Category: Australian News

The Albanese Government is working to eliminate the scourge of modern slavery and human trafficking through action at home and overseas.

Today Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Justine Elliot will host the 15th National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery.

To help deliver the Albanese Government’s ambitious reform agenda, 20 members have been appointed to the Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group.

The Group will advise on the operation of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and the practical implementation of measures to strengthen the Act, which the Government is considering following the Modern Slavery Act Review.

The individuals and organisations who have been appointed bring a diverse range of experience and expertise from business, civil society, unions and academica.

This year also marks 20 years of partnership to combat trafficking in persons between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Australia is working with ASEAN partners to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people in our region. Over 10,000 government officials have now been trained to better identify, protect and support victims of trafficking and their families.

Since 2003, Australia has provided more than $160 million in development assistance to ASEAN countries to strengthen criminal justice responses and improve victim protection and support. This includes our current 10-year (2018-2028) $80 million ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking program (ASEAN-ACT).

If you or someone you know is a victim of modern slavery, please reach out to one of the below organisations for help. In an emergency, or if a child is concerned, dial 000.

Greens welcome news today that the Queensland government has scrapped plans for the deeply unpopular Toowoomba North-South Transport Corridor.

The proposed mega-highway transport route would have had adverse impacts on residents, on endangered wildlife, on First Nations heritage sites and on the environment generally. 

Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters said:

“This announcement is a joyous win for community leaders in Toowoomba, who came together to say “no way” to this home-destroying and bushland-wrecking highway.

“In a cost of living and climate crisis, the Queensland Government should not be wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on an unwanted mega road that would have destroyed so many homes and livelihoods, sacred sites and important koala habitat.

“I’m so proud of the community leaders who led this campaign, and so happy to have taken the time to hear their concerns directly, visited part of the site at risk, and hosted a public meeting about it.

“The proposed mega highway and the mismanagement of the consultation caused the community so much anguish and anxiety. Locals banded together with their neighbours and have shown the undeniable strength of people power.

“I am pleased that the Queensland government will now work with Toowoomba Regional Council to identify alternate transport solutions, and I hope they will conduct the community consultation properly this time – with enough time and genuine options presented to the community and feedback taken on board.

“This new consultation should include consideration of a frequent, accessible and affordable public transport network for Toowoomba, something all regional communities deserve throughout the state.

“Community members and conservation groups have been vindicated by this excellent decision, and I congratulate them on their efforts to build a more livable and connected community for Toowoomba.”

The Greens will spearhead a select Senate inquiry into the price gouging of major supermarkets amid Australia’s cost of living crisis.

The inquiry will scrutinise the impact of market concentration on food prices and the pattern of pricing strategies employed by the supermarket duopoly.

It will also assess the rise in essential item prices, the validity of discounts offered, and the inflation of profits during economic hardship.

“Coles and Woolworths are making billions in profits by price gouging in a cost of living crisis,” Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“For too long the big supermarkets have had too much market power. This allows them to dictate prices and terms that are hitting people hard.”

“It’s time to smash the duopoly.” 

“Coles and Woolworths are making billions in profits because they feel that they can overcharge people without repercussions. It needs to end.”

“We want the CEOs to justify their decisions in a public hearing.”

“This inquiry is a critical step toward dismantling the market concentration that’s led to unfair pricing and stifled competition.”

“We’ll find a way to dismantle their power and bring grocery prices down.”

“It is about ensuring that Australians can afford to eat without being exploited, and that suppliers are treated fairly.” 

Terms of reference:

The price setting practices and market power of major supermarkets, with particular reference to: 

1. The effect of market concentration and the exercise of corporate power on the price of food and groceries; 
2. The pattern of price setting between the two major supermarket chains;
3. Rising supermarket profits and the large increase in price of essential items;
4. The prevalence of opportunistic pricing, price mark-ups and discounts that aren’t discounts;
5. The contribution of home brand products to the concentration of corporate power;
6. The use of technology and automation to extract cost-savings from consumers and employees;
7. Improvements to the regulatory framework to deliver lower prices for food and groceries; 
8. Frameworks to protect suppliers when interacting with the major supermarkets, and;
9. Any other related matters.

The Albanese Government must act to introduce urgent legislation to the Parliament after the High Court today endorsed preventative detention to protect Australians from the dangerous detainees that have been released into our community.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton and Coalition Shadow Ministers Michaelia Cash, James Paterson and Dan Tehan called on the Government to act immediately to keep the Australian community safe.

The High Court has endorsed exactly the type of response that Peter Dutton has been calling for over the last three weeks, as the Government released more than 140 detainees including pedophiles, rapists, murderers, and a contract killer onto our streets.

The High Court’s reasons for its judgement in the case of the detainee known as NZYQ clearly greenlights a pathway to legislate for preventative detention to protect the community. It falls to the Government now to follow through.

The Government has been saying for two weeks that preventative detention isn’t an option and they’ve been proved wrong today. They should have been ready with preventative detention legislation already.

