What we learned: Sunday 5 November
We’re wrapping the blog for the evening. Here are today’s major developments:
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has received the red carpet treatment as he arrived in Shanghai at the start of his trip to meet with Xi Jinping.
There is speculation about a potential rate rise by the RBA when it meets on Tuesday.
Three people are dead after a plane crashed in outback Queensland while assisting fire crews.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected claims he is interfering in the operation of the RBA.
Unpredictable conditions have hampered firefighting efforts in Western Australia as blazes continue to burn south of Perth.
Australian officials are still seeking safe passage for citizens fleeing Gaza.
Panda diplomacy underway as Adelaide Zoo begins negotiations to extend the stay of resident pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni.
A large crowd has gathered in Melbourne to attend a rally in support of Palestine.
Senator David Pocock has urged the government to abandon its sea dumping bill.
China will pursue membership of regional trade pact.
With that, we’ll leave it there for today. Join us first thing tomorrow when we’ll bring you all the latest.
Updated
Queensland to ban sale of knives to juveniles
Selling knives and replica firearms to juveniles will be banned in Queensland, as part of a range of measures to tackle youth crime.
Police Minister, Mark Ryan, says it will become an offence to sell knives, certain other bladed items and replica firearms, including gel blasters, to anyone under 18.
Items being banned include: daggers, double-ended blades, machetes, sickles or scythes, spear-guns, spears, axes, tomahawks and swords.
It will also be an offence to try to use a fake ID to buy the contraband.
These laws will assist in keeping dangerous items out of the hands of young criminals, before violent offences can occur.
This will go hand in hand with the expansion of Jack’s Law, which is saving lives and reducing violence across Queensland every single day.”
The Labor government has expanded legislation allowing police to use personal metal detectors or “wands” to search people in so-called “Safe Night Precincts” as well as on public transport.
Officers have used the hand-held scanners in crime hotspot areas since March after the extension of Jack’s Law, created after the stabbing death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley on the Gold Coast in 2019.
Police say 904 people have been charged with almost 1600 offences between April and November, mostly drugs and weapons related.
Retailers will be required to display signs regarding the prohibition and can’t advertise certain weapons as “suitable for combat”.
– AAP
Updated
Warning over supermarket surveillance
Big supermarkets are being warned that increased surveillance of shoppers, including close-up cameras on self-checkout screens, is more likely to anger shoppers rather than deter theft.
Consumer behaviour expert Nitika Garg from the School of Marketing at the UNSW Business School says it certainly won’t do much to build trust with customers.
Especially when, in Australia, we see the billions of dollars in profit that the two largest grocery retailers get.
[Consumers] feel like ‘you’re making billions of dollars of profit off my back and you’re doing this to me?’
That will trigger people to engage in deviant behaviour.
In August, Coles chief executive Leah Weckert said shoplifting by organised criminals and customers contributed to an annual 20% rise in stock losses.
Woolworths has announced plans to spend $40m on CCTV upgrades, body-worn cameras and other surveillance measures. Coles is stepping up security guards at stores and introducing initiatives such as trolley locks and smart gates, and is trialling live camera surveillance on self-checkout screens.
Some checkouts have on-screen cameras and customers see live footage of themselves scanning items.
But many shoppers have taken to social media to voice their disapproval. Some are worried about their privacy and what happens to the footage, while others are just angry about being distrusted.
The issue has been raised on platforms like Reddit and TikTok where users have variously described it as “dystopian” and “invasive”.
- AAP
Updated
A gyrocopter has crashed in regional Victoria, killing the pilot
The aircraft came down at a private property on Snipey Road at Goulburn Weir, near Nagamble at about 7.15am on Sunday.
The pilot died at the scene and his passenger was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Victoria Police said.
The exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined and police will prepare a report for the coroner.
– AAP
Updated
Australian universities are considering open campuses in India
The Sydney Morning Herald reports federal education minister, Jason Clare, will lead a delegation of university executives on Sunday, his second trip for the year, to pitch the idea of Australian university’s setting up local campuses in India.
This would head off the need for large numbers of international students to travel to Australia, which is suggested to be putting the country’s migration system under strain.
The Modi government is considering opening up India to foreign universities, which Australian institutions consider a lucrative opportunity as they vie for high-fee paying international students.
Updated
Albanese says he’s received a positive welcome in China
The prime minister is emphasising the “positive” and “constructive” nature of discussions with China in this press conference but says that tomorrow, when he meets with Xi Jinping, discussions will be had “in a straightforward way on both sides and in a way that helps build trust”.
We have different political systems … in some areas we have different values. We will put that in a straightforward way. Which is in Australia’s national interest but the welcome here has been very positive.
