Category: Australian News

Australian Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called on the Federal Government to urgently implement the recommendations  of the Senate ‘Inquiry into the management of PFAs contamination in and around Defence bases’ , which has called for compensation and a new Coordinator-General to coordinate the national response to the PFAS contamination issue.
Senator Faruqi was the Greens representative on the inquiry. The report can be found here.
Senator Faruqi said: “The Australian Greens welcome this report and although much more remains to be done, it is a really important step to resolving the long running and damaging issue of PFAS contamination. I want to thank and acknowledge community members across the country for their continued advocacy for the protection of our environment, the scarce water resources we have in Australia and the health of our people and communities.
“If the government cares about the community, if they care about our environment, they should urgently accept the recommendations of the report. They don’t have to wait for months to provide a response.
“The community has waited long enough. Communities have suffered enough. It’s time to take concrete action to help them. And it’s time concrete action is taken now.
“It should not have taken years of community campaigning for Defence to be accountable for the contamination it had created. The failure of Defence to take responsibility for this matter may have had significant health and social implications for communities. Consistent with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, Defence has an obligation for all costs associated with testing, containment, remediation, as well as compensation of affected people.
“It is worth remembering that this issue is not restricted to Defence properties. Other Federal Government properties as well as properties formerly owned by the Federal Government, such as airfields and former defence sites should be fully investigated by the Commonwealth Government and the same measures applied.
“I strongly encourage the Commonwealth Government to urgently develop a buyback program for properties where contamination is significant. The reality is that the effects of PFAS contamination are not known yet and we know that some properties will be significantly affected.  There are no options but for compensation to include buyback,” she concluded.

A Shorten Labor Government will introduce the most comprehensive contemporary music policy by an Australian government.
From encouraging more Australian children to learn and play music, to assisting young bands reach overseas markets, to more support for live music and ensuring fans aren’t being ripped off when they buy tickets – Labor wants to see more Australians making music, listening to music, and seeing music live.
The music industry contributes nearly $6 billion to the Australian economy each year. According to ARIA, the Australian music industry will be worth $100 billion globally within a decade. Live music alone supports around 64,000 jobs in Australia. More Australians attend live music than sport.
Labor wants to make sure the live music industry continues to grow, and to see more Australians with stable jobs in a thriving local industry.
Labor’s music policy all comes back to one single objective: We want to inspire the next generation of Australian artists and to see more international success stories.
Labor wants to make sure Australian kids have the chance to learn music, regardless of where they live. While many Australian kids are lucky enough to have parents who encourage them to learn an instrument at a young age, more and more kids now rely on their school to learn to play an instrument. To help schools facilitate learning, a Shorten Labor Government will provide $7 million in extra support for music education and music teachers. The funding will go towards expanding school programs such as SongMakers which brings musicians into schools, and Song Room, dedicated to providing music and art lessons to disadvantaged kids.
One of the biggest barriers for younger musicians is having a space to practice together. Labor will provide $5 million in grant funding to establish and grow music hubs around the country. This funding will provide support to councils, schools, neighborhood centres or community spaces to set up a music hub where students and musicians in the local area can come, learn, collaborate and practice. Funding could be used for soundproofing, equipment, instruments, acoustic assessments or refurbishments.
Labor wants more emerging artists to have the opportunity to record an album for public release and to play at live music venues. Labor will commit over $10m to the “new Sounds Australia” to deliver the functions of the office of live music to help them work with local governments to remove barriers for live music venues around the country. This means more places for young musicians to play, but also more venues for music lovers to see live performances locally. Labor will also double the funding to the New Recordings program to help a further ten new Australian artists record an EP. The current program allows for ten albums to be recorded a year, and has helped artists such Courtney Barnett and Alex the Astronaut gain an audience.
One of the key foundations of Sounds Australia is to showcase Australian music overseas. Labor’s commitment to the new Sounds Australia will expand its reach and build on the 1500 Australian groups that have been showcased at international events in over 23 countries. This means more musicians have a pathway to staying in the industry and more Australian music is heard here and around the world. Part of showcasing our music overseas will be small grants that are made available to help promote emerging Australian bands around the world, particularly in new markets such as Asia. Sounds Australia and the Association of Artists Managers will work together and, when needed, provide modest grants to assist with practical measures to help bands get a foothold including costs of airfares, local management and connections and assistance with booking venues. These grants could mean the difference between a new band making it in a new market or not.
Labor’s music policy will also include measures such as:

• cracking down on ticket scalping websites such as Viagogo
• increased funding for music and mental health programs.

