Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Ministers for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed $44.9 million to Calix to build a novel demonstration plant using its Zero Emissions Steel Technology (ZESTY).

Powered by renewable electricity and hydrogen, the plant will aim to produce up to 30,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen direct reduced iron (HDRI) and hot briquetted iron (HBI) each year in a strong step toward cleaner steelmaking.

ZESTY leverages Calix’s proprietary Flash Calciner technology which aims to reduce the cost of green iron production. The new funding builds on the successful outcomes of ARENA funded engineering studies for the demonstration plant. The funding also supports early-stage engineering studies for a much larger commercial scale ZESTY plant, helping build local capability in low emissions metals—a strategic priority for ARENA and a critical future industry for Australia.

The project will also showcase a flexible green iron process that can ramp production up or down to match renewable energy supply—supporting a smarter, cleaner industrial future.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller stressed that finding a low or zero emissions pathway for steelmaking is crucial, given its significant contribution to global emissions.

“As the world’s largest producer and exporter of iron ore, Australia has a critical role in reducing emissions across the steel value chain,” he said.

“ZESTY is a strong step toward building a low-emissions steel industry at home.”

“What makes ZESTY so compelling is its potential to dramatically lower the amount of hydrogen required to convert iron ore into pure iron. ZESTY, in combination with use of renewable electricity from Australia’s world-class solar and wind resources, has the potential to create a new green iron industry targeting both domestic and export markets as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.”

Calix CEO Phil Hodgson welcomed the funding, saying, “green iron can tackle one of the world’s hardest to abate emissions sources while adding value to Australia’s biggest export. ZESTY is designed to do this cost effectively – minimising hydrogen use, avoiding pelletisation, and operating flexibly on low-cost electricity.”

Founded in 2005, Calix is an Australian innovator in sustainable high-temperature mineral processing, with applications across steel, cement, alumina, lithium and critical minerals.

ARENA media contact:

media@arena.gov.au

Download this media release (PDF 151KB)

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Woman charged with arson in relation to fire which destroyed unit at Ravenswood

Thursday, 24 July 2025 – 8:48 am.

Police have charged a 61-year-old woman from Ravenswood with arson in relation to a fire at Ravenswood yesterday.  
Around 10.30am, emergency services responded to reports of a unit on fire on Warring Street.  
Tasmania Fire Service extinguished the fire; however the unit was destroyed.  
Fire Investigators determined the fire was deliberately lit.  
The woman was bailed to appear before the Launceston Magistrates Court on 3 September 2025.

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

SARAH FERGUSON: I just want to change the tone very slightly here because we are used to politicians appearing to be thick-skinned. The execution of power demands it, and I should say this is not a reflection on Barnaby Joyce. I just wanted to change the tone. Because tonight we’ll see a slightly different side of Education Minister Jason Clare, who today introduced the Government’s childcare legislation and who is tasked with fixing the crisis in childcare that’s left some of our youngest children vulnerable. He joined me earlier. 

Jason Clare, welcome.

JASON CLARE: Thank you.

FERGUSON: So, new legislation today, it gives you the power to cut off subsidies to childcare centres using the big stick. What is the threshold for taking that decision?

CLARE: Well, it depends on the seriousness of what’s happening in a centre. If we’re concerned that there’s an imminent threat to the safety of children in a centre, that centre can be shut down today —

FERGUSON. So, that already exists?

CLARE: That already exists. And state regulators can and do, do that. But if we’ve got centres that are not meeting that standard, that quality and safety standard, there’ll be the capacity, because of this legislation, for the Secretary of my department to issue a show cause notice to a centre to explain why they are not meeting that standard, otherwise the funding will be cut off within 28 days. But there’s also the flexibility in the legislation to set conditions. So, the Secretary could also say, you must do a number of things in order to maintain your funding. That flexibility is important here to make sure that we target the right centres. And I’ve got to tell you, there’s a bit of work going on right now before the legislation’s passed between my department and state regulators to make sure that we’ve got a list of the centres that we can and will target with this legislation.

FERGUSON. So, that’s the question. How do you know which of Australia’s 15,000 centres to target? So tell me about that work?

CLARE: Well, they know. State regulators know this because they rate centres —

FERGUSON: Yes, but do they? Because the numbers on the frequency of testing, some of them haven’t been. I think the average is every four years. Some centres haven’t been tested for 10 years. So, what information are they relying on?

