What we learned today, Saturday 19 November
That’s where we’ll wrap up our live news coverage for the day.
Here’s a summary of the day’s main news developments:
Residents in low-lying parts of Condobolin were warned to evacuate as the town experiences its worst flood on record.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, summarised his achievements at the end of his international summit marathon, hailing “significant steps forward” in Australia’s international relations.
The Victorian opposition leader, Matthew Guy, has distanced the party from an upper house candidate, Renee Heath, who is a member of a conservative church, saying she will not sit with the Liberals following the election.
The Albanese government will make it easier for some visa holders to travel outside Australia. Andrew Giles, the minister for immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs, said restrictions applying to temporary protection (subclass 785) and safe haven enterprise (subclass 790) visa holders and some permanent visa holders would be amended.
Days after prime minister Albanese met his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, a new trade deal between Australia and India has been approved by a parliamentary committee.
Australia confirmed it supports Taiwan joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal after initial confusion over comments made by Albanese.
Have a good rest of your Saturday.
Updated
Man rescued from crocodile-infested flood waters in remote WA
A 45-year-old man was left clinging to the top of his submerged vehicle for hours in the middle of rapidly moving flood waters in Durack last night.
He became stranded at around 7pm but authorities were not notified until a truck driver arrived at the crossing point along the Pentecost River at about 11.20pm to see the man about 100 metres into the river.
Police say:
Kununurra Police attended the scene under emergency conditions and upon arrival established it was too dangerous to enter the water.
The water was flowing quite fast, and the deeper parts of the river are known to be infested with crocodiles.
The officers activated support from DFES State Emergency Service volunteers from Kununurra, who attended the scene with a flood boat.
The SES volunteers deployed their vessel and rescued the man from his submerged vehicle. The man was returned to the road edge about 3.15am and was taken to Kununurra Hospital as a precaution, for a check-up.
Updated
The prime minister Anthony Albanese earlier today summarised the “significant steps forward” the nation has made in the past week of international meetings, on the final day of the Apec summit in Bangkok.
(You can scroll back to earlier in the blog about 3 hours ago if you want to catch up on what he had to say in full)
Amongst the leaders he met with, included this morning Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha who he thanked for hosting the summit.
This morning I met with Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, to thank him for hosting this year’s @APEC2022TH summit. Our Asia-Pacific region is stronger when we work together to reduce barriers to trade and create new opportunities for our industries. pic.twitter.com/FKS1JovkrJ
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 19, 2022
Updated
Zaki Haidari, a refugee rights campaigner at Amnesty International Australia, has also welcomed the news of the amendments from the immigration minister, but said they need to go further.
Haidari said:
It is heart-warming news that thousands of people like me on temporary protection visas can now travel to see our families in a third country, which has been denied to most TPV/SHEV holders for years. Many of my friends, including myself, are desperate to be able to travel and spend some quality time with our families and loved ones.
The immigration system has also discriminated against people on permanent protection visas who sought protection by sea. It is good news that the unnecessary and cruel punishment of Direction 80 has been amended to allow families to be reunited safer and faster. However, this amendment only applies to people on permanent visas.
These changes don’t go far enough. People on TPVs and SHEVs also have been apart from their families for at least 10 years, highlighting the urgency for the government to deliver on its election promise to abolish temporary protection visas and allow us to be reunited with our families as well.
Updated
Changes to travel and family reunion for refugees are welcome but are limited, advocates say
We brought you the news on the blog earlier today that the Albanese government will be easing restrictions on travel and family reunions for refugees on temporary visas.
Andrew Giles, the minister for immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs, said restrictions applying to temporary protection (subclass 785) and safe haven enterprise (subclass 790) visa holders and some permanent visa holders would be amended.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says the changes are “welcome” but “limited and presented in a confusing way, highlighting the urgent need for clarity”.
In a statement, the ASRC urged the Albanese government to keep its promise to provide permanent protection:
People who sought asylum by sea … need personal approval from the Minister or a delegate if they want to travel and must show “compassionate or compelling circumstances”.
Interpretation of this phrase has been extremely limited, with mothers denied the right to see their children and close relatives prevented from seeing critically ill family members.
The Albanese Government will “broaden” the interpretation of what constitutes a compelling and compassionate reason, only for people on TPV and SHEV, which is a positive but limited change.
This change excludes thousands of other people who sought asylum by sea on other visa types. It also does not give freedom of movement to those on TPV and SHEV, it only lessens extremely restrictive conditions. This also comes at a time of very low permissions to travel for people on TPV and SHEV, from 3,214 being granted in 2019 to only 126 between December 2021 and March 2022, which are the most recent known figures.
