Category: Australian News

The Albanese Government welcomes the final report from the Bell Inquiry, handed down today by the Hon Justice Virginia Bell AC.

The Inquiry examined the appointment of former Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, to administer multiple departments without disclosure to his colleagues or the public.

The unprecedented and inexcusable actions of the former Prime Minister were emblematic of the culture of secrecy in which the previous Government operated.

The Bell Inquiry confirms the Solicitor-General’s conclusion that the principles of responsible government were “fundamentally undermined” because Mr Morrison was not “responsible” to the Parliament, and through the Parliament to the electors, for the departments he was appointed to administer.

Justice Bell found the secrecy around the appointments was “apt to undermine public confidence in government” and was “corrosive of trust in government.”

The Inquiry has made six recommendations to improve transparency, accountability and restore public trust in Australian democracy, including:

• Legislation to require public notice of the appointment of Ministers to administer departments and hold offices;
• The publication of acting arrangements for Ministers; and
• The publication of details of which Ministers are appointed to administer departments and an outline of divisions of responsibilities where more than one Minister is appointed to the same department.

I will recommend to the next meeting of Cabinet that the Albanese Government accept all six of Justice Bell’s recommendations.

The quick implementation of these recommendations will ensure that the Australian public can have full confidence that this breach of trust will never happen again.

I thank Justice Bell and her team for the efforts in conducting this Inquiry.

The full report and recommendations can be viewed at: https://www.ministriesinquiry.gov.au/

“According to new data from Reconciliation Australia, national support for Treaty has jumped to 72%. That’s a 25% increase in four years!” Said Senator Lidia Thorpe, the Greens spokesperson for First Nations.

Senator Lidia Thorpe said:

“We learnt yesterday that First Nations children are 10x more likely to be living in out of home care than non-Indigenous kids, less than half of them are living with First Nations carers. Forcibly taking children away from their community is an act of genocide, according to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

“Today, Reconciliation Australia showed us that 60% of First Nations people have experienced racism in the last six months.

“We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 26x more likely than their non-Indigenous classmates to be incarcerated.

“This is all evidence of systemic racism in this country. The solution is self-determination. It’s critical that First Nations people have more than just ‘a say’ over the matters that affect us. 

“Everyone is better off when we are free to steer our own course, yet successive Governments continue to lock First Nations people out of decision making processes and force policies onto us that continue the violent legacy of colonisation.

“We need a Treaty to redefine and rebuild the relationship between the Government and First Nations people. A Treaty will restore our right to make decisions for ourselves, our families, our communities and our homelands.

“Through real justice, we can build a society where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

“Treaty was promised by Bob Hawke’s Labor government in the 80s and it’s still unfinished business today. There’s growing support for First Nations people to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to making decisions about our community, our country and our culture. The Greens will keep fighting to make this a reality.” Said Thorpe.

The Greens have secured legislation that will enforce civil penalties of up to $1.1 million for bankers who do not ensure proper conduct within financial institutions.

“The Greens have secured million dollar fines for dodgy bank executives,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“We recently had a once in a century Royal Commission that uncovered a litany of misconduct. But most bankers who ripped off their customers went unpunished, or even left with massive payouts.”

“The new Financial Accountability Regime will require bankers to take reasonable steps to ensure that banks are not ripping off customers.”

“The amendments secured by the Greens will ensure that if bankers breach their accountability obligations then they will get hit hard in their hip pocket.”

“The Morrison Government used the cover of the pandemic to go soft on the banks – the Greens will not allow the rot set in again.”

“We recently forced the government to commit to implementing outstanding Royal Commission recommendations after running dead on them during the election campaign.”

“We’ve also just secured the inclusion of dividends paid by bank owned super funds in  a new super transparency report.”

The government’s response to ‘A Way Forward: Final report into the destruction of Indigenous heritage sites at Juukan Gorge’ is welcomed by The Greens, but the need for cohesive First Nations cultural heritage laws shouldn’t have taken global outrage at legal desecration to be acknowledged.

Greens spokesperson for resources Yamatji-Noongar Woman Senator Dorinda Cox said:

“It is disappointing to hear the government didn’t consult with the Traditional Owners before tabling their response to the reports. It seems the Minister is more concerned with positive media than consulting the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people and building “genuine partnerships” through listening and learning.

