Category: Australian News

Tuesday’s budget will be pork-barrelling at its finest. A desperate, spent government trying to stave off a landslide. Imagine if we recast the budget – to create a viable future and make Australia both better and fairer! Together wants Australia to take 10% of its budget – that’s $50billion and spend it differently:
• A Climate Economy Fund – $10 bil – to invest in renewables, an ETS, repair our rivers, new business and jobs
• Homes for all Australians – $10 bil – building homes for the homeless, for renters and first home buyers
• More Medicare – $10 bil – for better public hospitals and access to specialists, free dental and ambulances
• Our Learning Nation – $10 bil for funded places at university and Tafe and boosting research and innovation
• Better Society – $5 bil – doubling the ABC budget, arts funding, legal aid, federal ICAC and national DV action
• Trickle Up Economics – $5 bil into start-ups, social enterprise, more for NDIS and Newstart and UBI trials
Together wants action on tax. Companies like Exxon, Energy Australia and Ikea need to pay their fair share. Then we can shift the balance even further. The budget currently picks winners and we need to pick new ones. We can:
• move subsidies for fossil fuels into renewables – to fund Climate Economy projects
• wind back of negative gearing – to fund Homes for All Australians
• reversing increases in defence spending over the last 5 years – into Our Learning Nation
• use the Banking Levy to start a publicly owned bank
• move our wasteful financing of off-shore detention into on-shore justice.
The time for tinkering is over. The time for bribing the nation with tax cuts is done.
Together we can change #auspol, create a viable future and a better, fairer Australia – by picking new winners.

The Australian Greens have written to the Foreign Minister Marise Payne to express deep concern over Brunei’s new laws that punish homosexual sex with death.
“Brunei’s new laws punishing homosexual sex with death are extremely concerning and a serious violation of basic human rights,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.
“I urge the Australian government to put as much pressure on Brunei to immediately repeal these inhumane laws.”
“I call on the government to grant asylum in Australia to LGBTIQ+ people from Brunei, and update Australia’s travel advice for Brunei.”
Greens candidate for Higgins and LGBTIQ+ advocate Jason Ball, said:
“Australia needs to lead the charge in ensuring Brunei feels the heat from the international community that these laws are unacceptable, and that we won’t allow fear and hatred to go unchecked.”
“This includes the possibility of working with other nations on a UN resolution condemning the Brunei Government’s actions, reviewing our diplomatic relationship with Brunei, and reconsidering Royal Brunei Airlines’ right to land aircraft in Australia.”

Labor’s backflip on forcing car dealers rather than manufacturers to reduce vehicle emissions shows their policy was written on the run, say the Greens.
“Putting the onus on car dealers rather than manufacturers was clearly unworkable and just demonstrates that Labor has cooked up this dog’s breakfast of a policy on the run,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“Every other country in the world with emissions standards regulates this through manufacturers, not dealers. This is also what the experts, including the Climate Change Authority, have always recommended.”
“So far this week Labor has announced a weak 50% by 2030 EV target, but with no mechanisms or policies to achieve it. They also announced a light vehicle emissions standard, but wouldn’t commit to an implementation schedule. And now this backflip.”
“It’s becoming crystal clear that Labor’s electric vehicle and emissions standards policies are just announcements without any substance. There are no timelines for implementation or measures to achieve the targets. The whole thing looks to have been written down on the back of a serviette to dump the day before the budget.”
“The Greens have a 100% by 2030 electric vehicle target, backed up by a range of measures that will actually work, measures that are already driving huge electric vehicle uptake in other countries like Norway and the Netherlands.”

With the stroke of a pen rolling over last century’s destructive logging laws, WA Labor has signed the death warrant on threatened animals like the critically endangered Western Ringtail Possum, say the Australian Greens.
“This rollover is the first by a Labor government. While federal Labor talks tall about strengthening federal environmental laws, the WA Labor government is allowing precious native forests to be destroyed for another 20 years,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens forests spokesperson.
“The Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) give loggers guaranteed supplies of timber from our forests and exempts them from federal environmental laws.”
“They were set up last century to protect the environment and give certainty to the industry. They’ve done neither. They are destroying our native forests, pushing threatened animals to the brink of extinction, and are failing to provide a secure future for regional communities.”
“It’s time to shift wood production to 100% sustainable plantations from the current 88%. We can do it, we just need political will from the major parties.”

