Category: Australian News

In an astonishing display of avoidance, the Premier panicked when asked a simple question from the Greens during Question Time yesterday. 

The Victorian Greens spokesperson for Public and Affordable Housing, Gabrielle de Vietri asked if the state had plans to build a single genuinely public home at the sites where the towers are going to be demolished. 

Ms de Vietri made it explicitly clear that her question referred to public housing, not social housing. 

Despite the clear distinction, the Premier’s initial response referred to social housing anyway, and when pulled up on a point of relevance to address public housing specifically, the Premier refused to get up again and finish her answer. 

Ms de Vietri says that the performance the Premier gave just to avoid her question is extremely telling that her government clearly doesn’t have any plans to build more public housing at the tower sites, despite the plan wiping out a total of 7000 public homes. 

It comes the same week after the Housing Minister Harriet Shing also explicitly avoided answering the question about public housing in an article in The Age that exposed that ministers within Labor’s own ranks think the plan to demolish the towers has ‘no justification’.

Victoria has the least amount of public housing and spends the least on public housing out of any state in the country. 

Despite a ballooning public housing waitlist, the Victorian Labor Government is planning to demolish 7000 public homes across the 44 public housing towers. 

To date, the Victorian Labor Government hasn’t committed to a single public home being rebuilt at the tower sites. 

Victorian Greens Renters’ Rights spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“We’ve seen Labor continuously dance around this question, and yesterday the Premier just flat out refused to answer it. What that tells me is that they have absolutely no plan to build a single public home at the tower sites. 

“We’re in the middle of a housing crisis where the public housing waitlist is ballooning out of control. We should be building more public housing, not less, but this Labor government is selling off public land and knocking down the public housing we already have, it makes no sense. 

“There’s absolutely no evidence to back up the demolition of the towers and Labor knows it. It’s no surprise that the Premier can’t answer simple questions when the wheels are clearly falling off this disastrous plan.”

WA’s youth justice system is broken, likely to increase reoffending and causing devastating harm, with the deaths of two children in detention in the last 18 months.

The Greens (WA) are calling for the system to be completely overhauled with a massive increase of government funding for justice reinvestment, alongside preventative and therapeutic programs for young people to keep them out of prison.

The Greens plan includes:

1. Closing Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison by 30 June 2025.
2. Raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
3. The creation of a new lead agency for Youth Justice that is separate from Corrective Services, as per recommendations by the Coroner, Inspector of Custodial Services and in line with every other State and Territory.
4. $120 million to develop a Youth Justice Strategy and invest in preventative and therapeutic programs to keep young people out of prison and supported in their community.
5. A commitment to fast-track delivery of the Marlamanu on-country diversionary program in the Kimberley and an additional $100 million to work with First Nations to progress similar facilities in the East Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Mid West and South West regions.

WA Greens MLC Dr Brad Pettitt:

“Western Australia’s justice system is broken; it is harming kids, not helping them to thrive. 

“Over the course of 2024, WA locked up almost 750 children with evidence suggesting almost all of those kids have some kind of neurological disability. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result!

“After the tragic deaths of two young people that could, and should, have been avoided the time has come to acknowledge the system is not working for kids and commit to systemic reform with a focus on rehabilitative and therapeutic measures that divert at-risk young people away from the criminal justice system before it is too late.

“Unit 18 is a maximum security facility designed to hold 124 adult prisoners yet right now it holds just a handful of young people while the rest of our adult prisons, including Casuarina, are at breaking point.

“At an average cost of more than $1.1 million per year for every young person in Unit 18, there is simply no benefit to keeping this facility open. Imagine if we invested this money instead into diversion and prevention as a matter of priority, helping to break the cycle of reoffending before kids are locked up.

“Right now the administration of justice reinvestment is piecemeal, with various programs run by the Justice, Communities and WA Police. That’s why we’re calling for a dedicated agency to take the lead on youth justice and develop a holistic, statewide strategy for reform.

“At the end of the day, the Greens want to see increased investment in prevention and early intervention, place-based community services and diversionary programs for young people, both as a gross figure and a proportion of overall spending, that is based on what the evidence says is needed.

