Category: Australian News

The Victorian Greens are challenging Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government to support their laws, saying that there is no reason we can’t strengthen IBAC and give it follow the dollar powers by the end of the week. 

The Greens say that given the astounding scale of corruption that’s been reported, Labor should be acting with urgency not keep making excuses. 

The Greens will move amendments as part of a wide-ranging omnibus Bill tomorrow to strengthen IBAC, giving it clear powers to “follow the dollar” allowing it to investigate how taxpayer money flows through subcontractors and labour hire firms on major government projects.

The Greens say that these are critical laws that go to the heart of how $15 billion dollars of taxpayer money could go missing on Labor’s major infrastructure projects. 

The Greens say Labor’s claim that the reforms cannot be passed this week is a “fake excuse”, noting the amendments have already been drafted and could be legislated immediately – with the Greens laws expecting to receive crossbench and Coalition support.

If passed in the Upper House, Labor would be forced to decide whether to support stronger anti-corruption powers – or use its Lower House majority to block these laws.

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell: 

“There’s no reason that IBAC can’t have stronger powers to follow the dollar by the end of the week. Labor needs to stop hiding behind excuses and vote for these laws.

“Labor has handed billions of dollars in public money to private corporations and subcontractors while our anti-corruption watchdog doesn’t even have clear powers to follow that money.

“$15 billion is an extraordinary amount of money. You could build ten Footscray hospitals, dozens of schools and enough public housing to clear the housing waitlist.

“When Victorians hear that this amount of public money has gone missing on Labor’s watch, I think they will be pretty appalled to see Labor vote down laws that could stop it from happening again.” 

New polling shows support across party lines for a tax on gas exports, a policy proposed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions and backed by the Australian Greens last year.

During Senate Estimates last week, Greens spokesperson for resources Senator Steph Hodgins-May asked Minister Ayres whether a gas export tax was under consideration as part of the government’s gas market review. No advice had been prepared that he was aware of. 

A 25 per cent levy on gas exports would prioritise domestic supply without incentivising new fossil fuel projects, and would replace the deeply flawed Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT), which has failed to deliver meaningful returns from LNG exporters due to structural loopholes.

Revenue raised could help compensate households for price impacts driven by exports and accelerate Australia’s transition away from gas.

Senator Steph Hodgins-May

“The government’s proposed gas reservation policy won’t guarantee lower prices and it locks in unnecessary new gas projects.

“The Greens won’t support it without a meaningful tax on gas exports.

“Gas prices have tripled since LNG exports began, yet the companies driving those exports contribute next to nothing in tax.

“This polling shows voters across the political spectrum are fed up with a system that puts multinational gas exporters ahead of Australian households.

“In what world does it make sense that nurses, teachers or retail workers pay more tax than some of the world’s largest gas exporters?

“A tax on gas exports would redirect supply back to Australians, raise revenue to ease cost-of-living pressures, and help us move off gas without opening new climate-damaging projects.

“It beggars belief that Labor still won’t stand up to the gas giants and tax them properly,  while claiming to be serious about cutting energy bills and securing a safe climate future.”

Today’s Wage Price Index data confirms Australian workers continue to go backwards under Labor, with real wages falling in the 12 months to December.

The latest quarterly figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the seasonally adjusted Wage Price Index increased by 3.4 per cent in the 12 months to December, while the Consumer Price Index outstripped it at 3.7 per cent.

That means the average Australian worker is poorer than they were 12 months ago.

The data also shows real wages today are 2.1 per cent lower than when the Coalition left office. That means the average worker has lost around $1,500 per year in purchasing power under Labor.

Think of what struggling families could do with an extra $1,500. This is on top of skyrocketing energy bills and mortgage repayments.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations Senator Jane Hume said today’s figures confirm what Australians already feel every time they tap their card at the checkout. 

“If Australians are feeling poorer, it’s not in their heads – today’s data shows that they actually are poorer.”

“Groceries cost more, energy costs more, rents cost more, but under Labor, real wages aren’t keeping up. When the cost of living rises faster than pay packets, households fall behind.”

“This is what happens when a government ignores productivity and has no plan to tame inflation and strengthen the economy.”

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson said Labor has turned a cost-of-survival crisis into a permanent feature of the Australian economy.

