Category: Australian News

Today our nation will pause to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day, the key commemoration in this 50th anniversary year of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

Thousands of Australians will gather at the Vietnam Forces Memorial in Canberra, and across the country, to honour the service and sacrifice of our Vietnam veterans.

On 18 August 1966, Australians and New Zealanders were outnumbered 10 to one in the battle of Long Tan.

It was the single greatest loss of life Australia suffered during the Vietnam War – 18 Australians were killed and 24 were wounded.

In the years that followed, Vietnam veterans gathered to commemorate those lost at Long Tan.

Now we gather on 18 August each year to mark Vietnam Veterans’ Day, paying tribute to all those who served in Australia’s longest conflict of the 20th century.

60,000 Australian personnel served in Vietnam over more than a decade, which sadly resulted in 523 lives lost, and some 3,000 wounded. For their service, and the sacrifices of their families, we say thank you.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP said:

“This year, as we mark the 50th anniversary since the role of Australian troops in the hostilities in Vietnam came to a close, we acknowledge the service and sacrifice made by our veterans.

“Their experiences during and after the war are a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by those who have served our country and the debt of gratitude we owe each and every one of our veterans.

“Many of our troops returned to face new battles at home and not every one of those battles was won – it is important as Australians we know the stories of service in Vietnam and what our veterans faced when returned home.

“We honour you, we thank you and we are so sorry it took us so long as a nation to do so.”

Minister for Veterans Affairs’ and Defence Personnel Matt Keogh MP said:

“When we speak of the Anzac spirit, we speak of having your mates’ backs, no matter how dire the circumstances.

“But when our veterans returned home from Vietnam many felt unsupported, unrecognised.

“In marking 50 years since the end of Australia’s involvement in Vietnam, we honour and thank all those who served, and the sacrifices of their families.

“You have made your nation proud.”

The Greens welcome the belated release of the First Action Plan and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

We have long supported calls for a clear set of actions and targets, but funding remains a key issue, and more women will die without adequate funding for frontline services and prevention work.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Larissa Waters said:

“For the National plan to end violence against women and children to succeed it needs to be properly funded, and it needs targeted, meaningful goals. We welcome the detail provided in the release of the First Action Plan and the Outcomes Framework but we’re still a long way from being able to celebrate actual outcomes.

“Already this year 35 women have been killed, according to volunteer organisation Counting Dead Women Australia researchers of Destroy the Joint. The Greens have been pushing for years for the government to keep a national FDV death toll, to aid in awareness raising and prevention, but still this work is done by volunteers.

“The women’s safety sector has said for a decade that they need $1bil each year to be able to help everyone who reaches out for help, rather than having to turn people away back to violence. The Government has allocated less than half of that amount with their Action Plan – just $2.23 billion over five years, less than half the $5 billion the sector needs to ensure no one is turned away.

“Women on low wages or income support are especially vulnerable without the resources to escape violent situations. Yet this government persists with the cruelty of keeping income support payments like JobSeeker below the poverty line, and has the audacity to cry poor while dishing out hundreds of billions in tax cuts and investment property perks for the rich. 

“The housing crisis is felt even more acutely by women and children experiencing family and domestic violence. Women are forced to choose between abuse or homelessness, because there is nowhere to go. 

“Violence against women and children has not reduced since the first National Plan to end it 12 years ago. Labor must provide the funds required for the National Plan to succeed, or they risk squandering another decade, and more women’s lives.

“While the Labor Government continues to underfund frontline family and domestic violence services, victim-survivors are turned away from crisis accommodation and one woman is murdered every 10 days in this country.”

Greens spokesperson on First Nations Justice, Senator Dorinda Cox said:

“While I welcome the First Action Plan, the Government must be more ambitious and courageous in its efforts to tackle the issue of violence against First Nations women.

“Better funding of services is crucial and we have been calling for an investment of $10 billion dollars over 10 years to ensure frontline services are equipped and resourced to deal with the increase in family violence.

“What is required is a strategic and trauma informed approach and investment, that is tailored to the communities where people live, because a one size fits all, cookie cutter approach won’t work.

“We must think outside a police, justice and corrections response, and instead look at primary prevention, cultural change and bringing women and communities on board the development of our response and actions and we need to have indigenous women at the table during the planning of these services.

“As part of the work that I have been doing with the federal inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children, we have heard harrowing stories from families and we need their grief and loss to translate into real change.

“It is simply unacceptable that our women are subjected to violence, are injured and killed leaving children without mothers. 

