Category: Australian News

Australian families and businesses will save hundreds of dollars a year off their power bills, thanks to action being taken today by the Morrison Government.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) will start work on a “price safety net” today.
This will stop big power companies ripping off loyal customers who don’t have time to shop around for a better deal.
However it will still allow retailers to offer more competitively-priced market offers.
The price safety net is consistent with the recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Retail Electricity Pricing Inquiry.
The Australian Energy Market Commission found that customers on standing offers could be paying up to $832 per year more than the cheapest market offer in some regions. Small businesses could be paying up to $3,457 per year in higher electricity costs.
The AER has been tasked with introducing default prices by 30 April 2019 with savings being passed through to families and small businesses by 1 July 2019.
Other measures announced today by the Morrison Government that will bring prices down and increase reliability are:

• Stopping price gouging by the big energy companies. This includes banning sneaky late payment penalties and making energy retailers pass on savings in wholesale prices to customers. It will increase regulator’s power to crack down on dodgy, anti-competitive practices – through fines, penalties, enforceable undertakings, structural separation and divestiture. We have already seen prices come down in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales on 1 July 2018, and we have directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to monitor electricity prices until 2025 to ensure prices are fairer for consumers.
• Backing investment in new power generators to improve competition. Underwriting new electricity generation will attract investment in the electricity market, increasing supply and reducing wholesale electricity prices. The Government will consult on the Underwriting New Generation Investments program, with submissions open until 9 November 2018. Based on feedback from the consultation, the Government will release initial program guidelines and invite proponents to nominate projects through an expression of interest process open from December 2018 to January 2019.
• Supporting reliable power by requiring energy companies to sign contracts guaranteeing enough energy to meet demand. We will work with state and territory governments through the COAG Energy Council to ensure these contracts are signed.

The package of measures announced today builds on the ACCC’s July report, Restoring electricity affordability and Australia’s competitive advantage.
The report found that the National Energy Market is not operating in the best interests of consumers and needs reform, in particular around competition and affordability.
Our plan will lower power prices, supporting Australians struggling with the cost of living, and back small businesses so they can take advantage of new opportunities and employ more people.
The Government is also developing legislation to implement a strong regime to monitor electricity prices including:

• empowering the ACCC to recommend a range of enforcement remedies;
• empowering the Treasurer to order the divestiture of assets on advice from the ACCC; and
• supporting the COAG Energy Council agenda through Commonwealth legislation if required.

We will also propose an ambitious agenda for the COAG Energy Council including:

• introducing a market cap on generation ownership;
• increasing transparency in the wholesale contract market;
• introducing higher penalties for breaches of the National Electricity Law and related laws, of up to $10 million; and
• increasing the AER’s powers to investigate market manipulation and impose appropriate remedies.

Greens Co-Deputy Leader and spokesperson for climate change and energy Adam Bandt MP today said that the Wentworth by-election result makes it clear that if you’re a government without a plan to tackle climate change, you need to plan for your inevitable demise. On Monday, Bandt re-iterated that an election is required as soon as possible so action can finally be taken on climate change and to end the torture on Nauru.
“The Wentworth result is the canary in the coal mindset. If you don’t have a plan to get off coal and onto renewables, voters will punish you,” said Mr Bandt.
“Even Australia’s richest electorate knows that you can’t make money if the planet is cooked.
“Voters have heard the scientists’ message that we need to shut two thirds of coal-fired power stations by 2030.
“I won’t be offering support to the Morrison Government. It’s time to go to an election.
“It’s clear that people have had enough of this rotten government’s agenda.
“We’re also one step closer to getting kids and their families off Nauru.
“If Labor got behind the crossbench bill in Parliament today, we could bring kids and their families here to receive the medical attention they need before Christmas.

