What we learned today, Wednesday 24 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
Labor MPs have unanimously endorsed changes to stage-three tax cuts, which the Coalition has vowed to repeal if elected.
Cyclone Kirrily is expected to start hitting the Queensland coast between Cardwell and Bowen this evening, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Heatwave conditions are set to persist for large swathes of the country with a cool change not expected until later in the week.
The Woolworths CEO, Brad Banducci, says the company’s decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise could have been better explained.
Kim Williams, a former chief executive of News Corp Australia, has been named as the new chair of the ABC to replace Ita Buttrose.
The former Qantas boss Alan Joyce has stepped down as the Sydney Theatre Company chair.
The former TV host Andrew O’Keefe has avoided jail despite being found guilty of “violent and degrading” domestic attacks.
And Scott Morrison’s next job has been announced: the former prime minister is joining international advisory and consulting firm American Global Strategies.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
Auditor general criticises budget blowout in parliamentary IT system
The auditor general has criticised a “significant increase to costs and multiple delays” in the federal government’s build of an expenses management system for parliamentary expenses, where the original budget blew out by nearly double.
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) today released its performance audit of the Parliamentary Expenses Management System (PEMS), a much-maligned online system where politicians and staff lodge their travel and office bills.
The special minister of state, Don Farrell, said in a statement the system had “never functioned as intended”.
“Mismanaged since the former Government introduced it in 2018, this is one of the most embarrassing IT bungles in history,” he said.
The ANAO report found the budget to build the system had blown out to $74.3m as of June 2023, compared to the original budget of $38.1m. It said the Department of Finance was only “partly effective in implementing the PEMS project”, noting that progress reports from the department did not “support sufficient actions or decisions to keep the project on track”.
Many MPs and staff hugely dislike the system, which has been described by some as clunky and frustrating to use. The ANAO report says the system’s current capability “does not meet all deliverables as agreed in the business case”.
“There is a reliance on manual workarounds particularly for payroll services. Reporting functionality to meet legislative requirements was delayed. Parliamentarians and their staff were not sufficiently consulted throughout the project implementation to ensure the system was simple and easy to use,” the report said.
Farrell said he expected the finance department would address the recommendations of the ANAO report, which included calls for future projects to have better defined scope, deliverables and approaches.
Updated
Three dead after being pulled from water off Phillip Island
Three people have died and one woman is in a critical condition after being pulled from the water on Phillip Island in Victoria.
Police said emergency services responded to reports of the four people struggling in the water at Newhaven at about 3.30pm and found the four people unresponsive.
First responders administered CPR to the four people, but a man in his 40s and two women in their 20s were pronounced dead at the scene. The woman who is in a critical condition, and is believed to be in her 20s, was airlifted to the Alfred hospital.
Police are not treating the incident as suspicious and will prepare a report for the coroner.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily expected to hit Queensland coast this evening: BoM
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is expected to impact the Queensland coast between Cardwell and Bowen from this evening, the Bureau of Meteorology have announced. Here’s the details:
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has developed in the Coral Sea and is expected to continue strengthening as it tracks west south-west towards the Queensland coast.
A coastal crossing is likely on Thursday evening between Cardwell and Bowen.
After Kirrily crosses the coast, it is expected to quickly weaken to a tropical low, moving further inland and then west south-west across central Queensland. This will bring heavy to intense rainfall to areas across northern interior and western Queensland during Friday and into the weekend.
Queensland communities are advised to stay up to date with forecasts and warnings.
There is up-to-date information on the BoM’s site.
Updated
One believed dead after light plane crash in Sydney’s south-west
A person is believed dead after a light plane crash near Brownlow Hill Loop Rd in Brownlow Hill, in Sydney’s south-west.
Emergency services were called to Brownlow Hill near Camden about 3pm on Wednesday following reports a plane from a nearby flying school had crashed. NSW police said they believe a person had been killed in the crash.
Updated
Reports three dead after incident on Phillip Island beach
There are reports that three people have died after getting into difficulty in the water at a beach on Phillip Island this afternoon.
Three women and a man were pulled from the water unresponsive.
More to come.
Updated
Government should mandate definition of added sugars, researchers say
Australia’s food regulators need to develop a definition of added sugars in processed foods to stop Australians being deceived by misleading advertising, according to new research from UNSW’s George Institute for Global Health.
The research, published today in Current Developments in Nutrition, says that tighter restrictions on the voluntary “no added sugar” claim which Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) introduced in December is a good step, but still allows the food industry to exploit loopholes.
The authors give the example of processed fruit and vegetable sugars in the form of pastes, powders, pulps and purees, which undergo intensive heating and compression which removes the nutritional value in the original fruits or vegetables – such as fibre and water – and leave only concentrated sugars.
Under the new rule, a rolled fruit strap can no longer claim to have “no added sugar” – but can still claim to be “100% fruit’ or ‘made from real fruit”, suggesting it is as healthy as the whole fruit.
The research found around 60% of the Australian food supply contained added sugars of some kind. The paper calls on the government to do more to mandate Australia’s food regulators develop a comprehensive definition.
Dr Alexandra Jones, the senior author of the paper, said :
“Without a comprehensive definition of added sugars in Australia, we are paving the way for highly processed, concentrated fruit and vegetable sugars to remain ‘hidden’ in foods that can still be presented by the food industry as ‘healthy’.”
Updated
Labor caucus unanimously endorses stage-three tax cut changes
The Labor caucus meeting has concluded in a bit over an hour and a quarter, with Labor MPs voting unanimously to endorse the changes to the stage-three tax cuts. A short meeting is a good meeting – and we’ve heard from three MPs who have described the tone variously as “positive” and one who went as far as “euphoric”.
The meeting confirmed the parameters of the changes:
Decreasing the lowest rate of tax from 19% to 16%, which will now be paid by those earning above $19,000; and;
Retaining the 37% tax rate for those earning $135,000 to $190,000.
There were many contributions from the floor and a few members who queried how Labor should sell the changes and deal with accusations of a broken promise. We’re told this included some Western Australian MPs.
But there was no major dissent or rejection of the plan - which one Labor MP attributed to the plan being presented as a fait accompli.
There were no big new measures announced that hadn’t been reported in some form before the meeting, which makes sense – the extra cuts for 80% of low and middle income earners is reasonably expensive, and the changes to stage three were designed to be budget-neutral. However, other cost of living measures are in the works.
On the way out, Graham Perrett, the member for Moreton, said Labor would let Peter Dutton defend tax cuts to the rich, which is the attack line Julian Hill gave on the way in.
One MP told Guardian Australia the stage three revamp is the “moral” choice but “maybe not the correct political one”, although it’s not clear yet how the electorate will respond to breach of “repeated promises”.
Updated
ABS estimates Australian population at over 27 million
Australia’s population is now over 27 million!
The Australian Bureau of Statistics population clock was slowly ticking towards the milestone, which was reached this afternoon.
The number is based on the estimated population as of June 30, 2023, and the assumed births, deaths, arrivals and departures since then. You can see it here:
This afternoon Australia's population is set to hit 27 million!
— Australian Bureau of Statistics (@ABSStats) January 24, 2024
Check out the ABS population clock from 3:30pm - 4:00pm (AEDT) to watch it tick over.https://t.co/ciGOm4l6Fl pic.twitter.com/tHqvKaUxMP
Updated
Workers’ union welcome stage three tax cut changes
The United Workers Union has welcomed the proposed Labor changes to Scott Morrison’s stage-three tax cuts, saying the flagged changes go some way to address massive inequalities in the original proposal. UWU’s national secretary, Tim Kennedy, said:
It was always offensive telling cleaners on $24.07 an hour – or $47,000 for a full-time job – that workers paid above $120,000 deserve $189bn in tax cuts. The Morrison tax cuts are an unwanted legacy of the Coalition’s appalling ‘lifters and leaners’ era that did not live up to the Australian ideal of giving people a fair go and did not pass any sort of pub test.
In a cost-of-living crisis, it’s not the high-income earners on their European holidays who are suffering. The fact the business community is out in force today vocally defending the rights of Australia’s top 14% income earners to billions of dollars in tax cuts tells you a lot about their priorities – and those priorities are certainly not their workers.
Updated
Measles exposure sites listed in Melbourne
A new case of measles has also been identified in a returned overseas traveller who attended a number of exposure sites in Melbourne from 17 January 2024 while infectious.
Victoria Health is asking people who have attended the listed exposure sites during the specified dates and times should monitor for symptoms of measles.
There are four sites listed around Frankston and Box Hill – you can find them here.
Updated
NSW Health issues measles alert for Sydney airport and Canberra coach
NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified one case in the ACT was infectious while transiting through Sydney.
The case is an adult who recently returned from Asia where there have been ongoing outbreaks of measles in several countries including Pakistan and India.
People who may have been exposed to the virus in the following locations should monitor for symptoms:
Air India flight AI 302 from Delhi to Sydney, arriving in Sydney on Saturday 20 January at 8.10am.
Sydney airport – Terminal 1 international arrivals (including baggage claim and customs) and Bay 9, bus and coach bays, on the morning of Saturday 20 January
Murrays Sydney to Canberra express bus, departing Sydney international airport around 10.30am on Saturday 20 January. ACT Health is contacting individuals who travelled on this bus service.
The director of the communicable diseases branch of NSW Health, Dr Christine Selvey, said while these locations pose no ongoing risk, if you, or someone you know, were on this flight or visited the above locations at those times it is important to be on the lookout for symptoms:
Symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.
Updated
Earlier, Mike Bowers snapped some of the Labor MPs as they arrived for the caucus meeting:
Updated
Labor caucus meets after stage-three tax cuts reworked
The Labor caucus is meeting now to discuss the Albanese government’s economic plan including changes to the stage-three income tax cuts which halve the benefit to high-income earners in favour of bigger cuts for those on low and middle incomes.
