Category: Australian News

The Native Title Tribunal has handed down a decision that extinguishes the land rights of the Gomeroi People in order to allow multinational gas giant Santos to proceed with its coal seam gas project in the Pilliga Forest. The NSW Labor Government’s support for the project, despite strong and sustained opposition from Traditional Owners and the community, has been labelled a profound betrayal of cultural heritage, environmental integrity and climate justice. 

Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment and First Nations justice, Sue Higginson, said the decision prioritised fossil fuel profits over the rights of First Nations people, the protection of sacred Country, and the future of the environment and climate. 

Sue Higginson said:

“This result has completely failed the Gomeroi, demonstrating the severely broken system for land rights, and it’s a victory for corporate fossil fuel interests. The Gomeroi People have consistently and clearly opposed this project for over a decade. More than 23,000 public submissions were made against the Narrabri Gas Project, compared to only 300 in support. A wide coalition of unions, scientists, farmers and community members have stood with Gomeroi Traditional Owners to stop Santos. This outcome shows how little the rights of First Nations communities matter when profit is on the table.” 

“The Pilliga Forest is a place of immense cultural, spiritual and environmental significance. It is the largest inland native forest in eastern Australia, a critical recharge zone for the Great Artesian Basin, and home to threatened species. Santos plans to drill up to 850 coal seam gas wells across this landscape. The environmental risks are well-documented and irreversible. Once the Pilliga is fractured by this project, it cannot be undone.” 

“The conditions that have been imposed are wholly insufficient to prevent damage and are insulting in the context of what is being lost, again highlighting how broken and limited the system is. Requiring that the gas be used for domestic supply does not stop the destruction of Country. Enhanced cultural heritage protections do not reverse the fact that sacred sites will be placed under industrial pressure. A ranger program cannot substitute for land rights and self-determination. These conditions do not meaningfully address the Gomeroi People’s deep and consistent objections. They greenwash the result and give political cover to a dangerous fossil fuel project.” 

“The NSW Labor Government has actively supported this project and must be held accountable. They had the power to stop this and chose not to. By siding with Santos, they have chosen fossil fuel profits over First Nations justice. They have ignored cultural significance, community opposition and climate science. This is not the public interest. It is a political failure and a moral failure.” 

“This project should never have been approved and it is not too late to stop it. The Federal Government has the power to revoke environmental approvals. The NSW Government can withdraw its support. Communities will not stand by while Country is destroyed. I stand with the Gomeroi People. The community stands with the Gomeroi People. The fight to protect the Pilliga is far from over.” 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will depart on the first international visit of his second term to meet with world leaders from 14 May to 20 May 2025.

Prime Minister Albanese will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia from 14 to 16 May 2025 to meet His Excellency Mr Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia was also Prime Minister Albanese’s first bilateral visit following his election in 2022.

The Prime Minister will be joined in Jakarta by Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong and Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke MP.

Prime Minister Albanese and President Prabowo will discuss the close relations between Australia and Indonesia, and how our countries can deepen our partnership.  

The Prime Minister will then travel to the Holy See to attend the inauguration of Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, Bishop of Rome, on Sunday 18 May 2025.

Since 1973, the diplomatic relations between Australia and the Holy See have helped foster strong links with the Catholic Church, including its humanitarian efforts around the globe, and the five million Australians of the Catholic faith.

During his visit to Vatican City, Prime Minister Albanese will meet with a number of other world leaders also in attendance.

Prime Minister Albanese will invite Pope Leo XIV to Australia for the 54th International Eucharistic Congress in 2028.

On Tuesday 20 May, the Prime Minister will meet His Excellency Mr Lawrence Wong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, before returning to Australia.

Singapore is one of Australia’s closest partners, with a friendship anchored in strategic trust and deep cooperation, and a shared regional and global outlook.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will be Acting Prime Minister while Prime Minister Albanese is overseas.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“My first overseas visit after my Government’s re-election reflects our enduring commitment to some of our closest partners in the region.

“I am honoured to be a guest of President Prabowo Subianto. There is no country more important to Australia than Indonesia. We have a long history of cooperation and friendship, celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.

“Together we are setting an ambitious agenda to deepen our ties.

“It is also a great honour to represent Australia at Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration — a historic occasion for the Catholic Church.

“The event will connect Catholics around the world, and the millions of Australians of Catholic faith, as they celebrate and welcome the new Bishop of Rome and Pontiff to amplify his message of peace and social justice for all humanity.

“I look forward to reinforcing Australia’s strong relationship with the Holy See under Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.

“I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Wong. The close partnership between Australia and Singapore is underpinned by our shared interest in an open, stable and prosperous region.”

The Australian Government is appalled at the sham trial and 13-year sentence given to Australian man Oscar Jenkins.

