Month: June 2023

The government has released the latest quarterly emission figures for Australia, showing rising LNG pollution and a meagre 0.4% decline in emissions, confirming that expanding gas production is stopping the country from achieving meaningful emissions reductions and putting even Labor’s weak targets at risk.

The impact of the floods on coal has temporarily reduced fugitive emissions and emissions were also reduced from La Nina rainfall increasing forest growth, but the long term sectoral trend is for emissions from LNG and coal exports to keep increasing.

Coal, gas exports and transport pollution have to be a big focus of climate action if we are to bend the emissions curve down.

To meet our Paris Targets, Australia needs to achieve a 75% emissions reduction by 2030. A 0.4% decline in emissions shows we will blow right past not just this target, but Labor’s woeful 43% goal. 

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

“The latest quarterly emission figures again show the long-term trend of gas pollution rising, putting our country on a fast-track to climate collapse” Mr Bandt said.

“Gas is as dirty as coal, pollution from gas exports is rising, but Labor still wants to open new gas mines.

“These figures confirm that Labor cannot open new coal and gas mines.

“Even the Department’s own report admits that this pitiful performance is because of the “continued growth in the production and export of LNG”.

“On these figures, if Labor keeps opening more coal and gas, Labor won’t meet even its own recklessly low pollution targets, let alone help keep warming below the Paris Agreement goals.

“At current rates, Labor won’t meet their 2030 target until 2080. By that point, they’ll have locked in 3 degrees of warming, destroying our agricultural industry, killing the reef, and causing untold levels of human suffering, all before Labor even hits their first climate checkpoint.

“The increase in transport emissions shows the government needs to accelerate plans for vehicle emissions standards instead of keeping Australia in the slow lane.

“Once again the growth in renewables is the shining light and ending native forest logging could make land based emission cuts even stronger.”

The Australian Greens are continuing their campaign to ban the importation of goods produced by forced labour by proposing amendments to the Customs Legislation Amendment (Controlled Trials and Other Measures) Bill 2022

Despite Labor voting  in support of banning products produced by forced labour when they were in opposition, today in Senate Estimates they could not confirm that they would do so again. 

A wide range of community organisations are joining the Greens to call on Labor to prioritise this change.The outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet produced a report in 2022 that called on the Australian Government to block the import of goods made from forced labour from all countries.

Across our region, forced labour is occurring en masse, and many in the Australian community would be surprised to know that forced labour produces many goods that are used in Australia. 

The latest Global Slavery Index found 50 million people worldwide now live in modern slavery. It also showed Australia’s at risk of importing at-risk products which amount to US $17.4 billion. 

In Indonesia, forced labour is seen in industries including the production of palm oil and onboard fishing vessels. In Malaysia, migrant workers have been forced to produce garments. In Turkmenistan, state-sanctioned forced labour is used in the cotton industry. Since 2017, the Chinese government has imprisoned more than one million Uyghurs and subjected those not detained to forced production of garments, electronics, home decorations and more.
 

Senator Jordon Steele-John, Australian Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Peace & Nuclear Disarmament said:

“The Australian Government must do all it can to ensure that human rights are upheld globally. 

“Amending the Customs Act would enforce a global ban. It would send a clear message to all countries that Australia sees modern slavery as unacceptable and that our community will not accept goods that have been produced by forced labour.

“We are calling on the Australian Labor Party to support this change, as they did in opposition. We have the opportunity to pass the Greens amendments when the Customs Act is next before the parliament. We could see this parliament take immediate action to stop forced labour imports and no longer have Australia implicated in these horrific human rights abuses. 

“It’s time for Australia to no longer fall behind, and join countries like Canada and the United States who have implemented a ban. 

Carolyn Kitto, Be Slavery Free said:

‘No-one wants to buy products which have been produced through another person being in slavery like conditions. The social licence to be exposed to such goods is rapidly disappearing. The Australian Government needs to catch up with the desire of the Australian people and the practices of others globally in banning the import of products made with forced and child labour.

If we truly want a level playing field for Australian business we need to make it easier for companies seeking to do the right thing for people to work freely in their supply chains. 

We risk becoming a dumping ground for products made with forced labour which are banned from entering the USA, Mexico, Canada, the European Union and the UK.

We have seen the effectiveness of ‘forced labour ban legislations’ in driving change in labour rights for marginalised workers. 

Background

• In 2021 a bill to ban the importation of goods produced by forced labour passed the Australian Senate, with the support of the Greens and the Australian Labor Party. This bill did not progress through the House of Representatives prior to the dissolution of the 46th Parliament. 
• In November 2022, Senator Jordon Steele-John introduced the same legislation as a private senator’s bill.
• The bill would amend the Customs Act to ensure a ban on the import of goods produced by forced labour. 
• Further steps will be taken by the Australian Greens to move an amendment in the Senate to the Customs Legislation Amendment (Controlled Trials and Other Measures) Bill 2022 to legislate the forced labour ban. 
• The Modern Slavery Act Review, released in May 2023 available here. 

The Albanese Government is committed to standing by those who helped Australia’s mission in Afghanistan, and will implement all of the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Review into the Afghan Locally Engaged Employee (LEE) Program.

Established on 10 November 2022, the Independent Review led by Dr Vivienne Thom AM has made seven recommendations to improve the design and delivery of the Afghan LEE program. Work to implement the recommendations has already begun.

Consistent with the Report’s recommendations and the program’s original intent, the Government has expanded eligibility for certification to include security guards and former Afghan government and military officials who were employed with the Australian mission in Afghanistan. Applicants from these cohorts who were previously found to be ineligible will be contacted, where possible.

As part of its commitment to improve the administration of the program, and ensure consistency across Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence will undertake a review of relevant historic decisions.

All applicants will still need to demonstrate they were employed with Australia and at risk as a result of that employment, to be eligible for certification.

Dr Thom’s Review confirms many of the concerns raised by the Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Engagement in Afghanistan. The Morrison Government failed to adequately plan for the evacuation of Afghan LEE and oversaw a program characterised by inconsistencies and irregular decision making, poor administration, and inadequate communication with applicants.

In line with the Report’s recommendations and the Government’s commitment to finalising certifications for individuals and their families as a matter of priority, new applications for certification under the Afghan LEE Program will close on 30 November 2023, with the Program closing by 31 May 2024.

The Government is committed to supporting Afghans and has allocated 26,500 dedicated places in Australia’s Humanitarian Program for Afghan nationals through to 2025-26. Since the fall of Kabul, more than 12,000 permanent humanitarian visas have been granted to Afghan citizens under the Humanitarian Program, and the Department of Home Affairs continues to prioritise Humanitarian visa applications from Afghan LEE and their immediate family members.

Since 2013, more than 2,500 Afghan LEE and their families have arrived in Australia under the Afghan LEE program and have made valuable contributions to the Australian community.

In undertaking the Review, Dr Thom met with Ministers and engaged with whole-of-government and public stakeholders.

The final Report, along with the Australian Government’s full response to the Independent Review is available online: Afghan Locally Engaged Employee Program.

The Government would like to thank Dr Vivienne Thom AM for her leadership of the review as well as all stakeholders who participated in the Review process.