JobSeeker indexation grotesquely inadequate

The Greens say Labor claiming a win on a tiny JobSeeker indexation and a paltry increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is an insult to the millions of Australians the government is keeping in poverty and housing insecurity.

Today, the combined “increases” from indexation and tinkering to the CRA come into effect. The indexation to JobSeeker amounts to $1.09 a day; for the CRA it’s only a $1.64 rise. 

Greens spokesperson on Social Services, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:

“It shows the disdain Labor has for people on income support that they are calling a paltry increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance and automatic JobSeeker indexation help.

“The automatic increase from indexation amounts to just $1.09 a day. This is an automated fig leaf for a Labor government that is leaving people in poverty.  

“The changes coming into effect today don’t bring JobSeeker anywhere close to the poverty line, let alone enough to live on.

“$1.64 a day increase to rent assistance means next to nothing when average national rents have increased by over $115 a week since this Labor government was elected 

“A marginally increased rate of JobSeeker for 4,700 people with an assessed partial capacity of under 14 hours shows how broken this system is. It’s crumbs instead of the real heavy lifting of fixing the Disability Support Pension.

“If Labor is serious about keeping any of their promises instead of paying lip service, the government must raise income support above the poverty line.” 

GREENS SLAM LABOR OVER CLAIMS THEY HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO BACK UP THE DEMOLITION AND PRIVATISATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING

The Victorian Greens have slammed the Victorian Labor government for claiming in court that they have no documents which back up their plan to demolish and privatise the public housing towers at North Melbourne and Flemington.

The Victorian Labor government has refused requests from the Supreme Court to produce documents backing up their reasoning for demolishing the towers which the judge has labelled as “startling”.

The Victorian Labor government was requested to provide these documents as part of the discovery process for the ongoing class action being led by residents from the North Melbourne and Flemington towers.

It comes just a few months after the Victorian Labor government refused to produce 146 of 158 documents to Parliament related to the demolition and privatisation of all 44 public housing towers, denying access under executive privilege.

The Victorian Greens Acting Spokesperson for Public and Affordable Housing, Gabrielle de Vietri accused the Victorian Labor government of ongoing secrecy and lack of transparency over their plan to demolish and privatise the towers.

She said that it’s unbelievable that Labor would steamroll ahead with this disastrous plan without a shred of evidence to back it up.

Quotes attributable to the Victorian Greens Acting Spokesperson for Public and Affordable Housing, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“Labor is denying documents to courts, parliament and the public – they’re clearly hell bent on concealing the true reason they’re demolishing and privatising all of Victoria’s public housing towers.

“This half-baked plan has never been about the residents. It’s just a way for Labor to hand over prime public land to private developers for massive profits. Any plan that starts with demolishing 7000 public homes in the middle of a housing crisis, is not a housing plan, it’s a housing disaster.

“The Premier owes us an explanation. This plan will displace more than ten thousand public housing residents in the middle of a housing crisis, yet they’re steamrolling ahead without providing a shred of evidence to back it up. Where we see communities, they see dollar signs.

“The plan to demolish and privatise all 44 public housing towers has never stacked up and it’s clear that Labor has something to hide. It’s only a matter of time until their house of cards falls down on them.”

Expanded support to address priority health needs in the region

Australia is stepping up efforts to tackle high priority health issues in the Solomon Islands and across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Through expanded partnerships between governments and civil society, we will provide $15.9 million to the Pacific Community – the region’s principal scientific and technical organisation – to help strengthen the health workforce across the Pacific.

The package also builds partnerships between Pacific and Southeast Asian organisations and their Australian counterparts, encouraging experts from across the region to share their technical skills and to develop exciting new links

Under the package we will:

  • invest $9 million to provide technical support to improve immunisation coverage across the region , drawing on the expertise of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance and the Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance.
  • support regional collaboration and partnerships through research on issues at the intersection of human, animal and environmental health, such as in food security and nutrition, by jointly funding programs with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
  • co-fund two collaborative Centres of Excellence with the National Health and Medical Research Council, that link Australian and regional health research institutions.
  • strengthen community preparation and response to epidemic disease threats through a $3 million investment which will support the Australian Red Cross to work with partners in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
  • support training for animal health workers across the Pacific and Timor-Leste to enhance regional biosecurity and better protect animal and human health, through a $2.5 million partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

These activities are funded under the Australian Government’s Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, which works with governments and civil society organisations in the Pacific and Southeast Asia to build resilient, equitable and inclusive health systems.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong:

“A peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific rests on the shared wellbeing and health of communities across our region.