Updated
‘Pro-panda’ PM hopes for continuing presence
The prime minister is asked about the potential for pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni, currently housed at Adelaide Zoo, to return to China if their lease runs out in 2024 without an extension being negotiated.
Anthony Albanese said he wants to be very clear with the Australian people: he is very “pro-panda”.
Albanese:
Let me just say this about pandas. I am pro- panda. Let’s be very clear. Pandas are wonderful animals and for those people on social media, there is no better Instagram accounts to follow than panda accounts. Let me just say that. So of course it is positive. I’ve met those wonderful pandas at Adelaide Zoo and it is obviously a positive thing that they have been able to be there in Adelaide, but my understanding is the discussions, pandas do get homesick...
My understanding is the discussions between Adelaide zoo and the Chinese counterparts, the conservation organisation ongoing, but yes I would on behalf of Australia’s kids and families, I would like to see pandas maintain a presence in Australia.
Updated
Albanese believes Australian business will benefit from an easing of tensions
PM says his government has “sought to improve the relationship with China by being patient, calibrated and deliberated.”
By engaging in a constructive way, and I think we are seeing benefit from that with our trade and that’s a positive thing.
Albanese also welcomed comments from the Chinese leadership about “throwing its door open again” and engaging in open trade.
Updated
Albanese says both China and US can trust Australia
The prime minister is asked whether he thinks Australia will serve as a “bridge between the United States and China” which may help mend the relationship.
We think improve relations between the United States and China are a good thing. It is good that Antony Blinken has visited here. It’s good you are having ministerial level dialogue. It’s a good thing that President Xi Jinping will travel to Apec for the 30th anniversary that will be held in San Francisco in a little over a week’s time. That will be important. We, though, importantly have a relationship with China, have a relationship with the United States. It’s important that they talk to each other and I don’t think they need an intermediary to do so. We though, of course the important about Australia’s relationship and something my government has brought to our international relations as we say the same thing to the same people. In a consistent way. That’s how you develop trust in international relations and I believe Australia’s a trusted partner.
Updated
China a ‘critical relationship’ for Australia, says Albanese
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking after attending a trade expo in Shanghai. He says he was “very pleased” to meet with the premier, Li Qiang, and attend the opening banquet of the trade expo saying it was an “opportunity for us to renew the relationship that we started when we met together in Jakarta.”
One in four of Australian jobs depends on exports. And more than one in four of Australia’s export dollars are from China. And therefore, this is a critical relationship, it’s a focus of the visit here in Shanghai.
Updated
NSW transport minister will not resign after staffing scandal
Jo Haylen will not follow her chief of staff and resign after it was revealed a staffer in her office may have breached public service guidelines.
Speaking for the first time since the revelations on Friday, Haylen said she referred the matter to the department for investigation as soon as she was made aware of emails that showed the staffer who had been seconded into an apolitical role had engaged in political work.
Haylen said:
This is a small number of internal emails which may have blurred the lines between these public servants and obligations.
As soon as these issues were brought to my attention... I referred them to his employer for investigation.
She said things could have been handled better but would not resign even if the investigation found the staffer, Kieran Ash, had breached the rules.
Earlier in the day, the premier, Chris Minns, defended his minister and said he wanted her in the job.
Updated
Guardian Australia Antoun Issa journalist says the crowd present for the Free Palestine rally in Melbourne is the largest protest the city has seen since the anti-war protests against the invasion of Iraq two decades ago.
This is the largest anti-war rally Melbourne has seen since the Iraq war 20 years ago. Tens of thousands. pic.twitter.com/B29yQzdlA1
— Antoun Issa (@antissa) November 5, 2023
Updated
Albanese cites ‘rules-based trade’ as source of prosperity
Still in Shanghai. The prime minister’s office has just circulated Anthony Albanese’s remarks to the trade expo.
Australia’s prime minister didn’t criticise China’s trade sanctions explicitly. But he noted:
Along with other countries in our region, Australia and China have prospered thanks to the certainty and stability that is made possible by rules-based trade. Every country has a role to play in advancing trade that is both sustainable and inclusive.
Albanese also noted that during “a time of global uncertainty” Australia’s trade in goods and services reached a record level in 2022-23. Again, interesting to note the prime minister’s remarks were not broadcast live.
Updated
Police are investigating after posters potentially depicting Benjamin Netanyahu as Adolf Hitler in disguise were strung up along prominent roads in Sydney’s eastern and southern suburbs.
Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory said:
We are disgusted but unsurprised to see posters of Adolf Hitler placed around Sydney.