The final report of a Senate Inquiry into water use by mining operations has recommended expanding Commonwealth control over water use, and dramatically improving understanding of water use by mining industries to help reduce the conflict between water use by mining operations, and agriculture and the environment.
“Australia is at a crossroads – large parts of our country are facing extreme drought, yet the fossil fuel mining industry is taking billions of litres of water which would otherwise be available for our regional communities and the environment,” said Chair of the Committee, Australian Greens Senator Janet Rice.
A key recommendation of the Inquiry is to expand the application of the ‘water trigger’. Currently only coal and coal-seam gas projects projects need to be assessed by the Commonwealth. The Senate Committee recommends that the use of the water trigger be expanded to include all unconventional gas projects.
Other recommendations include prioritising a better knowledge of the cumulative impacts of projects, more funding for the Department of Energy and Environment to monitor and ensure compliance by the fossil fuel industry, and publishing real time data so the community knows just how much water is actually being used by mining.
“This report demonstrates that massive and poorly regulated mining projects using billions of litres of water each year are in direct conflict with a healthy environment and agricultural production.”
“I’m pleased that Labor supported many of the recommendations in the report. But the recommendations don’t go far enough. We need a phase-out of coal and unconventional gas to better protect our water resources.”
“And we absolutely must stop projects like the Adani coal mine, which has recently been granted an unlimited water licence to extract 12.5 billion litres of water per year from the drought-stricken Suttor River, on top of its licence to use unlimited amounts of groundwater. This is just obscene and untenable.”
“Both major parties have taken millions from the fossil fuel industry. In return the major parties are continuing to prop up polluting and dying industries like coal. This must stop.”
“For the health of our agriculture industry and environment, the major parties need to get their hands out of the pockets of fossil fuel corporations.”

Under the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government the total number of social housing homes has increased by 11,480 since Labor’s time in power, according to the Australian Productivity Commission and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Social Housing Pru Goward today toured a new development in Westmead, which will provide 67 new units to people currently on the social housing waiting list and others in need of affordable housing.
A number of properties on the site are being managed by St George Community Housing under the NSW Government’s $1.1 billion Social and Affordable Housing Fund, which will provide 3400 additional homes across NSW for vulnerable families.
“The Labor Government reduced the total number of social housing dwellings by more than 600 a year in its last term in office. Since then, the number of social housing homes has increased by more than 1600 a year,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The Labor Government sold off social housing without a comprehensive strategy to re-invest the funds into new, fit-for-purpose housing. Our Future Directions social housing program will continue to increase the number of homes, build better communities and improve the quality of social housing in NSW.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is embarking on the biggest social housing construction program in Australia, building almost 27,000 social and affordable homes over ten years.”
Ms Goward said the proceeds of the Millers Point sales has already added new social housing properties in locations such as Penrith, Blacktown, Parramatta, Ryde, Canada Bay, Lane Cove, Bankstown and Sutherland, with hundreds more under construction.
“Each sale has resulted in almost five new and fit-for-purpose homes being built, which helps many of our most vulnerable families on the social housing waiting list find safe and secure housing,” Ms Goward said.
“The NSW Government is committed to ensuring the most vulnerable people in our community have a place to live and are supported to break the cycle of disadvantage.”

Australian Greens Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, will speak at a protest tomorrow afternoon outside the Wentworth Park, to protest the ‘Million Dollar Chase’ and the $500,000 in taxpayer funds for the event. Senator Faruqi is one of the leading voices against the cruel greyhound racing industry.
When: Saturday, 20th October at 5pm
Where: Millard Reserve 38 Wentworth Park Rd, Glebe, Opposite Wentworth Park.
More Information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1089839827846195/
Senator Faruqi said: “Two years after the Liberals banned greyhound racing, we are now witnessing a race where they are shamelessly throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars of public money at.
“This is such a slap in the face of the community who has been fighting hard to end the cruelty. It is a slap in the face of those incredible, kind and compassionate greyhound rescuers who take in and look after these beautiful animals who have been mistreated so badly.
“It is nothing other than complete arrogance from a government so completely out of touch and an opposition who do not care about animals, and they don’t care about the people they represent. The only thing they care about is their donors and their powerful pals—the gambling industry, big business and media shock jocks.
“They don’t care that trainers continually engage in cruel training practices. In just a three months period, 26 trainers were charged, including for drugging of greyhounds, arsenic, unauthorised export of greyhounds, extreme animal cruelty and live baiting. Imagine how many are happening that aren’t caught,” she concluded.

The Wentworth by-election has become a referendum on climate change and refugees and is a unique opportunity to send a message to the Liberals who don’t deserve to govern.
Our Greens candidate has run a great campaign. It’s important to turn out tomorrow and to vote for our excellent Greens candidate, Dom WY Kanak, if you want action on climate change and refugees.
After that I urge voters to take note of Kerryn’s progressive views on refugees and climate change which are a welcome change from both the major parties.
With the Government at risk of losing this seat and Labor running dead, people can vote Green and choose Kerryn over yet another Liberal backbencher.

