What we learned today, Tuesday 29 October
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. Before we go let’s recap the big headlines:
Anthony Albanese announces two more clean energy-related projects in New South Wales and Victoria aimed at transitioning Australia’s energy production and workforce away from fossil fuels.
The pace of property price growth is slowing, with Domain recording a 0.8% growth in the quarter and slightly more for units. Experts say homebuyer budgets are finding a ceiling.
The Victorian Greens are called on the state government to enter the property development game, saying Labor’s plan to get more millennials into the housing market will not work without such an intervention.
Robbie Katter, the Katter’s Australia party leader, says babies deserve representation in parliament. He wants to wind back abortion rights.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, criticised new Israeli laws restricting the UN relief agency Unrwa’s access to Gaza, saying that Unrwa “does life-saving work”.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he hasn’t had to declare flights taken on the private jets of billionaires, answering questions on reports he sought free Qantas flight upgrades directly from Alan Joyce while serving as transport minister.
Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services in New South Wales are set to receive $4m in funding over four years from NSW Fair Trading.
Journalist and academic Stan Grant took shots at “political elites” in the United States, saying neither Donald Trump or Kamala Harris were the answer to the “existential crisis of America”.
Australians lost trust in governments as the Covid pandemic went on, particularly due to poor communication of the reasons for lockdowns and other restrictions, an inquiry found.
Mark Butler announced $251m to establish a Centre for Disease Control.
And a group of children were injured after a car crashed through a fence at Auburn South primary school this afternoon and collided into a bench.
Updated
BoM confirms prospects for a La Niña event continue to subside
As we flagged way back at the start of today’s blog, the Bureau of Meteorology’s main model only gave a 4% chance of a La Niña forming in December.
The bureau this afternoon updated its fortnightly climate drivers report to provide a bit more detail. Conditions in the Pacific Ocean remain in neutral and look like remaining so, even though the BoM is maintaining its “La Niña watch” rating.
The bureau noted only one of the international models it compares its ACCESS model to is forecasting its La Niña threshold is likely to be breached throughout November to February.
As expected, the chance of a La Nina this year continues to ebb, according to @bom_au. The bureau's model is no longer the outlier, too, with Europe's ECMWF model giving a La Nina event even less of a chance of forming over the coming summer. pic.twitter.com/D9wctt7Nee
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) October 29, 2024
As for the Indian Ocean, the negative phase of that basin’s dipole (which compares sea-surface temperatures between the west and the east) looks likely to be exceeded next month. A negative-IOD, as it is known, typically contributes to wetter than usual conditions for much of the country.
But BoM notes the background warming from global heating means past experiences may not be such a good guide to what’s happening now.
“Global [sea surface temperatures] remain at near record levels, with temperatures since July being just short of the record temperatures observed during 2023, yet above all other years since observations began in 1854,” BoM said.
“The sustained nature of this significant global ocean heat suggests that climate indicators such as [El Niño southern oscillation in the Pacific] and IOD may not behave or evolve as they have in the past.”
Updated
More renewables connecting to the grid as project pipeline grows, Aemo says
In recent years we’ve heard a lot about the need for a faster pace of deployment of large-scale renewable energy to shore up the grid as aging coal-fired power stations drop out.
Well, there’s some light (so to speak) at the end of the tunnel, with a jump of registrations in wind and solar farms and big batteries during the September quarter. The tally of 3.5 gigawatts of capacity was more than the 2.4GW of registrations for all of 2023, the Australian Energy Market Operator says.
Aemo’s connections scorecard said the past quarter’s tally included three windfarms (1.8GW), three battery projects (1.25GW) and four (relatively small) solar farms (0.4GW).
“These projects are built, connected to the grid and can now move to the final commissioning phase,” Aemo’s executive general manager, Merryn York, said.
Perhaps more usefully, seven projects with a capacity of 1.3GW (or about the total of the Liddell coal-fired power station when it shut in April 2023) reached full generation during the September quarter, an increase of about two-thirds on the same quarter last year. (This collection included four windfarms, a hybrid battery and solar farm, and a gas-fired generator.)
Early-stage application approvals also rose 160% to 2.6GW in the quarter from a year earlier.
Aemo said 45.6GW of generation and storage capacity was working through various stages of the connections process as of the end of September, or equal to 70% of the total generation capacity in the national electricity market. That result was 36% more than a year ago.
Wonder if we’ll still have room for nuclear power plants from the mid-2030s (or later)?
Updated
One child in critical condition and four others also in hospital after Hawthorn East collision
Victoria police have provided an update for the Hawthorn East incident, in which a number of children have been injured after a car crashed into a school fence.
Victoria police said:
Emergency services attended a collision in Hawthorn East this afternoon. It’s believed a vehicle was traveling along Burgess Street when it left the road and crashed through a school fence just after 2.30pm.
One child has been taken to hospital in a critical condition and four others have been transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The female driver of the vehicle has been arrested and will be interviewed.
The exact cause of the incident is being investigated. Major collision investigation unit detectives are enroute to the scene. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Updated
The Labor-turned-independent senator, Fatima Payman, has accused her former party of giving “complete impunity” to Israel after it voted in favour of a ban against the UN’s Palestinian aid body overnight.
On social media, Payman said:
Waking up to this news and wondering why everyone is shocked?
This is what happens when this Labor government gives complete impunity to its so-called friend, Israel and in return, they incrementally increase their human rights violations and continue breaching international humanitarian laws.
This is another low for Israel to cut off humanitarian aid provided by UNRWA to Palestinian refugees!
Children injured after collision at Melbourne school
Victoria’s education department has confirmed a collision has occurred at a school in Melbourne’s inner east.
A spokesperson has told Guardian Australia a car crashed through a fence at Auburn South primary school this afternoon and collided into a bench, injuring a number of students.
Updated
Paramedics at Hawthorn East collision
Victoria police and paramedics have rushed to a car crash involving multiple “patients” in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn East.
A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria says paramedics are responding to a collision:
Our priority right now is our patients and we do not have confirmed information from the scene at this early stage.
Victoria police have confirmed emergency services are at the scene. More to come.
Updated
Dutton says PM should refer himself to integrity commission over Qantas flights
Dutton says the PM should refer himself to the integrity commission over the flight upgrades.
It is clear he has breached the standards of the ministerial code of conduct in the Gillard code of conduct when he was transport minister.
Updated
Dutton has attacked the PM on the Qantas upgrades and the lack of competitive air fares in Australia.
