16 News

The Albanese Government is continuing to bolster the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) counter-drone capabilities, announcing an additional contract under the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Mission Syracuse.

This latest contract has been awarded to Electro Optic Systems (EOS) Defence Systems to develop the R400 SLINGER Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (CUAS) capability.

Valued at $5.7 million, the contract brings total investment under Mission Syracuse to $37.4 million and forms part of the Government’s broader strategy to accelerate the development of sovereign counter-drone capabilities.

The R400 SLINGER is an advanced, all-in-one remote weapon system capable of countering small and medium sized drones. Integrating an advanced laser-guided rocket and a machine gun, it provides a highly effective and flexible response to airborne threats.

Importantly, the R400 will be manufactured and sustained in Australia by an Australian-owned company, supporting local industry and strengthening domestic capability.

This contract builds on the previously announced investments in AIM Defence and SYPAQ Systems, which are developing advanced laser and interceptor drone technologies under Mission Syracuse. 

Together, these projects will strengthen the ADF’s ability to detect, track and defeat uncrewed systems, helping to protect personnel, platforms and critical infrastructure.

The Albanese Government has allocated up to $22 billion for drone, counter-drone and autonomous system technologies over the decade through the 2026 Integrated Investment Program.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“This investment highlights the strength of Australia’s sovereign defence industry, with EOS Defence Systems delivering an advanced, locally developed capability that will enhance the Australian Defence Force’s ability to counter emerging threats. 

“By partnering with Australian companies, we are ensuring critical technologies are designed, built and sustained here in Australia, supporting local jobs and strengthening our national security.

“The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator and Mission Syracuse are demonstrating how Defence can move at speed – rapidly partnering with industry to bring innovative capabilities into development. 

“This agile, mission-driven approach is accelerating the delivery of cutting-edge counter-drone solutions to the Australian Defence Force, ensuring we stay ahead of emerging threats.”

Quote attributable to Head Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator, Major General Hugh Meggitt:

“Mission Syracuse is a strong example of how Defence, through ASCA, can work at speed and with urgency alongside Australian industry to rapidly develop and deliver innovative counter-drone technologies and capabilities that strengthen the ADF and our sovereign industrial base.”

The Australian Greens have called for laws that will put customers ahead of teleco profits and will call the company to a Senate Inquiry. 

When Parliament resumes the Greens will introduce amendments that establish and enforce stronger telecommunications reliability standards, following a major outage that disrupted essential services and impacted millions of Australians.

Greens spokesperson for Communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: 

“Our telecommunications system is in crisis. Today, millions of people have been impacted by Telstra’s outage.

“Access to a mobile phone and internet data is an essential for everyday life. Just like roads and electricity it should be treated as an essential service. Today’s outage shows how vulnerable the system is and the Government must act. 

“For too long Telstra and the other telcos have put their profits ahead of their customers’ safety and both the Government and regulator, ACMA have failed to hold them to account. 

“Australian’s deserve a reliable service, whether it’s to call the ambulance, call their work, or call their mum. 

“There is currently no legal requirement for Telstra, or any other telecommunications supplier, to provide a reliable mobile phone system. 

“The Greens will move new laws to put customers first. 

“When we return to parliament, the Greens will move to legislate reliability standards to ensure that big telcos, who are raking in the big bucks, are legally required to provide reliable, dependable services

“Millions of Australians rely on Telstra’s services for their everyday communications, work, banking and more. It’s not just an inconvenience when these networks go down, it’s a major disruption.

“Most concerning are reports that some calls to Triple Zero have not been connected. We know from past outages that failures of Triple Zero can be a matter of life and death.

“We will force Telstra to front the Senate Inquiry and explain why this happened and what led to the mass outage, including the impacts of cost-cutting and offshoring of services.  

“The public expect and deserve better from Australia’s largest telecommunications provider. Telstra must explain what went wrong, how many people were affected, what safeguards failed, and what steps will be taken to ensure this never happens again.

“This cannot be left to ACMA to manage. ACMA has become a lapdog, not a watchdog. It has become too cosy with the big telecommunications corporations and does not stand up for the interests of the Australian people.

The Victorian Greens have unveiled the details of their bold plan to bring down the cost of buying a home.

The Greens are proposing to tax ultra-wealthy property investors who own more than $5 million worth of residential investment properties, and use it to abolish stamp duty on homes for people to live in.

The Greens plan comes ahead of this year’s state election where young people locked out of home ownership are looking for bold policies.
The Greens policy helps rebalance the scales of a broken housing system that is set up to funnel profits to banks and wealthy investors instead of helping people who need somewhere affordable to live.

Stamp duty has been heavily criticised by economists as a highly ineffective tax that puts a huge upfront cost on people, making it harder to buy, move or downsize.

The Greens are proposing a system that’s fairer, simpler and built for people, not profits. It starts by abolishing stamp duty on the average home, aimed at eventually phasing it out altogether.

The Greens entire ‘Home You Can Afford’ plan:

Cut stamp duty for owner occupiers: abolishing stamp duty for homes up to $1.1 million, and reduced stamp duty on a sliding scale up to $1.6 million.

