Category: Australian News

The move towards a credible and secure Digital ID has large potential privacy benefits if done well and clear risks if it is rushed or mishandled. 

Today the Parliamentary inquiry into the Digital ID scheme provided its report on the Bill. The Committee received hundreds of concerned submissions from members of the public and organisations with concerns about privacy, ensuring protections for those who won’t or can’t access digital ID and bias in technology including facial recognition. 

The dissenting report from Greens Senator David Shoebridge describes these concerns in greater detail and is available here in the report. 

Greens Senator and Digital Rights Spokesperson David Shoebridge said: 

“This Bill represents a unique opportunity to rebuild trust in the Government’s digital capability. 

“It is clear from the many hundreds of individual submissions that have expressed serious concerns about the privacy implications of a Digital ID, that the Government has not yet earned this trust. 

“The bill does not create a ‘honeypot’ of new data so it’s unfortunate that the Government is insisting on granting law enforcement bodies access to the scheme.

“Insisting on law enforcement having access to the scheme gives the impression that there is a large and useful data set that police and security agencies will want to access. This is not true, the Bill only allows for the interrogation of existing secure databases that already exist at a state and federal level.  

“Insisting on law enforcement access to the Digital ID scheme creates the false impression that it creates a new honeypot of data and that inevitably undermines public confidence in the reform.

“The Greens want to ensure that a new digital ID does not further the existing digital divide in the community.

“If people can’t access a digital ID, or choose not to have one, then then they must still have reasonable access to critical services and not be excluded from participating in social or economic activities. 

“An inclusive digital ID system must be designed as inclusive from the ground up with particular attention to disability inclusion. A simple step here is including proof of age cards as recommended by Blind Citizens Australia.

“We also share the concerns of many groups that uncritical use of biometric and facial matching data could perpetuate existing biases. There needs to be a solid plan to ensure this isn’t baked into the scheme from the beginning. 

“Every one of these concerns can be addressed by well directed amendments in the Senate and the Greens will be working with the government and other parties to achieve this,” Senator Shoebridge said. 

Prime Minister Albanese and President of the Republic of the Philippines HE Ferdinand R Marcos Jnr reaffirmed the strong relationship Australia and the Philippines share during the President’s first official visit to Australia this week.

President Marcos’ address to a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament highlighted the close cooperation between Australia and the Philippines under our upgraded Strategic Partnership, signed by Leaders last year, and our shared commitment to an open, resilient and prosperous region.

Leaders’ announced the following new Memoranda of Understanding to implement key priorities of our Strategic Partnership, including:

• Enhanced Maritime Cooperation to strengthen our existing civil and defence maritime commitments;
• Cyber and critical technology to harden our resilience against cyber attacks and encourage cooperation on the digital economy; and
• Cooperation between our national competition commissions to enhance effective competition law and policy.

The Prime Minister also announced a new $20 million investment to support the Philippines to reform, and improve access to, its justice system.

Next week the Prime Minister will welcome President Marcos and other Southeast Asian leaders to Melbourne to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue at the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“The Philippines is one of Australia’s key partners in Southeast Asia – we share a vision for an open, stable and prosperous region.

“The President’s historic address to the Australian Parliament articulated our shared vision for the region and for the thriving Australia-Philippines relationship.

“Our nations have never been closer, and realising opportunities through our Strategic Partnership will bring great benefits to Australians and Filipinos.

“I look forward to continued discussions with President Marcos at the ASEAN-Australia Summit.”

After tabling his transphobic and homophobic bill to Parliament last year, Senator Alex Antic has brought on a motion today to have his bill referred to committee.

But like everything Antic does, this is just a stunt to justify more hate speech in Parliament.

The Australian Greens LGBTIQA+ Spokesperson, Stephen Bates MP, condemns this bill and Antic’s shameful attempt to import American culture wars to Australia.

Stephen Bates MP, Australian Greens LGBTIQA+ Spokesperson said:

Antic is trying once again to ram through an inquiry for him and his far right buddies to spruik hate and misinformation — putting kids’ lives at risk.

These transphobes are desperate for media attention so they can pretend their fringe views have any relevance here. 