Government spinners have rejected labels of this meeting as an “emergency” meeting to deal with the “cost-of-living crisis”. While it’s true that it might be normal to schedule an extra caucus meeting to start a new year or to deal with a major issue, it is not every day the otherwise cautious Albanese government so dramatically changes course and sets out a new agenda for the remainder of this term in parliament, likely to define the contest until election day.
Labor MPs have read about the changes, agreed by cabinet on Tuesday, in the media – although some have noted that being consulted at all is an improvement on the workings of some previous governments.
Low-income earners can expect about an extra $800 on top of stage-three tax cuts; while high-income earners earning $200,000 or more could see their tax cuts halved from $9,000 under the stage-three plan.
As far as the changes themselves, Labor MPs mostly like them. It’s hard to disagree with giving more to low- and middle-income earners. Making a difference to people’s lives when they’re struggling is why these MPs got into politics.
But assessments of how badly the broken promise will play in the electorate vary, so they are apprehensive. Most have said it’s a fight worth having, but they’re under no illusions it will give Peter Dutton a potent issue to campaign on.
One MP told Guardian Australia:
I think in all honesty for my area people are not going to be overly unhappy. There’s more people at the bottom end than there are at the top end. People are really busting their chops to pay bills. I think it will be a bit of relief that people doing tough are going to get some support. How we deal with the broken promise – that’s the political bit, that’s the difficult bit.
In a doorstop at the airport, the Labor MP and left faction convener Julian Hill goaded Dutton to come out and say if he doesn’t support tax cuts for low- and middle-income earners. It’s the reverse wedge that Labor has set up, to use its more generous package to create difficulties for the Coalition.
In caucus I expect a robust discussion about how Labor will sell the changes, without too much criticism of the leadership on the substance because they know the government has finally crossed the Rubicon.
Updated
Scorching temperatures to strain power grid in NSW and Queensland
Much of inland Australia has been roasting in recent days, and Wednesday’s been no different.
Oodnadatta in South Australia has reached 47.5C and may warm up a bit more yet. (It’s the home of Australia’s equal hottest temp at 50.7C, recorded in January 1960.)
Queensland’s Birdsville is often that state’s oven, and so it was again today with 47.6C. New South Wales wasn’t far behind with Smithville clocking up 46.4C.
The heatwave is easing a bit for the coming days (with soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily helping to cool things in its path), the Bureau of Meteorology predicts.
Prolonged heatwave rolls on for parts of eastern Australia. Power demand has been elevated for some days in Queensland and NSW will join the party on Thursday (and possibly Friday, even with the holiday). (Source: @bom_au) pic.twitter.com/Bfr1ZU8Kum
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 24, 2024
Queensland recorded its highest electricity use earlier this week, smashing the previous record by almost 10%. The grid there will continue to be strained in coming days, by the looks.
NSW often imports power to meet its needs, and with its northern neighbour still hot, it might also face some supply strains on Thursday and even Friday, the Australian Energy Market Operator says. There are a couple of “lack of reserve” alerts out there, which are signals for suppliers to prepare more electricity if needed, rather than certain shortages.
Still, it’s worth keeping an eye out for calls to reduce power demand in the next day or so if you reside in either state.
Updated
Rio Tinto workers die in plane crash in Canada’s remote north
A plane carrying Rio Tinto workers has crashed in northern Canada during a flight to its Diavik diamond mine, killing a number of people on board, the Anglo-Australian resources giant said today.
Rio said in a statement it was working closely with authorities to help determine what went wrong.
No details were released concerning the precise number of deaths, other than there had been multiple casualties.
Rio’s chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, said:
As a company we are absolutely devastated by this news and offering our full support to our people and the community who are grieving today.
The crash occurred near Fort Smith in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories. The diamond mine is located about 200km south of the Arctic Circle.
Updated
Greens want stage-three tax changes to go further to fund public services
The Greens have responded to Labor’s plan to change the stage-three tax cuts, saying the cost-of-living crisis would be better addressed through funding public services.
The acting leader of the Greens, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, says:
Rich people don’t need a tax cut. There’s better ways to deal with the cost of living crisis than giving politicians and billionaires $9000 every year and hoping it’ll trickle down.
We’ve waited years for Labor to find some courage to stop these tax cuts for the rich, and now we’re still waiting to see whether their Stage 3.1 will still turbocharge inequality. Politicians and billionaires simply don’t need any more money.
If Labor stopped trying to dress up a stinker of a policy, and actually scrapped tax cuts for the rich entirely, they could invest that money in putting dental and mental health into Medicare, making childcare and education free, and freezing rent for two years until wages catch up.
Updated
Alan Joyce steps down as Sydney Theatre Company chair
The former Qantas boss Alan Joyce has quit the Sydney Theatre Company, after a three-month absence as the company’s chair.
The STC announced the departure on Wednesday, including a statement from Joyce saying he could not commit the time required by a board leader at an organisation facing “current challenges”.
“Although I will reluctantly be stepping aside, I will continue to be passionate about the amazing work the STC produces, and I wish the company all the best for the future,” he said in the statement.
The STC has reportedly suffered a drop in donations and sponsorships and cancelled subscriptions and tickets following an onstage protest by members of the company’s production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull in November.
During the curtain call on the opening night of the production on 25 November, three cast members draped themselves in traditional keffiyeh headdresses, to signal support for Palestinians in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Two foundation board members, Judi Hausmann and Alex Schuman, resigned over the STC’s handling of the controversy, during which the company issued a series of apologies.
The vacated chair will be taken by Sydney philanthropist Ann Johnson, who has been acting in the role since Joyce left Australia following his resignation as Qantas chief executive in September.
Updated
Hello everyone – this is Cait Kelly, I will be with you for the rest of the day. Let’s get into it!
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, I’ll leave you with Cait Kelly to take you through the rest of today’s news. Take care.
NSW Ambulance has confirmed that a child has been critically injured at Centennial Park after being kicked by a horse.
A spokesperson says the patient was treated at the scene for a head injury and transported to the children’s hospital at Randwick in a “serious but stable condition”.
Updated
Cyclone Jasper and Christmas storms to cost $743m, Insurance Council says
The Insurance Council of Australia says an estimate of the costs from ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, and storms over the Christmas and New Year period, have exceeded $743m in insured losses.
In a statement today, the council says 74% of claims are from Queensland, 21% from NSW and 5% from Victoria.
The CEO, Andrew Hall, says:
Insurers are closely monitoring the situation in Queensland as it is clear we are still moving through the summer season of tropical weather with another potential cyclone forming in the Coral Sea.
These two severe weather events have had a significant impact on many, and insurers are committed to supporting their customers through this challenging time.
We encourage anyone affected by Cyclone Jasper and the flooding or the Christmas and New Year storms to contact their insurer as soon as possible to lodge a claim.
Updated
Lambie says it’s ‘pretty clear’ stage-three tax cuts ‘needed to be rejigged’
The Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie says that when she first voted for the stage-three tax cuts in 2019, in return for wiping Tasmania’s housing debt, she said she would “have to see where the economy was” in 2023-24 and see if Australia “could afford it”.
By the beginning of 2023, Lambie thought it was “pretty clear” to her that the cuts “needed to be re-jigged”.
On X, she has shared an excerpt from an interview with the Conversation on the topic, back in March 2023:
When I voted for the Stage 3 Tax cuts in 2019 - in return for wiping Tasmania’s housing debt - I said that we would have to see where the economy was (in 2023/4) & if we could afford it. It was pretty clear to me at the begining of 2023 that they needed to be re-jigged. #auspol pic.twitter.com/tbiOIgEPPq
— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) January 24, 2024
Updated
NAB warns Australia is building 50,000 homes less than it needs each year
The National Australia Bank has released its 2024 outlook, with the CEO, Ross McEwan, reflecting on housing affordability, AI and climate change.
On housing, McEwan notes that affordability is at a 30-year low with rent prices increasing rapidly. He said the gap between supply and demand has “increased significantly” and Australia is building around 50,000 homes less than it needs each year.
[Housing affordability] will continue to have a disproportionate impact on young and vulnerable Australians if we don’t get the settings right now … All levels of government urgently need to collaborate on simpler and faster regulations, while freeing up land suitable for building.
There also needs to be more targeted government support for social and affordable housing and more innovative construction methods to meet supply targets, such as modular housing.
McEwan says there are plans for NAB to lend an extra $6bn for affordable and specialist housing by 2029.
On AI, he says AI works best when combined with human intelligence, but admits the threat of cyber-attacks “keep[s him] awake at night”.
Our job is to help protect customers and educate them about the red flags and how to stay safe. AI has a role to play in this too, we’re already using it to identify unusual behaviour and stop scams from happening.
And on climate change, McEwan says the bank’s research conducted with Deloitte last year found that $435bn can be added to the economy by 2050 if Australia capitalises on solar, wind and critical minerals.
To take advantage of this opportunity, public and private planning and investment needs to be coordinated. Investment and labour is also needed to drive renewable projects, with shorter lead-times and a consistent national framework for green projects.
Updated
People should be in ‘final stages’ of preparing for cyclone, QFES says
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services says people in the warning area of soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily should be in the “final stages” of preparing their properties now.
According to the latest update from the Bureau of Meteorology, the warning area covers communities from Ayr to Sarina, including Mackay, Bowen and the Whitsunday Islands.
QFES wrote on X:
The developing Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is slowly approaching north Queensland, with damaging winds expected to develop this evening.
People in the warning area should be in the final stages of preparing their properties, to minimise any impact. Make sure your Emergency Kit is stocked with essential supplies to sustain your household for at least three days, including food, water, warm clothes, medication, first aid supplies, important documents and valuables.
Everyone is urged to stay across the latest weather information and warnings.
The developing Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is slowly approaching north Queensland, with damaging winds expected to develop this evening. 🌀🏡
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) January 24, 2024
People in the warning area should be in the final stages of preparing their properties, to minimise any impact.