“Australians were promised higher wages, instead they’re working harder for less,” Mr Wilson said.

“Labor’s economic settings are baking in weaker incomes and lower living standards for years to come.”

“Jim Chalmers is Australia’s trillion-dollar Treasurer, and Australians are paying the price through higher inflation, higher costs and lower living standards.”

Shadow Minister for Finance Claire Chandler said the figures were a direct consequence of unchecked government spending.

“When the government splurges, families are forced to tighten their belts,” Senator Chandler said.

“Labor’s spending is pushing prices higher and quietly stripping value from every pay cheque.”

“We must restore Australia to a country where life is affordable, where young Australians can buy a home, where you can raise a family, and where there’s a fair go once again.”

And the outlook is only set to worsen. The Reserve Bank’s latest forecast expects real wages to fall for the entirety of 2026. 

Real wages measure what workers can actually buy with their wages after accounting for the prices they pay for goods and services, and are a key measure of living standards.

Only the Coalition will protect Australians’ way of life and restore their standard of living.

Right to speak about school’s ‘queer club’ upheld by court in win for parents and free speech
 
 
Family First Party
 
 
Family First has welcomed yesterday’s Full Federal Court decision upholding a single mother’s right to speak: https://u26892420.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.czRgix5dsuISVD4k7s4OuahyH5PtF-2FmA9qG6Ls7sWGaogkDx5clVS0-2B45z-2FNYdVWesgPZYgMXH9ux9X5WYsr-2BvrUMzdcf-2FcY-2FGb8nbKZYPSzcyTBbLEaM77lQdydfi5bcJq7gFLP3F-2BGM3gGboQoiLGZ7WJpZ-2BsF2yuDYZ-2Bp4wX9LLT2se89VVh-2BrZuOqkGrTC8Tx5DEaAPpxFFVJpm-2Fspu9iIeBKJn-2BGczNROEQi4jIfPV5cPjkx7mUL-2F-2FLueZIgAUU-2Fl8exjvkqpZTu9LnLfvQhCIwL3AhZ2OS8oc3zVg-3DFyMI_6jWoDsucP9FaN5Fexj4dxWOO-2FkUHub1tMN3-2BS9OtpH-2BU66otuEpJeq2NeLOR3Yft-2FeFtrIWPvJw-2F2S2qALT5qcKkJkwr3Zz9KCZhh4aBwSnn-2BROJaiQDVxi848Cyfqej3s-2BAhQegilQaQmd3VzNTdaRClrjWbSUvX-2BJpmTTYcBS62ToiwE1vKom4mRp-2F2ZUwDAA1JpkPuxQexHbT9bjU44bNIRehUkmSxQE1o99pKiio-2B8Virfl7g-2FEAcGi7VlGUX2M0-2Bd9VcugNmsLOcyJ-2B7nhGBtY21MbpVWUG1SA1uYwOfNmUnT3yGBIF7gS-2BWoz1OF7-2Bd-2B8HmrSmYpu0A-2FBiEi5xbnXvp6PoJJt-2FAqH4rUM-3D out about a “queer club” operating in a Melbourne primary school, dismissing the appeal brought by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
 
National Director and NSW upper house lead candidate Lyle Shelton congratulated Western Sydney mum Celine Baumgarten for standing firm against an attempt by Ms Inman Grant to censor the internet so speech about the appropriateness of LGBTQA+ activism in primary schools could be quashed.
 
“This is a tremendous victory for Celine, for free speech and for parental rights,” Mr Shelton said.
 
“No parent should be dragged through two years of litigation – at a reported cost of more than $250,000 to taxpayers – simply for expressing concern about a primary school hosting a so-called ‘queer club’ for children in Years 3 to 6.”
 
Mr Shelton said there is no place for indoctrinating children into LGBTQIA+ gender-fluid and sexualised ideology in primary schools – or high schools for that matter.
 
“Children go to school to learn to read, write and count – not to be exposed to rainbow political activism or radical gender theory. Parents have every right to question what is being promoted in their local school.”
 
Family First is calling on Ms Inman Grant to resign and for her to refund taxpayers.
 
