What we learned today, Wednesday 10 January
Thanks so much for your company today. Here’s a look at what made headlines:
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, flagged cost-of-living relief in the budget.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, urged tourists not to cancel trips to Queensland in the wake of the floods.
A challenge to an agreement between the federal government and the New South Wales government that allows the state’s forest corporation to bypass environmental laws was dismissed in the federal court.
Scott Morrison’s upcoming book will contain a foreword by former US vice-president Mike Pence.
November consumer price index figures were released, with some relief as inflation falls back slightly faster than expected.
Rent costs picked up again in November while petrol price increases eased.
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, called the federal opposition a “coalition of climate inactivists and cookers” after reports Nationals and Liberal MPs are urging their leader, Peter Dutton, not to reveal a 2035 target by the next election.
Australia’s military will still respond to natural disasters as the government considers a reserve force, the emergency management minister, Murray Watt, said.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, condemned North Korea’s export and Russia’s procurement of ballistic missiles.
NSW police shot a man dead outside a medical clinic.
Updated
The Inner West mayor, Darcy Byrne, said the council had been informed about the contamination around the children’s play area this morning. Byrne said:
As a parent whose children have been playing there myself, I understand how concerning this will be for many thousands of local people.
It is beyond belief that such a long-awaited community facility has been opened with asbestos-contaminated materials contained within it.
There must be a thorough investigation about how asbestos-contaminated material ended up within the park.
Byrne said the council had written to the state government to insist on “urgent and immediate testing of the entire site” and remediation.
Updated
Mulch containing asbestos found at Rozelle may have been used at other Sydney sites
An expansive park built above Rozelle’s multibillion-dollar spaghetti junction interchange has been closed after asbestos was found in garden mulch around a children’s playground – with the contractor involved confirming the mulch was also used elsewhere in Sydney.
An urgent audit was under way to determine what other sites could be affected by what the premier, Chris Minns, described as “a toxic substance”.
The government closed the Rozelle parklands to the public and called in contamination experts just three weeks after the park opened above the “spaghetti junction” interchange.
John Holland built the interchange and the park. One of its executives, Mark Davies, today said he could not immediately disclose a list of the other sites where the mulch had been used:
Some of the projects may well not be John Holland … projects.
We’re working with relevant authorities and the supplier to identify the list at the moment.
Updated
NSW police shoot man dead outside medical clinic
A man has died in the New South Wales south coast region after he reportedly produced a firearm in a medical clinic and confronted the police officers called to the scene.
Police said they were called to a medical clinic in Nowra just before 1pm, after reports a patient produced a firearm.
Police said:
About 2.40pm, the man – armed with a firearm – came out of the premises and confronted officers.
He was shot and was immediately treated by officers and NSW Ambulance paramedics, but died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified.
A critical incident team from the state crime command homicide squad will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, and the investigation will be subject to an independent review.
Updated
Rochester residents told it’s safe to return as threat level reduced
The SES and the Bureau of Meteorology have given an update on Victoria’s flooding.
The representative from the bureau said the first nine days in January have been the wettest for the state on record, and if there is no further rainfall for the rest of the month, it would still be within the top 20 wettest Januarys on record.
The state is expecting another couple of days of settled weather with any other showers short-lived compared to most recent events.
The Victoria SES chief officer of operations, Tim Wiebusch, said an advice message has been issued for Rochester indicating it is safe to return with the threat being reduced.
Minor flooding is expected in Echuca but nowhere near the levels the community experienced in 2022, he said.
Updated
Olive branch offered to save 250 trees from being chopped down for new Melbourne bike path
About 250 trees set to be cut down to make way for a new Melbourne bike path could be spared under a last-minute proposal put forward by the state government after a community campaign.
The 1km path, which would connect the new Glen Huntly railway station to other stations, would require the felling of 250 mature trees, including several that are on the council’s classified tree register, on Queens Avenue in Caulfield East.
Read more here:
Updated
Fun fact: sperm whales organise into female-only groups of up to 20,000
Using underwater microphones and drone surveys, Hal Whitehead, a sperm whale scientist at Dalhousie University in Canada, examined the sounds the animals made and their feeding habits and found they organised themselves into clans with distinctive cultures – like those of humans.