Introduce an ‘ultra-wealth’ tax to pay for it: increase land tax to 5.3% for property investors that own more than $5 million in residential investment properties, raising $6.4 billion over the decade.

Stop the demolition and build more public housing: more than double the number of public homes – building over 88,000 public homes, maintaining and upgrading existing public housing with an initial investment of $4 billion.

Cap rents: limiting how much rents can be increased in any one year capped at wage growth (or inflation, whichever is lower).

Victorian Greens housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“People are working hard and still can’t afford a home. We want to bring down the cost of buying a home by cutting stamp duty and taxing ultra wealthy property investors to pay for it.

“If you can afford $5 million worth of investment properties, we think you can pay a little bit more to make housing more affordable for everyone else.

“If young people and renters are ever going to be able to afford a home, we need to bring down the cost of buying a home.

“Stamp duty is a huge barrier for people buying their first home, moving or downsizing. You shouldn’t be slapped with a massive tax bill from the government before you even get your keys.”

Melbourne renters are being slugged with the fastest rent increases in the country, with new figures showing the city’s median weekly rent jumped by more than $20 (3.5 per cent) to $600 in the June quarter.

The Victorian Greens say today’s figures are proof that Labor has failed to protect renters from unlimited rent hikes, with landlords continuing to jack up rents simply because they can.

Independent modelling by the Parliamentary Budget Office shows that if Victoria froze rents for two years from March 2026 and permanently capped future rent increases to wage growth, the average Victorian renter would save $15,590 by 2030 and more than $120,000 by 2040.

Victorian Greens spokesperson for Renting, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“Renters keep getting hit with outrageous rent increases simply because landlords know they can get away with it under Labor.

“These figures make one thing crystal clear: we urgently need rent caps.

“Rent caps would save the average Victorian renter more than $15,500 over the next four years. That’s money people could spend raising their kids, paying the bills or saving for a home—instead of paying off their landlord’s house.

“Renters don’t need more excuses. They need lower rents.

“The federal government’s housing reforms haven’t even kicked in yet. These rent hikes aren’t about absorbing higher costs—they’re landlords taking the piss because nothing is stopping them.

“Victorian renters deserve a government that’s on their side. Labor will always side with the property industry because they are funded by them to stay in power. The Greens are the only ones with the guts to do what it takes to tackle the housing crisis – cap rents, build public housing, end the special treatment for property investors and corporations.”

Background

The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates a two-year rent freeze from March 2026 followed by permanent caps linked to wage growth would save the median Victorian renter:

$15,590 by 2030

$53,517 by 2035

$120,406 by 2040.

Rent controls are a key pillar of the Victorian Greens election policy plan leading up to the 2026 Victorian State election, where the Greens are tipped to win more seats from both Labor and the Liberals. The Greens policy includes:

an initial 2-year rent freeze to give wages the chance to catch up to rents followed by a cap on rent increases to go up no more than the wage growth or CPI, whichever is lowest, of that year in any one year.

Tie rent increases to the property, not the tenant – so renters can’t be kicked out for a landlord to put the rent up.

A ban on rent increases for two years at the start of every tenancy, to give renters security when they move house.

The Albanese Labor Government is backing local jobs and manufacturing through its investments in Australian-made electric trucks – with the first locally built Volvo electric truck rolling off the production line in Brisbane.

The Government’s investment of $70 million with Volvo Group Australia – through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) – will see more Australian-made electric trucks on our roads.

The investment will see electrification of the nation’s trucking fleet by providing discounted finance for trucking businesses and supporting the long-term residual value of electric trucks. 

Volvo offers a full range of electric heavy vehicles and the manufacturing of Australian-made electric trucks is supporting skilled manufacturing jobs and local supply chains.

As demand ramps up we can expect to see more than 1,000 jobs supported at this facility in Brisbane.

Electric trucks are cheaper to run and maintain than diesel, over time those lower transport costs can flow through the economy and help ease pressure on prices for households and businesses. 

The CEFC’s $70 million commitment will help more trucking businesses through discounted finance and residual-value support to help more operators choose these future Australian-made electric trucks. 

Transport currently accounts for around 22 per cent of Australia’s total emissions and is projected to become the largest source of emissions by 2030 without continued action. 

The CEFC has committed more than $200 million in electric vehicle related projects to help decarbonise Australia’s transport sector since its inception.

As one of the world’s largest green banks, the CEFC has worked with third-party capital to deliver more than $600 million in new investment to help decarbonise Australia’s transport sector. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“My Government is backing a future made in Australia – investing in local jobs, manufacturing and industry.

“We have all the resources to be a clean energy superpower – under the ground and in the sky – and projects like this show just what’s possible.

“Electric-made trucks built right here in Brisbane will keep Australia moving now and into the future.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen

“Under the Liberals, Australia watched vehicle manufacturing leave our shores. Under Labor, we’re helping rebuild it for the clean energy age.

“This investment backs Australian-made electric trucks, skilled manufacturing jobs in Queensland, and cheaper-to-run vehicles for freight operators.

“We want Australia making more things here, and we want businesses to have the confidence to choose cleaner technology that saves them money.”