What we learned; Wednesday 12 June
That’s all from us this Wednesday afternoon. Here’s our summary of today’s main events:
Anthony Albanese backed the UN security council’s ceasefire resolution for Gaza.
The prime minister said Australia having no 2030 emissions reduction target would harm the country’s international standing, but Peter Dutton argued the target would “destroy the economy”. The Greens’ Adam Bandt, meanwhile, said the target and Australia’s climate laws were “Dutton proof”.
The Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said there was no place for misogyny in Victoria following allegations deepfakes depicting about 50 female students from a private school in regional Victoria were circulated online.
The Senate inquiry into consultancies report was branded as “weak” by the Greens, while committee member Deborah O’Neill said Australia needs transparency.
And Victorian police have conducted a targeted search as part of their investigation into the alleged murder of Samantha Murphy.
Thanks for joining us and see you tomorrow.
Updated
Victoria police conduct new ‘targeted search’ as part of Samantha Murphy investigation
Victoria police have released details about searches conducted in the Ballarat area over the past two days.
“Police undertook a targeted search in the Ballarat area yesterday and today as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Samantha Murphy,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad as well as a range of specialist resources from across Victoria police were involved in the search, which is part of the ongoing investigation into Murphy’s alleged murder in February.
They said Murphy’s family had been advised, but that the force was not in a position to give further specific details about the operation, which has now ended.
A number of items located during a search in Buninyong on 29 May are still being forensically assessed, they added.
Updated
Journalist Cheng Lei to appear with comedian Vicky Xu at Melbourne’s Club Voltaire
It appears Australian journalist, Cheng Lei, who spent almost three years in China’s prison system, is branching into the wild world of stand-up comedy.
Comedian and journalist Vicky Xu this afternoon tweeted:
HELLO MELBOURNE! Extremely psyched to announce that Cheng Lei (I cannot find her twitter) will be joining me tomorrow night and doing a comedy set of her own. One can only imagine the kind of jokes she’ll be making
Xu later confirmed to Guardian Australia that she will be appearing alongside Lei at the Club Voltaire gig.
In her description of the event online, Xu said: “I’ll be talking about my latest life as a nomad-memoir-writer-slash-MMA-fighter. Being harassed, haunted by the Chinese Communist Party. My alleged sex tape, and other stuff that come up.”
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More work needed to stop male perpetrators of family violence, Indigenous advocate says
Alison Scott, the incoming co-chair of the Family and Sexual Violence Commission’s Lived Experience Advisory Council, says more work needs to be done to stop male perpetrators of family violence.
The Noongar woman’s sister was murdered by her partner five years ago. Speaking with ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Scott says:
There’s prevention for our males in community … we really need to look at that. Women are very interested in that area growing, knowing that we can’t just look at funding services and working with services that deal with the victims all the time, we need to look at what is happening in the perpetrator space.
Prevention also is about making sure that people know what healthy relationships are so that they aren’t walking into these situations not knowing what they’re getting themselves into.
We know, especially in Aboriginal communities, we’ve had generations of devastation done to our families. So, trying to prevent getting into those situations again and having healthy, happy, strong families is really a priority so that we don’t see this going on for forever and a day.
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Australia still waiting for transparency from PwC, Labor senator O’Neill says
Today’s senate inquiry report into government reliance on consultants makes 12 recommendations, including that consultancy PwC disclose the names and positions of those involved in the firm’s tax leaks.
Another was that service providers “act in the public interest”.
Speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Labor senator Deborah O’Neill, who was part of committee that wrote the report, says that recommendation is necessary because of the extent to which public trust was breached.
We know that professional associations actually talk about the public interest, or the common good as it once was called, being a critical part of what it is to being a professional. Yet we’ve seen all of those values trashed, time and time again, with contracts that have run on, contracts that have been expanded, contracts that have been sought against the interest of the nation, replete with conflicts of interest. And we just can’t have that continue.
She continues:
We need transparency. The first recommendation of this committee was PwC should tell the truth. We are nowhere near that yet.
Updated
PwC should be banned for five years from all government work, Greens’ Pocock says
Recommendations from a senate inquiry into government use of consultants are too weak, Greens senator Barbara Pocock says.
The Greens broadly support the inquiry report’s 12 recommendations – which include the development of a central register for conflicts of interest breaches – but Pocock suggests PwC should be banned for five years from all government work and that consultancies should be size-capped.
In a statement, she says:
Australians are now awake to the systemic conflicts of interest built into the consulting sector and they are expecting real solutions.
The failure to recommend an end to political donations from big contractors does not pass the pub test. Even big consultants see this as a problem.
In the face of indisputable evidence of a betrayal of confidential tax information by PwC, there are no new recommendations to impose penalties on PwC, despite ongoing investigations and evidence of new misdemeanours.
PwC should be banned for five years from all government work based on its known transgressions, and it should certainly be banned until all the current investigations are completed and they have handed over the Linklaters report.
We need systemic action to end the opaque governance of big consultancies, cap their size to 100, and require them to meet the same level of taxation, transparency and accountability as other large entities, like corporations.
We need to be able to see the books, examine the way they manage their personal income tax, end their conflicts of interest, and stop mis-use of the revolving door.
Updated
Australian wine exports to China rebound now that trade has resumed
It’s not long since China re-opened the wine trade with Australia and already our wineries have sold about $86m of vino to our largest trading partner.
Speaking from Wirra Wirra winery in South Australia’s Mclaren Vale, agriculture minister Murray Watt says the newly-restored Chinese market is helping the industry get back on its feet.
Within a month of its suspensions on wine exports being lifted by China, Watt told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that $86m-worth of Australian wine – the bulk of it from South Australia - had been sold to China.
That is a really encouraging trend, and frankly, probably goes further than what we expected to happen quite so soon.
Wirra Wirra alone has sold 15,000 extra bottles since suspensions were lifted, he said.
China was Australia’s biggest wine market before Chinese tariffs were imposed more than three years ago.
Watt has announced a $3.5m funding package to help the industry.
Updated
Greens want more cost-of-living support for Queenslanders, higher mining taxes
Meanwhile, the Greens reckon Queensland’s cost of living support doesn’t go far enough, for long enough, or tax the mining sector hard enough.
The party’s two state MPs Amy MacMahon and Michael Berkman say the government needs to build tens of thousands of new public homes to reduce social housing waiting lists, which hit a 21-month record this year.
The Greens do seem to support the government’s 20% cut in the price of car registration, with MacMahon saying “any measures that we can be using [to help] Queenslanders with cost of living now are really crucial”. He continues:
The Greens have been pushing for fast, frequent, free public transport for many years. We want to see the government massively increasing investment in public transport so that people can get around, people can make the choice to not have to drive a car. But without that [extra investment] people are going to be making the rational decision to drive.
