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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Nino Bucci (now) and Caitlin Cassidy (earlier)

Unions back minimum wage submission – as it happened

Australia Minimum Wage Fair Work Commission Anthony Albanese
Employment minister Tony Burke
The employment minister Tony Burke says Labor has made its submission to the minimum wage inquiry. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

That's it for today, thanks for reading

Here are the main stories on 3 June:

We will see you all back here for another fill of news tomorrow!

Energy prices surge in Queensland

This story from AAP:

Queensland household and businesses electricity bills are set to surge again unless the state government intervenes in the market to cut wholesale prices, the opposition says.

Household and business electricity bills will surge at least 9% across Queensland, with firms in the southeast set to cop a 19.8% rise in 2022-23.

Retail bills will leap after wholesale electricity prices quadrupled to $171 per megawatt hour in the year to March, on the back of increased demand and generators setting higher prices amid soaring coal and gas costs.

The Queensland government will give households a one-off rebate of $175, but electricity prices are unlikely to fall until 2024, according to the Australian Energy Regulator.

Liberal National party energy spokesman Pat Weir says the government could intervene in the market to direct state-owned coal-fired generators to lower wholesale prices, as it did back in 2017.

He says the $175 rebate won’t be enough to shield many households, and there’s no relief for small and medium-sized businesses.

“The best thing the government can do at this present time is drive down the electricity prices,” Weir told reporters.

Analysts have told AAP the AER will likely have to allow Queensland retailers to lift household and business bills again before the end of 2022-23.

Weir said the AER ruling may come as soon as next month, which could cause the closure of smaller energy retailers and leave consumers at the mercy of bigger players.
“So the consumer pays,” he said.

The wholesale market in Queensland is dominated by government-owned coal-fired power generators Stanwell Corporation and CS Energy.

There’s also a limit on how much cheaper electricity can be imported through the Queensland-NSW Interconnector.

A spokesperson for energy minister Mick de Brenni said $575m dividends have been paid to Queenslanders from its two generators since 2017.

However, Stanwell and C S Energy have reported $2.76bn in profits and paid government dividends of $729.6m over the last five years.

“Publicly owned generators bid to cover generation costs,” de Brenni’s office told AAP in a statement.

“Any revenues above costs are given back to Queenslanders through Asset Ownership Dividends.”

Weir said state-owned generators could be directed to lower wholesale prices because many have their own coal mines. They aren’t exposed to higher international prices unlike smaller private generators.

“I do not accept that they are completely at the hands of the spot market,” he said.
“They’re not running around the state buying coal willy nilly at mines around this state.”

Updated

Further to our post from earlier about the outgoing Icac chief on pork barrelling, here’s a full story on his comments today:

Anthony Albanese has ruled out phasing out live sheep exports within his first term of government.

The prime minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ending the trade, but said it would consult sheep farmers and the Western Australian government before committing to a timeline.

“No one’s envisaging a phase-out in this term of government,” Albanese told ABC radio in Perth on Friday.

Full story here:

Second monkeypox case in Victoria

Victoria has recorded a second monkeypox case, the health department have revealed.

The chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said:

Monkeypox isn’t easily transmitted from person to person, as it requires direct skin to skin contact through broken skin, fluid or pus in lesions, or prolonged face to face contact via respiratory transmission.

People usually develop muscle aches and a fever before a rash develops, which can be itchy and painful. Occasionally the rash develops as the first symptom.

Updated

Unions back Labor government’s minimum wage submission business claims is ‘unaffordable’

We’ve got the first few responses to the Labor government’s minimum wage submission, and to be honest, they’re quite predictable - business groups opposed, unions in favour.

Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus said her movement backed the submission, calling it a “huge shift”. She said:

After almost a decade of record low wage growth and now real wage cuts - culminating in the current cost of living crisis - we welcome the Albanese government’s submission to the Annual Wage Review backing a pay rise for working people.

It is a huge shift to have a government that accepts that there is a problem with wage growth in this country and is willing to do something about it.

Workers’ share of national income is at a record low right now while productivity is strong and profits are at record highs – we urgently need wage growth for working people and this is a great first step.

Meanwhile, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Andrew McKellar has warned against “unaffordable wage increases” for small business, and claims wages aren’t falling backwards. He said:

Overall, employees aren’t falling behind when the full compensation they are receiving from employers is accounted for.

Imposing unaffordable wage increases on small businesses will put jobs at risk, not create them. The fact is in nine out of the last 10 years the panel has increased the minimum wage rate above inflation. Wages have not gone backwards over the last decade.

Updated

We have some DAMAGING WINDS coming, the SA SES is warning.

Further to our post from earlier about a man being sentenced for breaching laws that prohibit misleading or deceiving Australians about casting a vote, the ABC reports he received a 20-month sentence to be served in the community.

Updated

Icac chief blasts false claims pork-barrelling is legal

AAP reports on the laments of the outgoing ICAC chief commissioner:

Disinformation about the legality of pork-barrelling has been spread by senior politicians who appear not to grasp the law, the chief commissioner of the NSW corruption watchdog says.

Outgoing chief commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Peter Hall, said comments by the former prime minister Scott Morrison suggesting pork-barrelling was not illegal lacked understanding.

Pork-barrelling is the practice of spending taxpayer funds to shore up political support, or in the context of an election, win votes.

“There appears to be an amount of uncertainty and disinformation as to the lawfulness or otherwise of pork-barrelling practices,” Mr Hall told a forum convened by Icac on Friday.

“During the last federal election, the former prime minister [Scott Morrison] in reference to the practice of pork-barrelling raised the question, as reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, quote, ‘No one is suggesting anyone has broken any laws are they?’.

“Some ministerial comments to similar effects have been made at the state level, suggesting that pork-barrelling is normal and legal.”

Hall also cited the Berejiklian government’s notorious $252m Stronger Communities fund as a clear example of pork-barrelling, saying almost its sole motive was political, calling it “clearly on the other side of the line”.

Read more from Guardian Australia’s Michael McGowan below:

Updated

Further to our post from earlier about the beefed-up Australian delegation heading to Indonesia, the prime minister Anthony Albanese says he’s been on the blower:

The idea of Albanese calling ahead makes me wonder if he asked whether they needed to bring their own bedding or anything. Perhaps he asked where’s good to stop on the way.

Updated

Search engines delist sites hosting material linked to Buffalo terror attack

Last month we reported the eSafety commissioner had issued notices to eight overseas-hosted websites that were hosting material associated with the terror attack at the Top Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, where 10 people were killed.

Four of those sites subsequently removed the videos and manifestos, but four did not.

Today the eSafety commissioner has said after making informal requests to Google and Microsoft - the company behind search engine Bing - and then a formal link deletion notice to Google, the remaining four sites have been delisted from search results on both sites.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said:

This senseless act of violence claimed many innocent lives, and was planned and documented in the most deliberate and disturbing way.

We are determined to do everything we can under the act to protect Australians from exposure to this horrific material and to prevent it being used to promote, incite or instruct in further terrorist acts.

