Category: Australian News

In April 2018, Screen Australia introduced a mandatory Code of Conduct to Prevent Sexual Harassment for all recipients of Screen Australia production funding.

Since that time, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) and the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) have jointly developed and released the Australian Screen Industry Code of Practice: Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Bullying.
A goal of the Screen Industry Code of Practice is to enable employers to have a consistent approach to these important issues across the entire Australian screen industry. As such, Screen Australia will require projects approved for production funding from 1 July 2019 onwards to implement the Screen Industry Code of Practice rather than the Screen Australia Code of Conduct.
Production companies must, so far as is reasonably practical, implement the Code of Practice as part of its obligations in the Screen Australia funding contract.

Senior South Australian Liberals must clarify whether Tony Pasin’s push to underwrite coal-fired power is part of the Liberals’ plan for our renewables state.
“Liberal Barker MP Tony Pasin went on radio this morning calling for taxpayer money to be spent on new coal-fired power stations. Senior South Australian Liberals must clarify whether this is their new position,” Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Senior South Australian Liberals, Steven Marshall and Simon Birmingham, must face this head on. South Australians deserve to know where they stand. This move by Tony Pasin undermines our renewable energy industry and puts our economy at risk.
“South Australia is proudly coal-free. We have one of the highest uptakes of solar in the country. South Australians expect their MPs to embrace the future, not revert to the dirty days of coal.
“Opening up new coal-fired power stations in this era of climate change is backward and destructive. Our environment cannot afford more coal pollution if we are to stave off the worst of climate change.
“The Greens will fight any move to spend public money propping up coal-fired power stations. Coal must be phased out, our environment and climate depend on it.”

The Australian Greens are deeply concerned at the Hong Kong Government’s proposed new extradition agreement with China.  The proposal will undermine Hong Kong’s independent legal system, and it will expose people to China’s unjust system, Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale said.
“We all know that China’s judicial system is deeply politicised.  The right to a fair trial is chronically denied and defendants often face ill-treatment and torture – despite policies prohibiting such treatment. People unjustly mired in China’s judicial system have little to no hope of redress.
“The Chinese Government still hasn’t aligned its key criminal laws and policies with international human rights standards.  It does not always allow criminal suspects access to lawyers.  It fails to investigate allegations of police torture and to hold police to account.  It imprisons human rights lawyers, artists and academics.
The Greens urge the Australian Government to speak out strongly against this new proposal in the hope that it doesn’t become law.”

Equinor’s claims they can drill safely in the Great Australian Bight have gone to water after their ship crashed into their oil rig in Norwegian waters, the Greens say.
“A collision like this in the Great Australian Bight could spell disaster. The waters are rough and remote. The risk is too great, we don’t want an accident like this happening in the Bight,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“This collision comes after oil was found on the sea surface at the same rig last month. If they can’t drill safely in the calm, shallow waters in the North Sea, they cannot be trusted to risk the Bight.
“No amount of corporate spin will make drilling in the Bight safer. There is no amount of planning Equinor can do to avoid critical accidents or disasters.
“No company should be given the green light to drill in the Bight’s rough waters. The Greens, with the South Australian community, will continue to fight plans to turn the Bight into an oilfield, to keep our tourism and fishing industries strong, our beaches clean and avoid disaster.”

Instead of locking in a spiral of economic inequality by green-lighting Scott Morrison’s flat tax system, the Labor Party should work with the Greens on a long-term plan to drive productivity and create sustainable jobs through investment in renewables and increasing Newstart, Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale said.
“By supporting these tax cuts the Labor Party are going to make inequality worse and do nothing to set the country up for the future,” Di Natale said.
“Now is not the time for more tax cuts. Now is the time for a massive investment in public services and infrastructure that will work for the wellbeing of everyone in the community, not just the wealthy few. Now is the time to raise Newstart, so that people can live with dignity, as well as giving a boost to our local economy.
“The Government’s tax cut program that Labor is thinking about bringing forward will turbocharge inequality and hamstring future governments from delivering public services down the track.
“The Reserve Bank has been begging the Government to invest in productive infrastructure for the country, but instead, the Liberal and Labor parties have got themselves into a bidding war over who can hand out the biggest tax cuts.
“Instead of getting stuck in a race to see who can give away the money we need to pay for our schools, roads and hospitals the quickest, Labor should join the Greens in pledging to increase Newstart and putting in place a managed transition away from dirty, polluting fossil fuels like coal and gas and towards a clean, green, jobs-rich renewable economy.”

