Category: Australian News

1. At the invitation of H.E. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, undertook an official visit to China from November 4 to 7, 2023, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first visit to China by an Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Edward Gough Whitlam.
2. During the visit, H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, met Prime Minister Albanese. Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Albanese jointly held talks on 7 November. H.E. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, also met Prime Minister Albanese. The leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on China-Australia relations, as well as on regional and international issues. Both sides welcomed the successful recommencement of the Annual Leaders’ Meeting between Premier Li and Prime Minister Albanese.
3. The leaders reaffirmed their support for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and reiterated the importance of a stable, constructive bilateral relationship. The two sides reiterated the importance of the 1972 Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People’s Republic of China and Australia and restated their commitment to their respective national policies and positions contained therein, including mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, stable development and Australia’s commitment to its one-China Policy. They agreed that both nations could grow the bilateral relationship and uphold their respective national interests if they navigated their differences wisely.
4. The two sides acknowledged the importance of political dialogue and welcomed the continuing stabilisation and development of the bilateral political relationship. They agreed that a series of meetings between the leadership and ministers of both countries since 2022 as well as the resumption of key foreign policy and economic dialogues were in the interests of both countries.
5. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of the UN Charter and compliance with their WTO commitments and agreed to continue to work together in the United Nations, G20, APEC, East Asia Summit and other multilateral platforms. The two sides attached importance to cooperation under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).
6. The two sides welcomed the contribution of people-to-people exchanges to the bilateral relationship, including the increasing exchanges of students, tourists and business people following the lifting of border measures. They welcomed the resumption of the China-Australia High-Level Dialogue.
7. The leaders agreed to continue or expand engagement in:
   • Political dialogue, including through resuming the Annual Leaders’ Meeting between the Chinese Premier and the Australian Prime Minister, the Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, the Strategic Economic Dialogue, the Joint Ministerial Economic Commission, as well as other government-to-government mechanisms;
   • Bilateral trade by reaffirming the importance of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and agreeing to the facilitation of trade and economic links, including through holding the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement Joint Commission meetings in Australia at an early date, holding China-Australia CEO Roundtable meetings, reaffirming commitment to the Authorised Economic Operator Mutual Recognition Arrangement, progressing the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and working towards MOUs on standards, measurement, intellectual property, competition, education and food safety;
   • Climate change, energy and environment, including through recommencing the bilateral climate change and energy dialogues, and commencing technical cooperation on soil carbon testing and climate-smart agriculture practices;
   • People-to-people links, including through the 15th Implementation Program under the 1981 Agreement of Cultural Cooperation, and exchanges in culture, sports, education, innovation, academia, aviation, health and tourism; and
   • The facilitation of exchanges, including the agreement to provide access to three to five year multi-entry visas for visitors and business people on a reciprocal basis.
8. China welcomed the invitation of the Australian side for Chinese leaders to visit Australia at a mutually convenient time.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has concluded an official visit to the People’s Republic of China, a significant step forward in stabilising relations between Australia and China.

This visit demonstrated Australia’s commitment to dialogue as the most effective way to deliver our national interests.

In Shanghai, the Prime Minister attended the China International Import Expo to showcase Australia’s world-leading exports.

In Beijing, Prime Minister Albanese held meetings with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Mr Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

The Prime Minister discussed the full range of Australia’s interests during his visit, including trade, consular, human rights, regional and multilateral issues. He underlined our enduring commitment to pursuing Australia’s national interest, and the vital importance of open dialogue.   

Leaders agreed to resume engagement and dialogue between Australia and China at the highest levels and between officials, important aspects of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Prime Minister spoke to President Xi and Premier Li about where we can cooperate on areas of mutual interest. Both sides agreed to pursue greater practical cooperation, including on trade and economic issues, agriculture, climate change and education.

Trade continues to be an important part of our bilateral relationship. Australia and China have benefited enormously from trade – it has improved living standards, helped Australian businesses grow and generated well-paid jobs for Australian workers.

The Government’s steady engagement has already resulted in the removal of trade impediments in coal, barley, hay and other products. The Prime Minister used this visit to advocate for the removal of remaining barriers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“I am pleased to conclude a successful visit to China, the first by an Australian Prime Minister since 2016. This visit was an important step in stabilising relations with China, our largest trading partner.

“While there are differences between us, both Australia and China benefit from cooperation and dialogue.

