Category: Australian News

The Australian Government has decided to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on a further 67 individuals for their role in Russia’s unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine.

This latest round of sanctions follows the emergence of evidence of war crimes committed by Russia in Bucha and other towns around Kyiv. Australia condemns these atrocities in the strongest possible terms.

Those sanctioned include prominent Russian military official Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, who has been described as the “Butcher of Mariupol”, for attacks including the bombing of the theatre in which innocent civilians were sheltering in Mariupol.

They also include Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Aleksander Babakov, and other senior Russian government officials.

In addition, we are also listing the Kremlin-installed so-called “mayor” of Melitopol, Ukrainian Galina Danilchenko, and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Oleg Voloshyn, who has been working with Russia to undermine the Ukrainian Government.

With these latest listings, the Australian Government has now sanctioned close to 600 individuals and entities in relation to Russia’s illegal war.

The Australian Government is committed to imposing the highest costs on those who bear responsibility for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine or hold levers of power.

The Australian Government reiterates our strongest support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the people of Ukraine.

“We need to protect all athletes from CTE: chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” said The Greens spokesperson for Sport, Senator Lidia Thorpe. CTE is a neurodegenerative condition linked to repeated head traumas including concussion.

This comes as a leading researcher into concussion in sport has claimed the AFL hindered a two-year-study into the long-term health impacts on its players. Senator Thorpe has joined Associate Prof Alan Pearce’s call for the AFL to be more transparent over its research. 

Senator Lidia Thorpe said:

“Sportspeople at all levels must be informed about the symptoms of CTE and encouraged to speak up if they experience any symptoms, they can’t be penalised for reaching out for support.”

“The AFL must be transparent about the evidence that informs the league’s concussion policies and set the standard for community sports to follow.”

“CTE was found in more than half of the sportspeople who donated their brains to the Australian Sports Brain Bank. Research found that amateur athletes face the same risk as professional sportspeople. The Greens are calling for community and professional sports associations, as well as our colleagues in policy-making, to make sports safer”. 

“Symptoms of CTE include cognitive impairment, impulsive behaviour, depression, suicidal thoughts, short-term memory loss and emotional instability. Our athletes deserve better than this.”

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

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is receiving $400,000 from the Morrison Joyce Government to address health issues in Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett by developing a new primary care model.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said the funding will help to research, develop, and co-design a multidisciplinary model of primary care to better service patients in these areas.

Mr Coulton said the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section) will receive the $400,000 investment to address the health care challenges of geographically isolated rural and remote communities with limited primary health services.

“The flying doctor will work with the local communities and health professionals to develop long term solutions to plug gaps in primary care services for the benefit of patients and their families living here,” Mr Coulton said.

Federal Regional Health Minister Dr David Gillespie said The Nationals in Government continue to invest in innovative health care trials to ensure people living in regional, rural and remote Australia have access to safe, quality and targeted health care services.

“Delivered through the Primary Care Rural Innovative Multidisciplinary Models (PRIMM) grant program, this funding will help with research, development, and co-design of a multidisciplinary model of primary care for people in the Walgett, Bourke and Brewarrina areas,” Dr Gillespie said.

“As a doctor who practiced medicine in regional Australia for many years, I know that communities can have diverse health care needs and face different challenges.

National Rural Health Commissioner, Adjunct Professor Ruth Stewart said tackling the health inequities faced by people living in rural and remote Australia is about ensuring access to quality healthcare.

“It’s critical that no matter where you live in Australia you have access to safe, quality health care services,” Professor Stewart said.

“With this grant, people living in outback NSW will benefit from the design of targeted, appropriate multidisciplinary health care models that benefit their local communities and lead to better health outcomes.”

PRIMM grants provide funding of up to $400,000 over two years, for six sub-regions across Australia. The PRIMM program is part of the Morrison Joyce Government’s Health Workforce Program, which aims to deliver improved health workforce outcomes and support rural outreach health services.

Plans for the new Manning-Great Lakes Cancer Care Centre have been significantly bolstered with the centre to be built as a stand-alone facility, delivering comprehensive cancer care services including outreach services for the region. 

With Federal funding of $4.47-million, the centre will be built close to Manning Base Hospital in the centre of Taree and will complement and substantially expand the hospital’s existing oncology services.