When governments and police fail to crack down on hate speech and incitement at protests, it’s inevitable that hatred will spread.
While he was confident Hitler was depicted, Gregory said it was harder to make out Netanyahu and that it was “potentially” Israel’s leader in the posters.
Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane described the signs as “very disturbing”.
She said:
These antisemitic displays are targeted and vile and have no place in any community.
I know the police are doing their best to find those responsible, using CCTV and other methods.
Officers from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command are leading the investigation.
HITLER POSTERS PLACED AROUND SYDNEY
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) November 5, 2023
Reports from Syd Einfeld Drive, Southern Cross Drive etc.
Pro-'Palestine' does seem to = anti-Jewish most of the time.
They just can't help themselves pic.twitter.com/fx7KOxIcjh
Updated
China to pursue membership of major regional trade pact
Here’s the latest from Shanghai. China’s premier Li Qiang has opened the trade expo this morning.
In an address, the premier said the country would pursue “more high-level open platforms to expand globally oriented” free-trade agreements and “actively pursue accession” to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Australia is expecting China to ask for Australia’s support to achieve that ambition during this visit. The premier said:
China will always stand on the right side of history and keep up with the progress of the times.
Despite imposing punitive trade sanctions on Australian exports at the height of the bilateral trade war, the premier said China was “resolutely opposed to unilateralism and protectionism and firmly uphold the authority and the effectiveness of the multilateral trading system.”
He said China would pursue the stability of global supply chains and “promote international consensus and rules that are conducive to opening up and cooperation and removing the disruption of non-economic factors.”
Anthony Albanese has just addressed the forum but his remarks were not carried live.
The Australian prime minister is joined at this expo by political leaders from Cuba, Kazakhstan and Serbia. Apparently there are also officials from the US department of agriculture present.
Updated
Senator Pocock urges government to abandon sea dumping bill
Independent senator David Pocock wants to see the Labor government abandon its sea dumping bill this week, saying it would be “an absolute indictment” if they rammed the controversial bill through with the opposition’s support.
The bill - which would give the environment minister the power to grant permits to enable CO2 captured during industrial processes to be exported and stored under the seabed in another country’s waters - is scheduled to come before the senate on Monday.
Teal MPs, the Greens and other independents, such as Pocock, have criticised the proposal as “greenwashing” for fossil fuel projects.
Pocock said he held concerns the bill would pass this week with the support of the Coalition.
This bill is nothing more than greenwashing for gas companies with potentially catastrophic impacts on our marine environment, sea life and climate.
It will enable the expansion of oil and gas projects that the IPCC and every credible expert says we can’t afford.
I urge Labor to have the courage to do the right thing by current and future generations and not put through legislation that will hurt our collective future.
Updated
Photos from the Free Palestine protest in Melbourne show a large crowd moving down Swanston Street.
March for #FreePalestine is on the move down Swanston St. It’s huge! pic.twitter.com/0ps49GxGDw
— WACA (@akaWACA) November 5, 2023
Updated
Guardian Australia journalist Antoun Issa is in Melbourne for the Palestinian solidarity rally.
He says thousands have turned out to join the rally, including unionists, Jewish activists, queer activists, Palestinian activists and others calling for a ceasefire.
There are unionists, Jewish activists, queer activists, Palestinian activists and people of all strides marching for an immediate ceasefire in Melbourne today. Thousands and thousands. pic.twitter.com/AtdJgokYAW
— Antoun Issa (@antissa) November 5, 2023
This is the third I've attended of these rallies since the war began, this is by far the largest (and loudest).
— Antoun Issa (@antissa) November 5, 2023
Updated
Victoria Fire and Rescue says it had no involvement with the firefighting aircraft that crashed in regional Queensland while supporting Queensland firefighters.
It said the crew and equipment were provided by a private contractor, AGAIR, and were unrelated to the 211 firefighters who deployed to the state last week.
For more on this story, read the full report:
Updated
Investigation after spectator killed at speedway
A spectator has been hit by a car and killed at a speedway in regional Victoria.
Police were told the car struck the person at the Stawell speedway on Burrong Basin Road about 4.20pm on Saturday.
The spectator, an 18-year-old man from Pimpinio, died at the scene.
The driver of the car, a 28-year-old Wendouree man, was arrested and has been released pending further enquiries.
Police are keen to speak to witnesses or anyone with footage of the incident.
They say they are working to establish the exact circumstances of the incident and investigations remain ongoing.
– AAP
Updated
Tara battlers faced 10-metre flames. Now they’re sticking together to rebuild
They are sitting in the small, cramped house where Amelia grew up, on Orchard Road. It’s about halfway between Tara and Chinchilla, three hours west of Brisbane, surrounded by piles of rubbish, and then wrecked vehicles, a cleared area, and then charred bush.
