16 News

Backlash against Labor Premier Chris Minns’ suppression of protest is growing, as Tweed nurses and midwives, pro-Palestine activists and supporters of the Great Koala National Park today protested Minns’ visit to Tweed.  

Minns is under increasing pressure to grant nurses and midwives a 15% pay rise, given their wages have been suppressed by Liberal National Governments since 2011. Just a stone’s throw from his meeting today, graduate nurses in Queensland are paid 18% more than in New South Wales.  

Recent polling revealed Chris Minns’ personal approval rating has plunged 5 points, even as the Labor and Greens primary votes were up.  

Greens MP and North Coast Spokesperson Sue Higginson said:

“The Premier is facing increasing backlash from his own caucus and from the community on his draconian anti-protest laws,” 

“Tweed locals forced the Labor Cabinet to pause their meeting, because clearly communities right across New South Wales are horrified by what they’re seeing in Gaza and they want their Government to take action, not to suppress action,”  

“Our wonderful Northern Rivers community cares deeply about the environment, about social justice, and about protecting each other. Chris Minns is a Labor Premier who is logging the heart out of the Great Koala National Park, shutting down peaceful protests against the genocide in Gaza, and failing to deliver for key workers. Chris Minns and the Labor Government rode into power promising to deliver the Great Koala National Park and do better for key workers and people feel betrayed”,  

“The Premier had a lot of nerve showing up 30 seconds away from the border while he refuses to give nurses and midwives even a fraction of the pay they get in Queensland,” 

“For nearly 2 years now, the Labor Party has been gaslighting nurses and midwives by saying a pay rise is impossible. Now, Chris Minns is turning up 30 seconds drive from a State where graduate nurses are paid 18% more”.  

“It’s increasingly clear that Labor Premier Chris Minns is on the nose across New South Wales for his crackdowns on peaceful protest, for his failure to announce the Great Koala National Park, and for his failure to deliver for our frontline workers.”  

A disturbing pattern of incidents involving inappropriate behaviour and racism justify a more transparent process for investigation and reporting of police misconduct, says Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury. 

Following a line of questioning in Budget Estimates, ACT Police and the Minister for Police could not provide or disclose details of the consequences for the officers involved in these incidents, citing secrecy and privacy provisions.

Leader of the ACT Greens, Shane Rattenbury:

“The reality is that there’s a deeply concerning pattern of systemic behaviour from elements of ACT Police towards First Nations people in this territory. From officers goading children in custody to take their own lives, to young men being charged with an offence when they shouldn’t have been during a night out—we’re seeing a serious problem with police integrity.

“It’s horrifying that some officers feel it’s acceptable to taunt children in their custody—people going through hard moments in their lives—about suicide or the family situations that led them to that moment. 

“This kind of policing is seemingly so entrenched that First Nations mothers in our community are teaching their kids to keep a low profile in public just to avoid being targeted by police for simply occupying space. 

“These parents are fearful that even when their children are doing nothing wrong, just hanging out with a group of their cousins, they’ll be singled out and targeted by some police–it’s appalling and needs urgent attention.

“Right now, when police engage in problematic behaviour, the investigation happens behind closed doors, investigated by their own. Now in fairness, this might be okay if things were improving—but incident after incident certainly suggests  they are not.

“A system that lets police investigate themselves while this behaviour continues is a system that protects and entrenches racism, not people. It’s unacceptable. And after months and years of similar incidents, it’s clear we need far more transparency around the outcomes of police misconduct investigations.

“The Greens are calling on the government to address this broken system—one that enables racism and offers those who perpetuate it anonymity. This isn’t about every officer. But unless we hold those who abuse their power accountable, then the public will rightly continue to struggle to have confidence in the system as a whole.”

The Greens are calling on the government to improve how investigations into police misconduct are conducted which must include increasing transparency into the outcomes of investigations to enhance community trust in the police.  

A report into the conduct of the Australian Federal Police recently found that the agency is dismissing complaints that should be investigated, including allegations of corruption and assault within its own ranks. 

Comments provided by Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Service:

Ms Julie Tongs, CEO of Winnunga Nimmityjah  Aboriginal Health and Community Service, has emphasised the importance of investigating the nature of the relationship between ACT Policing and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community during Estimates hearings.

