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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Emily Wind and Natasha May (earlier)

Albanese meets with UK PM ahead of submarine deal unveiling – As it happened

United States Queensland Australia Flood Los Angeles Anthony Albanese Greens ​​Rishi Sunak
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sit at a table pouring drinks
Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak, Britain’s prime minister, met to discuss a number of issues, with the submarine unveiling the main topic. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP

What we learned today, Monday 13 March

And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Thank-you for following along. Here’s a wrap of the main highlights today:

  • Prime minister Anthony Albanese arrived in California and met with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak ahead of the Aukus submarine announcement tomorrow, along with US president Joe Biden. The deal is expected to cost an estimated $200bn over three decades. The Coalition’s defence spokesperson Andrew Hastie has pledged bipartisan support.

  • An evacuation notice was issued to residents along Muttama Creek near Cootamundra due to flash flooding, however the alert was downgraded throughout the day as waters receded. Meanwhile, historic flooding in north-west Queensland continued with more rain forecast for tomorrow.

  • A man who fired several shots at police vehicles in a Townsville suburb was found dead inside a home after a near 10-hour siege. Police said the man fired several shots, hitting nearby houses, a car and responding officers’ vehicles, however no one else was injured. Lifeline 13 11 14 / beyondblue 1300 22 4636

  • Everything Everywhere All at Once won big at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, taking out seven awards including best picture. Michelle Yeoh won the best actress Oscar for her role in the film, beating Australia’s Cate Blanchett who was nominated for Tár.

  • Senator Penny Wong and Dr Helen Haines were awarded the 2022 McKinnon prize for political leadership. Wong was named the political leader of the year, while Haines was recognised as the emerging political leader of the year.

  • NSW premier Dominic Perrottet defended a proposed future fund for the state’s children after being questioned on whether if favours wealthy families. He said low to middle income earners “will get an automatic $200 without having to make a co-contribution.” Labor leader Chris Minns criticised the policy, saying he would rather the money be spent on education.

  • Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a state parliamentary inquiry into vaping, amid concerns children as young as primary school age are addicted to e-cigarettes.

Updated

McGowan to visit Beijing next month

Mark McGowan will become the first Australian state premier to travel to China since before the COVID-19 pandemic, AAP reported earlier today.

Western Australia’s premier confirmed he plans to visit Beijing in late April to discuss the lucrative trade relationship between the two.

He also expects to visit Guangzhou to address the resumption of direct flights between Perth and the massive port city.

McGowan said:

It obviously needs approval from the Chinese authorities but that’s the plan.

Reinstating direct flights and making sure that the relationships, particularly in relation to our major export industries, remain strong (is the priority).

WA exported $136 billion worth of goods to China in the 2022 financial year, with iron ore accounting for the bulk of the trade.

Foreign minister Penny Wong travelled to China in December last year, the first visit by a federal government minister since 2019. Prime minister Anthony Albanese has also expressed interest in visiting.

Trade minister Don Farrell is also preparing to visit China as the two nations continue talks on dropping billions of dollars worth of trade sanctions against Australian industries, including seafood, cotton and timber.

Western Australian premier Mark McGowan will visit Beijing in late April.
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan will visit Beijing in late April. Photograph: Aaron Bunch/AAP

Updated

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has taken to social media ahead of the Aukus announcement tomorrow morning:

Updated

Queensland flooding continues but expected to ease

Flooding in the north-west of Queensland continued today with a flood warning issued for the remote Burketown. Hundreds of residents have already been evacuated, however flooding is now expected to ease slowly.

Storms are possible across the east and north of the state tomorrow, with localised heavy rainfall predicted between Mackay and Gympie.

Meanwhile, a visitor to Burketown captured footage of an exhausted wallaby making its way out of the murky floodwaters to a dry bank:

Updated

No-smoking means no vaping as Queensland rolls out new legislation in smoking crackdown

People using vapes will not get a pass in no-smoking areas and there will be a crackdown on tobacco “chop shops” under new laws proposed in Queensland.

Under legislation to be introduced to the state parliament this week, there will also be an expansion of smoke-free areas, a new licensing scheme and greater restrictions on cigarette sales in pubs and clubs.

The bill comes after the state government ordered a parliamentary inquiry into the health risks of vaping and young people using e-cigarettes.

Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, said on Afternoon Briefing that a working group had been established at a Commonwealth level to look into the issue:

I was a pharmacist and someone accredited in nicotine addiction and smoking cessation, and what concerns me from hearing from the expert is the gateway, particularly for young people, from cigarettes into nicotine.

We had some of the lowest rates of smoking around the world, and part of that is plain packaging and other reform where we have been really at the forefront globally … I have particular concerns when I hear from high school teachers about the real problems they are seeing in classrooms and playgrounds.

Riverina MP, Michael McCormack, shared his own anecdote about vaping, arguing it is “out of control”:

I went to a wedding and it was like every second young person [there] looked like Puff the Magic Dragon with fumes coming out of the nostrils.

We need to do something, we need to act quickly, I commend the Queensland premier for what she is doing [and] I would urge and encourage federally to do everything we can.

- with AAP

Updated

Property prices and rents still way above pre-Covid levels in most regions, CoreLogic says

Higher interest rates may have chipped away at property prices in the past year or so, but for most of the country, home values remain well above their pre-Covid levels, data firm CoreLogic says.

Nationally, those prices remain about 14.8% higher than they were in March 2020, even after taking into account the slide of 9.1% or so since their peak.

And with a “pause” nearing for the Reserve Bank (our bet is that there is another interest rate rise coming in April), the decline in prices may not go much further.

Eliza Owen, CoreLogic’s head of research, said:

It may be too early to call the ‘bottom’ of the downswing due to further rate increases, and a looser labour market, expected in the coming months.

However, as the rate hiking cycle slows to a pause later this year, it is possible the housing market will revert to slower, steadier growth patterns.

Adelaide houses have come out on top across the capital cities, sitting 43.7% higher than at the end of March 2020, CoreLogic said. That added $211,097 to the median house value in the South Australian capital, lifting it to $694,653.

That increase compared with a median house value gain in Sydney of $119,830.

Melbourne house values didn’t receive the same Covid kick (perhaps the lengthy lockdowns played a role), and median house values there are down $1,009 compared with March 2020.

The relative “lack of stock” may be helping to stem the price falls, with annual sales volumes down 21.5% from their peak in December.

That property prices are retaining much of their gains won’t be any consolation for renters, who have seen rent levels climb relentlessly after some declines at the start of Covid.

Perth has seen among the biggest increases, with rents now 35.4% up over the past three years, compared with a national average of 23.1%.

As CoreLogic notes, renters were accustomed to rises averaging 2.1% a year during the 2010s, so the past couple of years will come as a shock for many.

Owen said:

With net inflows [of migrants] expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, and a rental vacancy rate of just 1.0% in February, there is no indication of rents going backwards nationally.

With approvals for new housing also on the slide, rental strain looks to be only getting worse.

Updated

Cootamundra flooding advice downgraded to ‘monitor conditions’

Circling back to the flooding at Cootamundra, the advice has been downgraded to ‘monitor conditions’ as water levels continue to fall along Muttama Creek.

