Category: Australian News

Diane Miller’s tragic death yesterday is just another case of senseless violence against First Nations women. The rate of these occurrences is a national shame.

WA Greens Senator and Yamatji-Noongar Woman Dorinda Cox said:

“The fact that this violent tragedy happened so close to Cassius Turvey’s death is extremely upsetting for our community.

“Such a brutal attack occurring in the middle of the ‘16 days in WA’ is highly distressing. The reason the ‘16 days of Activism’ campaign exists is to stop the high rates of gendered violence.

“The unacceptable deaths of First Nations women such as this, is the reason I initiated an Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children in the Senate. We cannot continue to allow this to happen. 

“I encourage family members who have been through similar tragedies to please make a submission to the Inquiry. We want to hear from you, it’s only through sharing our grief and loss that we can find solutions and stop this senseless loss of life. Submissions close on the 12th of December.”

Anthony Albanese now has a clear test to pass in this term of Government after his radical shake-up of the industrial relations system was rammed through the Parliament today.

“The test for Mr Albanese and his Government is that there must now be a substantial increase in real wages across the economy.” Senator Cash said.

“We will hold this Government to account on this legislation, they have promised a lot and they must now deliver or will be judged to have duped the Australian voting public,” she said.

“Minister Tony Burke has made much about the urgency of getting this Bill passed,’’ she said.

“Australian workers will now expect pay rises very quickly and Mr Burke will have to deliver on that promise.’’ Senator Cash said.

The second part of the test for the Albanese Government is maintaining Australia’s record low unemployment levels.

“If there is an increase in unemployment this Bill will be judged as a dismal failure,’’ Senator Cash said.

The third test will be the level of strike action across the nation.

“More strikes will damage our economy. If the number of strikes goes up the Government will also have failed,’’ Senator Cash said.

This Bill also abolishes the Australian Building and Construction Commission which leaves the construction industry at the mercy of Australia’s most militant union the CFMMEU.

“The cost of building this nation’s most important infrastructure will be another test for this Government. If costs rise they will have failed,’’ Senator Cash said.

“And they will also be judged on the safety of women and all workers in the sector,’’ she said.

This legislation will also be judged on Australia’s inflation level.

“If prices rise for Australian families this will also mean failure for this Government’s Bill,’’ Senator Cash said.

“This Bill is a radical shake up of our workplace system and will be judged by what it does to our economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

The Albanese Labor Government has delivered on the next step of its plan to lift wages, improve job security and start closing the gender pay gap.

The Government’s Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill – which passed Federal Parliament today – will give Australian workers a better deal and a better future.

After a decade of deliberate wage suppression under the Liberals and Nationals, Australian workers need a pay rise and these new laws will deliver.

By modernising the bargaining system we will see more workplace agreements, delivering better productivity and flexibility for employers and better pay and conditions for workers.

We’re bringing our workplace relations system up to date with a Government that wants to get wages moving again.

The new laws also:

• Reform the Better Off Overall Test so it’s simple, flexible and fair
• Put gender pay equity at the heart of the Fair Work Act
• Ban pay secrecy clauses that hold back women’s wages
• Expand access to flexible rostering arrangements
• Limit the use of fixed term contracts
• Ban job ads that advertise below minimum rates of pay
• Terminate WorkChoices “zombie” agreements
• Give the Fair Work Commission more powers to arbitrate industrial disputes
• Abolish politicised anti-worker organisations

We thank the minor parties and crossbenchers who supported this important legislation.

But every single Liberal and National MP voted against this Bill.

The Opposition voted against better wages, against secure jobs and against closing the gender pay gap.

They spent ten years keeping wages low as a deliberate design feature of their economic policies – and they’re still at it.

Our Government is taking the opposite approach. Higher wages are a deliberate design feature of this Government’s policies.

One of the first things we did as a Government was help secure a pay rise for Australia’s lowest paid workers. We have also supported aged care workers to secure a wage rise.

The Secure Jobs Better Pay Bill is the next step in that commitment – but it won’t be the last.

The Government will deliver a second tranche of workplace relations reforms next year to close the loopholes that are undermining job security and wage growth.

The Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, welcomed Prime Minister Sanna Marin of the Republic of Finland to Sydney on 2 December 2022, marking the first visit to Australia by a Finnish Prime Minister. The Prime Ministers discussed a range of issues reflecting the breadth of their common interests and values.

Leaders reaffirmed the warm and productive relationship between Australia and Finland, underpinned by a common vision based on equality, trust and shared values. They underlined the need to work together in strengthening their resilience as open and democratic societies and in fostering sustainable development. They agreed that managing complex supply chains, energy sources and investing in trustworthy critical and emerging technologies was needed to promote economic, political, social and environmental stability as well as human rights.

Discussions reinforced Australia’s close partnership with the European Union, as highlighted by the entry into force of the Australia-EU Framework Agreement in October 2022. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the swift conclusion of a comprehensive and ambitious EU-Australia Trade Agreement. Once concluded, a trade agreement between the European Union and Australia would herald a new era in EU-Australia relations and offer significant economic benefits to both sides. The Prime Ministers agreed that defending an open, free, fair and resilient multilateral rules-based trading system is a priority for both countries.

Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine has undermined European and global security. The Prime Ministers condemned Russia’s war of aggression, a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. They firmly rejected and unequivocally condemned the attempted illegal annexation by Russia of Ukrainian territories. They reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Prime Ministers demanded that Russia immediately end its war and withdraw its forces from within Ukraine’s borders. They expressed their commitment to work together with the international community to continue supporting Ukraine. The brutal violence towards innocent civilians is reprehensible, and those responsible for the atrocities in Ukraine needed to be held accountable. Prime Minister Albanese acknowledged Finland’s accession to NATO and looks forward to working with Finland in Australia’s capacity as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner to NATO.

The Prime Ministers pledged to work together to defend and strengthen democracy; promote and protect human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, media freedom, gender equality, diversity and social inclusion; promote inclusive and interoperable digitalisation; and counter misinformation and disinformation. The Prime Ministers reiterated their strong commitment to being leaders in gender equality and making it central to their governments’ policy and decision‑making.

The leaders acknowledged the critical importance of the multilateral system, with the UN as its cornerstone that underpins the rules-based order, for ensuring global security, stability and prosperity. Australia and Finland are committed to multilateral cooperation to find solutions to the most pressing global challenges. The Prime Ministers highly value the important work of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the broader United Nations human rights system for the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. This includes responding to and ending all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, in all contexts.

Fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity, and realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals require global cooperation. We need to make rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and act urgently to adapt to climate change in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. We affirm our resolve to work with the international community to pursue efforts to keep 1.5 degrees within reach. The Prime Ministers welcomed the historic progress made at the recently concluded 27th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt to develop funding arrangements to support the world’s most climate vulnerable countries to address losses and damages associated with the adverse impacts of climate change. The magnitude and seriousness of climate impacts to people and nature depend on the actions we take now.

Protecting biodiversity can also help us mitigate and adapt to climate change. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 comes at a crucial time: the Prime Ministers committed to work towards securing an ambitious Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework recognising the urgent need to address the global biodiversity crisis by halting and reversing biodiversity loss to achieve a nature positive world. Australia and Finland are also committed to reaching without delay an ambitious and effective agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. 

Australia and Finland are like-minded partners in tackling global challenges, including in the Indo-Pacific region. Leaders reaffirmed their adherence to the fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including the right to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight. Australia welcomes increased European engagement in the Indo-Pacific, including through implementation of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo‑Pacific.

Australia and Finland, as Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty, are committed to upholding the rules and norms of the Antarctic Treaty system. They share a firm interest in international cooperation to maintain Antarctica as a place of peace, science and environmental protection, and address challenges including climate change. Australia and Finland will work together for a successful Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Helsinki in 2023.

The Prime Ministers reiterated the importance of science and technology and expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation and information exchange in areas of common interest, especially in digitalisation, wireless communications technologies, high performance computing including artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum, the data economy, and clean energy transition. Both countries will work to ensure the responsible design, development and use of technology, which has a significant impact on our societies, economy and wellbeing as key drivers for future growth and competitiveness. The Prime Ministers agreed to explore potential for a bilateral cyber and technology policy exchange to develop multi-stakeholder collaboration between public and private sectors.

