Category: Australian News

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has condemned instances of hate and bigotry in Australia, and expressed concern over civilian deaths in Israel and Palestine.

There have been reports of an antisemitic attack in Melbourne overnight, while Australian supporters of Palestine have shared harrowing examples of Islamophobia online.

The Greens say that amid this painful time, antisemitism and Islamophobia are unacceptable.

Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens said:
“This is a painful time for the Jewish and Palestinian communities in Australia, who must be able to grieve the loss of loved ones and publicly express solidarity for those trying to stay safe back home, and antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks on Australia’s Jewish and Palestinian communities must stop,” Mr Bandt said.

“This war has brought pain and grief to so many, and there is no place to worsen that through hateful and violent racism and bigotry, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

“There is no place for antisemitism or Islamophobia in the push to end the occupation of Palestine and build a lasting peace.

“I’m particularly concerned about reports of an antisemitic attack in Melbourne, the abhorrent Islamophobia expressed at supporters of Palestine, and the attempt of a small group to hijack a rally in support of Palestine, who the rally organisers have rightly condemned as ‘vile antisemitic attendees’. As we fight to end the occupation, the Greens oppose all forms of racism and discrimination in Australia and internationally.

“Amid reports of civilian deaths in Israel and Palestine, there must be an immediate ceasefire between the State of Israel and Hamas and an end to the occupation to ensure a lasting peace. The premeditated targeting of civilians by Hamas is a war crime, as is the bombing of Palestinian civilians by the State of Israel. All perpetrators of war crimes in this conflict must be held to account for their actions in accordance with international law. The Greens condemn the attacks and we condemn the occupation. 

“For there to be a lasting peace there must be an end to the State of Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.”

The Australian Government has received confirmation of the tragic death of Galit Carbone, an Australian citizen murdered in the attacks on Israel by terrorist group Hamas.

On behalf of the Government, I wish to convey my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Ms Carbone. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to her family in Israel and in Australia.

Australia unequivocally condemns the attacks on Israel by Hamas. There is no excuse for the deliberate killing of innocent civilians.

The loss of life from these attacks has been devastating and unacceptable. Australia has called for the attacks to stop and for the immediate and unconditional release of all those taken hostage.

Our thoughts are with all those killed and injured in these attacks and all others affected. Australia continues to urge the protection of civilian lives at all times.

The Australian Government will provide $1 million to support the people of Afghanistan following the deadly earthquake which struck Herat Province.

The earthquake has exacerbated the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where 29.2 million people are already in desperate need.

Australia’s assistance will be directed through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF), led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The AHF provides emergency shelter, health, food and protection for vulnerable people. No Australian funding will benefit or legitimise the Taliban regime.

Australia has already committed $50 million in 2023-24 to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.

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

“We are deeply troubled by the loss of life and destruction in Afghanistan.

“Australia’s support will be delivered through independent agencies to provide basic needs such as shelter, food and medicine.

“Australia stands with the people of Afghanistan.”

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

“This earthquake has exacerbated the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where almost 30 million people are already in desperate need.

“We are working closely with our humanitarian partners who have initiated relief efforts, deploying medical and trauma support to regional hospitals, as well as providing emergency shelter, supplies and food assistance to affected areas.”

the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts (MP) said:

“Our thoughts are with the victims of this tragic earthquake, their families, and the rescue personnel.

“We urge the Taliban to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls, ethnic and religious minorities.” 

Today we announce the Australian Government will begin the assisted-departure of Australians affected by the situation in Israel and Gaza.

On Monday, we directed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to assess all options to assist Australians wanting to leave.

Australian Government assisted-departure flights will depart from Ben Gurion Airport starting Friday for Australians who do not already have plans to leave through commercial options.

These flights will be operated by Qantas free-of-charge.

We understand many Australians are experiencing difficulties with delays and cancellations of commercial flights departing Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

Our immediate priority is to ensure the Australians who want to leave Israel are able to do so – but we are working on options for Australians who need onward support from London.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and consider whether further assisted-departure flights are required.

Australians who want to leave Israel via Australia’s assisted-departure flights should register by calling the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia).

Australians in Israel and Gaza who cannot reach Ben Gurion Airport, should contact the Consular Emergency Centre for assistance.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to provide updates to registered Australians.

Mortgages, rents, power and grocery bills continue to soar under Labor.

In light of the challenging circumstances facing many Australian households, Senator Dean Smith is calling on Labor and the Australian Greens to support a Private Senator’s Bill that could alleviate some of these pressures.

The proposed Bill, which Senator Smith intends to introduce on behalf of the Coalition, would provide the food industry with a tax incentive to donate surplus food to Australians in need.

It gives effect to an initiative that has long been championed by Foodbank Australia and its supporters, aimed at providing urgent food relief to those at risk of going hungry.

Foodbank reports two million Australian households were unable to consistently put food on the table during the past year, while 38% of food insecure households are not receiving the formal food support they require.

The new Bill would feature a two-tiered tax incentive model that was developed by KPMG.