The clans appeared to be “almost entirely female-based,” Whitehead said. Males visited females occasionally and for only a few hours at a time. Their “only important transfer is of sperm”.
Read more about the girls-only club, from Philip Hoare, here:
Updated
Only Liberal woman in WA upper house set to quit politics
Donna Faragher says she would not stand for re-election in 2025 after 20 years as the member for East Metropolitan Region in Perth.
The former Barnett government cabinet minister was the youngest Liberal woman to enter the WA parliament when she was elected in 2005 at age 29.
At the end of her term, she will retire as the party’s longest-serving female member in either house of the parliament.
Faragher said:
It is an honour and privilege to serve as a member of parliament and to represent the East Metropolitan community in the Legislative Council, a region where I have lived all my life.
- AAP
Updated
Recovery continues in far north and south-east Queensland
The prime minister pledged Australian Defence Force support for the devastated area before today’s funding announcement.
As part of the $24.25m package, grants will be available for far north tourism operators hit hard by the disaster.
It will also fund a marketing campaign to attract more visitors back to the region.
Three cyclone resilience officers will be appointed to work with local industries, councils and farmers to support the recovery.
Recovery project managers will also be assigned to the worst hit areas, in the Wujal Wujal and Douglas Shire council areas north of Cairns.
Work is still under way to clear the far north’s roads, with the major Captain Cook Highway set to reopen between Ellis Beach and Port Douglas on 20 January.
About 30,000 tonnes of mud and debris has already been removed from the road, with 15 trucks making about 100 trips a day.
A single lane won’t be open at the nearby Palmerston Highway until mid-February.
Yesterday the prime minister and premier unveiled a $20m disaster relief package for the state’s south-east, which was hit hard by storms over the Christmas–New Year period.
Overall more than $50m is expected for Queensland’s storm and cyclone recovery effort.
Queensland’s south-east may once again be struck by severe storms as it rebuilds.
A major recovery effort that may take years to complete is under way after seven people died in storm-related incidents, with Scenic Rim, Logan and the Gold Coast the worst hit in the south-east.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the Scenic Rim could be in for another drenching on Wednesday.
- AAP
Updated
Cyclone threat may loom again for flooded region
Another cyclone threat may be looming in far north Queensland, weeks after wild weather lashed the region.
Help is still arriving for the far north after record flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Jasper, with a $24 million tourism recovery and resilience program unveiled today.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, were in Cairns to announce the additional funding that will further support local tourism, cleanup efforts and invest in specialised recovery staff.
“This beautiful place has been ravaged by this disaster, and we want to help far north Queensland get back on its feet as soon as possible,” Albanese said.
But more heavy downpours are set to hit the far north, with a monsoon trough expected to develop in the Gulf of Carpentaria and turn into a tropical low by Friday.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology there is a low chance of the tropical low strengthening from Sunday into a tropical cyclone.
The chance of a cyclone forming depends on the movement of another system west of Darwin called 03U.
A bureau spokesman told AAP:
If the other one (03U) doesn’t develop into a tropical cyclone then there is a slightly increased risk the other one in the Gulf (will develop), given there will be more energy in the trough system.
Even if it does not form into a cyclone, a tropical low in the Gulf will bring heavy rain to far north regions already reeling from devastating flooding after Jasper hit less than a month ago.
“Along coastal parts of the Gulf daily falls of 100mm to 200mm wouldn’t be out of the question,” the bureau spokesman said.
The far north is still recovering from December’s record downpours, with Albanese and Miles flying over the flood-hit Cape Tribulation on Tuesday.
- AAP
Updated
Wong condemns North Korea–Russia missile transfer
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has penned a letter alongside her counterparts from 48 countries condemning North Korea’s export and Russia’s procurement of ballistic missiles:
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) export and Russia’s procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, as well as Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024.
The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime.
Australia joins 48 countries to condemn North Korea’s export and Russia’s procurement of ballistic missiles, and Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) January 9, 2024
The missile transfer from North Korea to Russia violates UNSC resolutions and undermines the non-proliferation regime.
