Category Archives: Indigenous Australians

Queensland to trial GPS tracker for child offenders – as it happened

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Coles and Woolworths take responsibility for soft plastic

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has provided an update on soft plastics after the sole soft plastic recycler, RedCycle, collapsed last year, saying supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have agreed to take on responsibility for the soft plastic they sell.

What I did at the time was get the big supermarket giants around the table. I said to them, you’ve got to take responsibility for the soft plastics that your businesses are generating.

I’m very pleased today to tell you that the taskforce set up with the supermarkets has come to a conclusion and Coles and Woolies will take on responsibility for the tonnes of soft plastic that has been piling up in warehouses.

Today is the anniversary of the full scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine and we mourn those lost. We continue to condemn Russia’s illegal and immoral war and we stand with Ukraine. The government is demonstrating that by what we are doing in addition to what we have provided so far. We are providing additional defence capability, uncrewed aerial surveillance and I have issued more sanctions against Russia overnight, against 90 people and organisations which take our sanctions to in excess of a thousand. It is a heavy sanctions regime against a government which has chosen to engage in an illegal and immoral war, breaching sovereignty and the UN charter, which is why we have to stand against Russia.

What I would say is that Russia is a permanent member of the UN security council. It has a special responsibility to ensure that international law, including the UN charter which protects everyone’s sovereignty, is protected. This war, waged by Mr Putin, is an attack on sovereignty and an attack on the UN charter. We would urge China to do all it can to not only not escalate this conflict but to end it.

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Zachary Rolfe leaves Australia after saying NT police were planning to sack him

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Rolfe’s father says he expects his son to return and give evidence at Kumanjayi Walker inquest if his legal action to avoid doing so fails

The Northern Territory police officer cleared of murdering Kumanjayi Walker has left Australia, only days after he says he was issued another disciplinary notice and informed by command that they planned to sack him from the force because of his mental health.

Zachary Rolfe said in a 2,500-word statement published on Facebook on Thursday night that he was a “good cop” who “loved the job”, but that he had been “painted” as racist and violent.

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Voice to parliament yes campaign laucnes with pledge to take conversation to the people

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Hundreds of advocates meet on Kaurna land in Adelaide to workshop referendum strategies ahead of official launch

Workshops, a new website and a $5m donation have fuelled the launch of the yes campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

Hundreds of advocates met on Kaurna land in Adelaide to workshop strategies to win the referendum before the launch on Thursday night.

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Allowing Indigenous man early access to pension could have ‘enormous’ consequences, court hears

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Lawyer says the landmark case is about ‘correcting historical disadvantage’ embedded structurally in Aboriginal society

Allowing an Indigenous Australian man to access his aged pension early would lead to “enormous” consequences in other areas of the law, the federal court has heard.

The full federal court on Monday commenced hearings in a landmark case brought against the commonwealth by 65-year-old Wakka Wakka man, Uncle Dennis, who is seeking to access the pension three years early on the grounds that Indigenous Australians have a shorter average life expectancy than the non-Aboriginal population.

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Victorian child protection cases to consider past Aboriginal mistreatment under reform of landmark bill

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Exclusive: Amendment will ‘stop the cycle of higher rates of Aboriginal child removal’ says Aboriginal child care agency chief

Victorian judges and child protection workers will have to consider the past mistreatment of Aboriginal families when dealing with cases involving Indigenous children, under an Australian-first bill to be introduced to parliament.

The children and health legislation amendment (statement of recognition, Aboriginal self-determination and other matters) bill will be introduced to parliament on Tuesday after it lapsed last year due to the state election.

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Shorter Indigenous life expectancy should mean lower pension age, court told

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Landmark case from Indigenous man seeking to access pension three years early hears Australia fails to account for age gap from ‘racial disadvantage’

First Nations Australians should be granted access to the pension at a younger age due to a gap in life expectancy “which is closely connected to race”, the federal court has heard.

The full federal court on Monday commenced hearings in a landmark case brought against the commonwealth by 65-year-old Indigenous man, Uncle Dennis, who is seeking to access the pension three years early.

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Voice to parliament should not be the subject of a partisan debate, Albanese says

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The PM promises to ‘reach out’ to any opposition politician who wants to discuss how the voice will work as he kicks off a national week of action on the referendum

The Indigenous voice to parliament should not be the subject of partisan debate, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said, promising to “reach out” to any opposition politician who wants to discuss how the voice will work.

He opened a national week of action on the referendum in front of an enthusiastic crowd in his home electorate in Sydney’s inner west on Saturday.

