And with that, we are going to put this blog to bed. Thank you so much for spending the day with us. Here’s a recap of what we saw today:
- The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, and his wife, Helen, announced the birth of their seventh child – a girl named Celeste Grace.
- The federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, said the response to the full federal court’s ruling that she did not have a duty of care to protect young people from the climate crisis was “an emotional response”.
- Ukraine’s embassy added to calls for the Australian government to impose sanctions on two Russian oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg.
- NSW Labor leader, Chris Minns, called for an upper house parliamentary inquiry into the northern rivers flood response, saying: “The worst thing that could happen, worse than even the floods ... is if we don’t learn from the mistakes that were made.”
- The AFLW finals series has been thrown into chaos, with a Covid-19 cluster at Collingwood causing the Magpies’ qualifying final to be postponed.
- Unemployment rates are now at 4.0%, the lowest they have been since 2008.
- WA premier, Mark McGowan, and Scott Morrison announced a multimillion-dollar boost for two Perth construction projects, a new city campus for Edith Cowan University and a new Swan River bridge.
- Flood disaster payments have been extended beyond Lismore to the Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed LGAs in the form of an additional two-weekly payment.
- The NSW Electoral Commission won its bid to overturn three NSW local government elections in Kempsey, Shellharbour and Singleton after electronic voting failures last year.
- Labor has launched its first election ad, featuring leader Anthony Albanese promising to “show up and take responsibility” and a suite of policies to tackle the cost of living.
- Victoria recorded seven Covid deaths and 9,752 new infections; NSW recorded 20,087 new Covid infections and five deaths; Tasmania recorded 1,859 Covid cases; the ACT recorded 1,311 Covid cases; Queensland recorded 10 Covid deaths and 7,190 cases; WA recorded one Covid death and 7,151 cases; and South Australia recorded three Covid deaths and 4,474 cases.
We will see you all again tomorrow.
Updated
From AAP:
Most of Australia’s threatened species are not being monitored and there’s no effort to determine if rescue plans are working, a new audit has found.
The Australian National Audit Office has offered a scathing assessment of the federal government’s efforts to save threatened plants and animals from extinction.
It said the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment did not have measurement and reporting systems to provide reliable information on the status of threatened species.
Nor did it have systems to monitor and report back on efforts to safeguard species.
“There is limited evidence that desired outcomes are being achieved,” it said.
“There is no measurement, monitoring or reporting on progress, or on the contribution of listing assessments, conservation advice, recovery plans and threat abatement plans to their desired outcomes.
“Available information indicates that the status of threatened species is declining.”
Conservation groups says the audit is full of alarming findings, including a blowout in the time it takes for species of concern to be formally listed as deserving of protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Experts have called on the New South Wales government to reintroduce mandatory face masks in high-risk settings as Covid-19 infections spike across the state.
NSW reported its second day in a row of cases above 20,000, with 20,087 cases recorded in the 24 hours to 4pm on Wednesday and an estimated 20,402 the day before. NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, warned the number could double by next month.
2GB is reporting that the Rail, Tram & Bus Union have called off their planned industrial action tomorrow, and are now negotiating with the government:
BREAKING | RBTU have dropped planned industrial action and are working towards a relationship with Government. They will enter 6 weeks of intensive negotiations.
— 2GB Sydney (@2GB873) March 17, 2022
We will bring you more on this as it breaks.
A report by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has found the government is unsure if its efforts to prevent the extinction of flora and fauna are working.
The federal environment department oversees the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which requires the government to make plans to prevent the extinction of threatened species.
But the report says there is “limited evidence” the government is meeting its requirements:
There is limited evidence that desired outcomes are being achieved, due to the department’s lack of monitoring, reporting and support for the implementation of conservation advice, recovery plans and threat abatement plans.
Most recommendations from past evaluations and reviews have not yet been implemented.
The report adds that failings identified in previous audit reports have not been addressed and there is “no schedule or plan for future evaluations”.
Updated
Labor party launches its first federal election ad
Labor has launched its first election ad, featuring leader Anthony Albanese promising to “show up and take responsibility” and a suite of policies to tackle the cost of living.
The ad nominates childcare, reducing power bills, fee-free Tafe and making it “easier to see the doctor” as Labor priorities – the latter signalling that a new health policy is imminent that will focus on GP and specialist out-of-pocket costs.
With the Morrison government struggling in opinion polls, the Coalition has increasingly sought to frame the election around the economy and national security.
In the ad, Albanese declares that “Australians deserve a prime minister who shows up, takes responsibility and works with people”, in an implicit criticism of Morrison’s handling of the pandemic and natural disasters including bushfires and flood.
“I’ll work with business to invest in manufacturing. Making more things here will create more secure jobs here … It’s my plan for a better future.”
I’m focused on delivering for all Australians, with real plans for stronger Medicare, secure jobs, and more manufacturing.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 17, 2022
Together we will build a better future. pic.twitter.com/tUs7QekzNE
The ad will run from Friday on primetime on all commercial TV networks including in rugby league and Australian rules football matches, and in South Australia after the Saturday state election.
The ad refers to three policies Labor has already released, to improve subsidies to reduce the cost of childcare, to “reduce power bills”, in reference to its clean energy policies, and to create 465,000 fee-free Tafe courses in areas of skills shortage.
Labor is yet to release its health policy, but Albanese has signalled the opposition will outbid the Morrison government in the leadup to the election by declaring it “will always be better” on health and education than the Coalition.
Updated
The finance minister, Simon Birmingham, was on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing this afternoon, discussing unemployment figures and the risk of increasing inflation.
Birmingham said Australia’s inflation rate was running at “half” the US’s, but conceded it was a “deeply uncertain time” and referred to international “pressures” in his explanation, a recurring theme for him this week.
This is indeed a very challenging and uncertain environment, that for all the goodness we have in the jobs numbers, it sits against a global environment where we still face the challenges of the Covid recovery and, in Australia, the first winter with Covid and the flu to run concurrently, we face the challenges of inflationary pressures, and while Australia is doing much better than many other nations – it has in fact an inflation rate running around half that of the United States – we do face the knock-on effects of those other nations, and we face a war in Europe and the disruptions that is causing to supply chains, as well as the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding here.
So it is a deeply uncertain time against which we frame the budget, and we do so very clear that our objective is to ensure we keep the economic growth going in Australia, we keep the jobs growth going in Australia, because that is the most important pillar for Australians, in terms of addressing any pressures they face, is to have a job and to have the income that comes from employment.
But we also do so mindful of the fact that with those global inflationary pressures, we don’t wish to add to those, we don’t wish to put any additional pressure that is already there from the rest of the world for upwards movement in interest rates.
