What we learned; Friday 5 May
That’s where we’ll leave you this Friday evening. Here’s what we learned:
Australia’s free trade agreement with the UK will start at the end of this month, which will mean no tariffs on almost all Australian goods exported to the UK and more Australians will be eligible for lengthier working holidays in the UK.
Anthony Albanese has said there is “nothing to be served by” Julian Assange’s ongoing incarceration.
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has cancelled two applications for coalmines in Queensland on the basis that proponents failed to submit additional information requested of them.
Jim Chalmers said next week’s budget would look to tackle “entrenched disadvantage” through a series of place-based initiatives “to try and shift the needle in disadvantaged communities”.
Gabrielle Carey, the co-author of Puberty Blues, has died.
Julia Gutman has won the 2023 Archibald prize for her portrait of Australian singer Montaigne, also known as Jessica Cerro.
A Service NSW worker is in a critical condition after being stabbed multiple times at a service centre in Sydney’s CBD.
A Bangladeshi student has died after he was allegedly assaulted during a break-in at his Darwin home, triggering a homicide investigation.
Father Bob Maguire was farewelled at a state funeral in Melbourne.
Thanks for your company this afternoon. See you tomorrow.
Updated
Abolition of ParentsNext is overdue but other punitive welfare programs remain
Parliamentary inquiries, experts, advocates, and Guardian Australia’s own reporting over the years revealed the same thing about the ParentsNext program: it was punitive and caused harm to some of the most vulnerable people in Australia.
Its abolition was long overdue and the Albanese government is to be commended for heeding the calls of those who argued for reform over many years.
In a budget that will probably disappoint advocates calling for an across-the-board increase to the jobseeker payment, the end of ParentsNext and moves to restore to parenting payment for those with children over eight years old represent a shift in thinking.
But it raises a question as to whether the problems within ParentsNext still exist in other parts of our welfare system.
Read the full analysis here:
Updated
Winter is coming (to country’s south-east)
It’s about time for a weekend weather report, I reckon.
The short version is: winter is coming, and the south-east is going to feel it tomorrow.
A vigorous cold front over the coming days will bring down temperatures across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart, with frosty mornings expected until at least Tuesday.
Temperatures will drop between two and eight degrees below the May average, with a rain band moving through with the front, making it feel colder than it is.
The Bureau of Meteorology is also forecasting some gusty winds, particularly across Tasmania and southern Victoria on Saturday, and along the New South Wales coast on Sunday.
Mostafa Rachwani has all the details:
Updated
Punchbowl man charged with alleged workplace stabbing
A 37-year-old man from Punchbowl has been charged after the alleged stabbing of a Service NSW worker at his workplace in Sydney today.
About 9.20am, emergency services were called to Haymarket following reports of a stabbing.
On arrival, a 54-year-old man was found suffering stab wounds to his lower back, chest, and shoulder.
The 37-year-old was arrested and taken to Day Street police station. This afternoon, he was charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta local court tomorrow.
The victim, earlier reported to be a 55-year-old, is in St Vincent’s hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Updated
Man charged with alleged murder of Bangladeshi student in Darwin
A 29-year-old man has been charged with murder after an international student was allegedly killed in a home invasion in Darwin earlier this week, AAP reports.
23-year-old Ishaqur Rahman Sifat from Bangladesh was critically injured and was taken to Royal Darwin hospital where he died as a result of his injuries yesterday.
Police will allege the intruder assaulted Sifat while he was asleep at his home in Milner on Wednesday.
In a statement, NT Police said detectives from serious crime have now charged the alleged offender with murder, aggravated burglary and theft.
The man was denied bail to face Darwin local court on 8 May.
A combined vigil and protest was held by Sifat’s classmates at Charles Darwin University. Federal ministers and students attended to pay their respects and call for more to be done to ensure the safety of NT residents at home.
Charles Darwin University’s Bangladeshi Student Association said in a statement yesterday:
It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of the passing of our beloved friend and fellow student, MD Ishaqur Rahman Sifat.
He fought bravely in the ICU but sadly succumbed to his injuries at 4:35 PM today.
Our whole community is shaken by this tragic loss.
Updated
And with that, I will hand the blog over to Stephanie Convery, thanks for reading.
Melissa Caddick’s parents make offer to resolve dispute with duped investors
The parents of deceased fraudster Melissa Caddick have made an offer to resolve a dispute with duped investors regarding who will benefit from the sale of a multi-million dollar property in Sydney’s east, in the federal court on Friday.
AAP is reporting that Ted and Barbara Grimley have proposed a sum be taken out of funds gathered by receivers appointed over Caddicks’ property in exchange for the sale of an apartment in Edgecliff which has previously been the subject of heated disagreement.
Investors have claimed they are owed all money from the sale of the property, while the Grimleys have battled for their own cut of the proceeds.
The couple claim they paid their now-deceased daughter almost $1.2 million as partial payment for the apartment’s purchase on the condition they would live there rent-free until they died.
The receivers urged investors to agree to the Grimleys’ “open offer” in court.
“The (out of pocket investors) will not get a materially better return in the event that these proceedings are judicially determined in their favour,” said barrister Vanessa Whittaker SC.
The Grimleys’ barrister Robert Newlinds SC threw his support behind the suggestion.
“Of course we think it’s a good idea. We will be supportive of it,” he told Justice Brigette Markovic.
The exact amount proposed by Caddick’s parents has not been revealed but Ms Whittaker said that even if the investors won, the best-case scenario would see in court, the amount taken out by legal fees would leave them worse off than if they had simply accepted the offer.
The receivers will circulate material backing their position and will hold town hall meetings with investors before a hearing on 31 May.
Investors will have the chance to raise objections to the proposal by 24 May.
Updated
Mother sentenced for murder of her three children
AAP is reporting that a mother who stabbed, strangled and suffocated her three children before burning their bodies in a house fire will spend at least 25 years behind bars.
Margaret Dale Hawke, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder after killing her 10-year-old daughter and two sons, aged seven and four months, in the family’s Port Hedland home on July 19, last year.
Sentencing her on Friday, Justice Michael Lundberg said it was a sad and distressing case and Hawke had failed her fundamental duty as a parent to protect her children.
“It is almost impossible to fathom how you reached a point where you knowingly ... killed your three only children in your own home at such young ages,” he told her at the supreme court in Perth.
“It is impossible for any person to understand what you were thinking at the time and indeed, it appears you aren’t entirely clear why you came to engage in such serious and brutal attacks.”
The court heard Hawke strangled her daughter with an electrical cord and stabbed her eight times in her chest and heart.
She also strangled and stabbed her seven-year-old son. He was found with three stab wounds to his chest and wounds on his neck.
Hawke tried to drown her infant son but failed and instead smothered the child before walking to a beach where she disposed of the knife.
After she returned to the family home where her dead children lay, she lit two fires and walked out into the street as it was engulfed by flames.
Members of the public tried to enter the home and save the children, but it was too dangerous.
Firefighters put the blaze out. Hawke’s elder son’s body was found on a mattress in a room at the front of the property. Her daughter and other son were found in a room at the back.
Hawke was taken to hospital and later admitted she had murdered her children.
