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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Nino Bucci, Daisy Dumas and Emily Wind (earlier)

Mining giant to cut 700 jobs – as it happened

Penny Wong Labor CFMEU NSW Labor New South Wales Chris Minns Chris Bowen United States Australia Daniel Mookhey
Fortescue boss Andrew Forrest
Fortescue boss Andrew Forrest. The company will offer redundancies to about 700 workers as its mining and energy divisions are merged. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

That's it for today – thanks for reading

Here are the main stories on Wednesday 17 July:

  • Workplace relations minister Tony Burke empowered the Fair Work Commission general manager Murray Furlong to appoint an independent administrator to branches of the CFMEU;

  • The ACTU also announce that it has suspended the construction and general division of the union after a raft of corruption allegations;

  • Fortescue announce about 700 redundancies, to be finalised within days;

  • Kevin Rudd, the Australian Ambassador to the US, says Australia should “chill” if Donald Trump wins the 2024 election;

  • Victorian MP for Mulgrave Eden Foster has been diagnosed with cancer. Foster, 43, replaced former premier Daniel Andrews after a byelection in October last year;

  • The head of the Australian Energy Regulator doubts nuclear energy is possible in the country by 2050; and

  • A memorial service is held in Canberra for the 10th anniversary of the downing of MH17.

We will see you here again for more news tomorrow.

Updated

Fortescue to make 700 staff redundant

About 700 people from Fortescue’s global operations will be made redundant, the Australian company has confirmed in a statement.

Fortescue says the redundancy process will be finalised by the end of the month. Its statement read:

Fortescue remains resolute in its commitment to be the world’s leading green technology, energy and metals company with a laser focus on achieving Real Zero by 2030.

The Company has undergone a period of rapid growth and transition,and as part of bringing together Metals and Energy into One Fortescue, initiatives are being implemented to simplify its structure, remove duplication and deliver cost efficiencies.

The Company must continually evolve to ensure it remains lean, is best positioned to deliver on its strategy and generate the maximum value for shareholders.

As part of this, approximately 700 people from across Fortescue’s global operations will be offered redundancies, with that process to be finalised by the end of July2024. Fortescue is grateful for the contribution of all those impacted by these changes.

Updated

NSW dog track future unclear

Greyhound racing in New South Wales has been under the pump, after the release of a damning report prompted a government inquiry and forced the peak body’s CEO to resign.

But will the embattled industry get to keep its lease on prime Sydney real estate?

There’s a greyhound racetrack in Wentworth Park in Pyrmont, right in the city’s CBD. The racers previously agreed to leave the site when their lease expires in 2027 but they’ve since changed their minds.

The NSW government won’t rule anything out. It says the greyhound racers still need to provide a business case and would have to make room for “a multi-purpose community space that everyone can enjoy” if they stuck around.

But some locals who have long wanted the industry out of their neighbourhood were even more unhappy after reading our coverage last week. Lord mayor Clover Moore said:

This parkland should be for the benefit of the community, not an industry that has admitted to killing up to 17,000 healthy dogs each year [nationwide in 2015].

Moore was particularly concerned because the NSW government has told the City of Sydney to build 18,900 new homes by July 2029. Those new inner-city residents will need somewhere to go on their weekends, and they may not be too keen on the races.

GRNSW declined to comment.

Here’s more on the push to close Wentworth Park:

Updated

Confronting Queensland watch house footage exposes anguish of children locked in isolation cells

A girl punches herself in the face, strips naked and urinates on the floor of an isolation cell; a boy wakes in the night and tells officers: “I can’t breathe.”

Children scream in distress at being placed in a “freezing” isolation cell, known as “the box”.

These are some of the scenes revealed in a cache of video footage seen by Guardian Australia and SBS The Feed that shows the confronting reality for children imprisoned in Queensland’s adult police watch houses.

More here on our In the box investigation:

Updated

Rudd speculates first call between Albanese and Trump would ‘go better than Malcom’s’

Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, also told Sky News:

For us in Australia though, I just say this: it doesn’t matter whether you vote Labor, vote Liberal or vote National back home. The really good thing about the United States is ‘brand Australia’ is in good working order. And therefore we are in a good position to work with whichever party is elected. If the American people vote for Donald Trump and for [vice-presidential running mate] JD Vance, the Australian government, led by Anthony Albanese, will be in there working hard, positively, constructively, with incoming Republican administration on day one – that’s as it should be, as it has been in the past.

Rudd speculated that a first phone call between Albanese and Trump would go better than the infamous call between Malcolm Turnbull and Trump, by saying: “It will go better than Malcolm’s.”

Rudd promptly acknowledged that was “a low benchmark”.

The Sky News interview was conducted by former Australian ambassador turned lobbyist Joe Hockey. Hockey offered “a suggestion” for how Albanese should approach the first call, advising that the Australian government could advance Aukus-related funding to the US. Hockey said:

I think Anthony Albanese should give Donald Trump something, particularly on subs, the second round of checks or something, give him a win in that early phone conversation, to show that … it’s a symbolic way of saying this is how we work together.

Updated

Rudd says Australia should ‘chill’ if Trump wins

Kevin Rudd says Australia and other US allies are “not going over some chasm” if Donald Trump wins November’s election.

The Australian ambassador to the US said he had advised many fellow diplomats in Washington DC, particularly from European countries, “to chill, just chill”.

Rudd, who prior to his diplomatic appointment called Trump “the most destructive president in history”, gave an interview to Sky News Australia from the Republican national convention today. He was interviewed by Joe Hockey, a former Australian ambassador to the US who was once Rudd’s political sparring partner in a regular segment on Seven’s Sunrise program. Rudd said:

If president Trump is elected on 5 November, we’re not going over some chasm. For us in Australia, and for allies of the United States, this is a perfectly navigable and manageable set of relationships for the next four years. And everyone needs to have that just as a discipline in their minds.

If instead you think, ‘Oh my god, this is beyond the pale,’ and reach for your smelling salts, well you know something: it’s going to cruel you from day one. That’s actually the wrong conclusion. I say a lot to the Euros along these lines, which is: chill, Bill.

Updated

Energy regulator singles out AGL, EnergyAustralia for nudging power prices higher

Volatile energy prices are nothing new but occasionally they fluctuate more wildly than usual.

That was the case in early May when a spate of unplanned outages at coal-fired power plants (the “reliable baseload” ones) triggered a series of high-priced events in the wholesale power market in NSW, as the Australian Energy Market notes in a special report.

In short, a couple of coal plants had unscheduled outages (at Eraring and Vales Point), which happens from time to time as these clunkers become clunkier. Anyway, what happened next was not helpful.

Two rival producers, AGL Energy and EnergyAustralia opted to “profit maximise” by offering their capacity at higher prices and also by rebidding from low to high prices from the Bayswater (AGL) and Mt Piper (EA) plants.

“While this is permissible under the National Electricity Rules, the behaviour may not have been in the best interests of energy consumers,” the AER said.

The particular market price threshold was exceeded for only the second time in the national electricity market’s history, resulting in a price cap being imposed at $600/megawatt-hour for seven days.

The behaviour by AGL and EA was “quite a contrast with offer behaviour of the previous week”, the AER said.

One effect of this episode was to nudge future prices significantly higher for NSW.

Now wholesale prices only make up about a third of your retail power bill but it’s not the downward direction we would all want to see.

We’ve asked AGL and EA what they think of the regulator’s findings.

Queensland premier backs federal stance on CFMEU

Steven Miles has thrown his support behind the federal move, saying the state would also legislate to put the state CFMEU into administration, if necessary.

“If they choose though, to fight it through the process, then the Australian Government have indicated they are willing to legislate to ensure that this administration can be appointed,” Miles said.

And what you should read between the lines in what we’ve said is that we would also be willing to legislate to ensure that this process can be successful.

We want Australian workers to have strong, honest, democratic unions. We are proud supporters of trade unions. But there is no place in those unions for illegal activity for underworld links for thuggery. And that’s what we want to see stamped out.

Updated

The Queensland CFMEU secretary Michael Ravbar has launched an extraordinary spray at prime minister Anthony Albanese.

