Category: Australian News

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.

Australians want to know: will the Labor Government stop asylum seekers arriving by plane? And will they treat this problem with urgency?

Labor has been talking about asylum seekers arriving by plane since 2019 and they sat on the Nixon Review for seven months before announcing a response.

Australians will by cynical that Labor is serious about addressing this problem.

Under this Labor Government:

• 23,822 asylum seekers arrived by plane and lodged a protection claim in Australia.

• The number of monthly asylum seeker claims is trending upwards: just 726 asylum claims were lodged in April 2022 before the election, but in the last three months under Labor 1762, 1940 and 2164 asylum claims were lodged.

• The total number of asylum seekers in Australia has grown to more than 105,000.

• Just 167 failed asylum seekers have been deported.

Labor needs to answer these questions about the asylum seekers arriving on their watch:

• How fast will Labor process asylum claims to deter non-genuine applicants?

• When will the number of asylum seekers in Australia start to fall?

• Labor waited seven months to respond to the Nixon Review, how long before they take action on this problem?

• What is Labor doing about unscrupulous lawyers and migration agents providing shadow advice to non-genuine asylum seekers?

• Will Labor deport more failed asylum seekers? Labor has deported just 2,161 criminals and failed asylum seekers in a year compared to 6,352 deportations a year under the Coalition (average 2013-2019).

• Does Labor even know where the failed 75,430 asylum seekers are living in Australia?

If blaming others actually solved problems, then life in Australia under this Labor Government would be trouble free.

But that’s not how responsibility works. Labor sat on an important review so they could use it as a distraction from the Voice.

Cracking down on criminals and dodgy asylum seekers is hard work and it will be unpopular with some Labor supporters but it’s the right thing to do. This is a test for Labor.

Remember what Kristina Keneally had to say about the issue, when Labor was all talk and no responsibility:

• “Criminal syndicates, people smugglers, have shifted their business model from boats to planes. They’re trafficking people here,” 8 October 2019.

• “This is the development of an economic model that relies on exploited and low-paid workers, and it is a misuse, it is an abuse, of our asylum-seeking process,” 9 October 2019.

• “If a government is serious about stopping a flow of people coming to Australia, then it would be doing something about airplane arrivals,” 6 September 2019.

Vital Centrelink and Medicare services and payments to Australians could be disrupted if a planned union-led strike at Services Australia goes ahead on Monday 9 October.

According to media reports it could involve almost 30 per cent of Services Australia’s 34,000 strong workforce.

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy Paul Fletcher said the strike is another example of an embattled agency which is out of control.

“Services Australia is in crisis under Government Services Minister Bill Shorten,” Mr Fletcher said.

“We know that Services Australia provides a range of supports to the most vulnerable and it would be unacceptable for these services to be disrupted by the strike, especially in this cost of living crisis.

“Mr Shorten must explain which services will be affected and what will be done to cater for those who require assistance on Monday.

“For Services Australia to simply say they are ‘making preparations to minimise potential disruption to our customers’ isn’t good enough.

“The public deserve to know the facts, including exactly what services will be adversely impacted, whether claims processing will be pushed out, and what local service centres will be disrupted.”

Services Australia is fast becoming a basket case under Labor.

• Centrelink call wait times have blown out, with the average time taken to connect to the Employment Services line at over 29 minutes;
• Last month, a top Services Australia boss publicly conceded that the agency was “understaffed in our service delivery”;
• Average staffing levels at the agency have been cut, from 28,560 in 2020-2023 to 26,692 in 2023-2024;
• Bill Shorten has refused to hand over the latest claims processing data for Medicare and Centrelink, refused a lawful FOI request and provided overdue Questions on Notice;
• Bill Shorten has also been MIA on vital reforms to digital ID and he has failed to respond to the MyGov User Audit, which was handed to him in January.

“If Services Australia is to get back on track, there needs to be a root and branch review of this critical agency, with a strong focus on how to improve customer service, drive digital transformation and better understand the expectations of customers,” Mr Fletcher said.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten must stop hiding and explain to the public what Centrelink and Medicare services have been impacted because of today’s union-led strike at Services Australia, and the long-term scale of the disruption on customers.

According to media reports the strike could involve almost 30 per cent of Services Australia’s 34,000 strong workforce.

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy Paul Fletcher said the strike is a powerful example of an agency and government that has misplaced its priorities.

“Services Australia is a basket case and Bill Shorten needs to accept responsibility for its litany of failures,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Australians need Centrelink and Medicare services more than ever because of Labor’s cost of living crisis and this industrial action will cause angst and confusion for people already doing it tough. Monday also happens to be the busiest day for Services Australia telephony.

“I wrote to Bill Shorten on Friday requesting he outline the impact the strike will have on service delivery across the agency for today and beyond.”

The letter requested Mr Shorten to provide the following:

• Expected duration of the strike
• Expected number of staff involved in the strike per face-to-face site
• Expected impact on face-to-face wait times per site
• Expected impact on timelines for claims processing and payments
• Best internal agency point of contact for case escalation

Locally-based Senator Paul Scarr said that it is very disappointing that the Albanese Labor Government has been unable to reach an agreement with the Union.

