Today I announce the appointment of Ms Lydia Santoso as Chair of the Australia-Indonesia Institute.
The Australia-Indonesia Institute has long championed initiatives that strengthen personal, institutional and cultural ties between Australia and Indonesia. Our relationship with Indonesia is grounded in a history of friendship and cooperation between our people and governments.
The Board sets the strategic direction for the Institute’s programs and activities, which support partnerships in business, the arts, education, health, science, technology and sport.
Ms Santoso has been a Board Member since 2015 and long been an advocate for forging cultural connections and deepening Australia’s economic engagement with Indonesia. She is currently Chair of the Australia Indonesia Business Council (NSW) and serves on the board of the Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies.
I am also pleased to announce the appointment of three new board members, who each bring a wealth of experience to support the goals of the Institute, including the broadening and deepening of Australian-Indonesian relations:
Dr Jemma Purdey is an Adjunct Fellow at the Australia Indonesia Centre, Monash University, the editor of Inside Indonesia magazine and a founding Director of the ReelOzInd! Australia Indonesia Short Film Festival.
Mr Robert Law is a Director at Asialink Business, advising businesses on engagement with Asia.
Mr Robbie Gaspar was the first Australian to play professional soccer in Indonesia and is President of the Indonesia Institute.
Ms Amanda Hodge, Southeast Asia correspondent for The Australian newspaper, and Ms Armina Rosenberg, portfolio manager at Minotour, an AI-powered hedge fund, have also been reappointed for a second three-year term.
I would like to thank outgoing Chair, Emeritus Professor Greg Fealy AM, and fellow Board Member, Franchesca Cubillo, for their contributions to the work of the Institute.
Peter Dutton’s determination to undo efforts to rebuild the Australian Public Service (APS) by slashing jobs will end up costing the nation more according to the Greens spokesperson on Finance and the Public Service, Senator Barbara Pocock.
New analysis commissioned by the Greens suggests that money spent on outsourcing work to the private sector costs more than three times as much as having the work done in-house.
Senator Barbara Pocock:
“Our analysis shows the government could have hired 179,832 public servants with the $20.8 billion that was spent on external labour in the last year of the Morrison Government. That massive spend only created 54,000 jobs in the private sector. You don’t need an economics degree to work out where to get the best value for money. It’s clearly in the public sector.
“These figures demonstrate that outsourcing public sector work has cost Australian taxpayers more than three times as much doing that work in-house. If Dutton is on an efficiency drive, he should be hiring more public servants.
“Peter Dutton is peddling a myth about a bloated public service. If you look at the APS headcount as a percentage of the labour force it has actually gone down over the past decade from 1.53% in 2012 to 1.36% in June last year.
“The public service has been hollowed out over the Coalition years. What we need now is not further denigration of the APS by a Musk-like razor gang, but to rebuild capacity to allow all of that core work, outsourced at great expense under Morrison, to be done more cheaply, more reliably and with more accountability by a well-resourced public service.
“Dutton has gone out of his way to characterise commonwealth public servants as Canberra-based and also claimed all of the positions added in the past 3 years have been in Canberra. This defies reality as only a third of the current headcount are in the ACT. There are over 60,000 federal public servants in NSW and Victoria alone; 24,000 in Queensland; nearly 13,000 in South Australia and more than 22,000 in regional Australia.
“The APS is far from Canberra centric. However, the Coalition strategy hinges on casting a well-staffed Canberra based bureaucracy as somehow being bad for the business of government. The opposite is actually true. All those dedicated APS workers in the state and territory capitals and out in the regions, rely on a strong and responsive back-of-house workforce in Canberra.
“This demonisation of the Canberra bureaucrats by Dutton, shows a failure to understand how the public service actually works. This is dangerous stuff coming from an alternative Prime Minister. What’s at stake is the quality of service that all Australians rely on in their dealings with government.
“If the leader of the opposition is not willing to name which jobs will go under a Coalition government, which state capitals will lose their workforce, which regional centres will lose more staff, perhaps it’s because he hasn’t got a clue.”
The Victorian Greens will first read a new Bill that would introduce a 0.05% levy on the big banks to generate $16.5 billion in revenue over the next decade which the Greens say could be invested into direct cost of living measures for Victorians.
