What we learned - Tuesday 24 September
That’s where we’ll wrap the blog up for today, but before we do – a quick recap:
Thousands of NSW nurses union members walked off the job at public hospitals in day-long industrial action.
The federal government committed $23m in funding for an early intervention domestic violence scheme.
Brittany Higgins lowered the asking price for the home in France that she and David Sharaz put on the market to help pay their mounting legal fees.
Tony Armstrong revealed he is leaving ABC News Breakfast for a new show screening in 2025.
Penny Wong announced a push for a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel.
Wong said the number of Australians in Lebanon was ‘beyond capacity of government’ to provide assistance.
Albanese said supermarkets may face ‘more than a slap on the wrist’ over alleged conduct. He said ‘it’s not fair dinkum’.
John Pesutto testified in the Deeming defamation case.
Albanese condemned the Greens on its RBA policy, and the Coalition’s nuclear energy plan, saying both push ‘populist rhetoric’.
Wong condemned the Taliban over its ‘attempted erasure of women from public life’.
RBA left interest rate on hold for seventh meeting in a row.
The RBA governor said inflation was ‘proving to be sticky’.
She also revealed the RBA did not consider a cash rate hike for the first time since March.
A teenage boy was fatally stabbed in a Melbourne food court.
The live news blog will be back tomorrow morning.
Updated
RBA won’t read too much into low inflation figure for August
In odd timing, today’s RBA decision comes a day ahead of the ABS’s release of inflation figures for August.
Economists are expecting inflation to drop to below 3% from 3.5% in July. That’s only the headline number, though, and the RBA wants to see more about what inflation looks like after you strip volatile items – or government rebates for energy and other services.
“Headline inflation is expected to fall further temporarily, as a result of federal and state cost-of-living relief,” the bank said. “However, our current forecasts do not see inflation returning sustainably to target until 2026.”
And yes, the bank continues not to rule anything in or out. Code for keeping the (unlikely) option of another interest rate rise.
Updated
Adaptor causes EV fire in Melbourne garage
An electric vehicle fire broke out at a Melbourne garage this morning due to a travel adaptor connected to an aftermarket charging lead, Fire Rescue Victoria say.
Two people and a dog evacuated the property before firefighters arrived within 5 minutes after being called at 9.12am to the 10-metre by 5-metre garage in Glen Waverley.
The firefighters brought the blaze under control at 9.20am, but crews remained at the scene for several hours to knock down the fire and clear the structure of smoke.
The Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) determined the fire was not caused by the electric vehicle but from a travel adaptor connected to an aftermarket charging lead.
Guardian Australia understands firefighters in Victoria are responding to almost one fire each day caused by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
Fire Rescue Victoria say the reasons rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can catch fire include overcharging or use of non-compatible charging equipment, overheating, physical damage including crushing, piercing or vibrations, and short-circuiting, battery cell malfunctions or system faults.
FRV recommends purchasing products from a reputable supplier and following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Updated
Electoral reforms to see disclosure of all donations over $1,000
The Labor government’s long-awaited reforms to the electoral system will be unveiled “in coming weeks”, special minister of state, Don Farrell, said, in a speech confirming caps on donations given and received in elections.
Speaking to the McKell Institute in Sydney, Farrell said the changes were about “opening up the system to sunlight”. He said:
The reforms I will introduce will see all donations over $1,000 disclosed publicly – and importantly, they will be disclosed in days, not months.
Our reforms will include both a cap on donations received, and a cap on campaign spending. Limiting the amount that can be received from any individual donor will stop the billionaires that seek to influence our elections – while not preventing genuine political involvement, or the established right of political communication.
Farrell spoke of “a series of reasonable caps”, with comments seemingly suggesting the possibility of limiting not only the amount of money that can be given, but also the amount that can be spent in a certain seat. He did not specify the amount of those caps, but noted “some federal contests” spending over $3m – possibly an indicator that the cap may be set lower than that level.
Without giving a firm timeline, Farrell said “in coming weeks I will be introducing fundamental reforms to our electoral system.” Parliament is due to resume in early October, with just four scheduled sitting weeks before the end of the year.
The next election is due by May 2025.
Updated
Man dies at Sydney recycling facility
A 31-year-old man has died in a workplace incident at a recycling facility in southern Sydney earlier today.
Emergency services were called to the facility at midday. Paramedics attempted to treat the man but he died at the scene.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner and the incident has been referred to SafeWork NSW.
Updated
Dentist charged after sex-related assault in Sydney
A 60-year-old dental practitioner has been charged over a sex-related assault police allege he committed after causing a woman to take an intoxicating substance during a job trial in Sydney.
NSW police released a statement this afternoon that on Tuesday 10 September officers received a report that a woman had allegedly been sexually touched during a job trial at a dental centre in Rockdale.
Police then executed a crime scene warrant at a business on Thursday 19 September, after which:
A 60-year-old man was arrested and taken to St George Police Station, where he was charged with cause to take intoxicating substance to commit indictable offence and aggravated sexually touch another person.
