Category: Australian News

Coal miners at four major Queensland mines will decide today which industrial action to take via a Fair Work Commission ballot.

Miners at Saraji, Peak Downs, Goonyella Riverside and Blackwater mines, covered by the biggest Enterprise Agreement in the Queensland coalfields, are set to vote on taking industrial action after BHP failed to make commitments to support permanent jobs.

Mining & Energy Union Queensland President Stephen Smyth said negotiations had not reached the point of discussing wage increases as the focus was on conditions, especially relating to job security.

“We had over a year of negotiations with BHP, then months more assisted by the Fair Work Commission, but BHP just aren’t listening,” said Mr Smyth.

“Job security is the biggest issue at BHP coal mines and our members will fight for permanent jobs. They’ve seen jobs around them axed and replaced by insecure, lower paid work.

“They’ve watched for a decade while permanent EA jobs declined to be replaced by labour hire. Then they’ve witnessed the shameless contrivance of BHP’s in-house labour hire provider, Operations Services. 

“They’re not willing to settle for hollow promises anymore. They want hard protection built into the agreement around EA job numbers, redundancy protections and career progression.

“The BMA (BHP Mitsubishi Alliance) Central Enterprise Agreement is the biggest agreement in the Queensland coalfields and it sets the standard across the broader industry. BHP needs to come to understand the determination of our members to stand up for permanent jobs now and into 2023,” said Mr Smyth.

The Protected Action Ballot Order (PABO) is a ballot of all members asking them to nominate what sort of industrial action they are willing to take, including consecutive full-shift stoppages, part-shift stoppages, overtime bans, training, performing step-up duties and taking meal breaks at designated times.

Voting commences on 14 October 2022 and ends 24 October 2022.

Mr David Tune AO PSM has been appointed as the independent reviewer to lead the capability review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
 
Minister for Aged Care the Hon. Anika Wells said Mr Tune’s appointment builds on the Albanese Government’s commitment to ensure the safety, dignity and wellbeing of every older Australian using aged care services.
 
Mr Tune was the former Secretary of the Department of Finance and Deregulation and has undertaken several reviews, including the Legislative Review of Aged Care (2016), and Removing red tape and implementing the NDIS Participant Service Guarantee(2019).
 
He also served as Chair for the former Aged Care Sector Committee from early 2015 until July 2021.
 
Mr Tune’s review will consider if the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has the necessary resources, workforce, clinical knowledge and the regulatory, investigation, assessment and enforcement skills required to meet its regulatory responsibilities.
 
The review will commence in October 2022 with the final report expected to be delivered the first half of 2023.
 
The Terms of Reference for the capability review have been finalised with input from key stakeholders within the sector including the National Aged Care Advisory Council, the Council of Elders, Council on the Ageing, Older Persons Advocacy Network, Aged and Community Care Providers Association and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Advisory Council.
 

 
Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells said
 
“It was critical we appoint the right person, with the right expertise and knowledge of the sector to deliver this important piece of work.
 
“I have full confidence that Mr Tune, a former Australian Public Servant of 38 years, has the independence and expertise to undertake this review.
 
“The Commission’s activities will continue as normal while the review is being implemented.
 
“We will continue to work closely with the Commission to deliver significant reforms to aged care.”
 
To read the Terms of Reference, and for further information on the review, please visit the Capability Review webpage on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

Australia today marks 20 years since the 2002 Bali bombings and tragic loss of 202 lives, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

Together, on what will be a difficult day for many in Australia, Indonesia and around the world, we honour the lives of the victims and the courage and resilience shown by survivors and their families.

We also pay tribute to the first responders and volunteers who assisted efforts in the wake of the attack.

To commemorate the anniversary, Prime Minister the Hon Anthony Albanese MP will attend a service at Coogee in Sydney.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, will host a memorial service at Parliament House in Canberra.

There, victims’ families, survivors and first responders will be joined by the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Hon David Hurley AC DSC, and former Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard OM AC.

Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP, will attend a commemorative ceremony at the Australian Consulate-General in Bali.

Australia’s thoughts are with those whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.

We recommit to the ongoing work shared by Australia and Indonesia to counter the scourge of violent extremism, and reaffirm the respect and cooperation between our peoples.

The Greens are calling on Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek to stick to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan at tomorrow’s Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra, and pull NSW and Vic into line and announce voluntary buybacks are back on the table. 

Greens Spokesperson for Environment and Water and Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young has been calling for a MinCo to be held as a priority under the new Labor Government. 

Senator Hanson-Young said Labor had committed to implementing the Plan in full and on time at the election and including delivering the 450GL to South Australia. She said doing deals with upstream states and corporate irrigators tomorrow would be a broken promise. 

“New South Wales and Victoria are demanding less water for the environment because they have failed to live up to their end of the bargain. It’s hard to believe they ever intended to deliver the environmental water required under the Plan,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Minister Plibersek must hold the line. The water required to be returned under the Plan is necessary for the health of the entire river system. States cannot just opt in and out as they please, it puts South Australia and our drinking water in jeopardy and the long-term future of all river communities, small family farms and the environment at risk. 

“It’s clear the only way to return enough water to the system quickly and cost-effectively is to start buying water back and Minister Plibersek should announce tomorrow that she is taking this action. 

“After nearly a decade of mismanagement and billions of dollars spent by Barnaby Joyce and the National Party, there is is no time to waste.

“Upstream states have wriggled out of every commitment they possibly could, with the environment and South Australia left begging.” 

St Ives gold mine has suspended activity following the tragic death of an underground mining contractor yesterday. A second contractor has since been released with minor injuries.

Gold Fields, who own the mine, have said they won’t resume operations until an independent investigation by WA mining regulators is complete.

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

“Our deepest condolences are with the victim’s family, friends and colleagues. 

