Month: May 2023

OFFICIAL VISIT TO AUSTRALIA BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, to Australia from 22-24 May as a guest of the Australian Government.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Australia builds on the Australia-India Annual Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi in March and discussions at the G7 Summit and Quad Leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima over the weekend.

At their bilateral meeting, the leaders will discuss trade and investment, including efforts to boost trade between the two countries through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, and work to strengthen people to people links, renewable energy, and defence and security cooperation.

Prime Minister Modi will also meet Australian business leaders to drive Australia’s growing trade and investment relationship with India and take forward opportunities from the Australia-India CEO Forum held in Mumbai in March.

During the visit, the Prime Ministers will attend a community event in Sydney to celebrate Australia’s dynamic and diverse Indian diaspora, a core part of our multicultural community.

Prime Minister Modi last visited Australia in 2014.

The Prime Minister looks forward to visiting India in September for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, the world’s premier forum for economic cooperation. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“I am honoured to host Prime Minister Modi for an official visit to Australia, after receiving an extremely warm welcome in India earlier this year.

“Australia and India share a commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Together we have an important role to play in supporting this vision. 

“As friends and partners, the relationship between our countries has never been closer. I look forward to celebrating Australia’s vibrant Indian community with Prime Minister Modi in Sydney.”

Fatal Crash – Port Stephens 

About 11.30am today (Sunday 21 May 2023), emergency services were called to the Pacific Highway at Ferrodale, approximately one km north of the Medowie Road intersection, following reports of a single-vehicle crash.

Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and were told an SUV had left the road and hit a tree.

The driver – a 70-year-old man, died at the scene.

A 70-year-old woman was conveyed to John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition with suspected spinal injuries.

A crime scene was established and an investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

As police make inquiries, anyone with dashcam footage or information related to the incident are urged to contact Port Stephens-Hunter Police District or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

2023 QUAD LEADERS’ SUMMIT

On 20 May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Quad Leaders Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States, in Hiroshima for the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit.

The Quad is a diplomatic partnership of four countries committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Australia, India, Japan and the United States share a vision for a region that is governed by accepted rules and norms, where all countries can cooperate, trade and thrive.

Quad Leaders discussed regional challenges and ways to deepen existing Quad cooperation, including in the areas of climate and clean energy, health security, infrastructure, critical & emerging technology, cyber and space. Leaders released a Joint Leaders’ Statement, and the Quad Leaders’ Vision Statement, setting out a shared vision for the Quad and the Indo-Pacific region.

Leaders announced the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit outcomes demonstrating the Quad’s positive, practical agenda, and highlighting the Quad’s commitment to deliver for the Indo-Pacific. Key outcomes include:

  • A ‘Quad Statement of Principles on Clean Energy Supply Chains in the Indo-Pacific’ and, to implement these principles, a ‘Clean Energy Supply Chains Diversification Program’ that will accelerate access to affordable, reliable and secure clean energy in the Indo-Pacific;
  • A ‘Quad Health Security Partnership’ that will boost the region’s capability to respond to future disease outbreaks and other health emergencies;
  • A ‘Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience’ to help Indo-Pacific countries access resilient infrastructure – in a way that is fit for purpose and meets their needs;
  • A ‘Quad Infrastructure Fellowships Program’ that will support the Indo-Pacific’s next generation of engineers, consultants and government officials to deliver high-quality, sustainable, climate-resilient infrastructure; and
  • An Open RAN (Open Radio Access Network) deployment in the Pacific that will be the first of its kind and will help improve digital connectivity and access to advanced telecommunications technology.

Australia’s engagement in the Quad complements our engagement in the Indo-Pacific bilaterally and through regional institutions, such as ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Prime Minister Albanese looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Modi to Sydney next week.

the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“While the Summit couldn’t take place in Sydney as planned, I’m pleased to have convened a Quad meeting with counterparts today to discuss pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region and deepening the Quad’s cooperation.”

