Category: Australian News

Greens spokesperson for democracy Senator Larissa Waters said 10 years after the Greens first called for a federal anti-corruption body to oversee parliamentarians and the public service, the Morrison Government has finally got on board – but there’s so many catches.
“The Morrison Government’s proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission is the ICAC you have when you’re not really having an ICAC. It’s the poor cousin of the state ICACs and basically a Clayton’s ICAC,” Senator Waters said.
“The powers this new body would have are so weak it won’t change a thing, which is no doubt deliberate.
“It will be limited in what and who it can investigate, only looking into ‘criminal’ corruption and not regular, confidence-eroding, damaging corruption.
“And in a move that will only serve to increase distrust in federal politicians, all investigations and hearings will be in secret and there will be no retrospectivity or complaints taken from outside of government departments and agencies.
“The Eddie Obeid investigation started with an anonymous tip off – this would not be allowed under the Government’s model.
“It won’t be allowed to make any findings of corruption, and can only gather evidence and refer it on to other agencies – it’s like a glorified research assistant to the Department of Public Prosecutions.
“If the Government was serious about getting this done, it would have presented draft legislation. Instead it’s just a discussion paper designed to appear like the government is doing something, when clearly they have no intention of acting before the election to set up this body.
“Australians won’t be fooled – they will see straight through this sham body like they see through this sham government.
“Our Greens bill for a national anti-corruption commission with teeth, and our plan to end the influence of big money over politics, it’s what’s needed to actually help clean up politics and end the cronyism and corruption that typifies politics these days.”

Greens will leave no stone unturned to block government spending money on coal: Bandt
Referring to Energy Minister Angus Taylor’s call for proposals for the government’s underwriting fund, Greens climate change and energy spokesperson Adam Bandt warned the government that the Greens will leave no stone unturned in efforts to block public money being spent on coal-fired power stations. Mr Bandt has introduced legislation to prohibit public money going to coal-fired power stations and flagged amendments to the government’s so-called ‘big stick’ bill that would also prohibit coal-fired power stations from receiving public money.
“If the government wants to use this fund to prop up coal, we’ll leave no stone unturned in trying to stop them,” said Mr Bandt.
“Public money shouldn’t be poured into coal at the expense of schools and hospitals.
“I have introduced legislation, supported by Labor and the crossbench, that would block public money from going to coal.
“If we can’t get my bill passed, we will attempt to amend the government’s ‘big stick’ bill.
“We can’t take any risks with our coal-cradling Prime Minister and the motley coal crew on the backbench.
“This power-sharing Parliament must act to stop the government from recklessly exposing taxpayers to huge liabilities by underwriting coal.
“Otherwise, taxpayers will be left paying for stranded assets while climate change gets even worse.”

A Religious Discrimination Act should not be used to undermine or override state based anti-discrimination laws, the Australian Greens say, following the release of the government’s response to the Ruddock Review.
Greens Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said: “Religious freedom cannot be viewed in isolation, nor should it be used as a political weapon in an act of vengeance for the marriage equality vote.”
“Attorney-General Christian Porter has made it clear today he intends to override strong, state-based anti-discrimination laws which protect people from harm – this cannot be allowed to happen.”
“We need a Charter of Rights to balance the right to religious freedom against other important rights, such as freedom from discrimination.”
Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice said: “Scott Morrison’s Religious Discrimination Act must not be a Trojan horse to expand discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, like his proposed discrimination in schools bill.”
“Discriminating against someone because they are LGBTQ+ is not religious freedom, it’s discrimination. Plain and simple.”
“The Prime Minister has already demonstrated he is out of touch with Australians who want discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in schools removed. Freedom of religion is not a licence to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.”

The Australian Greens are deeply worried by the deteriorating human rights situation in Bangladesh, in particular the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly against the media, students, activists and the opposition.
Leader of the Australian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale said problems were only worsening as Bangladesh approaches its general elections on 30 December.
“I have been very concerned by recent reports that the use of torture has become widespread in Bangladesh, and at news of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, politically-motivated detention and the excessive use of force,” Di Natale said.
“Members of the Bangladeshi community in Australia have told me that they are extremely worried about the situation in their homeland, and have little faith that the upcoming elections will be free and fair.  I have received a petition with nearly 800 signatures expressing their deep concern.
“In the lead-up to Bangladesh’s election later this month, I urge the Australian Government to join the Greens and local community members in publicly calling for free and fair elections in Bangladesh, so that people can fully exercise their democratic rights”.

