Category: Australian News

Primary producers affected by ongoing flooding in New South Wales can apply for recovery grants of up to $25,000 as part of the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

The grants are now available for eligible primary producers in the Local Government Areas that have been disaster declared from the most recent storm and flood event.

The assistance is available for the immediate clean-up and recovery costs to repair extensive damage to properties.

A full list of eligible LGAs can be viewed on the NSW Rural Assistance Authority’s (RAA’s) Declared Natural Disasters webpage.

Primary producers are encouraged not to self-assess and should consult with their local Rural Financial Counselling Service or apply for the scheme so that the RAA can determine eligibility.

For more information, or to lodge an application, visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au or call the RAA on 1800 678 593. If you are a farmer or a member of the community requiring an emergency response regarding livestock or animals, call 1800 814 647.

The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said:

Recent floods and storms across NSW have had a real and devastating impact on local farming communities.

The Australian Government is working closely with the NSW Government to provide financial support so people can start to repair the damage caused by recent events.

Our thoughts are with the people of NSW who have been doing it tough but continue to show immense courage and resilience.

New South Wales Premier, Dominic Perrottet said:

Sadly, many communities remain underwater, herds and crops have been swept away and the full extent of the damage is yet to be revealed.

We have expedited the availability of this grant to ensure primary producers can readily access financial support as soon as it is required.

This will ensure producers can get back on their feet and operational as soon as possible, and we will be ready with more assistance as required.

Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Murray Watt said:

Farmers and growers have been hit hard by the current severe weather, many at a critical time in their season.

These grants will support farmers with their immediate needs and I would encourage anyone who’s been impacted to get in touch with their local Rural Financial Counselling Service and see what help is available.

We are wholeheartedly committed to supporting the recovery, and ultimately the survival, of farming communities impacted by this disaster.

New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke said:

This funding will help kickstart the clean up effort for farmers impacted by this severe flooding, many of whom haven’t been able to fully recover from previous storms and floods.

While there’s a long road to recovery ahead, these grants will give famers immediate support to begin cleaning up and start the rebuilding process.

New South Wales Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Western New South Wales, Dugald Saunders said:

Throughout the course of this year, primary producers and regional communities have been tested again and again by the excessive rain and catastrophic floods which have severely depleted production capacity.

This onslaught has had a major impact on the incredible food and fibre that we see all year round and now we need to stand together and support the individuals and businesses that our State has become so reliant on.

Protected Industrial Action is underway at four Central Queensland BHP coal mines (Blackwater, Saraji, Peak Downs and Goonyella Riverside), with bans on overtime and step-up duties in place until further notice. 

In addition, Mining and Energy Union members at Peak Downs and Goonyella Riverside will take five-hour stoppages on Friday 4 November from 3-8pm. The stoppages are timed to facilitate attendance at the Moranbah Miners Memorial event. 

MEU Queensland District President Stephen Smyth said protected action would be strategic, measured and responsive to BHP’s willingness to address members’ job security concerns. 

“With coal prices so high there is constant pressure to maintain and increase production, so we are confident our bans and stoppages will be felt.  

“We are continuing our dialogue with BHP to work through members’ concerns about protecting current and future permanent jobs. We will have no hesitation in ramping up our industrial campaign if members feel that progress is not being made.” 

The Australian and Victorian Governments have announced an $877 million Recovery Support package, supporting businesses, farmers, and not-for-profits to rebuild and return to trade as quickly as possible, following the recent devastating floods.

Grants of up to $50,000 are available to eligible businesses and not-for-profit organisations to support recovery efforts including rebuilding damaged infrastructure and replacing damaged assets.

To help businesses navigate through the recovery period, more than $22 million has been made available for support services to facilitate the development of recovery plans, provide mental health support and assist in grant applications. 

In addition, Business Chamber and Trader Groups Programs will be established to enable locally led solutions for business activation.

Recovery grants of up to $200,000 will also be available for medium and large businesses directly impacted by the floods.

To assist primary producers and rural landholders, grants of up to $75,000 will be available as part of a recovery support package – complementing the existing Primary Producer Concessional Loan Program, announced last week. 

The Primary Producer Recovery Support package will accelerate agricultural recovery and ensure rural and regional Victorians have access to expert advice and support.

Sporting and recreational clubs that have been impacted by the floods are eligible for a $5000 grant to assist them with their recovery.

Any grant received through the existing $5,000 Small Business Immediate Flood Relief and $10,000 Primary Producer Flood Relief programs will be included in the maximum amounts available through the recovery grants.

To find out more about accessing these programs visit vic.gov.au/2022-flood-recovery.

For support with payments, clean-up or any other flood issues, Victorians can contact the Flood Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760. 