The land is cheap because it’s a gas field; Queensland Gas Corporation owns one of their neighbours and there are CSG wells dotted through the estates.
Their home is one of the few structures on the street to survive last week’s bushfire, the second of the year to tear through their lot.
A week ago, the family stayed and fought. Most of them are ex-RFS. Amelia and brother James took on the 30-foot flames with an ordinary household hose – and won.
Now they, are the others who live on their rural residential estate and sticking together as they look to rebuild.
For more on this feature story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Queensland reporter Andrew Messenger:
Updated
Crowd gathers at Melbourne rally in support of Palestine
People are beginning to gather in Melbourne to rally in support of Palestinians for the fourth Sunday in a row.
In solidarity with Palestine, the crowd is building for the fourth Sunday in a row. About 15 minutes from start time. Will be providing a running commentary once things kick off. pic.twitter.com/ldHkLAGdvd
— Matt (@MattH093) November 5, 2023
There are additional rallies taking place across the rest of country with protests scheduled in Perth at 12.30pm local time and in Brisbane from 3pm.
Rallies also took place in Adelaide on Friday night, and in Sydney and Brisbane on Saturday.
Updated
Australia’s bid to host COP31 under discussion in Cook Islands
Pacific Island leaders will meet on Monday in the Cook Islands capital Avarua, where climate change and Australia’s pitch to host COP31 will be discussed.
A group of Pacific Island elders are calling on leaders to postpone any decision about whether to support Australia’s bid until the Australian government stops approving new coal and gas projects.
It is thought the meeting will foreshadow the upcoming COP28 conference in Dubai in December.
For some background on this story from Guardian Australia’s Adam Morton:
Updated
Charges laid after remains found in burnt-out tree trunk
The discovery of human remains in a burnt-out tree trunk has led to a murder charge over a missing man who spent two decades in prison.
Police on Saturday arrested and charged a 33-year-old man at Maroubra Police Station over the murder of David Collission.
Collisson, 53, was reported missing on 15 October after he was last seen at a property in Menah, north-west of Mudgee in NSW.
His suspicious disappearance followed his release from prison more than two decades after he was convicted of the “cold blooded, callous and cruel shooting” of 17-year-old Shahab Kargarian.
For more on this story, read the full report here:
- AAP
Updated
NSW to streamline process for businesses to secure government contracts
Small and medium businesses in NSW will find it easier to secure government contracts, under a government plan to turbocharge the economy.
The threshold under which government departments can buy goods and services directly from small and medium businesses has jumped from $150,000 to $250,000.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says the government buys around $40bn worth of goods and services every year, and he’s keen to see small businesses get a larger slice of the economic pie.
The bigger we can make the slice that goes to small businesses, the better.
Small and medium businesses have been through a very tough time over the past few years, the very least the government should do is make accessing government contracts simpler and easier.
The state’s 840,000 small businesses make up 98% of all businesses in NSW.
Another change will mean they’ll no longer have to prove they have insurance before tendering for a government project, with proof of insurance required only if the contract is awarded.
– AAP
Updated
Hello again from Shanghai.
We are about to get underway on today’s program. As we were about to depart from the hotel, the prime minister swept in to join the trade minister, Don Farrell, for a bite to eat.
Anthony Albanese - who had been out for some early exercise - was decked out in a Matildas jersey. For those of us who have been around for a while, this felt very John Howard. Remember all those early walks in the tracksuit?
Updated
Panda diplomacy under way in Adelaide
Negotiations to extend the stay of two Chinese pandas in Australia are underway with the existing loan due to expire in 2024.
Wang Wang and Fu Ni currently live in Adelaide zoo in the Bamboo Forest. Their neighbours are two red pandas, Ravi and Mishry.
The pandas arrived in 2009 when the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, offered them during a visit to Sydney. The gesture was part of what came to be known as “Panda Diplomacy”, an exercise in soft power as the Chinese government hoped the cuddly creatures would help improve its reputation in the eyes of the Australian public.
Their arrival was met with considerable excitement as the two pandas became major celebrities.
The pandas’ stay in Australia has already been extended five years, but The Sydney Morning Herald Reports that Zoos Australia will begin formal negotiations to explore whether a loan extension is possible.
Updated
Australian government still seeking safe passage for citizens fleeing Gaza
The federal government is continuing to support 67 Australians trapped in war-torn Gaza and find a pathway for them to leave, as Israel continues its retaliatory strikes after Hamas militants killed more than 1000 of its citizens.
