Category: Australian News

The Australian Greens will fund High Speed Rail in full, with the first step to create the Australian High Speed Rail Authority and make an initial equity investment of $1.6 billion for the first stages of planning and land reservation.
“For decades, Australians have dreamt about High Speed Rail along our east coast. It would be nation building at its best: big, bold and transformative,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“Governments up till now have refused to take action because of risk aversion and capitulation to private interests, despite studies showing the feasibility, high public benefit and strong economics of High Speed Rail.”
“High Speed Rail will connect our cities with our regions, reduce carbon pollution, create tens of thousands of jobs and provide a return to the taxpayer.”
“The Greens will turn these dreams into reality, and fund High Speed Rail in full, built in the public interest.”
“In contrast, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese announced this week that the Labor party would support High Speed Rail with ‘private funding.’”
“It also appears the Morrison government is planning to hand over this nation-building project to a private developer, Consolidated Land and Rail Australia.”
“The CLARA project banks on developers making money from massive increases in the value of land along the route, building stations and new cities rather than building stations in existing towns like Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga.”
“This would mean instead of High Speed Rail unlocking the economic potential of our existing regional cities, these established towns would struggle to compete with the new cities built around new stations.”
“Construction of High Speed Rail stations both up and down the east coast and in the heart of our central business districts will immensely increase the value of surrounding land. Private developers who see their property values rise should not simply get a windfall gain. By using a variety of taxes and charges, they will be made to contribute to the overall cost of building the project.”
“High Speed Rail needs to be built in the public interest, not to line the pockets of private developers. For decades, Labor and Liberal governments have privatised our essential services, which are then run to maximise profit for corporate investors, not to serve the people.”
“Australia is the last continent without High Speed Rail except for Antarctica. Will the penguins beat us to it?”
Route details
Line 1: Sydney to Melbourne (2 hours 44 mins) with spur lines for Sydney to Canberra (1 hour) and Melbourne to Canberra (2 hours 30 mins).
Line 2: Sydney to Brisbane (2 hours 37 mins) with a spur line for Sydney to Gold Coast (similar time)
Options for value capture recommended by the High Speed Rail Study include:

• Property taxes.
• Sale of bonus gross floor area (GFA)
• Property transfer (stamp) duties
• Sale or lease of air rights over public road reserves, railway corridors and other property
• Sale or lease of surplus development sites
• Parking levies
• Developer contributions
• Special rates or taxes on a defined improvement district
• Hotel taxes

The commissioned phase two report laying down a plan for rolling out the High Speed Rail Project in several stages can be found here. The Greens will implement the accelerated timetable envisaged in the report.

With at least half of the 20 retiring federal politicians set to receive a parliamentary pension, it’s time the pollies’ pension was axed entirely, say the Greens.
“While politicians elected after 2004 don’t receive a parliamentary pension, those elected before then – such as Ministers Pyne and Ciobo, rumoured today to be leaving politics – would get hundreds of thousands of dollars each year as a pension, for doing nothing,” Greens spokesperson for democracy Senator Larissa Waters said.
“These blokes will probably end up like their mate Joe Hockey – with a diplomatic posting and a cushy pension – all funded by the taxpayer.
“Politicians have their snouts in the trough, while ordinary people struggle with the cost of living, wages have flatlined and Newstart hasn’t increased for 24 years.
“It’s no wonder people think so little of politicians, when the rules are rigged in their favour. If they’re not doing the job anymore they shouldn’t be paid.”
Greens will request the Parliamentary Budget Office to cost the public money saved from such a move, and would move to apply those savings to people who actually need it, as part of our pledge to increase Newstart by at least $75 a week.
“In Budget week I’ll move for parliamentary pensions for MPs elected before 2004 to be scrapped, and will keep pushing on this issue if the Greens have the balance of power in the Senate after the next election,” Senator Waters said.
“Let’s give help to the people who need it. Not to those who’ve received generous salary and allowances while in the job and still want to collect after they leave the job.”

The revelations that the Morrison government will again delay an inquiry into road pricing shows they are willing to jeopardise sound transport policy and planning in favour of clinging to power, say the Australian Greens.
“The road pricing inquiry was announced three years ago and we’ve had zero movement since then,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“As Australians make the switch to electric vehicles, we will need new streams of revenue to fund our transport systems. We need to ensure the proper work is done in preparation now, so that any road pricing regime or other revenue raising is not only in the public interest, but also equitable and just.”
“We also need to consider the intersection of road pricing with the increasing use of private toll roads where the revenue is going straight into the pockets of the private toll roads operators, particularly Transurban, which has just announced record earnings.”
“Road pricing and fuel excise is an area the government has acknowledged could take 10-15 years to reform. This inquiry has been on the cards since 2016. We need to get on with it now, we can’t wait any longer for a time when it’s politically convenient for the government of the day.”
“Road pricing isn’t something we can leave to the last minute.”

Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation vision is a step closer to reality with backing from the Morrison and Hodgman Governments to deliver new, reliable energy.
The Hodgman Government, through Hydro Tasmania, has committed up to $30 million to take the first phase of Battery of the Nation to investment stage by 2021, and in addition to the Morrison Government’s commitment to the second interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, the Commonwealth commits to develop an underwriting mechanism for the project through its Underwriting New Generation Investments program.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that combined with his government’s $56 million investment in the second interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, Battery of the Nation would help cut power prices and put an end to the sorts of recent blackouts that families and businesses have had to suffer through.
“Battery of the Nation is a vision of that uses technology to harness Tasmania’s natural advantages to tackle the problems in our electricity market,” the Prime Minister said.
“We want to work with the Hodgman Government to deliver Battery of the Nation because it’s technology that generates clean and affordable power that will make Australia’s electricity supply more reliable.
“This project is about helping those families and businesses who have had to cope with devastating blackouts in recent months and years and helping make their power bills cheaper.”
The Tasmanian Government’s investment will support the feasibility assessment of three shortlisted pumped hydro energy storage sites in north-western Tasmania, and advance the first of these sites to final investment decision. The three sites have a combined storage capacity of up to 40GWh – equivalent to more than 300 SA Tesla batteries – and Battery of the Nation could supply up to 2,500MW of new, dispatchable power.
The Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects are expected to create up to 3,800 direct and indirect jobs during construction and deliver an economic stimulus of up to $7 billion, predominantly to north-western Tasmania and regional Victoria.
Premier Hodgman said that these nation-building projects represent a massive economic opportunity for Tasmanians.
“Battery of the Nation will create thousands of jobs and deliver billions in investment to Tasmania over the coming decade,” said Premier Hodgman.
“These initiatives will cement our status as the nation’s renewable energy powerhouse.”
Approximately 400MW of available dispatchable generation cannot currently be delivered to the mainland, due to constraints on Basslink, the first Tasmania-Victoria interconnector.
“The Government is committed to securing new, reliable generation,” said Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor.
“Battery of the Nation is a fine example of a project that could deliver more reliable generation, increase competition, and would drive down prices as a result.”
Tasmanian Energy Minister Guy Barnett said investment in affordable, reliable and clean generation will help Tasmania reach and exceed the Tasmanian Government’s target of 100 per cent self-sufficiency in on-island energy generation.
“This means downward pressure on prices and greater energy security for Tasmanians. Mainland Australia will also be able to share in these benefits, being low cost, reliable and clean energy,” said Minister Barnett.
The Morrison Government will also invest $3.2m to establish a Priority Transmission Taskforce to support new models of funding interconnected transmission, that is increasingly needed to keep the lights on and bring prices down for Australian families and businesses.
More information about Battery of the Nation is available at hydro.com.au/clean-energy/battery-of-the-nation and the second interconnector Marinus Link at projectmarinus.tasnetworks.com.au/

Australia will meet its international climate targets without wrecking the economy and driving power prices sky high.
The Morrison Government today announced a $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package.
Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, said Australians recognise climate change and the importance of protecting the environment.
“We will meet our global commitments, and do what is right for our environment, without taking a wrecking ball to the economy.
“We have an obligation to preserve the environment for our children. We also have an obligation to hand over a strong economy, where our kids and grandkids can get jobs.
“We will meet our commitments in practical ways by working with land holders, farmers, businesses and indigenous communities.
“There will be further announcements ahead but as part of the $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package, we will invest a further $2 billion in the Climate Solutions Fund.”
The Climate Solutions Fund will build on the success of the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) which has contracted 193 million tonnes in emission reductions.
The Minister for the Environment, the Hon Melissa Price MP, said that Climate Solutions Fund will ensure the ERF delivers a further 103 million tonnes in emission reductions to 2030. This will make a key contribution to us meeting our 26% emissions reduction target under the Paris agreement.
“We are working with people on the ground to reduce emissions and lead real environmental change.
“The ERF is investing in our farmers to help them revegetate degraded land, to protect existing forest areas and to increase habitats for our native species.
“We are working with businesses to invest in the adoption of energy efficient business practices that are reducing costs and working with waste managers and with recyclers to reduce waste emissions.
“We are working with indigenous communities in projects such a savannah burning where traditional land care practice is blended with modern environmental science.”
For more information visit: http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/gover…