As a full serving member of the regular Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war.

The Australian Government has made clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins must be given the protections afforded to him as a prisoner of war. Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment.

We continue to hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins. We are working with Ukraine and other partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to advocate for his welfare and release.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to provide consular support to Mr Jenkins’ family.

The Greens federal party room has unanimously elected Senator Larissa Waters as the new leader of the Australian Greens.

The leadership ballot was uncontested.

Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters will be ably supported by a team of proven performers:

• Senator Mehreen Faruqi will remain in the role of Deputy Leader
• Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will be the Greens Manager of Business
• Senator Nick McKim will be Party Whip
• Senator Penny Allman-Payne will be Party Room Chair and Deputy Whip

Larissa Waters was elected to federal parliament in 2011 after a career as an environmental lawyer working on high profile cases protecting biodiversity, world heritage-listed sites, stopping native species extinctions and broadening environmental impact assessments.

Larissa has held various portfolios in the Greens, most notably the women’s portfolio and climate spokesperson in the Senate.

In the women’s portfolio, Senator Waters established the Issues related to menopause and perimenopause senate inquiry which gave voice to legions of women and resulted in cheaper  menopause treatments being included on the PBS. She also instigated the Universal access to reproductive health senate inquiry to protect Australia’s abortion rights from global threats under the first Trump administration, which highlighted the lack of accessibility and affordability of abortion and the need for free contraception.

A strong advocate for women’s rights in the workplace, Larissa made history in 2016 as the first MP to breastfeed in federal parliament. Larissa was also the first person to say the word perimenopause in the federal parliament in 2023.

Larissa is the single mum to two school-aged kids and resides in Meanjin/Brisbane.
Portfolio allocations are decided by the Greens Leader, and will be allocated at a later date.

Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters:
“I call today for politics with heart – for a progressive parliament that gets outcomes for people and genuinely tackles the problems we’re all facing.

“This parliament could achieve real progress: climate and environment action, dental into Medicare and free childcare.

“The Greens will be firm but constructive in our approach with the Labor government, and work for outcomes that help improve peoples’ lives and protect nature and the climate.

“Voters across this country delivered the Greens the sole balance of power in the Senate and we take that responsibility really seriously.

“Labor will have a choice: work with the Greens for climate action and dental into Medicare, or work with the Liberals to keep opening up new coal and gas and tinker around the edges of the housing and cost of living crises.

“I thank my party room colleagues for their unanimous support today, and I also want to pay tribute to Adam Bandt for his leadership and dedication to our movement over the last 15 years.”

Greens Deputy Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi:
‘I’m delighted to get the trust of my colleagues to continue on as the deputy leader with Larissa as leader.

“I’m really excited that for the first time there are two women at the helm of our Greens ship and we are ready to start the work our members, voters and the community have given us to do.

“Migrant and multicultural communities in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have backed us for speaking the truth and standing against the genocide in Gaza.

“To the right wing media, the billionaires, the big corporations and the Albanese Government this is my message: We will not be taking a step back on climate action, on the environment, on housing and on Palestine. People want us to fight for them and the planet, and that is exactly what we will be doing.

“This moment demands more from us, not less. The planet is burning, inequality is deepening, and young people cannot afford a Government that tinkers around the edges as their future disappears.

“We will deliver the hope, courage and transformation this moment demands.

“People have voted for the Greens to hold the sole balance of power in the senate and we will not let them down.

Former Greens Leaders Bob Brown, Christine Milne, Richard Di Natale and Adam Bandt offer their sincere congratulations to Queensland Senator Larissa Waters, new leader of the Australian Greens.

We are delighted that Larissa has stepped up to take the leadership baton and she has our full support and encouragement.

“Larissa is a dedicated Environmental lawyer, feminist, mother and an all round warm, caring person of integrity. She is a team player and is exactly the right person to lead The Greens as we drive serious climate and Nature policy. The Parliament is dominated by fossil fuel corporate interests and who better to take them on than Larissa?” said the first woman to lead the Greens, former Senator Christine Milne.

“The world is facing an existential crisis in which extinction is happening before our eyes, and collapse characterises ecosystems from the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo to our native forests. With the Albanese Government saying it intends to address our weak and outdated Nature laws, it is critical that there is a strong Greens voice injecting the dire state of the natural world into the debates. Larissa will do that splendidly,” said Bob Brown.

“Larissa has fifteen years experience in Parliament working hard to strengthen our democracy, create a more just society and uphold the rights of women. She was a terrific Deputy during my time as Leader and I always appreciated her policy expertise, and her sheer hard work,” said Richard Di Natale.