He has been asked about his own access to a private jet and relationship with a billionaire Gina Rinehart.
I have been very transparent, declared all of that, which is why [Albanese] knows about it and I was not the transport ministe, picking up the phone to Alan Joyce, the CEO of Australia’s biggest airline, to ask for free up-rates for me and my family and then refusing to detail it in an honest way.
Updated
Dutton says PM is focused only on ‘what he can get from the system’
Peter Dutton is talking in Queensland. He has accused the PM of being “focused on himself”:
This government talks a lot and Anthony Albanese promised a lot before the election but doesn’t do anything except for himself and, unfortunately, Australians are missing out. And the prime minister is focused only on himself and what he can get from the system.
He says the treasurer has handed down “inflationary” budgets:
When we were in government during the Covid period, Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese proposed spending more money, so if their argument was inflation was a problem, their argument at the time was to fuel it further, and this is something that Australians understand.
Updated
Thanks for tuning into the blog today. Handing over now to Cait Kelly, who will roll your live news updates this afternoon.
Updated
The independent ACT senator, David Pocock, has urged the Albanese government to place targeted sanctions on officials within the Israeli government and its armed forces after it banned the UN’s Palestinian aid body from entering Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
Overnight, Israel’s parliament voted to ban the UN relief and works agency (UNRWA) from its territory within 90 days.
The aid body provides food, water and medicine for the more than 1.9 million displaced Palestinians, who face severe shortages in the Gaza strip.
Pocock said he held concerns about the potential “humanitarian apocalypse” in Gaza and called for targeted sanctions against Israeli government and defence force officials “responsible for war crimes against the people of Gaza and the West Bank”.
“This is one of the only levers available to us,” Pocock said.
In July, Australia imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Israelis and a youth group for their involvement in violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
The move came after the UN’s international court of justice ordered Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories “as rapidly as possible” and make full reparations for its “internationally wrongful acts” in an advisory opinion that declares the occupation violates international law.
In a press conference earlier, Pocock said the federal government’s failure to do more amounted to a “real failure of moral courage”.
At some point, countries like Australia, [must] say ‘that’s not good enough’, and we can actually make a small stand as a middle power.
Read more about the Knesset’s decision here:
Mark Butler says trust difficult to restore after Covid pandemic
The health minister, Mark Butler, says it “is going to be a long hard road to get trust to the level it was before the pandemic”.
He points to mis- and disinformation in health as something that is “not going to be easy to battle”:
It’s easily lost, it’s hard to build it back up, I think is the insight. The establishment of an independent authoritative body that is seen as distant from government, that is able to provide fearless advice to the community and to governments, which I think will have a reporting function to parliament, that will be transparent, I think is a critical central ingredient in rebuilding that trust.
But I – I think – as all of you know, you know, the pandemic did fuel a lot of misinformation and disinformation which – which particularly was fertile in health, and that is not going to be easy to battle, frankly. So we need to build the structures, we need to give the community confidence that, in the future, decisions will be taken at an appropriate time on the basis of real data, Australian data, not overseas data, which the report makes clear we had to use because we had no data of our own, even though UK and US data was telling a very different picture to a population like Australia’s that had different vaccination status. We use our own data and we use evidence-based approaches that … balance risks and benefits, takes the proportionate approach and thinks about non-health impacts as well as the direct health impacts.
Updated
‘Billions and billions of dollars were wasted’ during Covid crisis, Jim Chalmers says
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, also addressed press on the Covid inquiry report.
“Big decisions were taken and big mistakes were made,” he said. “Those mistakes were costly and they were inflationary.
“The consequences of the economic policies developed through the pandemic also continue to be felt right across our economy even today.”
Chalmers quotes the report in saying “there was excessive fiscal and monetary policy stimulus provided throughout 2021 and 2022, especially in the construction sector, combined with supply-side disruptions this contributed to inflationary pressures coming out of the pandemic”.
He continued:
The modelling cited in the report says that the extended policy support which didn’t always move in line with the health advice meant that peak inflation was at least two percentage points higher than it could have been.
On the design of the economic response, we saw some very good ideas badly implemented and poorly targeted. Labor called for and supported programs like jobkeeper but we were very, very clear at the time that the support should have been rolled out faster and that it should have been better targeted because, if it was better targeted, we could have provided more assistance to those who genuinely needed it by wasting less on the businesses in particular who didn’t need jobkeeper and we know subsequently that billions and billions of dollars were wasted.
On the home builders’ program, the report makes it clear that overheated the industry and contributed to inflation in the post-pandemic era with many Australians experiencing the consequences of this now through higher inflation and through lack of access to housing.
It’s also particularly critical of the early release of superannuation, which was not an appropriate policy response and shouldn’t be deployed again. They see the existing hardship provisions as sufficient for these kinds of events.
It also concludes that the slow vaccine rollout had economic consequences as well. It delayed the reopening of our economy by months at great cost to the economy.
Updated
Here’s more on the newly announced Centre for Disease Control.
The health minister, Mark Butler, told the media a short while ago:
The first priority of the CDC will be to establish a comprehensive joined-up data and surveillance system in partnership with states and territories, but to have a single comprehensive real-time data and surveillance system and for our surveillance capability to be world-leading including our use of wastewater surveillance, which we know has been so important. The CDC will be also responsible for providing independent evidence-based advice about particularly a pandemic response, but more generally our responses to communicable diseases. It will also be responsible for engagement with regional and international partners.
It will also obviously be responsible for leading pandemic planning and testing or stress-testing of our ability to respond to a pandemic in partnership with relevant departments, including my own, the Department of Health, and the National Emergency Management Authority.
Updated
Federal government announces $251m funding for Centre for Disease Control
Mark Butler has announced $251m to establish a Centre for Disease Control.
He told the media:
The government is investing $251m over the forward estimates as well as funding ongoing to establish an independent authoritative Centre for Disease Control to commence from 1 January 2026.
Legislation will be introduced into the parliament next year to set out its independence and functions, he said. It will be based out of Canberra, and its functions will “closely reflect” recommendations from the Covid inquiry report.
Butler talked through the report’s recommendations a short while ago:
There are 26 recommended actions for the national government, 19 of them are recommended to be prioritised over the next 12 to 18 months. Seven in the longer-term. Cabinet considered this report yesterday and appointed PM&C to lead a cross-government taskforce to work through those recommendations and come back to the cabinet. I think, without doubt, though, the most important recommendation from this report is the establishment of a centre for disease control – a CDC. As you know, Australia at the beginning of this pandemic was pretty much the only OECD nation without a central authoritative centre for disease control and it was an election promise from Anthony Albanese, made in one of his budget reply speeches to close that gap and to establish a CDC here in Australia.