Riverina MP, Michael McCormack, provided an update while appearing on Afternoon Briefing this afternoon:

The waters of the creek have subsided which is good news … [There was] quite a storm and it rained out here in Wagga Wagga and it came down in buckets and the region was very hard hit [with] some trees down … [we] encourage anyone driving in that area to take every precaution.

Updated

Mookhey says Perrottet’s savings fund voter pitch offers least benefit to those who need it most

Labor NSW’s shadow treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, has been questioned about premier Dominic Perrottet’s pitch to voters that the government would contribute to a long-term savings fund for children under 10.

On Afternoon Briefing, Mookhey argued that under the proposed scheme, families who need the most support will “benefit the least from this policy”:

There is no doubt that this policy works best for children whose parents have the wealth to be able to make $1000 contribution per child each year every year for the next 18 years. It certainly is the case that the families who are doing [it] tough and interest rates are rising and rents are soaring, tolls are going up, certainly, they will not have the spare cash lying around in order to make a contribution, and those families will be worse off compared to those who are perhaps a little bit more affluent.

Updated

Aukus announcement Albanese’s most significant since taking office

The Aukus announcement will be Anthony Albanese’s most significant announcement since taking office.

As the official unveiling tomorrow morning draws closer, many questions remain unanswered.

My colleague Daniel Hurst has taken a look at some of the most pressing questions below:

Updated

Wollongong mayor speaks about Port Kembla sub base speculation

Also appearing on Afternoon Briefing is Wollongong mayor, Gordon Bradbury, who is speaking about speculation that Port Kembla is likely to be the preferred harbour for an East coast base for nuclear submarines, both visiting and owned.

Bradbury said he doesn’t have a lot of detail on the topic and while the proposal has “a lot of challenges associated with it”, it could also expand the economic activity in Wollongong and the South Coast:

[It] is going to be one of those long-term projects over decades that will probably inject a lot of activity into local communities as well as the economy.

Overall, the mayor’s biggest concern appears to be existing congestion at Port Campbell.

Bradbury said:

Port Campbell at the present time is very congested, so I hope the plan means that there will be an expansion of the port as well.

…the port is very well utilised at present [so] the logistics of dealing with Defence as well as all the other activities taking place … the materials in and out of the port as well as servicing it with the personnel, that’s going to be the big challenge for the future.

Updated

Australia Institutes’s Behm anticipates much ‘political theatre’ tomorrow

Director of the Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs Program, Allan Behm, has just appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.

Speaking of the Aukus announcement due tomorrow morning, Behm said he anticipates that “we will have a lot of political theatre tomorrow”:

It’s not often that an Australian prime minister, the US president and British prime minister minister get-together [at] an aircraft carrier in San Diego next to [a] Virginia-class submarine.

I think it is a last performance. I think what the Government is keen to do now is to get this off the table … Aukus has taken up a lot of bandwidth, a lot of time, and I suspect that the prime minister and the cabinet will be pretty keen to get back to [Australia].

Updated

Albanese meets with UK PM Sunak ahead of Aukus announcement

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has met with Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister, where they discussed a number of issues, mainly the Aukus submarine unveiling, which will take place tomorrow.

Albanese told Sunak the agreement “builds on our long-term relationship”:

Aukus has been a lot of hard work but it is in the three countries’ interest … we see that as an investment in our capability but at the same time, we are investing in our relationships in the region as well.

Sunak said the agreement is important to “demonstrate our commitment to the values that we both have”.

Updated

Minister will soon be handed report on TikTok

The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, will soon receive a review into privacy, political censorship and disinformation on the Chinese‑owned social media app TikTok, AAP is reporting.

The US, Canada and the European Union have banned government employees from having TikTok on work-issued devices.

Minister for the environment and water, Tanya Plibersek, has urged the community to reconsider the apps they use and what data they are handing over.

She said:

It’s important to know what you’re letting yourself in for when you’re participating in social media in this way.

It’s important that you know what your kids are downloading on to their phones as well.

Plibersek added that when it came to social media apps, “if it’s for free and it seems too good to be true, it probably is”.

Updated

MP Alicia Payne tweets a ‘Happy Birthday Canberra’ message

Member for Canberra, Alicia Payne, has taken to social media to show her appreciation for the nation’s capital on Canberra Day.

Canberra Day is a public holiday commemorating the official naming of the city, held on the second Monday of March in the ACT.

Payne said Canberra, today celebrating its 110th birthday, was “established to be the meeting place of our democracy and the home of the Australian public service, serving our Government and through it our nation … delighting and inspiring us”:

Updated

Grocery bill stress reaches record high in March

New research by Finder has found that Australian households are paying thousands of dollars more for groceries year on year, with grocery bill stress reaching a record high this month.

The average Australian household spent $185 on their weekly groceries in February 2023, up $37 a week compared to last February, according to the research.

That is an increase of $1,924 per household over 12 months, or $18.8 billion more nationwide.

The research also shows one-third of Australians (33%) are at the shops every few days, while more than half (53%) shop once a week. Around 9% go food shopping once a fortnight, while just 1% can stretch supplies all month.

Sarah Megginson, money expert at Finder, said Australians are “having to change how and where they shop just to keep food on the table”.

Grocery bill stress reached a record high in March, with 43% of Australians ranking groceries as one of their top three most stressful expenses – the highest level since Finder’s Consumer sentiment Tracker started in April 2019.

Updated

An Everything, Everywhere kind of wrap for the Oscars

The 95th Academy Awards Ceremony has wrapped up in Los Angeles and Everything Everywhere All at Once was the big winner, taking out seven awards including best picture.

Michelle Yeoh also won the best actress Oscar for her role in the film, beating Australia’s Cate Blanchett who was nominated for Tár.

Cast and crew of the film Everything Everywhere All at Once pose after the Oscars ceremony, holding the awards the film one across seven categories
It was a huge night at the 2023 Oscars for the talented team who put together Everything Everywhere All at Once. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

Updated

Thanks Natasha, and good afternoon everyone! Stay tuned as we continue to bring you the latest.

Thanks for your attention today. Emily Wind now has the blog!

Australian Ethical offloads Lendlease shares over development threat to koala population

My colleague Lisa Cox today reported that one of Australia’s leading ethical investment managers says it has sold its shares in Lendlease over concerns a planned housing development in south-west Sydney threatens the survival of Sydney’s largest healthy koala population.

The Mt Gilead development proposes more than 3,000 additional houses in the Campbelltown local government area, which includes habitat for koalas.

Australian Ethical Investment has also taken to social media to encourage followers to email the NSW environment minister, James Griffin, about their concerns for the koala population if the development goes ahead.

You can support the cause by emailing the NSW minister of the Environment about the impact of the Lendlease Mt Gilead development on koalas.

The issues around Sydney’s growing pains was the subject of a major investigation by Anne Davies and Cox which if you missed, you can catch up here:

Updated

Dominic Perrottet says ‘never’ any pressure from clubs lobby to remove former gaming minister

New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has denied removing a senior minister from the state’s gambling portfolio due to pressure from the powerful clubs lobby, saying he was “never under pressure” over the decision.

