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The Guardian - AU
National
Natasha May and Emily Wind (earlier)

AFL stars walk Brownlow medal red carpet – as it happened

Woolworths ACCC Coles Greens RBA Nick McKim Australia Donald Trump DHL George Brandis
Brodie Ryan and Nathan Buckley
Brodie Ryan and Nathan Buckley on the red carpet for the 2024 Brownlow medal in Melbourne on Monday. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

What we learned; Monday 23 September

Before we say goodnight, a recap of the major events of the day:

The live news blog will be back bright and early tomorrow morning.

Updated

High Court dismisses appeal to return Australian IS families

Just one more news update before we leave you for tonight.

The high court has refused a bid to repatriate Australian children and mothers of Islamic State fighters detained in refugee camps in Syria, AAP reports.

The decision on Monday is another blow to the legal challenge brought by Save the Children Australia against the government to compel it to return the mothers and children.

The federal court ruled in June the government did not have control over their detainment, with the advocacy group seeking special leave to appeal in the high court.

Updated

One more picture from the Brownlows – and thank you for joining us on the blog for this jaunt down the red carpet – we’ve seen Josh Daicos of the Collingwood Magpies arrive with fiance Annalise Dalins.

Bec Judd is returning to the Brownlows for the first time since 2018 and has chosen a pale pink number from J’Aton Couture for the occasion.

Meanwhile a satellite event is also taking place at Sydney Cricket Ground called the Sydney Swans Brownlow Medal Function, where Chad Warner and partner, Alice Hughes, have arrived.

Updated

Oglia-Loro couture is proving a favourite this evening with Charlotte Viney, wife of Melbourne’s Jack Viney, arriving in a couture gown from the Melbourne designer who was also the choice of Annalise Dalins.

Updated

Brownlow medal contender Marcus Bontempelli arrives with partner Neila Brenning in an Effie Kats dress.

Updated

It’s classy and glassy on the Brownlow red carpet

Cinderella wore a glass slipper to the ball but Dee Salmin has updated the fairytale with a stained glass corset.

The host of Triple J’s the Hook Up podcast and partner of Collingwood captain Darcy Moore unveiled her outfit this evening on social media, describing how she spent months working with glass artist Poppy Templeton to create a stained glass corset:

Updated

2003 Brownlow medal winner Nathan Buckley arrives with partner Brodie Ryan.

The man tipped to win the big prize this evening is Collingwood star Josh Daicos, newly engaged to Annalise Dalins, who will hit the carpet draped in pearl-encrusted custom gown by Oglia-Loro couture.

Updated

Adam Treloar of the Western Bulldogs arrives with partner Kim Ravaillion in a corseted fishtail silhouette.

Updated

Brownlow Medal red carpet gets under way

Attendees at this year’s Brownlow Medal award ceremony have started treading the red carpet and we will be keeping you up to date with all the fashion. Unsurprisingly, we are already seeing some sparkles as the AFL stars pull out their finest for the sport’s night of nights.

The favourite for the award is Collingwood’s Nick Daicos, but also in contention are Essendon captain Zach Merrett, Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli, Carlton’s Patrick Cripps and Brisbane Lions’ Lachie Neale. Neale is the reining winner from last year, with Bontempelli runner up.

Here we have presenters Dale Thomas and Abbey Holmes making their entrance:

Updated

Too much pasta? Pesto the penguin expected to lose some pounds as he fledges

If you’re in need of a more lighthearted end to a long Monday, you should definitely read this story about Pesto the chunky emperor penguin chick on your commute home:

Updated

Young golf star Jeffrey Guan in specialist care after freak injury

Young golfer Jeffrey Guan is in the hands of an eye surgeon in Sydney after being hit in the face by a golf ball, with the injury threatening his promising professional career, AAP reports.

The 20-year-old has already undergone one round of surgery in Canberra, where he was airlifted after being struck by an errant shot during a pro-am event on the NSW far south coast.

Guan, from Sydney, then travelled from Canberra to seek specialist care at the Sydney Eye hospital.

Golf Australia (GA) issued a statement saying the young gun had been hit just below his eye in the pro-am, played before a NSW Open regional qualifier tournament.

Guan was taken to hospital by paramedics, before being transferred by air to Canberra.

At the family’s request GA wasn’t releasing any further details of the prognosis or treatment.

The injury occurred just a week after Guan made his US PGA debut in California.

Updated

Man charged with murder after Palm Island woman dies from head injuries

A man has been charged with murder after a 39-year-old woman from Palm Island died from head injuries.

Queensland Police say the domestic violence offence comes after emergency services were called on 1 September after reports the woman had sustained a life-threatening head injury.

She was airlifted to Townsville university hospital for treatment, but died from her injuries on 3 September.

Police say after extensive investigations, officers arrested and charged a 36-year-old Palm Island man on 16 September, who they alleged was known to the woman.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear next before Townsville magistrates court on 5 November.

Updated

Winning streak snapped as Aussie shares slip from record levels

The Australian share market has retreated from the record highs set last week, snapping its seven-day winning streak before Tuesday’s Reserve Bank meeting, AAP reports.

The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Monday finished down 56.6 points, or 0.69%, to 8,152.9, while the broader All Ordinaries dipped 53 points, or 0.63%, to 8,384.2.

The Australian dollar was buying 68.22 US cents, from 68.20 US cents at Friday’s ASX close.

Updated

Greens: third Bass Strait diesel spill evidence regulator failing to take strong action

Up to 21,000 litres of diesel that has spilled into the ocean from an Esso/ExxonMobil fossil fuel facility in the Bass Strait is another example of why the offshore energy regulator is not taking strong enough action, Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson says.

The regulator Nopsema has warned of potentially significant threats to the surrounding marine environment from this recent spill, but the Greens say too little is being done as this is the third spill from an Esso/ExxonMobil facility in just six months.

Whish-Wilson is concerned Esso is now applying to use old gas fields for dumping carbon pollution despite evidently not being able to manage its operational offshore infrastructure.

Esso/ExxonMobil is proving to be a highly problematic and dangerous operator – yet Australia’s embattled offshore oil and gas industry regulator, Nopsema, is failing to take the strong actions necessary to rein in the fossil fuel giant.

Nopsema is supposed to have oversight and regulate the environmental management of the offshore fossil fuel industry, but coastal communities are fast losing confidence in the ‘independent’ regulator, which has become more of an enabler than an investigator of offshore oil and gas projects.

Esso’s inability to manage its operational infrastructure safely is deeply troubling given the company’s currently applying to use old gas fields for dumping carbon pollution.

Fossil fuel corporations make millions from Australia’s offshore oil and gas fields yet repeatedly breach our environmental management laws and have also gotten away with not properly cleaning up after themselves.

Australia desperately needs stronger laws and regulations to govern the offshore fossil fuel industry. How much more must our oceans and marine wildlife suffer before the Albanese government acts to change this?

Updated

Sydney protesters reject Dutton’s ‘toxic nuclear scheme’

As we mentioned earlier in the blog, community members rallied outside Peter Dutton’s address at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) in Sydney on Monday.

The protest was organised by GetUp and allies to reject Dutton’s push for nuclear power in Australia. This is what chief campaigns officer at GetUp and Goreng Goreng woman Amy Gordon had to say:

Peter Dutton and the hard right are trying to divide and distract our communities by pushing their toxic nuclear scheme. But today community members turned out in force to say ‘no’ to radioactive nuclear.

For decades, First Nations communities have led the fight to protect water, land and community health from uranium mining and nuclear waste dumps. But Dutton continues to keep communities in the dark about the risks and costs of his seven proposed nuclear plants.

Pushing slow-to-build nuclear allows polluting coal and gas to burn for decades longer, exacerbating the climate impacts we’re already seeing with extreme floods, fires and heat.

The only people who benefit from Dutton’s radioactive scheme are mining billionaires like Gina Rinehart.

Together, we’re building a movement to take on the Coalition’s dangerous anti-renewables and pro-nuclear disinformation – and stop Peter Dutton becoming prime minister.

Updated

Lawyers for Indigenous NT police officers will go to federal court if mediation fails

The human rights complaint lodged against the Northern Territory government and its police commissioner on behalf of serving Aboriginal police officers, follows Commissioner Michael Murphy’s public apology in August to Indigenous Territorians for past harms and injustices caused by members of the NT Police.