Updated
Australia now ‘arguably worse-placed’ to deal with a pandemic than in 2020
The health minister, Mark Butler, says the Covid inquiry report concludes that, for a range of reasons, “we are arguably worse-placed as a country to deal with a pandemic than we were in early 2020”.
He told the media:
There has been really significant scarring on our healthcare systems and the health workforce, a workforce that is exhausted by the demands of a once-in-a-century pandemic that’s gone on for years. The APS has lost – the Australian Public Service – has lost key personnel who learnt a lot through that pandemic but have moved on from their positions, often through exhaustion. As I’m sure the treasurer will talk about, governments are in much more significant debt than they were before the pandemic. But crucially, crucially, this report says that a number of the points I have already made about the lack of real-time evidence-based policy and the lack of transparency has driven a large decline in trust … which the panel members say, and these are their words – which many of the measures taken during Covid-19 are unlikely to be accepted by the population again.
Updated
Health minister says Covid report criticises pace of vaccine rollout as well as aged care and communication failures
Health minister Mark Butler told press the Covid-19 inquiry report identified the “slowness of our vaccine rollout,” “failures in aged care,” and “stark inequity” between different community groups “particularly different groups from culturally linguistically diverse backgrounds but also temporary visa holders”.
He also said the report “points to a lack of transparency around the rationale and the evidence behind decisions that were taken by governments that had such a profound impact on the lives of Australians and the freedom of Australians”.
Updated
Covid inquiry finds Australia's pandemic plans 'grossly inadequate'
The Covid-19 inquiry report found Australia’s pandemic plans were “grossly inadequate for the scale of the challenge that Covid-19 presented to us”, the health minister, Mark Butler, has told the media:
The first lesson from this report is that like most countries, frankly, our pandemic plans were grossly inadequate for the scale of the challenge that Covid-19 presented to us. The report makes clear, for example, that our plans, such as they were, included no plan that would deal with the closure of the international border, which was such a central part of our response. No plan to deal with quarantine, which was also incredibly important. No plan to deal with the workforce demands of a pandemic that went on for as long as it did. And, as a result, to use the words of the report, our response to the pandemic was not as effective as it could have been.
As a result of the lack of plans, leaders, particularly, were placed in the invidious position, to use the words of the report, of building the plane while it was flying. The disease surveillance systems were frankly simply not up to the task. The report talks about the use of paper systems, the use of facsimile machines.
Updated
Mark Butler says Covid took lives directly of 20,000 Australians and caused immense ‘separation, anxiety and grief’
The health minister, Mark Butler, is addressing a press conference after the release of the Covid-19 inquiry report:
It almost goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic for anyone born after the end of World War II was the biggest national and global emergency in our lifetimes. As we know it, it took the lives directly of more than 20,000 Australians, but its indirect impacts on the health system resulted in thousands more losing their lives as well. There was immense dislocation, separation, anxiety, grief and, as the treasurer will point out, enormous economic impacts from the pandemic and our response to it.
We have a responsibility, particularly as a government, we have a responsibility to examine our response to the pandemic, to learn what we did well and, in particular, to learn what we could have done better. Importantly, to build as this report describes it, “a high-level playbook for the next pandemic”, because we know there will be a next pandemic.
Updated
In releasing the report of the Covid inquiry, the federal government is also announcing $251m to deliver an Australian Centre for Disease Control.
The idea was a Labor election commitment and an “interim” body has been operating inside the health department since the start of 2024. But the health minister, Mark Butler, is today pledging $251.7m to deliver the proposal as a standalone institution.
The Covid inquiry said a CDC would be a key trusted source of information in future, especially around health emergencies, helping to track statistics and communicate information as a central authority. The government said Australia is the only OECD country without an equivalent body.
The interim body is already operating, and working on biosecurity measures for avian flu. The standalone body is slated to be located in Canberra and launch in January 2026, pending passage of legislation.
“The establishment of the Australian CDV will ensure we are prepared next time,” Butler said.
Updated
Australians lost trust in governments during Covid pandemic, inquiry finds
The long-awaited Covid inquiry into Australia’s response to the pandemic has been released. A panel of experts found Australians lost trust in governments as the pandemic went on, particularly due to poor communication of the reasons for lockdowns and other restrictions.
The report also warned Australians are unlikely to abide by such strict pandemic restrictions in future health emergencies, and stressed that governments needed to work hard to rebuild public trust in institutions – with concerns that secrecy led to misinformation growing rife on the health response.
Many Australians still feel “resentment about what they lost” during the pandemic Covid period and governments need to “rebuild the social fabric”, respondents told the inquiry.
The report said:
Focus group participants said that governments resisted releasing information that may have contradicted the policies they were pursuing. This opinion led to a view that government did not trust the public to understand or interpret information correctly.
A lack of transparency around vaccination prioritisation decisions reduced trust in government, particularly among people with disability. The panel heard that a lack of transparency also increased the perception that the government was hiding adverse information. This view fuelled the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Updated
Stan Grant says neither Trump or Harris are answer to 'existential crisis of America'
Journalist and academic Stan Grant has taken shots at “political elites” in the United States, as well as coverage of the US election, in a speech made at a social cohesion conference in western Sydney.
The former host of ABC’s Q+A told attendees that neither Donald Trump or Kamala Harris were the answer to the “existential crisis of America” and then made reference to Robin Hood:
The American political elites have turned their backs on poor Americans. They are bought and paid for by lobbyists. They pass laws that put more money into rich people’s hands. Healthcare is a scandal. Machines are making people redundant. Big pharma has people hooked on drugs.
If we think that Harris or Trump are going to be the answer to the existential crisis of America, then we need to know that the Sheriff of Nottingham has taken up residence in Washington DC, and the good cops have left town. Robin Hood is nowhere to be seen.
He said coverage of the election had been “abominable” in that “every lie” and “every hatred” has been “amplified.” He said the media has only been interested in the outrage and star power of the campaigns, and less so the people “holding that broken country together”.
I barely watched much of the news coverage because it has been abominable.
Every lie is amplified, every hatred is broadcast. And I’m just not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about the entire picture. If we reduce the American election to just an idea of who may be more decent or who has bad manners, but better manners, we’re missing the point.
