Category: Australian News

To help respond to the needs of the region and deliver transformative development projects across the Indo-Pacific, Australia has pledged AUD $492 million for the Asian Development Fund’s (ADF14) 2025-28 pledging round.

The Fund is administered by the Asian Development Bank and provides grants to lower-income developing countries for initiatives that reduce poverty and improve quality of life.

The pledge from Australia will help countries in our region meet their most pressing needs, including construction of climate resilient hospitals and education facilities as well as supporting the health and education systems to run those facilities.

Australia worked closely with Pacific Island representatives from Cook Islands and Kiribati to ensure that the Pacific will receive over AUD500 million more than the previous Asian Development Fund replenishment (ADF13).

We also sought further support for climate action and gender equality, in line with Australia’s International Development Policy.

Australia advocated for a new mechanism to ensure funding reaches the people of Afghanistan, Myanmar and displaced Rohingya populations in Bangladesh, with a strong focus on women and girls.

Australia is also working closely with the Asian Development Bank as it implements reforms to respond to global demands, including improving infrastructure quality for Pacific partners, and enhancing the capacity and economic benefits of projects through more local jobs and procurement.

the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

‘Australia’s contributions to the Asian Development Fund will assist countries in our region to meet their most pressing needs.

‘Australia has been working closely with the Fund and the Asian Development Bank to ensure it delivers for our region, and addresses Pacific priorities, including climate change.

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

‘We continue to work with the ADB on critical reforms to deliver on the interests of our region. Our ongoing investment reflects the ADB’s essential role in meeting the region’s sustainable development needs.

‘We welcome the ADB’s strong alignment with Australia’s International Development Policy and we support its efforts to position itself as the region’s ‘climate bank’, including its ambition to deliver USD100 billion to climate financing from 2019 to 2030.”

Today I will welcome the Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, to Adelaide.

Australia and Germany are close friends and trusted partners. Our relationship is underpinned by shared values, including our commitment to the international rules-based order.

Australia welcomes Germany’s expanded engagement and interest in our region, and this visit is an opportunity to discuss greater cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as well as broader geopolitical challenges, including in Europe and the Middle East.

Our two countries are working together to tackle cyber threats and climate change, to embrace the green energy transition, build supply chain resilience, and improve gender equality.

Today we will mark the return of four significant cultural heritage items to the Kaurna People from the collection of the Grassi Museum in Leipzig.

I look forward to our continued engagement with Germany as a key global partner and as a close friend of Australia.

Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Greens social services spokesperson, has slammed the Prime Minister for his pathetic response this morning to calls to raise Jobseeker and Youth Allowance payments to 90% of the Age Pension for the millions of Australians living in poverty, including women fleeing violence.

Senator Allman-Payne said:

“The Prime Minister claims he understands the crisis and that financial insecurity is a major barrier for women escaping violence. But when his government is choosing to keep women in poverty, it’s all bluster and no substance.

“The PM can’t keep paying lip service to caring about women and the millions of Australians across the country trying to survive on Jobseeker poverty-payments and not provide adequate funding and policy measures to back it up.

“Despite calls from his own hand-picked Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, leading economists, and clear evidence given to the Poverty Inquiry that the government must raise Jobseeker to a liveable wage, the Prime Minister still couldn’t give a straight answer on what his government would do for the most vulnerable Australians in the upcoming budget.

“He also ducked and weaved questions on the alarming data showing over 50% of applications to the payment for women escaping violence were rejected by his government last year. Having to escape violence and then be rejected for emergency financial relief is re-traumatising for abuse survivors, and the PM merely saying he ‘doesn’t like the idea’ of that happening is the weakest, most useless response imaginable. It’s not good enough.

“Millions of people in this country are living on starvation payments, with no access to affordable housing, and no way to afford their most basic needs. And the stress of this is magnified a thousand fold for women escaping violence.

“Australia has the lowest unemployment benefits of all OECD countries. People are sick of hearing the same absurd lines from the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and Minister Rishworth time and again – that Labor would love to help struggling Australians, but it’s just too difficult to find room in the budget. It’s not.

“Budgets are about choices. Labor found room for hundreds of billions in Stage 3 tax cuts for the rich, they found room for $50 billion in defence spending, but draw the line at raising income support above the poverty line. It’s a disgrace.”

National Cabinet met virtually today to discuss the national crisis of gender-based violence.

First Ministers are committed to stopping the homicides and achieving our shared goal of ending violence against women and children in a generation.