Updated
Troops to aid in disasters as government ponders relief force
Australia’s military will still respond to natural disasters as the government considers a reserve force, the emergency management minister, Murray Watt, says.
Defence force personnel and army Chinook helicopters have been deployed to help recovery and evacuation efforts in far north Queensland following destruction by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Watt reaffirmed the Australian Defence Force will continue to respond to crises as the federal government considers a reserve force and other measures.
He told ABC radio this morning:
We’ve made clear that we will always make the ADF available to the states when they’re needed.
But when we see these extreme events occur, it does place immense pressure on the Australian Defence Force and all of our emergency systems.
That’s why at the moment, we’ve been doing a consultation process around what kind of resources we need at the federal level to be able to cope with this new future that we are entering with climate change.
The defence strategic review released in 2023 warned the increasing number of major climate catastrophes risked the government’s capacity to respond effectively, and detracted from “Defence’s primary objective of defending Australia”.
It found the climate events were placing concurrent pressures on the ADF that had “negatively affected force preparedness, readiness and combat effectiveness”.
Watt said all options had been consulted on, as the government invested in a nonprofit disaster relief organisation led by veterans.
The defence force has increasingly been called on by governments to assist as the nation is battered by repeated extreme flooding and bushfires.
The defence review found the military was “not structured or appropriately equipped” to act as a domestic disaster recovery agency in any sustainable way.
- AAP
Updated
Shadow treasurer responds to CPI figures
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, says Jim Chalmers has been “patting himself on the back” for wages growth of 4%, “but that means nothing when the price of everything else has gone up much higher”.
Taylor’s response to the monthly consumer price index data released today is that the government is “failing to take meaningful action on cost of living”.
He says:
Australians are looking down the barrel of another tough year …
Real disposable incomes are at an eight year low, and living standards have fallen the most out of any OECD nation.
Last week, the prime minister promised the nation that cost of living will be his priority in 2024.
But the best he had to offer struggling families is that he’s asking the Department of Finance and Treasury for ideas leading up to the May budget, two years after he came to power.
That’s advice he should’ve sought on day one. Instead, he chose to spend the first 18 months of his term distracted by his failed voice referendum.
If the Albanese Labor government was sincere about addressing the cost of living crisis, they would admit their failings.
Updated
Wind terminal block won’t affect net-zero target ‘in any meaningful way’: Bowen
Staying with the Chris Bowen press conference for a moment, the energy and climate change minister also commented on a recent federal decision blocking the Victorian government’s plans to build a new wind hub.
In case you missed it, environment minister Tanya Plibersek blocked the state government’s bid to build a terminal just outside of Melbourne, key to Victoria’s renewable energy plans, saying it would leave large parts of the wetlands “destroyed or substantially modified as a result of direct impacts of the proposed action”.
Bowen was asked whether this would ruin Victoria’s chances of doing its part in reaching Australia’s 2030 renewable energy targets, which would see 82% of the national grid renewable by the decade’s end.
Bowen said the block would not “in any meaningful way” affect the country’s chances of hitting the target because he doesn’t “expect much offshore wind to be operating by 2030 in Australia”.
These projects – setting up a new industry from scratch takes time and we envisage most of the projects to be generating power post-2030. So we do have time. While we are moving fast, we’re also moving appropriately and prudently and there’s time to work these issues through.
The Port of Hastings terminal is considered critical for the delivery of an offshore wind industry in the state.
Charles Rattray, the CEO of Australia’s most advanced offshore wind project, Star of the South, said the Port of Hastings terminal was his company’s first preference but had contingency plans in place if it wasn’t approved.
Read more from my colleagues Graham and Adeshola here:
Updated
‘We know people are still under pressure’: Chalmers
Jim Chalmers says the inflation figures announced today are a “welcome and encouraging outcome”.
“4.3% today is substantially lower than the 4.9% we saw in the month before. It is much lower than the 6.1% we inherited from our predecessors and it is about half of what it was at its peak,” he says.
“But we don’t get carried away, because we know people are still under the pump.”
He tells press:
We know that inflation is still the defining challenge in our economy and that is why dealing with these cost-of-living pressures is still the Albanese government’s number one priority.
