Responding to evidence presented at the hearing into the Government’s Nature Repair Market Bill held today in Canberra, Greens spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Today the Senate heard that the ‘Nature Repair Market’ bill will not repair nature, but allow for its continued destruction.
“Minister Plibersek’s ‘Green Wall Street’ bill is greenwashing and it should be binned so we can pass stronger environment laws which protect nature and the climate.
“A range of experts as well as State and Territory officials have shown Minister Plibersek’s nature offset market is undercooked and as it stands would be worse than nothing. It won’t stop logging or pollution but instead greenwash their expansion.
“Evidence in the hearing showed Minister Plibersek’s scheme will allow developers and mining companies to simply pay for the right to destroy nature and wildlife habitat.
“Alarmingly the PwC report that the Minister uses to justify this scheme argues that a market for nature should be an “absolute last resort” when it comes to protecting nature. The economic case for the scheme has also been severely undermined.
“Experts have warned that Green Wall Street will allow “double dipping” on carbon credits and nature credits for the same project, greenwashing the expansion of both. Green Wall Street would be an environmental ponzi scheme.
“Allowing corporations to pay to destroy nature is not nature positive, and will not save our wildlife.”
Independent polling commissioned by the office of Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi shows that most young people are concerned about paying back their student debt, a majority agree indexation should be scrapped & there is significant support for free uni and TAFE.
Key findings:
A clear majority of Australians think that University and TAFE should be free and fully funded by the Government (59%).
Most Australians think student debts are currently too high (68%).
There is resounding support for the proposition that student debts should not rise with inflation (72%).
Overall, three quarters (77%) of Australians with student debt are concerned about their student debt, with half of them being very concerned.
The younger the Australian the more concerned they are (Gen Z 79%, Millennials 70%, Gen X 60%, Baby Boomers 55%).
A majority (64%) of Australians are concerned about student debt in general.
Seven out of ten (71%) Australians believe it is unfair the government is set to make more from rising student debt than they are from changes to their gas tax.
Just under 60% (59%) of Australians believe that the minimum repayment income should be raised to the median wage.
Over half (52%) of Australians eligible to vote are more likely to vote for an election candidate with strong policies on tackling student debt.
Younger people are much more likely to vote for a candidate with strong policies on tackling student debt (Gen Z 69%, Millennials 64%, Gen X 49%, Baby Boomers 38%) – This increases to almost 80% (78%) of all Australians with student debt.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:
“Young people are clearly worried about owing an ever expanding student debt. At a time when the cost of living is biting, this polling is a clear message to Labor to act on the student debt crisis.
“These figures prove beyond all doubt that we desperately need to overhaul our cooked student debt system. The community agrees with the Greens that student debts are too high, growing too fast and taking too long to pay off.
“The verdict on student debt indexation is in and it’s damning. The Government should be wiping all student debt but at the very least, it should get its head out of the sand and abolish indexation now.
“This polling shows Labor is completely out of touch when they sat back and allowed an enormous hike to student debt during a cost of living crisis. People are angry that Labor is more focused on penalising students than making the corporations fueling inflation pay their fair share.
“People want a bold, progressive transformation. Labor should listen to the majority of Australians who back the Greens’ vision of free university and TAFE, which is fully funded by the Government.
“Education should open doors and lift people up, not shackle them with a debt sentence that only makes life harder.”
Note- The polling was conducted by Lonergan Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard, and in compliance with the Australian Polling Council Quality Mark standards (www.australianpollingcouncil.com). Lonergan Research surveyed 1,005 Australians 18+ between May 31 and June 5 2023. After interviewing, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada and the UK are deeply concerned by recent events in Israel and the West Bank which further reduce the prospects for peace.
We are gravely concerned by the Government of Israel’s approval on June 26 of over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank. We are also concerned by the changes to the settlement approval process instituted by the Government of Israel on June 18, which facilitate swifter approval of construction in settlements.
The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace and negatively impacts efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution. We call on the Government of Israel to reverse these decisions.
