Category: Australian News

The Australian Senate has sent a strong message to the Morrison Government that it wants a federal corruption watchdog with teeth, voting 35 to 32 in favour of the Greens Bill today.

Greens Co-Deputy Leader Larissa Waters who introduced the bill said the Senate had sent a strong message to the Government in voting to clean up politics and restore community confidence following a series of scandals.
“Today’s vote for the Greens bill to establish a corruption watchdog with teeth shows the Senate won’t stand for the weak Government model which is already long delayed and ineffective,” said Senator Waters.
“Today’s vote is a great victory for the community who deserve a healthy democracy that works for them rather than for big corporate donors and vested interests.
“Now the pressure is firmly on the Morrison Government to back this bill in the House and do the job properly, or at the very least upgrade their toothless watchdog thought bubble.
“This is the fourth time a Greens bill has passed the Senate, and we hope for many more.
“The Greens have been pushing for 10 years for a corruption watchdog and I pay tribute to the work of Bob Brown, Lee Rhiannon and Christine Milne who were relentless in their decade long pursuit for an end to corruption, and the important work of Cathy McGowan in the House.
“Community confidence in political leaders has plummeted following scandals involving both major parties and there is no longer any excuse for running a protection racket for politicians engaged in corruption and dodgy dealings.
“This is now a test for Prime Minister Scott Morrison – will he hear the strong message for the Senate and clean up this sideshow of scandals or continue to delay and whitewash his weak body which won’t stop corruption?
“Australians deserve to have their voice and values represented in parliament, not corporate sponsorship of politicians and the undue influence of big donors including the mining industry, property developers and gambling industries.
“The Greens have pursued a national anti-corruption body for more than a decade and we will keep up the pressure until we get the job done,” she said.
 
Full copy of National Integrity Commission Bill here:
https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bills/s1154_first- senate/toc_pdf/1825820.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf

A report on electricity prices released today by the Australian Energy Regulator confirms that electricity bills were lower when the Greens/Labor carbon price was in effect than they are now under the Liberals, said Greens energy spokesperson, Adam Bandt.
“Electricity bills were lower under the Greens/Labor carbon price than they are now under the Liberals, and back then we were also cutting climate pollution,” said Mr Bandt.
“The regulator has belled the cat.
“It takes a particular kind of genius to deliver both higher pollution and higher electricity bills, but the Liberals have managed to stuff everything up.
“To cut both pollution and power bills, we should bring back the carbon price and build more renewable energy.”
The September 2019 ‘Affordability in retail energy markets’, released today by the Australian Energy Regulator, contains the following Figure 1 on page 6, with the data supporting the report revealing the electricity price index has risen by 2.6% since the carbon price was at its peak in 2014.

Today’s weak economic figures reveal an economy that is spluttering and directionless under a Coalition Government whose plans are nothing more than the same old discredited trickle-down nonsense. That’s why the Greens are calling today for the Government to adopt a Green Stimulus package, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“The growth figures released today prove what has been clear to so many of us for so long: this Government’s lame old trickle-down approach to the economy is a flop and they have no plan to fix it,” Di Natale said.
“Today’s growth figures, the weakest we’ve seen since this country was last in recession almost 30 years ago, should be a wake up call for both the Liberals and Labor that business as usual just isn’t going to cut it.
“We need a bold approach if we’re going to weather the storm that’s rattling the global economy, and that’s why the Greens are calling on the Government to launch a Green Stimulus package that would boost Newstart, lift wages and accelerate and expand the pipeline of green infrastructure investment in this country.”
Key Components of Green Stimulus Plan:

• • Immediately increase Newstart and Youth Allowance payments by $75 a week.
• • Accelerate and expand the pipeline of Green infrastructure investment in electricity generation, transmission and storage, energy efficient public housing and public transport.
• • Remove the Commonwealth public sector wage cap and commit to lifting wages by 4% per annum.
• • Unleash private sector wage growth by legislating to reverse the cuts to penalty rates and peg the minimum wage to 60% of the median full-time wage.

The Greens responded to the AFP raid on the home of an Australian Signals Directorate intelligence officer today:
Greens Spokesperson for Media and Communications and Chair of the Senate Inquiry into Press Freedoms and Whistleblower Protections Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Today’s raid by the AFP on an intelligence officer is very concerning. The intimidation of truth tellers by this government is alarming.
“Journalism and the protection of whistleblowers are essential pillars of democracy.
“First the AFP raided the journalists, now they are raiding public servants.
“The Government should be upfront about whether today’s raid is in relation to the earlier raids on a News Corp journalist who exposed the Government’s draconian plan to allow the Australian Signals Directorate to spy on Australians.
“The Senate Inquiry into press freedoms and whistleblowers is increasingly urgent, and will consider protections for public sector employees who disclose sensitive and classified information.”
Greens Spokesperson for Justice Senator Nick McKim said:
“These raids are designed to intimidate potential public interest whistle blowers.”
“This is the stuff of a police state, not a democracy.”

