Category: Australian News

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.”

The Morrison and Berejiklian Governments will deliver a $1 billion water infrastructure package for rural and regional communities impacted by the devastating drought in NSW.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Deputy Premier John Barilaro said both Liberal and Nationals governments had been working together to fund critical water infrastructure projects, including new and expanded dam projects.
“Our response to the ongoing drought impacting rural and regional communities is comprehensive and committed. It deals with immediate needs for financial assistance in and longer term investments to build drought resilience for the future,” the Prime Minister said.
“And it’s not set and forget. We are continually adding to our drought response, saying loud and clear that we’re backing Australians who are battling the drought.
“Together we’ll deliver a $650 million upgrade of Wyangala Dam in the state’s Central West and a $480 million new Dungowan Dam near Tamworth.
“Our 50/50 investment with the state government in these priority large-scale water infrastructure projects will free up NSW funding to allow them to progress critical town water projects across NSW. We want to get these projects underway because this is about water supply and security.
“These projects don’t happen overnight but we’re working as quickly as possible to get all the necessary work done so we can start digging.
“We’re also investing an initial $24 million on a 50/50 basis with NSW for the 100,000-megalitre proposed Border Rivers project on the Mole River, near the Queensland border. This will ensure the project is shovel ready and help to identify the potential benefits that could flow on to irrigators and local communities in NSW and potentially Queensland.
“This funding brings our water infrastructure commitments to $1.5 billion across 21 projects that are committed or underway. This is part of more than $7 billion in drought support funding that we are already providing and have committed.”
Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government has already committed close to $3 billion to drought relief and water security since 2017.
“In partnership with the Commonwealth, we will build the first new dam in NSW for more than 30 years. The last was Split Rock Dam on the Manilla River in 1987. That’s why today’s announcement is historic,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The NSW Government is working in lockstep with the Commonwealth to make absolutely certain all obstacles are cleared and these dams get built.
“Our regional and rural communities are doing it incredibly tough and that’s why we’re making this massive additional investment in partnership with the Commonwealth Government.
“This builds on the NSW Government’s record $3 billion in drought support and water security announced since 2017, including funding for 60 bores across 23 communities and 14 pipelines, such as that from Wentworth to Broken Hill.
“Dams and other water infrastructure are an important part of the mix when it comes to increasing supply and reliability so that NSW’s water supply is more resilient to the terrible drought being experienced across the eastern states.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the funding would prioritise all necessary business case development and design works.
“We are already making significant investments in water infrastructure capital projects nationwide and today’s announcement signals a major acceleration of that commitment,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“No one should doubt our commitment to getting these sorts of projects done in partnership with all states and territories – our $1.3 billion National Water Infrastructure Development Fund and $2 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility are in place to deliver the planning, assessment and construction work needed to build the water infrastructure of the 21st century.
“These projects will fit into our strategic plan for improving regional water security through water infrastructure led by the National Water Grid Authority.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional New South Wales John Barilaro said the NSW Government has been getting on with building critical water infrastructure projects but this was a significant turning point to future-proof the state.
“Only last week I was pleased to officially switch on the $12.85 million Malpas Dam to Guyra pipeline in the Northern Tablelands region, a project completed on time and under budget by the NSW Government,” the Deputy Premier said.
“This partnership with the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government will mean more projects, in faster time frames.
“Our priority is to get these major projects off the ground as quickly as possible, to combat ‘day zero’ and help regional and rural communities in NSW get through this devastating drought.”
Formalised agreements between the Federal and NSW Governments outlining the timeframes will be finalised shortly.

As the IMF warns that even a $111 carbon price in Australia will be insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, Greens’ climate and energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt, announced that the Greens will introduce legislation on Monday to make the mining, burning and exporting of thermal coal by corporations and their executives (but not workers) a crime after 2030.
“The climate emergency is so severe that a carbon price alone will no longer fix the problem,” said Mr Bandt.
“When it comes to phasing out coal by 2030 as the science requires, even the IMF has acknowledged that a carbon price is necessary but not sufficient.
“The Greens will continue to argue for the revival of the Greens/Labor carbon price, the only policy to successfully reduce pollution, but the Liberals have lifted pollution so much that we need to do more.
“Coal is the next asbestos.
“Like asbestos and tobacco, we now know things about coal we didn’t know before. We now know that coal kills people when used as directed, so we need to treat it like asbestos and regulate its phase-out.
“The Greens’ bill will steadily phase-out the export of thermal coal until it ends in 2030 and will prohibit the construction or expansion of any new coal mines or power stations.
“We must support workers and communities through the transition, which means finding decent, well-paid jobs for coal regions. Our bill also puts the liability on big corporations and their executives, not the coal workers who have helped power our country over our history.”