Late last week, 25 Australians, permanent residents and their family members fled from Gaza into Egypt after being allowed through the Rafah crossing.
The assistant foreign affairs minister, Tim Watts, speaking to Sky News on Sunday, said there hasn’t been any further crossings for Australians at the border point since then.
But we think the diplomatic efforts of Qatar, of Eygpt, or the United States in seeking to broker that crossing is something that Australian consular officials, Australian diplomats and Australian foreign ministry officials work very hard at, to try and press for further passage for Australians across that border crossing.
Australia is calling for a pause on airstrikes to get humanitarian support to people in Gaza.
Asked if there was any prospect of further evacuations in the next 24 hours, Watts said it was a rapidly changing situation.
We are pressing very hard because we know how dire the situation is in Gaza.
It really is a very serious humanitarian situation there ... that’s also why we’ve been calling for a humanitarian pause to enable that desperately needed humanitarian support to get to the people that need it, safely.
Hundreds of international citizens have been able to cross into Egypt under a deal brokered between the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar since last week.
The 25 Australians who got out were met by consular officials who organised accommodation and are working on providing them with free commercial flights home.
The Gaza border authority releases a daily list of approved foreign nationals who can leave the besieged strip but Australians have only appeared in the first iteration, and there were none in the list published on Saturday Australian time.
The first list included 34 Australians, permanent residents and their families.
– AAP
Updated
Tasmania to be home to SunCable manufacturing facility
SunCable has announced Bell Bay in Tasmania as its preferred location to build an advanced high-voltage subsea cable manufacturing facility.
The company says the construction of the facility will “help solve global supply constraints of HVDC [high-voltage direct current] subsea cable” with manufacturing facilities concentrated in the northern hemisphere.
SunCable chief projects officer, Chris Tyrrell, said the use of high voltage subsea cables over long distances has a critical role to play in the global energy transition and solving for the transmission of green electrons within and between countries.
Australia has an abundance of sunshine and wind. HVDC cable enables the export of this natural resource to the world, establishing Australia as a renewable energy superpower as well as an advanced manufacturing hub for critical supply chains.
SunCable will soon commence consultation with local communities and stakeholders. We welcome further input and feedback before proceeding with a final decision and subsequent development applications.
Premier of Tasmania, Jeremy Rockliff, said the project could generate 800 construction jobs and 400 long-term advanced manufacturing jobs.
This is an extraordinary opportunity for the northern region and confirms that Tasmania has what the world wants.
Our government’s long-term plan supports major developments and investments in Tasmania as we continue to create jobs, boost the economy and make Tasmania the best place to work, live and raise a family.
If SunCable proceeds with the Bell Bay site, construction is scheduled to commence in 2025.
Updated
Activist facing jail for protecting sources
A media advisor for a Western Australian activist group challenging industrial development on the Burrup peninsula will face court on Monday over his refusal to hand over his sources.
WA police have sought to force ABC journalists to hand over footage used in a Four Corners episode tracking the activities of Disrupt Burrup Hub, an activist group behind protests against Woodside Energy and its $16.5bn Scarborough gas development.
The group says Woodside’s expansion threatens sacred rock art on the Burrup peninsula and will exacerbate the existential threat posed by climate change that will contribute to the dispossession of First Nations people.
Jesse Noakes is being charged with four counts of Failing to Obey a Data Access Order Without Reasonable Excuse. He will argue that he does have a “reasonable excuse” of protecting his sources.
His barrister, Zarah Burgess said the defence is also open to the ABC.
Mr Noakes will argue that he has a defence at law due to his obligation to protect his confidential sources from WA police.
The ABC, as a broadcaster of public interest journalism, has that same defence open to them if they choose not to comply with the WA police Order to Produce the Four Corners footage.
The penalty for not complying with the order is significantly less than the penalty which Mr Noakes faces, but the strength of their defence is arguably stronger given their position as the public broadcaster.”
The maximum penalty for each data access order charge is five year’s imprisonment.
Updated
Pulling the camera back a little, here is a satellite map showing the location of all fires burning around Australia as of Sunday.
Unpredictable conditions hamper WA firefighting efforts
A Buddhist monastery, a prison farm and homes are under threat from a bushfire raging out of control south-east of Perth.
Bodhinyana Buddhist monastery and Karnet prison farm are under threat from the Serpentine blaze, which started during lightning storms near the Serpentine Dam, about 55km south-southeast of Perth.
An emergency warning is in place, with those in the area warned to “act immediately to survive”.
Emergency WA says unpredictable conditions on fire grounds across the state mean there is a risk to lives and homes.