“The Albanese Government is responding to Pacific priorities and working with partners to improve immunisation coverage across our region, helping communities better anticipate, prevent, detect, and control communicable diseases and protect the most vulnerable.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy:

“This new package reflects our commitment to the health of our family and neighbours across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

“Recognising the importance of working in partnership with governments and local civil society organisations, we are committed to addressing high priority health issues in our region.”

GREENS SLAM LABOR FOR ANNOUNCING NEXT PUBLIC HOUSING DEMOLITION BEFORE GIVING ANY EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY THE FIRST TOWERS

The Victorian Greens have slammed the Victorian Labor government for announcing the next public housing towers to be demolished, just days after claiming they had no evidence to back up the demolition of the first towers at North Melbourne and Flemington.

Today the Victorian Labor government announced that they’re targeting the towers and low-rise communities in Richmond as part of the next stage of their disastrous plan to demolish and privatise all 44 public housing towers in Victoria.

It comes just a few days after the Victorian Labor government told the courts they had no documents to back up their decision to demolish and privatise the first towers at North Melbourne and Flemington.

Today also marks the one year anniversary of the Victorian Labor government’s Housing Statement, with the state of housing only worsening since then with rents soaring across Victoria and the list of people on the public housing waitlist ballooning.

The Greens MP for Richmond, Gabrielle de Vietri said that this plan is only going to make the housing crisis worse and that it’s outrageous that Labor is steamrolling ahead without providing a shred of evidence to back it up.

Quotes attributable to Greens MP for Richmond, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“Just days ago Labor admitted that they have no evidence to back up the first demolitions and now they’re steamrolling forward to destroy the next community. This disastrous plan is only going to make the housing crisis worse for everybody.

“Labor is gaslighting us about this plan. It’s never been about providing more homes for Victorians and it’s certainly never been about the residents – all this is about is handing over prime real estate to their property developer mates for massive profits.

“Once again Labor has thrown public housing residents under the bus today. If Labor listened to the residents in Richmond – or any of the towers – for just one second, they’d hear that they don’t want to leave, they don’t want their homes torn down and their communities ripped apart.

“There are over 120,000 people on the public housing waitlist and that number continues to soar. Yet Labor wants to tear down 7000 public homes in the worst housing crisis in living memory and then won’t even show us the receipts.”

Australians Working Harder to Keep Heads Above Water

Australians are working harder than ever to keep their heads above water as the Albanese Government’s cost of living crisis continues to impact them.

Employment data released today shows the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2%, but more hours are being worked by those with jobs.

There was also a large increase in the number of part time jobs, often sought by people looking to supplement their income with extra work.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Labor inherited a strong labour market from the Coalition, but Labor’s claims about the job market don’t match the reality that Australians are feeling.

“After two years of Labor, real wages are falling and unemployment is growing. Youth unemployment is on the rise and the social services caseload has increased.

“For Australians who have jobs – it feels like they can’t keep ahead because their bills and mortgages keep going up.

“Economists have pointed out that almost all of Labor’s job creation has been in the public or non-market sector – leaving small businesses stuck with skill shortages and the public sector crowding out private businesses.

“Government spending and migration are the only things propping up the economy and the jobs market – and that is not a sign of a healthy economy.

“To have a healthy economy, we need to get back to basics and back on track. We need to support small businesses, rein in government spending to bring down inflation, and cut red tape to drive productivity, boost real wages, create jobs, and drive business investment.

“This requires a Coalition government that puts creating a high growth, low inflation economy as its number one priority.”

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash said today’s labour force figures show that the unemployment rate is not coming down.

“We also see that despite the Government’s commitment to ‘secure work’, full time employment has fallen, with all the jobs created this month being part time,’’ Senator Cash said.

“People now have to work harder than ever just to keep their heads above water,’’ she said.

“There are dark clouds on the horizon given that business groups are now saying the Albanese Government’s industrial relations laws are smashing productivity and sending a chilling effect throughout our economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is very clear that the Albanese Government’s management of the economy is failing Australians,’’ she said.

“Australians are paying more for everything and having to work harder just to pay their bills,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Small businesses are getting smashed by rising costs, particularly energy costs and many are going broke,’’ she said.

“The ideological industrial relations policies of the Albanese Government have only made things worse for businesses that are already struggling,’’ Senator Cash said.

Australians Working Harder to Keep Heads Above Water

Australians are working harder than ever to keep their heads above water as the Albanese Government’s cost of living crisis continues to impact them.