On Thursday, Minister for Regional Health and Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie joined operators Cancer Care Partners to announce the upgraded plans, with the facility expected to be in operational in the first half of 2023.

“This is an incredibly exciting development for cancer care in our region,” Dr Gillespie said.

“The new stand-alone centre will be comprehensive in its service delivery – providing radiation oncology through a high-tech linear accelerator, on-site medical oncology services including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, a dedicated oncology pharmacy, as well as regular outreach services for new and post-treatment patients in the Foster-Great Lakes area.

“This is an exponential upgrade on the original plans we had supported, with far-reaching benefits for our community. The integrated centre will significantly increase access to radiation therapies close to home, reducing the need for family and friends to travel extensively, minimising the impact on health, time, and expense.

“Importantly, the service will be a bulk-billing service for radiation therapy treatment, meaning that patients will not have a financial burden associated with accessing world-class treatment and utilising state-of-the-art equipment.

“I’m delighted to be here today making this announcement with Cancer Care Partners and look forward to delivering this vital medical infrastructure for our community.”

Cancer Care Partners’ Chairman Dr Tony Noun said the stand-alone centre was based on a regional model first established in the Riverina back in 2002.

“Cancer Care Partners’ facilities will be delivering comprehensive regional cancer care centres in both Taree and Griffith, NSW over the next two years. Our service model is customised to regional cancer patients and we have the experience of working with regional communities dating back to 2002 in the Riverina,” Dr Noun said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to establish comprehensive cancer care assessment, treatment, follow-up and outreach services for the community of the Manning-Great Lakes.

“We’re close to reaching agreement on a site for the cancer care centre, which will be close to the Manning Base Hospital, and we will be updating the community about this, in coming weeks.”

Federal Coalition Government funding for the Manning-Great Lakes Cancer Care Centre is part of the $63.4 million 2019-20 Budget ‘Fighting Cancer’ initiative, to expand cancer treatment capacity across regional Australia.

An Albanese Labor Government will deliver a faster and safer commute for residents in Perth’s south-east by removing the William Street level crossing and building a new elevated Beckenham Station. 
 
Currently, the boom gates at the William Street level crossing close 266 times a day. This means that they can be down for 3 hours and 43 minutes per day.   
 
This doesn’t just slow commuters down, it also poses a serious safety risk to drivers forced to rapidly slow down from high speeds. 
 
Perth’s south-east is growing quickly, and with more traffic on the roads these problems are only going to get worse. 
 
By partnering with the McGowan Labor Government to jointly fund this $175 million project, an Albanese Labor Government will make this level crossing a thing of the past by raising the rail line over the road and constructing a brand new station. 
 
Federal Labor’s injection of funds will allow the McGowan Labor Government to go ahead with adding this level crossing removal to the five others already announced that will be removed along the Armadale Train Line, meaning even more commuters across Perth can get home more quickly and safely.  
 

Anthony Albanese, Leader of the Australian Labor Party said:  

“We’ll partner with the McGowan Labor Government to deliver this important project for Perth’s south east. 
 
“Only Labor will stand up for a better future for families in Perth’s south east.” 
 

Catherine King, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development said:  

“This level crossing isn’t just frustrating for locals, it is unsafe. 
 
“By partnering with the WA Government, we will make the William Street the sixth level crossing to be taken out along this rail line, allowing even more Perth residents to get home more quickly and safely. 

An Albanese Labor Government will help revitalise Glenelg, giving new life to one of Adelaide’s most iconic destinations.

Known Australia-wide for its beach, heritage, shops and entertainment, Glenelg is both a major attraction for visitors to Adelaide and a vibrant place for local families.

Receiving over one million visitors each year and with over 330 businesses stretching along Jetty Road, the region already makes a significant contribution to the South Australian economy.

The truth is though, that Glenelg could be even better. That is why an Albanese Labor Government will contribute $10 million to the City of Holdfast Bay’s Jetty Road masterplan. 

Earlier stages of this project have already delivered a brand-new public space in Chapel Plaza, with the next stage to upgrade Jetty Road from the Corner of Colley Terrace to Partridge Street.

Works will include increasing outdoor dining, better prioritisation of pedestrian use and a range of streetscape upgrades.

This project will deliver a better future for Glenelg locals and businesses alike – leading to more local jobs and making Glenelg an even better place to live.