He appeared before Sutherland local court on Friday 20 September 2024, where he was formally refused bail and will appear before Downing Centre local on Tuesday 19 November 2024.
Updated
Let’s recap Bullock’s post-board meeting press conference:
She stressed the reserve bank wants to see a reduction in inflation before there’s any cut in rates.
A rate hike wasn’t an alternative that the board considered.
She also foreshadowed the possibility of some good inflation data coming in the monthly figure for August which will be released tomorrow.
No interest rate cuts in ‘near term’: Bullock
Bullock is asked about whether she still stands by the previous assessment that rate cuts are unlikely in the near term. She does.
The board did discuss whether or not the messaging should change. As I said at the beginning, we didn’t explicitly consider an interest rate rise because the framing of the discussion was what has changed since last time. And the assessment was not enough, and it was mixed enough for us not to change our view from last time. Having said that, the message clearly from the board is that in the near term it does not see interest rate cuts.
Updated
RBA expecting lower energy prices after cost-of-living relief: Bullock to Peter Hannam
Speaking of Peter, his question to Bullock in that press conference is:
You mentioned just then that progress on bringing the underlying inflation rate is likely to remain slow in the September quarter. Given that we’re not getting the monthly figures until tomorrow, and then there’s obviously the September quarter coming out at the end of October, what are the indicators that you’re looking at to kind of come to that conclusion?
Bullock responds that the monthly inflation indicator is “quite volatile”.
It moves around quite a lot because it’s only partial. It doesn’t capture everything. The one tomorrow will capture some more services than the earlier ones. So that will be important because what we’ve seen in most recent inflation figures is that services has been the thing that’s been holding inflation up.
One of the other important things we’ve noticed in recent inflation numbers is that building cost inflation has been relatively high as well. … One thing that we are expecting with tomorrow’s monthly CPI is that we will expect to see the cost-of-living relief come into play. And what that’s going to do is that’s going to lower energy prices.
Fuel prices have also come down in recent months. So we’re expecting it could well be on current forecasts that the inflation rate, the headline inflation rate in fact, comes in 12 months, ended below 3%. So that is important because it’s reflecting cost-of-living relief. So it is reflected in the prices that people are seeing. But it’s not really reflective of the underlying inflation pulse, which is more what are we observing happening with services really which is the crux of the matter. And what we think that reflects is that demand is still a little bit above supply, that gap is still remaining there. And that’s what that inflation pressure is reflective of.
Updated
RBA did not consider cash rate hike for first time since March
Bullock reveals the Reserve Bank didn’t consider raising the rate – the first time it has done so since March, our economics correspondent Peter Hannam reliably informs me. She says:
We didn’t explicitly consider an interest rate rise at this meeting. The format of the meeting was slightly different. The way we framed the discussion really was around what had changed since August, and what would we need to see to go either a raise in interest rates or a lowering in interest rates? So there wasn’t an explicit alternative in the sense that I’ve talked about in the past.
Updated
Progress on underlying inflation needed before reducing interest rates: Bullock
Bullock summarises:
Overall, the weaker-than-expected momentum over the first half of the year and the mixed picture from recent indicators suggests there’s some risk that consumption growth could remain subdued for a little longer than we previously anticipated.
So what does this all mean? Well, the recent data, I think you’d agree, have been a little mixed. But overall they reinforce the need to maintain a restrictive monetary policy stance and remain vigilant to the upside risks to inflation.
The board needs to be confident that inflation is moving sustainably towards the target, before any decisions are made about a reduction in interest rates. So we really need to see progress on underlying inflation coming back down toward the target.
Updated
Week productivity growth weighing on supply growth: Bullock
Bullock says wages growth has passed its peak, but it remains high relative to productivity growth, which has been weak for some time:
Weak productivity growth weighs on growth in the economy’s supply capacity. So compared to a scenario where productivity growth was stronger, weak productivity growth means it takes longer for the gap between demand and supply to close, and therefore longer for inflation to turn to target.
Although goods inflation has returned around about, normal services inflation remains elevated. Housing prices continue to grow strongly because of the imbalance between strong demand and lack of new housing supply. But the pace of growth in advertised rents has slowed a bit.
GDP growth is very subdued, at 0.2% in the June quarter, that was in line with our August statement.
Private domestic demand declined in the quarter, driven by weaker than expected household consumption. June quarter national accounts and other recent data suggest a slightly softer outlook for the economic activity in the near term than what we were expecting in August. Although there have been some early signs of a pick up spending in spending based on bank transaction data for August, but that’s very preliminary.
Updated
Labour market ‘remains relatively tight’: Bullock
Bullock goes on to discuss jobs data:
Progress in getting underlying inflation down has slowed, and it’s likely to have remained slow in the September quarter. We judge that the level of demand is still above the economy’s ability to supply goods and services, but that gap is closing.
The labor market is still easing, but it remains relatively tight. And we saw again last week solid growth in jobs. I know some people are worried about a faster deterioration in the jobs market.