“I used this visit to advocate for Australia’s interests including on trade, consular, human rights and regional and global issues.

“I thank President Xi and Premier Li for hosting me, and look forward to continued engagement on areas of mutual interest, such as trade and climate change.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Cook Islands from 7-9 November 2023 for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ Meeting.

This will be his first visit to Cook Islands as Prime Minister and his second time attending a PIF Leaders’ Meeting.

Australia is a proud founding member of the PIF, which has brought the Pacific’s leaders together annually for more than 50 years to discuss shared challenges and regional solutions.

The PIF Leaders’ Meeting will bring together leaders from 18 Pacific countries and territories to discuss important issues affecting the region, including climate change and regional security.

The Leaders will agree steps to deliver the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, endorsed in 2022.

The Prime Minister will be joined by the Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“It is important I join with fellow Pacific leaders in Cook Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting

“I thank Cook Islands and Prime Minister Mark Brown as Chair for hosting this meeting.

“Australia sees the Pacific as family and none of us can achieve the future we want alone.

Working together, through the Pacific Islands Forum, is vital to securing a shared Pacific that is peaceful, safe and prosperous”.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Albanese Government to stop providing military export permits to the Israeli Government and provide transparency on the military equipment Australia exports to the world, following legal action from Palestinian human rights groups. 

The Greens discovered that this year alone the Albanese Government has provided 52 military export permits to the Israeli Government and over 350 since 2017. It was also discovered that once weapons leave our shores no part of the Government monitors their use or abuse.

However, the Australian public has not been told what the weapons are or how much they cost. The Albanese Government must reveal this information and ensure equipment is not being used to commit war crimes. 

This morning Palestinian human rights organisations supported by the Australian Centre for International Justice launched legal action against the Albanese Government to provide transparency on military export permits authorised to Israel.

The Greens oppose Australia’s weapons export system, which is one of the most secretive and unaccountable in the world, with the Government providing military equipment to some of the world’s worst violators of human rights, including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the UAE and Israel.

The lack of transparency and accountability is of concern as the Israeli Government’s attacks on Gaza have killed thousands of innocents and hit hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure in what amounts to collective punishment and war crimes.
 
Senator David Shoebridge Greens spokesperson on Defence said: 

“The Albanese Government has been fueling conflicts around the world through a weapons export system that has zero accountability or transparency.

“It is horrific to think that for many people, the first interaction they will have with Australia will be the Australian-made weapon that kills them. 

“The Australian Greens support this legal action as a critical attempt to force transparency in Australia’s global arms trade.

“As bombs rain down on Gaza and the Israeli ground invasion continues, the Australian government has a clear obligation to ensure no Australian equipment is being used to commit war crimes.”
 

Today I announce the appointment of Dr Lucas de Toca PSM as Australia’s Ambassador for Global Health and Ms Greer Alblas as Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Australia to UNESCO.

As Ambassador for Global Health, Dr de Toca will advance Australia’s interests in the global health system, ensuring it delivers for the Pacific and Southeast Asia, so we can be better prepared for future health emergencies.

The Ambassador for Global Health will work closely with governments and communities in our region to support their health priorities, including through the Australian Government’s flagship Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative.

Dr de Toca is a medical doctor, adjunct professor in medicine, and public health expert with extensive experience in pandemic response, First Nations health and rural health service delivery.

He leads the Global Health Division and the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, managing Australia’s relationship with multilateral health organisations and our international development assistance in health. 

The role of UNESCO Ambassador will now be full-time, reflecting a step up in Australia’s commitment to UNESCO. It will increase our ability to bring Australian expertise and experience to UNESCO’s work.

Ms Alblas is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Director, Curriculum and Outreach, Diplomatic Academy. She has previously served overseas at the Australian Permanent Mission to the UN, Geneva.

The mission of UNESCO is to build peace through international cooperation – a goal Australia strongly supports. The expertise UNESCO brings in education, science, and culture is vital to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I thank outgoing Ambassadors Megan Anderson and Dr Stephanie Williams PSM, for their contributions to advancing Australia’s interests overseas.

3.7 million Australian households are going hungry or on the edge of falling into hunger. We are bombarded by statistic after statistic, but this one from Foodbank Australia’s 2023 Hunger Report hits like a truck.

Just weeks away from Christmas, 77 per cent of Australian households experiencing food insecurity are doing so for the first time and 60 per cent of those in this dire situation are employed.