Today, the Greens spokesperson for Sport Senator Lidia Thorpe will be backed by the Government and Coalition when she moves a motion for an inquiry into concussion and repeated head trauma in contact sports to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs.

Senator Lidia Thorpe said:

“Repeated head trauma creates a lifelong injury. The brain is not a muscle that you can repair. Once the damage is done, it’s permanent. We need to protect our elite and community athletes, so everyone in this country can continue to celebrate the games we love.

“The Inquiry will examine concussions and repeated head trauma in contact sports at all levels, for all genders and age groups. Sportspeople at all levels must be informed about the symptoms of concussion and encouraged to speak up, without being penalised for it.

“Sports organisations need to be transparent about the evidence that informs their concussion policies. The Inquiry will investigate practices undermining recovery periods and potential risk disclosure.

“We’ll examine what physical and financial supports are available, including compensation mechanisms for players affected by the long-term impacts of concussions. 

“Symptoms of repeated head trauma include cognitive impairment, impulsive behaviour, depression, suicidal thoughts, short-term memory loss, emotional instability, impulsivity and aggression. We need to look at this holistically, to protect everyone in our community.

“This country is falling behind the leadership shown by the USA and UK in this space. In the UK, this has meant that children under 11 are no longer taught to head footballs in soccer matches.

“I thank Minister for Sport Anika Wells and Senator Anne Ruston for supporting this critical work. This is urgent, and overdue.

“Noongar man Graham Farmer was one of the greatest players in AFL history. Unfortunately, he was also the first AFL player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. We need to make sure we don’t have a new generation of athletes carrying the same injury.” Said Thorpe.

The Committee will report by 21 June 2023.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt says the first Annual Climate Statement to Parliament is a good result of the Greens’ deal to pass the government’s Climate Change Bill and marks a welcome change from a decade of climate denial, but that the statement was missing the elephant in the room: the impact of new coal and gas.

Mr Bandt also said the latest Quarterly Emissions Projections also released today showed pollution from oil and gas projects was rising.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

“It’s welcome that the government is now talking about climate in Parliament, but the Minister’s statement was missing two very important words: ‘coal’ and ‘gas’.

“The government’s figures see gas pollution rising. Gas is fuelling the climate crisis and pollution is forecast to be even higher in 2030 than today.

“The government has pledged methane cuts of 30% by 2030, but their figures have it rising instead.

“The 114 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline will blow the government’s climate targets out of the water, but the government has no plan to deal with them.

“Next week’s response to the environmental laws review must include a ‘climate trigger’ to ensure the climate impact of proposed new coal and gas projects are assessed under our environment laws.

“Over the coming months we will be talking with the government about its proposed reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism, which covers the coal and gas sector. We want to work with the government to ensure the Safeguard Mechanism delivers real and deep cuts to pollution, not just fake offsets and an excuse for coal and gas to expand and keep polluting.”
 

The Albanese Government has today delivered on our promise to the Australian people to return integrity, honesty and accountability to government by legislating a powerful, transparent and independent National Anti-Corruption Commission in 2022.

The Albanese Government’s National Anti-Corruption Commission will:

• Have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the Commonwealth public sector by ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory officer holders, employees of all government entities and government contractors;
• Operate independent of government, with discretion to commence inquiries on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and the public;
• Be overseen by a statutory Parliamentary Joint Committee, empowered to require the Commission to provide information about its work;
• Have the power to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption that occurred before or after its establishment;
• Have the power to hold public hearings in exceptional circumstances and where it is in the public interest to do so;
• Be empowered to make findings of fact, including findings of corrupt conduct, and refer findings that could constitute criminal conduct to the Australian Federal Police or the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions; and
• Operate with procedural fairness and its findings will be subject to judicial review.

The legislation also provides strong protections for whistleblowers and exemptions for journalists to protect the identity of sources.

Australians waited years for the former Government to implement their pledge for a Commonwealth integrity commission. They never even introduced a bill.

This is a historic day for our Parliament, and the nation.

The Government has already begun the search for Australia’s first National Anti-Corruption Commissioner through a merit-based, transparent and robust recruitment process, adhering to the highest standards of integrity and accountability.

With today’s vote, we now look forward to the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in mid-2023.

