Month: October 2019

Greens Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has said that she will be saying ‘Nup to the Cup’ and called on others to boycott the Melbourne Cup.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Year after year we see the needless painful deaths of horses, including five in the last six Melbourne Cups.
“Cruel practices like whipping and tongue tying happen every day in the horse racing industry, and we even see horses subjected to electric shocks to get them to run faster – all for the sake of a bet.
“Even after all the evidence of animal cruelty and racehorses being sent to slaughterhouses in appalling conditions, Racing Victoria clearly isn’t serious about animal welfare. They are only committing a paltry ten percent of ticket sales to ‘equine wellbeing’. I reckon they will spend more on champagne than horses’ welfare at the Cup this year.
“We need a Royal Commission into cruelty in horse racing to hold the industry to account and protect horses.
“I know many people feel uncomfortable about participating in Melbourne Cup events because of the way horses are treated. It isn’t an easy position to take, with the Melbourne Cup promoted so heavily, but it is important we give a voice to the voiceless. I encourage people to make their views known and say ‘Nup to the Cup’.
“Every year more and more people recognise animals never win when gambling profits are at stake. That’s why I’m saying nup to the cup. People really should ask themselves if the Melbourne Cup party is really worth it?” she concluded.

Greens Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has backed the RSPCA’s calls for national animal protection laws following a horror month of animal cruelty.
The Greens have a policy of introducing national animal cruelty laws.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The RSPCA is absolutely right to say that cruelty is cruelty, no matter where it happens in Australia. The existing patchwork of state laws that cover animal cruelty are out of date and the penalties pale in comparison to the crime.
“The community expects zero tolerance for animal cruelty and sadly the states continue to fail to protect animals.
“Animal welfare laws are wildly inconsistent across the country. For example, aggravated animal cruelty, where an animal is killed or seriously injured by cruelty, has a maximum penalty of seven years jail in Queensland, but just two years in New South Wales. Some of these laws were drafted up to forty years ago and are completely out of sync with community expectations and animal welfare needs.
“Just this week we have seen a person literally rip the head of a kookaburra in Western Australia and they could get off scot free.
“Whether it be in the greyhound and horse racing industries, factory farms or intensive breeding of cats and dogs, animals continue to suffer because they fall through the cracks,” she concluded.

Power reliability will get a $1 billion boost as part of the Liberal National Government’s plan to ensure Australian households, businesses and industries get a fair deal on energy.
The Liberal National Government will establish a $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund to support Government investment in new energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure, including eligible projects shortlisted under the Underwriting New Generation Investments (UNGI) program.
The new $1 billion fund will be administered by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), drawing on the energy and financial markets expertise that has seen the CEFC invest more than $7 billion in clean energy since its establishment in 2012. The Fund represents the first new capital provided to the CEFC since it began.
The Prime Minister said the Fund would also help unlock private sector investment for projects that would secure the grid and put downward pressure on prices.
“This is a yet another initiative by our Government taking more action to bring power prices down and keep the lights on,” the Prime Minister said.
“We’re delivering immediate relief through our new price safety net and banning sneaky late payment fees but we’ve also got our eye to the future with the projects this new Fund will back.
“Our work to date and this new initiative will help deliver an energy system that isn’t a roadblock to businesses growing and employing more people and that isn’t stinging family hip-pockets.”
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the fund would ensure sufficient reliable generation capacity is available to meet periods of high demand.
“The Grid Reliability Fund builds on our strong action to stabilise the grid and get the energy generation balance right, to deliver affordable, 24/7 reliable power,” said Minister Taylor.
“It is no secret that the National Electricity Market is under pressure – this fund is designed to tackle that and is part of a suite of initiatives that the Government is delivering to ensure when people flick the switch, the lights come on and stay on.”
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the Government would update the CEFC enabling legislation to ensure the Grid Reliability Fund could support suitable projects.
“The Grid Reliability Fund will provide the Clean Energy Finance Corporation with additional capacity to support affordability, reliability and security of supply, which ultimately puts downward pressure on energy prices,” Minister Cormann said.
The Fund will prioritise investments in jurisdictions where state and territory governments are working with the Commonwealth towards an agreed reliability goal and to ensure sufficient reliable generation capacity is available to meet periods of high demand.
Eligible investments will include:

• Energy storage projects including pumped hydro and batteries,
• Transmission and distribution infrastructure, and
• Grid stabilising technologies.

Further announcements on individual projects, including shortlisted UNGI projects, will be made as the Commonwealth reaches agreements with individual project proponents.
The Government will only refer UNGI projects that reflect the CEFC’s legislative mandate for consideration under the Fund.
The Grid Reliability Fund is an important initiative in the Government’s A Fair Deal on Energy policy and will contribute to meeting our $70 per MWh price target and maintaining and increasing supply of reliable electricity.
View the energy policy blueprint here: https://www.energy.gov.au/energy-policy-blueprint-fair-deal-energy.

Australia has been given its first look at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport with today’s release of the first design images.
The design is the next step in Western Sydney International taking shape, with major earthworks set to commence next year that will lead to the construction of runways, roads, rail and the terminal.
The innovative design of the country’s biggest aviation project in decades follows the appointment of the architects who will design the terminal precinct.
Successful architectural team Zaha Hadid Architects, and Australian architects, Cox Architecture won the honour to design the terminal precinct following a competitive process which generated more than 40 design entrants.
The winning design focuses on the customer journey while paying tribute to the Western Sydney region and natural landscape. It passed a range of value-for-money and technical reviews.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the designs showed the once-in-a-generation infrastructure project coming to life.
“This is set to be the largest gateway to Australia and these designs are another step to making it a reality,” the Prime Minister said.
“Designed alongside locals and built by local workers the airport will deliver massive economic benefits to the region.”
The appointment of the architectural design team and the first look at the terminal design is a major milestone in the delivery of the federally funded, $5.3 billion Western Sydney International.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said designing and constructing a terminal capable of catering for 10 million passengers annually was a significant challenge.
“To meet the challenge the terminal will be designed for modular expansion, to accommodate the long term capacity of up to 80 million passengers anticipated every year by the early 2060s,” Minister Cormann said.
To be considered for the design project, interested firms were required to have experience designing an airport of similar size and complexity to Western Sydney International in the past five years. The final decision on the winning design was made by a panel of some of Australia’s most renowned architects.
Liberal Senator for Western Sydney Marise Payne said the competitive process undertaken for the terminal precinct design led to the very best outcome for Western Sydney.
“The iconic final design ensures that air travel will be accessible for locals, as well as locking in new opportunities for people who want to work, shop and meet at the terminal precinct,” Senator Payne said.
The airport has committed to delivering 30 per cent of direct job opportunities to Western Sydney residents and is currently exceeding that target.
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said Western Sydney would be the big winner as the airport continues to take shape.
“The construction phase alone will support 11,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Western Sydney region,” Minister Tudge said.
“Within the first five years of the airport opening it is expected to support 28,000 full time jobs for the people of Western Sydney.”
The design process encouraged the demonstration on how local university students would be included on the design team.
Member for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh said designing an airport and working through concepts with local students is important.
“I am pleased to see that Zaha Hadid Architects and Australian architects Cox Architecture will work with Western Sydney University students, local Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders to further refine and enhance the concepts to arrive at the final design,” Ms McIntosh said.
“This is the first step in preparing our local kids for the jobs of the future by playing such an integral role through the design of the Airport. We know that post construction over 28,000 jobs will be created and we want our kids to take those opportunities.”