Category: Australian News

The Albanese Labor Government is supporting the growth, resilience and sustainability of Australia’s agricultural sector, with an additional $1 billion in new loan funding through the Regional Investment Corporation (RIC).

RIC administers support for farmers facing hardship with concessional loans for farm businesses and drought-affected farm-related small businesses.

This new funding will ensure farmers can continue to access concessional lending to improve their long-term resilience and profitability – and brings total support for the agriculture sector through RIC loans to over $5 billion.

The Government will also support the broadening of RIC’s loan scope to include assistance for improving climate resilience, boosting sector productivity, and supporting agriculture to be part of Australia’s net zero transition.

This additional $1 billion in new loan funding demonstrates the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to RIC beyond 30 June 2026.

This will provide certainty around RIC funding and concessional lending for Australia’s farmers while the Government finalises the full response to the Review of the operation of the Regional Investment Corporation ACT 2018.

To date, over 3,400 loans have been supported through RIC, with more than $3.6 billion in settled funds providing direct on-farm benefit.

These new commitments build on the Albanese Labor Government’s rural support and drought resilience funding which has helped Australian farmers to prepare, adapt and respond to a range of hardships and issues including drought.

Minister Anthony Albanese

“I have seen firsthand the toll that extreme weather events like drought take on regional communities.

“That is why my Government is backing our farmers who are doing it tough by continuing the Regional Investment Corporation.

“This is about helping farmers to manage cost pressures and free up cash flow so they can continue producing the products we all rely on.”

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP

“The funding we are announcing today underscores our Government’s enduring commitment to supporting Australian farmers who are facing hardship.

“We are committing to concessional loans over the long-term to give farmers certainty that there will always be support available, including those impacted by drought.”

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong will today welcome Indonesian Foreign Minister His Excellency Sugiono, and Defence Minister His Excellency Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to Canberra for the Ninth Australia–Indonesia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting. 
 
Australia and Indonesia are the closest of partners, with a long history of friendship and cooperation based on mutual strategic trust. The meeting will strengthen our engagement on shared defence, strategic, economic and development priorities in support of a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.  
 
The Deputy Prime Minister will also host Minister Sjafrie for the annual Australia-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Discussions will focus on deepening defence cooperation through increased education and training exchanges, more complex joint exercises and enhanced interoperability. 
 
This year’s 2+2 follows Foreign Minister Wong’s visit to Jakarta earlier this month to meet Foreign Minister Sugiono for discussions on our shared bilateral and regional priorities.  

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP: 

“Our relationship with Indonesia continues to go from strength to strength, buoyed by growing strategic trust and a shared commitment to transparency and regional stability. 

“Australia is deepening ties and increasing the complexity of our engagement with our closest regional partners, especially Indonesia, in response to an increasingly challenging and uncertain security environment.” 

Foreign Minister, Senator the Hon Penny Wong: 

“There is no more important partner for Australia than Indonesia. We look forward to discussing our strategic, economic and development cooperation priorities as we work to shape our region for the better.

“Australia remains a reliable, steadfast friend and partner to Indonesia and to the region at a time of global uncertainty.” 

Today I announce the recipients of the Australia-Korea Foundation (AKF) grants for 2025-26 Grant Round.

The AKF strengthens the relationship between Australia and the Republic of Korea in ways that enhance mutual understanding and people-to-people links.

The 19 grant recipients are listed on the AKF website and include:

• A new short course on doing business in Korea and Australia, delivered by the University of Sydney in partnership with the Yonsei University, to strengthen Australia-Korea economic ties through education and professional exchange.
• A reciprocal peer mentoring program through James Cook University that links Australian and Korean working holidaymakers to help them to navigate cross-cultural challenges, explore career pathways and form long-lasting connections.
• An initiative led by Citrus Australia Ltd to deliver industry workshops and site visits in Australia and Korea to foster institutional relationships and boost confidence and growth in the export of Australian citrus into the Korean market.

I also announce the appointment of Dr Constantinos Yiallourides as the 2026 Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Seoul National University (SNU)’s Graduate School of International Studies, an initiative supported by Woodside Energy, SNU and the AKF.