Furthermore, the announcement also said that there will be amendments to Ministerial Direction 80, which gives the lowest priority to family visa applications of people who sought asylum by sea, making it effectively impossible for people to reunite with loved ones.
However, these amendments only apply to “permanent visa holders” and will therefore exclude the approximately 31,000 people who sought asylum by sea after 2012, including people on TPV and SHEV.
Jana Favero, the director of advocacy at ASRC, said:
This announcement will bring great relief to people on temporary protection visas as a step towards travelling to see family. Family separation has caused much stress over the past decade.
However, people want to be with their families for good. For any announcement that doesn’t include everyone, people will be left with questions and uncertainty. We have already received queries from people who are confused, asking if it applies to them.
Updated
Severe thunderstorm warnings across three states
Parts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia have all been warned to prepare for severe thunderstorms and damaging winds.
⚠️ #Thunderstorms have the potential to become severe about parts of the #LowerWestern this afternoon. Damaging #wind gusts are possible with #storms, and may bring down trees and powerlines. Monitor warning updates at https://t.co/Ss766fadjj pic.twitter.com/kji5NGc9gK
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 19, 2022
A SEVERE Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for today, Saturday 19 November, for DAMAGING WINDS for people in parts of Mallee Forecast District. Gusty thunderstorms developing this afternoon in northwest Victoria
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) November 19, 2022
For more information, visit: https://t.co/U2WKNw8pK4 pic.twitter.com/R516M5SCua
.@BOM_SA has issued a Severe Thunderstorm ⚡ Warning ⚠️ for DAMAGING WINDS 💨
— SASES (@SA_SES) November 19, 2022
For people in Riverland & parts of Murraylands & NE Pastoral districts.
Issued 2:02pm 19 Nov 22
Possible damaging wind gusts with thunderstorms this afternoonhttps://t.co/CbbJmOU1LZ pic.twitter.com/CrzOY4wm6E
Australia marks first Venomous Bites and Stings Day, as La Niña makes snake sightings more common
Today marks Australia’s first Venomous Bites and Stings Day, which aims to raise awareness about Australia’s venomous creatures and the importance of applying correct first aid to victims of toxic bites and stings.
Australia is the only continent in the world where venomous snake species, of which there are 20, outnumber the roughly 120 non-venomous snake species.
The University of Melbourne researcher, Timothy Jackson, says:
We certainly don’t have any of the world’s most dangerous snakes (by death rates), because in Australia we have, say, three snakebite deaths a year.
But worldwide there are over 100,000 snakebite deaths per year.
However, Australia’s reputation is not entirely unjustified, the toxinologist noted.
Some of these snakes have incredibly toxic venom.
Jackson said he had seen about 40 tiger snakes in his Melbourne suburb this spring, but admitted it was difficult to pin this down to an increase in snake populations.
It’s obviously super wet in a lot of parts of the country.
Water was spreading prey like frogs out further, and tiger snakes were following their stomachs, while floods were giving snakes less real estate to hide, rest or sun themselves.
Jackson said:
Generally speaking, seeing more snakes doesn’t mean there are more snakes. It just means that they’re more conspicuous.
Prof Bill Nimorakiotakis, a retrieval specialist working in remote areas with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, said the season so far had been significant in terms of snake bites:
I’ve certainly, on a clinical perspective, been seeing more people present with snake bite, including those patients being in-venom.
Interestingly though, more than 50% of snake bites were actually “dry bites”, venomless bites designed to ward off larger threats.
For more information on up-do-date first aid techniques and education materials, go to https://www.bitesandstings.com.au/
– from AAP
Updated
Condobolin residents told to evacuate
Low-lying properties in Condobolin were warned to evacuate before 2pm this afternoon.
The Lachlan River at Condobolin is currently at major flood level at 7.37 metres. The SES predicts it will peak at 7.8 metres on Monday, which will be a record flood for the town.
A temporary levee over 3km long, made out of dirt and sandbags, has been built to protect the town’s CBD. However, those homes in low-lying areas have already been inundated and residents now warned to evacuate.
The ‘Great Wall of Condo’ holding the floodwater at bay. This spans about 4km separating Condobolin’s CBD from the water. An incredible amount of effort has gone into preparing the town. @abcnews pic.twitter.com/7tkGN4ZKn1
— Kamin Gock (@kamingock) November 19, 2022
Read more here:
Updated
Multiculturalism ‘is a national economic asset’, PM says
More on Australia’s relationship with India following bilaterals between the two nations.