Updated

West Sydney locals exhausted by floods: MP

AAP has this report from the NSW floods inquiry:

Cavernous potholes along evacuation routes, blocked drains and gouged riverbanks in western Sydney’s Hawkesbury region need to be fixed before the flood-prone community is inundated again, an inquiry has been told.

The effect in the Hawkesbury region is different to the devastation wrought in northern NSW, the federal Labor MP for Macquarie Susan Templeman told the NSW upper house inquiry in Windsor on Friday.

She said this year’s disaster, coming on the back of bushfires and another flood in previous years, had taken an enormous emotional toll on the community.

“Not just as a result of the natural disaster, but of the very slow response that has been delivered to them,” Templeman told the hearing.

State Liberal MP for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston said the community is exhausted, and both agreed there was an urgent need to restore riverbanks damaged in the flood.

“The biggest single failure by the state government has been to resolve the riverbank destruction,” Templeman said.

“There are giant horseshoe-shaped gouges out of the river on people’s land.”

Updated

Former defence force chief supports medicinal use of psilocybin and MDMA

The former chief of the Australian Defence Force admiral Chris Barrie is advocating for the use of medicinal psilocybin and MDMA-assisted psychotherapies for the treating of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans.

The Australian Capital Territory government is currently pushing to decriminalise the personal use of psilocybin and MDMA.

In a statement issued by Mind Medicine Australia, Barrie said he had “no comment on the pros and cons” of the ACT’s push.

But, he said, if it was successful, the ACT should also remove any barrier to using the drugs to treat patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression and related post-traumatic stress disorder. Barrie said:

If this happens, it would be ridiculous if a medical practitioner, properly trained in the application of psychedelic-assisted therapies, couldn’t prescribe MDMA or psilocybin to treat a patient suffering from treatment-resistant PTSD or treatment-resistant depression in a much safer clinical environment.

Sufferers with treatment-resistant PTSD or treatment-resistant depression can be at severe risk because, by definition, they have exhausted conventional treatments. Allowing a medical practitioner in the ACT with Special Access Scheme approval from the TGA to provide psychedelic-assisted therapy gives the patient the opportunity of receiving a treatment that has been shown to be safe with high remission and response rates.

Mind Medicine Australia said current ACT law meant medical practitioners who administered such drugs would be criminally liable for doing so, even if they have the requisite approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration to treat using MDMA.

Updated

Gas the big mover as coal power dropped in past month

Some commentary out today suggested renewables might not have been kicking in this last week, making energy market conditions a bit tougher in eastern Australia.

There’s some truth in that, such as in normally wind-powered South Australia there were periods when the spinning turbines slowed, and the state had to rely on a lot more gas and interestingly, diesel-power generators to keep the lights on.

Data from EnergyQuest on the share of different fuels in the national electricity market in May shows a 514% increase in “oil” for the month in SA.

Overall, though, the NEM data shows reduced output from coal-burning power stations was significant last month, with generation from such plants down 7.8% from a year earlier.

Gas use was the big mover, lifting its share of the market by about half to 9.2%. Renewables, though, also picked up a lot of the slack caused by coal outages.

Wind energy rose 9% and solar 5.2% from a year earlier. All that extra rain has also been handy for mainland hydro plants (mostly in the Snowy Mountains), with output up 27.4%, EnergyQuest said.

SA, meanwhile, is doing some interesting things, energy wise. On the one hand, wholesale power prices are currently (pun!) negative:

On the other, the Australian Energy Market Operator is warning about some issues in the state overnight that might affect system security.

“Aemo estimates that, in the absence of sufficient market response by 1700 hrs 03/06/2022, Aemo may need to intervene by issuing a direction requiring one or more SA synchronous generating unit(s) to operate or remain synchronised to maintain power system security in SA,” the market notice issued this afternoon says.

It’s only an alert at this point, but one perhaps to keep an eye on, during this crazy week in energy.

Updated

AEC successfully prosecutes man for misleading voters

The Australian Electoral Commission has released a statement on the first successful prosecution of a person for breaching laws that prohibit misleading or deceiving Australians about casting a vote.

The statement says that Cheng Fan was convicted and sentenced on Thursday for a number of offences relating to a series of spam emails circulated during the 2020 Eden-Monaro by-election.

The statement does not say what sentence he received, other than that it included a penalty for distributing matter that the court considered was likely to mislead or deceive an elector in the relation to the casting of a vote. The Australian covered his alleged offending in detail in this piece (paywalled).

Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said:

Yesterday’s sentencing of Mr Fan demonstrates that those who seek to undermine the integrity of Australia’s electoral system will be brought to account.

A result like this draws a line in the sand as it provides precedent for any similar misbehaviour in the future.

This result is also a credit to the Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce, to which the AEC referred this matter in 2020.

The work of the Taskforce is one more reason Australians can be confident in the integrity of our elections.”

Updated

NSW extends north coast forestry contracts

The New South Wales government has extended wood supply contracts on the state’s north coast by five years.

Most wood supply agreements on the north coast were due to expire next year but they will now continue through to 2028.

The state’s deputy premier, Paul Toole, and the agriculture minister Dugald Saunders, said the decision would give businesses certainty.

Saunders described timber as “the ultimate renewable product” and said under regional forestry agreements – which exempt the forestry industry from assessment and approval under national environmental laws – the state “had committed to growing and regrowing timber in an environmentally responsible manner”.

Independent MLC Justin Field slammed the decision to extend the contracts.

He said ongoing logging of native forests on the north coast was unsustainable, would further damage habitat for threatened species including the endangered koala and would set back post-fire recovery. Field said:

I’m disgusted these contracts have been extended despite the fact the NSW government has been sitting on independent expert advice for over a year that recommends logging restrictions in response to the 2019-20 fires.

Once again we see the National party ignoring science and the environmental and climate impacts of their decisions and the Liberal party, and particularly environment minister James Griffin and treasurer Matt Kean, just go along with it.

Updated

The charities watchdog is resigning (he was a Turnbull government appointment, but is a former Labor MP).

New hospital pledged by Victorian opposition

Speaking of health, AAP has this report:

The Victorian opposition has promised to build a second new regional hospital if it wins the November state election and will call on the newly installed Albanese government to chip in.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy on Friday announced plans to invest $400m on the new $600m facility in Warragul, replacing the existing West Gippsland hospital.

The Liberals and Nationals would request $200m from the federal government to make up the funding shortfall.

Despite having no assurance and Labor ending nine years of coalition rule in Canberra, Guy is confident he can secure federal support for the project.

“That is something that we would negotiate with the federal government over time,” he told reporters.

“Both the coalition federal government and the Labor party now in government have made those commitments to other states. We would hope that they would do this facility as well, and I couldn’t see why they wouldn’t.”

The Victorian opposition took a similar Warragul hospital promise to the polls in 2018, when it shed 10 lower house seats.

The announcement follows new pledges for a $700m hospital in Mildura, a $400m infectious diseases response centre and a promise for construction on the Melton hospital to begin within 12 months of an election win.

Updated

Push on for state health funding boost

Some state leaders believe the pandemic provides Albanese with an “opportunity” to reform health funding, AAP report:

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is facing calls to immediately extend Covid-19 support given to the states and territories as well as find a long-term fix for hospitals.