“Incarceration should be a last resort; especially for kids. Both major parties are so blinkered by wanting to appear ‘tough on crime’ that they refuse to listen to the experts, to the community and to the overwhelming and growing body of evidence nationally and internationally that this approach does not work.”

WA Greens First Nations spokesperson and Legislative Council candidate, Clint Uink:

“Jailing is failing and here in Western Australia, more than two-thirds of the kids who interact with the criminal justice system are First Nations, WA Labor are desperately failing to support and nurture kids who are falling through the cracks.

“There is no justification for locking up kids as young as 10 years old, which is why the Greens are reiterating our call for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to at least 14 years of age.

“But more than that, we are calling for urgent reform of the justice system that puts the health and wellbeing of our kids first, and recognises that incarceration of children is not making our community safer.

“The Marlamanu on-country diversionary program in the West Kimberley was first proposed in 2017 and this Labor government promised it would be completed in 2023, yet here we are two years on and construction has not even begun.

“The current system causes incredible harm by isolating kids from their community and support networks – we want to see the Marlamanu program fast-tracked and further programs across the state rolled out as a priority.

“Young people need culturally-appropriate support to break the cycle of reoffending. Torturing children in solitary confinement in a maximum-security adult prison is a recipe for disaster. Jailing is failing us all; there is a better way, we’re calling for the courage to choose it.”

New statistics from Cleanbill show that not a single GP clinic in Brisbane is taking in new bulk-billing patients. 

Federal Member for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, has today launched a campaign to get Labor to act on the health crisis — calling for the bulk-billing incentive to be tripled for everyone with a Medicare Card and to establish more bulk-billing Urgent Care Clinics in Brisbane.

The 2025 Cleanbill report released this month shows that Brisbane is one of just fifteen federal electorates in Australia which have no available bulk-billing clinics for new patients.

Brisbane constituents pay the highest average out-of-pocket fee for seeing a GP in Queensland at $50.62 per consultation. 

The complete absence of any new bulk-billing availability is a massive burden on our healthcare system, with Brisbane residents now facing a crisis of access and affordability for primary healthcare. 

This morning, Stephen wrote to federal Health Minister Mark Butler — alongside his Greens colleagues Elizabeth Watson-Brown and Max Chandler-Mather — calling on him to adopt the Greens’ plan to tripe the bulk-billing incentive, and to establish new bulk-billing Urgent Care Clinics here in Brisbane at this year’s budget.

Stephen Bates MP, Federal MP for Brisbane

In a rich country like ours, no one should be putting off a medical appointment because it’s too expensive to see the GP. But that’s exactly what’s happening here in Brisbane.

People are putting off seeing a GP until they have a laundry list of conditions to talk about — or they’re putting it off entirely. That’s putting more pressure on emergency rooms at a time our hospitals are already struggling.

I’ve had 1,300 locals reach out to my office needing help to access healthcare since I was elected three years ago.

They’ve told me they are skipping appointments and delaying receiving crucial test results because they simply can’t afford the out of pocket cost.

GPs being harder to access means more people turning up at emergency rooms for care they could have gotten earlier elsewhere. GPs being more expensive means people are spending less on preventative healthcare like going to the dentist or keeping up with physical therapies. This is squeezing our whole health system and driving us towards a dark place where only the richest few can afford the care they need.

I got involved in politics after a working holiday in the USA, where my friends and I had to raise money to make sure a coworker could afford the insulin she needed.

I made a promise to myself that I’d do everything I could to stop Australia from going down that same dark path. 

But the Cleanbill statistics released this month show a total collapse of access to affordable health services in Brisbane.

The thousands of Brisbane locals who can’t afford to see their local GP anymore need to have access to healthcare outside of the emergency department. It’s just common sense.

The Albanese Government will invest $13.6 million towards the St George Illawarra Dragons Community and High Performance Centre (CHPC) – a world-class precinct and facility which would create significant legacy for sporting teams, fans and the Illawarra community into the future.