“A government regulator should not be weaponising taxpayer money to silence parents. The Australian people deserve a refund and a reset of the eSafety office to its core purpose – protecting children from real online harm.
 
“With elections approaching in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, Family First is standing candidates who will fight to ensure children are protected from rainbow ideology in our schools.
 
“If elected, Family First MPs will move to safeguard parental rights, restore common sense in education policy and ensure schools focus on academic excellence – not social engineering.”

Taxpayer subsidy for radical LGBTQA+ group Equality Australia must be rejected

Family First has lodged a formal submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee opposing the Albanese Government’s move to grant special Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status to Equality Australia.

National Director Lyle Shelton said the proposal, contained in the Treasury Laws Amendment (Supporting Choice in Superannuation and Other Measures) Bill 2025, overrides the findings of the charities regulator, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Court — all of which rejected Equality Australia’s claim to Public Benevolent Institution status.

Equality Australia was found to be primarily an advocacy organisation, not a benevolent relief charity. Instead of accepting those rulings, it lobbied Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh for special legislative treatment,” Mr Shelton said.

The submission (PDF attached) also raises concerns about Equality Australia’s past use of Thorne Harbour Health to channel tax-deductible donations while its own DGR bid was rejected.

Tax-deductible status is a public subsidy. It should not be granted through political carve-outs,” Mr Shelton said.

Family First further argues it is inappropriate for taxpayers to subsidise an organisation that publicly campaigns for puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors, at a time when such practices are being reassessed overseas, including in the United Kingdom following the closure of the Tavistock child gender clinic.

The submission also notes concerns about the appropriateness of Governor-General Sam Mostyn serving as patron of an organisation receiving special legislative preference.

Some organisations should not be more equal than others. The integrity of Australia’s tax and charity system is at stake,” Mr Shelton said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, will travel to Kiribati and Solomon Islands this week.

While in Kiribati, the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with the Hon Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati and attend an official state reception with senior ministers and officials. 

He will also mark the construction of new wharf and workshop facilities to support Kiribati’s maritime security, continuing Australia’s proud history as Kiribati’s largest development partner.

In the Solomon Islands, the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with the Hon Jeremiah Manele, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands and other Ministers, to discuss further opportunities for economic, development and security cooperation. 

He will also hand over a set of drones to assist the Solomons’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response capabilities. 

Australia is committed to working closely with the Solomon Islands as its security partner of choice, built on a relationship founded by mutual trust, respect and open dialogue between both nations.

Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles:

“Australia is proud to partner with the Government and people of Kiribati to realise their maritime security priorities, as we have done for three decades.

“I also look forward to the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Manele again in Honiara, as we continue to support Solomon Islands’ development, regional security and resilience.”

The Greens have welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Federal Court action against Coles over alleged misleading “specials” and pricing conduct.

Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters:

“Another day, another big corporation ripping off ordinary people.

“Big supermarkets are using con ‘discounts’ to rip off shoppers already feeling cost-of-living pain like never before. Labor can not shrug off this blatant corporate price gouging that is driving inflation and making the cost of living worse for everyone.

“Fake bargains and inflated shelf prices would explain Coles managing to squeeze $1 billion in profit out of ordinary people while they struggle to make ends meet.

“Labor must stand up to their big corporate donors who are making massive profits while everyone else struggles to get by.

“The Greens are proud to have led the charge on supermarket price gouging with our inquiry and divestiture Bill in the last parliament and we will continue to fight for a system that doesn’t put profits before people and farmers.”

McKim:

“The ACCC’s action against Coles today confirms what people across Australia already know –  when corporations have too much power, they use it to squeeze everyday people.”

“These alleged illusory ‘discounts’ are one symptom of an economy where dominant firms can rort the system while households struggle with cost-of-living pressures.”

“This case comes after the Greens-led Senate inquiry exposed how Coles and Woolworths use their market dominance to gouge prices and exploit customers.

“The ACCC itself has said competition is weak and that pricing behaviour needs scrutiny.”

“We need laws that make price gouging illegal across the economy, not just in supermarkets, so corporations can’t exploit times of financial pressure to hike prices with impunity.

“And we need divestiture powers so the ACCC and the Federal Court can break up firms that misuse their market power.”