Dr Yiallourides is an eminent Senior Lecturer in International Law at Macquarie University. As the second Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at SNU, Dr Yiallourides will foster research collaboration and connections between Australia and Korea.

Finally, I welcome Australian and Korean representatives from academia, industry and government to the fourth Korea Australia Future Forum in Sydney today, hosted by the AKF and Korea Foundation. The Forum is an important opportunity to exchange views and ideas to advance shared bilateral interests across the breadth of the Australia-Korea relationship, including strategic and security cooperation, economic security and trade, people-to-people links and innovation and technology collaboration.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong will today welcome Indonesian Foreign Minister His Excellency Sugiono, and Defence Minister His Excellency Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to Canberra for the Ninth Australia–Indonesia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting.

Australia and Indonesia are the closest of partners, with a long history of friendship and cooperation based on mutual strategic trust. The meeting will strengthen our engagement on shared defence, strategic, economic and development priorities in support of a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.

The Deputy Prime Minister will also host Minister Sjafrie for the annual Australia-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Discussions will focus on deepening defence cooperation through increased education and training exchanges, more complex joint exercises and enhanced interoperability.

This year’s 2+2 follows Foreign Minister Wong’s visit to Jakarta earlier this month to meet Foreign Minister Sugiono for discussions on our shared bilateral and regional priorities.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP:

“Our relationship with Indonesia continues to go from strength to strength, buoyed by growing strategic trust and a shared commitment to transparency and regional stability.

“Australia is deepening ties and increasing the complexity of our engagement with our closest regional partners, especially Indonesia, in response to an increasingly challenging and uncertain security environment.”

Foreign Minister, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

“There is no more important partner for Australia than Indonesia. We look forward to discussing our strategic, economic and development cooperation priorities as we work to shape our region for the better.

“Australia remains a reliable, steadfast friend and partner to Indonesia and to the region at a time of global uncertainty.”

The Greens have celebrated a win for people on income support payments following Labor’s announcement on income support payments.

The Greens have previously called for all income apportionment debts to be waived, in keeping with the Royal Commission recommendation which would see a 6 year limit imposed on debt collection. Background on these issues here

The debts affected by income apportionment are at their most recent from 2020, and are on average 19 years old. Still no legal time limit on debt collection exists. On Monday, the Greens introduced a bill which would implement the outstanding Robodebt recommendations including the 6 year time limit.

Greens questioning in Estimates revealed the Department currently holds debts dating back to the 1970s. 

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

“This is a tremendous win for the Greens and for advocates who have been calling on Labor to waive these income apportionment debts and protect people living in poverty from serious harm.

“Like Robodebt, the income apportionment scandal has shown the systemic issues with the way our welfare system brutalises people living in poverty over ridiculous errors.

“When you’re living week to week on poverty payments, a debt notice from the government can cause your whole life to spiral. Tragically for some it has led them to take their own lives. 

“The work unpicking Robodebt is far from done. The Greens will continue to push Labor to implement the outstanding Robodebt recommendations including the six year limit on debt recoveries, and to stop the rampant suspension of welfare payments which takes life-saving funds out of the hands of over a hundred thousand people each month.”

The Greens have reintroduced their two key Bills to take on corporate profiteering – one to give the ACCC divestiture powers to break up corporations when they misuse their market power, and another to make price gouging illegal across the economy.

“Corporate giants are bleeding people dry while the Labor Government sits on its hands,” Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“Coles and Woolworths have built their empires on exploiting their market dominance. They gouge shoppers, farmers, and workers.”

“The Greens’ Bills would finally give the ACCC the teeth to break them up and outlaw price gouging across the whole economy.”

“Two weeks ago the Reserve Bank found that declining competition and increased mark-ups have reduced productivity and left the average person $3000 worse off over ten years. That’s the price of letting corporations run the economy for their own benefit.”

“Now, in the profit-reporting season, the evidence is in black and white. Australia’s biggest oligopolies are raking in staggering profits off the back of ordinary people’s pain.”