“It was devastating and heartbreaking to hear at a candlelight vigil, the raw grief and pain of the family of Tiffany Woodley. No family should endure that pain.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Greens Leader and Education spokesperson, has slammed Sydney University for accepting funding from the gambling industry to establish a new research centre and called on them to hand the money back.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:

“Sydney University accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of the world’s biggest gambling companies and casinos to bankroll a new gambling research centre- this stinks to high heavens!

“This is a shocking example of a morally bankrupt, ruthless industry getting its dirty tentacles into university and research institutions.

“These sorts of partnerships are just one toxic feature of the broken corporate university model.

“Sydney University needs to hand back the money and rule out any future partnerships with the gambling industry, which only serve to launder the industry’s reputation at the expense of research integrity.

“Ultimately, the corporate university model needs to go and the government must provide a big boost to public funding – including to research funding – to set unis up for the long term. Universities are a public good and should be treated as such.”

While the Prime Minister basks in the glory of the Labor conference, work force data released today shows Australian workers and businesses are doing it tougher than ever.

Against market expectations, the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% and the number of full-time jobs dropped by 24,200 in the month of July. Concerningly the participation rate also decreased.

Part-time employment rose by 9,600 jobs, which was not surprising considering the number of full-time jobs that were lost.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said: “Under Labor we’re seeing our economy shuddering to a halt with Australians now losing jobs, productivity falling off a cliff, flatlining GDP growth and a year of real wage declines.”

“Labor’s cost of living crisis is at risk of morphing into a full-blown economic crisis,” Mr Taylor said.

“Instead of treating inflation and cost of living pressures as it’s first, second and third priority, Labor is distracted and refusing to deal with the core issues impacting Australians’ daily lives.”

Shadow Minister for Employment Senator Michaelia Cash said: “Today’s increase in unemployment is concerning, especially on the back of confirmation earlier in the week that real wages are continuing to go backwards under Labor.

“Mr Albanese has taken the strong labour market left by the previous Coalition Government for granted and is not interested in strengthening our economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Mr Albanese has no plan whatsoever to boost productivity, reduce cost of living pressures or create more job opportunities for Australians,’’ she said.

“Labor is instead focused on rewarding its union mates for their political and financial support,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Today’s figures show Labor needs to abandon its next wave of job destroying industrial relations changes, which will attack casual workers and those who choose to work as contractors or in the gig economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

Recently, there’s been a significant development concerning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his acknowledgment that he hadn’t read the complete Uluru Statement. Australians are lining up to accuse him of planning a referendum without understanding the subject matter, but also questioning the legitimacy of his stance.

It’s a major problem that the prime minister isn’t familiar with this crucial document. This revelation has caused disbelief among those opposing the referendum (“No” campaign).

For months, Albanese has been assuring that there’s sufficient information about the contentious Voice and urging Australians to read it.

While Albanese’s viewpoint has upset many, his admission highlights the complexity of the referendum and its related materials. The challenge is not only about the potential consequences of the referendum itself but also about fully understanding all the connected documents. This incident emphasises the importance of making informed decisions and carefully studying supporting materials regarding significant constitutional changes.

As discussions unfold around this referendum, it’s of utmost importance to carefully consider the viewpoints of all stakeholders, particularly those who have valid concerns about the deeply flawed and potentially divisive Voice proposal. The controversy sparked by Prime Minister Albanese’s admission presents a crucial opportunity to engage in a substantive dialogue about the problematic aspects of the Voice plan and its potential to perpetuate divisive policies and undermine genuine progress towards improving Aboriginal conditions. 

The Albanese Government is working with states and territories to deliver the Help to Buy Scheme, supporting up to 40,000 low and middle income families to purchase a home of their own.

This will bring home ownership back into reach for thousands of Australians who have been locked out of the housing market.

The Government will provide an equity contribution to eligible participants of up to 40 per cent for new homes and 30 per cent for existing homes.

The Government is committed to providing the opportunity to purchase a home under Help to Buy in all states and territories.

For states to participate, legislation will need to be passed for the scheme to operate in their jurisdiction.

All states have agreed at National Cabinet to progress legislation so the scheme will run nationally.

The Albanese Government has already helped more than 50,000 Australians into home ownership through the Home Guarantee Scheme, including more than 6,000 through the new Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee.

Today’s announcement builds on the significant commitments made by National Cabinet yesterday including:

• A new national target to build 1.2 million well-located new homes over five years, from 1 July 2024;
• The New Homes Bonus, $3 billion of performance-based funding for states and territories who achieve more than their Accord targets and undertake reforms to boost housing supply and improve housing affordability; 
• The Housing Support Program, a $500 million competitive funding program for local and state governments to kick-start housing supply; and 
• A Better Deal for Renters which includes developing a nationally consistent policy to require genuine reasonable grounds for eviction, moving towards limiting rental increases to once a year and phasing in minimum rental standards. 