An increased number of Australians are attending General Practitioner (GP) appointments without reaching into their pockets, with GP bulk billing rates under Medicare hitting a record high of 86.2 per cent for the full year of 2018-19.
Since 2012-13, bulk billing rates have increased by four full percentage points from 82.2 per cent, and is further proof Medicare is stronger than ever before under this Government.
Our commitment to Medicare and bulk billing is rock solid.
The latest figure – up 0.1 percentage point compared to last year – was the fourth consecutive quarter last financial year to achieve a record, and is evidence more Australians are visiting their doctor without having to pay a cent.
Patients made 136.5 million bulk billed GP visits in 2018-19, up 3.3 million on the previous financial year.
The bulk billing rate for total Medicare services reached 79.2 per cent for 2018-19, up 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, and up 2.7 percentage points from 76.5 per cent in 2012-13.
The benefits for patients are clear. Australians accessed 335.8 million bulk billed services including GP, specialist, pathology and diagnostic imaging services in 2018–19, up 8.9 million more than the record set last year.
The total cost of all Medicare services in 2018-19 was $24.1 billion, an increase of 3.5 per cent in benefits paid.
These figures show that Medicare is supporting the health and wellbeing of Australians more than ever before.
As well as continuing and increasing its investment in Medicare, the Morrison Government is ensuring it supports quality health care.
On 1 July this year, the Government increased the patient rebate for further GP items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Specialist procedures, allied health services and other GP services such as mental health and after hour’s services, were indexed.
The Medicare Benefits Schedule Review will ensure Medicare services are effective and appropriate for patients now and into the future.
Australia has one of the best health systems in the world, founded on Medicare. These figures show Medicare, under the Morrison Government is supporting the health and wellbeing of Australians more than ever.

In light of escalating violence in Hong Kong and the looming threat of intervention by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale is calling on the Government to immediately offer permanent protection for anyone from Hong Kong who currently resides in Australia.
“The recent attacks on peaceful protesters by the Hong Kong police and proxy forces are shocking and completely unacceptable. Using force against peaceful protestors is never acceptable and we stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong,” Di Natale said.
“It is now absolutely clear that any Hong Kong resident currently in Australia faces a genuine risk of harm should they return home. We have a legal and a moral obligation to offer them safe haven, and that is what Scott Morrison must order his Government to do.”
“The Australian Greens are calling on Scott Morrison to immediately offer permanent protection to anyone from Hong Kong currently residing in Australia.
“We have been here before; we have a roadmap. Bob Hawke’s decision to grant protection to Chinese citizens in Australia in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre was a shining example of Australian leadership in the world, and has only made our multicultural nation richer in the decades since.
“Like Bob Hawke in the wake of Tiananmen Square, Scott Morrison now has an opportunity to demonstrate to the world some kindness and generosity. For the sake of everyone involved in these tragic circumstances, I hope he takes it.
Note: There were a total of 18,839 Hong Kong residents in Australia across all visa classes as of June 30, 2019 according to the Department of Immigration.

Australian Greens Senator and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed Early Learning Matters Week and called for the Morrison Government to commit to supporting the sector, including by introducing funding certainty, guaranteeing all three and four year olds access to 24 hours of early childhood education a week and supporting early childhood workers with professional pay.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Early Learning Matters Week is a great opportunity to highlight how early childhood education supports the well-being of our children, families and society.
“We need to recognise the importance of a well-resourced and accessible early childhood education system with professional pay for staff and thank Australia’s early childhood educators for their work.
“The Morrison Government needs to get serious about early childhood education in this country by introducing funding certainty for providers, guaranteeing all three and four year olds access to 24 hours of early childhood education a week and supporting early childhood workers with professional pay.
“The Greens strongly support early childhood educators across the country and their rights to fair pay. It is well past time for the people who educate and care for children to have decent pay and conditions” she concluded.