Australia’s Space Agency will be located in Adelaide, reinforcing South Australia’s long-standing contribution to the nation’s space journey.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said South Australia was a key hub for innovation and the technology industry, making it the ideal home for the new Agency.
“Australia’s space industry is set to hit new heights,” the Prime Minister said.
“This Agency is going to open doors for local businesses and Australian access to the US$345 billion global space industry.
“Our government’s $41 million investment into the Agency will act as a launching pad to triple Australia’s space economy to $12 billion and create up to 20,000 jobs by 203 0.
“This Agency is part of our plan for a stronger economy for South Australia and the country which is about delivering long-term, high-wage, high-skills jobs.”
The Agency, to be located at Lot Fourteen at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site, is also key to the new Adelaide City Deal, with a Memorandum of Understanding signed today by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, aimed at turbo-charging Adelaide’s economy and driving long term investment in the city.
Premier Marshall said long-term investment in Adelaide and its space sector would drive entrepreneurship and innovation while enhancing the city’s liveability.
“South Australia is the ideal location for the Australian Space Agency with a range of local space industry businesses already established here as well as a rapidly growing defence industry sector.
“Establishing the headquarters of the Austr alian Space Agency in South Australia will launch our space and defence sectors to the next level.
“I look forward to working with the Federal Government, industry and our education sector to capitalise on this incredible opportunity for our state.”
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said Adelaide was selected to host the Agency after putting forward the strongest case.
“South Australia is already home to more than 60 organisations and 800 employees in the space sector and this decision builds on the very strong technology and defence presence in the state,” Minister Andrews said.
“Australia’s science, research and technology sectors are key in improving the competitiveness of Australian businesses – and only under our government’s strategic and strong economic management can these flourishing sectors continue to expand.
“We are committed to growing Australia’s space sector, and our Government is also investing $260 million to develop world leading satellite capabilities, and to significantly increase GPS accuracy in our cities and regional areas.”
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the redevelopment of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital will harness Adelaide’s greatest strengths – its cultural depth, research excellence and commercial potential.
“The Agency location and the Adelaide City Deal will align to allow better management of population growth and city planning,” Minister Tudge said.
“This will ensure jobs, infrastructure, services and public spaces are in place to create a faster-growing, productive and liveable Adelaide.”
“City Deals are about all three levels of government working together to drive the local economy and we are already see many cities benefitting from these deals including Darwin, Townsville, Launceston and Western Sydney.”
The Australian Space Agency will be located in Adelaide by mid-2019 and is set to employ 20 full-time equivalent staff in Adelaide.
Additional information about the Agency can be found at www.space.gov.au. More information on the City Deal is available at https://citydeals.infrastructure.gov.au.

The Liberal and Nationals’ Government will improve the health and care of patients right around Australia with a guaranteed $1.25 billion boost to health services.
This will provide more doctors, more nurses and more services in every state and territory.
This is the tangible benefit of strong economy and it’s why we are so committed to keeping our economy strong.
The $1.25 billion Community Health and Hospitals Program will fund projects and services in every state and territory, supporting patient care while reducing pressure on community and hospital services.
Under the program, our Government will partner with communities, states and territories, health and hospital services and research institutions to provide additional funding in four key areas:

• Specialist hospital services such as cancer treatment, rural health and hospital infrastructure
• Drug and alcohol treatment
• Preventive, primary and chronic disease management
• Mental health

The new program will complement our record investment in public hospitals.
Our funding for public hospitals will more than double from $13.3 billion in 2012–13 to $28.7 billion in 2024–25.
This is record public hospital funding delivering more doctors, more nurses and more services.
Our new five year National Health Reform Agreement will deliver more than $30 billion in additional public hospital funding from 2020–21 to 2024–25, taking overall funding during this period to $130.2 billion.
Three Liberal and three Labor state and territories have already signed up to the new agreement, accessing record funding.
A strong economy enables the Liberal and Nationals’ Government to invest in even more doctors, nurses and public hospital services – benefiting patients across Australia.
This is further supported by our record investment in Medicare, provision of medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to make them affordable for patients, and the breakthrough medical science occurring through the Medical Research Future Fund.