Lawyer Dana Levitt says this apology was offensive to Aboriginal community police officers because it implied they had been complicit in the system.

It was a blanket apology about racist conduct by the NT Police.

It didn’t distinguish between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members of the force ... the way it was worded caught them up in the apology themselves, and they don’t have anything to apologise for.

The lawyers say they plan to pursue the matter in the federal court if mediation is unsuccessful.

- AAP

Updated

Racism complaint is a ‘positive step’, NT police commissioner says

Three serving Aboriginal police officers have lodged a complaint against the Northern Territory government and police commissioner, alleging racial discrimination over a 20-year period, AAP reports.

The complaint, lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission, alleges racial vilification and derision, and an unequal system of pay and promotion.

Sydney-based law firm Levitt Robinson lodged the complaint on the officers’ behalf. Lawyer Dana Levitt says:

(Aboriginal Community Police Officers) have been subject to racist conduct since their position was invented. A lot of them have complained about the treatment to which they were subject or they’ve seen other community members subject and nothing has been done about it.

Levitt says these are not historical complaints – “they are still very much of today”.

In a statement, Commissioner Michael Murphy says it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of the case, instead saying the police force is “invested in cultural reform”.

What I can say is that it is a positive step for NT Police that members have the confidence to speak up about issues such as racism.

Updated

Victoria still talking to federal government about rail loop funding: Jacinta Allan

So far, the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop project is expected to cost $34.5bn and has been funded to the tune of $14bn.

The state government is contributing $11.8bn and the federal government has committed $2.2bn.

Premier Jacinta Allan says discussions are continuing with the commonwealth about funding and Victoria cannot afford not to build extra transport connections.

She says the project “absolutely stacks up” after winning support at two state and one federal election:

Melbourne is the biggest city in the country … and it deserves to get its fair share of infrastructure funding from its national government.

They’re the conversations I’ve been having and will continue to have with the federal government.

Opposition spokeswoman Jess Wilson claims the money for the project “doesn’t currently exist”.

The premier is focused on talking about a suburban rail loop that nobody seems to want, it’s unfunded.

We are constantly seeing from this government talks of the federal government stepping in and providing significant amount of money for this project.

- AAP

Updated

Melbourne adopts Sydney Metro’s tunnel boring machines

The first stage of the Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop will be built using tunnel boring machines that carved out the new Sydney Metro, AAP reports.

From 2026, the machines will start creating a 16km stretch of tunnels running from Cheltenham to Glen Waverley, due to open in 2035.

Two of the four machines Victoria ordered from German company Herrenknecht were used to build the Sydney Metro.

There is renewed focus over the project’s cost, after a Parliamentary Budget Office assessment earlier this month found the first two stages of the orbital train line around Melbourne will not provide adequate value for money.

The two main sections, dubbed SRL East and SRL North, will form a 60km metro line that will run through the city’s middle suburbs and across 13 stations.

The independent analysis requested by the state opposition found construction costs would be about $96bn, with every $1 spent returning social benefits of between 60 and 70 cents.

Updated

Good afternoon everyone! Plenty of news coming your way, including more nuclear reaction and the Brownlow Medal red carpet fashion later this evening.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on today’s blog. I’ll hand over to Natasha May who will guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care.

Updated

NFF president praises Tony Mahar’s ‘passion, professionalism and approachability’

Continuing from our last post, National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke has recognised Tony Mahar’s decade of service to the organisation and the agriculture sector, as he leaves to become the new Energy Infrastructure Commissioner.

Jochinke says:

During his tenure, Tony has strengthened NFF’s position as the leading national advocacy body for agriculture through his integrity, stakeholder management skills, and dedication to the industry.

His passion, professionalism and approachability earned him respect across industry, government, and corporate partners, and we have greatly appreciated his leadership …

It is a challenge to lead a national peak body, in this case bringing together all elements of our primary industries, and engaging effectively with supply chains both upstream and downstream, and I commend Tony’s professionalism, credibility, and determination in doing so.

Updated

Government appoints new Energy Infrastructure Commissioner

The Albanese government has appointed a new Energy Infrastructure Commissioner to facilitate the renewables rollout.

Tony Mahar, the outgoing chief executive of the National Farmers Federation, has been appointed to the role – to act as an intermediary between farming and regional communities, and industry and government.

A statement from climate minister Chris Bowen says Mahar’s work will include investigating the optimal delivery of long-term social and economic benefits to host areas, and “promoting more information and transparency to combat misinformation” about major energy projects.

Mahar will stand down from the NFF to take up this non-statutory appointment for an initial term of three years. Bowen says:

Mr Mahar has great experience working with business, government, farmers and farming communities and has the respect of both landholders and the energy industry.

Bowen thanked John Sheldon who served as the interim Commissioner, following the retirement of former Commissioner Andrew Dyer.

Updated

Independent MP says Dutton has ‘put forward no credible plan’ for cutting emissions

The Independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, says Peter Dutton has “put forward no credible plan for cutting carbon emissions and delivering reliable energy over the next decade”.

In a statement reacting to Dutton’s Monday speech about nuclear policy, Spender echoes earlier comments she has made that nuclear power can’t deliver in a 10-year timeframe.

There is no way nuclear can replace the 90% of coal-fired power due to exit in the next decade. We can’t let a debate on nuclear extend our reliance on fossil fuels and distract from the critical decarbonisation work of the next 10 years …

The Liberal party needs to commit to delivering a 43% reduction [in carbon] by 2030, in line with Australia’s international commitments. Currently, Peter Dutton won’t even commit to having a 2030 target. That’s not a credible climate policy.

Spender says Australians “can’t afford to wait until the late 2030s and 2040s and hope for a silver bullet” when it comes to addressing climate pollution.

Business needs policy certainty. It’s time to back our world-leading wind and solar resources – backed by storage and gas peaking – rather than creating uncertainty and scaring off investment.

Updated

Greens, Nats represent ‘populism going mad’, John Hewson says

Former leader of the Liberal party, John Hewson, has weighed in on the current state of Australian politics, writing on X:

Populism going mad – Greens want [the government] to set interest rates. The Nats want tax-free beer. Hang commonsense, history and the national interest.

Updated

Rain heading from central Australia to the east, this week

The Bureau of Meteorology has published a national weather forecast, looking at a rain band forecast over central and northern Australia, which is expected to push east in the coming days.

Updated

Electric cars crash through Aussie price barrier – again

Electric vehicles have crashed through another price barrier in Australia, AAP reports, with the cost of one new model reduced to less than $31,000 for the first time.

MG has gains lowered the price of electric vehicles in Australia, cutting the price of its entry-level MG4 hatchback to $30,990 until the end of October. That’s $8,000 less than its recommend price in August and comes despite strong sales for the vehicle in Australia.

The MG4 is now Australia’s cheapest electric car, followed by the MG SZ EV ($34,990) that had a price cut in August, and the GWM Ora hatchback that had held the title after a price cut in April ($35,990).

MG Motor Australia’s chief commercial officer, Giles Belcher, says the lower price is designed to encourage motorists to make the move.

We know that people may have been considering an EV but potentially have held off due to the cost. [This] ensures all buyers who had been thinking of making the switch to an EV now can thanks to the lower entry point.

Updated

Dutton sidesteps issue of nuclear power’s social license ‘problem’

Taking a final question, an audience member asks: Why does the Coalition believe that nuclear is going to have less of a social license problem than renewables?

Peter Dutton responds by talking about the debate itself:

I think this debate has progressed incredibly successfully in a short period of time. The government tried to run the safety issue to start with; I think [Peter] Malinauskas and others slapped them down. And we come now to a cost discussion, which is a very worthy discussion. But the international experience is going to mean that we can deliver it more cheaply here, and we can learn in a way that’s going to underpin our economy.

The Coalition has not yet released the cost involved with its nuclear policy, as we mentioned earlier. Dutton says this will be released “in due course”.

For more context on the question of cost, you can have a read of this piece from Graham Readfearn:

Updated

Dutton: Labor’s power policy driven by fear of losing ground to the Greens

Peter Dutton argued that the government is “more concerned about the domestic impact” of policy and “whether it’s going to drive people from the Labor party to the Greens.”

And the threat in Anthony Albanese’s seat is not from us. The Liberal Party won’t win Grayndler. He’s dead worried about the Greens because the Greens hold the local council divisions, they hold the state government seat, and they’re worried desperately about losing seats like that to the Greens, and unfortunately, our national interest is running second.

