Category: Australian News

This week the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth, Dr Anne Aly, will travel to Amman, Jordan on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to attend an international conference convened by Egypt, Jordan and the United Nations on the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Australia has been advocating for urgent humanitarian assistance to reach Palestinians in Gaza in desperate need. We have been clear that Israel must comply with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice, including to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale.

Since the conflict began on 7 October, Australia has committed $62.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the region, including $41 million to address urgent needs in Gaza. Our funding is being directed to conflict-affected people with a focus on women and children, including to support food, water, medicines, and shelter.

The conference, known as International Call to Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza, will be held on 11 June local time.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

“This war must end. The human suffering in Gaza is unacceptable. Australia has been part of the international push for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to reach Gazans in desperate need, and for hostages to be released. Australia’s participation in this conference is part of that international effort.

“Dr Anne Aly and her family are among many in the Australian community who have lived experience and understanding of the long and devastating conflict in the Middle East. We are fortunate that Dr Aly will bring her deep professional expertise and her perspectives as an Egyptian-born Australian in representing our country at this conference hosted by Egypt, Jordan and the UN.”

Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth, the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP:

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Over one million Palestinians are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and around 1.7 million people have been displaced, many several times over. Humanitarian access remains grossly inadequate.

“Our participation in this conference will emphasise Australia’s ongoing support for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and to address the humanitarian crisis.”

As the Albanese Government last week teamed up with Peter Dutton’s Coalition to try and make the genocide in Gaza about themselves, there were staggering revelations in Senate Estimates about the scale of Australia’s two-way arms trade with Israel. 

This evidence adds to the body of knowledge on Australia’s two-way arms trade with Israel. We are releasing this statement on the issue to create a more informed debate. 

The fact weapons parts are used in a genocide is “not material” to Labor

At Senate Estimates this week it was revealed that not only does Australia make parts in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but the fact that Israel using these weapons to bomb Gaza is considered “not material” – basically does not matter – to whether the Albanese Government approves a permit or not. 

Shockingly the evidence provided made clear that it does not matter to this government if the weapons exported by Australia create instability, fuel conflict or are used in human rights violations, as this is simply ‘outweighed’ if the Government deems it to be in the national interest to approve the export.

This is how the Albanese Government can approve military exports to Israel, including indirectly through third countries while maintaining they are complying with domestic law. 

Varley Rafael production of Spike missile parts 

The history of Australia’s export of weapons parts to Israel precedes the current genocide in Gaza. One area of particular contention is the export of parts of the Spike missile into the global supply chain of Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Systems. The Spike missile is reported to be the missile that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and colleagues. It has killed an unknown number of Palestinians.

Since coming into office the Albanese government has signed fresh contracts valued at over $60 million with Rafael to produce these missiles in Australia for the Australian military, including one as recently as January this year. Prior to this, however, Rafael’s Australian subsidiary Varley Rafael has been producing spike missile parts to feed into Rafael’s global supply chain. 

In August 2021 (before the contract with the Australian military for the Spike missile) Varley Rafael announced it had already begun local production of the Spike Guided Missile Integration kits. This was said to be the first time the Israeli company had conducted assembly operations overseas. 

To be clear, there was no contract with the Australian government at this time and the production was part of Rafael’s global supply chain. As was widely reported in 2017 when the Varley Rafael operations were commenced: 

“The joint venture also means Varley will become part of Rafael’s global supply chain for Spike missiles, enhancing the company’s export opportunities and giving access to Rafael’s cutting-edge, fifth-generation defence technologies.”  
 
The Greens have never stated that Varley Rafael in Australia exports entire Spike missiles to Israel. Based on the evidence above we have repeated the company’s statements and public media position and said that they are part of the global supply chain for the Spike missile. As such they are complicit in the deaths from that weapon. The fact the Albanese government allows this to continue and then enters into fresh contracts with them in the middle of genocide, makes them complicit too. 

It is extraordinary that media organisations, including the ABC, fail to undertake due diligence about weapons exports. Instead, they rely on comments from the likes of former MP Bob Baldwin, now a “Government Relations” officer for Varley Rafael, that Varley Rafael does not export entire Spike missiles to Israel. The Greens have never said they do.

The $4 billion part Australia plays in the F-35 global supply chain

It was further revealed in budget estimates hearings that Australia’s involvement in the F-35 supply chain is valued at $4.6 billion in contracts through over 70 companies, including as sole global manufacturers for specific parts. As the head contractor for the F-35 Lockheed Martin said: “Every F-35 built contains some Australian parts and components.” This includes the mechanism that allows the F-35 to drop its bombs. 

