Month: March 2022

Australia and the Netherlands today initiated legal proceedings against the Russian Federation in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014.

We have maintained since May 2018 that the Russian Federation is responsible under international law for the downing of Flight MH17.

Today’s joint action by Australia and the Netherlands is a major step forward in both countries’ fight for truth, justice and accountability for this horrific act of violence, which claimed the lives of 298 victims, 38 of whom called Australia home.

Australia and the Netherlands will rely on overwhelming evidence that:

1. Flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian Buk-TELAR surface-to-air missile system;
2. the missile system was transported from Russia to an agricultural field in the east of Ukraine on the morning of 17 July 2014 – an area under the control of Russian-backed separatists;
3. the missile system belonged to the Russian Federation’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Military Brigade, and was accompanied by a trained Russian military crew;
4. from the launch site, the Buk-TELAR fired the missile that shot down Flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board;
5. the missile could only have been fired by the trained Russian crew of the Buk-TELAR, or at least by someone acting under their instruction, direction or control; and
6. the Buk missile system was returned to the Russian Federation shortly after the downing of Flight MH17.

In October 2020, Russia unilaterally withdrew from negotiations with Australia and the Netherlands regarding the downing of Flight MH17, and refused to return to the negotiating table despite repeated requests by Australia and the Netherlands.

The Russian Federation’s refusal to take responsibility for its role in the downing of Flight MH17 is unacceptable and the Australian Government has always said that it will not exclude any legal options in our pursuit of justice.

Today’s joint action under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation is in addition to the Dutch national prosecution of four suspects for their individual criminal responsibility in the downing of Flight MH17.

Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and the escalation of its aggression underscores the need to continue our enduring efforts to hold Russia to account for its blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, including threats to Ukraine’s sovereignty and airspace.

While we cannot take away the grief of those whose loved ones died as a result of Russia’s actions, the Australian Government will pursue every available avenue to ensure Russia is held to account so that this horrific act never happens again. 

The Morrison Government will invest up to $4.3 billion to deliver Western Australia’s first large-vessel dry berth, creating a world-class precinct at the Henderson shipyard and supporting thousands of local jobs.

The Henderson dry-dock will enable the construction and sustainment of large naval vessels in Australia and support an even stronger commercial shipbuilding and sustainment market in Western Australia.

Government-owned Australian Naval Infrastructure will oversee the design and build of this nation building infrastructure, with work to start in 2023 and initial operations to commence in 2028.

The Commonwealth will work closely with the Western Australian Government and industry to develop a comprehensive master plan for the defence precinct at Henderson to ensure this investment fully supports our national naval shipbuilding enterprise effectively.

This project is likely to create at least 500 direct construction jobs at its peak and thousands more through local sub-contracts and the national supply chain.  Once completed, this infrastructure will help support at least 2,000 direct shipbuilding jobs at Henderson, particularly as continuous naval shipbuilding in Western Australia comes to fruition as part of the national naval shipbuilding enterprise.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Western Australia was a central pillar to the Government’s commitment to growing sovereign capabilities and turbocharging our national naval shipbuilding.

“This is a $4.3 billion vote of confidence in Western Australia’s shipbuilding capabilities, jobs, training and the critical role that Western Australia plays in defending Australian and powering our national economy,” the Prime Minister said.

“This multi-billion dollar infrastructure investment will transform the Henderson maritime precinct into a world-class shipbuilding powerhouse, and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to naval capability in the West.

“This investment in WA’s future will ensure we can build, as well as sustain larger vessels in Australia, turbocharging our national naval shipbuilding endeavour and creating thousands of job opportunities for West Australians.

“Henderson, HMAS Stirling and Fleet Base West all form a key part of our maritime capability and our nation’s security, particularly given the  strategic importance of the Indian Ocean, and will continue to do so for decades to come.”

Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said the project builds on the Government’s previous $1.5 billion commitment to infrastructure improvements at HMAS Stirling and the Henderson maritime precinct. 

“The Morrison Government is committed to delivering the sovereign shipbuilding outcomes outlined in the 2020 Force Structure Plan and the 2017 National Naval Shipbuilding Plan, and Western Australia is central to them,” Minister Dutton said.

“This decision will ensure that we can meet the Navy’s future requirements as we undertake the enormous investments in the maritime capabilities we need to keep our nation safe in the decades ahead.”

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the investment would generate economic and jobs growth in Western Australia, building sovereign defence industry in the region, with Australian industry requirements being built in from the beginning.

