Category: Australian News

The latest review into the management of the Murray-Darling Basin exposes greed, politicking and climate change are killing the nation’s biggest river system, the Greens say.
Responding to the Interim Inspector-General of Murray–Darling Basin Water Resources Mick Keelty’s report, released today, Greens Spokesperson for the Environment and Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“There are no jobs on a dead river. This report shows greed and vested political interests are putting the River at risk for all users and killing the River from top to bottom.
“The importance of maintaining environmental flows for the sake of the River’s survival is confirmed in this report.
“The anti-science and anti-environment agenda fanned by people like Barnaby Joyce has created misinformation and frustration amongst the community. Family farmers have been used as political pawns, while the National Party’s corporate irrigator mates are able to keep being greedy.
“The River system is under enormous stress, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was meant to tackle the over-extraction of water from irrigation. Politics and greed have continued to hinder doing what the science and the environment needs to save the River. It’s time we got on with retuning water to the environment so the River is there into the future.
“This report proves what many of us have known for a long time – allowing the National Party to control the Water Ministry has been a recipe for disaster. They peddle lies, misinformation and have a lack of respect for the science. Morrison should take the portfolio off the National Party, and put science back in charge.”

Qantas and Virgin Australia Groups will operate a minimum domestic network servicing the most critical metropolitan and regional routes in Australia thanks to a significant investment from the Federal Government of up to an initial $165 million.
Underwriting the cost of the network, which includes all state and territory capital cities and major regional centres such as Albury, Alice Springs, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Kalgoorlie, Mildura, Port Lincoln, Rockhampton, Tamworth, Townsville and Wagga Wagga, comes in addition to the more than $1 billion of Federal Government support for Australia’s aviation industry in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said sustaining Australia’s aviation industry is critical to protecting livelihoods and saving lives and that’s why the Government has acted again today to provide further support.
“As Australians are asked to stay home unless absolutely necessary, we are ensuring secure and affordable access for passengers who need to travel, including our essential workers such as frontline medical personnel and defence personnel, as well as supporting the movement of essential freight such as critical medicine and personal protective equipment,” Mr McCormack said.
“We know that a strong domestic aviation network is critical to Australia’s success and today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment, yet again, to maintaining connectivity during this pandemic.
“This investment will also help Australians returning from overseas, who find themselves in a different city after 14 days of mandatory quarantine, complete their journey home safely.”
This announcement complements the actions the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government has already taken to underwrite international flights to help Australians get home, as well as flights to our regional and remote communities through the $198 million Regional Airlines Network Support program announced on 28 March and the $715 million package announced on 18 March.
These arrangements will last for an initial eight weeks with a review mechanism in place, where the Government will continue to monitor the market and determine if further action is required.
We continue to support every Australian to get to the other side of this pandemic with more than $320 billion of investment, including our $130 billion JobKeeper Payment to support workers and businesses.

Greens leader Adam Bandt and transport spokesperson Senator Janet Rice have called for public ownership of Virgin in light of reports the airline is considering going into administration.

Before handing over any public money to the major airlines, the Greens are calling for conditions to be attached:

• Government support being provided as an equity stake, not a loan. Given the financial position of the airlines the required equity stake would almost certainly result in public ownership.
• Workers remaining employed and fully paid
• A pay cut and no bonuses for executives
• A ban on share buybacks or dividends
• A seat for workers on the company board
• Board seats (proportional to the equity stake) for government
• Paying a fair share of corporate tax

Greens transport spokesperson Senator Janet Rice said:

“If public funds are used to bail out Virgin then the airline should be brought into public hands.

“Keeping airlines afloat is important to guarantee essential transport and protect jobs during and after this crisis. But the government must attach conditions to any bailout money to ensure a fair outcome for workers and some return on investment for the Australian people, rather than another handout for corporate investors.

“Privatisation has failed us. While corporate profits for the major airlines have soared over the years, the public has been paying more, and now most of Qantas and Virgin’s workforce have been stood down and left in the lurch.

“The Greens plan ensures that the government does not write a blank cheque to the airlines without prioritising our essential transport workers.”

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

“If Virgin is about to go into administration, the government should bring it into public ownership.

“Public ownership of Virgin may be the only way to save jobs and ensure Australians can remain connected as we travel in a carbon-constrained world.

“If we’re spending public money, we should be getting public ownership. It’s as simple as that.

“Private companies shouldn’t feel entitled to public money when they need help, only to turn around and abandon workers in their hour of need.

“Our government likes to pretend they’re good economic managers, but forking over billions in public money without getting an ownership stake is a bad deal.”

