admin – Page 728

BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

Prime Minister Albanese met today with the Prime Minister of Japan, His Excellency Mr Kishida Fumio.

The Prime Minister congratulated Mr Kishida on his chairing of the G7 and reinforced Australia’s commitment to our special strategic partnership with Japan.

The Prime Minister underscored Australia’s commitment to remaining a reliable supplier of energy to Japan as both economies transition to net zero.

The leaders agreed the broader trade and investment relationship was vital to the success of each nation.

Leaders noted good progress in bilateral security cooperation under the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation and their shared commitment to an open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific.

Prime Minister Albanese thanked Prime Minister Kishida for Japan’s support to convene the 2023 Quad Leaders Summit.

OFFICIAL VISIT TO AUSTRALIA BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, to Australia from 22-24 May as a guest of the Australian Government.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Australia builds on the Australia-India Annual Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi in March and discussions at the G7 Summit and Quad Leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima over the weekend.

At their bilateral meeting, the leaders will discuss trade and investment, including efforts to boost trade between the two countries through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, and work to strengthen people to people links, renewable energy, and defence and security cooperation.

Prime Minister Modi will also meet Australian business leaders to drive Australia’s growing trade and investment relationship with India and take forward opportunities from the Australia-India CEO Forum held in Mumbai in March.

During the visit, the Prime Ministers will attend a community event in Sydney to celebrate Australia’s dynamic and diverse Indian diaspora, a core part of our multicultural community.

Prime Minister Modi last visited Australia in 2014.

The Prime Minister looks forward to visiting India in September for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, the world’s premier forum for economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“I am honoured to host Prime Minister Modi for an official visit to Australia, after receiving an extremely warm welcome in India earlier this year.

“Australia and India share a commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Together we have an important role to play in supporting this vision.

“As friends and partners, the relationship between our countries has never been closer. I look forward to celebrating Australia’s vibrant Indian community with Prime Minister Modi in Sydney.”

STATE MEMORIAL FOR BARRY HUMPHRIES AO CBE TO BE HELD AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE IN DECEMBER

The family of Barry Humphries AO CBE has accepted the offer of a State Memorial Service in recognition of the late entertainer’s contribution to Australian arts and entertainment.

The Memorial, to be held at the Sydney Opera House on Friday, 15 December 2023, will be co-hosted by the Australian and NSW Governments, and in partnership with the arts community from across the country, including Mr Humphries’ home state of Victoria.

As an internationally recognised home of performance, arts and culture, the Sydney Opera House is a fitting venue for the service which will honour the remarkable life and enduring legacy of the beloved Australian personality.

The late Barry Humphries passed away in Sydney on 22 April aged 89, following a celebrated seven-decade global career. He was best known for his iconic characters including Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, as well as being a renowned author, actor and satirist.

The Memorial will bring together dignitaries, family, friends and fans of the late Mr Humphries from across the country and around the world to celebrate his extraordinary career and achievements.

Further details on the State Memorial will be released later in the year at NSW Government State services.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Barry Humphries was a much-loved Australian and a huge loss to the arts community.”

“The Australian Government is pleased to work with the New South Wales Government to deliver a State Memorial to honour the life and legacy of this beloved entertainer.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Barry Humphries was one of our nation’s greatest ever comedic talents, and his passing marks the end of an era in Australian entertainment.”

“He was a true master of his craft, and his legacy will continue to live on through the unforgettable characters he brought to life on stage and screen.”

“The Sydney Opera House is a fitting location for what promises to be a memorable send-off given the venue’s significance in Australian arts, culture and entertainment.”

Homelessness crisis needs urgent government action

NSW’s growing homelessness crisis can be solved with urgent government action on housing and support, says Homelessness NSW.

CEO Trina Jones said: “The rising cost of living, low wages and a dire shortage of affordable rental homes is fuelling a homelessness crisis across NSW.

“Ensuring that everyone has a safe place to call home should be among the first priorities of any government. The solutions are easy to implement and relatively affordable.

“The state government must act by urgently building more social housing and better supporting homelessness services which are under pressure with soaring demand from people in need.”

Mission Australia today reports demand for homelessness services is up 26 per cent and a PropTrack analysis shows the plunging proportion of affordable rental housing.