This Federal investment will allow the Dragons’ existing facilities to come together under one roof at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus and allows for new opportunities for the Club’s elite and junior representative programs, as well a community partnership programs.

Critically, the new CHPC will enable increased female participation in sport, with an additional 6,000 women expected to play in the region over the next decade.

Community and High Performance Centres across the country have formed the pathways for so many athletes to go on to major national and international success.

The collaboration between the University of Wollongong and the St George Illawarra Dragons for the CHPC aims to deepen engagement with the wider Illawarra community through partnerships, programs, collaboration and learning.

The Albanese Government’s investment, alongside funding from the NSW Government and the St George Illawarra Dragons Club will deliver:

• Two full-sized NRL playing fields.
• Equitable male and female player facilities.
• Medical and treatment facilities.
• High-performance gym and sport science areas.
• Lecture theatre and meeting rooms.
• Community classroom and program spaces including an internal ‘grandstand’.
• Office space for football, community and administration staff, as well as for community partners.
• Communal function rooms.
• University of Wollongong research collaboration space.
• Allied Health area.

The St George Illawarra Dragons’ CHPC project is due to be completed in 2026.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“My Government understands the important role that community sporting facilities play in the quality of life for Australians.

“Our investment of $13.6 million to the St George Illawarra Dragons’ Community and High Performance Centre will provide a base for the Dragons to deliver the next chapter for the Illawarra.

“The Centre will include world-class high-performance training, administration and community facilities as well as community programs to foster even greater rugby league talent.

“This project will help build a better future for the Dragons, University of Wollongong and the Illawarra community.”

the Minister for Sport, Anika Wells:

“The Albanese Government is determined to bridge gender sporting gaps and this investment in the Dragons new facility will help more women and girls have access to more sport.

“Having equitable male and female player facilities is what women in professional sport deserve.”

the Member for Whitlam, Stephen Jones:

“Sport is a major part of family life across the region, and the St George Illawarra Dragons are an integral part of the Illawarra community.

The Albanese Government is backing our region by investing in a world-class facility and community programs that families across the Illawarra will enjoy.

Kids across the Illawarra will now have access to the best facilities that will grow their love for the game of rugby league, while building resilient and healthy communities.

The Illawarra has a top-notch university and this investment will grow the Illawarra and our regions even further.”

the Member for Cunningham, Alison Byrnes:

“The St George Illawarra Dragons’ Community and High-Performance Centre will be a game-changer for the Illawarra, providing pathways for inclusive sporting opportunities, and upgrades to our much-needed community and sporting infrastructure.

“This state-of-the-art facility supported by the Albanese Labor Government will foster greater participation in sport – particularly for women and girls – while also supporting First Nations communities, Pasifika groups, and people of all abilities.

“With a strong focus on health, education, and community engagement, the CHPC will connect people through sport, learning, and resilience-building programs in partnership with the University of Wollongong.”

St George Illawarra Dragons CEO, Ryan Webb:

“On behalf of the Dragons, I’d like to sincerely thank Prime Minster Albanese and the Federal Government for believing in our vision and helping this project to become a reality.

“This Community and High Performance Centre will bring all our staff, coaches and male and female players together under one roof in a state-of-the-art facility that will take our preparation to the next level.

“The CHPC will also provide a significant boost to the local community via access to the NRL fields and community and education program spaces.”

I am pleased to announce the recipients of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations grants round for 2024-25, and new appointments to its Advisory Board.

The Foundation is providing 29 grants to support cooperation and engagement between the people of Australia and China. These programs are focused on building capability in Australian industry, boardrooms, community and institutions to foster engagement in a risk-informed way.

The initiatives receiving grants are listed on the Foundation’s website and include: 

• Long-term investment in Australia’s China capability, through scholarships and exchange programs for students, and training and mentoring programs for Australian businesses, academics and members of the public sector.
• Research, dialogue and cooperation in the priority areas of climate change, sustainable agriculture and decarbonisation.
• Celebrating Chinese-Australians with initiatives sharing the stories of those making powerful contributions to our communities.
• Through the convening power of sport, education and the arts, building understanding of Australia in China, and supporting stronger people-to-people connections.