Questions also arise as to why the Government panicked and urgently released in excess of 140 detainees when the decision clearly applies to the single detainee NZYQ.

The hopeless Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles and hapless Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil should explain to the Australia people why they released each of the other 140 detainees. Both Ministers Giles and O’Neil have shown Australians what amateur hour looks like.

What is also very clear is that the Government botched the handling of this case.

Why did they make concessions in May that NZYQ couldn’t be resettled, but then proceed to make further inquiries in August in an attempt to resettle him?

The Court specifically looked at the last-ditch inquiries made very late in the piece. But because it was left so late in the process it was not reasonable to say whether those inquiries were likely to be successful.

Mr Giles and Ms O’Neil should come clean on why they gave that concession which appears to have set the High Court on a path of no return.

This Government has proved incompetent during every step of this process. We will await their further incompetence to be on display in coming days.

Today’s announcement by Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek that the future of fish farming in Macquarie Harbour needs to be reviewed is a start, but this acknowledgment will be meaningless if the Minister doesn’t also act immediately to protect the Maugean skate. 

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

“Consultation on protecting the Maugean skate should’ve happened years ago but successive federal governments have refused to step in and protect the species.

“Science has identified Macquarie Harbour as naturally low in dissolved oxygen, made worse by industrial salmon farming. 

“We now have a critical moral and political decision to make – is it more important to prevent the avoidable extinction of a species or protect the profits of foreign owned salmon companies?

“The Maugean skate is only found in one place on earth, how sad is it that we are looking at removing the ancient skate from its only known home to allow the farming of an introduced species – Atlantic Salmon. The skate belongs in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, and Atlantic Salmon belong in the Atlantic.

“While consultation is great it won’t protect the skate this summer. Scientists tell us the Maugean skate is one extreme weather event away from extinction and given predictions for marine heatwaves this summer I urge Minister Plibersek to follow her own departments scientific advice and remove introduced Atlantic salmon from the skates natural environment.”

Figures compiled for the Greens by the Parliamentary Library show a tremendously top-heavy Australian Defence Force with the number of flag officers almost doubling since 2003 from 119 to 219. 

This means there is a one star level officer for every 260 full-time uniformed members. This is way out of whack with comparable militaries around the world.

The most senior level of officers in the ADF with a ‘star rank’, Generals, Admirals and Air Commodores, have multiplied while enlisted numbers have gone backwards falling from 62,429 in 1983 to 41,079 in 2023.

This is part of a broader trend towards a top-heavy military with the proportion of officers to enlisted members doubling from 14 to 28% between 1983 and 2023. International comparisons on senior pay and numbers are below.

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Defence Spokesperson, said: 

“When you have so much gold braid and so few troops it feels like a satire, not a military.”

“‘Senior Defence leadership have failed to meet a single recruiting target for the last decade while they have quietly doubled their senior ranks. This is literally rewarding failure. 

“The ADF has a whole lot of people with gold braid bossing around a shrinking group of enlisted members in khaki, blues and whites. It is like the Vatican with dozens of Popes running around decked out in the fanciest regalia for a few hundred priests.

“It is no wonder the military is struggling to find new recruits when there is this bloated and unaccountable leadership class searching for relevance in a shrinking defence force.

“For too long the response from Defence to every national security issue, backed by Liberal and Labor governments, is to stick a star on someone and pump up their paycheck. Every time a new program is announced there is a rush to appoint a fresh admiral, a new general or a shiny air marshall, and it’s always years before we see a new ship, tank or plane.

“If fancy flags kept us safe then Australia would certainly have a world-leading military.” Senator Shoebridge said.

International Comparisons

International comparisons show just how braid-heavy the ADF has become:

• For every one of the 219 star-ranked officers in the Australian Defence Force, there are just 260 other officers and enlisted members, 
• For every one of the 863 star-ranked officers in the US military, there are 1,500 other officers and enlisted members,
• For every one of the 115 star-ranked officers in the UK there are 1,200 other officers and enlisted members.

It’s not just numbers where the Australian military topples over at the top, it’s also on pay.

• The Australian Chief of Defence Force is paid $1,062,702,
• The Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff is paid $330,000 AUD,
• The UK Chief of the Defence Staff is paid $530,000 AUD.

The interim report of the Liberal-dominated Senate inquiry into so-called “school disruption” fails to meaningfully address the underlying causes of challenging teaching environments, the Greens say.

Link to Greens dissenting report

Greens spokesperson on Education (Primary & Secondary), Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“The Greens opposed this inquiry from the outset, and this interim report proves that we were right to do so.

“It’s no surprise that we’re seeing an increase in behaviours of concern in the classroom. The vast majority of socioeconomically disadvantaged kids and kids with a disability attend public schools, and nearly every single public school in the country receives significantly less than the bare minimum funding they need.

“Students are forced into an environment that is not inclusive, where the support and the resources they need do not exist, and it’s left to overworked teachers to try to hold it all together.