The Australian public will never forgive the Labor Party if it abandons any commitment to taking genuine action on the climate crisis as Joel Fitzgibbon is now arguing, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“Hundreds of thousands of people from all across the community are coming together to demand urgent action on the climate emergency. If the ALP’s response to this growing movement is to abandon its already weak climate policy and instead mimic the Government’s, the community will never forgive them,” said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
”It’s time for the Labor Party to take a stand; no more sitting on the fence or saying one thing in Queensland and another in Victoria. Either Labor stands with the community and the Greens for strong, urgent action and the tens of thousands of jobs that will create, or they are with the climate deniers in the Coalition.”
“Labor needs to decide if it’s still committed to stopping dangerous runaway global warming. If Labor walks away from its already weak 2030 targets, it walks away from the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming below two degrees. As the Greens fight the Tories, Labor looks set to join them,” said Greens Climate Change Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP.
“As the record drought shows, Australia and the world is in the middle of a climate crisis. It’s an emergency, but Labor wants to send the fire truck back to station.”

Scott Cam will inspire the next generation of tradespeople in his new role as Australia’s first National Careers Ambassador, helping young Australians take advantage of surging demand for skilled workers.
Mr Cam will highlight how practical and technical training can lead to high paying and fulfilling jobs, while also working with the National Careers Institute, alongside government, industry, education providers, career advisors, parents and employers to improve career options.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said as our economy changes we need people to have a mix of skills and experience and this includes having more Australians with technical, trade and practical skills.
“For many years going to university has been the default expectation imposed on our young Australians, but it’s not the only path to rewarding and successful employment.”
“It’s time we broadened our view and recognised the many other successful avenues available to young Australians and talked about the opportunities in fast growing industries like health and construction through technical and skills education.
“I want to see more Australians become plumbers, electricians and bakers than lawyers and consultants. I would like to see more of them going on to become their own boss.
“Scott Cam is proof that undertaking a trade can be a very valuable, rewarding and successful career choice, and there are plenty more who can tell a similar story to Scott.
“In my own electorate in southern Sydney, there are numerous stories of Australians who have been able to look after themselves, their families and make a real contribution, often starting their own businesses and creating jobs and livelihoods for others.
“By learning a trade you’ll earn more, your skills will be in demand and you’ll help build our country and keep our economy strong.”
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Michaelia Cash, said vocational education and training was key to building our future workforce.
“The Morrison Government is committed to creating more than 1.25 million jobs over the next five years and alongside that goal we are rolling out a $100 billion infrastructure investment.
“To take advantage of this, we will need to make sure people and businesses have access to the right skills at the right time, and understand how their skills relate to current and emerging career pathways,” Minister Cash said.
“As National Careers Ambassador, Scott will help Australians at all ages and stages to make informed decisions about learning, training and work pathways. Working with the National Careers Institute, Scott will make sure individuals and businesses can take advantage of the pathways on offer.”
The Morrison Government is currently undertaking a major modernisation of the vocational education and training sector.
The Government’s first instalment of our modernisation plan, a $585 million skills package, is now rolling out.
This package includes increased incentives for up to 80,000 new apprentices and expanded apprentice wage subsidy trials in rural and regional areas and 10 new Industry Training Hubs in areas of high youth unemployment to better connect schools with local employers, industries and training providers.
The National Careers Institute is holding co-design workshops around the country from 4 October 2019.
For more information on the National Careers Institute and to engage in the careers conversation go to www.nci.employment.gov.au

Research released today by The Australia Institute showing taxpayers are funding private dams for big business, further proves corporate corruption is killing the Murray Darling Basin and inflicting further suffering on farming communities, the Greens say.
“Corporate irrigators are ripping off the River, ripping off their neighbours and ripping off the taxpayer,” Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“It’s outrageous private dams that stop water flowing to downstream users and the environment, are being built with public money for the exclusive use of big business, and yet no public information on these dams exists.
“There should an urgent audit of water licences and storages, both public and private. We also need a Royal Commission into the Murray-Darling Basin to get to the bottom of this mismanagement.
“Dams are not the answer and they are definitely not a drought policy. If the Federal Government really wants to help farmers and ensure the sustainability of our food bowl, they’ll start by getting a climate policy and cleaning up the mess they’ve made in the MDB.”