The Coalition Government has forced the sale of more than 300 Australian properties, worth in excess of $380 million, that were illegally acquired by foreign nationals.
This is the result of the Government’s commitment to enforcing our rules, since giving the Australian Taxation Office responsibility for residential real estate compliance in 2015, and ensuring that foreign nationals illegally holding Australian real estate are held to account.
In total, 316 properties across every state were sold by foreign nationals in breach of the rules following ATO compliance action, from 2015 to October 31 this year.
The overwhelming majority are in Victoria, which recorded 144 forced sales of property valued in excess of $162 million, followed by New South Wales with 73 and Queensland with 64.
The foreign owners come from a range of countries including China, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, the United States, Hong Kong, Italy and Germany.
The largest number of properties and value of divestments in a single year was recorded in 2017-18, with 131 properties worth $133.9 million sold by foreign nationals who had broken the rules.
In 2016-17, 96 properties valued at $96.8 million were sold, and in 2015-16, 54 properties valued at $61.5 million were sold.
Under our Government’s enhanced penalty regime the ATO has issued more than 1,500 penalty notices to people who have failed to obtain Foreign Investment Review Board approval before buying property as well as for breaching a condition of previously approved applications.
Ensuring foreign nationals play by the rules is part of the Government’s plan for a stronger economy.

The Liberal and Nationals’ Government will help tens of thousands of Australians living with an eating disorder to access life-saving treatment with a landmark $115 million package.
For the first time, those Australians with severe eating disorders will now be able to access a comprehensive treatment plan under Medicare.
Patients will be able to access up to 40 psychological services and 20 dietetic services each year, under Medicare, from November 1 next year.
Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness, with anorexia by far the deadliest mental health condition in Australia. There are around 1 million Australians living with an eating disorder.
This $110.7 million investment into Medicare will benefit around 30,000 people each year living with these debilitating disorders, helping them to get better and stay out of hospital.
This will undoubtedly save many lives.
Eating disorders can be debilitating for both men and women of any age and this illness is one of the many nightmares parents have for their children.
It can strike and tear apart any home as it tries to rob the life and spirit of those dear ones afflicted.
It is only right that we recognise these debilitating conditions within our Medicare system.
We have worked closely with medical experts and key stakeholder for many months to achieve this outcome and we thank the independent Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce for their work, following our request for a review last year.
Our Government will also provide $4 million to the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders.
This funding will support new research into better treatment and care for people living with an eating disorder condition.
Our Government is prioritising better mental health for all Australians with $4.7 billion expected to be spent on mental health this financial year.
Nothing is more important than keeping Australians safe and keeping families together.
This is also why we are so committed to keeping our economy strong. Because without a strong economy and getting our Budget back into balance, we can’t make these important decisions. This is why a strong economy matters.
And it is this strong economic management that ensures we continue to invest record amounts of funding into vital health initiatives including mental health, life-saving medicines, Medicare and public hospitals.

The Australian Greens are calling for an immediate halt to the export of native animals, and an independent inquiry into how hundreds of endangered and rare Australian birds have been exported for sale.
“Reports this week that rare and endangered birds are being sold to shady dealers, with the approval of the Federal Government, are shocking and must be independently investigated,”  Greens Environment and Trade spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Allegations that hundreds of Australian birds have been exported into the hands of a criminal convicted of kidnapping and fraud are very serious.
“Not one more shipment of animals should leave our shores until we know who is responsible for the gross misjudgement that has allowed rare Australian birds into the hands of this kind of organisation.
“What on earth is going on inside the Environment Department and the Minister’s office that has allowed this to occur? The Minister must outline what her office, and her predecessor, knew and what she is doing to fix it.
“Australians have every right to be angry that our endangered animals are being sent overseas and potentially sold for huge profits.
“Australia continues to fall short of our obligations to protect our endangered species. To find out some are being sent overseas to make millions for criminals is appalling. The Government must be held to account.”