CLARE: Well, they know through the centres that they’ve rated that there’s about 4 per cent of centres that aren’t meeting that minimum safety standard and that can be everything from an exit sign through to lack of supervision. They also know the centres where they’ve set conditions for them themselves, and they’ve told them, you’ve got a couple of months to meet the grade, meet the standard and then they come back a couple of months later and they haven’t. They’re the sort of centres that the states are telling us they want to use this legislation to pull the funding from.

FERGUSON: I suppose the question is, is this plan built on shaky foundations? Given that the way the system works, the way the accreditation is done, the way the testing is done, there are such huge gaps in it. Yes, there may be centres that have been identified by the states and territories. What about all those centres, some of them, that haven’t been visited for 10 years? What about those centres that have waivers? Where do they fit in?

CLARE: Well, this is where states need to step up. You know, the Commonwealth needs to step up. All centres need to step up here if we’re going to make sure that this legislation does what we want it to do. But, you know, Sarah, I’m also not here to say that this is a silver bullet, that this is going to guarantee that every child’s safe just because of this legislation. I spent a good part of the day dealing with some mothers of children who were sexually assaulted and abused in centres that were already at that standard. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be using the power that the Commonwealth has, with all the funding we provide to centres, to say to centres, if you’re not at that standard, we’re going to remove the funding. At its core, this is not about cutting off funding to centres and shutting centres down. If it works the way it should work, it’ll send a message to the people who run these centres that you’ve got to get to that standard or the money’s going to be turned off.

FERGUSON. So, what do you do? You say you want the states to do more, but what do you do about the fact that there clearly aren’t enough regulators available in the states and territories to look at all of those 15,000 centres? There are too many with very long gaps, never, never tested, or the little gaps that I was talking about. So, you know, there aren’t enough regulators in the states to visit those centres. So, what do you do about that?

CLARE: There’s two things. The regulators already tell us they know where to target this legislation at the centres that they repeatedly go to, and they’re not meeting standards. But there’s also more work that the states need to do to build that workforce. And we’ve seen Queensland, South Australia and Victoria announce an extra investment in their regulators. That’s a good thing. There’s work that’s got to be done right across the country. And it’s not just this legislation; it’s not just the work of regulators. It’s the things we talked about a couple of weeks ago. It’s about a register so that we know where workers are from centre to centre and from state to state. It’s about CCTV and how that works. If we’re going to roll that out, we’ve got to make sure we do it in the right way, so that the sort of predators we’re all worried about in our centres can’t use that sort of information for all the wrong reasons. And it’s about the sort of training that we provide to the most important people who work in those centres. One of the things I’m very conscious of in this job is that with everything that’s happened in the last couple of weeks, the people who work in our centres, the good, honest, hard-working people who love our kids, look after our kids, including mine in centres, feel tarnished, feel tarred by this. People have been spat on in the streets for wearing their uniform. They’re the best asset we’ve got here to keep our kids safe, 99.9 per cent of them are those people.

FERGUSON: You’re clearly worried about those people, aren’t you?

CLARE: I am, I am. They do some of the most important work in the world. When my wife fell pregnant for the second time, we showed an ultrasound to my little boy, Jack, and told him he was going to be a big brother. And we thought, you know, he’d be really excited. First thing he said was, I can’t wait to tell Kelly. Kelly is the woman that looked after him at childcare, and it told me that this is not an ordinary job. These are very special people, and they’re as hurt and as angry as everybody else out there. And I’ve got to use this role and this responsibility and this opportunity to tell Australia how important they are as well. But we’ve got to equip them with the skills that they need and to identify a predator lying in clear sight who might be grooming a child or grooming them. And that’s what mandatory child safety training is all about.

FERGUSON: Just come back to the way the system works, because you’re bringing your personal experience to that. It’s important. It’s something that’s clearly moved you because you’ve been very lucky to have excellent childcare staff. But do you think that they are also being let down by the standard system? It’s been in place for a long time. Is it still adequate for what we need to address what is a crisis in the childcare system?

CLARE: No. No.

FERGUSON: So do you need to – Well, I’m asking about the system of standards itself. For example, as you know, the way things stand at the moment, a childcare centre cannot be failed for its performance. Do you need to have at least a standard of failure?