Less than two weeks out from the NSW state election, today Perrottet was forced to deny claims he removed senior Liberal minister Victor Dominello from his position as NSW gaming minister during his first reshuffle as premier in December 2021 due to pressure from the clubs lobby, which was allegedly unhappy at his push for gambling reform.

Baby kangaroo rescued from Queensland floodwaters

Police have rescued a baby kangaroo from floodwaters in Burketown in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland.

“Shh, it’s alright mate,” the officers said as they pulled the drenched animal into their boat and returned to dry land.

Police say a helicopter pilot flew over at the time and spotted two very large crocodiles nearby.

Updated

NZ hikes welfare payments as fruit and vegetable prices soar

The New Zealand government has bumped up welfare payments and government support as food prices soar, AAP reports.

New data released by Stats NZ today showed the cost of fruit and vegetables grew by 23% in the past year - the largest single-year jump in 34 years.

Grocery food prices were also up 12%, led by increasing prices for eggs, potato chips and cheddar cheese, Stats NZ said.

The rising prices come as New Zealand endures an economy-wide inflation challenge in the wake of Covid-19, exacerbated by wet weather and, most recently, huge storms.

Vegetables NZ chair John Murphy said:

Vegetable growers have endured exceptionally bad growing weather for several months now.

Months of wet, humid and unpredictable weather have affected growers’ ability to plant and harvest.

Most graphic have been the pictures of onions in drains in Pukekohe and on beaches and in drains in Hawkes Bay, plus the news that up to 90% of Northland’s kumara (sweet potato) production has been wiped out by Cyclone Gabrielle.

In response, the government has opted for a higher-than-usual annual rise in government payments.

In recent years, benefits have been indexed to the average wage rise, but Prime Minister Chris Hipkins today said the government would lift payments by 7.22% this year in line with headline inflation.

The package of bread and butter support we are announcing today will help people who are really feeling the bite from the rise in the cost of living.

Coalition pledges to work with government to ensure funding for Aukus

The Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, has pledged bipartisanship on the overall Aukus deal, saying it is “truly a multigenerational nation-building task for the Australian people” and that it “cannot fail”.

Hastie told reporters in Parliament House in Canberra that the opposition welcomed early reports of plans for the “rapid acquisition” of Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US, saying that it would partly answer the rapidly deteriorating strategic situation in the Indo-Pacific (that is code for China).

Amid predictions Aukus could support up to 20,000 jobs in Australia over the long-term, Hastie added:

It’s an opportunity for young Australians who want to cut steel on submarines, those who want to be engineers, those who want to work in advanced technology, and those who want to become experts in nuclear science …

One of the things I’m most excited about, the opportunity in education this presents for young Australians. I want to see our primary, secondary, and tertiary educations sending the signals to young Australians that Aukus is something they should pursue as a career.

While pledging bipartisanship overall, Hastie made clear this stance would not stop the opposition from performing a traditional accountability role in scrutinising program delivery, sequencing and cost:

Of course, tomorrow morning we’ll be very interested in the timing of this, how long it will take to get the first Virginia-class submarines, how long it will take to built the joint sub with the UK; and we’re looking for significant budget investment.

Hastie noted renewed talk that the program could cost up to $200bn over the long term, and added:

We know that money doesn’t grow on trees. This will take some hard choices and it’s important that we make clear that we’re going to work with the government bipartisanly in making sure that we can deliver these submarines.

Hastie said the program would require “a level of bipartisanship that we probably haven’t seen for a generation”.

Pressed on the Coalition’s recent opposition to very modest superannuation changes – and how that fitted with the overall budget task to make Aukus a success – Hastie said:

Let’s see what the costings are when we get to tomorrow and potentially the budget. Of course we’re going to work with the government to make sure that we can finance this because, as you know, it’s a very competitive environment [for budget funds]. There are a lot of wants out there and we can’t fund them all. And if we’re committed to Aukus then we need to make sure that we finance it properly.

Updated

Almost the entire Gulf is a 'sea of water', Queensland police say

Tom Armitt from the Queensland police has been speaking with ABC News about the record floods in Queensland’s Gulf country, which has been one of the biggest wet seasons on record.

At this stage pretty much every community in the gulf area of northern Queensland’s cut off. So, they have been for a number of months, for the duration of this wet season.

So, ongoing since mid-December of 2022 we’ve been doing aerial resupplies into those communities. They’ve been managed by the local disaster management groups or by a district group.

However, that obviously ramped up once we had that significant rainfall last week, dumping over half a metre across those catchments.

We’ve had a number of areas flood. The worst being Burketown, the township itself. But a number of isolated cattle properties are throughout the north and we’re working towards resupply of those areas for an extended period of time. And then looking to repair and repatriate once the floods recede.

… It’s about 3 tonnes of essential goods going on a daily basis into the Gulf. On alternate days, Doomadgee may receive a 3-ton resupply, we’ll fly into Mornington Island, we’ve been supplying Normanton and Burketown as well.

Amitt says emergency services are attempting to provide supplies to a “substantial” area:

Almost the entire Gulf is a sea of water. There’s also some significant flooding to our west of Mount Isa along the Georgina catchment, that’s affecting communities.

Updated

‘Treat abortion as other essential healthcare’: Greens launch campaign for accessible reproductive health

We mentioned on the blog earlier that the NSW Greens were launching their plan for accessible reproductive rights ahead of the March election.

Deputy leader of the Australian Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, launched the campaign with the NSW Greens candidate for the upper house Amanda Cohn, promising to make all public hospitals provide abortions.

Faruqi said:

Governments must listen to the community and treat abortion as other essential healthcare - provided in public hospitals, free and covered by medicare.

Updated

Woman and child die in car crash in south-west Sydney

A woman and child have died after a crash in Sydney’s south-west.

A northbound cement truck and an SUV were involved in the incident in the northbound lanes this morning on the Hume Motorway, police said.

Emergency services were called to the scene at Menangle Park at about 11.20am and found that the female driver and a child had died.

Paramedics are assisting a second child, with a helicopter landing a medical team nearby.

The truck driver was not injured and has been taken for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.

Police have established a crime scene which will be examined by specialist police from the Crash Investigation Unit.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Updated

Crocodile warning as record-breaking floods continue

Residents who refused to evacuate their homes in Far North Queensland are being urged to stay out of the flood waters with crocodiles spotted in the debris.

Flood waters are starting to slowly ease in remote Burketown and the emergency has shifted south to Urandangi, with 16 people so far evacuated as water levels start to rise.

Air assets are stationed nearby and on standby for emergency rescues and transport of food, water and medical supplies, Senior Sergeant Adrian Rieck from the Mount Isa District Disaster Coordination Centre said.

He said:

Water reserves and food supplies are good, and resupply continues. Telstra Services have also been restored to the area.

- AAP

Updated

Queensland’s department of transport has shared some of the images of significant road damage which can be seen as floodwaters recede.

The Barkly Highway remains closed between Mount Isa to Camooweal.

Key events leading up to decision on nuclear submarines

AAP have taken us on a little stroll down memory lane, with a timeline of all the key events that have led up to the big unveiling of the Aukus deal which will take place tomorrow – or technically Monday local time in California.

  • Late 2019: Scott Morrison tasks defence officials to look into feasibility of acquiring nuclear powered submarines after doubts over the French contract.