Anthony Albanese says:
The opportunities in India are enormous.
If you go back to the Varghese report. I think it has been undercooked in terms of delivering it. It points out India is a diverse economy, a multicultural society as well. It is a society that’s dynamic. It is growing at rates that we could wish for. It is a stable democracy and it’s one that we should have more engagement with.
We have a large Indian diaspora in Australia and that can be a big plus for our business relationships.
Albanese goes on to highlight that India is only one example of how Australia’s multicultural makeup as a nation is an economic asset:
One of the things that strikes me about attending forums like this is that everyone has a connection to Australia. It is a big plus, our multiculturalism. It is a national economic asset as well as providing, in my view, a microcosm for the world, that people can live next door to each other in harmony, of different religions, of different backgrounds, of different political views, and we have a harmonious society.
If you think about the conflict in the world that exists, it is a great thing that in Australia you can have Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists living next door to each other in my neighbourhood and they all get on. They all get on. You go to a local school and you see kids just getting on with each other …
People’s natural instinct is to relate to each other just as human beings. That puts Australia in a really strong position, I believe. When I met his majesty, the king of Thailand last night, this is a guy who studied in Australia for school – he went to Duntroon and graduated from college – and those connections that you see in people you meet with.
Albanese says he wants to see more international educational interaction, praising the actions of the former Coalition foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop in this space:
I give Julie Bishop credit for bringing back the Colombo Plan, of picking out leaders. I spoke with the Thai PM this morning about part of our program of our partnership with Thailand is taking future leaders to Australia. With India, we spoke with Prime Minister Modi about increasing the educational interaction. He wants universities to have a presence in India, Australian universities, and for Indian students to be able to study so you do a four-year degree, two years in India.
Updated
Reporter:
Have you had informal interactions with the Taiwanese delegates?
Anthony Albanese:
We have informal interactions because we’re all in the same building. I am a polite bloke, I say hello to people. I noticed one of the rather strange criticisms was that I smiled when I met one of the leaders. I would hope that you are courteous to each other. It costs you nothing to be courteous. People need to not overread these things completely. If someone says hello to me, I have never ever not said hello back. That is my style. I hope you have noticed that. I do it even with people in the media, although you also know that I love each and every one of you.
Updated
As mentioned earlier on the blog (in a post by Guardian Australia’s political editor, Katharine Murphy, who is in Bangkok with the prime minister), there has been some confusion about whether Australia would support Taiwan joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Asked to clarify Australia’s policy, Anthony Albanese says:
Our position has not changed. We will deal with applications, they are dealt with by consensus for economies applying to join the CPTPP. At the moment they’re dealt with one at a time. As I said yesterday, the issue that is being dealt with at the moment, that was agreed to be dealt with by all the countries, by consensus is the UK. Those negotiations have been going on for a year and they are continuing to go on. We will deal with the applications on their merits.
Updated
Anthony Albanese is asked about the lack of a shirt given out to all conference attendees at Apec. Albanese tells the reporter “I’m sorry you’re disappointed” but “it is what it is”:
Unlike the other forums, we didn’t get a shirt at this Apec – it is what it is.
For context, here is the long-sleeve G20 shirt from the meeting right before Apec:
Europe and Australia share a lot in common. It was great to meet with President of the European Council @CharlesMichel and President of the European Commission @vonderleyen this morning to discuss our shared vision for the future. pic.twitter.com/OiGP9epRhU
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 16, 2022
Updated
Asked about the US Inflation Reduction Act, Anthony Albanese says investing in clean energy will bring international opportunities for Australian companies:
With that comes the opportunity – the Inflation Reduction Act envisages an enormous investment in clean technology. Australia has an opportunity through green hydrogen, through other innovation as well, to gain jobs and economic activity because the US is looking at not just doing it by themselves as a closed nation state but part of that will inevitably involve partnerships with companies. Australia historically has punched above our weight. There would be not a PV solar cell in the world that doesn’t have something that was developed at the ANU or University of New South Wales. What we haven’t been good at in the past is commercialising those opportunities and giving Australia the advantages of it. I see the Inflation Reduction Act as being part of that.
Updated
Leaders respond positively to Australia’s plan to host climate conference, PM says
Anthony Albanese says he has received support from the nations he’s met with on the prospect of Australia and the Pacific co-hosting the global Cop climate talks.