We are coming at this inflation challenge from every angle. Competition, migration, infrastructure, the cost-of-living relief we’re rolling out, budget repair, investments in our economy.
This is welcome and encouraging news that the government’s policies are helping to put downward pressure on inflation. But we know that there is more work to do because people are still under pressure.
Updated
Jim Chalmers speaking to media in Cairns
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is holding a doorstop welcoming today’s new inflation numbers:
When know people are still under pressure. We welcome the news today that monthly inflation has moderated [to] 4.3%. It is still higher than we would like. What this number shows is that the government’s policies are helping to put downward pressure on inflation in our economy.
Updated
‘A coalition of climate inactivists’: Bowen on opposition 2035 target
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, has called the federal opposition a “coalition of climate inactivists and cookers” after reports Nationals and Liberal MPs are urging Peter Dutton not to reveal a 2035 target by the next election.
The Australian newspaper reported most Liberal MPs were privately opposed to a 2035 target or questioned the need to publicly reveal any such target ahead of the next federal election expected by May next year.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Bowen said Peter Dutton would make a worse prime minister for climate change than Scott Morrison or Tony Abbott.
He said:
This is an opposition, which is not committed to real action on climate, which denies the science and denies action. They are a coalition of climate inactivists and cookers and they would cook the planet with their lack of a climate change policy.
Last September, Guardian Australia reported former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce had labelled Australia’s net zero by 2050 target as “utterly untenable”. Frontbench senator Michaelia Cash rejected her colleague’s comments, saying that “our position is very, very clear” and that “under Peter Dutton, we are committed to net zero”.
It comes as Bowen is preparing a cabinet submission outlining what he thinks Australia’s 2035 target should be, which he says will be made public “well before the next election”.
Our 2035 target will be ambitious, and achievable. It’s got to be both things. [There’s] no point setting a target which the country can’t meet, nor is there any point in setting a target which isn’t a step up in activity.
Updated
Detectives charged with perverting the course of justice
Two detective senior constables from Eastern Region have been charged following an internal investigation, according to a Victoria police statement.
The charges relate to allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice following an incident while the men, both aged 32 years old, were on duty in Longwarry on 28 June 2020.
It is alleged the pair made false statements relating to an attempted vehicle intercept.
The first member has been charged with one count each of misconduct in public office and attempting to pervert the course of justice, and six counts of perjury.
The second member has been charged with three counts each of misconduct in public office and perjury, and one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The detectives will appear before court at a later date.
Updated
Rent costs picked up again in November while petrol price increases eased
As mentioned, the CPI numbers can be volatile, especially on a monthly basis. Still, renters will be dismayed by the uptick in costs (at least in the eight capital cities surveyed by the ABS), with rents rising at an annual rate of 7.1% in November, or quicker than the 6.6% rate registered for October.
Electricity prices, too, were 10.7% higher than a year earlier, up from a year-on-year increase of 10.1% for October. Gas prices were up 12.9%, or similar to the annual rate for October.
Better news for motorists, though. Automotive fuel was 2.3% higher than in November 2023. That’s a lot better than the 8.6% pace of increases for October and the eye-watering 19.7% notched in September.
The market’s reaction has been muted. Stocks were little changed on the number to be about 0.2% down for the day in recent trading. The Australian dollar ticked about 0.1 US cent higher to be worth 66.95 US cents recently.
You can follow updates here:
Updated
Some relief as inflation falls back slightly faster than expected in November
The November consumer price index figures will please treasurer Jim Chalmers and a few others.
Coming in at 4.3%, inflation was slightly lower than the 4.4% expected by economists, and well down from the 4.9% pace in October, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.
CPI in November was 4.3%, or the lowest since January 2022. (Source: @ABSStats ) pic.twitter.com/JhSPe2O00i
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 10, 2024
Michelle Marquardt, ABS head of prices statistics, said housing costs continued to rise, up 6.6% from a year ago, while food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 4.6%, and insurance and financial services were 8.8% more expensive.
Excluding volatile items from the monthly CPI indicator, the annual rise in November was 4.8%, lower than the annual rise of 5.1% in October,” she said.