Updated

Dutton: In wake of Aukus deal, why not have a domestic nuclear industry?

Asked why previous Coalition governments didn’t pursue nuclear energy, Peter Dutton argues that it wasn’t possible before the Aukus deal.

We sought bipartisan support from the Labor Party. We were never – obviously – going to get it from the Greens, but we sought it from the Labor party because that was part of our negotiation with the US. And I don’t think the US would have signed up to Aukus without their being a bipartisan position.

And therefore, if under Aukus, you’re saying that nuclear technology is safe for submariners to sleep alongside and for those submarines, as I said before, to come into Australian ports, to be within a stone’s throw of residential housing and populations of Australians … If you have signed up under Aukus to dispose of waste at end-of-life, you have made a decision that it is safe to do so. And therefore, why not a domestic nuclear industry?

Updated

Holding up Ontario as model for power policy more than a little ‘bizarre’

Just back to that Ontario example that was raised: our own Graham Readfearn has examined Peter Dutton’s claims of cheap power prices there.

Prof Mark Winfield, a sustainable energy expert at Ontario’s York University, says he finds “the notion of holding Ontario up as a model for electricity and climate policy more than a little bizarre”.

For the full details, you can have read below:

Updated

Dutton called on to prove nuclear power cheaper than renewable energy

Another audience member asks Peter Dutton to provide “quantitative evidence” to back up the claim that nuclear power will deliver lower prices than renewable energy.

Dutton says that when you look at international examples, “you can see the cost per kilowatt … you can see the end cost … you can see where the research and development money is going, and that’s that’s the reality of it”.

Updated

Dutton claims per unit cost of nuclear ‘cheaper’ over time

An audience member asks how much debt Ontario took on to develop a nuclear industry?

Peter Dutton replies that when it comes to Ontario, you need to “look at the user price today”.

I think when you look at it on a comparable basis, we can look not just to the United States and to Europe [but also to] Asia and elsewhere, and if 19 of the top 20 economies in the world are on this pathway, we’re the only one, then I think your questions around costs [are] dealt with.

Uhlmann notes that in terms of debt, “we’re looking at something between 250 billion and half a trillion dollars”. Dutton responds:

I’m not going to the figures now … but the fact is that you end up with a much cheaper per unit cost under nuclear over time …

Updated

Dutton claims South Australian premier ‘fully signed up’ to nuclear

Peter Dutton is now taking questions from moderator Chris Uhlmann from Sky News.

He is asked about the fact nuclear energy is illegal not just at a federal level, but also at the state level, and how this might be navigated.

Dutton claims the South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas is “fully signed up to nuclear” and says:

The only reservation Peter Malinauskas has expressed about nuclear is in relation to cost, and I believe that we can deal with those concerns.

Updated

Dutton says his nuclear plan is ‘truly visionary’

Peter Dutton is wrapping up his speech, and told the conference:

We can’t switch nuclear power on tomorrow, even if the ban was lifted overnight. Like other countries, we need to ramp up our domestic gas production in the more immediate term to get power prices down and to restore stability to our grid. But what we can do is also ensure that Australia doesn’t miss the nuclear train.

The opposition leader said the Coalition’s desire to see Australia become a nuclear-powered country is “in our national interest” and claimed the policy is “truly visionary, and it’s a policy unlike any put forward by a political party this century”.

Updated

Dutton says costings of nuclear power plan coming ‘in due course’

Peter Dutton has been detailing the Coalition’s nuclear power plan, but still hasn’t announced the cost – saying it is coming “in due course”.

Our nuclear plan requires a significant upfront cost, and you can look at the international examples to see as much. But a whole new and vast transmission network and infrastructure won’t be needed under the plan that we’re putting forward …

We’ll release our costings in due course, at a time of our choosing. I know Chris Bowen believes he’s running this debate, but he’s not, and we’ll provide more detail on many elements …

And just as we were upfront about the locations of our nuclear sites – and as we’ve seen in the debate so far, the government hasn’t been able to dispute those seven sites that we’ve put forward – we’ll have more information about the cost of nuclear, we’ll have it in good time. It will be independently verified, and it will show a cost differential, which is significant in favour of nuclear coming into the mix.

Updated

Nuclear power: Germany shut its remaining plants in April 2023

Peter Dutton has been speaking about a number of international examples of nuclear policy, and – as we just mentioned – claimed Australia is the only country in the top 20 economies not using nuclear.

But that isn’t entirely true, as Adam Morton reports.

Germany, the world’s third biggest economy, shut its remaining nuclear plants in April last year, and Italy, Europe’s third biggest economy, also had a nuclear industry from the 60s, but shut its plants in 1990 after a referendum.

You can read the full article below:

Updated

Dutton says ‘it is clear’ Albanese government will not reach 2030 emissions target

Back at Peter Dutton’s speech in Sydney, he argues that “it is clear” the Albanese government won’t reach its 2030 reductions target.

Indeed, there is zero chance of the Albanese government reaching net zero by 2050, using renewables alone.

He also argues emissions are up since Labor has taken office, making the case for nuclear:

Australia is the only country in the top 20 economies that is not using zero-emissions nuclear power, or taking steps to put it into the mix.

As Dutton continues speaking, it’s worth reading this article from our environment editor, Adam Morton, looking at some of the key questions and claims being raised around nuclear:

Updated

Australian shares down, consumer staples biggest loser after ACCC action against Woolies and Coles

The Australian share market has dropped from record high levels, AAP reports, taking time to digest gains from its seven-day winning streak ahead of tomorrow’s Reserve Bank meeting.

At midday AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 65.8 points, or 0.8%, to 8,144.0, while the broader All Ordinaries was down 65.5 points, or 0.78%, to 8,371.7.

The consumer staples sector was the biggest loser, dropping 2.8% after the ACCC launched legal action against Woolworths and Coles for allegedly misleading buyers about their discounts.

Woolworths shares were down 3.2% to a six-week low of $33.87, while Coles had dropped 3.4% to a two-week low of $18.565.

Updated

Dutton begins nuclear energy speech at Ceda conference

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton is speaking at the Ceda conference in Sydney about the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy.

He says that energy “isn’t part of the economy, [but] is the economy”, and told the crowd the Coalition and Labor have very different approaches:

The path Labor is on with renewables only, in my judgment, is a dangerous one for our country. Labor’s policy will cause even higher energy costs and an even more unstable grid than what we’re seeing today. Labor’s energy policy, along with its … IR and environment policies, are creating an economic perfect storm, which is having a very negative impact on the economy.

He argued that the Coalition’s energy policy is “the only” plan for cheap and consistent energy, and that the Coalition “sees renewables and nuclear as companions, not as competitors.”

So the Coalition’s policy – like many other countries, the policies that they’ve adopted – it’s for an energy mix. Renewables firmed up by gas and nuclear.

Updated

Albanese on Greens: ‘They don’t talk about the environment any more’ but ‘some extreme agenda’

Anthony Albanese was asked about the prospect of working with the Greens from minority government, if that is the outcome of the election.

He responded that he was confident he would form majority government after the next election, and criticised both the Greens and Coalition:

What the Greens are doing is they defer votes on things. What that has done is defer the rollout of public housing, which we need … If you have an amendment to legislation, move it …

Adam Bandt has changed the way that the Greens party operate. They don’t talk about the environment any more, they talk about some extreme agenda. They seek to divide and they have that in common with Peter Dutton’s Liberal party, who are always seeking division, not seeking unity or not seeking to bring Australians together.

My government is focused on making a difference to the lives of Australians each and every day.

Updated

Katy Gallagher says opposition to RBA reforms ‘all politics’

Finance minister Katy Gallagher, who is also speaking to the media in Canberra, said that the government is still committed to its RBA reforms.

The bank supports the reforms. They’re important reforms to strengthen the independence of the RBA and to ensure that it is essentially set up for the job it needs to do in the future, so we remain committed to them.

This comes as the Greens said they wouldn’t back the reforms unless the government intervened to make the RBA cut rates. Gallagher continued:

I mean, this is all politics, right, and you know, I can’t think for a reason why the federal opposition would not support strengthening the independence of the RBA, were it not for politics, and the Greens are just crazy.

Updated

Albanese says divestiture powers ‘not the solution’

On the exposure draft, Anthony Albanese was asked if he would be open to divestiture powers, as the Coalition has proposed?

