Category: Australian News

A Shorten Labor Government will invest $300 million in the Suburban Rail Loop – getting the project going faster and creating jobs sooner.
Labor’s investment will support the development of a business case and get the planning work done quicker, enabling the construction to commence in 2022. The project will provide a major boost to the economy, creating 20,000 jobs in the construction phase alone and employing 2000 apprentices.
This is the sort of vision Melbourne needs – to keep up with the demands of Australia’s fastest growing capital city, investment in world-class, modern transport network is critical.
Melbourne is a great place to live and work. But between now and 2046, the city’s population is projected to grow to 7.3 million residents. Without proper planning and investment in the city’s roads and public transport infrastructure, the annual cost of traffic congestion will more than triple to $9 billion by 2030.
Labor understands how important it is to invest in decent public transport that will take the pressure off our cities, ease traffic congestion, and connect the suburbs and the regions – bringing jobs and apprenticeships along the way.
On completion, the Suburban Rail Loop will comprise of a 90 kilometre rail line through Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs via the airport, linking all of the city’s major train lines. It will connect the suburbs directly to major employment hubs, universities, TAFE and hospitals outside the city, making it much easier for Victorians to get around for work and recreation.
Labor’s investment will help finalise exact station locations, route alignments, rolling stock and staging, and get construction underway faster.
Expected to be used by 400,000 passengers a day, the project will take pressure off existing lines, as well as an estimated 200,000 cars off the city’s road network. Fewer cars on the road mean less congestion and shorter travel times.
Federal Labor’s investment follows expert analysis showing the project will slash travel times across the city. When complete, commuters will be able to travel from Box Hill to the airport in 25 minutes and to Monash Clayton in around 15 minutes. Travel from Broadmeadows to Deakin Burwood will be less than 25 minutes – connecting Victorians to education and work opportunities quicker and easier.
This commitment to the Suburban Rail Loop builds on Labor’s strong track record of delivering job-creating infrastructure that eases congestion for Victorians, and will match the funding commitment announced by the Andrews Labor Government in August this year.
Labor has made hard budget decisions to ensure our priorities are fully paid for – we will make multinationals pay their fair share and close unsustainable tax loopholes, because we want to build the cities and society that will give the next generation a better deal.

Following the leak of the Ruddock Review into Religious Freedom, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told journalists this morning that “this has not been through cabinet at this point. It hasn’t been considered by cabinet, so we will take it through that orderly process, and we will come out with our response to the Ruddock review.” However, last month Sen. Mathias Cormann refused to comply with an order from the Senate to produce the review, citing ongoing confidential cabinet deliberations.
“Either Scott Morrison is lying to the Australian people, or Mathias Cormann is lying to the Australian Senate. Either way, it’s absolutely unacceptable and they need to come clean,” said the Leader of the Australian Greens Dr Richard Di Natale.
“Twice the Senate has ordered the Government to produce these documents and twice Sen. Cormann refused on the basis of Cabinet confidentiality. Was Cormann lying to the Senate when he said the review was being considered by Cabinet or was the Prime Minister lying when he claimed it never had been? They can’t have it both ways.”
“This is just one more example of a Liberal Party at war with itself, willing to do or say whatever it takes to hide its complete dysfunction from the public,” he said.
“LGBTIQ+ communities have been left in the lurch for months awaiting the release of this report. Our human rights and lives are at stake and we’re being kept in the dark. The government must release this report in full immediately,” said Greens LGBTIQ+ spokesperson Senator Janet Rice.
“The Liberal candidate in the upcoming Wentworth by-election, Dave Sharma, said he personally doesn’t support any new discrimination. The government must come clean with its plans to enshrine new discrimination before the by-election.”
Sen. Cormann’s letter is attached here.
According to the Senate’s published grounds for claims of public interest immunity, only revealing the deliberations (ie minutes of who said what and why they came to their decision) is treated as beyond the power of the Senate:
      (5)    Disclosure of Executive Council or cabinet deliberations
                It is accepted that deliberations of the Executive Council and of the cabinet should be able to be conducted in secrecy so as to preserve the freedom of deliberation of those bodies. This ground, however, relates only to disclosure of deliberations. There has been a tendency for governments to claim that anything with a connection to cabinet is confidential. According to a famous story about a state government, trolley loads of documents were wheeled through the cabinet room so that it could be claimed that they were all “cabinet-in-confidence”, a story which serves to illustrate the abuse of this ground. A claim that a document is a cabinet document should not be accepted; it has to be established that disclosure of the document would reveal cabinet deliberations. The claim cannot be made simply because a document has the word “cabinet” in or on it.
                Neither legislatures nor courts have conceded that internal deliberations of government departments and agencies are entitled to the same protection.