We are also deeply troubled by the continued violence and loss of life in Israel and in the West Bank. We unequivocally condemn all forms of terrorism and violence against civilians, including the terrorist attack on June 20 in Eli targeting Israeli civilians. We also condemn the reprehensible and ongoing settler violence targeting Palestinians. We welcome the joint statement from the heads of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police as well as statements by other Israeli leaders condemning these acts. We call on authorities to ensure accountability for all perpetrators of violence.
The cycle of violence in Israel and the West Bank must be broken.
Australia, Canada and the UK stand firmly with the Israeli and Palestinian people in their right to live in peace and security, with dignity, without fear and with their human rights fully respected. We continue to support a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel. This vision can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties.
City of Newcastle has kicked off its NAIDOC Week celebrations with the launch of a new monthly storytime session designed to share First Nations culture with the next generation.
Uncle Amos Simon from Muurrung Marai facilitated the first Sharing Culture Storytime event at Wallsend Library today, connecting his captivated young audience with the Awabakal and Gathung language and culture through songs, dance, yadaki (didgeridoo) and puppets.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is proud to support city-wide NAIDOC Week celebrations, reinforcing our strong support for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament through the upcoming constitutional referendum.
“Newcastle has a long and rich history of standing side-by-side with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to enact positive change, having established the Guaraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee more than two decades ago, while also being the first city to raise the Aboriginal Flag over a civic building under the leadership of former Lord Mayor Joy Cummings,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Today, we are proud to be the first local council in Greater Newcastle to formally endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the ‘Yes’ campaign for constitutional recognition, reflecting the views of our progressive and inclusive community by supporting annual NAIDOC Week celebrations throughout the city.”
Councillor Deahnna Richardson, a proud Wiradjuri woman, said the Sharing Culture Storytime session is among a number of events being held in Newcastle as part of national NAIDOC Week celebrations, which will run from 2 – 9 July.
“This year’s NAIDOC Week theme, ‘For Our Elders’, recognises the key role Elders have played, and continue to play, as the cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors and leaders of our mob,” Cr Richardson said.
“NAIDOC Week provides an opportunity for our community to acknowledge that the story of Australia began far before European settlement, while recognising that First Nations peoples have occupied and cared for our land for over 65,000 years.”
City of Newcastle will support Awabakal Corporation in its peak NAIDOC Week event on Monday 3 July, which will begin with a flag raising in Civic Park at 9am followed by a march to Foreshore Park. Family friendly celebrations featuring stalls, rides, dancing and song will run from 10am to 2pm, giving the community a chance to come together to celebrate First Nations culture, while City of Newcastle will proudly host the Elders Tent.
Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee Member Councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said City of Newcastle facilities will celebrate our Indigenous culture through a range of exhibitions and activities.
“NAIDOC Week provides an important opportunity for our community to celebrate the stories and rich history of the oldest continuous living culture on Earth,” Cr Winney-Baartz said.
“I encourage everyone to take advantage of the free events on offer throughout the city to celebrate our Indigenous culture this NAIDOC Week.”
Newcastle Libraries will continue their activities with special NAIDOC Week Storytime sessions at the Wallsend and City library branches on 6 and 7 July respectively. Storytime will be facilitated by Indigenous health practitioner Sarah Corrigan from Rainbow Crow Cultural Collective, who will also introduce families to the Wayapa program, which is based on ancient Indigenous knowledge about living in harmony with the environment and connection with the world’s oldest living continuous culture.
The Lovett Gallery at Newcastle City Library will host the free Koori Knockout: 50 Years travelling exhibition from the State Library of NSW, which will be open to the public from 6 July to 21 October.
The photographic exhibition celebrates the first 50 years of the rugby league carnival, which began in Sydney with just seven men’s teams and has gone on to become the biggest rugby league knockout carnival in the world. The exhibition includes images of Newcastle All Blacks teams, who were crowned winners of the Koori Knockout in 1987, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
Newcastle Museum is celebrating the talent and creativity of Newcastle’s diverse First Nations people through its exhibition entitled FIRST, which showcases the work of 16 Indigenous creatives who have a link to Newcastle and the Hunter.