So we are keeping a close eye on this. But based on the most recent data, employment continues to grow and the rate of lay-offs remains very low. And while forward indicators have eased, some such as jobs vacancies have remained elevated. And we’re still hearing stories from our liaison that the availability of labor remains a bit of a constraint on some businesses.
Updated
Teen boy fatally stabbed in Melbourne food court
A teenage boy is dead from a stabbing in a Melbourne shopping centre food court, which police allege occurred after an altercation between the victim and another male.
Emergency services were called to an outdoor food court area in Melton West shopping centre just before midday.
They found the boy with life-threatening injuries and CPR was commenced, but he died at the scene.
Detectives are investigating the fatal stabbing, they say:
It’s believed there may have been an altercation between the victim and another male.
The exact circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death are yet to be determined and no arrests have been made at this stage.
Updated
Inflation ‘proving to be sticky’: RBA governor
The governor of the reserve bank, Michelle Bullock, is now speaking after its decision – she says inflation is still above the bank’s target and “it’s proving to be sticky”:
We’ve considered in detail whether our current settings are sufficiently restrictive and judged that based on what we know at the moment, rates will remain on hold for the time being.
Inflation has come down a long way since it peaked in 2022, both in Australia and overseas. Part of this was the resolution of supply chain issues and energy prices easing, and monetary policy has also been doing its job. But inflation is still above our target and it’s proving to be sticky.
Updated
Government ‘attempting to manipulate headline inflation’: Angus Taylor
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, is giving a press conference with his reaction to today’s RBA decision. Taylor has accused the government of manipulating headline inflation, but he says “the reserve bank is seeing straight through government manipulation”:
There are a number of points that the reserve bank highlighted and challenges they highlighted in their statement today. The first is it must be a sustainable reduction in inflation, not a temporary reduction in inflation. That’s manipulated by the government. And they say, and I quote, underlying inflation is more indicative of inflation momentum than headline. And it remains too high. Now the point here is that the government is attempting to manipulate headline inflation, and the reserve bank is seeing straight through government manipulation. The government needs to focus on doing the real job, which is to bring core inflation down so that interest rates can come down. So Australians standards of living can be restored to where it should be.
Updated
Coalition and Greens ‘doing the wrong thing’ on RBA: Chalmers
Chalmers is being asked if he has a response to the idea the reserve bank shouldn’t be as independent as it is. The Greens have demanded Chalmers order the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates. His response?
We know that when it comes to the reserve bank reforms, the Coalition and the Greens are indistinguishable when it comes to economic irresponsibility. And we’ve seen that once again when it comes to their wacky behaviour in the Senate. The Coalition and the Greens are as one when it comes to doing the wrong thing about the independent reserve bank.
You can read our economics correspondent Peter Hannam’s take on the issue here:
Updated
Government remains ‘focused on the fight against inflation’: Chalmers
We’ve seen growth in our economy has been quite weak. We’ve seen consumption has been weak, discretionary spending has been going backwards – all of this is indications that the interest rate rises already in the system are already combining with international uncertainty and persistent inflation to slow our economy quite substantially.
… The government remains primarily focused on the fight against inflation, but is not ignoring those risks to growth.
Chalmers said when monthly inflation data is released tomorrow whether it’s in the low threes or the high twos, it will show that inflation has halved since we came to office:
We are making welcome and encouraging progress in the fight against inflation and the fact that rates haven’t gone up for the best part of the year now is an indicator of that.
Updated
Government and RBA have ‘same objective … getting on top of inflation’: Chalmers
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking in Toowoomba after the RBA decision to hold at 4.35% for a seventh consecutive meeting. Chalmers says interest rates were 6.1% when Labor came into office, and is now half of its peak from a couple of years ago.
Stressing that at least rates haven’t gone up since November of last year, Chalmers insists “our policies are helping in the fight against inflation”.
When we came to office, inflation was high and rising and interest rates were rising. Inflation has been coming down quite substantially over the course of the last couple of years, and we haven’t had an interest rate rise for the best part of a year now.
The governor and the reserve bank board have noted today the very substantial progress that Australia has made when it comes to getting on top of this inflation challenge.
When it comes to the reserve bank and the government, we have the same objective when it comes to getting on top of inflation without ignoring the risks to growth in our economy.
Updated
Good afternoon! And we’ll jump straight to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, who is speaking in Toowoomba with his reaction to the RBA decision.
Updated
That is all from me on the blog today. Handing over to Natasha May who will keep the blog rolling with the afternoon’s updates.
Pesutto rejects assertion his work in dossier is of 8-year-old’s standard
Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, is being quizzed in the federal court on the dossier he created as part of his bid to expel Moira Deeming from the parliamentary party.
Under cross-examination by Deeming’s lawyer, Sue Chrystanthou SC, Pesutto accepts he has not read the full article from a rightwing website, XYZ, which reported comments made by a neo-Nazi leader, which claimed his group acted as a “vanguard” for the rally. A screenshot from the article was included in the dossier that was circulated to MPs, the federal court has previously heard.