He said, “it doesn’t change my mind on it”.

It is rather extraordinary that you have a Coalition, a Liberal party, in 2024, along with the Greens political party, that have the same policies of breaking up capitalism.

If Coles sells their shop, who is going to move in to the local supermarket chain? Chances are they’d be divesting towards each other. That’s not the solution. What the solution is is making sure that you have an ACCC with pumped up powers.

Albanese said that this is “not rational policy” from the opposition, and they “are putting forward thought bubbles” – turning to nuclear energy ahead of Peter Dutton’s speech this afternoon:

And we’ve seen Peter Dutton give a speech today on nuclear energy where months after he said he would come clean with how much it would cost with all of the detail, we had none of it.

I have no idea why he’s giving this speech. I assume that they locked it in the diary in advance and said we’re going to give a speech about nuclear energy … and we’ll put out the costings and do all of that, and had a look at it and said, whoops, it doesn’t add up.

Updated

Albanese says if products cost more than they should ‘of course it has an inflationary impact’

Taking questions, the prime minister was asked about the ACCC’s alleged misleading conduct by the supermarkets – which dates back to the December quarter of 2022 when inflation peaked at 7.8%.

Does he think the supermarkets’ alleged actions contributed to inflation, and subsequently contributed to the Reserve Bank’s actions?

Anthony Albanese responded: “When you’re charging more for products than you should it of course has an inflationary impact, by definition.”

And we know that inflation is what the Reserve Bank is concentrating on in terms of monetary policy, as they should, to try to get it down to the band of 2% to 3%.

Updated

Albanese on ACCC action against supermarkets: ‘If this is found to be true, it’s completely unacceptable. This is not the Australian spirit’

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been speaking to reporters in Canberra.

He announced the launch of the exposure draft on the new mandatory food and grocery code – as Josh Butler reported earlier. The PM also commented on the ACCC’s court action against Woolworths and Coles, and said:

These are serious allegations that the ACCC is bringing before the courts. If this is found to be true, it’s completely unacceptable. This is not the Australian spirit. Customers don’t deserve to be treated as fools by the supermarkets. They deserve much, much better than that.

My government takes today’s announcement by the ACCC very seriously. As it’s before the courts, it would be inappropriate to comment further, but we will examine as the courts are able to deliberate. Shoppers are on the hunt for discounts when they do their weekly grocery shop, because every dollar matters when people get to the checkout. Advertised discounts need to be genuine – each and every time. Specials need to be real, because household budgets are tight. And I welcome the ACCC standing with supermarket shoppers.

Updated

Protestors gather outside Ceda conference ahead of Peter Dutton’s nuclear speech

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is due to give a speech on the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy at the Ceda conference at 1pm.

Some protesters have begun gathering outside the conference in Sydney, ahead of his speech:

Updated

Call for for Victorian FOI laws to be rebuilt ‘from the ground up’

Victoria’s Freedom of Information laws are struggling to meet the needs of a modern democracy and must be entirely rebuilt from the ground up, according to a parliamentary review.

As AAP reports, the report released today has revealed Victorians are forced to wait up to a year to access their own medical records or other personal information from what’s been described as an “impenetrable” 40-year old system. The report stated:

Victoria’s first-generation FOI legislation cannot be repaired, or even renovated ... the legislation needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Many government agencies take a “defensive approach” and purposely release as little information as possible, Integrity and Oversight committee chair Tim Read said.

More than two-thirds of the 48,000 requests for information each year relate to individuals wanting information about themselves. Dr Read said delays, complexity, high fees, public records in a poor state and an unhelpful culture contributed to the current system’s reputation for being impenetrable.

The parliamentary committee made 101 recommendations including replacing existing legislation with an entirely new “Right to Information” law, widening the scope from “documents” to all information in the digital age and a presumption that requested details will be released.

It also called to abolish fees related to requests for personal information and limiting other charges.

Updated

Choice says price of food and groceries consistently ranked as number one concern

Rosie Thomas, the director of campaigns at consumer group Choice, has been speaking with ABC TV about the court action ACCC is taking against Coles and Woolworths.

Thomas said that late last year, Choice wrote to ACCC with examples of discount claims it “didn’t think stacked up”.

This action today is a really excellent example of the power of the consumer voice … We know that consumers are really doing it tough, and the cost of food and groceries is really at the top of the list.

Consistently for a number of years now, food and grocery prices have ranked at the top of Choice’s quarterly surveys about what consumers are most concerned about. That figure has been almost 90% of consumers are worried about this, so it’s definitely something where people are feeling the pinch.

Updated

Doctors warn of the health risks of nuclear power ahead of Dutton speech

As the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, plans to deliver a major speech with further details on how Australia could use nuclear energy, medical group Doctors for the Environment Australia say it rejects nuclear power because of the its high health risks.

Dutton will deliver the keynote address around lunchtime today at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (Ceda) conference, laying out how the Coalition’s proposal to build seven nuclear reactors across five states would work.

The Doctors for the Environment statement warns:

  • Uranium – the most widely used fuel by nuclear power plants – is a heavy metal with the potential to harm our health, including kidney failure, diminished bone growth and damaged DNA, the genetic blueprint of life.

  • The high-level radioactive waste it creates cannot be safely disposed of and there is no known secure long-term storage. Every stage of mining, transport, processing, using and attempting to dispose of radioactive fuel has the significant potential to contaminate the environment and endanger workers and those living nearby.

  • Potential health and environmental risks arise from uranium mining and processing because it contaminates the environment with radioactive dust, radon gas, water-borne toxins, and increased levels of background radiation.

  • Nuclear power plants themselves produce radioactive emissions in air and water, in addition to other nuclear waste. Workers in the nuclear industry show higher rates of cancer.

  • Nuclear cannot decarbonise the energy sector fast enough to avert catastrophic climate change, and distracts from and delays more reliable, safer and cheaper renewable technologies.

  • Nuclear power plants are vulnerable to extreme weather – cyclones and storms, floods, droughts and fires, as well as sea level rise. Nuclear power outages have occurred due to these factors already and are likely to increase.

  • There is an extensive history and ongoing risk of nuclear accidents and incidents, including at Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011.

  • Nuclear power requires large amounts of water. Reduced water supplies will be felt hard by our regional and remote communities.

  • The industry emerges from the history of nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining on First Nations lands without consent, and may continue to disproportionately affect First Nations people.

Updated

Meta says more teens under 18 in Australia on Instagram than Facebook

The proportion of teens under 18 on Facebook is significantly lower than the number of teens on Instagram, according to new data from Meta.

The company, which announced an overhaul to the accounts of teenagers under 18 on Instagram last week, revealed in response to a question from a Senate inquiry last week that based on self-reported ages of users on the two platforms in Australia, 10% of Instagram users are under 18, while for Facebook it is just 5%.

Meta said it was currently working to comply with a notice from the eSafety commissioner to break down the figure to the ages of those under 18, which will probably feed into the public debate over what limit the age ban should be. The Coalition favours 16, while the federal government has indicated the minimum age will probably be somewhere between 14 and 16.

Meta also pushed back at the use of the term “scraping” for it using public posts from Facebook and Instagram in training its AI. It argues scraping refers to third-party accessing of data from the internet, which Meta’s is not because it is on its own platform.

While Meta has admitted to using public posts in its AI training, the company said it goes out of its way from other companies scraping the data. Meta said:

We devote substantial resources to combating unauthorised scraping on Facebook products. We have a dedicated Anti-Scraping Team, including data scientists, analysts, and engineers focused on our efforts to detect, block, and deter scraping.

Updated

Hazard-reduction burn in Sydney’s Beacon Hill

The NSW Rural Fire Service says it is conducting a 1-hectare hazard reduction burn in Sydney’s northern beaches, around Beacon Hill.

The burn is located 1km from the Meatworks Avenue fire, which is burning at advice level.

Updated

McKim says RBA board are ‘not high priests who are beyond criticisim’

The Greens have hit back at Labor government criticism over their stance on the Reserve Bank reforms, with senator Nick McKim saying the RBA board are “not high priests who are beyond criticism”.

Labor’s latest stoush with the Greens goes to reforms at the RBA, with the government seeking to establish a new board to deal with monetary policy. The Coalition has refused to back the change, leaving Labor to deal with the Greens – who have said they won’t support the reforms until interest rates go down, either by the RBA’s normal decisions, or by Jim Chalmers using arcane legislative provisions to force them to lower the rates.

