Month: October 2023

A 2012 decision to expand salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour is currently under review by the federal environment department. 

Under questioning from Senator Peter Whish-Wilson at Senate Estimates last night, the department’s Head of Environment Approvals Division, Bruce Edwards, said three submissions to review the controversial federal environmental approval had been made, with the department now considering its legal options. 

Mr Edwards noted the case was complex, but if matters relating to the environmental approval are determined to be “live”, the federal environment minister would have jurisdiction to intervene. A decision is expected before the end of the year. 

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

“The federal government’s 2012 decision to expand salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour was made with the proviso it would not significantly impact the Maugean skate – but scientists now warn the endangered species is fighting for survival precisely because of a decline in water quality attributed largely to salmon farming in the Harbour. 

“If the federal environment minister does have the jurisdiction to reverse the 2012 decision to rapidly expand salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour then she absolutely should.

“The regulation of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour has been a disaster. It’s a cop out for successive federal environment ministers to continue to watch on as salmon industry regulators and the Tasmanian government fail spectacularly to protect and prioritise the environment, including matters of national environmental significance like the sad decline and imminent extinction of the Maugean skate.

“There is no job more important for an environment minister than protecting a species from extinction. Minister Plibersek has a critical mandate to protect the Maugean skate and she must pull every lever available to her to ensure its survival.”

** Jump to the 20:17:24:00 mark of this clip from Senate Estimates for the exchange between Senator Whish-Wilson and Mr Bruce Edwards.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for animal welfare, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has called for the Melbourne Cup to be whip free after news that a global jockey has been banned from the race after he breached Britain’s whipping rules.

Public momentum to ban the Melbourne Cup has grown significantly since the campaign began, as witnessed in the recent cancellation of The Melbourne Cup Parade following successful animal welfare campaigns and the #NupToTheCup campaign. 

Senator Faruqi said: 

“The next Melbourne Cup needs to be whip-free, this is the least that can be done to protect horses from the pain and cruelty of racing.

“If that jockey was whipping the horse in a race in Australia, he may have faced no penalties at all as the whipping rules here are even worse than in Britain! This speaks volumes to how little the horse racing industry cares about their animals. 

“I welcome the ban of the jockey for breaching British whipping rules. But I ask the question — why do we still not have a ban on whipping? Jockeys have no limits on whipping in the final 100 metres of a race. That is horrific. 

“Another festival of cruelty is around the corner and calls to end the race have never been louder. The public has been listening to animal welfare groups and protesters who have fought long and hard to end the cruelty and to end horse racing.

“We should ban the use of whips, but even that won’t go far enough to protect horses. Ending commercial horse racing is the only way.

“We will not stop until this cruel celebration is binned altogether. The race is losing its credibility fast. People don’t want to participate in a celebration of animal cruelty and the toxicity of gambling. It’s time to cancel the race.

“The Cup’s days are numbered. We are winning the fight against this cruel and callous horse racing industry.”

Background

British racing rules permit 6 whips maximum per race. In contrast, Australian rules state that there is a limit of 5, with unlimited whipping permitted in the last 100 metres. 

Racing Victoria has even been vocal in their support to reduce whip use in Australian horse racing to maintain “the sports social license,” but still believes whips are not a welfare issue. 

A senate committee recommended entirely banning whipping in horse racing over 30 years ago, saying that it could not condone the use of the whip to inflict pain on a horse. In 2023, banning the whip is long overdue. 

University of Sydney research revealed that a horse’s flank skin is not only thinner, but potentially more sensitive to pain than a human’s. It also pointed out horses have evolved to hide their pain rather than react to it.

A poll completed by the RSPCA in 2017 found that 74% of Australians agreed that whips should be banned in horse racing. 

The Department of Employment and Workplace has not yet reimbursed 99 staff who were underpaid over $60,000 in wages, despite the underpayment being discovered more than four months ago.

It has so far cost the Department almost $200,000 in legal and consultant fees to rectify the errors.

During questioning by Senator Michaelia Cash in a Senate Estimates hearing Department Secretary Ms Natalie James revealed staff could expect the money in this week’s pay run.

Ms James revealed the total amount to be repaid to the 99 staff was $62,926.52, which includes an indexation payment. The average repayment was $635.25, while the highest repayment is $4051.07.

She also revealed that legal advice about the underpayments had cost the Department $119,625 so far and eternal consultants were paid a further $75,866 for data analysis.

