Category: Australian News

Today, Senator Jordon Steele-John will move a motion in the Senate ordering the production of all documents related to Australia’s decision to join the US-led coalition which invaded Iraq twenty years ago. 

This order for the production of documents includes the following:

• The advice provided by the Department of Defence to the Prime Minister and Governor General concerning the decision to deploy the ADF to Iraq.
• The advice provided by the Attorney General to the Governor General and the Federal Executive Council in relation to the decision to deploy the ADF into Iraq 
• Correspondence between the Department of Defence and the United States Embassy about the Iraq invasion in March 2003

These documents will provide valuable insight into the Howard Government’s decision making which led Australia to join the US-led invasion of Iraq, a war that claimed over 600,000 lives and left millions displaced from their homes, according to some estimates. 

Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens spokesperson for Peace and Foreign Affairs said: 

“Twenty years on from the catastrophic invasion of Iraq and the circumstances that led us there are still vague and shrouded in secrecy.”

“Australians deserve to know who was making the decisions, what the basis for war was and whether any semblance of a legal process was even followed.”

“Hundreds of thousands have died, millions have been displaced and millions more have been left with lasting trauma. This was all based on a choice made in Australia’s name that lacks any accountability, form of transparency or oversight. ” 

“The decision-making process for sending the ADF to war requires major reform. I sincerely hope that the Labor government takes the opportunity to share with the community how such a devastating decision was made and what needs to change to ensure it never happens again.”

“These documents will provide valuable insight into what the Howard government knew, the time in which they knew it, and exactly what mechanism and authority they used to deploy Australian troops to Iraq, four of whom never came home”. 

The Australian Government will provide an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by the devastating earthquakes that have struck Türkiye and Syria.

In Türkiye, Australia will provide $7 million in lifesaving assistance. $4 million of this will be provided through our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners for food and items such as tents and blankets to support those injured and evacuated. A further $3 million will be allocated as needs become clearer.

In Syria, Australia will provide $3 million through our longstanding partner, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for immediate needs including shelter, clean water and sanitation, with a focus on women and girls.

Australia’s assistance will target those in greatest need.

We extend Australia’s deepest sympathies to families and communities that have lost loved ones, and those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia or +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.

A Pharmacist and Practice Manager from across Australia were sentenced last week after fraudulently claiming more than $470,000 in payments under the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

The below outcomes are a culmination of a strong collaboration between the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).

Victoria – 2 February 2023 – Carson Au

Victorian pharmacy practitioner Carson Au was sentenced to two years imprisonment after having made 76 false PBS claims between 25 February 2018 and 20 September 2019.

Au received PBS payments in the amount of $110,461.68 to which he was not entitled.  

He was sentenced to two years imprisonment commencing on the 2 February 2023 and will serve eight months in custody before being released on a $5,000 Good Behaviour Bond of two years.

All monies owed by Mr Au have been repaid.

New South Wales – 3 February 2023 – Amanda Leigh Blackburn

Former practice manager Amanda Blackburn of St Clair was sentenced to a maximum of four years imprisonment with a minimum two years to be served by the Parramatta District Court after pleading guilty to defrauding taxpayers of almost $315,000 by lodging false MBS claims.

Ms Blackburn was found to have made 3,915 false or misleading MBS claims for 6,897 services between 26 March 2014 and 1 February 2021 that were not actually provided to patients.

A Restitution Order was issued by the Court for $314,253.60

The Department of Health and Aged Care takes allegations of Medicare non-compliance very seriously and all tip-offs are reviewed.

Anyone with information about suspected non-compliance or fraud of Government health payments by health providers can make a report via the “Reporting Fraud” page on the Department of Health’s website at www.health.gov.au/fraud-tip-offs  or by calling the Provider Benefits Integrity Hotline on 1800 314 808.

Senator Lidia Thorpe has advised Greens Leader Adam Bandt of her decision to resign from the Australian Greens, but remain in the Senate. 

She leaves the Party Room a tremendously respected figure, who has undertaken critical campaigning work to progress a Treaty in Australia, raise the age of criminal responsibility, end the deportation of First Nations people and fight racism in the prison and child protection systems.

While she will no longer sit in the Greens Party Room, Mr Bandt said he hoped Senator Lidia Thorpe and the Greens will continue to work closely together on important issues given their strong policy alignment. Senator Thorpe has told Mr Bandt she intends to vote with the Greens on climate.

