supplies and scars our landscapes. 

“Labor knows it’s unsafe which is why they have banned it down south – so why should the people of the Kimberley have to suffer the consequences of this cowboy industry?

“We have seen the devastation caused by fracking in other parts of Australia and across the world.

“Why does WA Labor think it’s ok to protect communities in the rest of the state from this toxic practice, but not the people of the Kimberley?

“Only the Greens will stop fossil fuel companies turning the Kimberley into Texas.”

Greens WA candidate for Fremantle Felicity Townsend:

“This is an issue extremely close to the hearts of the Fremantle community.

“A recent survey of over 1,000 people in the seat of Fremantle revealed that 92% of voters want a ban on fracking and 72% are willing to change their vote for it.

“Local Fremantle member and current Minister for Water Simone McGurk has the power to end this dangerous practice tomorrow, but instead she has allowed fossil fuel companies to run her government’s agenda.

“Recent analysis by climate scientists has demonstrated there could be 8,700 oil and gas fracking wells across the Kimberley in places like the Martuwarra Fitzroy River and Roebuck Bay catchments with full scale development and a pipeline to the Pilbara.

“It is only the Greens who are listening to the people of Fremantle on this critical issue and who have the power to turn a ban on fracking in the Kimberley into reality.”

Greens MLC Dr Brad Pettitt (speaking from Broome):

“The Broome community was outraged in 2018 when WA Labor gave fossil fuel companies a license to frack the Kimberley.

“The people of the Kimberley have fought tooth and nail to stop fracking and protect the Kimberley for the past 15 years.

“This is a community that defeated Woodside at James Price Point; who have shown time and time again that they will not allow this Country to be destroyed by fossil fuel multinationals.

”It beggars belief that Labor would allow the pristine, intact Kimberley environment to turn into a vast network of fracking wells that risk poisoning the region’s water supplies and critical river networks. 

“The Cook Labor government must stop putting the demands of fossil fuel companies before that of the well-being of the WA community.” 

Momentum is gathering for an end to native forest logging. A 2024 survey showed that 70% of people in NSW support an end to native forest logging on public land, with 69% in support nationally. Ending native forest logging in NSW is no longer a question of if, but when. 

Under the Greens’ plan, the NSW Government will be able to access $140.4 million of Commonwealth funding per year, for 20 years, contingent on an end to all native forest logging in the state. This funding will go directly towards ecological restoration and ensuring a just transition for communities and workers. The Greens will pay for this plan by making the big corporations pay their fair share of tax. 

The Greens will advocate for this funding to contribute to establishing the Great Southern National Park, which will ensure the protection and enjoyment of our forests by all for generations to come. Under this proposal, there is the potential for over 400,000 hectares of state forest to be added to the reserve system once native forest logging ends. Additionally, funding could go towards rehabilitating and restoring our forests, creating sustainable communities and jobs, working with Traditional Owners, supporting sustainable plantations, and increasing disaster resilience and management capability, including remote area firefighting

The proposal for a Great Southern Forest National Park is one that has been coordinated by local community groups and environmental NGOs over a number of years, including the Great Southern Forest NSW organisation and the National Parks Association of NSW. 

The Greens will be launching their policy initiative on NSW’s South Coast, which suffered immense devastation during the 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires and continues to remain in the grip of an ecological crisis, with logging continuing to destroy critical habitats, including those of the endangered greater glider. The fires burned over 1.1 million hectares in the region, with 61% of the affected area experiencing high or very high severity burns—devastating local communities, wildlife, and ecosystems. 

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Nick McKim, Greens spokesperson for Forests, and Sue Higginson MLC, NSW Greens spokesperson for the Environment, are in Batemans Bay today to announce the Australian Greens’ plan to end native forest logging in NSW and create the Great Southern Forest National Park. 

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens: 

“Ending native forest logging once and for all and restoring them is necessary for our environment, climate and community. Logging native forests is not just unsustainable, it’s untenable.

“The NSW South Coast forests and communities have been through devastating bushfires and logging continues to destroy the habitat of endangered species like the greater glider. Creating the Great Southern Forest National Park will ensure the protection and restoration of our precious forests and the wildlife within for generations to come. If we don’t step up for nature now – the ancient living breathing forests will become graveyards.

“By not ending native forest logging the Federal and NSW Labor governments have failed our environment, climate and communities, all to serve corporate interests over people and the planet.

