Post election federal cabinet shake up
Post election federal cabinet shake up
Published 12 May 2025, 8:00 am
Michelle Rowland will be the next Attorney General as the Prime Minister shuffles the decks in his Cabinet after his mammoth election victory. As the opposition seeks to regroup, Nationals Leader David Littleproud has held onto his job fending off a challenge from maverick senator Matt Canavan who is urging the party to ditch the net zero energy policy.
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Lawyers, children's advocates, call for SA's Youth Treatment Orders program to be scrapped
A controversial program allowing young drug-dependent South Australians to be detained against their will for treatment should be scrapped, a government review has been told. While the SA government states the aim of its Youth Treatment Orders (YTO) program is to "protect and support children", lawyers, children's advocates, and drug and alcohol services want it gone. "It's a very expensive experiment," SA Network of Drug and Alcohol Services executive director, Michael White, said. "Scrap the program altogether and invest the money in assertive engagement with young people." According to the government the YTO program "was the first of its kind in Australia". In its current form, the scheme allows SA's Youth Court to order drug-dependent young people who are already detained at Adelaide's youth detention centre to receive mandatory treatment, if they refuse to engage in programs voluntarily. As part of a legislated review now underway, the government is considering expanding the scheme to allow the court to order any drug-dependent child in the community to be detained for mandatory treatment — irrespective of their involvement in the criminal justice system. Laws granting such powers passed state parliament with bipartisan support in 2019, but the legislation is yet to be fully implemented. "Most young people who have a severe alcohol or drug dependence do not require mandated treatment, they require intensive, assertive care," Mr White said. "At the minute, we see very little funding going into early intervention, prevention, or education around alcohol and other drugs, and we do not see enough funding going into assertive engagement and long-term support for young people." In February, the Attorney-General's Department (AGD) sent a discussion paper to a select group of organisations and individuals, asking them to provide feedback on the YTO program. The department initially refused an ABC News request for a copy of the document, but it later handed the paper over in response to a freedom of information application. According to the document, since the YTO program launched in 2021, only one child has been assessed for drug dependency, but they were not ordered to undergo mandatory treatment. That is despite independent modelling by the University of Adelaide estimating that up to 44 detained children would need to be assessed for drug dependency issues each year, and five would require mandatory treatment. A department spokesperson told ABC News it had been difficult to predict the actual take-up rate of the YTO scheme, as it was an "entirely new program". They said the department spent almost $7,000 on services provided to the child who was assessed for drug dependency, on top of $179,760 required to establish the YTO scheme. "AGD has continued to monitor the YTO scheme to assess demand and resource implication," the spokesperson said. In a submission to the department, SA Law Society president Marissa Mackie wrote that she found it "difficult to understand the rationale for any further expansion of the scheme", given the low take-up rate. She wrote the YTO program had "tension" with Australia's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. "[The YTO scheme] is not consistent with medical evidence or good practice in dealing with drug addiction," she wrote. Guardian for Children and Young People Shona Reid, who in 2023 stepped down as the "YTO Visitor" responsible for monitoring the program, said Adelaide's youth detention centre was not equipped to provide healthcare to young people experiencing drug dependency. "We can't detain our way out of youth drug use," she said. But SA Parole Board chairperson Frances Nelson told ABC News the YTO program was useful and should be expanded to the broader community. "If you detain young people, you provide them with an external structure to deal with their problems when they don't have the internal strength to do it themselves," she said. "You also take them away from an environment which obviously is unhealthy for whatever reason. "If you can deal with young people taking drugs, they're less likely to become adult criminals, so I think there are benefits to the young person and to the community." Ms Frances said while early intervention programs were important, there needed to be a "last resort" option if voluntary treatment was not working. "It's no different as a measure of philosophy to detaining unwell people under the Mental Health Act for their own safety," she said. The department is required under legislation to complete its review by November 21.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Queensland treasurer promises targeted cost-of-living relief in first budget
Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki is promising cost-of-living relief for those who "need it most" as he prepares to hand down the LNP government's first budget. In an interview with the ABC, Mr Janetzki would not guarantee a return to surplus within the next four years and was also coy about how much he would cut debt. The treasurer will deliver the state budget on Tuesday — and has indicated he could unveil more cost-of-living support, as he commits to targeted relief measures. A raft of pre-election initiatives introduced by the former Labor government are set to end, including $1,000 energy bill rebates and 20 per cent vehicle rego discounts. Mr Janetzki said "vulnerable" households will still get power bill reductions. He also spruiked $30,000 concessions for first home buyers purchasing new builds as well as $200 vouchers for parents with kids playing sport. "We have a duty to support households that are under pressure, families that are under pressure, businesses that are under pressure," he said. "We're targeting cost-of-living relief at those who need it the most and I'll have more to say about that on Tuesday." In their last budget in office, Labor had projected deficits for 2024-25 and 2025-26, before forecasting surpluses for 2026-27 and 2027-28. But in the budget update handed down in January, the LNP government significantly revised those forecasts, with the budget plunged into the red for all four financial years. This included deficits of more than $9 billion in both 2026-27 and 2027-28, which the government blamed on its Labor predecessors. Mr Janetzki would not guarantee a return to surplus within the next four years, as he claimed he was left with a "serious challenge" to get the budget back in the black. "There are serious challenges that we face with the budget. We're up to it and I look forward to sharing more on Tuesday," he said. After Labor had initially projected total debt would reach $172 billion by 2027-28, the LNP government also significantly revised that figure to $218 billion in January. Mr Janetzki is vowing to reduce total debt below $218 billion, but won't say if the debt figure in Tuesday's budget will still have a two at the front. He said he was doing everything he could to maintain the state's credit rating. S&P Global currently puts Queensland's credit rating at AA+, although it revised its outlook in February from stable to negative. "The work of this budget has been taken so seriously because our rating matters," Mr Janetzki said. "And I want to make sure that we have prepared a budget and can share that budget with the ratings agencies that they see clearly that we have taken the challenges that Queensland faces seriously. "We know a downgrade means higher interest costs. The cost of borrowing increases." Mr Janetzki ruled out any asset sales or any cuts to services. He also reaffirmed the government's commitment of no new or increased taxes. In January, Shadow Treasurer Shannon Fentiman claimed the government had "juiced up" the budget figures in a way that could put the state's credit rating at risk.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Company in charge of proposed incinerator outside Geelong has direct links to the Chinese government
A controversial waste-to-energy project proposed for Geelong's suburban fringe has direct links to two major Chinese state-owned enterprises, it can be revealed. The waste incinerator is designed to burn through 400,000 tonnes of rubbish annually — redirecting the trash from landfill and transforming it into energy for the state's grid. But the proposal has prompted local backlash, with residents concerned the incinerator would be built too close to homes and produce toxic emissions. Community frustrations also centre around the transparency of who is behind the project, as the facility's purported cost balloons from $300 million to $700 million. And while most other Australian waste-to-energy projects have publicised major funding partners, the big bucks behind Lara's incinerator are yet to be revealed — even as Victoria's planning minister considers whether to approve the project. In 2023, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) granted Prospect Hill International a development licence to build a waste-to-energy facility in Lara, about 10km north of Geelong's CBD. The incinerator aims to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste to produce about 35MW of power to be fed into the state's grid — enough, Prospect Hill says, "to power 50,000 homes". It would also be built just over 1km from Lara's town centre, a few hundred metres from the nearest residential doorstep, and its 80m-tall chimney would become the tallest structure in the region. It is one of about a dozen waste-to-energy plants either operating or proposed across Australia, almost all of which are financially backed — or in partnerships — with international companies. The Geelong plan has prompted sustained opposition from local community members, with state and local federal MPs supporting the push to scrap the project. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has said the facility was "utterly inappropriate" and had "no place" in Lara. Community opposition is focused on the facility's proximity to homes and its environmental impact, along with concerns too little is known about who is behind the project. Charles Street, from the No Waste Incinerators in Lara and Greater Geelong group, said the group has had little success in attempts to communicate with Prospect Hill. Speaking at a national parliamentary Environment and Communications References Committee last August, Mr Street said attempts to find who was behind Prospect Hill had turned up little beyond discovering its director was named Jian Qi. "We know very little more than that," Mr Street said. "We've never met Mr Qi; we've never seen him." When asked by the ABC about community concerns over the transparency of Prospect Hill's ownership, Mr Street said: "It's very frustrating, and it's also very, very strange, exceedingly weird actually." Prospect Hill International is a Melbourne-based company registered in 2017, seemingly with the sole purpose of delivering the Lara waste-to-energy facility. Its latest project update from January 2024 assures the community it "proposes to develop a state-of-the-art facility that meets all stringent EPA Victoria and European emissions standards" and promises to keep community members informed as it progresses. Company documents show Prospect Hill has four shareholders — Jian Qi, Wen Dong Huang, Jingchao Pan and former state MP Ken Smith — with Mr Qi listed as its director. The documents show a fifth person, Jing Dong Gao, was previously both a director and majority shareholder of the company. Prospect Hill's business address is a multi-million-dollar home in Deepdene, in Melbourne's inner east — a home owned by Mr Gao and where Mr Qi is listed as living, according to title and business records. Company documents state Mr Huang has a background in the mining and construction development industry, and Mr Qi is a chemical engineer and petrochemical