Mr Bandt had asked Senator Thorpe to remain in the Party Room, including as the Greens First Nations spokesperson. Mr Bandt had also confirmed with Senator Thorpe that under the Greens constitution she could choose to vote as she saw fit on the question of Voice, and that if she voted differently from her colleagues, she would retain her portfolios but not be the party’s spokesperson on the referendum and would be free to express her views. 

The Greens continue to hold the balance of power position in the Senate and will continue to be essential to the passage of government legislation and other Parliamentary actions that the Coalition opposes.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

“Senator Thorpe has made a phenomenal contribution to the Greens and I’m truly sorry to see her leave our party room,” Mr Bandt said. 

“I’m sad to see her go, as I respect her greatly as a fighter for her people.

“I tried hard to get her to stay with the Greens as our First Nations spokesperson, but she has chosen another course to advance the Blak Sovereignty movement. 

“Senator Thorpe has drawn attention to human rights abuses at Don Dale, fought the deportation of First Nations people, fearlessly challenged the colonial relics of parliamentary process and fiercely pursued Treaty.

“The Greens will continue to work closely with Senator Thorpe on a range of issues and I thank her for committing to vote with the Greens on climate.”

Greens Deputy Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:

“Senator Thorpe has been such a strong voice for First Nations people in the Parliament and our Party Room. I have a deep admiration for her unwavering commitment to Blak justice. I’m very sad to see her go,” Senator Faruqi said.

“We have worked together as allies against white supremacy and racism in all its forms, and I know we will continue this work along with climate justice and other vital progressive fights.”

The Greens have today introduced legislation in the Senate to compel the government to offer immediate evacuation to Australia to all remaining refugees and people seeking asylum still stranded offshore in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

“After ten long years of offshore detention it is abhorrent that about 150 people remain exiled in PNG and Nauru,” Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“The Bill has been designed specifically to fit within Labor’s policy settings, and avoid the toxic refugee politics of the past two decades.” 

“But most importantly, it offers a way forward for people seeking asylum who have suffered so much for so long.”

“When in Opposition, Labor was happy to support the Medevac amendment moved by the Greens. This Bill gives them the chance to work in the same spirit of cooperation to finish that task.”

“It was the ALP which sent every one of these people to Manus Island and Nauru in 2013, which means that Labor has a moral responsibility to end their exile.”

“Offshore detention has been a humanitarian calamity, and one of the darkest and bloodiest chapters in our country’s story. It is time we wrote the ending, and this Bill will help us to do that.

“The legislation does not require the government to settle people permanently in Australia, but to offer to support them in Australia until a durable third-country solution is secured.”

“This Bill represents a compassionate and practical solution to the ongoing crisis of offshore detention.”

“It provides a necessary step towards a durable solution for people who have been without one for nearly a decade. It will offer people a chance at safety in Australia with the support and medical attention they need while awaiting resettlement in a safe third country.”

“This is a critical step in ensuring that people who sought asylum in Australia and were treated so abhorrently finally get the dignity and respect they deserve, and the chance to rebuild their lives in safety and freedom.”

The legislation would require the Minister to:

• make an immediate offer of evacuation to all refugees and people seeking asylum still in PNG and Nauru (around 150 people), unless they have had an adverse security assessment made against them by ASIO;
• place all refugees and people seeking asylum who accept the offer in the Australian community, and not into held detention;
• make available to all people evacuated to Australia with any medical assessments and treatments they need;
• allow for all people evacuated to Australia under this legislation to remain in Australia until they are provided with a durable solution to their displacement with a third-country that is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or 1967 Refugee Protocol.

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments have today announced a landmark package for Central Australia that will improve community safety, tackle alcohol-related harm, and provide more opportunities for young people.

The Northern Territory and Australian Governments will continue to work with the Central Australian community on longer-term solutions to the issues locals are facing.

As experts and community leaders have pointed out, alcohol restrictions alone will not address the underlying causes of antisocial behaviour. The issues are complex and have developed over decades.

The Northern Territory Government will bring forward legislation next week to strengthen alcohol restrictions so that town camps and communities will revert to dry zones. This new legislation will follow a local decision making process, where Community Alcohol Plans will be developed by the community and then must be approved by the Director of Liquor Licensing. Communities that want to opt-out of a dry-zone will need 60% of the population to vote in support of the Community Alcohol Plan.

Local areas will be able to choose to remain dry, or select tailored restrictions which work for them.