Small and medium businesses, including grocery shops and family farms, would be eligible for a 20% cash back on all costs associated with their food donations.

Larger operators would receive a 10% credit on their tax bill.

The tax deduction would not apply to individuals.

It follows the effective use of food donation tax incentives around the world, including the United States, France, Canada and the Netherlands.

In addition to promoting sustainability and supporting small and medium businesses, the Bill’s other major objective is to crack down on Australia’s alarming rates of food waste.

Foodbank reports that 7.6 million tonnes of food are being wasted by the nation each year – 70% of it able to eaten.

Senator Smith said the Bill’s introduction could not be timelier.

“This pointless wastage across Australia is happening as food stress becomes increasingly widespread, affecting more and more households and communities,” Senator Smith said.

“It makes absolute sense to introduce an incentive that tackles both these issues simultaneously – and one that it is both fast-acting and straightforward.

“This is a well-considered, much needed policy, a win for all concerned, and should be implemented as soon as possible.

“I call on the Albanese Government and the Australian Greens to help make that happen when the time comes.”

Foodbank Australia Chief Operating Officer Sarah Pennell said the incentive has the potential to provide the equivalent of 100 million meals a year.

“Because it is often cheaper to dump food than donate it, cost is a main reason why businesses fail to donate excess and imperfect stock to charity,” Ms Pennell said.

“The current tax system misses an opportunity to support businesses, like farms, to recover some of their costs of donating wholesome but unsellable food.

“Furthermore, a tax incentive is a cost-effective policy because the government only pays it when the food is donated.”

• The Palaszczuk Queensland Government has confirmed it will deliver 600 social homes with more than $398 million from the Albanese Federal Government’s Social Housing Accelerator
• 80 per cent of homes will be delivered outside of Brisbane with many in regional, rural and remote parts of the state

A federal funding injection from the Albanese Government will see the Palaszczuk Government build another 600 homes across Queensland, adding to the state’s record rollout of social and affordable homes.

As part of the Albanese Federal Government’s $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator, the state has received more than $398 million from the Commonwealth to deliver the additional homes.

It adds to the Palaszczuk Government’s existing $5 billion investment in social and affordable housing – the largest concentrated investment in the state’s history – which will help to deliver 13,500 homes.

The Albanese Government’s $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator will increase Australia’s housing supply by creating thousands of social homes across Australia – with all funding to be committed by states and territories within two years.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Every Australian deserves the security of a roof over their head – our $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator is real dollars, driving real change and building more homes across the nation.

“This will build hundreds of homes across Queensland, while we will continue to work with the Palaszczuk Government to deliver even more homes.

“We have an ambitious housing agenda which includes the delivery of 30,000 social and affordable homes through our $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund.”

Federal Housing Minister Julie Collins said:

“We know Australia’s housing challenges are serious which is why we’re taking immediate action with our $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator, including $398 million for Queensland.

“This new funding, and the homes we are announcing today, will mean more Queenslanders have a safe and affordable place to call home.

“I’m really pleased our funding will help boost social housing in regional Australia.

“This funding is making a real difference – here in Queensland and right across the country.”

Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said:

“Our Big Social Housing Build just got bigger.

“From Cape York to the Gold Coast and everywhere in between, we’ve made sure these additional homes are going where they’re needed most alongside the thousands of homes we’ve already got in the pipeline.

“Shovels are in the ground right now on hundreds of sites across Queensland to build more public homes, and we’ll be looking at a mix methods to get these new homes up as well.

“These homes will be rolled out through traditional means, pre-fabricated factories, house and land packages, in partnership with community housing providers and First Nations councils, and the redevelopment of accommodation like hotels and motels into housing.”

We are pleased to confirm that Australian citizen Ms Cheng Lei has arrived safely home in Australia and has been reunited with her family, after more than three years of detention in China.

The Australian Government has been seeking Ms Cheng’s return since she was detained in August, 2020.

Her return will be warmly welcomed not just by her family and friends but by all Australians.

Her release follows the completion of legal processes in China.

The Australian Government will continue to provide whatever consular support Ms Cheng and her family require. 

As Ms Cheng reunites with her family, we ask that media respect her family’s wishes for privacy.

The Greens say new survey data explodes the myth that private schools are providing “choice” for parents, with half of parents of private school students saying they would consider moving their child to the public system if it was resourced properly.

The Lonergan Research poll of 1003 Australian parents of public and private school children, commissioned by the Greens, found that 48% of parents of private school students, and 61% of parents with children in both public and private schools, would look to move their child out of the private system if government schools were better funded.

The survey also found:

• Nearly two-thirds of all parents, including 46% of private school parents, think that public schools are underfunded
• 7 in 10 parents agreed that public school teachers are overworked
• 81% of all parents believe that pay and conditions should be improved to attract and retain public school teachers, while almost three-quarters of parents said teachers are not given enough respect

Nationally, only 1.3% of public schools receive their full Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) funding from governments, while 98% of fee-charging private schools are overfunded.