The WA government has called in a C-130 Hercules Water Bomber from NSW, which is due to arrive on Sunday to help control multiple fire fronts.
A Bushfire Emergency Warning is also in place for parts of North Dandalup, Myara and Whittaker in the shire of Murray, where 270 hectares have been burnt.
Numerous watch and act warnings and advice warnings are in place across WA.
Temperatures in Perth peaked at 35C on Saturday and are predicted to reach 27C on Sunday.
- AAP
Updated
Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor, responding to comments from prime minister Anthony Albanese about Israeli operations in Gaza, says any government “would feel the need to react to that humanitarian horror”.
Albanese made comments earlier in this week saying “it is critical that this war does not expand into other theatres” and that “Israel needs to recognise that in the way it conducts itself because the images have been seen of the refugee amp, quite rightly, will cause enormous, enormous concern around the world.”
Taylor:
They do have to walk a narrow path here. But I think anyone looking at the evidence from Gaza, the pictures from Gaza, the stories from Gaza, any government would feel the need to react to that humanitarian horror. And our government has, in calling for this pause.
I think it was also interesting - a piece that Penny Wong wrote for us over the weekend - where she started to talk about what might happen. Like, how this might actually be one day, somehow, resolved. And the ingredients that she said would be necessary were: The dismantling of Hamas, a reformed Palestinian Authority that disavowed violence, and Israel completely stopping establishing settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Now, that is, you know, Benjamin Netanyahu’s signature policy. That is what he’s about. So, the government is, sort of, now not just saying two-state solution but what could that look like, what would have to happen for that to be a reality? And I think that’s interesting as well.
For more, read foreign minister Penny Wong’s editorial in The Guardian over the weekend:
Updated
Chalmers closes off the interview by saying the “energy transformation” is absolutely central to our goals in this defining decade”.
We’ve got to get it right. We’ve made good progress and we’ve got a bit more to do.
And that’s a wrap.
Updated
The treasurer is asked about a speech he gave this week saying the government “might not be on track to meet our net-zero ambitions” and that the government has to intervene in order to make it happen.
We’ve got this ambitious but achievable targets when it comes to the energy transformation and we’ve got vast industrial and economic and employment opportunities which flow from our goals to be a renewable energy superpower. And we are making good progress across both of those fronts.
But from my perspective as treasurer, what I tried to say is that what we need to do is not just to attract and commit more private and more public capital, but we need to be able to absorb and deploy that investment in the most efficient and effective way.
And so some of the things that we need to consider as we work towards the next budget is to make sure we get the skills base, the technological base, the relationship with the states right as well.
The treasurer is asked whether this necessitates “picking winners”.
The mechanism is to apply what we would consider to be a new set of net-zero industry policy tests around supply chains and national security and value for money, and what’s best able to deliver our emissions reductions goals. And when you do that, some of these comparative advantages that Australia has become quite obvious.
Updated
Chalmers says he is “hoping” to announce the new deputy RBA government before the governing board meets again on 5 December.
We have been consulting very, very closely with Michele Bullock because we need to make sure that the deputy is someone who can work closely with her but also complement some of these other appointments that she will make - the assistant governor economic, the chief operating officer.
Updated
Chalmers is asked about International Monetary Fund recommendations that states slash planned infrastructure spending to help control inflation.
He says the IMF has “made an important point, which is that we need to roll out our infrastructure investment in a way that gets us value for money but also in a more measured and coordinated way.”
The treasurer says the government is doing a review of infrastructure projects committed to by the previous government to address $33bn in cost blow-outs that have been identified.
Updated
Treasurer denies he's interfering with RBA rates decision
Chalmers denies he is “jaw-boning” the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) by pointing to improving economy conditions publicly ahead of an interest rate meeting on Tuesday.
The treasurer denies he is “interfering” in a “factual way”. He says he is “pleased” to get the chance to respond to that claim because of “some, frankly, ridiculous commentary about this in recent days.”
By the bizarre logic of some of that commentary, the treasurer of Australia is not allowed to comment on the Treasury’s forecasts for inflation on the day that the inflation figures come out? I mean, that is, plainly and frankly, ridiculous.
Chalmers says Treasury “hasn’t changed its estimation or its expectation of when inflation will return back to the target band”.
No doubt, they have been working through the inflation data and weighing that up against the evidence that our economy is slowing, and some of this global uncertainty, and they’ll make their decision independently. They’ve got a job to do. I’m focused on my job.
Updated
Chalmers says convincing the Chinese government to lift restrictions is “not the primary purpose” of the PM’s visit this week.
He says the Australian government has made “good progress” so far with “95% of them (by dollar value) have been lifted” and would like to see the remaining restrictions lifted, but the priority is a thawing of relations.
