Month: September 2023

The Greens will today move to replace the 20% ceiling on the Commonwealth share of public school funding with a 25% floor, in a direct challenge to the federal government to close the funding gap at the start of the next National School Reform Agreement (NSRA).

Signalling an intention to open up a new battleground with Labor on public education, Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne will today introduce The Australian Education Amendment (Save Our Public Schools) Bill 2023, which would:

• abolish the so-called “20% cap” on the Commonwealth’s share of total public school funding;
• replace the cap with a 25% minimum contribution; and
• amend the act to require the Education Minister to ensure that “every school-aged child in Australia has access to a fully funded government school”.

Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“Australia’s public school system is on the brink. Teachers are abandoning the profession, results are falling, and millions of kids are being left behind.

“It’s no secret what’s happening: 98% of public schools in the country are underfunded. Every year our school kids are robbed of $6.6 billion. That means schools don’t have the money to pay for the bare minimum level of staffing and educational resources they need. 

“Under existing funding arrangements the federal government is meeting its 20% commitment, but most states and territories are not paying their 80% share – and on current trajectories they never will.

“We have an absurd situation where the federal government, with vastly more revenue than the states and territories, is chiefly responsible for propping up the overfunded private sector.

“Meanwhile, the states and territories, which are far more fiscally constrained, bear primary responsibility for funding the public system, which educates 85% of disadvantaged kids.

“The 20-80 funding split isn’t some immutable law of nature – it’s the result of decades of boneheaded policy decisions and an unwillingness by the political establishment to take on private schools.

“The legislated 20% cap is a Coalition relic which lets Labor off the hook. It’s clear that many states and territories are unable or unwilling to meet their funding obligations, but with this so-called ‘cap’ in place the federal government – which is wasting $313 billion on stage 3 tax cuts for the wealthy and half a trillion for nuclear submarines no one asked for – can simply shrug its shoulders.

“Labor can and should deliver 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard to all Australian public schools at the start of the next NSRA. If that means that the federal government has to tip in 25%, 30% or 40% to make it happen, then that’s what should happen. The Greens bill will allow them to do that.

“Labor is in power federally and in every mainland state and territory. This is an historically rare opportunity to end a decade of broken pledges and false dawns and deliver on the promise of Gonski once and for all.

“Labor will need to answer to 2.6 million public school students, their parents and carers and their teachers if they fail to seize the moment.”

Background: 

The Australian Education Act 2013 was amended under the Turnbull Government to insert a 20% default Commonwealth contribution to public schools’ Schooling Resource Standard, with states and territories making up the rest. While this is not technically a ceiling on federal funding to public schools (the government could regulate a greater share), it has been interpreted as such and used by governments as an excuse for inaction on closing the funding gap. 

The NSRA sets out the school funding arrangements between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. The current NSRA, which was due to expire at the end of 2023 (before being extended by Labor), locks in underfunding for government schools. Under the current agreement public schools will have to wait until at least 2027 just to receive 95% of their Schooling Resource Standard (although the capital depreciation loophole will actually see that number closer to 91%), which is the bare minimum level of funding students require to achieve minimum achievement benchmarks.

After yet another expose from ABC of the brutal and cruel greyhound export trade, Deputy Leader and Animal Welfare spokesperson for the Australian Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi has called on the Government to ban this practice once and for all.

There will be a Senate inquiry into Senator Faruqi’s bill to ban greyhound exports on Friday 15th September, which will shed light on the failures of this cruel industry and the need for change.

Greyhounds, Senator Faruqi, animal welfare organisations, and advocates will gather on Front Parliament Lawn ahead of the hearing on Friday to support a ban on greyhound exports. 

Senator Faruqi said:

“I don’t believe the greyhound and gambling industry gives a damn about dogs in or outside Australia. For them, these dogs are out of sight, out of mind. They just hope no one discovers their dirty little secret and they don’t get caught.

“Successive federal governments have ignored the plight of exported greyhounds and this must end. A ban on commercial greyhound export is long overdue.

“The industry’s response to the problem of exported greyhounds, the greyhound passport system, is a complete and utter failure. It is useless with holes so big you could drive a b-double truck through it. It is essentially unenforceable with no statutory power. 

“Greyhounds from Australia are routinely being sent overseas to race, ending up in countries where there isn’t a semblance of animal welfare protection for these poor dogs. 

“My bill is a simple reform and an important one. It will put a stop to a completely inhumane practice that has caused far too much suffering for far too many dogs.

“The industry and the government has known about the ill fate of exported greyhounds for years but the practice still goes on.

“No matter what the industry says, neither the welfare of dogs nor where they end up can be guaranteed once they are exported. The only sensible and appropriate measure is to shut down the trade altogether.

“Greyhounds keep ending up in horrific conditions again and again and there is absolutely nothing in Australian Law to stop this from happening.   

“The industry races these gentle, beautiful animals to exhaustion for cash then washes its hands of the responsibility to ensure their welfare by shipping them overseas.

“The industry has been dragged to the table every single time to make any small improvement in animal welfare at all. Now exposed again, they are making a half-hearted cynical attempt to look like they are doing something.