National Cabinet agreed to a number of priorities for all our governments, building on efforts under way under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, including:

• Strengthening accountability and consequences for perpetrators, including early intervention with high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders, and best practice justice responses that support people who have experienced violence.
• Strengthening and building on prevention work through targeted, evidence-based approaches.
• Maintaining a focus on missing and murdered First Nations women and children, and the impact of domestic and family violence in First Nations communities.

First Ministers heard from Commonwealth Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin. Ms Cronin reflected on her work as Commissioner, including discussions with people with experience of violence, and key priorities for shared effort to address gaps in the current system.

Premier of Victoria, the Hon. Jacinta Allan also shared lessons from the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence.

National Cabinet noted the importance of housing reforms in supporting women and children escaping violence.

National Cabinet agreed to strengthen prevention efforts through targeted, evidence-based approaches and to be informed by an expert led rapid review of best practice approaches. This will allow further and effective action on preventing gender-based violence, building on the considerable work under way.

The Commonwealth will deliver the Leaving Violence Payment to help people experiencing intimate partner violence with the costs of leaving that relationship. This acknowledges financial insecurity is closely linked to violence, and can prevent women leaving a violent relationship.

The Leaving Violence Payment builds on existing measures being delivered to improve financial security of women, including expansion of the single Parenting Payment, 10 days paid domestic violence leave, and investment in crisis accommodation and affordable housing for women and children escaping violence.

The Commonwealth will also deliver a range of new measures to tackle factors that exacerabate violence against women, such as violent online pornography, and misogynistic content targeting children and young people.

New measures will include legislation to ban deepfake pornography and additional funding to pilot age assurance technologies.

First Ministers agreed that system responses need to be strengthened, with a focus on high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders to prevent homicides. This will involve work across governments and jurisdictions. First Ministers have agreed to undertake a range of work that will report back to National Cabinet later this year.

• Police Ministers Council and the Standing Council of Attorneys-General will be tasked to develop options for improving police responses to high risk and serial perpetrators, including considering use of focused deterrence and fixated threat strategies.
• First Ministers agreed to improve information sharing about perpetrators across systems and jurisdictions, led by the Commonwealth Minister for Women.
• First Ministers agreed that States and Territories will explore opportunities to strengthen national consistency and drive best practice approaches across jurisdictions, including relating to risk assessment and responses to sexual assault, led by Victoria and South Australia.

We will continue to listen and learn from those with lived experience of violence. We recognise they have intimate first-hand knowledge of services, systems, and structures that are meant to support. They know from experience the weaknesses and strengths of interventions in practice.

First Ministers are listening to the experts, identifying where the gaps are, and acting with urgency. We want violence against women and children to stop.

This media statement has been agreed by First Ministers and serves as a record of meeting outcomes.

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to ending family, domestic and sexual violence in a generation. This is a national crisis.

We want women to know if they need to leave they can afford to go.

We understand the insidious links between financial insecurity and stress and vulnerability to family and domestic violence. Too often, financial insecurity can be a barrier to escaping violence.

That’s why the Government will invest $925.2 million over five years to permanently establish the Leaving Violence Program – so those escaping violence can receive financial support, safety assessments and referrals to support pathways.

Those eligible will be able to access up to $5,000 in financial support along with referral services, risk assessments and safety planning.

This commitment builds on a record $2.3 billion in measures put in place by the Albanese Government to help address violence against women.

Further, the Albanese Government has expanded eligibility for parenting payment single – helping 82,000 more single parents remain on higher payment rates until their youngest child turns 14; legislated ten days paid family and domestic violence leave; increased rent assistance with the largest increase in 30 years; and invested in crisis accommodation and affordable housing for women and children escaping violence.  

Intimate partner violence is a problem of epidemic proportions in Australia, with a quarter of all Australian women having experienced it in their lifetime. 

The Leaving Violence Program will support victim-survivors of intimate partner violence to make informed choices about leaving violent relationships and receive the vital support they need.

The Leaving Violence Program is a key initiative in the upcoming May Budget to help support the aims of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32 to end violence in one generation. The program will contribute to improved safety, economic security, and independence for victim-survivors.

This makes permanent the Escaping Violence Program trial. More than 45,000 Australians have accessed the EVP payment since 2021. A total of 80 per cent of those accessing the support were self-referrals meaning without this program they may have fallen through the cracks of the support system.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: 

“The heartbreaking reality is that there is no overnight solution to violence against women and children.