Updated
An interaction from earlier today that I just had to share:
Journalist: What about the state opposition? Why aren't you meeting with the state opposition leader?
— David Marler (@Qldaah) March 17, 2022
Scott Morrrison: I have. I saw Dr (David) Honey yesterday.
J: Dr Honey is not the opposition leader.
SM: Sorry?
J: Mia Davies is the state opposition leader. #wapol #auspol pic.twitter.com/0TB4QPWEeB
Three NSW council elections voided after electronic voting failures
Results from three local government elections in NSW have been voided after electronic voting failures last year, AAP is reporting:
The NSW Electoral Commission has won its bid to overturn the results of three local government elections, after a broken electronic voting system failed to register people’s votes on election day last year.
“With considerable reluctance I consider that, because the system of election for the three councils is proportional representation, it is necessary to declare all of the councillors’ elections void,” the supreme court judge Robert Beech-Jones said in his judgment on Thursday.
The election results for Kempsey, Shellharbour and Singleton could have been different if all voters who registered to use iVote had been able to vote on the day, the electoral commissioner argued in December.
The iVote system failed when registered voters were blocked from voting because the system failed to recognise their security credentials.
Voters will have to head to the polls once again for fresh elections.
Beech-Jones noted that although the number of voters blocked by the iVote failure was small “the votes that were denied to those voters had the real potential to affect the election of at least one councillor in each of the three subject elections”.
The electoral commissioner approved last year’s disputed results while waiting for the judgment, saying last year it would have been impossible to hold fresh elections until mid-2022, due to it being a federal election year.
In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said it would not use iVote at the state election scheduled for 25 March 2023 or at any byelections between 1 July and then.
The decision not to use iVote at the state election in 2023 has not been driven by any concerns about cybersecurity matters in previous elections.
Updated
The Queensland education minister, Grace Grace, says she is appalled at federal minister Stuart Robert’s comments that there are “dud teachers” in public schools who couldn’t keep a job in the private sector.
Grace says:
He’s been acting in the job for five minutes and thinks he knows it all.
The account of the minister’s comments at the conference reeks of a boys club, slapping each other on the back telling themselves how good they are, and sneering at the state system that educates around 580,000 students in Robert’s home state of Queensland.
Our state system has some of the best teachers in the world, who go above and beyond every single day for the benefit of their students.
Over the past couple of years in particular, the support they have provided students throughout Covid has been outstanding.
And the latest Naplan results suggest state schools and teachers are doing something right.
For minister Robert to say our state schoolteachers are ‘dragging the chain’ is outrageous, inaccurate, and an insult to hard working teachers across Queensland and Australia.
Updated
Victorians are being warned the combination of flu and Covid-19 is set to create a difficult winter, AAP reports:
Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday would not give a timeline for the removal of the remaining few coronavirus public health measures, including masks for hospitality and retail workers and some primary school students.
“At this stage I’ve got no advice that we’ll be able to take off those mask rules,” he told reporters.
“We are open and things are closer to normal than they have been for a long time.”
However, as the more contagious BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus strain starts to dominate in the state, the government has been pushing for people who have not yet had a third dose of vaccine to do so ahead of the colder months.
“Winter will be challenging, it always is whether you’ve got a pandemic or not – flu, for instance, always knocks our health system around every single winter,” Andrews said.
However, the opposition leader, Matthew Guy, said it was time for the state to do away with masks completely and “move on” from the pandemic.
“How’s it fair that there’s 60,000 people at the MCG, sanctioned by the state government, but kids in primary school in grades four, five and six are wearing a mask? That’s ridiculous,” Guy told reporters.
Updated
The Australian Education Union has slammed “the deplorable comments” directed at public school teachers, principals and education support staff made by the acting education minister, Stuart Robert, at an independent schools’ conference today.
The Australian Education Union federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said:
Referring to public school teachers as the ‘bottom 10% dragging the chain’, Stuart Roberts has slandered the public school workforce that has been the backbone of Australia’s education system, especially during the past two turbulent years.
Public school teachers have always been an easy target for politicians like minister Robert who think that a cheap and easy headline which attacks teachers for declining educational outcomes will let his government off the hook for their failure to prioritise public education.
Today’s comments once again show the Morrison government’s outrageous preference for the private school system, a preference which comes at great cost to the teachers and students in public schools.
Public schools are underfunded by at least $4bn every year and successive Coalition governments have shirked their responsibility time and time again. Where is minister Robert’s outrage about the deep inequality facing public school students across the nation? Put simply, the Morrison government is missing in action for public schools.
Updated
Flood disaster payments extended beyond Lismore
I mentioned just before that there was additional support for flood-impacted residents in the Northern Rivers. Now I have the press release from the minister for emergency management, Bridget McKenzie, and the minister for government services, Linda Reynolds.
The National Recovery and Resilience Agency and Emergency Management Australia have further assessed the flood extent area, the proportion of the population affected and seeking assistance for disaster recovery payments, and have declared the Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed LGAs are in need of additional support.
This next phase of support includes:
- An additional two-weekly disaster payment – known as Australian government disaster recovery payment (AGDRP) special supplement – for affected residents in Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed will be automatically paid to those who have already claimed and received the AGDRP, at the current rate of $1,000 an adult and $400 a child. These payments will be made from 22 March.
McKenzie said the government was realising the full impact of the floods:
As the full scale and impact to these areas in northern NSW is being realised, the Liberal and Nationals government is implementing this extra support as quickly as possible.
While people in northern NSW aren’t able to work, are still clearing out their homes ad businesses, the extra two $1,000 payments we’re rolling out to eligible families and individuals will support our communities as they start to rebuild their lives.
The additional two $1,000 payments for adults and $400 for children will automatically apply for AGDRP recipients in the Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Tweed LGAs, so there is no need for people to reapply.
Updated
South Australia records three Covid deaths and 4,474 cases
SA has recorded three Covid deaths and 4,474 new cases. There are 132 people in hospital with eight in ICU and three people on ventilators.
Updated
We are seeking to confirm reports that locals in more northern rivers communities will receive the disaster payments.
I will have more on this soon.
BREAKING: Residents in Kyogle, Tweed, Ballina and Byron LGA's will receive $2000 in additional disaster payments off the back of floods. The National Recovery and Resilience Agency has updated its assessment that initially only offered the cash to Lismore LGA.
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) March 17, 2022
Updated
New South Wales government MPs and local mayors have lined up to blast the federal government over the decision to exclude some flood-hit areas from disaster funding.
One upper house Liberal party MP, Catherine Cusack, has announced her intention to resign from politics altogether, telling Guardian Australia her decision was not a protest but “me not wanting to fight the machine any more”.
Updated
Who needs home security when we have all this smashed av, amirite boys!
