What we learned; Wednesday 20 November
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here’s a wrap of the main stories:
Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, says Australia is “ready” for a second Trump presidency and he will work closely with the incoming administration;
Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s position on international student caps is “utterly reckless”, the skills and training minister, Andrew Giles, says;
The Victorian government announces it will spend $370m to build a massive solar farm and battery in Horsham, which will be able to power more than 50,000 homes and be wholly state-owned;
Sydney trains will run on Thursday after a small concession from the rail union to delay strike action until Friday;
Crossbench senators are attempting to suspend standing orders in the upper house to force the Albanese government to better resource the procedure office, which helps parliamentarians with drafting legislation and amendments;
Australia’s $50m Cop29 pledge is “nowhere near our fair share”, Greens senator says; and
The share market has snapped its four-day winning streak, retreating from the previous day’s all-time high amid geopolitical jitters after Ukraine fired American-made ballistic missiles into Russia for the first time.
We will be back here with more news tomorrow.
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Visa applications plunge in first quarter of 2024-2025
Visa applications have dropped by 28% for the first quarter of 2024-2025 compared with the same period in 2018-2019, the Department of Home Affairs has revealed, indicating current measures to reduce international student intake is working.
An update on the federal government’s evidence level requirements released on Wednesday suggested there were “encouraging signs” in some offshore markets that the “quality” of foreign student visa applications had been improving, while refusal rates had also increased due to integrity measures to weed out non-genuine students.
From today, student and provider risk ratings have been re-revalued under Ministerial Direction 107 to reward higher education institutions that showed improved performance in recruitment.
As part of the rating, students from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Columbia, Mongolia and Thailand are considered the highest risk (level 3), while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Fiji are at a level 2.
Universities have bemoaned the continuation of Ministerial Direction 107, introduced in December last year as a de facto cap to reduce visa approvals among high-risk universities.
The vice-chancellor of La Trobe University, Prof Theo Farrell, released a statement earlier today expressing his “deep disappointment” by the failure of the Senate to pass legislation for international student caps, which was to replace the directive.
Ministerial Direction 107 is a blunt and opaque instrument that has caused financial havoc … it has led to a handful of very large metropolitan universities becoming even larger … At the same time, many smaller universities, mostly in outer metro and regional areas, have suffered catastrophic losses in student numbers.
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Aussie shares dip from peak as Ukraine strikes Russia
The share market has snapped its four-day winning streak, retreating from the previous day’s all-time high amid geopolitical jitters after Ukraine fired American-made ballistic missiles into Russia for the first time, AAP report.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Wednesday finished down 47.7 points, or 0.57%, to 8,326.3, while the broader All Ordinaries dropped 50.1 points, or 0.58%, to 8,579.1.
In currency, the Australian dollar was at an eight-day high against its US counterpart, buying US65.26c, from US65.08c at Tuesday’s ASX close.
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Family of Melbourne teenager fighting for life after feared methanol poisoning hopes for answers
The family of one of two teenagers fighting for life in hospital after a suspected methanol poisoning incident in Laos hope authorities work out exactly what happened “as soon as possible”.
Melbourne friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both aged 19, had been staying at a hostel in Vang Vieng, north of the Laos capital, Vientiane, when they fell critically ill last week.
They have since been hospitalised in Thailand, where their families have flown to be at their bedsides.
You can read more on that story here:
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Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, I’ll hand over to Nino Bucci to take you through the rest of our coverage this evening. Take care, and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.
David Coleman says Coalition wants social media ban passed by end of year
The shadow communications minister, David Coleman, has also been up on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing this afternoon, asked about the social media ban for under-16s – likely to be put before parliament tomorrow.
Coleman said the Coalition would “work structurally with the government” and that he wants the bill to be passed by the end of the year.
We will work constructively with the government and we will await the legislation when it is published tomorrow, but we want to get this done.
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Rio to take full control of uranium mine near Kakadu
Mining giant Rio Tinto will shut down and rehabilitate a controversial uranium mine surrounded by the World Heritage Kakadu national park, AAP reports.
Rio has announced it would compulsorily acquire the remaining shares it does not own in Energy Resources of Australia (ERA). The purchase will give it full control of the Ranger uranium mine, where rehabilitation activities have already started, and the nearby Jabiluka deposit in the Northern Territory, about 300km east of Darwin.
The Rio Tinto chief executive of Australia, Kellie Parker, said the company would rehabilitate the Ranger Project Area to a standard that would establish an environment similar to Kakadu. She told the Australian Stock Exchange today:
Our utmost priority and commitment is to complete this important rehabilitation project in a way that is consistent with the wishes of the Mirarr People. Proceeding with compulsory acquisition after participating for our full entitlement in the ERA capital raising underlines our commitment to Ranger’s rehabilitation.
Rio said it did not intend to mine or develop the Jabiluka uranium deposit if its compulsory acquisition was completed.
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Giles stands by legislation on international student cap
The skills and training minister, Andrew Giles, is speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program about the legislation the government is attempting to pass during these last two sitting weeks.
On the international student caps, he is asked what the next move is for the government, after the Coalition said it wouldn’t support the legislation? He responded:
Peter Dutton has got to really offer a better and more convincing explanation of his position. It is utterly reckless and inconsistent with everything he has said.
The best solution is that which is on the table. The best solution is the legislation that we have proposed and I am yet to hear a persuasive argument against it.
Asked if he thinks there is a link between international student numbers and housing prices, Giles responded there was a “relatively small one”.
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Man dies after falling from electric skateboard in NSW
A man has died after falling from an electric skateboard on the New South Wales Central Coast.
The man reportedly fell about 6pm on Sunday near Umina Beach. Police said the 45-year-old was treated at the scene by paramedics before being airlifted to Royal North Shore hospital in a critical condition, where he later died.
A report will be prepared for the coroner, police said, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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South Australia’s DV crisis line received record number of calls the day royal commission began work
South Australia’s domestic violence crisis line received a record number of calls on 1 July – the same day the royal commission into domestic, family and sexual violence began its work.
As AAP reports, the Women’s Safety Services SA chief executive, Maria Hagias, told the commission’s first day of public hearings the system is in crisis because it doesn’t have the resources to handle the significant increase in demand.
The state domestic violence hotline received a record number of calls on the day the commission started its work, and expected to receive 35,000 calls for 2024. Hagias said:
We can only answer 70% of those calls … this is an extreme challenge and it takes a lot of courage for people to call in.
When you can’t pick up that phone to support that person at that time, there are extreme frustrations, not only from people who are trying to call in, but also external stakeholders because they can’t get through.
That puts significant stress also on our frontline staff … and when you can’t reach every person that calls, it is extremely distressing.
Of the 70% of answered calls, another 55,000 calls are then made to support families.
The demand is significant, and the system isn’t coping, and it’s at crisis point.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
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And with that, question time has wrapped up.
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Marles says he is happy to discuss nuclear policy ‘all day and every day’ until election
The Liberal National party MP Garth Hamilton has got up and asked another question on – you guessed it – nuclear energy. The acting PM, Richard Marles, said he was happy to stay on this topic “all day and every day between now and the next election”.
The Australian people understand that, as the leader of the opposition pursues this ridiculous policy, that the only people who will end up paying for it is them.
Every step that we take is going to be about putting downward pressure on the costs that they experience, which is so very, very different to what this leader of the opposition represents … what this leader of the opposition represents is a material and present risk to the household budget of every single Australian.
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Rowland says social media ban will contain ‘robust’ privacy provisions
Rebekha Sharkie from the Centre Alliance party has asked about the government’s plan to ban social media for under 16s – specifically, how age verification will be obtained.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, acknowledged that the policy is “contentious” and “one that has not actually been implemented at scale anywhere in the world”.
The legislation that we will bring to this parliament will contain robust provisions as they pertain to privacy … this is precisely why we are undertaking the age assurance trial, which we funded in the budget.
We will use this time during the age assurance trial, and I would point out that the legislation will contain a one-year implementation timeframe to ensure that these matters are of concern are ones that are properly examined and properly accounted for.
I do want to make this message clear to the Australian people: this is not about government mandating any form of technology or demanding any personal information be handed over to social media companies.
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Coalition persists with questions on nuclear
The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has asked the acting PM about a report from the US claiming a renewables-plus-nuclear electricity grid is cheaper than a renewables-only grid – because clearly, we were due for another question on nuclear.
Responding to this, Richard Marles said the report would be “assessing an economy which already has a civil nuclear industry in place [and] where costs have already been put in place literally decades ago”.
This seems to be the fact that has completely escaped those opposite, that in order for us to get to a point of having a civil nuclear industry, we would need to go through the process of establishing it – which is deeply costly.