The policies we are announcing today are aimed at boosting every aspect of Australian music. We want Australian music to be heard, Australian artists to stay in the industry and the next generation to be inspired. And we want to make it easier for music fans to buy tickets to the bands they love.
We believe in what our songwriters, musicians, performers and music industry do. We think it matters. Our Australian soundtrack matters. Let’s turn up the volume.
More information on Labor’s policy can be found here.

Labor will give Aussie sports and music fans a fair go, cracking down on ticket gouging which locks fans out of major events.
Labor will introduce a national ban on the use of ticket-buying bot software, which flood ticket websites to purchase the most tickets possible, causing ordinary consumers to miss out.
It is estimated bots account for as much as 30 per cent of the traffic to primary ticketing sites in the moments after a major event goes on sale.
We will also introduce a national cap on the resale price of tickets at 110 per cent of the initial face value.
This will mean fans will get a fair go on accessing tickets to sporting blockbusters, as well as concerts, musicals and theatres.
Ticket scalping is a growing scourge – instead of the sales going to our footy clubs and local businesses, artists and the music industry, fraudsters are building profit models and forcing consumers to pay exorbitant prices for tickets, or missing out completely.
Labor will act. A Shorten Labor Government will introduce a cap of 110 per cent of initial face value price for any resold tickets and make sure laws are consistent across all states and territories through federal legislation.
This crackdown will aim to cut the business model for websites like ViaGogo, which relies on selling tickets to music and sports fans at exorbitant, inflated prices and can often leave consumers stranded with useless tickets that have been sold multiple times.
Labor will also ban the use of ticket-buying bot software, which prevents ordinary consumers from accessing popular concerts and major events.
This will ensure genuine fans get fair access to tickets, and won’t have to compete with sophisticated software designed to buy as many tickets as possible when popular events go on sale online.
A Labor Government will also boost consumer protection by:

• Strengthening disclosure requirements for all ticket sellers; and
• Allowing for the fair resale of tickets, preventing primary ticket sellers cancelling legitimately purchased on-sold tickets
• A national ban on speculative ticket listing

The ACCC will conduct a review of these measures after twelve months of operation, with a view to further strong action if required.
We understand that consumers need the ability to easily on-sell tickets if they need to, and others may want to purchase tickets at the last minute. These reforms won’t prevent that – they will simply mean that ticket sellers can’t significantly profit from desperate fans.
The Liberals have been too paralysed by their own instability to take action on this issue, only introducing disclosure requirements for resellers last month and failing to act on ticket gouging at all.
Labor will prioritise Australian sports and music fans to make sure consumers get an overdue fair go.

South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young stands in solidarity with the young people striking for climate action in Adelaide today.

“The young people striking today give me great hope that the planet will be in good hands in the future, but we need to pass on something worth fighting for,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Queensland is on fire, Sydney is under water and farmers are facing extreme drought. Young people are showing more leadership on climate change than the Morrison Government.

“While young people strike, the WWF has concluded that Australia has the worst biodiversity management record out of 100 nations. We have a responsibility to future generations, to our unique flora and fauna, and to the rest of the world to lead the charge on saving this planet.

“Our nation is experiencing the effects of climate change here and now. If we want the young people protesting in Adelaide to have a bright future on a liveable planet, politicians need to do their jobs now.”

The Australian Greens have announced $10 million per year of funding into ending HIV in Australia, with a further $1 million for national campaigns that break down HIV discrimination and stigma, ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday 1 December.
“We have the chance to end HIV in Australia. The Greens will invest $10 million a year into organisations that do the incredibly important work of combating and preventing HIV,” said Senator Richard Di Natale, leader of the Australian Greens and a doctor.
“We welcome the government’s announcement of HIV self-testing on the Therapeutic Goods Administration – a move that will go some way towards reducing the harm that stigma causes, but it doesn’t yet go far enough.”
“While Australia has had some success in reducing the transmission of HIV, we need to plan a process that will result in ending HIV.”
“We’re also committing an additional $1 million per year into national campaigns that break down HIV stigma and discrimination, encourage safer sex and encourage regular testing,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.
“We know that reducing stigma and discrimination will lead to more people getting tested which is essential to eliminating HIV.”