“As Australia faces a growing climate crisis and as inequality gets worse, Larissa’s integrity, intelligence and strong sense of justice are just what this country needs,” said Adam Bandt

Larissa is a great role model for women in politics. She broke new ground when she became the first woman in Australian history to breastfeed a baby on the floor of the Senate. As a Greens leader, she will inspire another generation of young women to consider entering politics to drive environmental and social change.

Today, a damning independent report undertaken in the month before MyWay+ went live. The report revealed that the Transport Minister, Chris Steel, was advised that the system was ‘sub-optimal’, the ACT Government was avoiding robust conversations with the contractor, and there was a lack of planning for the transition.

“This report reveals shocking evidence that Minister Steel let the MyWay+ go live – without question, despite extensive warnings about the system’s issues,” said Andrew Braddock, ACT Greens Spokesperson for Transport.

“The report highlights that there was ‘avoidance of robust conversations’ between Transport Canberra and NEC due to the desire to maintain positive working relationships. Minister Steel chose his relationship with a consultant over the basic rights of Canberrans to access public transport in their city.

“Despite promises to bring Canberra’s public transport network into the future with ‘seamless’ experience and ‘world-class’ capability, NEC and Transport Canberra agreed to reduce the functionality of the system ahead of launch and even described the system as a ‘minimum viable product’.

“It is insulting that our Transport Minister has such low standards for public transport in our city. Canberrans deserve the world-class system that they were promised.

“Since launch, validators have not worked, senior Canberrans and those with a disability have been locked out from the system, and Canberrans’ personal and payment information has been put at risk to hackers. There is nothing seamless or world-class about an inaccessible and insecure transport system.

“While we are still awaiting the Assembly Committee findings, this report is incredibly damning and supports the evidence that has been gradually coming to light through the Committee Hearing process.

“What more do we need to find out before Minister Steel apologises to Canberrans for this botched MyWay+ rollout and before he addresses the issues that continue to plague commuters?” said Mr Braddock. 

Deputy Leader of the ACT Greens Jo Clay:

“On the crossbench, the ACT Greens have effectively pushed the government to balance the needs for housing and the environment.

“The Greens have pushed the government to progress work on the Missing Middle since early 2023. Two months ago we got the Government to move faster and release the guidelines issued today. 

“Not long after, we secured Government commitment to set an urban growth boundary to prevent needless sprawl.

“Just days ago we heard from the ACT’s Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment report that decades of prioritising new suburbs over infill in planning Canberra’s urban environment has seen a rapid decline in the state of our natural environment.

“We need more homes in Canberra, and we can build them without paving over our precious environment.

“The Missing Middle Design Guidelines released today are an important start to publicly discuss how Canberra will build more homes across our existing suburbs.

“We need the right kinds of homes in the right places. With more town houses, terrace houses and three-storey apartments, more people will live close to the things they need and want in their lives such as parks, schools, work, shops and public transport.

“It gives us a greater housing diversity to meet the needs of the growing number of people who are making Canberra their home.

“But it is just a start. To get this right we need people living in Canberra to be part of this process so we build a city together that best supports the way people live within our current footprint without impacting our marvellous bush capital.”

The guidelines and public consultation is available on the ACT YourSay website.

The Australian Government is appalled at the sham trial and 13-year sentence given to Australian man Oscar Jenkins.

As a full serving member of the regular Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mr Jenkins is a prisoner of war.

The Australian Government has made clear to Russia that Mr Jenkins must be given the protections afforded to him as a prisoner of war. Russia is obligated to treat him in accordance with international humanitarian law, including humane treatment.

We continue to hold serious concerns for Mr Jenkins. We are working with Ukraine and other partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to advocate for his welfare and release.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to provide consular support to Mr Jenkins’ family.

The Greens federal party room has unanimously elected Senator Larissa Waters as the new leader of the Australian Greens.

The leadership ballot was uncontested.

Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters will be ably supported by a team of proven performers:

• Senator Mehreen Faruqi will remain in the role of Deputy Leader
• Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will be the Greens Manager of Business
• Senator Nick McKim will be Party Whip
• Senator Penny Allman-Payne will be Party Room Chair and Deputy Whip

Larissa Waters was elected to federal parliament in 2011 after a career as an environmental lawyer working on high profile cases protecting biodiversity, world heritage-listed sites, stopping native species extinctions and broadening environmental impact assessments.

Larissa has held various portfolios in the Greens, most notably the women’s portfolio and climate spokesperson in the Senate.

In the women’s portfolio, Senator Waters established the Issues related to menopause and perimenopause senate inquiry which gave voice to legions of women and resulted in cheaper  menopause treatments being included on the PBS. She also instigated the Universal access to reproductive health senate inquiry to protect Australia’s abortion rights from global threats under the first Trump administration, which highlighted the lack of accessibility and affordability of abortion and the need for free contraception.