The Greens also want the government - which has budgeted a reduction in public transport fares to just 50 cents each trip - to go even further, slashing them to zero.
Updated
Queensland opposition budget reply expected to focus on housing
Staying in Queensland, where part of the government’s budget strategy this week has been to use it to try to flush the opposition out of its small-target strategy.
Opposition leader David Crisafulli gets an hour of parliament’s time tomorrow as treasurer Cameron Dick has reminded anyone who will listen for the past few weeks.
He had a new line for the cameras outside the post-budget lunch.
We’ve only got 24 hours to wait for the big reveal from David Crisafulli and the LNP. I think David Crisafulli is going to have to turn into David Copperfield, because he’s going to have to make all of his promises magically disappear, because there’s absolutely no way he can deliver the promises that he’s made, including lower debt, lower taxes and then support all parts of our budget.
My concern is that what he’s going to make disappear are Queensland jobs, Queensland services, and Queensland’s big build.
Everyone says the budget reply speech will include housing - a no-brainer in the country’s second-most expensive city - but nobody can say exactly how. Stay tuned!
Updated
Queensland premier, treasurer spruik 50c public transport fares, expanded bus service
Back to Queensland, where premier Steven Miles and treasurer Cameron Dick have made their pitch to party members at an ALP lunch today.
Several hundred party members attended the two-course lunch at the Exhibition and Conservation centre.
Both Miles and Dick made substantial speeches, but most of what they said has already been reported.
(For example, Miles once again warned the state would be a “dumping ground for nuclear waste” under the LNP).
As is often the case, the question and answer session was the most interesting part.
The two leaders were asked which part of the budget was their favourite. Miles said it was the 50-cent public transport fares because higher fares for long-distance travel discouraged outer-suburban residents like him from taking the train.
They were asked also what they were doing to support small business in disaster areas, with the premier explaining there’s a preferential procurement policy for government contracts.
Jon Raven, the Labor mayor of Logan, asked what the government was doing to improve bus services. Dick said the state was putting $70m into “new and expanded bus services”. Which is a fair bit less than they’re putting into new and improved road services. The state’s 20% car registration discount alone costs the budget $435m over two years.
Updated
Bicycle commuting increasingly popular across Australia
Australians are increasingly choosing to cycle to work, with an annual average growth of 6% in bike commuting across the country, according to new data.
Analysis from the Bicycle Network, which recorded data at 961 sites around Australia detecting 143,000 trips on bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters on 5 March, has found a consistent rise in commuters following what had been a flatlining trend in 2023.
Tasmania recorded 48% growth in commuting by bike, however the Network notes there was favourable riding weather on the day the data was captured there.
New South Wales recorded a 28% annual increase in bike commuting trips, with rises of 11% in South Australia, 4% in Victoria and 1% in Western Australia.
Bike commuting rose 7% in Melbourne, which the Bicycle Network says is notable because of disruptions to a number of bike routes in and outside Melbourne’s CBD.
Bicycle Network CEO Alison McCormack says:
People right across Australia are recognising the benefits of active transport and beginning their day in the best way possible: with a bike ride.
While we have seen sharper upticks in other years, the growth of 6% across the country is significant. We know, for example, that at an annual growth rate of 7% the number of bike riders on the street would double within a decade. The future is bright.
The 2024 count also included e-bike data for the first time, which revealed that e-bikes accounted for 11% of all bike trips across the country. Women made up more than one in three e-bike riders. E-bikes accounted for 16% of all trips completed by women, and 9% of the trips completed by men.
Updated
Queensland man jailed for ‘remorseless’ attack on South Bank shopping centre guards
Over to Queensland, where a man who stabbed a shopping centre security guard in the torso and slashed another on the arm has been jailed for his “remorseless” attacks.
Jake Wayne Peter Purcell, 29, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Wednesday to two counts of unlawful wounding, AAP reports.
Crown prosecutor Stephen Muir said Purcell had threatened two male security guards with a knife after they had taken reasonable steps to remove him from a shopping centre near Brisbane’s South Bank tourist precinct on 7 June, 2023.
Purcell had attended a supermarket intending to buy cigarettes but became belligerent when his preferred brand was not available.
“The (victim), quite properly, shoved the defendant when he saw the weapon. (Purcell’s) response was then to wound each man ... with what was obviously a deadly weapon,” Mr Muir said.
The guards were treated in hospital for a 5cm penetrating wound and a 3cm laceration.
Purcell was sentenced to three-and-half years’ imprisonment with just over one year on remand declared as time served.
Updated
Greens say Australia’s climate legislation is ‘Dutton proof’
The Greens have called Peter Dutton’s comments about climate targets “a waste of breath”, arguing the Coalition has “zero chance” of having the numbers after the next election to overturn the country’s climate legislation.
The opposition leader says he will not support the legislated 2030 target - a 43% cut compared with 2005 levels - if he wins power, and he will not announce an alternative target before the election.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, argues the Coalition has little to no chance of winning a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, and no chance of having the numbers in the Senate to overturn legislation that sets a minimum 2030 emissions reduction target. He says there is likely to be a “climate majority” of Labor, Greens and independent MPs in both houses, making the climate laws “Dutton proof” and the fight over climate targets “meaningless”.
The Greens say a repeat of the 2022 election result will likely give Labor and Greens 39 votes in the Senate, enough to pass or block legislation. If the 2019 election result was repeated, Labor and the Greens would likely have 37 Senate votes and be able to form a blocking majority with at least one independent.
Bandt says:
Instead of a confected debate about something Peter Dutton won’t even have the power to do, we should focus on what the science demands and stop opening new coal and gas mines.
Updated
Hello – and thank you, Emily. I’ll be bringing you the news for the remainder of the day.
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, I’ll hand over to Daisy Dumas to take you through the rest of the afternoon. Take care!
Western Sydney crowned world's most sustainable university for third year in a row
Western Sydney has been crowned the most sustainable global university for the third year in a row and is among four Australian universities in the top 10, the Times Higher Education’s Impact Rankings shows.
The rankings measure universities’ efforts to advance the United Nation’s 17 sustainable development goals, including climate action and reducing inequities, by their research output, outreach, teaching and their own policies.
Australia has the most universities in the world in the top 10, with the University of Tasmania rising three ranks from 2023 to sit at equal second, RMIT at fifth and UNSW at seventh, up from 18th in 2023.
Overall, Australia has 12 universities in the top 100, including UTS, Macquarie, Monash, the University of Newcastle and the University of Wollongong in the top 50.