The point is that we are talking about a nation where human beings are expendable and the media doesn’t tell us that story because they’re too interested in the latest entertainment, the latest pop star, the latest movie star, the latest business person, the latest Trump outrage, the latest inane comment from Kamala Harris, and never speak to the people who were doing the back-breaking, dirty, gut-busting work of holding that broken country together while politicians have absolutely exploited them.
Updated
$4m funding boost to NSW tenants' support services
Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services in New South Wales are set to receive $4m in funding over four years from NSW Fair Trading.
The service network – made up of 21 not-for-profits that support tenants in negotiations, dispute resolution and advocacy – will be boosted by $1m extra a year until 2028, as put in a statement from the minister for fair trading and better regulation, Anoulack Chanthivong. Funding has increased to $16.2m in 2024-25.
“The Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service provides local support through a network of highly skilled advocates who work to ensure quality advice and advocacy is available to all renters in NSW,” Chanthivong said.
“The funding boost will mean the services can reach even more renters and keep this critical information service free.”
The chief executive of the Tenants’ Union of NSW, Leo Patterson Ross, welcomes the additional funding, and says it “will make it easier for renters” to seek free advice and advocacy:
This funding increase will ensure services can continue to provide the same high-quality advice we have for the past 30 years.
Updated
Third person charged in alleged Bluey coin theft
A third person has been charged today with allegedly stealing tens of thousands of unreleased limited edition Bluey coins from a warehouse in Sydney’s west.
Police received a report that a large amount of currency had been stolen from a warehouse in Wetherill Park on Monday 12 July this year, according to a NSW Police statement.
63,000 unreleased limited edition $1 Bluey coins – produced by the Australian Mint – had been stolen, officers who arrived at the scene were told.
An investigation into the incident was commenced by State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad under Strike Force Bandit. Two men have been charged and remain before the courts.
Around 6.55am today, a 27-year-old woman was arrested, after detectives executed a search warrant in Green Valley.
She taken to Liverpool Police Station where she was charged with “three counts of aggravated break & enter commit serious indictable offence, and dispose property-theft=serious indictable offence <=$5000”, as put in the NSW Police Statement.
She was refused bail to appear before Liverpool Local Court today. Police will allege in court the woman was the driver in the alleged break and enter.
Class action against Homes Victoria won’t be decided until next year
Residents in public housing towers slated for demolition will not learn if they are successful in their fight against the Victorian government until next year, AAP has reported.
The class action claims Homes Victoria did not properly consider the residents’ human rights before deciding to demolish the towers in Carlton, Flemington and North Melbourne.
The trial began in the Victorian supreme court on Monday, where the Homes Victoria chief executive, Simon Newport, conceded Daniel Andrews made the announcement before residents were notified.
The trial was due to continue on Tuesday but the case was instead adjourned so the parties could fight over the production of secret documents.
Justice Melinda Richards said another judge would need to decide on the document question, with a hearing date yet to be fixed.
Updated
Julia Gillard library to be established at University of Adelaide
Former prime minister Julia Gillard and the University of Adelaide have agreed to establish the Julia Gillard Prime Ministerial Library on the University’s North Terrace campus.
The uni will work with National Archives of Australia to bring the trove of documents from Gillard’s career and prime ministership closer to the public.
Gillard said:
I am deeply honoured that plans are under way to establish the Julia Gillard Prime Ministerial Library on the grounds of the university where my tertiary education journey began.
I have many fond memories from my time at the University of Adelaide, where I studied law, economics and literature. I have continued my relationship with the University as an honorary professor and through the annual Julia Gillard lecture.
I am excited to see the library take shape in the coming years and become a dynamic, living space for students, staff and the general public.
Updated
Circling back to Albanese’s press conference – Labor is trying to change the topic (or at least muddy the waters) around the prime minister’s Qantas upgrades by pointing out Peter Dutton’s own disclosures of accepting flights related to mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.
Albanese referenced Dutton taking flights “organised to private parties”. It seemed to be a reference to a story we broke in January, where the opposition leader was flown to a party – at Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting mine in the Pilbara – by another billionaire rich-lister.
Senior Labor minister Murray Watt referenced this story last night, tweeting a screenshot with the caption “speaking of flights”.
Speaking of flights… pic.twitter.com/ViXDQ4rWP9
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) October 28, 2024
Watt yesterday also noted Dutton had accepted flights in 2022 from Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, including a Perth-to-Pilbara air fare and flights between Sydney, Rockhampton and Mackay to attend a Bali bombing memorial.
On Tuesday, Albanese defended his actions by saying all the upgrades were disclosed, but he didn’t directly answer several questions about whether he’d asked the then chief executive, Alan Joyce, for the upgrades himself.
“I didn’t have to declare any flights on private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart, because I haven’t engaged in it. As simple as that. And it’s up to Mr Dutton to explain how those flights were organised to private parties,” the PM said at a press conference.
Updated
Stamp duty bill introduced to Victorian parliament
Earlier this morning, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a news conference in Docklands, where she announced the approval of three new residential towers in the area.
She says two permits for 915 new homes to be built in three towers at Collins Wharf were approved by the planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny, on Monday.
The $521m Lendlease development includes two 28-storey buildings with 349 and 375 apartments, and a 16-storey building with 191 apartments.
She also announced the government will be introducing the Duties Amendment (More Homes) bill 2024 to parliament to allow for the 12-month off-the-plan stamp duty concessions she announced last week to come into effect.
Under the plan, anyone buying off-the-plan apartments, townhouses and units will receive a huge discount on their stamp duty.
The bill will be debated in the lower house this week before it goes to the upper house in the following sitting week, where Allan urged both the Liberals and Greens to support it.
Allan told reporters:
We need to take this action immediately and that’s why, too, I’m calling on the Liberal party, the Greens political party, to not stand in the way of this action that we are taking in the parliament this week. Industry, home builders and homebuyers deserve the certainty from all political parties in the parliament that they will support this legislation to move through the parliament as quickly and effectively as possible, and that’s why we are bringing it to the parliament this week. We don’t want to see any games. We want to see it introduced straight away. Homebuyers are relying on it. So too are home builders.
Updated
Tony Burke says Labor didn’t try to legislate against hate out of fears of ugly debate
The minister for immigration, Tony Burke, has said the government introduced envoys to Islamophobia and antisemitism, as opposed to legislating against such hate, to avoid an “ugly” political debate.