Today I also announce the appointment of Advisory Board members for the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations.

The Advisory Board helps guide the Foundation in its work to promote and coordinate enhanced cooperation between Australia and China, in support of Australia’s national interest.

I am pleased to appoint Ms Wendy Huang, Publisher and Managing Director, 1688/Chinese Herald Australia to the Advisory Board.

I am pleased to confirm that Mr Rowan Callick, Dr Yin Cao, Ms Wesa Chau, Dr Courtney Fung, Mr Douglas Gautier AM, Ms Marina Go AM, Dr Jade Little, Professor Sharon Lewin AO, Mr Richard McGregor and Professor Rory Medcalf AM have been reappointed to the Advisory Board.

I am also delighted Ms Marina Go AM has accepted my invitation to become Chair of the Foundation in June 2025.

I pay tribute to outgoing Chair Ms Pru Bennett for her contribution to the Foundation as Chair since 2020.

I also thank outgoing Board Members Professor Brian Schmidt AC and Professor Duncan Lewis AO DSC CSC for their valuable support to the Foundation over recent years.

I look forward to the Foundation’s continued work to strengthen engagement with China in Australia’s interest and to reinforce social cohesion by partnering with Chinese-Australian communities to showcase their contributions.

200,000 more young people would get access to JobSeeker or Youth Allowance or increased payments to support them in further studies under the Greens’ proposed changes to eligibility criteria announced today in the party’s target seat of Wills in Melbourne’s inner north.

The PBO-costed election commitment will lower the JobSeeker eligibility age from 22 to 18 and eliminate the Youth Allowance parental income test for young people living away from home.

These changes will increase the average Youth Allowance payment for existing recipients by $4,700 and make 68,000 young people who are currently locked out of the payment newly eligible.

A further 76,000 Youth Allowance recipients will also become eligible for the higher JobSeeker payment, putting an average of $4,900 extra into their pockets in 2025-26.

The plan will cost $7.2 billion over the forward estimates.

The announcement comes as a growing number of students and young people face precarious housing, rising rents and soaring out of pocket costs. Among undergraduates considering leaving university early, 40% of them say that financial difficulties are the reason.

Today’s announcement is the first of a number of election commitments the Greens will make as part of the party’s plan to reform the social safety net and tackle poverty.

Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt MP:

“Finishing school and working out what’s next is a pivotal time for young people, but with rents, education fees and the cost of living all rising, many of them are finding completing further study is not a path they can afford. 

“Starting out your adult life shouldn’t be this hard. Labor should be doing much more to support young people to get established in the field or industry they want to pursue.

“In a minority government, the Greens will keep Dutton out and get Labor to act on cost of living by making sure more young people can access Youth Allowance and are supported to get the education they need to be able to do what they want to do.”

Greens social services spokesperson Senator Penny Allman-Payne:

“Many people act like the soaring cost of living is an aberration, but for millions of young Australians financial stress has been a fact of life for years.

“We increasingly expect young people to undertake tertiary studies, but then we set them up to fail by putting roadblocks in their way: low-paying jobs, low-quality housing and rising rents, and unpaid placements.

“For many young people, the costs are just too great to make tertiary study an option. The Greens want to lower the barriers to study and support young people as they make the transition from high school to university life.

“We should be investing in our young people, not driving them into precarity and poverty. We need a social security system that lifts us all up, and allows uni students to live independent, secure lives.”

Greens candidate for Wills Samantha Ratnam:

“With the cost of living so high, young people in Wills are telling me they are struggling to make ends meet while continuing to study. They are skipping going to the doctor or dentist regularly and often can’t afford the food or essentials they need. 

“If we want young people to be able to get into further education and get the most out of it, we need to support them to do so. The Greens’ plan for more young people to get access to Youth Allowance and JobSeeker will help ease the pressure on young people who are studying at this foundational time of their lives.”

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and tertiary education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi:

“Time and time again, students and young people are being screwed over by the major parties who refuse to do more than tinker around the edges rather than actually tackling cost of living,  rising fees and rents.