I have had a very positive response from all of the nations that I have raised it with, particularly those in this region are very keen to see a Cop hosted here in 2026. Next year’s is in the Middle East region, the year after will be in Europe, the year after will be in central America and it is a good opportunity, I believe, for Australia to show and to host what is a major global event.
Updated
‘We enter into the Aukus agreement positively’, Albanese says
Reporter:
Are you confident that Australia will be able to develop the sovereign capability to deliver and maintain a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines?
Anthony Albanese:
I am very confident that the Aukus arrangements that we’re dealing with through the National Security Committee with our allies in the United States and the UK will serve the interests of our three nations but also serve the interests of global security and peace as well. We enter into the Aukus agreement positively. We are positive about the outcomes, we’ve had further discussions over the last week about some of those details, and we will continue to work on those issues with our officials as well as with our partners.
Updated
Anthony Albanese is asked about his ambitions for trade with China following that historic meeting.
A reporter highlights the New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has been invited to travel with a trade delegation to China, but Albanese says he’s not getting ahead of himself.
What we have had this week is first steps and I’m not getting ahead of myself. I think that engagement with China, like engagement with other nations, is constructive. It has been this week and I believe – I travelled to China on four occasions as a minister, one of the discussions that I have had with President Xi was about his travel to Australia. He has been to all states and territories of Australia. A lot of Australians haven’t done that. We will continue to, arising out of this week’s progress, take steps forward together.
Updated
Moving on to questions, Anthony Albanese is first asked about comments from Kim Jong-un.
The North Korean leader has said he will respond to US threats with nuclear weapons, according to state media today.
Albanese says the rhetoric calls for an emergency meeting of the UN security council.
There is no place for either the rhetoric of the North Korean leader, or for the actions of the North Korean state. This is a rogue state that is endangering regional security and that is just another reason why the UN security council should be convened in an emergency meeting.
Updated
Anthony Albanese ends his remarks by acknowledging the good news that emerged on Thursday of the Australian economist Sean Turnell’s release from imprisonment in Myanmar:
It was a highlight for me, the release of Sean Turnell as well and I thanked – I spoke to the Asean leaders before that decision was made and since that decision has been made and Sean is now at home with his wife. I have reiterated my very sincere thanks on behalf of the people of Australia for that very good outcome.
Updated
Overall, Anthony Albanese is leaving the meetings optimistic:
In today’s globalised world, the challenges can’t be dealt with just by nation states acting alone. We need to have cooperation and that is what I think we’ve seen the shoots of over the last week.
It has been very constructive and I leave these meetings with my optimism that the world and the region can guide the economic recovery and seize the opportunities that come from the transition to net zero to create a better future that you’ve heard me speak about before, that better future can only be achieved if we’re engaged, if we have standing in the world, if we’re treated with respect but also if we treat others with respect as well.
That is what I’ve sought to do in having the great honour of being prime minister at these forums.
Updated
On Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, Anthony Albanese says:
We secured a very positive leaders’ declaration at the B20 meeting, something that was always going to be a difficult outcome to achieve, but it was achieved and I pay tribute to President Widodo and his very strong leadership at the G20. He was a gracious host; Indonesia put such effort into hosting the G20. It is the biggest event internationally that has been held in Indonesia.
The relationship with Indonesia is one that I place great stake in. They are worldly, along with India in the top four economies in the world in the coming period, and we need to increasingly engage with them and I am hopeful that President Widodo will come down to Australia for our bilateral meeting next year.
Updated
The prime minister says the meetings were used to call out international aggression by Russia and North Korea:
We also had a meeting with the Ukrainian foreign minister where I reinforced Australia’s support for the struggle of the people of Ukraine to defend their national sovereignty. The outrageous aggression by Russia, we were able to call out with Russia in the room at the forums where they were present, both the G20 and at the East Asia Summit.
We made strong statements about the actions that Russia has taken in the past week while these summits were occurring, escalating the targeting of infrastructure and energy and with consequences for people in the Ukraine with their escalation.
We participated in a multilateral forum yesterday, convened by the US vice-president on the North Korean use of intercontinental ballistic missiles and these launches we called out. We have supported the calling of a UN security council emergency meeting to deal with this.
Updated
On that historic bilateral with China’s President Xi Jinping:
We had the first bilateral meeting with China since 2016. It was constructive, the meeting, it is always good to have dialogue and we engaged formally at that bilateral meeting but there was other interaction with Chinese leaders informally as well over the past week and I regard it as a step forward and that we need to step forward together.
We had bilaterals with Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao, the Philippines is coming up, Indonesia, France, India, UK, Chile, Japan, Korea, Canada, New Zealand and PNG. We had sit-down meetings as well. It has been a busy time.