A Shorten Labor Government will work with Australia’s transport sector to cut vehicle emissions, boost adoption of electric vehicles and help Australians save on their petrol bills.
Australia needs real action on climate change – not the chaos and division of the Liberals. And real action on climate change means a plan to reduce pollution in the transport sector while saving money for motorists.
Transport emissions make up almost 20 per cent of Australia’s emissions and are a fast growing source of pollution
Cleaner cars and transport aren’t just good for the environment – they are cheaper to run. But Australia lags behind our competitor countries, whether it’s in electric vehicle take-up, or vehicle fuel efficiency. We have ten times lower electric vehicle take-up than the global average, and we’re at risk of being left behind.
That’s why Labor will introduce Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle (EV) policy – building the local industry, generating more local jobs, and helping consumers make the switch.
Labor’s strategy will include:

• A national electric vehicle target of 50 per cent new car sales by 2030 – The global transition to electric vehicles is well underway, but the Liberals’ failure to deliver credible climate change and electric vehicle policies means Australia is now last among western counties for electric vehicle uptake. Incredibly, New Zealand has more electric vehicles than Australia.  Setting a national target will deliver more affordable electric vehicles into the Australian market and drive the switch to electric vehicles, reducing their cost, create thousands of jobs and cutting pollution.

 

• Set a government electric vehicle target of 50 per cent of new purchases and leases of passenger vehicles by 2025 – This government fleet target will send a strong signal to the global industry that we expect cost competitive vehicles to be available for the Australian market. Government electric vehicle fleets will also be important in developing a second hand market. Labor will work towards requiring all Commonwealth‑owned-and-leased office buildings to include the provision of charging infrastructure where appropriate.

 

• Growing private electric vehicle fleets: Labor will allow businesses an upfront tax deduction to purchase electric vehicles for business purposes, as part of Labor’s announced Australian Investment Guarantee. We will allow business to immediately deduct 20 per cent depreciation for EV vehicles valued at more than $20,000 as part of private fleets

 

• Regulatory reforms and COAG agenda: Labor will establish an electric vehicle COAG agenda to improve coordination of electric vehicle take-up and related infrastructure planning. Labor will also require all federally-funded road upgrades to incorporate electric vehicle charging infrastructure, work with states to ensure new and refurbished commercial and residential developments include electric vehicle charging capacity, promote national standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and ensure investment in public charging stations meet these standards.

As part of our focus on cleaner and cheaper transportation, Labor will also work with industry to introduce vehicle emissions standards, to save Australian motorists hundreds of dollars each year at the bowser while driving down pollution on our roads.
Australia is now one of the only developed nations without vehicle emissions standards in place. As a result, motorists will pay as much as $500 each year more at the bowser than they should be, as well as seeing pollution on our roads sky-rocket.
Labor will consult on the timeline and coverage of vehicle emission standards to ensure consumers are made significantly better off, and aim to phase-in standards of 105g CO2/km for light vehicles, which is consistent with Climate Change Authority advice.
These are sensible standards which will bring Australia’s cars into line with those in the US, which has a similar car fleet to ours, but won’t be as stringent as those operating in the EU.
These standards will be applied to car retailers to meet average emissions standards, rather than imposing blanket mandatory standards on manufacturers. This will allow retailers to meet the standards by offsetting high emissions car sales with low or zero emissions car sales – such as electric vehicles.
In addition, Labor will also develop a Low Emission Transport Strategy to inform future policy development across transport more broadly, including maritime, aviation, rail and heavy vehicles. We’ll develop a Bioenergy Strategy, that will see more clean fuels on our roads and more jobs on our regions. These policies will be complemented by our already announced Hydrogen Plan.
Labor also has an electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing strategy and will work with industry to create new job opportunities with the transition.
After six years of chaos, uncertainty and rising pollution under the Liberals, Australians need stability and certainty on climate change policy – that’s what our plan delivers.
A Shorten Labor Government will reduce pollution, invest in renewable energy and take real action on climate change – to ensure we hand on a better deal to the next generation.
More information is available at  https://www.alp.org.au/climate_change_action_plan