Australian Greens Housing spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP have said that the federal government must step up and develop a national housing policy that addresses big gaps left by the states.
Housing packages announced by state governments in recent days have largely left vulnerable renters in the lurch and failed to address the power imbalance between landlords and tenants.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:
“We have seen some positive steps from the states, such as moratoriums on evictions and funding for tenant advocacy services, but it’s not good enough to leave renters at the mercy of landlords.
“Measures across the board are still skewed towards landlords and leave renters behind. Leaving negotiation up to individual landlords and their tenants makes the most vulnerable tenants open to exploitation at a time when they need security and certainty.
“This power imbalance between landlords and tenants will further entrench inequality post-pandemic. This is the time to ensure a better deal for renters and the dignity of a secure home for everyone.
“Renters need confidence that if they ask for a rent-free period or for rent reductions now, they won’t be faced with rental hikes or a big debt to pay later when the pandemic is over. We need a nationwide rent freeze so no one is left behind now or later.
“The federal government has really failed here. They must immediately step up. We need an increase and expansion of Commonwealth Rent Assistance payments. The government needs to bring big banks to the table, and direct them to provide mortgage relief, with no interest accrual, a ban on foreclosures and a freeze on owners’ credit ratings,” she said.
Adam Bandt MP said:
“No one should be forced onto the streets during a pandemic. These approaches by the states are a good step towards keeping a roof over everyone’s heads through this crisis, but they need to go further.
“Even when faced with the prospect of thousands of renters being unable to pay their rent, state and territory governments have heavily weighted their response in favour of landlords.
“As it stands, renters face being saddled with thousands of dollars of debt.
“Telling renters to ‘work it out’ with their landlords doesn’t mean much when landlords hold all the cards.
“While some landlords are wondering whether their investment properties will turn a profit this year, renters are wondering whether they’ll be able to eat this week. It shouldn’t be difficult for governments to figure out who needs the most help.”

Australian exporters impacted by the COVID-19 crisis will now have access to business-saving loans between $250,000 and $50 million under a new $500 million capital facility to be administered by Export Finance Australia.
The new COVID-19 Export Capital Facility will target loans to established and previously profitable exporters who, due to COVID-19, are unable to gain finance from commercial sources.
Federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the COVID-19 Export Capital Facility would help trade-exposed businesses, including those from regional Australia and businesses in the tourism and education sectors, to get through this crisis and get to the other side.
“These are tough times for many trade-exposed businesses who have been some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis,” Minister Birmingham said.
“Rising export costs, disruptions to supply-chains and loss of markets are some of the factors that are making it difficult for exporters to access vital commercial finance.
“We are currently in a difficult credit environment and these loans will provide a lifeline to Australian exporters to help them maintain their operations.
“This critical financial assistance will help exporters to get back on their feet through helping to re-establish markets, or provide working capital support or help exporters purchase new equipment to expand their operations.
“Helping our export sector to get access to business-saving finance is crucial to reducing job losses through this crisis and a critical part of the ultimate economic recovery.
“These business-saving loans are in addition to the significant steps our Government has already taken to support exporters and jobs across the sector to get through these incredibly tough times.”
The COVID-19 Export Capital Facility complements other initiatives to sustain exporters, and position them to rebound quickly, including the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Guarantee Scheme that will support up to $40 billion of lending to SMEs (including sole traders and not-for-profits). Under this scheme, the Government will guarantee 50 per cent of new loans issued by eligible lenders to SME up to $250,000.
In addition to the COVID-19 Export Capital Facility, Export Finance Australia will also provide assistance to its existing customers through access to credit and financial relief.
For more information on Export Finance Australia, including how to apply for finance, visit: www.exportfinance.gov.au/covid19.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects economic growth in Australia to rebound despite the global economy facing a downturn “far worse than during the 2009 global financial crisis” as a result of the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
The IMF is forecasting the global economy to fall by 3.0 per cent in 2020 which compares to a fall of 0.1 per cent in 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis.
Economic growth in Australia is projected by the IMF to fall by 6.7 per cent in 2020 as the world deals with the economic fallout from the coronavirus. However, the IMF is forecasting Australia to grow by 6.1 per cent in 2021, faster than the economies of the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The Morrison Government has taken decisive action to protect Australians and the economy from the effects of the coronavirus, with Government support for the economy totalling $320 billion or 16.4 per cent of GDP.
The $130 billion JobKeeper payment will help keep more Australians in jobs as we tackle the significant economic impact from the coronavirus. In the absence of the JobKeeper payment, Treasury estimates the unemployment rate would be 5 percentage points higher and would peak at around 15 per cent in the September quarter.
The IMF also notes that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) responded quickly to worsening risk sentiment by injecting $90 billion into the financial system to support small and medium businesses to deal with the economic challenges that are being caused by the spread of the coronavirus.
Our disciplined economic and budget management saw Standard and Poor’s last week reaffirm Australia’s AAA’s credit rating, noting that “while fiscal stimulus measures will soften the blow presented by the COVID-19 outbreak and weigh heavily on public finances in the immediate future, they won’t structurally weaken Australia’s fiscal position.”
Australia approaches this crisis from a position of economic strength. The Federal Budget returned to balance for the first time in 11 years and Australia’s debt to GDP is about a quarter of what it is in the United States or United Kingdom, and about one seventh of what it is in Japan.
Our measures are temporary, targeted and proportionate to the challenge we face and will ensure Australia bounces back stronger on the other side, without undermining the structural integrity of the budget whilst maintaining our commitment to medium term fiscal sustainability.