This week is part of a bigger and broader effort to stabilise a really important economic relationship, and we’ve seen some of the fruits of that already.
Updated
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the prime minister’s official visit to China is not without challenges but is critical to a “prosperous relationship” between the two countries.
It’s the first official visit by a prime minister into China since 2016 and I think it recognises that this - a stable relationship - is in the interests of both countries. Now, we are clear-eyed about the complexities and the challenges of managing this relationship. But we give ourselves the best chance of prospering together if we engage with one another.
And we’ve already seen some of the fruits of that effort - something like 95% of the trade restrictions by dollar value have been lifted. That’s good for our businesses, our exporters, and our workers. And that’s why it’s so important that this engagement has been happening for some time and why it’s so important that this official visit is taking place this week.
Updated
Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, says the prime minister’s visit to China is based in “realism” and not any sense of gratitude.
I think this is a sort of rapprochement based on realism. As [Katharine Murphy] was saying earlier, from China’s point of view, they haven’t changed their long-term strategic or economic goals. And neither have we changed our strategic allegiances. But it suits both sides for lots of reasons to get the trade relationship flowing again, to get the economic relationship flowing again, and to be talking again. And that’s what this visit is going to achieve.
Taylor says that should anything happen, “having ties, having a dialogue and having economic ties is going to put you in a slightly better position to deal with it, than if that’s not the case.”
Updated
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is speaking to ABC Insiders host Patricia Karvelas, who is filling in for David Speers, this morning.
Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, is also on the couch.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
Guardian Australia’s political editor Katharine Murphy is speaking to ABC Insiders host David Speers in Shanghai about prime minister Anthony’s Albanese’s visit to China – the first in seven years.
She says that this visit is a “capstone” of a de-escalation in tensions between Australia and China that occurred under the leadership of the Coalition government led by Scott Morrison. This visit represents an opportunity to “put the relationship on a new footing”.
There’s nothing in this relationship that’s simple. We’ve been in this de-escalation phase. I think the test, really, of whether we’ve got a genuine rapprochement here or if we’re on a new footing is what happens when there is a substantial public disagreement between the two countries, which we sort of haven’t really been at that point yet. So, I think that will be the test about whether or not we’re genuinely in new territory or whether this has been a blip.
Murphy says the prime minister is seeking a “personal connection” with Xi Jinping to help prevent “a miscalculation or misunderstanding that could be catastrophic for Australia and the world”.
Updated
Three dead in outback plane crash in Queensland
Three members of an aerial firefighting crew have died after their light plane crashed in remote northwest Queensland.
A member of the public raised the alarm about 2.30pm on Saturday, reporting the crash near a mine site northwest of McKinlay, near Cloncurry.
Police said a rescue helicopter crew spotted the wreckage and officers arrived on the scene about 5pm, confirming all three on board had died.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said the aircraft had been engaged to conduct line scans and was travelling from Toowoomba to Mount Isa when it crashed.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and fire and emergency services minister Mark Ryan released a statement on Saturday night expressing their sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of the crew.
The three had been playing a critical role in saving lives and protecting property by their intelligence and mapping work from the air to help firefighters on the ground, Palaszczuk said.
I am terribly saddened by what has happened.
The crew on board this aircraft have been doing everything they could to protect Queenslanders.
I send my heartfelt condolences to the many people who have been impacted by this shocking incident.
QFES said the aircraft that crashed was the same type as one that is used as the lead plane for the large aerial tanker (LAT), used to fight bushfires.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese praised the firefighters’ bravery.
All Australians’ thoughts are with the family, friends, and all who know the brave firefighters who’ve lost their lives as a result of the fatal air accident that occurred in North Queensland.
We know the people who fight fires and stand up in emergency services, risk their lives, each and every day to assist their fellow Australians, and to assist the communities.
Today our hearts go out to them.
- AAP
Updated
Auction activity has risen slightly this weekend with 2,015 auctions held.
This is substantially lower than the 3,381 auctions held last week but a little above the 1,917 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 68.6% across the country, which is roughly equivalent to the 68.5% preliminary rate recorded last week but higher than the 62.9% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 842 auctions held so far with a clearance rate of 71.9%
Melbourne: 362 auctions with a clearance rate of 60.8%
Brisbane: 102 auctions with a clearance rate of 68.6%
Adelaide: 107 auctions with a clearance rate of 74.8%
Canberra: 96 auctions with a clearance rate of 67.7%
Tasmania: Three of four auctions held.
Perth: Eight of 18 auctions held.