Chrystanthou describes the dossier as “no better than a project prepared by an 8-year-old”.
“I reject that,” Pesutto replies.
Updated
Pesutto begins giving evidence at defamation trial
Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, has begun giving evidence in the federal court in the defamation trial brought against him by ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming.
Deeming, now an independent MP after her expulsion from the party, is suing Pesutto, for allegedly falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser after she spoke at a rally on 18 March 2023 that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. Pesutto has rejected the allegation.
Pesutto is being cross-examined by Deeming’s barrister, Sue Chrystanthou SC.
Updated
Fighting inflation RBA's highest priority
The RBA board said in its statement that fighting inflation was its “highest priority”.
“To date, longer term inflation expectations have been consistent with the inflation target and it is important that this remain the case,” it said.
Those hoping for early interest rate relief might be disappointed by this line: “It will be some time yet before inflation is sustainably in the target range.”
Given the decision was widely expected by the market and economists, the Aussie dollar and stocks were little moved on today’s announcement.
Updated
RBA leaves interest rate on hold for seventh meeting in a row
The Reserve Bank has kept its key interest rate unchanged at 4.35%, a level it’s remained at since last November.
The verdict was widely expected by economists not least because RBA governor, Michele Bullock, has said previously that an interest rate cut was unlikely in the near term.
We’ll have a media conference starting at 3.30pm when Bullock will be pressed about the RBA board’s thinking, including whether it also considered – gasp – another interest rate hike.
With the US last week cutting 50 basis points off its key rate (to 4.75%-5%), another rate rise here would very much go against the trend of most of our big trading partners. Bullock no doubt will be asked about how soon Australia might join the rate-cutting set.
More soon
Updated
PM to marry Jodie Haydon after federal election
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed his wedding to fiancé Jodie Haydon will probably be held after the next federal election, due by May next year.
In an interview with Nova radio in Perth, the PM was asked by the FM hosts about his nuptials.
“We’re thinking that it will be probably after the election, because if we do it beforehand, it’ll be a bit of a political event,” Albanese replied.
There had been speculation in Canberra that a pre-election wedding could give Albanese a popularity boost. Holding the wedding before the election would also give the couple more of a chance to hold the event at the PM’s residences at Kirribilli or The Lodge – an option that, naturally, wouldn’t be guaranteed if Labor wasn’t returned to power. Polls have the Coalition and Labor neck-and-neck, but it still appears a tall order for Peter Dutton to win enough support to win the Lodge at this stage of the cycle.
One of the radio hosts asked Albanese about the bonbonnieres (party favours given out to wedding guests) they might have at the ceremony. The PM replied: “We haven’t got to that level of detail. Maybe freckles, or black cats.”
Asked about his whirlwind trip to the US for the Quad meeting with Joe Biden, Albanese said “I like him very much.”
He also gave his tip for this weekend’s AFL grand final. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Sydney-sider PM is picking the Swans to win, before laying into some recent criticism over whether he was a real AFL fan.
I tell you what, there was this controversy over whether I was really a Hawks supporter. And it’s like, what sort of idiot – halfway through this year when the Swans looked unbeatable and you live in Sydney and you go, ‘No, no, I’m a Hawthorn supporter. Sure, they lost the first five games,’ but – I mean, seriously. So, you can’t change teams. But, you know, when the Hawks aren’t playing – go Swans.
Updated
Aid workers facing deadliest year on record, Penny Wong says
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says 2024 is on track to be the deadliest year on record for aid workers in a post to X after announcing a new working group for the protection of humanitarian personnel in New York earlier today.
“Following the death of Australian Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues, the Albanese Government said we would push for greater protections for humanitarian workers,” Wong wrote.
The post continues:
2024 is on track to be the deadliest year on record for aid workers, with Gaza the most dangerous place to do this work. This trend means that the rules protecting workers are at risk, and that calls for compliance with humanitarian law are not being heard.
You can’t protect civilians if you don’t protect the aid workers that are providing civilians with the food, water and medicine they need to survive.
That’s why Australia has brought together a group of influential countries to pursue a new Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel.
Frankcom, 43, was among seven WCK staff who were killed in a series of Israeli drone strikes in Gaza on 1 April.
Her family backed the Australian government’s new push. “People like Zomi are rare and their bravery and selflessness should be not only celebrated but protected. They can’t be brave at any cost,” the family said in a statement.
You can read more from Daniel Hurst here:
Updated
Australian woman arrested on terror charges in Turkey
An Australian woman trying to board a flight home has been arrested in Turkey on terror charges over her alleged links to a Kurdish separatist group.
A joint Turkish police and National Intelligence Organisation investigation found Cigdem Aslan had allegedly participated in activities on behalf of the listed terror organisation the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Australia, according to Turkish media reports.
It was alleged Aslan had been in contact with high-level members of the terror group and was arrested at Istanbul airport trying to board a flight to Australia.
