Category: Australian News

The Minns Labor Government has struck yet another secret backroom deal, this time with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) – delivering more than 100 perks and sweeteners with zero transparency and no costings revealed to the public.
 
According to media reports last night, the deal includes training bonuses, free travel gold passes, no forced redundancies, and union representatives embedded in every future network decision. Meanwhile, everyday workers, families and commuters are left in the dark.
 
No one disputes that our frontline workers and public servants deserve fair pay. They are the ones who keep the State running, not the Minns Labor Government, which has become addicted to headlines, inquiries, spin and re-announcements to appear to be doing something.
 
But while nurses are still waiting for a pay rise and are forced to pay to park at the very hospitals they work in, this deal gifts free lifetime travel passes to RTBU members, something not afforded to any other part of the public sector. Where is the fairness? Where is the equality?
 
For all the disruption, all the delays, all the spin and all the secret meetings, the only thing the public receives is two days of free travel as small compensation for the months of chaos on our rail network. That’s it. No meaningful cost-of-living relief. No new infrastructure. No new ideas. Just another union payoff from an already tired Labor Government that’s already run out of steam who will say sorry and that they need to do better.
 
The Minns Labor Government has:
 
Refused to publicly release the full agreement
 
Stacked the transport network with embedded union veto power
 
Axed the Country Trains division with no community consultation
 
Offered nothing to struggling households battling the cost-of-living crisis
 
Failed to deliver any new infrastructure on their own since taking office
 
Acting Leader of the Opposition, Damien Tudehope said this is a government that says one thing in public and does another behind closed doors.
 
“The public deserve transparency, not cover-ups, not secrecy, and not a train deal that reads more like a union Christmas wish list,” Mr Tudehope said.
 
Acting Shadow Minister for Transport and Roads, Scott Farlow said while nurses pay to park and families get no help with bills, Labor has gifted the RTBU gold passes, free travel and total control over the transport system.
 
“This is not a fair deal—this is political protection dressed up as policy,” Mr Farlow said.
 
The State Budget contained nothing for cost-of-living relief. No back-to-school help. No energy reprieve. Instead, the Minns Labor Government gave the RTBU free travel and left everyone else behind.

The Jewish Council of Australia has today warned that the newly released Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism risks undermining Australia’s democratic freedoms, inflaming community divisions, and entrenching selective approaches to racism that serve political agendas. The report is riddled with misinformation and claims about nefarious funding sources for protests and universities that verge on conspiracy theory. The Council is especially concerned about the plan’s strong endorsement of the widely discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been used to silence legitimate criticism of Israel and Zionism.  The Council criticised the plan’s emphasis on surveillance, censorship, and punitive control over the funding of cultural and educational institutions: measures straight out of Trump’s authoritarian playbook. We caution that some of the reccommendations including new visa powers and judicial inquiries into student activity — risk censoring criticism of Israel, deepening racism, and failing to meaningfully address the root causes of antisemitism. The Council is calling on the government to: Ground its response in anti-racist principles that include tackling Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, racism against First Nations people and all other forms of racism;  Engage a broad spectrum of Jewish voices, including those critical of Israel, who have not been consulted in the development of this plan;  Reject authoritarian proposals that erode civil liberties under the false guise of Jewish safety.

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Dr Max Kaiser,  Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia “This document reads more like a blueprint for silencing dissent rather than a strategy to build inclusion. The report’s vague language around ‘antisemitic narratives’ or ‘affiliations’ , coupled with its emphasis on the discredited IHRA definition of antisemitism, make the actions recommended dangerously unclear. Consistent with her past statements erroneously linking antisemitic attacks with Palestine solidarity protests, Segal seems fixated on driving a pro-Israel narrative and repressing legitimate criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.   Antisemitism is real and must be taken seriously. But it does not exist in a vacuum. Any response that treats antisemitism as exceptional, while ignoring Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and other forms of hate, is doomed to fail.”

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens Senator for South Australia and spokesperson for the Environment has written to the Prime Minister to urge for a national response to the devastating South Australian algae bloom.

“For months, the coastline in South Australia has been under attack by a toxic algal bloom. So far, most of the response has been led by the local community, without any formal government support.

“Just last week we learned that senior members of the federal government were not even aware of the disaster unfolding on our beaches. This is simply not good enough.