  • May 2021: Morrison presents Aukus proposal to full national security committee and is given permission to approach US and UK leaders with an official government policy.

  • June 2021: Morrison meets with US president, Joe Biden, and then UK prime minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 and agree to an in-principle deal.

  • September 2021: The deal is publicly unveiled, with Morrison announcing it in Canberra flanked by TV screens of the US and UK leaders. An 18-month consultation period begins into how Australia will acquire nuclear powered submarines and which model it will go with.

  • May 2022: Labor wins the federal election, triggering a change in government.

  • August 2022: The defence minister, Richard Marles, announced a review into the defence force and how it will tackle emerging threats to run alongside the Aukus consultation period.

  • December 2022: Marles and the foreign minister, Penny Wong, meet with their US counterparts in Washington for the annual Ausmin meeting.

  • January 2023: Australian government finalises submarine pathway.

  • February 2023: Australian and UK defence and foreign ministers meet for annual Aukmin consultation.

  • February 2023: Defence force review is handed to the prime minister and defence minister. A government reply is expected in April.

  • March 2023: the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, Biden and UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, unveil the pathway forward to acquiring nuclear powered submarines.

Updated

Cootamundra flash flooding warning downgraded to Watch and Act

An evacuation order for flash flooding in Cootamundra, NSW has been downgraded to a Watch and Act as water levels begin to ease at Muttama Creek.

The SES are warning residents not to enter flood water and to remain alert for any changes in advice, with more showers and thunderstorms forecast.

Updated

ACT Senator David Pocock and Wentworth MP Allegra Spender have congratulated Senator Penny Wong for winning the McKinnon Prize for political leader of the year and given a shoutout to their fellow independent MP Helen Haines who was recognised as an emerging political leader.

Updated

The 95th Academy Awards are under way in LA, with many Australians in attendance and up for awards.

As Guardian Australia’s lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, points out, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman’s luminous red carpet looks are down to more than just what outfits they’ve chosen this evening, with evidence of a skincare routine that defies the harsh Australian sun.

Updated

Littleproud to push for greater vaping regulation

Nationals leader David Littleproud wants a regulatory model to legalise vaping products put in place in order to crack down on the thriving e-cigarette black market.

He has told the Australian that together with Pat Conaghan, he will push his partyroom to adopt a formal position on vaping next week when parliament returns.

Littleproud said:

We need to regulate further. The regulations put in under Greg Hunt haven’t worked.

The market has moved so far now that children have become exposed and the government needs to regulate urgently, particularly about the flavours and types of vapes that are sold, and where they’re sold.

Conaghan said:

We have to treat it the same as cigarettes, it needs to be regulated and we can take the excise from it, which is a tick for government, but we also need to treat it as a health issue.

The problem of how the next generation became hooked on vaping has been the subject of a major investigation by Guardian Australia’s medical editor, Melissa Davey, at the end of last year.

Updated

New ABC chief content role goes to Netflix executive

Netflix’s director of production for Australia and New Zealand, Chris Oliver-Taylor, is set to jump ship to the national broadcaster.

Oliver-Taylor has been appointed to the newly created role of chief content officer at the ABC, in which he will be responsible for the new division created from the merger of the entertainment and specialist and the regional and local divisions.

Oliver-Taylor had previously held roles at the ABC as well as the BBC, NBCUniversal and Fremantle Asia Pacific.

Chris Oliver-Taylor
ABC-bound: Chris Oliver-Taylor. Photograph: supplied by Film Victoria

ABC managing director David Anderson praised Oliver-Taylor’s experience locally and internationally and his “well-honed sense of audience expectations and creative trends across platforms and technologies”.

I am very pleased that a leader of Chris’ experience and calibre is joining us for the next stage of the ABC’s story.

Oliver-Taylor said he was “absolutely thrilled” to bring his experience to the role at a vital time in the ABC’s history.

In a time of infinite choice across screen, audio and digital, we must deliver high quality and impactful content that resonates with all Australians, and I know to deliver this impact you can only do it with an amazing team.

Anna Mallett, Netflix’s vice-president, production, for APAC/EMEA/UK, said:

Chris is hugely talented and has made significant contributions leading our studio in Australia and New Zealand since joining Netflix. We are enormously grateful to Chris, wish him every success for the future and look forward to working with him again as a content partner.

Updated

'New dawn for Australia’s defence policy', PM says ahead of Aukus deal

’Twas the night before Aukus, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Except for the following:

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has declared “a new dawn for Australia’s defence policy” as he prepares to announce the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine plan tomorrow.

Albanese gave some brief remarks to reporters in San Diego, California, during a bayside walk with the chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice-Admiral Mark Hammond (both were wearing Rabbitohs caps).

Speaking on the eve of the joint announcement – which will be made alongside the US president, Joe Biden, and the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak – Albanese said:

A new dawn in San Diego and a new dawn for Australia’s defence policy tomorrow.

Reports published late last week suggested Australia would buy between three and five Virginia class submarines from the US by the 2030s, before moving to a British designed submarine with heavy use of US technology as a longer term solution.

Updated

Robodebt inquiry commissioner praises ‘committed’ coverage by Guardian Australia

My colleague Luke Henriques-Gomes has been recognised by the Walkley awards for his coverage of the robodebt scandal, but at the conclusion of the royal commission into the illegal scheme the commissioner has also praised his committed coverage of the inquiry itself.

The former Queensland supreme court chief justice overseeing the commission singled out reporters from Guardian Australia alongside the Saturday Paper for their “committed” coverage of the evidence.

The commissioner, Catherine Holmes SC, took a few minutes to make observations about media coverage of the proceedings, calling it a “remarkably useful and important public service”, while criticising many other media outlets for their “patchy” coverage.

Updated

Key event

Heavy rainfall could cause flash flooding in parts of NSW, BoM warns

As residents in low-lying parts of Cootamundra are being warned to evacuate this morning, the Bureau of Meteorology is warning other parts of NSW could also see flash flooding.

Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding in parts of the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Central West Slopes and Lower Western regions of NSW.

The Bureau of Meteorology is saying the conditions could affect Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Maitland, Parkes and Condobolin.

Updated

60,000 Victorians benefit from landmark sick pay scheme for casuals

The Victorian government’s landmark sick pay scheme for casual workers has paid out $22m since it was launched last year.

Government minister Colin Brooks on Monday announced 60,000 Victorians have signed up to the pilot program, which provides up to 38 hours a year of sick and carer’s leave for casual and contract workers at the national minimum wage.

He said since the scheme launched on Labour Day last year, more than $22m has been paid to support more than 93,000 claims for sick and carer’s pay:

Casual and contract workers are telling us that when given a choice – a proper choice – they will choose to stay home and recover when they’re sick.

We’ve already supported workers when they need it most – with more than one million hours of sick and carer’s pay. This scheme is protecting more and more Victorians and giving them the support they need when they’re sick or caring for a loved one.

Brooks said 41% of workers surveyed said they would have gone to work unwell if they had not registered for the scheme.

The premier, Daniel Andrews, unveiled the pilot in March last year to mark Labour Day – a public holiday with its origins in the union movement’s fight for an eight-hour working day.