If a few years ago you had told me property prices had increased 24% in a year & it was *not* a major election issue I would have told you the parties are beholden to the idea of ever rising prices and wealth with no regard to people under the age of 40 and.. err...... yeah...
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) March 16, 2022
The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has announced he will spend two weeks on parental leave after welcoming his seventh child.
Last night my wife Helen and I welcomed our newest member of the family, a gorgeous daughter, Celeste Grace Perrottet.
Celeste and Helen are doing great, and Celeste’s six siblings are over the moon.
From today I am taking leave to spend time with Helen and the kids as we all adjust to welcoming a new child to our family.
Deputy premier Paul Toole will assume the role of acting premier. Deputy leader of the parliamentary Liberal party Stuart Ayres will assume the role of acting leader of the parliamentary Liberal party.
He says he will return from leave on Monday 4 April.
I will be seeking a Pair from the Opposition for the parliamentary sitting period commencing 22 March and concluding 31 March.
Given the current flood emergency I will continue to receive briefings on the response and recovery work and remain ready to return to official duties immediately should the need arise.
Updated
One of the world’s leading coral scientists claims a sixth mass bleaching event is unfolding across the Great Barrier Reef, with official monitoring flights now under way all along the Queensland coastline.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has confirmed monitoring flights are being conducted “along the length and breadth” of the 2,300km world heritage reef.
But the authority is not due to make a formal update on conditions over the reef, or the initial findings from those flights, until Friday.
In Queensland, disaster assistance has been extended to the local government areas of Croydon and Etheridge which were both hit by severe thunderstorms and flooding in February.
Emergency management and national recovery and resilience minister, Bridget McKenzie, said the assistance would support more communities affected by the deluge from 1 to 7 February.
Croydon shire council and Etheridge shire councils are the latest LGAs to receive assistance, as the impacts of these floods are realised in far north Queensland.
An unstable air-mass produced multiple days of extreme showers and storms over far north queensland, which resulted in damaged roads and other essential public infrastructure.
Funding is made available to the two councils to help with cleanup efforts and towards repairing the damage so the community can get back on its feet as soon as possible.
Queensland’s fire and emergency services minister, Mark Ryan, said the funding would help with cleaning up debris and repairing of roads, culverts and floodways.
Updated
Govt new talking point - a person earning $90k now is $50 a week better off than when Coalition came to office. Time to unpick this - assumes a person's wage hasn't grown since 2013, which means in real terms they've gone backwards 16.6% ... (a thread)
— Shane Wright (@swrighteconomy) March 16, 2022
$90K is not the median wage. According to Treasury it’s $55,063 per year.
— Jan Thorpe (@JANICET98048606) March 16, 2022
Average wage (or mean wage) is $62,000
Median tax-filers income is just under $45,000 per year (Grattan Inst)
Most wage earners are getting nowhere near $90,000 per year
The Antipoverty Centre has put out a statement in relation to today’s job figures.
Spokesperson Kristin O’Connell said:
The rosy picture painted by the government after today’s unemployment figures were published doesn’t reflect reality for the millions of people who are forced to survive on poverty-level Centrelink payments because there aren’t enough jobs.
The unemployment rate is past it’s use-by date. It’s become increasingly irrelevant with the dramatic rise of casualisation and underemployment, which has left hundreds of thousands of employed people relying on unemployment payments to survive.
The pandemic was the nail in the coffin for this simplistic employment survey being useful, and we’ve now had a sustained decoupling of the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed and underemployed people who need income support.
Prices for basic necessities, particularly food and fuel are undeniably skyrocketing. The Henderson poverty line is skyrocketing. The length of time people are trapped on JobSeeker is skyrocketing. Low unemployment means nothing to those of us hurting.
It’s time for politicians to wake up to reality – people are in despair and scared for the future. We are stretched beyond belief.
Updated
Western Australia records one Covid death and 7,151 new cases
WA has recorded 7,151 new cases with 140 people in hospital and of those four are in ICU. One person has died with Covid.
This is our WA COVID-19 update for Thursday, 17 March 2022.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) March 17, 2022
For official information on COVID-19 in WA, visit https://t.co/gIGAhoXMnm https://t.co/Ka61NyH8lJ pic.twitter.com/2Nsu0Oaygo
Updated
Scott Morrison has incorrectly claimed that the unemployment rate has reached a near 50 year low.
Morrison told reporters in Perth:
The unemployment rate at 4% is the lowest rate that we’ve seen in almost 50 years. I was 5 years old when we last had an unemployment rate this low – and I think that says something.
This is incorrect – the unemployment rate was also 4% in February and August 2008, under the Rudd Labor government.
The employment minister, Stuart Robert, claimed the prime minister was “quite correct”.
Robert told reporters in Canberra:
The last time it was 4% was August 2008, February [2008] and [1974]. That’s why I chose my words carefully to say it is the equal lowest rate – so the prime minister is absolutely correct.
Reporters noted Morrison did not say the “equal” lowest, and he said it was the “last” time the unemployment had been that low.
Looks like Morrison has been caught with a clumsy paraphrase that incorrectly (and conveniently) ignores two stellar results in 2008.
Updated
Barnaby Joyce has earmarked close to $500m to build the Urannah Dam in central Queensland, despite the project not yet securing environmental approvals and several studies suggesting the idea is not economically viable.
The proposal, long championed by the Queensland Nationals, has been around since the 1960s and a number of feasibility studies have queried the viability of the project.
From AAP:
If Ukraine falls, further countries will face the wrath of Russian expansionism, Ukraine’s top diplomat, Volodymyr Shalkivskyi, warned in Canberra, as he reiterated his president’s call for more aid.
Shalkivskyi said Ukraine needs more aircraft, modern anti-aircraft systems and a no-fly zone over Ukraine to stave off the Russian advance as troops close in on the country’s capital, Kyiv.
“[Russia’s] ally Belarus needs access to the Baltic Sea and [needs] to go through the EU and Nato members, so there is already clear evidence that in case Ukraine falls, then there will be next countries in line,” he told the Seven Network.
“Our president is calling for the active participation of the world community and helping Ukraine to protect our land.”
President Joe Biden announced the US would send an additional $US800m ($AUS1.1bn) in military aid, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, as well as drones, but Zelenskiy reiterated his calls for a Nato-imposed no-fly zone.
His representative in Canberra, Shalkivskyi, said Ukraine needed defensive systems and lethal support “in order for us to effectively sustain that military pressure that’s coming from Russia”.
“Russia has air superiority and the devastation that it caused on the ground in terms of civilian death and destruction of residential areas and civilian infrastructure is just striking,” he said.
Updated
Robert:
What we’re seeing is that New South Wales has come out of the Omicron wave. The economic growth there and the strength is being well seen. Right across the board, we are seeing a strong economy.