“I asked in estimates whether the government would adopt recommendation 1 of the ‘A Way Forward’ report. I am disheartened to hear this is not the case. I don’t know how they can claim to respect First Nations culture when the ultimate say doesn’t lie with the Indigenous Minister.

“Senator Thorpe’s bill to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) must be fast-tracked if the government wants to “do better”.

“Stopping manufactured consent is paramount, as is consulting all stakeholders – this was highlighted in the recent ruling against Santos for failing to consult with all Traditional Owners regarding their Barossa Gas project.

“If the world hadn’t shown outrage at Rio Tinto’s actions, would there still be a push from Labor to reform cultural heritage laws? 

“The Minister has the opportunity now to prevent another disaster by protecting the Murujuga artwork and seven sisters songline that are currently under threat.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland, Sanna Marin, to Australia next week. This will be the first visit by a Finnish Prime Minister to Australia.

Prime Minister Marin will be accompanied on her visit to Australia by a business delegation. She will also address the Lowy Institute.

Australia and Finland share a common vision based on equality, trust and shared values. In addition to enjoying warm bilateral ties, Australia works closely with Finland in multilateral forums and through engagement with the European Union.

Australia appreciates Finland’s strong support in seeking to finalise the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement – a key priority for the Australian Government.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has permanently altered the geopolitical landscape, culminating in Finland’s historic decision to seek NATO membership.
As an Enhanced Opportunities Partner of NATO, Australia recognises the strong capabilities Finland will bring to the alliance.

Russia’s actions only seek to reinforce the importance of likeminded partners working together to defend the international rules-based order.

Prime Minister Albanese said:

“I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Marin to Australia on Friday.”

“Although a world apart geographically, Australia and Finland are united by shared values and a strong desire to uphold the international rules-based order.”

“Australians and Finns have a mutual appreciation for fostering sustainable growth, investing in clean energy and resilient supply chains and social and political stability.”

In her proposal for the bill in 2020, Pauline Hanson said that banning curriculum materials which mention gender diversity would prevent children from becoming trans or non-binary.

‘The preoccupation with gender identity by some teachers and schools is correlated with an increase in children identifying as transgender, which is why I say these educators are transgendering our children,’.

This week we welcome the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Australia.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and first African to hold the position of Director-General of the WTO.

We were very pleased to work with Dr Okonjo-Iweala in delivering significant outcomes at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June this year in Geneva.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s visit is an opportunity to discuss how we can continue to work together to implement those outcomes, including investing in reforms to ensure the WTO can respond more effectively to the challenges facing the multilateral trading system.

In recognition of the importance of the WTO to Australia’s economic resilience, we will commit $5 million over four years for targeted capacity building to assist developing countries and least developed countries implement the outcomes of MC12 and access the benefits of WTO membership.

This includes $2 million to help developing countries implement the landmark WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. This is the first global set of rules that curb subsidies for illegal and unsustainable fishing, and an important step towards promoting the sustainability and economic viability of fisheries globally, including in the Pacific.

This commitment also includes $3 million over three years to support legal advice and training on WTO Law for developing and least developed countries through the Advisory Centre on WTO Law. This will help these countries understand and comply with WTO obligations, and participate more fully and effectively in the WTO.

These investments will help our regional partners better integrate into the global and regional rules-based trading system, implement domestic reform, and improve the lives of their citizens.

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

“The World Trade Organization is central to the rules-based order.

“Australia supports Dr Okonio-Iweala’s leadership and the WTO’s work with developing countries to enhance their ability to export, their international competitiveness, and their engagement in the global economy.

“This is fundamental to the stability and prosperity of our region and the world.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell said:

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Australia for important discussions on international trade, the WTO’s central role in the rules-based international trading system and how we can work together to implement the historic outcomes we achieved in June.

“The strength of Australia’s economy relies on an open and rules-based global trading system.”

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said:

“The Fisheries Subsidies Agreement represents a significant and meaningful contribution to the sustainability of our oceans and major milestone for the WTO, and we’re pleased to be working with Pacific partners to support its implementation.”

Assistant Minister for Trade said:

“I was pleased to work with Dr Okonjo-Iweala in delivering some truly significant outcomes at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference.

“The WTO is fundamental to Australia’s interests – providing a stable and predictable framework for trade with the world and enabling all Members to hold others to account when the rules aren’t respected”.