More needed, of course, but the arrow is pointing in the right direction.
Updated
Inflation dropped to 4.3% in November
November inflation was 4.3%, better than expected and the lowest since January 2022.
Updated
Pope’s comments on surrogacy spur two Victorian MPs to ditch morning prayer
Two Victorian Labor MPs have vowed to ditch the morning prayer on parliamentary sitting days in the wake of Pope Francis’ recent comments on surrogacy.
Frankston MP, Paul Edbrooke, and Tarneit MP, Dylan Wight, both took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday to hit back at the pope, who called for a global ban on surrogacy, describing the practice as “deplorable” and a violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.
The duo both said they would no longer take part in the 105-year tradition of opening each sitting day with the Lord’s Prayer. Greens MPs already don’t take part in the practice.
Wight wrote:
[My brother] Jarrod was adopted at birth by my parents a couple of years before I came along. Whilst I understand adoption and surrogacy aren’t the same thing - families are formed in many different ways. The comments from the Pope are archaic and deplorable.
I have deep respect for those that practice a faith and strongly believe in their right to do so.
I don’t practice a faith, however the vast majority of my electorate that do, do not practice Christianity.
For these reasons I’ve decided to no longer participate in the prayer.
Here’s Edbrooke’s tweet:
Just an FYI that for this and many other reasons, including community, cultural and faith inclusivity, I will be respectfully not participating in Parliament’s daily morning prayer from today onwards. #springst pic.twitter.com/jSODa1YX9H
— Paul Edbrooke MP (@paul4frankston) January 9, 2024
Updated
November CPI to offer snapshot of what’s happening to cost-of-living pressures
As flagged earlier in this blog, the Australian Bureau of Statistics is cued up to release shortly the consumer price inflation data for November.
Economists are tipping the CPI to come in at about 4.4% for the month compared with a year earlier (though some reports have it as 4.5%, it’s probably a hair-split difference.) If that is the result, it’ll be the lowest since January 2022 when it was 4%. In October, the CPI was 4.9%.
Of course, should it be much higher than 4.4%, expect lots of angst about whether an RBA interest rate rise is back on the cards when the central bank board holds its first meeting of 2024 on 5-6 February.
Similarly, should CPI be much lower than 4.4%, then pundits may be inclined to say the RBA shouldn’t have lifted the cash rate in November and should now be looking at an early rate cut.
No doubt the CPI figures are noteworthy in providing an update of how “cossie livs” (terrible words for the cost of living) are tracking. But they will carry a few qualifications that are worth taking into account before we get too carried away.
For one thing, the ABS doesn’t count everything every month. October had a greater weight on goods (which have been showing some dis-inflation thanks mostly to China’s excess supply) and November’s numbers will be more services-heavy.
In any case, the more comprehensive quarterly numbers are out on 31 January. That’s when the RBA board members are really likely to arise from their summer slumber.
Anyway, stay tuned for the numbers at 11.30am AEDT. Not long now.
Updated
Scott Morrison’s forthcoming book to feature foreword from Mike Pence
The former prime minister Scott Morrison’s book, to be released later this year, labels itself “less political memoir and more pastoral encouragement”.
Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness will feature a foreword by Mike Pence, the former vice-president of the United States under Donald Trump.
The blurb says Morrison “asks the questions all of us are looking to find answers to” – those being “discovering your purpose”, “finding your pathway” and “embracing your future”.
Here is some more from the blurb:
Scott Morrison, Australia’s 30th Prime Minister (2018-2022), offers a unique insider’s account of a Christian who was open about his faith and operated at the top level of politics for more than a decade. During one of the toughest periods since the second world war, covering drought, wildfires, a global pandemic and recession, he chronicles God’s faithfulness throughout, win or lose, public criticism or public success.
Less political memoir and more pastoral encouragement, Morrison is passionate about encouraging others to discover how they can access and see the many blessings of God in their own lives, no matter their circumstances, drawing on Jeremiah 29:11, that God’s plans are for our good and not our harm, to give us a future and a hope.
The book is due to be published in May.
Updated
Challenge to NSW regional forest agreement dismissed in court
A challenge to an agreement between the federal government and the New South Wales government that allows the state’s forest corporation to bypass environmental laws has been dismissed in the federal court.