Albanese is expected to hold talks with state and territory leaders, and the peak local government body, in mid-June at the first national cabinet meeting under his leadership.

The most immediate issue is extending the Covid response partnership which is due to expire in September.

ACT chief minister Andrew Barr said state and territory leaders want the partnership to be extended as they grapple with ongoing virus cases.

In the medium-term, state and territory leaders need greater support for elective surgery, which in some of the larger states has come to a halt.

“It’s a national problem and we recognise across the nation there is a backlog,” Barr told ABC radio on Friday.

“We are going to need to catch up – that is going to require resources.”

In the longer term, the hospitals and health funding national partnership will need renegotiating.

The partnership started as 50-50 under Kevin Rudd, before Tony Abbott trimmed it back to a 40% federal share.

Malcolm Turnbull brought it back to a 45% contribution from the Commonwealth, but state and territory leaders say it should be brought back to 50%.

Doctors say lives are at risk if governments do not work together to adequately fund the system and handle the increased demand.

“Healthcare reform is long overdue,” AMA NSW president Dr Michael Bonning said.

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and Victorian premier Dan Andrews are backing a broad discussion on health funding at Mr Albanese’s first national cabinet.

Nine newspapers reported Perrottet saying the pandemic presented an opportunity for the new prime minister.

“After any crisis, good leaders would come in and drive reform for the future and that’s Anthony Albanese’s great opportunity,” Perrottet said.

Dominic Perrottet
‘Albanese’s great opportunity’: Dominic Perrottet Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Updated

Government backs wage rises for low-paid workers

Labor has called on the Fair Work Commission to ensure low-paid workers don’t “go backwards” due to rising inflation rates, backing pay rises for workers like shop assistants, cleaners and workers in the care economy.

The new government has made its long-awaited submission to the minimum wage inquiry, setting out a clear position that workers should not suffer effective pay cuts due to inflation. Employment minister Tony Burke said that the government hadn’t limited its call to only minimum wage workers, but instead backed pay rises for all workers on low rates. At a press conference in Sydney, he said:

We don’t want anyone to go backwards, but there’s a particular priority right now with respect to low-paid workers.

Labor’s submission makes specific reference to the 5.1% inflation figure in setting out its position that wages shouldn’t go “backwards”.

Burke rubbished suggestions that such wage rises would add to inflation pressures, saying:

Inflation is not being driven by high wage growth. How do we know this? We don’t have high wage growth.

The factors that are providing upward pressure right now on inflation are not wages. It’s not one of those factors. The whole concept that the sort of spiral that may be referred to in the early 1980s does not reflect the economic conditions now.

Updated

Tony Burke expands on Fair Work submission

There’s not a lot new here, other than the submission being finished, but Burke makes a couple of other main points.

He says the submission, if adopted, would help reduce the gender pay gap:

One of the chief characteristics of low paid workers is they’re predominantly women. This submission, if followed through by the Fair Work Commission, will have a significant impact on the gender pay gap.

Burke had a number of digs at the Morrison government’s approach to wages, and made sure to connect that approach to the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, saying:

Dutton ... seemed quite happy to put all the obligation on inflation back on low paid workers and on the heroes of the pandemic. That’s not the view of the Australian government now.

Burke has finished speaking.

Updated

Burke confirms the government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission does not just relate to those on minimum wage, but all “low paid workers”. He added:

We referred to low wage workers. Who are these people? Workers. Who are these people? They’re largely the heroes of the pandemic. They’re the people who both sides of politics made lovely speeches about after the pandemic, but only one side of politics, the Labor government now, was willing to fight for.

Updated

Keeping wages low no longer the government's position: Burke

Tony Burke is speaking in Sydney.

Updated

Rates relief for flood-hit residents

AAP reports that the NSW government is waiving rates next year:

Flood-devastated residents in northern NSW are getting a helping hand from the state government, with a $40m package waiving rates for the next year.

Minister for regional NSW Paul Toole announced on Friday that 2022-23 rates will not be due for residents in the seven Northern Rivers local government areas whose property has been assessed as damaged.

“Northern Rivers residents have been to hell and back, and receiving a rates notice for a home or business they still can barely access is the absolute last thing they need,” Toole said.

“This rates relief is one less thing they need to worry about as they continue to rebuild their lives.”

Minister for local government Wendy Tuckerman said the scheme will also include farms and businesses that were flooded.

“This program will cover the residential, commercial and farm rates of eligible ratepayers for one year, helping them as they get back on their feet,” she said.

The government also announced on Friday an investment of $60m to repair up to 15,000 kilometres of flood-damaged roads, bridges and culverts.

Some roads were still being repaired following the devastating 2019-20 bushfires when the 2022 floods hit.

The federal and state governments have committed more than $3.5bn in joint funding since the floods claimed the lives of 10 people in northern NSW and far-western Sydney, with the town of Lismore hit the hardest.

An upper house inquiry into the disaster response from late February to early April heard from affected residents in Lismore earlier this week and is in Windsor on Friday.

Flooding in Lismore in March.
Flooding in Lismore in March. Photograph: Jason O’Brien/AAP

Updated

Woolworths to scrap reusable plastic bags

AAP reports that the supermarket giant is saying bye to the bag:

Australian shoppers can expect another change at the checkout, as Woolworths prepares to dump all reusable plastic bags from its stores over the next year.

The grocery giant on Friday announced its permanent shift away from the bags, which cost shoppers 15 cents each.

Eight in 10 shoppers already bring their own bags, the chain says, but shoppers will still be able to buy paper or fabric bags in store.

Woolworths-owned retailer Big W will scrap plastic bags by the end of June next year in favour of not-yet-announced reusable options.

The move will remove more than 9000 tonnes of plastic from circulation annually, Woolworths claims.

Reusable plastic bags have already been pulled from distribution at Woolworths in Western Australia, where a state government ban comes into effect at the end of this month.

The grocery giant will start the gradual phasing-out with stores in September this year in South Australia and the Northern Territory, before moving on to other parts of Australia.

The bags were introduced in 2018 to help customers adjust after single-use plastic bags were dumped.

“The reusable plastic bags have played their part and now it’s time to do away with selling plastic shopping bags at our checkouts for good,” Woolworths managing director Natalie Davis said.

“We know the change may be an adjustment for some customers and that’s why we’re phasing this change in over the coming year.”

Updated

Albanese to lead large deputation on Indonesia visit

We knew prime minister Anthony Albanese was heading to Indonesia, but we did not know he’d have quite a posse with him. According to media release we’ve just received, he will be travelling with foreign minister Penny Wong, trade minister Don Farrell, industry minister Ed Husic, and Luke Gosling, the member for Solomon (which is in the NT).

The release says:

[The delegation] will travel to Indonesia for the Annual Leaders’ Meeting with President Widodo in Jakarta

They will be joined on the visit by a high-level delegation of Australian business leaders.

The Prime Minister will depart Australia on Sunday 5 June, returning Tuesday 7 June.

