Category: Australian News

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has slammed Labor and the Liberals for striking a deal to sell out TAFEs and universities. The two parties voted today to abolish the $4 billion Education Infrastructure Fund, which was focused on building research and education infrastructure.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Labor and the Government have teamed up to stab education in the back by abolishing billions in education funding.
“I don’t expect any better of the regressive Liberals who have cut education funding at every turn, but Labor used to be the party of education. Now they are just selling out communities and young people to remain politically relevant.
“Labor are so eager to please the Liberals they voted to abolish the infrastructure fund they themselves established. The reality is unis, TAFEs and research have all suffered under this Liberal-National Government. Education in Australia is being dangerously underfunded.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes the impact of the fund in Port Macquarie where I lived and worked and where the fund contributed to the Joint Health Education Facility which is training doctors to meet demand for care in rural and regional areas.
“We must fund disaster relief and support communities facing the brunt of the climate crisis, but the Greens will not be party to the Government’s long-running campaign to cut our universities and TAFEs to the bone while their climate inaction endangers all of us,” she concluded.

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called for universities in Australia to undertake a human rights review of all their research partnerships following allegations Australian universities are contributing to the surveillance state in China.
Senator Faruqi said:
“It is completely unacceptable for Australian universities to be involved in projects that could impede the human rights of ethnic minorities and political dissidents.
“The Greens are calling on all universities to review their partnerships and research projects to ensure that their work is not contributing to oppression and abuses of human rights in China or anywhere else in the world.
“Let’s not pretend foreign influence is restricted to the Chinese Government. University partnerships with the likes of Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other companies who profit from war and support the US military-industrial complex have gone without scrutiny for far too long.
“Universities accepting funding from any organisation or Government to develop weapons of mass surveillance technology likely to result in oppression are ethically compromised.
“The Greens want to see all universities have a proper review of all their research and assess whether or not it is compatible with human rights and global peace,” she concluded.

Greens Senator for NSW and Housing Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed the Senate supporting her call for the Commonwealth to review the adequacy of Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments. The Productivity Commission has found that two thirds of low-income renters in Australia are in rental stress – spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent.
Senator Faruqi said:
“It is fantastic to see the Senate supporting the Greens’ motion to review the level of rent assistance, particularly during Anti-Poverty Week.
“It is unacceptable that so many people already on low incomes are falling into financial stress just to put a roof over their head. Everyone has the right to a safe, secure and permanent home.
“When even the Productivity Commission concludes that rent assistance hasn’t kept up with rising rents, you know we have a problem.
“We know low-income renters in particular are being squeezed between soaring rents and a lack of proper social support. I urge the Government to act immediately and announce a review so we can get on with resolving this long-running issue,” she concluded.
The motion
I give notice that on the next day of sitting, I shall move—That the Senate:
1. Note that:
a. Anti-Poverty Week runs from 13th to 19th of October.
b. The Productivity Commission has found that two thirds of low-income renters in Australia are in rental stress – spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.
c. 170,000 Australian households are left with less than $35 a day after covering their rent
d. The Productivity Commission has stated that Commonwealth Rent Assistance has not kept up with rising rents.
2. Calls on the Federal Government to review the adequacy of Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

The Senate has today passed a Greens’ motion calling on the Federal Government to rule out giving any public funding to dam and water infrastructure projects that circumvent environmental assessment and don’t abide by proper environmental protections.

The motion moved by Greens Spokesperson for Water and the Environment, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, was in response to the NSW Government’s plans to water down environmental rules to fast-track approvals for new dams and pipelines.

“The Murray-Darling River is in environmental collapse and bypassing environmental protections will do more harm,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Plans to override environmental protections will have negative impacts on downstream communities and the health of the River system.

“The NSW Government has itself admitted its building dams “for the future and to give hope” to communities that are running out of water. Its own allocation rules mean water in any new dams won’t even be used for the community or the environment.

“All evidence shows spending more public money on these dams will only deliver more water for big corporate irrigators. Building dams will not make it rain.

“The Federal Government’s decision to spend public money on new dams that won’t go through proper environmental and economic assessment is reckless and they should follow the will of the Senate and rule it out.”