The big streaming companies should play their part in helping fund Australia’s cultural recovery, the Greens say. The Party is also calling on the Australian Government to commit to an Australian Content Fund.
“The bigwigs of video streaming like Netflix, Stan and Amazon should be regulated to support Australian made stories and entertainment, Greens Arts & Media spokesperson Senator Hanson-Young said today.
“During the Covid19 shutdown Australian households are logging on and streaming more content than ever before. Meanwhile Australia’s cultural, arts and entertainment industry is being decimated by the Government’s Corona response.
“It’s no surprise that it’s Australian artists and entertainers that are keeping us all sane as we remain cooped up inside in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. What is more surprising is unlike in other parts of the world, Australia has no obligations on big streaming companies to fund, invest and create Australian content or tell Australian stories.
“Now is the time for the Government to make a real difference in protecting and enhancing our national identity, culture and voice by issuing requirements for big players like Netflix, Amazon and Apple to put genuine support behind Australia’s screen and music industries.
“Funding cuts to both Screen Australia and the ABC over the years has seen support for creating quality Australian TV shows and films reduced.
“Alongside Netflix and others, the Government needs to invest in an Australian Content Fund to keep local stories being made, workers in the industry in jobs and protect our unique Australian voice, at a time when as the Prime Minister says, national sovereignty and cultural identity is so important to keeping us all together and united.
“As the Arts and Communications Minister plans to make more announcements this week, it would be foolish to weaken the nations ability to create local content and tell our own stories. Pressured, free-to-air broadcasters may want less obligations to produce Australian shows and entertainment, but this would create mass job losses and a long-term economic downturn for everyone. Watering down Australian made content is the exact opposite of what we need right now.”

The Morrison Government’s historic $1500 fortnightly JobKeeper payment will support millions of Australian jobs as we build a bridge to the other side following the severe economic impact from the coronavirus.
The economic shock facing the global economy from the coronavirus is far more significant than what was seen during the global financial crisis over a decade ago.
Businesses across a range of industries have had to close their doors and others have seen a significant drop in activity as countries, including Australia, exercise social distancing measures to contain the spread of the virus.
It is against this backdrop the Government has taken action with $320 billion or 16.4 per cent of GDP in economic support for the Australian financial system, businesses, households and individuals affected by the coronavirus.
Given these actions and the position of economic strength from which we approached the coronavirus crisis Treasury expects the unemployment rate to rise to 10 per cent in the June quarter from 5.1 per cent in the most recent data.
In the absence of the $130 billion JobKeeper payment, Treasury estimates the unemployment rate would be 5 percentage points higher and would peak at around 15 per cent.
More than 800,000 businesses have already registered for the JobKeeper payment which will allow the economy to recover more quickly once we are through to the other side of the crisis.
The Government’s economic support measures are temporary, targeted and proportionate to the challenge we face and will ensure Australia bounces back stronger on the other side, without undermining the structural integrity of the Budget which Australians have worked so hard to restore.
Last week our track record of prudent fiscal management was recognized by Standard and Poor’s who reaffirmed Australia’s AAA credit rating and made the point that “while fiscal stimulus measures will soften the blow presented by the COVID-19 outbreak and weigh heavily on public finances in the immediate future, they won’t structurally weaken Australia’s fiscal position.”
Australia is one of only ten countries to hold such a rating from all three major rating agencies.
Every arm of government and industry is working to keep Australians in jobs and businesses in business, and to build a bridge to recovery on the other side.
The Government will continue to do what it takes to ensure that Australia bounces back stronger.

Greens transport spokesperson Senator Janet Rice has called on the Government to attach conditions to any bailout money given to airlines to provide the financial support necessary to pay all workers, rather than allowing Qantas and Virgin to stand down workers without compensation.
Greens transport spokesperson Senator Janet Rice said:
“Virgin Australia today stood down 80% of its workforce, only days after the parliament passed the government’s minimum $715 million airline bailout. Last week, Qantas stood down two thirds of its workers.
“These workers will be facing weeks and months of uncertainty and hardship if the government does not act now to attach conditions to their major airline corporate bailout. The government’s first priority should be ensuring airlines keep their workforce in place as we go through this crisis.
“Both Virgin and Qantas have spent a fortune on share buy-backs to prop up shareholder value. They have paid out exorbitant CEO salaries and both companies have successfully minimised their tax over many years. Yet many of their workers will now be forced to join the endless Centrelink queues around Australia.
“Workers should not be the victims of cost-cutting in the bad times while shareholders and executives lived it up during the good times.
“This bailout should be done by the Federal Government taking an equity stake in the airlines so that the community gets some return on their investment.”
“Keeping airlines afloat is obviously important to ensure essential transport during this crisis. But it needs to be done in a way that ensures a fair outcome for workers and taxpayers, rather than another handout for corporate investors.”
“All public support should be conditional on the airlines guaranteeing jobs. We must do everything we can to protect the tens of thousands of employees of these two companies.”