“My Government is absolutely committed to making progress to end family, domestic and sexual violence in one generation through our National Plan.

“Today’s announcement builds on our efforts to ensure fewer women feel trapped in a violent relationship because they don’t know if they can afford to leave.”

the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth:

“Violence against women is a national shame. Every time a woman loses her life at the hands of a man, it is a death that is one too many and we know this is an issue that warrants our focused and serious attention.

“Research has shown us that financial barriers can be a huge impediment to victim-survivors breaking free of a violent relationship and we are determined to reduce those barriers along with providing other supports to assist those fleeing violence.

“We need persistent, consistent and unified action on this issue in order to create real change and this investment will mean there is a permanent lifeline for those people experiencing intimate partner violence.”

the Minister for Women Katy Gallagher:

“Like every Australian, and especially women across the country – I am distressed and frustrated at the crisis of men’s violence against women in this country. This is a crisis, and it is a national shame.

“The Albanese Labor Government is committed to ending the epidemic of violence against women and children in this country. We have been focused on this since day one and have taken a number of actions to drive end violence and support women who experience it, and we know we must continue to do more.

“We recognise that a lot of the issues that women face can be improved if they have economic security and improving women’s economic empowerment will continue to be a core focus of our government.”

The Leaving Violence Program will provide eligible victim-survivors with an individualised financial support package of up to $1,500 in cash and up to $3,500 in goods and services, as well as safety planning, risk assessment and referrals to other essential services for up to 12 weeks.

The payment amount will be indexed annually to keep in pace with the rising cost of living, ensuring recipients are given the best support when leaving violent relationships.

The program will commence in mid-2025, following the procurement of an appropriate service provider with family, domestic and sexual violence experience, and the transition of the existing pilots into the program.

Both the Escaping Violence Payment trial and the Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot will be extended to 30 June 2025.

For information about both trials visit the DSS website.

If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via www.1800RESPECT.org.au, or text 0458 737 732.

If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.

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Today I announce the appointments of five Board Members to the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR).

I am also pleased to announce the reappointment of Professor Hala Zreiqat as Chair to the Council. As Chair, Professor Zreiqat has been an invaluable driver for the CAAR’s key projects and strategic agenda.

The following new appointments will contribute to the goals of the CAAR in broadening and strengthening Australian-Arab relations:

• Professor Ali Abbas is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Dean of Research at the University of Sydney, as well as the Founding Director of the Waste Transformation Research Hub .
• Ms Zinab Al Hilaly is an experienced community engagement practitioner and advisor, whose focus is on ensuring communities of diverse backgrounds have their voices and lived experiences reflected in policies, programs and strategies.
• Mr Mohammad Al-Khafaji is the Head of Strategic Partnerships at SBS and formerly the CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia.
• Ms Dena Alnashie is the CEO of Al Nasser & Al Nashie United Company, one of the largest construction firms in Kuwait, and her work supports the empowerment of women in business and society.
• Ms Sandra Elhelw is the CEO of the Settlement Council of Australia which empowers migrants and refugees to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and make meaningful contributions to the Australian community.

I also pay tribute to outgoing members Ms Sonia Barber, Dr Hass Dellal AO, Ms Erin Gorter, Mr Soufiane Rboub, and Ms Larissa Taylor who have made a significant contribution to the Council’s strategic direction.

Reacting to the National Cabinet communique, Greens spokesperson on Women and Leader in the Senate Larissa Waters said:

“What a deeply underwhelming response today from our nation’s leaders. The calls by tens of thousands rallying over the weekend, and from frontline support services for many years asking for adequate funding to meet demand, were ignored. 

“The government announced $925 million over five years – but it’s not for frontline services. It’s to help women reach out to support services, but with those services already drastically underfunded, this announcement will simply increase demand on an already stretched sector. 

“Where is the funding for those frontline support services to meet demand? The sector has called for $1 billion per year to be able to help everyone who seeks it, and the federal government is providing just under half that. Nothing about today’s announcement fixes that woeful underfunding.

“Today’s announcement merely makes an existing program that has been plagued with maladministration and delay, permanent. To add insult to injury, the funding for leaving violence announced today won’t even flow until 1 July 2025! 

“The pittance for women’s safety today after 50 billion to Defence announced last week is an indictment on the government’s priorities.