Hawke was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 25 years for each of the three murders and two years and eight months’ jail for the criminal damage by fire, to be served concurrently.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek rejects Queensland coalmines
Two proposed Queensland coalmines have been knocked back, AAP is reporting, after failing to prove their environmental credentials, giving green groups hope more projects could be canned.
The China Stone Coal mine project is a proposal by MacMines Austasia to construct and operate a coal mine in Belyando.
In 2018, further information was requested about the potential impacts on threatened species and water resources.
But more than four years later, nothing has been provided.
The project aimed to produce 55 million tonnes a year of coal across 50 years.
The Range Coal project is a proposal by Stanmore Coal to construct and operate an open-cut coal mine and processing facilities 25km southeast of Wandoan.
In 2013, further information was requested about the impact on threatened species and water resources but nothing has been provided.
The two proponents wrote to the government in 2020 indicating they wanted to progress the projects but have not submitted the additional information requested of them.
The original material submitted to the government might no longer be current because impacts on the environment, species present in the area, and species considered threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act have changed.
“I’ve been clear I will have zero tolerance for businesses who refuse to provide adequate information about the impact their projects will have on nature,” environment minister Tanya Plibersek said on Friday.
“If companies aren’t willing to show how they will protect nature, then I’m willing to cancel their projects - and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”
The Environment Council of Central Queensland, represented by Environmental Justice Australia, launched the Living Wonders legal intervention in July to compel the minister to reconsider 19 coal and gas proposals.
Three of the 19 projects have previously been refused by the minister or withdrawn by the companies.
The minister’s decision on the China Stone and Range Coal projects means there are now 14 coal and gas proposals subject to legal intervention.
Council president Christine Carlisle said the minister should now “show courage when assessing the remaining coal and gas proposals on her desk”.
“Each and every one of them will have a devastating impact on our climate and our living wonders, so must be properly assessed,” she said.
You can read more on the issue from our story, linked below:
Updated
Queensland premier urges crackdown on posts boasting of criminal behaviour on social media
AAP is reporting that Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is calling on social media companies to do more to prevent youth crime, after her state passed “the toughest laws in Australia” in an attempt to rein in offending.
The state government has been under pressure to defend its response after three people were killed in a collision this week involving a stolen Mercedes allegedly driven by a 13-year-old boy in Maryborough.
“Nearly everybody in that community knew one of the people who were killed,” Palaszczuk told Nine’s Today Show on Friday.
“It has been very upsetting and I think there’s not a Queenslander that is not touched by this tragedy in some way.”
Queensland’s parliament in March passed a raft of laws targeting young people, including harsher prison terms for car thieves and new penalties for people who boast about crime on social media.
The changes also make it a crime for a child to breach their bail conditions, allow GPS trackers on children as young as 15, and let courts declare certain youths serious repeat offenders.
“I can’t stop every single instance of youth crime but we can throw everything at it,” Palaszczuk said.
Posting crimes to social media can encourage copycat behaviour, and platforms such as Facebook can do more to “clamp down” on publication, the premier said.
Palaszczuk said the Queensland laws passed earlier this year were “the toughest in Australia” and were voted on by both sides of politics.
“They will take time to take effect,” she said.
“We’ve given the courts the laws, and now the courts have the opportunity to use those laws.”
The state also boosted funding to early intervention programs making “really substantial changes”, Palaszczuk said.
Updated
Universities Australia chief urges more funding for research
Universities Australia chief Catriona Jackson has warned that government spending on research has dropped to its lowest level on record, and that next week’s budget could be an opportunity to fix the problem.
Jackson told the the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association’s annual conference in Hobart earlier today that while the government “can’t fund everything,” it needed to take a serious look at research funding:
In tough fiscal circumstances, we recognise government can’t fund everything.
Tough decisions must be made at a time that calls for less public spending. But we know that research makes the nation stronger and wealthier.
It’s unfathomable that our ability to continue performing fundamentally important research for the good of the nation hinges on people choosing to study in Australia.
Updated
Mehreen Faruqi criticises ‘cringeworthy’ Albanese for attending coronation
Deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi has criticised the PM for his “cringeworthy behaviour” in attending the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.
Faruqi said it was time Australia became a republic, and accused the PM for wanting to “have it both ways”:
Now would be the perfect time to double down on becoming a republic, but instead the prime minister is swearing loyalty to an outdated institution.
The British monarchy and their obscene wealth is a racist, colonial institution built on the blood, backs and stolen wealth of brown and black people. The violent legacies of British colonialism are felt by people and countries all over the globe, including here in Australia, a nation born of dispossession and violence.
Becoming a republic is an important step towards achieving racial justice on this continent. Moving to a republic has to be done hand in hand with truth-telling and treaty for First Nations people.
Prime minister Albanese’s tepid commitment to the republic movement is yet another example of Labor trying to have it both ways.
Updated
New transition authority to cost $23m in first year, Bowen says
Climate and energy minister Chris Bowen has cleared a couple of things about the new national net zero authority (see earlier posts).
For one thing, the authority cost $23m in the first year.
And the $400m that’s been reported by some media (not us) in relation to the transition is coming from an industrial transformation stream that itself is part of the $1.9bn Powering the Regions Fund. It seems the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) will administer that $400m (and not the new authority). Easy to see how those streams can get a bit murky.
Bowen didn’t disclose who will head the authority, but said it would “be broadly representative”, tapping people with “varying backgrounds in the energy transformation and industrial transformation”.
Federal cabinet will consider the appointments “in coming weeks”. The aim is to legislate the authority over the next 12 months.
Bowen said he had briefed New South Wales’ new energy minister Penny Sharpe. The new federal agency would be “complementary” with the planned state one(s).
“She very much welcomed it,” he said. “I briefed all the, you know, all the energy ministers that I could reach, and it was broadly welcomed across the board.”
The next gathering of energy ministers will be in a fortnight so perhaps the transition will be discussed there too.
Updated
Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you, taking you through some of this chilly Friday afternoon.
I am signing off for the day and wishing you a fabulous weekend.
Mostafa Rachwani will be with you for the rest of the afternoon and Amy Remeikis will be back for the politics blog bright and early Monday in what will be a very big week in Canberra with the budget handed down Tuesday.
NSW department of customer service secretary, Emma Hogan, thanked witnesses of the alleged attack and all frontline workers across the state.
She said:
The safety and welfare of our teams is the most important thing to us and we are all devastated by this morning’s event.
The Service NSW worker has been operated on and is now in a stable condition in the ICU.
The 37-year-old man has been refused bail and will appear in court later this afternoon.
Updated
Man expected to be charged after stabbing of Service NSW worker in Sydney
A 37-year-old man has been arrested and is expected to be charged after the stabbing of a Service NSW worker in inner Sydney this morning.
NSW police detective superintendent Martin Fileman alleged the man walked into the Service NSW building shortly before 9.20am this morning, had a short conversation with the 55-year-old worker before allegedly attacking him with a knife.
Fileman said:
The 37-year-old male was arrested by police at the scene and was taken to the Day St police station where he underwent a medical assessment.
The man is expected to be charged with wounding with intent.
Updated
Victorian Liberal leader plays down possibility of federal intervention
Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto says his leadership is not in danger despite the looming threat of a federal intervention.