The PM announced moves to put the state CFMEU into administration in a Brisbane press conference today. He urged union leaders to enter administration voluntarily, rather than making him do it through legislation.

Ravbar said the union will cooperate with any criminal investigation.

“Albanese has panicked and soiled himself over some unproven allegations in the media,” Ravbar said.

Workers can see that Albo has lost control and the country is being run by buffoon breakfast show hosts and talkback radio shock jocks.

These gutless Labor politicians talk tough about affiliation fees and donations because that’s the only language they understand – money. The CFMEU is an industrial union, not a political outfit. Our strength has always come from our members on the shop floor, not from ladder-climbing politicians in the halls of power.

Updated

Dutton asked what portion of Coalition’s energy plan would include renewables

Circling back to opposition leader Peter Dutton’s earlier press conference: he was asked about energy minister Chris Bowen’s stance that voters must chose between renewables or nuclear reactors.

Dutton argued the Coalition was planning for a “mix of technologies” including renewables, gas and nuclear.

It’s not a choice between renewables and nuclear. Our policy has renewables, it has gas and it has the underpinning of a baseload power.

This comes as Clare Savage, head of the Australian Energy Regulator, told a summit today that she doubts nuclear will be possible in Australia by 2050.

Dutton was asked what portion of the Coalition’s energy plan would include renewables, and said “we’ll have more to say in relation to that detail.”

Asked for a ball figure, he again replied: “We’ll talk about it in due course.”

Housing completions in NSW reach historic lows

The Property Council of Australia has lamented new quarterly data from the Bureau of Statistics showing the speed of housing construction is slowing down in New South Wales.

The latest data show dwelling completions fell from 11,525 to 10,776 over the March quarter, while commencements fell from 11,361 to 8,961 – the worst performance since June 2012.

Property Council of Australia NSW executive director Katie Stevenson said that for NSW to reach its National Housing Accord target of 377,000 new homes by 2029, “we need to be completing an average of 18,850 new dwellings each quarter for the five years from 1 July”.

Stevenson said:

The data reflect the cold economic headwinds blowing through the construction sector, with skill shortages, materials costs, access to capital, and interest rates all impacting project feasibility.

To get more housing delivered more quickly, the industry needs feasible projects. Currently, project risks are too high, and the sector’s ability to secure finance is proving difficult.

Suspending taxes and charges and compressing approval timeframes could enable the delivery of up to 209,000 new homes over the next five years in four of Sydney’s six cities – 100,000 more homes delivered than if no action is taken.

Updated

Staying with the news from the ACTU regarding its move to suspend the construction and general divisions of the CFMEU, secretary Sally McManus said the resolution was adopted almost unanimously.

She said of 52 votes in the ACTU executive, she “could count - if I was being really generous – on one hand, the people against”.

Updated

ACTU suspends construction and general division of CFMEU

Sally McManus, secretary of the ACTU, said that the union has zero tolerance for any criminal elements and corruption within.

“They do not represent us. That behaviour does not represent us, does not represent the trade union movement,” she said.

Building workers deserve a strong and a clean union, she said.

She also urged CFMEU leadership to cooperate with the independent external administrator.

Updated

Victorian Labor MP Eden Foster diagnosed with cancer

Thanks, Emily Wind.

Over to Victoria, where the state’s MP for Mulgrave, Eden Foster, has been diagnosed with cancer. Foster, 43, who was elected to replace former premier Daniel Andrews at a byelection in October last year, took to Instagram to make the announcement:

Today, I’m sharing some personal news with our Mulgrave community. After undergoing several medical investigations due to a swollen lymph node in my neck, I have been diagnosed with Stage 1 Lymphoma. I have caught this early, and the prognosis is good. I am determined to fight and win this battle and will shortly start chemotherapy. During this time, I will be focusing on my treatment and recovery.

She said while it was a “shock” she hoped her diagnosis could “serve as a reminder that cancer can touch everyone, no matter your age”.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on today’s blog, Daisy Dumas will now be here for the next little while. Take care!

ACA supports Fair Work Commission to appoint CFMEU independent administrator

The Australian Constructors Association (ACA) has welcomed a decision by the federal workplace minister, Tony Burke, to allow the Fair Work Commission (FWC) general manager to appoint an independent administrator to oversee the CFMEU.

The ACA chief executive, Jon Davies, welcomed this action as opposed to the de-registration of the union, which “importantly mean[s] that workers will still have access to workplace representation if needed”.

It should not be forgotten that lawful and well-run unions play an important role in maintaining a safe workplace and representing workers on pay and conditions.

The ACA said it would work to support the FWC general manager in his investigation and would continue to work with the federal government more broadly.

This is an opportunity to create a more balanced, harmonious and productive industry for the benefit of all workers, employers and taxpayers.

Updated

Farm kids get their hands dirty, but safety comes first

The balance of exposing kids to rural life while maximising their safety is a key focus of Farm Safety Week, AAP reports, as figures reveal 12% of farm injuries occurred in people under 15 last year.

Nearly 10% of fatalities were in that age group. Quad bikes, large animals and motorbikes were the top three causes of injuries, according to Farmsafe Australia’s annual trend report.

Research shows parents’ active engagement, anticipation of risks and clear communication are crucial. Farmsafe Australia chair Felicity Richards said:

Growing up on a farm is a unique and enriching experience; it instills values of hard work, resourcefulness, and a profound connection to the land. However, with these incredible opportunities come responsibilities.

There was a significant decrease in all farm fatalities across Australia in 2023, with 32 deaths compared with 55 the year before. But 30 people have already died in on-farm incidents in the first half of this year.

About a third of fatalities in NSW over the last two years have involved quad bikes or motorbikes, according to SafeWork NSW.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology has also shared a photo of a “tarn” that has reappeared at Mount Wellington in Tasmania after days of heavy rain.

A tarn is a lake that forms when a steep hollow fills with rain or snow run-off.

The Bureau said 124mm of rain was reported on the mountain in the three days to Tuesday, and the tarn would drain away after a few days.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology has published a national weather update, looking at the cold front moving across southern Australia:

‘Potential’ to deregister CFMEU as Tasmania weighs options

The union representing construction, forestry and maritime workers in Tasmania could be deregistered after allegations of criminal links with bikies, AAP reports.

The Tasmanian government is investigating to determine what actions to take against the state’s union branch including potential de-registration, after a series of alleged corruption scandals.

The revelations of alleged criminal conduct in the CFMEU were extremely disturbing and a betrayal of hard-working construction workers in Tasmania, attorney-general Guy Barnett said.

I am seeking advice on what actions can be taken at a state level to protect Tasmanians – including potential de-registration of the CFMEU in Tasmania.

I will also be writing to the independent administrator appointed to investigate the CFMEU to request the investigation also covers the actions of the Tasmanian division.

The Tasmanian branch of the CFMEU is managed by the Victorian branch, which has been placed into administration along with its South Australian branch by the union’s national office.

Praise for cane toad containment zone

The Invasive Species Council has welcomed a move by the Western Australian government to launch a cane toad containment zone, west of Broome.

Conservation and biosecurity analyst Lyall Grieve said:

This initiative will be a frontline defence against this incoming invasion, which will devastate native species, impact farmers and damage Indigenous connection to Country.

These toxic pests have already spread west throughout the Kimberley and are knocking on the door of the Pilbara. The looming threat of cane toads pushing 20 to 24 more native animals to the brink of extinction if they make their way west of Broome, is a crisis we cannot afford to ignore.

Some of these species are found nowhere else outside the Pilbara. Small mammals such as Kaluta, Ningaui and Planigales along with reptiles like the Pilbara Rock Goanna are expected to be some of the worst hit of the unique animals found only in this part.

Updated

Parks Australia trialling AI to detect crocodiles in watering holes

Parks Australia is trialling using artificial intelligence to detect crocodiles in watering holes to prevent visitors to the parks encountering them unexpectedly, a Senate committee has heard.

Parks Australia’s director of the office of the chief remote pilot, Dr Renee Bartolo, told the Senate select committee on adopting AI that the agency has been using drones to undertake wildlife surveys, and then using AI to do detections:

We also use it doing some trials in terms of visitor safety with a crocodile AI detection model for swimming holes. That’s not to replace existing survey methods, but to add further lines of evidence.