During the Annual Leaders’ Meeting, the Prime Minister and President Widodo will discuss bilateral trade and investment, cooperation on climate and energy, and regional and global interests.

Especially important will be both sides’ ambition to unlock the potential of the Indonesia‑Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, including to take forward the Government’s proposed $200 million climate and infrastructure fund with Indonesia.

In Jakarta, the Prime Minister will also meet with ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi to discuss the Government’s commitment to Southeast Asia and ASEAN centrality.

Albanese said he had committed to visiting Indonesia as soon as possible as it was one of our closest neighbours. He said:

Our two countries have a long history of cooperation and friendship, and my government will work with Indonesia to deepen this.

We partner together closely on issues of trade, development, education, and regional security.

During my visit, I look forward to building our ties further, including to revitalise our trade relationship and promote climate, infrastructure and energy cooperation.

Wong said Indonesia and Australia “share a fundamental interest in promoting a more prosperous, stable and secure region, where sovereignty is respected”.

Farrell said: “Revitalising our trade and investment relationship will boost the economies of both Australia and Indonesia.”

And Husic said: “Working with Indonesia is central to the Albanese government’s trade diversification plan, which will provide new opportunities for businesses in both nations.”

Updated

The always excellent Weekly Beast is out:

Anne Aly’s moment of hope

For Anne Aly, her swearing in this week as minister for early childhood and youth was more than just a personal achievement.

It was a moment that signified change and hope for her and fellow Muslim cabinet minister, Ed Husic.

Making history on Tuesday, Aly and Husic were sworn in to the federal cabinet, proudly clutching their Qurans, as the nation watched on.

Full story here:

Updated

Social services minister on abolishing the cashless debit card

Amanda Rishworth, the social services minister, has released this statement about her efforts to abolish the cashless debit card. We reported on the latest Australian National Audit Office report into the card earlier today.

That story on the latest ANAO report is here:

Updated

The spy who stayed out in the cold to take pics for their socials.

The ABC reports that the Ngunnawal, the traditional owners of the land now known as Canberra, plan to lodge a native title claim in the ACT.

Proposal to declare emperor penguins protected species fails

The 44th Antarctic treaty consultative meeting has failed to adopt a proposal to declare emperor penguins a specially protected species.

The proposal had been pushed by Germany and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research due to the threat the climate crisis poses to populations of emperor penguins.

Under the most pessimistic scenarios, population numbers could fall by 80% by the end of the century.

Outcomes under the Antarctic treaty system require consensus-based decision making.

The proposal to give emperor penguins special status failed because it did not have support from China.

WWF Australia’s Antarctic conservation manager Emily Grilly said it was disappointing the proposal wasn’t adopted despite “overwhelming support around the table”. She said:

Each year we face new realities caused by the climate crisis, and each year we see a minority of nations continue to block progress on important conservation measures that would help to reframe current projections for Antarctic wildlife.

Updated

National Covid summary

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 50 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 729
  • In hospital: 81 (with 1 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 11
  • Cases: 7,412
  • In hospital: 1,254 (with 34 people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 6
  • Cases: 3,790
  • In hospital: 305 (with 3 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 5
  • Cases: 2,468
  • In hospital: 232 (with 10 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 725
  • In hospital: 42 (with 1 person in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 22
  • Cases: 9,583
  • In hospital: 514 (with 29 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 6
  • Cases: 7,092
  • In hospital: 275 (with 9 people in ICU)

Updated

There’s a few jubilee memes getting about, this one is quite journalism specific but I enjoyed it.

Wong emphasises Australia’s willingness to listen to Pacific priorities

Let’s return briefly to Penny Wong’s press event in Tonga. It’s very clear that the foreign affairs minister has been seeking to use her visits to Fiji last week, Samoa yesterday and Tonga today to emphasise she wants to listen to Pacific priorities.

Pacific leaders have repeatedly said they see action on the climate crisis as much more important than geopolitical rivalries. This explains why Wong has been so keen to promote the new Australian government’s deeper 2030 emissions reduction target and the plan to ramp up use of renewables.

Regional leaders have warmly welcomed this new approach (although there’s no doubt they would like Australia to go even further to curb fossil fuel projects and exports). It’s also clear from many of the journalists’ questions that there is strong interest in the new government’s planned changes to Pacific labour mobility and visa schemes.

Wong didn’t mention China directly, but the subtext at the end of the press conference was clear. Wong said the nature of Australia’s relationship with Pacific island countries was as important as the outcomes:

We are not a government or a country that wants to come in and tell you what you should do. We see it in our interests and part of our responsibility, as a member of the Pacific family, to work with you. And that’s the approach we’ll take.

Updated

New housing loan commitments fell 6.4% in April

Earlier this week, we saw CoreLogic’s report that national average “home values” were down in May for the first time since September 2020. (At 0.1%, though, you had to squint to see it.)

Today, the ABS has reported some other down arrows in the property market, with the value of new housing loan commitments falling 6.4% to $31bn in April, seasonally adjusted, reversing and then some the 2.1% in the previous month.

For owner-occupiers, the drop was 7.3% while investor loans were off 4.8%, both the largest declines since May 2020.

The ABS blamed the close proximity of Easter and Anzac holidays for softening demand (although you’d think adjusting for seasonality might have picked that up).

The average loan was $615,000 last month, or 12% more than a year earlier, the ABS said.

Higher interest rates would be among the factors discouraging some new borrowers. While the Reserve Bank only resumed raising rates in May – for the first time since 2011 – commercial banks had already been lifting theirs.

Both the CBA and ANZ today hiked their fixed home loan rates for owner-occupiers and investors, with CBA’s “2-” rate offering now ditched. (It was 2.99%, so more squinted needed there too.)

Anyway, CBA’s rates went up as much as 0.8 percentage points, and ANZ’s by 0.7 percentage points. The moves follows similar fixed rate hikes from NAB last Friday and Westpac on 26 May, RateCity.com.au said.

Next Tuesday, the RBA is all but certain to lift its cash rate target again, with a super-sized 0.4 percentage point increase to 0.75% a chance. Typically, rate movements are in the 25 basis points size, although there are occasional 50bp ones. The last rise of 0.5 percentage points was in February 2020.

Such a big increase would be a shock to many, including the new Albanese government, you would have to imagine.

Updated

Senate race wrapping up

We now know the final count for the House of Representatives, but there are still three outstanding races undecided for the Senate. These three races look set to come down to a contest between a candidate from a right-wing minor party and the Liberal party, while a progressive majority is locked in.

Labor will hold 26 seats, alongside 12 Greens, one for ACT independent David Pocock, and two Tasmanian seats for the Jacqui Lambie Network. The Coalition holds 31 seats, with three more still in play.

Those three will decide the shape of the right wing part of the Senate crossbench. If late results favour the Coalition, Malcolm Roberts may be sitting alone at the right wing of the crossbench.

In Queensland, third Liberal National candidate Amanda Stoker is narrowly behind One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, 0.5053 quotas to 0.5042. The main sources of preferences in this race are Legalise Cannabis (0.361), United Australia (0.288) and Liberal Democrats (0.171). We don’t have a precise sense of how preferences will flow, but the race is very close and could go either way.