The 51-year-old Melbourne woman, who held an Australian passport under the name of Lenna Aslan, was reported to have appeared before a judge, the Daily Sabah reported.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the woman detained in Turkey, a spokesperson said. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” he said.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is committed to the creation of an independent Kurdish state in south-eastern Turkey, Syria and Iraq, is a banned terrorist organisation in Turkey and also Australia.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
The Group of Eight said in its submission:
There has been no explanation as to why a government agency, such as Centrelink or [the Department of Employment] - similar to the arrangement for VET students - cannot administer [placement payments] for students.
Further consultation with the sector is needed to ensure that the system is implemented in a way that is efficient, equitable and minimises the administrative load on universities.
The changes were among recommendations in the university accords, a wide-ranging review of the tertiary education sector that was handed down in February.
Laws being examined by the Senate inquiry would also see student debt slashed, with the indexation for HECS now set at the rate of inflation or the wage price index, depending on which is lower.
The indexation changes would lead to $3 billion in debt being wiped, with many students previously having to fork out large amounts in payments following a spike in inflation.
- Australian Associated Press
More on placement payments
In its submission to the inquiry, the union said while it welcomed the reform, many other students are forced to forgo their regular income while undergoing placements.
“If student placement poverty is to be addressed in any substantial form, then the prac payment should be expanded to include all fields of study requiring professional placement,” the union said.
We are also concerned that the rate of payment is not sufficient and that the delay in its introduction is disadvantaging current students.
The Group of Eight, which represents Australia’s largest universities, has also expressed concern over the placement payments.
Ahead of the inquiry, the organisation said universities would not be equipped to make the payments to students.
Under the proposed legislation, universities would be required to make the payment for its students, while the education department would cover the expense for those doing placements in the selected industries in Tafe courses.
- Australian Associated Press
Still more to come in the next post.
Updated
University funding model a ‘disaster’: Group of Eight
A Coalition-era change to university funding has been an “all around disaster” and needs to be fixed sooner rather than later, Australia’s largest universities say.
The Group of Eight’s deputy chief executive, Dr Matthew Brown, told a parliamentary inquiry hearing on Tuesday that universities had experienced the “destructive influence” of the 2020 “Job Ready Graduates” package.
The changes had particularly hit humanities, arts and social sciences students the hardest, he said. “All around it’s been a disaster. We’ve called from the start … for it to be removed and replaced,” Brown said.
Now that’s no small undertaking to redesign the system to repair what’s happened. But it’s something that needs to be done nonetheless, and sooner rather than later.
Under the package, funding arrangements were altered in a bid to redirect students into particular courses by changing fee contributions.
University and student bodies are also facing questions on plans to pay students almost $320 a week to cover living expenses while they are doing placements in fields such as nursing, social work, midwifery and teaching.
The National Tertiary Education Union said the payments should be extended to all students required to do placements as part of their degree.
- Australian Associated Press
More to come in the next blog post.
Updated
Wong condemns Taliban over 'attempted erasure of women from public life'
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has spoken out against the Taliban’s “attempted erasure of women from public life” in Afghanistan.
Speaking earlier today in New York – where she is attending a series of UN-related events – Wong said she had joined a high-level meeting in relation to women’s rights in Afghanistan. Wong told reporters:
We are deeply concerned by the Taliban’s attempted erasure of women from public life. I heard today – with many others – from brave Afghan women.
We expressed Australia’s solidarity with the women of Afghanistan, and I made the point in that discussion that there is no peace in Afghanistan without the full participation of Afghan women.
I thank those women from Afghanistan and beyond who took the opportunity to share their stories with us. Their courage was deeply inspiring.
Updated
GPs call for My Health Record overhaul with survey showing practitioners rarely use it
The peak body for the nation’s general practitioners is calling on the government to overhaul My Health Record after a survey found 31% of GPs rarely or never use it.
The early findings from the Royal Australian College of GPs annual Health of the Nation survey come after a productivity commission report found the My Health Record is “plagued by incomplete records and poor usability.”
The college’s president, Dr Nicole Higgins, said:
It’s a big job to improve our flagship national health data system, and we recognise that the Australian government and the Australian Digital health agency are taking steps to this end. However, this work must continue to be prioritised because it will have significant benefits for Australians and our health system.
It will also make our health system more efficient and generate significant savings for the health budget – the productivity commission also estimated better use of electronic medical records systems can save up to $5.4bn each year by reducing the time patients spend in hospital, and $355m in duplicated tests in public hospitals.
The potential savings in general practice and other health settings would also be substantial. This money could then be reinvested back into reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients to help in the current high cost-of-living climate.
We’re calling for the federal government to overhaul My Health Record to improve its useability for Australians, GPs and other health professionals.