[It won’t be] the same as the calculation which exists in the United States or the United Kingdom or France, where they … have a civil nuclear industry already established, and those costs have already been sunk and are not priced into the future.
But the reality of what we face is you can’t go out there and just magic the reactors, you’ve actually got to go and build them [and] that costs money, and the people who will pay for it are the Australian public.
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Infrastructure minister answers question on Middle Arm industrial project in Darwin
Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown has asked whether the government would redirect costs for the Middle Arm hub to support clean energy projects instead.
The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said the government remains committed to Middle Arm and said:
Let me just remind the House that this is an equity injection. It is not money that then can be transferred to other projects …
The Australian government remains committed to Middle Arm, there are a number of processes that have to be gone through, through the environmental processes, through planning processes, as well, through Infrastructure Australia, and all of those are under way at the moment.
But again, I say to the Greens, stop using politics constantly in these sorts of debates, stop using politics, because we know that Middle Arm actually does support renewable energy … and it also makes sure that we have a strong economic future for the Northern Territory.
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Nationals MP asks where is the housing for new immigrants
Nationals MP Anne Webster has asked about housing and immigration. She claims that a new person is arriving to live in Australia every 44 seconds – where are these people meant to live?
The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, responded that migration is “coming down because of changes that have been made by our government” and “if there is a single person in this parliament who is responsible for [the] broken [housing] system, he sits over there in the opposition leader’s chair”.
She said the government arrived to office and found housing “in an absolute mess”, and said when the opposition was in government “they didn’t even have a commonwealth housing minister.”
O’Neil took aim at the Liberals and Greens for not support its housing policies, and said:
Now if only, Speaker, we had a parliament that actually wanted to work with us on this issue that affects millions of people … What we have is an opposition that knows only one word – no, no, no – to every single proposition that’s put forward.
[The] Greens … talk a big game about housing, but when it comes time to make real change for real people, they say no too.
So who would have thought the far left and the far right had so much in common in this country. Despite that opposition, we will work hard to make sure that we meet the housing needs of people in this country
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Marles says supporting a civil nuclear industry ‘makes no financial sense whatsoever’
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, has asked another question about – surprise, surprise – nuclear energy.
He asked whether the government’s opposition to nuclear “has nothing to do with cost or time, but because of their political battle with the Greens in inner-city seats”?
Richard Marles replied that “we do have a battle with the Greens political party, and we join that battle with relish”.
Which really does stand in stark contrast to what we see from those opposite who, when it comes to housing, the environment or now immigration, are in the greatest love affair of all time with the Greens political party. I mean, I think Romeo and Juliet teaches us that love conquers all. But I definitely do not think that Shakespeare [could] imagine what was going on here. What we are seeing here is the most unholy alliance between the Greens and the Liberals.
Marles echoed earlier comments, and said “the simple reason why we are not supporting a civil nuclear industry, it’s because it makes no financial sense whatsoever”.
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Marles on ‘crystal-clear articulation’ of Coalition philosophy
While taking a dixer, Richard Marles pointed to some comments from the deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley yesterday in parliament, that “if you don’t pay for something, you don’t value it” – in reference to fee-free Tafe.
You can read more on this in yesterday’s blog here.
He said it gave “a crystal clear articulation of the philosophies of those opposite”, and said:
This was exactly demonstrated when the leader of the opposition was the minister for health, when he tried to introduce a GP tax, when he tried to put a cost on the attendance at emergency departments right around the country, when he sought to increase the prices of basic medicines.
And what he did as the minister for health, if given the chance, he would do as the prime minister across the board. Well, Mr Speaker, on this side of the house, we have a very different philosophy …
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Marles is asked again about civil nuclear industry
Nationals MP Kevin Hogan has asked the acting prime minister whether the government signed an agreement under the Indo-Pacific economic framework that includes a cooperative work program to support the uptake of small modular nuclear reactors?
Richard Marles said the opposition “crawl[s] to this topic through every different alleyway”, and repeated:
But let me be really clear, what I can absolutely confirm is that this government is not going to be pursuing a civil nuclear industry …
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Kylea Tink asks about use of public money to pay interest on political party loans
Independent MP Kylea Tink has asked the treasurer how the government can justify allowing public money to be used to pay the interest on political party loans, while ordinary Australians are struggling?
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said minister Don Farrell “has been working for some time in a consultative way to do what we can to make sure that our donations regime is as transparent as possible, and that we take responsible and necessary steps to lessen the impact of big money on politics.”
He urged the parliament to support the government’s measures – meaning the electoral reform legislation.
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Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien kicked out of question time after interjection
In a question time where the opposition seemed set to put more focus on to nuclear energy, shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien has gotten himself kicked out quite quickly, after a strange interjection.
Asking acting PM Richard Marles about “global momentum for nuclear energy”, and his claim that the government “remain stubbornly in opposition of this proven energy resource”, O’Brien took his seat.
“The answer is – it’s all about cost and it’s all about economics. We don’t have a civil nuclear industry in Australia today. It is a significant fact, an inconvenient truth,” Marles started to respond – before O’Brien made a noisy shouted interjection.
Marles called it a “ridiculous display”. O’Brien was ejected by speaker Milton Dick under standing order 94a.
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Richard Marles criticises ‘ridiculous’ Coalition nuclear policy
After Labor’s Catherine King took a dixer on policies to address the gender pay gap, shadow climate and energy minister Ted O’Brien asked why the government remains opposed to exploring nuclear as an option.
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, said it comes down to cost. He began giving an answer but had to stop twice due to interjections, and O’Brien was sent out under 94a.
Marles got up for a third time, and answered:
It is a ridiculous policy that has been put forward by those opposite, and it simply fails to ignore the convenient truth for those opposite – that we don’t have a civil nuclear industry in Australia today and to establish one from scratch, costs money, and takes time.
It’s not that simple, although the leader of the opposition may think it’s that simple, because he thinks that the way it works is that you go up and burn uranium, that we go out the back, set up a bonfire, throw some uranium on it, and bingo, there’s renewable energy. But unfortunately, that’s not how it actually works.
He said the government’s renewables policy “stands in stark contrast to the ridiculous antics that we see from those opposite.”
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Question time begins on US-UK civil nuclear deal
The opposition leader Peter Dutton has opened question time with a question to Richard Marles, again asking why Australia didn’t sign up to a civil nuclear deal signed by the US and UK.
Marles answered questions about this yesterday, and the UK government admitted Australia was mistakenly included on a list of countries expected to sign up to the deal:
Marles responded that “there’s a very similar simple answer to that question – because we don’t have a civil nuclear energy country, and nor do we seek to establish one.”
We don’t seek to go down that path, so we are not a part of that agreement. And if we did go down that path, as the leader of the opposition is suggesting, there would be no prospect of any piece of electricity entering into the grid for two decades.
Just minutes into Question Time, before Marles even gave his answer, Spence MP Matt Burnell was sent out under 94a for interjecting.
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Question Time will begin in about five minutes’ time. Grab a coffee and stay tuned, we’ll bring you the latest here in a moment.
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Shadow treasurer replies to Chalmers’ statement on the economy
Earlier, the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, delivered a reply to treasurer Jim Chalmers’ statement on the economy (which you can read about earlier in the blog, here and here).
He argued the government, in its nearly three years in office, has “made bad decisions and had the wrong priorities” – pointing to the money spent on the voice referendum and “three expansionary budgets that have kept inflation higher for longer”.
He outlined the economic approach the Coalition would take if elected to government, and said:
We will get our economy back to basics – fighting high prices and interest rates first, winding back regulatory roadblocks, boosting productivity and delivering lower, simpler and fairer taxes. We will also stand up for consumers, small businesses and farmers by delivering stronger penalties for anti-competitive behaviour in the supermarket and hardware sectors.
We will support Australians to build businesses, not bureaucracies. We will ensure that Australians have more affordable and reliable energy by rejecting the government’s reckless renewables-only approach.
We will restore the dream of home ownership and unlock up to 500,000 homes by investing in shovel-ready infrastructure that will enable homes to be delivered faster. We will reduce migration and place a two-year ban on foreign investors buying existing homes.
We will tackle union corruption that is continuing to drive up building costs. And, we will take action to make our communities safer, including online.
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Aemo confident power strains can be managed next week as heatwave sweeps east
As noted in earlier posts, we’ve got the combination of warm weather lapping across most of Australia’s population centres over the next few days.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has issued updated lack of reserve level 3 alerts for Tuesday evening in New South Wales, seeking extra generation (latest alert has the potential “interrupted” supply at 142 megawatts).