She is particularly concerned about a raft of findings in the recent report of the Commonwealth Ombudsman into the use of force by ACT Policing.

As the Ombudsman noted in his report the misuse of force by police has the potential to disproportionately impact vulnerable members of the community, such as First Nations people. Julie Tongs said while shameful, it is also relevant to any inquiry into the relationship between ACT Policing and the Aboriginal community of Canberra that the ACT has both the highest rate of incarceration of Aboriginal peoples in Australia and the highest rate of Aboriginal recidivism.

Quotes attributable to Chairperson of Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation, Ms Tahlia-Rose Vanissum:

“Indigenous women are the fastest growing prison population in the world. In the ACT our women are imprisoned at a 76.5 times greater rate than non-Indigenous woman. The highest level of overrepresentation in Australia.

“Strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are critical safeguards in our communities, keeping us safe, healthy and connected to culture, especially our children.

“Failure to address their needs has impacts on our entire community including increased rates of victimisation, criminalisation, child removal and homelessness.

“The current ACT justice system subjects our women to unique forms of intersectional discrimination, they are over-policed, under-protected, and ‘misidentified’ (targeted) by colonial enforcement agencies built on the principles of erasure and control.

“Police cannot be trusted to investigate themselves and they cannot be trusted by our communities to lead reform they actively resist.”

The Liberal and Labor parties today voted to stop an inquiry into legislation that will allow the Government to build public housing for US troops in Australia as part of AUKUS. 

The Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 is being rammed through the Senate to allow the Defence Housing Authority to build homes for foreign militaries in Australia. The target for these powers is housing for US troops under AUKUS. 

To make matters worse, this legislation will be passed without a financial impact statement, leaving unclear how much public money Australia will allocate to building homes for the US military in Australia.  

The Greens moved to refer the Bill to a Senate inquiry to allow public scrutiny and to obtain details about the cost and timeframes proposed, but this was opposed by the two war parties.

Reports indicate that there will be an initial 700 US troops stationed in Western Australia as part of AUKUS, with thousands more across Australia. 

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Defence, said: “You cannot make this up. The Albanese Government spent the last Parliament attacking the Greens for wanting more public housing, saying this call was unrealistic. Now, in Labor’s first big move in the housing space, it is building public housing not for people doing it rough, but for Trump.” 

“There is no financial impact statement in this Bill, as if there is no cost to building hundreds of homes. It is another secret deal to put Australian public funds into the pockets of the US military, another bottomless pit of money for AUKUS.

“What this government is doing by putting forward this Bill in the first sitting period is sending a clear message that their priority is to keep Donald Trump happy, even if that means building the Mar-a-Lago of Perth paid for by the Australian public.”

Senator Barbara Pocock, Greens spokesperson for Housing said: “The Government’s priorities are clear – US troops are deemed more worthy of public housing than people in Australia desperately needing a roof over their heads.

“In our current housing crisis, the Government is choosing to play politics. Labor says it wants to solve the housing crisis but all they’re doing is pandering to US interests.

“Labor is proving they can deliver on public housing. So if the Government can provide public housing for US troops, why can’t they do it for vulnerable Australians desperately needing a roof over their head? 

“Housing is a human right. The Greens call on Labor to take the housing crisis seriously by delivering public housing for Australians.” 

The Greens say the newly passed Strengthening Regulation of Early Education Bill – which gives the Government new powers to cut off Child Care Subsidy (CCS) payments to services that repeatedly fail quality standards – doesn’t deliver what’s needed to truly address safety and quality in early learning.

The Greens supported the Bill but warned that without deeper reform of the early learning system, children will continue to face unacceptable risks, including abuse, neglect, and systemic malpractice.

Senator Hodgins-May questioned the Government on the Bill today, highlighting that most measures rely on the discretion of the Education Department Secretary—revealing what the Greens say is a lack of clear decision-making frameworks and inadequate sector consultation.

The Greens remain ready to work with the Government on real structural early learning reform when Parliament returns in three weeks.

