Category: Australian News

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, today made clear that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. The Albanese Government must now acknowledge the genocide and take direct material actions in the wake of these findings.

The United Nations commission’s report made clear that countries like Australia have an immediate legal duty under the Genocide Convention to employ all means available to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.

These actions include ending the transfer of weapons and other equipment to Israel, including through third countries, and imposing sanctions.

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, said:

“We know what the Albanese Government must do, the UN have made it crystal clear, stop the two-way arms trade with Israel, and sanction the Israeli Government.”

“The Albanese Government must now finally acknowledge there is a genocide in Gaza.”

“This report concludes the Israeli military is committing a genocide in Gaza. The Albanese Labor Government continues to allow Australian citizens to fight in the Israeli military as active participants in this genocide. That cannot continue.”

“We know that the Israeli military is using Australian-made weapons and weapon parts. This includes the F-35 fighter jet parts, the R400 turret photographed in Israel this year, the DroneGun and armoured steel. By allowing this deadly trade, the Albanese Government is complicit in a genocide.

“Instead of acting, the Albanese Government has been gaslighting the Australian public about its role in the genocide and its legal responsibilities to prevent it.

“There is a current example of the action needed to address gross breaches of international law and it’s the sanctions against Russia. Australia must now impose the same sanctions regime against Israel and do all it can to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson on International Aid and Justice, said:

“How many reports and inquiries confirming Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people will it take for Prime Minister Albanese and Minister Wong to face the evil they have allowed to continue unchecked for the past two years?”

“The United Nations Commission of Inquiry Report is yet another nail in the coffin of Israel’s disgusting attempts to pretend there is any legitimate reason for the violence and horror it is inflicting on the people of Gaza.

“The Albanese Government has failed over and over again to demonstrate any courage, compassion or sense of human decency.

“This report must be the turning point. The Government must sanction Israel, expel the Israeli ambassador and end the two-way arms trade.”

The Albanese Government has today released its National Climate Risk Assessment.

The Opposition has accepted a briefing from the Australian Climate Service and will examine the assumptions behind the report, including how projections have been made about health, property prices, insurance costs, and impacts on communities and businesses.

Climate change is a global problem, and it demands global action. Australia cannot make a difference on its own, but we must play our part. The Coalition will always support sensible action to reduce emissions, strengthen resilience, and protect communities.

Our nation has the capacity and resources to meet the challenge of climate change with the right policies and priorities. This is a moment to reassure Australians. What Australians do not need is alarmist language being used to distract from Labor’s failures.

There is a trifecta of Labor failure: prices are up, reliability is down, and emissions are flatlining. Labor went to the 2022 election with three promises — a $275 cut to power bills by 2025, 82 per cent renewables by 2030, and a 43 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030. They have either failed or are failing on all three.

Power prices are up 39 per cent, or $1,300 more than promised for 2025-26.

The 82 per cent renewables target is off track, with experts forecasting just 65 per cent at best. The rollout is only half the pace needed and industry is crying out for gas.

After emissions rose under Labor, they now sit at 28 per cent below 2005 levels — exactly the same as when the Coalition left office.

It is expected Labor will unveil its 2035 emissions target later this week. Any target must pass two simple tests: it must be credible, and it must be upfront about the cost to households and small businesses. 

We need to reduce emissions, but not at any cost. If Labor cannot outline the cost and a credible pathway, why should Australians trust them not to force households and small businesses to pay even more? Don’t look at what Labor says, look at what it does.

The Minns Labor Government has announced it will provide $5.4 million to NSW Surf Life Saving Clubs through the Surf Club Facility Program.

The Program provides funding to keep clubs modern, inclusive and accessible with grants up to $1 million are available across three categories for projects that upgrade, restore or construct surf lifesaving facilities.

The Minns Labor Government is focused on its commitment to build better communities, and as such the program will now include grants for project design and planning, ensuring surf club projects are supported from concept to completion.

The Program aims to assist eligible Surf Life Saving Clubs throughout NSW to create new and upgraded inclusive and accessible facilities. Projects that encourage participation by women and girls, people with disability, First Nations peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and LGBTQIA+ are a priority of the Program.

Applications for Category 1 close 20 October 2025 while applications for Categories 2 and 3 close 10 November 2025.

For further information and to apply visit: Surf Club Facility Program. 

Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“The weather is heating up and summer is almost here.