“This is a significant infrastructure project that Australian industry is already supporting through concept work and there will be significant future job opportunities for Australian industry throughout design and construction, and once it’s up and running,” Minister Price said.

“The project will build the capacity and capability of sovereign defence industry in the region, particularly in the advanced manufacturing sector, with Australian Industry Capability requirements in contracting arrangements.

“The infrastructure will also support Defence’s $90 million Regional Maintenance Centre due to be operational in Henderson in the second half of 2022 to enable a level of maintenance to be conducted on all surface fleet units and creating 40 jobs.”

Minister for Finance Simon Birmingham said that utilising Australian Naval Infrastructure for the design and build of this advanced facility would be crucial to maintaining sovereignty in our shipbuilding and sustainment infrastructure.

“Using ANI as our partner in the Henderson dry dock ensures we capture their experience from the Osborne Shipyard and maintain maximum sovereignty and flexibility in design, construction and management of this future facility in the decades to come,” Minister Birmingham said.

Requiring Big Tech to enforce its own safety standards is among the key recommendations​ of the report by the Select Committee on Social Media and Online Safety into online harms on social media platforms, which has been released today.

In its unanimous report, the Committee found that the safety of people online is being threatened by individuals who engage in harmful behaviour and conduct. The harms experienced by victims of online abuse leave a long trail of trauma and suffering, as expressed by many witnesses in evidence to the Committee.

Committee Chair Lucy Wicks MP said, the evidence received by the Committee highlighted the necessity of a three-part response: social media platforms focusing on user safety and enforcing their policies; the Government appropriately regulating and monitoring the sector; and users understanding that while respectful dissent and disagreement is a part of online discourse, abuse isn’t, and it should not be tolerated.

‘The recommendations in this report are an important next step in making our online world and social media platforms safer for all,’ Ms Wicks said.

‘The Australian Government is leading the world in online safety, but technology and online predators evolve quickly, so the Government must continue to hold social media companies to account and support victims of abuse.

‘For too long social media platforms have been able to ‘set the rules’, enabling the proliferation of online abuse. The balance of responsibility for the safety of users online, which until recently has been primarily on users, must be ‘flipped’ to ensure that social media platforms bear more of the burden of providing safety for their users.

‘To protect Australians, social media companies have to take responsibility to enforce their terms of service, prevent recidivism of bad actors, prevent pile-ons or volumetric attacks, prevent harms across multiple platforms and be more transparent about their use of algorithms.

‘The inquiry has also focused on what more can be done to address individual actions and behaviours online by building on the eSafety Commissioner’s existing education programs and government awareness campaigns to give Australians, and especially children, more information about how to safely engage in online discourse.’

Key recommendations include:

The establishment of a Digital Safety Review to review all online safety legislation and government programs, with a view to simplify regulations into one framework and make recommendations to the Australian Government on potential proposals for mandating platform transparency;
Requesting that the eSafety Commissioner examine the extent to which social media companies enforce their policies in relation to users experiencing harm, in addition to requiring them to report to Government regarding reducing harm caused by their algorithms;
Addressing technology-facilitated abuse in the context of family and domestic violence, including the recommendation of significant additional Australian Government funding for support services;
Mandating that all social media companies set as a default the highest privacy settings for people under the age of 18 years; and
Increasing the reach of educational programs geared at both adults and young people regarding online harms, with a focus on the eSafety Commissioner’s powers to remove harmful content and the mechanisms through which victims can report harmful content and online abuse.
Ms Wicks thanked the witnesses and submitters who provided evidence to the inquiry, and in particular noted the bravery and resilience of victims of online abuse who shared their stories with the Committee.

Ms Wicks further expressed her thanks to her fellow Committee members, including the Deputy Chair, Tim Watts MP, for their thoughtful and constructive engagement throughout the inquiry.

Over the course of the three-and-a-half-month inquiry, the Committee held eleven public hearings with nearly sixty witnesses, and received over 100 submissions from individuals, organisations and government bodies. Further information about the Committee and a copy of the report can be found on its website .

While the report is unanimous, Labor Members and Mr Kelly also provided additional comments on the Committee’s findings.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) will hear evidence from critical industries and government agencies on proposed new laws to protect Australia’s infrastructure from sophisticated cyber attacks.

The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022 addresses outstanding elements of new cyber laws passed by the Parliament last year, as recommended by the PJCIS in its Advisory report on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 and Statutory Review of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018.