Bartolo said it was also used for environmental monitoring and management for issues like weeds, ghost nets, and marine debris in northern Australia.

The agency has adopted a “crawl, walk, run” approach to AI and is determining what the benefits might be particularly around environmental monitoring, the committee heard, and for ways to potentially collect real-time information that is a lot more comprehensive and cheaper to collect.

What else is the government doing?

Tony Burke has asked the Fair Work Ombudsman to “undertake a targeted review of all enterprise agreements made by the Victorian branch of the construction division of the CFMEU that apply to Victorian “Big Build” projects”.

That is separate to what the Fair Work Commission is doing – this part of the review will be “seeking information on coercive behaviour and has no intention of taking any action which would put at risk terms and conditions of employment for the workers covered by these agreements. This is not their fault”.

Burke says “the government will use its procurement powers to ensure that enterprise agreements used on Government funded projects are genuinely agreed and that workplaces are free from coercion and intimidation”.

On top of all of this, Burke has written to the AFP commissioner, asking that the AFP “investigate the recent allegations and work cooperatively with state police to investigate and prosecute any criminal breaches”.

There will be more coming – so watch this space.

Let’s go through the announcement Tony Burke just made regarding the CFMEU

Burke is using industrial relations law to allow the Fair Work Commission general manager, Murray Furlong, to appoint an independent administrator to oversee the CFMEU while the investigations into the allegations are carried out.

To do that will be a little bit complicated.

Burke says Furlong has said he wants to take legal action to appoint administrators to the construction division. So far, this at the advice stage.

If it cannot be worked out before parliament sits in mid-August, then the government will legislate to allow the work to take place. Burke has said he will back Furlong in any action he believes needs to be taken.

So it is nuanced, but Furlong will lead the process appointing administrators, but won’t be the administrator himself, and he’ll have the backing of the government in doing that.

Updated

Here’s the full story from Amy Remeikis on news that workplace relations minister Tony Burke has announced an independent administrator will be appointed as investigations into the CFMEU begin.

Aged care expert says for-profit facilities not passing on public funding

When profit is a motive for providing aged care, vulnerable people will miss out, the executive officer of Housing for the Aged Action Group has said.

Today we reported on recent analysis from the University of Technology Sydney, which found nearly two-thirds of residential aged care homes that turned a profit in the first half of the last financial year did not meet mandatory care-minute targets, despite substantial government funding.

Since October last year, residential aged care providers have been required to provide a mandatory average of 200 minutes of direct care to each resident a day, including 40 minutes from a registered nurse and are funded as such.

But the Ageing Research Collaborative found that 63.9% of residential aged care centres turning a profit were doing so by essentially pocketing the federal government’s direct care subsidy, instead of providing enough staff to meet care requirements.

Fiona York, executive officer of Housing for the Aged Action Group, said:

Profit making businesses should not be receiving taxpayer dollars to provide aged care services. We know that when there is a profit motive, older people who are the most vulnerable will miss out. This includes financially disadvantaged older people on low incomes and with few assets, older people who have experienced homelessness, older people living in regional and remote areas, culturally and linguistically diverse older people, LGBTIQA+ older people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders.

Older people deserve equal access to quality care and government needs to ensure that aged care funding is being spent in the places that need it the most. Enforcement of quality standards and minimum care requirements, and continuing to improve pay and conditions for the aged care workforce would go some way to improving the lives of residents.

Updated

Bowen says renewables investors have raised concerns with him about lack of bipartisan support for 2030 climate target

Taking a final question, Chris Bowen is asked whether the renewables rollout has already been “materially harmed” because there’s no longer bipartisan support for the 2030 climate target?

He responded:

It has been raised with me as a concern by renewable energy investors, yes. I’m not aware of any particular decision that has been taken to say ‘we were going to invest here in renewable energy and now we’re not’.

I’m not aware of any decision that’s been taken on the basis of the uncertainty caused by nuclear power, but has it been raised with me as a concern by renewable energy investors? Have they paid attention and are they worried about it? Yes.

Updated

Moving away from energy policy for a moment: A reporter asks Chris Bowen about his electorate of McMahon, after reports indicated the Muslim community is organising candidates to run at the next election.

As for how this shapes the government’s foreign policy, Bowen responded:

We make our foreign policy choices and decisions based on the evidence and good policy, not on electoral politics.

It sometimes annoys me to see newspaper articles saying this MP has argued for this, and here’s the percentage of Muslim voters in their electorate, they must by definition have a view about Palestine that’s driven by electoral purposes and not good policy reasons.

We’ll continue to make our foreign policy choices like we have – like the vote in the UN, which gave greater rights to Palestine – we’ll continue to do that thorough cabinet processes and a discussion of the policy merits.

As for his electorate of McMahon, Bowen said “we take no vote for granted [and] no seat for granted”, and that he works closely with the independent mayor.

Updated

Outright climate change denial replaced with ‘all-too-hard-ism’, Bowen says

Chris Bowen argued that climate change denial is a minority and “the science of climate change is now as certain as the science that tobacco causes cancer”.

Full on, open climate change denial is now less fashionable than it was 10 or 15 years ago in the public debate. It used to be quite common. Now it’s not so common. Andrew Bolt still does it, but most other people don’t bother with it.

What it had been replaced with, is what I call all-too-hard-ism [or] climate in-activism.

It’s all too had. Renewables, it’s all too hard. Building the system is too hard. Not saying we don’t need to do it, but it’s all too hard. That’s more dangerous in the public debate than full on, straight out climate change denial, which you see less and less of.

Bowen says ‘conspiracy theory rabbit hole’ rhetoric needs to be called out

A reporter asks what can be done to “shepherd a more constructive conversation” around Australia’s energy future, when “many Australians may listen to this debate and feel cynical about the tone it takes on.”

Chris Bowen said it’s not the role of bureaucracy or the department to participate in public debate, but to advise the government.

He said that polarisation is a “symptom of a broader problem” and climate change is “the pointy end of that problem”.

He said that people’s motives are “increasingly” being questioned, particularly on social media, which is impacting debate. And this occurs with health and vaccination policy as well as the climate, he said.

If you’re pro-renewables, you’re accused of being a traitor because somehow it’s called up in a conspiracy about China. Or you’re accused of participating in a climate hoax, which is somehow a conspiracy by scientists to keep getting funding…

Conspiracy theory rabbit hole develops from climate change to anti-vaxing, to, you know, foreign affairs quite easily. And as I said, there’s too much of it allowed and perpetrated in Parliament House in my very strong view. And having climate denial and anti-vaxxer sentiment expressed regularly by a minority … is not in my view, okay without it being called out.

Bowen takes questions about compulsory acquisition of land to rollout transmission links

Chris Bowen mentions the rollout of transmission lines for HumeLink – a 360km connection between the planned Snowy 2.0 expansion in the Mount Kosciuszko national park to Bannaby, north-west of Goulburn.

He said TransGrid has reached agreement with 74% of landholders:

It’s not 100, but it’s not zero, and it’s good progress [that’s growing] all the time … I work with all of the states and with the companies to get the job done. Decisions about compulsory acquisition are not ones at the federal government level. Inevitably, you try very hard, the companies try very hard to get as much agreement as possible from land holders before that is contemplated.

He later added: “I’m far from complacent, but I’m relatively satisfied with where we’re at.”

Some landholders, who were first informed about the project months after the black summer bushfires, have been advocating for the powerlines to go underground.

Updated

Bowen asked about importance of gas in potential second-term Labor government

This is given that the government labelled gas as a key energy source “to 2050 and beyond”, while it is not encouraged under the proposed greens ratings system and excluded from the capacity investment scheme.

Chris Bowen responded:

I don’t agree with the premise about mixed signals. But we are the sensible people, pragmatic people when it comes to gas.

You’ve got the Liberals who had a gas recovery, which was a gas bin fire. You’ve got the Greens who say gas has no role to play in the system going forward. I disagree with both of those and the government disagrees with both of them.

Bowen argued gas would play “an important role” through firming renewables, and for industry. He later added:

By definition, when you turn it on, it’s very profitable, but it can’t compete in terms of cost to build with renewables – hence the capacity investment scheme is not the right way to deal with gas.