It’s led to another round of Labor v Greens bickering. McKim, the Greens treasury spokesperson, said they weren’t backing down on their criticisms. McKim tweeted this morning:

We are unashamedly using our political power to fight for mortgage holders who are getting smashed by high interest rates. Housing affordability has never been worse in Australia, and the RBA governor has admitted some Australians will have to sell their homes. We need action.

Time for Jim Chalmers to end his ritual ashen-faced handwringing, end the pretence there’s nothing he can do, and intervene to bring down interest rates.

McKim pointed out soaring rent and mortgage rates, and backed in the Greens’ tactic of “deliberately bringing the RBA into the centre of the political debate where it belongs”.

The RBA board are unelected technocrats, not high priests who are beyond criticism. Every decision they make is political. The Greens will keep fighting until interest rates come down.

Updated

DHL downplays delivery impact as 1200 workers strike

As we brought you earlier via AAP, about 1,200 DHL workers have planned a four-hour work stoppage at warehouses in NSW and Victoria today.

As AAP reports now, DHL has said it has taken measures to minimise the impact of the strike on customers. A spokesman said in a statement:

This is supported with the assistance of over 3000 DHL team members nationally who continue to service our customers.

The United Workers Union has been trying to negotiate new workplace agreements since March, including a 21% pay rise over three years for NSW workers, and a 10% rise each year for three years for Victorian workers.

The company said it had offered workers a wage increase in the form of an upfront, one-off payment. The spokesperson said:

We regret that the UWU has been determined to lead the taking of protected industrial action against DHL, despite the fact that a large part of the workforce have accepted and received our offer.

However, we are confident that DHL employees will be able to vote up these agreements and receive wage increases as soon as possible.

Updated

Victorian man charged for alleged unauthorised radio transmissions to aircraft

The Australian federal police have charged a Melbourne man for allegedly interfering with aviation radio networks to “broadcast various chants and false mayday recordings”.

The man, 45, is expected to appear in Melbourne magistrates court today and face three charges for the alleged radio interference at Melbourne airport over a two-month period.

An investigation commenced this month, with investigators executing a search warrant on Saturday at the man’s Lower Plenty residence. Officers allegedly located and seized four handheld radios and associated equipment, allegedly used to transmit the interference – including two mobile phones with recordings of chants and mayday messages.

The man was arrested and charged with three offences, including one count of radio transmission capable of prejudicing the safe operation of an aircraft.

Updated

Australia to provide additional $10m in humanitarian aid to Gaza

The government has announced it will provide an additional $10m in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In a statement, the government said funding would be directed to Unicef and UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) to provide “lifesaving assistance, with a focus on women and girls, including the delivery of nutrition support, as well as hygiene and dignity kits.”

Since 7 October, Australia has committed $82.5m in humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said:

Australia’s support will help address the dire humanitarian situation with the delivery of nutrition and essential hygiene and health products. Rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian relief must reach civilians, and aid workers must be protected to enable their lifesaving work.

We continue to press for a ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the release of hostages.

The minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, said the situation in Gaza is “catastrophic” and that “civilians should not be made to pay the price for the horrendous acts of others”.

Updated

The ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, was asked about the interim report on supermarkets handed to Treasury, and where this investigation sits in relation to that. She responded:

These considerations and these allegations actually were brought to us before the commencement of the supermarket inquiry and the supermarket inquiry is excluding and not considering those specific elements.

Updated

Asked just how big this is, Gina Cass-Gottlieb said it was “very significant”.

The conduct we are considering is very serious.

It is part of one of our most important priorities to protect consumers this year, which has related to the pricing of essential products and services, and you can’t get more essential than food and grocery products.

Asked if one supermarket was more egregious than the other, she replied:

We do consider it is significant behaviour for each of them and don’t think that actually it does justice to either to make a comparison.

Cass-Gottlieb was also asked if the people in charge should stand down, and responded: “That decision is a decision for the supermarkets and the board of the supermarkets.”

Updated

Gina Cass-Gottlieb was also asked about the potential of a class action from consumers, and said there is “always a potential of class actions” when consumers “have been harmed”.

We are seeking, through the community service order, in order to give to the community and the most needy members of our community, redress.

The ACCC is seeking community service orders that Woolworths and Coles each fund a registered charity to deliver meals to Australians in need.

She detailed this order further, and said:

We will put to the court that there should be a substantial additional donation to charities that are providing food relief and meals in aid to needy families and that each of Coles and Woolworths are ordered to pay additional donations to support that.

Updated

Gina Cass-Gottlieb detailed the material harm to consumers from the alleged actions:

When the discounts are not genuine, consumers are foregoing buying products at another store which is offering genuine discounts or buying a different product that has a genuine discount.

Q: Does the fact that consumers picked this up suggest that they aren’t even trying to hide it? Are you concerned about how brazen the supermarkets are being?

Gina Cass-Gottlieb:

We have both exercised our enforcement and investigation powers here, following on the tipoffs … from consumers.

We are also looking in depth at the supermarket sector, pursuant to a government direction in order to look at competition, costs, prices and margins. We are testing this behaviour in multiple ways.

Updated

Gina Cass-Gottlieb was asked if she was “stunned” these alleged actions happened? She responded:

What we can see is that consumers do come to understand and to consider, after seeing very lengthy periods of sustained price reductions, and a very short significant price increase … Consumers come to understand these aren’t genuine price reductions.

She pointed to the example of the Oreo Family Pack product, which we detailed earlier.

Updated

Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the ACCC is seeking “a significant penalty” from Woolworths and Coles, but there is no dollar figure at this point.

This is serious conduct. It is of great concern to us and it affected many consumers with millions of products sold, [allegedly] subject to this practice. That penalty has to be high enough to be not a cost of doing business for such major companies to deter them from this conduct in the future and deter all retailers from this manner of conduct.

ACCC chair addresses media about court action against Woolworths and Coles

Chair of the ACCC, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, is speaking to the media following news it would take court action against Woolworths and Coles over its “prices dropped” and “down down” promotions, which it alleges were misleading.

She told reporters about how the investigation began:

We first identified this conduct because of contact from consumers. We then tracked social media and saw on X, reddit and TikTok that hundreds of consumers were reporting prices that they did not consider were genuine. We followed that up with our own in-depth investigation using our compulsory powers.

We understand that many consumers are seeking to manage their household budgets, including through the use of discounts on their grocery purchases. In times of cost of living pressures, it is critical that all pricing claims and price discount claims are accurate.

Government releases exposure draft on mandatory food and grocery code

At the same time as the ACCC court action against Coles and Woolworths, the government has released its exposure draft on a new mandatory Food and Grocery Code that will apply to the big supermarkets and subject them to multimillion-dollar fines.

This comes after the review of the old grocery code. The government’s plans, announced by the assistant minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, would implement the recommendations of Craig Emerson’s review in full. Leigh said in a statement:

The new Code will help to ensure our supermarkets are as competitive as they can be so Australians get the best prices possible.

The new conditions would see Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and Metcash “subject to multi‑million‑dollar penalties for serious breaches”. Leigh said:

The Code increases protections for suppliers by introducing strengthened dispute resolution arrangements, and new obligations to protect suppliers from retribution, which will be complemented by the creation of an anonymous supplier and whistle‑blower complaints pathway through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

His announcement dropped into inboxes just after 9am – around the same time as the ACCC action about advertising of supermarket discounts was announced.

Consultation on the new grocery code is open today, until 18 October. Consultation on related amendments to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 is open until 4 October.

Updated

Dutton says he would abolish position of First Nations ambassador

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has said he would axe the First Nations ambassador if elected.

This comes after the Daily Telegraph reported the Albanese government approved spending of more than $350,000 last financial year to send the ambassador on nine overseas trips – mostly to the US and Europe. Justin Mohamed was appointed to the new role in March 2023.

Speaking to 2GB radio this morning, Dutton said:

If it is the case that we win the next election, that position will be abolished on day one … I think this is a waste of money …

It’s the only position of its nature in the world … It will be a very different way of governing if we win the next election.

Updated

DHL workers strike in NSW and Victorian warehouses

Around 1,200 DHL workers have planned a four-hour work stoppage at 23 warehouses in NSW and Victoria today, AAP reports.