A Shorten Labor Government will end the Liberals’ war on science, restore trust in scientists and put science back at the centre of government, by resetting the relationship between government and Australia’s science and research community.
For the past five years, science and scientists have been denigrated or ignored, and funding has been cut, because the government refuses to listen to the experts on climate change, energy policy, and growing inequality in Australia.
Labor’s mission is to develop a relationship with our scientists and researchers based on trust, respect and mutual obligation, for the benefit of the Australian people.
Labor understands that scientific research and development is fundamental to Australia’s future. It’s fundamental to Australia’s capacity for innovation, for economic growth and productivity and for the creation of new jobs. It’s fundamental to the food we farm and eat, to the cities we live in, our energy future and security, the way we communicate, the health of our loved ones, and our national security.
If elected, a Shorten Labor Government will develop a charter with the Australian science and research community to establish the reciprocal roles, responsibilities and expectations of government and researchers.
As part of this charter Labor will:

• affirm our fundamental respect for academic freedom;
• review and strengthen the National Science and Research priorities; and
• establish a Prime Ministers Science and Innovation Council, responsible for identifying our national priorities in science and research.

A Shorten Labor Government is committed to reversing the decline in Australia’s research and development performance that has taken place in the past five years.
Labor is the only party committed to lifting Australian spending on Research and Development from 1.8 per cent of GDP to 3 per cent. We are committed to restoring our international competiveness.
And to restore the integrity of the Australian Research Council, we will legislate a requirement that Ministers must table an explanation in Parliament within 15 sitting days of rejecting any recommendation of funding by the Chief Executive Officer.
A Shorten Labor Government will also establish, for the first time in 20 years, a once in a generation, root-and-branch inquiry into strengthening our research capabilities across the whole of government.
Australia needs a new direction for science and research that brings scientists together instead of dividing their efforts.
The review’s terms of reference will build on the experience of similar reviews undertaken by Canada and the UK.
Leading scientists in Australia have committed themselves to being part of the review, which will be led by the former Chief Scientist and former vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, Professor Ian Chubb AC. Other members of the review panel include:

• Professor Christobel Saunders AO FRCS FRACS FAAHMS
• Professor Emma Johnston AO FRSN
• Professor Andrew Holmes AC FRS FAA FTSE
• Professor Karen Hussey
• Mr Phil Clark AM
• Professor Glyn Davis AC FASSA FIIPA

Additional members will be announced in due course.
Only Labor is committed to a stronger partnership between science and government, and to fostering a better relationship of deeper respect and greater co-operation. Australia’s future depends on it.

The Australian Greens will move amendments to Labor’s bill to ensure discrimination against LGBTQ+ teachers and staff, as well as students, is removed.
“Labor and the Morrison government must support the Greens amendments to include teachers and staff,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson.
“It’s clear from the title of Labor’s bill that it will only end discrimination against students and that religious schools would still be able to fire LGBTQ+ teachers and other staff, just for being who they are.”
“Labor needs to join the Greens in protecting teachers now. Not next year, not after the next election. No ifs, no buts, no more delays. We need to pass these reforms now.”
“We can’t afford any further delay before removing discrimination. Schools should be discrimination-free zones for all people, regardless of whether they are are a student or a staff member.”