To stress: the alerts are intended to prompt a market response and aren’t a prediction of blackouts. Aemo also indicates that one issue was a transmission one – and the resolution of that should ease the grid strain.
In the meantime, AGL Energy has provided an update on what’s happening to its Bayswater coal-fired power plant in the NSW Hunter Valley. It’s a big one, with about 2715MW capacity when all four units are online.
However, unit 2 is offline until early December (circa the 6th) for planned maintenance. Its unit 1 is working fine and its unit 4 is expected to return to full operation this evening.
Unit 3, though, is the one that lately dropped out of service for unscheduled “tube leak repair” work, an AGL spokesperson tells us. It’s expected to be back within 14 days if not sooner.
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Nick Bryant: ‘It almost seems like Australia has lost the ability to do big things’
Wrapping up his appearance at the NPC, Nick Bryant argued that it “hasn’t been a great century for Australia” when asked about an increasing focus on leaders, rather than policy issues, in the country.
Bryant said the century started great for Australia with the Sydney Olympics, but “it hasn’t been a brilliant 23 years since.”
You have had this churn of prime ministers, a politics that is incredibly destructive and personalised and it almost seems like Australia has lost the ability to do big things any more.
The reform era was always based on big things. The reform era has sadly been replaced by a revenge era and a retribution era. It’s trying to get back to the reform era, big ideas rather than small-target politics.
An optimism, which strikes me as the greatest natural characteristic that Australia has – there is a reason why the cameramen of the BBC are Australians – because they are optimistic and they always think they can do stuff. I don’t see that as much in modern Australia as when I first came here.
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Former BBC foreign correspondent Nick Bryant on right approach to Trump: ‘Don’t be bullied’
At the National Press Club today, former BBC foreign correspondent Nick Bryant has been speaking and taking questions from the crowd.
He was asked to weigh in on Kevin Rudd’s role as ambassador to the US, and said Australia should stand by him:
You cannot let America have a veto over your diplomatic appointments. The other point is, you cannot show weakness at the start of a new Trump era, right?
I watch many international leaders deal with Donald Trump and they adopted a swathe of different approaches. Shinzo Abe tried to befriend him on the golf course … but Trump was still hostile against Japan. [Emmanuel] Macron did a faux friendship thing … Malcolm Turnbull had the right approach. Don’t be bullied … That is the approach to adopt with Trump, don’t concede ground.
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Watch: Kevin Rudd says he’s ready to work with incoming Trump administration
Earlier, we brought you comments from ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, saying he is ready to work closely with the incoming Trump administration.
Here is a video of the full comments he made via video link this morning, to the Sydney International Strategy Forum:
Just following on from our last post: Brain Tumour Alliance Australia says it uses shoes to get its message across, because shoes “clearly visualise that brain tumours affect everybody regardless of age, gender or background and provide a powerful and impactful message to parliamentarians and to society.”
A Parliament House courtyard has been filled with the shoes of people affected by brain tumours, as part of an annual “head to the hill” event.
Brain Tumour Alliance Australia hosts the awareness event each year to advocate to government, saying that brain tumour research remains significantly underfunded compared with other cancers.
Mike Bowers snapped these photos from the event earlier:
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Victorian renewable energy park to be completed by 2027, Jacinta Allan says
Dubbed the SEC Renewable Energy Park, premier Jacinta Allan said the project will be capable of generating around 242,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy a year, or enough to power 51,000 homes.
It will consist of 119-megawatt solar farm and 100-megawatt two-hour batteries, which will be developed by Swedish company OX2.
Allan said the local community will also directly benefit from the profits from the projects, via a fund to be set up by the SEC. She said $42,000 a year will be spent in the local area during the project’s construction and a further $70,000 every year once the project is operational.
It is expected to be complete by 2027 and will provide electricity to Victorian government schools, hospitals and offices.
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Victoria to build $370m state-owned solar farm and battery
The Victorian government has announced it will spend $370m to build a massive solar farm and battery in Horsham, which will be able to power more than 50,000 homes and be wholly state-owned.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, visited the city in Victoria’s west to announce the solar farm today as the second investment of the state’s State Electricity Commission.
At the 2022 state election, the Labor government committed to reviving the SEC, which for decades was the sole agency in the state for electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply before it was privatised in the 1990s.
Allan said the solar farm would be the first 100% government-owned energy generation project since the commission was privatised in the 1990s.
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International student cap would lead to rents falling by just $5 a week in metro areas, report says
International students are being scapegoated by both major parties as responsible for the housing crisis without evidence, the Student Accommodation Council has warned.
A report released by the council last week found international students made up just 6% of the rental market and had a minimal presence in areas popular with families.
It suggested capping international students at 270,000 per year, as Labor has lobbied for, would reduce their rental share by less than 1% – leading to lowered rents of just $5 a week for metropolitan areas.
This week, the Coalition announced it would not support Labor’s cap on foreign students, with Peter Dutton maintaining yesterday “there is accommodation being taken up at the moment by international students that I believe very strongly should be occupied by Australian citizens”.
The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, pushed Dutton on his stance during Question Time, stating:
If anybody is thinking because of the rate of immigration, they are having trouble getting into a home, just know the leader of the opposition has decided to make that worse.
Student Accommodation Council executive director, Torie Brown, said while politicians were quick to blame international students for the housing crisis, it didn’t “reflect reality”.
We need to address decades of structural failures across our housing markets and not unfairly pin the blame on a single group. International students only make up six per cent of the rental market – heavily weighted towards CBDs – with 73% of local government areas having an international student concentration of less than 1%.”
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Sydney train strike: all you need to know
For all the Sydneysiders following along with today’s blog: here is everything you need to know about the train shutdown this weekend, with this explainer from Luca Ittimani:
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More on Jim Chalmers’ second ministerial statement on the economy
Continued from the previous post:
The Reserve Bank, though, has headline CPI rising by the middle of next year because they have to assume energy and other rebates expire – until the actual policy changes. As we have said often, it’s hard to believe pre-election campaign promises from both major parties won’t promise sizable “cost of living relief”.
As for growth, Chalmers says:
Treasury is expecting a gradual recovery in the economy driven by rising real incomes thanks to our cost-of-living relief, jobs growth and progress bringing inflation down.
What we won’t see is a third consecutive budget surplus. That’s because government spending is rising but also because Australia’s exports of dirt (often red, as in iron ore, or black rock, with coal) won’t be delivering the budget upgrades of yore.
In fact, iron ore prices are down 30% or more so far in 2024. But at about US$100 a tonne (as it was this morning), the commodity is still well above the conservative US$60/t average used by Treasury in its budget forecasts.
So it’s likely we’ll get some revenue upgrades – unless China’s economy hits the proverbial wall – in the current budget. Just not as large as in previous budgets.
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Economy has generated 1,000 jobs a day since Labor took office: Chalmers
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is giving his second ministerial statement on the economy from noon, and it offers a “stocktake” on global and domestic conditions – and a bit of sneak peek at next month’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (Myefo).
As you might expect, it’s a generally upbeat speech, listing “significant progress” in fighting inflation, repairing the budget (and a few reforms) while Chalmers remains “optimistic” about the future.
There’s not a lot of hard new numbers, though, it may be the first outing I’ve seen of a “1,000 jobs a day” created since the Albanese government took power 30 months ago. (We’ve known about the million jobs … though they may downplay that bit because we might yet get a few months of job cuts before they go to the polls.)
Anyway, the inflation outlook will be largely in line with the May budget forecasts (with headline CPI falling to 2.75% by next June, and remaining there until the following June, before ebbing further in subsequent years to 2.5%).
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Canavan says Dutton did not ask for abortion bill to be removed
Matt Canavan continued, from the previous post:
I have this very simple, shared with Senator [Alex] Antic, very simple position on these issues, that any human being, no matter what their age, no matter what their state of health in this country, deserves to have care. That is all my bill does.
Doesn’t change abortion procedure. Doesn’t restrict abortion procedures. It simply says that everybody, every Australian, deserves to have medical care appropriate to their circumstances. I will always defend that.
Asked if Peter Dutton had asked them to remove the bill, Canavan said: “No one has done that.”
We’ve got a great tradition in our party of respecting each other’s views. I do respect other views on this, but I would never seek to remove a Greens bill that took an opposite position than me on these issues. I have no problem debating my position but obviously the Greens are scared of a discussion.
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Canavan claims Greens trying to 'censor debate' in push to remove abortion bill
The Nationals senator Matt Canavan says he won’t back down after the Greens sought to remove his abortion-related bill from the Senate notice paper, accusing the minor party of seeking to “silence debate”.