The Greens are calling on new Environment Minister Sussan Ley to formally respond to the UN’s report on the global extinction crisis by using World Environment day to announce the Morrison Government will adequately fund threatened species recovery.
“Australia has one of the worst extinction rates in the world, yet the Government still has not responded to the UN’s harrowing report on the global biodiversity crisis. New Environment Minister, Sussan Ley has the opportunity to act on World Environment Day. She must put in place a properly funded recovery plan, of $200 million a year, to save our threatened species from death row,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Climate breakdown, land clearing, and invasive species are wreaking havoc on our natural environment. Australia has a major part to play in curbing the extinction crisis, by properly funding threatened species recovery. The new Environment Minister must listen to the science, and the experts, in dealing with this crisis.
“If we don’t act now, species like the plains wanderer, the Fleurieu Peninsula southern emu-wren and the Kangaroo Island dunnart will be lost forever. Koalas could be extinct in NSW in the next 30 years. We must commit to a way off the threatened species list that doesn’t end in extinction.
“The Greens took a comprehensive plan to save our threatened species to the election. We know, with political will, we can get out of this mess. That’s why we will continue to fight for our threatened species. New Environment Minister Sussan Ley can take strides toward a better future by responding to this report, and committing $200 million a year to threatened species recovery.
“Our birds, mammals, marsupials, marine and plant life are synonymous with life in Australia. We love our native wildlife and our natural world. We must restore and protect what we have left before it is too late.”

The Australian Greens share the serious concerns held by ABC chair Ita Buttrose regarding ongoing attacks on press freedoms and the Government’s flippant response. The AFP raids on a News Corp journalist’s home and the ABC Sydney headquarters must be investigated.
“This is a very troubling start to this Government. The timing is all very suss, and the heavy-handed, intimidating operations are chilling. ABC Chair Ita Buttrose is right when she says a free media is important to our democracy. Journalists reporting in the public interest should not be treated like criminals,” Greens media spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“This is an attack on our democracy and an attack on those who tell the truth – the journalists and whistleblowers we rely on to keep our governments accountable.
“The Prime Minister says he’s not troubled – well he should be, the rest of us are.
“The Prime Minister needs to come clean with the Australian people. Who ordered these raids, who referred the journalists and who signed off the referrals? What was Peter Dutton’s role in all of this?
“Over the past 6 years there has been slide toward criminalising journalism. The Liberal and Labor Parties have together passed laws that attack the freedom of the press and whistleblowers, and this is where it has ended up.
“An inquiry can help us understand the chilling decline in freedom of the press, what protections are necessary for those that speak truth to power, and what we can do to restore this pillar of our democracy.
“This is why we need an urgent inquiry into the attack on press freedom and democracy in Australia. Australians have a right to know what their government is up to. They should have faith that the journalists working at our public broadcaster, reporting in the public interest, are not going to be treated like criminals.
“A Government that shows contempt for press freedom and whistleblowers is a dangerous government.”