Local businesses will be consulted closely throughout planning and construction.

Today, the leaders of the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) partnership – Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States – assessed progress under AUKUS.

We reaffirmed our commitment to AUKUS and to a free and open Indo-Pacific. In light of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine, we reiterated our unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion.

We are pleased with the progress in our trilateral program for Australia to establish a conventionally armed, nuclear‑powered submarine capability. We are fully committed to establishing a robust approach to sharing naval propulsion technology with Australia that strengthens the global non-proliferation regime.

We also committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defense innovation. These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities. As our work progresses on these and other critical defense and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners.

Further disaster assistance will be extended to flood-affected communities in Queensland, with an additional package of support worth $771 million to be co-funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments.

This additional funding means the Federal Government is providing over $1.3 billion and the Queensland Government is providing around $700 million to support Queenslanders affected by this recent flood event.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said although primary responsibility for this proposal was to be delivered by the Queensland Government, the Federal Government was stepping up to support Queenslanders.

“Queenslanders just want these issues to be addressed and for funding to continue to support residents and businesses in need,” the Prime Minister said.

“I know many people are still doing it tough and I want to ensure the only focus of my Government is to support their needs.

“To date, the Federal Government has committed over $1.3 billion in flood relief support to Queensland residents and businesses affected by this most recent flood.

“This includes paying out more than $383 million to the bank accounts of over 451,000 Queensland flood victims. These payments are 100 per cent funded by the Federal Government without support from the Queensland Government.

“As part of our agreement, I look forward to the Queensland Government providing regular public transparent reporting on how they are getting money into the pockets of Queenslanders in need.”

Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Bridget McKenzie said this next package of assistance was funded under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

“Australians want their leaders to be getting on with the job and supporting people who need it. They don’t want us playing politics with disaster victims. What people need is the hope and confidence to carry on with their recovery,” Minister McKenzie said.

“That’s why the Commonwealth has agreed to a package of support for Queensland which focuses on resilience and mitigation.”

The new package of support for Queensland includes:

• $275 million Resilient Household Rebuild Program
• $350 million Voluntary Buy-Back Program
• $6 million industry and community education program
• $100 million Resilient Household Raising Program
• $10 million property level flood information project; and
• $30 million for extensive clean-up.

This assistance will be provided for the 23 Local Government Areas affected by the recent floods and severe weather.

“The significant devastation wreaked by these floods across Queensland is something this government is determined to mitigate against, now and in the future,” Minister McKenzie said.

“I have seen the impact on Queenslanders first hand, I have walked the streets with survivors and I know this next wave of support will enable residents in flood ravaged communities to build back better and become more resilient to future disasters.”

Queensland’s Acting Premier Cameron Dick also welcomed the announcement.

“We are pleased to work with the Commonwealth Government to deliver this nation-leading program to help Queenslanders build back better,” Acting Premier Dick said.

“The program will mean many Queenslanders who have suffered multiple flood events can now have peace of mind.”

This announcement is in addition to the $558 million package agreed by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments on 5 March to support primary producers, small business and local councils and sporting clubs.

For more information visit recovery.gov.au.

The Morrison Government is investing more than $1 billion to upgrade 73 Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserve and Cadet facilities across Australia over the next 10 years.

The investment includes $53 million in infrastructure upgrades to 18 cadet facilities, including in rural and remote communities over the next year.

The Minister for Defence the Hon. Peter Dutton MP said the infrastructure investment will support the growth of the ADF Cadets by 10 percent over the next year, and is just one component of a number of initiatives being implemented to enhance the cadet program.

“We want to provide improved opportunities for cadets through a number of avenues, including better facilities, enhanced experiences, mentoring and relevant skilling,” Minister Dutton said.

As part of this significant enhancement of the cadets program, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK CVO MC (Retd) will become the first Patron of the ADF Cadets.

“Being a former cadet himself, Sir Peter will bring strong values, experience and mentorship to current and future cadets,” Minister Dutton said.

Defence will increase numbers in existing cadet units and create new units to complement broader Government initiatives supporting youth development and skilling.

“In addition to the more traditional skills developed through the program, future cadets will also be engaged in STEM-focused activities including cyber security, virtual reality simulation, robotics and flight simulation,” Minister Dutton said.

“The program will focus on growing cadet and volunteer numbers, and establishing new units in rural and remote areas, including in Indigenous communities.