“Students deserve so much better than being forced into poverty as they pursue education. Our plan to expand access to Youth Allowance will ease the pressure on students, so they can focus on their education instead of worrying about how to survive.”

The Victorian Greens say that Labor would not need to cut public service that people rely on if the Government properly taxed the big banks and corporations. 

It comes as the Allan government announces that up to 3,000 public jobs could be on the chopping block following a major review into the public sector. 

The Victorian Greens say that it’s essential that our public services are properly resourced to ensure they’re operating as effectively and efficiently as possible and that services Victorians need shouldn’t be compromised. 

The Victorian Greens spokesperson for Economic Justice, Aiv Puglielli said that we wouldn’t need to sacrifice the efficiency of our public services and no one would have to lose their jobs if Labor implemented the Greens plan to put a levy on the big banks. 

Victorian Greens spokesperson for Economic Justice, Aiv Puglielli: 

“Labor should be ensuring the big banks pay their fair share of tax, rather than cutting public services that people rely on. 

“I don’t think it’s reasonable that one big bank can rake in over $5 billion in profits in just six months while 3,000 public sector workers have their jobs on the chopping block.”

The Victorians Greens are offering Labor a progressive pathway to pass effective hate speech laws, having long advocated for protections for the LGBTQIA+ and disabled communities. 

The Greens have extensively consulted human rights, legal, faith and community groups and are seeking a number of amendments as we share some serious concerns about the adverse impacts that Labor’s recent changes could have on marginalised communities including the LGBTQIA+, disabled, multicultural, and First Nations communities.

We’re concerned by the expanded scope of the religious exception and will be seeking changes to ensure LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised groups are protected from hate speech that could hide under the guise of religion. 

The Greens have raised our serious concerns about the criminal provisions of this Bill and how these could be disproportionately used against already over-policed groups experiencing systemic injustice. To safeguard against this we are seeking that decision-makers are required to consider context and power imbalances when applying these laws. 

To safeguard the communities that are most likely to be unfairly impacted by these laws, like First Nations people, we will also be seeking a public interest defence for genuine and reasonable conduct in good faith. 

Greens MP, Gabrielle de Vietri: 

“The Greens are offering a progressive pathway for effective protections against hate speech. It’s essential that we get these important laws right. 

“We’ve been working closely with human rights, legal, faith and community groups on changes and share their concerns that elements of this Bill could have an adverse impact on marginalised people including the LGBTQIA+, disabled, multicultural and First Nations communities. 

“We’ve consistently said we want to work with Labor to pass effective protections against hate speech and now we implore them to come to the table so we can do just that.” 

Regional communities across NSW are set to benefit from new Key Health Worker Accommodation which will help attract more paramedics to the bush.

The Minns Labor Government will invest $10 million in health worker housing for paramedics in regional NSW as part of the Key Health Worker Accommodation program.

The $200.1 million Program supports more than 20 projects across rural, regional and remote NSW.

The $200.1 million funding will secure approximately 120 dwellings across regional NSW, which includes the building of new accommodation, refurbishment of existing living quarters and the purchase of suitable properties such as residential units.

It is estimated the four-year Program will support the recruitment and retention of more than 500 health workers and their families by providing a range of accommodation options.

The Program is one of a number of investments the Minns Labor Government is making to strengthen the regional, rural and remote health workforce and builds on the success of the NSW Government’s $73.2 million investment in key health worker accommodation across five regional local health districts (Far West, Murrumbidgee, Southern NSW, Hunter New England and Western NSW).

Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing in modern, sustainable accommodation options for key health workers who are the backbone of our regional, rural and remote communities.

“Strengthening our regional ambulance workforce is a key priority for our government and this $10 million investment in accommodation will support attraction of paramedics to the regions.”

Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty MLC:

“Providing modern, sustainable and secure staff accommodation in regional, rural and remote locations will help to attract and retain paramedics.

“This $10 million boost to accommodation for our paramedic workforce follows the rollout of an additional 500 paramedics for regional and rural NSW and will support NSW Ambulance staff who take on these positions.”