Medecins Sans Frontiers’ revelations about the conditions of the people Australia is detaining on Nauru have laid bare the truly despearte situation, Greens Immigration spokesperson Nick McKim says.
“MSF have made it clear that they have never seen such traumatised people and that every refugee presented with suicidal symptoms,” Senator McKim said.
“These are stomach turning revelations which confirm yet again that offshore detention is destroying innocent lives.”
“No longer can Morrison and Shorten ignore the humanitarian calamity caused by their bipartisan policy of cruelty.”
“Every single person Australia is detaining on Manus Island and Nauru must be evacuated to Australia immediately.”

The Australian Greens are calling on urgent Federal Government intervention into the Leigh Creek Energy underground coal gasification project, after today’s announcement the company has produced its first syngas.
“The Federal Environment Minister must intervene and put a stop to this project before any irreversible damage is caused. It is a disgrace it was ever given the go-ahead by the South Australian Liberal Government,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The Greens will move in the Parliament to stop the Leigh Creek project and ban this absurd and harmful practice.
“This toxic practice poisons the water table and contaminates soil and air. It does immeasurable damage to the environment, and the climate. It has been linked to an increase in cancers, including lung and breast cancers. UCG is banned in Queensland and across the world, for good reason, because of the demonstrated harm it causes to people and the environment.
“The Greens stand in solidarity with Traditional Owners and community members who have been fighting this going ahead. South Australian lives must be protected, like Queenslanders finally are. We must stop the government putting us at risk for the sake of a company making a profit for shareholders offshore.”

Greens Leader Senator Richard Di Natale expressed his deep concern at news that 24 Yemenis of the Baha’i faith, including a child, continue to face serious charges for nothing more than their expressing beliefs and for conducting peaceful activities. Some of the charges may result in the death penalty.

“A recent court date was an opportunity for justice to prevail – but Houthi authorities seem content to threaten peaceful people with execution just for expressing their religious beliefs.  The world will be closely watching the next hearing, currently scheduled for mid-November.

“This mass trial is another disturbing sign of persecution of Yemenis of the Baha’i faith in Houthi-controlled Yemen.  I urge the Houthi authorities to immediately drop these bogus charges and release those who are detained.”

A Shorten Labor Government will introduce a new two year National Preschool and Kindy Program, guaranteeing around 700,000 Australian children a year will be able to access subsidised preschool.
This is the biggest ever investment in early childhood education in Australia.
For the first time, every three year old in Australia will be able to access 15 hours of subsidised early childhood education, so they can get the best start to learning.
Labor will also extend the current arrangement for four year olds accessing preschool – creating a quality, two-year program to support the most important years of a child’s development, an investment of an additional $1.75 billion into early education.
90% of a child’s brain development occurs in the first five years of life – an investment in early education is one of the smartest investments our country can make.
Labor’s plan is good for children, good for parents, and good for the economy:

•       Children – Studies have shown that children who access quality early education achieve better results in tests throughout their schooling. Early education is particularly vital in closing the disadvantage gap before a child starts school. Labor’s plan will see around 340,000 three year olds and a similar number of four year olds able to access preschool every year.
•        Parents – One of the biggest barriers to accessing early education is finance – expanding access will help with the cost of living, help parents balance work and family and help reduce the child care bill for families with children already in early education.
•       Economy – evidence shows that the return on investment in early childhood education is significant. A recent study from the EU showed that for every dollar spent on early childhood education for 3 year olds, $4 was returned to the economy.