Canavan, the maverick Queenslander, said the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has also not asked him or fellow co-sponsor, Alex Antic, to remove their “children born alive” bill from the Senate.
Guardian Australia’s Karen Middleton reported overnight that the Greens senator Larissa Waters was seeking to have the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill discharged from the notice paper, where it has sat – without debate – for some time.
Dutton told Coalition MPs in a party room address two weeks ago that they should avoid public debate about abortion, with concern the issue may have cost them seats at the Queensland state election.
Asked about Waters’ push and the status of his bill, Canavan said: “The status of it is it’s on the notice paper.”
This is an attempt to censor and silence debate … but obviously I do actually welcome the opportunity that Senator Waters has given me to state again that there are around two babies a week in this country born alive following a termination procedure.
Canavan was at a press conference with Antic and the American free speech campaigner Michael Shellenberger, discussing the government’s misinformation bill – which is in danger of going down in flames, with little support on the Senate crossbench thus far.
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Coalition bill on McPhillamys goldmine rejected by Senate
The Coalition is livid that its bill on the McPhillamys goldmine was rejected by the Senate this morning, with Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price accusing the Labor government of seeking “to keep Indigenous Australians disadvantaged in order to better control them”.
Now to recap, this is the proposed goldmine at Blayney, in central west NSW, which was put in jeopardy after a decision by the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to prevent a tailings or run-off dam being built in one part of the project. It came after a Wiradjuri elder lodged an application to protect Aboriginal heritage from being destroyed.
The Coalition has been continually outraged over the decision, citing a combination of local economic benefits and criticism of how the environmental consultation process was carried out, including concerns raised by other local local Aboriginal land council groups.
The Coalition had put up a Senate bill which sought to prevent “the minister from making a declaration that would affect the construction or operation of a goldmine in the Blayney goldmine area.” But it was quashed at the second reading stage of debate, negatived 24-27 in a Senate vote today.
Shadow ministers Jonno Duniam, Susan McDonald and Price gave a press conference shortly afterward, again criticising the original decision and how Plibersek came to it. McDonald claimed the government wasn’t doing enough to support mining, but Price – the shadow Indigenous Australians minister – raised concerns about the loss of income for local Aboriginal people.
She said:
They’re not doing anything to benefit Indigenous people in this country, and so in this situation, it’s whole communities that are missing out. This government is completely against ensuring that Indigenous Australians can benefit in any economic way going forward. But that’s not surprising to Labor, because Labor like to keep Indigenous Australians disadvantaged in order to better control them, in order to gain power and keep the little people down.
I mean, why would they? Why would they allow for a development like this to take place, which would mean opportunity, which would mean jobs for the Indigenous community in the area, and more broadly, the wider community.
Updated
Government’s spending and donation cap bill receives second reading
The government’s controversial spending and donation cap bill has just received a second reading in the House of Representatives.
The independent MP Kate Chaney is moving amendments that remove provisions on spending caps and increased public and administrative funding. Chaney says these are the “most offensive parts” of the bill.
She says:
The way this legislation is drafted, any ads that are not for the individual but for a party are not counted within the [$800K] divisional cap, so a party incumbent could outspend a challenger many times over … This is not a level playing field.
Chaney argues that in a “cost-of-living crisis” the government should not be increasing public funding of elections by $40m:
Parties are able to make a profit in unwinnable seats and shift that money to where they are being challenged … It gives them a war chest to fight any new challengers. It’s fine for me – I’m an incumbent. But it’s not fine for anyone new, who thinks we need new ideas and new ways of being represented in our politics. This reduces competition, and it’s not on.
The independent MP Kylea Tink is now speaking in support of the amendments.
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‘Wave of heat’ to elevate fire risks and electricity demand, meteorologists say
We’re not officially in summer for another week and a half but for many in Australia’s south-east, it will certainly feel like it in the coming days.
Dean Narramore, a senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, says day- and night-time temperatures will be as much as 8-14C warmer than usual for this time of year:
We’re going to see the heat really start increasing across South Australia tomorrow, and then continue building there and into Tasmania, Victoria and southern New South Wales Friday and through the weekend.
Some areas will endure a low-intensity heatwave although pockets can also expect severe conditions.
As mentioned in our earlier post, the tail end of the warmth – what the Weatherzone senior meteorologist Ben Domensino dubbed a “wave of heat” – will also push up electricity demand.
Domensino said:
It’s probably the warmest burst of heat that we’ve had [so far this warming season], because the dew-point temperatures will be increasing as well. There’s a bit of moisture in the atmosphere, which will make it feel quite muggy with this hot weather. It’ll feel quite warm.
Air-conditioning demand will likely be high. Relatively light winds will also mean there probably won’t be a lot of windfarm electricity generation, Domensino said. The lack of wind, though, will also mean fire danger levels – apart from the Eyre Peninsula and some other parts of South Australia – won’t be quite as elevated as they might otherwise have been.
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Chalmers outlines plan to encourage more women to study economics
Last night the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, addressed the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, revealing a plan to encourage more women to study economics and take up economic leadership roles.
Chalmers said he has put on the agenda for the next meeting of state and territory treasurers next week:
Exploring ways we can work together to lift barriers to the study of economics.
The role treasuries can play, as stewards of the discipline, in making the profession more inclusive.
How we can bring a broader range of views and perspectives into future public policy and advice.
How we increase the number of women in economic leadership positions at all levels of government, including by exploring more robust and regular reporting.
Chalmers also discussed some of the causes of alienation in politics:
But underpinning, if not undermining, all of our efforts across all of these policy areas is the sense laid bare in the final report of the Covid review that there has been an erosion of trust in institutions, like governments. As Mark Butler said when we released that Covid report, it is going to be a long, hard road to get trust to the level it was before the pandemic. It’s easily lost and hard to build it back up …
The loss of trust is not just from Covid, though, that’s just one of three shocks in 15 years – The GFC before it and an inflation spike exacerbated by two wars – Which have created economic and social undercurrents that revealed themselves around the world over this longer period, and not just recent weeks in US politics. These undercurrents have created a sense of alienation.
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Earlier this morning, some parliamentarians in Canberra attended the lighting of the giving tree in the marble foyer of Parliament House.
Each year, Parliament House raises money for two charities through the giving tree. The president of the Senate, Sue Lines, and the speaker, Milton Dick, switched on the lights and announced the 2024 charities just earlier.
And Mike Bowers was there to capture all the action:
Updated
Leading economic indicator reports strongest result since July 2022
We’ve noted in a couple of places (such as here) that the worst of the economic slowdown is probably behind us (unless there is some nasty surprise looming).
The solid labour market, tax cuts that are flowing and easing inflation suggest things are starting to look up. (Corporate failures, a lagging indicator, might have a way to rise further, though.)
The Leading Index published by Westpac and the Melbourne Institute adds to the signs of a possible upturn gaining momentum. The index moved firmly into positive territory last month (going from -0.2% in September to +0.26%), and is now at its highest level since July 2022’s 0.63% reading.
Another economic indicator on the improve..this time a leading one: (Via Westpac/Melbourne Institute) pic.twitter.com/eWdW21KZ5v
— @phannam.bsky.social (@p_hannam) November 20, 2024
Back in mid-2022, the burst of economic activity after Covid-19 was fully under way, Ryan Wells, a Westpac economist, said.
The index’s return to positive territory was “broadly consistent with Westpac’s view that the pace of [annual] economic growth, having hit a nadir of 1.0% in the middle of the year, is set to pick up pace, reaching 1.5% by year-end and 2.4% by the end of 2025”, Wells said.
Not quite economic nirvana, mind, but something of a soft landing particularly if the Reserve Bank starts to cut interest rates from early 2025 (as Westpac predicts for February). Of course, if the leading index keeps rising, the RBA might think it’s too early to cut.
Anyway, it all keeps a few pundits in business.
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90% of industrial gas use can be electrified or regassed with green hydrogen: report
Earlier today, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Lock the Gate launched a report commissioned from Springmount Advisory called Turning Down the Gas, which found that at least 90% of industrial gas use can already be electrified or regassed with green hydrogen, and technology solutions are rapidly being developed for the remaining 10%.
It found gas demand could decrease 216 petajoules by 2035, including by:
Replacing gas use in manufacturing with electricity using technology that is commercially available today would reduce demand by 112PJ.
Doing the same in commercial buildings would reduce gas demand by 25PJ.
“Regassing” and substituting metals smelting and refining, iron and steel manufacturing, and chemical manufacturing with green hydrogen would cut gas use by 62PJ.
If gas use were reduced by this much, wholesale gas expenses would be reduced by at least $2.5bn, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 11m tonnes each year.