We’re seeing dividends of the Morrison government’s $2bn investment in JobTrainer, $3.7bn in boosting the apprenticeship commencement.
We’re seeing record Australians now into jobs, which indicates the $13bn that was spent during the pandemic on skills. We are seeing a generation of skilled Australians, not a generation of scarred Australians because of the economic investment that we’ve been putting in place. These numbers are also cognisant of the fact that since 20 November, through to the beginning of March, 583,000 visa arrivals have occurred into Australia, including 122,000 students, 49,000 skilled visa arrivals, 47,000 temporary worker visas and 162,000 visitors.
But the Morrison government is unashamedly focused on skilling and seeking opportunities for the employment of Australians. And these pleasing economic numbers today are occurring at the time the economy is opening up, that visa holders are returning to Australia and over 583,000 people have arrived into Australia.
Updated
Robert says Australia is one of only “a few” nations that has more citizens employed now than before the pandemic.
What is exceptionally pleasing is that there were 121,900 full-time jobs created and part-time jobs decreased by 44,000 to net out that 77,000 job total.
Pleasingly, employment increased across every single state and territory, but the stand-out was New South Wales. Unemployment in NSW now has dropped to the lowest level since 1978 at 3.7%, at the same time as their participation rate increased to 65.4%.
NSW saw a net increase of 57,000 jobs. Whilst jobs increased across every single state and territory over the period, something like 80% of those jobs increased in NSW and full credit to treasurer Kean for the work he’s been doing and his economic stewardship of the state of NSW.
Updated
Stuart Robert:
Unemployment today at 4 % is the equal lowest since 1978 – extraordinary. The participants rate at 66.4% is a record for our country. Again, an extraordinary result for a strong and growing economy.
We’re seeing female unemployment at 3.8%, the lowest since May 1974 and the participation rate at an historic high.
An extraordinary set of economic number that is show the strength and the resilience of the Australian economy and shows that the Morrison Government’s economic settings are, indeed, correct. 77,400 new jobs were added in terms of the jobs market, win brings to a total of 13.372m total jobs. Hundreds of thousands more than when we went into the pandemic.
Updated
The minister for employment, Stuart Robert, is speaking in Canberra now about the jobs figures.
Updated
Morrison:
I can tell you who my defence minister is going to be. It’s Peter Dutton. I can tell you who my home affairs minister is going to be – it’s Karen Andrews. These are the most important national security portfolios there are.
And it’s bad enough that the Australian people are not being told who the leader of the Opposition is, but to not even know who their defence minister and their home affairs minister is going to be – well, that’s cause for pause.
Updated
A reporter asks if he will be making major announcements with Annastacia Palaszczuk or Daniel Andrews ahead of the election?
We’re doing a lot, as Paul knows in particular, we’ll be quite busy between now and certainly the election. We have the budget coming up in just under a fortnight.
We’ve spent a lot of time together, the premiers, the chief ministers and I, and we’ve got to know each other extremely well. And the overwhelming experience of that has been one on trying to focus on the challenges in the national interest.
Morrison says that they all work on a lot of issues together – again saying how much he works with Mcgowan – this is the third day he has used his presser to stress how well they work together.
I want to thank the premier for his partnership. It’s been a good partnership. It’s been an honest partnership. It’s been a candid partnership. Haven’t agreed on everything, but we’ve always been prepared to listen to each other and we’re ... I think I’ve had to change my view based on the premier’s representations. I certainly have and we share one thing above all and that is our commitment to Australia and our commitment to the people of WA.
Updated
The prime minister has been asked about the WA economy – he says it will bounce back after the Omicron wave:
In terms of the economy, we saw in other states and territories when they went through their waves, that that would have a short-term impact on the economy. We saw it in the other states.
And so, that doesn’t surprise me that that would have occurred in the short-term here in. And I have no doubt that that will actually rebound quite likely here in WA. And why is that? Because we’ve continued to invest together in the very fabric of the Western Australian state economy. And it is very resilient.
Updated
Morrison asked about sanctions on oligarchs
Morrison has been asked about reports there are some oligarchs linked to a Queensland oil refinery and if sanctions will be imposed on them.
We add further names to the list every single day of with whom we’re applying sanctions to and there’s a proper process for doing that. And Australia, which is a long way away from the Ukraine, but I can tell you that our support and our action has been on the leading edge of the world when it comes to standing up for Ukraine. Applying those heavily. Remember, the autonomous sanctions act, that was something that we put in a position to respond so quickly. And we will continue to take action on all of those to whom sanctions should apply.
Updated
With that, I’ll hand you over to the amazing Cait Kelly to take you through the rest of this press conference.
Reporter:
And what about with Anthony Albanese in 2019. The premier did not meet with Albanese when he was in Perth.
Morrison:
What I’m telling you is that as a prime minister and a premier, we work together and we do things. We do these things and we do lots of things together and we have done lots of things together. And that’s been to the great benefit of the people of WA.
But one thing that I have to particularly thank Mark for, and Mark has always been a keen supporter of the national cabinet, and I remember Mark, I think one of the first premiers to say – we should get rid of this thing and just make it permanent. And we did.
Because it is a far more effective way I think, for premiers, chief ministers and the prime minister to work together. The old system was bureaucrats and agendas being driven up from the bottom and seriously, if you wanted something, some policy issue to just fade away, send it to COAG. It was certainly never going to come out of there.
But with the national cabinet, whether it’s deregulation initiatives. Whether it’s additional investment into skills and training. Whether it’s the major changes we’ve made during Covid. Sometimes in a matter of days – the reason that’s worked is because the premiers, the chief ministers and I, have just set the leaders’ level decisions down into our government. And they’ve got the message and gone on with it. That doesn’t mean that you agree with everything. Of course, that’s never going to happen.
Updated
The prime minister is trying to draw a clear distinction between state and federal Labor given what a powerhouse McGowan has proven to be.
One thing that I know is that after the next election, whoever you vote for, premier McGowan is still going to be the premier. So this is about who’s going to lead the country. And it’s about federal Labor.
It’s not about state Labor. And there’s quite a bit in common I found working with the WA state government when it comes to how we manage the economy, particularly on issues like deregulation and support for the resources industry and major projects which we worked well together on.
And I think we’ve demonstrated, despite being from different political parties, that as professional leaders of governments, we get stuff done together for WA.
Updated
Chance of thunderstorms today across most of inland #NSW due to a trough moving from west to east. The dots show current thunder in the west, lines are the districts. Check forecasts as thunderstorms are possible tomorrow in the east with light showers: https://t.co/NONIzWrvY1 pic.twitter.com/aWtIAdz315
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) March 17, 2022
Reporter:
Prime minister, WA has actually gone up 4.1% today. So are you doing enough for jobs in WA? And what do you take from it? The premier has done a public event today. He didn’t do a public event with Anthony Albanese when he was in town. Does he think that you’re going to win the election rather than Anthony Albanese?