The United Workers Union has been trying to negotiate new workplace agreements since March, including a 21% pay rise over three years for NSW workers, and 10% each year for three years for Victorian workers.

The stoppage will affect big brands including Mattel, Nike, Australia Post, Samsung, and the union said it had contacted DHL to ensure life-saving medicine deliveries would not be affected.

UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy said in a statement:

This is a cost-of-living strike. Workers at DHL sites are earning below industry standards, working very hard to make ends meet.

The union has also complained about a proposal to pay new employees less, with DHL workers writing in a statement:

How can they justify lower new starter rates when cost of living is going up? It can cause friction between people who do the same role for different pay rates, that isn’t fair.

AAP has contacted DHL for comment.

Updated

The ACCC provided an example of the alleged conduct by Woolworths, focusing on the Oreo Family Pack product. It said in a statement:

From at least 1 January 2021 until 27 November 2022, Woolworths offered the Oreo Family Pack Original 370g product for sale at a regular price of $3.50 on a pre-existing ‘Prices Dropped’ promotion for at least 696 days.

On 28 November 2022, the price was increased to $5.00 for a period of 22 days. On 20 December 2022, the product was placed on a ‘Prices Dropped’ promotion with the tickets showing a ‘Prices Dropped’ price of $4.50 and a ‘was’ price of $5.00. The ‘Prices Dropped’ price of $4.50 was in fact 29 per cent higher than the product’s previous regular price of $3.50.

In this example, the ACCC alleges Woolworths had planned the temporary price spike to establish a new higher ‘was’ price for the subsequent ‘promotion’. Woolworths had decided (after a request from the supplier for a price increase) on or around 18 November 2022 to take the product off ‘Prices Dropped’, increase the price, and then put the product back on to ‘Prices Dropped’ three weeks later.

Updated

More on the ACCC court action against Woolworths and Coles

Continuing from our last post: the ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, alleged that Woolworths and Coles breached Australian consumer law by “making misleading claims about discounts, when the discounts were, in fact, illusory”.

The ACCC alleges the conduct involved 266 products for Woolworths across 20 months, and 245 products for Coles at different times across 15 months. Cass-Gottlieb said:

Many consumers rely on discounts to help their grocery budgets stretch further, particularly during this time of cost of living pressures. It is critical that Australian consumers are able to rely on the accuracy of pricing and discount claims.

The ACCC estimates Woolworths and Coles sold tens of millions of the affected products and “derived significant revenue from those sales”, it said.

The ACCC is seeking declarations, penalties, costs and other orders. It is also seeking community service orders that Woolworths and Coles each fund a registered charity to deliver meals to Australians in need.

Updated

ACCC taking Coles and Woolworths to court over alleged misleading claims

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking Woolworths and Coles to court, over allegedly making misleading “prices dropped” and “down down” claims.

The allegations relate to products sold by Woolworths and Coles at regular long-term prices which remained the same, excluding short-term specials, for at least six months and in many cases for at least a year, the ACCC said.

The products were then subject to price rises of at least 15% for brief periods, before being placed in Woolworths “prices dropped” and Coles’ “down down” promotions at prices lower than during the price spike but higher than, or the same as, the regular price that applied before the spike, the ACCC said.

Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said:

Following many years of marketing campaigns by Woolworths and Coles, Australian consumers have come to understand that the ‘Prices Dropped’ and ‘Down Down’ promotions relate to a sustained reduction in the regular prices of supermarket products. However, in the case of these products, we allege the new ‘Prices Dropped’ and ‘Down Down’ promotional prices were actually higher than, or the same as, the previous regular price.

Moving to housing, Nick McKim was asked what it would take for the Greens to back some of Labor’s proposals – including help to buy.

He said the Greens want to see action on negative gearing and on the capital gains tax discount:

We have $176bn planned to be handed out to property speculators over the next decade. And what that means is that renters who want to get into the market to buy their first home are bidding against property speculators with all of these massive tax breaks … some who own seven or 70 or in some cases many hundreds of investment properties have this unfair advantage.

We want to see something done to level the playing field so renters can get in the housing market, and we also want to see a reform that isn’t going to do more – as Labor’s reforms will – to put up housing prices in a market which is already seeing housing unaffordability at the worst rate in the country’s history.

McKim says Greens ‘make no apology’ for ‘dragging RBA into political debate’

Given that the treasurer Jim Chalmers has already said he is unlikely to intervene in the RBA, Nick McKim was asked what else the Greens would need to see to support the reforms? Or would they be “happy to see it die”?

He responded:

If Jim Chalmers wants this bill passed, as he said he does, and if the governor of the Reserve Bank, Michele Bullock, wants to see this bill passed, as she has said she does, they know what they’ve got to do.

We’re agnostic in terms of whether it’s Jim Chalmers using his powers to bring interest rates down, or whether the RBA actually make a decision to bring interest rates down, we just want to see some relief for mortgage holders.

McKim said the Greens “make no apology” for their stance or for “dragging the RBA into the political debate, because every decision the RBA makes is political.”

High interest rates are driving a mass transfer of wealth out of the pockets of mortgage holders and into the already eye-wateringly large profits of the big banking corporations in Australia. It’s time for some action.

Asked if an intervention into the RBA to cut rates would “shatter” its independence, Nick McKim argued that the “Reserve Bank has never been independent.”

That’s unambiguous, the power exists in Australian law for the government of day to set interest rates. We’re simply urging the government to step in, bring interest rates down, and provide some much-needed relief for mortgage holders who are getting absolutely smashed at the moment.

We’ve got the governor of the Reserve Bank out recently saying that people, some people are going to have to sell their homes because of high interest rates, housing affordability has never been worse as I said, it’s time for significant action. It’s time for significant relief. We make no apologies for fighting for renters and we make no apologies for fighting for mortgage holders.

Greens senator defends ultimatum on RBA reform

The Greens senator Nick McKim is speaking with ABC News Breakfast, after the Greens earlier announced they wouldn’t help Labor pass its RBA reforms unless it intervenes to cut interest rates.

Responding to comments from the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, that the Greens were “out of control”, McKim responded: “I can tell Labor what is out of control, and that is the housing crisis in Australia.”

And if she thinks we’re damaging, I can also tell Labor what is damaging, and that is the fact that rents have gone up 30% since Labor came into power, and we’ve had a record series of 13 interest rate rises in a row.

Renters and mortgage holders are getting smashed. Housing affordability, on the figures out this morning, has never been worse in Australia. And we are unambiguously using our political power in the parliament to fight to bring interest rates down [so] mortgage holders get some much needed relief.

Updated

Brandis outlines concerns over US support of Ukraine in conflict if Trump is re-elected

George Brandis says that the Australian government is not giving the priority to the defence of Ukraine that it ought to.

The former attorney general and former high commissioner to the UK spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning and described the war in Ukraine as “a conflict of global dimensions”.

Because it … potentially sets against one another all the great superpowers. Russia is enabled by China, Ukraine resistance is supported by the West, led by the United States and European nations …

Were Russia to succeed, [it] will be the most important defeat for the western democracies since the second world war.

Brandis said if Donald Trump is re-elected as US president, he believes one of the first things he would do is pull American military support from Ukraine. Brandis said he “very much fear[s] the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House”.

People on my side of politics concerning Mr Trump have been to the effect [saying] that were Trump to be re-elected, the Australia-US relationship would continue, largely as is, and in particular, that Aukus will be safe …

My concern is a broad concern, not about the bilateral Australia-US relationship, but about America’s broader commitment to the defence of the democracies … [against] authoritarian powers who are more linked up at the moment than they have been in two generations.

Updated

Victorian Pride Lobby says slate of candidates trying to ban LGBTQ+ books

The Victorian Pride Lobby’s Rainbow Local Government campaign says a slate of candidates running in the upcoming Whittlesea city council elections are trying to ban books with LGBTQ+ content.

The group of candidates, led by Aidan McLindon, the former deputy leader of the far-right Freedom party, is pushing for books containing information on sexuality to “be withdrawn” from public libraries. Equality advocates say the group is censoring LGBTQ+ content.

Sean Mulcahy, co-lead of the Rainbow Local Government campaign, said:

Our libraries must remain safe spaces for diverse ideas and beliefs where everyone is seen, heard, and valued. People have the right to choose which library books they read and borrow and which library events they attend – without interference.

This comes in the wake of a failed attempt by Cumberland city council in NSW to impose a similar book ban.

