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SBS Australia
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Israel must allow 'unimpeded' access to Gaza, ministers say, while announcing $20m in aid
The federal government has announced an additional $20 million in aid to humanitarian organisations in Gaza, with a minister calling on Israel to allow "immediate and unimpeded aid access" into the besieged enclave. The additional funding seeks to support organisations that have "the scale and capacity to respond quickly to deliver food, medical supplies for field hospitals and other lifesaving support to women and children in Gaza," a statement read. It said the government had now committed over $130 million in humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and Lebanon since 7 October 2023. The Gaza health ministry said on Sunday that six more people had died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the toll of those dying of such causes to 175, including 93 children, since the war began. In response to a rising international outcry, Israel announced steps last week to let more aid reach the population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. United Nations agencies have said that airdrops of food are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and open up access to the war-devastated territory where starvation has been spreading. Upon announcing the $20 million support package, International Development Minister Anne Aly said humanitarian organisations "must be allowed to do their vital work and deliver aid at scale". "We continue to call on Israel to allow immediate and unimpeded aid access into Gaza." Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government had "consistently been part of the international call on Israel to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid to Gaza, in line with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice". "Australia will continue to work with the international community to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and a two-state solution — the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples," she added. According to the statement, the newly announced aid will consist of: $2 million for relief support with the UK, through our existing partnership arrangement $6 million to the UN World Food Programme for the provision and distribution of food supplies $5 million to UNICEF for nutritional support to children at risk of starvation $5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to meet essential needs, including access to healthcare $2 million to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization to provide medical supplies to support the operation of field hospitals in Gaza — With additional reporting from Reuters.
The Australian
an hour ago
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Collapse in private-sector job creation as public sector surges
Private-sector job creation has collapsed as employment funded by federal and state governments soars to five times the normal rate, sparking warnings of unsustainable distortions in the labour market that are at the heart of the nation's productivity slump. Analysis of labour-market data shows that 82 per cent of all jobs created over the past two years were government-funded positions, with the private sector adding only 53,000 jobs in 2024. This marks a dramatic reversal of normal labour market trends, in which the private sector typically contributes about two-thirds of total job creation. While Jim Chalmers has ruled out discussion of industrial relations at this month's economic and productivity summit, employer groups are demanding that dysfunction in the labour market needs urgent attention. 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'Typically, the private-market sector accounts for about two-thirds of job creation in Australia. However, as the economy has slowed since 2023, private-sector job creation rates have collapsed. 'In 2024, the sector only added 53,000 new jobs – about a fifth of its normal level of job creation. In its place, two government-supported sectors took up the slack. 'Employment in these government-supported sectors has boomed since the pandemic, adding an additional 670,000 jobs over the last two years. This is over five times higher than the normal growth rate, and ultimately accounted for 82 per cent of all job creation in Australia. 'It was driven by significant uplift in public-sector staffing levels, as well as the rapid expansion of the private-sector (but government-funded) care-economy workforce. One of the Albanese government's key election boasts was its maintenance of low unemployment and job creation. But the bulk of those jobs have been in the public sector (where workers are directly employed by government), and the non-market sector (industries such as healthcare and education) which are driven by government funding decisions. 'Job creation has become unsustainably dependent upon government spending,' the Ai Group research said. 'Growing regulatory burden has raised the costs of private sector employment generation. Job mobility rates have rapidly declined, while excess vacancies and skills shortages have disrupted business operations and efficiency.' The public sector was the least productive part of the economy and, with public spending showing signs of easing, unemployment rates have begun to rise. Last month, the jobless rate surprised experts by jumping from 4.1 to 4.3 per cent. This prompted economists to call for the central bank to lean in further on interest-rate cuts, following its surprise decision last month to keep them on hold, to protect the economy. Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said the historically low headline unemployment rate had created a 'blind spot to labour-market trends that are decreasing our productivity, our wellspring to national wealth'. 'While the labour market has remained resilient, with the jobless rate around 4 per cent for the past three years, in many other respects it is failing to meet the broader needs of our economy or productivity,' Mr Willox said. 'There are four key areas that are a material drag on productivity: job creation has become almost entirely dependent on government spending; a growing regulatory burden has increased private sector costs; there is a persistent overhang of excess job vacancies; and mobility is declining. 'These all make job creation more expensive and difficult, reduce the efficiency of matching jobs to employers, while disrupting productivity and sapping business growth.'' Mr Willox said there was an urgent need for the private sector to resume its role as the primary job creator 'or our labour market resilience will be at risk'. 'Regulation has pushed up employment costs since the pandemic, with growth in superannuation, workers compensation and payroll tax adding $14bn to the annual wage costs,' Mr Willox said. 'The regulatory costs for employment, on top of wages, have grown to 15.6 per cent from 14 per cent in the past three years. 'We have a plague of excess job vacancies, which disrupts business operations, make it harder to allocate resources properly and less likely to pursue new opportunities for growth.' Mr Willox said the intervention by governments to prop up job creation through their budgets had starved the private sector with about 330,000 jobs remaining unfilled at the beginning of 2025. This was 100,000 more than the historical average. 'This persistence of excess vacancies has exacerbated a further challenge for employers: a crippling skills shortage,' Mr Willox said. 'The sectors with the most chronic shortages – healthcare and social – also delivered the worst productivity outcomes, so there is a clear link between the two.' Mr Willox said the issue needed to be a central piece of the productivity debate at the Treasurer's roundtable this month. Nation A massive pro-Palestine protest brought Melbourne to a standstill as activists clashed with riot police, harassed officers, blocked traffic, and targeted fashion brand Zara – defying Premier Jacinta Allan's warning of swift action. Nation The PM's energy infrastructure tsar and a pro-renewables independent are worried concerns about one of Australia's largest proposed solar farms are being ignored.