It was designed to help 150,000 casual and contract workers in hospitality, retail, aged and disability care, cleaning and laundry services, security and the supermarket and supply chain industries.

Andrews said the pandemic had exposed the “completely and utterly toxic” nature of insecure work, with some casual and contract workers forced to choose between feeding their family or going to work while infected with Covid, as they could not afford to take time off.

The $245.7m pilot is fully funded until March 2024.

Updated

Helen Haines receives McKinnon prize for emerging political leader of the year

Independent MP Helen Haines was awarded the McKinnon prize for emerging political leader of the year for her commitment to integrity in politics, culminating in the parliament legislating a national integrity commission in 2022.

In accepting the prize, Haines thanked her constituents for their ongoing support:

It is the honour of a lifetime to represent the people of Indi in the federal parliament, and it is the people of Indi who have spurred me on in my work to improve integrity, accountability and transparency in federal politics.

The establishment of the national anti-corruption commission is the most significant integrity reform at a federal level in more than 40 years and I am incredibly proud to have played a role in that, and look forward to continuing to work to improve integrity and transparency in politics.

I also look forward to continuing working to improve healthcare in regional and rural Australia, tackling the local housing crisis and implementing action on climate change that benefits regional Australia.

I pay tribute to the Susan McKinnon Foundation and their work to improve Australia’s democracy and to all of the prize nominees.

The judging panel particularly praised the way Haines connected her work in her electorate to her national policy work, highlighting the way she worked with her constituents to develop a set of principles to guide a federal integrity commission (known as the Beechworth principles).

Member of the selection panel, chancellor of Macquarie University and former senior public servant, Dr Martin Parkinson, said:

Helen wasn’t the only one to have made integrity an issue, but what was truly outstanding was the way in which she gradually built support across her community and across the broader parliamentary community.

Politics is the art of the possible, and that’s something that you can be dismissive of, but what she did was to find a way to walk a path through all the competing groups and [end] up with a policy position that everybody could come in behind.

Helen did something unusual in that she engaged her local community on the integrity principles. It showed proper grassroots democracy. She took up an issue – that for many people was probably distant – and gave them a mechanism whereby they could contribute.

Updated

Wong recognised for leadership in McKinnon prizes

In more award news closer to home, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, says she is honoured to receive the McKinnon political leader of the year prize.

The selection panel recognised Wong for her “swift and demonstrable progress in re-setting Australia’s foreign policy agenda,” restoring Australia’s diplomatic relationships through a “listen first, talk second” approach.

Wong said on receiving the prize:

The Albanese government faces the world as it is, and we seek to shape it for the better.

As foreign minister this means using all elements of our power – strategic, economic, social and diplomatic – to advance our interests and values. I’ve placed a priority on re-engaging with our region and renewing our relationships.

I thank the Susan McKinnon Foundation and the University of Melbourne for the work they do to advocate for democracy and encourage strong political leadership.

Selection panellist and former Victorian premier John Brumby hailed Wong as a “true statesperson”.

Penny Wong … has consistently represented Australia’s best interests through her calm yet commanding diplomacy. She is highly effective internationally and displays the values Australian’s respect in their political leaders.

Penny has shifted the tone of Australia’s international dialogues and relationships for the better. She’s been engaging but firm building genuine relationships in the Pacific, as well as refreshing and restarting our relationship with China and we’re seeing the benefits of that now.

Updated

NSW opposition leader says proposed children’s future fund ‘very expensive’

New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns has labelled the Coalition government’s flagship election commitment of a new children’s future fund as “very expensive”, criticising the policy for driving up the state’s debt levels.

On Sunday the premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced a new fund which would see the government match parent contributions up to $400 each year until the age of 18.

Today, Minns criticised the policy, saying he would rather the money be spent on education. He said:

The single best investment we can make in the next generation of young Australians is to ensure we’ve got a world-class education system in this state.

When you consider that we have nearly $200bn worth of debt, the equivalent of that debt for every man, woman and child in NSW is over $20,000 per person in this state. We need to make decisions about what’s affordable.

Updated

Best in Show named at Crufts Dog Show

If you were thinking that the Oscars was the most important awards ceremony happening today, you might want to think again, as the winners are being named in UK Kennel Club’s Crufts Dog Show.

A Lagotto Romagnolo named Orca has been named Best in Show.

Archie the doberman placed first in the working dog category, while nine-year-old staffordshire bull terrier Stella won the Hero award for eight-and-a-half years working with the police.

Updated

We mentioned on the blog just now that Australian Callum Robson has scored a perfect 10 in the World Surf League’s competition in Portugal.

If you want to see Robson flawlessly moving through the barrel for yourself, here’s the footage:

Updated

Australian Ethical offloads Lendlease shares over development threat to koala population

One of Australia’s leading ethical investment managers says it has sold its shares in Lendlease over concerns a planned housing development in south-west Sydney threatens the survival of Sydney’s largest healthy koala population.

Australian Ethical has divested $11m in shareholdings in the property developer’s listed assets, saying Lendlease had failed to provide “critical information” about the width of planned koala corridors at stage two of its Gilead housing development.

Australian surfer nails perfect 10 in Portugal

Australia’s Callum Robson has held his nerve to produce the first perfect 10-point ride of the World Surf League championship season in the nick of time, AAP reports.

Robson was facing an early exit from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal and needed a big score in the dying minutes of his elimination round heat against Brazil’s Gabriel Medina and Frenchman Maxime Huscenot at Supertubos Beach on Sunday.

When a huge wave appeared, he launched into a deep drop, barely making the bottom turn then disappearing from view, before rocketing out of the tube and drawing a 10 from the judges to advance.

22-year-old Robson said:

It feels really good, especially in a moment where I needed it the most. I was so happy, I was clapping so hard that my hands got sore.”

Following the men’s elimination round, competition in Peniche was put on hold while organisers waited for the massive swell to ease down and the tide to turn.

Later in the day, Robson also advanced through his round of 32 match-up over compatriot Liam O’Brien, while a number of big names bowed out.

Former world champions Kelly Slater and John John Florence were eliminated as was current world No 2 Brazil’s Felipe Toledo and No 4 Italian Leonardo Fioravanti.

While two round of 32 heats are still to be completed, five Australians including Robson and rankings leader Jack Robinson are through to the round of 16.

Robinson next takes on compatriot Ryan Callinan.

Updated

Oscars red carpet under way

The Oscars red carpet is under way, and you can follow on our live blog here:

If you’re in front of a TV and want to watch it for yourself, 7Bravo is carrying E!’s red carpet coverage from 8am AEDT. The full ceremony starts on Channel 7 and 7Plus at 11am AEDT, finishing at 2pm AEDT.

Updated

Emergency warning for flash flooding in Cootamundra

The NSW SES have warned residents along Muttama Creek to evacuate now due to flash flooding.

SES had issued a flood warning before 9am this morning as 93mm had already fallen at Berthong Road and more showers and storms are forecast today.

Updated

Man found dead in home after Queensland siege

A man who fired several shots at police vehicles in a Townsville suburb has been found dead inside a home after a near 10-hour siege, AAP reports.