Morrison:
I don’t draw any of those conclusions whatsoever. What I draw from us being here today is on the many occasions we have been. We’re meeting later today as we often do when I’m in town to work through the usual issues as part of our partnership.
I think that you can simply say that we work together cooperatively, in the public interest, in the national interest and in the interest of Western Australians. We are both leaders of governments that have much to do and for a long time now, worked out that the best way to do that is to do that together. In WA, I think that we have a lot of commonality on the importance of having a strong economy, which supports everything else.
Just this week, $4.3bn for the Henderson dry dock. That’s a massive important commitment for the future of the WA economy. More than $400m coming directly into WA in relation to the development of the critical minerals sector. And on top of that, probably the biggest partnership was working together to ensure that WA got their fair share of the GST.
Updated
Ummm, so Scott Morrison seems to be claiming that he has always been supportive of WA’s Covid measures. Which is ... a bold statement.
As the premier knows, I have been very supportive of the measures taken in Western Australia to go down that path, and I think that has been wise and I think the results speak for themselves.
But nationally, we have saved 40,000 lives right across the country, and those lives were saved here in WA as well.
And now, as WA is going through its peak of the Omicron variant, the challenge has been the same. Minimise the impact on your hospital system, that’s been achieved. Minimise these severe health impacts of Covid, that is being achieved.
Updated
This presser seems to be going well.
Cyclist riding past event with PM @ScottMorrisonMP and WA premier @MarkMcGowanMP shouts out “scumbag”. Some joking after between the group of pollies about who in the it was actually directed to 👀 @westaustralian
— Lanai Scarr (@lanai_scarr) March 17, 2022
Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert, will hold a press conference to discuss February Labour Force data at 1pm, APH https://t.co/YAQRTuNLvg #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 17, 2022
McGowan and Morrison announce multi-million dollar boost for two Perth construction projects
The reason for the joint McGowan/Morrison press conference has been revealed. It’s to announce a multibillion-dollar “Perth city deal” which will see a new city campus for Edith Cowan University built, along with a new Swan River bridge.
Here is what the joint press release has to say:
Both governments have announced an additional $49m for the ECU campus while ECU has also provided a $60m boost, taking the value of the landmark project to $853m – with the Australian government investing a total of $294m, the Western Australian government $199m, and ECU $360m.
The major construction contract for the new ECU campus has also been awarded to WA builders Multiplex, while a consortium made up of companies Civmec Construction and Engineering Pty Ltd, Seymour Whyte Constructions Pty Ltd and WSP Australia Pty Ltd, will construct the bridge.
The Swan River bridge is being jointly funded by Morrison and McGowan governments on a 50:50 basis, with each providing an additional $25m to the project, bringing the total to $100m.
Today’s funding announcements take the total value of the city deal to $1.69bn.
Updated
National Covid-19 update
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 26 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 1,311
- In hospital: 39 (with three people in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 5
- Cases: 20,087
- In hospital: 1,036 (with 34 people in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 10
- Cases: 7,190
- In hospital: 263 (with 19 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 3
- Cases: 4,474
- In hospital: 132 (with eight people in ICU)
Tasmania
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 1,859
- In hospital: 25 (with three people in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 7
- Cases: 9,752
- In hospital: 197 (with 23 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 1
- Cases: 7,151
- In hospital: 140 (with 4 people in ICU)
Updated
Queensland records 10 Covid deaths and 7,190 new cases
Today we have recorded 7,190 new COVID-19 cases.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) March 17, 2022
Sadly, 10 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.
Full details ➡ https://t.co/MyDwPPzP2F pic.twitter.com/neI1ad44gZ
The shadow minister for climate change, Chris Bowen, has written to the emergency management minister, Bridget Mckenzie, urging her to speed up disaster payment distribution for the Cumberland council area in New South Wales.
It’s been almost a week since Cumberland Council was included in the eligible LGAs for Disaster Recovery Payments and residents still can’t access any assistance. I’ve written to the Minister @senbmckenzie to fix this urgently. It’s not good enough. pic.twitter.com/Okbz9ezUMH
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) March 17, 2022
Updated
The ACT records 1,311 new Covid cases
COVID-19 case numbers
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) March 17, 2022
◾ New cases today: 1,311 (727 PCR and 584 RAT)
◾ Active cases: 4,894 (2,293 PCR and 2,601 RAT)
◾ Total cases: 63,148 (41,994 PCR and 21,154 RAT)
◾ In hospital: 39
◾ In ICU: 3
◾ Ventilated: 1
◾ Lives lost: 0
◾ Total lives lost since March 2020: 38 pic.twitter.com/Y2BXVePFmI
We will be hearing from the Western Australia premier and the prime minister at a press conference soon.
How very bi-partisan of them!
PM @ScottMorrisonMP is in Perth today and will hold a joint press conference with WA Premier @MarkMcGowanMP discussing Perth City Deal announcement at 9:00am AWST (12:00pm AEDT) #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 17, 2022
Updated
Unemployment at lowest rate since 2008
Australia’s labour figures for February have just landed, courtesy of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Last month, the unemployment rates came in at a seasonally adjusted 4.0%, compared with 4.2% in January. That’s the lowest rate since August 2008. The economy added 77,400 jobs, and the participation rate edged up to 66.4%.
Notably, full-time jobs jumped 121,900 to 9.2m, while those in part-time employment fell 44,500 to 4.1m. Hours worked also rose by 149m.
On the face of it, it’s a good time to be looking for work and perhaps to be seeking a pay rise.
More to come.
Updated
#BREAKING: Unemployment fell to 4 percent in February, down from 4.2 percent #auspol @9NewsAUS
— Fiona Willan (@Fi_Willan) March 17, 2022
The Bureau of Meteorology has indicated that the La Niña pattern in the Pacific might be with us a bit longer than predicted.
As we enter autumn, forecasting gets a bit more difficult, but what the bureau told us yesterday is we should expect the La Niña to last longer. Potentially into early winter, in fact.
Looks like the La Nina will be with a bit longer than previously forecast: pic.twitter.com/7tYXOb81IO
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) March 16, 2022
“Persistent easterly wind anomalies in the western Pacific over recent weeks have delayed the anticipated decay of the La Niña,” the BoM said.
The thresholds are a bit arbitrary of course, and so long as conditions remain “La Niña-like”, they will tend to make for above-average rain over eastern Australia and potentially a longer tropical cyclone season.
(Given the strained emergency services and of the ADF, a big cyclone hitting a populated region just now is not what we want.)