Updated
The prime minister says taking climate seriously is key to international diplomacy, as he has continued Australia’s push to co-host a UN climate conference with the Pacific islands:
A theme over the last week has been a recognition of Australia’s changed climate change position. That has transformed the way that we’re perceived in the world. Taking climate change seriously is the entry fee to get a seat at the table of international diplomacy and to be taken seriously by those who care about the global economy as well.
We all know the pressures that are on and this was well received in a number of leaders, including this morning the prime minister of Thailand acknowledged that. At the same time, I have been talking to leaders securing support for Australia to host a conference of the parties for the UNFCCC in 2026 in Australia which we could co-host with our Pacific friends.
Updated
On the European Union deal, Anthony Albanese says he is confident Australia is getting a good deal:
We also advanced progress on the deal with the European Union that is so important for us. We did that with direct discussions with the European Union leaders themselves, with Ursula and Charles but also with individual countries who I met with, Pedro Sánchez of Spain, the newly elected president of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, President Macron and Chancellor Scholz talking about the importance of the EU deal. I am very confident this can be a very good one for Australia.
Updated
The prime minister adds:
In addition to that, the Indian advancement in our trade engagements will be secured this year. I will lead a delegation, including a business delegation, to India in the first quarter of 2023, before the leaders of the United States, India and Japan visit Australia for the Quad meeting which we will host in 2023.
Updated
Anthony Albanese is speaking about outcomes with Aukus partners, including securing the UK’s commitment on the bilateral trade deal to come into play early next year.
We also had important bilaterals with our Aukus partners, which it was great to catch up with the US President Joe Biden to talk about the challenges that are there in the global economy, and Aukus and also to talk about how Australia can benefit from his groundbreaking inflation reduction act that was passed in the United States this year that will present opportunities for partners with the United States, as we transition and transform our economy in a carbon-constrained world. I get on very well with President Biden and it was also an opportunity to congratulate him on what was an outstanding result in the midterm elections in the United States.
And with our friends from the UK, it was my third UK prime minister I sat down with – Rishi Sunak and I sat next to each other at a number of events and we were able to develop a strong relationship that’s so important for us, given our historical and economic ties as well. As part of that we advanced timetables for trade deals with the United Kingdom will be settled in the first quarter of next year. There has been some delay on the UK side, for obvious reasons, because of their bringing down another budget statement, but they will get that done. We got that commitment in the first quarter of next year.
Updated
Anthony Albanese moves on to the economic gains of the past week:
We advanced our economic standing as well with the business community with giving a key note address to the B20, one of only three leaders to address the B20 meeting, attended by thousands of leading business people, the largest delegation of which was from Australia. I thank Jennifer Westacott and the other key business leaders for their attendance. Andrew McKellar and Innes Willox and Andrew Forrest and other leading business people were also in attendance.
Updated
Anthony Albanese hails 'significant steps forward' during summit week
The prime minister Anthony Albanese has begun speaking at the Apec summit.
He is highlighting the importance of international cooperation on global problems, and says he believes Australia has “achieved some significant steps forward” in the past week of international meetings.
We live in an increasingly globalised world, one where events in one part of the world, on security, like we’ve seen with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, impact the whole world. We have seen that have an impact on the global economy, but before that we saw the pandemic health issue spread around the world. We have also seen climate change and at this time, as the conferences of the parties is occurring, we are reminded that you can’t have one-nation solutions to issues which are global.
They require international cooperation, they require goodwill and they require countries to work together for our common interests. That is what I have sought to do over the past eight days, is to send a message that Australia wants to engage constructively, to work with our partners in the region and throughout the world.
I believe Australia has achieved some significant steps forward over the past eight days. We have re-engaged, firstly, with Asean through the Asean Australia summit, reaffirmed Australia’s position of the centrality of Asean in our region. We reinforced that with the increased support that we have for aid in South-East Asia, for the increased number of economic agreements we have with this region, including with the Asean itself.
But also with the appointment of Nicholas Moore as the envoy to south-east Asia, a practical step that will make a difference, someone who brings with him enormous capacity but also great standing, not just in Australia but in the region as well.
Updated
Hello! Thank you Nino for taking us through the morning’s news so expertly. Stay tuned for what the prime minister has to say from Bangkok.
I’m now handing over to the wonderful Natasha May, who will take you through the afternoon. We’re expecting Anthony Albanese to appear at a press conference shortly from Bangkok.