It comes as households anxiously await today’s RBA announcement on interest rates, just days after Commonwealth Bank recorded a mammoth $5.1 billion profit in just six months.
The policy has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office to raise $16.5 billion over the next decade, and approximately $4.8 billion over forward estimates, or around $1.5 billion annually.
The Victorian Greens say the Bill is aimed at putting pressure on the Victorian Labor Government ahead of the fast approaching 2025 Budget, and that this is an opportunity for the new Treasurer to rein in the big banks while generating billions in revenue that could be invested into real cost of living relief for Victorians.
the Victorian Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson, Aiv Puglielli:
“Do you think it’s reasonable that the big banks can rake in over $5 billion in profits in just six months while we can’t even properly fund our public schools and hospitals?
“We’re told that Victoria is broke, that we can’t afford to upgrade our schools or build more public housing, or fix our health system, but the big banks are getting away scott free with cashing in on everyday Victorians.
“Banking lobbyists will come out swinging but the reality is that the banks can afford this when they’re recording multi billion dollar record profits, paying their CEOs millions and we can’t even properly fund our public services.
“With a budget around the corner, this levy is just one thing that we can do right now at the state level to hand a small amount of the big banks’ super profits back to Victorians.”
A disgusting pollution event at Verona Sands shows how unaccountable Tasmania’s salmon farming corporations have become, the Greens say.
“This is a gross and disgusting mess on a beautiful and much-loved beach,” Greens Senator for Tasmania Nick McKim said.
“This is what happens when salmon farming corporations think they are above the law.”
“The industry should have got on the front foot and been up front with Tasmanians about this event, but instead they’ve ducked for cover. This is appalling corporate behaviour.”
“The Labor and Liberal parties bend over backwards for salmon farms, which leads to complacency from the big multinational corporations who only care about profit.”
“We have a complicit Liberal state government in bed with salmon farming corporations, and a Federal Labor government promising to undermine Australia’s weak environment laws to benefit corporate profits.”
“The environment regulator needs to come down on the responsible company like a tonne of bricks, but more importantly the Labor and Liberal parties need to get out of the pockets of big salmon, and start acting to protect the environment.”
The Victorian Greens are calling on Premier Allan and Housing Minister Harriet Shing to own up to Daniel Andrews’ reckless mistake and stop the demolition of all 44 public housing towers, as reports reveal that many within Labor’s own ranks are ‘livid’ about the plan they say has ‘absolutely no justification’.
The Age have revealed the deepening internal fractures within Labor over the disastrous plan which threatens to displace over ten thousand public housing residents, with Labor figures labelling it nothing more than a ‘thought bubble’ from Andrews, ‘a very bad decision’ and a ‘sloppy bit of politics’.
The Victorian Greens have consistently said that this plan never stacked up, and now that even those within Labor’s own ranks are speaking out, it’s time for the Premier and the Housing Minister to admit that and pull the plug.
the Victorian Greens Public and Affordable Housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:
“This plan that threatens to displace ten thousand people and rip communities apart never made any sense – it’s based on no evidence, no facts, just the arrogant musings of a tired former Premier on the way out and even people within Labor’s own ranks know it.”
“The retreat from public housing in Victoria is so profound that even within Labor, people can’t stay quiet any longer. Not only do we already have the least amount of public housing, we also have a Housing Minister who maintains she wants to demolish our existing public housing while outright refusing to commit to building more.”
“The wheels are falling off this disastrous plan. It’s time for the Premier and the Housing Minister to own up to Andrew’s reckless mistake. It’s not too late for them to finally listen to the facts, the residents, the countless experts and stop the demolition.”
Today the NACC has announced it will finally investigate the 6 referrals it received from the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme.
The change in position comes following the independent reconsideration by Mr Geoffrey Nettle AC.
Greens Senator for NSW and Justice Spokesperson said:
“We welcome the rapid fair and unbiased decision by Geoffrey Nettle KC to instigate a corruption investigation of the Robodebt scandal.
“This is a chance for justice for the thousands of people across the country whose lives and families were shattered by Robodebt.
“Today’s announcement is a clear rejection of NACC’s previous decision, in which Commissioner Brereton was deeply involved, to ignore this scandal.