Updated

Chris Bowen ended his speech with an election appeal, noting a “choice” between renewables and nuclear and urging people to “stay the course” with renewables, and Labor:

The choice for affected communities will be stark. The choice for Australia is, and will, be stark. We can have a debate on this by all means, but a mature debate requires facts and the Liberals and Nationals have provided pitifully few so far. The government will be staying the course and making the case to the Australian people that we should stay the course, as well.

Chris Bowen is arguing that the opposition’s “ideological pursuit of nuclear reactors in two decades’ time” would “wreck the renewables rollout today”. He told the press club:

Australia will be trading urgently needed renewable investment for the hope of more costly reactors in two decades’ time …

Baseload nuclear power plants simply don’t stack up economically in a grid with very significant renewable penetration. Is the coalition’s policy to curtail the zero-cost renewable energy to make room for expensive energy when renewables drive down the wholesale prices to very low levels? Some Queensland LNP members say it is.

Is it their plan to bankroll the plans into the system to bleed money at taxpayers’ expense? Either one of these is a recipe for Australians to pay more.

For these reasons, Australians can choose reliable renewables or risky reactors, but not both.

Chris Bowen outlined a number of visits he has made to communities where the opposition has proposed nuclear reactors to be built.

He said a message he often heard was that “they need jobs and investment now. Not in 2035, not in 2037 - now.”

Now, these communities had other very legitimate questions, like how much water will be used in these nuclear plants? And where will the water come from? Will it be at the expense of farmers? All fair questions, well asked. It’s [shadow climate change and energy minister Ted] O’Brien’s place to answer those questions, not mine.

Coalition’s nuclear policy a ‘triumph of dogma over data’: Bowen

Chris Bowen speech continues at the national press club.

It’s a front in the post-truth populist culture war, not a serious plan for Australia.

A plan that’s less about the future jobs for Australians, and more about keeping Peter Dutton in his job. The coalition dress up their ideological anti-renewables obsession as a pro-nuclear plan, but it comes down to a desire to do absolutely nothing. To do nothing, because they don’t think there’s a need to act.

If [Dutton] believes this was the critical decade, they wouldn’t serve up policies that only guarantee inaction. It’s obvious this isn’t a serious plan by the way they’re going about it.

Chris Bowen said the opposition’s announcement of seven locations for nuclear reactors has “raised more questions than it answered”.

Five of them are in states with nuclear prohibition and six are on sites where the owners have said they don’t want anything to do with nuclear power.

Updated

Bowen also outlined the government’s plans for future transmission lines:

You may have heard certain politicians say that we have a policy of building 28,000km of transition lines. It isn’t true – never has been.

We’re supporting the building of 4,000km of transmission lines over the next decade, plus the upgrading of another 1,000km.

Of the 4,000km actually required, 900km are complete, or well under physical construction, while the others are at various stages of advanced planning and approval.

Updated

Chris Bowen said that during his travels throughout regional and rural Australia, he understands the energy transition can be “confronting” for some.

I’ve met with passionate renewable energy advocates in the regions who have demanded more action faster [and] more renewables.

I’ve met with people who are happy to see renewables, but want to see better consultation and better community benefits.

And, of course, I’ve heard from some who oppose the renewable rollout all together – it’s far from a majority in any place I’ve visited, far from a majority, but it is a contested space.

He said the government has set expectations for “effective and responsible” engagement by transmission companies to improve the outcomes for local communities.

To read more about the renewable energy resistance in some parts of regional Australia, you can read this fantastic feature from Aston Brown below:

Updated

Back to the National Press Club, where energy and climate change minister Chris Bowen has been speaking.

He said that 2050 isn’t the start date for action, but the “deadline for delivery,” and told the crowd:

Some people say they’re committed to net zero by 2050 as if saying it is enough, and they think that they can delay action to the late 2030s, or indeed, to the 2040s. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the task before us and of the opportunities before our country.

Top energy regulator doubts nuclear energy possible in Australia by 2050

The Australian Clean Energy Summit 2024 in Sydney doesn’t include many supporters among the attenders for nuclear energy being built in the country.

One senior supplier privately said the federal opposition’s pledge to build seven nuclear energy plants were “a distraction”, while one state official described the move as “chilling” for renewable energy investor interest.

That didn’t stop federal opposition energy spokesperson Ted O’Brien giving his stump speech (with no Q&A), blaming the government for an “all eggs in one basket approach” with renewables, and the need for a more “balanced” approach that included nuclear energy. (He received polite applause, only.)

It was a pity O’Brien was caught in traffic and missed an earlier session that included Clare Savage, the head of the Australian Energy Regulator.

Savage said Australia was “probably a decade too late” to go down to the nuclear track. As a regulator, she estimated that it would take at least two years to remove the legal impediments and introduce supporting legislation at state and federal level (assuming that was possible).

“By the time you would have to try and build out the safety framework, the environmental framework, the market operations, the underwriting, I reckon that’d take at least …another eight years,” Savage said. Add another couple of years before any sod could be turned it would then need 15 years to build a reactor.

So that’s 25 years from now, so you’re probably at 2050.

Bearing in mind coal plants will probably all be gone by 2040 – assuming their operations can be extended even that long – we’d have a decade gap to fill. Not very promising.

Updated

The minister for climate change and energy is beginning his address at the National Press Club

Josh Butler gave us a preview of what Chris Bowen will say, which you can read about earlier in the blog here and here.

We’ll bring you the highlights from his speech, and questions from reporters.

Updated

Safety not valued at Queensland power plant before blast, report finds

AAP reports that almost half a million households were left without power after pieces of metal weighing almost half a tonne blasted out of a turbine in the May 2021 incident at central Queensland’s Callide power station.

Three years after the “catastrophic missile event” near Biloela, forensic engineer Sean Brady’s final report has been released.

It found state-owned operator CS Energy did not value safety or implement suitable welfare processes before the explosion.

Staff had raised concerns years before the explosion that Callide was an unsafe work environment and the lack of maintenance over the years could lead to an incident, Dr Brady found.

CS Energy chair Adam Aspinall on Wednesday said it was an unacceptable outcome at Callide that had damaged trust with the community and stakeholders.

“I apologise to our employees, the government and the people of Queensland for CS Energy not having maintained the world-class performance they expect,” he told reporters.

Updated

This is worth a look over your lunch break:

MBA welcomes CFMEU action, but calls for return of regulator

Master Builders Australia has welcomed the announcement of an independent administrator for the CFMEU, but said it was only a first step in “stamping out the toxic and ingrained culture … of bullying, thuggery, and complete disregard for the law”.

In a statement, the body said that the announcement was a significant move in addressing a range of serious allegations against the CFMEU.

It also called for the “reinstatement” of a “strong” building regulator. The Albanese government abolished the Australian Building and Construction Commission last year.

The MBA said in a statement:

This culture has existed for decades and has stifled productivity and increased the cost of construction at the expense of the community, taxpayers, jobs and small business.

All levers need to be pulled to ensure these investigations are well-resourced, thorough and have the full powers available to them.

It has been extensively documented in four royal commissions, dozens of inquiries and reviews, and hundreds of court judgments. The time for talking is over – what we need now is real action to fix this problem once and for all.

More action will still be needed to hold recidivist officials accountable, and a strong building regulator must be reinstated.

Updated

ACTU secretary Sally McManus, president Michele O’Neil and members of the ACTU executive will address the media at 2.30pm this afternoon.

Government doesn’t want to punish workers by stopping projects, says PM

Overwhelmingly – let’s be very clear – overwhelmingly, people who work in the construction sector go to work, they work hard, it’s dangerous work and they earn for their family and they make a contribution to building and construction, whether it be large homes or whether it be civil construction, railway lines or roads. We don’t want that to stop.

Updated

PM says ‘nothing off the table’ over CFMEU

Anthony Albanese has also been speaking to the media from Brisbane, and was asked whether deregistering the CFMEU should be taken off the table.

The prime minister said that “nothing will be taken off the table but we want action”.

Notice that the Master Builders Association and the Constructors Association have all welcomed the actions that the government has taken as well.