“The gambling industry may have a hold on the major parties in this country, but the tide of public opinion has long turned against greyhound racing. It’s only a matter of time before this violent spectacle of a sport is remembered as a shameful chapter in our nation’s history.

“It’s time for the government to step in, show some leadership and shut it down.”

The Albanese Government has until February 2024 to demonstrate drastically stronger climate ambition, or else risk the Great Barrier Reef being declared in danger.

The World Heritage Committee decision was handed down overnight, giving Australia more time to address major threats to the Great Barrier Reef and possibly avoid an in danger listing IF the Albanese Government lifts its game on climate change.

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“There’s nothing to gain and everything to lose from kicking this can down the road. The World Heritage Committee first recommended management of the Great Barrier Reef be escalated to avoid an in danger listing in 2017 – the writing’s clearly on the wall here. 

“In its Reactive Mission Report last year Unesco recommended climate policies and emissions targets that limit global warming to 1.5 degrees are necessary to avoid the Great Barrier Reef being listed as in danger. 

“Yet what does Labor do in the months following this dire warning from the world’s best scientists? Approve new coal and gas projects!

“The burning of fossil fuels is literally cooking our oceans and degrading marine ecosystems across the globe, and nowhere else has this been more politicised than on the Great Barrier Reef. 

“The question is now: what exactly is the Albanese Government going to do in the next five months to demonstrate drastically stronger ambition when it provides an update to Unesco in February 2024?

“Tinkering around the edges isn’t going to cut it, especially not with an El Nino on the horizon this summer. It’s coal or the reef, you can’t have both.” 

The Greens welcome the passage of the Parliamentary Workplace Support Services bills in the Senate today. 

These bills are an important step in the right direction, but we need to see further reforms to parliamentary culture, including an enforceable Code of Conduct for politicians and senior staff, rolled out nationally as a matter of urgency.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Larissa Waters said:

“We wouldn’t be debating these bills or any of the preceding workplace reforms to address sexual harassment in the last few years were it not for the bravery of young female parliamentary staff; Brittany Higgins, Dhanya Mani, Chelsey Potter, Rachelle Miller, Tessa Sullivan, Josie Coles, women who have survived sexual harassment or abuse at work, survivors like Saxon Mullins, and those who fight to keep students safe on campus Sharna Bremner and Nina Funnell, so many other women and some men whose strength and resilience is driving this change. 

“The Set the Standard report found that one-in-three parliamentary staffers in this building had experienced some form of sexual harassment, as had many female parliamentarians.
This is unacceptable. Everyone has a right to a safe workplace. Whether that is in parliament house or anywhere else. 

“One of the hurdles identified in Set the Standards was that staff are reluctant to come forward if there is no real prospect that an MP will be sanctioned. Consequences are crucial.

“Passing these bills today is a step in the right direction, but it is a tiny step. Cultural diversity is still lacking in our workplace. Parliament is still not a safe, equal, inclusive and respectful workplace for everyone.
 
“The Greens will continue to push for the reforms to parliamentary culture, including an enforceable Code of Conduct for politicians and senior staff, to be rolled out nationally as a matter of urgency.
 
“Both Houses of parliament have now endorsed Codes of Conduct for behaviour, but there is still no independent body to investigate breaches and enforce the Codes.  Work to set up that body that will enforce those Codes, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, is complex, but there is no doubt it’s been too slow.  

“The Greens are disappointed that the original timeframe to establish the IPSC has blown out from October 2023 to February 2024, and we will continue to insist that no further delays occur.
 
“While that work to establish the IPSC is being done, it is a responsibility of every MP to act consistently with the commitments they made when endorsing the Codes, and for all parties to act quickly in response to complaints.”

Following the announcement of the imminent closure of the South Melbourne Centrelink office in late October, the Greens are alarmed that the Labor government is not only refusing to raise the rate of income support, but also making access to services even harder.

This closure will have a major impact on the many residents in South Melbourne and surrounding areas. In the federal electorate of Macnamara where this closure is taking place, almost 10,000 people are on Jobseeker payments. By closing this office, Services Australia is making it harder for constituents to access the help they need.

Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for government and social services said:

“This Labor government continues to give Services Australia a free pass to make people’s lives harder.

“People on Centrelink payments are already doing it tough – and it’s about to go from bad to worse. Not only are income support payments far below the poverty line, but now even accessing those inadequate payments is going to be that much tougher. 

“Local South Melbourne resident and retired community worker Kerrie has told me that the closure of the South Melbourne Centrelink office will mainly affect the most vulnerable and marginalised locals: homeless people, disabled people, some older people and others who lack access to digital devices or who simply find them challenging.

“The closure is a decision that places an unnecessary burden on people who are already facing financial hardship. We should be making it easier for them to access the support they need, not harder.

“Punitive income support systems designed by current and previous governments and their agencies exist to punish people in poverty, rather than help them – this situation in South Melbourne is no different.”

local resident and retired community worker Kerrie said:

“Homeless people flock to the inner-city due to the abundance of services. 

