Good afternoon. We kickstart the week with a major political deal. After weeks of tough negotiating, Labor and the Greens have arrived at a compromise that should see the government’s signature climate bill pass parliament.
The safeguard mechanism legislation, which is designed to reduce emissions from the heaviest polluting industries, was strengthened today after the government agreed to a Greens demand for a hard cap on emissions.
The compromise will allow for new coal and gas projects to go ahead (a key Labor position), but with a declining annual limit on absolute emissions until 2030, starting at 140m tonnes. That means, in effect, the bill could block half of the 116 proposed new fossil fuel projects if it is shown that those projects would result in the annual cap being exceeded – which, under this new bill, would be against the law.
Anthony Albanese called the deal “a great day for our environment”.
Top news
Moira Deeming avoids expulsion | The controversial Victorian Liberal MP will remain a member of the party room after a marathon two-hour meeting of MPs. She will instead be suspended for nine months in a move seen as a loss for the opposition leader, John Pesutto. Pesutto had sought to expel Deeming after she attended a rally headlined by British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen; that 19 March rally was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis who were photographed performing the Nazi salute.
ATO whistleblower facing criminal trial | Civil liberty advocates have condemned a court ruling that will see the whistleblower Richard Boyle face trial and potentially a prison sentence if found guilty, calling it a “major blow for Australian democracy”. Boyle accused the tax office of aggressively pursuing debts from taxpayers, telling a court hearing last year he was worried that the ATO’s tactics were putting people at risk of suicide. But judge Liesl Kudelka today found Boyle’s actions were not immune from prosecution under the Public Interest Disclosure Act, meaning he will now go to trial. The independent MP Andrew Wilkie called on the government to intervene.
Queensland protest after police shooting of Indigenous man | Hundreds marched in the north Queensland town of Mareeba after a 28-year-old Indigenous man, Aubrey Donahue, was shot and killed by police on Saturday. His family claim Donahue was unarmed. Separately, the Queensland Human Rights Commission has expressed grave concerns about the exclusion of the police force from a three-year Indigenous truth-telling inquiry as part of the state’s path to treaty, arguing the institution’s dark colonial history must be unearthed.
Latitude Financial cyber-attack worse than first thought | As many as 14m customer records – including driver licence numbers, passport numbers and financial statements – were stolen in the cyber-attack. The consumer lender, which offers personal loans and credit to customers shopping at stores including JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Harvey Norman, said in a statement on Monday that some of the documents date back to at least 2005.
Three-year wait for surgery | A 25-year-old Melbourne man has been waiting more than three years for life-changing hip surgery after a car accident, despite his condition declining to the extent that he can no longer walk. The incredibly long wait is, according to the man’s GP, the result of a “broken public healthcare system”.
Hong Kong’s first authorised protest in years | Hong Kong police have permitted a small protest march under tight restrictions, in one of the first demonstrations to be approved since the enactment of a sweeping national security law in 2020. Several dozen demonstrators were required to wear numbered lanyards and were barred from wearing masks, as police monitored their march against a proposed land reclamation and rubbish processing project.
Israel protests after minister’s sacking | Mass protests swept Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister for objecting to the prime minister’s controversial judicial reforms. Yoav Gallant had called on Netanyahu – who is facing a corruption trial – to scrap the proposals which have divided the country, led to mass protests and sparked growing discontent within the military.
Lebanon’s two time zones | The Lebanese government made a last-minute call last Thursday to delay the start of daylight savings until after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – which began last week – so worshippers would have shortened fasting hours. That call has resulted in mass confusion as well as pushback from many Christian politicians and institutions who have rejected the decision, leaving the tiny country split into two time zones.
Full Story
Australian children are hooked on vapes – what are we doing about it?
The health minister has accused the vaping industry of making a “new generation of nicotine addicts” amid rising reports of addiction in teenagers and nicotine poisoning in toddlers. This comes as a vaping reform inquiry reveals an “overwhelming” number of health experts and authorities support tighter border controls around nicotine vaping products.
Listen to this 20-minute episode where medical editor Melissa Davey explores what Australia’s vaping crackdown – expected within the year – could look like, and the impact of vaping on kids.
What they said …
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“Negotiating with Labor is like negotiating with the political wing of the coal and gas corporations.” – Adam Bandt
The Greens leader couldn’t resist having a dig at the government despite forging a deal on the safeguard mechanism. The PM, however, used his press conference to lob a few grenades at the Coalition, calling them “observers of Australian politics rather than participants” for opposing the bill outright.
In numbers
A steep decline indeed, should Musk’s leaked memo be true.
Before bed read
Relationships are a rollercoaster – stating the obvious – so where do we go for help to navigate the ride? Podcasts? Books? Friends? Mum? Or how about 10 tips from two married therapists?
I feel this one is directed right at me:
“4. Three moans a day: If you’re a complainer, limit it to three a day.”
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: CHAM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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