Burke was speaking at a conference on social cohesion in western Sydney earlier and said that while there were state laws to address hate based on faith, there was no federal law that protects communities from such hate.
But he said that should the government try to change that, it would result in “the ugliest debate I could imagine”.
Instead, the government appointed Jillian Segal as the first antisemitism envoy and Aftab Malik as the first anti-Islamophobia envoy:
In the absence of federal law, and certainly at the moment, should we try to change that, the debate in the parliament would be one of the ugliest debates I could imagine, which we aren’t wanting to bring on to people. So the way of being able to make clear statements against discrimination on the basis of people’s faith was to create two positions which did not require a vote of parliament.
The reason is very simple, antisemitism has an element of racist bigotry and bigotry on faith, Islamophobia is entirely about faith – neither of them have the federal protection that is there against racism, against sexism, against other forms of bigotry. So in establishing those envoys, we are establishing a very clear principle that these forms of bigotry and hatred are completely unacceptable.
Burke also dismissed claims refugee arrivals from Gaza did not go through the proper security checks, saying such claims only “added kerosene to the fire”.
Finally, he also addressed the government’s decision to reject the visa of American rightwing pundit Candace Owens because she would undermine social cohesion. He said it was “one of the easiest decisions” of his life.
Updated
Men think sexual harassment is improving, women don’t
There’s a stark difference between male business leaders and female employees in their perceptions about sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, a recent survey of 500 leaders and 1,000 employees has found.
More than 70% of male leaders said they had high confidence a colleague felt safe to report sexual harassment. This dropped to only one-in-two women, the survey commissioned by the violence prevention organisation Our Watch found.
Almost 80% of male bosses said they had a high degree of confidence appropriate action would be taken by employers if a report was made, compared with about one-in-two female workers.
Nearly 4 million women have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years, which is a much higher rate than men and meant women had a more personalised experience with sexual harassment, the Our Watch vhief executive, Patty Kinnersly, said.
Workplace leaders thought the insidious problem was improving but that isn’t what the data reflected, she said.
– Australian Associated Press
• In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
Updated
PM asked if he called Alan Joyce directly about flight upgrades
Anthony Albanese has been asked a few times whether he called the Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, directly about flight upgrades.
He said:
There is no accusations being made with any specifics at all about any of this. None. None. People are – Peter Dutton is making this statement. If there is a suggestion to be made, let it be made specifically and I will answer it, but I have said very clearly that I recall direct discussions with Alan Joyce over the flights, the Emirates, Qantas flight to Dubai and of course the first flight to Perth. They are the only times I was on a plane with Alan Joyce. Of the 22 flights, 10 of them were during the leadership ballot between myself and Bill Shorten in 2013 over a one-month period where both Qantas and Virgin provided upgrades for flights that were paid for by the Australian Labor party to make sure there was not any cost to taxpayers for what was internal business.
Albanese reiterated his claim that his financial arrangements are completely transparent:
In terms of transparency, Bridget McKenzie can answer questions herself about things. Peter Dutton can answer questions about his flights. I assume, his flights upgrades, the same circumstances I am in with the exception that I don’t have access to a private jet on call, which has happened with Mr Dutton, and it is up to him to explain that. Just like all of my financial arrangements are completely transparent.
Updated
PM says he ‘didn’t have to declare any flights taken on private jets owned by billionaires’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he hasn’t had to declare flights taken on the private jets of billionaires, answering questions on reports he sought free Qantas flight upgrades directly from Alan Joyce while serving as transport minister.
He spoke to press from Newcastle a short while ago:
Peter Dutton has declared some of his flights. There is a difference between both of us. My flights were commercial, with Qantas or Virgin, or Emirates. They were all declared in the appropriate way. I didn’t have to declare any flights on private jets owned by billionaires like Gina Rinehart, because I haven’t engaged in it. As simple as that. And it’s up to Mr Dutton to explain how those flights were organised to private parties.
Updated
More than 10% of Australian teenagers found to identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual
More than one in 10 Australian teenagers identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual, a survey of high school students has found.
Researchers surveyed 6,388 year 8 students between 2019 and 2021, finding that 12% of the teenagers reported diverse sexualities, while 3.3% identified as gender-diverse.
The findings, the study’s authors say, highlight an “urgent need” for support services in schools and healthcare settings to mitigate against an increased risk of stigma, discrimination and violence.
Read the full story here:
Updated
‘Immense’ contribution
More on Dr Michael Brand, director of the Art Gallery of NSW, stepping down.
Brand oversaw the $344m Sydney Modern project that included the opening of the award-winning new building, Naala Badu, and the revitalisation of the 153-year-old original building, Naala Nura, both completed almost two years ago.
Brand did not reveal what his next move would be.
The president of the board of trustees, David Gonski, who is stepping down from his role in December, said Brand’s contribution to the AGNSW had been immense.
Updated
AGNSW director to step down next year
The director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Dr Michael Brand, is stepping down from in July 2025.
Brand joined the gallery as director in 2012. He said:
When we unveiled the Sydney Modern vision in 2013, I said it would be a green light for art, artists and audiences. I am extremely proud of all that we have achieved together in the last 12 years to create a unique art museum experience on Gadigal Country in Sydney for our local and international audiences.
This ambitious project is what called me back to Australia so my decision to step down next year follows much reflection. As we are now building on the success of the Sydney Modern transformation, it feels like the right time to transition to a new generation of leadership for the next exciting chapter in the history of our 153-year-old art museum.
The president of the board of trustees, David Gonski AC, said:
We are indebted to [Brand’s] ambition and vision to create a globally significant art museum in Sydney.
A national and international search for a new director will commence soon, Gonski said.
Updated
More on the overhaul of committal hearings in Victoria
For the accused, audiovisual link appearances will become default position in committal proceedings, while the committal hearing process will be bypassed altogether for homicide matters after a successful pilot, which fast-tracked cases to the supreme court.
The Victorian attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, says the reforms act on a number of recommendations made by the Victorian Law Reform Commission in its 2020 report into committal hearings.
She says she knows her changes will be met with “mixed reviews” from the legal community but she was taking into account victim’s experiences.
Symes told reporters outside parliament:
The most compelling evidence put to me is that when you have sexual offence cases in particular, but [also] family violence and stalking matters, where witnesses are being cross examined in a committal process, then having to repeat that process because the case is proceeding, that’s unacceptable. There is lack of evidence to suggest that cases are being knocked out in the committal stage. It’s just a rerun and so [the reform is] avoiding the retraumatisation of victims having to give repeated evidence and particularly be cross examined.