The F-35 weapons parts from Australia likely go through the US and then to Israel and would not be included in data as direct sales to Israel. As a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade briefing on trade with Israel makes clear: 

“… service and defence equipment trade is not reflected in the public data, and a significant amount of trade is carried out through third parties such as the US and Singapore.”

However, even keeping in mind that most of the arms trade with Israel is washed through a third country, there is still clear ongoing direct arms trade as set out below. 

Existing military export permits to Israel – what is on the public record

During Senate Estimates questioning Defence revealed that there are currently 66 military export permits active for the State of Israel. These include goods being sent to Israeli manufacturers for repair and uplift, including weapons as part of the two-way arms trade, as well as dual-use goods and parts and components. 

Defence has still not told the public what is in these permits, however, there is clear public information that parts of weapons and military equipment are being exported to Israel from Australia. 

Public information can give an indication of what they are. For example, Currawong Engineering is a Tasmania-based company that creates the Corvid-29 engine, which is used in the Israeli-made Bluebird Aero System’s ThunderB drone. Bisalloy Steels provides military-grade steel for Plasan Re’em, an Israeli company, that makes armoured cars used in occupied Palestine both by the military and the armed settler militias. This is in addition to the Varley Rafael material above.

The Arms Trade Treaty, Australia’s obligations

The Arms Trade Treaty makes it perfectly clear in Article 4 that parts and components of weapons, or conventional arms to use the term in the treaty, are weapons. It was this very article that was invoked by a Dutch court when it ordered the Netherlands Government to stop exporting weapon parts for the F-35 earlier this year. 

Australian Defence officials have attempted to deny that sending weapons parts is covered by the Arms Trade Treaty. This is an interpretation of the treaty that is both novel and dangerous. 

DFAT data on sales of Arms and Ammunition to Israel

Also in Senate Estimates, Defence commented on data released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on imports and exports. There is a category within this data set concerning “arms and ammunition”, this is an extremely restrictive category defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Over the past five years, this data shows that Australia exports to Israel directly $10 million in “arms and ammunition”. Defence in Senate Estimates stated that recent export data of $1.5 million in February 2024 at the height of the genocide in Gaza, was for a weapon (or weapons) to go to Israel with the intent it will eventually return to Australia as part of the two-way arms trade. 

Australia is quickly becoming an international outlier as Canada voted to halt all arms sales joining Japan, Spain, Italy, Netherlands Belgium and many others in ending weapons exports.

In February 2024 the UN experts also specifically called on Australia and other countries to stop military exports to Israel.

Albanese government’s mid-genocide-commitment of $917 to Elbit Systems 

The claim that the Government is not involved in a contract with Elbit Systems is too ludicrous to give a detailed response. Elbit is subcontracted to Hanwha the main contractor to produce this weapons system for a new Australian infantry fighting vehicle. 

Of course, Australia was required to consent to the sub-contract with Elbit and the government engaged closely on the contract, including ensuring some of the work occurred in targeted electorates in Australia. To suggest otherwise, and for the media to seriously report otherwise, is embarrassing to everyone involved. Elbit is currently making record profits from supplying weapons to the genocide.

Conclusion

The Albanese Government relies on secrecy and misrepresentation to muddy the waters and distract the public from its role in the genocide in Gaza. It thought that constant denial would deter people from looking closer, but the public has not been fooled, so now the Government has turned to accusations to stop the calls for peace. 

It won’t work. See you at the protest on the weekend.

A second rupture from an offshore Esso/ExxonMobil rig has caused toxic gas condensate to spew into the ocean. 

The revelations come following questioning from Peter Whish-Wilson to the offshore energy regulator Nopsema at Senate Estimates. 

It is the second rupture at a Esso/ExxonMobil rig off the Victorian coast in just two months, in the same area Esso is planning risky carbon capture and storage.

Quotes attributable to Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson:

“Esso/ExxonMobil is proving to be a problematic operator. Its ageing and leaking fossil fuel infrastructure in the Gippsland Basin is a concern for healthy oceans – and so are the laws and regulations that govern Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry which do little to protect our marine wildlife.

“Toxic substances that leak from rig infrastructure are currently self-reported by fossil fuel polluters, and our regulator has limited resources to audit, monitor or inspect this infrastructure. 

“Gas condensate spewing into the ocean can have potentially fatal consequences on marine wildlife. Gas condensate doesn’t form a distinct surface slick like crude oil, meaning it’s almost impossible to contain. Rather, it burns, evaporates and dissolves, with the component that dissolves into the water being acutely toxic and capable of causing catastrophic ecological harm.