Australia, as an island continent, has weather influences from all corners of the compass. The Indian Ocean is one of those, and while the models are not so useful at this time of year, the predictions they are making aren’t so great either.
And although model predictability isn't great for the Indian Ocean Dipole beyond autumn, a reversion to a negative phase would also tilt conditions towards wetter-than-average in the south-east of the country. @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/YcpwVbrLga
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) March 16, 2022
We’ve still got a long way to go, but a “negative” phase of the Indian Ocean dipole (where the eastern part of the ocean is relatively warm versus the basin’s west) typically means above-average rainfall in the winter and spring.
Seems like flood watches aren’t going to go away for a while.
Updated
One in three jobs will be slashed at the Australian Human Rights Commission as a record number of complaints and low base funding take their toll.
The human rights agency has issued a blunt warning that its funding “does not provide us with the resources required to perform our statutory functions”.
The commission handles complaints under federal discrimination and human rights law, providing a check on government over issues including offshore detention and Covid-19 border restrictions.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
AFLW final postponed after Covid outbreak
The AFLW finals series has been thrown into chaos, with a Covid-19 cluster at Collingwood causing the Magpies’ qualifying final to be postponed, Oliver Caffrey reports.
Collingwood were due to take on the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night, but the AFL has decided that it won’t go ahead as planned. The AFL is yet to confirm a new date for the sudden-death final.
The other qualifying final between North Melbourne and Fremantle at Arden Street on Saturday will go ahead as scheduled.
AFL competition management boss Laura Kane said the league had received a request from Collingwood to postpone the match.
AFLW Covid-19 guideline states a team is required to have a minimum 16 primary-listed players and five train-on players available to play. Kane said:
The health and safety of all members of the Collingwood AFLW program remains the priority and we will continue to work closely with both clubs.
Working alongside the club, it has been determined Collingwood would not be able to participate in a match this weekend.
While the ongoing pandemic continues to impact and challenge our competition and our wider community, we remain committed to progressing the finals series as safely as possible.
The Magpies have also lost men’s player Will Hoskin-Elliott and two assistant coaches to coronavirus protocols before Friday night’s AFL clash with St Kilda.
Magpies men’s assistants Brendon Bolton and Josh Fraser are also isolating at home due to Covid guidelines.
Updated
US President Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'war criminal'. pic.twitter.com/FJBDlcTUyv
— SBS News (@SBSNews) March 16, 2022
⛈️ Thursday's Thunderstorm Forecast: Storms are possible today across the Far North, the far southwest and parts of Herbert and Lower Burdekin. Isolated rainfall accumulations in excess of 100mm possible north of #Innisfail.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 16, 2022
Full forecast details at https://t.co/8WARTeXON5 pic.twitter.com/XvDLMflyhu
Premier and Transport Infrastructure Minister @JacintaAllanMP are at Bulleen to talk about projects in North East suburbs.
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) March 16, 2022
In Eltham major disruptions expected as crews remove roundabout & Main Road / Fitzsimons Lane.
10,000 jobs avail on @nelpvic @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/dH03VvyoeJ
Australia’s unemployment rate could have a “3” in front of it as soon as this morning, when the ABS releases labour figures for February.
Back in February 2008, the rate reportedly reached 3.98%, technically the last time it was sub 4%.
January’s “print” came in at 4.2%, the lowest in 13 years, and the ANZ bank is among those predicting the jobless rate will drop to 3.9% when today’s figures land.
A key statistic will be how many people started to look for work, as a big increase may nullify the effect on the jobless rate. On the other hand, if the participation rate stayed flat, the 4.2% unemployment could drop a lot.
In any case, hours worked will probably show a job as the economic effects of the Omicron Covid outbreaks, with the resulting staff shortages started to ease. ANZ said in a briefing note this morning:
We’ve already seen a surge in Australian job ads in the wake of the disruption caused by the Omicron outbreak – and it’s looking like the labour market should be able to shake off its impacts pretty quickly.
Westpac, meanwhile, expects the jobless rate to drop too, but only to 4.1%, because of a higher participation rate.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will be out talking up the figures but he faces a hard sell.
True, jobs look a lot more secure than they did during the pandemic but wage rises aren’t keeping up with price increases – and there are a lot more of those coming.
Perhaps the jobless rate will come in as “the lowest since the 1970s” – but will that give consumers (and voters) much consolation?
Updated
Tasmania records 1,859 new Covid cases
Tasmania reports 1,859 new Covid cases overnight.
There are now 25 Covid-positive people in hospital, including three in ICU.
Updated
Tell me it’s an election year without telling me it’s an election year pic.twitter.com/7ruK7oWUXa
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) March 16, 2022
Just in: Old Parliament House will reopen to the public on April 28, almost 4 months since a fire destroyed the doors of the historic building. Restoration work will still continue and the original entrance will reopen later this year
— Andrew Brown (@AndrewBrownAU) March 16, 2022
This is evergreen.
The Federal Government will put $483m towards building the Urannah Dam, west of Mackay -- which is a chance to revisit this grab from the now deposed LNP MP Jason Costigan. pic.twitter.com/4fOUuiwzVL
— Josh Bavas (@JoshBavas) March 16, 2022
The federal government is signalling that the sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs could be expanded, potentially as soon as today. A spokesperson for the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, issued the following brief statement today:
Minister Payne is waiting on advice on further sanctions measures from her department and will consider that advice as soon as possible, once it is received.
We are consulting and cooperating closely with partners on sanctions, and would note that the UK only sanctioned Viktor Vekselberg yesterday and Oleg Deripaska in recent days.
For more on this issue, see this morning’s story:
Updated
Threatened duck species were among those killed on the first day of Victoria’s hunting season – the longest in four years – reigniting calls from animal advocates for an end to the practice.
Wildlife Victoria’s lead veterinarian, Natasha Bassett, who joined rescue teams at Lake Connewarre near Geelong on Wednesday, said the first duck she treated was a female blue-winged shoveler.
Hunters are prohibited from shooting both the blue-winged shoveler and hardhead ducks in Victoria this season, given both have been listed as threatened due to declining populations.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
The unofficial election campaign has now officially unofficially started pic.twitter.com/DSNfhLBUD3
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 16, 2022
NSW Labor calls for inquiry into flood response
NSW deserves a thorough investigation of what happened in the northern rivers flood disaster to ensure a similar catastrophe is never repeated, Labor says, according to Phoebe Loomes from AAP.
Opposition Leader Chris Minns is calling for an upper house parliamentary inquiry to “make sure ... it doesn’t happen again”.
During the height of the Covid pandemic, the chief health officer had a central role in leading the response, as did the commissioner of the rural fire service in the bushfires. Minns said:
My concern about the flood response over the last two weeks is that’s not the case in NSW. The worst thing that could happen, worse than even the floods ... is if we don’t learn from the mistakes that were made. We want to find out what has gone poorly and make sure mistakes are corrected.