It’s important that the action be effective, and some of the things that have been proposed haven’t been effective … You can spend a lot of time having talks, what we’ve done is have action. And today’s announcement is decisive. It’s clear and it will make a difference.

Updated

Dutton backs continuing Ukraine support

Moving to international politics, Dutton was asked about previous comments made by Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, opposing aid to Ukraine, and whether this worried him.

Dutton responded:

I congratulate JD Vance on his appointment as the running mate to President Trump and obviously, as has been the case over decades – regardless of whether it’s a Democrat or Republican administration, regardless of whether at this end it’s a Labor or Liberal administration, we work closely with our counterparts in the United States and will continue to do that.

We believe very strongly that support should be provided to Ukraine because innocent men, women and children are being slaughtered by President Putin and the world shouldn’t take its eyes away from what’s happening in Ukraine just because time has elapsed and the media cycle moves on.

Updated

Peter Dutton argued that NSW premier Chris Minns and South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas “show the leadership that the prime minister can’t demonstrate” by returning donations from the CFMEU.

The fact is that Labor party has taken over $10m worth of donations from the CFMEU during the prime minister’s time as Labor leader … they should stop receiving any donations and the money that they have received should be quarantined.

Dutton says CFMEU allegations ‘only scratching the surface’

Peter Dutton is speaking to the media from Brisbane about the CFMEU allegations.

The opposition leader claimed that “we’re only just scratching the surface” of alleged misconduct and, in his view, “this will turn out to be the biggest defrauding of the Australian taxpayer in our country’s history”.

I don’t believe that the prime minister’s response by announcing an administrator will be appointed and somehow that will be adequate to deal with the issues before us. The weakest possible response from Anthony Albanese would be to appoint an administrator to the CFMEU…

If the prime minister had any backbone whatsoever, he would deregister the CFMEU.

Workplace relations minister Tony Burke told a press conference just moments ago why the government was not considering deregistration (see our earlier post).

Updated

Q: You’ve spoke when about inadequacies of the [Australian Building and Construction Commission]. What about the Registered Organisations Commission? Is there a role for restoring that, or a version of that, so it can better police this behaviour?

Tony Burke responded:

The power of the Registered Organisations Commission are the powers that were transferred to the general manager of the Fair Work Commission, who I’ve just said I have full confidence in …

If it ends up being that the legislation – and this part of it was not changed when we made that shift – but if the legislation does not create a clear enough path to putting administrators in different roles, and the attempts from the regulator are challenged, then when parliament returns we’ll legislate.

The press conference has now wrapped up.

Updated

Tony Burke said what the government had been discussing with the administrator “is not limited to Victoria”.

But it will be the decision of the regulator to work out where it goes.

Updated

The workplace minister was asked if he would move to close this loophole (as mentioned in our last post).

Tony Burke responded:

I personally have a view in favour of registered organisations having the significant role. The reality is at the moment there is no pathway through the parliament on changing that.

There are some organisations that are not registered that traditionally the Coalition have been close to. There are some organisations that are not registered that the Greens party has been quite close to, and I don’t believe that pathway is open.

Updated

Burke has ‘no intention’ of pursuing CFMEU deregistration

Tony Burke was asked about deregistration, and said that non-registered organisations could still act as bargaining agents.

Because you don’t have to be a registered organisation to be a bargaining agent. If we simply went down the deregistration path, we would have an organisation still capable of bargaining and doing the entire business model that we’ve been seen reported in recent days, with no layer of regulation or additional oversight that applies to registered organisations.

It would be a gift to the worst elements and I have no intention of going down that path.

Updated

Tony Burke said he had requested the Fair Work Ombudsman to undertake a targeted review of all enterprise agreements made by the Victorian branch of the construction division of the CFMEU which applied to Victorian big-build projects.

But he said the government had “no intention” of taking any action that would risk the terms and conditions of employment of workers covered by those agreements.

This is not their fault.

Updated

Tony Burke announces groundwork for independent administrator of CFMEU

Workplace relations minister Tony Burke has empowered the Fair Work Commission general manager, Murray Furlong, to appoint an independent administrator to branches of the CFMEU in response to allegations of organised crime links with the union.

The general manager of the Fair Work Commission is the best person placed to take this action…

Any action that the general manager takes – with respect to any part of the construction division of the CFMEU – I, as minister, will intervene in support of that action. I do believe these actions are best taken by the regulator, but any action to appoint an administrator will be supported by me as minister.

Burke said if there was a need for further legislation to allow Furlong to take action, then that would be the priority of the government when parliament returned on 12 August.

Burke has also asked for the AFP to investigate any allegations of criminality along with state police.

Updated

Asked if the price tag for the project is still under a billion dollars, despite inflationary pressures and materials and worker shortages, Allan said:

I’m not wanting to cut across the final contract negotiations, but we absolutely anticipate that the funding that has been provided will deliver the scope of the project that we have announced. And it is a big scope of a new hospital, with at least 24/7 beds and all of the other services that the minister and I have talked about this morning. We will work with our construction partners to ensure that it’s delivered within that budget.

Jacinta Allan told reporters:

What’s exciting about being able to make this announcement today is major works will start later this year, and it means the hospital can be completed in 2029 ... significant early works [have] already been under way on that site.

It’s a Greenfield site, which provides a wonderful opportunity to get in there and build the hospital as quickly as possible. But in recent months, utilities have needed to be connected to the site, construction of linking roads to enable movement of people and ambulances and staff around the site, and also most importantly, provide that important access to the local community.

And that’s why this hospital is in exactly the right location, because it’s just down the road from the brand new Cobblebank station that [Melton MP] Steve McGhie and I opened in 2019. It’s a big, new modern hospital located in a growing community that already has good, strong transport access.

Updated

Victoria starts work on $900m Melton hospital

The Victorian government has finally begun works on the long-awaited Melton hospital, with the premier, Jacinta Allan, today naming the preferred consortium to deliver the landmark project.

Speaking earlier this morning, Allan and the health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, announced exclusive negotiations are set to begin with Exemplar Health consortium to build the $900m hospital, which Allan says remains on track for completion in 2029.

The consortium includes Capella Capital, Lendlease, Honeywell and Compass Group. The group will design, construct, finance and maintain the new facility in Cobblebank for 25 years.

Labor first promised to build a public hospital in Melton before the 2018 election and the lack of progress on the site was a key issue at the following election four years later.

Updated

Free Sydney concert to press federal government over climate change

A free, all-ages concert will be held in Sydney to call on the federal government to take responsibility to future generations and fight for intergenerational inequity.

The “Our Future, Your Duty” concert – led by climate activist Anjali Sharma, independent North Sydney MP Kylea Tink and North Sydney council – will be held at St Leonards Park on Sunday 28 July from 2-5pm.

The line-up of artists includes Ruby Jackson, Astrovan and Røsemary, as well as Sweet Baby Darlings, who each either lived or attended a school in North Sydney.

Sharma, who is also a part of the Duty of Care campaign, said:

It’s a known fact that climate change will disproportionately impact the lives of current and future generations, and our politicians are making decisions right now that will intrinsically shape what our futures will look like. It is only logical that this give rise to a duty that our elected representatives only exercise their powers in a way that will not have detrimental impacts on our health and wellbeing.

Tink said:

If a government doesn’t have a positive duty of care to ensure the decisions it makes don’t negatively impact future generations, what is its job? Yet two consecutive federal governments have now rejected the idea. We must demand better.

Updated

The Star’s pokies on again after shutdown

The Star has turned its pokies machines back on after a system error earlier this week.

On Monday, Star Entertainment said it had closed down all of its pokies machines from 10pm on 13 July, after a system error occurred while preparing to go cashless.

A statement today said the system issues had been rectified and machines were operational in each of the Star’s properties.

Updated

CS Energy apologises over Queensland power-plant explosion

The chair of CS Energy, Adam Aspinall, has apologised for the “catastrophic” engineering failure that wrecked a generator at the Callide coal-fired power station.

The government-owned enterprise released two reports today – one into the 2021 failure and another into a separate engineering failure, which caused the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 2022.

Aspinall said:

As the current chair of CS Energy, I apologise to our employees, the government and the people of Queensland for CS Energy not having maintained the world-class performance which they have rightly come to expect from their government-owned assets.