The Government has approved Snowy 2.0 as part of its plan to support new renewable energy for Australia’s future energy mix to deliver affordable, reliable power.
The historic deal will see a high-tech expansion of the iconic Snowy Mountains Scheme and will help make renewables reliable, reduce volatility and drive affordability in energy markets and provide other services critical to the security and stability of the NEM.
The Government is pleased to announce shareholder approval has been given for Snowy Hydro Limited (Snowy Hydro) to proceed with Snowy 2.0.
Following Snowy Hydro Board’s final investment decision on 12 December 2018, the Government has reviewed the project’s business case and is satisfied that the project stacks up and will benefit energy consumers and the Snowy Mountains region.
The Government will commit up to $1.38 billion in an equity investment for Snowy 2.0, with the remainder of the project to be financed by Snowy Hydro Limited.
Snowy 2.0 will increase generation capacity by 2,000 megawatts and provide 175 hours of energy storage – enough to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes during peak demand. Importantly, this will also put downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices.
Snowy 2.0 will create up to 2,400 jobs in construction and support up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs across the Snowy Mountains region, providing opportunities for local businesses, improvements in local infrastructure and increased economic activity.
Planning for the Snowy 2.0 project is well advanced. The Government’s decision green lights the project to progress to the early works stage.
This decision builds on the our investment in Snowy Hydro following the acquisition from the New South Wales and Victorian governments on 29 June 2018 and our work to back electricity supplies in Tasmania and Victoria with a new $56 million investment in the Marinus Link to support Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation project.
More information about Snowy 2.0 is online at https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/our-scheme/snowy20/

The Hon John Herron AO is remembered as a man who dedicated himself to others as a parliamentarian, surgeon and humanitarian.
John Herron was a Senator for Queensland from 1990 to 2002. He was Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 1996 until 2001.
After leaving the Senate, he served as Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See from 2002 to 2006.
The great theme of John Herron’s life was medicine. It was tremendous life experience he brought into the Parliament.
John Herron served in the Royal Australian Medical Corps Reserve and the RAAF Reserve for thirty years.
Following the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, John Herron volunteered to go to Rwanda as a medic. He saw things that were unimaginable. He suffered for seeing them.
Prior to entering the Senate and near the end of his Parliamentary career, John Herron served as President of the Liberal Party in Queensland (1980 – 1984 and 2001 – 2002). This reflected the great trust that members across the Party had in him.
In retirement, Dr Herron continued his active support of medical causes including serving as Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs, and Chairman of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation.
On behalf of the Liberal Party and the Government I extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Jan and their many children and descendants.
Scott Morrison
 

Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today responded to the Snowy Hydro 2.0 announcement, noting that if the government was serious about energy storage, it would put in place a national storage target and incentives for storage across the electricity network.
“Snowy Hydro is not enough,” said Mr Bandt.
“Not only do we need to force coal out of New South Wales, so that an expanded Snowy Hydro doesn’t give it a leg up overnight, but we need to establish a Commonwealth Large Scale Energy Storage Scheme to legislate a target of 20 GW of storage across the NEM and the WA and NT networks.
“We can’t afford to wait for one big hydro project that will require billions in transmission upgrades.
“We need to fast-track other small-scale pumped hydro projects at a grid-level to complement Snowy and provide enough storage to underpin a 100% renewable energy system.
“One pumped hydro project does not a storage system make. We need a comprehensive nation-wide plan to deliver storage that the old parties don’t appear to have.”

Scott Morrison’s Emissions Reduction Fund is nothing more than a rort designed to funnel taxpayers’ money to his big coal mates and the funding would be better spent helping coal communities to transition, said Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“Coal is the world’s biggest driver of climate change and Australia is the world’s biggest exporter of coal. Without a plan to shift away from coal, this government has no plan to fight climate change, ”said Senator Di Natale.
“Instead of wasting $2 billion reheating Tony Abbott’s failed policy to pay polluters out of your pocket, the government would be better off helping coal communities prepare for the future.”
“A transition away from coal is urgent and necessary but the Greens want to ensure that it doesn’t leave workers and communities stranded.
“A responsible and caring government would have already been investing in a transition plan for the coal workers and communities who will be impacted by this significant structural shift.”

Labor will give bank victims a fairer chance to fight for their rights with a $640 million Banking Fairness Fund.
The fund will raise $160m per year from Australia’s biggest banks to revolutionise the services available to Australians in financial difficulty – a key recommendation from the Royal Commission.
Labor fought for the Banking Royal Commission – unlike Scott Morrison and the Liberals who voted against the Royal Commission 26 times, called it a “populist whinge” and refused to give parliament more time to implement the recommendations.
Labor will double the number of financial counsellors across Australia from 500 to 1000with a $320 million commitment from the Banking Fairness Fund over the next 4 years.
These new financial counsellors will provide advocacy, support and advice to an additional 125,000 Australians each year.
These 500 new financial counsellors will be able to assist Australians to pursue fair compensation through the Australian Financial Complaints Authority under significantly increased compensation caps announced by Labor last week.
Commissioner Hayne recommended that Australia’s hardworking financial counselling sector should be given “predictable and stable funding”.  Commissioner Hayne noted in his final report that “their services, like financial services, are a necessity to the community”, but that the sector currently “struggles to meet demand, which is increasing”.
Financial counsellors provide invaluable assistance, free of charge, to Australians who find themselves in disputes with their banks and other financial service providers.
A stronger, larger financial counselling sector is just one part of Labor’s plan to restore fairness to financial services.
Labor will make further announcements about the other programs that will be funded by the Banking Fairness Fund over coming days.
Labor called for the Royal Commission, Labor fought for the Royal Commission, and Labor will work day and night to give victims of financial misconduct the support they need to fight for their rights.