The first five seats have also been decided in Victoria, but no party is particularly close to the final seat. Third Coalition candidate Greg Mirabella leads on 0.318 quotas, trailed by United Australia candidate Ralph Babet on 0.275. It seems likely that preferences will favour Mirabella, but this race is also not clear.

Early results suggested One Nation candidate Jennifer Game was leading in the race for the final seat in South Australia but she has now fallen into third place on 0.277 quotas, behind Liberal candidate Kerrynne Liddle 0.3952 and Labor candidate Trimann Gill on 0.2841. The Liberals are now strong favourites for that final seat.

Updated

Thanks Caitlin, what a week you’ve put in toiling in the blog mines.

With that, I will pass the blog on to the impeccable Nino Bucci. Enjoy your weekends, stay toasty!

Third monkeypox case found in NSW

NSW Health has identified a third case of monkeypox in a resident who recently returned from Europe.

The man in his 50s developed a mild illness several days after arriving back in Sydney.

He presented to his GP with symptoms clinically compatible with monkeypox, backed up by test results. The man is currently isolating at home.

NSW Health is undertaking contact tracing. The case isn’t connected to the two previously reported cases in the state.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant:

Monkeypox does not present a transmission risk to the general community, and has until recently not been an infection most clinicians in NSW would have been looking for or concerned about in their patients.

However, a local GP has once again identified the signs of this virus, and we thank them, and their colleagues, for staying up to date with the latest clinical information to provide care to their patients.

Monkeypox is endemic to part of Africa, however since mid-May, cases have been reported from several countries.

Updated

Wong explains why her first international visit was to Fiji and not Tonga

Wong says it was deliberate her first international visit was to the Pacific Island Forum in Fiji, adding “I’m sorry it wasn’t to Tonga prime minister”.

I did it to make a statement about the centrality of that forum ... to deal with a world that is more challenging.

We want regional security to be dealt with, to be the responsibility of the Pacific family of which we are a part. We will continue to engage with our friends, our partners in the region.

We will respect and we will encourage others to protect the regional architecture ... my side of politics in Australia, we believe we are stronger together and we will bring that to our foreign policy as well.

Updated

Wong on implementing a Pacific engagement visa

Now to questions.

Wong is asked by a local reporter if the government would consider making the visa process easier for Tongan citizens which they say is currently arduous.

That issue has been raised with me ... are there ways in which we can assist people with the existing processes but I do want to emphasise a couple of changes to our labor schemes and migration arrangements.

We want to put in place a Pacific engagement visa which would be an annual intake for permanent residents from the region ... with rights to go backwards and forwards ... modelled on a similar New Zealand program. It is about building the people to people links we share with the Pacific.

On the Pacific labor scheme, Wong says there are also discussions allowing families to join workers.

Updated

Australia will work with Tonga on climate action, Wong says

Wong is up:

We were elected less than two weeks ago and we were elected with a very clear position that we would put in more energy and more resources to our relationship with the Pacific. We also were elected with a very clear position on climate change.

The Australian people have voted for a government and a parliament that has supported more ambitious action on climate change and that is what we will do at home and in the world.

The experience of your country ... the real threat which is climate change you are experiencing, gives you a powerful voice in the world and in the region on this issue. We have heard that, and we will work with you.

Updated

Tongan PM signals ‘friendly and cooperative’ relationship with Australia

Tongan prime minister Hu’akavameiliku says there are “marked differences” between the two countries but more important are the nations’ similarities, including “respect for democracy, rule of law, and rights and freedoms of others”.

We look forward to further strengthen our friendly and cooperative relationship in the years to come.

Updated

Penny Wong holds press conference in Tonga

The minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has begun a press conference in Tonga with the prime minister of Tonga Hu’akavameiliku and the foreign minister of Tonga Fekita ‘Utoikamanu.

Tonga’s PM says he’s grateful for Australia’s assistance after the natural disaster earlier this year. He says he has extended an invitation for PM Anthony Albanese to visit Tonga “in the near future”.

Updated

WA records six deaths, 7,092 Covid cases

WA Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 7,092 new cases reported to 8pm last night and six further deaths.

The deaths, reported to WA Health yesterday, date back to 21 May and include two women in their 90s and four people in their eighties, two men and two women.

A Coalition MP claims Labor wants to “throw away decades of stability” and change the country’s “way of life” - all because of the government’s appointment of a minister for an Australian republic.

“This is something, I will strongly oppose,” Capricornia MP Michelle Landry said today.

As reported earlier this week, Matt Thistlethwaite has been appointed as the new assistant minister for defence, veterans affairs and the republic.

Labor will look to a referendum if it wins a second term, but Thistlethwaite said he’d spend this term consulting and educating the community about the options for Australia to shake off the British monarchy.

But as Landry notes, the appointment came “just days before Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee”:

Unfortunately, it appears the Labor Government is willing to throw away decades of stability and are preparing to change the Australian constitution and way of life.

Labor clearly wants to completely change the Westminster system which is the basis of government in Australia at the state, territory, and federal level. It is based on the British model of responsible government.

At a Jubilee celebration in Canberra last night, PM Anthony Albanese praised Queen Elizabeth as “a rare constant, an enduring, inspiring … presence of calm, decency and strength” - but said the bond between the colonial power and the former colony “is no longer what it was at the dawn of her reign”:

No longer parent and young upstart, we stand as equals. More importantly, we stand as friends.

ACT records 729 new Covid cases

ACT Health has also released today’s Covid update.

There have been 729 new cases reported in the capital territory and no further deaths.

There are 81 people being treated in hospital with the virus including one person in ICU.

Queensland records six deaths, 3,790 Covid cases

Queensland Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 3,790 new cases reported and six further deaths.

There are 305 people being treated in hospital with the virus including three people in ICU.

It brings today’s national death toll to 39.

Updated

Winter in Australia

Updated

More on Albanese’s minimum wage submission

As mentioned earlier, prime minister Anthony Albanese tweeted that he last night signed the government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission’s minimum wage deliberations.

But you might notice the carefully-worded tweet noted his position was that the lowest-paid workers should “not go backwards” – keeping with his recent position that the government may not specify an exact number or percentage by which they want the minimum wage to rise.

Think back to the election campaign, when inflation was reported to be 5.1%. Albanese, who has long said workers shouldn’t get an effective pay cut by their wages rising by less than the inflation, was asked at a press conference:

You said you don’t want people to go backwards. Does that mean you would support a wage hike of at least 5.1% just to keep up with inflation?

Albanese replied “absolutely”. It set off a furious response from the Coalition, upset that he had appeared to note a specific number by which he wanted the minimum wage to rise.

We’re waiting to see the actual text of Albanese’s submission to the FWC (Labor sources say it’ll be shared publicly later today) to pinpoint exactly what the government is asking for.

Updated

Mabo Day celebrations are kicking off around the nation.

Albanese: a federal Icac would ‘have the scope to look at what they see fit’ to investigate

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the soon-to-be-established anti-corruption commission will “have the scope to look at what they see fit” to investigate.