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education’s chief global affairs officer, said Australia’s performance in the rankings was “truly inspiring”.
Australian universities are setting the absolute highest standards for universities around the world to reach to and provide lessons for all the planet to learn from.
The country has a university in the first and second position in the overall category and top spot in four out of the 17 [Sustainable Development Goals] SDGs, which is unbelievably impressive and is testament to how seriously those institutions, and the country, takes these critically important goals.
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Greens senator says $10m funding for Gaza ‘must be accompanied by more long term aid’
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed an additional $10m in federal funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza as a “positive development” that “must be accompanied by more long term aid funding to Unrwa and critically, sanctions on Israel”.
In a statement issued earlier this afternoon, she said:
The Albanese government merely calling on Israel to stop blocking aid is not good enough. We need actual sanctions, not more flimsy calls and weasel words …
Labor needs to show real leadership and take tangible action like backing South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel, and ending the two-way arms trade with Israel.
We must not forget that Labor abruptly suspended aid funding to Unrwa, without a shred of evidence and has yet to apologise for that reckless and dangerous decision and must increase funding to Unrwa.
Foreign minister Penny Wong announced Australia would unfreeze $6m in emergency funding for Unrwa in March. Australia was among more than a dozen donor countries to suspend funding in late January, after the Israeli government alleged 12 Unrwa staff members were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
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‘No place for disgraceful and misogynistic conduct in Victoria’: Jacinta Allan
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has released a statement following the arrest of a school boy from Baccus Marsh Grammar over alleged deepfakes of 50 female students. She says:
My thoughts are with the young women of Bacchus Marsh Grammar and their families; there is no place for this disgraceful and misogynistic conduct in Victoria.
Women and girls deserve respect in class, online and everywhere else in our community, which is why we have made laws against this behaviour and we are teaching respectful relationships in schools to stop violence before it starts.
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eSafety commissioner says office has previously received reports of deepfakes created by teens to bully peers
In the wake of the arrest of a school boy from Baccus Marsh Grammar over alleged deepfakes of 50 female students, the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says deepfakes can be devastating to those who are targeted:
Image-based abuse, including the production of deepfaked images and videos, is a persistent online harm which also represents one of the most egregious invasions of privacy.
The rapid deployment, increasing sophistication and popular uptake of generative AI means it no longer takes vast amounts of computing power or masses of content to create convincing deepfakes. As a result, it’s becoming harder and harder to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake. And it’s much easier to inflict great harm.
She says her office has previously received reports containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, as well as deepfake images and videos created by teens to bully their peers. She says there has been a high success rate in having material taken down when reported, and when it involves someone under the age of 18 it is reported to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
Inman Grant says there needs to be better safeguards for AI technology to prevent misuse:
We are not going to regulate or litigate our way out of this - the primary digital safeguards must be embedded at the design phase and throughout the model development and deployment process.
Our enforceable industry codes and standards will place the onus on AI companies to do more to reduce the risk their platforms can be used to generate highly damaging content such as synthetic child sexual exploitation material.
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Vet group says live sheep export conditions still ‘unacceptable’
The welfare conditions for sheep being exported have improved but veterinarians say the number of animals experiencing health issues is still unacceptable, AAP reports.
A parliamentary inquiry into the Albanese government’s decision to end live sheep exports was told mortality rates have dropped significantly since 2017, when more than 2,000 sheep died from heat stress during a voyage from Australia to the Middle East.
There has been a big improvement in conditions in recent years but too many animals are still suffering, says Melanie Latter from the Australian Veterinary Association. She told the inquiry today:
We’re still seeing unacceptable rates of heat stress, gastrointestinal diseases ... there are welfare issues that remain, and they remain of concern.
Charles Thomas, from the National Farmers Federation, argues that banning live sheep exports would result in nations turning to other markets where the practices are not as humane.
The inquiry was told details about support programs aimed at helping WA farmers transition from the live sheep export trade would be available in the third quarter of 2024. The inquiry is due to move to that state on Friday, where it will continue to hear from industry stakeholders.
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It will take years for Gaza and its people to recover, Caritas Australia says
Non-profit Caritas Australia has also welcomed the extra humanitarian funding for Gaza. Advocacy associate director Damian Spruce says in a statement:
We are pleased to see our government making financial commitments that support our brothers and sisters in Gaza, many of whom have spent months under bombardment, with little food, water, medicine, or shelter.
This aid must be offered alongside our continued diplomatic efforts in pushing for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access, as well as adherence to international humanitarian law on all sides …
This commitment to Gaza must also be long term. It will take years to rebuild what has been lost, and many will need decades of support as they deal with the impacts of malnutrition on the development of their children, as well as life changing physical injuries and psychological traumas.
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Australian aid agency welcomes additional humanitarian funding for Gaza
Save the Children Australia has welcomed the federal government’s announcement of additional humanitarian aid for Gaza.
As we flagged earlier in the blog, the $10m in funds will go to the World Food Program to pay for food assistance for civilians facing the risk of famine.
Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler says the funding is “sorely needed and will help save lives” with the “entire child population in Gaza at risk of famine”.
It brings Australia’s total [financial] contribution to the crisis to $72.5m but the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza remains underfunded, with the current United Nations appeal raising just one-third of what is needed, a shortfall of about AU$3.5bn.
While it is too late for the more than 14,000 children who have already died in this war, there are still more than a million children in desperate need of support, so it is critical that Australia makes further humanitarian contributions and continues to call for an immediate and definitive ceasefire.
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Traffic on major road on Sydney’s northern beaches blocked by fallen tree
Firefighters are working to remove a large tree that has fallen across a major road in Sydney’s northern beaches.
Fire and Rescue NSW says the tree fell across Pittwater Road, at Dee Why, blocking all three southbound lanes.
According to Live Traffic, one of three northbound lanes is also closed.
People in the area are urged to reduce their speed and exercise caution.
DEE WHY | #FRNSW firefighters are working to remove a large tree that has fallen across Pittwater Road blocking all 3 southbound lanes. @beachescouncil
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) June 12, 2024
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Melbourne councillor pushes to double rates for property investors, halve them for owner-occupiers
A councillor in Melbourne’s inner north has proposed doubling rates for landlords and slashing them in half for owner-occupiers and businesses.
Independent councillor James Conlan is set to move a motion tonight asking Merri-bek council to investigate how it could introduce a new “differential rate” for property investors in an effort to “make more homes available to first-home buyers”. He told Guardian Australia:
Isn’t it a part of our national myth that everyone wants to own their own home? Well, here are the types of policies we need to do that.
The idea is that slowly over time we would be able to change the composition of ownership from an investor environment to more owner-occupiers, which I think is what everybody wants.
