That's it for today – thanks for reading
Here are the main stories on Thursday 18 July:
Australia condemns “unacceptable deaths of innocent civilians as a result of Israel’s operations in this last week”, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, says, as the Greens call for sanctions against the Netanyahu government.
Australia’s jobless rate rises slightly to 4.1% despite 50,000 new jobs.
The ALP national executive unanimously agree to suspend the CFMEU construction division’s affiliation to ALP branches in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania amid corruption allegations.
The federal agriculture minister, Murray Watt, and his state counterparts in Queensland, NSW, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, have issued a joint statement expressing “serious concerns” about the impact of nuclear reactors on Australian agriculture.
Andrew Forrest denies he is walking back from hydrogen, a day after his company Fortescue announced plans to sack 700 workers.
Queensland sets new record for electricity demand amid cold snap.
Palestinian-Australian charged with trespass after allegedly refusing to leave Albanese’s electorate office.
We will see you back here for more news tomorrow.
Updated
‘Twiggy is not walking back from hydrogen’: Forrest
Mining magnate Andrew Forrest is standing by his green hydrogen plan after a decision to axe hundreds of jobs cast doubt on the Fortescue Group’s direction, AAP reports.
The iron ore miner turned energy company slashed 700 jobs in a restructure on Wednesday, saying it would ensure the company remained “lean, impactful and agile”.
Forrest, nicknamed “Twiggy”, took to the airwaves on Thursday to explain the move and reassure investors he remained committed to a green energy future.
We’re not pulling back, this is something which I really genuinely believe in, I’m a hardcore bloke from the bush, I’m a miner, I’m a practical person, I’ve also had the good fortune to have an education in Australia, so I’ve really looked hard at the science,” he told Perth radio station 6PR.
I just know that going the way we’re going with fossil fuels isn’t an option, the climate is changing dramatically around us.
It’s been taken as ‘Twiggy is walking back from hydrogen’.
Twiggy is not walking back from hydrogen. The world has to have it. We just have to work out how to produce it cheaply enough.
The billionaire philanthropist said the uncertainty created by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and high costs had made the operating environment tough.
We need lower power prices, hydrogen is directly a function of the electricity cost – if the electricity cost is high, then we can’t make hydrogen cheaply enough to compete with fossil fuels,” he said.
Updated