“I have written to the Prime Minister because South Australians cannot be left to deal with this environmental disaster on our own. 

“If there were dead fish washing up on Bondi Beach every day, there would be a national outcry and response. South Australians deserve the same support from our federal government that east coast states would demand.”

“We know that this has been caused by the climate crisis, just like the extreme weather events like fires and floods. The federal government has an important role to play when it comes to managing climate change events, climate mitigation and adaptation. 

“A declaration of a national disaster is important to ensure that there are significant resources available to conduct the science that is desperately needed and support the communities and industries that are bearing the brunt of this crisis.

“Our fishing and tourism industries are being decimated by this disaster. The scientists tell us that we could be facing another 18 months with this toxic algal bloom. To protect our important industries we need a proper support package.”

Greens MP Sue Higginson has made a formal complaint to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) alleging misconduct by police officers involved in the arrests in Belmore on 27 June 2025, and the invocation of emergency powers in arrest documents.

The extraordinary emergency powers designed to quell riots and other situations that give rise to a serious risk to public safety are purportedly to have been invoked in justifying the arrest of Hannah Thomas, where she was significantly injured by police, at a peaceful pro Palestine community assembly. The powers were introduced following the Cronulla Riots in 2005, and can only be used after an authorisation is given by an Assistant Commissioner or above of the NSW Police. When an officer exercises these powers after being authorised, any person given the direction must be informed that the direction is to prevent or control a public disorder.

Greens MP and Spokesperson for Justice Sue Higginson said “The appearance of these emergency powers on the arrest documents for Hannah Thomas is very revealing and deeply concerning, considering that an Assistant Commissioner or above must have authorised their use and that they must have believed that a large-scale public disorder was about to take place.”

“The other possibility for these emergency powers to be mentioned, is that the NSW Police are currently engaging in reverse engineering evidence to justify the assault of an innocent member of the community – something that we call corrupt.”

“At no point over the last 10 days have any of the Police, the Premier, or the Minister for Police referred to public disorder, let alone large-scale public disorder. What we have seen instead, is a series of statements from the Premier Chris Minns and Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden that are inconsistent with the evidence from the day, evidence clearly shows that police officers acting above the law.”

“There was no evidence whatsoever to form the basis to invoke the extraordinary police community control powers, the event was intended and was in fact a small lawful gathering of people protesting about SEC Plating and the genocide taking place in Gaza.”

“The LECC is responsible for investigating complaints of misconduct against police officers, and that’s why I have written to the Commissioner of the LECC today, making a complaint to them that certain police officers have engaged in serious misconduct in relation to these arrests.”

“It is the responsibility of the Commissioner for Police to notify the LECC if they suspect serious misconduct has occurred by a police officer, but the law allows for any person to make a formal complaint as well – I have taken this step today because the evidence here points to an active attempt to reverse engineer a justification for unlawful actions by the police.”

“The criminal and civil justice processes will continue for the survivors of this incident, but the evidence of serious misconduct by some officers in the NSW Police must be investigated independently by the LECC. Without accountability, the use of extraordinary emergency powers unlawfully is a significant step towards unjustified and unlawful punishment of legitimate and genuine peaceful protest, and will have a chilling effect on our constitutional right to political expression,” Ms Higginson said.

BACKGROUND:
public disorder means a riot or other civil disturbance that gives rise to a serious risk to public safety, whether at a single location or resulting from a series of incidents in the same or different locations.

An authorisation for the exercise in a public place of the special powers conferred by this Division may be given in accordance with this Division if the police officer giving the authorisation has reasonable grounds for believing that there is a large-scale public disorder  occurring or a threat of such a disorder occurring in the near future, and is satisfied that the exercise of those powers is reasonably necessary to prevent or control the public disorder.

An authorisation may be given by the Commissioner of Police or by a Deputy or Assistant Commissioner of Police. The power conferred by this section cannot be delegated.

The Greens have called on Labor to finally end Robodebt amid growing calls from welfare organisations to fully implement the recommendations from the 2023 Royal Commission.

Two years on from the Robodebt Royal Commission report, Labor have failed to fully implement the commissioner’s recommendations, and as a result, income support recipients continue to receive cruel and potentially unlawful debt notices and payment suspensions based on automatic Robodebt-style compliance.