“The report’s focus on training and pedagogy really misses the point. We should be addressing the causes of disadvantage and properly resourcing our schools so that teachers have the time to plan properly and provide proper support to every student.

“The Liberals can bang on all they like about the curriculum and ‘evidence-based instruction’, but it’s all beside the point while kids are coming to class on an empty stomach or sweltering in demountables, and teachers do not have the capacity to give disabled students the care and attention they need and deserve.

“Labor must seriously tackle poverty and housing insecurity, and they must deliver full funding to all Australian public schools at the start of the next National School Reform Agreement, in January 2025.”

The Albanese Government is investing up to $12 million in a new partnership that will support local communities and governments in Southeast Asia and the Pacific to improve HIV testing and treatment, reduce stigma and discrimination, and lower transmission.

Australia will work with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Health Equity Matters to deliver this new initiative, which aims to accelerate access to new HIV prevention and treatment solutions, through community-led responses.

HIV responses which are specifically crafted for and implemented by communities, are key to addressing stigma and discrimination, and reaching all those who need help.

From prevention to treatment, addressing stigma and discrimination is critical. HIV is a virus that affects all parts of the community, women and girls accounted for almost half of all new HIV infections in 2022. Therefore, community-led responses are an effective way of reaching all people who need assistance.

This is part of the Australian Government’s five-year $620 million Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, and is in addition to Australia’s ongoing support to UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

World AIDS Day, on 1 December, is a time to reflect on the remarkable progress made in the fight against HIV, and the work required to end the HIV epidemic and support those living with HIV.

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

“Globally we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV – but there is still more to be done.

“It is critical that Australia supports communities in our region to end the HIV epidemic, including through sharing our own knowledge and experience.”

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

“This new partnership will support locally led solutions to the HIV epidemic in our region – enabling affected communities to lead the response.

“We are building genuine partnerships across our region to reduce HIV transmission and support those living with HIV.”

CEO, Health Equity Matters, Adjunct Professor Darryl O’Donnell said:

“The most effective way to treat and prevent HIV is to empower the people who most feel its impact.

“We endorse the Government’s resolve to fight stigma and expand access to prevention, treatment and testing.”

Regional Director, UNAIDS Asia Pacific and Eastern Europe Central Asia regions, Eamonn Murphy said:

“UNAIDS values Australia’s long-standing partnership globally and in the Indo-Pacific region, and particularly its commitment to community leadership.

“By supporting expanded access to HIV prevention and treatment while reducing stigma and discrimination, we can accelerate progress toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.”

Australia condemns North Korea’s satellite launch on 21 November, which was a reckless act that seriously undermined security and stability in our region. This use of ballistic missile technology is in violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

Today, Australia is imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on a further seven individuals and one entity associated with North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction or missile programs and the satellite launch.

These sanctions are issued in coordination with new designations announced by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Australia is working with our allies and partners to slow the development of North Korea’s destabilising weapons programs and increase pressure on its procurement and revenue generation networks.

We share a commitment to addressing the security threat posed by North Korea. All countries should abide by their UNSC obligations in response to North Korea’s violations.

North Korea must comply fully with UNSC resolutions to abandon its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

Together with our partners, we call on North Korea to engage in constructive dialogue and move toward permanent peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

On Wednesday, 29 November 2023, the Australian Government will issue a formal national apology to all Australians impacted by the Thalidomide Tragedy.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver the apology on behalf of the Australian Government, Parliament and the Australian people, in the House of Representatives.

Thalidomide survivors, their family members, carers and supporters will attend the historic apology, followed by a reception in the Great Hall of Parliament House.

A National Site of Recognition will also be unveiled on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin at a ceremony on Thursday, 30 November 2023. This important event will also be attended by thalidomide survivors and their families.

The apology and the creation of a memorial site are in response to key recommendations of the Support for Australia’s thalidomide survivors final report, delivered by the Senate Community Affairs References Committee in March 2019.

Thalidomide was the active ingredient in a sedative drug widely distributed to many mothers in Australia and around the world in the early 1960s. It was later found to cause malformation of limbs, facial features and internal organs in unborn children.

While there are 146 thalidomide survivors registered with the Australian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program, the exact number of those affected is unknown.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“The thalidomide tragedy is a dark chapter in the history of our nation and the world.

“I recognise that the survivors, their families, friends and carers have advocated for this apology with courage and conviction for many years. This moment is a long overdue national acknowledgement of all they have endured and all they have fought for.

“In giving this apology, we will acknowledge all those babies who died and the families who mourn them, as well as those who survived but whose lives were made so much harder by the effects of this terrible drug.”

Minister Butler said:

“So many mothers and their babies were let down by systemic failures that led to the thalidomide tragedy, and we should reflect on that and apologise for it.

“While we cannot change the past or end the physical suffering, I hope these important next steps of recognition and apology will help heal some of the emotional wounds.

“It is difficult today, to think a tragedy like thalidomide could happen, and it’s a sobering reminder of our duty to put in place measures to protect people from harm.”