Information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.au.

The Prime Minister, Hon Anthony Albanese said:

“These additional support packages will ensure Victorian businesses can rebuild with confidence.” 

Victorian Premier, Hon Daniel Andrews said:

“We’re making sure flood affected business owners and communities have the support they need to rebuild and return to trade as quickly and safely as possible.”

Minister for Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Murray Watt said:

“Given the importance of regional Victoria to our nation’s food production, it’s great to see the Albanese and Andrews Government’s coming together to support farmers, as well as small businesses get back on their feet.” 

Victorian Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes said:

“We’re supporting small businesses and not-for-profit organisations across the state to ensure everyone can get back on their feet and return to work with confidence after the devastating floods.”

The Australian and Victorian Governments have announced an $877 million Recovery Support package, supporting businesses, farmers, and not-for-profits to rebuild and return to trade as quickly as possible, following the recent devastating floods.

Grants of up to $50,000 are available to eligible businesses and not-for-profit organisations to support recovery efforts including rebuilding damaged infrastructure and replacing damaged assets.

To help businesses navigate through the recovery period, more than $22 million has been made available for support services to facilitate the development of recovery plans, provide mental health support and assist in grant applications. 

In addition, Business Chamber and Trader Groups Programs will be established to enable locally led solutions for business activation.

Recovery grants of up to $200,000 will also be available for medium and large businesses directly impacted by the floods.

To assist primary producers and rural landholders, grants of up to $75,000 will be available as part of a recovery support package – complementing the existing Primary Producer Concessional Loan Program, announced last week. 

The Primary Producer Recovery Support package will accelerate agricultural recovery and ensure rural and regional Victorians have access to expert advice and support.

Sporting and recreational clubs that have been impacted by the floods are eligible for a $5000 grant to assist them with their recovery.

Any grant received through the existing $5,000 Small Business Immediate Flood Relief and $10,000 Primary Producer Flood Relief programs will be included in the maximum amounts available through the recovery grants.

To find out more about accessing these programs visit vic.gov.au/2022-flood-recovery.

For support with payments, clean-up or any other flood issues, Victorians can contact the Flood Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760. 

Information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at disasterassist.gov.au.

The Prime Minister, Hon Anthony Albanese said:

“These additional support packages will ensure Victorian businesses can rebuild with confidence.” 

Minister for Emergency Management, Senator the Hon Murray Watt said:

“Given the importance of regional Victoria to our nation’s food production, it’s great to see the Albanese and Andrews Government’s coming together to support farmers, as well as small businesses get back on their feet.” 

Victorian Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes said:

“We’re supporting small businesses and not-for-profit organisations across the state to ensure everyone can get back on their feet and return to work with confidence after the devastating floods.”

Victorian Premier, Hon Daniel Andrews said:

“We’re making sure flood affected business owners and communities have the support they need to rebuild and return to trade as quickly and safely as possible.”

The Wonnarua peoples connection to the Ravensworth homestead and surrounding estate has defeated Glencore’s proposed mine expansion.

The area holds important significance to Traditional Owners as the site of several massacres of First Nations peoples since the 1820s, being described as “hallowed ground”.

The NSW Independent Planning Commission has rejected the Glendell continuation project and subsequent moving of the homestead due to the impact on First Nations cultural heritage.

GREENS SPOKESPERSON FOR RESOURCES, YAMATJI-NOONGAR WOMAN SENATOR DORINDA COX said:

“Congratulations to the Wonnarua people. This seems to be a new era of recognition for First Nations cultural heritage over mining profits. 

“We need First Nations cultural heritage protection enshrined in our laws and practices. We need to implement all the cultural heritage recommendations of the Way Forward Report to avoid another Jukan Caves disaster.

“Traditional owners are standing up and making their voices heard. We need to fast-track Senator Thrope’s bill to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), so they don’t need to take legal action to protect their way of life.

“We need investment in cleaner, greener renewable energy projects that preserve cultural heritage and First Nations’ way of life.”

Around 2,000 homeowners in flood-prone areas of the Northern Rivers of New South Wales will now be eligible to raise, repair, retrofit or have their home voluntarily bought back, as part of a new $800 million program.

The Commonwealth and New South Wales Government joint funding will support residential homeowners impacted in the February-March 2022 floods, in the seven Local Government Areas of Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed.

The voluntary buy-back scheme will be offered to Northern Rivers residents located in the most vulnerable areas where major flooding would pose a catastrophic risk to life.

The Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Fund package will also provide financial assistance of up to $100,000 for house raising or up to $50,000 for retrofitting for homeowners in areas where flood risk can be reduced by better building standards.