Australian Greens spokesperson for early education and care: 

“This Bill introduces measures the Greens support, but it does nothing to lift quality across the board and only kicks in after providers fail on safety or quality.

“The new measures rely entirely on the Secretary’s discretion, with no clear framework for how decisions will be made, including when it comes to what information is shared with families.

“The deeper issue lies in the subsidy funding model – a model that treats early education as an industry to profit from, not a human right.

“The CCS funnels billions into a system dominated by private operators where only 13 per cent exceed quality standards, compared to 28 per cent of not-for-profits.

“Only an independent national watchdog as proposed by the Greens and backed by the sector will genuinely lift quality and safety and move us towards a genuinely accessible and high quality early education system.

“It should never take tragedies to trigger reform. The Prime Minister says he wants universal, affordable childcare to be his legacy. Well, is he ready to work with us to deliver it?”

The community is being given their first look at the new 30 bed inpatient unit planned for Blacktown Hospital, which will increase the hospital’s capacity to support patients recovering from a range of urgent conditions.

The Minns Labor Government is investing $120 million in the upgrade of Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals to provide expanded and contemporary acute inpatient capacity. The project will include 60 additional beds across Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals.

This additional 60 beds for Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals are part of the NSW Government’s delivery of more than $3.4 billion in hospital infrastructure across western Sydney over the next four years.

The redevelopment at Blacktown Hospital will include a mix of fit-for-purpose rooms supporting recovery. The project will also include expanded clinical and non-clinical support service spaces.

Staff, stakeholders and the community are invited to attend an information session at Blacktown Hospital to meet the project team and learn more:
Blacktown Hospital Foyer – outside Gloria Jean’s café
Thursday, 14 August, 11:00am – 1:00pm

Further consultation, planning and design will continue throughout the year, with construction timeframes to be finalised as part of the overall planning and once a builder has been appointed.

Work to deliver the project will be carried out in stages to minimise disruption to clinical services, which will remain operational throughout the redevelopment.

The $120 million upgrade of Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals is being delivered by Health Infrastructure and Western Sydney Local Health District. Planning for the expanded Mount Druitt Hospital is progressing, which will include additional medical and surgical capacity.

For more information visit: nsw.gov.au/bmdh-additional-beds

The 2025-26 NSW Budget includes $1.3 billion of additional funding to support the delivery of health facilities across Western Sydney including:  

• an additional $700 million for the new Bankstown Hospital, increasing the total investment to $2 billion;
• additional State funding of $90.0 million to provide the full range of maternity and birthing services as part of the new Rouse Hill Hospital, with a further $120 million announced by the Commonwealth Government;
• $492 million to develop a Statewide Pathology Hub on the Westmead campus;
• $40.1 million to fit out level 13 of the new Paediatric Services Building at Westmead in partnership with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.
• $22.3 million to establish a new paediatric hospice at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Other projects in the Western Sydney region include upgrades at Nepean, Liverpool, Canterbury, Fairfield, Camden and Campbelltown hospitals.

Minister for Health, Ryan Park:

“It’s great to see this major step forward in our $120 million investment into Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals, increasing inpatient capacity for our growing Western Sydney Community.

“The project will boost access to a range of urgent and elective surgeries by creating space for patient recovery and the support needed before returning home.

“We’re also increasing inpatient capacity at Mount Druitt Hospital to reduce the need for patient transfers and further free up capacity at other Western Sydney hospitals.”

Member for Blacktown, Stephen Bali:

“The Minns Labor Government is listening to community feedback by designing and building infrastructure to meet the health needs of Blacktown City’s fast-growing population. This means more nurses and allied health staff in appropriate facilities to deliver for our local residents.”

Member for Prospect Hugh McDermott:

“The new Blacktown Hospital inpatient unit is a much needed and welcome addition to our community’s healthcare, providing dedicated support for patient recovery from a range of urgent conditions.”

Member for Riverstone Warren Kirby:

“The new beds at Blacktown and Mt. Druitt hospitals combined with the new Rouse Hill Hospital are a big improvement for the healthcare needs of my electorate.”

Member for Mount Druitt Edmond Atalla:

“The investment to expand inpatient capacity at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals is a significant step to supporting our community across Western Sydney.”