16 News

Australian Defence Force personnel will train Ukrainian soldiers in Poland as part of Australia’s ongoing commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion.

From mid-2026, the ADF will partner with the Norwegian-led multinational Operation Legio to train Ukrainian personnel in Poland, continuing the support provided under Australia’s Operation Kudu. 

Since January 2023, Operation Kudu has worked with the United Kingdom-led multinational training mission, Operation Interflex. This effort will now evolve under Operation Legio to deliver training closer to Ukraine’s borders and better meet Ukraine’s operational requirements. 

Through Operation Kudu, the ADF has trained more than 3,650 Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel in basic infantry tactics, leadership and military skills. 

Australia continues to support Ukraine as an operational partner to NATO’s Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine initiative. This support has included deployments of an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Germany and Poland, as well as participation in the Coalition of the Willing and the Drone Capability Coalition for Ukraine.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Australia has provided more than $1.7 billion in support for Ukraine, including $1.5 billion in military assistance.

Australia remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP:

“Australia is continuing to adapt our contributions to Ukraine to ensure our support remains practical, relevant, and aligned with their most urgent needs. 

“I am proud of the high quality training delivered by ADF personnel under Operation Kudu, and I thank the United Kingdom for their leadership under Operation Interflex.”

Australia has today imposed further Magnitsky-style human rights sanctions against three additional Israeli individuals and four additional entities in response to escalating settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Today’s measures designate individuals and entities for targeted financial sanctions, and declare the individuals for travel bans.

Australia has coordinated with partners including New Zealand in imposing these measures.

They build on sanctions Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom previously imposed, which included Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. For the first time, designated entities now include farming outposts that serve as hubs for settler violence.

Australia is steadfast in its commitment to the two-state solution as the only pathway to enduring peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, threaten the viability of a two-state solution, and are a major obstacle to peace.

Following the horrors of Hamas’ attack on 7 October 2023 and subsequent devastating conflict in Gaza, maintaining momentum towards a two-state solution remains more important than ever.

The Israeli Government must uphold its obligations under international law. The Australian Government and international partners continue to call on Israel to take urgent action to end settler violence, ensure accountability for perpetrators and stop extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric.

Settler violence is used to displace Palestinians and perpetuate the settlement enterprise, through destruction of property, displacement of families, beatings, sexual assault, and torture, resulting in serious injuries and deaths.

The individuals and entities sanctioned today have undermined Israel’s own security and its standing in the world and harmed the interests of the Israeli people. Australia’s imposition of sanctions against them reflects our commitment to Israel and Palestine’s security and future.

For further information on Australia’s sanctions settings, please visit the Australia and sanctions page on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

Student debt will increase by over $1 billion today, as students and graduates already struggling with skyrocketing uni fees and the cost of living crisis are hit with 2.8% indexation.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Tertiary Education:

“While the Albanese Labor government sits on its hands refusing to immediately get rid of job-ready graduates fee hikes, arts students will get smashed with another hit as the cost of their $50,000 degree grows yet again with indexation.

“Young people are already being locked out of the housing market, denied loans and rethinking dreams of further study, and things are only getting worse because Labor has not scrapped job-ready graduates.

“The Prime Minister cannot claim to be addressing intergenerational inequity while keeping in place the grossly unjust job-ready graduates fee hikes, which are disproportionately impacting young people and already disadvantaged students.

“The time to get rid of JRG is now, not in 18 months or another two years. There is nothing stopping the Albanese government from doing so except themselves.”

Labor Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley must bolster the powers and capacity of the independent police watchdog after a brutal Four Corners investigation exposed gratuitous police violence, excessive use of force and maladministration in New South Wales.

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission have been calling for reform to require the police to use body-worn video during the exercise of all police powers, as well as changes to their own powers to compel the police to provide them with the information and evidence they require to investigate police conduct. Now there are calls to bolster the LECC so that they can investigate more of the increasing complaints of police misconduct.