The presenter of ABC Perth’s Mornings program, Nadia Mitsopoulos, asked:

You are committing to establishing a national anti-corruption commission in your first year in government. Your policy says that that would be retrospective so it could look at things that happened before the establishment of this body. So does that mean it could then look at things like the carpark rorts affair, for instance, or the sports rorts affair?

Albanese replied:

Well, what it means is that we want an independent national anti-corruption commission that won’t be told by the executive what it can look at. So they will have the scope to look at what they see fit [to investigate]. I think that’s very important. Part of the flaw in the government’s* quite frankly pathetic model was that ministers would have to agree on whether there could be an investigation into anything that they were engaged with. My government won’t have that right of veto, and nor will any processes or any issues that the anti-corruption commission sees fit to have a look at.

* He means the former government. To be fair, it’s an adjustment for everyone.

Updated

Albanese: putting a simple stop on new gas projects 'doesn't reflect the needs’ of economy

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has brushed off criticism of the government’s policies on gas projects, saying he is “comfortable with making sure that we transition over a period of time in an orderly way”.

Albanese has been speaking with ABC Perth’s Mornings program, whose presenter, Nadia Mitsopoulos, asked:

Are you comfortable with Woodside’s Scarborough gas project at a time when climate scientists are saying that there should be no more new fossil fuel projects?

Albanese replied:

I’m comfortable with making sure that we transition over a period of time in an orderly way [and] fixing our environment by reducing emissions and heading to net zero by 2050. That’s a target that’s shared by companies like Woodside and BHP and Rio Tinto. We need to make sure, in the meantime, that people do have access to to energy.

Albanese said Australia’s energy mix would change, as the cheapest form of energy was renewables backed up by storage. But he said gas would also play a role “as a firming fuel”. Regarding Australian exports, he said global demand would be based on decisions by boardrooms overseas.

Pressed on whether his government would be reluctant to approve new fossil fuel projects, Albanese said projects would be “judged on their merits”. The prime minister said the government would assess the environmental impact and businesses needed to do commercial analysis of projects to ensure they stacked up financially, adding:

But the idea that you have a simple, you know, stop position is one that doesn’t reflect the needs of either our domestic economy or the global economy - and also doesn’t reflect the way that the debates and change occurs in terms of international agreements.

I can assure you that when I went to the Quad leaders’ meeting, in Tokyo, on literally the first day after I was sworn in, the changed Australian position around the globe and Australia joining the global effort to tackle climate change is recognised not just by the United States, Japan and India, but in the other discussions I’ve had with Prime Minister Trudeau, Prime Minister Johnson in the UK, our European friends including President Macron and other European and regional leaders as well. I look forward to Australia rejoining the effort, and rather than being a state sitting on the sideline of debate in tackling climate change, that we’re going to be part of the positive agenda moving forward.

Updated

Western Sydney voted for local candidates and issues

Local issues and candidates with strong connections to their communities shaped the unusual election results across western Sydney, experts say, with major parties increasing their vote in some areas but being ejected from safe seats in others.

In Fowler, the independent candidate and former councillor Dai Le won against Labor’s Kristina Keneally, overturning a 14% margin.

Le, who was born in Vietnam and came to Australia as an 11-year-old, told Guardian Australia her community was “looking for genuine and real representation” during the election.

Read the story here:

Updated

Albanese confirms submission to Fair Work Commission over lowest-paid workers' wages

The prime minister has confirmed he submitted a recommendation to the Fair Work Commission that lowest paid workers receive a pay rise in light of rising inflation.

Updated

Australia raises concerns with China over access to Cheng Lei

Australian diplomats have raised concerns with Chinese authorities about a delay in granting consular access to the detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei, the government has confirmed.

Cheng’s partner, Nick Coyle, told Sky News in an interview broadcast yesterday that regular consular visits had been suspended due to Covid restrictions in Beijing, and he had concerns for Cheng’s health.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided Guardian Australia with the following statement:

The Australian Government continues to provide consular assistance to Ms Cheng Lei and her family.

Consistent with Australia’s Consular Relations Agreement with China, our Embassy in Beijing has been able to visit Ms Cheng monthly since her detention in August 2020. DFAT officials have been unable to access Australian prisoners in Beijing during May, due to Covid-19 lockdowns in China.

Our last consular visit with Ms Cheng was on 20 April 2022. We have requested a consular access visit in June.

The Australian Embassy in Beijing has conveyed Australia’s concern to Chinese authorities about delayed consular access to Ms Cheng.

Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to comment further on the case.

In March, a court in Beijing deferred its verdict after the closed-door national security trial of Cheng lasted less than a day.

Foreign journalists and diplomats, including Australia’s ambassador to China, were denied entry to the courtroom as Cheng, a former business anchor for the Chinese state TV broadcaster CGTN, faced trial on charges of “illegally supplying state secrets overseas”.

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, told ABC Radio National this morning:

We continue to advocate publicly for Ms Cheng to be treated appropriately.

Warmest spot for a dip in the ocean?

As many people know, the oceans cool off much more slowly than the air temperatures (and take longer to warm up as summer approaches).

Sea temperatures around Sydney, for instance, have been hovering near the 20C mark lately, which is fine for a swim without a wetsuit provided you keep your towel handy when you get out.

The Bureau of Meteorology tracks temperature anomalies here. Other than a warm spot near Albany in WA, the best place for a dip (versus typical conditions for the start of winter) is along the south coast of NSW, a particularly beautiful corner of the world.

Oceans also play crucial roles in driving our weather and take up more than 90% of the extra heat we humans are trapping in the atmosphere. Those warmer than usual waters off NSW could be just a warm eddy making its way south, but we have known for some time that the East Australian Current is pushing further southwards as the planet heats up.

(For climate change deniers, the warming of the oceans is much harder to explain away than fluctuations on land. What else is causing the heating other than our trapping more heat from the sun ... undersea volcanoes?)

Natural fluctuations are important too, such as the cooling of equatorial waters in the Pacific that indicate we have a La Niña pattern (with all the consequences that brings for floods in Australia, drought in western US, and so on).

As the BoM charts show, the signature of a La Niña remains very evident in the Pacific, and will still take a bit of time to unwind.

And yes, I’m aiming for a swim this weekend – perhaps the last for this side of winter.

Updated

Victorian grant for AAP newswire

Regional media outlets across Victoria are set to benefit from state government support for newswire Australian Associated Press, the newswire reports.

Premier Daniel Andrews today announced a three-year deal worth almost $2.7 million to help strengthen regional newspapers and radio bulletins by supporting AAP’s complementary service:

Local newspapers, radio and television outlets are vital to our regional communities, providing the range of voices and local information needed to make informed decisions.

That’s why we’re proud to announce further support that will help ensure the long-term sustainability of regional media outlets and jobs for journalists right across Victoria.

AAP’s work underpins almost 50 regional newspapers and radio stations across Victoria, with the not-for-profit newswire filing more than 220 stories and 400 photographs each day. The agreement means AAP will also boost its news content from regional Victoria to share across the state and nation.

AAP chief executive Lisa Davies said the newswire was committed to providing factual news to regional subscribers, who can’t cover all areas themselves.