Aspinall and CEO Darren Busine did not take questions from the media after reading a prepared statement to cameras today, on the grounds that there was legal action under way.

Busine repeated that “a lack of maintenance did not cause the incident” but conceded that the report found that “more effective process safety practices could have assisted CS Energy in identifying and managing the risks” involved in the installation of a new battery charger.

Aspinall said the operator had provided “ambiguous” advice to energy minister Mick de Brenni. The C4 generator wrecked in 2021 has yet to return to service.

Updated

Australian federal police commissioner Reece Kershaw recognised and paid tribute to the 500-plus first responders and officers who helped investigate and respond to the MH17 downing.

Speaking at the memorial service in Canberra, Kershaw said that when tragedy occurred, “we hold on to memories to sustain us and turn to those whose job it is to pursue justice”.

For those on the ground, strength was drawn from the blue patch on their shoulders, the insignia of the AFP. Our mission was clear: do everything possible to return loved ones, find the truth, seek justice and hold those responsible to account…

I pay tribute to our shared mission with international partners, so critical to this case. I acknowledge those who still pursue all avenues to hold Russia to account.

Updated

Julie Bishop concluded her speech with the following remarks:

It is shocking to think that on that day, ten years ago, Australia found itself at the fulcrum of the Russian-Ukraine conflict that continues to this day [with] such shocking consequences.

So today, we remember those we lost and our thoughts are with those who loved and were loved by them.

Updated

Julie Bishop reflects on time as foreign minister when MH17 went down

Julie Bishop, who was foreign minister at the time of the MH17 downing, is now speaking at the memorial service for victims.

Bishop said she would “never forget” the phone call she received early on the Friday morning advising her of an “incomprehensible situation that was unfolding”.

I’ll never forget the early phone calls with the family representatives, whose grief was inconsolable. Our government’s solemn commitment that we would do everything possible to bring them home …

Without any diplomatic presence in Ukraine, I’ll never forget how we deployed over 500 Australian personnel to a temporary embassy that became a nerve centre for our operations, which became an increasingly complex and dangerous mission.

Having to convince president [Petro] Poroshenko and various Ukrainian political parties that we had to recall the Ukrainian parliament that was on summer break in order to pass a resolution to enable us to enter the crash site, and to their everlasting credit, over 500 members returned to parliament…

Confronting president [Vladimir] Putin and demanding that Russia take some accountability for this, and that they’d cooperate with the investigation rather than obfuscation and evasion.

Bishop also recognised the “painstaking” efforts of the joint investigation team. She is wearing an order of merit awarded to her by the Dutch government, which she wears “in tribute to those who lost their lives”.

Updated

Foreign minister Penny Wong was next to address the memorial service to the MH17 victims in Canberra. She told the family members and loved ones in the room:

So I say to you today – you have lost so much, but you are not alone in your loss. We are with you, and your grief steels us in the fight for justice, as it has steeled for Australia that day. As it steeled our diplomats, led by Julie Bishop, to achieve what first seemed impossible – a unanimous UN security council resolution condemning the attack, [which] gave international backing for an independent investigation [that] carried without Russian veto.

And your grief has steeled the hundreds of Australian federal police, defence force and Australian Transport Safety Bureau personnel, whose thorough and painstaking work supported that independent investigation through the MH17 independent joint investigation team. And together these efforts, on behalf of those we lost, on your loss, and on behalf of the country, have seen convictions laid against perpetrators.

Updated

CFMEU furore sparks Indigenous commission investigation

Victoria’s truth-telling commission will inquire into allegations Indigenous workers have not been given a fair go on government construction worksites following the CFMEU scandal, AAP reports.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission said it was concerned by reports alleging government failures to ensure fairness in the awarding and administration of large contracts in the construction sector.

It came after premier Jacinta Allan acknowledged it took too long to reply to an Indigenous labour-hire firm’s 2022 letter detailing allegations of officials from the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) threatening violence and banning non-aligned firms from state and federally funded projects.

Yoorrook has the powers of a royal commission, meaning it can call witnesses, compel the production of documents and make findings and recommendations. Commissioner and deputy chair Travis Lovett said:

Increased participation in the Victorian economy is essential for Victorian First Peoples, if true self-determination is to be achieved.

We encourage affected First Nations businesses and individuals to continue to come forward, including on a confidential basis, to contribute to our ongoing inquiries and inform necessary change in the sector.

Updated

Governor general Sam Mostyn has been speaking at the memorial service for the MH17 victims. She said:

I pay tribute to the Australian police, military, diplomatic and consular personnel who worked so hard then and in the months and years afterwards to support grieving families all over Australia. Your actions testify to the healing power of courage, care and compassion…

To the families and loved ones of victims, here in this people’s place, your fellow Australians remember and honour the precious ones lost to you now 10 years ago. Those men, women and children are part of you. Each one was cherished for the indelible qualities that defined their efforts … [That] they died so far away from home is a profound grief and without them here all that is left is to find ways to reflect and remember.

Updated

Ted O’Brien misses session at clean energy summit after apparent traffic jam

Whether we get any fireworks with federal opposition energy spokesperson Ted O’Brien trying to convince a clean energy summit of the pros of nuclear reactors remains unclear.

O’Brien was apparently caught in a traffic jam and missed his 9.50am on the way to the Sydney event at Darling Harbour.

An event speaker wryly speculated whether the delay might have been an anti-nuclear protest.

A trio of state energy ministers stepped in to fill the void, with their session brought forward.

Updated

MH17: memorial service for 10th anniversary of downing begins

A memorial service is under way in Canberra for the victims of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, on the 10-year anniversary of its downing.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop and Australian federal police commissioner Reece Kershaw are expected to deliver speeches.

Foreign minister Penny Wong, former prime minister Tony Abbott and governor general Sam Mostyn can be seen sitting in the front row as the service begins.

Updated

NSW opposition calls for royal commission into CFMEU

The New South Wales opposition has called for a royal commission into the operations of the CFMEU.

Acting opposition leader, Damien Tudehope, said the premier’s comments had been an “insult to every honest worker in this state” and accused Labor of being “in bed” with the embattled union. Tudehope said:

Now, in the wake of these damning revelations, the premier pretends to take action. This is nothing more than political theatre. The people of NSW deserve a leader who genuinely stands against corruption.

He said only a royal commission could properly investigate the claims.

Earlier this morning, premier Chris Minns said he had called on NSW Labor to suspend the CFMEU construction arm.

Minns has been approached for comment.

Updated

Man charged after allegedly fleeing police and punching constable in face

A man will face court after allegedly fleeing from police after a vehicle stop and punching an officer in the face multiple times.

Police said the 25-year-old man was stopped for a random breath test in Broken Hill about 2am on Sunday. The occupant exited the car and police allegedly found drug paraphernalia.

As officers attempted to address the driver, he allegedly fled on foot. A pursuit began and the man allegedly stopped and punched a constable multiple times in the face before he kept running, police said.

The man was stopped a short time later and allegedly continued to resist. An officer then deployed his taser and the man was arrested.

Police allegedly located methylamphetamine and cash during a subsequent search of the man. Police said three constables were injured during his arrest.

The man was taken to Broken Hill Hospital for assessment and treatment before being released into police custody and charged with a string of offences, including driving without a licence, escaping police custody and three counts of assaulting an officer in the execution of duty.

The South Australian man was refused bail and appeared at Dubbo local court on Sunday, where he was formally refused bail to reappear at Broken Hill local court on 26 July.

Updated

Olympic champion slalom canoeist Jess Fox has been chosen as an official torchbearer for the upcoming Paris Olympics torch relay.

Man charged after allegedly shining laser at police helicopter

A man has been arrested for allegedly striking a police helicopter with a laser light in Western Australia.

Police said that about 12.30am today air wing officers were patrolling the Rockingham area when their helicopter was allegedly struck by a laser light. This was tracked to the rear yard of a residence in Warnbro.

Police allege a laser light was located at the residence. A 44-year-old man was arrested without incident, charged by summons for causing fear or alarm with a laser to people in conveyances or others. He will be required to appear in court at a later date.