Updated

Dutton to lay out detail on nuclear power plan in speech today

Further details on how Australia could use nuclear energy are set to be revealed in a major speech by the opposition leader on the power proposal, AAP reports.

Peter Dutton will give an address to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia today, laying out how the Coalition’s proposal to build seven nuclear reactors across five states would work. However, it’s not expected the cost of building the reactors will be unveiled in the speech.

The coalition outlined in June plans to build reactors in the Hunter Valley and Lithgow in NSW, the Latrobe Valley in Victoria, Callide and Tarong in Queensland, Port Augusta in South Australia and Collie in Western Australia, should it win the next election.

Should the proposal go ahead, it would be 10 to 12 years before the first reactor is built, before the remainder are constructed from the 2040s.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the Coalition proposal would not solve energy issues in Australia, telling Sky News yesterday:

Peter Dutton’s nuclear fantasy is economic insanity. It costs more, it will push power prices up, it will take longer. He needs to come clean … in this speech: what will it cost, what will it mean for power bills, how will he pay for it, and what will Australia do for the decades it will take to build these reactors?

Updated

Independent says Greens ultimatum on RBA reforms ‘extreme’

The Independent MP for Mackellar, Sophie Scamps, has responded to comments from the Greens that it won’t help Labor pass its RBA reforms unless it intervenes to cut interest rates.

In a post to X, Scamps labelled the move “extreme”:

Calling for the treasurer to intervene and cut interest rates is extreme. The independence of the RBA is critical to our economic system.

NSW firefighters continuing to fight Sydney northern beaches fire that broke containment lines

Inspector Ben Shepherd from the NSW Rural Fire Service was speaking with ABC News Breakfast earlier.

A hazard reduction burn that burst containment lines in Sydney’s northern beaches over the weekend has been brought under control – with significant smoke likely in the area as the fire continues to burn. Shepherd said:

Primarily the fire is contained. There’s still a small section towards Oxford Falls that firefighters will need to work on today, and hopefully then this afternoon we’ll really be on the mopping up and we’ll do that over the coming days.

He said there has “no doubt been [an] incredibly wet period” over the past three years, especially for NSW, leading to increased fuel growth.

This area up on Red Hill hasn’t burned since 1994 – [although] there have been areas around this actual burn that were treated, this main part was not treated since 1994 …

[The] whole area has been treated and they’ll have protection, not just this fire season but for fire seasons to come.

This wasn’t the intent of the burn at the time. We are glad we got it in, but we never wanted to see this amount of escalation on that fire ground.

Shepherd hopes firefighters can declare the fire out towards the end of the week.

Updated

Call for thousands of blood donors as demand soars

Blood demand is at a 12-year high and plasma is even more in need, AAP reports, sparking a call for Australians to roll up their sleeves.

The Red Cross is urging 100,000 Australians – the same number who will fill the MCG for the AFL grand final on Saturday – to donate for the first time over the next year.

More than 560,000 people actively donate to maintain the population’s blood and plasma supply. However, new donors are needed to keep up with the growing nation.

Executive director of donor experience Cath Stone said:

We know 100,000 people will show up if they have a compelling reason to do so, like cheering on their team at the MCG. We’re calling on 100,000 people to find their reason to show up to donate blood and plasma.

Demand for blood has increased 10% in the past four years while the demand for plasma is even more, reaching an all-time high. The Red Cross now collects more blood than plasma with the substance used to treat more than 50 serious medical conditions.

Stone said with Australia’s ageing population and advances in treatment options, more donors are needed.

Updated

Gallagher claims negotiation not happening ‘behind office doors’ with Greens on help to buy scheme

Circling back to Katy Gallagher’s interview on ABC News Breakfast: she was asked about negotiations around the help-to-buy scheme, and if the government would work with the Greens to pass this?

The finance minister responded:

We’ve been trying to negotiate with them. I think the housing minister, [Clare] O’Neil, has met with their housing spokesperson. They’re not trying to negotiate. They are saying we want to negotiate in the media, but behind the office doors there’s none of that happening.

She said that Peter Dutton and Adam Bandt were “working together” to stop the scheme.

I mean, I don’t know how you … say you’re after improvements in housing and then vote against a help-to-buy scheme which is about trying to get people into home ownership. But that’s what happened last week. The RBA waving the threat around this morning is just another example of the Greens political party and the Liberal party working together.

For more on this, Paul Karp spoke with Full Story host Nour Haydar on all things housing last week:

Updated

Latest polls show equal weighting for PM and Dutton in eyes of voters

Anthony Albanese is returning from the Quad summit to a close battle with the opposition for voter sentiment, according to the latest polls.

As AAP reports, support is equal for the prime minister and the opposition leader Peter Dutton, with each notching 35% in one gauge of voter sentiment.

The remaining 30% remain undecided, according to Resolve Political Monitor analysis for the Sydney Morning Herald, based on responses from 4,620 voters between July and September.

Albanese leads Dutton in the two most populous states of Victoria (39% to 33%) and NSW (36% to 34%), the newspaper reports.

As parliament resumes after the winter break, the latest Newspoll conducted for the Australian has Labor and the Coalition neck-and-neck on a two-party-preferred basis for the third time since May 2022.

Cost-of-living and inflation pressures are continuing to add pressure to the Labor government, while the Coalition has increased its primary vote lead to an equal post-election high. However, its seven-point lead on first preferences isn’t enough to put the Liberals and ­Nationals into an election-­winning position.

Indeed, the majority of voters – 57% – believe a minority Labor or minority Coalition government is the most likely outcome at the next election.

Updated

Gallagher on national debt and latest polling data

Katy Gallagher was also asked about news that the final budget outcome will show gross debt in 2023-24 is $149.1bn lower than what Labor inherited at the time of the election, as Paul Karp reported earlier.

The finance minister said it was “a huge difference”.

So we continue to chip away at that. The less we have to borrow, the less interest we pay, the better the budget shape is in. And you know, that’s been a key part of Jim [Chalmers] and my approach to the budget is looking at ways we can invest in good, high quality services, but at the same time, getting the budget in much better shape than when we came to government.

Host Patricia Karvelas asked if the “economic story” the government was telling was resonating with voters, given the Coalition had lifted to a stronger position nationwide? Gallagher responded:

I don’t think it’s any surprise that people, when they’re feeling those cost of living pressures, will seek to attribute responsibility. Our job, though, is to turn up and continue to make the right economic decisions for the times that we’ve got right now … I’m not going to pretend it isn’t a complicated story to tell, and that, you know, the numbers that you’ll be talking about in the papers today, I think, reflect people’s experience of doing it tough at the moment.

We’ll have more details on the latest polling numbers in a moment.

Updated

Gallagher questioned on prospect of minority government

Katy Gallagher was also asked about the prospect of a minority government, and where this places the government in terms of being able to work with the Greens. This was her full response:

In the Senate, it’s a minority chamber. You work with everybody in in that chamber. It’s the Greens, there’s a very large crossbench, there’s the National Party and the Liberal Party. That is not unusual to have minority government in the Senate. So, in order to do anything PK, we’ve got 25 votes, we have to get 39, so it requires us to talk to people and work with people.

But in terms of the election campaign – and I hope that people are engaging on some of these crazy ideas the Greens have, and the fact that Peter Dutton is blocking some sensible areas, like our Help to Buy scheme in the housing program, and see that the government is genuinely trying to push forward on both on all of these issues in the long term interests of this country.

And that’s why we will continue to campaign for majority government. And there’s a lot of what ifs. It’s very hard to speculate what ifs. I mean, the Australian people have their say when the election is held, but we are certainly campaigning for majority government.

Gallagher says government ‘not going to be threatened’ by Greens on RBA reform

Host Patricia Karvelas:

The two groups you need talking to you are not going to deliver what you’ve asked, so [the RBA reforms are] essentially dead. I mean, you might be keeping them on the table, but no one’s picking up what you’ve got on the table.

Finance minister Katy Gallagher:

Well, we remain committed to them, PK, and you know if – and I would say the more likely path is if Peter Dutton stops being stubborn and engages with us – there is a way through on this. I don’t know why they have dealt themselves out on this…

They know this is good, sensible policy, and I would urge them to reconsider their opinion, their position, because we’re not going to go around being threatened, having the finger wave by Nick McKim saying that the government should rip up the way the bank the fiscal and monetary policy systems have worked in this country very successfully without political interference on the monetary policy side for decades.