“There have now been two senior independent reviews that amount to public repudiations of the direction of the NACC under Commissioner Brereton’s leadership.
“The Greens join with millions across the country who demand a National Anti Corruption Commission that they can trust.
“This trust is undermined by the continued presence of Commissioner Brereton.
South Newcastle Skate Park will be launched onto the world stage when the Jackalope Block Party rolls into town in November with support from City of Newcastle’s Special Business Rate (SBR) funding.
Being held outside North America for the first time, the iconic festival will feature elite athletes competing for big prizes, skateboarding demonstrations, live DJ sets and food trucks.
But the free community event will also uncover local talent, giving Novocastrians the chance to win a trip to compete in the USA.
The Jackalope Block Party is one of 11 initiatives to share in the latest round of City Centre and Darby Street SBR funding, with almost $900,000 to be used for the promotion, beautification and development of the business precincts.
City of Newcastle Executive Manager Media Engagement Economy and Corporate Affairs Nick Kaiser said SBR funding is distributed through a competitive application process to the most creative and innovative proposals.
“These events are designed to bring people to the city and support local businesses by increasing visitation,” Mr Kaiser said.
“Having already proved to be popular drawcards, some initiatives are returning for another year, such as Shakespeare Under the Stars, Newcastle Food Month and the West Best Bloc Fest, which is held across nine venues, featuring more than 100 local musicians.”
Chair of the Community and Culture Strategic Advisory Committee Councillor Jenny Barrie said City of Newcastle is hoping new initiatives will prove just as popular.
“Some of the new events include the Darby Street Festival, which will feature live music, performers and family-friendly activities, while Bernie’s Bar will put on a celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Star Hotel,” Cr Barrie said.
“We’re also thrilled to be hosting the Jackalope Block Party at South Newcastle, which will bring international attention to this vibrant coastal facility.
“If it proves successful, we’ll look to secure the tremendous four-day version of the festival, which would include more sports such as bouldering, BMX and surfing.”
Festival organiser Sally Hill from Canvas Events said they’re excited to see local talent take on some of the best in the world.
“Our block parties are run for the community, designed to find raw talent and give away Golden Tickets to the international arm of the Jackalope Festival,” Ms Hill said.
“This is the first time Jackalope will hold an event in Australia and we’re expecting up to 10,000 people to flock to the South Newcastle Beach Skate Park during the two-day festival.
“Jackalope’s social media accounts received more than three million views in 2023 alone so this event will truly showcase Newcastle to the world.
“These events inspire not only physical activity but also a commitment to sustainability by using eco-friendly practices and encouraging participants to embrace a healthy, active lifestyle.”
Founder and CEO Micah Desforges said Jackalope Block Party is all about discovering raw talent and providing opportunities for the next generation to shine.
“We’re thrilled to bring our first international event to Newcastle, a community that embodies creativity and passion,” Mr Desforges said.
“This is more than just a competition – it’s a chance for local talent to stand out and win a coveted spot at the Jackalope festival in Virginia Beach, USA. We couldn’t think of a better place to launch this exciting new chapter of our journey beyond the USA and Canada.”
Other successful projects supported by this round of City Centre/Darby Street funding include the Kindle Wellbeing Festival, WinterHeat CITYWIDE, the Conscious Couture Festival and ‘Acquist’ presented by Flipside Dance, a series of free professional performances in Civic Park.
SBR City Centre and Darby Street recipients
• Newcastle Food Month
Newcastle Food Month showcases Newcastle’s hospitality offerings through a collaborative event framework during the month of April.
• Conscious Couture Festival
The Conscious Couture Festival is a celebration of vintage fashion, aimed at the Newcastle community and fashion enthusiasts, supporting local retailers and educating the public on the value of sustainable fashion.
• Acquist
A series of free professional dance performances in Civic Park, featuring First Nations performances acknowledging the land, as well as live music.
• WinterHeat CITYWIDE!
The annual winter calendar program of fun and engaging activations brings the city to life in the typically quieter Winter season.
• 100 Years of the Star Hotel
Bernies Bar will put on a celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Star Hotel with a three-day festival.