An inquiry is just another platform for stunts and another excuse to go on Sky News After Dark. 

The Senator has the implicit backing of the Liberal Party in introducing his bill and goes to show that you can never trust the Liberals with LGBTIQA+ rights.

We should not give this man and his crusade against trans kids any more oxygen. We should stop this bill and any more fake debate. 

Transphobia has no place in our Parliament. Trans rights are non-negotiable. 

One Nation has always stood side-by-side with Queenslanders who were forced to get the @#!. Many of these people lost their jobs, or abandoned careers, because they wanted control over their bodies, and didn’t want to be injected with what amount to an experiment. One Nation has advocated for these people, pursed their cases, and fought for their rights. 

Now there is hope, with the Queensland Supreme Court ruling, it was unlawful to force many Queensland front line service people to take the %^$.  

Hopefully, justice will prevail, and those who acted unlawfully through the whole saga will be brought to justice. You can’t trample on people’s human rights and think you are magically granted impunity.

From the Courier-Mail – 27/2/2024

Supreme Court bombshell: Qld’s mandatory Covid vaccine orders ‘unlawful’

Dozens of police and health workers have won a mammoth legal battle over mandatory ­Covid vaccination orders after the Supreme Court declared they were unlawful.

Dozens of police and health workers, including paramedics have won a mammoth legal battle over mandatory ­vaccination orders after the Supreme Court declared they were unlawful.

In a 115-page decision handed down by Justice Glenn Martin on Tuesday, he declared police commissioner Katarina Carroll’s direction for mandatory Covid-19 vaccination issued in December 2021 unlawful under the Human Rights Act and banned her from taking any steps to enforce the direction.’’

He also ruled that a similar order by John Wakefield, the director general of Queensland Health’s equivalent vaccination policy, “is of no effect” and Mr. Wakefield should be blocked from forcing paramedics to have the injection.

Seventy four people opposing vaccinations took the state government to the Supreme Court to challenge vaccination directives, they were included in three separate applications before the court.

Two related to police officers or civilian staff, and the third case related to Queensland Ambulance Service workers.

The workers did not have to be vaccinated while their legal fight was underway.

Prime Minister Albanese will welcome the President of the Republic of the Philippines, HE Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos to Canberra from 28 to 29 February for their first official visit to Australia.

President Marcos will address a joint sitting of the Parliament of Australia, in recognition of our two nations’ shared commitment to democratic values and a common vision for an open, resilient and prosperous region.

The President’s visit to Australia follows Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to Manila last year, the first visit by an Australian Prime Minister in 20 years, and the historic elevation of the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership.

Leaders will discuss progress in the Partnership, including greater cooperation on defence and maritime security, governance, trade and investment. From 4 to 6 March, the Prime Minister will host President Marcos and other Southeast Asian leaders at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“President Marcos is a great friend to Australia, and I look forward to welcoming him to Canberra for his first official visit.

“We are ambitious for the future of the Australia-Philippines relationship, which is guided by our historic Strategic Partnership I signed with President Marcos in Manila last year.

“Our nations are deeply connected through our shared regional, trade and investment links, but most importantly through our people, including more than 400,000 people of Filipino heritage who call Australia home.”

The Greens have called on Labor to listen to business leaders like Dr Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest who today called for a climate trigger in environment law at the National Press Club. His call stands in stark contrast to the recent Labor Bill to make offshore gas expansion exempt from existing environment law. The Greens have a bill for a climate trigger before the Parliament.

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

“Today Twiggy Forrest backed the growing call for a climate trigger in environment law and I hope that Labor were listening – they should back my bill for a climate trigger before the Parliament right now.

“Twiggy Forrest made the business case for ensuring that big projects should be assessed for their climate damage before being given any environmental approval. Business leaders like Dr Forrest can see that, for the sake of our environment and economy, we need to stop expanding fossil fuels – sadly that stands in stark contrast with too many politicians in our Parliament.

“Our environment laws are broken while they continue to allow the approval of new coal and gas, and increase fossil fuel pollution regardless of the impact on the environment and climate.

“President Biden is considering a similar law to hold polluters accountable and stop new mega LNG gas projects, but Labor is trying to take us in the opposite direction.

