Australian Government

Happy December! Here are the public holidays occurring this month 🗓️

Ending gender-based violence starts with listening to women. During the 16 Days of Activism, we’re highlighting the work of the Working with Women Alliance – a partnership to elevate the voices of women and girls to ensure their lived experiences are heard by government. and reflected in our policies. Their advice plays a critical role in shaping safe communities, improving support for victim-survivors, and strengthening Australia’s long term response to gender-based violence. “It's an issue everyone needs to be engaged in because when we elevate the voices of people who have lived in violence, we are making society better for everyone.”

Most student loans will decrease by 20% by the end of the year. Want to learn more about how the reduction works and what happens if you’ve recently paid off your loan? Visit https://lnkd.in/gu9w9Wyt Australian Government Department of Education

Today marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. Violence against women is preventable, but only when we actively challenge the attitudes and behaviours that enable it. Online and offline, safety depends on calling out disrespect, supporting those who speak up and refusing to ignore harmful behaviour. Creating safer communities isn’t the responsibility of women. It is our collective responsibility and requires action from governments tech companies, businesses, and individuals to ensure violence against women and girls has no place in our homes, our workplaces or online environments.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined world leaders at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, where members agreed to work together for stronger, fairer and more sustainable economic growth. The Prime Minister highlighted Australia’s commitment to tackling climate change, preparing for natural disasters and supporting clean energy jobs. Australia, India and Canada also announced a new partnership to boost cooperation on technology and innovation. This will help the three countries work more closely on clean energy and build stronger, more reliable supply chains. The Prime Minister held a number of productive meetings with leaders from South Africa, India, Germany, Finland and the European Union, and took part in a gathering of the MIKTA partnership. While in South Africa, he visited the Freedom Park Heritage Site & Museum, where he unveiled the names of three Australians honoured for their support of South Africa’s journey to freedom and democracy – former Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke, and diplomat Bruce Haigh.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Johannesburg, South Africa to attend the annual G20 Leaders' Summit. Australia is proud to work with G20 members toward our shared goal of strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive economic growth.

It’s Movember! Grow a mo’ and let it flow. This month is all about raising awareness of men’s health, specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention. Let’s comb through how Australia is taking action: Movember Through providing training to 60,000 doctors and nurses for men’s health care. Movember Funding grassroots and community initiatives that support men‘s mental health and wellbeing Movember Delivering more affordable medicines, cutting the maximum price of PBS scripts to only $25. How is your mo’ coming along?

🏁 Get ready with eSafety for the social media age restrictions. Coming this December, some social media platforms must take reasonable steps to stop under-16s from having or making accounts on their platform. That doesn’t mean they can’t go online to connect, create and play. The new law aims to protect young people from social media platforms designed to keep them scrolling. Some under-16s may be struggling with the upcoming change. We’ve got resources to help plan for the social media delay including guides to download account content, a checklist to make sure they’re prepared and alternative ways to stay connected with friends and interests. We encourage young people to reach out to someone they trust if they’re feeling overwhelmed. They can also contact Beyond Blue, ReachOut Australia, Kids Helpline and headspace for help.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met His Excellency Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia this week on his first official visit as President to Australia since taking office in October 2024. Signalling a new era in the Australia-Indonesia relationship, Australia and Indonesia agreed to the substantive conclusion of a new bilateral Treaty on Common Security. The Treaty reflects the close friendship, partnership and deep trust between Australia and Indonesia, under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It also represents a major extension of existing security and defence cooperation, building on the 2024 Australia-Indonesia Defence Cooperation Agreement and the 2006 Lombok Treaty. Australia and Indonesia have a long history of cooperation and friendship, celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.

On 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent – marking the end of the First World War after four long years. At 11 am, we will pause for a minute’s silence to reflect on the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have served Australia in times of war and conflict. Lest we forget. #RemembranceDay