“The Surf Club Facility Program will provide critical funding to our surf lifesaving clubs to enable them to better protect beachgoers.

“The inclusion of grants for design and planning means clubs are supported from concept to completion and better equipped to apply for funding at later stages of projects.

“This Program is part of our four-year $21.6 million commitment to ensure our Surf Life Saving Clubs are modern, safe and inclusive.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“Our dedicated volunteers are dusting off their caps for the upcoming patrol season as the NSW Government delivers on its record investment in Surf Life Saving NSW.

“The $5.4 million in upgrades to be funded through this program will help surf life savers to better protect beach lovers along the entire NSW coastline.

“Coupled with the new and upgraded equipment, additional jet skis, and Emergency Response Beacons funded by the NSW Government, our volunteers are being equipped with the latest modern and safe equipment to continue their incredible work.”

President of Surf Life Saving NSW Peter Agnew said:

“The funding provided by the NSW Government is vital to ensuring our surf clubs are safe and fit for purpose in what are sometimes extreme weather conditions which take an enormous toll on our clubs’ facilities.

“Our membership continues to grow and with more than 83,000 lifesavers and Nippers.

“Providing safe, secure, and accessible facilities for members and the communities they protect is more important than ever.”

The NSW Government is making $100,000 dollars in funding available to support projects across the state that honour the service and sacrifice of our veterans via the 2025 Veteran Community Grants Program.

Formerly known as Anzac Community Grants, the program has been refreshed with a greater emphasis on assisting projects that support recognition of the veteran community and events that acknowledge significant military anniversaries.

Grants of up to $3,000 are available for projects that commemorate and educate local communities on the service and sacrifices of current and former service personnel. Activities that support the wellbeing of veterans in New South Wales are also eligible.

Funding is available across four categories: local community historical research and education; preservation or display of war memorabilia; public commemorative events; and projects that support the NSW veteran community.

Last year more than 90 projects were funded through the program.

Individuals and non-for-profit organisations in NSW, including local government authorities, ex-service organisations and educational institutions, are encouraged to apply for a grant.

The grant round closes at 5pm on Tuesday 11 November 2025.

More information and details on how to apply are available here: Veteran Community Grants Program.

Minister for Veterans David Harris said:

“I am pleased to announce the opening of the Veteran Community Grants Program. The funding available from this program will support a range of initiatives that recognise and support veterans and educate the local community on our military history.

“Since 2015, the program has been committed to honouring and commemorating the service and sacrifice of our ex-serving military personnel. The renewed Veteran Community Grants Program emphasises recognition and commemoration of veterans across NSW, which is a key pillar of the NSW Veterans Strategy 2025-2030.

“I encourage individuals and organisations who are interested in acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans to apply and look forward to seeing the range of project proposals that are received.”

As part of the celebrations of 50 years of Papua New Guinea’s independence, Australia will support the construction of a new ministerial wing for Papua New Guinea’s National Parliament.

This gift recognises our common understanding of the democratic principles that underpin the modern Australia-PNG relationship, and the role of our parliaments in reflecting the voices of our people.

The concept of yumi stap wantaim — side-by-side, step-by-step — will be incorporated into the design and delivery of the new ministerial wing.

Construction will follow a Papua New Guinea-led design and consultation process, and draw on local craftsmanship and expertise.

In January 2023, Prime Minister Albanese became the first foreign leader to address the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea.

Just over a year later, in February 2024, Prime Minister Marape was the first Pacific leader to address both Members and Senators in the Parliament of Australia.

This mutual recognition reflects the shared democratic values and warm friendship between Australia and Papua New Guinea, which continues to grow.

Prime Minister Albanese

“Our support for the expansion of Parliament House is an investment in Papua New Guinea’s democracy and sovereignty that will benefit future generations.

“At a ceremony held in Port Moresby on the day of independence in 1975, Australia’s then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam observed ours is ‘a relationship of equals, based on mutual respect, understanding and trust’.

“As close neighbours and warm friends, the future prosperity of our two nations are bound together.”

This week, the Ninth Australia-China High Level Dialogue will be held in Beijing, bringing together representatives from government, industry, academia, media, health and the arts, as well as former political leaders.

Dialogue and direct engagement between Australia and China is central to a constructive relationship. Established in 2014, the Dialogue enables Australia and China to frankly discuss a range of shared interests including trade and investment, education, cultural ties, and regional and international security.