A police spokesperson said pointing laser lights at aircraft was a serious offence:

Pointing a laser light at any aircraft is a highly dangerous act and requires the pilot of the aircraft to take evasive action to keep them and their crew safe.

Laser lights not only light up the cabin of a plane or helicopter, but can temporarily blind the pilot, which puts everyone onboard in real danger.

Updated

NSW firefighters urge heater safety amid cold snap

People are being urged not to take any risks to stay warm during the cold snap gripping the east coast at the moment.

Fire and Rescue NSW says heaters should be kept at least a metre from any materials and furniture in the home to prevent fires, and should ideally be plugged into their own sockets to prevent power board overloads.

Residents should inspect any heaters removed from storage, FRNSW urged, to ensure they were in good working order. And “under no circumstances” should outdoor barbecues and heaters be brought inside homes to provide heat – as they generate carbon monoxide and could render people unconscious, and cause death.

FRNSW’s deputy commissioner of field operations, Paul McGuiggan, said that last time the state experienced a bitter winter cold snap in 2022 there were a record 17 deaths in residential fires.

It’s crucial that every home has at least one working smoke alarm protecting you and your loved ones.

Half the homes that experienced a fire over the last two winters either didn’t have a smoke alarm or those present weren’t working. That’s a recipe for disaster because a smoke alarm may well be the only thing that saves you if a fire breaks out.

You can’t smell when you’re asleep so a sounding alarm may be your only hope.

Updated

Woman arrested after body discovered in Melbourne river

A woman has been charged with murder after a woman’s body was discovered in Victoria’s Maribyrnong River on Sunday morning.

The woman’s body was located by a passerby in an area of the river near Smithfield Road, Flemington, and the woman is yet to be formally identified.

Detectives arrested a 49-year-old woman and 15-year-old boy from West Footscray, who were both interviewed by police. The teenager was released without charge but the woman was charged with murder and remanded to appear at Melbourne magistrates court today.

Police believe they are known to the deceased woman. Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to come forward.

In a separate matter, Victorian police are investigating the discovery of a man’s body in the Maribyrnong River on Sunday morning. He is yet to be formally identified but police are not treating his death as suspicious at this time.

Updated

NSW government moves to halt biodiversity decline

The New South Wales government says the state’s biodiversity is in crisis and must be put on a path to recovery to reverse the decline of beloved species and ecosystems.

The environment minister, Penny Sharpe, has released the government’s “first steps” in responding to a major review of the state’s nature laws, saying:

We cannot ignore the truth: biodiversity in NSW is in crisis.

The Minns government is proposing to develop a new nature strategy that would be enshrined in law and set targets for conservation and restoration, including landscape restoration, species recovery and addressing threats to nature.

You can read more on this below:

Updated

Key event

Chalmers says IMF report shows inflation lingering worldwide

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the International Monetary Fund’s July world economic outlook update shows that “inflation is lingering all across the globe”.

In a statement this morning, he responded to the update and said:

There is an international element as well as a domestic element to the inflation challenge that we have in Australia.

The report rightly highlights that uncertainty in the global economy in areas like international trade are contributing to inflationary pressures all over the world and Australia is not immune to those pressures.

Inflation is still higher than we would like, but inflation is less than half its peak and much lower than the 6.1% we inherited from the Coalition.

Our responsible, substantial and meaningful cost-of-living relief is making things a bit easier for people, with tax cuts, energy bill relief, cheaper medicines, pay rises and more paid parental leave all kicking in from this month.

Updated

IMF says persistent inflation means ‘higher-for-even-longer’ interest rates

Stubbornly high inflation in advanced economies threatens “higher-for-even-longer interest rates”, the International Monetary Fund warns, citing lingering services-price pressures and escalating trade tensions.

As AAP reports, Australia’s economic growth outlook has also been slightly trimmed by the IMF to 1.4% for 2024 from the 1.5% forecast in April. Gross domestic product is then expected to expand 2% next year, unchanged from previous forecasts.

The IMF’s latest economic assessment lands as economists warn persistent price pressures threaten the Reserve Bank of Australia’s inflation fight, which could lead to interest rates staying higher longer.

Much hinges on June quarter inflation data out later in the month, with a strong outcome potentially putting another hike on the table at the August cash rate meeting.

Globally, the IMF’s growth projections were unchanged and inflation had slowed enough to be broadly on track for a soft landing. Yet deteriorating public finances as well as slowing disinflation progress, particularly due to persistent services price pressures, were highlighted as downside risks to the outlook.

Possible escalation of trade tensions was also identified as potential source of bumpiness along the disinflation path, threatening higher costs for imported goods along the supply chain.

Updated

Anthony Albanese has shared a message to social media on the 10-year anniversary of the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. The prime minister said:

Ten years ago the world was shaken by the terrible news that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 had been shot from the skies. All 298 passengers and crew onboard that day lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home.

While in Kyiv in 2022, I had the chance to pay my respects at the memorial to the Australian victims. These were travellers heading home. Young families, lifelong partners, retirees returning from trips they’d long planned, grandchildren alongside their devoted grandfather.

We remember them today and our hearts go out to all those who knew them best and loved them most. The people for whom this anniversary brings a new reminder of irreplaceable loss.

Australia remains steadfast in our commitment to seeking truth, justice and accountability from those responsible for this horrific act of violence.

Updated

Snow in Queensland!

Spicer Peak Lodge in the rural town of Maryvale, west of the Gold Coast, witnessed snow “for a few minutes” yesterday. The last time it experienced snowfall was on 17 July 2015 – almost exactly nine years prior.

The promise of snow across the Granite Belt has lured tourists, photographers and storm chasers from right across Queensland. People were lucky to see a small flurry at Mount Mackenzie Lookout in Tenterfield, just across the border into NSW.

As Weatherzone reports, it snows every few years in the Granite Belt near the NSW border. The town of Stanthorpe holds the record for Queensland’s coldest temperature on record, -10.6C in June 1961, and sees occasional snowfalls.

The heaviest snowfalls in Stanthorpe this century occurred on 17 July 2015, when at least 5cm of fluffy coated the region.

Updated

'I should have done more than shirtfront him', Abbott says of Putin

Circling back to former PM Tony Abbott’s earlier interview on ABC RN: he was asked about comments he made in the past that he wanted to “shirtfront” Russian president Vladimir Putin, and whether he regretted this?

Abbott said that he had “rather been vindicated by history”.

And I frankly should have done more than shirtfront him, because that was probably the only way to stop him, to be much more forceful than anyone was back then.

Q: Although we are against political violence, right?

Abbott responded:

We are against aggression. We are against unjustified violence, and the aggression by Russia against Ukraine – whether it was in 2014 or 2022, and subsequently – was never, ever justified. Ukraine never threatened Russia. The idea of Ukrainians invading Russia was just fanciful, completely fanciful. The idea of Nato invading Russia was completely fanciful.

Updated

Adding nuclear to Australia akin to coaxing Swiss to take up surfing, Bowen riffs

It’s a busy couple of days for energetic energy minister Chris Bowen, with a national press club speech in Canberra later today, as noted in earlier posts.

However, he might have been testing some of his best lines last night in a fireside chat (sans feu) at the Australian Clean Energy Summit dinner in Sydney, where he said:

I have no ideological objection to nuclear energy. I have an economic and engineering – to quote Malcolm Turnbull [who was at the dinner] – objection.

Nuclear energy was too expensive and would take too long to build, Bowen said. (The market regulator forecasts all coal-fired plants will shut by 2038.) That’s not saying it isn’t the decarbonising energy answer for other nations less blessed with abundant renewable energy resources than Australia.

For Australia to go nuclear because other nations were doing so, though, was “like us going to Switzerland and saying, ‘look, I know you’ve got lots of snow, but we really think you should try surfing’,” Bowen said.

Nuclear energy, Bowen said, was actually something of a “sideshow” globally, with much more wind and solar being added globally. Nuclear reactor capacity even shrank 1 gigawatt last year as more generation was shut down than was added.

As you might expect, Bowen’s comments went down well. His opposition counterpart, Ted O’Brien, is due to speak at the summit this morning, and may find a less sympathetic audience.

Updated

Tim Ayres flags ‘proportionate’ federal response to CFMEU

A Labor senator says that federal intervention into alleged criminal behaviour within the CFMEU will be effective and proportionate, AAP reports.