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Dutton’s views on Indigenous voice ‘not that far apart’ from referendum working group, key member says

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Thomas Mayo says the opposition leader’s public statements at odds with views expressed to the working group at Thursday meeting

Conflicting accounts have emerged about a meeting between Peter Dutton and the Indigenous voice referendum working group after a key member of the group said the opposition leader’s personal views showed they were “not that far apart” on the voice.

Dutton said on Friday the Indigenous voice referendum is on track to fail, blaming the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, for a “conscious decision” to withhold detail. Labor has said the detail is still being developed.

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Australia politics live: Philip Lowe says RBA ‘still unsure’ how high interest rates will go during Senate estimates grilling

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RBA boss tells Senate estimates about rationale for rate rises as Adam Bandt demands end to new coal and gas projects. Follow live

Around and around we go …

So CBA shareholders are to get a (fully franked) dividend of $2.10 for each of their share – 20% more than the last time dividends were sent out.

We reported strong financial and operational performance in our financial results for the six months ended 31 December 2022. Our cash net profit after tax of $5,153 million reflects the Bank’s customer focus and disciplined strategic execution. Our continued balance sheet strength and capital position creates flexibility to support our customers and manage potential economic headwinds, while delivering sustainable returns to shareholders. A fully franked interim dividend of $2.10 per share was determined, an increase of 20% on 1H22, driven by organic capital generation and a reduction in share count from share buy-backs. Despite the current uncertainty, your Board and management feel optimistic for the future and are committed to delivering for our customers and for you, our shareholders

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Perth festival 2023 opens to the world – with Aboriginal techno, the promise of Björk and uncomfortable truths

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Buoyed by a welcome return of international acts, the 70th Perth festival soars as artists dream of new worlds

The thrum of bare feet pounding the earth erupts across the darkened theatre. Four women charge over the stage, eyes bright and defiant, whirling their limbs and hips as if made of liquid adrenaline. With each exultant gesture, each primal pulse, the women suspend a dream of freedom in the air – a vision of Africa without colonisation.

Bikutsi 3000, which had its Australian premiere at Perth festival, is an afro-futuristic performance by Cameroon artist Blick Bassy that packs a bold political punch: centring women as the agents of emancipation from Africa’s treacherous history of imperialism, with dance as their only weapon. Among the ensemble of African women are two local Aboriginal dancers, Liani Dalgetty and Kristyn Lane, who join in the celebratory march towards freedom.

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Australia politics live: Inland Rail review reveals ‘significant concerns’; senator asks if MPs’ phones safe from hackers

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Critics of project left frustrated and ‘ignored’ by previous government’s failure to heed views of regional communities. Follow the day’s news live

Joyce v Plibersek

Can there be a greater punishment than being the Labor MP chosen to “debate” Barnaby Joyce on commercial TV each week?

Well this Treasury analysis shows that price rises will be moderated, they won’t go up as much as was initially predicted and that’s because our policies are working, and it’s a shame that Barnaby and his side actually voted against the policies that have brought down energy prices in Australia, on top of not doing anything when they were in government to prepare for these energy price rises.

But we know that families are still doing is tough and that’s why we’re also delivering cheaper medicine, cheaper childcare, free Tafe and higher wages.

Well, you just heard it there. It’s the great swindle. Remember they said they were going to bring down the price of electricity by $275. Now they’re lauding the fact that it’s still going up and it will continue to go up, and at some time in the future, listen to this, it won’t go up as much as they expected it to. Now if you think that is worth banking, good luck.

As everything, you will see Liddell get blown up* and this will be under the Labor party’s watch, another power station literally blown up, another restriction on power supplies as we reduce supply and increase price. And I don’t see anything marvellous happening in the future except a Labor party which thinks that the way to fix power prices is to cap the two evils. Remember they don’t believe in coal or gas, but they do believe in capping it because they do understand all of a sudden that it is absolutely connected to power prices.

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Greens appoint Dorinda Cox as First Nations spokesperson to replace Lidia Thorpe

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First female Indigenous senator from WA says she and her predecessor are ‘very different politicians’

Dorinda Cox has been appointed as the Greens’ new First Nations spokesperson after Lidia Thorpe’s departure from the party.

Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman, has been handed the job as the party campaigns for a yes vote in the upcoming voice to parliament referendum.

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Linda Burney warns MPs who walked out on apology not to ‘repeat the mistake’ with the voice

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Those like Peter Dutton who now regret walking out on the stolen generations apology should grasp the opportunity offered by the Uluru statement

The Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, will warn those who boycotted the apology to the stolen generations in 2008 – among them the opposition leader, Peter Dutton – not to “repeat the mistakes of the past” and grasp the opportunity offered by the Uluru statement from the heart.