Employment data released today shows the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2%, but more hours are being worked by those with jobs.

There was also a large increase in the number of part time jobs, often sought by people looking to supplement their income with extra work.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Labor inherited a strong labour market from the Coalition, but Labor’s claims about the job market don’t match the reality that Australians are feeling.

“After two years of Labor, real wages are falling and unemployment is growing. Youth unemployment is on the rise and the social services caseload has increased.

“For Australians who have jobs – it feels like they can’t keep ahead because their bills and mortgages keep going up.

“Economists have pointed out that almost all of Labor’s job creation has been in the public or non-market sector – leaving small businesses stuck with skill shortages and the public sector crowding out private businesses.

“Government spending and migration are the only things propping up the economy and the jobs market – and that is not a sign of a healthy economy.

“To have a healthy economy, we need to get back to basics and back on track. We need to support small businesses, rein in government spending to bring down inflation, and cut red tape to drive productivity, boost real wages, create jobs, and drive business investment.

“This requires a Coalition government that puts creating a high growth, low inflation economy as its number one priority.”

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash said today’s labour force figures show that the unemployment rate is not coming down.

“We also see that despite the Government’s commitment to ‘secure work’, full time employment has fallen, with all the jobs created this month being part time,’’ Senator Cash said.

“People now have to work harder than ever just to keep their heads above water,’’ she said.

“There are dark clouds on the horizon given that business groups are now saying the Albanese Government’s industrial relations laws are smashing productivity and sending a chilling effect throughout our economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is very clear that the Albanese Government’s management of the economy is failing Australians,’’ she said.

“Australians are paying more for everything and having to work harder just to pay their bills,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Small businesses are getting smashed by rising costs, particularly energy costs and many are going broke,’’ she said.

“The ideological industrial relations policies of the Albanese Government have only made things worse for businesses that are already struggling,’’ Senator Cash said.

Where will all these people live under Labor’s Big Australia?

Annual migration under Labor is on track to shoot over 400,000 for the second consecutive year and could even surpass 500,000 arrivals.

Labor will almost certainly fail to honour its commitment to halve migration, based on ABS population data published today:

• Under Labor, Net Overseas Migration (NOM) was 133,802 for the March 2024 quarter — the second highest March quarter ever reported by the ABS — beaten only by Labor’s record 165,500 arrivals in March 2023.

• 388,241 additional migrants arrived in the first nine months of Financial Year 23-24 under Labor.

• In comparison, when Labor broke the Australian migration record with 536,547 arrivals in FY22-23, NOM was 415,034 across the first nine months of that year — just 26,793 higher than Labor is currently tracking.

• For Labor to achieve its FY23-24 migration target of 395,000 arrivals in this year’s budget, NOM will have to be lower than 6,759 in the June quarter — a level so low it was only reported when the borders were closed during COVID.

Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to explain why Labor was not honouring its commitment to halve migration.

“The Prime Minister needs to explain where all these people are going to live,” Mr Tehan said.

“Australians are experiencing a housing and rental crisis, but the Prime Minister seems to be unaware.

“Labor kept their plans for a Big Australia secret before the election, and Australians are living with the consequences.

“We have experienced record migration since Labor came to power, and housing supply isn’t close to keeping up. That drives up the cost of housing and rents, which further increases inflation as Australians endure cost-of-living pain.

“The Prime Minister’s broken promises to cut immigration, cut electricity bills and provide cheaper mortgages is making that pain worse.

“The Coalition will get the migration policy settings right to help free up more houses for Australians.

“Labor can’t be trusted to manage immigration, and they can’t be trusted on national security.”

Labor can’t be trusted to manage migration

On 9 December last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “migration is expected to decline substantially over the coming financial year”.

On 10 April, 2024, then Labor Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the Labor government would halve migration from its record high.

“When we get to the 1st of July this year, and I’m talking about in a few months time we will be back in a normal year of migration. We will have halved our migration rate as a country.” O’ Neil said an interview on Sunrise.

When asked if Labor would achieve its then NOM target of 375,000, O’Neil replied: “I mean, the numbers will come out but the indications are yes, that we will hit that target”.

Exhibition’s international debut for prehistoric summer at Newcastle Museum

Newcastle Museum is hatching a world premiere 145 million years in the making, as Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction showcases the giants and babies of the Cretaceous from the brink of oblivion to the skies of today.