Greens spokesperson on Schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“This survey data shows that half of all parents of private school children would likely not have sent their kids to private school if the public system had been properly funded.

“This is a damning indictment of the decades-long bipartisan neglect of public schools and it reveals that many parents aren’t ‘choosing’ private schools – they’re being left with no choice at all.

“Under Labor and the Coalition, ‘choice’ has replaced equity and universality at the heart of our public institutions, and nowhere is this more apparent than in our schools.

“They’ve relied on this neoliberal weasel word to justify pouring billions into the private system while the public system languishes. But far from actually creating more choice, this has done the exact opposite, forcing many parents into a decision they never wanted to make.

“If parents of kids in private schools could genuinely choose where to send their kids, we now know what would happen – half of them would move their kids to the public system.

“Governments should not be in the business of spending public money to subsidise a private system that leaches resources from public schools and entrenches inequality.

“Australian parents – both public and private – know that the system is rigged against public schools. They know that they’re under-resourced, that teachers are overworked, and that more has to be done to support public school teachers to do their jobs, and to make our public schools inclusive and engaging for all kids.

“No more ‘pathways’ and ‘transition arrangements’. Labor needs to deliver 100% SRS funding to all public schools at the start of the next National School Reform Agreement in January 2025.

“And if the only way that can happen is by taking public money from the overfunded, fee-charging private system, then so be it.”

The Greens are backing strike actions by Services Australia staff today, saying Labor must act to fix the social security system for both workers and people on Centrelink. 

Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for social services, said: 

“Services Australia staff are tired of being a scapegoat for the failings of the government and decades of failed social security initiatives by both Labor and the Liberals. Solidarity with the workers striking today. 

“Overwhelmingly, Services Australia staff want to help but the current systems and processes, especially the long reach of private employment providers, often render them powerless to assist, and leave welfare recipients in dire situations. 

“Those on income support are in need of urgent help. In just the last week, I’ve seen a woman in huge financial stress try to fix a Jobseeker payment issue, only to call over 100 times and not get through, and another person be directed to an AI bot after having their payments suspended, who hung up on them after not providing any clear information. This is the product of a broken system and it’s up to Labor to fix it. 

“Services Australia staff have worked through year after year of disaster and pandemic responses – with all forecasts showing worse to come this summer. These emergencies were once irregular events that staff could be temporarily assigned to. Now they are business as usual for staff, even if the agency and government doesn’t want to admit it. Yet staff numbers have declined despite this increased workload, while processing and other “regular” customer service tasks continue to fall behind.

“Workers are tired of being overworked and unpaid, and people on Centrelink are tired of the system completely failing them. 

“The fight for a pay rise for public servants and Services Australia workers is the same fight for an increase to welfare. In both cases, Labor are choosing tax cuts for the rich over delivering for workers and those that can’t work.

“We need a strong and working social security system for everyone. That includes better pay and conditions for staff, and payments lifted above the poverty line and mutual obligations abolished for Centrelink recipients.”

Senator Barbara Pocock, Greens spokesperson for the public sector, said: 

“The Australian Public Service has faced a decade of pay cuts, paving the way for the rise of outsourcing public sector work to the Big Four. 

“The Labor Government made a commitment to become a model employer and rebuild the APS – that starts with a big lift in the pay and conditions of the public sector. We are playing big time catch up here. We need to attract the best and the brightest as well as the most fearless and principled into our public sector, to protect the public interest.

The government’s current pay offer for the APS is inadequate. It isn’t even keeping up with the cost-of-living increase. 

“A good pay rise and improved conditions is the only way we will be able to undo the hollowing out of the public service by the Big Four consulting firms.

“The government has the resources to give public servants a real pay rise beyond inflation. Labor have made their priorities clear; they have $313 billion for the stage 3 tax cuts for the rich, but very little for hard-working public servants and the essential services that they deliver. 

“Services Australia staff do valuable work, supporting some of the most vulnerable Australians. They deserve a real pay rise and I support their campaign for better conditions. Serving our public interests depends on it

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell will today welcome Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and Secretary of Trade Alfredo Pascual to Adelaide for the sixth Philippines–Australia Ministerial Meeting (PAMM).

The meeting will focus on opportunities to deepen trade and investment, strengthen our security and maritime ties, and explore further cooperation on agriculture and food, the energy transition, education and skills.

Australia and the Philippines are strategic partners and close friends. We share a vision for a region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous and resilient, where sovereignty is respected.

The PAMM follows Prime Minister Albanese’s landmark visit to Manila last month, where he and President Marcos elevated the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Albanese’s visit was the first bilateral visit by an Australian Prime Minister to the Philippines in 20 years.

The partnership between Australia and the Philippines is underpinned by 77 years of diplomatic relations and close people to people links, with over 400,000 people of Filipino heritage contributing to the cultural and economic vibrancy of modern Australia.

Australia is committed to working with the Philippines to support ASEAN’s vital contribution to regional peace and security, and to help build a region where all countries contribute to strategic stability and can shape our collective future.