A Shorten Labor Government will work with Australia’s biggest industrial polluters to help them cut their pollution, grow their business and create a cleaner future for the next generation.
Ignoring climate change isn’t the answer. 
Real action on climate change isn’t just about protecting our environment – it’s about future-proofing our economy and protecting jobs.
Under the Liberals and Nationals industrial pollution has risen by 17 percent, and their own projections show it will rise all the way to 2030.
That’s why Labor will work in partnership with business to help bring down pollution – providing overdue policy certainty and helping the industrial sector plan for the future.
There will be no carbon tax, carbon pricing mechanism, or government revenue.
Rather, Labor will reduce pollution from the biggest industrial polluters by extending the existing pollution cap implemented by Malcolm Turnbull – the safeguard mechanism.
The safeguard mechanism was established under the Liberals and Nationals to cap industrial pollution for the biggest polluters, by setting pollution limits or ‘baselines’ for covered facilities.
However, the Liberals and Nationals have failed to make this mechanism effective in bringing down pollution, or incentivising reduction of pollution below a facility’s baseline.
Labor has listened to industry and stakeholders who desperately want stability after this chaotic government – they don’t want to start from scratch with another mechanism. Industry feedback has been unanimous, businesses want Labor to expand the safeguard mechanism, and we’ve listened.
Labor will expand the safeguard mechanism to make it effective and relevant:

• Coverage will be extended to apply to the biggest industrial polluters. Labor will work with industry to extend coverage to a threshold of 25,000 tonnes of direct CO2 pollution annually, and we will consult with industry on this coverage threshold and how it is phased in. It’s estimated around 250 of Australia’s biggest industrial polluters would be captured by this threshold – just 0.01 per cent of all businesses. The agricultural sector will not be covered by the expanded safeguard mechanism, and Labor will work with the red meat industry-owned Research and Development Corporation, Meat and Livestock Australia, to help it meet its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030. Likewise, electricity sector facilities will not be included – they will be covered separately by Labor’s Energy Plan.

 

• Pollution levels will be reduced: Labor’s safeguard mechanism will reduce industrial pollution in line with Labor’s targets – fixing one of the biggest issues with the current safeguards mechanism, its failure to bring down pollution. Labor will consult with industry on the baselines and trajectories that apply to each covered entity.

 

• Businesses will be able to earn credits for overachievement: Labor will allow for businesses to earn credits and be rewarded for reducing pollution below their baselines, which they can sell or carry over to meet their future pollution cap. This means businesses can make money out of cutting pollution.

 

• Emissions intensive trade exposed industries (EITEs) will be supported to keep Australian businesses competitive – In recognition that emission intensive trade exposed industries face particular challenges in reducing pollution while maintaining their international competitiveness, Labor will provide tailored treatment for EITEs such as steel, aluminium and cement. This will ensure they face comparable impacts from climate change policies as their competitors do in relevant international markets. Labor will also establish a Strategic Industries Taskforce and $300m Strategic Industries Reserve Fund to support these industries in finding solutions to cut pollution and remain competitive.

Labor will consult with industry and experts on baselines that should apply to individual entities and how they will decrease over time.
In addition, Labor will put in place a well-functioning offset market and reinvigorate the land offset market.
Currently, a facility that emits more than its baseline must offset excess emissions by purchasing offsets, primarily from the land sector. But currently businesses cannot access international offsets, or offsets from the electricity sector.
Labor will make it easier for covered businesses to meet any offset obligations, not only by allowing for the creation and sale of offsets if emissions fall below baselines, but also through the purchase of international offsets and potentially offsets from the electricity sector.
We will also boost offset supply through revitalising the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) – including reforms to strengthen the integrity of the CFI, and increasing land and other sector abatement opportunities. This will include exploring the establishment of ‘premium’ land sector credits to provide substantial environmental, biodiversity and other co-benefits, establishing a Carbon Assessment Standard to boost the bankability of offset projects, and re-vitalising offset methodology research and development with an additional $40 million in funding over four years.
Labor’s plan will help industry reduce pollution at least cost, and give traditional owners, farmers, the forestry industry and traditional owners new opportunities to earn income.
Labor will also abolish the Liberal’s ineffective and expensive Emission Reduction Fund (ERF). The ERF has failed to drive down Australia’s emissions, while costing Australian taxpayers $2.25 billion, with the Liberals pledging a further $2 billion for this ineffective policy.
Labor’s approach isn’t about punishing polluters, it’s about partnering with industry to find real, practical solutions to cut pollution, in a way that protects and grows industry and jobs.
The Liberal Party is full of climate sceptics and hopelessly divided on climate change – Scott Morrison even brought a lump of coal into Parliament instead of a climate policy.
The Liberals and Nationals have pushed up power prices and pollution by undermining investment in renewable energy and backing power privatisations – and their chaos and division means industry can’t adequately plan and invest in the future.
There is only one major political party serious about real action on climate change – Labor. That’s because we are determined to pass on a better deal to the next generation – and we will partner with business and industry to achieve it.
Only Labor will deliver real action on climate change and lower pollution, lower power prices and a stronger economy.
More information is available at  https://www.alp.org.au/climate_change_action_plan