There is no doubt the cross examination process, is an important process of a trial, but it is the most stressful for a victim and a witness and if we can avoid them having to do that twice, I think this is called for.
She says there will be a 12-month implementation period and a review of the changes once they’re in place.
In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org
Updated
Overhaul of committal hearings in Victoria
Traumatic pre-trial cross-examinations will be banned in Victoria as part of a push to protect victims and witnesses in family violence, sexual offence and stalking cases.
The Victorian attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, is announcing new laws she says will guarantee that victims of particularly traumatic cases will only have to give evidence at committal hearings.
It will reduce the number of cross-examinations, which Symes says is one of the most challenging parts of the criminal trial process.
The justice legislation amendment (committals) bill 2024, will also significantly reduce the amount of pre-trial evidence given by all victims and witnesses, ensuring only questioning that is essential to resolve matters earlier is permitted.
The laws will also prevent child victims, witnesses and those with cognitive impairments from having to testify multiple times in family violence cases by allowing them to give prerecorded video evidence, as is already done in sexual offence proceedings.
Keep an eye out for more detail in the next blog post.
In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.
Updated
Mehreen Faruqi calls on government to sanction Israel
Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi is calling on the Albanese government to sanction Israel after its parliament voted to ban UN relief agency Unrwa from the country and declared it a terrorist organisation.
Faruqi said:
Undermining and stopping UNRWA from providing aid to Palestinians has been a long term goal of Israel and it’s outrageous that now they are even closer to achieving this because the world has refused to take action to stop them.
The Labor government has been ‘urging’ Israel to abide by international law for a year, and all we’ve seen is its war crimes and genocide escalating.
Enough with the weasel words. It’s time for Albanese and Wong to impose sanctions and expel the Israeli ambassador.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, condemned Israel’s ban on Unrwa operations earlier today.
Read more here:
Updated
Myer to buy multiple brands including Just Jeans
Department store chain Myer will buy Premier Investment’s apparel brands in Australia and New Zealand, which includes Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans, Dotti and Jacqui E, the companies announced today.
The transaction involves Premier shareholders receiving Myer stock, which will give Premier chairman Solomon Lew control of just under one-third of Myer shares.
Lew said:
Myer and our apparel brands will be stronger together – delivering vertical integration, scale, additional margins and loyalty opportunities.
Premier will retain the Peter Alexander and Smiggle brands along with its stake in Breville Group and various property assets.
The transaction comes at a challenging time for Myer, which reported lower profits and sales as customers grappled with rising living costs, prompting the department store operator to discount its fashion brands.
Updated
Wong condemns Israeli ban on Unrwa operations
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has criticised new Israeli laws restricting the UN relief agency Unrwa’s access to Gaza, saying that Unrwa “does life-saving work”.
“Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work,” Wong said in a statement posted to the social media site X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Australia joined Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK to urge Israel’s Knesset not to proceed with this legislation.”
Unrwa, the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, is the main provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Unrwa of engaging in “terrorist activities” against Israel, which the agency has denied.
Overnight, the Israeli parliament passed legislation designating the agency a terrorist organisation, severing ties with it, stripping staff of diplomatic immunity and banning it from operating on Israeli soil – a move that severely hampers its capacity to deliver aid to Gaza.
Updated
Australian Energy Regulator investigates power outages around Broken Hill
The Australian Energy Regulator is investigating “power system events” that left 20,000 people without power in Broken Hill and nearby areas, after severe weather hit far west NSW and the region’s only working large-scale emergency generator failed.
The investigation will review whether there has been any potential breaches of the national electricity rules, as put in a statement from the regulator. The rules require transmission and distribution networks to “ensure their systems and infrastructure are properly operated and maintained”.
The AER will coordinate with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal investigation into Transgrid’s compliance with licence conditions and other obligations under state legislation.
You can read up on the outage here:
Updated
Reaction to PM’s Qantas flight upgrades ‘a complete pile-on’
The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, and Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie went back and forth on the Today show this morning, talking reports of Anthony Albanese seeking free Qantas flight upgrades directly from Alan Joyce while serving as transport minister.
Rishworth said the fallout “has been a complete pile-on on the prime minister”:
I mean, he’s publicly declared very, very clearly what he has been gifted. I think there’s something to if you are in a glass house, don’t throw stones.
Asked if she has ever called in for an upgrade, Rishworth said:
Me personally? No, no, I haven’t rung Alan Joyce, anyone, [for] an upgrade. But, you know, quite frankly. Well, no, that is not something that I’ve done.
Host Karl Stefanovic responded to Rishworth, saying:
It wasn’t your most convincing answer, Amanda, I mean, it was a pretty simple question.
He then asked McKenzie if she had ever called Qantas management for an upgrade. McKenzie said:
Amanda’s answers aside, this is a serious problem … The problem is that I don’t know of another transport minister who had a hotline to the CEO of Qantas to request freebies for family holidays.
Pressed to answer the question about calling in for an update, McKenzie said, “I’m happy to answer it,” then went on:
There’s a difference to receive a gift and declare it on your register to actually getting on the blower and saying, “Listen, mate, the missus and I are going overseas on a holiday. How about upgrading those economy tickets?”
Again, McKenzie was asked whether she has ever called Joyce or Qantas management for an upgrade. She said:
I do not have a hotline to request upgrades. I have received an upgrade in 2018 that I declared, but to my knowledge, no transport minister other than Anthony Albanese has done this.
Updated
Jeffrey Pope to be new acting Australian electoral commissioner
Special minister of state Don Farrell has announced Jeffrey Pope as the new acting Australian electoral commissioner, to take on that role from mid-December.
Pope has been the deputy AEC commissioner since 2016 and made “significant contributions” to the 2023 referendum process and recent federal elections, according to Farrell:
This appointment marks the end of a successful 11-year term for the current electoral commissioner, Mr Tom Rogers.
Farrell thanked Rogers for his work at the 2016, 2019 and 2022 elections, as well as the 2023 referendum, and praised him for overseeing significant reforms in Australia’s electoral process:
Mr Rogers leaves a legacy of stable leadership and a stronger democracy.
Farrell appoints Pope as parliament watchers eagerly await the final details of the government’s new electoral reforms, which will propose changes surrounding spending caps and donations at elections. We understand that legislation is now slated to appear in mid-November, just before the parliament finishes for the year.
Updated
‘I haven’t worked that out’: Robbie Katter asked about his abortion strategy in Queensland
Back to Robbie Katter on ABC RN a short while ago.
