16 News

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a Strategic Partnership with President of the Philippines HE Ferdinand R Marcos Jr during his visit to Manila on 8 September.

The new Strategic Partnership establishes an enduring framework for closer cooperation with the Philippines, one of Australia’s key partners in Southeast Asia, based on a strong alignment of strategic interests.

In Manila, Prime Minister Albanese announced the following initiatives to boost ties with the Philippines:

• Australia Awards Scholarships to the Philippines will be increased to more than double current numbers. In 2024, over 50 scholarships will be awarded to Filipinos to study Masters and PhD programs in Australia, building invaluable connections between our people.
• The re-establishment of a Philippines Institute at the Australian National University as part of the Government’s commitment to boosting ties with Southeast Asia, building partnerships between our institutions and deepening shared understanding of each others’ perspectives and interests.
• A new reciprocal Work and Holiday visa for Australians and Filipinos, supporting stronger economic, cultural and people-to-people links.
• To support regional stability, a new $64.5 million contribution to peacebuilding in conflict-affected Mindanao. The five year program will help to reduce violent conflict, reintegrate former combatants and support community development, particularly for women.

The Prime Minister’s visit to the Philippines reflects the priority Australia has placed on deepening relations with Southeast Asia, and follows the Prime Minister’s launch of the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 in Jakarta this week.

The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in the region and represents substantial potential for Australia to deepen our trade and investment relationship. The Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 will help Australian businesses and investors take advantage of key sectors in the Philippines, including agriculture and food, education and skills, resources and the clean energy transition.

Prime Minister Albanese is the first Australian Prime Minister to travel to the Philippines on a bilateral visit since 2003.

The Prime Minister has invited President Marcos to Australia in March 2024 to attend a Special Summit to Commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“I am honoured to have been invited by President Marcos to visit Manila and sign this historic Strategic Partnership.

“Australia and the Philippines enjoy a long-standing relationship based on close cooperation and enriched by the 400,000 Australians with Filipino heritage.

“Today is a watershed moment for relations between Australia and the Philippines. Our Strategic Partnership will facilitate closer cooperation between our countries and contribute to an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”

With Brisbane Airport set to double its traffic by 2035, Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown today announced plans to bring peace and a good night’s sleep to thousands of Brisbane residents impacted by flight noise.

The bill introduces hourly caps on flights, a late night curfew on non-emergency flights over Brisbane and brings in a long-term plan to move more flights over the water rather than over the city—in line with similar legislation that successfully manages flight noise over Sydney.

Anthony Albanese himself campaigned for Sydney’s cap and curfew regulations in 1996 and now refuses to support grassroots campaigns in Brisbane calling for the same peace of mind.

Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, has repeatedly refused to meet with the local community over flight noise—and dared Brisbane residents to protest about it at her National Press Club address in March.

In response, the community organised a massive protest outside Brisbane Airport Corporation’s headquarters in June which attracted more than a thousand attendees.

The Brisbane Airport Curfew and Demand Management Bill 2023 follows strong grassroots campaigns across Brisbane and thousands of conversations Brisbane’s Greens MPs Elizabeth Watson-Brown, Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates have had over the last two years.

The bill is set to be debated in October.

Elizabeth Watson-Brown, MP for Ryan and Greens spokesperson for Infrastructure, Transport and Sustainable Cities said:

It’s time the government listens to the Brisbane community on flight noise. Their ask is simple: they want a curfew and cap on flights just like Sydney has.

Anthony Albanese got into Parliament in 1996 having campaigned strongly for Sydney’s cap and curfew — but now that he’s Prime Minister, he is backing private airport profits over the needs of our community.

We’re calling on every Liberal and Labor politician whose job it is to represent the people of Brisbane to join us in supporting this bill—so Brisbane can get a good night’s sleep.

In Senate Question Time today the Government was unable to give women a date for when they will deliver on their so-called intention to provide super on PPL, leaving Australian women desperate and dateless for fairer Paid Parental Leave.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Larissa Waters said:

“In the last financial year, Labor gave $9.8 billion worth of subsidies to fossil fuel industries, and they’ve committed half a trillion dollars to nuclear submarines. And yet women have to wait for super on PPL, despite it costing a modest $200m each year, because ‘budget constraints’. 

“Why are women forced to wait when other things are not subject to ‘budget constraints?

“The Greens have committed to pass the superannuation tax reforms if Labor funds super on PPL, so the excuse about budget constraints really doesn’t fly.

“The Government’s superannuation tax proposal is such a timid proposed change to the tax concessions the obscenely wealthy receive. If Labor is not going to improve it, the least they can do is put the revenue to good use for the legions of women retiring into poverty.