You can read the full story for all the details below:
Updated
Damaging winds forecast for parts of south-east NSW this afternoon
A severe weather warning for damaging winds in south-east NSW remains in place.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a cold front will sweep the south east of the state today, bringing strong westerly winds to elevated areas and downwind slopes.
Strong winds of about 50-60km/h and damaging wind gusts up to 90km/h are forecast for parts of the Southern and Central Tablelands and inland areas of the South Coast, Illawarra and Southern Highlands.
Winds are expected to ease to below warning thresholds during the early afternoon.
A 98 km/h gust was recorded at Mount Boyce just before 4am this morning, and a 94 km/h gust was recorded at Nowra last night.
Here's your mid-week weather update including a look at the severe weather clearing the east coast and cool frosty mornings ahead. Video current: 11:30am AEST 12 June 2024. For the latest forecasts and warnings go to our website: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh pic.twitter.com/ow3nNoIKJ3
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) June 12, 2024
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No 2030 target risks harming international standing: PM
The prime minister says the opposition’s plan to walk back from 2030 emission reduction targets would risk Australia’s international standing, AAP reports.
Anthony Albanese says having committed targets to 2030 was important for leadership in the Pacific region, telling reporters earlier this morning:
Pacific nations regard action on climate change as the entry fee for credibility and for engagement in our region. For places like Tuvalu and Kiribati, it is literally an existential threat to their ongoing existence.
The prime minister hit out at the lack of clarity surrounding the Coalition’s emission reduction plans, saying there was no certainty for global targets:
It’s a bit like someone getting on a plane ... on one of those mystery flights. You don’t know where you’re going to go, you don’t know what the destination is.
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Bragg says Opposition’s 2030 position not ‘new policy’; declines to say if party room consulted
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg claims the Coalition’s opposition to naming a 2030 target is not “a particularly new policy”, saying they had foreshadowed the plan for some time. But he declined to say whether Peter Dutton’s call had officially gone through the party room.
Bragg, the shadow assistant minister for home ownership, joined Sky News earlier to discuss the opposition’s latest climate stance. Asked whether the policy had gone through the Coalition party room, Bragg replied: “I’m not sure it’s a particularly new policy.”
I mean, we voted against the climate targets. And we did it on the basis that a number of other countries actually don’t legislate the international targets or the internationally agreed targets into domestic law. So we are committing to a net zero plan and we are committing to the Paris agreement. So I’m not sure that has actually changed here.
Bragg, a Liberal moderate, was reminded that the former Coalition government went to the last election with its long-standing 26-28% emissions reduction target - and that Dutton’s stance, pledging to not name a 2030 target unless the Coalition wins government, was a change. He replied:
I think the key point here is that there is going to be policy which shows that’s how you’re going to be able to achieve some of these reductions. And that’s the most important point and as someone who went to the Cop meetings in Dubai last year, there are a range of different approaches that different countries take. As I say, some countries don’t legislate their targets into domestic law at all.
Sky host Tom Connell asked several times if Dutton’s stance had gone through the party room, a question Bragg didn’t address.
Updated
China premier visiting Australia to build more ‘fruitful’ relationship
In case you missed it yesterday, China’s premier, Li Qiang, will travel to Australia for a four-day trip in what will be the first visit by a Chinese premier in seven years.
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the visit represents “another important step in stabilising our relationship with China”.
A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, Lin Jian, says the visit aims to build a more “fruitful” China-Australia partnership. The visit comes after years of trade disputes in which Beijing slapped sanctions on $20bn worth of Australian products at the height of a diplomatic feud in 2020.
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Five arrested and $3m of MDMA seized amid multi-agency investigation
Five people have been arrested and more than $3m of MDMA seized across New South Wales as part of a multi-agency investigation.
The investigation along the east coast was launched in March after a number of packages containing 50kg of a precursor to MDMA were found in Queensland.
Ten search warrants were executed on properties in Tullimbar, Yallah, Calderwood, Albion Park and Kingscliff on 5 June – the same day a search warrant was executed on a Flagstone property in Queensland.
Across the Illawarra properties police seized over 8.7kg of MDMA, 140g of cocaine, two firearms, ammunition, $64,000 in cash, a Ford Raptor, a Porsche Carrera and a pill press.
At Kingscliff property an alleged “large clandestine laboratory” was located in the home, and several electronic devices were seized from the Flagstone property. The total street value of all drugs seized during the investigation was $3.1m.
Police arrested two men during the searches – a 35-year-old at the Albion Park property and a 34-year-old at a Tullimbar property.
The older man received a litany of charges, including 10 charges relating to large-scale drug manufacture and supply. The younger man also received a number of charges.
Both men appeared before Wollongong local court on 6 June, where they were formally refused bail to appear before the same court on 31 July.
On the same day, an 18-year-old man and 44-year-old man were arrested in Queensland, both charged with importation offences and remain before the Queensland courts.
Police also arrested a 33-year-old man at White Bay cruise terminal, who received six charges related to large-scale drug manufacture and supply, plus other charges.
He appeared at Downing Centre local court the same day where he was formally refused bail, to appear before the same court on 6 August.
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Queensland opposition attacks budget ‘short-termism’
Back in Queensland parliament, and the other line of attack for the opposition was short-termism.
The shadow energy minister, Deb Frecklington, asked why the budget only planned for $1000 energy rebates for one financial year, not the forward estimates. She asked:
Does the premier admit energy rebates are about doing anything to get a decade-old Labor government through the next four months instead of a plan for affordable power for the next four years and beyond?
The premier, Steven Miles, responded:
The answer to her question is no. The energy rebates are a key component of what we are doing, how we are acting to support Queensland households with what we know are particularly acute cost-of-living pressures right now.
The Queensland government has handed out energy rebates since the 2017–18 budget. The state owns its own energy generators. Miles said this year’s is “the biggest any government has ever delivered”.
He said the government also had a long-term plan to shift the state to renewables and pumped hydro storage.
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Queensland opposition accuses government of running away from record
It’s budget day two in Queensland parliament, and the opposition has aimed most of its guns on Labor’s claim it is a “new government”.
A series of shadow ministers have put it to the government that their sugar-hit budget was a plan for the next four months, not the next four years and beyond.
The premier, Steven Miles, got most fired up in response to the deputy opposition leader, Jarrod Bleijie, who asked:
The treasurer says the October election is not a referendum on the past nine years of the Labor government. Why is the decade-old Labor government running away from its record on crime, health, housing, and cost of living?
Miles responded: “Every election is a choice between plans for the future. And we have comprehensive plans; those opposite do not.”