expert, who has previously worked for Petrochina, Shell Global Solutions and GE Oil & Gas. Mr Smith, who served in parliament from 1998 to 2014, is also referred to as a director of Prospect Hill in media responses from the company. The former parliamentary speaker has spent decades building business bridges between Victoria and China, earning honorary citizenships to the Shandong and Jiangsu provinces and an Order of Australia honour for his service to Australia-China relations. A probe of dozens of business documents also shows Prospect Hill has direct connections with two multi-billion-dollar Chinese state-owned conglomerates. In one it states it is using Jiangsu Power Design Institute — a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) — to "provide technical and design services for the proposed plant". CEEC is a multi-billion-dollar company under direct supervision of the Chinese Communist Party's State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and has a stated aim to accumulate $16 billion in overseas investments — including through "clean energy" projects. Speaking to the ABC, Mr Smith described JSPDI as Prospect Hill's "joint venture group in China", calling it "the most sophisticated" waste-to-energy company in the world. "We're not messing around with any sort of second-rate engineering company or project companies at all; we've gone for the very best because we want to deliver the best," he said. Everbright International, a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned conglomerate China Everbright, is also linked to Prospect Hill — with the mammoth group named as a "technology partner" in business documents. Despite the connections to these Chinese state-owned enterprises, Mr Smith emphasises the Lara facility is a local project. "It all looks very Chinese, but it's not Chinese, it's Australian," he said. The waste-to-energy plant was originally estimated as having a $300 million price tag, but Mr Smith told the ABC those costings had ballooned to "probably $700 million". "Prospect Hill International currently possesses adequate capital to progress development and will also pursue strategic partnerships to support the project's full delivery," he said. Mr Smith said Prospect Hill had been approached with investment opportunities from companies in China, the Middle East and Singapore, as well as Australian businesses — but indicated no major formal funding arrangements had yet been made to deliver the project. While Mr Smith would not share specific details on potential financial backers of the project, he did say that money spent so far on the project came from Prospect Hill's directors. "That's our money that's going into it," Mr Smith said. He estimates construction of the facility will begin in 2026-27, and take about three years before the incinerator is operational. Before any of this can occur, the state government must give planning approval to the project. As Victoria's minister for energy and environment, Lily D'Ambrosio has played a key role in guiding the state's push to attract waste to energy projects. Her role has also brought her into contact with one of the Chinese state-owned conglomerates linked to Prospect Hill. An Official Ministerial Overseas Travel Outcomes Report outlines Ms D'Ambrosio's $39,707 taxpayer-supported trip to China in 2017, including a bid to "engage with and encourage investment by Chinese companies in renewable energy projects in Victoria". The trip included meeting one of the state-owned conglomerates connected to the Lara incinerator, China Everbright, "to discuss waste to energy, including CEI's interests in investing in waste to energy in Victoria". Ms D'Ambrosio concluded her report with the expectation her visit would "produce significant and tangible benefits for Victoria in terms of improved relationships and actual investment in Victoria's renewable energy capacity". Foreign investment in Australia is nothing new. According to the Australian Treasury, in the first three months of 2024/25 there were 377 foreign investment proposals approved, worth $46.6 billion. Chinese money made up a fraction of that total, mostly via $400 million in residential property investments. Foreign involvement in Australian waste-to-energy projects is not unique either, with the country's first major waste-to-energy plant in Kwinana owned by multinational conglomerate ACCIONA, headquartered in Spain, and supported by Singapore's Keppel Seghers. Earlier this year a Middle-Eastern consortium was selected by the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation to deliver the $1.5 billion Parkes Energy Recovery facility. Chinese connections, and potential Chinese investment, in the Prospect Hill project should not be surprising. But, the connections raise questions around oversight — including whether the project would need to be approved by Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). Under FIRB thresholds, foreign government investors in any non-land investments are required to submit an investment proposal for review, with limited exceptions. When approached by the ABC, the Treasury declined to say whether a project found to be receiving funding from a Chinese state-owned conglomerate would be required to submit a proposal to the FIRB, nor whether it had received a proposal from Prospect Hill. "Under the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975, the Government cannot comment on the application of the foreign investment screening arrangements as they apply, or could apply, to a particular case. We are therefore unable to provide the information you are seeking," a statement from the Treasury noted. Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny did not directly respond to questions from the ABC, including whether she was aware of links between Prospect Hill and Chinese state-owned enterprises. A spokesperson for the government instead provided a brief statement, noting: "any proposal will be considered on its merits and all submissions will be considered as part of the assessment process." Do you know more about this story? Contact Harrison Tippet at you're sharing sensitive information, read our tips on how to contact us confidentially.