“We will use our balance of power in the Senate to get outcomes for families and for the women in Australia retiring with 23 per cent less superannuation than men.”

Minister Plibersek has ignored her own department’s conservation advice and is failing to show the strong political leadership necessary to help prevent the Maugean skate from going extinct.

New conservation advice states that for the Maugean skate to be afforded the best possible chance of survival impacts of salmonid aquaculture on dissolved oxygen concentrations in Macquarie Harbour must be “eliminated or significantly reduced”. The advice explicitly states that the fastest and simplest way to achieve this is by “significantly reducing fish biomass”.

Yet, on the eve of Threatened Species Day, Minister Plibsek made the underwhelming decision to ignore this advice, and instead opted for a $2.1 million funding announcement focused on creating a Maugean skate insurance population if it can’t be saved in its wild home.

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: 

“Minister Plibersek’s decision to ignore her own department’s conservation advice tells you everything you need to know about how captured the Labor party is by the big salmon corporations that are trashing Tasmania’s magnificent waterways. 

“What’s the point of having a Threatened Species Scientific Committee and establishing a Maugean Skate National Recovery Team to help save the species, if you then disregard its key findings? 

“Minister Plibersek has the power to act and to save the Maugean skate from extinction and she needs to pull every lever available to her to make this a reality, yet her decisions so far have been completely underwhelming. 

“Clearly Minister Plibersek is failing to show the strong political leadership necessary to protect the skate, making the survival of this ancient species a political decision. 

“The Minister’s failure to heed her own department’s advice also raises significant questions as to whether Labor is serious about its Zero Extinction pledge.”

This morning Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for government services and social services, will debate the Greens’ Antipoverty Commission Bill. 

This Bill would set up the Antipoverty Commission, an independent body to provide independent and transparent advice to the government about alleviating poverty in Australia. 
The Bill goes further than the current interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee which is due ahead of next year’s budget, and provides a clear framework for a robust body to tackle poverty.

The Greens’ Antipoverty Commission is a benchmark to assess future legislation and to ensure we have the best chance of eradicating poverty in Australia.

Greens spokesperson for government services and social services Senator Janet Rice said:

“Successive governments have used the lack of a national definition of poverty as an excuse to keep people living on inadequate income support payments. We need a national definition of poverty – one that takes into account different needs and contexts, and one that the government can be held accountable to.

“This week in Parliament has shown that the Labor Government has some major issues when it comes to dealing with transparency in politics. Establishing more truly independent bodies to advise government is an important starting point.

“While the Greens support the concept of and work done by the interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, it is abundantly clear that the original committee does not go far enough to tackle poverty in Australia. There’s no way to ensure that the people appointed to the Committee are truly independent from vested corporate interests.

“Poverty is a political choice. Labor is choosing to keep millions of Australians on income support well below the poverty line. All Centrelink payments must be raised above the poverty line to $88 a day.

“If this last year of a Labor government has shown us anything, it’s that they do not take tackling poverty seriously. We need an explicit focus on addressing poverty in the shape of a commission to develop a national poverty line. We need an independent commission that listens to people with direct experiences of poverty and experts who make independent recommendations to the government.

“At this stage, the combined cost of living and housing crisis aren’t going anywhere and people’s lives are getting harder. A truly independent Antipoverty Commission will help us navigate this difficult time and be the self-standing body we need to guide us on how to fix it.”

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT DEFENCE RELATIONS WITH SUDAN IN A TIME OF HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Since April, Sudan has faced a humanitarian and political crisis. Clashes between armed groups and a military coup are now bordering on a civil war. 

The Australian Government has failed to meet the calls of the Sudanese community for increased aid to the country. Today, the Labor Government and Coalition have failed the community yet again, working together to refuse the Greens Order for the Production of Documents request for transparency over the 9 defence export permits that Australia has issued to Sudan.

Senator Steele-John, Australian Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs said: 

“I am proud to be working with the Sudanese diaspora community here in Australia. They are desperate to understand the relationship between Australia and the militants currently ripping apart their homeland. Instead of supporting the community, today the Government and the Coalition voted against a Greens Order for Production of Documents that would have provided clarity on Australia’s role in defence exports to Sudan. 

“Australia has a bad track record when it comes to exporting weapons. If the government has nothing to hide about their weapons trade with Sudan, they should make public all information relating to their defence exports. 

“The granting of defence permits to Sudan over the last 6 years is highly concerning to the diaspora community. It is impossible for the Australian Government to know where these weapons are now, and concerning to know that they may be playing a role in this conflict. 

“The Greens are calling for the Australian Government to condemn the ongoing violence, and to work with the international community to work toward a peaceful, sustainable resolution. Additionally, we must end the fear and ensure those who are in Australia from Sudan are granted permanent protection in Australia.” 