Whilst at the Museum, visitors can also check out Cultural Resurgence, an exhibition featuring works developed by more than 600 school students, community groups and organisations participating in cultural enrichment programs delivered by Speaking in Colour.
Newcastle Art Gallery will also celebrate NAIDOC Week at Hamilton’s James Street Plaza with an outdoor projection of the video work Dead Tongue (2015) by leading First Nations artist Dr Christian Thompson AO.
The work, which comprises a moving portrait of the artist along with a stirring soundtrack of the artist singing in Bidjara language, will be on display from 3 July until the end of August. The project will culminate on Saturday 26 August in an evening of First Nations performance and music in collaboration with local artist Wanjun Carpenter. The project is presented by Newcastle Art Gallery with the support of Art Thinking, Hamilton Business Association, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia annually in the first week of July to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Three classes of new probationary sheriff’s officers have successfully completed the Sheriff Office Recruitment Training Course and are ready to embark on a fulfilling career serving their community.
Today’s attestation at Old Government House in Parramatta celebrates 56 new probationary sheriff’s officers in the largest ceremony ever held in NSW.
The work of sheriff’s officers is central to the efficient functioning of the courts and justice system. They provide security at court complexes; serve warrants, summonses and other orders issued by the courts; enforce writs, warrants and property seizure orders; administer the jury system; and they prepare courtrooms and call and swear in witnesses.
Training consists of a 10-week intensive course that includes tactical training and perimeter security. Officers learn how to anticipate and respond to risks and de-escalate tense situations.
Today’s graduates bring the number of sheriff’s officers in NSW to more than 300. They will be attached to 170 locations, including the metropolitan centres of Parramatta and Newcastle as well as regional NSW, including Lismore, Orange, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga.
“Sheriff’s officers play an important role in the justice system, ensuring the security and safety of all court users and the community.
“It is a dynamic job offering career progression and the satisfaction of serving the community.
“I congratulate the probationary sheriff’s officers graduating today and wish them well as they embark on this exciting new career.”
Sheriff of NSW Tracey Hall said:
“Sheriff’s officers are highly skilled, through intensive training that emphasises excellent communication skills and relationship building with people and their community.
“Sheriff’s officers come from all walks of life and backgrounds as diverse as the communities they serve.”
Communities across the Northern Rivers are being encouraged to have their say on the future of the region with the consultation period for the Draft Resilient Lands Strategy being extended to Friday, 14 July 2023.
The Draft Strategy, released on 2 June 2023, outlines the work undertaken to date and next steps to identify a sustainable pipeline of land and housing to support the relocation of residents impacted by the 2022 floods.
It identifies 22 sites across the seven Northern Rivers Local Government Areas, 15 of which are identified for immediate investigation under the $100m Resilient Land Program.
The 15 sites in the Draft Strategy have the potential to support up to an estimated 7,800 dwellings, to be confirmed on a site-by-site basis as technical and due diligence investigations progress.
40 submissions have already been made for Draft Resilient Lands Strategy with the consultation period now extended to Friday, 14 July 2023.
The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) developed the Draft Strategy as part of the $100 million Resilient Land Program.
To review the NRRC’s Draft Resilient Lands Strategy and make a submission and visit Resilient lands strategy.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully said:
“We recognise the devastation the community has faced and want the Resilient Land Program to support the rebuild of the Northern Rivers community. That’s why it’s important to allow more time for the community to share their feedback on the Draft Strategy.
“As consultation continues, the NRRC is already investigating 15 sites to see how they can support housing in the Northern Rivers for people impacted by the 2022 floods.”
Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin said:
“This program can help our community over the long term. I encourage people to have their say, and share ideas or solutions, about how to relieve housing problems being faced in the Northern Rivers.”
Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith said:
“I want to thank everyone who has already provided feedback to the Draft Strategy and encourage others in the community to have their say during the extended the consultation period.”
The NSW Government has today taken a significant step in the process for transferring Me-Mel (Goat Island) to Aboriginal ownership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Me-Mel Transfer Committee.