CLARE: Well, it sort of is, but there’s euphemisms about how you describe it.

FERGUSON: Isn’t it time we got rid of all of the euphemisms in this area?

CLARE: The point is, and it’s- I think it’s pretty bloody obvious that the system has failed parents here and that we’ve all got a responsibility to step up. That’s the Commonwealth Government, that’s State Governments, that’s the people who run these centres as well. Part of this legislation is the power to cut off funding. Part of it is also the power to advise parents or to publish information to tell the mums and dads whose children are at these centres that unless the standards improve at that centre, we’re going to cut off their funding. Not just them, but also to pass that same information on to the board members who run these companies and the stock exchange. You know, the big-

FERGUSON: Do you think those big companies, in particular the private equity involved in childcare and some of the big companies with multiple centres, do you think these people have been indifferent to the suffering of children in those centres?

CLARE: Money talks, and unfortunately, some organisations have put profit ahead of the safety of our children. Now I’m happy for –

FERGUSON: (Interjecting) Will any of those companies, those groups, still be operating in Australia?

CLARE: If they don’t meet the standards that we set as a nation, that parents expect and that our kids deserve, no. If they meet those standards, then that’s good. What this legislation’s about is sending a very clear message. You know what the standards are. If you don’t meet them, then there’s no place for you in the childcare system in Australia —

FERGUSON: (Interjecting) I want to be very clear about the standards because I’m raising questions about the nature of the standards themselves. This whole system that you are creating depends on the standards themselves being strong and effective. Do those standards themselves, the way we rate childcare centres, do they need to be overhauled?

CLARE: I think the standards are sound. I think the rating system is sound. I think there’s more work that needs to be done by the states to make sure that we’re rating centres properly. Now that doesn’t mean –

FERGUSON: (Interjecting) Frequently enough? 

CLARE: — And more frequently, and it happens differently in different states. So, there’s- please don’t interpret this as me blaming the states. We’ve all got a responsibility here, whether it’s Labor Governments, Liberal Governments, State or Federal. Good work’s been done. But not enough, not fast enough. There’s more work that needs to be done if we’re serious about making sure that we keep the kids that are walking through and sometimes being carried through the doors of our childcare centres safe.

FERGUSON: Jason Clare, thank you very much for answering the questions and also sharing that story about yourself. I appreciate it.

CLARE: Thank you.

FERGUSON: Thank you. 

Source:

24 July 2025

The new Adelaide University is set to host its first ever Open Days, offering future students and their families a glimpse into the transformative new institution ahead of its official opening in 2026.

About 17,000 attendees are expected to visit city, metropolitan and regional campuses across July and August to discover degrees, meet future lecturers, explore world-class teaching and research facilities, and get a taste of campus life.

The new university – built on the collective expertise, strengths and achievements of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia – will commence its first year of operations as a world top 100 university and member of Australia’s prestigious and research-intensive Group of Eight (Go8).

The city Open Day will take place on Sunday 27 July, with around 15,000 people expected to immerse themselves in activities and information as they explore the vibrant city campuses ahead of domestic student applications opening on 4 August.

The heart of the action will be in the east, at what’s set to become the Adelaide City East Campus (the University of Adelaide and UniSA’s city east campuses with a temporary Adelaide University makeover) including focused study area hubs, live music, fun activities and competitions with prizes to be won, surrounded by an abundance of food options.

Future students can join talks from and panel discussions with academics and hear from current students and industry leaders. Criminology crime walks, virtual reality demonstrations, and co-captaining a replica commercial aircraft are some of the activities expected to excite senses.

A dedicated First Nations hub will showcase Adelaide University’s commitment to Aboriginal education as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway, and a Welcome Lounge where visitors can meet with Elders.

Adelaide City West Campus will be a place to discover more, including study hubs for fine art, design and architecture, and tours of world-class health facilities as well as our future focused on-campus museum, MOD. and the South Australian School of Art (SASA) Gallery.

Visitors can plan ahead and create their own personalised digital itinerary.  A fleet of e-scooters will be available for use free of charge on the day, helping visitors travel between the East and West campuses.

“This first Open Day is an opportunity for our future students to experience what makes the new Adelaide University so distinct and exciting and how it will deliver Australia’s most accessible, contemporary and future-focused learning,” say Professors Peter Høj AC and David Lloyd, co-Vice Chancellors, Adelaide University.