Moira Deeming yesterday revealed she is mounting a legal challenge against her suspension after issuing a failed ultimatum to Pesutto, to declare that she is not a Nazi sympathiser.
Pesutto has told Sky News he heard the federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s comments on Breakfast news programs this morning telling the party to get “this mess sorted” and not ruling out a federal intervention.
The Victorian leader played down the possibility of a federal intervention:
I don’t believe federal intervention will occur and I don’t believe it’s necessary.
Pesutto says he has yet to speak to Dutton, but flagged the pair will “speak soon”.
Asked whether he believes his leadership is safe, Pesutto said “yes”.
Updated
John Safran delivers Father Bob eulogy at state funeral
Father Bob’s longtime friend and radio co-host John Safran, brought the priest’s larrikin spirit to his eulogy:
He was like a reverse Native American. He thought his soul would be taken away if a camera was not pointed at him.
…I spent so much time with Father Bob over 20 years, I feel like I can auto generate an AI chat between him and me regarding today:
Safran: Bob, you are dead. Do you want a state funeral?
Maguire: No.
Updated
Images from Father Bob Maguire’s state funeral
The state funeral service honouring Father Bob Maguire took place earlier at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. The service was attended by premier Daniel Andrews, opposition leader, John Pesutto, federal NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, as well as former premiers Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett.
Here are some of the images from the service:
Updated
Chris Minns thanks first responders for helping Service NSW worker stabbed in Sydney
NSW premier Chris Minns, has thanked first responders who helped the Service NSW worker who was stabbed in Sydney this morning.
He said:
The stabbing of a Service NSW worker today in Sydney is horrifying.
The thoughts of our government and our state are with this worker and their family at what is no doubt a very difficult time.
To all the staff at Service NSW and those first responders on the scene – thank you.
Updated
Vietnam demands Australia stop using flag from defunct regime
Vietnam is demanding that Australia stops using a yellow flag from the country’s now defunct regime.
The Australian Mint released a special edition silver $2 coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam war, which featured South Vietnam’s flag (three red stripes against a yellow background).
Vietnamese paper VN Express reports that the deputy spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs Pham Thu Hang said Thursday:
We resolutely oppose the fact that the Royal Australia Mint and the Australia Post have issued products with the images of ‘yellow flag,’ which is the flag of a regime that no longer exists.
Curious brouhaha between Australia/Vietnam (which have rapidly improved ties) over a coin of all things. Royal Australian Mint has produced a commemorative Vietnam War $2 coin which includes same colours used on defunct regime's flag. Hanoi is unhappy 1/ https://t.co/mX9Jhejwz3
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) May 5, 2023
Updated
New energy transition authority to be legislated, Albanese government says
The government says it will legistate its national Net Zero Authority “to ensure the workers, industries and communities that have powered Australia for generations can seize the opportunities of Australia’s net zero transformation”.
That’s according to a media release sent out by the PM’s office, with treasurer Jim Chalmers and energy minister Chris Bowen signing on too.
It’s not yet clear how much it will cost, nor who will head it (perhaps the media conference beside the less than idyllic Lake Liddell might tell us more). Former ACTU boss and Labor minister Greg Combet is one name being floated.
Anyway, to add a little confusion, the government will first set up an agency by 1 July within the PM and cabinet office that will then advise on the final design of a National Net Zero Authority (so NZA becomes NNZA). The aim is to improve a poor trackrecord when it comes to replacing industries when they close. (Think, car industry, for one.)
And, in line with the earlier post, the authority aim to coordinate programs across government, support workers through training to reskill, and lure in investors to generate the new jobs and industries.
An noted in our piece from yesterday, the NSW government is also planning “transition authorities” too. It’s not clear, though, what coordination there is between the new Labor government in New South Wales and their federal counterparts.
The point person in the NSW government appears to be finance minister Courtney Houssos, so we’ve been told. State-federal coordination, including among authorities, would appear to be a good first step.
And, for those wonder, here’s why we hope the media event at Lake Liddell was a little distance from the water’s edge. (Naegleria Fowleri is unhappily known as a “brain-eating amoeba”.)
Those attending today’s media event by Lake Liddell would be advised to keep away from the water… (the nearby power station’s releases of hot water have now ceased for good so perhaps the threat will ease too)… pic.twitter.com/vaxqb1kgGx
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) May 5, 2023
Updated
Agency in charge of national net zero authority to be established from 1 July
It will initially be part of the department of prime minister and cabinet as it provides advice on the final design of the authority.
In the meantime until the authority is up and running, the government says it’s providing an extra $400m to the $1.9bn Powering the Regions Fund.
This new commitment will be dedicated to creating an Industrial Transformation Stream to support existing industries such as rail and aviation.
Updated
What is the national net zero authority the government has announced?
The joint statement from the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and energy minister, Chris Bowen says:
The Authority will have responsibility for promoting the orderly and positive economic transformation associated with achieving net zero emissions.
The new, legislated Net Zero Authority will:
Support workers in emissions-intensive sectors to access new employment, skills and support as the net zero transformation continues.
Coordinate programs and policies across government to support regions and communities to attract and take advantage of new clean energy industries and set those industries up for success.
Help investors and companies to engage with net zero transformation opportunities.
Updated
National net zero authority welcomed as milestone win for resource communities
The leader from one of Australia’s biggest resource regions has welcomed the federal government’s announcement of the national net zero authority as a milestone win for resource communities.
Isaac regional council mayor Anne Baker said today’s announcement is a vote of confidence for communities at the coal face.
We’ve advocated strongly to ensure all resources communities across Australia are not alone and that they are supported by all levels of government through this transformational change.
It gives us confidence that the government have listened and that all resource communities rightly have a seat at the table to co-design a plan for a decarbonised future.
On behalf of our people, our workers, our communities, thank you for hearing us.
Updated
Wynne and Sulman prize winners announced
Also announced at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on Friday were the winners of the Wynne prize for landscape painting of Australian scenery or figurative sculpture, and the Sulman prize for best subject painting, genre painting or mural project in oil, acrylic, watercolour or mixed media.
Zaachariaha Fielding – of pop-electronic duo Electric Fields – won the $50,000 Wynne prize as a first-time entrant.
His work, titled Inma – which means “song and dance” – depicts the sounds of Mimili, a small community in Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands where he was raised.
In his artist statement, Fielding described Mimili as “the Sydney Opera House for the APY Lands! It’s where people come to embrace and celebrate children, teaching them how to move and mimic their clan emblem – and, for Mimili, this has always been the maku (witchetty grub).”
The atmosphere of this work is full of sound, movement and teaching.
Luritja artist Doris Bush Nungarrayi for her work Mamunya ngalyananyi (Monster coming) won the $40,000 Sulman prize.
The 81-year-old was born in Ikuntji, 250km west of Alice Springs. According to the statement accompanying her artwork, the piece depicts “ominous and malevolent spirits that terrify Aṉangu” known as mamus, or “cheeky ones”.
A record 38 Indigenous artists were among the finalists for the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes, compared to 27 last year.
The finalists for the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes will be on show at AGNSW from 6 May until 3 September.
Updated
Julia Gutman wins 2023 Archibald prize for portrait of Montaigne
Julia Gutman has won the 2023 Archibald prize for her portrait of Australian singer Montaigne, also known as Jessica Cerro.