Former Trade Minister, the Hon Dr Craig Emerson, will again co-chair the Dialogue as head of the Australian delegation. Former federal government minister the Hon Warwick Smith AO will also join the Dialogue, reflecting continued bipartisan support.

The Australian delegation comprises senior representatives from businesses, peak bodies, cultural institutions and think tanks. Together they represent areas of significance to Australia’s relationship with China, today and into the future.

Australia’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Mr Scott Dewar, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Deputy Secretary for Strategic Planning and Coordination, Ms Elly Lawson, will participate as delegates.

The Dialogue is co-hosted by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations and the Chinese People’s Institute for Foreign Affairs (CPIFA). China’s delegation will be led by Mr Li Zhaoxing, Honorary President of CPIFA.

“Chilling” revelations in National Climate Risk Assessment make net zero by 2035 imperative, say Greens

The Greens forced the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment report via an order for production of documents (OPD) in the Senate as a necessary input to Labor’s upcoming decision on the new 2035 climate target or Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), required by each country under the Paris Agreement.

In light of the chilling revelations in the report, the Greens today reiterate their call on the government to set a science-based climate target of net zero by 2035.

Anything less than net zero emissions by 2035 would lock Australia into exceeding 2 degrees of warming, which as the report outlines, will have dire consequences for civilisation as well as the environment.

The report outlines scenarios such as:

• Significant potential for loss of life and strain on health systems. If global heating rises above 3 degrees, heat-related deaths could surge over 400% in Sydney and Darwin.
• Sea levels rising by half a metre would leave over 3 million people, a third of Australia’s coastal population, at a high risk of coastal inundation. Brisbane could flood 300 days a year, and Fremantle 200 days a year.
• A cumulative wealth loss at $4.2 trillion by the end of the century, with over $600 billion wiped from the property market. 

In terms of target aspirations, state and territory governments have already made and legislated climate target commitments, and a new federal target lower than 71% would actually take the current sum of commitments backwards.

The National Climate Risk Assessment report should have been released in 2024, meaning the Labor government was aware of the contents at the time of their approval of the North West Shelf gas project through to 2070 in May 2025. The North West Shelf is the Albanese government’s most polluting fossil fuel project so far, and will alone contribute the equivalent of 10 years of Australia’s total pollution to the atmosphere over its lifetime.

Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters:

“The revelations about Australia’s future under climate change detailed in this report are chilling,” Senator Waters said.

“The Greens forced the public release of this report that the government sat on for months, while they ticked off on massive gas projects like the North West Shelf and the Ulan coal mine in their first months of the 48th parliament.

“Coal and gas is delivering Australia a bleak climate future and the polluting profits of the coal and gas industry are a dead weight on Australia’s climate target.

“The climate crisis is a risk to our safety, to nature, and to our economy and productivity. This report must be a wake up call for Labor ahead of their 2035 climate target decision.

“Anything less than net zero by 2035 puts Australia on track for more than 2 degrees warming.

“What this report shows is that a 2035 target of 65% means significant potential for loss of life and strain on health systems, more extreme heat, more devastating floods, crop failures, fires, global insecurity and the death of every coral reef around the world.

“If Labor fails to set a science-based climate target then it’s crystal clear: they have utterly prioritised coal and gas profits at the expense of community safety and nature.”

Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Climate Adaptation, Senator Mehreen Faruqi:

“The Government has been hiding these shocking findings since 2024 and it took the Greens to force its release. ” said Faruqi.

“Now that the diabolical truth of what’s coming is laid bare, Labor has no choice but to set a strong climate target in line with science and with this dire reality. Anything less is signing Australia and the world up to devastating climate collapse.

“Labor is driving us off a climate cliff and backstabbing climate vulnerable communities in service of coal and gas profits and hoping nobody notices.

“It is unconscionable that Labor had this information when they chose to sign off on the North West Shelf gas project, which alone will release more than 10 years of Australia’s pollution over its lifetime. 

“This is the moral test for this parliament – Labor could change course and work with the Greens to prevent climate collapse, or be responsible for consequences of the dire revelations in this report.”

ANZ’s blatant disregard for their customers and the law is yet another example of big corporations taking the piss, the Greens say.