The Greens call follows similar calls from the Australian Council of Social Services and from Economic Justice Australia, and comes ahead of an expected report from the Commonwealth Ombudsman into the so-called Targeted Compliance Framework.

Recommendations from the Royal Commission which the government have failed to implement include a statute of limitations on the recovery of old debts, establishing a duty of care for the Department, and automatically protecting people experiencing hardship from receiving compliance notices.

Greens spokesperson for Social Services, Senator Penny Allman-Payne:

“Robodebt lives on today. It’s been two years since the Royal Commission and still Labor have refused to act on the commission’s recommendations to protect income recipients.”

“Labor continues to aggressively target income support recipients using questionable and potentially unlawful automated debt collection practices that can see people lose access to income support payments that are already below the poverty line.”

“We know people are still being flogged with ridiculous debt notices for supposed issues dating back to the 1970s, and the government still has no protections in place to prevent individuals already experiencing severe hardship from being further punished.”

“Fully implementing these recommendations is the least that Labor could do to correct this cruel system which treats welfare recipients as suspects.”

“The Greens are calling on Labor to implement the Robodebt Royal Commission’s recommendations in full now, and we’ll continue to fight to restore the Commonwealth Employment Service and bring an end to the punitive mutual obligations system.”

Australia and Fiji are taking steps to formally elevate and deepen the Vuvale Partnership as we work together to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific.

During Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s visit to Australia, we affirmed our support for Prime Minister Rabuka’s vision for an “Ocean of Peace” including family first Pacific regionalism and Pacific-led solutions to Pacific challenges.

As part of this next step in our Vuvale Partnership (meaning ‘family’), Australia will support Fiji to implement key priorities including: 

• funding two technical advisers to lead the implementation of Fiji’s new National Security Strategy
• embedding Australian Federal Police officers in the Fiji Police Force to extend policing cooperation
• providing $12 million (FJD 17.6 million) to strengthen border security by improving shipping container screening at Lautoka and Suva Ports; and
• increasing Australia’s bilateral development assistance to Fiji by $40 million (FJD 56 million) over four years, taking the total to just under $500 million (FJD 734 million) from 2025 to 2029.

As Fiji and Australia look to deepen Vuvale, we will also explore further cooperation across a range of areas including:

• operationalising Ocean of Peace principles, including family first Pacific regionalism
• delivering a modern, cyber-secure ICT Border Management System to support Fijians and visitors
• enhancing cooperation on transnational crime, with a focus on responding to illicit drugs and opportunities for greater information sharing and surveillance efforts
• strengthening policing capability through training and infrastructure
• tackling HIV/AIDS, building on Australia’s $7.1 million (FJD 10.4 million) investment in Fiji’s health system
• expanding maritime security, shipbuilding and maintenance through technical collaboration; and
• growing economic opportunities through skills development and employment pathways.

In addition to meeting with Pacific Affairs Minister Conroy, the Fiji delegation also met the Governor-General, Prime Minister Albanese, Home Affairs Minister Burke and Attorney-General Rowland.

The Fiji delegation visited the 130-strong Royal Fiji Military Forces Rotational Company participating in Exercise South Queensland Warfighter as part of the Australian Defence Force 7th Brigade, as well as the Pacific Policing Initiative facilities in Pinkenba where Fiji is part of a regional policing effort, and the Australian Border Force-led Maritime Border Command.

Fiji is a regional leader, and the economic hub of the Pacific. Our First Nations’ peoples share deep connections to land and sea. Australia and Fiji stand together because we share an ocean and we share a future.

A strengthened Vuvale Partnership will help us build a region defined by peace, unity and prosperity.

We look forward to taking this important next step with our Fijian family.

Today I announce the appointments of five career diplomats to lead Australia’s posts in Copenhagen, Manila, Riyadh, Colombo and Ankara.

I am pleased to confirm the following appointments:

• Mr Dave Vosen as Australia’s next Ambassador to Denmark
• Mr Marc Innes-Brown PSM as Australia’s next Ambassador to the Philippines
• Mr Miles Armitage as Australia’s next Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
• Mr Matthew Duckworth as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
• Ms Sally-Anne Vincent PSM as Australia’s next Ambassador to Türkiye

Australia’s diplomats drive our engagement with the world, building influence, creating opportunities for business and supporting Australians overseas.