Homelessness NSW is calling on the state government to:

Increase net stock of social housing from 4.7% to 10%
Properly fund homelessness services to meet rising demand
Improve coordination on housing across government

Key facts

68,500 people were supported by Specialist Homelessness Services in NSW in 2022
NSW currently builds an average 34,000 residential dwellings per year.
Approximately 700 – or just 2% are social housing. At the current rate of social housing investment, it will take over 80 years to meet the current demand of the waiting list

Debra Dank’s “We Come With This Place” wins record four prizes in NSW Premier’s Literary Awards

The State Library of NSW has just announced the winners of the $350,000 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, with Debra Dank’s debut We Come With This Place taking out a record four of the 14 prizes.
NSW Premier, The Hon. Chris Minns MP said: “Our Government is pleased to celebrate our most talented writers and I’m thrilled that this year’s awards in particular highlight the incredible achievements of Gudanji/Wakaja woman, author Dr Debra Dank. On behalf of the NSW Government, I congratulate all winners and shortlisted authors of the 2023 Awards whose works inspire, educate and delight readers and writers alike.”
State Librarian John Vallance added: “We’re delighted that our new Government is continuing the long-standing tradition of support for our writers and those who read their work. The best way for us all to judge the strength of this year’s writing is to buy the shortlist and get reading.”
According to Senior Judge, Jane McCredie: “This year’s awards celebrate the courage, diversity and sheer brilliance of contemporary Australian writing. Our judges assessed a record 856 entries exploring a huge range of styles and subject matter.It’s exciting to see so many debut works recognised this year, and we look forward to hearing more from these writers in the future.”
The winners are:

Book of the Year ($10,000)

We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)

Indigenous Writers’ Prize ($30,000)

We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)

Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction ($40,000)
We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)

UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing ($5,000 — sponsored by UTS)
We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction ($40,000)

Women I Know by Katerina Gibson (Scribner an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia)

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry ($30,000)
The Singer and Other Poems by Kim Cheng Boey (Cordite Books)

Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature ($30,000)
The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia’s First Peoples by Corey Tutt and Blak Douglas (Hardie Grant Explore)

Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature ($30,000)
The Upwelling by Lystra Rose (Hachette Australia)

Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting ($30,000)
Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg (Griffin Theatre Company/ Currency Press)

Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting ($30,000)

Blaze by Del Kathryn Barton and Huna Amweero (Causeway Films)

Multicultural NSW Award ($30,000)
The Eulogy by Jackie Bailey (Hardie Grant Books)

NSW Premier’s Translation Prize ($30,000 — biennial award)

People from Bloomington by Budi Darma, translated by Tiffany Tsao (Penguin Classics)

University of Sydney People’s Choice Award ($5000 — sponsored by University of Sydney)

Every Version of You by Grace Chan (Affirm Press)

Special Award ($10,000)

Bankstown Poetry Slam

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 2022 ELECTION

One year ago, Australia voted for change.

The very next day, the Albanese Labor Government began the work of building a better future.

Every member of the Government is proud of what we have achieved so far:

Historic investments in Medicare
Cheaper child care
Fee-free TAFE
Cheaper medicines
Energy price relief
Getting wages moving
Action on climate change

These are strong foundations for a better future.

We know there is still more to do. We can’t clean up the mess we inherited overnight.

But we’re excited for the work ahead – to continue delivering for all Australians and building on our plan for a better future.

Investing in affordable housing. Continuing to strengthen Medicare. Creating more secure jobs and training Australians for those jobs. Making more things in Australia, powered by home-grown renewable energy. Investing in defence and national security to keep Australians safe. And importantly, continuing to be a force for stability, prosperity and growth in our region and in the world.

In our next year we seek a momentous change, one that recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in our Constitution by enshrining a Voice to Parliament.

We know serving the Australian people is a privilege.

We understand that facing the challenges of this moment and seizing the opportunities of the future depends on bringing the country together. We are determined to be a responsible government that ends division and pursues lasting change. A government for all Australians.

We’re 12 months in, there’s more to be done, and we’re not taking this opportunity to build a better future for granted.

BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

Prime Minister Albanese met today with the Prime Minister of Japan, His Excellency Mr Kishida Fumio.

The Prime Minister congratulated Mr Kishida on his chairing of the G7 and reinforced Australia’s commitment to our special strategic partnership with Japan.