“The Quad Leaders coming together in-person sends a strong message about Quad unity and what the group is able to achieve together. Australia is always better off when we work together with our close friends and partners, and engage openly and constructively.”

“At its core, the Quad’s agenda is positive and practical. I was delighted to announce the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit outcomes, which take forward the Quad’s work on climate change and clean energy, infrastructure and connectivity, health security, and critical and emerging technology. We’re delivering for the Indo-Pacific, and following through on our commitments.”

“I am proud of what we have delivered through the Quad so far, and I will continue to work closely with my Quad colleagues in support of an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, where sovereignty is respected.”

PLASTIC EXPORT BAN BACKFLIP EXPOSES GOVERNMENT FAILURE TO HOLD BIG POLLUTERS TO ACCOUNT

The Greens again call on the Albanese Government to hold the big polluters to account and regulate Australia’s plastic packaging industry. 

The call comes after a sensational plastic waste export ban backflip by the Government which exposes just how broken the nation’s waste and recycling systems have become.

Greens spokesperson for waste and recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: 

“An export ban on sending plastics overseas for recycling should have signaled a welcome boost for Australia’s recycling industry – particularly for procurement processes – but successive governments have failed to take simple but critical steps to make us self-sufficient waste and recycling managers.

“We’ve had six years to come up with a plan to deal with our waste problem, but no government has been brave enough to deal with the elephant in the room, which is regulating plastic packaging in this country.

“The recycling sector has consistently called for legally binding and mandatory national packaging targets in order to have the confidence to invest in upgrading the infrastructure necessary to process plastic and other waste.

“In 2020 Labor voted in support of a Greens amendment to the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 that would have seen Australia’s National Packaging Targets mandated in law. Sadly the amendment failed by one vote, with multinational packaging corporations winning the day by convincing the Coalition and One Nation to vote in favour of big business. 

“Plastic producers need to clean up their act and take responsibility for the mess they make, and governments need to enforce this through laws and binding regulations. There is nothing complicated about this, it should have been fixed years ago.

“The system is broken. People’s trust has been broken. The Albanese Government must regulate Australia’s plastic packaging industry now.” 

Release of Dr Kenneth Elliott

I am very pleased to advise that Dr Kenneth Elliott has been released after more than seven years in captivity in West Africa. Dr Elliott is safe and well and has been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children.

The Australian Government, like the Elliott family, has worked tirelessly toward Dr Elliott’s release.

We acknowledge the strength and resilience Dr Elliott and members of his family have shown through the most difficult of circumstances.

We extend our thanks to the Australian officials who have worked over many years to secure Dr Elliott’s release and to provide support to his family.

Dr Elliott and his family have asked for privacy, and we ask that the media respect their wishes at this time.

The following is attributable is to the family of Dr Elliott:

“We wish to express our thanks to God and all who have continued to pray for us.

“We express our relief that Dr Elliott is free and thank the Australian Government and all who have been involved over time to secure his release. We also continue to pray for those still held and wish them freedom and safe return to their loved ones.

“At 88 years of age, and after many years away from home, Dr Elliott now needs time and privacy to rest and rebuild strength. We thank you for your understanding and sympathy.”

New dog facility to get tails wagging in western suburbs

Construction is underway on the first stage of City of Newcastle’s latest fenced off-leash dog park in Maryland.

The premier facility will be located at Maryland Drive Reserve adjacent to the existing unfenced, leash-free area, with stage one works including the delivery of one fenced area open to all dogs.

Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes, Cr Deahnna Richardson and Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen with Moby, Ginger and Toby at the Maryland Reserve site where stage one of the new fenced off-leash dog park is being built.

Shelters with tables, informal sandstone seating, dog bubblers and extensive landscaping including trees for shade will also be included in the stage one area.

A future second stage of the project will feature an additional off-leash area to separate large and small dogs, as well as a formalised car park with accessible parking, additional seating and landscaping.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the first fenced area is expected to be complete by mid-June with the existing off-leash dog area remaining open.