“The Greens Bill for a climate trigger will tackle this and I encourage Minister Plibersek to work constructively to pass it. Every time the Minister approves a new coal, gas or native forest logging project the climate and extinction crises get worse.”

Transcript from Twiggy Forrest at NPC today:

“First, I propose a best-for-Australia test which explicitly considers climate impacts when approving and managing new projects. Every project up for government approval must have a climate trigger. That means we must take the climate change and carbon pollution impact into account in any project approval. It will be seen as asinine if we don’t. It’s long overdue that we do. It’s a simple and reasonable government requirement that carbon emissions and global warming automatically be part of any environmental assessment. Energy companies who will quickly pivot – they don’t have to now – will quickly pivot to green energy to meet their contracts. A similar policy is being considered in the United States, where President Biden has caused LNG export projects, pending assessment of their impacts on climate change and other matters of national security. It’s about time.”

In the shadow of the State of Israel’s impending all out siege of Rafah, the Australian Greens have given the Albanese government the opportunity to end its unequivocal support for the State of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

This vote occurred today as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press on until “total victory” despite the UN saying that a military operation in Rafah would make aid delivery impossible.

Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Peace said:

“This week marks a very grim milestone, nearly 30,000 people in Palestine have perished in the bombardment and invasion at the hands of the State of Israel and it should be a reminder to Australian politicians that if we refuse to act this destruction will continue” 

“There is a complete breakdown of humanity and morality in the IDF’s siege of Gaza. Hospital staff are having to dig mass graves, 90% of children under two face severe food poverty and most hospitals are now no longer functioning.”

“Instead of helping to end the violence, this government continues to sell military equipment to Israel, cut aid to Palestinians and refuses to back an International Court of Justice investigation. These actions are making our nation complicit in a genocide.” 

“The government can and must do more. That is why the Greens are calling on the Senate to formally vote to condemn the unequivocal support of the State of Israel.”

Two years on since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Australia mourns Ukraine’s losses, and we stand unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Australia remains steadfast in supporting Ukraine to defend itself, and to holding those responsible for Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion to account.

Today the Australian Government has imposed further targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 55 persons, and targeted financial sanctions on 37 entities.

The new sanctions target those involved in Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children from regions under temporary Russian control. This follows the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for President Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crime of unlawful deportation.

We have also sanctioned targets in Russia’s defence, energy, media and minerals sectors, as well as targets involved in Russia’s procurement networks in Belarus, Iran and North Korea. These sanctions reflect the Australian Government’s position that those supporting Russia’s illegal war will face consequences.

Australia has now imposed more than 1,200 sanctions in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Today’s sanctions build on last week’s announcement that the Albanese Government is providing $50 million to the International Fund for Ukraine, directly supporting the procurement of priority military capabilities. This contribution takes Australia’s overall support to Ukraine to approximately $960 million, including $780 million in military support.

Australia again calls on Russia, and its supporters, to immediately end this senseless war.

Today and every day, Australia stands with Ukraine and its people.

Ahead of the 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC13), the Australian Government has announced more than $20 million to support our region’s trade and development needs.

Working with Indo-Pacific partners to build resilience and grow their economies through trade enhances regional stability and prosperity.

The additional funding is consistent with the priorities of Indo-Pacific countries, and will support:

• capacity building in e-commerce and the digital economy
• trade financing
• enhancing intellectual property systems
• and identifying ways trade can bolster national climate adaptation plans.

Australia will provide $10.3 million to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Office in Geneva to support its WTO engagement.

We also continue to support Timor-Leste to achieve its aspirations and obligations as a new Member of the WTO, including through our existing $8.6 million (2022-26) package to assist Timor-Leste to meet WTO and ASEAN accession requirements.

Leading sustainable development research organisations in Geneva will also receive $2 million to help developing countries in our region advance their climate and development priorities through trade.

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

“There is no sustainable long-term economic growth without trade. Being serious about helping our neighbours become more economically resilient means supporting their development as trading nations.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell said:

“Australia’s support helps our Indo-Pacific partners to step up their involvement in international economic institutions like the WTO and benefit from the trade opportunities they generate.”