“When you’re living in precarious circumstances but still have to report your earnings every fortnight to Centrelink, it can be a lot easier to just present at the local office than to find a working phoneline or public computer.

“As the Jobseeker rate is still abysmal, some people just can’t afford to keep their phone or laptop in credit for the whole fortnight – reporting in person is cheaper than buying a phone recharge voucher.

“Both State and Federal Labor Governments have broken their social contract – shutting down Centrelink offices is the sort of heartless cutback we’d expect from a Liberal government.

The Australian Government will provide $1 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to people affected by the devastating earthquake in Morocco.

The funds will be provided through local organisations including the Red Cross and Red Crescent to deliver immediate life-saving assistance including emergency shelter, first aid, protection and psychological support.

We extend Australia’s deepest sympathies to families and communities that have lost loved ones, and those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected.

Australia stands ready to consider further requests for assistance.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong said:

“Australians have been deeply moved by the heartbreaking loss of life and destruction of property in Morocco.

“The Australian Government’s emergency assistance will help deliver crucial supplies to those most in need.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, including the Australian-Moroccan community.”

Minister for International Development and The Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP said:

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Morocco at this terrible time.

“This support will help local organisations deliver emergency shelter, medical transport, first aid, protection and support to affected communities.

“Australia is ready to respond further as the full impact of this disaster becomes clearer.”

Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP said:

“Our thoughts are with the victims of the tragic earthquake in Morocco, their families, and the rescue personnel working hard to save as many lives as possible.”

“The resilience, determination and belief of the Moroccan people I saw during my visit in December 2022 have been on display to the world in the aftermath of this tragedy.”

On the first anniversary of the incarceration that led to the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini, the Australian Government is imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on four individuals and three entities responsible for the oppression of people in Iran, including women and girls.

This will be the first time the Australian Government has imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans under the recently expanded Iran autonomous sanctions framework.

Sanctioned individuals include police spokesperson for Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces Saeed Montazer Al-Mahdi who has repeatedly made intimidating and threatening statements towards Iranian women and girls for purportedly violating Iran’s mandatory veiling laws.

Targeted entities include Iran’s Cyber Police, which is central to obstructing freedom of expression through restricting internet activity in Iran; and Press TV, the state-backed TV channel which has broadcast the forced confessions of Iranians and dual-nationals who are detained and tried under politically motivated judicial procedures.

The Australian Government will continue to take decisive and targeted action to hold Iran to account for its egregious human rights violations.

Australia stands in solidarity with the people of Iran, especially the courageous women and girls who continue to demonstrate immense bravery in the face of ongoing repression.

We call on the Iranian regime to hold those responsible for the death of Mahsa Jina Amini to account.

Today I will travel to the Republic of Fiji to attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

This is my fourth visit to Fiji as Foreign Minister, which demonstrates the importance the Australian Government places on our deep and enduring relationship with Fiji, underpinned by our Vuvale Partnership.

In Suva, I will meet Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka to discuss enhancing our Partnership, strengthening our economies, responding to the climate crisis and delivering for our shared regional interests.

Attending the PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is an opportunity to listen, share ideas and act together, to build a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

The PIF is the pre-eminent Pacific institution and ministers will discuss how we respond to the challenges we face with a regional approach, including standing together in responding to climate change.

It will also be an important opportunity to take forward implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, in the Pacific Way, as we collectively build a region that safeguards our ability to decide our own destiny.

The Coalition notes the unanimous decision of the High Court in the Qantas case and believes it sends a clear message to the company’s board and management.

Shadow Attorney General Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said: “Today’s decision demonstrates a strong need for Qantas management to refocus on what should be its core objective of providing a high-quality service and to deliver for its employees, its customers and the Australian public.”

“Qantas should spend less time focusing its efforts on getting the Albanese Government to block its competitors and helping them run joint political campaigns. Their focus should be squarely on running a high-quality airline,’’ Senator Cash said.

The High Court decision concerned the general protection provisions in the Fair Work Act. It came down against the company because a substantial and operative reason for the decision to outsource its ground handling operations was to prevent the exercise of a workplace right.

“We note that Qantas has accepted the decision and has expressed regret about the impact their outsourcing decision had had on employees. It will now be a matter for the courts to deal with penalties and possible compensation,’’ Senator Cash said.

Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie said: “This decision lies squarely at the feet of former CEO Alan Joyce and the board of Qantas.”

“Qantas’ behaviour as a leading corporate and one of Australia’s most important companies is regrettable and reprehensible,’’ Senator McKenzie said.

“The workers at Qantas do an amazing job getting us into the sky and to our destination safely,’’ she said.

“Today’s High Court ruling that Qantas breached protections in the Fair Work Act comes on top of allegations the company sold ghost flights and attempted to poach people’s Covid flight credits, while agreeing to a generous payout to its former CEO,’’ Senator McKenzie said.

“Australians want an airline that is affordable, where planes take off safely and land on time, and their bags arrive at the destination with them,’’ she said.

“It’s time Qantas focus on their core business and restore their corporate reputation as an employer of choice,’’ Senator McKenzie said.