The New South Wales Government will provide $100 million to acquire land and open up new flood safe locations for future development, in partnership with the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation. The Corporation is currently conducting an expression of interest process to identify suitable parcels of land.

Eligible homeowners will be offered one of the three available measures, based on expert property assessments; flood impact severity data, safety risks, and potential future flood levels.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that by retrofitting homes to make them more flood resilient, and moving those at most risk away from danger, communities can be safer during future flood events.

“We know that disasters are expected to become more frequent, and more severe due to climate change, and that’s why we’re working with the NSW Government to develop practical solutions to protect lives and livelihoods,” he said.

We know this repeated, relentless flooding can be emotionally and financially draining and we want communities to know we will be there to support them now, and as they recover.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the Resilient Homes Program would help Northern Rivers’ residents take further steps on the road towards recovery while also boosting community resilience in the long-term.

“I saw first-hand the devastation extreme flooding caused across the Northern Rivers and I hope this program provides relief for so many residents who have suffered for too long,” Mr Perrottet said.

“We are stepping up to provide options for residents to move out of harm’s way and protect themselves and their families but we cannot continue to build back as we have in the past.”

“We will work with the Northern Rivers community to ensure repairs, retrofitting and voluntary buy-backs are undertaken in a way that will better protects people and their homes from future flood events.”

Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt, said both governments would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the region on the long road to recovery.

“The Northern Rivers has been absolutely devastated by flood after flood,” Minister Watt said.

“We know that being prepared for future disasters is a huge boost when it comes to the damage and long-term recovery of the region. Investing in resilience measures in the home can significantly reduce the effort, cost and time to recover from disasters.

“I’m very pleased to be part of this program which gives Northern Rivers residents more options in their flood preparedness toolkit.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Paul Toole, said offers to individual homeowners will be based on extensive analysis of the 2022 floods and expert advice on any subsequent disasters.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to building back and this program offers multiple measures to help residents stay in the region in homes that can better withstand future floods,” Mr Toole said.

NSW Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke, said the Resilient Homes Program complements the Resilient Land Program, which is identifying Northern Rivers’ locations that could be considered for future developments.

“We want to ensure residents who do choose to move are able to relocate into areas where there is community infrastructure and amenities so that they can start their lives anew, not from scratch,” Ms Cooke said.

The Flood Property Assessment Program provides a first point of entry, with registered homeowners automatically considered for the Resilient Homes Program.

Other homeowners can register their interest in the Resilient Homes Program by filling in the online registration form at https://www.nsw.gov.au/regional-nsw/northern-rivers-reconstruction-corporation/resilient-land-program

The NSW Government will contact eligible homeowners from mid-November onwards.

For detailed information about the program, including guidelines, eligibility and co-contributions, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/NRRC

Greens Deputy Leader and Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi will today give notice of a private senator’s bill that abolishes indexation on all education and training loans – effectively freezing existing student debt – and raises and ties the minimum repayment income to the median wage.

Student debt has grown rapidly over the last decade, from $25.5 billion in 2012 to more than $68.7 billion in 2021.

The Education and Other Legislation Amendment (Abolishing Indexation and Raising the Minimum Repayment Income for Education and Training Loans) Bill 2022, which Senator Faruqi will introduce during the November sittings, halts indexation on student debt from 1 July 2022 and ties the minimum repayment income to the median wage from 1 July 2023.

Student debt is currently indexed by CPI annually on 1 June. This year, with inflation so high, debts were indexed by 3.9% – the highest rate in a decade. The average student debt was estimated to have risen by $923.

Inflation has since risen to 7.3%, meaning an even higher indexation rate is expected in 2023.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Education said:

“Student debt is no small problem. About three million people in Australia have the burden of student debt.

“At a time when the cost of living is biting hard, governments can no longer ignore the student debt crisis and its impacts.

“Study debts are impacting people’s ability to obtain loans, their mental health, their ability to save up to buy a home or simply afford to live a good life.

“Scrapping indexation on HELP debts and raising the minimum repayment threshold will provide much needed money in people’s pockets to make ends meet or pay rent.

“No one should be shackled with a debt sentence just in order to study. Higher education should be free. This bill is one of the first pieces of the puzzle in making that vision a reality.

“Fixing the repayment thresholds means that no one with a study debt will repay a cent of that debt until they’re earning above the median wage.

“Labor has an opportunity to work with the Greens and wind back Liberal-era policies which have saddled people with more debt which takes longer and longer to pay off.”

“People are unable to get the mental health support they need. We know that the availability of local services, long waitlists, and the cost are major barriers to people getting mental health supports. 

“The Australian Greens are disappointed that Labor’s budget did not commit to an extension of the additional 10 psychology sessions under the Better Access scheme. 