“Esso’s inability to manage its infrastructure safely is a huge red flag, especially given the company’s plans for risky carbon capture and storage in the area.

“Fossil fuel corporations make millions from Australia’s offshore oil and gas fields and repeatedly get away with failing to clean up after themselves because our current regulatory framework provides insufficient environmental or economic oversight – how much more must our oceans and marine wildlife suffer before the Albanese government acts to change this?” 

“Thanks to NT Labor, Tamboran has moved one step closer to contaminating our water and wrecking our climate. But they’re not there yet.

Tamboran doesn’t have agreement from Traditional Owners, they don’t have agreement from landholders to build their pipeline, they don’t have approvals to build their gas processing plant in the Barkly near the wells, and they don’t have final investment decision.”

“These next few weeks are crucial. The Greens secured the water trigger in Federal Parliament. What is federal Labor going to do? We need Tanya Plibersek to use the water trigger now. This water is belongs to all Territorians. We can’t let Tamboran wreck it for a profit.”

“NT Labor has made it clear again: they’re backing in the fossil fuel corporations during a climate crisis. Unlike Territory Labor and the CLP, the Greens aren’t afraid to stand up to gas corporations in order to protect our water and our climate – because we don’t take their money. We are the only party against fracking in the NT.”

“We have an integrity crisis in the Territory. Our environment minister fronted a press conference with fracking company Tamboran celebrating the NT government signing a deal to buy their fracked gas – and then a few weeks later gave her “independent” sign off on their project saying there was no significant environmental risks to the project. We desperately need some oversight in Parliament.”

“Instead of backdoor supply deals and sign off without independent environmental checks, we need these gas corporations to be properly scrutinised and eventually stopped. That only happens with Green in the NT Parliament after the election.”

There were many turning points in the Second World War. But one thing is certain: victory against the German war machine, the defeat of Nazi tyranny, and the Liberation of Europe would not have been possible without Operation Neptune – the Normandy landings – and Operation Overlord – the battle for Normandy.

D-Day – June the 6^th 1944 – was the day of days.

Winston Churchill called the vast operation ‘the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place.’ Operation Overlord was years in the making. No effort was spared in planning, arms build-up, training, secrecy, and one of the most sophisticated deception operations in military history – Operation Fortitude.

By the end of D-Day, more than 155,000 Allied troops had secured a foothold in Normandy from which they would go on to win the war in Europe. But the first day of that ‘Great Crusade’ came at a terrible cost with more than 4,400 Allied troops killed.

Today, as a nation, we acknowledge, commemorate, and pay tribute to the 3,200 Australians who were involved in D-Day, including the 13 Australians who were killed. We also pay homage to the thousands more Australians who helped to liberate Europe from tyranny following D-Day, and the hundreds killed over the course of the campaign.

Those who served and sacrificed in the Second World War were truly the Greatest Generation.

On this 80^th Anniversary, we are reminded that democracy and freedom are neither the result of luck, nor natural occurrence. We are the beneficiaries and custodians of the great inheritance of democracy and freedom which the Greatest Generation defended and preserved through their service and sacrifice.

Our gratitude to them must never wane. Our duty to them is to never drift into complacency when peace is threatened in our times. Our memory of them must never fade.

Their lives and endeavours are a reminder of the commitment needed to repel tyranny and of the courage needed to preserve liberty. May they continue to be an inspiration to our generation – and those that follow us – of the importance of such commitment and courage.

Lest we forget.

I am pleased to announce the Governor-General has accepted my recommendation to reappoint Dr Steven Kennedy PSM as Secretary of the Department of the Treasury.

Dr Kennedy is one of the country’s most experienced public servants and his diligence and dedication represents the best traditions of the Treasury.

Having served for more than 30 years in the public service, Dr Kennedy’s extensive experience and outstanding leadership will be an ongoing asset for the department and the Government, as we continue to implement our economic reform agenda.

Dr Kennedy was appointed as Secretary of the Department of the Treasury on 2 September 2019.

Prior to this, he held the position of Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development from September 2017 to August 2019.

Dr Kennedy has also held a variety of senior positions in the APS, including Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Department of the Environment; and Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

Dr Kennedy was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2016 for his outstanding contributions to climate change policy.

The five year appointment will commence on 2 September 2024.

It is six months since Australia voted with 152 countries for a ceasefire at the United Nations.

The human suffering in Gaza is unacceptable. This war must end.