The North East Forest Alliance had challenged one of the state’s three regional forest agreements – the north-east agreement stretching along the cost from Sydney to the Queensland border – saying it should not be exempt from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Justice Melissa Perry has dismissed the case a few minutes ago. The case was the first to challenge the validity of RFAs.
The regional forest agreements are controversial and conservationists argue they allow logging corporations to damage habitat for threatened species while remaining immune from the nation’s main environmental law.
Updated
Supermarket code of conduct review ‘a step in the right direction’, Greens say
The Greens have backed the government advancing its work on reviewing the code of conduct for supermarkets and grocery prices, but says a separate Senate inquiry will be a more effective tool to tackle the issue – including demanding the bosses of Coles and Woolworths front up for public scrutiny.
The Greens economic justice spokesperson, Nick McKim, called announcements today “a step in the right direction”, with the government picking the former minister Craig Emerson to lead the review. Labor had come under criticism from the Coalition for not appointing a leader for that review for 100 days after they’d announced it.
McKim said “it is crucial that Labor’s review does not shy away from considering robust measures like divestiture powers”, calling for moves to “tackle the supermarket duopoly’s power”:
The announcement of this review is a testament to the persistent advocacy by the Greens and the Senate inquiry we are leading into supermarket price gouging.
This is a step in the right direction, but it is in no way a substitute for the Greens led Senate inquiry which has powers to compel evidence and testimony which will see Coles and Woolworths CEOs held to account publicly.
The government review will look at issues such as whether the grocery code, which is currently voluntary, should be mandatory – and whether it should include stricter powers or penalties on how food is priced.
Separately, the Senate committee on grocery prices is looking at “the price setting practices and market power of major supermarkets” – including rising supermarket profits, the large increase in price of essential items and price mark-ups.
McKim said the inquiry would “force supermarket CEOs to appear before the Senate and try to justify their obscene profits”.
Updated
‘Men in particular have a responsibility’ to call out intimate partner violence: PM
The prime minister says intimate partner violence against women cannot be solved by government alone, and that “men in particular have a responsibility”.
Anthony Albanese told ABC News Breakfast:
One death is one too many. The fact that you have more than one a week is just a national tragedy. It’s a tragedy for the women, and the children who are left behind, as well.
It’s a tragedy as well for, on top of those figures, those people who aren’t able to leave violent circumstances because they don’t see there are alternatives for them. And that’s why a major part of our Housing Australia Future Fund legislation was providing increased support for accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence. That’s why we need all levels of government.
But also, can I say this to … all levels of our society. This is something that can’t be solved by government alone. We all have a responsibility here.
Men in particular have a responsibility to call out this behaviour. And it is just a scourge. And I know that, when you look at the figures, people in every community are impacted by this. And over the Christmas-New Year period, we saw more disturbing and horrifying stories about the impact that domestic violence has.
We have funded increased community workers as a result of one of the commitments we took to the last election. But the figures remain stubbornly, far, far too high.
Updated
More than 1,800 SES calls made in Victoria but focus shifting to recovery
The Goulburn River at Seymour peaked at 6.8 metres on Monday afternoon before a second rise late on Tuesday.
The SES said six homes were flooded in Yea, eight to 10 houses in Seymour had above-floor flooding and a further 140 properties experienced other flooding, with crews set to examine the damage.
More than 1,800 requests for assistance have been made to the SES during the emergency, but call numbers dropped over the last day as the response shifts towards recovery in many areas.
Rochester residents have been told it’s not yet safe to return, with a watch and act in place for the Campaspe River as SES volunteers continue taking stock of the damage.
The owner of an empty kayak seen floating down the Mitchell River near Dargo on Tuesday was later found safe and well in the area.
Mount Dandenong Tourist Road at Ferny Creek in Melbourne’s south-east remains closed after a landslide measuring 70 by 40 metres.
- AAP
Updated
Victoria floods: affected communities urged to prepare up to three days of supplies
A watch and act alert is in place along the Goulburn River from Murchison and Shepparton to south of Lake Eildon.