Miles made a lot of this fact that Bleijie was attorney general under former premier Campbell Newman, who managed to squander a record parliamentary majority to go into opposition after just a single term.
Can I observe this? Can I observe this irony for the house? Because the member for Kawana asks me about political records, when nobody in this house is more afraid to stand by their political record than a member of Kawana.
Every one of them over there has tried to pretend they were never in government. That they don’t have a record that they should have to defend. They argue that it’s so long ago. So long ago, no one, no one should be responsible for things they did 10 years ago. Well, I can assure you, Mr Speaker, that we’ll talk about our records and we’ll also do plenty of talking about yours.
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Dutton believes Coalition can win back teal seats with energy policy
Speaking to reporters, Peter Dutton said he believed the Coalition could win back teal seats with this energy policy.
He hit back against the idea that teal independents are “disaffected Liberals” and said:
I think we can win those seats back, we have to for the sake of our country, because I don’t believe Australians can afford three more years of the Albanese government.
Earlier, teal MP Zoe Daniel said her constituents were “deeply frustrated” by the climate approach of both major parties and that “if [people] want strong accountability on climate, it’s going to come from the crossbench”.
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Dutton argues 2030 emissions target would ‘destroy the economy’
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking to the media from Sydney, where he has doubled down on a decision not to announce a 2030 emissions reduction target.
He claimed that such a target would “destroy the economy” and send families and businesses “into bankruptcy”.
I’m not going to sign up to an arrangement that destroys our economy and sends families and small businesses into bankruptcy. I’m just not going to do that.
I lived through the 1991 [recession] … Australian families are struggling under this government at the moment and I think we have a better way forward and we’re laying that plan out to the public.
It’s worth noting that according to the experts, the climate crisis itself will have enormous economic impacts – six times worse than thought.
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Chalmers says he hasn’t given up on getting opposition backing for RBA reforms
Aside from the climate issues, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also chimed in on the opposition’s blocking – so far – of some of the government’s reforms for the Reserve Bank.
One of the main recommendations from the RBA review that the government approved was the creation of a separate board within the central bank with monetary policy expertise (as the Bank of England has, among other international counterparts).
The opposition has so far withheld its support for the board, saying it’s concerned that the government will select members likely to be partisan, undermining the RBA’s independence.
Chalmers said the RBA, including new governor, Michele Bullock, had taken a “constructive approach” to implementing the review’s recommendations.
I’d like to see the opposition approach [it] in a similar spirit.
The big parties in the parliament should come to an agreement to bed down this Reserve Bank, so that the Reserve Bank can go about its important work along the lines of the way that it was recommended to us by the independent review in the first place.
The specialist board was intended to start from 1 July. In the meantime, the existing nine-member board will continue to hold meetings over six weeks, including next Monday and Tuesday (when no change to the 4.35% cash rate is expected).
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Dutton’s climate policies would create ‘extreme’ investor uncertainty, Chalmers says
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says Peter Dutton’s plans to go to the next election without any interim carbon emissions reductions plans “would create extreme uncertainty in investor circles”.
Speaking to Guardian Australia on the sidelines of a Morgan Stanley conference in Sydney, Chalmers said one of the reasons for having “clearly announced” emissions targets was “to signal to the investment community what Australia’s ambitions are and intentions are”.
Should the opposition leader tear up those targets and take Australia out of the Paris climate accord, it would “send a shiver up the spine of the investment community in this country and around the world”.
Chalmers also criticised Dutton for his intention not to take any 2030 emissions target even while opposing Australia’s legislated plans to cut 2005-level carbon pollution by 43% by the decade’s end.
“His party is divided and there are no details to any of his policies,” the treasurer said, adding Dutton was “not serious about the energy transformation [and] would turn his back on the vast economic and industrial opportunities of the global net zero transformation”.
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Overhaul for delay-plagued western Sydney ‘airport city’
Planning for one of the largest infrastructure and building projects in the country is set for an overhaul, AAP reports, after a manager was installed to address “unacceptable” delays at Sydney’s new airport city.
The centre – being built on the doorstep of the 24-hour international western Sydney airport – has been plagued with construction issues and will likely take decades to be completed.
Industry and local representatives have lambasted progress on the jobs and logistics hub, saying it won’t be ready for the scheduled opening of the airport in 2026. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, today conceded a more streamlined approach was needed:
This is all part of our plan to put an end to the years of obstruction and delay that slowed down the delivery of essential infrastructure across western Sydney and NSW. Delays to the delivery of essential infrastructure [have been] exacerbated by a lack of coordination.
Under the overhaul, the state’s infrastructure co-ordinator general will oversee housing and road building around the airport and the delivery of freight, logistics and jobs in the area.
Responsibilities will be shifted to Infrastructure NSW from the Western Parkland City Authority, which will be renamed the Bradfield Development Authority and focus exclusively on the development of the Bradfield town centre.
The planning minister, Paul Scully, who previously defended the speed of work around the airport, said there would be “whole-of-government coordination” on infrastructure decision-making.
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Brisbane city council flags rate raise ‘with three in front of it’ ahead of today’s budget
Today is also budget day for the Brisbane city council – one day after that of the state government.
The council is raising rates, but we won’t know how much until this afternoon. Adrian Schrinner told the ABC the number “has a three in front of it”.
Schrinner said less than 1% of dwellings in Brisbane were rented on the short-term market, but some areas had much higher rates.
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More than 400 Airbnbs in Brisbane to be denied permits, returned to long-term leases
Brisbane city council already charges higher rates for short stay accommodation, and Adrian Schrinner said they will raise those increased rates again:
They’re not using the house for standard residential purpose, they’re using it effectively for a business purpose. And so we’ve linked the rates then to more commercial rates.
I have to say, the evidence now, after a couple of years, certainly hasn’t dampened the demand for Airbnb. So I think a lot of people have just decided they’ll pay the extra rates and keep doing it. So there will be a further increase of 10% on those properties in terms of the rates.
The council has also identified more than 400 Airbnb dwellings in low-density residential areas that will be denied permits and be required to be returned to long-term leases.
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Brisbane to require permits for Airbnb hosts
Brisbane homeowners will need to get a permit before renting out their house on Airbnb under a new plan from the city council.
The lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, outlined the plan on ABC radio this morning, which will be based on planning approvals. He said bodies corporate will be given the power to veto a permit.
If you are in an apartment building, and your neighbour wants to switch over to short stay accommodation, the body corporate doesn’t have the power to effectively decide whether that can or can’t happen. And obviously people in a building will have a view on whether this is a good thing or not. At the moment, they don’t have the power to stop it.