Updated
What a touching family outing in North Korea …
This is big. Kim decided to bring his daughter to the Hwasong-17 ICBM launch day. This is the first time we are seeing her introduced on state media. pic.twitter.com/LNBKFGlI9C
— Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) November 19, 2022
Updated
Matthew Guy speaks about decision to dump Renee Heath
Following up on our post from earlier, Matthew Guy has spoken to reporters about the decision to dump the upper house candidate Renee Heath from the Liberal party.
Guy said that given the election was a week away, it was too late to disendorse candidates.
He said that while he was not going to discuss matters raised in an investigation published by the Age on Saturday that outlined ultra-conservative views allegedly espoused by members of Heath’s church, he confirmed they included gay conversion practices, which are banned in Victoria.
Guy said:
I’m not having any discussions around some of those matters raised in the paper, because my position on those are clear and are sensible and are reasonable and they just need to be mainstream and sensible, that’s what the Liberal party is.
I’m not in any way going to have the Liberal party in any way going to be supportive or tacitly supporting any type of practices that should and are illegal in this state.
He said Heath had not told him she supports such practices, but he would not be drawn on personal conversations he had with her, aside from adding “she’s a reasonable person when you have a conversation with her”.
When repeatedly pressed about why Heath was not dumped earlier, given questions had previously been raised about her association with the church, Guy said some of the allegations in the Age article were not known at the time of the candidate review process.
Updated
Australia confirms it supports Taiwan joining CPTPP trade deal after Albanese comment
Good morning from Bangkok, where the Apec summit is about to kick off for the final day.
Readers with us yesterday will know Anthony Albanese addressed a question about whether Australia would support Taiwan joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The prime minister said no in essence – on the rationale that the trade agreement was between nations, not between economies, and Australia supported the one China policy. (In case this sentence makes no sense to you let me unpack it quickly – Apec is a grouping of economies, not nations. Australia’s policy is there is one China, not two).
The shadow trade minister, Simon Birmingham, pointed out quickly what Albanese said was incorrect. Australia supports Taiwan joining the agreement.
A statement from the foreign ministry of Taiwan this morning says Australia has since clarified that it welcomes Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP if it meets “the high standards” of the agreement.
The statement said:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) welcomes the Australian government’s reaffirmation of its consistent position on Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP.
Updated
Outgoing NSW Liberal minister Rob Stokes urges poker machine reform
During his final fortnight in NSW parliament, the outgoing minister Rob Stokes did his best to beat the drum for poker machine reform in his state.
In two blistering speeches, Stokes attacked the power of the clubs sector, saying it had become “distorted and disfigured” by government reliance on the $3.8bn in yearly pokies revenue and calling for the introduction of a cashless gambling card.
“If a cashless gaming card can help liberate a few people from their enslavement to poker machines, then it is the least we can do for the people of NSW,” he said.
You can read more on this story here:
Updated
Matthew Guy says Victorian upper house candidate will not sit with Liberals
The Victorian opposition leader, Matthew Guy, has distanced the party from an upper house candidate who is a member of a conservative church.
Renee Heath is expected to be elected to parliament, given she occupies the top position on the Liberal party’s ticket for the eastern Victorian region.
But her involvement with the City Builders Church, where her parents are pastors, has repeatedly come under scrutiny, including in an investigation published by the Age on Saturday.
Heath has denied having the same views as her parents.
Guy has previously backed Heath, a chiropractor based in Gippsland, saying in July that “Renee is not her family, Renee is herself”.
He also said:
She’s a professional woman, she’s in the health field, she’s a professional person. I’ll ask people to judge Renee by Renee and not by anyone else.
But on Saturday, Guy said Heath would not sit in the Liberals’ party room if she was elected, following more revelations regarding the church and an interview with members of Heath’s family that was published by the Age.
Guy said in a statement:
Today, I have spoken with Liberal Candidate Ms Renee Heath to advise that she will not be sitting in the Liberal Party Room following the election.
Neither I, nor the Liberal Party, were aware of information prior to today’s report in The Age.
Updated
Prepare for summer flooding: NSW premier
Flood-weary NSW communities are bracing for a weekend of storms and damaging winds as emergency services continue to work through the night, AAP reports.
The State Emergency Service performed nine flood rescues in the 24 hours up to 5am Saturday and received 245 calls for help.
The premier, Dominic Perrottet, has told communities to prepare for more chaos, with new storms set to roll across the state’s south-east this weekend.
More than 70 NSW local government areas are currently subject to disaster declarations.