Gallagher says government remains committed to RBA reforms

Katy Gallagher was also up on ABC RN this morning, where she was again asked about the Greens’ position regarding the RBA reforms. She responded:

Well, I just think the Greens are out of control at the moment, full of self importance and out seeking populist approach to everything. It’s crazy what they’re saying to us.

So if that’s their ultimatum – and you know, it’s a bit unseemly, Nick McKim going around issuing ultimatums – you know, no, we won’t work with that, because that is crazy. It’s economically irresponsible, and we won’t do it.

Gallagher said that the government remained committed to the RBA reforms:

They remain on the table. We’re pretty keen on them. So is the bank, and we certainly thought that the Reserve Bank support for these reforms would sway the Liberal Party… The treasurer has been working with the shadow treasurer closely on it, but they’ve dealt themselves out, for whatever reason…

Gallagher accuses Greens of ‘trying to be populist’

During her interview on ABC News Breakfast just earlier, finance minister Katy Gallagher was asked about the Greens’ ultimatum – and whether she thinks that should happen or could happen?

She responded: “I think the Greens are out of control at the moment” and there is “good reason” the bank is independent:

[The Greens are] just trying to be populist, but [that] can cause a lot of damage at the same time… The Greens political party are teaming up with the Liberal Party. I think it’s Peter Dutton and Adam Bandt working together to frustrate sensible challenges that are in the long-term interests of the country.

Our political correspondent Paul Karp has more on this topic, as we await the RBA’s announcement tomorrow:

Greens won't pass Labor's Reserve Bank reforms until interest rates are cut

The Greens have said they won’t help pass Labor’s RBA reforms until interest rates are cut.

In a statement, the party said that by cutting rates by 25 basis points, repayments on an average recent mortgage of $641,000 would reduce by around $100 a month, a saving of $1200 a year.

The Greens said that once interest rates are reduced, the Greens would back the treasurer’s legislation to restructure the RBA – as long as two existing provisions are retained in their current form: the provision allowing the treasurer to override decisions of the RBA, and the provision allowing the RBA to direct the money they advance to commercial banks into productive parts of the economy.

Senator Nick McKim said in a statement:

The Treasurer has the power to step in, he’s just not using it. The Reserve Bank could act, but they are not acting…

For weeks the treasurer has acknowledged the economy is being smashed, and that mortgage holders are being smashed by high interest rates – yet to date he’s done nothing about it despite having the power to reduce interest rates…

We aren’t going to pass Labor’s Reserve Bank reforms until interest rates are cut. The Reserve Bank Board are not infallible high-priests of the economy who are above criticism… The Greens won’t support these reforms until either the RBA cuts interest rates or Dr Chalmers forces them to.

Updated

Katy Gallagher questioned on tomorrow’s RBA rate announcement

The Reserve Bank of Australia is meeting again this week, with another decision on rates expected tomorrow. The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has been making the rounds this morning, speaking with ABC News Breakfast on this.

Asked if she is worried the RBA will wait too long to cut rates, Gallagher responded that “we don’t comment on the decision of the Reserve Bank” – whose job is to bring down inflation while “our job is to make sure [we’re] helping people with cost of living”.

Gallagher was asked if she is worried she will cop more blame and this could see a result at the ballot box? She responded:

Governments have to deal with the economic circumstances that are there before us. We inherited an inflation challenge with a six in front of it, it’s moderated in welcome ways, but we get that people are doing it tough … We’re doing what we can whilst we’re trying to wrangle with this inflation challenge to make sure we’re helping people with the cost of living pressures they’re under.

Updated

Damaging wind warning for parts of Tasmania

In more weather news, a severe weather warning is in place for damaging winds across much of Tasmania today.

The Bureau of Meteorology says an approaching cold front is tightening the pressure gradient across the state, resulting in vigorous westerly winds.

Winds will start to ease once the front has crossed the state late this afternoon, however winds will remain gusty.

Damaging westerly winds around 60-70km/h with gusts around 100km/h are likely across southern, central, and eastern parts of the state, including over Hobart.

Meanwhile peak gusts around 120 km/h are possible about the eastern coastal strip district between Scamander and Swansea, as well as exposed and elevated areas of the state.

Locations which may be affected include St Helens, Swansea, New Norfolk, Hobart, Geeveston and Dover.

Prepare to leave warning for Queensland town amid fire

A “prepare to leave” warning remans in place for the rural Queensland town of Lakeland, amid a fast-moving fire.

According to the Queensland Fire Department, the fire is burning along Mulligan Highway towards Peninsula Developmental Road. Conditions may get worse quickly, it said, with firefighters working to contain the blaze.

The department said some properties are at risk and the fire is likely to impact the community in the coming hours.

Meanwhile, a fire ban for southwest Queensland is in place from today to Wednesday, due to heightened fire conditions. This will cover Toowoomba, the Southern Downs, Western Downs, Goondiwindi, Maranoa, Balonne, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie and Bulloo LGAs.

Australia overtakes Russia in Asia influence rankings

Australia has jumped one place in the Lowy Institute’s annual Asia Power Index, largely due to Russia going backwards as a result of its war in Ukraine.

The thinktank ranks 27 countries and territories to rank their relative power in Asia. It is based on 131 indicators across eight broad themes: military capability, defence networks, economic capability, economic relationships, diplomatic influence, cultural influence, resilience and future resources.

In its 2024 report, released last night, the Lowy Institute continued to rank the United States in first place and China in second place, although Beijing was steadily eroding Washington’s comparative military capability advantage:

For the first time, experts surveyed for the Asia Power Index judged that China is better able to deploy rapidly and for a sustained period in the event of an interstate conflict in Asia.

The report said India’s power in Asia was growing and it had overtaken Japan to take third place for its comprehensive power for the first time. After Japan in fourth place, Australia was ranked fifth in the 2024 index, an improvement from the sixth place it held last year.

Australia has traded places with Russia, the report said, because the latter’s “relevance to Asia is declining as its war on Ukraine saps resources and focus”.

This increase in ranking, Australia’s second since the inception of the Asia Power Index (it surpassed South Korea in 2020), is more a function of Russia’s decline since 2018 than Australia’s rise.

The report also noted that south-east Asia’s most populous countries, Indonesia and the Philippines, were becoming more influential.

Updated

Chalmers reveals $149bn cut to national debt under Labor

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has revealed that the final budget outcome will show that gross debt in 2023-24 is $149.1bn lower than what Labor inherited at the time of the election.

It will show gross debt at the end of 2023-24 was $906.9bn compared with the pre-election fiscal outlook which projected gross debt would exceed a trillion dollars last year.

Yesterday, Chalmers also revealed the final budget outcome will be a surplus in the “mid teens” rather than the $9.3bn projected in May.

In a statement, he said:

Through responsible economic management and spending restraint we’ve been able to get rid of a big chunk of the debt left to us by the Liberals and Nationals. Lower debt saves taxpayers on interest costs, helps in the fight against inflation and makes more room in the budget for what matters most like Medicare, aged care and defence.

Our economic plan is all about easing pressure on people at the same time as we fight inflation and get the budget in much better nick and this shows we’re making meaningful progress.

Back-to-back surpluses are helping in the fight against inflation and reducing the interest costs on a trillion dollars of Liberal party debt we inherited. We’re the first government to post back-to-back surpluses in nearly two decades.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning, and welcome back to a new week on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you most of this Monday as we bring you our rolling coverage.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has revealed a $149bn cut to national debt under Labor. The final budget outcome will show gross debt at the end of 2023-24 was $906.9bn, compared with the pre-election fiscal outlook which projected gross debt would exceed a trillion dollars last year, he said.

Back-to-back surpluses are helping in the fight against inflation and reducing the interest costs on a trillion dollars of Liberal Party debt we inherited. We’re the first government to post back-to-back surpluses in nearly two decades.

Paul Karp will bring us the full details in a moment.

Meanwhile, Australia has jumped one place in the Lowy Institute’s annual Asia Power Index, largely due to Russia going backwards as a result of its war in Ukraine. The thinktank ranks 27 countries and territories to rank their relative power in Asia, based on 131 indicators across eight broad themes. Daniel Hurst will have more on Australia’s position soon.

As always, you can reach out via X, @emilywindwrites, or email, emily.wind@theguardian.com, with any story tips, questions or feedback.

Let’s get started.

Updated

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