What we learned: Wednesday 06 March
And with that, I am going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese marked the final day of an Asean summit in Melbourne by announcing $61.5m for a range of initiatives designed to strengthen ties with south-east Asian nations.
The PM said “remains concerned” about humanitarian situation in Gaza and that Australia would “make an assessment” on UNRWA funding.
Australia’s economy expanded 0.2% in the final quarter of 2023, with the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, saying “even weak growth is welcome growth”.
Optus has been slapped with a $1.5m fine by the communications watchdog after the telco was found to have breached public safety rules.
The Greens released their latest housing policy, proposing to create a public property developer to build 360,000 homes over five years.
Qantas fined $250,000 for standing down worker who raised Covid concerns.
Two climate protesters are in jail for blocking traffic lanes on a major Melbourne freeway, causing significant rush-hour delays.
Victoria’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, said the government will not be releasing the Ken Lay report into a second safe injecting room for the CBD.
The federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, has significantly reduced the size of Australia’s third offshore wind zone after lobbying from environmental groups.
A man has died from a possible hit-and-run incident after his body was found lying on a suburban Sydney street early in the morning.
A search is under way for a hiker missing in bushland on Queensland’s highest mountain.
The sentencing of former army lawyer David McBride has been postponed at the last minute after the commonwealth attempted to introduce further evidence.
Updated
Albanese says Keating ‘doesn’t need advice’ from him after ex-PM’s comments on foreign minister
Let’s return to one point from Anthony Albanese’s post-Asean press conference: his defence of his foreign minister after fresh criticism from Labor luminary Paul Keating.
In a statement on Tuesday, Keating said:
It doesn’t take much to encourage Penny Wong, sporting her ‘deeply concerned’ frown, to rattle the China can – a can she gave a good shake to [on Monday].
That was a reference to a speech on Monday in which Wong raised concerns about destabilising and dangerous actions in the South China Sea. Keating said the Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, had “dropped a huge rock into Wong’s pond by telling Australia not to piggyback Australia’s problems with China on to Asean”.
Albanese said he did not believe Keating’s comments detracted from the work the Australian government was doing at the special summit with Asean leaders in Melbourne, which wrapped up this afternoon:
No, in a word, and Penny Wong will be regarded as one of Australia’s finest foreign ministers since federation. Penny Wong is someone who brings Australia enormous respect, enormous respect – she’s someone who is diligent, she’s someone who is engaging, she’s someone who is across of all of her briefs and she’s someone who represents Australia in a way in which every Australian can be proud.
Asked whether Keating should stop the personalised language against Wong, Albanese said:
I know Paul and respect him. Paul, I think, doesn’t need advice off myself. It is up to him, but people are accountable for what they say. Paul is accountable for what he says. He knows that. On Penny Wong, I think quite clearly he’s is wrong.
Updated