A Shorten Labor Government will reduce pollution, invest in renewable energy and take real action on climate change – to ensure we hand on a better deal to the next generation.
After six years of chaos, uncertainty and rising pollution under the Liberals, Australians need stability and certainty on climate change policy – that’s what our plan delivers.
Ignoring climate change is simply not an answer.
Australia needs leadership – to protect jobs, grow the economy, cut pollution and deal with more extreme weather like droughts and floods, with natural disasters already costing the economy $18 billion a year.
At the same time, Australian households are seeing their power bills soar – families and businesses are taking this into their own hands and backing renewable energy because they know more renewables means lower power prices.
Labor is committed to reducing Australia’s pollution by 45 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero pollution by 2050.
We are also committed to 50 per cent renewable energy in our electricity mix by 2030.
Labor’s plan will tackle climate change to keep the economy growing by:

• Investing in renewable energy and batteries to grow jobs and cut power bills – With almost two million Australian households having solar panels, Australians are enthusiastic adopters of renewables. Labor will empower Australians to take advantage of cheaper, clean renewable energy and storage, by offering $2000 rebates for solar batteries for 100,000 households, with a target of 1,000,000 batteries by 2025. We will also double the original investment in the Clean Energy Finance Corporation by $10 billion, supporting new generation and storage across the country. Labor’s investment will support our target of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 for the nation’s electricity generation, which will see cleaner and cheaper power and more than 70,000 new jobs.

 

• Boosting clean transport and infrastructure– A key part of tackling pollution will be tackling transport emissions – which make up almost 20 per cent of Australia’s emissions and one of the fastest growing sources of pollution. Labor will implement Australia’s first national electric vehicle policy, setting a national electric vehicle target of 50 per cent new car sales by 2030 and introducing vehicle emissions standards to reduce pollution and make the cost of driving a car cheaper for consumers.

 

• Working in partnership with business to help bring down pollution – Labor will reduce pollution by big polluters over the decade by extending the existing pollution cap implemented by Malcolm Turnbull – the safeguard mechanism. Australia’s biggest industrial polluters (about 250 – or just 0.01 per cent of all businesses) will be covered by Labor’s scheme, which will not include the agricultural sector. Pollution caps will be reduced over time and Labor will make it easier for businesses to meet these caps by allowing for industrial and international offsets. Facilities can also earn credits and make money from reducing pollution below their baselines. Labor will not introduce a carbon tax or new a carbon pricing mechanism and our reforms will not raise any government revenue.

 

• Supporting trade exposed industries to keep Australian businesses competitive – Emission intensive trade exposed industries (EITEs), such as steel, aluminium and cement, face additional barriers to cutting pollution while staying competitive in global markets. In recognition of this, Labor will provide tailored treatment for EITEs under the extended safeguard mechanism. This will ensure they face comparable impacts from climate change policies as their competitors do in relevant international markets. Labor will also establish a Strategic Industries Taskforce and $300m Strategic Industries Reserve Fund to support these industries in finding solutions to cut pollution and remain competitive.

 

• Helping the land sector to cut pollution while giving farmers and the forestry industry new opportunities to earn income – No one knows our land better than our farmers – they’ve been leading the way in responding to climate change. The agricultural sector will be exempt from the expanded safeguard mechanism – we won’t have targets for farmers. Labor wants to see Australia’s land sector supply more affordable offsets for pollution, which will reduce the cost of abatement for business and give farmers and regional communities greater economic opportunities. We will review and reinvigorate the carbon farming initiative, and develop a high-quality, well-functioning offset market. Labor will also put in place new federal legislation to bring broad-scale land clearing under control. Where states properly regulate land clearing, such as in Queensland, Labor will take no action.