At the beginning of 2023, the government said the underutilised and much-maligned My Health Record would be at the centre of a push to modernise primary healthcare:
Updated
China’s central bank tries to rekindle growth, lifting some Aussie assets in the process
Many Australians will no doubt have an eye on the Reserve Bank later today with its regular interest rate decision landing at 2.30pm Aest. (The bank is expected to stay put for a seventh consecutive meeting, as we preview here.)
As it happens, another central bank of importance for Australia has been active today. The People’s Bank of China has unleashed what Bloomberg News dubs “a blitz of policy support” to revive the flagging fortunes of the world’s second-biggest economy (and Australia’s largest export market by far).
There’s a bunch of cuts, such as for the amount of cash Chinese banks have to hold in reserve, a move that should release about 1tn yuan (A$200bn) of liquidity. Other rate cuts are coming, such as for mortgage holders.
As we reported here a week or so back, China’s economy looks to be in a funk that will be hard to shake off. What’s needed is a shift of consumer sentiment given prices of real estate – most households’ largest asset – remain in a tailspin.
Cutting interest rates in the past year or so haven’t had much of an impact so perhaps more government aid will be needed. Let’s see.
In the meantime, though, the China news was enough to propel the share price of big Australian miners – BHP, Rio and Fortescue – about 2% higher. The Australian dollar, too, strengthened to about 68.5US cents before giving up some of the advance.
China’s sagging growth, with this year’s target of 5% looking increasingly challenging, is not without its positives. Weakening oil demand has helped push retail petrol prices in Australia towards two-year lows of about $1.74 a litre. That’s something else the RBA will probably note at its two-day meeting that wraps up in a couple of hours.
Updated
More from NSW Police on the fatal stabbing in Marrickville, Sydney, last night.
A witness and CCTV footage “depict a person that we believe may be able to assist our inquiries run down Silver Street,” police said in a press conference.
Police could not confirm that the weapon was a knife:
I know it was a sharp instrument, given the injuries. I can’t say with any certainty what weapon used was.
The incident occurred at 7:40pm – “peak dinner time on Marrickville Road,” police said.
[There are’] lots of restaurants, lots of businesses, licenced premises in the area. To have it happen on Marrickville Road or anywhere is unacceptable.
Knife crime is unacceptable. New South Wales police will continue to work tirelessly to target knife crime and hold offenders to account.
Matthew Guy offered to move a motion to expel Moira Deeming, court hears
Victoria’s former opposition leader, Matthew Guy, offered to move a motion to expel Moira Deeming from the Victorian Liberal party after she spoke at a “Let Women Speak” rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, the federal court has heard.
Deeming was initially suspended from the party’s parliamentary team in the days after the rally before later being expelled. The motion was moved by opposition leader John Pesutto.
Deeming is suing Pesutto for allegedly falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser after she spoke at the “Let Women Speak” rally held on 18 March that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. Pesutto rejects this allegation.
The federal court has been shown text messages between Pesutto, Guy and David Southwick, the party’s deputy leader, on the evening of 18 March 2023.
“Just letting you know that if you want an expulsion moved in [sic] Deeming and no one else will do it, I will” Guy texted Southwick and Pesutto at about 9.15pm.
Guy said the pair had “this solution in your back pocket if you want it.”
Updated
Albanese condemns Greens and Coalition 'populist rhetoric'
Anthony Albanese has condemned the Greens on its RBA policy, and the Coalition’s nuclear energy plan, saying both push “populist rhetoric”.
He says the Greens’ RBA policy “would have a negative impact on economic growth” ahead of the Reserve Bank’s interest rate announcement coming today.
The Greens’ policy, quite frankly, would have a negative impact on economic growth and the way that we conduct economic policy.
Central banks are independent of government. That occurs in just about every major economy in the world.
What the Greens do is engage in populism, often in conjunction with their partners in the No-alition – the Liberal party and the National party – to Just Say No to everything, or to put up populist policies like breaking up supermarkets without having any plan for who would purchase those supermarkets.
Albanese uses this comparison to take a sledge to opposition leader Peter Dutton’s plan on shifting to nuclear energy:
Like Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan, which yesterday he gave a speech on and which had no costings, no detail. Peter Dutton will be here in the west, I understand, later this week. I wonder if he visits Collie to have a look at the site there at Collie, where you have a battery being built that will store enough energy to power 860,000 homes.
What we need in this country is serious policies that take us forward, not just populist rhetoric, which is what we see from the Greens and from the coalition.
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Australians in Lebanon urged to return home
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is urging Australians in Lebanon to “listen to the warnings that we have been saying for months” and return to Australia on commercial flights while they are available:
We have been saying that for many months.
The fact that some people have continued to go from Australia to Lebanon in recent months is not a commonsense thing to do. The government issues these warnings for a reason. And the advice is that people should take the opportunity to come home on commercial aircraft while it is available.
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'It's not fair dinkum': PM on supermarkets accused of breaching consumer laws
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking live to press. He says supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths’ alleged use of “illusory” discounts on common products is “not the Australian way”:
Australians are rightly outraged at what has been going on in these major supermarkets. You have, between them, almost 500 [alleged] incidents … will be prosecuted through the courts by the ACCC.