Greens climate change spokesperson Adam Bandt MP has today called on Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor to do his job, end the war on renewables and extend the Renewable Energy Target (RET) to cut pollution and lower power bills.
“If Angus Taylor wants to do his job and cut emissions, he needs to extend the RET,” said Mr Bandt.
“Australia’s energy sector is facing a valley of death from the coming investment strike.
“It’s time for Australia to end its war on renewables. We need to extend the RET, establish a national storage target and significantly boost investment in the grid.
“Angus Taylor is like an internet dater ghosting on the state and territory Energy Ministers, refusing to host a COAG Energy Minister’s meeting since December 2018. We are a country floundering without an energy policy.
“Angus Taylor needs to do his job, call a COAG meeting and extend the RET to lower energy costs and cut pollution.”

Paedophiles would face mandatory jail sentences and the most serious offenders could be jailed for life under sweeping changes to Federal sentencing laws to be introduced to Parliament next week.
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Sexual Crimes Against Children and Community Protection Measures) Bill 2019 will also make it harder for serious offenders to get bail, while repeat offenders will have to stay in prison for longer.
The Bill reflects the Morrison Government’s commitment to keeping Australians safe and creates new offences to capture evolving forms of child exploitation such as being the administrator of a website that functions for the purpose of distributing child abuse material.
Attorney-General Christian Porter said 28 per cent of child sex offenders convicted of federal offences in 2018-19 did not spend one day in jail – a statistic totally out of step with community expectations.
“It simply beggars belief that nearly a third of all child sex offenders who were sentenced last year were not required to spend a single day behind bars, despite the devastating and life-long impacts that their crimes have on their young victims and their families,” the Attorney-General said.
“And when jail terms were handed out, the average length of time that offenders spent in custody was just 18 months.
“The changes being introduced by the Morrison Government will ensure that a jail term becomes the starting point for all child sex offenders, while maximum penalties will also be increased to better reflect the gravity of these types of crimes, including a new life term for the worst offenders.”
Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said the Australian Federal Police received almost 18,000 reports of child exploitation involving Australian children or Australian child sex offenders last year, which was almost double the number from the previous year.
“Sentences need to reflect community expectations and act as a significant deterrent to others, which is why these sorts of despicable crimes must result in significant penalties, not simply a slap on the wrist which is often the case,” Mr Dutton said.
“Our Government is at war with these predators and all those who would seek to do harm to children
“The message we are sending to paedophiles is that it won’t matter how good their lawyer is, a prison cell will be waiting for them when they are convicted. This is what the community expects and this what the Morrison Government intends to deliver.
“I would urge the Labor Party, who failed to support these reforms in the last Parliament, to listen to the Australian People and put community safety first when it comes time to vote on this Bill.”
The Bill complements a broad package of reforms already introduced by the Coalition during the last Parliament, which strengthened laws relating to child sexual abuse and created new protections for the community.
This included tough new measures to stop child sex offenders from travelling overseas to abuse children and the introduction of Carly’s law, which targets online predators who use the internet to prepare or plan to sexually abuse children.
The new Bill will vastly improve justice outcomes and community safety through:

• Mandatory minimum sentences for serious child sex offences and for recidivist offenders
• A presumption against bail for serious and repeat offenders to keep them off the streets
• Increased maximum penalties across the spectrum of child sex offences, including up to life imprisonment for the most serious offences
• Presumptions in favour of cumulative sentences and actual imprisonment
• Ensuring that all sex offenders, upon release from custody, are adequately supervised and subject to appropriate rehabilitative conditions
• Preventing courts from discounting sentences on the basis of good character where this is used to facilitate the crime.

The Bill will be introduced to Parliament next Wednesday.

Federal Water Minister David Littleproud is completely out of touch if he believes his claims on ABC Radio this morning that the only problem with the Murray Darling Basin is a lack of water due to drought, the Greens say.
Greens Murray Darling Basin spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Minister is shirking responsibility by claiming that unless it rains, there’s no water to share.
“The NSW Natural Resources Commission found over-allocation of water in favour of up-stream corporate irrigators pushed the river system into severe drought leading to the devastating fish kills,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“If water is over-extracted by irrigators then it isn’t lack of it falling from the sky that means there’s not enough to go round. This is clearly a water management issue and therefore under the Minister’s purview.
“The Minister needs to stop working in favour of big corporate irrigators and lift the freeze on buying back environmental water.
“Water must be returned to the River and we must have a Royal Commission to fix the management of the Murray Darling Basin before it is too late.
“The National Party’s head in the sand attitude to climate change is a slap in the face to rural communities and farmers.
“Between denying climate change and refusing to tackle the greed of big corporate irrigators, it’s no wonder scientists are warning there will be more fish deaths this summer.”