“We want to give visitors a taste of the new Adelaide University culture and on-campus experience, and we’re delighted with how our staff and student volunteers have rallied together to set that scene and convey the energy of campus life.

“Over the last two years the foundation institutions have co-designed Australia’s newest cutting-edge curriculum with a model that incorporates industry informed face-to-face learning, expanded work integrated and practical learning opportunities and a sector-leading digital learning platform.

“Adelaide University will empower students with a world-class education and nurture local talent and so they can follow their dreams. We can’t wait to give future students an up close and personal insight into our new university.”

The metropolitan and regional campus Open Days will take place in August, allowing future students to get all the information they need to start planning their future.

Magill Open Day on 13 August will allow visitors to explore the lush parklands and industry standard facilities at Magill Campus, and discover where degrees in teaching and education, arts, humanities and social sciences, psychology and social work, and creative, media and communication can take them.

Roseworthy Open Day on 17 August will showcase the animal-focused campus with tours of the vet teaching hospital, equine centre and working farm.

Mawson Lakes Open Day on 17 August will be a hub for STEM and education degrees, with exceptional teaching and research facilities including virtual learning environments and robotics laboratories ready to experience.

Mount Gambier Open Day will take place on 3 August and Whyalla on 31 August, showcasing local study options, modern facilities and expert educators.

For more information on Adelaide University’s Open Days and to build your own itinerary visit the website: adelaideuni.edu.au/open-day

Ends

Further enquiries

Adelaide University

Melissa Keogh: Tel: +61 403 659 154 Email: melissa.keogh@unisa.edu.au

adelaideuni.edu.au

Source: Premier of Victoria

Source: Tasmania Police

Issued: 23 Jul 2025

An additional 11 northern hairy-nosed wombats have been transported from Epping Forest National Park (Scientific) in Queensland’s central west to Powrunna State Forest in the state’s southwest.

This translocation project is an integral component of the Queensland Government’s northern hairy-nosed wombat recovery program which aims to establish a third population of the endangered marsupial.

The project began in May 2024 after extensive preparation of the site at Powrunna and 37 wombats have already successfully been translocated.

In June 2025, rangers from across Queensland gathered at Epping Forest National Park (Scientific) to carefully trap six females and five males for relocation to their new home.

Principal Conservation Officer Samantha Ryan said there were now 21 females and 16 males at Powrunna, which had been specifically chosen for the third population of wombats.

“Monitoring by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation shows the wombats have embraced their new home with plenty of new burrows,” Ms Ryan said.

“We have already seen some young-at-foot on trail cameras, and our ultimate goal is to create another self-sustaining population of northern hairy-nosed wombats.

“Transportation takes around ten hours during the day when the wombats are usually sleeping, and they’re released early in the evening into artificial burrows.

“Our goal is to translocate up to sixty wombats to Powrunna by 2026, and there is much hope that the population there will grow as it has at Epping.”

Senior Program Officer David Field had never seen a northern hairy-nosed wombat prior to the translocation, and said it was wonderful to be involved.

“It was great to be involved in the planning, trapping, relocation and release of this endangered species and it’s an experience I’ll never forget,” Mr Field said.

“I’ve learnt so much by working alongside experts, and the wombats were in excellent condition and were bigger and softer than you’d expect.”

Rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have used radio trackers and remote cameras to monitor wombats at Powrunna, and site inspections show they have moved on from starter burrows and have dug multiple burrows of their own.

Northern hairy-nosed wombats previously ranged from New South Wales and into Queensland. In the eighties, the population of wombats at Epping Forest National Park was estimated to be around 35 and is now estimated to be at least 400.

Richard Underwood Nature Refuge near Wycombe is managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and is home to a small population of northern hairy-nosed wombats.

The Gunggari Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (GNTAC) and Gunggari Native Title Holders, Glencore, The Wombat Foundation and Australian Wildlife Conservancy have provided ongoing support for this project.

In Queensland, some national parks are designated as “scientific” and are either fully or partially closed to the public to protect their natural values.

Source: Tasmania Police

Issued: 23 Jul 2025

A brown goshawk has been released from a private property on Brisbane’s south side after it was unlawfully captured and placed into an enclosure without approval.

In June, the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation received information from a member of the public about a wild bird that had been illegally captured at Marsden.