The Australian Greens will be taking a transformational higher education package to the Federal Election aimed at breaking successive Labor and Liberal attacks on the sector and transforming Australia’s universities and TAFEs. The plan is the biggest investment in higher education Australia will have ever seen. The Greens plan will support students, staff and universities.
Senator Faruqi, the Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, was an academic at the University of New South Wales and the Academic Director of the Master of Business and Technology Program and an Associate Professor at the Australian Graduate School of Management for UNSW.
Our 5 Point Plan will:
1.      Provide fee free undergraduate university and TAFE for all students. The Greens will remove all student fees from University and TAFE across the country, making higher education universal and removing barriers to education for everyone.
2.      Boost university funding by 10% per student. The first real funding increase for universities in decades, this boost will improve learning and teaching conditions, reduce class sizes and enable researchers to pursue solutions to the big problems of our time.
3.      Link additional funding for universities with an increase in security of work for university staff, reversing the decades old trend of casualisation and insecure work.
4.      Tie the HELP repayment threshold to the median wage, which will immediately lift the 2019 repayment threshold from $45,881 to $52,990, meaning students with existing debts won’t begin repaying their debt until they are earning a decent wage.
5.      Raise student support payments like Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy by $75 a week and make all postgraduate students eligible for Austudy the the first time.
The plan will be funded by ending fossil fuel subsidies for big mining companies and making offshore gas companies pay a flat 10% royalty rate for extracting gas.
Quotes:
Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, said:
Overall
“The Greens Plan to make universities and TAFE fee free, increase funding to universities and expand income support payments for students is transformational. It will change forever how we think about education. Whether you are starting out, have student debt already or are thinking of going back to study, the Greens plan will help you.
“For too long, education has been treated as a piggy bank by both the Liberal and Labor parties. As a result, higher education looks more like a business with students as customers, rather than as a way to build skills and knowledge to solve the problems of tomorrow.
Free University and TAFE
“It’s time to end the debt sentence. Young people are graduating from university and TAFE with crushing debts that take almost a decade to pay off. Under the Greens plan, over 1.3 million Australians will be studying fee free and and debt-free in TAFE and universities by 2023.
“Technology is rapidly changing the way we work and learn. Students graduating today will be working in industries we haven’t even imagined yet. If we are to take advantage of automation and technological change, we need to ensure that people are able to retrain and re-skill without incurring crushing debts over and over again.
“We need bold and transformational plans that shake up the status quo. Liberal and Labor governments have cut funds to universities and TAFE while giving massive tax handouts to their corporate donors.  Australians are sick of being told that they have to go without while corporations evade tax and dictate government policy. We are reclaiming education from the politics of austerity and neoliberalism.
“We have universal primary and secondary education. Free public higher education is the missing piece of the puzzle.
“No one should graduate with a decade of debt ahead of them. Australians have seen the benefits of free education, and we can have them again.
“Removing TAFE fees is a crucial part of this plan. TAFE is being decimated by state and federal governments. Fee free TAFE and the removal of the Gillard-era contestable funding requirements will rebuild TAFE as the vocational training provider of choice for students.
“Young people already face the prospect of high unemployment, high costs of living and a lack of affordable housing. Our plan will take away the crushing debts, giving students tens of thousands of dollars extra in their pockets to help them make the best possible start in life.
“Our plan to make education free for millions of Australians will be life changing for many, especially for people who want to change careers and re-skill later in life. By removing the crushing debts, people will be able to adapt to new and emerging careers without being penalised.
University Funding and Academic Job Security
“For too long universities have been asked to do more with less. It’s been decades since the last real increase in funding to universities. Our plan delivers an extra sixteen billion over the next decade for universities to improve learning and teaching conditions, reduce class sizes and and give researchers the resources they need. Importantly, we will work with universities to reduce casualisation in the sector to reduce job insecurity and improve staff working conditions.
“We are ranked 30th out of 34 in the OECD for public investment in tertiary education which shows how behind we are globally. We need to properly fund our public university system and reverse the cuts imposed by the Liberal-National Government.
“As a former academic, I know that we will not begin to address the challenges of the years to come unless our best minds are given the time, resources and support to tackle them.
Student Support Payments
“We know that debt isn’t the only barrier to higher education. Students, particularly those who move from regional and rural areas to the city to study, need extra support to make ends meet.
“We will increase youth allowance and expand access more people. For the first time all postgraduate students will have access to Austudy.
“We know that many students are under significant financial stress and  work multiple jobs as they study full time. We need to better support students to enable to them to focus on their studies and training.
Raising the HELP threshold
“Next year the HELP repayment threshold will be slashed to $45,881, well below median wage. That means most people will start repaying loans just when they are starting out in their career and need money the most. That’s completely unacceptable.
“For graduates with HELP debt, their first job often comes with the nasty surprise of extra tax to pay back debt. Our plan will ensure that people don’t begin repaying education debt until they are earning more than the median wage.
How we will pay for our plan
The plan is estimated at approximately $18 billion over four years, and $129.6 billion over ten years, based on Parliamentary Budget Office figures. Two measures will pay for the plan.
End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
When we fill up our cars at the petrol station, we have to pay excise on that fuel of 41 cents a litre. If you are a big mining company burning fossil fuels, the government pays the excise back to the mining company. It is one of the most expensive spending programs of the federal government, just below the funding they spend on child care and public schools. Instead of propping up the fossil fuel industry and slowing down the transition to off-grid renewable energy, the Greens want to see these subsidies redirected into paying for free TAFE and University education.
Make Gas Companies Pay
Our offshore gas companies don’t pay a cent in royalties or a cent in super profits tax. They get Australia’s offshore gas for free. The community gets nothing out of this but higher gas prices. The tax system has been rigged in favour of these gas companies so that they have $278 billion of tax credits to burn through until they finally have to pay tax. That is 15.9% of GDP in avoided taxes. The Greens plan is to make those gas companies pay a flat 10% royalty rate for extracting the gas and phasing out this mountain of tax credits by 10% a year over ten years to make sure they finally pay tax on their super profits. Liberal and Labor parties take millions in donations from the mining, coal and gas industries, which is why they would rather keep these current tax breaks in place than create a universal TAFE and University education with secure work for teachers.
Who will benefit from this plan?
·Students:
All students will enter university and TAFE fee free and Youth Allowance will be increased by $75/week to assist them with their living expenses. All postgraduate students will be eligible for Austudy.
Our plan will see more that 800,000 students attending university and 400,000 attending TAFE fee free by 2021. By 2023, over 1.3 million Australians will be studying fee and debt-free in TAFE and universities.
The average student graduating in 2019 will be repaying debt for ten years. Under our plan they will have twenty thousand extra dollars in their pocket in the decade after they graduate. That includes more than $5000 in the first four years after graduation they would have otherwise spent on debt repayments. That’s nearly $25 extra a week towards rent or food.
The immediate hip pocket savings under our plan are even higher for some of our most important professions. A nursing graduate will save more than $7000 in debt repayment in the first four years after they graduate. Early childhood education and care graduates earning the average salary will be saved from two decades of debt and more than $8000 dollars in fees.
 