Shockingly in 2023, like in the 1920s, breadlines are appearing in our cities.

Australia under Albanese is looking less like the Lucky Country and more like the Hungry Country.

This is a far cry from what Anthony Albanese promised Australians: “No one left behind because we should always look after the disadvantaged and the vulnerable…That is what my government will do.”

Instead, over 500 days into the Albanese Labor Government, the Prime Minister’s core promises are missing in action. Like a bowtie gathering dust in a cloak room from one of his fancy dinners, ‘no one left behind’ has been forgotten.

For millions of Australians the pain will sadly get worse.

With the Prime Minister off overseas once again, Australians are staring down the barrel of another rise in the cash rate with the worst fear of many families confirmed by the assessments of all big four banks.

Days ago when I visited food charity OzHarvest I was told they see an immediate spike in demand for food every time the interest rate goes up.

The big four banks and the IMF agree rates will need to go up again and may have to be raised more than once.

Another rate rise will hit hard just as families try to make the sums add up for Christmas presents or that special family gathering.

It is now widely accepted by economists that Australia’s inflation challenge is homegrown and that is why rates will have to go up again. Indeed, once you dive into the data, you see the reason we have to have another rate rise is squarely as a result of the decisions Labor have made.

Labor missed their opportunity to kill inflation so now Australian households will take the hit.

It isn’t just mortgages that are biting. Under Albanese, Australians are being hammered on every front. Food is up 8 per cent, housing up 10 per cent, insurance up 17 per cent, electricity up 18 per cent and gas up 28 per cent.

From rents to retail, inflation is due to Labor’s reckless decision to bring in hundreds of thousands of migrants without a plan to house them. The services you need cost more today because of rises in electricity, rents and labour costs — all things Labor has driven up without a plan to pay for it.

But it will get worse.

Almost daily the organisations that drive Australia’s prosperity are under attack by this new government. A year on from conning small business groups, miners, farmers and builders to attend the Jobs and Skills Summit, Labor is at war with all of them. So it’s no surprise prices are surging.

From the cost of building your first home to your morning coffee, from the food at the supermarket and even your Uber, Labor are fixated on driving up prices exactly when we need them to do the opposite.

But the gap between expectations and delivery is not only clear in the cost of living crisis smashing Australians today.

It took President Biden and ASIO Director General Mike Burgess to remind Australians of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party when Anthony Albanese failed to do so.

The same Anthony Albanese who used to talk tough on Chinese ownership of the Port of Darwin instead opted for the status quo. He reassures that his rapprochement with China is just about business, but his officials told the diaspora community in Australia that his visit to Beijing is “purely political”. Silence on the issues that matter to Australians should never be the price of a ticket to Bejing.

As the Middle East teeters on the brink of regional conflict Labor’s Cabinet is riven by open division on foreign policy.

With a war in the Middle East, a war in Europe and collisions in the South China Sea, the alarm is also being sounded by national security experts about how Labor is running Defence.

The widely respected Alan Dupont said this week “an unwillingness to back its sober rhetoric with real money is undermining the (Labor) government’s national security credentials at home and abroad. It now threatens to hollow out a defence force struggling to do more with less.” Labor’s failure to back up its tough talking on defence has been noted by those in the know and criticism from defence experts will only increase.

This comes as new asylum seekers, who arrived by boat, are being put into Nauru with the first child going into detention since Labor was last in government.

Labor are proving an Australian political truism, they are economic and national security failures.

Deep down they know it themselves, so it is no wonder the Prime Minister’s office is doctoring his transcripts.

If you are bewildered about how we got here, remember what the Prime Minister’s sole focus of his first 500 days was: the Voice.

Anthony Albanese took the Voice referendum from 61/39 majority support to the bottom of a cliff, 61/39 against. In doing so he killed constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians for at least a generation.

The Voice has now been consigned to the referendum-that-must-not-be-named status by Labor in the hope Australians will have a bout of collective amnesia. That hope evidently extends to the indigenous Australians who had their hopes raised, then crushed by Albanese’s arrogance.

Australia under Albanese is poorer, weaker, less safe and more divided.

And worst of all — Anthony Albanese is just getting started.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt, speaking ahead of the Melbourne Institute’s 2023 Social & Economic Outlook Conference, which he is addressing along with the Prime Minister, today calls on the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Labor government to stop Defence exports to Israel.