• Kindle Wellbeing Festival
The Kindle Wellbeing Festival 2025 will be an expanded version of the successful 2024 event, bringing together artists, businesses, and well-being practitioners to deliver a series of events focused on creativity, mental health, and social connection.
• Shakespeare Under the Stars
Whale Chorus will present their annual event Shakespeare Under the Stars Newcastle in summer 2025 and 2026.
• Jackalope Block Party
The Jackalope Block Party is a Skate Festival incorporating demonstrations, competition, music, food and elite athlete appearances at the South Newcastle Skate Park.
• West Best Bloc Fest
West Best Bloc Fest is an annual live music festival held in nine venues in Newcastle featuring more than 100 local musicians across 13 stages, and attracting more than 2,000 attendees.
• 2025 Darby Street Festival
The Darby Street Festival is designed to unite local businesses and residents in a vibrant celebration, transforming the street with live music, performers, and family-friendly activities.
• Reasons to visit Hunter Street Mall and Eastend Village
Ongoing support for City Centre promotions, program of loyalty voucher cards and scheduled events for 2025.
The Albanese and Minns Governments are activating disaster recovery support for communities in the Hilltops Local Government Area (LGA) following a severe storm on 10 February 2025.
Assistance measures that may be provided to communities through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) include:
Support for eligible residents to help meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation.
Grants for low income, uninsured residents to replace lost essential household items to maintain a basic standard of living.
Grants for low income, uninsured residents to undertake essential structural repairs to restore their homes to a safe and habitable condition.
Support for affected local councils and other agencies to help with the costs of cleaning up, keeping the community safe and restoring damaged essential public assets.
Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers, and nonprofit organisations and grants to sporting and recreation clubs to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property.
Freight subsidies for primary producers to help transport livestock and fodder.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said the funding will help the community clean up sooner and recover faster.
“Right now communities right across Australia are preparing for, or cleaning up from, the impacts of wild weather, and we are there supporting the,” Minister McAllister said. “In NSW, we are working with the Minns Government to ensure communities across Hilltops get the support they need to clean up and recover.”
NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said the hail storm left significant damage and the SES have been on the ground assisting the community with the cleanup.
“The NSW SES and emergency services have been helping the people of Harden get back to their daily lives as soon as possible. Emergency services have been assisting the community to make their homes and businesses safe, ensuring they can access groceries and essential supplies, and supporting Council in the cleanup and restoration of essential public assets.” Minister Dib said.
“As a result of this storm there has been a high number of calls to the NSW SES and emergency responders for help, and I would like to thank our volunteers and emergency workers who provided critical support to the community during this time.”
“I am also pleased that NSW Reconstruction Authority staff are on the ground, providing information, advice and referrals to local services so that people get the support they need.”
The Minns Labor Government has marked the 60th anniversary of the 1965 Freedom Ride with the announcement of funding to complete a community pavilion in Walgett and a new program to commemorate significant steps along the Freedom Ride route.
Minister for Heritage Penny Sharpe and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris are in Walgett today to announce the grant for the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service to complete the Freedom Ride Pavilion in Freedom Ride Memorial Park in Walgett.
The Ministers also unveiled a blue plaque in the town, to formally recognise the Freedom Ride. It’s one of several blue plaques to be installed in key locations along the Freedom Ride route. NSW Blue Plaques are a popular heritage program recognising the events, groups and people who contributed to the rich history of NSW.
The 1965 Freedom Ride was instrumental in raising awareness of racial injustice and building momentum for reconciliation action in Australia.
Inspired by a set of bus trips by the civil rights movement in the US, a group of 30 University of Sydney students hired a bus, hung a banner across the front and set off on a two-week journey through regional NSW.
Led by Indigenous rights activist Charles Perkins, the group rode through Wellington, Gulargambone and Walgett, before passing Moree, Boggabilla, Tenterfield, Lismore, Grafton, Bowraville and Kempsey.
Their efforts were not well-received by locals, who pelted them with fruit and stones, and even chased the bus in a convoy of cars. In one town, police officers had to escort the students to safety.
The Freedom Ride Blue Plaque Trail will capture the stories and events that took place at the key stops on the Freedom Ride journey. In Walgett, they protested a ban on Indigenous ex-servicemen entering the Returned Services League (RSL) Club. In Moree and Kempsey, they called out local laws barring Indigenous children from swimming pools. In Bowraville, they attempted to ‘gatecrash’ the cinema to protest the inequity in ticketing for Indigenous people.