Millions of small and medium–sized businesses across Australia will pay less tax five years sooner, with new laws fast-tracking tax relief for the sector passing Parliament today.
This is great news for the 3.3 million small and medium-sized businesses and the seven million Australians they employ.
This means businesses will keep more of their own money – that’s money they can invest back into their business, to create jobs, to boost their productivity and grow.
From 2021-22, a business with a turnover below $50 million will have a tax rate of just 25 per cent, five years earlier than planned. Similar timing changes will also apply to the roll out of the 16 per cent tax discount for unincorporated businesses.
For example, a small business such as a café that makes $100,000 profit will have an additional $1,500 in 2020-21 and $2,500 in 2021-22.
Fast-tracking tax relief is part of our plan for a stronger economy and will drive more investment, more jobs and higher wages and builds on the first stage of business tax relief that our Government delivered in May 2017.
Our plan to fast-track tax relief for Australian businesses is an important investment in the future economic growth of our nation.
The Coalition Government’s economic plan is delivering, the economy is growing at 3.4 per cent through the year, our AAA credit rating has been reaffirmed and more than a million jobs have been created, as promised.

The latest labour force figures show that the Coalition Government’s plan for a stronger economy is working.
The latest figures, released today by the ABS, show that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points over the month, to stand at 5.0 per cent in September – the lowest level since April 2012.
Seasonally adjusted employment now stands at a record high of 12,636,300, and is 280,900 higher than it was a year ago.
Full-time employment increased strongly, by 20,300 over the month, to stand at a record high of 8,654,400, and is now 217,500 higher than it was a year ago.
Encouragingly, female full-time employment is at a record high of 3,178,300.
“These figures show that the Coalition Government’s plan for a stronger economy is working,” the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, said.
“1,149,600 jobs have been created since the Coalition came to office in 2013, an increase of 10 per cent.
“In contrast to our approach, Bill Shorten and Labor want to hit Australians’ hip pockets with $200 billion worth of taxes on electricity, workers, housing, savings, investments and retirement.”

Newstart is currently just $38 a day – and it hasn’t changed since 1994. People are living in poverty and this has to change.
The fact is people don’t want to be on Newstart that want work. People seeking work deserve to be supported adequately, and living in poverty  is a barrier to work. Those seeking work should be able to afford the essentials, the current payment of less than $40 a day doesn’t cover that.
It’s disappointing that both major parties are refusing to budge in this space when people are clearly living in poverty.
The Government and the Labor party need to find the political will and exercise some compassion and common sense. It is accepted by all major stakeholders that the payment is too low and that needs to change.

A team of senators from the Morrison Government, the Labor party, and Nick Xenophon’s Centre Alliance has rejected a motion calling for a ban on dangerous underground coal gasification. It followed a protest at Leigh Creek Energy’s AGM today.
“It is a disgrace that the Morrison Government, the Labor party and Nick Xenophon’s Centre Alliance teamed up today to vote down a motion that called on a ban to underground coal gasification. They were faced with the facts of the disastrous effects UCG has on communities and still backed poison over people,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Passionate activists and community advocates are working hard to put an end to this poisonous practice in Leigh Creek. The Greens  will continue to fight in the Parliament for a nation-wide ban, in the hope that the environmental disaster seen in Queensland is never repeated.
“Poisoning the water table and contaminating soil and air for the sake of profits that will mostly go offshore does not fly with the South Australian community. It is widely known that this toxic practice is not only harmful to the environment, but it makes workers sick and has been linked to some cancers.
“Queensland has acknowledged what a gross error it made when it allowed underground coal gasification to go ahead, and it was revealed yesterday that taxpayers are forced to pay the clean-up bill. It is devastating that the project ever got the go-ahead in South Australia.
“The Greens will continue to fight against this toxic project, and stand up for the community in Leigh Creek, and the traditional owners who want this project stopped.”
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Greens Senate motion:
The Senate—
a)            notes that Leigh Creek Energy have produced their first syngas using underground coal gasification (UCG);
b)            notes that UCG was banned in 2016 in Queensland after the Linc Energy disaster in Chinchilla, which was declared Queensland’s worst environmental disaster;
c)            notes further that UCG has been responsible for incidents of poisoning the water table and contaminating soil and air and has been linked to an increase in cancers, including lung and breast cancers.
Calls on the government to urgently intervene and stop the Leigh Creek project from progressing any further and ban UCG across the country.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young