To address the decline in services and investment over the last decade in particular, the Australian Government will invest $250 million in a plan for A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia. This plan will focus on:

1. Improved community safety and cohesion – through more youth engagement and diversion programs.
2. Job creation – particularly in the communities that surround Alice Springs – including urgent changes as part of replacing the failed Community Development Program (CDP).
3. Better services – by improving health services in surrounding communities, there will be less pressure on Alice Springs.
4. Preventing and addressing the issues caused by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – including better responding through the health and justice systems.
5. Investing in families – including by better supporting elders and parents, boosting domestic violence services.
6. On country learning – improving school attendance and completion through caring for culture and country.

These actions by the Northern Territory and Australian Governments are based on the recommendations of Central Australian Regional Controller, Dorrelle Anderson.

For too long decisions about Central Australia have been made in Canberra. This time, the Australian Government will take a new approach by listening to communities first.

Today’s announcements are in addition to the $48 million investment in community safety announced by the Australian Government on 24 January, which included:

1. $14.2 in additional funding for extra high visibility police and law enforcement operations including targeting grog running, and increasing liquor licensing compliance inspectors and boosting security guards in public places.
2. A $2m investment to improve CCTV, lighting and safety measures throughout Alice Springs.
3. $5.6m for additional emergency accommodation and safe spaces to give young people a place to go to at night and boost the effectiveness of the night patrol program which will commence shortly to help get young people off the streets.
4. $2m for the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group to boost Domestic Violence services.
5. $25m to extend funding for safety and community services which are currently scheduled to end in June 2023 to provide certainty to providers and their employees and ensure this work continues.

The Australian Government’s landmark investment in the Northern Territory will be delivered in partnership with the local community. Because the most effective solutions come from the local community.

The Australian Government will work with the local community, organisations, the Central Australian Regional Controller, the Northern Territory Government, businesses, local government and in line with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, His Excellency General Taur Matan Ruak, to Australia as a Guest of Government from 7 to 9 February.

Prime Minster Albanese will meet Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak in Canberra to discuss Australia’s partnership with Timor-Leste and opportunities for strengthening our economic, security and regional cooperation.

Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak will also visit Darwin, where he will reinforce the warm relationship and enduring people-to-people links between the Northern Territory and Timor-Leste.

This visit will reaffirm both countries’ steadfast support for the Australia-Timor-Leste partnership, including through defence and economic cooperation, labour mobility and new areas such as critical infrastructure.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“I am delighted to welcome Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak to Australia for his first official visit to Australia since becoming Prime Minister in 2018.

“Timor-Leste is one of Australia’s closest neighbours and partners in the region and the Prime Minister’s visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation between our countries.

“Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak’s visit to Australia reflects the close ties between our people and countries, and the importance my Government places on deepening our relationships in Southeast Asia and across the Pacific region.”

The Albanese Government must immediately rule out granting an extension permit to fossil fuel project PEP-11 after the Morrison Government’s decision to stop the project looks set to be overturned by the Federal Court. 

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

“Disregarding the way in which he went about it, which was typically shocking, stopping PEP-11 was potentially the only good thing Scott Morrison ever did during his time in office.  

“This project is toxic. The community doesn’t accept it, the NSW Government doesn’t want it, and even Scott Morrison proved he’d go to extraordinary lengths to kill it.

“During last year’s election campaign Anthony Albanese publicly opposed PEP-11, but talk is cheap. Now his government has the power to stop it, he should put a proper end to this destructive project. 

“When parliament was last in session I introduced the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Fight for Australia’s Coastline) Bill to the Senate. If passed, this legislation would set a precedent for permanently stopping destructive offshore oil and gas exploration in our oceans. 

“If the Government remains serious about stopping PEP-11 it should bring on and vote for the Greens’ Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Fight for Australia’s Coastline) Bill, which would stop PEP-11 beyond any doubt, and prohibit any future petroleum exploration or production in the area for good.

“Approving this project would put our marine wildlife at unacceptable risk, and threaten the thousands of livelihoods along the NSW coastline that depend on healthy oceans. 

“If the Albanese Government doesn’t rule out PEP-11 it can expect to feel the full wrath of a community that considered this battle already won.” 

South Australians are increasingly concerned about the prospect of a Radioactive Waste Dump in their state following the incident in WA where a tiny radioactive capsule was lost in transit from a mine site in the Pilbara.