The widely publicised Freedom Ride contributed significantly to changes in Australians’ attitudes towards Aboriginal rights. Subsequently, in 1967, more than 90% of Australians voted ‘Yes’ in a landmark referendum that gave Indigenous Australians full rights as citizens.
The Minns Labor Government is committed to reconciliation and working together with Aboriginal communities and organisations to improve the lives of and opportunities for Aboriginal people living in NSW.
The community will be consulted on the locations of future plaques.
Minister for Heritage, Penny Sharpe:
“NSW has profoundly changed as a result of Charles Perkins and the students who drew attention to racial injustice in our state.
“It is fitting that the Blue Plaques program will join up from Sydney to Walgett to mark the journey and tell the stories of the Freedom Ride and the changes that happened as a result of it.
“In Walgett, the Freedom Ride will also be recognised through the addition of a Freedom Ride Pavillion in the Freedom Ride Memorial Park in Walgett, drawing visitors to the town.”
the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, David Harris:
“It is crucial we celebrate the courage, resilience and strength of the original Freedom Riders and of all Aboriginal people who, now and in the past, have led the way for racial equality in Australia.
“The NSW Government is committed to reconciliation and working together with Aboriginal communities and organisations to close the gap and improve the lives and opportunities for Aboriginal people living in NSW.
“By listening to Aboriginal voices, supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives, and committing to real action, we can follow in the footsteps of the Freedom Riders to build a more just and equal Australia.”
The Minns Labor Government is investing more than $15 million to deliver a safer, stronger new Warroo Bridge in the NSW Central West with construction work set to start in March.
A new concrete bridge will be built just a few metres upstream from the existing 116-year-old bridge timber truss bridge which is located over the Lachlan River 46 kilometres west of Forbes and 55 kilometres south-east of Condobolin.
Warroo Bridge is a critical connector in the region as it is the only major crossing of the Lachlan River linking the Lachlan Valley Way to the Henry Parkes Way between these two towns.
The existing narrow bridge was built in 1909 and is not suitable for use by modern agricultural equipment or heavy vehicles with higher mass limit loads.
If the existing bridge is closed for maintenance, motorists face a 93-kilometre detour to travel from one side of the bridge to the other.
The Minns Labor Government is investing in construction of a new bridge that will be safer, more reliable and allow for more efficient transport, particularly for freight operators in regional NSW.
Abergeldie Contractors Pty Ltd will deliver the work on behalf of Transport for NSW, with work due to start on March 3. The new bridge is expected to be open to traffic in late 2026, weather permitting.
The existing Warroo Bridge will remain open to traffic throughout the construction of the replacement bridge and will be removed completely once the new bridge is operational.
Transport for NSW will continue to update the community as construction progresses. For more information on the project visit the website of Transport for NSW.
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:
“This new Warroo Bridge over the Lachlan River is an important piece of infrastructure that will make life easier for farmers, businesses and families in the Central West.
“The new bridge will be safer and more reliable than the existing bridge that is now well over 100 years old.
“This sort of investment is part of the NSW Government’s commitment to regional NSW and to driving jobs and investment across the state.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
“The Minns Labor Government is investing in the future of regional NSW by building better bridges that keep communities connected, improve safety and increase efficiency for freight operators.
“I’m excited to see construction start on the new Warroo Bridge which will have wider travel lanes and better road approaches, increased load capacity for heavy vehicles, and improved access for wide vehicles.”
Independent Member for Orange Phil Donato said:
“It’s great to see the contract for this project has been awarded and construction is on track to commence.
“Communities in our region rely on Warroo Bridge and when the new bridge is built it will make life so much easier for local residents and freight operators.”
NSW Labor’s Orange spokesperson Stephen Lawrence MLC said:
“The awarding of the contract to Abergeldie Contractors Pty Ltd to build the replacement Warroo Bridge is an important milestone in this project to improve transport efficiency and reliability in the Central West.
“When construction is complete the community will have a fantastic new asset the Minns Labor Government is proud to be delivering.”