LSenator David Shoebridge, Australian Greens spokesperson for Defence said:

“It is a deep insult to the Sudanese diaspora that the Albanese Government refused to provide information on weapons exports. 

“Labor is continuing the Coalition’s plan to make Australia a global arms dealer. Putting dollars and profits ahead of basic human rights and a better world. 

“The Australian Government should condemn the violence in Sudan, not fuel it through sending weapons. 

“With increasing weapons exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE the Albanese Government is fueling an arms race in the region. 

“We should be proud of the things we make and sell. Instead, the Albanese Government wants to hide what we are selling, to whom and why.”

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson for Aid said: 

“Sudan is in a complete crisis. People are fleeing conflict and they desperately need basic necessities and humanitarian aid. The UN has called for $1bn in immediate assistance. 

“There is a complete humanitarian disaster unfolding with people in urgent need of food, water, shelter and healthcare. Instead of exporting weapons of war, the Labor Government must step up and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to people in Sudan. 

A pathology provider in New South Wales was ordered to pay the Commonwealth a pecuniary penalty of $1.65 million, along with legal costs of $200,000, for entering into four leasing arrangements that contravened the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act).

The Chief Executive Medicare on behalf of the Commonwealth instituted civil proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia (the Court) against Healius Pathology Pty Ltd (Healius), trading at the time as Specialist Diagnostic Services Pty Ltd.

The department welcomes the judgment handed down on 18 August 2023, which related to lease arrangements entered into by Healius over a six-year period for pathology collection centres co‑located at two dermatology practices in Castle Hill and Kingswood in NSW. The Court noted expert valuation reports relied on by the Commonwealth that the agreed lease amounts were “between 100% and 470% greater than the market values”.

The Court held the lease arrangements were substantially different from market value. They were “serious contraventions that are deserving of significant penalties” particularly in respect of general deterrence to the pathology industry. The Court was satisfied that a significant penalty was warranted due to Healius’ substantial position in the pathology market, its large size and financial position.

The Court took into account that Healius’ conduct in the litigation was cooperative, including by accepting the contraventions and penalties.

The department will continue to enforce compliance with the prohibited practices provisions in the Act and engage with lessors and lessees where concerns are identified, with the expectation that steps will be taken by the parties to address the concerns.

The department suggests that rent paid per square metre for a medical centre premises may be used as a guide to determine a proportionate rent for space occupied by a pathology collection centre within the medical centre. The department also encourages regular review of lease arrangements and recommends seeking independent valuations of premises to ensure compliance with the Act.

More information and guidance about compliance with the prohibited practices provisions can be found on the department’s website at https://www.health.gov.au/topics/pathology/compliance.

Melissa McIntosh MP, Federal Member for Lindsay, is concerned the Albanese Labor Government has failed to take serious action on tackling Australia’s mental health crisis, as suicide rates rose by an alarming 7% in 2022 in the nation’s most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria.

Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, peak body Suicide Prevention Australia published its annual State of the Nation report and quarterly Community Tracker.

According to the organisation, the relief measures provided by the Albanese Labor Government in the last Federal Budget have done little for Australian families struggling with the rise in cost of living.

The data from Suicide Prevention Australia paints a concerning picture of the risks of increasing suicide rates, due to distress caused by cost of living and personal debt, housing access and affordability, and social isolation.

The report raises the alarm that for the first time more than half of Australian families (56%) are reporting unprecedented levels of cost of living distress, with nearly half of those surveyed (46%) stating that ‘cost of living and personal debt’ was their highest causes of distress, for the fifth quarter in a row.

Further, the report which surveys organisations working towards suicide prevention notes they are experiencing a 77% increase in demand for services over the last 12 months and 81% require more funding to meet this need. Alarmingly, more than 8 in 10 respondents anticipate a rise in suicide rates over the next year.

Mrs McIntosh said, “In a cost of living crisis, we need more affordable mental health support to assist Australians in need. This is why a Coalition government will restore the full 20 Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions which were slashed to 10 under the Albanese Labor Government.”

“The Albanese Labor Government has been ineffectual in addressing the economic challenges impacting families’ hip-pockets and their mental health.

“Today’s report has called for an urgent whole-of-government response and accelerated implementation of targeted economic policy to give Australians the relief they urgently need.

“We are seeing Australians increasingly becoming at risk of suicide as the bills mount up, with mortgage and rents rising exponentially and daily grocery essentials priced out of people’s budgets.

“I have heard some shocking stories from people across Australia, and they are telling me they do not believe the Government is doing enough to help them or see relief on the horizon.