Labor’s universal access to preschool scheme for four year olds has laid the groundwork for this announcement – since the first agreement was signed by Labor in 2008, preschool enrolment for four year olds has increased from 77% to between 93-97%.
But more needs to be done. Our global competitors have recognised the value of a two-year early childhood education program, and it’s time Australia gets on board, before we fall further behind.
The United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Ireland and China have all expanded their early childhood education programs to include three year olds.
Currently, Scott Morrison has failed to extend preschool funding for four year olds beyond next school year – after his child care changes cut early education from some of Australia’s most vulnerable children.
The Liberals see education as a cost – that’s why they’ve cut $14 billion from public schools and left preschool funding in limbo. Labor sees it as an investment in our collective future.
Labor will work in partnership with the states and territories to deliver this important reform, including in setting enrolment and attendance targets, particularly for Indigenous and vulnerable children.
We’ve made tough and overdue decisions to rein in unfair tax concessions that predominantly benefit the wealthy – including negative gearing reform and dividend imputation reform – so we can fund the priorities that will make a fairer and more successful nation.
Only Labor will give every child the early education opportunities they need for the best start in life.

The Liberal-National Government’s economic plan and responsible budget management has seen the Final Budget Outcome for the 2017-18 financial year record an underlying cash deficit $19.3 billion better than estimated at the time of the 2017-18 Budget.
At $10.1 billion, just 0.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), the underlying cash deficit is the smallest in ten years – clear evidence that the Liberal-National Government’s plan for a stronger economy, more jobs and to repair the Budget is working.
Stronger economic growth and much stronger employment growth than anticipated at the time of the 2017-18 Budget have driven increases in personal income tax and company tax receipts, with total receipts $13.4 billion higher than expected at the time of the Budget.
Total payments were $6.9 billion lower than forecast at Budget time, including as a result of lower welfare payments with more Australians in paid work. Welfare dependency for working age Australians is now at its lowest level in 25 years and in 2017-18, there were 90,000 fewer working age Australians on welfare.
Net Future Fund earnings were $1.1 billion higher than expected at the time of the 2017-18 Budget (which are excluded from the underlying cash balance).
These outcomes demonstrate that the Liberal-National Government’s economic plan is working and confirm that the Budget is firmly on the path back to balance.
The Australian economy has completed its 27^th consecutive year of growth. With more than one million jobs having been created since the Coalition Government was first elected in 2013, today’s outcome reflects the record number of people in jobs and an economy in which businesses are growing.
Real GDP in 2017-18 was stronger than anticipated in the 2017-18 Budget. Nominal GDP grew by 4.7 per cent in 2017‑18, which was significantly stronger than the 2017-18 Budget forecast of 4 per cent. This was the result of stronger‑than-expected real GDP growth and higher-than-assumed prices for key commodities.
Almost 350,000 jobs were created in 2017-18, with employment growing by 2.7 per cent through the year to the June quarter 2018, well above the 1½ per cent growth forecast in the 2017-18 Budget.
Today’s positive Final Budget Outcome builds on the release of the National Accounts earlier this month, which showed that the economy grew 3.4 per cent through the year – the fastest rate of growth since the September quarter 2012 during the height of the mining investment boom and faster than any G7 economy. It also follows last week’s reaffirmation of our AAA credit rating by Standard & Poor’s – Australia being one of only 10 countries with such a rating from all three major ratings agencies.
The Final Budget Outcome for 2017-18 further demonstrates that the Coalition Government’s economic plan is working to create more jobs and ensure that we can afford to deliver the essential services that Australians rely on.
The Final Budget Outcome 2017-18 can be found at www.budget.gov.au.

Millions of small and medium sized businesses will pay less tax, sooner – with the Coalition Government delivering its tax relief five years earlier than planned.
This will mean more investment, more jobs and higher wages.
We will introduce legislation during the next session of Parliament, fast-tracking our business tax relief for more than three million businesses that employ nearly seven million Australians.
This means businesses with a turnover below $50 million will face a tax rate of just 25 per cent in 2021-22 rather than from 2026-27 as currently legislated. Similar timing changes will apply to the roll out of the 16 per cent tax discount for unincorporated businesses.
This means that a small business, such as an independent supermarket or a pub, that makes $500,000 profit, will have an additional $7,500 in 2020-21 and $12,500 in 2021-22 to invest back into the business or staff, or help to manage cash flow.
This builds on the first stage of company tax relief that our Government delivered in May 2017, because we believe in a fair go for those who have a go – that’s what our tax plan is all about.
This change will help to ensure Australian businesses are competitive, to protect our economy and jobs.
The legislation that delivers this additional tax relief will be a major test for Bill Shorten – does he support Australian businesses, Australian workers and Australian jobs? Or is Bill Shorten’s only plan for the economy to introduce an extra $200 billion in taxes?
Our economic plan is working and the fast tracking of tax relief for small and medium businesses is an important investment in the future economic growth of our nation.