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Gun Control and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed the Senate voting for her motion reaffirming support for the National Firearms Agreement and rejecting tactics of the gun lobby to weaken our gun laws. The Greens motion was supported by Labor, Senator Hinch, Senator Storer and Centre Alliance and opposed by the Government.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Passing this motion is a welcome sign that the Parliament will not give in to the gun lobby which seeks to water down our successful gun control laws in order to sell more guns.
“It is extremely disappointing to see the Government vote against this motion.
“The gun lobby’s attempts to replicate NRA tactics in Australia are reprehensible and must be rejected.
“The NRA is a blight on the American democracy. The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia – SIFA – is bankrolled by gun industry heavyweights such as Beretta.
“The gun lobby is becoming increasingly active in election campaigns with a clear strategy to weaken gun laws. SIFA contributed $220,000 to a political campaign in Queensland last year, and at least $165,000 to a political campaign in Victoria this year.
“This shouldn’t just alarm us, this should terrify us all – we have to make sure our gun laws are never be watered down” she concluded.
The Motion:
That the Senate:
1) Notes that
a) There have been more than 50 breaches of the National Firearm Agreement across Australian states and territories since it was implemented in 1996
b) Corporate members of the gun lobby group Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) include suppliers and manufacturers of weapons such as NIOA, Raytrade, Outdoor Sporting Agencies, Winchester and Beretta who stand to benefit from relaxed gun laws
c) Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) becoming increasingly active in election campaigns with a clear strategy to weaken gun laws. The gun lobby group contributed $220,000 to a political campaign in Queensland last year and is contributing at least $165,000 to a political campaign in Victoria this year.
2) Calls on the Federal Government to ensure that the National Firearm Agreement is complied with in all Australian states and territories.
3) Calls on the Federal Government to resist moves to weaken Australia’s gun control laws.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has called the Liberal/National Government’s new research national interest test farcical.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The National Interest Test proposed by Minister Tehan is straight out of ‘Yes Minister’. This farcical proposal is the typical Liberal tactic of inventing a problem then trying to solve it.
“The Australian Research Council already requires researchers to demonstrate the benefits and impacts of their research.  If the Minister had spent even five minutes talking to the research community he would know that.
“Narrow political agendas of the Government of the day determining long term research priorities is a dangerous road to go down.
“The Minister makes a baseless claim that a ‘national research test’ will give confidence in research but the reality is that the research community has no confidence in a Minister that plays such silly games.
“The Liberals need to get out of the way and let researchers get on with the job of solving problems. I have a bill in the parliament to remove the Ministers veto altogether, which would be the best outcome to safeguard the independence of research,” she concluded.

A Shorten Labor Government will establish a Voice for First Nations people, and seek the support of the Australian people for that Voice to be enshrined in the Constitution.
Reports today that Labor is walking away from our commitment to a Voice are nonsense.
We support the Voice. We support enshrining it in the Constitution. It is our first priority for Constitutional change.
When 250 First Nations Leaders convened at Uluru last year and called for a Voice to Parliament, Labor heard that call.
In government, we will work with First Nations to make it a reality.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People will deliver its report on Thursday. Labor is proud to have three Indigenous MPs on that committee. Nobody can doubt Labor’s commitment to Constitutional reform.
We acknowledge the work of the many First Nations groups, academics and legal experts who made submissions to the inquiry outlining their views on the best way forward.
It has been 10 years since the issue of Constitutional recognition was first raised. First Nations people have made clear that their preferred form of meaningful recognition is a Voice to Parliament. We cannot ignore those calls.
It is disappointing that the Coalition continues to peddle lies about what the role of a Voice would be.
A Voice would not be a third chamber of parliament. It would be a mechanism for First Nations people to have a greater say in the policy issues that impact on their lives.
We have nothing to fear from working with First Nations people to address the many complex issues that affect the first Australians.
Labor has made clear that we will work with the Government, but we will not wait for them.
If bi-partisanship cannot be reached, we will look to legislate a new body as a first step on the pathway to enshrining it in the Constitution.
We will move quickly following the election to agree on a process with First Nations people – including a clear pathway to a referendum. We will also work with them in establishing a Makarrata Commission for agreement-making and truth-telling.
This will be a genuine process of government and First Nations working together to achieve meaningful change.
We will examine options for ensuring local, regional and national representation so that First Nations communities have a genuine say.
The Coalition has consistently failed to properly engage with First Nations people on important policy issues – leading to a litany of policy failures in Indigenous Affairs.
Whether it is the disastrous Indigenous Advancement Strategy, Community Development Program or the Close the Gap Refresh, only by working with First Nations people can we fix the legacy of failed policies left by this government and achieve a more equal, more reconciled Australia.