The Australian Government must use every diplomatic means at its disposal to insure that Turkey does not invade Kurdish-controlled Rojava in Syria following President Donald Trump’s latest erratic and dangerous foreign policy decision, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“Any invasion of Kurdish-controlled areas by Turkish forces could displace hundreds of thousands of people and would almost certainly trigger a humanitarian crisis in one of the most stable and secure parts of Syria. Syrians have suffered enough,” Di Natale said.
“The Kurdish people have put their lives on the line to help defeat ISIS. They have helped the Yazidi people escape genocide. President Trump’s dangerous and erratic decision, enacted apparently with no foresight or consideration of the consequences, is an act of callous betrayal.
“Kurds have been persecuted across the Middle East: in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. To abandon them now, while Turkish President Erdogan has made it clear that he intends to attack them given the chance, would be a disgrace and against our strategic interests.
“We know that Erdogan intends to settle ethnic Syrian refugees in these Kurdish areas once they’ve been removed, which would be an act of ethnic cleansing.
“Scott Morrison’s Government also has a responsibility to look after Australian citizens who have been left to languish in camps inside Syria, more than 40 of whom are children, mostly under the age of 5. The window to safely move and repatriate them is limited.
“This is yet another erratic and dangerous decision taken by President Trump with no forethought or appreciation of the consequences. Further proof that Australia needs to chart our own indepedent, non-aligned foreign policy instead of following a dangerous U.S. president, consequences be damned.”

The Australian public will never forgive the Labor Party if it abandons any commitment to taking genuine action on the climate crisis as Joel Fitzgibbon is now arguing, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“Hundreds of thousands of people from all across the community are coming together to demand urgent action on the climate emergency. If the ALP’s response to this growing movement is to abandon its already weak climate policy and instead mimic the Government’s, the community will never forgive them,” said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
”It’s time for the Labor Party to take a stand; no more sitting on the fence or saying one thing in Queensland and another in Victoria. Either Labor stands with the community and the Greens for strong, urgent action and the tens of thousands of jobs that will create, or they are with the climate deniers in the Coalition.”
“Labor needs to decide if it’s still committed to stopping dangerous runaway global warming. If Labor walks away from its already weak 2030 targets, it walks away from the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming below two degrees. As the Greens fight the Tories, Labor looks set to join them,” said Greens Climate Change Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP.
“As the record drought shows, Australia and the world is in the middle of a climate crisis. It’s an emergency, but Labor wants to send the fire truck back to station.”

The Federal Environment Minister has again delayed the assessment of flora and fauna species’ threat status in a move that could determine the survival of these species, including the Australian Sea Lion, the Greens say.
The Environment Department’s website was quietly updated this week to show Minister Sussan Ley has granted extensions to 36 species currently being assessed for listing under the EPBC Act.
“This is an extremely critical time for the Sea Lion which is facing the enormous threat posed by Equinor which plans to drill for oil in its habitat, the Great Australian Bight,” Greens Spokesperson for the Environment and Senator for South Australia, Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Equinor’s Environmental Plan is currently before NOPSEMA for assessment and the regulator is required to consider the presence of listed species in the proposed drilling site.
“A listing change for the Sea Lion from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Endangered’ could significantly affect the assessment so the fact the Minister has deferred it again is very concerning.
“I think a lot of people will be asking whether this is a move designed to limit the emphasis placed on the Sea Lion while this proposal from Big Oil is being considered.”
Senator Hanson-Young said when a species is listed under the EPBC Act a ‘Recovery Plan’, or at the very least ‘Conservation Advice’, will be provided which could make all the difference to that species’ survival.
“We are in the middle of an extinction crisis and yet once again we have an Environment Minister failing to ensure the protection of threatened species,” she said.
“If a species isn’t listed at all under the EPBC Act then it won’t even be referred to in an environmental assessment for a project like a new coal mine or oil and gas exploration – how convenient for the Liberal Party’s political donors in the fossil fuel industry.
“Minister Ley has some explaining to do because the future of our threatened flora and fauna is in her hands.”

Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to the Government’s announcement today that it will weight ‘graduate employment outcomes’ at double the weighting of other measures in newly announced performance-based funding measures for universities. Senator Faruqi is a former academic with the University of New South Wales.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This whole ‘performance funding’ measures push has been misguided and poorly thought out from the start. Now, what they have come up with completely misses the mark and serves only to further undermine universities independence and financial security.
“By tying funding to arbitrary performance measures they are trying to reshape what a university is. Universities should be places of learning, research and innovation where students learn to think critically, but the Liberals want them to operate as businesses and students are consumers, focused narrowly on just ‘employment outcomes’.
“The Government has completely ignored the university sector, unions and experts’ advice that their plan won’t deliver the amount of funding needed. Universities are desperate for a real funding increase.
“The Greens have a plan to fund free undergraduate university and TAFE, and boost university funding by 10 per cent to improve learning and teaching conditions, reduce class sizes and enable researchers to pursue solutions to the big problems of our time,” she concluded.