Australia Government News

Australia's government has cancelled the live export licence of the country's biggest livestock shipper, Emanuel Exports Pty Ltd, after investigating the death of thousands of sheep during a shipment to the Middle East last year.In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the government didn't specify why the licence had been revoked, but said the move followed "a thorough investigation and show cause process".Perth-based Emanuel Exports, which has shipped sheep to the Middle East for 55 years, said in a statement it would appeal the decision.Footage that emerged earlier this year of the distressed sheep, which died from heat stress on the journey, fuelled calls for an outright ban on the A$250 million ($180 million) industry.Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of livestock.

A private firm is looking to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to South Australia starting in 2020, around the same time as two other proposed import projects, looking to fill a supply gap as domestic gas gets sucked into LNG exports.Venice Energy, set up by former BHP Billiton executives, plans to submit a development application to the South Australian government within the next month to park a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Port Adelaide, Managing Director Kym Winter-Dewhirst said.If regulatory approvals come through by March, construction could begin by June 2019, he told Reuters in an interview. The project would be funded partly by Venice's owners…

Australia needs new submarines. That much is clear. Where these subs are to come from and where exactly they will be built remains far less clear. Federal Liberals in the state are already furiously lobbying him to build the next fleet locally, rather than opt for an overseas design. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute also said the possible acquisition of Japanese submarines by Australia raised significant challenges. The case for building the next generation of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) submarines in Australia begins with the stand-out attributes that make submarines so important for Australia as a whole: they must be able to operate in areas a long way from home, without air or sea control, to watch, listen, evaluate and act when necessary.

The ANZAC Class Frigate has left Noumea after spending three days strengthening relationships with the French Armed Forces New Caledonia (FANC) and promoting multilateral security cooperation. Commanding Officer of Parramatta, Commander Simon Cannell, said the visit provided professional insight to enhance operations and exercises within the region. “France is a valuable partner with Australia in the Pacific. We regularly participate in combined force training exercises for emergency and disaster relief and operations against illegal fishing,” Commander Cannell said. Following the visit, Parramatta will commence an Operation SOLANIA patrol, continuing the Australian Defence Force’s enduring role in the South-West Pacific.

BHP Billiton said on Wednesday it may seek government intervention to avert industrial action by tugboat workers at the Port Hedland iron ore port that threatens to disrupt hundreds of millions of dollars in exports. "It's highly likely we would do that," Jimmy Wilson, president of BHP's iron ore division, told reporters amid a long-running dispute between union workers and port services operator Teekay Shipping, which charges BHP a fee for operating tug services. BHP also called the union's demands on pay and working conditions "unreasonable". Australia's government has intervened in industrial disputes before. In 2011, the Fair Work Australia commission stepped in to end a long-running dispute between Qantas and three unions when the airline grounded its fleet…