Make sure your Emergency Kit… pic.twitter.com/6Y7Or62Zx9
Updated
Bridget Archer reserves position on Labor tax changes
We’re canvassing Liberals’ views on stage-three tax cuts to see if anyone might give Peter Dutton trouble over the opposition position to block and repeal Labor’s proposed changes.
The Liberal MP for Bass, Bridget Archer, has reserved her position, meaning she may support the changes:
As I’ve previously said I’m open to discussing changes where circumstances may have changed. As always I will consider any legislation that comes before me on its merits and make decisions in the interests of my community.
But most are dead set against it. The NSW Liberal senator, Maria Kovacic, said:
My view is that [the government] don’t have the ability to develop any substantive changes to address this cost-of-living crisis, so they’re just fiddling at the edges of a settled policy. They don’t know what they’re doing, but want to look like they’re doing something, whilst the prime minister is breaking yet another promise to the Australian public.
The Liberal MP for Sturt, James Stevens, said:
I’m appalled. It’s a massive betrayal of Australians and the people of Sturt who went to the polls on the basis Labor could be trusted on this. It’s an enormous breach of faith; nothing Anthony Albanese says can be relied on.
Stevens suggested the Liberals could seek to amend the bill to give tax relief for all – copying changes to benefit low- and middle-income earners without trimming stage three at the upper end. He said:
They should be saying [to low- and middle-income earners] ‘you deserve tax relief so we will find a way to pay for it’ rather than stealing from others who have been belted by bracket creep to pay for it.
Updated
Train delays on the way as V/Line staff prepare to strike
Regional Victorian train passengers are being warned of significant delays to their morning commute tomorrow as V/Line workers prepare to walk off the job, AAP reports.
The protected industrial action will take place between 3am and 7am tomorrow, with Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) members stopping work in their fight for better pay and conditions.
No V/Line trains will run during the stoppage and significant delays are expected throughout the rest of the morning as services gradually return to their normal timetable.
V/Line commuters should avoid travelling tomorrow morning as only limited replacement coaches will be available until 8am. The coaches will not stop at metro train stations.
Metropolitan, freight and the Sydney-Melbourne XPT train services will still operate during the planned industrial action.
The V/Line chief executive officer, Matt Carrick, told reporters today:
We’re focusing on trying to limit the disruptions to passengers.
We share the frustration of regional Victorians about this totally unnecessary strike taking place.
We’ll continue to negotiate in good faith to try to get an acceptable outcome, which means that there is an agreement that is fair, that is reasonable and that’s affordable.
Union members have been fighting since June for job security and decent conditions, the RTBU branch secretary, Vik Sharma, says.
Updated
Wrapping up the press conference, the disaster coordinator says there are more than 600 rooms or emergency accommodation spaces prepared for people in and around Townsville if needed when soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily arrives.
Updated
Mick de Brenni says an outage in Camp Hill last week that impacted 450 people had “nothing to do with the age of the poles or wires in that street”, but additional pressure on the system due to the heatwave.
The equipment there has a set of tolerances and when the system got pushed hard, the load became unbalanced. That can be caused by a range of things that can include the addition of new swimming pools, new extensions to homes, additional air-conditioners beyond what might normally be found in homes being installed, and so the chief engineer advised me this morning they have worked hard to rebalance that load.
He says the chief engineer will “take a very close look” at all the locations pushed to the limit last week amid the heatwave, and “we’ll make some decisions around further investment”.
Updated
The Queensland energy minister, Mick de Brenni, is taking questions about how prepared the state’s energy grid is for the impending cyclone.
He says Ergon crews have been pre-deployed to Rockhampton, and Energy Queensland is working with local disaster management groups to pre-deploy gensets of various sizes.
(These are a portable power supply source that consists of an engine and a generator.)
De Brenni says:
We have a workforce ready to go, we have equipment ready to go [and] we have a team that is well-trained and well-resourced.
Updated
Q: Would you be encouraging people to cancel the Australia Day activities on Friday?
The Queensland premier, Steven Miles:
I understand Townsville has already cancelled its activities on Friday, that was where I intended to be.
I encourage people to look at the forecast [and] to make sensible decisions. You wouldn’t want to be travelling great distances in these kinds of conditions, they’re the kind of things we are asking people to take into account.
Updated
As emergency personnel in Queensland continue to provide updates on soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, it’s worth plugging this explainer from Graham Readfearn.
He answers some common questions about Kirrily, including what are its origins, and how does it fit into the broader trends for cyclones under global heating?
Read more here:
Updated
Flood risk will remain even after Kirrily crosses coast, BoM says
The BoM’s Laura Boekel then speaks of the flooding risk associated with soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily:
The most intense rainfall which could lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is possible near the centre and the south of that system. That’s most likely as the system crosses the coast on Thursday. Areas between Innisfail and St Lawrence are likely to experience heavy rainfall, leading to flash flooding from early Thursday …
As the system moves inland, the thread of the heavy rainfall and flash flooding will spread to those inland areas and that will continue into Friday and into that long weekend.
Boekel says heavy rainfall, riverine flooding and flash flooding will all remain a risk even after the soon-to-be cyclone crosses the coast.
It has a really large amount of water associated with it which can produce very heavy rainfall long after it becomes a tropical low and decreases from the tropical cyclone [rank].
Updated
Strong wind gales already being felt on Queensland coast, BoM says
Next up is Laura Boekel from the Bureau of Meteorology.
She says strong wind gales are already being observed in the southern area of the tropical low, and this will start impacting the Queensland coast tonight.
Gales with damaging wind gusts of up to 120km/h will likely impact the Whitsundays overnight tonight … and as the system moves towards inland areas, we will start seeing communities between Ayr and Sarina seeing the gales from tomorrow morning.
Coastal and inland communities between Ayr and Cardwell, including Townsville, will then start seeing the gales from Thursday.
Boekel flagged that a category two cyclone can cause minor health damage as well as damage to signs, cause trees and powerlines to fall, and damage caravans.
[There is a] very significant risk of power failure with really strong winds.
Updated
Premier warns of flooding when Cyclone Kirrily hits north Queensland
We’ll go now to Brisbane, where the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, is providing an update on soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
He rehashes some of what we’ve already covered here on the blog today – the tropical low, currently in the Coral Sea, is expected to develop into Kirrily later today.
It has intensified more slowly, but is moving quicker than it was yesterday, Miles says. This means the system is expected to cross the Queensland coast as a category two cyclone tomorrow, between Cardwell and Bowen.
(The parameters of where the cyclone is expected to hit change around a bit as forecast modelling updates, but the last few forecasts have flagged a direct hit on Townsville).
Miles says:
After the cyclone crosses the coast, it’s likely to weaken into a tropical low but have very high levels of rainfall associated with it, so depending on its path, the rainfall is likely to cause flooding in parts of the state.
People in north and far north Queensland need to get ready now.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services has deployed 100 personnel to Townsville, including swift water crews. And 54 personnel have come from NSW and Victoria.
Townsville airport will be closed from midday tomorrow, Miles says.
Updated
CCTV captures moments before lawyer’s daylight shooting
The chilling moments before lawyer Mahmoud Abbas was shot in his driveway have been revealed as police ramp up attempts to track down the gunman, AAP reports.
Abbas survived the brazen daylight shooting outside his home in south-western Sydney about 10.25am on 26 July.
Police found the 30-year-old criminal defence lawyer suffering gunshot wounds, which were treated at the scene before he was taken to hospital for emergency surgery.
CCTV footage shows the gunman emerging from behind a black Jeep SUV parked across the Greenacre street and charging towards Abbas holding what looks to be a large pistol.
Abbas appears to react with shock to the gunman, whose face is covered by a hood or balaclava, before the footage cuts away before the shooting.
Police believe the gunman might have been waiting in the Jeep, which was recovered a day later in nearby Wiley Park.
Images of the vehicle show a red jerry can in the back seat.
Detectives are appealing for anyone with information about the incident, the identity of the gunman or the movements of the car to come forward.
Updated
Earthquake in Banda Sea felt in Darwin
The Bureau of Meteorology says there is no tsunami threat to Australia following a magnitude 5.3 earthquake near the Banda Sea, reportedly felt in Darwin:
No #tsunami threat to Australia from #earthquake felt in Darwin, Northern Territory (magnitude 5.3 near Banda Sea). See https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/ORhpJLAaGM
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 24, 2024
According to Geoscience Australia there have been 22 “felt” reports across Darwin following the earthquake.
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Hasn’t gone far enough: ex-Liberal backs PM’s income tax changes
The independent MP Russell Broadbent, who was elected as a Liberal nine times before resigning from the party in November after losing preselection, has backed Labor’s proposed changes to stage-three income tax cuts. Broadbent said in 2022 that the tax cuts should be scrapped.
He told Guardian Australia today:
I haven’t changed my mind one tiny bit. I told everyone they would be changed, and they have. Of course I am [happy with Labor’s changes]. It hasn’t gone far enough. It’s a very good step in the right direction. People like me don’t need a $6,000 tax cut, but I accept the Labor proposal.
Broadbent is not the only Liberal to have questioned the merit of the cuts over the years. The Liberal MP Bridget Archer said in October 2022:
We are now several years down the track from when that [stage-three] decision was made. We’ve had a global pandemic, things have changed, it seems sensible to me that policymakers should be making policy with an eye on the circumstances of the time.
If the facts change from what you thought or expected them to be it’s OK for you to change your mind too. Maybe we need to go in another direction or find a path down the middle.
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Labor senator calls on Qantas to provide Australian jobs on its flights
The Labor senator Tony Sheldon has called on Qantas to ensure it provides Australian jobs on its flights. This comes amid news Qantas wants to increase the number of Jetstar flights to Bali, but won’t guarantee an Australian-staffed crew.