In the 24 hours after flooding began in Lismore on 28 February, the area’s communication system failed, Minns said, stopping SES communications.
SES infrastructure needed to be in place in local communities, and the government needed to ensure the emergency response teams were properly resourced, he said.
A political fight has broken out between NSW and the commonwealth over the allocation of disaster funding by the federal government in flood-affected areas.
Liberal upper house member Catherine Cusack, from the northern rivers, said she was quitting the party over a decision to allocate commonwealth disaster payments on partisan lines.
Funding has been given to Nationals-held council areas Lismore, the Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley while not being made available to Byron, Ballina and the Tweed shires, which are Labor seats. Cusack:
The idea that being a flood victim in a National party-held seat makes you more worthy than a flood victim who is in the Richmond electorate ... is probably the most unethical approach I have ever seen.
She has informed premier Dominic Perrottet and the Liberal party of her intention to quit:
The whole northern rivers should have been given funding according to their need, not according to their LGA. It’s unprecedented.
The NSW government has been working on an additional flood response package valued at up to $1bn, to be jointly funded by the state and federal governments, according to multiple reports.
The funding will look to help people whose homes were damaged in the floods after assessors found some 95,000 homes in northern NSW were damaged or destroyed.
Updated
Karen Thorne’s rental home heats up as soon as the morning sun hits her east-facing bedroom in the Sydney suburb of Rosemeadow:
I could wake up at 8am to 28-degree heat in there. The heat is what actually wakes me up.
Thorne’s bedroom is at the front of the home, but it’s the back bedrooms, which receive the full glare of the afternoon sun, that get the hottest. Thorne’s 19-year-old son, Connor, took to sleeping on the kitchen tiles over summer because the heat in his room was unbearable. She says:
I’ve recorded on my own thermometer before – it actually reached up to 38 degrees in there one day, and it didn’t cool down until 2am in the morning. That’s why Connor likes to perch on the floor in the lounge room, or in the kitchen. I am just grateful I have an en suite so I don’t trip over him in the night.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
Most of #Victoria is dressed up for #StPatricksDay!
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) March 16, 2022
Showers & possible storms today as a cloud band crosses the State, still a bit muggy in parts too.🌦️
Cooler and less humid in the south tomorrow, but remaining mild north of the ranges.
More forecasts: https://t.co/snYkj323Sk pic.twitter.com/G25DAk7atn
New South Wales treasurer Matt Kean has not spoken to north coast-based Liberal upper house MP Catherine Cusack who announced she will leave parliament over what she called “unethical” flood relief decisions for different local government areas.
Speaking on RN Breakfast, he said:
She’s been an outspoken and passionate advocate for her community in northern New South Wales. She’ll be a great loss to the Liberal party room.
Kean said the criteria for flood relief grants “certainly does” need to change to take into account more extreme weather:
The existing framework in place has helped us deal with fires, floods and previous major storms but this is unique. We need to make sure that our policies and guidelines that are in place and tailored to help those who need it most. We’re working through that process at the moment.
He said he’d be “really angry” if he was in one of those areas like Ballina or Byron that missed out, despite being flooded. Kean also dismissed claims the announcement of flood grants was being delayed until Scott Morrison returns from Western Australia:
We’re working through a process with the prime minister’s office and the federal government. We’re working through some additional support packages for those who need it most, so it’s not an unusual process.
He would not be drawn on the details of the $10,000 family assistance grant but said they would be announced soon.
Updated
NSW records 20,087 new Covid infections and five deaths
Another large day of Covid cases in NSW, with 20,087 infections recorded and five lives lost.
COVID-19 update – Thursday 17 March 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 16, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 95.9% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 94.5% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/zgVGZ430dW
Updated
Victoria records seven Covid deaths and 9,752 new infections
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 16, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/tXA8A9QRQM
NSW treasurer Matt Kean hasn't spoke to Catherine Cusack since she announced she was quitting parliament over "unethical" flood funding.
— Tamsin Rose (@tamsinroses) March 16, 2022
"She'll be a great loss to the liberal party room, but she's made a huge contribution to our party and to our state."
I cannot express to you how irrationally sad this actually makes me.
New Zealand’s “world largest potato” isn’t in fact the world’s largest potato... or a potato at all.
Updated
Ukraine embassy calls for Australian sanctions against two Russian oligarchs
From senior economics reporter Ben Butler and foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst:
Ukraine’s embassy in Canberra has joined calls for the Australian government to sanction two Russian oligarchs who have assets here, Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg.
As we reported this morning, activist groups have questioned why the pair were left off a list of 31 oligarchs Australia has sanctioned over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The head of Ukraine’s embassy in Canberra, Volodymyr Shalkivskiy, told Guardian Australia he hoped the sanctions were extended to include Deripaska and Vekselberg, although he stopped short of criticising the Australian government for the omission:
The government of Ukraine is grateful to the government of Australia for its proactive and extensive sanctions policy against Russia, which is the biggest among the Indo-Pacific countries ...
We hope that those Russian oligarchs will be included in the next round of sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility said Origin Energy shouldn’t wait for sanctions before suspending its venture with Vekselberg, a gas exploration project in the Beetaloo Basin.
The ACCR’s Dan Gocher said:
Vekselberg has already been sanctioned by the British and US governments. It’s curious that the Australian government has not yet followed suit given its claims of being in lockstep with the US and UK.
Vekselberg’s interest in Falcon pre-dates Origin’s farm-in agreement agreed in 2015, so Origin was entered into the joint venture with eyes wide open.
If Origin’s exploration in the Beetaloo Basin is successful, it would be to the benefit of Vekselberg – a situation which must be avoided.”
Updated
A new bushfire lab in Canberra will help firefighters deal with Australia’s escalating bushfire threat.
The CSIRO lab unveiled this week is home to a 29-metre long pyrotron – an artificial tunnel-like environment in which to light fires to better understand how they behave under different conditions, AAP reports.
The data will then be used to refine predictive models authorities use during events like the devastating black summer blazes of 2019 and 2020.
The $2.1m facility also boasts a vertical wind tunnel to study the physics of spot fires, which are responsible for the loss of most homes in Australia.
The lab will build on about 70 years of CSIRO bushfire research that has historically relied on experimental fires lit in natural bush settings. Such field experiments are not without risk, and are impossible when fire conditions are at their most dangerous.
The pyrotron provides a safe solution to test any combination of variables including wind speed, fuel type and load, and moisture content to determine what fires will do.