The Federal Government has today refused to rule out the privatisation of National Parks for high-end resorts, again putting the interests of their rich mates ahead of everyday Australians and the environment, the Greens say.
“Today I called on the Government to honour the century old Australian ethos that National Parks should be for the people and not for private high end resorts which exclude ordinary Australians and devalue prime park qualities, and they refused,” Greens spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“What’s clear is the Liberal National Party are standing true to their ethos of privatisation and selling out the rest of us out in favour of their corporate mates. Australians will not just stand by and allow this to happen to our National Parks.
“Here in South Australia, fragile coastal sites in the wild and unspoilt parts of Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island are under threat because of a proposal by a private corporation for a luxury development.
“Just last week we saw hundreds of people rally on the steps of SA Parliament, together with former Greens Leader Bob Brown, against this proposal. They’re not only disgusted they weren’t consulted on the project, but also that $830,000 of their taxpayer money was given to The Australian Walking Company to help them profit off public land.
“The same private company has already developed parts of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, and other locations across Australia including Uluru and Hinchinbrook Island under threat.
“These precious wild areas should be protected – it’s shameful any government would allow, let alone pay a private company to destroy it.”

The Morrison Government is working to keep Australians safe from telephone scammers, starting with the introduction of strict new identification measures to combat the hijacking of mobile numbers by fraudsters to illegally access personal and financial information. Fraudulent number porting affects thousands of consumers each year with average losses of more than $10,000.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher, today announced new telco regulations which mandate stronger industry-wide identity verification measures before mobile numbers can be transferred from one provider to another.
Two‑factor authentication – such as inputting a code on a website or responding to a text message – is a proven and highly effective security measure and will be required before a number can be ported.
Many Australian telcos – including Telstra, Optus and Vodafone – have already introduced stronger pre‑port verification measures. However telcos representing more than one million mobile services are yet to implement these consumer safeguards, putting all Australian mobile users at risk of fraudulent number porting.
“The Government expects all telcos to pull their weight. I want Australians to be confident that every telco has put in place strong verification processes to stop fraudulent mobile number porting and the devastating consequences it can have for victims,” Minister Fletcher said.
“That is why I have issued a formal direction to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to make new rules mandating stronger identity verification processes before mobile numbers can be transferred. The entire industry needs to put in place a solution otherwise those telcos without safeguards in place will be a magnet for fraudsters.”
The Government has set up the Scam Technology Project, led by the ACMA working with experts from Australia’s major telecommunications companies, and charged it to develop technology-based solutions to combat telecommunications-based scams.
“If criminals are using technology to scam Australians, we need to make sure we are using technology to fight back. The measure I am announcing today is the first outcome from the Scam Technology Project – but I expect there will be more in coming months,” Minister Fletcher said.
“Criminals will continue to look for new ways to rip off Australians using the telephone system. That is why tackling telecommunications scams is a priority for the Morrison Government.”