Wildlife Rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service attended the address and found a brown goshawk that been illegally held in the enclosure for up to three days.

Senior Wildlife Ranger Shari Griinke said rangers seized the bird and released it within 2.5km of the address.

“The person who lives at the address admitted to capturing raptors at least three times because he believed they had been harassing his homing pigeons and chickens,” Ms Griinke said.

“The person was planning on taking the captured goshawk to bushland west of Brisbane where it would be released it into the wild.

“It is illegal to take or keep native animals from the wild without an appropriate permit, and people needing protection for their poultry or other pets should contact a licenced bird catcher.”

Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 it is an offence to take and or keep native animals in Queensland without the appropriate permits.

The person has been issued with two Penalty Infringement Notices to the value of $1,612 for illegally taking the bird from the wild and for keeping it in an enclosure.

View information about permits required to keep native animals and removal of native animals.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

It is a privilege to introduce the Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20%) Bill.

As promised, this is the very first bill to be introduced to the Parliament after the election. 

And as promised, it cuts the student debt of three million Australians by 20 percent. 

Mr Speaker, on the 3rd of May Australians made their voices heard. 

They voted for the tax cuts we are delivering.

They voted for free TAFE that we are making permanent.

They voted for us to build more homes.

They voted for us to roll out more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

They voted for cheaper medicine. 

They voted for the biggest investment in Medicare ever, to make it easier to see a doctor for free than ever before. 

And they voted for this. 

Cutting the student debt of three million Australians by 20 percent. 

Most of those are young Australians. 

Just out of uni. Just out of TAFE. 

Just out of home. Just getting started. 

Trying to save to buy a home. 

Thinking about starting a family. 

Nurses. Teachers. Tradies. 

Doctors and Paramedics.

Engineers. Architects.

IT workers. AI Experts.

These are the Australians who will build Australia’s future. 

Who are already building it. 

And this will take a weight off their back. 

The average HELP debt today is about $27,600.

When this legislation passes it will cut that debt by about $5,520.

If you have got a debt of $50,000 it will cut it by $10,000. 

All up it will cut student debt by over $16 billion.

When this legislation passes your debt will be cut by 20 per cent, based on what it was on 1 June this year, before this year’s indexation occurred.

That will make sure you get the maximum benefit possible and that we honour our promise in full.

And it will all happen automatically.

The Australian Tax Office will process changes at their end. 

You won’t have to do a thing.

It will take a bit of time for the Tax Office to do this work. 

But once this Bill is passed the cut is guaranteed. 

Mr Speaker, this is a big deal for everyone with a student debt today.

Three million Australians.

But it’s not the only thing this Bill does.

It also makes important structural changes to the way the repayment system works.

To make it fairer.

And to help with the cost of living.

This Bill raises the minimum amount you have to earn before you have to start making repayments – from $54,435 in 2024-25 to $67,000 in 2025-26.

And it reduces the minimum repayments you have to make.

For someone earning $70,000 it will reduce the minimum repayments they have to make by $1,300 a year.

That’s real cost of living help.

More money in your pocket – not the government’s.

When you really need it.

This is an important structural reform.

We are replacing the current repayment system with a new marginal repayment system.

At the moment the amount that you pay off every year is based on your entire wage.

That means once you earn above the current minimum repayment threshold of $54,435, you pay a percentage of your entire wage as a repayment.

Under the changes in this Bill, you will only pay a percentage of your wage above the minimum repayment threshold.

So, for example, if you earn $70,000 at the moment you currently have to repay $1,750 each year.

Under these changes you will only have to repay about $450.

In other words, if you earn $70,000 a year, you will have to repay $1,300 less a year than you currently have to.

If you earn $80,000 a year, you will have to repay $850 less a year than you currently have to.

And if you earn $110,000 a year, you will have to repay $700 less a year than you currently have to.

You can still pay off more if you want to.

But what this does is make the system fairer.

It means you start paying off your uni degree when university starts to pay off for you.

It’s a recommendation of the Universities Accord.

And it’s a recommendation of the architect of HECS, Professor Bruce Chapman.

When we announced this reform to create a marginal repayment system, Professor Chapman said this is:

“…the most important thing that’s happened to the system in 35 years. It’s a marginal collection, it’s much gentler and much fairer than previously — we should have done it years ago.”

Mr Speaker, these are important reforms, that will help millions of Australians, now and into the future. 