This grant enables us to focus more on regional Victoria, plus increase coverage of state politics and policy for the benefit of all Victorians and a national audience.

The grant builds on the Andrews government’s $20 million regional press support package, which has propped up regional jobs and public-interest journalism through the Covid-19 pandemic. Advertising support has been extended until the end of 2022.

Updated

Brrr!

A marine wind warning remains in place for all of the country, excluding the Northern Territory.

Winter is well and truly here, folks!

Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities including swimming for the Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast and Illawarra Coast.

Updated

David Littleproud will be making his Insiders debut this Sunday as the new leader of the Nationals party.

House fire in western Sydney: ‘investigations into the cause are under way’

New South Wales police have released a statement on the house fire.

Fire and Rescue NSW are still at the site, fighting to contain the blaze.

Two people have died following a house fire in the Mt Druitt area this morning.

About 4.45am today emergency services were called to Glendenning after reports of a fire. Officers ... found a single-storey house well alight.

A female was pulled from the house with NSW Ambulance paramedics and police commencing CPR. Despite efforts to revive her, she died at the scene. A second person was located deceased inside the building.

A crime scene has been established and investigations into the cause of the fire are under way.

Updated

Drone images of this morning’s house fire in western Sydney have been reported:

Animal news!

The Victorian government will reform the pet rehoming sector following the Taskforce on Rehoming Pets report.

The taskforce made 17 recommendations to improve the rehoming of dogs and cats in Victoria, including those used in medical research, which will all be supported.

Unlike shelters and pounds, the rehoming sector is not required to meet specific standards of care or operation. The taskforce recommended regulating the rehoming sector to establish consistent standards of care and operation and improving transparency in the movement of animals between shelters, pounds and rescue groups.

The government will also consider better support for rehoming for dogs and cats used in research and undertake a review of the use of euthanasia for animals with treatable or manageable health conditions.

Updated

Adolescent girls more stressed about Covid than boys – study

Teenage girls were more stressed than boys during the initial months of the pandemic, and their mental health should be a greater focus if there is a similar outbreak in the future, researchers say and AAP reports.

James Cook University neuroscientist professor Zoltan Sarnyai collaborated alongside PhD candidate Riana Marie with the Canadian Centre for Studies on Human Stress on the research.

Mental health responses during the pandemic should consider this significant gender difference and the effect of gender roles when developing stress management programs.

We wanted to see if the absence of a structured school setting, disruption of routine, reduced social interactions and general uncertainty had psychological implications (on adolescents).

The results appear to show there were psychological implications but girls reported more symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression than boys did.

They also had more personal concerns and worries – such as whether their parents could lose their jobs or supermarkets could run out of food – than boys did.

Girls had discussions about the virus and followed the news about it more than boys, Prof Sarynai said. They also experienced a greater number of symptoms of the virus than boys did, and reported the symptoms as more severe.

Updated

To recap, that’s 33 Covid deaths reported today, with just two states having released their daily update. Condolences to their loved ones.

Updated

Victoria records 22 deaths, 9,583 Covid cases

The Victorian department of health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 9,583 new Covid cases reported and 22 further deaths due to the virus.

There are 514 people being treated in hospital including 29 people in ICU.

NSW records 11 deaths, 7,412 Covid cases

NSW Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 7,412 cases reported and 11 further deaths.

There are 1,254 people being treated in hospital with the virus including 34 people in ICU.

Marles and Dutton asked about a republic

Marles was asked if he was still committed to “ditching the Queen”, a policy I wasn’t aware he had put forward.

Look, I am a republican but it is a conversation for another day. Seventy years on the throne is a remarkable moment.

This week, Labor appointed an assistant minister for the republic. Did this not equate to wanting to ditch the Queen?

On this day it is about acknowledging the remarkable achievement of the Queen being on the throne 70 years. The first British monarch to achieve a platinum jubilee. She is an incredible human being ... right now you can only wish the very best for the Queen. I really hope she gets to enjoy what is an astonishing moment.

Dutton was asked about Labor’s plan to “brutally sack” the Queen. “It’s pretty tough,” he replied.

For Richard to give her praise and then elbow her off the stage. That is rough.

Queen Elizabeth leads the lighting of the principal jubilee beacon, as part of platinum jubilee celebrations.
Queen Elizabeth leads the lighting of the principal jubilee beacon, as part of platinum jubilee celebrations. Photograph: Reuters

Updated

Peter Dutton: ‘This is nothing to do with renewables’

Dutton said the public would “get sick” of the line the former government was to blame for everything.

This government went to the election saying they had the answers and clearly they don’t. You look at Chris Bowen now, he is like the bunny in the headlights and he has no idea which way to go. It shows the inexperience. The investment as a government we placed into renewables was one of the highest levels of investment in renewables in our country compared to any other country around the world.

This is nothing to do with renewables. I think the government has to take responsibility for what is a serious issue ... the inexperience of both Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen is shining through.

Marles reiterated “no consistency” in policy from the former government had led to rising energy costs.

This is the failure of nine years of drift. That is why we are in the situation both in terms of flatlining wages but also in terms of energy policy, which there was no consistency, there was no ability for the former government to land a policy which would have dealt with the issue right now. That is why we are seeing rising energy costs.

Updated

Richard Marles: ‘nine years of energy policy failure’ of Coalition

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles and opposition leader Peter Dutton also appeared on the Today show this morning.

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles.
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Asked if Marles was considering “ramping up” coal power stations to cover the gas shortage (which they also put to Wayne Swan), he said:

Whatever power generation there is in the country we will be looking at using, in terms of dealing with the issues that we face now. But what we have got now is really the product of nine years of failure on the part of the former government in terms of having consistent energy policy ... investment in renewables is down, which is why we don’t have a grid that can accept them. That is what we will do.

Updated

Prince Charming

If you missed it, Prince Louis has become an instant meme after making some iconic poses on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Updated

Wayne Swan: more coal plants not the answer to energy woes

Labor’s national president, Wayne Swan, appeared on the Today show this morning to discuss rising energy prices. Asked if opening more coal-fired power stations would fix the problem, an argument of some figures on the right, Swan said:

It won’t fix it because the coal-fired power stations are ageing and they produce expensive power. The solution is cheaper renewables over time, we need to make more progress now.

The second thing, of course, [is] these energy issues draw attention to the fact that the world is dependent upon petrol power and more energy internationally as well.

Updated

‘Pick up the phone and call your energy retailer’

The CEO of the Australian Energy Council, Sarah McNamara, appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning to discuss the perfect storm the market is currently facing.

She said the energy market was under “a lot of stress” due to a number of factors.

It is not a systemic market failure under way but there is a coincidence of factors occurring in the market, putting pressure on the wholesale price and that will put pressure on retail bills as well.

Most consumers won’t experience the kind of wholesale market price spikes we are seeing at the moment. That is because their retailers have hedging contracts to ensure their supply costs are smoothed out over time. However, because there is general upward pressure on prices, people are going to experience higher bills over the coming year.