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice and solicitor Sue Higginson said:

“The degree of heinous violence we saw on Four Corners should be the trigger for urgent reform. I am escalating my calls to bolster the powers and capacity of the Police watchdog. The Police Commissioner must implement the watchdog’s recommendation and mandate the activation of body-worn video during the use of police powers,

“The revelations on Four Corners are unsurprising to me and I know they barely scratch the surface of a toxic and brutal culture that exists in the police force,

“Chemical weapons being used on a naked unwell woman, including her genitals, and being violently kicked and punched in the middle of a public road in broad daylight, intoxicated people being bashed, broken and hospitalised and then being charged with assault and resist arrest; women at home alone playing music in the evening, broken into and brutally assaulted; and victims of domestic violence being left for dead in the gutter,

“This is a culture of excessive force, unbridled power and cover up, enabling police to be violent with impunity. It is not lost on anyone right now that we still haven’t seen the Independent Culture Review of the NSW Police Force, led by Kristen Hilton, that I have been told is sitting on someone’s desk,

“People are rightly losing trust in the police. The NSW Police are the most complained about police agency with complaints growing each year. The default system is for the Police to investigate themselves and it’s not working. The LECC needs more investigators to investigate complaints, rather than simply referring them to the police to investigate themselves,

“Even in the few cases the LECC does investigate, Police are able to avoid scrutiny and accountability because the LECC does not have the powers they need. The LECC called for changes to their powers and it’s shocking that Premier Chris Minns and the Police Minister have not responded,

If the Premier does not commit immediately, I will bring a private members bill to the Parliament to introduce the three changes needed to ensure the LECC can investigate police misconduct and maladministration and oversee Police investigations of critical incidents,

“These changes are needed to stop the current practice of police not complying with the LECC and put an end to the “difficult” and “defensive” culture as described by the Chief Commissioner

“Just yesterday the Premier invoked the LECC when asked to defend police conduct, but their requests for urgent reform are sitting on his desk gathering dust,” Ms Higginson said.

The Fair Work Commission’s decision today to increase the modern award wage rate by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, still won’t pay the rent.

Since Labor came into power, real wages have decreased by 1%, and remain at the same real value as they were 15 years ago. Meanwhile, the RBA forecasts the rate of inflation for the year to June 2026 will reach 4.8%.

The Greens say this decision will further erode real wages for some of our lowest paid workers, leaving working Australians behind while billionaires increase in number and wealth.

Greens spokesperson for finance, employment and workplace relations Senator Barbara Pocock:

“The Fair Work Commission’s decision today amounts to a real wage cut for millions of Australians. Even with this 4.75% increase in the minimum wage, low-paid workers still face an uphill battle as wages have failed to keep up with inflation. 

“With inflation expected to rise to 4.8%, the Fair Work Commission has decided to erode the wages of some of the lowest paid workers.

“Under Labor, we’re seeing interest rates rise, real wages fall and a tax system that hits workers harder than billionaires.

“Nearly 3 million low-paid workers in Australia are playing catch up, facing rising grocery prices in a cost of living crisis, and rents increasing at well above inflation. 

“Since Labor came into power, real wages have decreased by 1% while rents have increased by more than 22%. How on earth can renters keep a roof over their head?

“When national rents have risen 2.5 times faster than wages over the past five years, working households fall further behind through no fault of their own.

“Working Australians have had enough. They’re fed up with seeing the big banks and the billionaires profit from an out of control housing crisis, while wages aren’t keeping up and workers are going backwards.”

The Greens spokesperson for resources, Steph Hodgins-May, and Member for Ryan, Elizabeth Watson-Brown, condemn the major parties teaming up to shut down a tax on gas exports and One Nation for not even wanting to record a vote.

The issue was put to a vote in the House of Representatives, for the first time, today by Watson-Brown. It called on the government to implement a 25 per cent gas export tax.

Despite the evidence collected by the senate inquiry held into the topic in April and the overwhelming public support for such a move, Labor and the Liberals were united in voting down the measure.

Senator Steph Hodgins-May: 

“This was Labor’s chance to listen to the Australian people and back a tax on gas exports that would make multinational corporations pay what they owe.

“Instead, the major parties have once again joined forces to protect the interests of the gas lobby ahead of ordinary Australians struggling with the cost of living.

“It was particularly galling to see One Nation’s newly elected MP campaign as an alternative to politics-as-usual, only to fail to use his first substantive vote to stand up for his constituents when it mattered most.

“At a time when Labor, the Liberals and One Nation continue to protect corporate interests, the Greens remain the only party willing to take on the gas giants and fight for ordinary Australians who are sick of billion-dollar corporations avoiding their fair share of tax.