“Our magnificent forests should be a sanctuary for wildlife like the Greater Gliders, not a sacrifice to industry. Yet, Federal and State Governments have sanctioned native forest logging and stood by and watched the trees fall. 

“It is time for the government to stop siding with industry and start protecting our forests, climate, water, and our future.” 

Senator Nick McKim, Australian Greens Spokesperson for Forests: 

“Our beautiful native forests are worth more standing. They are rich in carbon and biodiversity, and critical in the fight for a safe climate and healthy ecosystems. 

“Ending native forest logging is a huge opportunity for the people of NSW, particularly regional communities.

“We can protect nature, take climate action, and create thousands of new, well paid, skilled jobs in firefighting, rewinding and environmental restoration and management.”

Sue Higginson MLC, NSW Greens Spokesperson for the Environment: 

“It’s past time that native forest logging ended in NSW. It is driving the extinction and climate crises, and our precious forests need to be protected and regenerated.

“Stitching together the unfinished Great Southern Forests is just part of the fantastic project that is protecting and regenerating all native forests in NSW – and the Greens are putting our plan to fund it on the table.

“If the NSW Minns Labor Government wants to recover any of their credibility on the environment and forests, then they should grab this opportunity with both hands.”

References

1.  Australia Institute (2024) Polling Research: Ending Native Forest Logging Across Australia

2. Eurobodolla Shire Council, Bushfire Recovery

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, and the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, will travel to Poland to attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The world must never allow the memory of the Holocaust to fade. It is vital that the lessons of the past continue to be learnt to ensure this never happens again.

An estimated 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz, almost a million of whom were Jews, before the camp was liberated on 27 January 1945.

What happened at Auschwitz and during the Holocaust is a reminder of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice and the need to remain vigilant against a repetition of the atrocities perpetrated there.

The 80th anniversary of the liberation is also an opportunity to acknowledge the remarkable contributions and enduring resilience of the approximately 27,000 Holocaust survivors and their families who made Australia their home after World War II.

The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia, Ms Jillian Segal AO, will join the official Australian delegation in Poland.

Australia is a proud member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and is committed to Holocaust remembrance, education and research, and ongoing efforts to counter the spread of Holocaust denial and antisemitism.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs will also visit Switzerland and Austria this week, including for meetings with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency António Guterres, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric.

Responding to reports today that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) reduced fines for Optus and colluded on their media strategy before going public, Greens Communications Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The public need to know they have a corporate watchdog with teeth, not a corporate lapdog. The truth is the ACMA has been too weak and too cosy with the big corporations it’s tasked with regulating for too long.

“The ACMA is overdue for a thorough overhaul. They are supposed to regulate these big corporations, not collude with them on communications strategy. The ACMA should reveal the full list of every media statement they have consulted with industry and corporations on before releasing for public consumption.

“The regulator continues to show they are useless when it comes to holding media companies and telcos to account. They are like wet lettuce, whether it’s Optus or the Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O show, as Senate Estimates heard recently. 

“Comprehensive reform to communications and media regulation is long overdue, but sadly it has been squibbed by successive Governments. The agency needs a big broom through it.”

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hold on to the memories of millions. We reflect on the great multitude of Jewish life that the Holocaust robbed from the world – all of that energy, potential, inspiration, talent and love – and we hold their names and their faces in our hearts.

We tend to these memories because we cannot allow the Holocaust to recede into history. It was a pitiless and unrelenting act of cruelty that was long in the planning, cold in its calculation, and carried out on a scale that falls across the decades like a terrible shadow.

The devastation felt when witnessing the horror, destruction and brutality inflicted by Hamas on October 7 is reminiscent of the dark and painful stories of the past. For the Australian Jewish community, those are the stories of their families.

Eighty years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau our observance carries a powerful message about the enduring strength of the Jewish people, and about our unwavering commitment to combat hateful prejudice in all its forms.

Tragically, we are not yet free of antisemitism. It stands in vile opposition to all we are as a nation and all that we have built – together – over generations. We will not tolerate it in any form. It has no place in our nation, and we will combat it with the full force of our laws and with total commitment from every level of government.

Jewish Australians are integral to the story of Australia, and to the even greater future within our reach. Australia proudly welcomed so many survivors of the horrors of the Holocaust, offering refuge and hope. We embraced the Jewish community then, and we embrace you now.