Queensland police declared an emergency about 9pm on Sunday for an area of Kirwan bordered by Dalrymple Rd, Kern Brothers Dr, Sandstone Dr and Golf Links Dr.

The emergency declaration followed earlier reports a man armed with a gun was alone in a home in Elphinstone Dr.

Police said the man fired several shots, hitting nearby houses, a car and responding officers’ vehicles.

Residents within the exclusion zone were urged to stay inside their properties and lock their doors during the siege.

Police revoked the emergency order at 6.45am after entering the dwelling and finding a 50-year-old man dead.

A crime scene has been declared and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

No one else was injured.

  • Lifeline 13 11 14 / beyondblue 1300 22 4636

Updated

Aukus agreement to be announced tomorrow

The Aukus agreement will be announced (officially) tomorrow, with Anthony Albanese in San Diego with both the US president, Joe Biden, and the British PM, Rishi Sunak, to set out the details (the details they are making public anyway).

The Coalition, which signed the agreement under Scott Morrison, is very onboard, leading to a rare moment of bipartisan agreement between Labor’s Tanya Plibersek and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce on the Seven network this morning. Even though it is going to cost (an estimated) $200bn (BILLION) over three decades.

Plibersek:

I think it’s very clear that both the government and the opposition agree that this is an important capability for Australia. These submarines will be very important in our ability to defend ourselves in the future. It’s a very long‑term project and with it will come a substantial number of jobs and huge investment and a real capability in the Australian economy.

If we want to be an advanced manufacturing economy, these sorts of projects will really support that, so it’s great for the defence of the nation. It’ll mean thousands of extra jobs and, of course, it lifts our ability as a nation that can make things.

Joyce:

I’m glad that they’re looking at buying them off the shelf to start off with. That will reduce costs and also allow us to buy a Virginia‑class submarine, which has already had the ticks taken out of it, rather than trying to design it from the start, which obviously comes with delays.

This is the cost of defending our nation. It’s one of the primary jobs of government up there with cost of living, and what we’ll see is really – I understand about manufacturing jobs, but its main job is to protect Australia. That’s the main job.

But it’s only part of a platform that defends Australia. We have to be as strong as possible, as quickly as possible in every facet, and that’s agriculture, manufacturing; and to do that you need basic things right, like low power prices, to make sure that we have the capacity to pay for it, because it’s alright buying them, but then the job comes of paying for it, and that needs a vibrant economy to do so.

Updated

Reconstruction fund agreement fuels hope for safeguard mechanism

The agreement the Greens struck with the government over the national reconstruction fund has given hope that an agreement could be reached on the safeguards mechanism.

David Pocock is not happy with the unlimited carbon credits included in the bill, which he says could mean that companies could increase their pollution, and just buy more credits to offset it.

JLN senator Tammy Tyrrell said she wanted to see any carbon credits bought in Australia, not overseas.

There’s a company here in Tasmania called LMS energy. They’re actually drilling on all tips like refuse tips, and they’re harvesting methane and they’re 100% utilising the energy that they produce, and they sell clean carbon credits …

I’d rather [that they buy] their carbon credits at a reasonable price here in Australia rather than buying carbon credits from overseas.

Tyrrell said she hadn’t put it on the line, but that she wanted people to think about where companies might be buying their carbon credits from.

Updated

Queensland announces parliamentary inquiry into vaping

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has announced a state parliamentary inquiry into vaping, amid concerns children as young as primary school age are addicted to e-cigarettes.

Nicotine vapes are illegal in Queensland without prescription, but are still sold online and in some stores.

Palaszczuk says her government is moving to set up this inquiry because of the proportion of people vaping:

At the moment they don’t know what they are inhaling. These vapes can contain toxic chemicals, like [those in] nail polish, nicotine, ingredients that are in bug sprays. It is not clearly labelled on these vapes.

They are being portrayed as being like a lolly, flavoured, whether they are blueberry, watermelon, banana, so, young people are, of course, very attracted to it. Even adults don’t know that these are highly addictive substances that I feel is a like a back door for some big companies to infiltrate the younger generation.

I’m particularly concerned about children in primary school. I hear reports that teachers are saying that they know young children are vaping in lunchbreaks … It’s prevalent in our senior schools.

I think it’s a big issue and we need an education campaign hence the parliamentary inquiry and hopefully health professionals talk there about the harmful consequences of vaping. It’s almost like the next smoking wave.

The problem of how the next generation became hooked on vaping has been the subject of a major investigation by Guardian Australia’s medical editor Melissa Davey at the end of last year.

Updated

Senator Tammy Tyrrell says she is ‘not a professional politician’

The Jacqui Lambie Network senator, Tammy Tyrrell, has been one of the surprises of the new parliament. The Tasmanian senator, like Lambie, puts Tasmania at the centre of every decision, and while she hasn’t received a lot of attention so far (David Pocock and the Greens tend to act as the balance of power) she is rising in prominence.

The Greens gave the government the numbers it needed for the national reconstruction fund last week, after the government agreed the fund could not be used for coal, gas or native forrest logging.

Tyrrell released a letter Anthony Albanese had sent the Tasmanian logging industry in May last year, assuring it a Labor government wouldn’t hurt its interests, accusing the government of “betraying” the industry.

The industry minister, Ed Husic, said that the agreement would not impact operations with Tasmanian native forestry logging and Tyrrell said she’s prepared to listen;

We had a meeting with him as well. And we’ve asked for more detail. We’ve asked for the logic behind it. And he’s agreed to give it to us. So once he’s given us [that], I’ll be 100% cool with it …

What he gave the Greens, it doesn’t sound like as much of anything … if it’s not going to do what they asked him to do.

Tyrrell said it sounded to her as if the Greens didn’t secure anything.

Well, in all honesty … I wouldn’t be really happy of all the negotiating that they’ve done, and they’ve really come out with nothing, but that’s what it looks like to me and I’m not a professional politician.

So if I can see that they’ve actually won not a lot of anything that doesn’t really make a lot of sense.

But Husic amazing. He’s going to send us some information so that I can be assured that Tasmanian industry and business isn’t going to be impacted. And that’s all I care about, really – is … people’s jobs and their living, how they’re gonna help their families keep a roof over their head and afford the cost of living. That’s what’s important to me and industry being kept here in Tassie and Australia.

Husic said the fund was never going to be used for coal, gas or logging so it wasn’t an issue. The Greens said they wanted the agreement to ensure that future governments couldn’t use the fund to hold up those industries (like what happened with the clean energy fund while the Coalition was in power)

Updated

NSW premier says lack of former Liberal leaders at campaign launch due to being ‘focused on the future’

Perrottet is being pressed on why the federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, wasn’t at the NSW Liberal campaign launch yesterday. Apparently Perrottet decided to have John Howard as the only former PM in attendance because he is “focused on the future”.

Michael Rowland:

You had your campaign yesterday. You’re the last remaining mainland Liberal government. Where was Peter Dutton?

Perrottet:

The only leader we had there was John Howard. He’s obviously a great in the Liberal Party.

Rowland:

Why not the current Liberal leader?

Perrottet:

This is a New South Wales election. It’s on New South Wales issues. I’m the premier. We did haven’t any former Liberal premiers or former prime ministers outside of John Howard.