A strong advocate for women’s rights in the workplace, Larissa made history in 2016 as the first MP to breastfeed in federal parliament. Larissa was also the first person to say the word perimenopause in the federal parliament in 2023.

Larissa is the single mum to two school-aged kids and resides in Meanjin/Brisbane.
Portfolio allocations are decided by the Greens Leader, and will be allocated at a later date.

Attributable to Greens Leader Senator Larissa Waters:
“I call today for politics with heart – for a progressive parliament that gets outcomes for people and genuinely tackles the problems we’re all facing.

“This parliament could achieve real progress: climate and environment action, dental into Medicare and free childcare.

“The Greens will be firm but constructive in our approach with the Labor government, and work for outcomes that help improve peoples’ lives and protect nature and the climate.

“Voters across this country delivered the Greens the sole balance of power in the Senate and we take that responsibility really seriously.

“Labor will have a choice: work with the Greens for climate action and dental into Medicare, or work with the Liberals to keep opening up new coal and gas and tinker around the edges of the housing and cost of living crises.

“I thank my party room colleagues for their unanimous support today, and I also want to pay tribute to Adam Bandt for his leadership and dedication to our movement over the last 15 years.”

Attributable to Greens Deputy Leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi:
‘I’m delighted to get the trust of my colleagues to continue on as the deputy leader with Larissa as leader.

“I’m really excited that for the first time there are two women at the helm of our Greens ship and we are ready to start the work our members, voters and the community have given us to do.

“Migrant and multicultural communities in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have backed us for speaking the truth and standing against the genocide in Gaza.

“To the right wing media, the billionaires, the big corporations and the Albanese Government this is my message: We will not be taking a step back on climate action, on the environment, on housing and on Palestine. People want us to fight for them and the planet, and that is exactly what we will be doing.

“This moment demands more from us, not less. The planet is burning, inequality is deepening, and young people cannot afford a Government that tinkers around the edges as their future disappears.

“We will deliver the hope, courage and transformation this moment demands.

“People have voted for the Greens to hold the sole balance of power in the senate and we will not let them down.

In the face of climate change, with increased bushfires, floods and storms, it’s critical that emergency services have the funding they need to keep the community safe. We only need to look to the fires in LA to see what happens when emergency services are under-resourced.

The Victorian Greens share the concerns that have been raised by farmers and firefighters about Labor’s changes to the fire services levy, and have pushed the government to make significant changes to make the levy fairer and ensure it commits real, additional funding for our emergency services and firefighters.

Labor’s original proposal had a lot of problems. It was going to redirect money from this levy to fund government administration, while leaving key emergency services like firefighters without the basic funding to replace their fleet of aging, unsafe firetrucks – which puts firefighters, and the whole community, at risk. 

In summary, the Greens have secured the following significant changes to gain our support for the legislation which also requires the support of other crossbench MPs to pass: 

• Increased funding for emergency services – instead of the new levy providing no more than 87.5% of FRV annual funding, it will now be required to provide no less than 90% of FRV annual funding and no less than 95% of funding for the CFA and SES.
• Guaranteed $10 million every year ongoing, for a rolling fleet replacement program for out-of-date firetrucks for FRV, on top of the funds for rolling fleet replacement for the CFA and additional money for vehicles for the SES.
• Key amendments that ensure the levy is strictly used for frontline emergency services and not a dollar can be used for other government administration. 
• Exemptions for farmers experiencing hardship due to drought. 
• A significant additional drought relief package for farmers.
• Additional $15 million for support for farmers to reduce their energy bills.
• A commitment to a reduced levy rate for primary production land.

People expect that 100% of this levy go towards properly funding frontline emergency services we rely on, like safe and reliable firetrucks – which is why the Greens have ensured every dollar will go towards funding frontline emergency responders and have secured guaranteed funding for a rolling firetruck fleet replacement for both the FRV and CFA, which makes sure every firetruck is replaced when they reach retirement age. 

The Greens are deeply concerned about farmers facing drought and have secured changes that will exempt them from the increased levy and expand drought-affected areas to cover more farmers. We’ve also pushed the government to agree to a major drought relief package to be announced before the state Budget and significant additional support for farmers to reduce their energy bills.

All this legislation does is provide a legal tool to provide secure, ongoing funding for our emergency services into the future. The rate of the levy is not part of the legislation and is set by the Treasurer separately.

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell: 

“With increased bushfires, floods and droughts, we need fully funded emergency services to keep us all safe – so we don’t face a horrific situation like the LA fires.

“Labor’s original levy had some serious problems, so the Greens pushed for significant changes. These changes mean farmers experiencing hardship from drought will be exempt from the increased levy, firefighters will have proper secure and ongoing funding including to replace their ageing trucks, and amendments will ensure every dollar goes to emergency services and can’t be spent to plug government budget holes.”