Asked whether he would amend Queensland’s abortion legislation or repeal it, Katter said he hasn’t worked it out. He said he had been “pulled” into the abortion debate and that it wasn’t meant to be a priority of the campaign:
I was pushed to give a response saying that there’s backbenchers that would say, if they were given the opportunity and they would to turn things around, they would. And they said, “Would you entertain that?” I said, “Of course I would, like, that’s what we do.”
And so I responded to a question, and then, you know, blew up from there. And everyone started hitting me up for details on that … this one isn’t one of my priorities for the new government.
But if you ask me, yes, I would try and turn things around, and to what degree, whether that’s, you know, 22 weeks thing, or 16 weeks or 22 weeks, or repeal or new bill and amendment, I haven’t worked that out, Steve, and I’m sorry I can’t give you more detail, but it wasn’t sort of front of centre of my consciousness when I entered the campaign and I got pulled into the debate.
The Katter’s Australia party leader has vowed to introduce a private member’s bill to wind back abortion rights and access that would notionally spark a conscience vote.
Updated
One person dead after car crash in Victoria
One person has died in a two-vehicle collision in Nyora about 5.20am this morning, according to a statement from Victoria police.
It is believed a male driver in a Holden sedan was travelling along the South Gippsland Highway when it collided head-on with a silver Mazda hatchback at the intersection of Nyora-St Helier Road.
The driver of the sedan, yet to be formally identified, died at the scene.
The driver of the hatchback, a Poowong man in his 30s, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital for treatment.
Investigations are ongoing. The exact cause of the collision is yet to be determined.
Updated
Babies deserve representation in parliament, Robbie Katter says
Robbie Katter, the Katter’s Australia party leader, says babies deserve representation in parliament.
In the final weeks of the Queensland state election campaign, Katter vowed to introduce a private member’s bill to wind back abortion rights and access that would notionally spark a conscience vote.
He was asked on ABC RN this morning:
An argument you hear in the US, and it’s an argument you hear in Australia, that it’s always men who seem to want to change laws about women’s reproductive rights. What would you say to them?
Katter replied:
I’d say there’s a lot of babies that are males and females, and there’s 93 members of parliament in Queensland, and looks like [there will] again be four that vote against that vote for pro life. So there’s pretty strong representation for inverted commas, women, those women.
And, you know, I think that the babies deserve to have some representation as well. And four is a pretty small number in the Queensland parliament, but I think those babies deserve representation.
A lot of those women you speak of, they were babies once too, and I’m sure they would have preferred to have some representation when they were babies as well.
Labor decriminalised abortion in 2018 and has sought to put the issue at the forefront of the campaign, saying there is a “very real risk” that reproductive rights will be wound back if the LNP wins government. Read more from Ben Smee’s report here:
Updated
The significance of Thorpe’s royal protest
Independent senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe’s protest before King Charles in the Great Hall of Parliament House last week caught news attention around the globe.
While it prompted a few reactions, it also started a conversation about the British monarchy’s role in the lasting legacy of colonisation for First Nations people.
For today’s Full Story podcast, Reged Ahmad speaks to political editor Karen Middleton about why Australians can’t stop talking about the royal protest and what it means for Thorpe’s role as a senator.
Listen here:
Updated
Bowen deflects question about PM’s Qantas flight upgrades
Climate and energy minister Chris Bowens says Anthony Albanese is not focused on political debates “about what conversations he may or may not have had”, after reports of the prime minister seeking free Qantas flight upgrades directly from Alan Joyce while serving as transport minister and opposition leader.
He said on ABC Radio National:
The opposition can focus on the cost of Qantas flights for their life. The Labor party and the prime minister is focused on cost of living for ordinary Australians. Whether it be the cost of housing and a housing package we want to get through cost of energy and our reforms there.
I mean, Anthony Albanese is, I can tell you, as a senior member of his cabinet, focused like the laser on these issues, not on these sort of political debates about what he may conversations he may or may not have had, you know, 10 or 15 years ago. He’s focused on issues today.
Updated
Bowen derides Coalition’s ‘nuclear fantasy’
Chris Bowen, minister for climate change and energy, is speaking on ABC Radio National this morning.
He says going “down the nuclear road” for power is not playing to Australia’s strengths:
If I was the energy minister of another country, I would consider the opportunities that I had in that country – but a country saying to Australia, with our excellent renewable resources, that we should go down the nuclear road when we have no nuclear industry, no nuclear expertise of the scale that we would need for a nuclear power industry, is like us going to Finland or Scandinavia and saying, “Listen, we know [you have] a lot of snow, but you should really try beach surfing.” It just doesn’t make any sense.
We have to play to our strengths in Australia, and we have the best renewable resources in the world, and the opposition wants to stop us using them, and in turn, keep coal in the system for longer. They’re quite explicit about that while we wait for this nuclear fantasy to come on board. That would be terrible for emissions and fatal for energy reliability.
The opposition leader Peter Dutton’s plan to build seven nuclear power plants has been scrutinised by government agencies and department officials. Read about it here:
Updated
Victorian Greens criticise Labor’s housing plan
The Victorian Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, has dismissed Jacinta Allan’s criticism, arguing her party has been campaigning for years for more housing:
The difference between the Greens and Labor is that the Greens want this housing to be genuinely affordable, yet Labor’s plan will only build expensive, luxury apartments. Labor’s plan leaves things totally in the hands of profit-driven developers who have no interest in building homes for young people, nurses, teachers – the people who actually need them.
Dr David Hayward, an emeritus professor of public policy at RMIT, welcomed the Greens’ plan, arguing the private sector undersupplied housing to maximise profits:
You can deregulate as much as you want, but unless those private actors can get their financial return, they’re not going to build what you want. The direct intervention proposed by the Greens is a way of plugging that gap. A state-owned builder wouldn’t be the main player, just an additional one. It could even be a not-for-profit that does it, it doesn’t really matter, as long as the motivation is not financial return. The main driver is the need to provide housing.
Updated
La Niña looking more unlikely for the coming summer
As we’ve flagged for a while, it’s looking unlikely that we’ll see a La Niña weather event in the Pacific this summer.
The latest Bureau of Meteorology models place just a 4% chance that La Niña thresholds will be crossed in January (and less of a chance in December and February).