Dutton was the most senior of a handful of Coalition MPs who walked out of parliament when the then Labor prime minister, Kevin Rudd, formally apologised to the stolen generations in 2008.

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Anthony Albanese to become first sitting Australian PM to march in Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

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Prime minister likens upcoming Indigenous voice referendum to the successful 2017 marriage equality vote

Anthony Albanese will be the first sitting Australian prime minister to march in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras when he joins the parade for the WorldPride festival.

The prime minister said he will be joined by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, the first openly gay woman in parliament, when he takes part in the event later in February.

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Australia news live: NSW Labor leader Chris Minns promises to ban gay conversion therapy; Cyclone Gabrielle intensifies

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Minns says that, if elected, his government will outlaw the ‘dangerous and damaging practice’

The Norfolk Island administrator, Eric Hutchinson, says there are “probably anywhere between 800-950 visitors on the island at the moment.”

Flights have been suspended for the next couple of days, although the usual flight from Sydney arrived as scheduled yesterday, as did the flight from Brisbane on Thursday.

We’ve moved through four stages of alertness, we are now at an orange. The Emergency Management Norfolk Island is meeting now and there is the possibility that they will then increase that to the highest level of alert, which is a red alert, and that basically means that people stay at home and don’t go out.

People are doing the right thing. The community has been well communicated with and, as I say, we have just got to now see this out. There is an emergency shelter that has been set up just now, where I am at the moment in the hall, so that is probably going to be used we think by visitors to the island.

It was a pretty wild night but the impact of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle isn’t expected to make its full impact until early this afternoon and that can potentially extend into the early hours of Sunday morning.

I will say, though, that Emergency Management Norfolk Island, we’ve had an incredible amount of support through the National Emergency Management Agency.

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Woman who defaced Frederick McCubbin painting in Woodside protest fined $2,637

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Joana Partyka admitted painting company logo on to the masterpiece Down on His Luck in protest at Burrup Peninsula development

A woman who defaced one of Australia’s most famous paintings in a protest against a gas company’s alleged destruction of Western Australia rock art has faced court.

Joana Veronika Partyka, 37, pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal damage after she spray-painted a Woodside Energy logo onto Frederick McCubbin’s work Down on His Luck at the Art Gallery of WA.

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Victorian government must overhaul bail laws to create ‘meaningful’ change, legal groups say

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Advocates concerned after Daniel Andrews suggested looking at offence types rather than scrapping controversial 2018 changes

Changes to Victoria’s bail laws would be nothing more than cosmetic if the government does not scrap the “reverse onus” bail provisions that have led to a near doubling of Aboriginal women in custody, legal groups have warned.

The Victorian government has committed to reforming the Bail Act after a damning coroner’s report into the death in custody of Veronica Nelson found it was “incompatible” with the state’s charter of human rights and discriminatory towards First Nations people.

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Australia news live: crossbench ramps up pressure on Michelle Rowland after reports of Sportsbet donations

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Why are we not just saying yes?

Richard Marles:

We need to balance this, obviously, as all countries to do with our own capability and making sure that we maintain our own ability to operate in our own sphere here in the Indo-Pacific.

But we need to be doing what we can to support Ukraine and we’ll continue to take that through and as we have and right now, we stand as one of the largest non-Nato contributors to Ukraine.

This is going to be an open question going on. I think the the answer to it is we will continue a discussion with the Ukraine for as long as it takes to make sure that they can stay in the contest.

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Albanese’s stance against public funding for yes and no voice campaigns backed by Birmingham

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Coalition frontbencher breaks ranks with Peter Dutton saying taxpayer funds should not be used for referendum campaigns

The Labor government is standing firm against calls for public funding for the yes and no campaigns for the voice to parliament referendum, even drawing backing from a Coalition frontbencher who appeared to break ranks with the Liberal leader’s stance.

Simon Birmingham said taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for campaign advertising, despite it being being a condition of opposition leader Peter Dutton’s support for the referendum bill.

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Greens’ First Nations conveners side with Lidia Thorpe and say they do not support voice to parliament

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Co-convener claims other members may follow Thorpe out the door and pushes back on party room decision to support referendum

The conveners of the Greens’ First Nations advisory group say they do not support the voice to parliament or a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition, publicly rebuking their federal party room and instead backing the departed senator Lidia Thorpe’s opposition to the move.

Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng, the national co-convener of the Greens’ First Nations Network, claimed other members may follow Thorpe out the door, and pushed back on the decision of federal MPs and senators to publicly campaign for the voice.

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