Hello, it's Friday, July 15. Here's what you need to get caught up on today's news.
One thing to know: Calls for pandemic leave payments are mounting
In case you missed it, the $750 pandemic leave payments were available for people forced to isolate or care for someone with COVID-19.
The scheme ended two weeks ago, but there are growing calls for it to be reinstated amid the increase in COVID-19 cases nationwide.
Federal MP Mike Freelander, who is a practising paediatrician, said the payment should be restored and people in his community would suffer without it.
"It's going to put a lot of pressure on people to go to work when they are not well and it will increase the spread of the variants, putting pressure on hospital systems that are already overloaded."
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns called on the federal government to reconsider its decision.
"If you are a casual worker and you must spend seven days in isolation, you may not have access to any funds at all."
Acting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said even though the payments were ended by her government, the current government should reinstate it.
"[The leave payment] is there for people who just don't have finances to fall back on, and as we walked to the studio today, past the people who clean the train stations, who set up the coffee shops, $750 is a lifeline for them.
Now the Australian Medical Association has joined the calls for the payments' return.
"[People have] got that choice of going without pay for a whole week — potentially limiting their ability to put food on the table or pay their rent — or they're going to have to either not get tested or ignore that test, go to work and potentially infect their co-workers," president Omar Khorshid said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the concerns would be discussed at a national cabinet meeting on Monday.
Stay tuned.
We heard a lot about the Pacific Islands forum
Anthony Albanese has been in Fiji meeting with Pacific Islands leaders.
Here's the upshot from the forum:
- Australia looks set to sign up to a joint statement that's expected to declare a "climate emergency"
- The joint statement also calls for rapid and deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming
- The communique, which hasn't been released yet, has been endorsed by all Pacific leaders
- The draft endorsed Australia's bid to co-host the 2024 climate change conference with Pacific nations
- The document stresses that climate change remains the greatest existential threat to the Pacific, and it's a matter of urgency that global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius
The news Australia is searching for
- Ivana Trump: The first wife of former US president Donald Trump and the mother of his three oldest children has died in New York City at the age of 73
- Constance Wu: The American actor, who starred in films Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers, said online backlash after a comment she made in 2019 almost caused her to take her own life
- Kevin Spacey: The Oscar-winning actor will go on trial in London next year after pleading not guilty to accusations of sex offences dating back almost 20 years
News you might have missed
-
Sri Lanka's parliament has officially announced the resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after mass protests
One more thing: Milk prices are going up
- Coles said it would increase its home brand milk from $1.35 to $1.60 a litre
- Woolworths has matched the increase of 25 cents
- Aldi hasn't increased the price yet but has indicated it could match the price rise
The supermarket giants have blamed higher supply chain costs, including payments to farmers.
"The farm gate prices paid to dairy farmers have risen significantly this season and as a result we're paying our own brand suppliers more for milk," a Woolworths spokesman said.
But relieved dairy farmers said the supermarkets had brought this sudden price hike on themselves.
That's because in 2011 the supermarkets slashed milk prices by one-third and started the $1-a-litre milk campaign.
Australian Dairy Farmers Association president Rick Gladigau said that decision was "coming home to roost".
"We've seen the exodus of farmers. We're now seeing that there is a shortage of milk in the country," Mr Gladigau said.
That's it for now
We'll be back Monday with more.
ABC/wires