“To ensure enduring local unit success, additional personnel including veterans and reservists will be employed to provide administrative support.

“The investment in facility upgrades will also provide opportunities for Australian industry including local and Indigenous suppliers and contractors.”

Assistant Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie MP said the investment would also see upgrades to Defence-owned and leased premises across all states and territories.

Some sites have been prioritised for works and earmarked by Defence for cadet growth as they are in geographic locations where youth development programs could have a positive impact on the community.

“The sites prioritised under this investment are integral to the ADF emergency response network, and ensuring facilities are fit-for-purpose to develop our nation’s youth,” Assistant Minister Hastie said.

“As a former cadet myself, I know first-hand that cadets provide young Australians with opportunities to lead, grow and serve our country. It is a vital part of Defence’s contribution to building Australia’s future leaders.”

“These important announcements will help strengthen the future of cadets, and ensures that we grow the cadet program in the critical years ahead.”

To find out more about volunteering with the ADF Cadets: https://www.defenceyouth.gov.au/youth-programs/adf-cadets/

Fresh from a record vote in the State election, the Greens have kicked off their federal election campaign in SA announcing a $6.1b plan to boost the uptake of electric vehicles and reestablish auto manufacturing in Australia, saying that in balance of power the party will push for a South Australian-focused package to support an electric car industry in the State.

The Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, is in Adelaide today to launch the campaign for South Australia lead Senate Candidate, Barbara Pocock. 

Pocock, an economist and leading South Australian public intellectual, will join Adam Bandt and SA Senator Sarah Hanson-Young to launch a comprehensive package to build and boost uptake of electric vehicles in Australia, with infrastructure and incentives to support the transition.

The Greens plan will invest $6.1b over the next 3 years to:

• Provide $1.2b to manufacturers of electric vehicles and electric vehicle components in Australia, building the Australian EV manufacturing industry
• Help you buy your first EV, reducing the cost of an electric vehicle by up to $15,000 and provide ultra-cheap finance for the balance
• Legislate tough vehicle pollution standards to drive down emissions, and ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030
• Build a $2 billion publicly owned EV fast charging network, ensuring that you’ll always have a place to fuel up
• Electrify the Commonwealth fleet by 2025, leading the way and driving the second-hand vehicle market

If Barbara Pocock is elected to the Senate for SA, the Greens are on track to be the biggest third party in the Senate ever, likely holding balance of power in our own right. Additionally, with a tight election in the House of Representatives likely, the Greens may be in balance of power in both Houses of Parliament.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt said:

“The Greens have represented South Australia with one of the most powerful voices the Senate has ever seen in Sarah Hanson-Young. Today, the Greens offer South Australians the chance to put another exceptional, progressive woman into the Senate to fight for their state, Professor Barbara Pocock.

“In a few years’ time, the whole country could be driving SA-made electric cars.

“We’ll cut pollution, create jobs and be energy independent if we restart SA’s car industry and make it electric. The Liberals flattened SA’s car industry but the Greens want to recharge it.

“As well as making electric cars here, we’ll make them cheaper to buy and easier to recharge.

“The war in Ukraine shows us just how exposed we are if we rely on another country’s oil to get around.

“Road transport makes up 15% of Australia’s emissions, so any party with a net zero emissions target needs a plan to get our cars running on the sun and the wind.”  

Greens lead Senate candidate for South Australia, Barbara Pocock said: 

“As a South Australian, I’ve felt so lucky to have such a powerful Greens representative in Sarah Hanson-Young over many years. This election, South Australians can double their Greens representation.

“To be here today with Adam Bandt and Sarah Hanson-Young to launch a major Greens policy that has so much potential for South Australia gives voters a clear choice this election.

“I’m standing for the Greens because the Greens put their chips on the table – we put forward fully-costed policies and clear positions, instead of loose slogans that ask voters for blind trust.  

“Making electric vehicles here will mean thousands of jobs for South Australians. It will also have flow on benefits supporting research, development and manufacturing across the country. 
“The Greens will put $1.2 billion on the table for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and their components here in Australia.
Quotes attributable to Greens South Australian Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young:
“Barbara Pocock stands out from the pack in this South Australian Senate race. She has made an exceptional contribution to our understanding of employment, especially as it affects women in the workforce.“