Mr Bandt warns that the Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, also had obligations under Australian law to consider whether Australian exports could be used in the committing of war crimes, abusing human rights or aggravating threats to peace and security, and Mr Bandt is seeking advice on the legality of existing exports given the growing international condemnation of the Israeli military’s collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.

Department of Defence evidence to Senate estimates following questions by Greens Senator David Shoebridge last week revealed the Australian government had approved 350 defence export permits to Israel in the last five years, including 50 this year.

The Minister and the Department have refused to reveal how the exports are being used by the Israeli military.

The Greens have condemned the attacks by Hamas on October 7, called for the release of the hostages and prisoners and called on the Australian government to push for a ceasefire and an end to the invasion of Gaza.

In issuing permits, the Defence Trade Controls Regulation 2013 requires the Minister to consider a range of risks, including the risk that goods may be used to commit or facilitate serious abuses of human rights, in criminal activity or used to aggravate threats to peace and security.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt said:

“War crimes are being committed in the invasion of Gaza, so Labor must stop military exports to Israel.

“The Minister for Defence has legal obligations to consider whether Australian exports will be used in war crimes or threaten a region’s stability, but regardless of the legal situation, it is immoral for military exports to Israel to continue while Palestine is being illegally occupied and invaded.

“If the Defence Minister won’t act, the Prime Minister must show leadership and halt military exports to Israel and push for a ceasefire and an end to the occupation.

“Deaths in Gaza are approaching ten thousand, most of them children and women. Labor cannot wash its hands of responsibility for what is happening.”

Senator David Shoebridge Greens spokesperson for Defence said:

“Australia’s weapons export system is one of the most secretive and unaccountable in the world, with the public being kept in the dark about what weapons are sold, how much they cost or who is using them.

“Once the weapons leave our shores Defence simply washes its hands and does no follow-up on how the weapons are being used.

“This is not limited to Israel, Australia is also sending weapons and other military equipment to regimes like Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Indonesia and other countries currently engaged in brutal conflicts.”

The Greens have pushed the Minister to agree to direct Airservices Australia to operate both runways at Brisbane Airport over the water at once when safe to do so, subject to approval from the Airspace Advisory Board.

The Minister’s direction will mean changing the way Brisbane Airport operates, so that the airport must utilise its ‘SODPROPs’ mode whenever it is safe to do so. SODPROPs stands for ‘Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations’ and means that wherever possible, one runway is used for departures over water and the other runway for arrivals over water, rather than over the homes of Brisbane residents.

The change is expected to see a significant increase in flights taking off and landing over the water. The New Parallel Runway was approved and sold to Brisbane residents with the commitment that SODPROPs would be the preferred operating mode at all hours, but this commitment was quietly dropped in 2018 for daytime operations without explanation or community consultation.

The concession follows a growing community campaign, supported by the Greens, which has included a thousand-strong protest outside Brisbane Airport Corporation Headquarters earlier this year, and the recent introduction of the Greens flight noise bill to parliament calling on a cap on flights, night-time curfew, and more flights over the water.

SODPROPs mode is not always possible, particularly where weather conditions make it unsafe. But the commitment secured under Greens pressure will mean the Government must report clearly to the community on the share of flights going over the water. On occasions where SODPROPS can’t be used, the Government must report on the reasons why, allowing the Brisbane community to hold the airport to account for these decisions.

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

“The Greens have secured a significant concession from the Federal Government that could see hundreds fewer flights take off and land over Brisbane residents and instead fly over the water.

“Given SODPROPs was the original preferred operating mode from Brisbane Airport’s new runway, we see no reason why the AAB won’t sign off on this proposal that will deliver immediate relief for thousands of people across Brisbane.

“This concession is a result of not just Greens pressure, but campaigning from thousands of Brisbane residents who have stood up and fought against the greed of Brisbane Airport Corporation.

“The community and the Greens will keep up the pressure to make sure more flights depart over the water and ultimately to secure a flight cap and curfew that would deliver long-term relief for Brisbane residents.”

Max Chandler-Mather, MP for Griffith said:

“Once implemented this concession won by the Greens could see the biggest reduction in flight noise since the opening of the second runway.

“While we’re pleased to have secured a potentially major improvement in flight noise, the Greens won’t rest until we’ve won a curfew and cap on flights, because Brisbane deserves the same protections as Sydney.”