Today Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with the President of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue, during his visit to Australia as a Guest of the Australian Parliament.

They discussed the vibrant trade, investment, education and defence links between Australia and Vietnam, underpinned by the Strategic Partnership and strong people to people links, ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year. Australia and Vietnam share a commitment to a peaceful and prosperous region and an ambition to boost trade and investment, including to create jobs in both countries and drive the clean energy transformation.

They also discussed international issues and reiterated their commitment to ASEAN centrality and a region which is peaceful, prosperous, stable and in which sovereignty is respected. They reaffirmed that disputes, including those in the South China Sea, should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight. They maintained the call that any Code of Conduct for the South China Sea should not prejudice the rights of all states under international law, particularly UNCLOS.

They announced Australia and Vietnam’s shared intention to elevate the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This announcement reflects the high level of mutual strategic trust and ambition in the relationship and will place Australia in the top tier of Vietnam’s closest partners. It demonstrates a further deepening of Australia’s relationship with Southeast Asia.

During his visit, National Assembly President Hue will also meet with the Governor‑General, Parliament’s Presiding Officers, senior Federal Government ministers, and the Leader of the Opposition. In Melbourne, President Hue will promote the impressive education linkages between our countries and strengthen business engagement.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“Australia and Vietnam share close bonds and a vision for a stable, peaceful, resilient and prosperous region.”

“Our shared ambition to elevate our formal ties is a reflection of our deepening cooperation on significant issues – economic, climate and strategic. It demonstrates clearly the government’s determination to deepening Australia’s relationship with Southeast Asia.”

“I look forward to continuing to strengthen Australia-Vietnam ties as we celebrate our 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.”

Foreign Minister Wong said:

“Vietnam is a close partner and friend to Australia in Southeast Asia.

“Our two countries are working closely together to boost cooperation on climate change, expand economic and trade opportunities, and deepen our longstanding people-to-people ties.

“We share a strategic interest in a peaceful stable and prosperous region, with ASEAN at its centre.”

The Greens say a Senate inquiry into school disruption, initiated by the Liberals and backed by Labor, risks being used as a platform to attack overworked teachers and First Nations, disabled and neurodiverse students.

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

“Labor and the Coalition today voted to set up an inquiry into school disruption. While disruption and lack of student engagement in Australian classrooms is a complex phenomenon worth exploring in its proper context, the inquiry’s terms of reference are deeply concerning.

“Instead of seeking to investigate the causes of disruption and student disengagement without prejudice, the terms of reference are loaded with assumptions and value judgements.

“I hope I’m wrong but I’m really worried that this inquiry will be used as a cudgel against overworked teachers, struggling parents and disadvantaged kids. I’m especially concerned that it’s going to provide a forum to target First Nations, disabled and neurodiverse students.

“Public school teachers, parents and carers have been telling us for years that their schools are understaffed and under-resourced and that this is worsening student outcomes and entrenching inequality.

“Perhaps the Senate could spend some more time inquiring into that rather than giving a soapbox to anti-public school culture warriors.”

Australian Greens Deputy Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that new behavioural codes of conduct developed by the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards, tabled today, will make parliament a safer place and set clear rules for behaviour in parliamentary workplaces.

Senator Faruqi is a member of the Joint Select Committee and participated actively in the inquiry.

Senator Faruqi said:

“These behavioural codes and standards will make parliament a safer place for everyone who works at and visits this place.

“I’m pleased that the report has acknowledged the intersections of discrimination that further marginalise First Nations people, people of colour, disabled people and LGBTQI+ communities, and the codes explicitly prohibit discrimination on these grounds. 

“I have first hand experience of the damage that racism and sexism does to a person who doesn’t belong to the ‘dominant norm’ of white men in suits. There will now be a clear and unambiguous recognition that this is unacceptable – and that perpetrators will face consequences for their actions.

“The evidence we heard from witnesses showed an overwhelming desire for strong and enforceable codes, not meaningless platitudes.

“I really want to thank the courageous staff – current and former – who have spoken out about the toxic culture of parliament and have paved the way for a safer, more respectful, inclusive and diverse parliament.

“The codes were agreed to by consensus. They are a strong expression of this parliament’s desire to do better. I look forward to their implementation.”

The report of the committee is available here.