There are 23 emergency warnings in place and the SES says communities need to be prepared for potential flash flooding and continued major riverine flooding in many of the state’s catchments.
“The rivers are full, the dams are full, the catchments are full, the ground is wet,” Perrottet said on Friday.
Touring the devastated central western town of Eugowra, Perrottet pledged support to rebuild flooded communities.
“What I have seen everywhere I go across the state, is we get through it and we rebuild, and the communities come back and they come back stronger,” he said.
Relief payments for affected farmers were increased on Friday and caravans will soon be brought in to temporarily re-home Eugowra’s evacuees.
“We will ... put people back on their home blocks, even if their home is not habitable, in a caravan if they so choose,” the emergency services minister, Steph Cooke, said.
Meanwhile, major flooding is expected to continue along several river systems, including the Lachlan, Darling and Murrumbidgee, affecting towns including Forbes and Condobolin in the central west, Bourke in the north-west and the Riverina town of Hay.
Prolonged major flooding in Forbes isn’t expected to ease until early next week.
Updated
Travel for some visa holders made easier
The Albanese government will make it easier for some visa holders to travel outside Australia.
Andrew Giles, the minister for immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs, said restrictions applying to temporary protection (subclass 785) and safe haven enterprise (subclass 790) visa holders and some permanent visa holders would be amended.
He said the Department of Home Affairs had been directed to take a more expansive approach to the interpretation of compassionate and compelling circumstances, meaning affected TPV and SHEV holders will be able to travel overseas in more circumstances.
Giles said:
Under these changes TPV and SHEV holders will still be required to request permission to travel to a third country, and still cannot travel to the country by reference to which they were found to engage protection obligations.
However, the new policy will broaden the circumstances in which they are able to travel to a third country.
He also said the government was committed to assisting people at risk in Afghanistan to access refuge in Australia and will amend a ministerial direction that will mean some of those applying for a visa are no longer classified as the lowest processing priority.
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Poppy seed tea warning
Australians are being warned not to drink poppy seed tea, promoted on popular social media platforms, after a spate of poisoning cases across Australia linked to the home-brewed sedative.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand has issued a national recall of poppy seeds due to the potential presence of high levels of thebaine – an opioid alkaloid. The elevated levels of thebaine has been caused by non-food grade poppy seeds incorrectly entering the human food supply chain.
There have been about 32 cases of poppy seed toxicity reported in Australia over the past month, all in adults who drank poppy seed tea.
You can read more on this story here:
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Bowen calls for ‘strongest possible action’ at Cop27
As the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt extends into overtime, Chris Bowen has called for the “strongest possible action” to limit global heating to 1.5C and backed the establishment of a fund to help the poor deal with unavoidable damage from worsening extreme weather.
In an interview with the Guardian, the Australian climate change minister said the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh had faced a push from some countries to water down the Glasgow pact last year, and that he had fought alongside others to ensure that deal was “reaffirmed and built on”, not undone.
It was unclear whether that would be agreed as the talks headed into the early hours of Saturday, though much of the Glasgow agreement appeared to have been salvaged. The key point of contention was the issue known as loss and damage – how to finance rescue and reconstruction costs after catastrophic extreme weather events devastate people and infrastructure in vulnerable countries.
You can read more on that story here:
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How to deal with terrorists after they serve their time?
In a prison within a prison, a convicted terrorist who has finished his sentence waits for another day in court.
“I’m like a person swimming in the middle of the ocean,” Abdul Nacer Benbrika said in a statement provided by his lawyers to the Guardian.
“I look over there and all I see is water. I look over here and all I see is water. I don’t even know which way is the land any more or where I am supposed to be going.”
Benbrika, 62, embodies a wicked problem: what should be done with convicted terrorists who authorities say still pose a risk after serving their time?
You can read more on that story here:
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Elizabeth Holmes jailed for more than 11 years
A US judge has sentenced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to more than 11 years in prison over her role in the blood testing firm that collapsed after its technology was revealed to be largely fraudulent.
You can read more on that story here:
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Early voting surge in Victoria
The ABC’s election expert Antony Green says more than one in seven Victorians have already voted. And there’s still a week to go in the election campaign!
Latest early voting update. 15.9% of electors have pre-polled and 12.7% have applied for a postal vote. https://t.co/ZF1dvdMMAd #springst #vicvotes
— Antony Green - elections (@AntonyGreenElec) November 18, 2022
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Coalition: Albanese-Xi meeting ‘hardly a win for Australia’
The shadow minister for defence, Andrew Hastie, has warned that “this is no time for weakness or naivety” when it comes to Australia’s relationship with China, and said not too much should be read into the “gesture politics” of a meeting between Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping.