Ms James blamed the underpayment on the machinery of Government changes following the 2022 election. She told the hearing the “arrangements for pay and conditions became a little more complex as a result of the machinery of Government change.”

Ms James said she was told of the underpayment on June 15 after an internal query identified an issue on June 5. She informed Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke on July 25. The Staff were told on August 11.

Senator Cash said: “This has been quite an extraordinary episode. If the Department responsible Employment and Workplace Relations struggles to pay its staff correctly what hope do small businesses have?’’

“Ms James admitted that complexity was the issue – which is exactly the challenge facing tens of thousands of small and medium businesses in this country,’’ Senator Cash said.

“This Government is only making the Workplace Relations system more complex and confusing with their radical industrial relations laws,’’ she said.

“Unfortunately, most businesses do not have the resources to pay lawyers and consultants tens of thousands of dollars to sort through such issues,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is a most graphic example of why this nations’ workplace laws need to be simplified not complicated further,’’ she said.

Reports suggest one of the announceables to come out of Anthony Albanese’s Washington visit will be a space launch accord and greater access for United States satellites to launch from Australia.

Anthony Albanese might claim to be delivering closer space cooperation with the United States but almost every single decision his government has made has hurt Australia’s space industry, undermining our bilateral relationship with the United States in this critical sector.

How can he trumpet the signing of a new space launch accord in one breath and then cancel Australia’s own satellite program in the next?

In recent weeks, Australians have seen secret emails demonstrating Industry Minister Ed Husic and the Prime Minister’s own office directed Australian public servants to hide the axing of the $1.2 billion National Space Mission for Earth Observation satellite program from our most important ally and partner in critical space technology, the United States of America.

We know that at least one Cabinet Minister, and people within the Prime Minister’s office, see no issue in breaching the trust of our most vital ally, the United States of America, if they judge it to be politically expedient.

In successive budgets, Anthony Albanese and Ed Husic ripped $77 million out of key space initiatives: the Australian Spaceports program, Australian Technology into Orbit, and the high profile Moon to Mars program. All of these programs were vital for close cooperation with the United States on space.

The Australian Spaceports program was designed to support the development of domestic spaceports and launch sites. The strategically significant Moon to Mars supply chain program would have helped Australian space companies get a foothold in the global supply chain while contributing to NASA’s project to reach the moon within a decade and then move on to Mars.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Industry, Sussan Ley said Anthony Albanese was misleading Australians, and the United States, by falsely claiming his government was serious about space.

“Realising AUKUS will demand honesty, integrity and strong working relationships with the United States – given what has been exposed, it’s hard to see how Ed Husic can be trusted to do the work,” the Deputy Leader said.

“Australia could have been a superpower in space, but because of Anthony Albanese’s reckless approach, our space programs haven’t even made it off the launch pad.”

Shadow Minister for Science Paul Fletcher said Labor’s decisions around space shows they do not comprehend the important role the industry plays in Australia’s scientific, economic and diplomatic future.

“The evidence is clear – the space sector is worse off under Labor. What the sector needs is genuine leadership, committed to furthering and strengthening our burgeoning space potential,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Space should be above politics and all we’ve seen under this government is the halting of momentum and the sector being placed in the too hard basket.”

The Attorney-General’s Department has recommended that an external audit be conducted into the troubled North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, which has faced allegations of corruption, fraud and a mass exodus of staff.

But Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and his Department appear unwilling to get directly involved in holding NAAJA to account.

The recommendation of an audit was revealed during questioning from Shadow Attorney-General Senator Michaelia Cash and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in a Senate estimates hearing.

The AGD also revealed NAAJA received millions of dollars of additional Federal Government funding on top of the widely reported $83 million over five years from the National Legal Assistance Partnership.

Senior Officials from the AGD revealed during the hearing that Department Secretary Katherine Jones signed a joint letter with her Northern Territory counterpart to NAAJA advocating for an external audit to be undertaken.

Departmental officials also suggested that Attorney Dreyfus may in fact be able to request the Australian National Audit Office to conduct an audit. The officials undertook to come back to the committee to confirm on notice.

The Auditor-General Act sets out a power to conduct an audit of “Commonwealth partners”, which covers bodies that receive Federal money for Commonwealth purposes.

Senator Cash wrote to the ANAO last month asking for an audit to be conducted but that request was knocked back by Acting-Auditor General Rona Miller who cited the timing of the request did not fit their planning for their work program.