The Race Discrimination Commissioner today released the final report of the Racism@Uni study, Respect at Uni: Study into Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Racism and the Experience of First Nations people. The report is a comprehensive examination of the structural and systemic racism experienced by staff and students at our universities, providing 47 recommendations for government and universities to combat racism.

Over 75,000 university staff and students from 42 universities responded to the Racism@Uni survey, revealing that 69.9% of respondents have experienced indirect racism at university, such as hearing or seeing racist behaviour not aimed at them personally, but directed towards the racial, ethnic, cultural or religious group with which they identify. The report also found that 14.9% of respondents have experienced direct interpersonal racism at university. One in five academic staff respondents report experiencing direct interpersonal racism at university. International students reported the highest rate of indirect racism with 3 in 4 international student respondents reporting experiencing indirect racism at university.

The report makes wide-ranging recommendations to tackle systemic racism by embedding ant-racism into governance, curriculum, training, leadership, staffing and student support.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and Anti-racism spokesperson:

“This report may come as a shock to those who don’t experience racism, but for the rest of us it is business as usual. It lays bare the terrifying truth: racism is not an exception in our universities, it is the rule, and it is harming students and staff across racial and religious groups.

“When racially marginalised students cannot walk into a lecture theatre without fear of abuse, exclusion or discrimination, it is not just a campus problem. It is a systemic problem. The promise of education is being poisoned by racism.

“The Prime Minister must urgently adopt the report’s systemic whole-of-racism reforms, and scrap the sham one-sided anti-semitism report cards, which have been roundly criticised.

“Cherry picking one type of racism over others does nothing to dismantle structural racism embedded in policy and practice. It only entrenches the systems of discrimination we should be dismantling.

“The Albanese Government has been gaslighting and dismissing anti-Palestinian racism for the last two years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but with Palestinian respondents experiencing the highest levels of racism, the Government can no longer refuse to accept this reality.

“Students and staff are not thriving. They are drowning under relentless pressure and hostility. Universities should be safe places of learning and teaching, not sites of humiliation and harm.

“It is a real shame that the Albanese Labor government has been sitting on the National Anti-Racism Framework for over a year while racism is allowed to grow.

“Now is the time to course-correct to build not just anti-racist universities but also an anti-racist country by funding and implementing the comprehensive recommendations made by the AHRC.”

The Public Assembly Restriction Declaration (PARD) has been lifted by NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon today, eight days after it was used to target a community assembly against the visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Sydney Town Hall. The legislation enabling the PARD is currently subject to a constitutional challenge for unreasonably limiting the community’s implied right to political expression.

Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said:

“Premier Minns’ unfair protest restrictions have finally come to an end today, but they should never have been in place – let alone extended for the visit by genocide-inciter President Herzog,”

“The targeting and blaming of peaceful protest in NSW, for the horrific events of last December, was a dangerous wrongful conflation. There has been significant harm caused to the trust of police in the community, as well as to our democracy at large, the PARDs will go down in history as political failure,”

“Labor Premier Chris Minns has overseen a rapid slide into an authoritarian and draconian police-state in NSW. The constitutional challenge to these anti-protest laws will continue, and the community will continue to call for accountability in the face of aggressive posturing against protest by the political leaders in NSW,” Ms Higginson said.

Allegations have been raised that the Police pursuit of a stolen car continued even though the Commissioner for Police has said it was terminated 40 minutes before a fatal crash that killed two members of the community last Saturday in South-West Sydney. CCTV footage from Camden Park on Saturday, shows three unmarked police cars and one marked police car in pursuit of the stolen car just two minutes before the fatal crash.

Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said:

“If the NSW Police continued the pursuit of this vehicle past when they said it was terminated, then the community need to know why they haven’t been honest,”

“We have recommendations from the Coroner in front of the NSW Police right now, saying we need to change the rules of police chases. The Commissioner has refused those recommendations, recommendations that were made to save lives from unnecessary deaths,”

“The Commissioner must step up, address the fact that the evidence has contradicted his assertions, and agree to change the rules about when police can force high-speed pursuits in non-life threatening situations,”

“I’ve written to the Minister, and the Commissioner, calling for them to tell the truth about this awful crash, and to accept that the Police need to change how and when they are forcing pursuits in dangerous settings,” Ms Higginson said.