Our transport reporter, Elias Visontay, had all the details about this yesterday:
In a post to X, Sheldon wrote:
After illegally sacking 1700 workers, Qantas now wants to increase the number of Jetstar flights they operate to Bali, but won’t guarantee the planes will be staffed by Australia-based crew.
Jetstar’s Indonesia-based crew earn as little as $2.93 an hour. Virgin on the other hand has committed to directly employing local workers for these additional services.
Qantas should commit to providing good, fairly paid Australian jobs on their flights.
After illegally sacking 1700 workers, Qantas now wants to increase the number of Jetstar flights they operate to Bali, but won’t guarantee the planes will be staffed by Australia-based crew. Jetstar's Indonesia-based crew earn as little as $2.93 an hour.
— Senator Tony Sheldon (@TonySheldonNSW) January 24, 2024
Virgin on the other hand…
Updated
Gender pay gap wider for managers than other types of jobs
Men are still earning more per hour than women in all eight major types of occupations, AAP has reported.
The hourly gender pay gap is wider for Australian managers than for professionals, labourers and other classes of workers.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics head of labour statistics, Bjorn Jarvis, says the prevalence of women in part-time roles partly explained the wider pay gap when considered on a weekly basis:
The majority of full-time employees are men with higher average earnings – $2,074 a week – than full-time women – $1,815 a week.
Men in management roles are earning almost 20% more than their female counterparts based on average earnings each hour charted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Sales workers have the narrowest hourly gender pay gap, at 7%.
The detailed earnings information from the bureau revealed some progress on the gender pay gap over the past two years, narrowing to 8.9% in May 2023 from 9.7% in May 2021.
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The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting severe thunderstorms with damaging winds around the Gulf Country of Queensland today, between Kowanyama and Burketown:
⛈️Today's (24/1) thunderstorm forecast: severe thunderstorms with damaging winds are possible in the #GulfCountry district bewteen about #Kowanyama and #Bourketown. Warnings if needed: https://t.co/YLMy9cPuEP pic.twitter.com/fX1AZUy3S1
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) January 24, 2024
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Former South Australian premier to retire from politics
The former South Australian premier Steven Marshall has signalled his political retirement, AAP reports. He said in a statement today:
It has been an honour to be the Member for Dunstan, leader of the South Australian Liberal Party and premier of South Australia.
After almost 14 years in parliament, now is the right time for me to step aside and allow someone else to step forward and serve the people of Dunstan.
I will leave politics knowing I did my best and fought my hardest for this great state.
Marshall, 57, served as the 46th premier of SA between 2018 and 2022 before the toppling of his Liberal government by the Peter Malinauskas-led Labor opposition.
He has been a member of the state’s Liberal party and the MP for Dunstan (previously known as Norwood) since 2010.
Marshall said he intended to formally resign in coming months.
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Choice warns Taylor Swift fans about ticketing scams
The Australian consumer group Choice has released a statement warning Taylor Swift fans about ticketing scams in the lead-up to her concert.
The statement reads:
As the tour dates approach, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch say they have received 273 reports of people being scammed buying Swift tickets on social media, with over $135,000 lost so far.
Reports are most prevalent in New South Wales (114 reports and over $54,000 lost) and Victoria (96 reports and over $53,000 lost) – the states where she is performing.
How it works:
Scammers are using hacked social media accounts to put up posts or send messages to friend lists that include a story about how they can no longer attend the concert and are wanting to sell their tickets at cost price.
These posts are sometimes posted in community groups or among friends and appear to be from a trusted source.
After the ticket is paid for, the contact disappears and the ticket never arrives.
Choice says people should not buy tickets from reselling platforms such as Viagogo or social media (unless independently checked via a different platform); use platforms like Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal rather than bank transfer; and contact your bank immediately if you call victim to scam.
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Opposition welcomes new ABC chair
The shadow communications minister, David Coleman, has released a statement welcoming the appointment of Kim Williams as chair of the ABC.
Coleman says:
Mr Williams has deep experience in the media industry, including his roles as Chief Executive Officer of News Corporation Australia and Foxtel. He also has a long track record of involvement in the creative arts. I personally worked with Mr Williams when we were both Directors of Sky News Australia.
Mr Williams will face important challenges in his new role. With annual funding provided by taxpayers of $1.1B, the ABC’s most fundamental obligation is represent all Australians. It must live up to its Charter obligations – and most crucially it must ensure that its reporting in news and current affairs is independent and unbiased.
As a taxpayer funded organisation, the ABC must demonstrate the highest standards of governance. The failure of Communications Minister Michelle Rowland to inform Australians of the re-appointment of ABC Managing Director David Anderson in April 2023 was a disgrace. Mr Williams must ensure that the ABC is always upfront and honest with the Australian community.
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Former TV host found guilty of domestic violence and drug offences
The former TV host Andrew O’Keefe has been found guilty of multiple domestic violence and drug offences, AAP has reported.
The broadcaster was hit with three sets of charges, including assault causing actual bodily harm, breaching a domestic violence order and possession of the synthetic stimulant drug mephedrone.
Magistrate Alison Viney on Wednesday found O’Keefe’s actions in kicking, spitting, scratching and otherwise assaulting a woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
O’Keefe earlier pleaded guilty to contravening an apprehended domestic violence order and cannabis possession but denied further charges of assault and drug possession.
O’Keefe denied the woman’s accusations, telling the court: “None of this happened.”
O’Keefe will be sentenced later on Wednesday.
The national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 and MensLine on 1300 789 978.
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Stage-three tax cuts to leave substantial hole in budget, Eslake says
The independent economist Saul Eslake agrees with CBA and NAB (see earlier posts) that the changes to the stage-three tax cuts – as far as we know – aren’t likely to stoke much extra inflation.
He says:
[T]his will be marginal rather than substantial – provided, of course, that the government doesn’t throw a lot of extra cash at households through other means, now or in the May budget.
Eslake, though, reminds us the tax cuts, legislated five years ago, don’t reform the tax system. Yes, personal income tax is taking a record high proportion of household income, but total taxation as a share of GDP remains about 1 percentage point less that the record reached during the Howard government.
However, once company tax collections drop along with commodity prices (as is happening with lithium and nickel, for starters), a structural “hole” will appear in the budget of at least 1% of GDP (eg more than $20bn) a year.
Eslake lists a range of measures governments could take to close the gap, such as “undoing the outrageous ‘deal’ over GST revenue” that gifted WA $40bn over nine years.
There’s also a lot of income earned by high-income earners that doesn’t attract the same tax rate as their wages. These include income earned through superannuation funds, property investment income, income funnelled through trusts, capital gains and so on.
Most countries have a higher GST than our 10%, often double it. And the Turnbull government’s decision to tax companies with annual revenue of $50m at 25% – versus 30% for larger firms – would be another way to fill in that budget “hole”. As would levying an inheritance tax.
Eslake says:
There’s going to be a lot of wealth transfers over the next few decades as the baby boomers – who’ve benefited mightily from the property inflation of the past 30-odd years – die off.
The case for a wealth tax is even stronger since “there’s going to be a lot spent on those baby boomers in their last years”, he adds.
Eslake has other ideas too. Once the inevitable “broken promise” frenzy subsides, perhaps attention can turn to more comprehensive tax change.
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Media Watch host says Williams is ‘talking about all the right things’
The Media Watch host, Paul Barry, was also interviewed on the ABC about Kim Williams, who has been nominated as the next ABC chair.
Barry is asked how Williams would handle recent situations at the ABC, including Antoinette Lattouf’s Fair Work case and the no-confidence motion passed by some staff in the ABC managing director, David Anderson.
Barry replied that he “hope[s] it would be better than its been managed on this occasion”.
I know that Kim, one of his passions in life is Judaism, and he regards that as a faith that has given him a huge amount of comfort. He’s not actually converted to Judaism but he has studied it a lot in his later years. I’m not sure how that would affect a chair in this current situation, where there is so much concern over the ABCs coverage of the Gaza-Israel war.
In saying this, Barry continued:
I think he would be good though.
I think he is tough and he is smart and I think that he is talking about quality and independence, those are all the right things … He is talking about a measured response to criticism.
Barry mentioned an area where he predicts possible conflict:
I sense that there could be conflict, or there could be frictional … difficulties between him and the current managing director, David Anderson, because Kim Williams is someone who does like to be in control. So I would say that that is the area where there might be a red flag but otherwise, I think he’s a terrific appointment …
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Journalists’ union says Williams ‘must restore ABC’s reputation for independence’
The union representing journalists says the incoming ABC chair, Kim Williams, “must restore ABC’s reputation for independence”, calling on the prominent media executive to address concerns at the broadcaster about the “impact of external pressures on editorial decision making”.
Williams was announced today as the government’s pick to replace Ita Buttrose. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, which represents journalists at the ABC, was quick to urge Williams to chart a new course at the broadcaster, saying he should “work with unions to support staff who are under attack, reaffirm the commitment to cultural diversity in the workplace, and uphold the standards of reporting without fear or favour that the public expects of the ABC”.
The incoming chair of the ABC, Kim Williams, must immediately move to restore the reputation of the national broadcaster by addressing concerns about the impact of external pressures on editorial decision making. https://t.co/G804FwpiHq #MEAAmedia #HandsOffOurABC… pic.twitter.com/x49Fcq6yFw
— MEAA (@withMEAA) January 24, 2024
The MEAA and ABC staff have been locked in arguments with the management over issues including its coverage of the Gaza war and treatment of journalists including Antoinette Lattouf. Some staff passed a no-confidence motion in the ABC managing director, David Anderson.
The MEAA’s acting chief executive, Adam Portelli, said it was a “crucial time” for the ABC, and alleged that Buttrose was “completely out of touch” with concerns from staff.