The hearing heard that NAAJA, in addition to the $83 million NLAP funding had also received up to $6.3 million in other Federal funding through the Attorney-General’s portfolio through various mechanisms. This does not include funding provided by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Senator Cash said: “The Attorney’s own Department believes an audit should take place and I’d urge the Attorney to call on the ANAO to conduct that audit.”

“We’ve learnt of even more Federal Government money that is going to NAAJA and the Attorney should be very concerned about the serious allegations of misconduct and fraud that have been made. This is tax-payers’ money and tax-payers deserve to know it is being used correctly,’’ Senator Cash said.

Senator Nampijinpa Price said: “I’m appalled on behalf of the staff at NAAJA who have been trying to manage service delivery during an increasingly difficult time.”

“The Attorney General should be ashamed that while serious misconduct allegations surround NAAJA, his Department, which funds the organisation in multiple ways, has taken a back seat and manoeuvres away from responsibility and accountability.

“Instead the Attorney General’s Department appears to be liaising directly with the management team at the centre of misconduct allegations, who in turn assures the Department it is providing support programs to its staff.

“We learnt today the Attorney General’s Department funds the organisation in multiple ways, and this does not include the $6 million it receives via the National Indigenous Australians Agency from its own Justice Reinvestment Package.

“How can this Government have any confidence or integrity when it chooses not to look forensically at the issues being raised.”

The September quarter Consumer Price Index (CPI) has highlighted the pain Australians are feeling under this distracted and out of touch Labor Government.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said prices are going up and up and have been ever since Labor got it into government.

“Australians aren’t being fooled by the Treasurer’s spin. They can acutely feel the pain of Labor’s cost of living crisis in their bank accounts and household budgets,” Mr Taylor said.

“This Treasurer has an excuse for everything but a solution for nothing. It seems his only plan is to tell Australians they’re better off when quite clearly, they are not.

“The Treasurer has been out boasting that it’s been a year to the day he handed down his first Budget but unfortunately during this year Australians have fallen further and further behind.”

• The cost of almost everything has gone up. Mortgages, rent, groceries, furniture, insurance, fuel – you name it.
• Renters are experiencing the highest increases since 2009.
• A family with a $750,000 mortgage is paying $22,000 more per year on their repayments.
• Workers are paying 15% more income tax.
• Inflation is still far too high with core inflation higher than most advanced economies.
• The price of fuel has risen 7.2% in the quarter.
• Australians are working more hours for less.
• Parents are faced with tough choices in order to pay the bills and put food on the table for their children.

“For the Treasurer to suggest that Australians are better off is completely out of touch,” Mr Taylor said.

“The reality is, over the past 12 months the Albanese Labor Government has had its eye off the ball and has not done enough to tame inflation.

“We learnt today in Senate Estimates that after almost 18 months in office, the Prime Minister has not sought a one-on-one briefing from the Treasury secretary on inflation – as previous Prime Ministers have done.

“The fight against inflation needs to be priority one, two and three. That’s unfortunately not what we’re seeing right now and it’s hardworking Australians left paying the price.”

Senator Murray Watt’s impotence as a Cabinet Minister and indifference for stakeholders even in his own portfolios has crashed to a new low following a Senate Estimates hearing in Canberra.

Asked a succession of questions late on Tuesday about the Albanese Government’s cave-in to UNESCO’s demand to install a ban on gillnet fishing, Senator Watt couldn’t even recall if he had voiced concern with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek over the ban’s impacts on the regional Queensland fishers that he supposedly represents.

He even argued that his Department had “no responsibility” over the ban and its effect on Commonwealth fisheries.

Shadow Environment and Fisheries Minister Senator Jonno Duniam said:

“As Fisheries Minister, Mr Watt is meant to provide a counterweight to Ms Plibersek’s hard-left ideological instincts, but he continually fails to put up even one iota of a fight for the industries and communities he is meant to serve.”

“This is despite the fact that the gillnets ban is already turning into one of the most consequential and devastating decisions in memory for Australia’s commercial fishing industry.”

Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald, said she was shocked when the hearings revealed the Federal Environment Minister and the Fisheries Minister had not sought advice on banning gillnets from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) or the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) before a letter was sent to UNESCO announcing the bans.

This is even though the FRDC’s 2020 Stock Assessment Report showed populations of net-caught species barramundi and grey mackerel are “sustainable”.