When shoppers go to their checkout, they expect in a supermarket where they see the sign of “specials” for it to actually be cheaper. But what is alleged here is that supermarkets have increased their price by a dollar, for example, then decreased by 50 cents, so it’s 50 cents more expensive than it was just a short period earlier, and yet they’re pretending that somehow customers are getting a bargain.
Now, that’s not the Australian way. It’s not honest, it’s not fair dinkum, and that’s why the ACCC are taking this strong action.
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Marles to meet with international counterparts to discuss Aukus
The minister for defence, Richard Marles, will meet his counterparts in London later this week to discuss progress on Aukus.
Marles will join the UK secretary of state for defence, John Healey, and the US secretary of defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, “to reaffirm their shared commitment to promote a prosperous, stable and secure Indo-Pacific through the AUKUS partnership”, according to a media release from his department.
He will also visit Norway, following the Australian government’s announcement with Kongsberg including an $850m contract to manufacture and service missiles in Newcastle, as well as an announcement of a $142m contract to deliver the joint strike missile for use by the Australian defence force.
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More potential sites for homes identified in land audit
An audit of government-owned land has found several sites where more than 1,000 new homes could be built in NSW.
Surplus land owned by the state government is being assessed for development, with the audit identifying another nine sites in Sydney and one in Newcastle.
Sites at Woolloomooloo in Sydney’s inner city, in the city’s west at Sydney Olympic Park, and in the south at Hurstville will be transferred to Homes NSW, with hopes almost 600 homes could be built, with more than 50% to be social housing.
“Getting more homes built for families in well-located areas is top priority for our government and releasing surplus land for housing is a key part of our plan to make this a reality,” the premier, Chris Minns, said on Tuesday.
How many homes and what type, as well as who will build them, will be decided in the coming months.
The state’s lands and property minister, Steve Kamper, said the land audit conducted around the state had never been done before in NSW. “The property audit is working across departments and agencies to activate surplus government land to deliver the homes our communities need,” he said.
- Australian Associated Press
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Marathon paramedic pay dispute hit Victorian community, says union
Union officials have acknowledged the impact a marathon pay dispute between ambos and the Victorian government had on paramedics and the broader community.
The Victorian Ambulance Union on Monday reached an in-principle agreement with Ambulance Victoria and the government for better pay and conditions. The pay dispute has been dragging on since March 2023.
Ambulance Victoria’s acting chief executive, Danielle North, the Victorian Ambulance Union’s secretary, Danny Hill, and United Workers Union’s Fiona Scalon welcomed the deal.
“We acknowledge that negotiations have taken longer than anyone had hoped, and recognise the impact this had on everyone at AV, along with our partners and community,” they said in a joint statement:
We are hopeful this in-principle agreement creates a new and stronger foundation for collaboration, building of trust and cementing our position as a world-leading ambulance service.
The wage increases range from 16.98% to 33% over the next four years, including more than 20% for experienced paramedics.
- Australian Associated Press
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John Pesutto to testify in Deeming defamation case
Victoria’s opposition leader, John Pesutto, is expected to testify today in the defamation trial brought against him by ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming.
The ex-Liberal MP is suing Pesutto for allegedly falsely portraying her as a Nazi sympathiser after she spoke at the March 2023 “Let Women Speak” rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis. Pesutto rejects this allegation.
Last week, the court heard a secretly recorded meeting between Deming and members of the Liberal party’s leadership team, held the day after the rally. In the recording, Deeming tells Pesutto and his colleagues she is “obviously not a Nazi.” Pesutto is heard telling Deeming her attendance at the rally would be “toxic” for the Victorian Liberal party as they tried to win the 2026 election.
Deeming was initially suspended and later expelled from the parliamentary party.
The trial, which began last week, is expected to run for three weeks.
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Albanese says supermarkets may face ‘more than a slap on the wrist’ over alleged conduct
Staying with that ABC Perth interview, Albanese was again scathing of allegations against Coles and Woolworths, levelled by the ACCC yesterday, about advertised discounts. He called the claims “red-hot”, and the alleged conduct “an outrage”.
“Australians who go to the supermarket have been concerned for some time, you would have heard anecdotally, people telling stories about this,” Albanese said.
The PM said the supermarket giants may face “more than a slap on the wrist”.
“I think the implications for their brand has been damaged by this, because it confirms what many shoppers think and what they’ve been saying to me, which is why we have determined to take strong action,” he said:
When shoppers go to the supermarket, they expect to get goods at a fair price. I understand supermarkets have got to make a profit. They’ve got to make a profit so they can employ people, but what they shouldn’t do is abuse that power.
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PM questions if gambling ad ban would solve problem gambling issues
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has admitted sports betting ads on TV were “annoying”, but again downplayed the prospects of his government legislating a total ban on the advertising – questioning whether such a move would solve problem gambling issues.