On Monday, union members overwhelmingly said they had lost confidence in David Anderson because of his failure to address very real concerns about the way the ABC deals with external pressure and supports journalists from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds when they are under attack.
Public trust in the ABC as an organisation that will always pursue frank and fearless journalism has been damaged, and management under Mr Anderson has not demonstrated it is taking these concerns seriously.
We are optimistic that the incoming chair, Kim Williams, will bring a more collaborative approach to dealing with issues of cultural safety and editorial integrity than has been witnessed under Ms Buttrose.
He must understand that nothing less than the reputation of the ABC is at stake here.
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Incoming ABC chair says 'editorial needs to listen' to staff concerns
Lastly, Kim Williams was asked how he would seek to address morale concerns within staff about editorial direction:
I think the best response in all matters of morale which reflect intense opinion and feeling about directions, editorial needs to listen, and to encourage discussion where there is no sense of punitive response but there is a sense of genuine managed engagement.
Updated
In his interview with the ABC, Kim Williams was asked whether the ABC has been measured in its response to criticism over its Israel-Gaza war coverage.
He did not respond directly:
I’m not yet the chair of the ABC, that won’t happen.
Q: You are public consumer though …
Williams:
That won’t happen until March and I think it’s best that I take extensive soundings with the workforce of the ABC, with my colleagues on the ABC board, and obviously with the editorial and general leadership group at the ABC before I venture into the various potholes with dealing with responses to our current news and current affairs coverage.
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New ABC chair says broadcaster needs a ‘balanced and sober response to criticism’
Former News Corp chief executive Kim Williams, who has been nominated as the ABC’s next chair, gave an interview with the ABC just earlier.
Asked how he would frame his approach as chair of an organisation that “provokes a lot of public debate [and] scrutiny”, Williams said he has faced that with most organisations he has run.
Williams said he is “not adverse to scrutiny” and that it is “part and parcel of things that matter”.
… And the ABC is an enormously important national institution to the sense of togetherness in Australia.
He said that in any media environment, one encounters a “a certain degree of fixations representation” because emotions can be “very, very volatile” when it comes to the news.
It is important that the ABC at all times maintains a balanced and sober response to that sort of scrutiny and defend its position in a way that is not grandiloquent but it is in fact calm, measured and authoritative. It doesn’t particularly bother me that sometimes people can be fairly extreme in their expression about things that they care about. What is important with the ABC being professionally measured in response.
Updated
Continued from our last post:
CBA is forecasting that the economy will be weaker than the RBA’s latest forecast predict (we get updated forecasts on 6 February), and that inflation will slow to within the central bank’s 3% target range by the end of this year. (The RBA doesn’t predict that result until the end of 2025.)
Head of Australian economics at CBA, Gareth Aird, notes that the effect of the tax cuts, which kick in from 1 July, probably won’t be showing up by September. That’s when the CBA expects the RBA to start cutting the cash rate.
“But if big enough the tax cuts could mean the RBA does not have to cut by as much as we currently anticipate,” he said, adding CBA currently expects the cash rate to be cut six times, or 150 basis points, to 2.85% by mid-2025.
Alan Oster, chief economist at NAB, says his view is that the “macro effects are small” on what can be assessed so far.
Yes, middle-income earners might spend more of the tax but but the impact is likely to be small, he said.
[We] wouldn’t see the RBA increase rates but it wont hurry them up either.
NAB is expecting inflation to end 2024 at 3.1% before dropping back to 2.6% by the end of 2025. Oster said:
We have the first [RBA] cash cut in November, returning to around 3.1% by end 2025.
Tax cuts changes unlikely to nudge RBA to hike but may delay rate cuts: economists
The Albanese government’s decision to rejig the stage-three tax cuts (as reported here by Paul Karp) is clearly at odds with Labor’s promises, but will it make much difference to inflation?
As we noted here yesterday, ANZ had calculated the effect of pumping into the economy about $20.7bn in the 2024-25 year would lift GDP growth by 0.4 percentage points. Given economic expansion this year is forecast by the RBA (in its November estimates) at 2% for 2024, that fill-up makes up a fair share of the growth.
The RBA had, of course, been factoring in the legislated tax cut, and - like the rest of us - will be keenly awaiting the precise and confirmed changes when the government reveals them.
Sky News has lately reported those earning between $19,001 and $45,000 will have their tax rate cut from 19% to 16%. (That implies the current minimum tax threshold of $18,200 has also been lifted.)
Anyway, assuming the total cost to the budget remains $20.7bn or so, then the additional demand in the economy will be because those on lower incomes are more likely to spend rather than save any tax cut, Gareth Aird, head of Australian economics at CBA says.
Tax cuts will add to demand in the economy. But they will kick in at a time when demand has further weakened from where it is today (and it has been moderating quite materially over the past six months).
ACTU welcomes proposed stage-three changes
The Australian Council of Trade Unions has welcomed the Albanese government’s proposed changes to stage-three tax cuts.
The ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, said:
We welcome the prime minister taking action on cost of living for hard working Australians ...
It’s a government’s responsibility to act when [the cost of living is rising]. The proposal of stage-three tax cuts would mean the baristas, hospo workers, retail workers, childcare workers of Australia, would get absolutely nothing - it’s just not fair, not tenable, and I would say unAustralian.
The prime minister has taken this decisive action to address cost of living, exactly what we need at the start of this year.
ACTU president, Michele O’Neil, noted that the old stage-three proposal would have delivered $2 of benefit to men for everyone $1 of benefit to women.
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Minister defends Victorian government signing agreement with Israel’s Ministry of Defence pre-war
Victorian minister, Gabrielle Williams, has defended the government’s decision to sign an agreement with Israel’s Ministry of Defence, saying it was done prior to the Israel-Hamas war.
The ABC today first reported the Victorian government signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in late 2022. Its contents have not been made public but according to the Australian government’s foreign arrangements scheme register it is a “declaration of cooperation on fostering trade relations”.
Williams, the state’s transport minister, was spruiking new bus services in Melbourne’s outer suburbs when she was asked about the MoU. She told reporters:
I understand that a defence MoU with Israel was signed prior to the conflict starting in October last year and I also understand since that MoU signing there hasn’t actually been any deals struck as a part of it. In saying that, I will say more broadly that obviously commercial contracts with businesses or jurisdictions, particularly in defence, are highly sensitive. In light of that, I won’t offer any more comment.
Updated
Victoria Police has announced they are switching from tablets to mobile phones while on the job in a … Mean Girls themed post?
Just like Mean Girls we’re having a refresh!
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) January 24, 2024
We’ve been saying goodbye to our tablets and hello to new phones to help us on the job. pic.twitter.com/4vneaKsfTb
Writing on X, police said:
What does this mean for you? Like Tina Fey, we’ll still be around and serving the community as we were, we’ll just be logging the checks and details on a phone instead.
…What does this even mean? How does Tina Fey serve her community? When has she logged checks and details on a phone instead of a tablet?
Anyways, it was interesting to note this last point from police:
And before you ask, under road rule 305(1), police are exempt from laws that prohibit the public driving while using a mobile phone.
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The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of potential severe thunderstorms about the Snowy Mountains in southern NSW today:
Possible thunderstorms in the south, with possible severe thunderstorms and damaging wind gusts about the Snowy Mountains. pic.twitter.com/8r32cXcrZd
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 23, 2024
A total fire ban has been issued for Exmouth in Western Australia today.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the fire danger in Exmouth is “extreme” today with a maximum temperature of 41C.
Winds between 35-50km/h are forecast, and the UV index is predicted to reach 14. Anything above 11 is considered extreme.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has weighed in on the stage-three tax cuts and cost-of-living debate, and said:
The Federal Government must ease the cost-of-living pressures on middle and lower income households. Stage 3 adjustments will be good, but much more is needed. Anything less is indefensible.
The Federal Government must ease the cost-of-living pressures on middle and lower income households. Stage 3 adjustments will be good, but much more is needed. Anything less is indefensible. #auspol #politas
— Andrew Wilkie MP (@WilkieMP) January 23, 2024
Potential tax changes an ‘egregious betrayal of Australian people’, Angus Taylor says
The shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has lashed out at the prime minister over potential changes to the stage-three tax cuts.
As Paul Karp reports, cabinet yesterday approved a plan to retain the 37% tax rate – unwinding the most controversial element of stage-three, passed by the Morrison government in mid-2019 with support from Labor.
Earlier, the prime minister Anthony Albanese flagged he would be sharing detail of any stage-three changes, and measures to help with the cost of living, during a speech at the National Press Club tomorrow. He said:
My job is to seek advice, and then to make a difference. To make the right decision, not the easy decision.
Speaking to Sky News breakfast earlier today, Taylor did not hold back, labelling this an “egregious betrayal of the Australian people”, a “war on aspiration” and accused the PM of dividing the country “based on class”.
(I’m sure we will be hearing much more of this rhetoric in the days to come).
This is what Taylor said he wants to see, instead:
[People] need to know that they can keep 70 cents in the dollar across the broad range of tax brackets they might encounter. At least 70 cents in the dollar. And that’s crucially important to grow the economy and to bring inflation under control. You’ve got to reward aspiration, you’ve got to provide incentives for people to invest to take risks to work hard. That’s how you get out of an inflation crisis, a cost-of-living crisis.
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University of Sydney’s vice chancellor to head Group of Eight board
Vice chancellor of the University of Sydney professor Mark Scott has been appointed as the new chair of the Group of Eight board.
He will replace outgoing chair and Nobel prize winner professor Brian Schmidt, after he stepped down as ANU’s vice chancellor last year.
Prior to his role at the University of Sydney, Scott was managing director of the ABC and held a senior role at then Fairfax Media.
He said universities should be recognised as “one of Australia’s most vital social institutions”.
Our universities play an important role in contributing to economic growth, societal well-being, and national security. We all share one goal: we want our young people to have a bright future and be a force for good and universities will help drive Australia’s future success.