And you’ve seen examples, in some places, where there’s been real concern and conflict in buildings as a result of this. So we need to work with the state government to get rules in place that will help regulate this to give body corporates more powers.
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Man rescued from house fire in Sydney’s south-west
Firefighters have rescued a person from a fire in Sydney’s south-west at a house which did not have a smoke alarm.
Six Fire and Rescue NSW crews and 22 firefighters responded to the fire at a Lakemba home after neighbours noticed smoke billowing from the roof.
Firefighters found one resident requiring medical treatment, who was handed to paramedics while crews contained the flames.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but firefighters are concerned the home was not fitted with a smoke alarm.
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Australians look to China visit as test of relationship
One-third of Australians will consider the nation’s policies on China when they go to the polls, a survey has revealed, as the federal government prepares for a test of the bilateral relationship.
As AAP reports, China’s premier, Li Qiang, will arrive in Australia on Saturday for a four-day trip in what will be the first visit by a Chinese premier in seven years. With a federal election in 2025, all eyes will be on the pair.
A poll from the Australia-China Relations Institute and the Centre for Business Intelligence and Data Analytics at the University of Technology, Sydney revealed 35% of Australians would factor Australia’s China policy into their vote.
In 2023 just under half of those surveyed believed Labor was best placed to handle Australia’s China policy, but a year later this figure has dropped to 40%.
Meanwhile, the proportion of Australians who preferred the Coalition in this area grew from 29% in 2023 to 35% in 2024, according to the survey of 2015 people.
About 40% of Australians expressed satisfaction with the Albanese government’s management of China relations, a slight uptick from their opinion on the Morrison government’s efforts which left 34% satisfied in 2022.
Some 70% of Australians expressed mistrust of the Chinese government, with 71% believing China to be a security threat to Australia and about 50% believing there is a possibility of military conflict with China within three years.
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Households view gas and electricity providers as offering worse value than supermarkets
Australian households view gas and electricity providers as offering worse value for money and being less trustworthy than supermarkets, according to the energy consumer sentiment survey.
As AAP reports, the survey also found more than half of households across all but the highest income brackets were under financial pressure, or managing to pay their bills but struggling to afford anything else.
More than 2100 households and 500 small business owners nationwide were surveyed, and researchers say the poor sentiment should come as no surprise as energy leaders gather in Melbourne for a conference.
Consumers under financial pressure were more likely to have considered switching energy retailer or plan but ultimately decided not to (30% compared with 22% for the financially comfortable), the survey found.
When asked why they did not switch, consumers said it was too confusing, time-consuming or complicated.
Almost half (49%) of rural households reported having an electricity outage in the past six months compared with just over a quarter (27%) in inner metro areas.
Despite a slight improvement in the past six months, value for money was lowest for households in NSW (52%) and highest for SA (61%).
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Two men charged with murder after remains of man located at abandoned quarry
Queensland police have charged two men with murder after the remains of a man were located at an abandoned quarry.
The 25-year-old Morayfield man was reported missing on 4 June. A homicide investigation was launched and two men from Caboolture were arrested on 11 June.
It will be alleged the two men lured the 25-year-old to a Glass House Mountains property where they stabbed him, and that all three men knew each other. The 25-year-old’s remains were located at an abandoned quarry near Mt Ngungun on 11 June.
A 22-year-old man has been charged with one count each of murder and misconduct with corpse by interfering, due to appear in the Caboolture magistrates court today. A 19-year-old man has also been charged with one count each of murder and misconduct with corpse by interfering, also due to appear before the same court today.
A third man was taken into custody but has been released without charge. Investigations continue.
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Man and woman charged over elaborate Facebook Marketplace scam
A man and woman have been charged over an elaborate Facebook Marketplace scam last month.
Victoria police allege a woman organised to meet an unsuspecting victim who was selling a high-end designer bag online, worth thousands of dollars. The female buyer allegedly inspected the bag before a man approached her, allegedly assaulting and robbing her of the bag and fleeing.
Police allege the female buyer and the man are known to each other and staged the robbery. It’s alleged the pair then on-sold the items and split the profit.
The 21-year-old Gladstone Park woman has been charged with perjury, theft and handling stolen goods, and the 28-year-old Broadmeadows man was charged with theft, handling stolen goods, and obtaining property by deception.
The pair have been bailed to appear before Broadmeadows magistrates court on 9 October.
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‘Very difficult situation’ for sacked Bonza staff, flight attendants association says
The flight attendants association says the sacking of all Bonza airline staff yesterday is a “very difficult situation” for those affected.
Speaking to ABC RN earlier this morning, industrial relations manager Steven Reed was asked what hope those employees have of receiving their entitlements? He said:
There are some guarantees under the fair entitlements guarantee [FEG] legislation – federal legislation that guarantees those entitlements – but to agitate that the company has to go into liquidation. And at this stage, whilst the employees have been terminated as of yesterday, the company isn’t in liquidation.
So the committee of inspection, the creditors, would have to elect to liquidate the company in order to agitate those FEG entitlements because currently the company has no money.
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Albanese backs UN security council ceasefire resolution
A United Nations security council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza is a significant breakthrough, the prime minister has said.
As AAP reports, Anthony Albanese said Australia fully backed the ceasefire resolution. He told ABC radio:
This war needs to stop and a ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States, and now by the UN security council, is positive leadership from the United States, it is a plan we fully support.
We need to see an end to the conflict, we need to see the hostages released and we need to see a plan for the infrastructure and for rebuilding of basic facilities there in Gaza.
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Nuclear reactors ‘will be in National party seats’, Littleproud says
Q: Are you happy to go to the next election campaigning for a couple of nuclear power plants held in National electorates?
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, responded: “yes”.
We will be very upfront and honest. They will be in National party seats. We’ve been very clear that they will be limited to where existing coal power stations are … there’s 12 to 14 existing coal-fired power stations across the country so, we can limit to that. But you’ll know very soon the specific sites.
Littleproud couldn’t say how soon nuclear power would power homes and industry if the Coalition wins the election. But he said the UAE will “get a facility up in 6-8 years” and “it won’t be that close in Australia”.
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2030 target a ‘moot point’, Nationals leader says
The leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, was on ABC News Breakfast earlier where he was asked: would you prefer Australia just leaves the Paris climate agreement entirely?
Littleproud responded:
No, we wouldn’t. What that would mean is that all our exports would have a border adjustment tariff put on them. And the capital markets, public and private, would factor in somewhere between 1.5% and 3% on your mortgage, so you would be paying more for that. We always said when we signed up to it that we had a uniquely Australian way of achieving it, while not tearing up the economy, and that’s what we continue to be committed to.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and Morrison cabinet colleague Keith Pitt this week called for the Coalition to abandon the Paris agreement. But Littleproud said Joyce was “being verballed”, because “he was the leader who signed the National party up to the Paris accord by 2050”.