These commitments are on top of the Albanese Government’s ambitious housing agenda which includes:

• The $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, which will help fund 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes in its first five years;
• The new $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator to deliver thousands of new social homes across Australia;
• $350 million to deliver 10,000 affordable homes through the National Housing Accord over five years from 2024;
• Up to $575 million in funding unlocked from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility with homes already under construction across the country;
• Increasing the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 15 per cent, the largest increase in more than 30 years;
• Additional $2 billion in financing for community housing providers for more social and affordable rental housing through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation;
• New incentives to boost the supply of rental housing by changing arrangements for investments in built-to-rent accommodation;
• $1.7 billion one-year extension of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement with States and Territories, including a $67.5 million boost to homelessness funding over the next year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Our Government will help 40,000 low and middle income families buy a home.

So often these Australians have done all the right things – worked hard, saved up, made sacrifices, but a deposit for a home is still out of reach.

Our Government will step up and assist, opening the door of home ownership to tens of thousands of Australians.”

Housing Minister Julie Collins said:

“I’m proud that Help to Buy will bring home ownership back into reach for 40,000 Australians.

This is a critical element of our Government’s broad and ambitious housing agenda to help address Australia’s housing challenges.

We’ll keep delivering to ensure more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home.”

Australia and Japan are strengthening our defence ties with the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) coming into effect.

This military agreement provides the legal framework for greater defence cooperation between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF).

It is the first visiting forces agreement Japan has struck with any country outside the United States.

When it comes to practical outcomes, this agreement will see more training and exercises between the two countries, including;

• Japanese F-35s will deploy to Australia, to RAAF Base Tindal for the first time at the end of August
• Exercise Bushido Guardian, where Australian F-35s will be deployed to Japan for the first time in early September
• Australia will participate in Exercise Yama Sakura as a full participant for the first time with more than 150 personnel travelling to Japan in December.

The RAA will streamline more effective force cooperation, and enable each country to increase the sophistication and regularity of training, exercises and other cooperative activities.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP said:

“The Reciprocal Access Agreement will deepen the relationship between our respective defence forces, supporting closer cooperation and strengthening the capabilities of both the ADF and the JSDF.

“Both Australia and Japan recognise the increasing complexity of our security environment and the need to grow our partnership to support a stable and prosperous region.”

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

“Australia and Japan share an aspiration for a stable, peaceful and prosperous region, and this bilateral Reciprocal Access Agreement will help us deepen our defence cooperation.

“The security and defence relationship between Australia and Japan is critical to both nations, and is underpinned by our Special Strategic Partnership.”

As the world confronts the urgent threat of the climate crisis, the governments of Australia and California have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate our shared efforts to deliver climate action and support clean energy transition.

California is the fifth-largest economy in the world, and through its concentration of clean energy technology and innovation plays an important role in driving global climate action. California’s ability to set standards for new and emerging technologies makes it a critical partner as Australia becomes a renewable energy superpower.

The MOU creates a framework for cooperation on climate action and ecosystem protection, including through the creation of clean jobs and inclusive economic growth.

Areas of cooperation include clean transportation, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation initiatives, developing clean energy supply chains and technologies, and supporting green finance, investment and climate-friendly business, the circular economy, and broader research and development.

The MOU will also help Australia and California address the pressing and immediate priorities of adapting to changes and investing in communities’ resilience to climate risks such as heatwaves, storm surges, wildfires, droughts and flooding.

Australian and Californian government agencies will look to develop specific projects in consultation with industry and academic partners.

This new partnership between our two governments is underpinned by a shared recognition of the opportunities and challenges posed by the climate crisis, including to the Indo-Pacific region, which is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Earlier this year, Australia and the United States established Climate as the third pillar of our alliance. This new Australia-California Memorandum of Understanding follows on from the national-level Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact announced by Prime Minister Albanese and President Biden in May 2023.

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

“Australia is committed to working with international partners to address the climate crisis, which is the biggest threat faced by the Indo-Pacific.

“Our new partnership with the State of California will accelerate our shared efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, including by promoting climate-related disaster resilience and supporting the development of clean energy technologies.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen MP said:

“Global collaboration is critical to ensuring Australia maximises our clean energy potential and realises our ambition to become a renewable energy superpower.

“Our new Memorandum of Understanding builds on significant climate investments from Australia and California and reflects our respective net zero and carbon neutrality targets.”

Today’s Wage Price Index data confirms what Australians are feeling in their hip pockets: they are worse off under Labor.