In these uncertain times, Australia’s relationships with our partners and participation on the world stage are more important than ever.

I wish these senior appointees all the best as they work to advance Australia’s interests and I thank the outgoing ambassadors for their important contributions.

Responding to the shocking arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue last night, Greens Acting Leader, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Australian Greens stand with the community in condemning the shocking arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue last night.

“Our thoughts are with the families who were gathering inside for Shabbat at the time and for the broader Jewish community who are understandably distressed at such a horrific act of violence.

“There is no place for anti-semitism and violence against Jewish people in Australia.

“Everyone should be able to feel safe in their places of worship and community gatherings and attacks like this cannot be tolerated.

“Hate has no place in our communities and hurts us all.”

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens Senator for South Australia and spokesperson for the Environment has written to the Prime Minister to urge for a national response to the devastating South Australian algae bloom.

“For months, the coastline in South Australia has been under attack by a toxic algal bloom. So far, most of the response has been led by the local community, without any formal government support.

“Just last week we learned that senior members of the federal government were not even aware of the disaster unfolding on our beaches. This is simply not good enough.

“I have written to the Prime Minister because South Australians cannot be left to deal with this environmental disaster on our own. 

“If there were dead fish washing up on Bondi Beach every day, there would be a national outcry and response. South Australians deserve the same support from our federal government that east coast states would demand.”

“We know that this has been caused by the climate crisis, just like the extreme weather events like fires and floods. The federal government has an important role to play when it comes to managing climate change events, climate mitigation and adaptation. 

“A declaration of a national disaster is important to ensure that there are significant resources available to conduct the science that is desperately needed and support the communities and industries that are bearing the brunt of this crisis.

“Our fishing and tourism industries are being decimated by this disaster. The scientists tell us that we could be facing another 18 months with this toxic algal bloom. To protect our important industries we need a proper support package.”

The Albanese Government is partnering with local businesses to create pathways for women to enter traditionally male-dominated industries, with the launch of the EmpowerHer Pathways: See what you can be project.

The project is part of the Building Women’s Careers (BWC) program and will be delivered in partnership with the Network for Educational Workplacements,

EmpowerHer will work with industry partners to create gender-inclusive opportunities in the renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, construction and technology sectors in the Hunter region.

Women currently make up less than 8% of all female apprentices in male-dominated trades. Fewer than one third of apprentices in all trades are women.

EmpowerHer Pathways will promote non-traditional career paths for women, particularly school leavers and marginalised groups, by addressing real and perceived gender and industry specific barriers, by:

• implementing workplace policies that encourage take-up of flexible hours and parental leave arrangements
• creating a mentoring network to support women’s entry, retention and career advancement in these fields
• establishing a continuous feedback loop to gather data on participation rates, training completions and employment retention to support ongoing evaluation and sustainability.

The project will access existing networks through a partnership with the Aboriginal Advancement Alliance, AGL Macquarie, Ampcontrol, Gamuda Berhad and John Holland, Hunter Multicultural Communities, Muswellbrook Shire Could, Regional Development Australian, Singleton Council and TAFE NSW.

The BWC program, funded under the $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia package, is delivering 20 partnership projects that address barriers for women entering, remaining and advancing in the traditionally male-dominated industries of construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technology.

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Amanda Rishworth:

“Ensuring women have access to equal career opportunities in all industries and sectors is part of our commitment to closing the gender gap and addressing our current skills shortage.

“Through the EmpowerHer project, we are actively addressing the very real gender and geographic barriers impacting women from entering these sectors and introducing new pathways that make workplaces safer and more equitable.”

Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles:

“We understand that you can’t be what you can’t see, and this project will focus on reaching women in the Hunter at a grassroots level.

“The EmpowerHer project is taking a holistic approach at attracting and retaining new staff, through direct policies, workplaces mentors and partnerships and increasing training and participation.

“By working in partnership with industry stakeholders across construction, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital and technology – we are working to ensure industry barriers are addressed from all angles.”

Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon:

“This project isn’t just about getting women through the door – it’s about ensuring they are celebrated and seen as leaders in these fields.

“We know that diversity drives innovation and strengthens workplaces, and EmpowerHer Pathways will help ensure that women gain the skills, confidence, and connections they need to thrive.

“As someone who’s long championed gender equality, I’m incredibly proud to see this project take flight.”