And asked how the Coalition can be committed to the spirit of the Paris agreement while not committing to interim targets like the legislated 2030 goal, Littleproud argued that the 2030 target is a “moot point”.
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Jim Chalmers lines up ‘soft landing on narrow runway’ for economy
Global headwinds will continue to buffet Australia’s economy as the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, sets a course for a final approach towards low inflation, AAP reports.
Chalmers is confident Australia remains on track for “a soft landing on a narrow runway”, although low economic growth and persistently high inflation are still cause for concern.
Australia’s economy grew an insipid 0.1% in the March quarter – the fifth consecutive quarterly fall in gross domestic product on a per capita basis.
Viewed in combination with tepid consumer spending and a weakening labour market, the path for the government to bring inflation down to the Reserve Bank’s 2% to 3% target while avoiding a recession is narrowing.
But Chalmers is optimistic, saying that tax cuts, investment in the green energy economy and cost-of-living measures such as energy bill relief put Australia in good stead to weather the global storm.
In a speech to the Morgan Stanley Australia summit today, he will say:
This is what a soft landing on a narrow runway looks like. An economy still growing, inflation coming back to band, unemployment with a four in front of it, tax cuts and rising wages supporting a gradual recovery in consumption, and a sensible approach to budget repair to buffer us against uncertainty.
This is the soft landing we are cautiously confident of, but not complacent about. Just as a soft landing in the global economy is assumed, but not yet assured.
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Climate action can’t be based on trust or rhetoric, teal MP says
During the conversation on ABC RN, teal MP Zoe Daniel said it was time to “knuckle down and get it done” when it comes to tackling climate change, which has been “beset by rhetoric”.
When we’re talking about rhetoric, yes, it has been beset by rhetoric. Now’s the time to actually knuckle down and get it done. Take the steps that are required in a logistical sense, in a budgetary sense, in a community sense.
And on that basis, I speak for my community who I believe do want strong action on this, and we can’t do it based on trust. You know, what [Keith Wolahan] seems to be saying is that the Coalition won’t put a number on [its 2030 target], OK. But then they’re asking us to just trust that we’ll have nuclear reactors in 15 years and we’ll be able to hit targets by 2050. I think if there was one overarching theme of the 2022 election it was that people don’t trust governments. So there’s going to have to be more underpinning it than that.
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Liberal MP Keith Wolahan has also been speaking to ABC RN about climate policy, and defended his party’s stance on 2030 targets:
Of course it is a government’s job to implement the plan. But the problem we have had in this area is that it has been driven by politics and rhetoric and headlines. And so when Labor gave the number, it was just a number. They didn’t have a plan on how to get there. And what we are seeing again and again is that this plan is not achievable on their own best measure.
He said that the Coalition is “committed to [the Paris agreement] because we care about climate change”.
He was later asked if the last few days have “done damage” to the party in teal seats. Wolahan replied:
I will say this, when I saw the headline I was taken aback by it, and it’s fair to say there were some text messages saying “Did we miss a party room meeting?” But it took me five minutes to fact-check it and find out it wasn’t true.
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‘Ideology, not policy if Coalition can’t put a target on emissions reduction’: Zoe Daniel
Teal MP Zoe Daniel continued to lash the Coalition for its decision not propose an alternative 2030 climate reduction target before the next election.
She told ABC RN that it is “ideology, not policy if they can’t even put a target on it”.
I really see it as a return to the politics of fear. If you’re going to have the courage of your convictions, announce what your target is and put the detail behind this.
As to the Trumpism factor, Trump pulled out of Paris. I was there as a journalist covering that. I find that really concerning. And from the perspective of our kids, the future generations in this country, I find this turn of events really worrying and also for business, this is really problematic and irresponsible.
We have legislated targets. I added a note to the Climate Change Act to make it explicit that 43% was a floor, not a ceiling, so that business would have certainty, and our businesses are seeing all the pick-up sticks thrown up in the air again, because the Coalition is floating this out and they won’t even have the courage to put a number on it.
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Zoe Daniel says constituents ‘deeply frustrated’ by climate approach of major parties
Teal MP Zoe Daniel has criticised both the opposition and Labor for their climate policies.
Speaking to ABC RN, Daniel said there has been a “real frustration” within her electorate after Peter Dutton said he did not intend to propose an alternative 2030 emissions reduction target before the next election, which is due by May 2025.
I was with a group of volunteers last night, and they were just gobsmacked that the opposition leader would come out and announce a backsliding policy on climate.
Daniel said there is also a “deep frustration about Labor’s unambitious performance on climate policy”.
I think people feel really let down by the government. So in that sense, there is, I think, a view in an electorate like mine that if [people] want strong accountability on climate, it’s going to come from the crossbench, not from the two major parties.
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Labor MP Anne Aly welcomes UN security council ceasefire deal as ‘breakthrough’
Labor frontbencher Anne Aly spoke to ABC AM earlier from Jordan, having attended a Gaza humanitarian conference.
She welcomed the UN security council’s decision to endorse a hostages-for-ceasefire Gaza deal and labelled it a “breakthrough”.
This is the furthest that the international community has been able to get in terms of working towards a ceasefire, a rebuilding of Gaza and a lasting two-state solution for Israel and Palestine … There is that sense that it does require political will.
Aly said there was “unanimous agreement” that land routes are the most efficient way to deliver aid into Gaza, and said:
Ultimately, this is about Israel taking responsibility for this and this was something that we emphasised in our intervention, that Israel must allow the flow of aid into Gaza and … the distribution of aid throughout Gaza.
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Sydney’s light rail network disrupted today amid industrial action
A reminder for Sydney commuters that the light rail network will be disrupted today amid planned industrial action.
Throughout today, no trams will run on the L1 Dulwich Hill, L2 Randwick or L3 Kingsford tram lines.
Transport for NSW said it had organised a number of bus services to help students impacted by the disruption, including for Sydney Boys and Sydney Girls high schools.
A limited shuttle bus service will also run to help impacted students along the L1 Dulwich Hill light rail line.
Light rail services stopped operating at 11pm last night. People are urged to use other travel options today, such as the bus or train, and allow extra travel time.
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NSW Greens MP calling for new approach to cocaine
The Greens are calling for a new approach when it comes to cocaine, arguing that the “zero-tolerance approach to drug use continues to be an abject failure”.
NSW Greens MP and drug law reform and harm reduction spokesperson, Cate Faehrmann, said in a statement this morning:
Recent estimates have Australians consuming around 3,300,000 bags of cocaine per year, with every single one of them bought off the black market. There is no way of knowing whether any of them have been cut with deadly substances like fentanyl or nitazene.