Examples of students savings by degree or qualification

People with HELP debts
People with existing HELP debts will have the repayment threshold lifted and tied to the median wage, meaning debt repayments won’t happen until you have a good job.
Under our fee-free plan, students with existing HELP debts will be able to pursue a further degree or qualification at any time without accruing additional debt.
University Staff
According to the National Tertiary Education Union, “amongst the major industry groups, tertiary education is characterised by one of the highest levels of precarious employment in Australia. Less than 36% of all university employees have continuing employment….”
The Greens’ 10% increase in Commonwealth Grant Scheme base funding per student will improve conditions for staff, giving them the resources they need to research and teach.
Further, our commitment to working with staff and their unions to link funding under the Commonwealth Grant Scheme to reductions in the rate of insecure work in universities, will reverse the trend of casualisation and insecure work that threatens the work and livelihoods of university employees at all stages of their degrees.
Someone looking to retrain
The prospect of a decade or more of debt is a significant disincentive for older people pursuing further education. Under our plan, anyone wanting or needing to retrain, reskill and change career won’t be saddled with unsustainable debt for decades. They will have lifelong access to unlimited TAFE and university.
Universities
The Greens’ plan to lift the university funding freeze and increasing funding by 10% per student will mean universities receive an extra $16 billion over the decade to invest in teaching and learning, invest in research and guaranteeing their financial stability for decades to come.
TAFEs
Our plan will inject $45 billion into the TAFE system over the decade which has been neglected for far too long. In addition to seeing over half a million Australians training for free by 2023, our free unlimited TAFE plan will lead to a permanent annual boost in TAFE student numbers of 132,000 by 2023 as more students choose TAFE.