The Victoria SES chief officer, Tim Wiebusch, earlier warned communities along the Goulburn River to expect possible road closures and overland flooding.
The river at the rural village of Murchison was slated to reach a moderate-level peak of 10.5m late this morning, while moderate flooding was possible at Shepparton from Thursday morning.
From Kialla to Shepparton, up to 20 properties might be inundated with above-floor flooding and a further 150 properties could have their land or surrounding streets flooded, Wiebusch said.
He urged communities to prepare and have up to three days of supplies in case some areas became isolated.
The Greater Shepparton mayor, Shane Sali, said the community was nervous after the town was severely affected by floods less than 18 months ago.
He told ABC TV:
We’re not expecting the levels of October 2022 which is pleasing, but there will still be a significant amount of water around and we’re asking community to be really vigilant and have that awareness of what’s happening.
Minor flooding is expected at Echuca, along the Murray River, later in the week.
– AAP
Updated
Homes and drivers at risk as Victoria flood threat shifts
Victorian communities remain under threat from flood waters with more homes expected to be inundated. The state is poised to remain mostly dry today with the flood threat now at Murchison and Shepparton, and later in Echuca.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is set to visit Victoria to discuss emergency relief as some towns shift focus to recovery.
With six flood rescues on Tuesday, the total since the emergency began on Sunday stands at 52. About half of those were triggered by people driving on flooded roads and becoming stuck in their cars, a State Emergency Service spokesperson told AAP.
(More on flooding in Victoria to come in the next few posts.)
– AAP
Updated
Government may consider mandating code of conduct for supermarkets: PM
Anthony Albanese has said the government is “prepared to examine mandating” of the current Food and Grocery Code of Conduct – which governs how Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and Metcash, which operates IGA, deal with suppliers and customers.
His government will announce today that the former Labor trade and consumer affairs minister Craig Emerson has been appointed to lead the 2023-2024 review of the code.
Albanese said:
What we have now is an independent person coming in, Dr. Emerson, to examine that work, to work with [the ACCC], to work with industry, to make recommendations to the government about these issues.
No other government before us has done anything about this. What we’re saying is that the current industry voluntary code of conduct will be examined to see whether we need some form of mandating. We’re prepared to take action and we’ve said that that will occur.
What we want to make sure is that when the big supermarket chains get goods cheaper off our farmers, then those costs are relayed on to consumers. We want to make sure that consumers benefit, and that’s what our minister Murray Watt, has been saying for some time as well.
The ACCC monitor these things and they’re continuing to do their work as well. But we’re indicating as a government that we’re prepared to examine mandating and what further action may be required.
Updated
‘Please come’: PM urges tourists not to cancel trips to Queensland in wake of floods
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been doing the media rounds this morning.
Speaking to the Today show from Queensland, he said he would be travelling to Victoria this afternoon to speak to the acting premier, Ben Carroll, “about ways in which we can assist,” after the state has been pummelled by wet weather and floods.
He warns that tourists withdrawing from areas dependent upon visitors will make the impact of floods worse:
I’m travelling to Victoria this afternoon and I’ll be there with the acting premier, Ben Carroll, at the state emergency headquarters there and having discussions with him about ways in which we can assist.
Already we’ve seen considerable support given here in Queensland. Today we’ll be announcing additional support for the tourism sector. And one of the things that I would say to your listeners out there is: if you have trips to this region booked, please come. That’s the message of the tourism sector here. The impact of these devastating natural events and flooding will be made worse if people withdraw from these areas that are so dependent upon visitors.
There’s some bargain deals to be done as well by people travelling to this region.
Updated
More on holiday sales expected to contribute to a slowdown in inflation.
CBA economist Stephen Wu said:
Wednesday’s release will include an update on market services price inflation that was not available in October.
This will confirm the degree to which inflation remains a ‘homegrown and demand-driven’ issue, to use RBA Governor Michele Bullock’s words back in November.
He expects the ABS data to show a 4.4% rise in prices for the year to November, a touch softer than consensus estimates of 4.5%, after inflation came in at 4.9% the previous month.
Any decrease would bring monthly inflation back to its lowest level since January 2022.