She said banning nets would increase costs of seafood and be a hammer blow to already-stretched household budgets.

“It is clear that the Federal and Queensland Labor Governments have colluded on fisheries management without advice from the two federal bodies specifically tasked with researching and advising on such matters,” she said.

“The Minister has simply taken the word of Queensland Labor – whose fishing taskforce is headed by an environmental activist – that commercial net fishing has to go and pledged federal support for it.

“It’s beggars belief that a Federal Minister would act so rashly to sign off on the decimation of Queensland’s commercial fishery without seeking the advice of AFMA and the FRDC.

“Furthermore, the Federal Fisheries Minister – a Queensland Senator – refused to answer questions about the devastation fishers in his own state are facing under this plan which will increase costs of seafood and hurt Australian families already burdened by a cost of living crisis.

“I am appalled and angry that such a serious issue has been hastily endorsed with zero consultation and no regard for the welfare of fishers or the finances of people who can’t catch their own fish.”

“Queensland and Federal Labor are doing the bidding of activists and ignoring Australian families trying to put food on the table.”

Services Australia’s recently released 2022-2023 annual report shows just how bad things are at the agency under Bill Shorten’s leadership.

The table below highlights key data from the report:

	2021-2022 result	2022-2023 result	Change under Labor
Customer satisfaction	82.1 per cent	80.2 per cent	Down 1.9 per cent
Customers served within 15 minutes	68 per cent	60.8 per cent	Down 7.8 per cent
Work processed within timeliness standards	84.4 per cent	68.7 per cent	Down 15.7 per cent
Call wait times	55.9 per cent of customers who called the Social Security and Welfare phone line were answered within 15 minutes	Only 36 per cent of customers who called the Social Security and Welfare phone line were answered within 15 minutes	Down 19.9 per cent

“This data shows Services Australia has scored an ‘F’ across a range of key performance targets,” Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy Paul Fletcher said.

“This agency desperately needs a leader who gets up every morning with a relentless focus on customer service. Bill Shorten is clearly not such a leader.“The Coalition will be probing the government on these matters at today’s Senate Estimates hearing. Australians deserve answers and the agency’s performance needs to be put under the microscope.”

The Albanese Labor Government must be transparent with Australians and detail how long it is taking for Centrelink and Medicare payments to be processed, with new data revealing Service Centres across the country will experience high customer demand this financial year.

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy Paul Fletcher said the Albanese Labor Government has routinely refused to release the processing data, despite repeated calls from the Opposition to do so.

“Australians are facing a cost of living crisis and families rely on these vital payments to make ends meet. They deserve to know how long it takes from applying for a payment to receiving the money in their bank account,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Government Services Minister Bill Shorten would rather avoid scrutiny and hide than sort this mess out. By releasing the figures, including by electorate, the government could identify anomalies and implement bespoke solutions.

“The Coalition will be using Senate Estimates today to obtain this important information.”

Under Bill Shorten, Services Australia is lurching from one crisis to the next and continually focuses on itself rather than customers, by prioritising union-led strikes, axing jobs and long wait times. Other examples of the agency’s failures include:

• Centrelink call wait times have blown out, with the average time taken to connect to the Employment Services line at over 29 minutes;
• According to the Budget papers, funding for Technology and Transformation has been cut by more than $250 million;
• Last month, a top Services Australia boss publicly conceded that the agency was “understaffed in our service delivery”;
• Average staffing levels at the agency have been cut, from 28,560 in 2020-2023 to 26,692 in 2023-2024;
• Bill Shorten has been MIA on vital reforms to digital ID and he has failed to respond to the MyGov User Audit, which was handed to him in January.

“New data indicates that Services Centres will face high customer demand this financial year. The question Australians deserve to have answered is whether Services Australia is up to the task,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The public deserves to know what the actual demand was last financial year. It’s no good just knowing the forecast demand.”

The following data are examples of the 2023-2024 financial year face to face forecast as at 21 June 2023.

State	Service Centre	Forecast number of customer interactions at each centre for FY 2023/2024
NSW	Liverpool	105,280
NSW	Fairfield	104,678
NSW	Blacktown	87,499
QLD	Woodridge	103,881
QLD	Cairns	98,915
VIC	Dandenong	91,395
VIC	Ringwood	83,038
WA	Cannington	73,225
TAS	Sunshine	75,481