I rise to speak on the Australian Education Legislation Amendment (Prohibiting the Indoctrination of Children) Bill 2020. I feel like I’m uniquely placed to speak to this bill. I’ve been a state secondary school teacher for nearly 30 years. I started out my career as a health and physical education teacher, and I also taught sexuality, human relationships and sexual education. I’m also qualified to teach secondary school science as well as humanities. When I left the department, I was a head of humanities and languages.

This bill seeks to put restraints on what teachers of health and physical education, sexual education, and science and humanities can teach in their classes. It’s not about balance. It’s about hate and propaganda. We, as teachers, teach to the curriculum that we are provided. It is a curriculum that is grounded in truth and science. We don’t cherry-pick the bits of science that we agree with or disagree with, we don’t cherry-pick the bits of history that we like and are hard to face and we don’t discriminate against the children who are in front of us in our classes. During this debate, I’ve watched people on the other side of the chamber laughing when we’ve spoken about education around students’ gender. I invite you to come into a school and sit in front of a student who has made several attempts on their life because they have been subject to hate and transphobia. How dare you use our young people as political footballs. They are not wanting anything except to be accepted for who they are.

We teach a curriculum that is grounded in human rights and science. Young people are generous of spirit, they are accepting of others and they care about the planet and their future. They are critical thinkers, they are problem-solvers and they deserve an education that is grounded in truth, justice and human rights. They deserve an education that is grounded in science.

It is not teachers in schools who are attempting to indoctrinate our young people. They are professionals that work hard to give every young person in this country the positive future that they deserve. It is the people on the other side of this chamber who are seeking to indoctrinate people with their hateful and bigoted views in our schools. I will not subject young people in this country to your bigotry and hate. I will stand up every time I see it, and the Greens will call it out.

This bill isn’t about critical thinking; this bill is about legislating a far-right curriculum. Individual senators and parties interfering in what is taught in our schools instead of leaving it to the education experts is a very slippery slope. In the US, we see some states banning teachers from teaching about racism or sexuality, and some are even banning books. This bill is dangerous. As a teacher with over 30 years of experience in our schools, I know it is an injustice to the young people in our schools, and it is an insult to teachers.

Labor has voted down Greens amendments to the workforce incentives bill which would have extended the work bonus to jobseeker and DSP recipients in addition to aged pensioners, enabling them to  earn more before their payments are cut.

Greens spokesperson for social services and government services, Senator Janet Rice, said: 

“We all know the rate of income support is too low. People are being forced to survive on starvation payments below the poverty line. If Labor isn’t going to raise the rate, the least they could do is allow people to work more before losing their income support. 

“Poverty is a political choice, and in a cost of living crisis, Labor has refused to make a concrete difference to the lives of those struggling the most.

“If Parliament can enable those on the aged pension to earn more before losing their income support, then why can’t we do it for people on Youth Allowance, Jobseeker and the DSP?”

If passed by the Senate, the Atomic Energy Amendment (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure) Bill 2022, will require Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) to continue rehabilitation of their  open-cut uranium mine site past 2026. 

ERA will be financially responsible for the rehabilitation of the site until it can be safely returned to the Mirrar Traditional Owners. They will need to incorporate the site back into the surrounding Kakadu National Park, and ensure the radioactive tailings remain safe for at least 10,000 years.

Greens spokesperson for resources Yamatji-Noongar Woman Senator Dorinda Cox said:

“The Greens welcome this bill, in Australia there hasn’t been a successful rehabilitation of a uranium mine. With the expected cost to be up to $2.2 billion it’s important ERA be made to bear the cost of the clean up.

“We need to ensure the sector doesn’t end up passing on the costs of rehabilitation to the public. We are concerned there’s no binding agreement with Rio Tinto to cover the costs of the rehabilitation if ERA are unable to.

“Ranger Mine was established without free, informed and prior consent. It’s paramount that Traditional Owners are involved in all stages of the rehabilitation process. The Mirrar people should be able to determine how they will interact with the land once ERA is gone, including dietary and cultural needs. 

“The waterways that can be affected by the radioactive tailings are used by the Mirrar people for fishing, swimming and drinking.

“Not only must the Mirrar people be consulted with, they must reap the benefits of all stages of the process through involvement with procurement.

“The British government announced they will honour Australians who were involved in nuclear tests with a service medal. This is the legacy of nuclear testing and uranium mining.”