The prestigious Group of Eight, representing research-intensive universities the University of Adelaide, ANU, University of Melbourne, Monash, UNSW, the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney and University of Western Australia is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Its chief executive, Vicki Thomson, said Scott was a “highly respected and successful senior leader of large and complex institutions”.
Updated
Two serving police officers charged with common assault
Two serving police officers have been charged after an investigation into a 2020 incident on NSW’s Central Coast.
According to a statement from police, officers established a strike force to investigate the incident at a licensed premises on the Central Coast in December 2020.
Following inquiries, two officers were issued court attendance notices yesterday.
A 49-year-old male senior constable has been charged with common assault, and a 37-year-old male sergeant charged with two counts of common assault.
They are due to appear at Gosford local court on 7 March.
The employment status of both officers is under review, the police statement said.
Updated
For those who noticed a short-lived blog post referring to new strikes against Houthis in Yemen – apologies, it was posted in error. There are no new strikes following yesterday’s, on current information.
Updated
Former NSW premier to join KPMG board
Former NSW premier, Mike Baird, will join the board of consultancy firm KPMG as it expands the number of independent directors from two to three.
The move is designed to bring the firm closer to ASX standards after a year of damaging headlines for the consultancy industry and ahead of more parliamentary oversight hearings.
The former managing director of Accenture, Jane Hemstritch, will also become an independent director replacing Martin Dalgleish.
KPMG’s national chairman, Martin Sheppard, said independent board members would help strengthen the firm’s governance and provide oversight:
Together, the three independent directors will ensure we have contemporary skills around the board table to enhance governance and provide the agility required to respond to a rapidly changing environment.
All hold a strong belief in the importance of purpose, principles and values-driven leadership, and have made strong contributions to community service and philanthropy.
Baird resigned as NSW premier in January 2017 and has since held senior positions at National Australia Bank and worked as the chief executive of aged care provider, HammondCare.
Updated
Updated
WA remote schools to receive $10m funding for Indigenous students
Remote Western Australian schools will be provided $10m over four years as part of a joint state and federal government partnership to attempt to close the gap amongst Indigenous students.
The funding, injected to 14 schools across the Goldfields and Midwest regions, will go towards a new education program from Term 1 aiming to improve outcomes in reading and writing.
A project team will offer coaching and advice for school leaders and teachers to lift school attendance and improve partnerships with parents and the community.
Minister for education Jason Clare said it was known Indigenous children living in regional and remote areas were more likely to fall behind at school.
This program will help turn this around for communities in remote Western Australia.
The Western Australian government currently delivers 75% of funding required to the public system and the Commonwealth 20% - around a $30m shortfall to deliver the minimum standard required under the Schooling Resource Standard.
In real terms, public schools in the state are only at 91% of full funding, as a further 4% used to be supplied separately to the SRS.
Updated
Homeless people must be catered for during major weather events, Mackay mayor says
Mackay regional council mayor Greg Williamson is speaking to ABC TV about the preparations council is taking as soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily looms.
He said the council is busy at work making sure its evacuation centres have staff rostered on, that the 14 sandbag sites around the region are stocked, and taking action to ensure the water and sewerage systems keep operating.
We had our first local disaster management group face-to-face meeting yesterday afternoon, and it’s really about bringing all of the first responders around the table and saying, ‘Is your plan in place?’
Williamson said the council is also doing an audit today of the homeless people in their region to ensure they can cater for them in a major weather event, or flood.
Even though the Bureau is telling us it’s going to cross the coast probably between Ayr and Townsville, the flooding that is possible after it will affect a major area of the Queensland coast including us … That’s what we’re expecting could be the result of this one.
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Emergency alert for tropical low in eastern Pilbara
The WA department of fire and emergency services has updated its emergency alert for the tropical low passing over the state.
It says the tropical low is currently in the eastern Pilbara and will continue moving south.
Heavy rainfall, which could lead to flash flooding, is forecast for the eastern Pilbara and northeastern Gascoyne today, persisting into tomorrow.
Six-hourly rainfall totals of 60-80mm are possible this morning, increasing to 60-100mm tonight.
The warning says people in these areas should “take action and stay save with severe weather to come”.
Locations which may be affected include Newman, Jigalong and Three Rivers.
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WA police seize 30 tonnes of gold-bearing ore and charge 20 people
Twenty people have been charged and 30 tonnes of high-grade gold-bearing ore has been seized as party of a three-day police operation in Kalgoorlie.
According to West Australian police, 20 people were arrested over three days and charged with a total of 56 offences ranging from possessing stolen or unlawfully obtained property, to offences relating to the possession of a firearm, ammunition and illicit drugs.
The WA minister for police, Paul Papalia, said:
Apart from the unlawful nature of the activity, amateur refining of gold involving dangerous chemicals in suburban areas could have had catastrophic consequences, including potentially contaminating local water supplies.
The actions of those involved were selfish and idiotic.
I commend the WA Police Force for the successful execution of this operation and want to thank the officers involved for their commitment to protect West Aussies.
Detective inspector Adrian Vuleta said the stealing of gold-bearing ore, and subsequent procession of it on residential premises, creates health risks for themselves and the community.
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US sanctions alleged Russian hacker Alexander Ermakov
The United States has joined Australia (and the UK) in sanctioning alleged Russian hacker Alexander Ermakov.
(He is named in the sanctions notice posted on the government’s legislative instruments website).
In a statement, spokesperson for the US department of state Matthew Miller said:
Today’s action, our first trilateral sanctions action using our respective cyber sanctions regimes, strengthens our partnership in the fight against malicious cyber actors.
Russia continues to provide a safe haven to ransomware actors and enable ransomware attacks by cultivating and co-opting criminal hackers who have launched disruptive ransomware attacks against U.S. and allied countries. We will continue to stand with our partners to disrupt ransomware actors that threaten our economies and critical infrastructure.
Shadow home affairs and cyber security minister, James Paterson, welcomed the move and wrote on X:
We must make the world a smaller and less welcoming place for cyber criminals. The more like-minded partners who join us in this task, the greater the deterrence.
You can read more about this below:
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BoM says soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily to develop tonight
Here is the latest from the Bureau of Meteorology on soon-to-be Tropical Cyclone Kirrily:
The tropical low, currently in the Coral Sea, is expected to become a tropical cyclone tonight as it moves towards the Queensland coast
It is currently 670km east northeast of Townsville, and 570km northeast of Mackay
The soon-to-be cyclone is expected to cross the coast tonight between Cardwell and Bowen as a category two system
The latest cyclone tracking map shows a direct hit to Townsville:
The latest cyclone tracking map for Kirrily has been released by the @BOM_au, still predicting a direct hit to Townsville pic.twitter.com/yiWJfkG6SI
— Emily Wind (@emilywindwrites) January 23, 2024
Gale winds of 120km/h are likely to develop about the Whitsunday Islands overnight, extending to the mainland communities of Sarina, Ayr and Townsville tomorrow
Destructive wind gusts of 140km/h may develop between Cardwell and Proserpine late tomorrow
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding is likely about coastal areas between Innisfail and St Lawrence from early tomorrow
As the system approaches the coast, a storm tide is expected between Townsville and Mackay
Beyond the initial coastal crossing, the system is likely to track further inland as a tropical low and bring heavy to intense rain to central and western Queensland
Updated
Welfare recipients subject to ‘system error’ receiving back pay
An error in the Department of Employment’s systems has incorrectly penalised some 1200 welfare recipients by classifying them as in breach of their mutual obligations when they weren’t.
The error involved what’s called the “penalty zone” – a classification that’s triggered when a jobseeker accrues a certain number of demerit points by failing to meet the mutual obligations requirements of welfare payments (applying for a certain number of jobs, or participating in training programs, for example).
Failing to perform a mutual obligation requirement while in the penalty zone can result in welfare payments being docked – and that’s what happened to these 1200 people.
The error left participants in that “penalty zone” when they should have been removed from it, cutting their payments.
The Department of Employment identified the error in August last year, which they say dates back to 2018.
A government spokesperson told Guardian Australia all the people who were affected had been identified and are being notified about how much money they are owed.
Back payments have also commenced, with 87 people so far receiving a total of $79,000. More than 700 people are expected to be repaid in the coming weeks.
Tony Burke, minister for employment and workplace relations, blamed the error on the previous Coalition government. He said:
As soon as my department informed me about this system failure I instructed them to start repaying people. That process is now well underway.
Labor supports the concept of mutual obligations but it is critical people are not penalised unfairly.
We know there’s more work to do to fix employment services.
That’s why this Government established a Select Committee to examine the system. We’re working through the Committee’s recommendations to ensure we have a system focused on helping people get into work.
*A previous version of this article incorrectly said there had been a Services Australia system error. This has been amended – it was a Department of Employment system error.
Updated
Taylor Swift fans targeted in social media scam
Scammers are taking control of social media profiles to sell fake Taylor Swift tickets for her upcoming Australian tour, targeting the hacked account’s list of friends.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has received 273 reports of people being scammed buying fake tickets for the Eras tour, which includes those responding to compromised social media posts.
Fans have lost more than $135,000, a figure that is expected to rise in the weeks leading up to the series of sold-out events.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said:
This scam is a low act, seeking to take advantage of fans, many of whom are young and are desperately trying to secure a ticket to make their dream of seeing Taylor Swift live come true.
The Australian leg of the popular Eras tour starts in mid-February.
In the scam, people are contacted by a friend’s social media account or community page that has been compromised. The message includes a story about why a person can’t attend the concert, and may offer the tickets at cost, according to the ACCC.
Scammers may try and rush the target into paying promptly by referring to the high demand for tickets.
Lowe:
We are working with law enforcement and social media platforms to combat these scams but are concerned that scam activity is only going to increase in the lead-up to Taylor Swift’s arrival in Australia in mid-February.
