What we learned, Friday 2 February
Here are the main stories of the day:
Israel has accused the Australian government of forgetting “Hamas’s culpability” for the war in Gaza, in a sign of growing tensions as ministers consider reinstating funding to a key UN agency;
NSW police find no evidence that “gas the Jews” was chanted at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney last year;
Frank Zumbo, chief of staff to the former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, has been found guilty of indecently assaulting four women;
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, says the Liberals will not “take money away” from people who benefit from Labor’s tax changes; and
The government issues a formal direction to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate the supermarket sector.
We will see you back here again for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Better consultation needed on renewal energy projects: study
Promoting trust and communication will be vital if wary Australians are to embrace the nation’s transition to net zero, according to a major energy study, AAP reports.
Improved community consultation, better complaint handling through ombudsman roles and a rating system for developers are among nine recommendations of the review put forward by the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner.
All have been accepted in principle by the federal government.
Led by Commissioner Andrew Dyer, the study aimed to determine more effective ways to engage landowners and communities directly affected by the green energy transformation.
It found some participants had “a lack of trust” in project developers, including government-owned corporations.