Bushfire behaviour expert Andrew Sullivan:
We certainly have had very limited capability to conduct experimental fires under extreme conditions. Nobody in their right mind is going to give us the go ahead to light a fire on a Black Saturday-type day ...
This lab means we’ll be able to study particular aspects of fire behaviour under the extreme conditions that are more likely to occur under climate change.
ACT Rural Fire Service chief Rohan Scott says the lab is a bit like having a crystal ball:
By using the data collected by the pyrotron, our prediction tools become more accurate. And that means better decision making about where firefighters can safely go, what firefighting strategies to use, and also improved emergency warnings for communities.
The lab is located at CSIRO’s Black Mountain campus in Canberra.
Updated
The dam has been on the drawing board since the 1960s. There have been more than 25 feasibility studies but the project has never proceeded will this represent value for taxpayers?
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) March 16, 2022
"Well that's not a guarantee I can give on this program"
- @sussanley , Environment Minister
Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was jailed in Iran for two years before being released in November 2020, has welcomed the release of British-Iranian prisoners Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori, who were released last night after being held for six years.
Both were held in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.
So happy for Nazanin and Anoosheh. I remember this moment well;such a tumult of emotions- fear of the unknown,apprehension,expectation. Both are endlessly fortunate to have warm and loving families to welcome them home, and navigate a complex adjustment back to a life of freedom
— Kylie Moore-Gilbert (@KMooreGilbert) March 16, 2022
Updated
Aged care workers are struggling to obtain the government’s promised $800 bonus which the cash-strapped sector is being asked to pay to staff before their funding applications are approved by government.
In January the government announced it would give 265,000 aged care staff a maximum of $800 in two instalments before the election, responding to pressure over its handling of the pandemic and the underpayment of the sector’s workforce.
Employers were told to make applications for the payment from 1 March for eligible workers who were active in the industry on 28 February.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
An upper and surface trough is moving from west to east today and bringing the chance of showers to inland #NSW, while a ridge of high pressure along the coast is bringing the chance of light showers. Check the forecast for your area at: https://t.co/aOd2XIGYlX pic.twitter.com/Wn2ZvklXsg
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) March 16, 2022
Sussan Ley calls response to overruling of climate duty of care ‘emotional’
ABC Radio host Patricia Karvelas:
OK. Minister, on the court ruling that you don’t have a legal duty of care to young people to consider climate change when approving projects. What about a moral duty of care? Wouldn’t people expect no less from the environment minister?
Sussan Ley:
So I understand that there’s been an emotional response to the duty of care question in this particular case.
I do care about the climate. I do care about the children. I do respect their advocacy, but what that duty of care was what was being considered by the court was whether I had obligations over and above the law. And the point is that I implement national environmental law under the EPBC Act.
I’m very conscious of my statutory responsibilities, and I make decisions in the interests of Australians. Every single day now, the three judges agreed that the duty of care was incoherent and inconsistent with my statutory obligations. And that was what this court case was about. But I know that people interpret it as a sort of broader duty of care, but I want to separate that emotional response from the legal question before the court.
Karvelas:
Minister, you call it an emotional response. I mean, there is catastrophic climate change. On the horizon, young people are concerned because the future is at risk. It’s not really emotional, it’s based on science and people having a response based on what they’ve been told by the experts.
Ley:
When you just ask me about a moral duty of care, which is not the legal question before the court.
I mean, I just want to make that point. And but I understand the emotion in the responses that have come to me and in the responses of those who took the case to the court, but I do want to separate what my obligations are under Australian law, and a court case that was effectively asking me to go further beyond what my statutory obligations are, and clearly the three judges of the fourth federal court agreed with the case that the government impose terms of the inconsistency of what was being asked for under the duty of care with my statutory obligations are.
Updated
The federal government announced this morning that it will provide $483m for the 970 gigalitre Urannah Dam project in Queensland.
It comes as a new survey revealed nearly three-quarters of respondents want the budget to focus on services and recovery efforts from the Queensland and NSW floods as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.
It’s estimated the dam will unlock 103 gigalitres of water and help nearby producers develop 20,000 hectares of irrigated land. But there are also fears that this development would result in lower water flow into the nearby rivers, destroying acres of wetlands which include the habitat of a turtle species discovered by Steve Irwin.
Federal environment minister Sussan Ley has just been asked if she supports the dam being built while speaking to ABC radio:
Well, I’m not going to jump into the impact on one matter of national environmental significance or one threatened species, but the assessment process will absolutely pick up on that and every other impact on every other species and indeed the world heritage places that are close to the dam.
Host Patricia Karvelas:
So if that determines that there is too big a risk in the environment, will you abandon the plant would you push to abandon the plan?
Ley:
Well, we will take it one step at a time. So what you’ve asked me is you’ve jumped forward, you’ve made a supposition about an impact and its effect and the way that, in terms of this terminology, the controlled actually is carried out. And you suggested but I foreshadow that, well, I’m not going to do that. But what I am going to say is that we’ll go through those steps and we’ll do it properly.
Updated
NSW premier welcomes seventh child
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and his wife Helen have announced the birth of their seventh child – a girl named Celeste Grace.
The new arrival is the couple’s sixth daughter – they also have a son – and was born on Wednesday night, AAP reports.
The premier posted news of the birth on his Instagram page, saying mother and baby were doing well:
She’s looking forward to being kissed and cuddled, fought over and cherished by her big brother and sisters. Special thanks to the incredible midwives who were with us every step of the way.
1/2 Here she is! Helen and I are absolutely thrilled to welcome our beautiful baby girl, Celeste Grace Perrottet, born last night.
— Dom Perrottet (@Dom_Perrottet) March 16, 2022
Both Mum and baby are doing well. pic.twitter.com/En4LjGL5uf
Updated
Good morning
Good morning everyone, Matilda Boseley here to take you through this glorious Thursday’s worth of news.
The NSW health minister is urging the more than 330,000 residents aged over 60 who have not received a booster vaccine to get that done Asap, with daily cases expected to keep rising.
Brad Hazzard told the Sydney Morning Herald that the case number increase is being driven by the Omicron BA.2 strain of the virus and is expected to accelerate as the country enters winter:
What we’ve seen in the last few years is that as soon as positive cases start going up, people start getting vaccinated. It would make a lot more sense if they got [boosted] now, so they are less likely to catch the virus and be part of those rising numbers ...
Boosters are our passage to safety and normal life – go and get it, don’t muck around.
There were 30,402 new infections were recorded in the state yesterday, but NSW Health says this dramatic jump was due to a data glitch, with about 10,000 positive rapid antigen tests registered between Sunday and Monday missed due to a data processing problem, so they were included in figures on Wednesday.
It comes a day after NSW reported 10,689 cases, up by more than 1,700 from the previous day.
With that why don’t we jump right into the day!
Updated