The national secretary of the AMWU, Steve Murphy, said:
Australia must prioritise our finite and precious gas resources to support the industries that employ hundreds of thousands of highly skilled workers and that underpin every aspect of Australian life, from food production and health, to infrastructure and household goods.
There is a clear national interest in ensuring that local manufacturing industries are supported and thrive as the world decarbonises. We commissioned this report because it is clear to us that the interests of gas companies are cutting across the interests of Australian workers, Australian industry, our rightful place as the leader in our region for a fair and just industrial transition.
I’m a firm believer that we can meet our commitments to climate action and create secure jobs in manufacturing if we make those two goals a national priority.
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Government senator says motion in Senate was about creating conflict
Back in the Senate, the emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, said she was disappointed crossbenchers chose to create conflict over discussion after being caught off-guard by a surprise suspension to the standing orders this morning.
Those on the crossbench are frustrated with the amount of legislation the Labor government is attempting to push through the Senate this sitting fortnight. In particular, they’re concerned the drafting office – which supports them with amendments – is overloaded and under-resourced.
McAllister stood up to say the government would not support the motion, saying it was not the appropriate place to raise it. She said:
The appropriate place to raise this is either through discussions, informally, or through referral to the appropriations committee, which is the entity which oversees the budget for the Senate.
And it is disappointing that the matter is instead being raised in this way, without notice, without discussion, and suggests that the people who are seeking to resolve it are not, in fact, seeking to truly resolve it, but actually to escalate a conflict, where a better and effective way of doing it would be through conversation.
As McAllister delivered her response, Jacqui Lambie can be heard on the parliamentary broadcast interjecting off-microphone.
Ultimately, the motion passed but unless the government actually allocates extra resourcing, that’s where it ends for now. But not before Lambie gets the last word:
So for the last two years, we’ve been telling you this is a problem. So to come in here and act like everything’s all kosher and it’s fine and that we haven’t been doing anything for two years – now, I intend to come back in here tomorrow and do this again tomorrow morning, unless something is done today.
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Rudd says he is ready to work closely with incoming Trump administration
Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, says Australia is “ready” for a second Trump presidency.
Rudd gave a speech to the Sydney International Strategy Forum this morning via video link, and said the embassy had been working over the course of the last year to “ensure that we were well prepared for this moment” – meaning the US election outcome.
And the bottom line is, we’re ready. The team here at the embassy and the government of Australia are ready to work closely with the new Trump administration to continue to realise the benefits of what is a very strong economic and security partnership.
Rudd said that Australia’s bilateral relationship with the US “has never been more relevant, or more important”, in this “age of strategic competition”.
We live in a world of many challenges and we are clear that the region we want, the interests we have and the values we share require and call for our two nations to work together. And that is what we will continue to do with President Trump and his incoming administration.
We here at the embassy in Washington look forward to contributing to that in the future.
Rudd made headlines this month after deleting tweets he previously made about Trump, saying it did not reflect the views of the Australian government. Shortly afterwards, a senior Trump adviser reposted Rudd’s congratulatory statement to Trump on social media with a gif of an hourglass.
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Crossbenchers demand more resourcing to tackle end of year workload
Back in the Senate, and Greens senator Larissa Waters has accused the Albanese government of trying to curb the power of the crossbench in the Senate by “diminishing” their resourcing.
Some of the independents banded together to suspend the standing orders to raise the resource issue within the drafting office, with senators warning the office couldn’t cope with the workload.
For non-government senators, the office helps draft its amendments to bills. Waters said:
When the drafters say to us, ‘look, we’re really sorry, but we’re slammed. There’s not enough of us to do the work that you need us to do, because the government haven’t [sic] given us the staff to do that work’. It’s not their fault. It’s the fault of the government not hiring enough people to do the work to help the Greens and the crossbench fix the government’s weak legislation.
The ACT senator David Pocock added:
When you cannot get amendments that are based on what you’re hearing from experts – when they have concerns about a government bill, when you’re hearing from people that you represent and you want to move amendments that reflect that, and you’ve got a government that seems intent to drop hundreds of pages of legislation, forgo all parliamentary scrutiny and ram it through, and you cannot move amendments – this is not good for our democracy.
The Liberals supported the suspension, so Lambie was able to move the motion.
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More than 100 Sydney train services cancelled or delayed yesterday amid industrial action
Back at the press conference on Sydney Trains, a spokesperson said more than 100 train services were cancelled or delayed across Sydney yesterday.
I know that created and continues to create inconvenience for passengers as they move around the network. Please be assured that our teams are doing their very best to keep the system running reliably.
He said there were cancellations on the intercity line, particularly services coming in from Gosford and Newcastle, and buses were replacing the Blue Mountain services for three hours today as a result of industrial action.
Our teams are doing their best and we ask passengers to please be respectful of our staff, they are doing everything they can to help passengers navigate the challenging period.
Updated
'We can't get our job done': crossbenchers call for more Senate staff
Crossbench senators are attempting to suspend the standing orders in the upper house in order to force the Albanese government to better resource the procedure office, which helps parliamentarians with drafting legislation and amendments.
The motion, moved by Jacqui Lambie and co-signed by David Pocock, Lidia Thorpe, Fatima Payman and Larissa Waters, calls on the government to urgently hire more legislative drafters in the Department of the Senate before any “further controversial bills” are brought forward.
First up to speak is Lambie, who describes the under-resourcing as “absolutely disgraceful”.
We can’t get our stuff drafted, and you’re trying to throw through 20 bills in a fortnight? What is wrong with you? … The lack of resourcing is an absolute choke on democracy. The legislation that the government is trying to jam through is massive and has serious consequences.
Other independent senators are getting up to speak.
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NSW transport minister addresses media amid strike affecting Sydney trains
The NSW transport minister, Jo Haylen, has been speaking to reporters in Sydney after the announcement that Sydney trains will run tomorrow, after a small concession from the rail union to delay strike action until Friday.
You can read more on this earlier in the blog, here. Speaking just now, Haylen said:
The actions are still in place for Friday and Saturday, causing potential massive disruption to our network and meaning that people cannot get where they need to go.
The only way to keep our network running and to make sure people can get where they need to go is for the union to withdraw their industrial actions that are currently in place for Friday and Saturday. That remains our ask of the unions.
She said the government would continue to meet with union leadership, but her responsibility is to “make sure that we can keep the travelling public up-to-date”.
… to give them as much notice as possible and to do everything I can to minimise disruptions and keep our network running, while also continuing our negotiations and conversations with the unions to reach agreement.
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Instagram users will be able to refresh algorithm, Meta says
Two days after a parliamentary committee recommended that users be able to have more control over their algorithm, Instagram has announced it will roll out a way for users to reset their algorithm that recommends content to them.
In a blog post today, Instagram’s parent company Meta said the new feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks, and allow people, with a few taps, to reset what Instagram shows them in explore, reels and their feed:
Your recommendations will start to personalise again over time, showing new content based on the content and accounts you interact with. When resetting, you’ll also have the option to review the accounts you’re following and unfollow any that share content you no longer want to see.
Resetting the algorithm was one of the key recommendations of the parliamentary committee examining social media’s report, released on Monday. However, the recommendation went further including allowing users to opt out of the algorithm altogether.
It’s one of a number of moves Meta has made in recent months to respond to increased political scrutiny on the impact platforms are having on society, including recently the introduction of Instagram accounts for teens with more restrictions over who they can follow, who can message them and what they can see.
The committee, notably, did not recommend banning under-16s from social media, which the government is planning to legislate, instead calling for a report on the outcome of a trial of age assurance technology to be provided to the parliament when it is completed in mid-2025.
Updated
The law academic Anne Twomey has written a piece for Guardian Australia, arguing that aspects of Labor’s electoral reforms are vulnerable to constitutional challenge.
You can read her full piece below:
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Australia’s $50m Cop29 pledge ‘nowhere near our fair share’, Greens senator says
Earlier this morning, we reported that Australia has pledged $50m towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown, at the Cop29 summit.
The Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi says this funding is a start, but “nowhere near the fair share for a country which is one of the largest exporters of coal and gas”.
This pledge risks becoming a token gesture if the Albanese government continues to approve new coal and gas mines that will keep exacerbating climate driven disasters which results in the loss and damage suffered by the Global South.
The climate crisis is having a severe impact on Pacific nations who did nothing to create this disaster, yet bear the burden of the damage caused. Pacific nations need real and strong action from countries like Australia – that means ending new coal and gas, not pouring fuel on fire by opening the floodgates for fossil fuel projects.