May you find comfort, hope and strength amid the memories today. And may we all, as fellow Australians, rededicate ourselves to honouring and rejoicing in our shared humanity.

Current and future generations of Australian school children will learn the history and lessons of the Holocaust, following a $6.4 million investment by the Albanese Labor Government to build a National Holocaust Education Centre in Canberra and to deliver an upgrade to the Holocaust Institute of WA’s Education Centre in Yokine.

The announcement, made on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, comes as Australia and the global community mark 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

In memory of the six million people of Jewish faith murdered by the Nazi Regime, $4.4 million will be delivered to build the National Holocaust Education Centre in Canberra. This will serve as an enduring bulwark against antisemitism and hatred, located right in the heart of our nation’s capital city.

The Centre, to be delivered in partnership with the Australian Capital Territory Jewish Community, will be accessible to the more than 165,000 Australian school children who travel to Canberra each year to learn about Australian democracy, history, and culture.

The Centre will take its place alongside other national institutions such as the Australian Parliament, the National War Memorial, the National Gallery, and the Australian Museum as a crucial educative experience for the next generation of young Australians.

Further, the Albanese Government will deliver $2 million to the Holocaust Institute of WA for the Holocaust Institute’s Education Centre in Yokine to help upgrade the facility to world-class standards. The Prime Minister visited the community in 2024 and will visit again on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Educating school children and future generations on the Holocaust, how it came about and the roots of antisemitism is key to stamping out hatred, bigotry, and discrimination in our communities.

The National Centre in Canberra will also be available to the more than five million Australians who visit Canberra each year and will include access to exhibits and information explaining Jewish culture. It will honour and keep alive the stories of Holocaust survivors through culturally and emotionally sensitive storytelling.

The establishment of the National Holocaust Education Centre and the upgrade to the Holocaust Institute for WA’s Education Centre adds to a significant list of commitments and investments by the Australian Government to combat antisemitism including:

• Establishing Special Operation Avalite respond to and investigate antisemitic attacks,
• A $57 million investment to improve safety and security at Jewish schools and synagogues,
• An $8.5 million investment to upgrade the Sydney Jewish Museum,
• $250,000 towards the replacement of Torah Scrolls housed in the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne,
• The appointment of a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Ms Jillian Segal AO,
• An agreement of National Cabinet to establish a National Database to track antisemitic crime and other antisemitic incidents and behaviours. The Commonwealth will work with States and Territories on the development of the Database.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“We must never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust.

“That’s why my Government is making this investment in the National Holocaust Education Centre and in the Holocaust Institute of WA’s Education Centre at the JHub.

“The Centre will serve to educate our young Australians about the horrors of the Holocaust and teach them from an early age that such prejudice, hatred and violence has no place here. Not now, not ever.”

Senator for the ACT Katy Gallagher:

“Education and understanding is the key to eliminating hatred and bigotry, including the scourge of antisemitism.

“Our government recognises this, which is why we are so proud to be partnering with the ACT Jewish community to deliver this crucially important Centre.

“Canberra – as the heart of our nation – is the perfect location to build a national centre dedicated to the history of the Holocaust and future generations of Australians learn the vital lessons from this dark chapter.”

Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill:

“The promise of Australian multiculturalism is that great Australian promise of the fair go – that everyone has a fair crack at life here, no matter your ethnicity, faith, identity or life circumstances.

“There is no place in Australia for antisemitism, hatred or discrimination of any kind.

“By establishing the National Holocaust Education Centre, Australians will have the opportunity to learn about one of the darkest chapters in modern history and how the scourge of antisemitism continues to have an impact to this day – including in Australia.”

Member for Perth Patrick Gorman: 

“I am proud to have supported the JHub throughout construction, including the Holocaust Education Centre. This new funding will ensure the vision for this vital community centre can be fulfilled.

Local Holocaust education is essential to ensuring the horrors of the past are never repeated.” 

Member for Canberra Alicia Payne:

“I am pleased that our Government is supporting the establishment of a National Holocaust Education Centre in our nation’s capital. 

“Many Australian families have a connection to the Holocaust and a central location for all Australians to learn about the impact and the horrors of the Holocaust is critical for future education. 

“I am proud to have advocated for this proposal from the ACT Jewish community, and I look forward to seeing their project come to fruition.”

Dr Mike Kelly AM, Member of National Holocaust Education Centre’s project team:

“This announcement is tremendous news. It has come at a critically important time and will be great encouragement to Australia’s Jewish community during a difficult period.