“The Greens will continue to push for gas corporations to pay what they owe and an end to the  loophole-ridden tax system that allows multinational corporations to make enormous profits while Australians pay more for energy and essentials.”

Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP: 

“What kind of democracy are we living in where the voices of the gas industry are louder than the voices of the Australian people?

“More than three in five Australians support a 25% tax on gas exports. They know we’re being ripped off and they want gas corporations to pay their fair share.

“Today Labor MPs have voted to protect the gas corporations from paying their fair share of tax. One Nation and the LNP didn’t even bother to show up.

“The major parties have voted against a tax that is incredibly popular, and would raise $17 billion a year that could fund real cost-of-living relief.

“Massive gas corporations have donated millions to the major parties, while we also see senior Ministers and even the PM parroting gas lobby talking points. It’s clearly paid off in the vote today.”

The Greens have labelled Labor’s response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the public housing demolition ‘arrogant and utterly disrespectful’ after just four of twenty one recommendations were accepted. 

It comes after the Labor tabled their response to the Parliamentary inquiry into the demolition of the public housing towers. 

Labor’s response details they do not support eight of the key recommendations including publishing documentation which provides rationale for the project. The response also reveals the Labor government won’t guarantee public land will remain in public hands and they won’t confirm that there will be a single public home built after future demolitions. 

The report, which was tabled in December, revealed that the Labor Government was pushing ahead with a multi-billion-dollar mass demolition and privatisation of public housing, while withholding evidence, sidelining experts, and placing public housing residents under immense stress and uncertainty.

It recommended that demolitions should be halted until condition reports, feasibility studies into alternatives to demolition, and a cost-benefit analysis for each site could be provided. 

Greens spokesperson for Housing, Gabrielle de Vietri: 

“This is arrogant and utterly disrespectful from Labor. They are charging ahead with a project that has no support from experts or the community, no justification and no public benefit.” 

“Labor couldn’t care less about telling the truth to everyday Victorians or to the thousands of public housing residents whose lives they are tearing apart, their response to the inquiry proves this.”

“This is a dark day for the future of public housing and for the people of Victoria. We have a government who is refusing transparency, refusing people their human rights, refusing expert advice and refusing to tell us the truth –  who is really benefiting from this project?”  

“The only winners here are private developers who want access to valuable public land and Labor who want their dirty donations.”

Greens Member for Northern Metropolitan and Member of the Legal and Social Issues Committee: 

“Labor has completely turned their back on residents and everyone who was brave enough to give evidence to this inquiry.”

The Coalition supports the independent process to determine the minimum wage increase of 4.75 per cent, as outlined by the Fair Work Commission.

The Fair Work Commission itself has noted that while last year’s decision “involved a real wage increase, the accelerated rate of inflation since then has substantially opened up that gap yet again”. That is a direct consequence of Labor’s failure to get inflation under control.

Real wages have gone backwards by 3 per cent since the Albanese Government came to power, and Labor’s own Budget forecasts show they will continue to fall.

Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations Senator Jane Hume said everyone wants to see higher real wages, but lasting improvements in living standards depend on lower inflation and a stronger economy.

“There is little comfort in a wage increase if Labor’s inflation simply eats it away. The best way to improve living standards for all Australians is to get inflation down, lift productivity and support businesses to grow and employ more Australians.

“In light of today’s decision and last week’s Labour Force data showing almost 700,000 Australians are unemployed, it is even more crucial that Labor axe their toxic taxes on small businesses and tackle inflation.

“When businesses are struggling with rising costs and Labor’s new taxes, there is a real risk that fewer jobs will be created and fewer opportunities will be available for Australians looking for work. Higher wages mean nothing if you don’t have a job,” Senator Hume said.

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson said “Jim Chalmers stoked the inflation that means households are going backwards and need catchup pay rises”.

“Chalmers active inflation agenda is sending real wages backward, and the Fair Work Commission has confirmed it”, Mr Wilson said.

“The Liberals and Nationals want Australians to keep more of what they earn and end Labor’s inflation tax. That’s why we have announced our Tax Back Guarantee”.

“The Tax Back Guarantee is an automatic tax cut that gets bigger every year to help with the cost of living, and protect salaries and wages from Labor’s inflation stealth tax”.

Only the Liberals and Nationals have a plan to deliver a fairer, freer and better Australia.