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Albanese meets with Indian PM on sidelines of G20 summit
Anthony Albanese has met with the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil.
During the leaders’ opening remarks for their 10th meeting since May 2022, Anthony Albanese said India and Australia could build a “stronger, safer and more prosperous future for citizens in both of our countries”.
The two discussed “increasing two-way trade, business engagements and market access for goods and services” as well as security in the Indo-Pacific region. Albanese said the countries would renew their defence and security pact next year after it was first signed in 2009.
While no specific threats or countries were mentioned by name in the official statement, both leaders touched on their mutual interest in maintaining regional security and stability.
Modi said:
Friends, we have been working together to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, and we will continue to do so. We have stressed on dialogue and diplomacy to solve global conflicts and tensions.
Albanese said:
Prime minister Modi and I have also committed to developing a joint maritime security collaboration roadmap, including to deepen maritime domain awareness. Australia’s relationship with India is stronger, deeper and more consequential than ever before.
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Independent Tasmanian MP disappointed state government walking back plans for mandatory pre-commitment card
The independent Tasmanian MP Meg Webb was on ABC RN earlier this morning, discussing the state government’s decision to walk back plans for a mandatory pre-commitment card.
Yesterday, Tasmanian parliament moved to debate a motion of no-confidence in the premier, Jeremy Rockliff, after the government failed to vote it down.
Webb said she had suspected the government would walk away from the card, and “unfortunately, yesterday, what came out was a firm indication that they are entirely abandoning … that card.”
They’re not using that language. They’re saying it’s deferred indefinitely. But the reality is, if you’re deferring something and then you’re not continuing to work on it, you’re actually abandoning it.
Before working in parliament, Webb worked for Anglicare. She said it is “insidious” the way poker machines are placed into local suburbs in Tasmania:
We see that placed into our poorest suburbs where people are most vulnerable, because they’re already under financial stress. They’re most vulnerable to becoming addicted to these machines. They take millions and millions of dollars out of our poorest communities.
And of course, it’s not just the person who has developed a problem with their poker machine use losing all their money, it’s actually having catastrophic losses, losing their housing. It also breaks up families. The impact flows out from that person.
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Albanese says Australian jobs were focus at G20 summit
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has shared some images from G20 to X and said the summit was “all about creating jobs in Australia.”
Inflation is a global problem, and it requires a global response. And Australia’s relationships around the world matter.
Here at this summit in Brazil, I’ve been able to meet with leaders to work on solutions to our shared challenges. Addressing supply chain issues that have pushed up prices, global action on climate change, and the opportunities that clean energy provides to our economies were key points of discussion.
Summits like the G20 are all about how we can make sure that everyone benefits from economic growth. By making Australia’s voice heard, we can shape solutions that benefit Australians.
The outcomes achieved here at the G20 are all about creating jobs in Australia.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 19, 2024
Inflation is a global problem, and it requires a global response.
And Australia’s relationships around the world matter. pic.twitter.com/2ASiy0zYwg
Coalition nuclear costings to be released ‘very soon’, Littleproud says
David Littleproud was pushed for when the Coalition will release the costings for its nuclear energy plan, and he responded: “Very soon.”
We made it clear you will see it well before Christmas and well before the election.
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Nationals introduce bill to implement national standard for organic products
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, was also on ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning, when he spoke about the party’s decision to introduce legislation ensuring organic products in the supermarket are actually organic.
He claimed that imported products can have as little as 2% organic material, so “Australian consumers are being misled about the standards they are consuming”.
We’ve taken the unprecedented step of introducing a bill ourselves to bring in a national standard for organics … We think farmers should be protected in knowing what is being imported.
You can have confidence in Australian produce, but it will also give us the export advantage where it is costing our farmers hundreds of thousands of dollars individually each time they go to crack a new international market.
Littleproud said he would have no issue with the government changing a couple of words and reintroducing it in their name if that’s what is required to pass the changes, because “this is beyond politics”.
If the Albanese government won’t do this, then we’ve made it as a significant commitment that it will be one of the bills to be reintroduced under a Coalition government.
The bill was introduced to parliament yesterday.
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NSW facing possible electricity supply issues next Tuesday
The Australian Energy Market Operator has issued an alert about a possible blackout for some customers in NSW next Tuesday evening – a fairly rare warning.
To be clear, an Aemo alert is NOT a forecast of what’s to come but a call to the market to respond. As of this morning, the supply gap is a bit under 400 megawatts from 4.30pm to 8pm. (Aemo uses AEST time, hence the adjustment to the note in X post below.)
Updated @AEMO alert for possible load-shedding for NSW for next Tuesday.
— @phannam.bsky.social (@p_hannam) November 19, 2024
(Via @reddolphinsys ) pic.twitter.com/X1TR1JusuX
The so-called lack of reserve level 3 is a bit of a rare thing. According to Dylan McConnell, an energy expert at UNSW, there has only been one other such alert issued for NSW since 2019 (excluding the market chaos that triggered a suspension in 2022).
Across the national electricity market, there have only been 14 LOR3s across the five eastern states (only Western Australia and the Northern Territory are not in the Nem), McConnell says.
Part of the issue is an expected spike in power demand as an early season heatwave sweeps across the east. Western Sydney will have had five days with maximums in the 30s by Tuesday, with the CBD forecast to reach 31 on that day too.
There’s also a prediction of relatively little wind. However, the coal-fired power plants aren’t looking in good shape. AGL’s Bayswater unit 2 is offline for major maintenance until 8 December. Its unit 3 was also shut for unplanned work, according to WattClarity, an energy website. Other units offline include Vales Point 6, Eraring 3, and Tallawarra 1 (a gas-fired plant), so there’s 2,630MW unavailable.
There are also other Aemo alerts at a lesser LOR2 level for both next Monday and Tuesday for NSW.
It will be interesting to watch if the market does respond to the Aemo alerts – or whether other action might need to be take (ie turning off big power users).
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Littleproud says Coalition’s alternative plan on international student numbers will be detailed before election
The leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning about the Coalition’s decision to oppose government legislation capping international student numbers.
He was asked what the Coalition’s alternative plan is, if they’re not backing the legislation? Littleproud said “you’ll see our detailed caps before the election”.
We made it very clear we don’t intend to hide anything … We intend to reduce our migration and determine who comes to this country, the skills they have and where they should live …
He said that state and local governments need time to build housing supply and “they need the human capital” to do so:
So let’s get our migration working for Australia and making sure we get the settings right, and give the state local government some time to build some homes and give some hope to young people that they might own a home in Australia one day.
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Independent MP urges federal battery rebate scheme
The teal MP Kylea Tink has called on the Albanese government to back a federal battery rebate scheme to support households and small businesses invest in battery storage technology.
In a joint statement with Solar Citizens, she says a well-funded rebate scheme, supported by a target of 1m batteries nationally by 2030, would “also create new, well-paid green jobs in our suburbs and towns”.
With over 8,000 people calling for a federal battery program, it’s clear voters want the government to support the rollout of small-scale battery storage solutions and it makes absolutely no sense that energy and climate change minister Chris Bowen has to date ignored the petition from Solar Citizens.
More than 8,000 people have signed a Solar Citizens petition calling for a federal subsidy to drive the rapid rollout of small-scale battery storage.
The statement notes modelling by the Australian Energy Market Operator, showing the equivalent to 1m household batteries are needed nationally by 2030 to harness the rooftop solar uptake and stabilise the energy grid. But household batteries remain the only technology in Aemo’s roadmap without a federal government policy to drive delivery, the statement says.
Solar Citizens’ national campaigns director, Joel Pringle, says solar batteries typically cost more than $10,000, with payback periods ranging between five and 10 years.
With the current cost-of-living crisis, batteries are often not an affordable option and that’s why government financial support for batteries is needed.
Updated
Sydney trains to run on Thursday as rail union backs down
Sydney trains will run on Thursday after a small concession from the rail union to delay strike action until Friday, AAP reports, amid an ongoing wage dispute with the government.
A months-long dispute between the NSW government and the state branch of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union escalated yesterday when the transport minister, Jo Haylen, announced no train services would run for four days:
But early this morning Transport for NSW said it had agreed with the union to run services on Thursday, a relief for Pearl Jam concertgoers who would have had to find alternative transport to Sydney Olympic Park in the evening. A spokesperson said:
At this stage the RTBU has not agreed to lift their industrial action they have planned for Friday through to Sunday. The notified bans in place by the union will bring the heavy rail network to a shutdown on Friday, Saturday, and through until Sunday morning this weekend.