In a weekly email to his Western Australian electorate of Canning, Hastie said that while the meeting between the prime minister and the Chinese president was a “good thing”, it was hardly a “win for Australia nor a tremendous foreign policy reset, as some business leaders have described it”.
Hastie said:
Let’s not read too much into President Xi’s offer of a conversation, a handshake and a photo opportunity. After all, we didn’t step away from the relationship.
In the end, words are important – but actions speak louder. In an era of escalating regional tension, we can be tempted to believe that this meeting heralds a new dawn.
But the reality is that the Chinese government’s unjust and coercive sanctions against Australian producers are still in place. In this context, the meeting was hardly a “win for Australia” nor a tremendous foreign policy reset, as some business leaders have described it.
It is no more than gesture politics, unless there is a lift in those sanctions.
Hastie went on to outline Xi’s confrontation with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau at the G20 as an example of China continuing to exert pressure on countries who speak out about its “coercive activities”.
Hastie said:
This is no time for weakness, or naivety. Australia must be strong. That’s why we’ll be urging the government to stand up for our values and interests, as we welcome this new dialogue.
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AMA: superbug resistance an ‘existential threat’
Resistance to superbugs and other antimicrobials has become an “existential threat”, the Australian Medical Association has warned in a new report.
Prof Steve Robson, the AMA president, said this resistance was being accelerated through globalisation, overprescribing, climate change and the lack of progress in developing new drugs.
He said the world was heading for the “medical dark ages” if the problem was not addressed.
The AMA said antimicrobial resistance was associated with almost five million deaths in 2019, and studies suggested it could be responsible for 50 million deaths per year by 2050.
Robson said:
We are on track to return to a time where a superficial scratch could be life threatening, and the procedures and treatments which we now rely on are considered too risky to perform, due to risk of untreatable infection.
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most serious global health threats of the 21st century, documented in almost all regions of the world.
Many consider it to be a silent global pandemic that will undermine healthcare systems and food safety and supply, and result in millions of deaths.
The report, Antimicrobial resistance: the silent pandemic, has been released to coincide with World Antimicrobial Awareness week.
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As flooding continues to plague people in New South Wales, our reporter Mostafa Rachwani reports on the horror and the heroes of another traumatic week.
New trade deal with India approved by parliament
Days after Anthony Albanese met Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit this week, a new trade deal between Australia and India has been approved by a parliamentary committee.
It comes despite concerns about its broadness compared with arrangements with other nations, the Australian Associated Press is reporting this morning.
The treaties committee released its report approving the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) on Friday.
But the committee noted the interim arrangement “underachieves in areas of potential and immediate interest to Australia, such as wine”.
Labor MP Josh Wilson, who chairs the committee, described the deal as an “early harvest” agreement that would pave the way for further trade, market access, investment and regulation.
“The committee has noted the importance of improved tariff reductions, greater access to services and on broader matters like intellectual property, cultural heritage, the environment and labour rights,” he said.
The committee also raised concerns with the lack of consultation on the deal, transparency of the negotiations and independent modelling.
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Welcome
Morning everyone. Thanks for joining us for live coverage of Australian news this Saturday. Here are a few of the stories likely to make headlines today.
Anthony Albanese will be among the top stories as he has been all week, with the prime minister close to the finishing line in his summit marathon. He is still in Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where trade will be top of his agenda. A major target is getting China to remove sanctions on trade worth $20bn and there is hope that his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping earlier in the week at the G20 could help in that goal. He has also been spruiking Australia’s “return to the world stage”. Our political editor Katharine Murphy will be on hand to bring us live updates on his progress.
Flooding is still affecting many communities in central-west New South Wales. There are 110 weather warnings in place for the state and the SES released an evacuation order for towns downstream of Forbes.
🚨NSW SES has 110 current warnings across NSW:
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) November 18, 2022
23 Emergency Warnings
69 Watch and Act
18 Advice
👉 See the interactive map and more information on all warnings on our website: https://t.co/BCnxAe6tsR. pic.twitter.com/xuGeH6j5nW
It’s also a bumper weekend of sport of course with Australia taking on England in the second one-day international at Sydney from this afternoon and the second AFLW preliminary final between Melbourne and North Melbourne, playing for the right to play Brisbane in next Sunday’s final.
Australia are playing Samoa in the rugby league World Cup final tomorrow at 3am, and the Wallabies are up against world No 1 team Ireland at 7am tomorrow.
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