Month: February 2021

Labor demands that Scott Morrison intervene to save thousands of jobs in Victoria following the announcement of the closure of ExxonMobil oil refinery at Altona.
This is devastating news for hundreds of local workers and for the future of Australia’s fuel security.
This decision will cost hundreds of direct jobs and impact thousands of workers in downstream industry. This is further proof that the Government has no plan for workers affected by these decisions.
Australia’s petrochemical manufacturers all rely on by-products produced from the ExxonMobil refinery. These manufacturers will likely need assistance, given the year they’ve had through COVID, to ensure they don’t close.
Following just months after the closure of the refinery at Kwinana in Western Australia, the Morrison Government has overseen the closure of half of our domestic refineries in the last six months.
The Government announced a $211 million so-called fuel security package in September last year to keep refineries on line.
Six months later another refinery will close its doors.
Morrison and Angus Taylor said their fuel security plan would ‘create 1,000 new jobs and protect workers in the fuel sector and in fuel-dependent industries’.
Instead, their ‘stewardship’ has seen the loss of 600 jobs at Kwinana, and the imminent loss of 350 direct jobs at Altona, and many thousands more if they continue to sit on their hands.
Another hollow headline and empty promise never delivered by Scott Morrison.
Labor warned then that the package was inadequate and failed to address Australia’s fuel security needs. Today’s announcement clearly shows this Government has no real plan.
Scott Morrison’s policy vacuum has left hundreds of workers without jobs and the nation without a sovereign supply of domestic fuel.

The Morrison Government will lift mutual obligation requirements for job seekers in Victoria from today 12 February 2021 to Monday 22 February 2021inclusive.
This follows an announcement by the Victorian Government that the state of Victoria is under a five-day lockdown as a short, sharp circuit breaker to curb a COVID-19 outbreak in the state.
No job seeker in the affected areas will face payment suspension or financial penalties for failing to meet their mutual obligation requirements such as not being able to attend appointments or activities.
Job seekers are still being encouraged to remain connected to employment services to ensure they are supported to access the full range of assistance including mental health services, if required.
These arrangements will apply to job seekers in jobactive, Online Employment Services, Disability Employment Services and participants in ParentsNext.
The Morrison Government will continue to closely monitor the situation in Victoria.
More information about mutual obligations requirements can be found at www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/job-seekers

The Prime Minister must take the water portfolio out of the hands of the climate-denying National Party, the Greens say, after a Productivity Commission report released today calls on governments to recognise the impact of the climate crisis on water security.
Greens Water Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“We’ve now got economists saying what scientists have been warning for years. The Federal Government needs to start preparing a water security plan that takes climate change seriously.
“The PM needs to start by getting the National Party out of the water portfolio.
“Australia’s water security will never be managed properly while the climate change deniers in the National Party hold the country’s water portfolio and are in charge of Australia’s water policy.
“The Nationals and Barnaby Joyce do not accept the science of climate change let alone the economics. They’re putting drinking water in our cities and our regional towns at risk, killing our river systems and putting the interests of miners ahead of small family farmers.
“Even the Productivity Commission can see miners are getting special treatment over farmers which is putting everyone’s water supply at risk.
“The PM cannot allow this PC report to be ignored. How many warnings does he need before he acts to protect all Australians not just the National Party’s mates.”

The Morrison Government’s leaked environmental standards make a mockery of the yearlong review into environment laws by Professor Graeme Samuel and condemn Australia’s environment to more destruction, the Greens say.
Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“This leaked document shows the Morrison Government’s plan is for more pollution and destruction of our environment and a death sentence for Australia’s koalas and wildlife.
“The Morrison Government has shown nothing but contempt for the Samuel Review since the beginning. They drafted legislation to weaken laws before the interim report was complete, have failed to respond to the final report after more than 100 days, and now are going to put forward standards that maintain the status quo of the EPBC Act which is failing our environment and wildlife.
“Suggesting these standards will lift environmental protections is deceitful. The claims by the PM that the states and territories supported this government’s reforms is also clearly rubbish with the NSW Liberal Environment Minister reportedly calling for improved standards and an independent regulator again today.
“The Greens will be doing everything we can to ensure the Morrison Government does not further entrench the unsustainable environmental trajectory Professor Samuel has warned about.
“We need strong environmental standards that protect our iconic natural places and precious wildlife and an independent watchdog to hold governments and corporate interests to account.”

The Greens say that as Crown Resorts has been found to be unfit to operate in Sydney then there are questions around their operations in other states too.
“The culture and operation of Crown Resorts in Western Australia and Victoria were part of the NSW assessment process and need to be assessed, ” Greens spokesperson on Gambling Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“If there are sweeping cultural changes required in Sydney then there are questions around what is going on in this company across the country. Victorian and Western Australian regulators need to take this very seriously.
“This also goes to the heart of why we need a national independent regulator as so many states rely heavily on the income gambling generates.
“We need to know what’s going on in Perth and Melbourne.”

The Greens say that proper regulation of the gambling industry requires a ban on the industry donating to political parties.
“The gambling industry is just rife with conflicts of interest,” Australian Greens spokesperson on Gambling Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“We urgently need a national independent regulator, with gambling companies operating across the country we need a national body regulating them.
“States which rely heavily on the income gambling generates cannot be in charge of regulating the industry as there is a clear conflict of interest.
“A person owes Centrelink a few hundred dollars and the Government spends billions pursuing them and we are seeing next to zip from the Federal Government when it comes to the very serious findings of what is happening at Crown.
“There are some very serious findings in the NSW report on the conduct and operations of Crown relating to its Melbourne and Perth operations and we need to see action from the Federal Government and an independent investigation into what’s going on in all of Crown’s operations.
Western Australian Greens spokesperson on Gambling Alison Xamon said:
“Since 2012-13, more than half of all money donated by Crown to political parties in Australia has come to parties in WA.
“Crown has spent nearly $800,000 in WA alone, with WA Labor raking in $312,430 and the WA Liberals taking $437,509.
“And that’s just the money we can see. The weak political donations laws we have in Western Australia provide no real transparency or accountability around who is lining the pockets of those in power. We know that there is a lot of dark money donated to political parties that goes unaccounted for.
“The activities of Crown in Western Australia are a major part of the reason why Crown has been found unsuitable to operate in New South Wales.
“We need our politicians to be representing the interests of our communities, not their billionaire corporate donors. The WA Labor and WA Liberal parties must immediately commit to stop taking donations from gambling businesses including Crown.
“Gambling organisations should not be allowed to buy political influence.”