Rowland:

There’s been federal Liberal leaders who have attended the 2019 and 2015 Liberal party launches.

Perrottet:

Well, I wanted John Howard there. I’m focused on the future. So, that’s the reason we made that decision. Ultimately it’s about our policies for the great people of New South Wales and to take the state forward. I’m not concerned about attendees, I’m concerned about our policies – that’s my focus, not personalities.

Updated

Perrottet grilled on future fund’s potential to skew in favour of wealthy families

The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, is speaking to ABC News about this future fund for the state’s children. Breakfast host Michael Rowland is pressing the premier on the fact that the scheme favours wealthy families with the government contribution each year only matching what families can put in after the initial kickstarting the account.

Perrottet:

Parents across New South Wales will be able to go through our Services Australia app, set up an account for their child. We will put in $400 to kickstart the account. We will match contributions each year up to $400. That would mean by the time that a child turns 18, they will have to up to $49,000 in their account which they can draw down on for the costs of education, and also for housing. So, this is about making sure we give our kids the best opportunities and head start in life and if I think of something like this could have been put in 18 years ago, so many children would have had the help with early expenses.

Rowland:

Parents can contribute up to $1,000 – $400 – if they had the money up to $1,000. Doesn’t this unnecessarily favour wealthy families? Not every family will be able to contribute anywhere near $400.

Perrottet:

As part of this if a family is on Family Tax Benefit, we will contribute each year $200 without a co-contribution being required.

Rowland:

The point stands, it does skew to wealthy parents who by definition have the money to pay up to $1,000?

Perrottet:

We capped it at $1,000. This is about giving every child that great opportunity. For those families, who are low to middle income earners, they will get an automatic $200 without having to make a co-contribution. For those who aren’t on Family Tax Benefits, we will make up to $400 contributions as well. So, on the basis that that is also met by the parents. This is all about encouraging mums and dads across NSW to save for their children and to look to the future.

We can get caught up in the day-to-day and the pressures. This is about ensuring we put downward pressure on household budgets – but what is our responsibility? That is to set up our kids for future success.

Updated

Tyrrell ‘uncertain’ on support for voice

Tammy Tyrrell says she believes the government shouldn’t be funding the yes and no campaigns in the upcoming referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament.

The machinery provisions around the referendum will probably come before the Senate next week. The opposition voted no in the house after the government conceded to information pamphlets, but not money, for the yes and no campaigns.

I think that the AEC should have control of the information … I have faith in the AEC that they are equal and fair. And I believe that both sides of the argument should have correct information and not lean one way or the other.

I think everybody deserves to have a vote. And they need to be well informed. I don’t want anybody to go, ‘I voted yes. And that’s not what I’ve gotten. That’s not what you promised me.’ I don’t want there to be false advertising.

… I don’t believe that the government should fund yes or no campaigns. I believe that they should fund one document that gives both sides of the argument.

On her support for the referendum itself, Tyrrell says she believes in recognition but isn’t willing to go as far as say she believes the voice should be enshrined in the constitution.

I’m in favour of Australia as a whole going to referendum and putting their two cents worth in.

I believe that we should have recognition. I believe that this is important, but I’m worried that the country as a whole aren’t going to take it seriously. And aren’t going to take the vote seriously and make sure that they’re heard.

That’s my biggest fear: that it’s going to land one way or the other and it’s because people aren’t being informed and they’re not taking their vote seriously.

… But my personal vote, I’m still a little bit uncertain.

Updated

Circling back to the interview with Tammy Tyrrell. Tyrrell wants to see the government invest at least 4% of its multibillion-dollar social housing plan in Tasmania. She says it’s only fair, as a government survey shows 4.6% of people most in need of housing support are in Tasmania.

Tyrrell says she will be meeting next week with the housing minister, Julie Collins, about the request.

They haven’t shut me down. They haven’t said no, but they haven’t said yes.

Updated

Wong and Haines win McKinnon Prizes for political leadership

Good morning from Canberra – it is a public holiday in Canberra today (for Canberra day) but the work doesn’t stop, so here we are.

But before we get to the politics, a little announcement – Penny Wong and Dr Helen Haines have been awarded the 2022 McKinnon prize for political leadership.

Wong, who also won in 2018, became the first recipient to win twice. The judges, which included former Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer and former senior public servant Martin Parkinson, awarded Wong the 2022 McKinnon political leader of the year for “her swift and demonstrable progress in resetting Australia’s foreign policy agenda and in working respectfully to enhance important bilateral relationships in a challenging geopolitical environment”.

Haines won the emerging political leader of the year award for her tireless advocacy for integrity in politics, as well as “her dedication to serving her electorate and connecting her constituency to her national policy work, including her commitment to the Beechwood principles for integrity”.

Haines told ABC News Breakfast her commitment to her electorate was what guided her.

It’s absolutely fundamental to everything that I do. My job is to represent the people of Indi in the federal parliament and in doing that, I try my darnedest to connect policy to the people to the policy, every single time.

So I go to them when I have to make a decision about a piece of legislation I may not be clear on. And I go to them and explain why I’ve made the decision I have once that legislation is through the parliament.

Updated

Residents locked down after shots fired in Queensland

A man has fired several shots at police vehicles in a Townsville suburb. Residents have been told not to leave their homes during the siege.

Queensland police declared an emergency about 9pm on Sunday for an area of Kirwan bordered by Dalrymple Rd, Kern Brothers Dr, Sandstone Dr and Golf Links Dr.

The emergency declaration followed earlier reports a man armed with a gun was alone in a home in Elphinstone Dr.

Police said the man reportedly fired several shots, hitting responding officers’ vehicles.

Residents within the exclusion zone were urged to stay inside their properties and lock their doors.

Police said they were still conducting emergency operations in the area on Monday morning and asked people and aircraft to avoid the zone.

- AAP

Updated

Australian industry needs ‘carve-out’ in safeguard mechanism, says Tammy Tyrrell

On the safeguard mechanism, Tyrrell says she wants Australian industry to be “cleaner and greener” but she doesn’t want to see industries having to shut down because they can’t meet the demands.

We agree that we need to be cleaner and greener but there’s industries that we need for manufacturing and jobs and incomes here in Australia that are going to struggle to do what they’re asking upfront.

Concrete, steel, metals, we need them in Australia to build business industry. So they are going to need a little bit of a carve-out so that they can become as clean and green as they can moving forward.

But there’s no way I want them shutting down when this legislation gets through the government. We need to take them into account. What are we going to do if they shut down tomorrow? How are we going to build anything?

RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas points out under the legislation they will get unlimited carbon credits. But Tyrrell has concerns around the cost of those credits:

I’d rather them buy carbon credits here in Australia rather than going overseas. There’s a company here in Tasmania called LMS energy. They’re actually drilling old tips like refuse tips and they’re harvesting methane and they’re 100% utilising the energy that they produce, and they sell clean carbon credits.

I’d rather that they sell their carbon credit at a reasonable price here in Australia rather than buying carbon credits from overseas.

… If they make them too expensive, people aren’t going to buy them here and businesses are going to go to the wall that are selling the credits like LMS energy. And if they’re too cheap, they might as well just give them away.