“With more than 63,000 dogs registered in our city, we know Novocastrians are passionate about their canine companions and want more spaces where their dogs can safely exercise and mix with other pets,” Cr Nelmes said.

“City of Newcastle is committed to providing a variety of off-leash options throughout Newcastle and has already delivered the city’s first fully fenced off-leash dog park at Acacia Avenue Reserve, as well as upgrades to the existing popular area in Islington Park.

“Formalised off-leash dog areas enable people to take their dogs to a place where they can legally run free, exercise and socialise with other dogs. They also provide pet owners with a meeting place and an opportunity to connect with others in the community.

“This new project at Maryland will provide a premier facility for dog lovers in our western suburbs, which is sure to be popular with pet owners who already make the most of the unfenced off-leash area within this popular reserve.”

The Maryland Dog Park forms part of the Dogs in Open Space Plan, which was adopted by City of Newcastle in 2019 to guide the provision, improvement and management of off-leash dog areas during the next 10 years.

Libs: Questions the Premier must answer

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has called on Premier Chris Minns to immediately make clear what his proposed public sector wage rise will cost the people of NSW.

“Before the election Mr Minns said that he would negotiate wage deals with each sector individually, meaning the people of NSW were in the dark about the potential cost and impact of his deal to win union support; today we’re still in the dark,” Mr Speakman said.

“Within the first couple of months of the new Labor government, we’re seeing nurses and ambulance workers walk off the job because the Premier hasn’t kept his word. The people of NSW shouldn’t suffer because of the Premier’s broken promise.”

“The Premier needs to come clean and answer the following questions:

1. When will the government remove the wages cap?

2. When will he sit down with the unions to discuss their demands?

3. What is the figure of the pay rise he says is being developed, how much will it cost, and what programs and projects will need to be cut to pay for it?”

“Prior to the election, the Parliamentary Budget Office found that costs would increase by $2.6 billion over three years if public sector wages rose by 1% above the cap. Reports today suggest that unions are demanding a 6.5% increase in the next year, putting major pressure on the Budget.

“We know that removing the cap removes Budget certainty, we know that we’re looking at billions in uncosted additional spending, and we know that the PBO has said Labor’s plans to offset additional costs through productivity gains have proven difficult in practice,” Mr Speakman said.

“This means the people of NSW will continue to face cuts to cost-of-living programs, such as the Active Kids vouchers, and cuts to key infrastructure projects so that Labor can meet the unions’ demands.”

“We have a government that is completely silent on this unfolding crisis with a Premier who can’t tell us his government’s priorities, all while the health and wellbeing of the people of NSW are put at risk. It’s time for the Premier to honour his word and sort this mess out,” Mr Speakman concluded.

Yunupingu Eulogy

It’s often said that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Yunupingu was a giant who made sure we could.

He lifted us up and held us there so that we could see as far as he did.

And what a vision he shared with us.

A vision underpinned by an unbending belief in the need for Aboriginal people to hold their future in their own hands.

A vision so grounded in all that was just and fair and right that, ultimately, it elevated us all.

He had every right to be cynical, but he wasn’t. No matter how often Australia let him down, he kept striving to have us rise to his level of integrity.

And as he did, what Yunupingu helped us all to see was not the reinvention of Australia, but the realisation of an even greater one.

Now his life is at an end, we gather in the place where it began.

And as we gaze out to where the Gulf of Carpentaria meets the sky, we soften our sorrow with joy and gratitude for all that his life was.

It is an honour to be here in the country that so filled his heart, but as it’s my first time in Arnhem Land without him, it is a poignant one.

Yet his presence – and the reminders of all he believed in and all that mattered to him – are all around us, the profound cultural, political, social and economic legacies of a leader.

Of a statesman.

A painter, dancer, singer and musician.

Australian of the Year in 1978. Member of the Order of Australia. A national treasure.

A remarkable member of a remarkable family.