The Albanese Labor Government’s failure to take inflation seriously is making Australians poorer while the economy shudders to a halt.

Real wages have gone backwards in every quarter on an annual basis since Labor came to government. This includes the biggest collapse in real wages on record in the December 2022 quarter.

This is a direct consequence of Labor’s failure to fight inflation first and it’s working families who are paying the biggest price.

For a working household, ABS data shows inflation was as high as 9.6% in the June quarter meaning their real wages have fallen by 6%.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Australian families are footing the bill for Labor’s failures on the economy.

“With real wages going backwards, hours worked going up and inflation still stubbornly high – no one is feeling better off, no matter how the Treasurer tries to spin it,” Mr Taylor said.

“Between the Canberra Voice and a public holiday thought bubble, Labor is focused on everything but the economy at a time hardworking Australian families are feeling the intense pressures of Labor’s cost of living crisis.

“The government needs to bring inflation back to band by reining in spending, support economic growth through deregulation and driving productivity reform to increase real wages.

“Labor’s economic plan will achieve none of this.”

Shadow Minster for Employment Michaelia Cash said the data calls for Labor to heed employer concerns about their industrial relations reforms.

“The job creators of this nation are extremely concerned about further radical industrial relations reforms which will make it harder and more expensive for them to do business,” Senator Cash said.

“Businesses have said Labor’s proposed changes will cost thousands of jobs every year and strip the rights of labour hire workers to negotiate their own pay and conditions.

“Labor is attacking labour hire, the gig economy and casual work – any sort of flexible work which can’t be easily unionised – it is impossible to improve the real wages of workers if they don’t have jobs any more.

“Labor has always been more interested in pandering to their union paymasters than doing the best thing by businesses and their workers.”

REAL WAGES UNDER LABOR
Quarter	CPI (Annual Growth)	WPI (Annual Growth)	Real Wages (Annual Growth)
September 2022	7.3%	3.2%	-4.1
December 2022	7.8%	3.4%	-4.4
March 2023	7.0%	3.7%	-3.3
June 2023	6.0%	3.6%	-2.4
HOUSEHOLD IMPACTS
Quarter	Employ Living Cost Index (Annual Growth)	WPI (Annual Growth))	Real Wages (Annual Growth)
June 2023	9.6	3.6	-6.0

A Coalition Government will commit $250 million in funding over four years for community sporting infrastructure across the country.

This commitment seeks to capitalise on the national attention female sports are rightly receiving and will deliver long-term benefits by boosting female participation in sport and supporting grassroots sport in our country.

Whilst our investment won’t be contingent on State and Territory government investment, we would encourage the States and Territories to match our investment to bring the total to $500 million.

The Prime Minister’s proposal of a one-off public holiday to celebrate the incredible success of the Matildas comes at a potential cost to the economy of $2 billion; not to mention sidelining the recent triumphs of other female teams in the Netball World Cup and the Ashes. It is a stunt which will have no legacy impact.

The Prime Minister has tried to make the Matildas’ success all about him. But we think there is a better way. We are opposed to Mr Albanese’s public holiday and today we are announcing a policy that will instead make a lasting difference to the community and the lives of our young people.

This package is aimed at improving sporting infrastructure right across our country for the benefit of our young girls and boys who currently operate with poor change room facilities and substandard sporting infrastructure.

We are committed to this proposal whether the Matildas win or lose the World Cup. And we will be proud of them whether they win or fall short.

With the recent success of the Matildas, the Diamonds and our Women’s Ashes Team, we are seeing a surge in interest in women’s sport. We must harness this goodwill to build the sporting infrastructure that our young athletes need.

This is a better and more lasting proposal than the Prime Minister’s public holiday ego trip. It will mean better outcomes over the decades ahead for millions of young girls and boys across the country.

Too many young girls who have an interest in playing sport currently have to change in the sporting club carpark and use the boys’ toilets. This is not good enough. We need to do better and this announcement will go a long way in rectifying this inequity.

Our priority will be improving sporting infrastructure in population growth areas in outer metropolitan, rural and regional areas: areas where young families live and where participation in sport is vital.

Funding will focus on projects which reduce barriers to participation for women and girls, but funding will be made available for projects which also increase accessibility and improve local facilities for children around Australia.

In the first meeting of National Cabinet under a Coalition Government we will seek support for the policy, and that each state and territory contribute towards the initiative.

Recipients would need to demonstrate co-funding of at least 20 per cent of the project cost.

We think this sporting infrastructure improvement fund is a better idea than Mr Albanese’s public holiday thought bubble.

And it’s an idea that will benefit millions of our young Australians who should have the community and sporting infrastructure they need and deserve.