What we recommend is that people pick up the phone and call their retailer and make sure they are on the best and cheapest deal for their circumstances. It is going to be a challenging period we think ... there is no silver bullet solution to this crisis.

Updated

Fatal fire in western Sydney

A fire has killed two people in western Sydney this morning.

It is being reported firefighters pulled a woman from a burning house in Glendenning before she later died.

Updated

‘All options on the table’ when it comes to gas supply

Lots of chatter in the media this morning about reserving some of Australia’s gas production in the country’s east for “domestic use” rather than exports.

WA retains 15% of gas produced in that state, and new resources minister Madeleine King is reported as saying “all options are on the table”.

That may well be the case but it will be a complicated thing to implement for the Albanese and other governments, as is examined in this explainer of what’s going on:

Queensland has a policy of reserving some of the new acreage (hectare-age?) for domestic use as it is. Appea, the industry group, notes Victorian gas from Bass Strait has no direct export route (though a lot of it is piped out the state), and NSW’s main gas project – Santos’s Narrabri venture – is intended for use in that state. (Let’s see.)

Meanwhile, wholesale power prices are again high in the spot market this morning, according to PocketNEM:

The high prices (the March quarter averaged $87 per megawatt across the national electricity market) came even after the Australian Energy Market Operator declared a potential gas shortage in Victoria had been “resolved”.

Now, spot wholesale prices don’t tell you what will happen for most of our power bills. Generation costs can be as little as a quarter of household electricity bills, with networks and retailing taking up most of the rest. Still, standard offers are going to rise by as much as 18% from July, the Australian Energy Regulator said last month.

Smaller retailers, though, are already struggling to cope with soaring energy costs and their ability to pass them on to customers. More of them are preparing to tell their customers to find other suppliers, or face steeply higher charges, by the looks.

Updated

30 years since Mabo

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the historic Mabo decision, when the fiction of Terra Nullius was overturned in Australia.

Queensland’s minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships Craig Crawford praised Eddie Koiki Mabo’s pursuit to recognise his lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait.

For ten years, Eddie Koiki Mabo pursued a case in the High Court of Australia to establish legal recognition of his family’s ownership of their lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait.

Ultimately, his claim was successful when on 3 June 1992, the High Court ruled in his favour, though sadly he did not live to see the result of his advocacy.

Significantly it dispelled a myth, acknowledged the truth of the nation’s history, gave us native title laws, and inspires us all to embrace reconciliation.

In 1990, a judge determined Mabo had no claim of inheritance on the land he had grown up on, as he hadn’t been formally adopted under Queensland law by his uncle.

His mother died shortly after he was born, and he was raised by his uncle Benny Mabo under Ailan Kastom (Torres Strait Island custom) child rearing practice.

Under Queensland laws these children’s legal identities didn’t align with their cultural and family identities. The practice, Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa, which means “for our children’s children”, became law in Queensland last year.

Updated

Wong: no ‘loudhailer’ diplomacy on Assange

Now to Julian Assange, who remains incarcerated and is facing a string of espionage charges in the US.

Asked if the Labor government will go harder on pushing for his freedom, Wong replies:

The prime minister has expressed ... a view that it’s time for the case to be brought to an end.

The Australian government under both parties has consistently raised the issues with Mr Assange and his arrest in the US and the UK.

[The prime minister said] not all foreign affairs is best done with the loudhailer and ... I would be taking that advice.

Updated

Wong on China trade relationship

Turning more broadly to China, Wong is asked if it is possible for Australia to improve its relationship with Beijing.

She says the government has an interest in a world where trade and economic engagement is free.

The concern Australia has raised about the Chinese economic measures against Australia, is that they undermine that principle.

Beijing says the detention of Australian’s Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun shouldn’t be an issue. “How concerned are you about them?”

Wong:

I am concerned by any Australian citizen who is incarcerated.

I understand from the department that we’ve continued to seek consular access in accordance with the agreement with China. There have been some health issued raised ... we continue to advocate publicly for Miss Cheng to be treated appropriately.

Updated

Wong asked if China PNG visit is political interference

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi is in Papua New Guinea today during the nation’s election campaign. Asked if this amounted to political interference, Wong replied:

I simply point to the decision by the Australian government to respect the indication from PNG and advice we’ve been given that it is not an appropriate time to visit during an election campaign.

What we’re seeing is China being much more active in the region ... that’s been confirmed by what the Chinese government has said. What we have to do is lift our engagement in the region, talk to them, with them about our climate policy which is an essential issue for many Pacific island nations.

We have to do more work than has previously been done in the region, that’s what the next few years look like.

Updated

Penny Wong continues Pacific tour

Foreign minister Penny Wong is in Tonga this morning, in her second visit to the Pacific in a week.

She spoke with Radio National this morning, reiterating Australia will continue to work with the Pacific family as a national priority.

This is about the Australian government reaching out to the Pacific, we said in the election we would bring new energy, more resources to the Pacific, we said we would be much more ambitious on climate.

Regional security should be dealt with by the Pacific family of which Australia is a part.

Updated

Albanese platinum jubilee speech

The prime minister Anthony Albanese marked the Queen’s platinum jubilee yesterday evening as ACT buildings were lit up in purple.

In a speech, Albanese said Australia’s relationship with the colonial power “is no longer what it was at the dawn of [Queen Elizabeth’s] reign”.

No longer parent and young upstart, we stand as equals. More importantly, we stand as friends.

Albanese also praised the Queen as a “a rare constant, an enduring, inspiring … presence of calm, decency and strength”, noting that during the past 184 years, the throne has been held by women for 133 of them.

Unlike her forebears Princess Elizabeth did not choose a new name for herself as monarch. There was no question that she would retain the name that she had for all of her life. Already she was giving a sign of the stability and continuity she would provide, and indeed the continuity that royal women have provided.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Marks Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Australian Parliament House and landmarks are lit up purple during a celebration marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images
Parliament House in Canberra is illuminated in purple as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last night.
Parliament House in Canberra is illuminated in purple as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last night. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

It comes as assistant minister for the republic Matt Thistlethwaite says the work done over the next three years will ensure the country is “ready to go in a second term of an Albanese government”.

Updated

Good morning,

It’s Friday! We’ve almost made it!

Caitlin Cassidy with you this morning to guide you through today’s news, starting with the minimum wage.

The Albanese government is due to hand down its minimum wage submission to the Fair Work Commission today, after endorsing a pay rise of 5.1% to keep up with inflation during the election campaign.

The commission is carrying out its annual review determining whether the minimum wage of $20.33 per hour should be raised, a decision that will effect around 3 million Australians.

Albanese said his decision would be “consistent” with his position throughout the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Queen will miss the national service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London today after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s platinum jubilee celebrations, Buckingham Palace has said.

In a speech marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee, the prime minister declared Australia’s relationship with Britain is now one of “equals” rather than “parent and upstart”, while acknowledging the monarch has been an “enduring and inspiring” presence for the nation.

And as climate change returns to the forefront of the national conservation amid rising energy prices, almost half of the planet’s land surface needs extra conservation protection if the biodiversity crisis is to be halted, a major new study has found.

Let’s dive in.

Updated

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