A great Yolngu man. An extraordinary Australian, who understood if you want to make your voice count, you have to make sure that it is heard.

He made sure with the sheer power of his advocacy for land rights.

He made sure when he helped draft the Yirrkala Bark Petitions, which delivered such a powerful message that resounded within the walls of the nation’s Parliament.

He made sure when he co-created that blueprint for treaty, the Barunga Statement.

And he made sure in his crucial role in that masterclass of concise and unifying eloquence, the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

In his words: “At Uluru we started a fire, a fire we hope burns bright for Australia.”

Now Yunupingu is gone, but the gurtha — the great tongue of flame and truth with which spoke to us — is still here. And it lights the path ahead for us.

We will never again hear his voice anew, but his words – and his legacy – will keep speaking to us.

The finest tribute we can offer to his memory is within our grasp.

Yunupingu walked in two worlds with authority, power and grace, and he worked to make them whole — together.

Now he walks in another place, but he has left such great footsteps for us to follow here in this one.

With deepest respect. Vale Yunupingu.

AUSTRALIA STANDS WITH UKRAINE AND THE G7 AGAINST RUSSIA’S INVASION

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong today announced financial sanctions and an export ban, targeting sectors of economic and strategic significance to Russia.

These additional targeted measures aim to slow Russia’s war machine.

Australia’s action is part of a push by international partners, who are meeting at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima this week.

Australia has already sanctioned more than 1,000 individuals and entities who are supporting Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine.

The new financial sanctions will target 21 entities and three individuals, including:

  • Subsidiaries of Russian state-owned atomic energy corporation Rosatom that are involved in nuclear research, infrastructure development and weapons manufacturing.
  • The Russian entity created to take over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
  • Russia’s largest petroleum company Rosneft.
  • Russia’s largest gold company Polyus PJSC.
  • One of Russia’s largest steel companies Severstal PJSC.
  • Defence entities supporting Russia’s war.
  • Five Russian banks with operations across the Russian Federation.

The Australian Government will also implement a ban on the export of all machinery and related parts to Russia and areas temporarily under Russian control. This will prevent Australian goods from aiding Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

Australia stands with Ukraine and pays tribute to the unwavering resilience and courage displayed by the Ukrainian people. We mourn the incalculable losses that Ukraine continues to endure and acknowledge the far-reaching negative economic impacts Russia’s invasion has had on the world, including in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia again calls on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory and end this war.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“Australia stands with Ukraine. We pay tribute to the unwavering resilience and courage displayed by the Ukrainian people.”

“Australia again calls on Russia to cease its illegal and immoral war against the people of Ukraine.”

“We will continue to work with the G7 and international partners to address the global impacts of Russia’s invasion.”

“This includes food and energy insecurity, which is a significant concern for our own region.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said:

“This action targets sectors of economic and strategic significance to Russia.”

“This includes the financial, energy, defence and metals sectors that aid and sustain Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

“We are also banning exports of Australian machinery and related parts to Russia to slow its war machine.”

“Russia cannot be allowed to infringe upon another country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Export ban consultation

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will shortly commence public consultation on the export ban, with implementation of the ban to follow.

Businesses or individuals that wish to participate in consultation on the machinery export ban should subscribe to alerts with the Australian Sanctions Office: Australia and sanctions – Contacts and links

Body located in search for man missing from Hunter region 

A body has been located during the search for a man missing from the state’s Hunter region.

The 42-year-old man was last seen driving on Great North Road, Laguna, on Thursday 13 April 2023, after it is believed his vehicle broke down on his way home.

When he could not be located or contacted, officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District were notified and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.

As part of inquiries, officers with assistance from specialist police resources and the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), conducted a search operation in the Laguna area where they located a body on Tuesday (16 May 2023).

A post mortem examination will be conducted to confirm the identity of the person and the cause of death.

Detectives from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and Missing Persons Registry, assisted by Hunter Valley police, established Strike Force Blakely to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

Inquiries continue.