Category: Australian News

Heatwaves are the biggest climate-related killer – more deadly than storms, fires and floods combined.

The only existing dedicated funding for heatwave mitigation projects at the Federal level is through the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF). Parliamentary Library analysis has revealed that last round the DRF funded just 2 heatwave mitigation projects for a measly combined total of $3.2M in funding. This contrasts to the $11.1B spent in fossil fuel subsidies last year, a 3,500x difference.

According to government analysis, heatwave related deaths are expected to climb to over 1000 annually in each of the following major cities by 2050: Perth (1419), Melbourne (1149), Sydney (1015) and Brisbane (1072). This is around double current figures for Melbourne and a 500% increase for Brisbane.

The Greens are calling on the government to coordinate a National Heatwave Plan, including the following elements:

1. Updating the National Construction Code to take into account expected climate change impacts and ensure all new construction is heatwave resistant, including mandating light-coloured roofs, 8 star energy efficiency, high-performance insulating windows, and passive heating and cooling systems.
2. Facilitate a mass roll-out of urban greening to reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, including planting millions of shade trees across our cities to achieve a minimum urban green cover target in every suburb of 30%, and expanding shaded public green space within walking distance of residents.
3. Fund a proactive outreach program to mobilise an army of paid staff and volunteers to go door to door in high-risk areas during a heatwave to offer support and advice, including identifying vulnerable populations (people experiencing homelessness, pregnant people, people with disabilities and chronic illnesses) and developing targeted support for them.
4. An easy to access one-off payment for people to help ease the increase in energy costs for cooling their homes.

Elizabeth Watson-Brown, Greens spokesperson for Transport, Infrastructure and Sustainable Cities said:

‘While Labor and LNP are giving billions in subsidies to coal and gas corporations each year, they have spent peanuts to help everyday people who are sweltering in their homes.

‘Over the next few decades, tens of thousands of Australians will die from heat-related illness if the government doesn’t take action to ensure our homes are heatwave resilient, and our cities and suburbs have enough tree coverage to prevent urban heat islands

‘You shouldn’t need to fret over your energy bill when there’s a 37 degree day like today, and turning on the aircon could well be what protects you from serious heatstroke.

‘At their Wednesday caucus meeting, Labor should immediately resolve to deliver a heatwave plan that includes planting millions of shade trees, making all of our buildings heat-resistant and liveable, coordinating an outreach army to check in on vulnerable people during heatwaves, and a one-off payment for people to help ease the increase in energy costs for cooling their homes.’

Today I announce the appointment of highly qualified individuals to lead Australian diplomatic posts in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Mauritius, Poland, Timor-Leste, and Samoa, as well as the Australian Mission to ASEAN.

Our overseas representatives drive Australia’s engagement with the world, advancing Australia’s interests and upholding the rules, standards and norms that underpin peace and prosperity.

I am pleased to announce the following appointments:

• Ms Silai Zaki as Australia’s next Consul-General in Chennai.
• Mr Hugh Boylan as Australia’s next Consul-General in Kolkata.
• Mr Paul Murphy as Australia’s next Consul-General in Mumbai.
• Ms Kate Chamley as Australia’s next High Commissioner to the Republic of Mauritius.
• Mr Benjamin Hayes as Australia’s next Ambassador to the Republic of Poland. The Ambassador to Poland is also accredited to the Czech Republic and the Republic of Lithuania.
• Ms Caitlin Wilson as Australia’s next Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.
• Mr Will Robinson as Australia’s next High Commissioner to the Independent State of Samoa. The High Commissioner to Samoa is also accredited to American Samoa.
• Ms Tiffany McDonald as Australia’s next Ambassador of Australia to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

I thank the outgoing Ambassador, High Commissioner and Consuls-General, for their contributions to Australian diplomacy.

Today marks five years since Australian citizen, Dr Yang Jun, was detained in China.

Dr Yang faced a closed trial in Beijing on 27 May 2021 and still awaits a verdict.

The Australian Government remains deeply troubled by the ongoing delays in his case.

I was moved to read the letter from Dr Yang’s sons late last year. All Australians know how much Dr Yang loves his family and his country.

I want to acknowledge the strength that Dr Yang has demonstrated, and the strength of his family and friends. Our thoughts are with them all.

Since Dr Yang was detained, the Australian Government has called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment for Dr Yang, in accordance with international norms and China’s legal obligations.

The Australian Government will continue to advocate for Dr Yang’s interests and wellbeing at the highest levels, including for the appropriate medical treatment, and provide consular assistance to him and his family.

Australia Day should be about national pride and unity, not the shame and division gleefully promoted by activists who make a sport of running down Australia and its people.