Updated
Statement on ABC chair acknowledges Buttrose’s ‘strong and steady leadership’
Anthony Albanese and Michelle Rowland have released a joint statement on the recommendation for former News Corp chief executive, Kim Williams, to be the new ABC chair.
The press release says:
Mr Williams has extensive experience across the screen, music, sports and media industries, and has made eminent and substantial contributions to the cultural life of the nation.
He is currently Chair of Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, Co-Chair of the State Library of NSW Foundation Board and Director of Stradivarius Pty Ltd.
Mr Williams has held a number of Chief Executive positions across the creative industries, including the Australian Film Commission, Southern Star Entertainment, Fox Studios Australia, Foxtel, and NewsCorp Australia – and he is a recognised producer, innovator and executive leader.
His previous non-executive positions have included Chair of the Copyright Agency, the Sydney Opera House Trust, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Film Finance Corporation, Musica Viva Australia, the Richard Gill School, Deputy Chair of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, and an AFL Commissioner.
The press release also acknowledged outgoing chair, Ita Buttrose, for her “strong and steady leadership of the national broadcaster throughout her five-year term”.
[We wish] her well for her future endeavours.
Updated
Government has ‘full confidence’ in David Anderson, Michelle Rowland says
A reporter asks the prime minister if he has confidence in David Anderson and Ita Buttrose at the ABC.
(You can read all the background on this below):
Communications minister Michelle Rowland answers the question, and said:
Firstly the government has full confidence in the ABC chair and its managing director. Secondly, the matter to which you refer is the subject of a Fair Work hearing. We will not be interfering in that process. We will let that run its course.
Q: But you must have an opinion on how the national broadcaster is conducting itself?
Rowland:
We understand that the current situation, particularly in the Middle East, is deeply concerning to many Australians. We are also well aware that the ABC has been forthright in ensuring that itself journalists has support, continues to improve itself with regards for support for its workforce and all media organisations should seek to foster diversity in all forms.
… I think at the core of all journalism at the ABC is the imperative of being absolutely verifiably independent, offering at all times true journalistic integrity and to the extent possible in human affairs, having an aspiration to freedom from bias.
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Caucus ‘proposal will support middle Australia’, Albanese says
Taking questions from reporters, prime minister Anthony Albanese is asked about the economic measures he may announce following the Labor caucus meeting today:
I’ll be taking a proposal on economic policy to the party room this afternoon. This proposal will be all about supporting middle Australia. We know there are cost-of-living pressures on middle Australia and we’re determined to follow the treasury advice to provide assistance to them.
Albanese said his role as PM is to “respond to the circumstances which we confront”, and noted the “pressure” that is on middle and low-income earners.
Updated
Kim Williams says the role of ABC chair is “solemn responsibility”. Speaking to the media following his nomination for the role, he said:
I certainly think giving life to those responsibilities is one of the great enduring challenges in Australia and it’s a privilege to do so.
Minister for communications calls Williams a ‘natural fit’ for ABC
The minister for communications, Michelle Rowlands, is next up to speak on the recommendation of Kim Williams as the next ABC Chair.
She said Williams is a “natural fit” for the role, with a “breadth and depth of experience that spans the ABC’s full remit”.
Over the course of his very impressive career, Mr Williams has shown a commitment to independence, to innovation and best-practice governance. He’s committed to the cultural life of the nation. He understands the value of rigorous quality news and public-interest journalism. His corporate and board acumen is extensive.
I want to acknowledge the work of the independent nomination panel which is being supported by my department in conducting the merit-based selection process in accordance with the ABC Act under which Mr Williams was nominated for appointment
Updated
Ita Buttrose to finish up as ABC chair ‘soon’
The prime minister says he has spoken with current ABC chair Ita Buttrose, who will finish up in her position “soon”.
Ita Buttrose is a champion.
Albanese said Kim Williams, who he has recommended be the next chair of the ABC, “shares a life experience and a breadth of capacity” with Buttrose that he can bring to the role.
I have consulted as required with Peter Dutton as leader of the opposition about this appointment and I thank him for his engagement in the process.
Kim is such a perfect fit for the role, it’s almost as if he were made for it … There aren’t too many Australians I can think of who have both studied composition in Italy and been an AFL commissioner. Kim is a true renaissance man, the breadth of his experience is matched by his depth and his intellect, his energy, and his insatiable curiosity …
He, of course, has led news organisations including News Corp. He has been involved in sporting organisations, but many, many arts organisations, including those engaged in music and the theatre. Kim is someone who gets the ABC and he’s someone who understands instinctively what a national broadcaster can and should be.
Updated
Kim Williams announced as next ABC chair
Speaking to the media, prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking about the role of the ABC in Australia’s media landscape.
He said leadership within the ABC needs to be “the right leadership and that leadership needs to come from a figure of trust, talent and experience”.
He has announced Kim Williams has been recommended to be next ABC chair.
Updated
The prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to the media now. We will bring you the latest right here on the blog.
Woolworth’s newspaper ad asks for staff to be treated with respect
Woolworths has taken out a full page ad in the nation’s big newspapers today, following its decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise and the subsequent boycott call from opposition leader Peter Dutton.
Earlier this morning, the supermarket giants CEO Brad Banducci said there has been a 50% rise in the number of incidents of rudeness and aggression towards staff.
(You can read more on this earlier in the blog here).
The full page ad is a letter addressed directly to customers from Banducci himself, who said he has attempted to read “all customer complaints and team incident reports”. He has penned this letter to clarify the company’s position on Australia Day and ask for staff to be treated with respect, he said.
As a proud Australian and New Zealand retailer, we aren’t trying to ‘cancel’ Australia Day. Rather, Woolworths is deeply proud of our place in providing the fresh food that brings Australians together everyday …
Banducci reiterated the company’s initial remarks that its decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise was based on “steeply declining sales”.
The decision to stock this mostly imported merchandise has to be made almost 12 months in advance. So as a business decision, it doesn’t make commercial sense.
Updated
Tropical low over Pilbara, Western Australia, to bring more heavy rain
Angus Hines also spoke about the other wet weather system impacting the country – the tropical low over the Pilbara in Western Australia.
This system has been bringing heavy rain for around ten days now, first starting in the top end of the Northern Territory. This led to flooding over major highways, that caused (now addressed) supermarket shortages in Darwin when trucks couldn’t get through.
There was also an emergency warning for the remote town of Kalkarindji due to the flooding, with defence on standby to evacuate 450 people at its peak.
Hines said there is still more rain to come over the next few days associated with the tropical low:
We’re forecasting over the next few days for this tropical low to slowly slip southwards and bring some heavy rainfall totals to interior parts of Western Australia.
At the moment, though, the forecast is that the low and all of the associated rain will stay inland and it won’t really affect that more populated part of the state down towards the west coast and particularly down towards … Perth.
Updated
Soon-to-be cyclone developing slowly but could still ‘bring persistent heavy rain and storms’
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Angus Hines has provided more details on Tropical Cyclone Kirrily whilst speaking to ABC TV this morning.
As QFES noted earlier, the weather system is developing slower than was forecasted, meaning the impact of the coastal crossing may be less intense than expected.
Hines said the BoM is forecasting the tropical low to officially become Tropical Cyclone Kirrily tonight, or early tomorrow morning, and reach the Queensland coast tomorrow.
The cyclone is likely to cross somewhere near Townsville, he said. The official BoM warning lists a potential crossing between Cardwell and Airlie Beach.
Hines:
We are expecting it to be a category two storm as it crosses the coast late on Thursday and that does mean it can still bring persistent heavy rain and storms. It can bring damaging to destructive wind in that area to likely cause significant damage to property, and it can also bring some really dangerous conditions on and near the coast, both in terms of large waves, big swell, but also the possibility of a bit of coastal inundation or storm surge when that storm can push the sea water up over coastal roads and coastal properties.
Updated
Greens senator doubts tax cut tweaks will ‘make very much difference’ to cost-of-living crisis
Circling back to the stage-three tax cuts: Greens senator Nick McKim has noted that the economic circumstances the country is facing now are “very different” to when Anthony Albanese first came into power.
Speaking to ABC TV earlier this morning, he said low and middle-income earners are “really, really struggling” at the moment with rent and mortgage increases, and food bills, in particular.
McKim doubts that “whatever tweaks” Albanese makes to stage-three are “going to make very much difference”, and said:
There’s things like dental into Medicare, giving relief on child care, raising income support that he could do that would be far better targeted spend and not as inflationary as massive tax cuts for the top end.
On the stage-three cuts, McKim said:
[The tax cuts] overwhelmingly favour the top end, 80% of the benefit goes to the top 20% of income earners. We know that means that politicians, CEOs, will get a $9,000 a year tax cut when if you’re on the minimum wage you’ll get nothing at all. We also know that they’ll be inflationary, they’ll add a lot of cash into the economy, which will make it more likely that the RBA will engage in more interest rate rises, which will flow through to impact on mortgage holders and, ultimately, renters.
Updated
House prices recover 2022 losses, data shows
Australia’s housing market has reached record heights, completely rebounding from its losses during the 2022 downturn, AAP reports.
The housing market in all state capital cities rose over the December quarter while capital city unit prices and Canberra rose in the same period, according to Domain’s latest house price report.
Prices have steadily rebounded after the downturn when prices fell for three consecutive quarters following house price peaks in March 2022 and unit prices in December 2021.
A pullback in sellers coming to market in early 2023 sparked the recovery once competition between buyers reached fever pitch by mid-year and that has continued, Domain chief of research and economics Nicola Powell said.
She said:
New listings have risen but demand is still there. We’re still seeing prices rise and they haven’t risen enough to actually stabilise price.
The threat of affordability, undersupply, higher costs to build and population growth on property prices has been offset by a growing population, migration and tight rental market.