Haylen is hoping the concession will give the union and the government more time to come to an agreement before the weekend. She told 2GB:
It gives us another day to continue our negotiations and hopefully get people where they need to go. But the union industrial action is still planned for Friday and Saturday and we know that’s going to have a massive impact on millions of people who rely on these train services.
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Survey reveals 'concerning' signs of political polarisation
One-third of young Australians say they are willing to lie, commit violence, send threatening messages to MPs or vandalise government offices in support of a cause they care about.
As AAP reports, a new survey by the Susan McKinnon Foundation quizzed 3,000 voters across Australia on their attitudes to political polarisation and social cohesion. The majority, 55%, said Australia has become more divided compared to five years ago, with 27% saying they feel the country is extremely or very divided.
Generational differences about how to deal with views on social justice were stark, with between 2% and 4% of people over the age of 55 backing similar responses to their young counterparts.
One in three generation Z voters and a quarter of millennial voters said they were prepared to support actions including encouraging or using violence, sending threatening or intimidating messages to members of parliament, damaging property, vandalising government offices and lying to advance a cause they cared about.
The program lead at the Susan McKinnon Foundation’s McKinnon poll, Matt Crocker, said the survey reflected “some emerging areas of concern”.
While young people have always been passionate for social change, younger people appear more willing to support some practices that can undermine safety and circumvent our democracy. The high level of support for some of these practices is surprising and concerning.
A bare majority of Australians believe both extreme left views (51%) and extreme right views (53%) are a serious threat to the country. However, the research also found that those with stronger political views were more likely to blame the other side.
It found that 76% of those on the left were much more likely to think extreme right views were a problem, while those on the right (71%) were much more likely to think extreme left views were a problem.
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Marles says the cost of online scams is rising
On ABC RN, the acting PM was asked about the latest Australian Signals Directorate findings that cybercriminals are using fake QR codes or sophisticated AI scams to trick Australians into giving up their private details or downloading dangerous files.
Richard Marles said the ASD is seeing reports every six minutes, and the cost of each of those attacks is going up:
We are worryingly seeing an increased focus by both cybercriminals and state actors on our critical infrastructure, and that’s something which has become much more prevalent in the course of the last year …
One of the actions that we take is attribution. We have raised attribution in respect of China, in respect of Russia, in respect of Iran. We do so very carefully in circumstances where we can, but attribution is an important tool that we have applied more in the last year than we have ever done.
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Marles says government will raise Gordon Ng sentence with Chinese government
Richard Marles was also asked about news that 45 pro-democracy activists were arrested in Hong Kong, including the Australian-Hong Kong dual national Gordon Ng, after the city’s largest national security trial.
He said the government is “very concerned”, specifically about the sentence applied to Ng, and “we will continue to make representations in respect of the sentence”.
But beyond that, as you say, we are very concerned about the application of the national security law in Hong Kong, and obviously in terms of how it’s been applied to Gordon Ng, and that’s a point that we made when the original conviction occurred …
[This is] a matter that we will continue to raise with the Chinese government in all of our advocacy, and this is a consular matter which is front and centre in terms of the way in which we are engaging with China.
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Will the government seek to reopen the embassy in Ukraine?
Richard Marles said it was “something we want to do”.
We’ve been wanting to do it for some time. We do have our ambassador in the region, who operates out of Warsaw. This is a matter of making sure, obviously, in the context of a war zone, that we can open this in a manner which is safe for all of those who would be in the embassy. And so this continues to be a work in progress around how that can be done, but we are engaging closely with Ukraine.
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Marles weighs in on latest developments on war on Ukraine
Richard Marles also spoke with ABC RN just now, asked about the latest developments out of the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has formally lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of its nuclear weapons after the Biden administration’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike targets inside Russian territory with US-supplied longer-range weapons. Asked for his reaction, Marles told the program:
It’s completely reprehensible on the part of Russia. I mean, there’s only one country which is talking about using nuclear weapons, and that’s Russia …
Russia’s cooperation with North Korea, such that we now have North Korean troops massing on the Ukrainian border, is an appalling escalation in what is already an appalling conflict … What’s at issue here is the global rules-based order, which is very much in Australia’s national interest, and that’s why we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes for this conflict to be resolved on its terms.
So you don’t see it as a dangerous escalation from the US to allow Ukraine to use these missiles to strike on Russian territory? Marles said this was Ukraine defending itself:
Ukraine is the country that was attacked. It was Russia which crossed the border into Ukraine and began this war, and Ukraine has a right to defend itself. It’s not Ukraine who’s talking about an escalation to a nuclear level … at every point it is Russia which is escalating this.
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Marles says Dutton spreading misinformation over US-UK civil nuclear deal
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, was on ABC News Breakfast earlier and was asked about the Coalition’s attack on the government for not joining a US-UK civil nuclear deal (as we flagged earlier).
Marles said the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is “intentionally seeking to conflate two ideas here and, frankly, spread a form of misinformation really”.
We don’t have a civil nuclear industry. This is an agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States to cooperate in respect of their civil nuclear industries. It is simply not an agreement which would apply [and] sits completely separately to what we are doing with the UK and the US in relation to Aukus, which is an agreement that is proceeding very well.
Marles said what is “embarrassing” is Dutton’s proposition that “Australia should walk down from where we are now in having no civil nuclear industry, to trying to acquire one”.
That is embarrassing because it would be pursuing for Australia the single most expensive form of electricity on the planet, like $1,200 on each and every household’s budget power bills, that would be the increase by walking down that path.
We wouldn’t see it for a couple of decades and even when it came into place, it would contribute at most about 4% to the power grid. Putting that proposition in front of the Australian people, that is what’s embarrassing.
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Clean Energy Council data shows surge in renewables since 2015 has reduced relative emissions by 30%
Kane Thornton, the chief executive of the Clean Energy Council, was up on ABC RN earlier this morning to discuss its new report – showing a surge in renewables since 2015 has reduced emissions by 30%, relative to if Australia had remained reliant on the 2015 fleet of power stations.
This morning, he told the program this was a good news story for the sector:
About five years ago, we were at around 15 or 16% of the grid coming from renewables. Today, we’re over 40% and by the end of next year, we’ll be pretty close to 50%.
So a pretty dramatic increase in the amount of renewables in the grid, which is obviously great for emissions, it’s also great because coal-fired power stations are starting to close down, they’re starting to get less reliable, and that renewable electricity is also [helping keep] power prices down and keep the lights on.
Thornton said the data shows the importance of having confidence about the future and “all political parties having a clear vision and … being aligned on targets”.
Where they’ve got that sort of certainty, then investors will put significant money on the table, and that rate of renewables accelerates. Where there’s uncertainty about the future, then the rate of new investment tends to slow down.
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Cost of living, cybersecurity and AI top ethical considerations for Australians: report
The Governance Institute of Australia’s 2024 ethics index shows that cost-of-living pressures and concerns about cybersecurity and AI are the top ethical considerations for Australians.
Based on a survey conducted with Ipsos, Australians perceived supermarket pricing as the most unethical behaviour (-50) while perceptions of GPs who don’t offer bulk billing have also fallen further (-33).
In terms of government promises ahead of the next federal election, Australians ranked affordable housing, renewable energy and grocery prices as their top three campaign topics. But the Governance Institute CEO, Megan Motto, said clear differences emerge when examining election promises by party preference:
Liberal voters favour nuclear power, while Labor voters focus on affordable housing, renewable energy and union actions. There is also a significant difference in perceptions of US relations based on the election result.
Fire services (76), nurses (75) and ambulance services (74) were seen as the most ethical jobs, while real estate agents (-18), federal politicians (-15) and state politicians (-6) were seen to be the least ethical.
The report also found that the ethical obligation for organisations to tackle climate change, even if it results in reduced profits or job losses, has increased significantly over the past year.
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‘Colesworth’ is National Dictionary Centre’s word of the year
The ANU’s National Dictionary Centre has selected the portmanteau – or blended word – “Colesworth” as its word of the year, highlighting the perceived duopoly of Australia’s largest supermarket retailers Coles and Woolworths.
A senior researcher at the centre, Mark Gwynn, says the phrase has been around for a number of years but usage has spiked recently as ordinary Australians vent their frustration at the increasing prices of food staples and questionable pricing practices.
Aussies walk out of the supermarket with less after paying more, but then hear news of massive profits in the supermarket sector. And with official investigations into some of the pricing practices at Australia’s two largest supermarkets, it’s no wonder that ordinary shoppers have become cynical.
The blend of the supermarket names Coles and Woolworths into Colesworth provides a succinct way of referring to both supermarkets while at the same time hinting at the negative aspects of what is perceived as an unfair duopoly.