The Prime Minister underscored Australia’s commitment to remaining a reliable supplier of energy to Japan as both economies transition to net zero.

The leaders agreed the broader trade and investment relationship was vital to the success of each nation.

Leaders noted good progress in bilateral security cooperation under the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation and their shared commitment to an open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific.

Prime Minister Albanese thanked Prime Minister Kishida for Japan’s support to convene the 2023 Quad Leaders Summit.

OFFICIAL VISIT TO AUSTRALIA BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, to Australia from 22-24 May as a guest of the Australian Government.

During the visit, the Prime Ministers will attend a community event in Sydney to celebrate Australia’s dynamic and diverse Indian diaspora, a core part of our multicultural community.

Prime Minister Modi last visited Australia in 2014.

The Prime Minister looks forward to visiting India in September for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, the world’s premier forum for economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“I am honoured to host Prime Minister Modi for an official visit to Australia, after receiving an extremely warm welcome in India earlier this year.

“Australia and India share a commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Together we have an important role to play in supporting this vision.

“As friends and partners, the relationship between our countries has never been closer. I look forward to celebrating Australia’s vibrant Indian community with Prime Minister Modi in Sydney.”

Fatal Crash – Port Stephens

About 11.30am today (Sunday 21 May 2023), emergency services were called to the Pacific Highway at Ferrodale, approximately one km north of the Medowie Road intersection, following reports of a single-vehicle crash.

Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and were told an SUV had left the road and hit a tree.

The driver – a 70-year-old man, died at the scene.

A 70-year-old woman was conveyed to John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition with suspected spinal injuries.

A crime scene was established and an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

As police make inquiries, anyone with dashcam footage or information related to the incident are urged to contact Port Stephens-Hunter Police District or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

2023 QUAD LEADERS’ SUMMIT

On 20 May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Quad Leaders Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States, in Hiroshima for the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit.

The Quad is a diplomatic partnership of four countries committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Australia, India, Japan and the United States share a vision for a region that is governed by accepted rules and norms, where all countries can cooperate, trade and thrive.

Quad Leaders discussed regional challenges and ways to deepen existing Quad cooperation, including in the areas of climate and clean energy, health security, infrastructure, critical & emerging technology, cyber and space. Leaders released a Joint Leaders’ Statement, and the Quad Leaders’ Vision Statement, setting out a shared vision for the Quad and the Indo-Pacific region.

Leaders announced the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit outcomes demonstrating the Quad’s positive, practical agenda, and highlighting the Quad’s commitment to deliver for the Indo-Pacific. Key outcomes include:

A ‘Quad Statement of Principles on Clean Energy Supply Chains in the Indo-Pacific’ and, to implement these principles, a ‘Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program’ that will accelerate access to affordable, reliable and secure clean energy in the Indo-Pacific;
A ‘Quad Health Security Partnership’ that will boost the region’s capability to respond to future disease outbreaks and other health emergencies;
A ‘Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience’ to help Indo-Pacific countries access resilient infrastructure – in a way that is fit for purpose and meets their needs;
A ‘Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Program’ that will support the Indo-Pacific’s next generation of engineers, consultants and government officials to deliver high-quality, sustainable, climate-resilient infrastructure; and
An Open RAN (Open Radio Access Network) deployment in the Pacific that will be the first of its kind and will help improve digital connectivity and access to advanced telecommunications technology.

Australia’s engagement in the Quad complements our engagement in the Indo-Pacific bilaterally and through regional institutions, such as ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Prime Minister Albanese looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Modi to Sydney next week.

the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“While the Summit couldn’t take place in Sydney as planned, I’m pleased to have convened a Quad meeting with counterparts today to discuss pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region and deepening the Quad’s cooperation.”

“The Quad Leaders coming together in-person sends a strong message about Quad unity and what the group is able to achieve together. Australia is always better off when we work together with our close friends and partners, and engage openly and constructively.”

“At its core, the Quad’s agenda is positive and practical. I was delighted to announce the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit outcomes, which take forward the Quad’s work on climate change and clean energy, infrastructure and connectivity, health security, and critical and emerging technology. We’re delivering for the Indo-Pacific, and following through on our commitments.”

“I am proud of what we have delivered through the Quad so far, and I will continue to work closely with my Quad colleagues in support of an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, where sovereignty is respected.”