Announced at the Art Gallery of NSW just now, the winning painting was picked unanimously by the judges.
Gutman is a first-time Archibald finalist, and a friend of Cerro’s.
“I wanted to work with someone I know well,” she said in her artist statement.
In this Archibald portrait, her pose mimics that of Egon Schiele’s Seated woman with bent knees, a painting of his wife Edith that subverted conventional representations of femininity when he composed it in 1917.
Like Edith, Montaigne’s figure is distorted: at once angular and soft, representational and imagined. She sits in a vaguely suggested landscape, fragmented by a translucent screen, online and offline at once.
The $100,000 prize is awarded to the best portrait of a person “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics” painted by an Australian resident.
The Art Galley of NSW received 949 entries for this year’s Archibald, coming close to the record set in 2020.
Updated
Police and the department of customer service will address the media today after the stabbing of a man at Haymarket, confirmed to be a Service NSW worker.
Detective superintendent Martin Fileman will address reporters at 2pm in Sydney.
Updated
Service NSW worker stabbed multiple times in central Sydney
A Service NSW worker is in a critical condition after being stabbed multiple times at a service centre in Sydney’s CBD.
Emergency services were called to Rawson Place in Haymarket after reports a 55-year-old man was stabbed in the lower back, chest and shoulder on Friday morning, police said.
He was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition. A 37-year-old man was arrested and taken to a police station as investigations surrounding the incident continue.
Updated
Man in critical condition after being stabbed in Sydney
A man is in a critical condition after being stabbed multiple times in inner city Sydney this morning. The man was a worker for Service NSW.
Police said they were called to Haymarket at 9.20am following reports a 55-year-old man had been stabbed in the lower back, chest and shoulder.
He was given first aid on the scene and treated by paramedics before being transported to hospital in a “critical but stable condition,” police said.
A 32-year-old man has been arrested and taken a police station, and there is no ongoing risk to the public, according to police.
Updated
Unions welcome federal government setting up an energy transition body
Back in March, the ACTU called for a national energy transition authority to help workers exit the fossil fuel industry. And last week, our colleague Paul Karp reported the call was about to be answered in next week’s budget.
And so it is that right now, climate and energy minister Chris Bowen is standing on the slightly bio-risky shores of Lake Liddell in the Hunter Valley to announce the creation of a National Net Zero Authority.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has welcomed the authority as way to “bring workers, unions, communities, industry and all levels of government together”.
There are a few goals, including ensuring the full-time, part-time, casual, contracted and subcontracted “have well-paid, secure work into the future, including through providing skills and training”.
Communities are going to need “sustained and coordinated support” as they diversify and will need help “to encourage and direct private investment into clean energy opportunities”, the union said.
AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy said:
For years, AMWU members have been campaigning for a national Just Transition Authority.
We’ve been having the hard conversations in energy and mining communities like Collie in Western Australia, the Hunter in NSW and the Latrobe Valley in Victoria ... this announcement makes those years of hard work worth it.
The NNZA (which suggests other nifty names were taken up), follows last week’s closure of the Liddell coal-fired power station. We looked at the legacy of the power station in a feature here, but a more pertinent report was this one looking what’s next for the region (including the need for a coordinating agency):
Updated
That current data points to mostly easing pressures on price increases. The economy will end 2023 growing at a 1.2% pace, slower than the 1.6% clip expected in the previous quarterly statement. The expected GDP growth rate by the end of 2024 would quicken to 1.7% - similar to the forecast from February’s report - and reach 2.1% by mid-2025.
By December, the consumer price index will be down to 4.5%, compared with the RBA’s February forecast of 4.8%. For the March quarter, it was 7% or close to three-decade highs.
The underlying inflation rate - known as the trimmed mean that strips out more volatile price movements - will end the year at 4%. That’s lower than the 4.3% level forecast three months ago, and well down on the 6.6% annual pace for the March quarter.
Read more here:
RBA trims its inflation outlook in a sign its interest rate might not need another hike
Australia’s near-term inflation should decline faster than previously predicted as wage growth “momentum” eases and the economy slows but avoids a technical recession, the Reserve Bank said in its latest quarterly statement on monetary policy.
The forecasts, released on Friday, are likely to foster expectations the RBA is close to if not at the end of its record pace of interest rate rises that began last May.
The outlook also takes into account increased government spending, a signal increased outlays by the federal government in next week’s budget won’t necessarily add to the risk of further rate rises.
“Inflation has passed its peak in Australia but remains very high,” the RBA said at the start of its report, closing it with a restatement of its “resolute” determination to lift rates again if needed. “Some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to [the 2%-3%] target in a reasonable timeframe” depending on how the data evolve.
The appointment of air vice-marshal Phillips as missile chief comes after the defence strategic review recommended appointing a senior officer with sole responsibility for the enterprise.
Phillips will be promoted to air marshal and will report directly to the secretary of the department of defence and the chief of the Australian defence force from Monday.
The minister for defence industry, Pat Conroy, said he looked forward to working with Phillips:
Air vice-marshal Phillips has over 36 years of experience in the Royal Australian Air Force predominantly delivering highly complex aerospace projects and managing their in-service support. He has a strong track record of establishing effective partnerships with defence industry.
For more information on last week’s budget announcement on missiles, see this story:
Updated
Air vice-marshal Leon Phillips to oversee domestic missile manufacturing
The federal government has appointed air vice-marshal Leon Phillips to oversee the push to establish sovereign missile and munition manufacturing facilities in Australia.
Phillips is currently head of aerospace systems in defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group.
The government announced today that Phillips would be head of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, tasked with accelerating the establishment of a local long-range guided weapons and munitions manufacturing industry in Australia.
Updated
Victoria records 44 Covid deaths and 311 people in hospital
There were 6,452 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 17 people are in intensive care.
Those numbers are up slightly on 6,255 cases and 42 deaths last week.
This week we reported 6,452 new cases with a daily average hospital occupancy of 311 and 17 patients in ICU. 44 deaths were reported in the past 7 days.
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) May 5, 2023
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives. 🧵 1/2 pic.twitter.com/FXmBOFFLra
NSW records 53 Covid deaths and 1,291 people in hospital
There were 12,323 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 30 people are in intensive care.
Numbers have gone up from last week’s 11,745 cases, returning to around the same level of the previous week. Recorded deaths are also up significantly from 35 last week.
COVID-19 weekly update – Friday 5 May 2023
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) May 4, 2023
In the 7 days to 4pm Thursday 4 May:
- 12,323 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded: 5,758 rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 6,565 PCR tests
- 53 lives lost pic.twitter.com/ZDM7zSNSd2
Updated
Refugee activist charged with assault during protest at Andrews Giles’ office
A Tamil refugee activist has been arrested and charged with assault at Andrew Giles’ office during a protest over the treatment of refugees.
Yesterday afternoon, more than 70 refugees and supporters entered the Melbourne office of the minister for immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs to challenge the federal government’s immigration policy.
Aran Mylvaganam was subsequently handcuffed and arrested by members of Victoria police. In a statement, Victoria police said when police attempted to remove the man, he allegedly assaulted police members.