In response to my disclosing an encounter at a Bunnings store this week, where I was told by an employee that staff had been instructed not to wear items associated with celebrating Australia Day, the company contacted me to clarify its position.

I appreciate Bunnings reaching out to me and saying there was no direction from the business to stores that staff must not wear such items on Australia Day. Bunnings has told me their stores are ‘free to mark Australia Day in a way that’s right for them and their local communities’. While their qualification of responsibility gives me some pause, I appreciate the company’s response.

I appreciate it because, like so many other Australians, I have had enough of the attacks on our people, our institutions, and our traditions by woke activists and the governments and corporations that foolishly accommodate these attacks. Australia Day should be a day of national pride and unity

Woolworths is the obvious case in point. Not for a minute do I accept their claim that refusing to sell Australia Day merchandise is a commercial decision, and that’s why I did my shopping elsewhere this week.

The Albanese Labor government is, as usual, failing to provide the leadership that unites Australia despite the lesson provided by the voice to Parliament referendum—that Australians do not want a country divided by race. Murray Watt’s pathetic whine about ‘culture wars’ is about as weak as it gets, especially since it’s Labor and Greens who are wholly infiltrated by extremists who start such wars.

That’s what happens to weak political parties and governments that allow themselves to be held hostage to extreme woke activism. Labor should be purging these infiltrators from its ranks and starting to govern for all Australians.

The Albanese Government welcomes the review by the Queensland Government of 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic venues Master Plan.

We understand global conditions are resulting in cost and labour market pressure for all jurisdictions. These have been evident in the construction sector, and it is a good time to review plans to ensure current and likely future conditions are taken into account.

We want to ensure the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games leave an enduring Games legacy for Brisbane and south east Queensland, as well as the wider State and the nation long after the closing ceremony is over.

That is why we entered a significant 50/50 co-funding with the Queensland Government with capped investment for the Brisbane Arena and funding for 16 new or upgraded venues.

We look forward to participating cooperatively with the review.

The Greens have condemned Anthony Albanese for an insensitive and vacuous media stunt in lutruwita/Tasmania today. 

Greens senator for lutruwita/Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“The ancient Maugean skate is on the brink of extinction largely due to Atlantic salmon farming in the skate’s last remaining home: Macquarie Harbour.

“Yet the PM swung into town today to stand with salmon industry representatives to announce…nothing?! 

“This was an incredibly insensitive and vacuous media stunt from our PM, especially in the same week it was announced half the Maugean skates in a captive breeding program aimed to save the species from extinction have died.

“Foreign-owned Atlantic salmon companies operating in Tassie have captured our federal and state governments. 

“The PM made a political decision today to show Labor’s true colours and priorities are with the salmon industry. 

“Tasmanians are sick of listening to tired rhetoric around jobs and growth at the expense of our unique and precious native wildlife. There’s only so long politicians can choose to prioritise the profits of big businesses over the survival of an entire species.” 

The Miles/Palaszczuk Labor government has been focusing on divisive vanity projects instead of prioritising escalating crime in Queensland, with offenses up 31% since 2019.

While Labor is pursuing the Olympic Games in 2032 and continuing the divisive path to treaty process despite the overwhelming Queensland no vote at the referendum, crime is getting out of control.

The Courier-Mail has revealed more than 600,000 offences were reported in Queensland in 2023, a 7.3% increase on last year. That’s more than 50,000 offences per month.

Crime is escalating under Labor and they don’t have a plan to address it. Police recruitment is not meeting its targets, and officers from Yeppoon and Rockhampton are leaving the force to work in other industries like train driving—trains aren’t spitting at you, trying to assault you, or ram you in a stolen vehicle.

Labor is prioritising vanity projects like the 2032 Olympics, already committing billions of dollars it initially said it would not spend, and pursuing the controversial path to treaty process despite the withdrawal of necessary bipartisan support and Queensland’s overwhelming rejection of racial divisions at last year’s voice to Parliament referendum.

The first priority of any government should be community safety.

Labor needs to acknowledge that 95% of Queenslanders want tougher penalties for repeat offenders and act accordingly. They also need to acknowledge the great success of intervention and redirection programmes for at-risk young people like Operation Hard Yakka in Maryborough, and interstate programs like Operation Flinders in South Australia.

One Nation will work to integrate such programmes into Queensland’s youth justice system.

Labor should not be afraid to adopt One Nation’s policies that will ensure repeat offenders are held accountable for their crimes, and which will also address the causes of repeat offences. Queenslanders have had enough of beinag afraid in their own homes as crime spirals out of control under Labor.