$43 million is committed to remediate and restore Me-Mel and pave the way for the transfer back to the Aboriginal community.
The committee will identify options for the transfer, develop recommendations for cultural, tourism and public uses of the site, and provide advice on the management of the site.
It will also develop a strategic business case to be considered by the NSW Government.
The Committee is made up of key Aboriginal representatives, along with NSW Government representatives from the Cabinet Office, Aboriginal Affairs NSW and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
A wide range of engagement activities and consultation will be undertaken with the Aboriginal community, the broader public and other stakeholders on the plans for future ownership and management options.
Committee members have given unanimous support to a Registered Aboriginal Owners research project which aims to identify Aboriginal Owners of Me Mel.
This research will be independently undertaken by the Office of the Registrar of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (ORALRA) and is due to commence in the second half of 2023.
To prepare for the transfer of the island, National Parks and Wildlife Service is also undertaking a large-scale remediation and conservation program of the island’s built assets.
The 14-member committee includes:
Aboriginal community representatives including Shane Phillips, Amanda Reynolds, Elizabeth Tierney and Ash Walker.
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council representatives include Allan Murray, Nathan Moran, Eunice Roberts and Jennah Dungay.
NSW Aboriginal Land Council representatives include Heidi Hardy and Abie Wright.
NSW Government members include Angie Stringer, Director Aboriginal Partnerships, Planning and Heritage and Deon van Rensburg, Director Greater Sydney Branch, National Parks & Wildlife Service; Nikki Williams, Director for Economic Policy Branch, The Cabinet Office; and Jonathon Captain-Webb, Director, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, Land and Economy for Aboriginal Affairs NSW.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said:
“I am proud to be taking another step towards transferring this island to the Aboriginal community.
“The island will be a symbol of reconciliation in the heart of Sydney Harbour.
“We are listening to the Aboriginal community through this process.
“That is what the signing of this agreement is all about.
“I thank the previous government and its former premiers for their commitment to this project over many years.
“We are proud to continue this work with the committee.”
Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said:
“This transfer is many years in the making. It represents a genuine cultural collaboration.
“I look forward to the recommendations from the Committee”.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:
“This diverse committee plays a crucial role in advising government on how the transfer of Me Mel to aboriginal community could work.”
“We will look to the results of this important research project and to the Aboriginal people for what happens next.”
Temporary visa holders who arrive on or after 1 July and who intend to live in NSW for more than six months are encouraged to plan ahead and convert their licence as soon as possible so they can continue to drive with confidence.
The new regulation changes are designed to give confidence to all road users and ensure all motorists understand the State’s road rules and abide by the same standards, with any temporary visa holder required to convert their licence within six months.
The process for converting to a NSW licence will differ depending on the age of the applicant and the country where their licence was issued.
Overseas licence holders from certain recognised countries with similar licence systems to Australia (such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Singapore) as well as experienced drivers aged 25 or older from other recognised countries (including Poland and South Korea) can visit any Service NSW Service Centre to convert their licence without the need to sit a knowledge test or a driving test.
All other overseas licence holders will be required to pass a knowledge test and driving test at a Service Centre to receive a NSW licence. They will be exempt from the learner driver logbook requirement.
While the former government originally announced the new rules would require all overseas licence holders to apply for a NSW driver licence within six months, they backtracked in December 2022 to only apply the change to temporary visa holders arriving from 1 July 2023. The Government is examining these issues.
To support the changes, the NSW Government’s St Marys Driver Testing Centre in Western Sydney is ready to help and there are currently no wait times to book and sit a test.
The facility has 25 staff including driver testers offering about 450 driving tests each week as well as more than 1000 computer-based examinations.
Recognised countries are based on a nationally consistent framework administered by Austroads, which affects the test requirements for licence conversion.
For more information about the new regulations visit service.nsw.gov.au.
St Marys Driver Testing Centre is open from 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. To find St Marys Driver Testing Centre or your closest Service Centrelaunch or call 13 77 88.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib said:
“Our migrants and visa holders have so much to offer our great multicultural state and it is important everyone knows these changes are coming so they can plan appropriately and get their new licence in time.”