It’s why it is the first Bill that we have introduced to this new Parliament.

As the Prime Minister said when he announced in November last year that we would cut student debt by 20 per cent and make these structural changes:

“It helps everyone repaying a student debt right now – and it delivers a better deal for every student in the years ahead.

Permanent, structural reform to boost take home pay for young Australians.

This is about putting money back into your pocket – and putting intergenerational equity back into the system.

Good for cost of living.

Good for this generation – and for generations to come.

Good for building Australia’s future.”

Mr Speaker, not surprisingly, the Coalition immediately said that they would oppose this Bill. 

Like everything else, their immediate reaction was to attack this.

I suspect they now rue that decision.

They called it “terrible”. They called it “unfair”.

In the electorates they represented, people saw something different.

In electorates right across the country, where 1 in 4 voters have a student debt, they saw an opportunity to get a load off their back.

To make their life a little bit easier.

And they voted for it.

As one anonymous National Party MP told the Daily Telegraph after the election:

“My kids are paying off a university debt and I reckon they voted for Labor”.

Mr Speaker, when even your own family won’t vote for you, you know you’ve got it wrong.

Now the Opposition have a chance to get this right.

Not just by voting for it.

But by actually speaking in support of it.

This is a chance for the opposition to admit they got it wrong.

And that the Australian people got it right.

Education is the most powerful cause for good.

A good education changes lives.

A good education system changes countries.

It’s changed ours.

We have got a good education system in Australia today.

But the truth is it can be better and fairer.

This Bill is part of that.

So is Paid Prac that started this month for teaching and nursing students.

For midwifery students and social work students.

So are the University Study Hubs that will open up in our outer suburbs and regions over the next few months.

And so is the new Needs-based Funding system for our universities that starts next year.

It is also what the agreements we have signed with every State and Territory to fix the funding of our public schools are all about.

And tying that funding to real reform to help kids who start behind or fall behind to catch up and keep up, and help more kids finish school and then go on to TAFE or University.

It also means making our child care centres safer.

And I will introduce legislation to help do that in a few moments time.

Mr Speaker, once again, it’s my privilege to make good on a promise we made last year and that we repeated every single day of the election campaign. 

In every seat across the country.

To cut student debt by 20 per cent.

To cut the debt of 3 million Australians.

To take a weight off their back.

To help with the cost of living.

And to help build Australia’s future.

I commend this Bill to the House.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

JAMES GLENDAY: Next, we take you to Canberra and bring in the Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, who is of course at Parliament House. He has a very big day. Responsible for a couple of key bits of legislation. Minister, welcome back to News Breakfast. 

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks, mate. Good morning. 

GLENDAY: We’ve got a lot of policy to discuss, but I just wanted to ask you for your reflection first of all. What was it like going into Parliament yesterday and seeing the scale of your victory, all of those Labor MPs spilling out right to the other side of the chamber? 

CLARE: Well, I guess it reminded me of the responsibility we’ve got. The Australian people have entrusted us with government and a very large majority. We’ve got a responsibility to be worthy of that trust and to pay that back with responsible government. And that’s what we’re determined to do. 

GLENDAY: I couldn’t help but notice that the two women who beat both Peter Dutton and Adam Bandt got to deliver their maiden speeches first. They were lovely speeches. Watched them last night. Quite moving. Were the order of these speeches meant to send a bit of a message to your political opponents? If you get in our way, this is what could happen to you? 

CLARE: No, but, I think the personal stories of both of those women are incredible. I should have brought a box of tissues to listen to Ali and tell the story of not just the accident that took her leg, but the tragedy that took her son. They are extraordinary women who make a very, very big contribution in this Parliament. I’m looking forward to working with them. 

GLENDAY: Alright, let’s get to policy. I mean, they were very moving speeches. Anyone who hasn’t seen them is worth just reflecting on them. It looked as though during the election the Coalition was going to oppose your student debt reduction bill. Seems like they’ve had a change of heart. Have they pledged to wave that through? 

CLARE: Well, not yet, but I hope they do. You know, this was one of the big promises that we made in the election campaign, that we would cut the student debt of 3 million Australians by 20 per cent. And this will take a weight off the shoulders of a lot of young people right across the country. In particular at elections, young people don’t often see themselves on the ballot paper, but they did at this election and they voted for it in their millions. For the average person with a student debt today, this will cut their debt by about five and a half grand. So, there’s a lot at stake here and I’m hoping that politicians right across the Parliament will vote for this legislation. 

