What we learned; Thursday 2 March
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed – before we go, let’s recap the big headlines from today:
The former Coalition minister Stuart Robert told the robodebt inquiry he made false statements about the scheme in TV interviews because it was “the approach that cabinet had signed off”.
Richard Marles has taken aim at Peter Dutton for his pre-emptive criticism of the possible Aukus announcement.
The federal government received another review into disturbing allegations of sexual harassment and cultural problems on remote Antarctic stations, which includes “substantial” recommendations for change.
Mediation has failed to resolve the legal dispute between Monique Ryan, Sally Rugg and the commonwealth, which employs parliamentary staff.
Sticky Fingers have been taken off the 2023 Bluesfest lineup, after weeks of backlash over their place on the bill.
Updated
Australia backing Vanuatu in international court climate bid
From AAP:
Australia is supporting Vanuatu’s bid to have a top international court outline what responsibilities countries have to act on the climate crisis.
The Pacific island nation is one of the most susceptible to global heating and has asked the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the issue.
More than 100 nations including Britain and New Zealand on top of a raft of European, Scandinavian, Southeast Asian and Pacific nations co-sponsored the move.
But some of the world’s largest emitters including the United States, China and India haven’t agreed to sponsor the push, which will come to a vote at the United Nations later in the year.
Any advisory opinion from the Hague-based court would be non-binding.
The Australian government has outlined climate crisis as an urgent challenge and the greatest threat to Pacific nations and security in the region.
Updated