“These changes are about making sure everyone has the right skills and understanding of local road rules which ultimately keeps everyone safer.”
“We need to introduce this change in a way that is fair to all, allowing those who enter the country to get the help they need while maintaining access for everyone who needs to take a driver test in a timely manner.
“If you need to convert to a NSW driver licence, our excellent teams at the St Marys Testing Centre and across all our Service NSW Centres are ready to help you understand the rules and book your test.”
Minister for Roads, John Graham said:
“The change introduced on 1 July is the first step to ensure new arrivals with overseas licences have the necessary skills and understanding to safely navigate our road network for the benefit of all.”
“Everyone driving in our state should have the same accountability for the road rules and adhere to the same standards.”
“The former government promised that overseas licenced drivers already living in NSW would need to convert their licence before backing away from this commitment, but the Minns Government will ensure our rules are clear and consistent for all.”
“We will extend this change to all drivers on overseas licences in a measured way that gives visitors time to adapt, with further details around the wider rollout to be announced soon, once we have assessed the initial transition.”
The Senate inquiry into attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Assessment and support services in Australia will this week convene for its first public hearing.
Held in Canberra on Thursday, June 29, the hearing will invite people with lived experience of ADHD, ADHD peak bodies, NSW and ACT-based disability advocacy organisations, some government departments and a range of healthcare professional representative bodies to present further evidence to the committee.
It is expected that the ADHD inquiry, initiated by Senator Jordon Steele-John and passed by the Senate in March, will make community-led recommendations to address the common barriers people experience as they seek ADHD assessment and care.
Around a million people in Australia are directly impacted by ADHD, a widely misunderstood neurodevelopmental disability that can cause significant impairment and dysfunction in people’s lives.
Senator Jordon Steele-John, Australian Greens spokesperson on Disability Services, Health and Mental Health said:
“People with ADHD have been left behind in this country for far too long.
“Over the past year of engaging closely with the ADHD community, I’ve heard countless stories of barriers around cost, wait time and stigma associated with seeking ADHD assessment and support services.
“The ADHD inquiry marked the first time that people with ADHD have had the opportunity to share their lived experience directly with the people who make the decisions that impact their care.
“Now as we move into the next phase of the inquiry, I’m hopeful these experiences will steer the committee toward the robust and meaningful recommendations needed to improve countless lives.
“We laid the first brick in the road toward that by initiating this inquiry. Now, I look forward to working with the community to lay the many bricks to come, beginning with this first public hearing.”
Background
The first public hearing for the ADHD Assessment and Support Services in Australia inquiry will be held on Thursday 29th June in Canberra 10am – 5:30pm AEDT and will hear from people with lived experience, their representative organisations including ADHD Australia, Disability advocacy organisations, Healthcare Professionals and representatives of the Departments of Education, Health and the NDIS.
Responding to Environment Minister Plibersek’s announcement of an environmental offsets audit, Greens spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The Government’s Nature Repair Market must be scrapped in light of the Environment Minister’s offset audit and integrity concerns.
“Environmental offsets have been a sham for years. They are wholly designed to allow big developers and miners to destroy the environment and harm wildlife under the false pretense that saving a small piece of nature somewhere else can excuse the damage.
“Offsets have never been about protecting the environment, they are only ever about greenwashing pollution and harm.
“If the Minister is seriously concerned about the integrity of offsets then the Nature Repair Market Bill currently before the parliament should be binned.
“As it stands, Minister Plibersek’s Nature Repair Market Bill will supercharge the use of these dodgy credits and offsets, meaning more destruction, more logging and more pollution. A ‘Green Wall Street’ is not what nature needs, it needs proper laws that can stop pollution and stop the bulldozers.
“The Greens have previously called for a suspension and investigation of environmental offsets around the country. Any audit must be independent and transparent if it is to have integrity.
“If the Minister is serious about protecting nature, she must stop seeking bandaid solutions to broken schemes and instead work urgently on fixing our environment laws so that they actually stop the destruction and pollution at the source.”