He is expected to be charged on summons for assault related offences. The officer received minor injuries and was treated at the scene. The rest of the group left the office building without further incident.
Mylvaganam founded the Tamil Refugee Council, and has stood as a federal and state upper house candidate for the Victorian Socialists.
He called it an “outrageous attack on free speech”.
We went to the relevant minister to voice our opposition to the barbaric treatment of thousands of refugees by the Labor government … [which] has refused to give any answers to the 12,000 refugees who were not included in their temporary protection visa announcement in February … they want to live stable, secure lives in Australia.
National Union of Students national education officer Xavier Dupé, who was at the protest, has demanded a written apology from Giles and Victoria police for the “attack on freedom of speech”.
Updated
NT to receive over $14m for additional policing in Alice Springs
The commonwealth and Northern Territory governments have today signed two national partnership agreements which will fund:
30 additional high-visibility police officers
21 additional liquor licensing inspectors and compliance officers
10 additional security guards in public places across Alice Springs
The government says the two-year agreements are part of the Albanese government’s $48.8m community safety package for Alice Springs.
Updated
Budget press conference summary
That press conference has wrapped up now. What did we learn about the budget from the treasurer?
There will be help for vulnerable people, while enforcing strict fiscal discipline.
It will set up the country to take full advantage of opportunities for growth with clean energy at the centre of the strategy.
Cost-of-living support will take pressure off inflation and not add to it.
He wants to “attack entrenched disadvantage” through place-based initiatives partnering with philanthropic organisations, local communities and impact investing.
We can expect a small improvement to the budget bottom line in the near term but there’s still substantial pressure in the medium term.
The cost of servicing the previous government’s debt will be $112bn over forward estimates – which amounts to $60m a day in interest repayments.
Updated
Coalition and Greens blocking housing bill 'beggars belief': treasurer
Asked about rental assistance in the budget, Chalmers has lashed out at the “coalition of weirdos” blocking the government’s housing future fund from passing in the upper house.
One of the reasons why we have vacancy rates so low and rents so high is we don’t have enough homes and that is why it beggars belief that this coalition of weirdos in the Senate – the Liberals and Nationals and Greens – have banded together to say they will oppose building more social and affordable homes in this country. It beggars belief.
Updated
Don’t expect big changes to employment services in budget, treasurer says
Our chief political correspondent, Paul Karp, is asking the treasurer about that announcement on tackling entrenched disadvantage:
Is this an indication that the Workforce Australia, formerly JobActive, model, has failed? And could the investments in place-based initiatives and long-term unemployment replace paying private providers to hound job seekers to tick boxes and jump through hoops?
Chalmers says:
We are motivated by the sense here that we can do a much better job of putting the opportunities of a growing, job-creating economy within the reach of more people. And part of that is how we do JobActive and employment services.
This is an important part of our plan, there will be other elements on Tuesday night but … You shouldn’t anticipate big changes in the budget on Tuesday night when it comes to employment services but we have been working a lot behind the scenes and around the clock – Julian [Hill], Tony [Bourke] and others – to see if we can do this much better.
The government anticipates “having more to say” about employment services later this year at the conclusion of the committee process, Chalmers said.
Updated
Gallagher says women at centre of decision-making on budget
Gallagher is flagging there will be further measures in the budget helping Australian women achieve economic parity.
The finance minister, who is also minister for women, makes the point it’s “a very strong budget for women in this country”.
The government has heard the key recommendation from their jobs and skills summit that driving women’s economic equality is a key priority for economic growth overall, Gallagher says.
We made a commitment as a government that we wanted to put women at the centre of our decision-making …
We have listened to women around the country. You saw the beginnings of that with PPL and childcare investments in October. You will see more of that in the budget and one of those was the one we announced yesterday [for] aged care workers where more than 90% of that work force are women. The ParentsNext program, 95% of people on that are women. That is factored into our decision-making very much.
Updated
Katy Gallagher announces end of ParentsNext scheme
Gallagher is announcing – as we’ve reported earlier this morning – that the mutual obligation side of ParentsNext will stop.
We want to make sure that this group of vulnerable Australians gets the support that they need to get ready for work or have other training opportunities. We just don’t believe we need to take their money away in the process.
You can read the full report here:
Updated
Finance minister says $7.5bn to go into underfunded services
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, follows the treasurer and says more than $7bn has been found to deal with the previous government’s underinvestment in key areas of service delivery.
What you will see in this budget – we started it in October, where we funded about $4.1 billion in the zombie legacy unfunded programs. In this budget, you will see an additional $7.5 billion being found, we have made room for that in the budget because these are services that people rely on.
Updated
Interest on previous government’s debt will be $112bn over five years: Chalmers
Chalmers says the cost of servicing the previous government’s debt is $112bn.
The budget is under substantial pressure into the medium term. We expect a substantial improvement in the budget in the near term but after that, the pressures intensify rather than ease.
We still have big structural challenges in our budget. We still have that combination of interest costs on the debt, the NDIS, health care, aged care and defence putting substantial pressure on the budget.
What we have revealed today is that the cost of servicing the debt that the Liberals and Nationals left behind in the budget that we hand down on Tuesday night will be $112 billion over the forward estimates.
This is the hefty price that Australians are being asked to pay for the Liberals’ failures to manage the budget responsibly.
Updated
Budget will aim to 'attack entrenched disadvantage’, says Chalmers
Chalmers says the budget will particularly look to tackle “entrenched disadvantage” through a series of place-based initiatives.
We also want to make sure, in addition to what we will do on cost of living for the most vulnerable Australians, a particular effort to attack entrenched disadvantage in communities like the one that I grew up in.
What Minister [Amanda] Rishworth and I and the cabinet have agreed for Tuesday night’s budget is a series of place-based initiatives to try and shift the needle in disadvantaged communities.
It has been a concern of ours for some time that even in an economy which is capable of creating opportunities and an economy with 3.5% national unemployment, there are parts of Australia – there are pockets of disadvantage in this country, and we don’t want to see long-term unemployment.
We don’t want to see entrenched intergenerational disadvantage and so one of the initiatives, one of the package of initiatives in the budget on Tuesday night will be a dedicated effort to attack entrenched disadvantage in communities right around Australia.
Updated
Chalmers hints at ‘a budget in the best Labor traditions’
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is giving a press conference in Canberra with some hints ahead of next Tuesday’s budget.
This budget will be a budget in the best Labor traditions, help for the vulnerable, with cost of living pressures, an eye on the future and strict fiscal discipline as well.
We know that in order to do all of the things that we want to do for people to get them through a difficult period and in order to properly set Australia up for the future, that needs to be built on a foundation of responsible economic management and responsible economic management is what you will see on Tuesday night.
Updated
Fears for paddler missing in Torres Strait
Extensive search efforts for a father missing off a Torres Strait island have been unsuccessful after the discovery of an unmanned outrigger canoe, AAP reports.
The vessel was found 100 metres offshore from Thursday Island on Wednesday afternoon, triggering a major sea and air search for the missing 38-year-old man.
The paddler was last seen about 3.45pm before his hat was found on Channel Rock by a member of the public.
Updated
Marles and Dutton continued to play hot potato with the budget debt, with the opposition leader reminding Marles that Labor supported every dollar of the Covid spend and proposed another $81bn of spending.