The Committee will hear from witnesses representing a range of industry sectors including: IT, telecommunications, education, health care, logistics, energy, utilities, and key union groups. The Committee will also hear from key government agencies, such as the Australian Signals Directorate and the Department of Home Affairs.

‘Australia’s security outlook has never been more uncertain, and so it’s critical that government and industry are working hand in glove to identify and counter sophisticated cyber attacks,’ PJCIS Chair Senator James Paterson said.

‘The second tranche of cyber laws aims to achieve just that, and I look forward to hearing from the government and private sector alike to ensure a unified response to threats against our nation,’ Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Wednesday, 16 March 2022
​10.00am – 5:00pm (AEDT)
​Committee Room 2S1, Parliament House, Canberra

A program for the hearing is available online and the hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

For background information:

For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) today released the 15th report of its National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (the Program).

An estimated 15.7 tonnes of methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin was consumed in 2020–21, the fifth year of the Program. Consumption of methylamphetamine is still dominant, well ahead of cocaine, the next biggest market of the four major drugs.

ACIC Chief Executive Officer Michael Phelan APM said the estimated street value of the four major drugs was $10.3 billion last year, up from $8.9 billion the previous year, due largely to general increases in street prices. Methylamphetamine accounted for 77 per cent of this expenditure.

“We saw the second lowest annual consumption of the four major drugs since our national wastewater drug monitoring program began, yet the second highest spending by Australians over the same period. It is clear that Australians are prepared to pay top dollar to line the pockets of organised criminals, generating significant health and other harms to our community,” Mr Phelan said.

“Through wastewater analysis we gain insight into the serious and organised crime groups that supply illicit drug markets. Regular and near-real-time wastewater reporting enables the ACIC and our partners to detect and respond to increasing drug threats in a timely way and monitor the impact of responses.”

Report 15 provides a 12 month and five-year overview of drug consumption in Australia which includes years where there have been COVID-19 restrictions in place. The national consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin increased year on year in the first four years of the Program (2016–17 to 2019–20), followed by a marked reduction in total consumption in year five (2020–21). The drop of approximately 4.7 tonnes from the previous year’s levels, represents a 23 per cent decrease in overall drug consumption across these markets.

A key driver of the national drug market reduction over the last year was COVID-19 movement and border restrictions, law enforcement interventions and supply and demand. COVID-related border restrictions did not cause immediate major interruption to Australia’s drug markets, but wastewater data strongly indicates that the cumulative effect of these restrictions led to some substantial market interruptions.

“The restrictions put in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, severely constrained these markets. However, organised crime groups continued to find ways to supply illicit drug markets during the pandemic and to generate significant illicit revenue through this activity,” Mr Phelan said.

“Our report helps address harmful drug consumption through improving knowledge about these influences so that tailored supply, demand and harm reduction efforts can be developed and implemented by decision makers on a range of drug and public health issues.”

The latest report presents data on Australia’s drug consumption for 12 substances. The August 2021 collection covered around 57 per cent of Australia’s population—about 13.3 million Australians. Result of note include:

· Consumption of methylamphetamine in capital cities and regional sites decreased in August 2021 to the lowest levels recorded by the Program, followed by an increase in capital cities in October 2021.

· Consumption of MDMA in capital cities decreased in August 2021 to the lowest levels recorded by the Program.

· Consumption of cocaine also decreased in August 2021, after which it increased in capital cities.

· Consumption of oxycodone and fentanyl appears to have stabilised, but at low levels.

· Consumption of heroin increased from April to August 2021, before decreasing in capital cities in October 2021.

· Consumption of cannabis in August 2021 in capital cities and regional areas was the highest recorded by the Program.

The Program’s data continues to demonstrate the challenges facing different cities and towns and highlights the unique characteristics of local drug markets, forming a meaningful part of bespoke solutions for each region.

“We are improving our understanding of external factors that affect consumption of drugs and the resilience of the respective drug markets,” Mr Phelan said.

The report is available from the ACIC website: www.acic.gov.au

Note to editors

In accordance with current wastewater analysis conventions, the terms of the contract, and to protect the integrity of the Program, the exact sampling locations cannot be publicly released by the ACIC. To maintain the confidentiality of the participating site, each site was allocated a unique code to de-identify their results, however trends in particular states and territories can be identified.

Media are encouraged to include help-seeking information in stories about illicit drugs to minimise any negative impact on people in the community. The following services provide people with access to support and information.

· For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.

· Access free 24/7 drug and alcohol counselling online.

· For information about drug and alcohol addiction treatment or support, go to the Turning Point website.