• Insurance giant IAG just booked $1.359 billion net profit, up 66% on last year.
• Commonwealth Bank pulled in more than $10 billion, their highest in at least a decade.
• Coles pocketed nearly $1.2 billion, a 3.1% jump on last year.

“Since Labor came to power in 2022, food and groceries have risen on average by 14%. For some essentials it’s much worse: bread is up nearly 20%, cheese 20%, eggs 40%, and oil nearly 30%.”

“Labor promised to ban supermarket price gouging but have gone missing in action. If they were serious about helping people through this cost-of-living crisis, they’d back the Greens’ Bills.”

The Senate has today voted to establish an inquiry into the Government’s proposed social media age ban and search engine age verification codes following a motion by the Australian Greens. The inquiry will examine the privacy implications and effectiveness of the proposed measures.

The inquiry comes amid growing concerns that the proposed age verification system will require all Australians to provide personal data to access social media platforms and search engines, raising significant privacy and civil liberties questions.

The inquiry will soon begin accepting public submissions. Further details will be announced promptly.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge and Digital Rights Spokesperson said: 

“This isn’t just about kids – it’s a national age verification system and identification system being sold as online safety for children.

“The age ban will force all Australians to hand over personal data to access social media and the verification codes will mean the same for search engines. Everybody will have to go through age-checking to make this work. 

“Instead of the much promised digital duty of care, the Government is focusing on bans and codes that will encourage big tech to vacuum up everyone’s private information. 

“The current approach risks driving young people away from safer regulated platforms and towards spaces where bullying and image-based abuse has no limits. 

“This inquiry will examine what actually works globally and presents an opportunity for evidence-based policy that upholds fundamental human rights. 

Greens Communications Spokesperson and Chair of the Environment and Communications Committee Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“Trying to fix all the harms of social media and online platforms by simply banning under 16s from using them is never going to work. This inquiry is about continuing the conversation about how we keep all people safe online and holding the big tech platforms to account for protecting their users.”

Labor has played politics with workers by refusing to support Greens’ amendments to expand flexible working arrangements and introduce the right to work from home for all Australians.

The Greens say Labor knocked down Australians’ right to work from home because it was a Greens’ idea.

The Australian Greens put forward amendments today to expand Australians’ right to work from home, which followed an amendment yesterday calling for the Government to legislate a right to work from home for up to two days a week, where it is reasonable to do so – and Labor rejected both amendments.

The Greens’ amendments would have expanded eligibility to all workers to request flexible working arrangements, including the right to work from home and called on the Government to legislate a right to work from home for up to two days a week, where it is reasonable to do so. 

Australian Greens spokesperson for employment and workplace relations, Senator Barbara Pocock:

“Labor has voted down a reasonable right to work from home, because they say they are “not at the behest of the Greens.” In doing so, they have chosen to play politics over protecting workers’ rights. 

“Labor knocked back the right to work from home – not because it’s a bad law and not because it won’t work – but because it was a Greens’ idea. Labor shouldn’t let their ego get in the way of workers getting rights.

“Two-thirds of voters support this right, as do 75% of Labor voters. Labor needs to act.

“The world of work has changed – technology has made remote and flexible work not only possible but in many workplaces, normal. The law should catch up with that reality and make sure every worker has the right to request arrangements that suit their lives.

“Labor is supposed to be the party of the worker and it holds the biggest majority in parliament since WWII. Labor has the power to make real progress for workers. Labor had the chance to vote with the Greens to protect flexible working arrangements, including the right to work from home, but instead voted against it.

“We know that flexible work arrangements, including the right to work from home, delivers enormous benefits. Flexible work arrangements help people balance jobs with study, with family and community life, and also boost workforce participation, especially for women and people with caring responsibilities. The evidence is clear that flexible working arrangements can reduce community time, improve well being and increase productivity.

City of Newcastle will seek the final tick of approval from the NSW Government for a $63 million plan to buffer Stockton’s coastline from erosion.

Councillors voted unanimously last night to endorse the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Program (CMP) and formally submit it to the NSW Environment Minister for certification.

City of Newcastle’s Executive Director of Planning and Environment, Michelle Bisson, said this was a significant milestone in the long-term protection and enhancement of Stockton’s coastline.

“The adoption of this Extended CMP establishes a clear pathway for the delivery of mass sand nourishment supported by regular sand top-ups, which has been identified as the most feasible, viable and acceptable long-term solution, and has received overwhelming community support,” Ms Bisson said. 

“It also includes vital short-term actions for the urgent protection of critical public assets in Stockton.

“The CMP was developed in collaboration with the community and government agencies and is the culmination of many years of hard work by the project team and advocacy from the Stockton Community Liaison Group.

“We now look forward to receiving certification from the NSW Minister for the Environment, which is a crucial step to unlock grant funding eligibility and streamline approval pathways for critical protection works.”

The Extended Stockton CMP covers a geographical area stretching from Little Beach to the Port Stephens Local Government Area boundary.

It contains 79 management actions, including beach nourishment and sand management activities, urgent interim coastal protection works for critical assets like the Mitchell Street seawall, and the development of a coastal monitoring and decision-making support system.

It is forecast to cost $63 million to implement over the next decade, with City of Newcastle expected to invest around $25 million into its delivery, most of which will be directed towards the construction of coastal protection structures to mitigate immediate risks.

The Federal Government will contribute $1.47 million primarily through the Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program (CERMP) for sand sourcing investigations.

The NSW Government is earmarked to contribute approximately $35 million, which includes its $21.5 million election commitment for mass sand nourishment, however this is not scheduled to occur until the 2027/28 and 2028/29 financial years.

Ms Bisson said this delay means that the construction and renewal of expensive coastal protection structures itemised in the CMP, which are necessary to protect critical public assets in the short term, are likely to be required before mass sand nourishment is delivered.

“The Extended Stockton CMP sets a long-term strategy to offset the impacts of the NSW Government-owned Newcastle Harbour infrastructure, including the entrance breakwaters and artificially deepened navigational channel,” Ms Bisson said.

“The implementation of the mass sand nourishment program and the investigation and determination of a governance, funding and implementation framework for ongoing sand top-ups will be led by NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and guided by the Stockton Special Advisory Panel, chaired by the State Member for Newcastle.”

Community engagement played a crucial role in shaping the final plan, with 90% of respondents supporting ongoing sand top-ups as well as mass sand nourishment during the public exhibition period. A petition with 1,233 signatures also underscored the strong community desire for a holistic sand nourishment strategy led by the NSW Government.

For more information on the Extended Stockton CMP, visit the project page on City of Newcastle’s website.

The Minns Labor Government is boosting staff numbers to speed up the processing of Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) Recovery Grants for impacted primary producers, by doubling the number of people working on assessments by the end of this week.

This initiative is already reducing processing times for grants to primary producers who are recovering from recent natural disasters.

Since June, the RAA has received almost 2,000 applications and has approved more than $23 million in payments.

The initial rollout faced some delays due to the large number of applications lodged, but with many applications now processed the focus has shifted to ensuring payments get out the door faster.

By the end of this week already received applicants will either had their claim assessed or received a direct update on the status of their application and what, if any, information is still required.

The time for processing an application has been reduced to 25 business days, and the Minns Government has directed that the goal needs to be 20 business days as soon as possible. This is compared to Queensland’s current 22 business days application waiting period.

The additional staff will work directly on assessments, ensuring straightforward applications are fast-tracked, and more complex cases have the extra resources to speed up the appropriate review.

The Minns Government has also in the last month improved the application experience for farmers by making it easier to upload documents and images, especially for larger sized files.

Another improvement has been to provide an easy-to-use guide that contains ‘application tips’ to support primary producers through the application process.

To apply for assistance: www.raa.nsw.gov.au and Grant Application Tips

Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“Our message to primary producers is clear, we have implemented improvements to processing applications but there is more work to do, and I understand their concerns regarding the waiting time for payments.

“That’s why we are doubling the number of people on the job, to clear the backlog and get more payments out the door.”