Sydney’s housing market is again leading the surge, posting its fourth consecutive quarter of house and unit growth, a feat not achieved since 2021.
Soon-to-be cyclone could impact ‘large swathe’ of Queensland as specialists arrive
Queensland fire and emergency services acting commissioner, Stephen Smith, provided an update on Tropical Cyclone Kirrily just earlier.
The latest update from the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts the cyclone will reach the coast on Thursday evening between Cardwell and Airlie Beach.
Speaking to the ABC, Smith said the crossing won’t be as intense as initially expected, but there are concerns about the rainfall attached to the cyclone, and the rainfall that will follow in its wake.
There’s the wind event and the crossing and the potential storm surge depending on the timing, and then the significant rainfall that the system will bring in and that has the potential to impact a large swathe of the state.
He said QFES has already moved equipment and specialist resources into the areas expected to be hit by Kirrily, and more personnel will arrive today and over the coming days.
60 people have already arrived in Townsville, with around 100 still to come.
Assistance has been deployed from NSW and Victoria, he added.
Updated
Morrison to take up separate position at Dyne Asset Management
As we brought you just earlier, Scott Morrison will be taking up a role with international advisory and consulting firm American Global Strategies after his resignation from politics late February.
You can read all the details a bit further down in the blog.
As Sky News reports, Morrison will also be taking up a position with Dyne Asset Management – a new Australian-founded US-based military venture capital firm.
He will join Trump administration secretary of state Mike Pompeo in this role.
Dyne was launched last October by Australian investment banker Matthew Kibble and former US Navy officer Tom Hennessy with an AUD$157 million capital base to invest in AUKUS related technologies.
Updated
Woolworths CEO blames ‘demand and supply’ for hurting farmers
Q: How do you explain the big gap between what farmers receive for their produce and what customers pay at the checkout?
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci:
Well, firstly, I think we should be quite thoughtful of which category we’re talking about for farmers. If you’re talking about fruits and vegetables, we are in material deflation and have been for about four months … That is because of demand and supply in Australia. It’s a domestic product, it’s subject to demand and supply. It is causing pain for many of those farmers. But hopefully that situation will change with regard to the new year.
Turning to meat, Banducci said:
… We buy directly [where we can] from farmers, and we try and smooth out the price that they get so that they can plan and manage their business effectively.
He said there has been some “material price reductions” over the past few months which is “a concern to us”.
But when you look at the red meat index, it does look like it’s trending up based on what’s happening offshore. So these things do flow through …
Banducci said he was prepared to share this information with the Senate, Queensland and ACT governments, and the federal government.
Updated
Woolworths CEO admits they could have 'done a better job' on Australia Day message
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci is speaking to ABC RN following the company’s decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise this year.
Following this announcement, opposition leader Peter Dutton called for a boycott of the supermarket giant.
Banducci said that the company could have “done a better job” in getting its message across about Australia Day. He said he has received thousands of emails with feedback over the decision, and that on-the-ground staff members in stores across the country are facing rudeness and “even aggression” from customers.
It’s critically important that any frustrations are expressed towards me [and not to staff members in the stores].
Banducci said there has been a 50% rise in the number of incidents of rudeness and aggression towards staff.
Asked if there has been any signs of a genuine boycott to the company, Banducci said “not really”.
Our real focus is how our team feel, how our customers feel.
Updated
Heatwave to persist until the end of the week
Heatwave conditions are set to persist for large swathes of the country with a cool change not expected until later in the week, AAP reports.
A wave of hot weather had some regions swelter through temperatures that peaked in their mid-40s yesterday.
But the wave is not over yet with the weather bureau forecasting both maximum and minimum temperatures to be 5C to 12C above average throughout the rest of the week.
The @BOM_au’s three-day heatwave map, beginning today pic.twitter.com/266K1ZmVuJ
— Emily Wind (@emilywindwrites) January 23, 2024
For NSW, temperatures are set to reach the mid-30s to low-40s during the day and low to high 20s overnight with the mercury at its highest on Thursday and Friday.
Severe heatwave conditions will develop across the central and northern inland parts of the state, spreading east towards Sydney, the Hunter and Mid North Coast today and tomorrow.
Armidale, Camden, Campbelltown, Hornsby, Liverpool, Moree, Nowra, Orange, Richmond and Wollongong are all set to bear the brunt of the heat.
Some regions in the north-west slopes and plains such as Walgett are expected to reach 42C while parts of upper western NSW including Wilcannia could peak at 46C.
Changes to stage-three tax cuts is breaking election promise, Birmingham says
Turning to the stage-three tax cuts (with the government set to announce changes today to help low-income earners with the cost of living) Simon Birmingham, just like his Liberal colleagues yesterday, touted this as a broken promise.
Speculating about the possible changes the government may announce today, after the snap Labor caucus meeting in Canberra, Birmingham suggested the government won’t be eliminating the 37 cents bracket on income earned between $120,000 and $180,000.
(Although bear in mind, there has been no announcement yet as to what changes the government may make).
Birmingham:
Now if that’s the case, it will see bracket creep remain in place as a tool of government budget policy in Australia.
Isn’t this a way to support middle-income earners right now?
I think Australians who are middle income earners deserve the type of support that indeed these tax breaks are calibrated to deliver, and that is to ensure that they can get it over time.
Birmingham took the issue back to bracket creep at the end of his interview, arguing that Albanese may give some people “a little bit more today”, who will then “be pushed up into those higher tax brackets tomorrow”.
There will be a lot of talk around the stage-three tax cuts today, so for a breakdown on what they actually are and how they work, have a read of this handy explainer below:
Updated
Morrison’s legacy seen as a ‘growing positive’ over time, Birmingham says
Leader of the opposition in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, just spoke to the ABC about Scott Morrison’s resignation from politics.
Speaking to RN, Birmingham was asked whether this move will allow a “reset” for the Liberal party, with all former prime ministers having left the parliament?
He said this would allow the Liberals to see a “regeneration”.
I’m proud to have been a part of that government as I was with his predecessors.
Asked how people would remember him, Birmingham said his legacy would be seen as a “growing positive” one over time, pointing to Morrison’s leadership during the “unprecedented” Covid-19 era.
And asked whether he would want to see a woman run for preselection in the Cook byelection, Birmingham said he always wants to see more women in the party but the Liberals have a “deeply embedded … grassroots pre-selection system” that will be followed.
Updated
Good morning, and happy Wednesday. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you on our liveblog today, in what is gearing up to be a busy day (as always!)
If you see something that needs attention on the blog, you can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
With that, let’s get started.
BoM forecasts soon-to-be cyclone Kirrily to hit Townsville as category two
The intense tropical low off the coast of Queensland is forecast to develop into a cyclone tonight and will hit Townsville as a category two storm tomorrow night, according to the latest updated forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology.
In advice issued at 5am, the Bom tracking map has the soon-to-be-cyclone Kirrily directly over Townsville at 10pm on Thursday.
The impacts of the storm are likely to begin for coastal and island communities tonight, with a warning zone stretching from Ayr to Mackay, including the Whitsunday Islands.
At 4am the tropical low had winds up to 75km/h at the centre and was sitting 590km northeast of Mackay.
Bom was forecasting gales with damaging wind gusts up to 120km/h about the Whitsundays as early as this evening, extending to the mainland early Thursday.
Destructive wind gusts to 155km/h may develop about coastal and island communities between Cardwell and Proserpine, including Townsville and the Whitsundays, during Thursday.
Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding was likely in coastal areas early Thursday, spreading inland as the storm moved on.
Updated
Scott Morrison's new role revealed
Scott Morrison’s next job has been announced: the former Australian prime minister is joining international advisory and consulting firm American Global Strategies.
AGS was founded and is chaired by Robert O’Brien, who was national security adviser to Donald Trump while he was in the White House. O’Brien’s name has been floated as a possible vice president option, or secretary of state in a potential second Trump term. He is considered an anti-China hawk.
In a press release overnight, AGS announced that Morrison was joining the firm as a “non-executive vice chairman”.
O’Brien said:
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is widely regarded as one of the most consequential world leaders of the last decade, presiding over unprecedented changes to Australia’s foreign and defense policies.
As American Global Strategies’ non-Executive Vice Chairman, Prime Minister Morrison will bring high-level relationships and unique geopolitical insights to our clients.
Morrison was quoted saying:
I’m looking forward to working once again with Ambassador O’Brien and the whole AGS team, especially here in the Indo-Pacific. Robert and I enjoyed a great working relationship when I was Prime Minister. Together we can draw on our combined networks and experience in the region to help clients navigate a highly dynamic geopolitical landscape that presents risks and opportunities.
And it’s not just in the defense and security space. Supply chains, technological change, resource security, energy transition and new types of partnerships between the private and public sectors are all impacted by the world becoming an ever more complicated place. There’s a lot to unpack here and I’m pleased to be teaming up with people at AGS who know what they’re talking about and know what to do about it.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the best overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind steps up to the plate.
A crucial 12 months for Anthony Albanese looks like starting with a big stoush with the prime minister expected to reveal at a Labor caucus meeting later today how he plans to amend the Coalition’s stage-three tax cuts in an effort to ease the cost-of-living crisis for lower-income households. Any changes to the package sets the stage for a bitter political brawl with the opposition already hammering a broken election promise.
Speaking of prime ministers, the company that’s given Scott Morrison his first job post-politics has been revealed – more soon.
The collapsed Australian cryptocurrency scheme HyperVerse targeted investors in developing countries across Asia, Africa and the Pacific before its eventual collapse left many people unable to access funds. Our investigation sheds new light on the scandal and our reporter explains in a podcast how a chance conversation at the hairdresser pulled her into the HyperVerse.
Queensland is braced for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily which is now forecast to hit the coast tomorrow night as a category 2 storm. For the rest of the country, heatwave conditions are set to persist for large areas with a cool change not expected until later in the week. More coming up.