The exhibition of bones, fossils and hands-on discoveries by Gondwana Studios is taking shape behind the scenes and will roam the Museum from Saturday, 28 September.

City of Newcastle Director of Museum, Archive, Libraries & Learning, Julie Baird gets up close with one of the prehistoric skeletons.City of Newcastle Director of Museum, Archive, Libraries & Learning, Julie Baird gets up close with one of the prehistoric skeletons as the installation of the Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction exhibition continues ahead of its opening at Newcastle Museum on Saturday, 28 September.

With interactive dig pits and touch fossils among more than 100 items that will be on display, Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction tracks the journey from raptor to rosella and the origins of birds today.

City of Newcastle Director of Museum, Archive, Libraries & Learning, Julie Baird, said the family-friendly exhibition will bring thousands of visitors up close and personal with an entirely new cast of dinosaurs who share a story of survival against the odds.

“Newcastle Museum knows how to bring dinosaurs to life and we’re seeing it happen right now. Whether you loved Sea Monsters and the Great Baby Dinosaur Show, or you wonder how these creatures connect to the world around us, Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction has something for you,” Ms Baird said.

“What’s being assembled in the Museum is a glimpse of a time when life on Earth was in turmoil. Dinosaurs faced their extinction and, as we know, for most it was the end. But for some, life found a way. 

“Newcastle Museum is committed to bringing engaging, high quality touring exhibitions to the Hunter Region that enrich Newcastle’s cultural offering and give local communities access to national and international exhibitions.

Seeing this world-first display come together is creating a buzz for our wonderful Museum staff and for the city.” 

Ahead of its opening on 28 September, technicians inside Newcastle Museum are busy readying a nine-metre skeleton of an apex carnivore, bones you can touch, dig pits filled with hidden dino clues, baby dinosaurs, and replica dinosaur nests. 

The Cretaceous-period VIPs on display will include the bizarre feathered Utahraptor, the mythical Griffin-inspiring Protoceratops and T-Rex’s Steppe-stomping sibling, Tarbosaurus.

While the end of the Cretaceous period caught many by surprise, Ms Baird said this exhibition would be timed nicely around school holidays.

“This will be a fantastic day out for kids, families and visitors of any age. An encounter with a dinosaur in a museum is a treasured memory for many of us and it’s fantastic that those memories are being made in our Newcastle Museum,” Ms Baird said.

“The setup for Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction is impressive on its own. This is a sensory collection of everything from eggs to full-scale predators, coming together piece by piece before any other city gets to see it. 

“My advice to any up-and-coming palaeontologist is to look out for suspiciously large footprints around Newcastle, which provide more details on this wonderful exhibition.”

Dinosaurs: Surviving Extinction opens to the public on 28 September and runs until 2 March 2025.  

Ticket prices start from $7.50 for children, $15 for adults and $40 for a family of four and will be on sale from 28 September at Newcastle Museum. Tickets can also be pre-purchased online from 20 September via newcastlemuseum.com.au

25th Anniversary of Australian service in East Timor

A special Star Ceremony will be held this morning at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney’s Hyde Park to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Australian service in East Timor.

Representatives of the veteran community will each place a special star into the Hall of Memory to remember the service and sacrifice of those Australians who served in East Timor between 1999 and 2013.

Over 18,000 Australians served in East Timor, including members of the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police personnel, as well as civilians. Their contribution came at a cost, with six Australians paying the ultimate sacrifice.

Military involvement in East Timor began in 1999 when the East Timorese people were given the opportunity to vote on whether they wanted independence from Indonesia. Pro-Indonesia militia groups began attacking civilians, 1,400 civilians died, and around 500,000 people were displaced from their homes.

Indonesian President BJ Habibie announced on 12 September 1999 that the country would withdraw from East Timor and allow peacekeepers to enter.

The United Nations Security Council authorised the formation of a multinational force known as the International Force East Timor (INTERFET) led by Australia.

This deployment of troops to East Timor in 1999 was Australia’s largest since the Vietnam War.

Today’s commemorative address was provided by RSL NSW Director Mr Paul James, who served in the Army Reserves on Operation RESOLUTE (Border Protection) in 2009-10 and Operation ASTUTE (Timor-Leste) in 2012.

A national service will also take place at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial in Canberra, attended by NSW Minister for Veterans, the honourable David Harris MP.

Minister for Veterans, David Harris said:

“Twenty-five years ago, Australians were deployed to Timor-Leste, then known as East Timor, to lead a multinational peacekeeping force in response to a humanitarian and security crisis.