Speculation over Melbourne Cup Day interest rate rise
Borrowers could be whacked with another round of interest rate pain following the central bank’s Melbourne Cup Day monetary policy meeting.
The Reserve Bank of Australia gathering on Tuesday follows the recent release of a firmer set of inflation data, which fanned the case for a 13th interest rate hike since May 2022.
Economists at all of the big four banks are tipping a 25 basis point increase, which will lift the key cash interest rate to 4.35%.
The RBA has left the cash rate on hold for the past four months while repeatedly warning it might need to keep jacking up interest rates if still-high inflation does not fall fast enough.
Governor Michele Bullock last month made it clear the board’s tolerance for a slower return to the bank’s preferred two to three per cent target band - against its 2025 forecast - is low.
Bullock has made it clear “we might need to go again” and raise interest rates.
Her warning was followed by a hotter set of inflation numbers that cast doubt over the expected timeline.
Headline inflation rose 5.4% annually in the September quarter - well below the 7.8% peak in December - and was far above the target range.
Signs of resilience in the labour market and household spending, plus rebounding property prices, will only add to the case for more tightening.
- AAP
Updated
Central Shanghai was locked down for the prime minister’s arrival on Saturday night. Predictably, security was tight. As we were whisked through the streets, there was no sign of hordes of young people who, reportedly, took to the streets during Halloween to express both themselves and their frustrations with life in the People’s Republic.
I haven’t been to this part of China for thirty years, so I’m astonished by the growth and the prosperity I can see out the window of a speeding motorcade. The country feels almost unrecognisable to me. But China has endured significant challenges in recent years. China is out of its high-growth phase. There’s looming demographic challenges. There are high rates of youth unemployment. The pandemic imposed massive economic and social challenges for the leadership, and China’s aggressive foreign policy strategy hasn’t delivered quite what the regime intended. This is clearly a period of transition in the country.
When Anthony Albanese returned from the banquet on Sunday night, he told reporters he intended to “cooperate with China where we can, disagree where we must, but we will also engage in our national interest.” The prime minister said Australia’s national interest was served by having a positive, constructive, respectful and open dialogue with its biggest trading partner.
That’s what I hope to achieve over the coming days.
Albanese noted one in four jobs in Australia was “trade dependent”.
On Saturday, before he left Australia, the prime minister said the visit “in itself” was a positive development given the turbulence in the relationship in recent years. Albanese was also asked what he would say to China’s premier and president about the writer, Yang Hengjun, who has been detained for four years.
Albanese said:
I’ll be saying that Dr Yang’s case needs to be resolved. And I’ll be speaking about his human rights, the nature of the detention and the failure to have transparent processes. Just as we stood up, I’ve raised this issue before, we will always raise the issues of Australian citizens when we meet with international leaders. That is something that we do consistently, and I will do it again in a way that is aimed at achieving an outcome in the interests of Dr Yang and his family.
Updated
PM gets red carpet welcome in China
Good morning from Shanghai. Anthony Albanese arrived in the Chinese city last night.
Shanghai is the opening sortie of the prime minister’s three day visit to China – the first by an Australian prime minister since 2016. If you want to read a detailed news preview of the trip, you can find that here. My column yesterday also set out the context for the visit, and reprised some history. Albanese’s visit to China is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s visit to the country in 1973. You can read the column here.
On Saturday night, Albanese was greeted at Hongqiao airport by Australia’s ambassador to China, Graham Fletcher, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, and a vice-mayor of Shanghai, Xie Dong. A young girl, Yang Xingcheng, presented Albanese with a bunch of flowers. In brief remarks to traveling journalists, Albanese said it was very good to be in Shanghai, and he looked forward to the visit.
The prime minister was then whisked away in a motorcade to attend a banquet hosted by China’s premier Li Qiang ahead of the opening day of the China International Import Expo on Sunday. The expo will be hosted by China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao. A number of Australian companies will be present - including Lark Distillery, Tamar Valley Fruits, Blackmores and Sanitarium. Albanese will visit the expo, mingle with business leaders and attend a reception hosted by Tourism Australia on Sunday afternoon.
The prime minister will depart for Beijing on Sunday evening. On Monday, Albanese will meet China’s president Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People.
For more on this story, read the full report:
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has woken up in Shanghai this morning as he begins a critical trip to meet with Chinese in Xi Jinping on Monday. The move is being watched closely for what it means for the future of Australian exports, and the country’s international relations.
The prime minister faces a delicate balancing act between the growing ambitions of China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, and the US, Australia’s biggest ally, in the Pacific. There is also a sense of hope for Australian industry, which has been left frustrated after successive years of punitive sanctions on exports imposed after relations soured under the previous Coalition government.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