Corporate	18-19	19-20	20-21	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25	25-26	26-27
Existing	27.5%	27.5%	27.5%	27.5%	27.5%	27.5%	27%	26%	25%
Fast-tracked	27.5%	27.5%	26%	25%	25%	25%	25%	25%	25%

Unincorporated	18-19	19-20	20-21	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25	25-26	26-27
Existing	8%	8%	8%	8%	8%	8%	10%	13%	16%
Fast-tracked	8%	8%	13%	16%	16%	16%	16%	16%	16%

Labor will give a voice to the victims sidelined by Scott Morrison’s failure to extend the Banking Royal Commission.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is today announcing that Shadow Minister for Financial Services Clare O’Neil will travel to cities and towns around Australia that have not been visited by the Royal Commission to hold a series of roundtables with victims.
These roundtables will give victims a crucial opportunity to share their stories and consider options for reform to ensure that the shocking misconduct exposed by the Royal Commission is stamped out.
Labor is committed to working with bank victims the opportunity to be part of this important national conversation.
So far, the Royal Commission has only had time to hear from 27 customers, despite over 9300 customers making written submissions.
All of the hearings of the Commission have been in just three capital cities – regional and rural customers have not had a sufficient chance to have their say in this process.
Misconduct in the financial services sector is a national issue – and Australians across the country deserve their chance to be heard. Unlike the Liberals, Labor will listen to victims.
The Royal Commission’s interim report has highlighted how badly ‘greed’ and ‘the pursuit of short term profit at the expense of basic standards of honesty’ has affected our financial services sector.
Labor now wants victims to have a seat at the table when the Royal Commission considers what reforms are required to clean up this sector.
Scott Morrison doesn’t want to give bank victims a voice. He always has been, and always will be, on the side of the big banks.
He spent 600 days fighting against the Royal Commission, labelling it a ‘populist whinge’ and a ‘reckless distraction’. He voted against the Royal Commission 26 times. And he spent years trying to reward the big banks with a $17 billion tax cut. Now, he’s refusing to extend the Royal Commission – all but guaranteeing victims won’t get a say in responding to the Commission’s recommendations for reform.
Labor called for this Royal Commission, Labor fought for this Royal Commission, Labor will allow victims to have their say, and Labor will work day and night to protect Australian businesses and consumers from this appalling misconduct.

347,000 Australian children are facing a $440 million cut to preschool funding as a result of Scott Morrison’s cuts to preschool, with the program only funded for one more school year.
Unless this cut is reversed, every child now under the age of two will miss out on preschool funding in the year before school. This would be a disaster for Australian children and for our economy.
Scott Morrison’s cuts amount to the equivalent of $1,200 per child every year – a cut that will leave parents out of pocket or force states and community kindies to cut back hours.
In 2009, Federal Labor introduced Universal Access to Preschool for all four year olds, so Australian children could access 15 hours per week of quality preschool education in the year before school.
This was in recognition of the importance of early education – 90% of a child’s brain development occurs before they are five, and children who access preschool have been shown to achieve better school results in later years.
Unfortunately the Liberals continue to treat early education as a political football – leaving parents with uncertainty about whether they will be left out of pocket or whether their child will miss out.
Since the first agreement was signed by Labor in 2008, preschool enrolment has increased from 77% to up to 97% in some states.
However, this is all in jeopardy if Morrison doesn’t reverse his cuts and extend funding for preschool in his next Budget update – less than two months away.
When a student starts behind, they are unlikely to catch up – it’s likely they will not meet minimum NAPLAN standards in Years 3, 5 and 7.
For a country like Australia, this is just not good enough. By refusing to commit to ongoing funding for preschool, Mr Morrison is putting our children’s futures at risk.
He is also making it extremely difficult for providers to plan ahead and build a solid workforce.
This funding cut comes on the back of Morrison’s $14 billion cuts to public schools, his cuts to Universities and cuts to TAFE. These cuts show he just doesn’t understand the importance of education.
He’s spent years arguing for a tax cut for the banks, but Morrison is happy to leave funding for our youngest minds in jeopardy.
Labor will fight for early education and we will fight for better schools because unlike the Liberals, we know that education is an investment in a better future for our kids and our nation’s economy.