The Morrison Government is backing Australia’s cyber security sector to grow and create new jobs, with businesses to share in up to $8.5 million in funding.
Announcing the opening of the second round of AustCyber’s Projects Fund, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews encouraged companies that can make a significant contribution to the sector to apply.
“Australia’s cyber security industry is continually growing and this funding will further boost our ability to become a global leader in the field, creating more Australian jobs while also making the nation more cyber resilient,” Minister Andrews said.
“According to a report released by AustCyber last year, the global cyber security market is projected to be worth almost US$250 billion by the year 2026.
“This funding will assist the cyber security industry to upskill and expand the sector, and harness the enormous opportunities available to Australia.
“The Morrison Government is committed to supporting the cyber security industry to reach its full potential by capturing a significant share of the global market and creating jobs for the future.”
Matched funding for individual projects ranges from $100,000 to $3 million, totalling up to 50 per cent of eligible project costs.
Previous funding of $6.5 million has resulted in many innovative advancements, including unique smart barcode technology that enables people to identify and verify the quality of products they buy through their smartphone, and technology that allows for independent authentication of personal data stored and managed on mobile devices.
AustCyber was established in 2017 as part of the Australian Government’s Growth Centres Initiative.
The Industry Growth Centres are part of the Coalition’s plan to drive innovation and productivity to grow the economy and create 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years.
Applications close on Friday 12 July. For more information on the AustCyber Projects Fund visit www.austcyber.com/grow/projects-fund

The Morrison Government is backing Australia’s cyber security sector to grow and create new jobs, with businesses to share in up to $8.5 million in funding.
Announcing the opening of the second round of AustCyber’s Projects Fund, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews encouraged companies that can make a significant contribution to the sector to apply.
“Australia’s cyber security industry is continually growing and this funding will further boost our ability to become a global leader in the field, creating more Australian jobs while also making the nation more cyber resilient,” Minister Andrews said.
“According to a report released by AustCyber last year, the global cyber security market is projected to be worth almost US$250 billion by the year 2026.
“This funding will assist the cyber security industry to upskill and expand the sector, and harness the enormous opportunities available to Australia.
“The Morrison Government is committed to supporting the cyber security industry to reach its full potential by capturing a significant share of the global market and creating jobs for the future.”
Matched funding for individual projects ranges from $100,000 to $3 million, totalling up to 50 per cent of eligible project costs.
Previous funding of $6.5 million has resulted in many innovative advancements, including unique smart barcode technology that enables people to identify and verify the quality of products they buy through their smartphone, and technology that allows for independent authentication of personal data stored and managed on mobile devices.
AustCyber was established in 2017 as part of the Australian Government’s Growth Centres Initiative.
The Industry Growth Centres are part of the Coalition’s plan to drive innovation and productivity to grow the economy and create 1.25 million new jobs over the next five years.
Applications close on Friday 12 July. For more information on the AustCyber Projects Fund visit www.austcyber.com/grow/projects-fund

The literacy and numeracy test for teaching students is ensuring that graduate teachers have the necessary skills required in the classroom.
Teaching students are required to pass a literacy and numeracy test with a score that puts them in the top 30 per cent of the Australian adult population.
In 2018, 90.4 per cent of teaching students met the literacy standard and 90 per cent of students met the numeracy benchmark.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the test was working as intended by ensuring that graduate teachers had a high level of the essential skills needed to teach children.
“Our Government recognises the difference high quality teachers make to a child’s education,” Mr Tehan said.
“That is why we introduced a mandatory literacy and numeracy benchmark for teaching graduates. As the latest test results show, ensuring teachers meet the prerequisite standard is as important as ever.
“We have also introduced a high-quality teaching performance assessment that students must pass prior to graduation that demonstrates graduate teachers are classroom ready.
“Our Government will also ensure phonics is included in university teaching courses so that new teachers can use it in the classroom as well as investing $15 million in Teach for Australia to train more high-achieving teachers.
“Higher education providers need to take responsibility for the teaching students that do not meet the standards by ensuring they receive additional support to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. The onus is on universities to ensure the graduates they are producing meet the high standards expected by parents and the standards that our children deserve.
“In September I wrote to all vice-chancellors to remind them of their obligations to support students they enter into initial teacher education degrees to meet the test standard.”