Updated
Marles again underlines trillion-dollar debt due to Morrison government’s lack of ‘discipline’
The acting prime minister Richard Marles appeared in tandem with the opposition leader on the Today Show and hit back at Dutton, reminding him the government inherited a trillion-dollar debt from the former government he was part of:
For all their rhetoric, [the Morrison government] was a big spending, high-taxing government which lacked discipline when it came to the management of the budget such that we’ve now got a trillion dollars of debt and with very little to show for it.
What that means in terms of framing a budge is that we’re faced with $112 billion interest bill over the next five years, just to service that debt. And that’s one of the real pressures that we have, which we wish wasn’t there, but it is there.
Updated
Dutton: Australia’s high level of inflation ‘nothing to do with international factors’
Circling back to the opposition leader’s interview on the Today Show, the Coalition are continuing this line of attack on the government for inflation they say cannot be blamed solely on international circumstances.
We’ve heard Albanese government ministers mention global headwinds more times than I care to remember, but Dutton is saying there is a problem at home if Australia compares so unfavourably with other G7 nations:
For Australia we have got the highest level of inflation compared [with] other G7 nations. That’s nothing to do with international factors.
It’s all to do with government policies and the policies have been driving up interest rates and the Reserve Bank has an obligation to deal with that.
In relation to the banks, I just wish that they would increase their deposit rates and do it as quickly as they increase the mortgage rates. I think people would see it as a bit more of a genuine approach.
Updated
Mine applications will be cancelled if companies can’t show they’re protecting nature: Plibersek
In July 2020, the proponents of both mines indicated in writing that they wished to progress with their project and they intended to submit the additional information that has been requested. Three years later, neither has done so.
The original material may no longer be current because impacts to the environment, species present in the area, and species considered threatened under Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act have changed.
Despite the decision, the proponents are entitled to reapply.
Plibersek said:
I’ve been clear, I will have zero tolerance for businesses who refuse to provide adequate information about the impact their projects will have on nature.
If companies aren’t willing to show how they will protect nature, then I’m willing to cancel their projects – and that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek cancels two coal mine applications
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has cancelled two applications for coal mines in Queensland on the basis that proponents failed to submit additional information requested of them.
The two projects are:
The China Stone Coal Mine project, a proposal by MacMines Austasia to construct and operate a coalmine in Belyando, Queensland. In 2018, further information was requested about the potential impacts on threatened species and water resources. More than four years later, nothing has been provided. The proposed project would produce approximately 55m tonnes per annum of coal, over approximately 50 years.
The Range Coal project is a proposal by Stanmore Coal to construct and operate an open-cut coalmine and processing facilities 35km south-east of Wandoan, in Central Queensland. In 2013, further information was requested about the impact to threatened species and water resources. A decade later, and nothing has been provided.
Updated
Maryborough crash which left three dead is indicative of wider problem of youth crime, says Dutton
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton says the fatal crash in Maryborough was an incident Queenslanders have felt “brewing for a long time”.
Appearing on the Today Show, Dutton said the multi-vehicle crash that saw a 13-year-old boy charged with three deaths was part of a wider problem of youth crime.
This is not an incident that has come out of the blue. There’s been years of stolen cars and criminal activity in Townsville [and] in other communities.
… People are really edgy about the whole phenomena of people, kids, breaking into your house, stealing keys, taking the car, and it was a matter of time before we saw another accident of this nature.
Dutton said the incident was not inevitable and change needs to come from families and the law:
It’s a parenting issue. There’s obviously an issue with the judiciary here in Queensland. The laws need to be tightened. There needs to be more community services support. It’s a whole-of-government issue.
Updated
Foreign student dies after Darwin home invasion
A Bangladeshi student has died after he was assaulted during a break-in at his Darwin home, triggering a homicide investigation, AAP reports.
The 23-year-old man, who was enrolled at Charles Darwin University, was left in a critical condition after the early morning attack on Wednesday.
Northern Territory police said a man entered the home at Millner, in Darwin’s north, about 4.25am on Wednesday and assaulted the resident before fleeing the scene.
The alleged attacker, a 29-year-old man, was detained in a vehicle a short time later, while the injured student was taken to Royal Darwin hospital.
Police said the 23-year-old died on Thursday as a result of the injuries he sustained in the attack and major crime detectives were investigating the death as a homicide.
The 29-year-old man has not been charged over the incident.
The university described the assault as a senseless attack that had devastated the community, with students and staff holding rallies in support of the student.
Police have urged any potential witnesses to come forward, especially if they have any CCTV footage of suspicious activity in the area.
Updated
Caitlin Cassidy has the full story as Gabrielle Carey is remembered following the news of her death:
‘The media started with him in the dark’: Mike Bowers captures treasurer’s run in foggy Canberra
In the final stretch leading up to delivering his first full budget, the treasurer Jim Chalmers cleared his head going for a run around a foggy and cold Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra this morning.
Our photographer at large, Mike Bowers, captured Chalmers’ sprint to Parliament House. “In a beautiful visual metaphor, the media started with him in the dark,” as Bowers put it.
Updated
ANZ posts bumper $3.8bn profit but warns of challenging outlook
ANZ has recorded a 23% rise in six-month cash profit to a record $3.8bn, and improved its margins, after profiting from a string of interest rate rises.
The bank has warned, however, that the outlook is more subdued amid growing cost pressures on its customers.
The ANZ chief executive, Shayne Elliott, said in a statement:
We understand that sustained higher inflation and interest rates create further challenges for some households and businesses across the economy.
Australia’s big banks have profited from the flurry of rate hikes dating back to May last year by increasing their lending rates at a faster pace than deposits.
ANZ is the second major retail bank to report its six-month results to March this week, after National Australia Bank posted a $4.07bn cash profit on Thursday.
Elliott said the next six months would be more difficult and that competition for customers has intensified.
Updated
Andrews decries ‘Americanisation’ of politics after Monash council cancels drag storytime event over security threats
Yesterday in question time the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said he was saddened that Monash council’s drag storytime event was cancelled amid security threats from neo-Nazis and fascist fringe groups.
The premier also took to social media late yesterday evening to warn against the “Americanisation of our politics”:
Just imagine for a moment making a death threat over a story time for kids.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) May 4, 2023
Because that's all it is.
So to all those people who choose to waste their energy on making people in our state feel unsafe, hear this:
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) May 4, 2023
This Americanisation of our politics has no place here.
And your hateful views don't either.
Not now. Not ever.
Updated
Clare to address principals on disadvantage gap in schools
The education minister, Jason Clare, will appear at the NSW Teachers Federation Principals conference in Sydney today, using his speech to address a widening disadvantage gap in schools.
A Productivity Commission report released in January found high school retention rates since 2017 had dropped from 84.8% to 80.5% over the past five years overall, while the remained flat at non-government schools at about 87%.
Clare will say the gap in reading skills of eight-year-olds from poor and wealthy families has doubled in the past decade, and “if you start behind, or fall behind, it’s hard to catch up”:
This is what I want fair funding to fix. Funding tied to the things that will turn this around. That’s what the work of the expert panel is all about. To make sure we tie this funding to things that will make a real difference.