IG markets analyst Tony Sycamore says core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, dropping below 5% would confirm the rates market, which has priced in two Reserve Bank rate cuts in 2024, is on the right track.
Core inflation – also known as the trimmed mean – climbed at 5.3% in October.
– AAP
Updated
Retail sales discounts cutting away at inflation
Heavy discounting in the holiday sales period is expected to have contributed to a slowdown in inflation.
Economists are set to pore over the consumer price index for November when it is released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today, with the first inflation release for 2024 kicking off a decisive month of data for interest rates.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events are tipped to have resulted in outright price declines for goods such as garments, household products, and audio, visual and computing equipment, CBA economist Stephen Wu said.
Consumers held off on spending in October to take advantage of the discounts amid rising cost-of-living pressures, with retail sales turnover rising 2% in November, after a 0.4% drop the month before.
Fuel prices also decreased in November, while continued growth in rent prices and elevated services inflation are expected to offset the slowdown.
(More on this to come in the following blog post.)
– AAP
Updated
'More that we can do': Chalmers flags cost-of-living relief in budget
The government is prepared to consider “more that we can do” to ease the cost of living ahead of the May budget, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has said on ABC Radio National:
We’ve made it clear that, in addition to rolling out these tens of billions of dollars in cost-of-living relief that we’ve already budgeted for, that we are prepared to consider further measures between now and the May budget. The prime minister’s made that clear, as have I.
I don’t really want to get into ruling things in or out, but what I can say is that we’ve shown ability to roll out this cost-of-living relief in a way that takes some of the edge off these inflationary pressures without adding to them. The Australian Bureau of [Statistics] has made it really clear, for example, that our policies on electricity and childcare and rent mean that inflation would be much higher without them.
That’s the principle that we adopt when it comes to cost-of-living relief, and we have made some progress there. But we understand that people are still under pressure. And so of course, if there is more that we can do in the budget in a responsible and affordable way, we’ll consider that too.
Updated
‘We can’t be complacent’: Chalmers on World Bank warning
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has welcomed a “blunt warning” from the World Bank against policymakers.
The global economy is set to slow for a third year in 2024, and the World Bank has warned it is now on course for its weakest half-decade of growth since the early 1990s.
Poor countries were being hit especially hard by a series of setbacks since the arrival of the Covid pandemic, and there was a risk that the 2020s would be a “wasted” decade.
Chalmers says on ABC Radio National:
I think this kind of blunt warning from the World Bank is welcome. We can’t be complacent about the conditions we confront. Our job in Australia is to make this not a lost decade, but a defining decade to modernise our economy and maximise our advantages.
And that’s why we are deploying a textbook combination of cost-of-living relief to help people through difficult times, investing in a stronger economy in areas like skills and housing, the energy transformation technology, the care economy and human capital.
We’re under no illusion about the global difficulties, but also the pressures that people are under here in Australia. And that’s what motivates our agenda.
Updated
Australia in relatively good position to face economic uncertainty: Chalmers
As the foreign economy is expected to slow through the year, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says Australia will be entering a period of uncertainty from a position of relative economic strength.
He said on Radio National this morning:
We do have faster jobs growth than any of the major advanced economies. We’ve created more than 700,000 jobs through the life of our government. We’ve had two consecutive quarters of wages growth. Inflation is moderating, though not as fast as we would like. We’ve delivered the first budget surplus in 15 years, and there’s a second one in prospect.
All of these things put us in a better stead to confront this global economic uncertainty, which has been outlined so starkly in the World Bank report.
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another day on the live blog.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will be in Victoria this afternoon with the state’s acting premier, Ben Carroll, “having discussions with him about ways in which we can assist” after the state has been battered by wet weather and floods. Albanese says “considerable support” has already been given to Queensland – which was also inundated early this year – and will be announcing additional support for the tourism sector.
The consumer price index for November is being released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today, including the first inflation release for 2024. Economists are expecting a slowdown in inflation thanks to heavy discounting in holiday sales.
And the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to press this morning about these inflation numbers coming out later today, as well as the government’s flood emergency response.
If you see anything you don’t want us to miss, shoot it my way on X (Twitter) at @At_Raf_.
Let’s go!