Greens Senator for South Australia, Barbara Pocock, says constituents are expressing concern about the dangers of storing intermediate level waste at the proposed location near Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula. “There’s clearly a need for stronger safeguards and stiffer penalties if we are to have any faith in the protective regimes around nuclear materials,” she said.

“People were already concerned about this proposed waste facility prior to this incident but I’m now receiving messages from constituents who are alarmed about what’s happened,” Senator Pocock said.

“This incident exposes a major failure in the management of nuclear material in Australia and highlights the dangers that radioactive products pose to the community,” she said.

“People are frightened by the very thought that this kind of radioactive product can just fall of the back of a truck and not be discovered for days or weeks after it happened.

“Clearly, the code of practice for the safe transport of radioactive material has failed to protect the people of Western Australia and frankly, many South Australians are not prepared to take that risk,” Senator Pocock said.

“With an industry that produces waste that can be lethal to humans for thousands of years, failing to meet its own safety standards, how can we have faith that it won’t happen here?” She said.

There are many farmers on the Eyre Peninsula who are worried about the consequences that an incident like this could have on their crop markets. The European Union has implemented strict regulations governing the importation of food originating in third countries regarding exposure to radiation.

The Federal Labor Government is persisting with the LNP proposal to build a nuclear waste facility in South Australia despite widespread community opposition and a concerted campaign by First Nations custodians, the Barngarla people, who have instigated court proceedings to stop the dump.

“There was a piece of radioactive material the size of a tic-tac, lying on the side of the road in the Pilbara for the past two weeks and nobody had a clue where it was or how it was lost,” Senator Pocock said.

“Australia’s intermediate level radioactive waste should stay where it is at Lucas Heights until long term storage technology is available to keep everyone in Australia safe from nuclear radiation,” she said.

The Albanese Government has reached a major milestone – six months ahead of schedule – with more than 35,000 Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers now in Australia.

In the October 2022 Budget, the Government committed to reaching 35,000 workers by June 2023. Latest data shows the milestone was reached in December.

When the Government came to office the total number of PALM workers in Australia was just over 24,400, as at the end of May 2022. As a result of the Government’s work to expand and improve PALM, the total number of workers has risen to over 35,100, as of the end of December 2022. This is an increase of 44 per cent in just seven months.

Reaching this milestone early demonstrates the Government’s commitment to immediately addressing long-standing workforce issues across key sectors in the Australian economy.

PALM workers are earning incomes, developing skills and filling workforce shortages across 28 industries, including agriculture, food processing, accommodation and hospitality and aged care.

The scheme is vital for filling workplace shortages in regional Australia, ensuring businesses can continue supporting their communities when there are limited local workers available.

Workers are employed under the same industry awards and legislation as Australian workers. PALM Approved Employers must meet stringent criteria to participate, including compliance with workplace regulations and health and safety laws.

Workers from nine Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste are participating in the scheme, which is boosting economies and lifting families out of poverty. In a region where more than one third of people live on less than $1,000 per year, long term PALM workers send home an average of $15,000 each.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“My Government is delivering on its commitment to reform and expand PALM and is already six months ahead of schedule.

“I was pleased to meet with PALM workers when I visited Fiji in July of last year, seeing firsthand the people who will make significant contributions to Australia’s workforce.

“This scheme is a practical measure that shows our respect for the Pacific and will build a stronger Pacific family.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong said:

“The PALM scheme is improving lives, mitigating critical skills shortages and contributing to the economic resilience of the region.

“We will continue to work with Pacific partners to achieve our shared aspirations.”

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke said:

“The wellbeing and working conditions of Pacific and Timorese workers in the PALM scheme is of central importance to the Australian government.”

“Site visits, a 24-hour PALM support line, and regular employer reporting are features of the compliance framework, with additional compliance activities funded in the Fair Work Ombudsman.”

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt said:

“Reaching our commitment of 35,000 PALM scheme workers in Australia six months early demonstrates our commitment to immediately addressing the long-standing workforce issues in the agricultural industry.

These workers are now providing important skills and labour in our agricultural sector, helping Australian farmers and meat processors fill gaps in their workforce.”

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

“With the money they’re earning in Australia these workers are building new homes, putting children through school and kick-starting businesses in their home countries. It’s been heartening to see the impact on the ground – from Solomon Islands to Vanuatu.”

“The Albanese Government is making a significant contribution to Pacific economies, over and above our development program – which is highly valued by the leaders I’ve met across the Pacific.”