This comes after the NSW government announced it would pause the implementation of the state’s new curriculum.
The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT branch said teachers had been sounding warnings for months as the previous timeframe was “both unnecessary and unmanageable”, citing staffing shortages and excessive teacher workloads.
The previous government’s plan was to implement changes to 26 syllabuses in the coming 12 months, after a 2019 review which suggested a 10-year rollout timeframe.
Updated
Medibank hit with fresh class action after data hack
In other news this morning, AAP is reporting law firm Slater and Gordon has launched legal action against Medibank on behalf of customers whose personal information was compromised in a massive data breach.
The case is the latest class action to hit the health insurance giant after millions of customers had private details exposed in the October hack.
The law firm’s statement of claim, filed in the federal court, alleges Medibank and its subsidiary Australian Health Management breached privacy and consumer laws as well data retention legislation.
Slater and Gordon’s class action follows similar compensation claims from law firm Baker & McKenzie and legal firm Quinn Emanuel on behalf of Medibank shareholders.
Updated
Gabrielle Carey remembered for scholarship on James Joyce
While Carey was best known for co-authoring Puberty Blues with Lette, she was also a scholar of modernist giant James Joyce.
The Australian reports that Carey was working on a book about Joyce when she died.
A friend of Carey’s has this morning also paid tribute to her talents as a jam maker through her “Jams Joyce” label.
Posting this in memory of Gabrielle Carey. We met only a few times; I knew her in the way an editor and reader knows a writer. I greatly admired her non-fiction, so much of which was about the wild imaginative connections between books and readers.https://t.co/fcBLYJZ1W1
— Catriona Menzies-Pike (@catri) May 4, 2023
Very sorry to learn of the death of Australian author, Joycean and jam maker Gabrielle Carey. She kindly sent me some of her Jams Joyce labels. pic.twitter.com/o3fCy5xymb
— Glenn Johnston (@johnstonglenn) May 4, 2023
Updated
Tributes are flowing in for Gabrielle Carey who has died aged 64, paying tribute to her writing, including Puberty Blues.
Such sad, sad news about Gabrielle Carey. A superb writer, over five decades, who never felt feted enough. She was so damned good https://t.co/1Rpwsh7oFK
— Nikki Gemmell (@NikkiGemmell) May 4, 2023
This is really sad news. I absolutely loved the book Puberty Blues. I loved the 1970s movie and I loved the 2010s Channel Ten show. Vale Gabrielle Carey. https://t.co/2eH84Jvr6f
— Deputy Mayor Philippa Scott (@CrPhilippaScott) May 4, 2023
Co-author of Puberty Blues Gabrielle Carey dead
The co-author of Puberty Blues, Gabrielle Carey, has died.
Kathy Lette, the other co-author of the coming of age classic, has paid tribute to her childhood friend and writing partner:
I’m deeply saddened by the tragic news about my old friend Gabrielle Carey. I have such happy memories of our teenage years. They were halcyon, heady days full of love, laughter and adventure. 1/2 🧵 pic.twitter.com/2wZZiRf1hd
— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) May 4, 2023
We made some mischief and broke some barriers by writing “Puberty Blues“ – our raw, earthy take on the brutal treatment of young women in the Australian surfing scene which is sadly, still so relevant. My heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. 2/2
— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) May 4, 2023
Updated
Detention of Julian Assange has ‘gone on for too long’: Dutton
Dutton indicated he agreed with Albanese that the detention of Julian Assange needs to come to an end.
I think it’s gone on for too long. And I think that’s the fault of many people, including Mr. Assange to be honest. But the matters, I think, have to be dealt with. And if the Prime Minister is charting a course through to an outcome for that, then that is a good thing.
Updated
Dutton won't rule out federal intervention into Victorian Liberal party chaos
Peter Dutton is not ruling out a federal intervention to “sort out the mess” of what’s occurred in the Victorian Liberal party this week.
Moira Deeming yesterday revealed she is mounting a legal challenge against her suspension after issuing a failed ultimatum to leader, John Pesutto, to declare that she is not a Nazi sympathiser.
Dutton says at the moment the state party is not a credible opposition.
The federal leader is urging urgent mediation between Deeming and Pesutto, and says he “of course” supports Pesutto.
That needs to be sorted out, and it needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later.
Dutton said the situation doesn’t reflect well on broader party movement.
If you’re still trying to wrap your head around what happened yesterday:
Updated
‘You want people to have support’, Dutton says of ending ParentsNext program
Dutton won’t say whether he’ll support restoring higher unemployment benefits for single parents when their youngest child turns eight.
He was a junior minister in the Howard government which lowered it, but his language is sympathetic towards single parents having a right to a “dignified” life:
You need to provide support to those who don’t have the capacity to work. But if people do have the capacity to work, then you need to provide incentive for them to take those jobs up, particularly for younger people, because you end up in a spiral very quickly if you’re unemployed for a long time.
…But you want people to have a dignified life and you want people to have support, particularly if they’ve got young children, particularly for single parents.
Updated
Dutton says full opposition policy response will come in leadup to next election
Albanese has accused Dutton of leading a “no-alition”, offering Australia no constructive ideas. But the opposition leader is indicating he won’t be presenting much by way of strong policy responses to the Albanese government’s budget. Dutton says:
No opposition’s released its full policy manifesto within the first year of being an opposition.
The whole idea of opposition is to work on your policy, to catch up with stakeholders, to reconsider your vision for the country, and then present that in an election campaign which is still 18 months, two years away.
Updated
Dutton predicts budget surplus next week
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is predicting there will be a budget surplus next Tuesday.
Speaking to ABC Radio, Dutton says:
I think it’s obvious now that and I think it’s predictable that there will be a surplus.
The revenues from royalties, company, tax receipts, etc. are through the roof and the government obviously has a big spending program.
But we’ll wait to see the detail and I think most analysts now would expect there to be a surplus in the budget next Tuesday.
Updated
Royal family’s concern for climate crisis and the future ‘heartwarming’, PM says
Albanese said the monarchy’s concern for the future is what made the request to attend the coronation “so heartwarming”.
One of the things that I certainly admire about King Charles and the Prince of Wales who is continuing that tradition, is their concern about the future.
Their concern and outspoken views about climate change, about the need to protect our planet, about the urban environment, about a whole range of issues, including respect for Indigenous Australians, which is why the palace’s request – which was well received by a government such as mine – was so heartwarming.
– with AAP
Updated
PM tells Australian coronation delegation to ‘celebrate who we are’
Albanese has also met King Charles’s oldest son, Prince William, at Kensington Palace on Thursday before addressing a contingent of Australians invited to Saturday’s ceremony.
Albanese told the delegation, which includes Matildas football star Sam Kerr, singer Nick Cave, Aboriginal artist Jasmine Coe, comedian Adam Hills and London-based nurse Emily Regan:
You are representing Australia at what is an incredible event of historic significance.
Regardless of what Australians think of constitutional arrangements – and we’ll have different views on that – as a nation, what we need to do is to celebrate who we are, and to respect our institutions.
And there’s such enormous respect for the royal family.
– AAP
Updated
Albanese added he is concerned about Assange’s mental health.
There was a court decision here in the United Kingdom that was then overturned on appeal that went to Mr Assange’s health, as well, and I am concerned for him.
