What we learned today, Wednesday 16 October
We’re going to wind down our live coverage for the day. Here’s what has been keeping us busy this Wednesday:
The number of bank-operated ATMs fell by more than 200 over the past year, according to regulatory data released today.
Environment organisations praised Rio Tinto after the mining company said it backed a revamp of national environment laws.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, did not alert his cabinet colleagues that he intended to buy a $4.3m waterfront property – Jane Hume described the move as “tone deaf”.
The New South Wales opposition will not support legislation designed to improve the rights and protections of LGBTQ+ people – something Alex Greenwich observed as a “rightwing trend”.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Australia “condemns the killing of innocent civilians by Israel in recent operations in Gaza”.
Penny Wong’s speech last night was interrupted by pro-Palestinian advocates – something that Simon Birmingham said was “rude” and “disrespectful”.
An oil slick was spotted off the coast of Coogee in Sydney this morning after hundreds of “mysterious black, ball-shaped debris” washed up along the beach.
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that Australia’s birthrate is continuing to decline.
Australia continued to fall short on humanitarian aid, the Save the Children chief executive said.
And, finally, tomorrow is looking stormy for large parts of Australia.
As ever, it’s been a pleasure. See you again bright and early tomorrow.
Updated
Rio Tinto praised for backing revamp of Australia’s environment laws
Environment organisations have praised Rio Tinto after the mining company said it backed a revamp of the national environment laws and acknowledged the urgency of “finding solutions to nature loss and the impact of climate change”.
Rio issued a statement on Tuesday that said it was committed to decarbonising its operations and “contributing to nature positive outcomes globally”.
It said it supported reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to deliver better outcomes for environmentally and culturally significant places and “more efficient and effective approvals processes” for developments.
It said that meant the introduction of strong national environmental standards to establish clear assessment criteria for developments and changes that led to transparent disclosure of companies’ climate emissions.
Conservation groups said the statement was a marked contrast to the public campaigning against strengthening environment laws by some in the mining and resources sector.
Kelly O’Shanassy, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, said it was significant that Rio had “broken ranks” given “the mining industry’s role in derailing the process through the parliament”.
The Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation’s executive director, Lyndon Schneiders, said it showed support for strengthened nature positive laws was growing. It had also been backed by large renewable energy companies and the Australian Industry Group, he said.
The Albanese government has struggled to win support for legislation to create a national EPA – Environment Protection Australia – in parliament, in part because it has delayed promised broader legislative reform indefinitely.
Updated