Gerard Hayes, HSU NSW Secretary:

“The housing crisis can become a healthcare crisis for rural and regional towns if we can’t provide safe and secure housing for essential workers, so we welcome more accommodation for our hard-working paramedics.

“Paramedics are invaluable to regional and rural towns. They deserve to be supported to care for people in those areas. Removing the stress of finding safe, secure and affordable housing is a big part of recognising the value of these essential workers.”

The Albanese Labor Government and Malinauskas South Australian Government are working together to build South Australia’s future with a multi-billion dollar package to save Whyalla Steelworks, support local jobs and encourage more investment into Australian made iron and steel.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic announced the package on the ground in Whyalla today.

The Whyalla steelworks employs 1100 workers and supports more than 2000 indirectly.

Whyalla is critical to sovereign Australian steel. It’s one of only two Australian steelworks, produces 75% of Australian structural steel and is the only domestic producer of long steel products.

Steel from Whyalla helps Australia build and maintain its infrastructure – including railways, bridges, schools, hospitals, high-rise towers, transmission infrastructure and defence assets.

The Whyalla Steelworks is also critical for future ambitions for green steel manufacturing, which will be increasingly lucrative as the world seeks to decarbonise.

The funding will be delivered in three distinct parts: immediate on the ground support, stabilising the Steelworks and investing in the Steelworks’ future.

Immediate, on the ground support – $100 million

• Creditor Assistance payments ($50 million)
• Infrastructure upgrades ($32.6 million)
• Jobs Matching and Skills Hub ($6 million)

Stabilising the Steelworks – $384 million

• The State and Federal Governments are co-investing $384 million to fund the Whyalla Steelworks’ operations during administration. This funding will ensure workers and contractors will have ongoing work at the Steelworks and will continue to be paid.

Investing in the Steelworks’ future – $1.9 billion

• The State and Federal Governments will work with a new owner to invest in the upgrades and new infrastructure which will be vital to ensuring the Steelworks has a sustainable, long-term future.

This comes as the Albanese Government today announces a new Green Iron fund to boost green iron manufacturing and supply chains by supporting early mover green iron projects and unlocking private investment at scale.

A joint taskforce will also be set up to provide advice and expertise in the transition to a sustainable future.

The taskforce will engage with workers, the City of Whyalla, administrators and creditors to support a path forward.

The Commonwealth Government has earmarked up to $500 million of the Green Iron Investment Fund to support the longer term transformation of the steelworks. It will also make available substantial additional financing to partner with a future owner and operator to upgrade the facility and ensure a green steel future for Whyalla and South Australia.

The South Australian Government’s share will come from funding set aside for the Hydrogen Jobs Plan, which will now be deferred to prioritise securing the steelworks, as well as $50 million from the Whyalla Steelworks Operational Efficiency Improvements Fund.

Yesterday, the South Australian Government took action to secure the long-term future of the Whyalla Steelworks and placed the steelworks in administration.

The State has appointed KordaMentha as administrator.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“My Government is building Australia’s future. And to do that, we need Whyalla steel.

“Whyalla steel has forged some of our country’s biggest projects – rail lines, airports and stadiums.

“That’s why today in partnership with the Malinauskas Government, we are delivering more than $2 billion ensure the future of the steelworks and support local jobs.

“My Government is building Australia’s future and backing Australian workers.”

Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas:

“Locally-made steel is vital to South Australia and Australia’s future, and this unprecedented investment recognises the importance of the Whyalla Steelworks.

“I was never going to allow a taxpayer funded bail-out of GFG.

“Now that the Steelworks is no longer under the control of GFG, the State Government can partner with the Federal Government and make the long-term investments necessary to secure the future of Whyalla and Australian steel making.

“We are stepping up to provide immediate on the ground assistance for local workers and businesses, we are stabilsing the steelworks and we are setting the steelworks up for long-term prosperity.”

Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic: 

“Making more things here means making more steel in Whyalla.

“Today we are showing our commitment to a long-term future for Whyalla and Australian steel.

“Steel-making has provided spine to Australian industry for a century and it’s here to stay.

“We want a strong future for Australian steel making, Whyalla will help deliver that.”