“This government should not be going backwards. We can not return to only 10 Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist.

“The Australian Greens are calling on the government to make more mental health services free under Medicare. We are calling on the government to give certainty to the community and improve access to a range of mental health supports. We hope to see the Better Access evaluation and the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce provide recommendations to enable this.”

Greens Spokesperson for Youth, Stephen Bates said:

“We are in the midst of a devastating mental health crisis that is disproportionately impacting young people. For LGBTQIA+, disabled, and multicultural Australians, this situation is even more dire.

“Young people are being failed by mental health services because there is not enough capacity to treat them. Nearly 1 in 3 young people have received mental health support in the last two years, and more than 1 in 10 young people sought mental health support but did not receive it. 

“Labor’s Budget fails to address the immediate need for mental health support, as well as the systemic issues that are causing young people psychological distress, like climate inaction, homelessness, and housing insecurity.

“The very least that the Government should commit to is extending the additional 10 psychology sessions under the Better Access Scheme during this time of great need.  

“Until mental healthcare is universally accessible and fully funded under Medicare, we cannot begin to address the scale of the youth mental health crisis in this country. 

“The idea that Labor is even considering reducing current support shows how out of touch they are with everyday people.”

The Australian Greens remain deeply concerned about the ongoing situation in Iran and are in solidarity with the protestors in Iran. We will always protect the right to protest.  And we will always fight for people’s rights to choose their dress, their partner, their religion, their career, and what they do with their bodies. The Iranian authorities’ suppression of the rights of women, LGBTIQA+ people, and other minorities, including the Bahai, must end. 

Today, 40 days after the death of Jina Amani, there are reports that Iranian security forces have shot tear gas and opened fire on people gathered in Zindan Square, Saqqez city. 

Jina Amani was arrested by Iran’s morality police for failing to comply with a new national code requiring women to wear a hijab. She was allegedly beaten and died from her injuries.
The Australian Greens are deeply disappointed in the lack of response from the Australian Government. Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Senator Jordon Steele-John on behalf of the Australian Greens are calling on the government to take 10 clear actions:

1. Clearly express to the Iranian regime that they, and countries like them, will face consequences from the international community for allowing violence against women and minorities within their borders.
2. Meet with the Iranian Ambassador as soon as possible to express Australia’s concerns directly.
3. Call on the Iranian government to end its violent crackdown on protesters and request the release of all arrested protestors. 
4. Hold those responsible for Jina Mahsa Amini’s death accountable through a criminal investigation.
5. Call on the Iranian government to respect the basic human rights of Iranian women’s choice of clothing.
6. Impose Magnitsky-style or other targeted sanctions, including financial asset freezing and introduce visa bans on people linked to the Iranian regime (including the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), key security officials, Basiji Militia and the morality police).
7. Declare the IRGC a ‘terrorist organisation’ under the Criminal Code Act 1995.
8. Pass, sponsor and support a strong resolution against the criminal actions of the Islamic Republic both in the Australian Parliament and at the UN General Assembly and encourage counterparts in allied countries to take similar steps.
9. Take steps to remove Iran from the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
10. Support Iranians’ access to the Internet and social media networks as well as the Iranian Civil Society in all possible manner.

Additionally, Senator Jordon Steele-John welcomes that the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade will investigate the Australian Government’s response to the situation in Iran. It is our hope that this inquiry may get the government to finally take some action to support people in Iran. 

The Australian Government commits to never conduct destructive, direct-ascent anti‑satellite missile testing, consistent with our role as a responsible actor in space.

When carried out, these tests generate large amounts of debris that remain in space for years; threatening satellites and other space objects, and risking the long-term sustainability of human activity in space.

The use of these missiles to destroy space objects is reckless, irresponsible and poses threats to space assets of all nations.

Australia joins the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and the Republic of Korea in making this commitment toward a safer, more stable and peaceful space domain.

Space touches every aspect of our lives – from international communications networks, to the global economy and military and defence capabilities.

Australia has actively participated in the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours.

We call on all nations to make this commitment as a transparency and confidence building measure.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Hon Richard Marles MP said:

“Destructive testing of direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles threatens the security of vital systems in space, which Australia and other nations depend on every day. With this pledge, the Government is demonstrating Australia’s commitment to act responsibly to protect our national security interests.”

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

“The global community must work together to build a common understanding on rules and norms that can guide how states behave in outer space. This commitment to responsible behaviour, helps build a meaningful framework that contributes to the security, safety and sustainability of outer space.”

Minister for Industry and Science, Hon Ed Husic MP said:

“Space technologies support critical services that improve national wellbeing and economic prosperity. This commitment is a responsible step to help ensure space assets are protected for the benefit of all Australians.”