“ANZ have shown absolute contempt for basic standards and for the people they’re supposed to serve,” Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“They break the law. They negotiate a fine. And then they just pay it out of their obscene profits. All while sacking thousands of staff and showering their executives in bonuses.”

“ANZ charged fees to thousands of dead customers, stonewalled grieving families, lied about savings rates, and ripped tens of thousands of people off.”

“This is just standard operating procedure for corporate Australia. Time after time we see big corporations breaking the law and treating their customers with contempt, and when they get caught they get a slap on the wrist.”

“The banking Royal Commission demanded cultural changes in Australia’s big banks, but customers keep on getting screwed.”

“This is taking the piss. Ordinary people get punished for the smallest mistakes, while the big end of town get a slap on the wrist and a wink.”

“Labor and the Liberals are far too close to the banks to hold them to account.”

“The Greens are fighting for tougher penalties, stronger regulators, and to make sure these corporate crooks don’t get to keep treating our economy like their personal casino.”

Tasmania is the state most exposed to climate hazards according to the National Climate Risk Assessment released today, which considered frequency, severity and location of climate hazards.

“Tasmania’s high vulnerability to climate hazards like bushfires, floods, extreme weather events and sea level rise should be a clarion call for us to finally stop logging our native forests,” Greens Senator for Tasmania Nick McKim said.

“Nationally we need to stop approving new fossil coal and gas projects, end fossil fuel subsidies, stop logging native forests and set a 2035 emissions reduction  target of net zero.”

“In Tasmania we need a clear climate adaptation strategy to embed resilience into our communities, infrastructure and ecosystems, and an end to native forest logging.”

“This report should make it abundantly clear to the Labor and Liberal parties that it is in Tasmania’s interests to end native forest logging.

“Protecting our precious forests would make Tasmanians safer, not just from bushfires but a range of significant climate risks.”

The full report can be found here.

 Sophie McNeill MLC, The Greens (WA) spokesperson for AUKUS/ Peace and non-Violence:

“The secret is finally out. The US is being invited to transform Henderson into a key nuclear submarine maintenance hub.

“This is a massive shift from what the community was originally told about AUKUS. 

“Now, it’s clear that the Cockburn Sound foreshore is slowly going to become a massive US base, and potentially one of just five facilities worldwide where US nuclear submarines can undergo deep cycle maintenance.

“This looks like it has come out of US demands in their AUKUS review – to which the Albanese government has dutifully obeyed, pandering to the Trump administration’s every demand.

“Meanwhile, Western Australians have been left in the dark about what this would mean for nearby residents and for public access to Cockburn Sound.

“Just three weeks ago, I questioned Minister Dawson during budget estimates about whether Henderson would become a maintenance base for US nuclear-powered submarines, and he claimed “no decision has been made by the Commonwealth about what is in that defence precinct.”

“It is time the Cook government came clean about just how much of WA is being handed over to the US military. 

“This shock news about Henderson comes as the Australian Submarine Agency are holding “community town halls” in Rockingham and Fremantle this week to try and make it look like they are consulting with the community.

“The reality is the opposite. There is zero indication of what this will mean for the local community regarding safety, public access, and nuclear waste storage at Henderson. 

“Enough lies and secrecy. 

“Western Australians are being deliberately drip-fed tiny bits of information about AUKUS because both the state and federal government knows the social licence of this project is non-existent.”

Federal Greens Foreign Affairs and Defence Spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge:

“This latest $12 billion AUKUS promise from the Albanese Labor government is designed so the PM has a fresh tribute payment for Trump if they meet next week in New York.

“The timing of this announcement could not be more cynical, or more obviously designed to deliver a military base for the US rather than peace and security for Australia.

“While the $12 billion commitment is a shockingly large amount, the Albanese Government says it really wants to spend $25 billion building AUKUS-related facilities at Henderson over the next decade.   

“Because none of this additional funding is contained in this budget or even the forward estimates, what Labor is doing is robbing funding from housing, climate and education from future budgets. That’s an appalling misdirection for our country.   

“The Albanese Government has been actively misleading the public about the scale of US military deployments in Australia. 

“When it was first announced, Labor claimed Henderson would have no role in the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, but it is now being made a key cog. 

“It is the same playbook we saw with their nuclear waste Bill, mislead, gaslight and then steamroll ahead, ignoring the locals. 

“AUKUS is an independence firesale, with the Albanese Government putting no limits on the US military’s ambition for our real estate.”