Some other words on the shortlist were breaking (in reference to Raygun’s Olympic appearance), climate trigger, ute tax (a derogatory term for the new fuel efficiency standard) and YIMBY (yes in my back yard).
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Oxfam reacts to Australia’s Cop29 pledge
Oxfam Australia has welcomed the government’s Cop29 pledge of $50m towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown.
Oxfam said its new research shows a 700% increase in the number of people impacted by climate disasters in the Pacific region this decade, compared to the previous decade.
Its climate policy and advocacy lead, Julie-Anne Richards, welcomed the pledge, but said the funding must also be included in the new global climate finance goal for developing countries, which is a key demand of the Pacific and one Australia is yet to support:
If climate change losses and damages are not included in the new global climate finance goal, the new fund for responding to loss and damage risks becoming an empty vessel.
The danger is that developed country governments will prioritise meeting the new and ambitious climate finance goal, and will not prioritise a fund that doesn’t count towards it.
If Australia is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pacific, we must ensure the region gets the funding needed to recover from and build back better after climate change impacts, and Australia must be an important contributor alongside the global fund designed for this purpose.
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Coalition continues attack on government over nuclear deal decision
The Nationals senator Matt Canavan was up on the Today show earlier this morning, continuing to criticise the government for not signing up to a civil nuclear deal signed between the US and UK.
As Adam Morton reports, the UK government has conceded Australia was mistakenly included on a list of countries expected to sign up to the deal. Yesterday in parliament the acting prime minister, Richard Marles, said the deal goes to nuclear reactors which provide energy to electricity grids, and “we do not have that in this country, and so as a result … this agreement is not relevant to Australia”.
But today, Canavan is insisting Australia should have joined, telling the program:
I don’t want to concern you, Karl [Stefanovic], but you’re sitting only 30km from a nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney. We have some of the best nuclear scientists in the world. And sure, it doesn’t produce nuclear energy, but it produces some of the world’s best nuclear medicines. And because of that expertise, we have always been involved in these international developments to look at new nuclear technologies which might help us make better nuclear medicines in the future.
And of course, the current government is buying eight nuclear submarines. And so why shouldn’t we be involved in an international discussion about nuclear technologies? What the hell is going on?
Canavan argued that the prime minister should “recall Chris Bowen here and override this for our national security”.
It seems like it’s been a decision made by just the energy minister. Has this been considered by the cabinet? Has this been considered by the whole of government? Because there are a whole lot of other questions that arise here about why the government is making this decision. The only explanation is they’re doing so for pure domestic political purposes.
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Gender pay gap data reveals Australia’s female CEOs paid $170,000 less than men on average
Circling back to Jim Chalmers’ economic statement to parliament today, one of the claims he’ll make is that the gender pay gap is at a record low.
According to government figures today, the pay gap is 21.1%, an improvement on last year’s figure (21.7%). However, when the pay of chief executives and heads of business is included, the figure is higher at 21.8%.
Our story today leads on the gap in top pay with women CEOs earning $170,000 less than male counterparts. Here’s the full story:
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Number of vacant rentals highest level in more than a year
The number of vacant rentals nationally has jumped to its highest level since July 2023, according to the latest PropTrack Market Insight Report.
The report found that the national rental vacancy rate increased by 0.19% points (ppt) in October to 1.36%, as capital city vacancies rose 0.33ppt year-on-year, while regional areas saw a 0.13ppt decline over the same period.
A healthy vacancy rate is widely regarded to be 3%.
REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said:
Rental conditions improved in all capital cities and regional markets over October, with the national vacancy rate now 0.21ppt higher than at the same time last year. Despite the improvement, rental supply remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with 35% fewer properties available for rent.
While rental supply improved across both capital city and regional markets in October, there has been greater relief for renters in cities. Over the past year, vacancy rates in capital cities rose by 0.33ppt, while the combined regional areas remain 0.13ppt lower than a year ago.
Compared to March 2020, there were 45% fewer properties available for rent in Australia’s regional areas compared to a 32% drop in the capital cities.
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Good morning
Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties as we reach the halfway point of the second-last sitting week of this year.
You’ll have the whole Canberra team bringing you the latest today – Karen Middleton, Paul Karp, Josh Butler and Sarah Basford Canales.
Let’s get started.
The politics of Australian electoral reform – Full Story podcast
Big money and politics seem to go hand in hand, but the government wants to pass new electoral reform laws that they say will keep cashed-up donors out of federal politics. The detail has independents and minor parties crying foul.
In today’s Full Story podcast, Guardian Australia chief political correspondent Paul Karp speaks to Reged Ahmed about why Labor and the Coalition have been accused of cooking up a “secret deal” on new electoral rules.
Another area where the two main parties agree in theory is international student caps. But they’ve managed to fall out a bit.
Our explainer today looks at what’s behind the stoush.
Chalmers says ‘optimism is warranted’ on economy
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will today deliver an economic statement to parliament setting out the progress the government has made on key indicators and causes for optimism about the economy and the budget.
In advance excerpts released by his office, Chalmers will claim that inflation has more than halved, real wages are growing again and the economy is expanding. He will say that one million new jobs have been created and that two huge deficits have been turned into two substantial surpluses.
At every stage we have been upfront about the nature and magnitude of our economic challenges. Even with very substantial progress in the aggregate numbers, we know that doesn’t always translate to how people are faring and feeling day-to-day.
We’re not pretending its mission accomplished – it isn’t. We are realistic about this, but optimistic too. Today as I provide a stocktake of the global and domestic economy preview the mid-year update which we will hand down in December. And outline our policies and plans. I will explain why that very cautious confidence and emerging optimism is welcome and warranted.
Of course the bit they’ve given us doesn’t tell us what’s in the mid-year economic update. You’ll just have to tune in at midday, and then again in mid-December for that. It’s forward sizzle. It’s the advent calendar approach, you can’t have all your chocolates at once.
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More on the record number of GPs in training
The RACGP president, Dr Nicole Higgins, said the increased number of GPs in training is a reflection of how the government has provided the college with the flexibility and the funding to accommodate prospective trainees.
Higgins praised the government’s rapid support for requests including funding for accommodation, travel and childcare that allowed the college to place 177 general GPs in training in rural communities that had not had a registrar in years.
However, she warned the government must make lasting investments to tackle Australia’s GP shortage and ensure Australians can see a GP regularly:
This 20% growth in GPs in training is a sign the GP workforce is recovering. But it can’t be taken as a sign the job is done. The story we’ve been told, and that we’ve often told each other as GPs, is one of general practice in decline. These training results show us we can turn that around with the right investments, because funding general practice gets results.
The college is calling on the government to link the allocation of government-subsidised medical places to a target of 50% of graduates training as GPs, fund 500 more training program places for the RACGP over the next five years and ensure GPs in training have equal pay and work entitlements to other medical specialists in training.
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Record number of GPs in training for 2025
A record number of GPs will be trained in 2025, the first time in years the specialty has filled all its training positions, which will go some way towards addressing Australia’s GP shortage.
A government report in August, which found that a shortfall of more than 5,000 GPs was expected in the next decade, was the latest in a number of warnings that as more Australians live with chronic conditions, not enough medical graduates are choosing general practice as a career.
However, the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has today confirmed the trend is turning around, with 1,504 junior doctors having accepted specialist training through the college’s program. It represents an increase of 20% – or 249 trainees – on 2024.
The signs are also positive for the regional and remote areas the government report found were most at risk from the shortage, with 844 trainees accepting a general training pathway, 583 a rural pathway, and 77 composite rural placements.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories before Emily Wind takes the reins.
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has declared the landmark Paris agreement “is working” as it had brought the world back from “the brink of catastrophic 4C warming”, but argued countries must set the most ambitious emissions targets possible for 2035 to limit worsening global heating. Speaking at the Cop29 summit in Baku, Bowen also pledged $50m towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown. Reaction coming up.
KiiS FM, the radio station that is home to the graphic and at times derisive Kyle and Jackie O show, this year attracted the biggest share of listeners aged 10 to 17, Guardian Australia can reveal. That is more than 200,000 children and teenagers listening to the station in Sydney alone. But despite children being exposed to inappropriate material on the station’s top-rating show, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has failed to launch its own investigation into the program.
A record number of GPs will be trained in 2025, the first time in years the specialty has filled all its training positions, which will go some way towards addressing Australia’s GP shortage. More details coming up.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will spruik the government’s economic achievements in parliament today. He will claim that inflation has more than halved, real wages are growing again and the economy is expanding. He will also claim that the gender pay gap is at a record low although there is a little bit more to those figures than meets the eye as our story on the subject reveals. More coming up.