Tyrrell says Ed Husic has been “very kind” talking to her and Jacqui Lambie and she says “we’re not finished talking to him yet”.

Updated

Greens deal on reconstruction fund ‘not much of anything,’ Tyrrell says

Tammy Tyrrell, senator for the Jacqui Lambie Network, is speaking with ABC Radio after accusing the government on betraying Tasmanian logging through their deal with the Greens on the $15bn reconstruction fund.

The bill passed the lower house on Thursday after a deal was struck with the Greens, amending the legislation to prevent the fund being used to invest in coal and gas projects, or log native forests.

Ed Husic, the industry minister, told ABC Radio on Friday the deal wouldn’t affect the logging industry, as logging would continue to take place where states and territories allowed it.

Tyrrell says she has met with Husic, and once she gets a few more details she’ll be “100% cool” with the reconstruction fund.

However, she points out whatever agreement the minister made with the Greens “doesn’t sound as if it’s much of anything if it’s not going to do what they asked him to do”.

I wouldn’t be really happy if all the negotiating that they’ve done and they’ve really come out with nothing. That’s that’s what it looks like to me and I’m not a professional politician. So if I can see that they’ve actually won not a lot of anything it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.

Updated

Chalmers says government ‘closely monitoring’ fallout from US bank collapse

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says the government is seeking advice about the potential impact of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the biggest failure of a US bank since the global financial crisis.

Australian shares, particularly the big four commercial banks and Macquarie Bank, are expected to extend Friday’s falls when trading resumes this morning.

SVB reportedly held $US200bn ($A302bn) in assets at the end of last year and was itself valued at $US40bn in 2022. It was seized by US federal regulators on Friday after its effort to raise capital failed and depositors – many of them Silicon Valley start-ups – rushed to pull their money out.

Chalmers said in a statement:

We are closely monitoring the situation and potential impacts for Australia caused by the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank in the US.

In seeking preliminary advice we are aware that some Australian firms have been impacted and we’re working closely with our regulators as well as the tech sector to better understand the implications for the industry as the situation evolves.

Australians should be reassured that our institutions are solid, our banking sector is well-capitalised, and we’re in a better position than most other nations to deal with the challenges we face in the global economy.

The US treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said over the weekend she had “full confidence in banking regulators to take appropriate actions in response,” adding that regulators “have effective tools” to address the bank’s failure, Bloomberg reported.

Investors piled into US treasuries at the end of last week, sending the yield on two-year bonds plunging the most in any two days since the global crisis in 2008. US bank stocks registered their biggest weekly fall since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, Bloomberg said.

Updated

NSW Greens promise to make all public hospitals provide abortions

The New South Wales Greens will today unveil its reproductive health policy platform ahead of the 25 March poll.

It will include the establishment of a statewide directory of contraception and abortion providers and free period products in all public toilets and schools.

All public hospitals would also be made to provide abortions and funding to women’s health centres across the state would be boosted.

The plan also includes the provision of a midwife and backup midwife for all parents during pregnancy and birth and the introduction of midwifery staffing ratios.

Greens upper house candidate Dr Amanda Cohn said she had experience as a GP looking after patients “who have had to shop around to find an abortion service” and it needed to change:

Reproductive health care is health care and should be available through public health services. This is about enabling choice and supporting and empowering people making the significant decision to become a parent or not.

The Greens' women’s rights spokesperson, Jenny Leong, said:

It is critical we make sure our public healthcare system is able to deliver reproductive healthcare and abortions without political interference. The Greens are proudly pro-choice – every vote, every MP, every time.

Updated

Disaster funding and loans made available as floods cause ‘significant damage’

The Queensland emergency services minister, Mark Ryan, said there was extensive damage in the state’s north-west after daily rainfall reached more than 300mm.

This has caused significant damage to road infrastructure, with large washouts and ground saturation triggering the closure of a number of roads.

On Sunday, the federal and state governments announced more disaster funding, including payments for Urandangi residents of up to $180 for individuals or $900 for families to cover personal essentials.

In Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Doomadgee, Mornington and Mount Isa, loans of up to $250,000 are being made available for affected small businesses and primary producers.

The emergency management minister, Murray Watt, said in a statement:

This weather event has been impacting Queensland for several months, and as conditions escalate, we’re working with the Queensland government to ensure appropriate levels of community assistance are available.

Updated

Weather warning as record-breaking floods continue in Queensland

More rain forecast for north-west Queensland could elevate already record water levels as residents in the south-east clean up after a wave of thunderstorms, AAP reports.

A man was hospitalised in a critical condition after he was struck by lightning at Brendale, north of Brisbane, on Sunday afternoon as thunderstorms rolled across the south-east.

In the north-west, an extended period of extreme rain led to almost 100 residents being evacuated in remote Burketown after river levels exceeded seven metres, surpassing the 2011 record of 6.78 metres.

Thirty-seven houses had power disconnected as they were inundated in flood waters, while about 70 residents remained in the area with limited electricity and water supplies.

Burke Shire mayor, Ernie Camp, said water levels had dropped on Sunday night, bringing some positive news for the flood-ravaged region. He told Seven’s Sunrise program:

We do live in a quite extreme part of Australia. The flooding event has broken all records … the First Nations people no doubt would have seen something much higher than this, but certainly in living memory it’s the highest we’ve seen.

Severe flooding is continuing along the Gregory, Nicholson and Leichhardt river catchments, which recorded up to 35mm of rain in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.

A major flood warning is also active in the lower Flinders and Cloncurry rivers.

The Gregory River peaked at 12.3 metres and was falling this morning, although it remained at major flood level.

With more showers and isolated thunderstorms forecast for the state’s northwest, emergency services expect peak flooding to continue.

Scattered thunderstorms were also expected in southeast Queensland today after heavy rain hit much of the region on Sunday afternoon.

About 70mm of rain fell in an hour at Imbil, south of Gympie, while 67mm was recorded in Samford near Brisbane.

The Bureau of Meteorology said there was a chance of severe thunderstorms between Mackay and the Sunshine Coast, and in the northern interior, today.

Updated

Good morning!

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has flown into California where he will meet with the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, today, ahead of unveiling the pathway for the Aukus submarine partnership tomorrow.

Albanese and Sunak, alongside the US president, Joe Biden, are set to announce the deal which is expected to see Australia buy at least three Virginia class submarines in San Diego on Monday local time.

The Albanese government is expected to announce the plan will create and support about 20,000 jobs over the next three decades across the nation’s industry, defence force, and public service.

In Queensland, historic flooding in the north-west of the state is likely to continue with more rain forecast, after almost 100 residents were evacuated from remote Burketown.

An exclusion zone remains in place in Townsville as police are responding to reports of shots fired in this area.

In NSW, the Labor leader, Chris Minns, has ruled out future funds for children after the premier, Dominic Perrottet, used the Liberal campaign launch to pledge up to $400 annually for children to be used on education or housing after turning 18.

Circling back to the US where we began this post, the 95th Academy Awards will be taking place in LA. Cate Blanchett, nominated for best actress in Tár, and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, nominated for best picture and several other nominations, will be carrying Australia’s Oscar hopes.

Let’s get into it!

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