“The people of Ipswich rely upon this Centrelink office and these services. Ipswich suffers from a higher level of unemployment than most of Australia – the last regional figure was 6.5% compared to a national rate of 3.7%. Pensioners and carers rely upon this office to access services,” Senator Scarr said.“In this cost-of-living crisis there are many Ipswich residents doing it tough. The Labor Government needs to explain what it is going to do to make sure that this industrial action does not impact Ipswich residents trying to access their entitlements.”

Labor needs to rescind its declaration of the Hunter Offshore Wind Zone and fix its broken community engagement process before reopening public consultation.

Impacted communities are angry and for good reason: they face the prospect of 260-meter-high wind turbines across their pristine coastline, following a flawed community engagement process.

Public consultation on the Hunter Offshore Wind Zone ran for 65 days between 23 February to 28 April in what many residents consider a sham process dressed up as a democratic exercise.

It was residents of Norah Head who first alerted me to the flaws in how the government was consulting on the proposed zone, and I accepted an invitation to visit the beachside community in early July.

There is no substitute for meeting people face-to-face on the ground.

I learnt that most locals didn’t even know that public consultations had already come and gone.

Locals told me about unions co-opting the community engagement process to encourage positive submissions.

I heard complaints about limited in-person briefings and how those who attended them left with more questions than answers.

Residents outlined deep concerns about the environment, worries for the migration pathway of humpback whales, the threat to local tourism businesses and risks to local commercial and recreational fishers.

I even heard about senior citizens unable to make written submissions as part of the process because only digital submissions were being accepted.

Then, suddenly, a breakthrough.

On the same day as my visit, Minister Chris Bowen announced a ‘Community Engagement Review’ to improve community engagement on renewable energy projects.

This was tantamount to an admission on the part of the Albanese Government that its consultation process was broken and needed to be fixed.

I welcomed the announcement.

Finally, the government was listening (or so it seemed).

But, much to my dismay, Minister Bowen proceeded to declare the Hunter offshore wind zone the following week.

The contradiction was stark. Labor knew its community engagement process was flawed yet they still used it as the basis for declaring an offshore wind zone, despite serious community angst.

The region has been taken for mugs, and they knew it.

Norah Head wasn’t the only upset community.

In meeting nearly 150 local residents at an open community town hall meeting in Port Stephens’ Shoal Bay a few weeks ago, their anger was palpable.

Tourism operators and professional fishers were furious; fearful that their businesses would soon be capsized by enormous projects offshore.

They had been steamrolled by the Albanese Government and the radio silence from their federal Labor MPs rubbed salt into the wound.

Their stories were similar to those at Norah Head: from residents not knowing about public consultations to unanswered questions and concerns about the local economy and environment.

One resident queried what the future holds for his children if the risks the community foresaw were to eventuate.

Despite these communities being in Labor seats, only the Coalition has demonstrated a willingness to hear and represent their interests.

I have thought long and hard about the conundrum Labor has created with the Hunter Offshore Wind Zone, and I’ve concluded that the zone is untenable in the absence of a social license.

The issue isn’t with offshore wind as a source of energy. Every technology has its pros and cons which is why an “All-of-the-Above” approach is needed so a balanced mix of technologies ultimately prevails.

Residents of these communities want climate change tackled and they see renewables as part of the solution, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to cop their way of life being jeopardized or their local economy and environment trashed.

The crux of the matter is that the government’s community engagement process in the Hunter was unambiguously flawed and the proposed offshore wind zone lacks community support.

Nevertheless, I believe there’s a pathway to building the needed social license, but it requires swift action on the part of the government.

Firstly, the Minister’s declaration of the zone should be rescinded.

Secondly, the community engagement process should be fixed through the review that has already been commissioned, so long as a revamped process puts the community, not investors, at the centre.

Thirdly, public consultation should be reopened under the new process.

I appreciate the Albanese Government is feeling desperate as renewable energy investment stalls and its 82% renewables target looks dicey, but that’s no excuse for showing reckless indifference towards regional communities.

Report of the Bilateral Air Services Senate Select Committee

• Immediately Review the Qatar Airways decision
• Immediately Reinstate ACCC monitoring of domestic airlines
• Urgently respond to Harris Review into Sydney Airport slots
• Strengthen competition in domestic aviation, including investigating divestiture powers
• Implement consumer protection reforms for travellers
• Seek to extend the Select Committee to hear from Alan Joyce AC and Minister Catherine King

The Albanese Government should immediately review the decision to reject additional flights from Qatar Airways, reinstate monitoring of the domestic airline industry by the competition watchdog, respond to the Harris Review of Sydney Airport slots to help improve reliability, increase choice, and reduce the cost of airfares, are recommendations of the Senate Select Committee inquiry on Commonwealth Bilateral Air Service Agreements.

Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Chair of the Select Committee, Senator Bridget McKenzie said the inquiry has made strong recommendations for immediate actions the government could take to cut the cost of airfares and reduce flight cancellations and delays.