“Nothing for frontline services. Nothing for housing. No new money for prevention. No DV death toll collected by government instead of volunteers. No declaration that violence against women is a national emergency. No increase to income support to help survivors flee. Nothing to help services inform police about high risk perpetrators. What a disgraceful missed opportunity today’s national cabinet was.”

Following calls from leading economists for the Albanese Government to increase Jobseeker and Youth Allowance to 90% of the Age Pension, Labor can’t continue to ignore the millions of Australians on poverty-payments, Greens say.

Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Greens social services spokesperson: 

“It’s undeniable that the current rate of Jobseeker and Youth Allowance traps people in poverty.

“Centrelink payments not only trap people in poverty, but can trap women in abusive homes. It is so much harder to escape violence when you’re financially insecure, and victims of violence who are on Jobseeker are relentlessly re-traumatised by a social security system that keeps them in poverty. 

“60% of single mums have experienced abuse, and the $5000 announced today isn’t enough to make up for the woefully inadequate Jobseeker payment many of these women will need to survive on after leaving a violent home. And that’s if women get these emergency payments at all; last year, over half of claims for the Escaping Violence Payment were rejected by the Albanese government.

“Everyday, millions of Australians feel the crushing stress of living on Centrelink: they’re showering less and not turning on the heating to save on bills, they’re forgoing necessary medication, they’re choosing between paying rent and eating. 

“In a wealthy country like ours, no-one should have to live like this.

“Labor promised when they came to power that no one would be left behind. Yet people on income support are literally starving while Labor turns a blind eye.

“Labor’s own hand-picked Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has recommended raising Jobseeker to 90% of the Age Pension two years in a row. Today,  leading economists have reaffirmed we need to substantially raise the rate of income support, because if we don’t we are entrenching disadvantage. 

“Not only do these poverty-rates entrench disadvantage, it also makes it harder for people to find a job. During COVID, we saw a doubling of income support and more people found work because of it. 

“Poverty is a policy choice. This government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on Stage 3 tax cuts for the rich and big corporations, on more submarines and defense, and tax breaks for fossil fuel companies – all while leaving the most vulnerable Australians to suffer. 

“If Labor is serious about keeping any of their promises instead of paying lip service, the government must raise income support above the poverty line in this month’s budget.”

The vice-chancellors of two of Australia’s most prestigious universities must expel students and call in the police to combat an alarming rise in antisemitism on campuses.

In the face of escalating harassment, intimidation and threats of violence by pro-Palestinian activists, the University of Sydney and University of Melbourne are failing to act against this ugly tide of hatred.

These universities have strong policies to safeguard students and staff, but are failing to take appropriate action.

The protest encampments must be dismantled.

The weakness of the universities is surpassed only by Education Minister, Jason Clare, who has been missing in action.

If he can’t do his job and throw the book at universities which fail to keep people safe on campus, he should resign.

Minister Clare has even refused to directly condemn the “kids’ excursion” at Sydney University which encouraged young children to chant anti-Israel slogans such as “intifada” and participate in a march calling Israel a terrorist state.

This indoctrination of children not only fuels hatred and division, but puts their well-being at risk.

I also call on Minister Clare to cancel a taxpayer-funded research project awarded to Macquarie University academic, Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, after she led children at the protests.

Australian taxpayers should not be providing $837,000 to an activist academic who has engaged in such appalling conduct.

The Albanese Labor Government needs to explain to the Australian people how a released detainee allegedly assaulted a Perth woman fighting cancer and robbed her and her partner.

The Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil must front up and explain how the system they put in place to protect the Australian people failed this woman and her partner.

If they cannot do this then they should do the honourable thing and resign. And if they won’t resign the Prime Minister has to finally show some leadership and ask them to go.

Both ministers need to answer the following:

• Why did the Commonwealth not oppose bail when detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan appeared in court in February charged with failing to comply with his monitoring conditions?
• Why wasn’t a preventative detention order made against Doukoshkan?
• Was Doukoshkan wearing an ankle bracelet at the time of the alleged offence?
• What other monitoring conditions were placed on Doukoshkan at the time of the alleged offence?

The Ministers have hidden from scrutiny on this issue. They now need to stand up and answer these questions and more.

The Albanese Labor Government has released seven murderers, 37 sex offenders, and 72 violent offenders into the community.

But the Albanese Labor government has stopped providing timely updates about how many are being monitored and what conditions are being applied to these detainees.

At every stage, Ministers Giles and O’Neil have failed to act to keep the Australian community safe.

They have been hopeless and hapless for almost 12 months and sadly the Australian community are paying the price.