In addition, Labor has taken the decision not to allow the use of Kyoto credits to meet its Paris targets. By allowing the carryover of Kyoto credits, the Liberals’ already weak target effectively falls from 26 per cent to 16 per cent. Using Kyoto credits is fake action on climate change, and Ukraine is the only other country in the world to confirm they will do this.
Labor will restore and reform important institutions like the Climate Change Authority, and to make sure we can adapt to a changing climate, we will conduct the first ever comprehensive Climate Change Assessment on the likely and potential impacts of climate change on all aspects of Australian life.
Our policy has been developed in consultation with industry and experts, and it builds on already announced policies like our Energy Plan and Hydrogen Plan.
It’s a good plan for families, for industry – and for the planet.
The Liberal Party is full of climate sceptics and hopelessly divided on climate change – Scott Morrison even brought a lump of coal into Parliament instead of a climate policy.
The Liberals have helped push up power prices by having 13 different energy policies, undermining investment in renewable energy, supporting taxpayer money for new coal plants and backing power privatisations.
There is only one major political party serious about real action on climate change – Labor.  That’s because we are determined to pass on a better deal to the next generation.
Only Labor will deliver real action on climate change to deliver lower pollution, lower power prices and a stronger economy.
More information is available at  https://www.alp.org.au/climate_change_action_plan

The interim report from the Senate inquiry into Australia’s animal extinction crisis recommends new environment laws to limit the drivers of extinction, including habitat destruction and climate change.
These laws would include a new, independent EPA that would be given powers, resources and funding to assess activity and ensure compliance.
“The current laws are so weak with caveats, exemptions, ministerial discretion and loopholes that projects can be given the green light despite destroying or damaging critical habitat, or even wiping out a species entirely,” said Australian Greens Senator Janet Rice, Chair of the Inquiry.
“Australia’s extinction crisis has only got worse in the 20 years since our environment laws were introduced. It’s absolutely clear they need a complete overhaul.”
“Finally we have an acknowledgement from Labor that new environment laws and a new EPA are needed to limit the drivers of extinction such as habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.”
“But we know Labor is prone to backflips when it comes to protecting the environment. Just this week WA Labor has joined with the Morrison government to roll over outdated and destructive logging laws, the Regional Forest Agreements, despite promising to protect native forests from logging before they were elected.”
“Extinction is a political choice. In the next parliament, the Greens will hold Bill Shorten and the Labor party to account on their promises.”

South Australians have been left high and dry under Scott Morrison’s pre-election budget.
“With no marginal seats to throw cash at, South Australia was always set to lose in this pre-election budget. And we will continue to lose out under a Liberal Party more concerned with political survival than what’s good for the country. All we’re left with after Tuesday’s fake budget is a massive hit to GST revenue and a bucket of empty promises,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“We live in a state that wants more investment in renewable energy and real action on climate change, and the Liberals have given us nothing. Hard-working families struggling with cost of living pressures can have no faith that the Liberals will strengthen our economy or set our state up for the future.
“The more than 65,000 South Australians languishing on Newstart have been left out in the cold by the Morrison Government. The Liberals have given out tax cuts to the wealthy and done nothing for the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Instead, the Morrison Government is merely trying to buy people’s votes with tax cuts and handouts, over investing in essential services.
“The Greens will fight for a more equal society, well-funded essential services, action on climate and building South Australia into a global renewable powerhouse. The Liberals clearly do not care about South Australia. Their bogus budget and their phony politics should be rejected on polling day.”

The Morrison’s government’s infrastructure spending demonstrates a complete lack of vision and pre-election porkbarrelling to save the skin of incumbent Coalition MPs, say the Australian Greens.
“The centrepiece of the Government’s high-speed or “fast” rail policy, the perennial election sweetener that never materialises when one of the major parties forms government, is to fund another five feasibility studies, taking the total number to eight,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport and infrastructure spokesperson.
“Only 15% of grant funding is going to rail projects, with the bulk going to roads. As our big cities grow and congestion becomes worse, we need to be focusing on pubic and active transport projects, not more roads that leave people stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, clog our cities and increase carbon pollution.”
“The government wants to spend $500 million building carparks around train stations in a marginal seat porkbarrel cash splash, with no analysis of whether this money would be better spent in other ways, such as providing faster and more frequent bus services to stations.”
“This government has no vision to come up with the transport solutions we so desperately need.”