Latest model runs by @bom_au indicate conditions in the Pacific will continue to be neutral with only about a 4% chance of a La Nina threshold being reached. La Nina not happening, in other words... pic.twitter.com/hWrCzMqaxL
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) October 28, 2024
The bureau will provide a fuller update of the main climate drivers this afternoon.
La Niñas tend to mean we get wetter than usual weather over much of the country, particularly in eastern Australia (and more tropical cyclones than the average).
But conditions in the Indian Ocean are tilted towards the negative phase of the ocean’s dipole (which measures temperature differences across the basin). These indicate we might still get a relatively damp end to spring going into summer.
Meanwhile, out in the Indian Ocean, a negative phase of the dipole looks to be underway. That tends to mean wetter-than-average conditions in spring for much of Australia. (Via @bom_au) pic.twitter.com/8AdggOfD39
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) October 28, 2024
And that’s what the bureau’s outlooks indicate too. That summer umbrella might turn out to be handy for both the rain and the sun.
Updated
Greens policy costings
The policy is similar to a federal Greens proposal announced in March. Based on a federal Parliamentary Budget Office costing conducted at the time, it was forecast renters could save more than $122 a week a household and first home buyers $260,157 on a home, compared with median prices.
But the costing rested on the assumption that state and territory governments would also agree to waive stamp duty, which the PBO warned was unlikely to occur.
The Victorian Greens are also calling for more homes to be sold than the federal plan, in which 75% would be rentals.
Last week Jacinta Allan made several announcements designed to stimulate development in Melbourne’s inner suburbs, with the most significant being a plan to densify 50 areas near train and tram stations.
Allan on Thursday vowed to be “the premier who gets millennials into homes” and described both the Liberals and Greens as “blockers”.
Victorian Greens call for state-owned housing developer
The Victorian Greens are calling on the state government to enter the property development game, saying Labor’s plan to get more millennials into the housing market will not work without such an intervention.
In response to a series of housing announcements made last week by the premier, Jacinta Allan, the minor party is calling on the government to set up a “public builder” to construct affordable homes.
Under the Green’s plan, a state-owned developer would build 200,000 homes over the next 20 years and sell half for just 5% above the cost of construction. The remainder would be rented out for a maximum of 25% of household income.
Distinct from public housing, the homes would be available for the wider public to buy or rent, though the party wants households on the social housing waitlist to be prioritised for rentals.
They say the homes would be located near train stations and in regional areas and would be funded initially through “taxing big corporations”, revenue collected from the state’s vacant property and short-stay taxes, and a contribution from the commonwealth.
Good morning
Thank you Martin Farrer for kicking off the blog this morning!
I’ll be rolling your live news updates throughout the day – if you see anything you don’t want us to miss, shoot it my way on X (formerly Twitter) @At_Raf
Updated
Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth property markets performing better than other capital cities
More on that housing price story from AAP:
Domain’s Nicola Powell said apartments performing better than houses in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne was evidence of stretched affordability and buyers seeking out the less expensive options.
Inflation and wage growth – robust but not enough to keep up with the housing market – was weighing on demand, along with high interest rates clipping borrowing capacity.
Powell said buyers were “waiting on the sidelines” for firmer signals on interest rate moves.
In the September quarter, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth continued to do better than other capital city property markets.
House prices in Adelaide gained 4.2%, with 3.1% in Perth and 1.5% in Brisbane.
Updated
Property market losing heat, Domain says
Homebuyer budgets are finding a ceiling, slowing the pace of property price growth, Australian Associated Press reports.
Domain’s chief of research and economics, Nicola Powell, says the housing market appears to be shifting in favour of buyers:
Supply is rising, days on the market are lengthening, discounting is also increasing.
Everything points to a slowdown overall, and it’s very possible that we could see a dip in price even over the final quarter of this year, on that aggregate capital city level.
Prices were still going up in the three months to September. Domain recorded 0.8% growth in the quarter and slightly more for units, with both finding record highs.
But prices are not rising as fast, with the pace of quarterly house prices in Sydney and Perth growing half as quickly as in the previous quarter.
Updated
Albanese to announce clean energy projects in NSW and Victoria
Anthony Albanese is due to announce two more clean energy-related projects in NSW and Victoria aimed at transitioning Australia’s energy production and workforce away from fossil fuels.
Albanese will announce federal funding for both projects under his government’s Future Made in Australia scheme and contrast them with the Coalition’s plans to develop nuclear power stations at seven sites around Australia if it wins office.
Albanese will travel to the NSW Hunter region on Tuesday to announce a new $60m “net zero manufacturing centre of excellence” at a Tafe campus in Newcastle, to be jointly funded with the NSW government. The centre will develop a new apprenticeship model focused on the skills required for modern, clean-energy manufacturing, training workers for jobs in the Hunter-Central Coast renewable energy zone.
He will then travel to Wodonga in Victoria to announce a $17m federal funding injection for the nation’s first concentrated solar thermal heat plant, expanding the application of solar power beyond electricity to heat generation.
The government says the project will involve an 18 megawatt thermal plant with up to 10 hours’ storage capacity which it says will halve the use of gas where it is installed and generate 80 jobs during construction. He will say:
Creating jobs, investing in our regions, reducing emissions and bringing down power prices – that’s what we’re delivering.
Renewable energy is bringing new jobs and new industry across our country, including regional Australia.
He is expected to demand again that opposition leader, Peter Dutton, reveal the costings for his nuclear-energy plans.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories before Rafqa Touma picks up the slack.
Australian schools have an “urgent need” for support services to help pupils at risk of stigma, discrimination and violence as a major survey indicates that more than 10% are LGBTQ+ or gender-diverse. More than one in 10 Australian teenagers in the survey identified as gay, bisexual, pansexual or asexual, with 3.3% of the more than 6,000 questioned identifying as gender-diverse.
The Victorian Greens are calling on the state government to enter the property development game, saying Labor’s plan to get more millennials into the housing market will not work without such an intervention. We’ll have a full post coming up and we also have an op-ed piece today from housing policy expert Peter Mares who argues that only government intervention can redirect development to the kind of “middle-density” type needed to solve the crisis.
Meanwhile, Domain’s chief economist says the property market is beginning to cool and move in favour of buyers. Research by the property company shows that prices rose in the last quarter by 0.8% but the rate of increase is slowing, with the pace in Sydney and Perth, for example, half as quick as in the previous quarter. More coming up.
Anthony Albanese is due to announce two more clean-energy-related projects in NSW and Victoria today, aimed at transitioning Australia’s energy production and workforce away from fossil fuels. Details coming up.