Stephen Bates, MP for Brisbane said:

“The cracks in the Government’s position against action on flight noise are starting to show. This is only because the Greens and the community have been working together to demand better.

“Sydney residents secured a cap and a curfew with support from local, state, and federal representatives. This is a significant concession from the Federal government, and it shows that our pressure is working.

“Impacted residents will hold every level of government accountable until our city is delivered the same protections.”

The Greens have secured support to establish a Senate inquiry into menopause and perimenopause on Monday, to understand its health impacts and its economic impacts on women and people who menstruate, and the impacts on the broader economy.

Menopause happens between the ages of 45-60, and perimenopause which precedes it can last for up to ten years and begin as early as your 30s. Both can be physically and mentally debilitating, with significant financial consequences.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:

“People experiencing physically and mentally debilitating menopause and perimenopause symptoms have for too long been forced to suffer in silence.

“Women are sick of being invisible and their health needs neglected. We need good policy to address the economic, social and health impacts of peri and menopause.

“The inquiry would look at the economic, physical, mental and financial impacts of menopause and perimenopause, as well as cultural perceptions and attitudes about a health issue affecting half our population.

“80 per cent of Australian women experience menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms that can range from mild to extremely severe. 

“The financial impact of this can be profound, for women, as well as their employers and the economy, as many women at the peak of their career are leaving the workforce. 

“The gendered cost of treatment is yet another financial burden that only women face, on top of the costs of a lifetime of menstruation. 

“We need evidence-based policies to reduce the impact of menopause and perimenopause on women’s participation in the workforce, and the adequacy of existing leave entitlements. 

“Unions have already started campaigning on this issue, proposing a policy to give employees who have painful periods or menopause symptoms paid leave — similar to the family and domestic violence leave policy. 

“We also need more awareness both by GPs and by patients of the symptoms of peri and menopause, so that people know what treatments are available to them, and make them affordable.

“Once the inquiry is on foot, we’ll be inviting submissions from women, health professionals, employers and experts about what federal funding and policies need to be developed to support women in this phase of life.”

The Greens call for the Albanese Government to urgently consider and implement recommendations handed down today in a Senate inquiry report into marine invasive species.

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

“The spread of marine invasive pests is arguably one of the most significant environmental challenges we face in our oceans, but is rarely talked about or acted upon. The Greens hope the release of this critical report today will change this.

“This historic Senate report has been years in the making and its important recommendations were directly informed by over 150 stakeholders from around the nation –  including recreational and commercial fishers, scientists, First Nations and other communities, the Tasmanian, Victorian and NSW governments, and federal agencies such as the FRDC and CSIRO.

“The Greens would like to thank everyone who participated in the Senate inquiry and who have been working for years to raise awareness and educate people regarding this issue, including the need for Federal Government leadership and funding.

“I moved for this inquiry because invasive long-spined sea urchins have range-shifted down our east coast with climate change and decimated precious marine ecosystems and fisheries in their wake. It’s been obvious very little has been done by any level of government to coordinate or manage a response to this worsening menace.

“Kelp forests that underpin the Great Southern Reef are Australia’s forgotten forests. Entire swathes of these ecosystems are becoming totally barren due to the spread of long-spined sea urchins, and it’s predicted that Tasmania has already lost a third of its productive east coast reefs due to this invasive species. 

“The Senate heard that the loss of marine biodiversity and habitat resulting from the unchecked spread of invasive urchins has had severe impacts on commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism businesses and local communities along the Great Southern Reef – spanning southern NSW, down through Victoria and Tasmania, and as far as New Zealand.

“Stopping new fossil fuel projects and reducing emissions is the number one priority to prevent rapidly increasing ocean warming which is the root cause of the spread of climate-related marine invasive species. However efforts must also be focused on better managing the spread of destructive pests and on adapting to our changing environment.

“The Great Barrier Reef rightly receives hundreds of millions of dollars to help tackle the invasive crown-of-thorns starfish, while the Great Southern Reef gets next to no funding or support to tackle risks presented by the long-spined sea urchin and other climate change pressures. This is despite 70% of the Great Southern Reef’s species not being found anywhere else on earth, far more than the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. 

“The critical Senate inquiry report serves as a blueprint for federal government leadership and action to protect the Great Southern Reef. All sides of politics agree that action is needed to protect the Great Southern Reef and I implore the Albanese Government to urgently consider and implement recommendations handed down today in the Senate inquiry report.”