“At a time of a cost-of-living crisis in Australia the Government has made decisions that have protected Qantas’ market share and kept the cost of airfares higher for Australian families and exporters, and they have delayed making critical decisions to improve the reliability of domestic travel especially at Sydney Airport,” Senator McKenzie said.

“The committee heard evidence that Australians could have been enjoying cheaper flights to Europe and the Middle East as early as April this year had the Government approved additional Qatar Airways flights, and that Turkish Airlines had planned to offer additional flights in time for families to reunite overseas this Christmas.

The committee received 147 written submissions, including over 100 from individuals who raised issues with the Qantas frequent flyer program, including the devaluing of points and lack of available services.

“As a result of this inquiry, Qantas have offered to work to resolve the concerns of those customers, and the committee has recommended the Government develop strong consumer protection measures to address the devaluation of loyalty programs as well as lost baggage, cancellations and significant flight delays.

“Clear evidence was provided of the aggressive use of market power by Qantas and the committee has called for reinstatement of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission monitoring of the domestic airline industry and for the competition watchdog to inquire into anti-competitive behaviour in the sector.

Senator McKenzie said the evidence supports the conclusion that the Government rejected Qatar Airways request because of interventions by former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who was also responsible for Qantas supporting the Prime Minister’s referendum on the Voice, at shareholders and customers expense.

“Unfortunately, the Government sought to prevent the committee from fully investigating the reasons why additional Qatar Airways flights were rejected by refusing to release documents and placing a gag on the infrastructure and foreign affairs departments.

“Departmental answers to questions taken on notice were not provided until as late as Friday afternoon, in a brazen attempt by the Albanese Government to prevent the committee from reporting by the 9 October 2023 deadline,” Senator McKenzie said.

Senator McKenzie said the committee has recommended the Senate vote to extend the Select Committee to enable it to hear from Mr Alan Joyce AC, who was unable to appear before the inquiry due to being overseas.

The committee will also seek to have the Parliament direct Transport Minister, Catherine King appear before the extended inquiry. Minister King failed to formally respond to the committee’s request for her to appear, despite telling media she would not front up.

Report Recommendations

1. Government immediately review Qatar Airways decision
2. Government have regard to cost benefit analysis, consult widely and publish a statement of reasons of decisions on bilateral air services agreements.
3. Government review reform options to strengthen competition in the domestic aviation industry, including potential divestiture powers to remedy any misuse of market power.
4. Government to reinstate Australian Competition and Consumer Commission monitoring of the domestic airline industry.
5. Government direct the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to conduct an inquiry into anti-competitive behaviour in the domestic aviation market.
6. Government develop and implement consumer protection reforms to address significant delays, cancellations, lost baggage and devaluation of loyalty programs.
7. Government to urgently respond to the Review of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Scheme (Harris Review) .
8. Government consider introducing limited cabotage to regional airports.
9. Committee recommends the Senate extend the Select Committee to receive evidence from Mr Alan Joyce AC and from Qantas government affairs representatives, noting that Qantas’ answers to questions on notice were unsatisfactory

Committee recommends the Senate request the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon. Catherine King MP, to attend and provide evidence at a public hearing of the Select Committee.

What are the alternatives to a Voice, and why hasn’t a vision of a united Australia been canvassed by leaders other than One Nation?

Let’s explore a vision that draws from the wisdom of our past while looking toward the future.

Our beautiful land is a canvas painted with the stories of both Aboriginals and those who came after. It’s a narrative of unity, struggles, and perseverance. We are one mob, not divided among races.

That’s a vision we would love to instill in our nation. Unity. A vision where all those who want to be a part of our Aussie culture can join if they respect who we are, and where we have come from.

Think of our country as a grand old tree, its roots deep in history, its branches reaching out to every Australian. Every leaf represents each one of us — unique yet part of the same tree. Every decision made at the top impacts the whole tree, right down to the deepest root.

Farmers are the best custodians of their land, and any farmer will tell you what you do to interfere with one branch or leaf has an impact on the whole tree.

Our founders envisioned a nation where decisions were made in unity. A land where every voice, whether from the busy cities or the vast outback, mattered equally. While we acknowledge the connection the Aboriginals have with this land, we must also ensure that in our quest to do right by one group, we don’t inadvertently silence others.

Imagine a grand assembly, a gathering of minds, where every Australian has a seat. From the young to the elderly, from the Indigenous to the immigrant. All with their stories, hopes, and dreams. While we listen to the songlines of our Aboriginal friends, we must also hear the dreams of a farmer in Geelong, the aspirations of a teacher in Perth, or the challenges faced by a business owner in Cairns.

Our grand assembly is Parliament, where members debate, discuss and hopefully listen. Where many Aboriginal folk, people from many races, and both genders are represented.

We must move forward with respect and understanding after the referendum is finished, cherishing our foundation while paving the way for an inclusive future based on us all being equal. Australia’s strength doesn’t come from sidelining any group but from uniting our diverse voices in harmony.

We need to ensure that the harmony of the Australian chorus isn’t disrupted. They believed in an Australia where tradition met progression seamlessly, ensuring a brighter future for all.