The latest “Rental Pain Index” from Suburbtrends, as of January 2024, paints a dire picture of the Australian rental market. The updated report, continuing the company’s detailed analysis of rental market conditions, indicates a deepening crisis, with a significant percentage of suburbs in extreme rental pain.

Kent Lardner, founder of Suburbtrends, highlights the alarming findings: “Our January report shows an unprecedented level of rental stress. In states like Queensland and South Australia, over 58% of suburb groups are experiencing extreme rental hardship. This situation is putting immense financial pressure on Australian renters.”

The analysis reveals that in the top 25 worst-affected suburb groups, the Rental Pain Index reaches 100, signifying the highest level of rental distress. “Suburbs such as Durack in QLD and Christie Downs in SA are among the hardest hit, where average rental increases are combined with extremely low vacancy rates, exacerbating the situation,” Lardner explains.

The report also notes that rental affordability across these suburb groups often exceeds 35% of income, far beyond the threshold typically associated with financial strain. “This is not an isolated issue; it’s a nationwide problem that requires immediate and comprehensive policy action,” Lardner stresses.

Lardner urges policymakers to respond: “As we begin 2024, the Rental Pain Index serves as a crucial indicator of the hardships faced by renters across Australia. The data calls for urgent, multifaceted policy solutions to address the soaring rental costs and limited housing availability. It’s time to turn these insights into action.”

The complete Rental Pain Index and dataset for January 2024, including an interactive map feature, are now available for download. For more detailed local reports and data interpretation

About Suburbtrends

As a frontrunner in property market analysis, Suburbtrends remains committed to providing in-depth insights into Australia’s complex rental landscape. The Rental Pain Index is a critical tool in understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges facing the Australian rental market.

NSW map : https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16463492/

VIC map : https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16463499/

QLD map: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16463504/

SA map : https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16463512/

WA map : https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16463521/

TAS map : https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16463539/

Today’s news that two of the four adult Maugean skates in the species’ new captive breeding program have died is devastating. This tragedy reinforces the scientific evidence – industrial fish farming in Macquarie Harbour must end for the skate to have the best chance of survival.

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: 

“Hats off to the recovery team for all their efforts to save the skate, but we can’t rely on such an uncertain, high risk program as our only effort to save this species from extinction.
 
“We have to do so much better to protect the skate in its only natural home: Macquarie Harbour.
 
“The federal government’s own updated scientific advice clearly states the key threat to the skate’s survival is poor water quality in the Harbour, and that the primary cause of this is Atlantic salmon farming. The fastest and simplest way to give the Maugean skate a fighting chance of survival is to remove toxic industrial salmon farming from the skate’s natural environment – it’s that simple.
 
“We can’t allow the farming of an introduced species – Atlantic salmon – to cause the extinction of an iconic native species. The skate belongs in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, and Atlantic salmon belong in the Atlantic.
 
“Resorting to a captive breeding program will clearly be a case of too little too late unless Tanya Plibersek upholds her own ‘Zero Extinction’ pledge and protects the Maugean skate’s last remaining natural habitat.”

This week I will travel to Jordan, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the United Arab Emirates, to support international diplomatic efforts towards a durable peace in the Middle East.

One hundred days since the October 7 terror attacks, I will use Australia’s voice to advocate for a pathway out of the current conflict, an increase in vital humanitarian assistance, upholding of international law and greater protection for civilians, preventing regional escalation, and working toward a lasting peace.

As a bridge-builder, with a historic leadership position in the region, Jordan plays an important stabilising role in the current conflict. My visit to Amman is an opportunity to enhance coordination to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to discuss international efforts to re-start a political process that leads to a future Palestinian state.

In my engagement with officials in Israel, I will convey Australia’s support for Israel’s security and its right to defend itself in the face of terrorism, while stressing that the way it does so matters. I will reaffirm Australia’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and meet with the families of hostages and survivors of the terror attacks on October 7.

I will be joined by Australia’s Humanitarian Coordinator and will discuss practical ways to support an increased and more effective flow of humanitarian assistance.

I will make clear Australia’s support for Palestinians’ right to self-determination and commitment to meeting humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank with officials in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I will meet with representatives of communities affected by settler violence and reaffirm our view that settlements are illegal under international law.

I will also emphasise Australia’s opposition to the forcible displacement of Palestinians and our view that Gaza must no longer be used as a platform for terrorism.

My visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will reaffirm our close friendship and welcome the commencement of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The UAE is an important partner that plays a key role in regional security. My meetings with counterparts will be focused on preventing the conflict from spreading, and the conditions needed to support a lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

I will also visit Australian defence personnel based in the UAE, who have played a key role in the return of Australians caught up in this conflict, and in recent unrest in Sudan.

Australia is committed to working with partners toward a just and enduring peace in the form of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders.