Category: Australian News

An Albanese Labor Government will improve transparency in the child care sector for Australian families and taxpayers, building on Labor’s Cheaper Child Care for Working Families policy.
The Commonwealth will spend around $9 billion on the Child Care Subsidy this year, yet there is very little oversight or public reporting of how this taxpayer money is spent.
While not-for-profit providers are already required to report to the National Charities Commission, large for-profit providers, particularly those owned by private equity, do not have the same accountability.
Part of the Morrison Government’s failed child care changes in 2018 was the introduction of www.childcarefinder.gov.au. The website does not provide real-time child care fee and quality data and some providers do not display any fee information at all.
Australian families need improved transparency around what is driving their fee increases and the ability to easily and accurately compare providers in order to make an informed decision.
The lack of oversight of the sector has also allowed for the practice of non-educational enrolment inducements, with some for-profit providers offering incentives such as cash or iPads to entice families to enrol at their centres. These marketing gimmicks are being funded by taxpayers and are an inappropriate use of government support.
Child care fees are out of control under the Morrison Government, having soared by 37 per cent since the election of the Coalition. Increased transparency about cost drivers and profits is necessary to stop this trend and put downward pressure on fees.
That is why an Albanese Labor Government will:

• Require large child care providers (more than 25 services as defined by ACECQA) and landlords owning more than 10 child care centres to publicly report their child care revenue and profit results to www.childcarefinder.gov.au;
• Mandate that www.childcarefinder.gov.au includes every Child Care Subsidy approved provider, real-time child care fee data and quality ratings and average year on year fee increases so parents can make an informed choice; and
• Ban providers from offering non-educational enrolment inducements.

This policy builds on Labor’s Cheaper Child Care for Working Families plan, in particular our commitment for the ACCC to investigate price regulation to ensure all benefit goes into the pockets of families.
Labor’s plan for cheaper child care will deliver an additional $6 billion investment in the sector, which will leave 97 per cent of families in the system better off.
We want to ensure this additional support flows through to families, which is why we want a stronger focus on transparency.
Only Labor is committed to genuine, enduring reform of the child care sector that brings costs down for families and keeps them down.
The Morrison Government’s half-hearted child care policy falls lightyears short of what is required to properly reform the system and includes nothing to keep fees down.
This Government’s poor attitude towards child care has been on display this week, with members of the Coalition party room labelling it outsourced parenting.
The difference could not be more stark – Labor is committed to ensuring every Australian child deserves access to affordable and high quality early learning.

Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has forced the release of draft animal welfare standards for poultry through a Senate order for documents. The standards and guidelines include a phase out of battery cages for hens by 2036.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This is good news and a welcome step in the right direction but the transition should certainly happen faster.
“This process has been going on in some form or another since 2013 so there has been plenty of time for the industry to change their practices. It’s really time for some action.
“We know the vast majority of people have been really concerned about hens being kept in battery cages under such cruel and inhumane conditions.They don’t want hens trapped in A4 size spaces.
“Countries around the world have already phased out cages or have a plan to do so, including most OECD countries.
“Industry does not need up to 15 years to transition away from battery cages. It can and it should happen faster.”

Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young has today called for the Nationals to be stripped of the water portfolio following the return of Barnaby Joyce to the leadership.
“After just two days with Barnaby Joyce back in the leadership, the Nationals have launched an extraordinary attack on the River Murray and the people and environment of South Australia.
“This is a direct challenge to Scott Morrison today, stand up to the water terrorists and make sure that Barnaby Joyce never gets his hands on Australia’s water policy ever again.
“South Australians remember that last time Barnaby Joyce was in charge of the water portfolio that he oversaw rorting, water theft and the use of public money as a slush fund.
“The Nationals have always been more interested in looking after their corporate irrigator mates than the people or environment. They deny climate change, deny science and they cannot be trusted to manage the Murray Darling Basin.
“Scott Morrison must be a national leader and strip the Nationals of the water portfolio. When it comes to water he has one job, tell the National party to back off and take their hand off our water.
“As we head to an election, the people of South Australia should think carefully about who they want in control of our precious Murray. South Australians should not support the Liberal Party if they are unable to stand up to the bullies of the National Party. South Australians need representatives who will put the people and environment of South Australia above petty leadership squabbles in Canberra.
“The Murray Darling Basin Plan, including the 450GL promised to South Australia must be delivered on time and in full.”

The Labor Party last night lined up with the Greens to gut new funding to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Labor Senators teamed up with the Australian Greens to cut $192.5 million of new funding for ARENA and disallow a regulation that expands the clean technology agency’s mandate to play a major role in driving the next generation of low-emissions technologies.
The funding included support for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and microgrid infrastructure to make energy affordable and reliable in regional and remote Australia.
ARENA welcomed the changes and calling it a “new era for ARENA” to be able to work with the next generation of energy technologies.
The Government’s approach has received wide industry support from over 28 businesses, peak bodies, and climate change groups including the Business Council of Australia, the AiGroup, the National Farmers Federation, ClimateWorks Australia and the Investor Group for Climate Change.
The loss of this funding will cost up to 1,400 new jobs in emerging industries and would have supported industries like mining, agriculture, transport, manufacturing and electricity, which employ over 2.2 million Australians.
Labor has walked away from clean tech jobs, and blue-collar jobs.
Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon – slammed the move as “nothing short of genius” for Chris Bowen to force Labor MPs to “heroically vote against carbon reduction initiatives that Labor actually supports.”
The decision showed that Anthony Albanese cannot be trusted to support the long-term future of Australia’s resources and agriculture industries.
Despite the Australian Labor Party platform explicitly supporting these technologies, every Senator in the Australian Labor Party room has now voted against them.
It has not only shown that Labor is economically reckless, but that their promises cannot be trusted.
There are only two ways to reduce emissions: through technology, or taxes. By abandoning investing in technology today, the Labor Party has shown the 2.2. million Australians working in energy intensive industries that their solution to climate change is more taxes.
Labor has shown they will always choose taxes, which means Australian families, farmers, workers and our regions will pay more.
They have sent a clear message to Australian voters that the Labor Party would prefer to play politics than support Australian jobs.

The Greens have slammed the government’s knee-jerk climate denialism as the world delivers yet another stark warning that we risk losing the Great Barrier Reef.
Quotes attributable to Greens Leader, Adam Bandt:
“It’s coal or the reef, but you can’t have both.
“The Great Barrier Reef is under threat because of the mining and burning of coal and gas.
“We have ten years to save the Reef, but on the same day the Reef is put on death watch, Liberal and Labor support opening up new gas fields.
“Barnaby Joyce has been brought back from the dead to kill the Reef. He has been brought back to fight for the billionaires, like Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer, who want to build more coal mines in the Galilee Basin.
“If the world heats up over 1.5 degrees, the Reef will die. The only party in Australia with climate targets in line with 1.5 degrees is the Greens.
Quotes attributable to Greens Queensland Senator and co-Deputy Leader, Larissa Waters:
“It’s a cruel irony that on the day that the World Heritage Committee has, after eight years of warnings, recommended that the Great Barrier Reef be declared ‘in danger’, that a reactionary climate-denier has been elevated to the second-highest office in the land.
“The government’s claims that it’s been blindsided by this news are laughable. UNESCO has been warning since 2012 that the Reef could be placed on the ‘In Danger’ list, and while the government has twiddled its thumbs 50% of the Reef’s coral cover has been lost.
“More than 60,000 people rely on the Reef for employment and yet the government, which talks a big game about jobs, is prepared to let an entire industry die while it lets its fossil fuel donors dig and burn their way to climate catastrophe.
“Queenslanders and Australians have had enough of the Morrison government’s climate denial, they’ve had enough of them ruling for the billionaires and doing favours for big corporations, and I cannot wait until they’re condemned to the opposition benches. Bring on the election.”
Quotes attributable to Greens Environment Spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young:
“Australia’s Environment Minister says her government was “blindsided” by the UN declaring the Great Barrier Reef “in danger”.
“No, Ley wasn’t ‘blindsided’ she had her eyes closed, ignored the science and kept taking donations from the fossil fuel industry.
“The Great Barrier Reef is in danger. The world knows it. They’re worried. Yet here in Australia the Government constantly ignores all the warning signs.
“Climate change is the biggest threat to our environment and yet the government still doesn’t have a plan to reduce pollution.
Quotes attributable to Greens Oceans Spokesperson, Peter Whish-Wilson:
“The Government granted $443.4 million to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to avoid a UNESCO ‘in-danger’ listing, following an explicit warning in 2017 from the UNESCO Committee that this was pending.
“At the time it seemed absurd that a small private business was given the go-ahead to manage one of Australia’s greatest public assets, which is why in 2018-19 the Greens initiated and chaired a Senate inquiry into the suspicious grant.
“After months of hearing evidence, the National Audit Office disclosed the original motivation of the grant was to avoid an UNESCO World Heritage “in danger” listing.
“The whole Senate inquiry could have been avoided if the Government had come clean about the true motivations for setting up the grant. Clearly they wanted to avoid the global political embarrassment of having UNESCO downgrade the world heritage values of our planet’s greatest coral reef system.
“Having the Great Barrier Reef declared as ‘in danger’ will potentially lead to similar listings for other reefs around the world. This would be the loudest siren call ever to protect our oceans – and perhaps this is necessary for us to take the radical action needed to save our oceans.

The Coalition Government has appointed Graeme Barden as the new Executive Director of the nation’s industrial chemicals assessment and regulatory body, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS).
Federal Regional Health Minister, Mark Coulton said he was pleased that AICIS will be in the capable and experienced hands of Mr Barden for the next five years.
Mr Barden distinguished himself during the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as First Assistant Secretary in the Office of Health Protection and Response in the Department of Health.
“I welcome Mr Barden to the role of Executive Director. He brings significant technical experience in chemical regulation policy and has previously held leadership roles in the Office of Chemical Safety and the Health Protection Policy Branch of the Department,” Minister Coulton said.
Minister Coulton said Mr Barden’s appointment follows the retirement of the inaugural Executive Director, Dr Brian Richards.
“I’d like to thank Dr Richards for his service as the Director of the former National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) since 2012,” Minister Coulton said.
“Dr Richards led reforms to Australia’s industrial chemicals regulation, culminating with the commencement of AICIS in 2020.”
AICIS was formally established on 1 July 2020, to replace the 30­-year-old National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) to better protect Australians.
It is responsible for the assessment and evaluation of certain industrial chemicals and regulating their importation and manufacture in Australia.
AICIS also provides information and makes recommendations to the Australian Government and the states and territories about managing the risks of industrial chemicals.
An open recruitment process, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer, was conducted to appoint a new Executive Director.
Minister Coulton said AICIS has been well served by Acting-Executive Director, Dr Roshini Jayewardene, who will hand over to Mr Barden on Thursday, 1 July 2021.

The Greens will oppose the Streamlined Participation Requirements and Other Measures Bill 2021 that will rip $457 from people receiving Jobseeker and $346 from people receiving Youth Allowance.
“This Bill makes significant changes to employment services, mutual obligations and compliance for income support recipients and the Government is seeking to rush this complex bill through Parliament with next to no scrutiny”, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
The most insidious components of this Bill will delay payment for an estimated 144,000 people using digital employment services. It will mean people engaging with online servicing will only receive income support payments after signing their job plan online. The Department estimates that this change will save them an average of $457 per Jobseeker and $346 per Youth Allowance recipient.
While out of touch Government MP’s might not believe these sums to be significant, for people who have lost work, it means the difference between secure housing, having food on the table, and being able to pay your bills.
This will also place pressure on jobseekers to accept a job plan that is not suitable for them, putting them at risk of being subject to harsh penalties such as a payment suspension.
In contrast, those undertaking face-to-face servicing will receive their first income support payment from the date they attend an initial appointment with their provider.
One of the consequences of the “streamlining” undertaken in this bill is that Parenting Payment is being further entrenched as a participation payment when it comes to job plans, compliance, and employment services.
Parents should not be subjected to compliance measures and this represents the continuation of a significant policy shift that first started under the introduction of the punitive ParentsNext program and which significantly undermines the caring work undertaken by parents.
I have serious concerns about a provision allowing the health and education of a child to be included in a Parenting Payment recipient’s job plan.
There is no reason why the health and education of a child is relevant to a Parenting Payment recipient’s job plan or income support payment.
The changes in this Bill only implement some of the recommendations from the Employment Services Expert Advisory Panel report, I Want to Work.
This Bill continues the Government’s cruel and punitive mutual obligations and JobActive scheme which entrenches poverty rather than supporting people to find work.
The Government has failed to adequately explain why this Bill needs to be rushed. The rushed nature of this process rings alarm bells and suggests the Government is seeking to avoid proper scrutiny of this legislation.
We call on the Opposition and crossbench to support people on income support and oppose this Bill if it comes to the Parliament next week.
 
The Greens dissenting report can be found here.

With the elevation of coal-hugging Barnaby Joyce to the Deputy Prime Ministership, the Greens will renew focus on coal and 2030 climate targets in winnable inner-city seats held by Liberals, as part of the party’s push to secure balance of power in a minority Parliament at the next election.
The Greens have already released a shortlist of lower house electorates from which they will pick their campaign priority seats at the next election, including the Liberal-held Ryan, Brisbane, Higgins and Kooyong, as well as two inner-city seats where the Liberals finish first on primary votes, Macnamara and Griffith.
“This is a coal-fired coup in the Coalition,” said Greens Leader, Adam Bandt.
“Inner-city voters don’t want a coal-hugging government, and this move from the Nationals makes a minority Parliament more likely at the next election.”
“Scott Morrison is now tied to Barnaby Joyce, and instead of getting out of coal and gas, they’ll deliver more of it, sadly with the Labor Party’s support.”
“Inner-city voters can send a climate message to the government by voting Greens.”
“Net-zero by 2050 is too late, but it’s also clearly too much for the Nationals, who get 4% of the vote but 100% control of climate policy.”
“The Nationals are climate terrorists and they are holding the whole country hostage.”
“This whole government has to go.”

Australian Greens Anti-Racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the Liberals and Nationals have yet again supported and passed a hateful One Nation Senate stunt, joining the far-right party in agreeing that critical race theory should be ‘rejected’ in the national curriculum.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The government has a damning track record of indulging far-right politics and One Nation stunt motions in the Senate.
“Fear-mongering about critical race theory is nothing more than a culture war beat-up by Fox News and their local outpost of cranks, Sky News.
“It turns out the pandemic didn’t kill the so-called culture wars that are being manufactured again by the far-right in the parliament. The government is in competition with One Nation in an effort to appeal to the Sky News crowd.
“Critical race theory is basically a study of systemic racism. But it has become a bogeyman for the far-right—first in the US, now here—in their fear-mongering about anti-racism and racial justice.
“The government cannot viably claim to be taking far-right hatred seriously when they fall in line behind crap like this.”

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has backed calls for the NDIS to scrap its age cap and allow disabled people over the age of 65 to access the supports they need to live a good life.
Senator Steele-John said it was both arbitrary and discriminatory to block disabled people over the age of 65 from accessing the NDIS.
“Older Australians with a disability deserve to be able to access the supports and services that they need to live a good life, just like everyone else,” Steele-John said.
“Disabled Australians who were over the age of 65 when the NDIS was first introduced back in 2013 have lived the last 8 years – a time in their life when they should be afforded care and dignity above all else – without the extra support they need to be able to fully enjoy their retirement.
“Anyone could be involved in an accident that results in disability – it could be a parent or a friend – and, if they’re over the age of 65, they would be excluded from accessing supports through the NDIS. It’s discrimination.
“When they legislated the NDIS back in 2013, the Liberals deliberately amended the Age Discrimination act to enable people over the age of 65 to be excluded from receiving support through the scheme.
“To discriminate against disabled people based on their age goes against the fundamental values upon which our NDIS was built, and the Morrison government should urgently scrap the age cap to ensure everyone has access to the supports and services they need to live a good life.”