“Most importantly this project will make a critically important contribution to the national effort to reinforce social cohesion and build understanding.

“The location of the National Holocaust Education Centre in the nation’s capital will enable the thousands of school children who visit Canberra every year to learn about the deep evil that racial discrimination can lead to and how this has affected many people around the world. It will also reinforce the importance of our democracy and the need to be well-informed citizens.”

The Albanese and Cook Governments are building Western Australia’s future, driving economic growth and delivering benefits for commuters with a partnership to deliver a $700 million upgrade to the Kwinana Freeway.

The Albanese Government will invest $350 million to ensure this important work gets delivered.

Widening the Kwinana Freeway will add around 50 per cent capacity to the upgraded sections, easing congestion for motorists and improving the efficiency of moving freight on a road that typically carries 100,000 vehicles every day.

This investment will also support the operations of the future Westport project, while improving safety and delivering congestion relief for commuters.

The upgrades to road infrastructure will also support the growing industrial areas and Defence Assets on the Western Trade Coast.

The Westport project is the linchpin for future trade growth in Western Australia, supporting local jobs and WA’s economy for the long term.

This new funding builds on the previous $67 million joint commitment towards planning and scoping of landside enabling infrastructure for the Westport project.

The Albanese and Cook Governments are working together to build Western Australia’s future, with major projects underway including METRONET, upgrades to the Tonkin Highway and the Outback Way.

The Albanese Government is investing $9.7 billion towards transport infrastructure projects in Western Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“We’re working with the Cook Labor Government to build Western Australia’s future.

“Western Australia is an economic powerhouse, and we want to make sure we are investing in future job creating projects like Westport, while still delivering the immediate congestion benefits for commuters now.

“This project will support jobs, improve safety and ease congestion for the 100,000 commuters who use the Kwinana Freeway each day.

“Only Labor has a plan to build Australia’s future.”

Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook:

“As a Kwinana local, I know how important this project is for our State.

“Western Australia is the economic engine room of Australia, with Westport and the Western Trade Coast critical to keeping our economy strong and creating the local jobs of the future in WA..

“My WA Labor Government is partnering with the Albanese Government to do what’s right for WA.”

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

“The Australian Government remains dedicated to working for all Australians by delivering nationally significant infrastructure projects that enhance productivity and resilience, improve liveability and promote sustainability.

“We are getting on with delivering a better future for all Australians, and this project will increase opportunities and connections, build communities and improve safety.”

WA Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti:

“We welcome this critical investment by the Albanese Labor Government.

“The investment will ensure we can continue our Government’s major transformation of the Kwinana Freeway, which has seen the installation of smart freeway technology, the Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge Project and widening to large sections.

“The Western Australian Government is working in partnership with the Australian Government on these and other growth-area roads, including the Stephenson Avenue Extension and Tonkin Highway extension.”

Australian Greens Senator Hanson-Young calls for a full investigation into South Australia’s neo-Nazi cell:

“Today’s Nazi invasion of Australia Day events is sickening.  

“There must be an immediate investigation into the planned activities and intent of this terrorising group.  

“Attempts to scare and intimidate our local Adelaide community are completely unacceptable and must be dealt with by the full force of the law.  

“Adelaide is a peaceful and respectful city, and we don’t need Nazi-wannabes terrorising members of our community.  

“These thugs don’t embody the values of our city, state, or country. Racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate have no place on our streets or in our community.”

“This is a welcome step forward on public school funding that teachers, parents and carers in Victoria and South Australia will take heart from.

“Pressure works. Teacher unions and the Greens have been pushing Labor to increase the Commonwealth share of public school funding to 25% and to eliminate the dodgy loophole that allows states to claim 4% in non-classroom costs as part of their contribution.

“We’ll look at the details in the coming days but it appears that despite these steps forward we are still a decade away from 100% minimum funding for all public schools in the country.

“Labor came to government promising to deliver 100% funding to all public schools. If they’re saying that every public school in the country will be receiving 100% of its minimum funding by 2034, that will have been a quarter of a century since Gonski.

“That’s two entire generations of schoolkids who will have never known what it’s like to attend a properly resourced public school.

“The Greens have a fully costed plan to deliver 100% funding to all public schools in the country by July 2025, and we’ll also ease cost of living pressures on families by eliminating school fees and providing families with $800 back-to-school payments for every child in public school.”