GLENDAY: Do you have a date? You hope it’s in place? Some of those young people have been getting in touch saying, hey, it’s gone up because of indexation and I haven’t seen this cut yet, but of course it’s not law yet. 

CLARE: Yeah, really good question. Thanks for that, mate. So, when the legislation passes, the impact of it will be to backdate that cut to 1 June this year before indexation happened. That will make sure that people get the maximum benefit of the 20 per cent cut, so that the 20 per cent cut is made on what your debt was on the 1st of June before indexation happened. So, first we have to get the legislation through, then the tax office will have to go through the process of cutting the debt based on what your debt was back on the 1st of June. But you won’t have to do anything. This will all happen automatically at the Tax Office and you’ll get a text message when it happens to tell you that that debt’s been cut. 

GLENDAY: There you go. So, sit tight. Though we do appreciate the emails we’ve been getting. A trickier issue for you is going to be child safety, in particular, child care, because you don’t control all the levers. You’ve got this Bill to terminate subsidies to child care operators doing the wrong thing. First of all, do you expect the Opposition is going to let that sail through as well? 

CLARE: Well, we’ve been working really professionally and constructively with the Opposition and I do want to thank Sussan Ley, the Opposition Leader, and Jonno Duniam, the Shadow Minister, for the constructive way in which we’ve been working with them. We’ve also briefed the Greens. This is too important for politics. Parents across the country aren’t interested in us fighting about this. They’re not interested in excuses. They just want action. And this legislation is one part of it. I think all Australians have been sickened and appalled by the evidence coming out of Victoria. We need to do everything that we can to rebuild faith and trust in a system that parents need and rely upon. Right across the country, there’ll be parents packing bags and getting kids ready for early education and care right now. What this legislation will do is give us the power to cut funding to child care centres that aren’t up to scratch, that aren’t meeting the sort of minimum standards that parents expect and that our kids deserve. In a sense, it’s the biggest weapon that we’ve got to wield here because taxpayers provide about $16 billion to child care centres every year. That represents about 70 per cent of the funding to run a centre, you know, pays the rent, pays the bills, pays the salaries. So, they can’t operate without them. If centres are repeatedly not meeting that standard, I think most mums and dads watching will think it’s fair that we should have the power to cut that funding off to make sure that kids are safe. 

GLENDAY: Sussan Ley will be along in a minute. We can ask her as well. I just wanted to know, have you worked out what the threshold for intervention is going to be? Is it going to be 1, 2, 3 strikes for a centre and then you strip the money? 

CLARE: Well, it could be as simple as one. It’s important to make the point that regulators have the power to shut a centre right now if they think there’s a serious threat to children’s safety. But this will also give us the power to issue a show cause notice to a centre to say that we’ll shut it within 28 days unless they meet that minimum standard or to set conditions on them as well. And we’ll work closely with the state regulators who do the work in checking centres to identify the centres that should be the subject of this legislation first, the ones that are repeatedly failing to meet those minimum standards. And I’ve got to tell you, that work is happening right now with my department and state regulators across the country. 

GLENDAY: Yeah. So, just before I let you go, next month, you can have a big meeting with states and territories. Advocates in this sector say a huge problem is that states and territories and the Commonwealth don’t talk to each other. Are we going to see concrete action on things like security cameras, better safety checks, maybe a national worker register for child care operators and workers? 

CLARE: Yeah. This legislation is just one part of the things that we need to do. We’ll be talking at that meeting about a national educator register so we can track workers from centre to centre as well as from state to state. I think what’s happening in Victoria shows the weakness in that area, but also the role that CCTV can play in deterring bad people from doing bad things and help police with investigations and perhaps most important of all, mandatory child safety training. So, for the 99.9 per cent of workers in our centres who are good people, who care for our kids, you know, whose reputation has been tarnished by what’s happening at the moment, who are in the media for all the wrong reasons, to give them the skills that they need to identify people that might be up to no good, who might be trying to target our kids or to try and distract them from the work that they’re doing to keep our kids safe. 

GLENDAY: Alright, Jason Clare the Education Minister, you’ve got a lot on your plate. We do appreciate you making time for us on News Breakfast this morning.