Tim Ayres said steps to deal with allegations against the union would be announced shortly by workplace relations minister Tony Burke. He told ABC TV earlier:

Tony and the team in there are doing the careful work of making sure that the government’s response is effective, well-weighted and effective.

Ayres said calls from state governments to distance state Labor branches from the CFMEU would be dealt with by the national executive of the party.

While I don’t forecast the debates in terms of the national executive, we have received these requests from the premiers, we will act upon them, and we’ll act in accordance with the requests from the premiers.

Updated

Tony Abbott doubts an Australian political assassination is ‘imminent’

Tony Abbott was also asked about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and if he is worried about something similar occurring in Australia.

He responded:

We’re very blessed in this country. We don’t have a gun culture, we don’t have a history of political violence, we don’t at this point in time – thank God – have the fragmentation and polarisation that sadly exists in America to quite the same extent.

So look, can you rule these things out? Of course not. Do I expect it? Well, maybe some time in the next 100 or 200 years, sure. Almost anything could happen in that period of time. But is is imminent? I doubt it very much.

I suppose we need constant vigilance, A, to try to ensure that there aren’t people who are, given the ready opportunities, [would] do harm; and B, that we try always to be our best selves and bring out the better angles of our natures.

Updated

Abbott says Russian leadership needs to take responsibility for downing of MH17

Former prime minister Tony Abbott, who was PM when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came down, has reflected on the “atrocity” 10 years on.

Speaking with ABC RN just earlier, he said that to this day he was “very angry” and believed Russian president Vladimir Putin owed the victims’ families an apology and compensation.

Because plainly, this aircraft was brought down in the pursuit of Russia’s geopolitical objectives in Ukraine and these were the Australian victims…

The Hague has sentenced three people – Igor Girkin, Leonid Kharchenko and Sergey Dubinsky – to life in prison for their roles in the downing of the flight and murder of all 298 onboard. But Abbott says that “in the end, responsibility has got to be taken by the Russian leadership”.

Updated

Treaty negotiations in Victoria set to begin within months

Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly says it is ready to enter treaty negotiations with the state government which are expected to begin in the coming months.

The assembly has informed the treaty authority – the umpire that will oversee the process – it is ready to commence negotiations.

Assembly co-chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg says Victoria’s traditional owner groups and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander community have worked to “create a shared understanding and vision of how the journey to treaty should unfold”.

We’re proud of the inclusive structures and ways of working that we have in place to ensure the collective hopes and aspirations in our communities are well represented and that the assembly can be the strongest advocate possible for all mob in Victoria.

The state-wide treaty will cover issues impacting all Indigenous Victorians. Traditional owner groups will also be able to enter into separate treaties with the state regarding priorities for their area.

Updated

Rudd weighs in on Tenacious D controversy

In case you missed it: Jack Black has put his rock duo Tenacious D on hold following an onstage comment made by his bandmate Kyle Gass about the shooting of Donald Trump.

Black said he was “blindsided” by what was said on stage, and he “no longer feel[s] it is appropriate to continue” the tour. You can read more below:

Kevin Rudd, the ambassador to the US and former prime minister, has weighed in on the matter and said:

It makes me feel sick that someone would joke about violence. It makes me feel physically ill. People might think that it is funny ha-ha to run off your mouth there. It’s not. It’s about physical life. It’s about the threat to physical life. It’s about the near assassination of a former and prospective president of the United States, depending how people vote, and about the murder of an innocent civilian and two people seriously wounded. These people need to grow up and find a decent job.

Updated

Energy minister says nuclear and renewables ‘simply incompatible’ in Australia

In his speech to the National Press Club, Chris Bowen will say areas earmarked for nuclear plants – such as Port Augusta, Lithgow and central Queensland – require major investment and revitalisation as soon as possible, not a decade from now under the Coalition’s nuclear announcement.

Bowen said those areas “need jobs and investment now”, claiming the Coalition’s nuclear plan would lead to uncertainty in energy markets and threaten investment in renewable energy. He will claim:

The biggest problem of all is that in Australia, nuclear and renewables are simply incompatible. While the opposition purports to support an “all of the above” energy mix, their ideological pursuit of nuclear reactors in two decades’ time would wreck the renewables rollout now.

Bowen brands the opposition “arrogant” over its comments about forcing states and local towns to accept nuclear plants, even if they don’t want them.

The minister predicts an “investment chill” into Australian industry if the government-backed nuclear policy came into force, asking: “Why would domestic or global investors try to compete with unlimited taxpayer subsidies for state-sponsored generation?”

Base-load nuclear plants simply don’t stack up economically in a grid with significant renewable generation.

Updated

Coal-fired power ‘biggest threat’ to power grid reliability – Bowen

Energy minister Chris Bowen says coal-fired power stations are “far and away the biggest threat to reliability” in Australia’s electricity grid, signalling the Labor government will seek to fight the next election on power policy and the Coalition’s controversial nuclear plan.

Bowen will address the National Press Club in Canberra today, with his speech to draw a distinction between what he called “reliable renewables” and Peter Dutton’s “anti-renewables” nuclear power plants.

According to advance speech notes, Bowen will say:

Far and away the biggest threat to reliability in our grid is over reliance on aging coal-fired power stations. Over the last year, not a single day has passed without an unplanned outage at a coal power generator in eastern Australia.

Bowen has previously spoken of his hope to “end the climate wars” in Australia, but his speech indicates the government will seek to draw a strong contrast between its energy plan and that of the opposition.

Updated

Penny Wong to host memorial service with families of MH17 victims

Foreign minister Penny Wong will today host a memorial service for the families of MH17 victims, along with first responders, investigators and officials.

The service will be held at Parliament House, while the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will attend an event in the Netherlands hosted by the MH17 Air Disaster (Next of Kin) Foundation, with representatives from victims’ families and loved ones.

Today is the 10-year anniversary since the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, where 298 lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home.

A statement from Wong and Dreyfus reads:

Ten years on, those killed that day remain in our hearts and in our purpose. Our thoughts are with their loved ones – the passing of time does not diminish the pain of their loss.

We acknowledge and remember the courage and resilience shown by those who responded to the disaster. We recognise the Australian federal police, defence force and Australian Transport Safety Bureau personnel whose work was central to the thorough and painstaking investigation.

Australia remains steadfast in our commitment to seeking truth, justice and accountability from those responsible for this horrific act of violence.

Updated

NSW wants CFMEU construction arm suspended from ALP

The NSW government has called for the construction arm of the CFMEU to be suspended from the NSW Labor party.

As AAP reports, premier Chris Minns and treasurer Daniel Mookhey have written to the NSW Labor party general secretary in the wake of new corruption allegations.

They’ve asked the state branch to take the “necessary steps” to immediately suspend the CFMEU construction and general division’s affiliation with the party and stop any donations or affiliation fees.

Minns and Mookhey said the NSW Labor government was working with the federal Labor government on a “coordinated approach” towards the CFMEU, since corruption allegations began circling the Victorian branch on Friday.

We will also ask the commonwealth government to review enterprise bargaining agreements in NSW which the CFMEU is party to.

Further, the NSW construction compliance unit will work with federal regulatory bodies and act on any allegations.

We must take the necessary action to protect honest and hardworking construction workers and union members.

The NSW government said it would provide an update later today on other actions it intended to take.

Updated

Welcome

Hello! And welcome back to a new day on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be bringing you our rolling coverage this Wednesday.

Making news overnight: New South Wales premier Chris Minns has called for NSW Labor to suspend the CFMEU construction arm. As AAP reports, Minns and state treasurer Daniel Mookhey have written to the NSW Labor party general secretary in the wake of new corruption allegations.

They’ve asked the state branch to take the “necessary steps” to immediately suspend the CFMEU construction and general division’s affiliation with the party and stop any donations or affiliation fees.

Meanwhile, foreign minister Penny Wong will today host a memorial service with the families of the MH17 victims, on the 10-year anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines flight downing. 298 people lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home.

We’ll have more on both of these stories in a moment.

As always, you can get in touch with any thoughts, tips or questions via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s get started.

Updated

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