“The service of Australians and those of other nations who formed the International Force East Timor assisted the country as it achieved independence, and established itself as an independent democracy.

“Thank you to the men and women who served in East Timor.”

RSL NSW Director Mr Paul James said:

“During my deployment to Timor-Leste in 2012 and 2013 the United Nations forces handed over law and order to the Timorese, and in early 2013 the ADF and NZDF elements withdrew after being deployed since 2006 as the International Stabilisation Force.

“What I remember most from my deployment to Timor-Leste is the warmth and kindness shown by the Timorese. Many of those who I met had suffered from decades of violence and conflict.

“Every veteran and police officer that served in East Timor from 1999 to 2013 should be proud of how they provided safety, support and hope to this little nation.”

Road to recovery and resilience: Wisemans Ferry Road remediation work forging ahead

Repairs and betterment works are now underway for more than 40 landslip sites on Wisemans Ferry Road in Spencer and Gunderman on the Central Coast, thanks to $28.3 million from Albanese and Minns Government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Wisemans Ferry Road experienced widespread damage including embankments with landslides and rockfalls at multiple locations, after major flooding and storms in 2022.

The road will be restored to its pre-disaster function and become more resilient to future natural disasters, as part of Essential Public Asset Reconstruction and Regional Roads Transport Recovery Package initiatives.

These initiatives help local councils in NSW rebuild road and transport infrastructure projects in disaster-impacted communities.

Alongside current road pavement rehabilitation, over the coming months Wisemans Ferry Road will see works across four interconnected segments to rectify several critical landslide and embankment erosion issues.

Completion of the Wisemans Ferry Road project is anticipated in June 2026, weather depending.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Jenny McAllister:

“The Albanese and Minns Governments are committed to working with Central Coast Council to build a stronger and more reliable road network that keeps local communities connected and freight operators moving.

“Restoring and improving vital infrastructure such as Wisemans Ferry Road helps local communities respond and bounce back more quickly to any future natural disasters.”

the Member for Robertson, Dr. Gordon Reid:

“I welcome the collaboration between the Federal and State Labor Governments to start these much-needed rehabilitation works along Wisemans Ferry Road.

“I know through conversations with my community that safety along Wisemans Ferry Road is a top priority, being one of the primary roads in and out of the area.

“As an emergency doctor, it is vitally important that frontline services can access these communities easily and safely.”

NSW Minister for Planning, Paul Scully:

“We have seen Wisemans Ferry Road severely impacted by weather events in recent years so this investment in upgrading more than 40 landslip sites is important.

“When repair works are undertaken in disaster prone areas, we want to make sure they make the area more resilient for the future.

“These works on Wisemans Ferry Road are long overdue for the community to return to their normal travel routes around the area.”

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison:

“We know Wisemans Ferry Road is vulnerable to severe weather events, and this funding will help Central Coast Council to both carry out necessary repairs and to ensure the local road network is more capable of withstanding future natural disasters.

“This funding will provide a boost to Council, to improve the local roads that people use every day to travel to work, see their families and get to medical appointments.

“Working together, we can help communities remain connected or re-connect faster following a severe weather event.”

NSW Minister for the Central Coast David Harris:

“These extensive rehabilitation works are a huge win for residents, visitors and freight operators who rely on Wisemans Ferry Road.

“These works will improve safety significantly while also ensuring the region can bounce back quicker.

“I’m proud to be part of a government providing funding which will improve the daily lives of regional communities.”

Gosford MP Liesl Tesch:

“Wisemans Ferry Road has been significantly impacted by severe weather events and the local community are very happy to see work progressing to not only restore the road, but ensure it’s improved for the long-term benefit of all locals and visitors.

“The Central Coast deserves to have infrastructure that can recover more quickly from these types of disasters, allowing life to get back to normal more quickly.

“Simply repairing the damage without addressing the underlying problems would eventually be more costly for all concerned.”

Central Coast Council Director Infrastructure Services, Boris Bolgoff:

“The long-awaited works have been much anticipated by the community after many natural disasters and storm events impacted local roads and the day-to-day life of locals, as well as visitors to the area.

“Since the time that emergency works were undertaken to reinstate road access and ensure safe use of the road, Council has continued to work on delivering solutions to get the road back to working order and to better withstand future natural disasters.

“We are excited to have successfully secured funding from the Australian and NSW Governments and for the remediation works on Wisemans Ferry Road to now be underway.

“This is a very welcome milestone for the community and the tourism industry, and we thank the Australian and NSW Governments for their funding support.”