Updated
‘Nothing to be served’ by keeping Assange in jail, Albanese says
Albanese has made his strongest statement yet on his frustration at Julian Assange’s ongoing incarceration.
It’s frustrating. I share the frustration. I can’t do more than make very clear what my position is.
… I think that the Assange case needs to be looked at in terms of what occurred, what the allegations are, and whether the time effectively that has been served already is in excess of what would be reasonable if it were proved that this had occurred.
When Australians look at the circumstances – look at the fact that the person who released the information [Chelsea Manning] is walking freely … having served some time in incarceration, but is now released for a long period of time – then they’ll see that there’s a disconnect there.
There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.
Updated
‘I’ll follow protocol’, PM says of swearing oath at king’s coronation
Anthony Albanese has sat down with the ABC’s Europe correspondent Steve Cannane for an interview in London ahead of King Charles’ coronation.
The PM says it’s a privilege to attend the event:
It’s a moment in history, isn’t it? In our lifetime, this is the first time there’s been a transition of power, after his mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, served for 70 years.
He’s also defended taking the oath of allegiance for “the same reason why we do it when we’re sworn or affirmed into parliament”.
Pressed on the difference that this oath is voluntary, Albanese says Australians expect him to follow protocol:
I think as the Australian prime minister, people expect me [not to] come to the king’s coronation in order to create a controversy, and I’ll follow protocol.
Updated
Farmers and labour-hire companies warned to obey workplace laws
Farmers and labour-hire companies are continuing to defy workplace laws designed to protect vulnerable workers, a compliance push by the Fair Work Ombudsman has found.
Since December 2021 the regulator has investigated 330 businesses in regional hotspots across Australia, issuing 64 infringement notices for payslips and record-keeping breaches, with employers fined a total of $176,028.
Fifty-five of the infringement notices were issued to labour hire entities and nine to growers, while 13 were related to failures to make and keep records for piecework.
The Fair Work Ombudsman, Sandra Parker, said breaches related to record-keeping can indicate increased risks of underpaying, whether intentionally or not:
It’s a red flag if workers can’t identify their employer and are paid cash-in-hand, without payslips, by individuals seemingly unrelated to the apparent employing entity. This is prevalent in multi-level supply chains where we consistently find wrongdoing. With unannounced hotspot inspections continuing this year and next, growers and labour hire entities are on notice.
Updated
State funeral for Father Bob Maguire today
The state funeral for Father Bob Maguire will be held at 11am at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne this morning. Among the speakers is John Safran, who will pay tribute to his close friend and co-host.
A social justice warrior, Maguire devoted his life to helping those less fortunate.
The funeral is open to the public and will also be livestreamed online.
And, in case you missed it, Van Badham’s tribute to Father Bob is brilliant.
Updated
Good morning! This is Natasha May taking the helm.
Updated
PhD students asked to live on $85 a day: ‘It’s not enough’
In addition to demanding more research spending, Universities Australia boss Catriona Jackson will call on the federal government to increase the PhD stipend to a more livable level to reverse a slide in graduates.
Speaking at the Australian High Education Industrial Association’s conference on Friday, she will urge the government to raise the tax-free scholarship for PhD candidates above its current rate of $29,863 – just over two-thirds of the national minimum wage.
Jackson will say numbers of PhD graduates have fallen from just under 9,500 in 2019 to under 8,500 in 2021:
We need to arrest this slide. We can’t expect researchers to stay in a system that doesn’t adequately support them. A PhD is an intensive, multi-year undertaking that requires significant time, effort, and intellectual energy.
The average age of PhD candidates is 37 among men and 36 among women, relying on low wages at a time many of them would be raising families, Jackson will say:
We’re asking PhD candidates to live on $85 a day, or just $29,863 a year. It’s not enough. There is also the issue of pay security. PhD candidates are considered students rather than employees. This means female candidates don’t qualify for the government’s parental eave pay, hindering their financial ability to have children. None of this is sustainable, particularly in the face of growing cost-of-living pressures.
Updated
Universities chief calls for more research spending
The chief executive of Universities Australia will today call for greater federal government investment in research, forcing the sector to look overseas for revenue from international students to remain viable.
Speaking at the Australian High Education Industrial Association’s conference today, Catriona Jackson will say Australia’s research funding model is “limiting and unsustainable”, leaving universities exposed at a time of economic volatility.
New forecasts show government spending on research is at its lowest share of GDP, falling to 0.59% in 2022-23 and lagging behind the OECD average of 2.68%. It hadn’t dropped below 0.5% since records began in 1978:
Government and industry funding as a share of GDP is going backwards. This is pushing the nation towards the lower end of the international order. Grant schemes are providing well below the full cost for projects, leaving universities to pick up the gap.
And women are disproportionately affected by the funding system which is “not working in the national interest” and forces universities to seek alternative funding sources:
We are increasingly reliant on international student fees to pay for this work, which is highly unsustainable and underscores the urgent need for change … it’s unfathomable that our ability to continue performing fundamentally important research for the good of the nation hinges on people choosing to study in Australia. No other nation funds their research effort quite like this.
A 1% lift in funding for research would grow the economy by $24bn over a decade, Jackson will say.
UK free trade agreement to begin this month
Australia’s free trade agreement with the UK will start at the end of this month, AAP reports.
Under the deal, there will be no tariffs on almost all Australian goods exported to the UK and more Australians will be eligible for lengthier working holidays in the country.
During a visit to Bondi Green, an Australian-themed restaurant in London’s Paddington, Anthony Albanese said:
What the FTA between Australia and the United Kingdom is about is getting greater access to this market for Australian products – greater access for our beef, for our sheep products, for our wine.
The prime minister said that, after a two-year period, there would be no tariffs on 99% of Australian exports to the UK and the same would apply to UK products arriving in Australia.
After the same two-year phase-in, Australians will be able to apply for working holidays in the UK to the age of 35 – up from 30 – and stay for a maximum of three years instead of two. UK citizens coming to Australia will be also be able to work for three years.
The UK’s free trade agreement with New Zealand, with similar conditions, will also start on the last day of May.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll have some overnight breaking stories and updates for you before my colleague Natasha May takes the helm.
Jim Chalmers says Australia is “still paying the price” for the Coalition leaving behind a fiscal “mess” and a budget “heaving with a trillion dollars of debt” as he flags one of the most punishing items in his own federal budget – the cost of servicing the country’s debts. The annual cost will rise from $17.7bn in 2022-23 to a peak of $27.1bn in 2025-26, before falling to $26bn in 2026-27, according to estimates released last night, which is more than spending on family tax benefit, childcare or infrastructure.
The Albanese government will scrap the controversial ParentsNext program from next year and stop compulsory obligations for participants immediately in a significant win for campaigners.
Health officials are urging men who have sex with other men to be aware of symptoms for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, with the first New South Wales case in six months detected in Sydney. There is concern that while cases have been linked to people who have been overseas, the man with the new infection has not been known to have been abroad, suggesting that mpox is spreading in the state.
And the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has announced a start date for Australia’s free trade deal with the UK, which will (over a two-year phase-in period) lead to lower tariffs on exports – and longer working holiday visas for travellers.
Updated