We have to acknowledge that the majority of people who use cocaine do so recreationally and there is absolutely no chance of stopping people using the drug. We therefore need to consider all options to reduce harm, including regulating cocaine in a similar way to how we regulate alcohol.
Faehrmann said a regulated market would “undercut the black market” and “drive organised drug gangs out of business.” She also said a government-regulated market would mean people would know exactly what substances they were taking.
More on the push for $10-a-day childcare
Australia has one of the most expensive childcare systems in the OECD, with Australian parents on an average wage paying 16% of their budget on childcare, which is also double the average of the OECD of 9%.
Jay Weatherill, who heads up Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five campaign, said a simplified system, enshrined in law, with lower out of pocket costs would pay a whole of society dividend.
Parents are struggling to afford early childhood education, languishing on year-long wait lists, and primary carers – usually women – are having their careers hindered.
While the majority of young families are doing it tough, the system is particularly letting down children from low-income households and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It is not a fair or equitable system, and it needs to change.
Think tank pushes for $10-a-day childcare
Parents could save hundreds of dollars a week if the government overhauled its early childhood education scheme by paying providers directly and capping out of pocket costs to $10 a day for half the week, a new report says.
The Centre for Policy Development (CPD), a progressive think tank, posits the government could not only make early childhood education more attainable, it could also alleviate one of the biggest cost of living pressures if it took back control over childcare.
Key to that would be out-of-pocket costs capped at $10 a day for at least three days (free for low income parents) and a system where the government paid providers directly, rather than the current system, where parents have to estimate their activity (work) and incomes to receive the subsidy.
The CPD’s report sets out changes over a decade, transitioning from the current subsidy-driven system to one where early childhood education is considered universal – one of the Albanese government’s stated aims. Across those 10 years, the CDP says workforce challenges could be overcome, while also ensuring value for money within the system itself and tailoring supports to every child.
CPD program director, Katherine Oborne, said adopting the report’s reforms would improve educational outcomes as a whole:
Research indicates that 22% of Australian children start school developmentally vulnerable. Without significant reform, children will continue to miss out on early learning opportunities, impacting their long-term development.
A new child-centred funding model—one that acknowledges families’ need for affordable care, addresses the diversity of children’s needs, and supports the workforce providing the care—will ensure all children can engage in early learning, making the system more accessible and affordable for families.
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Good morning
And happy Wednesday – thanks to Martin for kicking things off for us. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll take you through our rolling coverage today.
As always, you can get in touch with any thoughts, tips and questions via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
Australia tags extra $10m in humanitarian aid for Gaza
Australia will provide an extra $10m in humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza, taking the total to more than $72m, AAP reports.
The new funds will be directed to the World Food Program to pay for food assistance for civilians facing the risk of famine.
Since 7 October, Australia has committed $72.5m in humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the refugee crisis in the region. The foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said in a statement today:
Australia continues to press for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to reach Gazans in desperate need, and for hostages to be released.
We support the ceasefire endorsed by the UN Security Council and want to see it fully implemented by both parties.
Any delay will only see more lives lost.
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Federal report into consultancy forms released today
A federal inquiry is due to release its final report into consulting services today in long-awaited findings that could redefine how the sector operates in Australia after the PwC tax leaks scandal.
The parliamentary committee is set to address issues of accountability and regulation in its recommendations, as it grapples with the risks posed to the public sector by the growing reliance on a small number of consultants.
Our business reporter Jonathan Barrett looks at why the inquiry was called, what the most important issues are, and what the inquiry has found so far:
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Top bosses receive double-digit pay rises despite cost of living crisis
Executives at some of Australia’s largest companies have received double-digit pay rises as workers face rising cost-of-living pressures, Australian Associated Press reports.
A report on board and executive pay among ASX-listed companies, released on Tuesday by the Governance Institute of Australia, found the salaries of chief executives rose by 14% in the past financial year while managing directors received an 11% pay rise.
The survey of 1089 companies had shown the average pay of a chief executive of an ASX 200 listed company was $1.37m in 2023/24, up from $1.14m in 2022/23.
The average salary of the chairs of prominent companies also increased from $1.58m to $1.88m during the same period, while the salaries of general staff at the same companies rose by about 5%.
The Governance Institute’s chief executive, Megan Motto, said the report showed a widening disparity between executives and other staff.
“Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, and with so many doing it tough, it might be hard for many to stomach these figures on an individual basis,” she said.
“It will be up to those investors and shareholders to make their voices heard if they feel there are reputational risks in not meeting community expectations.”
The report found about half of the managing directors and chief executives were eligible for performance bonuses.
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Gas supply would last 60 years without any new projects, new report finds
Australia could stop opening new gas projects and still have enough supply to meet domestic needs for 60 years, claims the Climate Council in a new report calling for a quicker phase-out of the fossil fuel.
Powering Past Gas, released today, says Australia does not need to open any new gas projects and instead calls for more rapid changes to the nation’s energy market to reduce the need for gas – such as faster electrification transitions, cutting household and industrial use of gas, and slashing leaks of methane from extraction projects.
The report notes that new gas projects in Qatar and the United States may make Australian gas less competitive on global markets, and warns that major export destinations for Australian gas such as South Korea, Japan and China are increasing their renewables share and cutting their gas usage into the future.
The Climate Council says gas is not needed as a “transition” fuel, as the Australian government’s energy strategy outlines.
“Switching from coal to gas would be like moving from tapes to CDs when Spotify has already been invented,” the report says.
“Gas used to be considered a better energy option, but now we can leapfrog it by moving from coal directly to cheap and reliable clean energy.”
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the best overnight stories but then it will be my colleague Emily Wind to be your guide for the rest of the day.
Some of Australia’s most powerful business lobbying forces have called for the Coalition to agree to meet Labor’s 2030 emissions reduction target after Peter Dutton said he didn’t back the goal and would set a new one after the next election. The Australian Energy Council, which represents electricity companies and gas wholesalers and retailers, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group all want the certainty of the current position maintained and an end to “climate wars”.
A climate activist group claims today Australia could stop opening new gas projects and still have enough supply to meet domestic needs for 60 years. More on that coming up.
There is a glimmer of hope today for renters, who have been faced with a relentless increase in accommodation costs over the past couple of years. Figures today show rents falling 0.5% in our capital cities and vacancy rates are expected to rise this winter to add to the slightly better outlook.
Executives at some of Australia’s largest companies, meanwhile, have received double-digit pay rises, according to a new report on executive pay. More coming up.