Australia repeats our support for President Biden’s ceasefire proposal and we are pleased to see growing international support, including from G7 leaders.

Australia is working with countries that support peace to press all parties to agree to the terms immediately.

Civilians must be protected, the catastrophic humanitarian situation must be addressed, and the hostages must be released.

Any delay will only see further lives lost.

Australia is extending a life-saving partnership that supports Papua New Guinea’s health system, by providing antivenom doses and training for PNG healthcare workers.

The PNG Snakebite Partnership has been extended for a further three years until 2027 and will continue the strong ties built between the Australian Government, Papua New Guinea’s National Department of Health, Australian company CSL Seqirus and now St John Ambulance PNG, a new partner on the project.

As part of the agreement, CSL Seqirus will provide an annual donation of up to 600 vials of Australian-made antivenom to PNG. St John Ambulance will distribute antivenoms to more than 65 healthcare clinics, train healthcare workers in snakebite patient management and collect epidemiological data to improve snakebite care in PNG.

Since 2018, the partnership has helped save over 2,000 lives, provided almost 3,000 doses of antivenoms for venomous snakes and marine creatures, and delivered training to 1,500 healthcare workers.

The funding complements the Australian Government’s broad and long-standing support for the health sector in PNG.

The Australian Government has a strategic partnership with CSL Seqirus for the production and supply of antivenoms, pandemic influenza vaccines, seasonal flu vaccines and Q fever vaccines.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

“Many Australians know all too well the impact of bites and stings from venomous creatures and this is a significant health challenge for our Pacific neighbours as well.

“Australia is proud to support communities in our region, including through sharing our life-saving medicines, knowledge and experience, allowing them to be treated sooner and closer to home.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

“With one of the highest incidences of snakebite in the world this partnership provides critical support to improving patient outcomes in PNG.

“The Albanese Government is proud to partner with a leading Australian organisation like CSL as well as St John Ambulance PNG to improve access to life-saving treatments in PNG.”

On World Environment Day, the Greens have called on the Albanese Government to back a ban on native forest logging in order to protect nature and a climate trigger in environment law to stop new fossil fuel mines making the climate crisis worse. 

The Greens are in balance of power on environment law reform as experts and environment groups call for real action to stop worsening biodiversity decline and climate change.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens spokesperson for the Environment and Manager of Business in the Senate:

“This World Environment Day, we need urgent action to protect nature and the climate from more destruction and pollution.

“Around the world the extinction and climate crises are getting worse. The time for window dressing and weak slogans is over: we need a ban on native forest logging and a climate trigger in our environment laws to stop new coal and gas.

“Environment laws that allow more fossil fuels and the destruction of our forests are not worth the paper they’re printed on. 

“The Greens won’t be rubber-stamping any new laws that simply pander to the fossil fuel lobby, fail to protect nature, and do little to cut pollution.”

The Department of Social Services confirmed in estimates last night that there were no plans to reconsider eligibility criteria for the Escaping Violence Payment, or the Leaving Violence Program which is due to replace it in July 2025, despite more than 17% of applicants being deemed ineligible, and up to half never receiving the payment.

Australian Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women, Larissa Waters

“Restrictive criteria doesn’t help keep women safe, it forces them to stay in unsafe relationships and living situations.

“The Department confirmed last night that at least 17% of women seeking the current escaping violence payment are being rejected, but there are no plans to change the criteria.

“One of the reasons for ineligibility for the program is a lack of a safety plan to move soon – this is not an inherent skill, it should be standard practice to support women to establish one, not a reason for rejection.

“Six women killed by violence this year were allegedly murdered by their sons. Escaping violent homes is not limited to escaping intimate partners, so the payment shouldn’t be either. 

“Even though it takes an average of seven times before a woman is able to finally leave an abusive relationship, you can’t get the Escaping Violence Payment more than once within a 12 month period.

“The Department was also unable to provide details about the time women have to wait between first request for payment and actually receiving it.

“Meanwhile the Leaving Violence Program’s well-meaning referral pathways will lead to frontline services who have received no extra funding – what good is it to refer someone to a support service that is already full? 

“And we are still no closer to understanding how many women are turned away from frontline services due to funding constraints, because despite me asking for 2.5 years what’s being done to quantity unmet need, there is not even a timeframe for when a scoping project will complete.

“If the Leaving Violence Program is the best this government can do for women experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence, they aren’t taking the issue seriously.”

BACKGROUND
Senate Community Affairs Committee: ParlView | Video 2510073 (aph.gov.au)