“Every worker has the right to go to work and return home safely at the end of the day.

“Gold Fields must work together with the investigators to determine the cause of this tragedy and implement changes to ensure worker safety.

“Gold Fields must ensure any recommendations from the investigation are also implemented at their other sites: Agnew, Granny Smith and Gruyere.

“The mining industry has the third highest fatality rate of any industry in Australia. It is critical findings from previous investigations are implemented and enforced so that these tragedies can be avoided.

“The Greens ‘National Energy Transition Authority Bill 2022’ currently before the Senate will establish an independent public authority to guide Australia’s shift to renewable energy. The body will have law reform and advice functions to improve harm minimisation in the sector.”

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP has welcomed hints that the Labor Party is considering the long-standing Greens call to sign Joe Biden’s ‘Methane Pledge’ to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030, but said it could only be met by halting massive new gas projects like Betaloo and Scarborough. Further, existing projects simply ‘offsetting’ their emissions would not be enough to meet the pledge, said Mr Bandt.

Mr Bandt said that the real issue is not cows and agriculture, but the coal and gas industry. The gas industry is the country’s biggest user of gas, and with methane being 86 times more potent as a climate gas than CO2, meeting the pledge’s goals would require an end to the coal and gas industry’s expansion, whether under the Safeguard Mechanism or via other means.

With the East Coast of Australia being battered by heavy rain triggering flooding today, Mr Bandt also said the alternating pattern of summer floods and bushfires was clearly becoming more severe, underscoring the need to stop opening coal and gas mines.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt said:

“I’m glad the government is listening to the Greens’ long-standing calls for Australia to join US President Biden’s global methane pledge, but putting it into practice means stopping new coal and gas mines.”

“Labor can’t sign the methane pledge today and then open up new coal and gas mines tomorrow.

“The issue isn’t cow burps, it’s coal and gas. The pledge is aimed at the tax-dodging coal and gas corporations, not cows and agriculture.

“Signing Joe Biden’s methane pledge means stopping new coal and gas projects, whether through the Safeguard mechanism, a climate trigger or some other means. 

“The heavy rain and predicted flooding across much of the east coast is devastating communities, and the coal- and gas-fuelled climate crisis is making it worse.” 

“My office has been inundated with messages from people worried about the heavy rain, including from people in central Melbourne who are now wondering if they need to invest in sandbags.

“This is not normal. Unprecedented rainfall in Sydney, warnings of a month’s worth of flooding in Victoria, entire towns decimated in the Northern Rivers: this will all get worse if Labor keeps opening coal and gas mines.”

Australia today marks 20 years since the 2002 Bali bombings and tragic loss of 202 lives, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

Together, on what will be a difficult day for many in Australia, Indonesia and around the world, we honour the lives of the victims and the courage and resilience shown by survivors and their families.

We also pay tribute to the first responders and volunteers who assisted efforts in the wake of the attack.

To commemorate the anniversary, Prime Minister the Hon Anthony Albanese MP will attend a service at Coogee in Sydney.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, will host a memorial service at Parliament House in Canberra.

There, victims’ families, survivors and first responders will be joined by the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Hon David Hurley AC DSC, and former Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard OM AC.

Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP, will attend a commemorative ceremony at the Australian Consulate-General in Bali.

Australia’s thoughts are with those whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.

We recommit to the ongoing work shared by Australia and Indonesia to counter the scourge of violent extremism, and reaffirm the respect and cooperation between our peoples.

I was pleased to welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Dr Bisera Turković to Canberra today.

Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s friendship is strengthened by our people-to-people ties and longstanding support.

Australia recognised Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 1992, shortly after its independence.

We remain a strong supporter of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Australia has worked beside Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and in the Global Coalition against Daesh.

Dr Bisera Turković and I discussed Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and immoral war on Ukraine, and Mr Putin’s dangerous escalations.

We also renewed our commitment to greater cooperation between our countries and through the Bosnian diaspora community in Australia.

This includes our support for direct aid projects for local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina that focus on supporting development in education, gender, disability, and human rights.

Today, I welcomed India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Australia for the annual Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue.

This is Minister Jaishankar’s second visit to Australia this year, demonstrating the importance both Australia and India place on our partnership.

Australia and India are Comprehensive Strategic Partners, we are Quad partners and most fundamentally, we share the Indo-Pacific region.

We have a shared interest and a shared ambition in a stable and prosperous region where sovereignty is respected.

For Australia, our partnership with India is a critical part of shaping the region we want.

At the Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, we discussed accelerating and deepening economic ties, including through our Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement.

We also discussed strengthening our people to people ties and education links, reinforcing our defence and security cooperation and enhancing our climate change and new clean energy engagement, including through the Quad.

We agreed to expand our diplomatic footprints, with Australia recommitting to open a Consulate-General in Bengaluru, and India planning an additional consulate in Australia.

I look forward to our continued engagement as we build and sustain our partnership and region.

Today, I was honoured to meet with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Saleumxay Kommasith.

Australia and Laos share a long history of bilateral cooperation, and this year celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations.

Our relationship is supported by a long-standing focus on education, human capacity building and infrastructure, as well as more recent cooperation in areas such as energy, economic resilience and connectivity.

Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay and I had warm and productive discussions about how we can deepen the partnership between our two countries.

I reiterated Australia’s support as Laos prepares for its ASEAN Chair Year in 2024. I also discussed our shared commitment to ASEAN centrality, and our strategic interest in maintaining a region which is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and where sovereignty is respected.

Australia remains determined to work closely with our partners in Southeast Asia to respond to regional challenges including climate change and economic recovery from COVID-19.

Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay and I planted a tree together in the Australian Botanic Gardens as an enduring symbol of the growth in our countries’ friendship.