The Greens are proud to support the more than 60 young women who have taken over parliament today, acting as Senators for the day.
Greens Co-Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Women, Senator Larissa Waters, will bring on a matter of public importance for debate in the Senate today, where MPs from across the political spectrum will read speeches prepared by participants on the issues of concern to young women in Australia, including climate action, domestic violence and body image and autonomy.
Senator Waters said, “Our democracy needs all young women’s voices in parliament and we may well have the next Prime Minister of Australia among the girls who have taken over parliament today.
“We’ve only got 37 per cent women in Federal Parliament overall, with the House of Representatives lagging behind the Senate which only just reached gender parity this year after almost 120 years.
“We’ve got a long way to go in making sure that our parliaments look more like our community and encouraging more women into political leadership roles.
“Sadly, the statistics show only one percent of girls aged 15-19 want politics as a career and once they’re aged 21-25, none of them want to become politicians.
“You can’t be what you can’t see. We need to get more young women into parliament, particularly young women of colour, and make sure our decision-makers start listening to and representing all the community, not just the big end of town like we see now.
“I hope today’s takeover of parliament will inspire women to become future leaders and help shift the blokey culture in the corridors of power.”
Greens Senator for NSW Mehreen Faruqi said, “Girls Take Over Parliament is a fantastic initiative which provides young women from a wide range of backgrounds access to the parliamentary process which is so limited to the privileged few.
“I am particularly excited to see so many women of diverse backgrounds taking over Parliament. Federal Parliament doesn’t represent the rich diversity of Australia so we must do more to break down the barriers to political representation and participation.”
As part of the Girls Takeover Parliament event, the young women will present a 10 point charter – Young Women’s Charter for Australian Democracy to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called for universities in Australia to undertake a human rights review of all their research partnerships following allegations Australian universities are contributing to the surveillance state in China.
Senator Faruqi said:
“It is completely unacceptable for Australian universities to be involved in projects that could impede the human rights of ethnic minorities and political dissidents.
“The Greens are calling on all universities to review their partnerships and research projects to ensure that their work is not contributing to oppression and abuses of human rights in China or anywhere else in the world.
“Let’s not pretend foreign influence is restricted to the Chinese Government. University partnerships with the likes of Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other companies who profit from war and support the US military-industrial complex have gone without scrutiny for far too long.
“Universities accepting funding from any organisation or Government to develop weapons of mass surveillance technology likely to result in oppression are ethically compromised.
“The Greens want to see all universities have a proper review of all their research and assess whether or not it is compatible with human rights and global peace,” she concluded.

First home buyers will be able to enter the property market sooner after the Coalition Government passed new laws through the Parliament today to implement the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (the Scheme), and the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation’s (NHFIC) new research function.
The Scheme is designed to facilitate earlier access to home ownership for first home buyers, by providing a guarantee that will allow eligible first home buyers on low and middle incomes to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent. The Scheme will support 10,000 first home buyers each financial year.
The Government recognises that saving a deposit has become a more significant barrier to entering the housing market. It can take ten years for the average first home buyer to save a 20 per cent deposit.
Applicants will be subject to eligibility criteria, including having taxable incomes up to $125,000 per annum for singles and up to $200,000 per annum for couples. The Scheme will apply to owner-occupied loans on a principal and interest basis, and will be subject to regional price caps.
The legislation also establishes a new housing research function that will allow NHFIC to examine housing demand, supply and affordability in Australia, complementing existing housing-related research.
The Scheme complements other Government initiatives to reduce pressure on housing affordability in Australia and support local communities. This includes:

• The First Home Super Saver Scheme which helps Australians build a deposit for a first home inside their superannuation fund by making voluntary contributions.
• Investing $1 billion in local infrastructure to unlock new housing supply, in partnership with local councils through the National Housing Infrastructure Facility.
• Releasing suitable Commonwealth land, including defence land, for housing development.

These incentives have helped thousands of first home buyers enter the market. In the past year, more than 110,000 Australians bought their first home – the highest level since 2009.
The Morrison Government’s plan to build a stronger economy will continue to help first home buyers own their first home sooner.

The Government’s “native fish plan” is akin to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: “Our nation’s biggest river system is in environmental collapse and farming communities are suffering because the Government has mismanaged the Basin and let greedy corporate irrigators to take too much water.
“The Water Minister’s claim the Government is “doing all (they) can until it rains” is simply false.
“Praying for rain is not a drought policy or a plan to save the River.
“While splashing around money to breed native fish, the Coalition’s cuts to environmental flows means there is no water for the fish to survive. Just like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, this Government has no plan to save the Murray-Darling Basin.
“There will be more mass fish kills this summer because the Morrison Government has allowed big corporate irrigators to take more and more water so there’s nothing left to keep the River alive”.
“The Minister has tried to claim the Government is investing in science to deal with the fish deaths.
“Newsflash Minister, the science says you must act on the climate crisis. The science says you need to end over extraction by big corporate irrigators. The science says dams are not the answer to a lack of water. The science says floodwater harvesting by big corporates stops water running in the Rivers when it does eventually rain.
“If the Water and Drought Minister was doing his job properly he would act on the science and push his Government to get a climate policy because you do not have a drought policy if you do not have a plan to tackle the climate emergency.”