The PM is back in Perth for what seems like a biweekly trip at this point in the election cycle, where he joined ABC radio. Asked about the long-awaited reforms to sports betting ads, Albanese said a complete ban on them “has been an option” – which sounded very much like a past-tense proposition, as in an idea the government wasn’t really entertaining any more.
“What we want to do is to reduce the impact that gambling advertising is causing, and we’re taking action to do that ... whether the complete banning has been an option, whether that will solve the problem,” he said:
The problem here, of course, is that sport gambling represents under 5% of the problem gambling issue. Overwhelmingly, it’s about poker machines, then it’s followed by lotteries and lotto tickets and those issues as well. So I know that as much as anything else, it can be annoying, the breaking up of beds, but we’re looking at a range of options.
Asked about a story in the ABC today, about how a Sydney man was able to get around the government’s BetStop self-exclusion register by giving a new name and email address, Albanese said “we’ll examine it”:
When someone tries to get around a regulation, what you do is you make sure you tighten it in a way in order to shut that down. And that certainly is what the authorities will do. But whenever you have some form of regulation, it is the case that people will try and get around it.
The PM didn’t go into how the government might “tighten” those regulations.
Updated
Greens reiterate calls to expel Israeli ambassador after strikes on Lebanon
The deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, has reiterated calls to sanction Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador after a recent wave of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. In a video posted to Instagram, Faruqi said:
First, 42,000 Palestinians massacred in Gaza, then the West Bank, and now hundreds more murdered in Lebanon. And all the Australian Labor government and the Australian foreign minister can do is express grave concerns. Well that is unacceptable and it is disgraceful.
The Greens will keep fighting for justice. We will keep calling for sanctions on Israel. And for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from this country.
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Red Cross says push for declaration on aid workers ‘can only be a good thing’ but wants to see practical steps
An Australian Red Cross spokesperson is speaking to ABC News Mornings about foreign minister Penny Wong announcing a push for a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel. They say:
Any initiative that states choose to help that will help reinforce and remind people of their obligations under international humanitarian law can only be a good thing.
The Australian Red Cross hopes to see practical steps follow the announcement:
Something that expands the whole sphere of how we can put together an ecosystem that protects humanitarian workers, not just when they land in a conflict zone.
Training of militaries, of aid workers themselves, declarations such as these and diplomatic efforts that states can take to remind each other and themselves of the responsibilities and obligations that they’ve signed up to.
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Wong reiterates calls for ceasefire
Asked about reports of “senior Biden administration officials … essentially given up hope on getting to a ceasefire before the US election,” Wong said:
The UN security council has unanimously, or without opposition, adopted a position in relation to ceasefire, that is what the international community seek. We support that call. We need to see a ceasefire. We need to see the release of hostages. We need to see aid delivered. We need to see an end to the humanitarian catastrophe we see in Gaza.
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Wong says number of Australians in Lebanon ‘beyond capacity of government’ to provide assistance
Asked about her concerns for Australians, foreign affairs minister Penny Wong says the numbers of Australians in Lebanon are “beyond the capacity of the government to provide assistance to all”.
There are very large numbers of Australians in Lebanon, which is why we again say to any Australian who is in Lebanon, what we’ve been saying for months, which is you should return home as soon as you are able to, whilst commercial options are still available, if they are.”
Wong was also asked: “how can you avoid pinning some blame for Israel when it’s ramping up hostilities?”
She said:
We are deeply concerned by this escalation and the losses, loss of civilian lives.
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Wong on Israeli strikes on Lebanon: ‘we wish to see deescalation’
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has been asked about the recent wave of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. She says:
We are deeply concerned. We’re alarmed by the escalation and the loss of civilian life, both in Lebanon and also the attacks into Israel. We have consistently said we wish to see deescalation. We believe a wider regional conflict is not in the interests of any of the peoples of the region.
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Wong announces push for a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel
More from the foreign minister, Penny Wong, speaking from New York:
This group of ministers and governments represented have determined to pursue a new declaration on the protection of humanitarian personnel, a declaration which we will prepare and develop over the coming months, in which will seek to demonstrate the unity of the international community’s commitment to protect humanitarian personnel and to channel that commitment into action in all current and future conflicts. All countries will be invited to join the declaration.
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Penny Wong speaks live from New York
Foreign minister Penny Wong is speaking live from New York.
A ministerial group has been formed for the protection of humanitarian personnel, “dedicated to upholding and championing international humanitarian law and driving action to protect aid workers in conflict zones,” she has announced.
Switzerland, Jordan, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN were part of discussions.
Read more from foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst, here:
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Investigation underway after fatal stabbing in Marrickville
More details on the earlier reported stabbing death in Sydney. A man was fatally stabbed in Sydney’s inner west last night, according to NSW police. Emergency services responded to reports of a man being stabbed on Marrickville Rd, Marrickville, at around 7:40pm.
Officers located an unconscious 32-year-old man on the footpath. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated him, but he died at the scene.
Strike Force Nogales has been established to investigate circumstances surrounding the death. Detectives from State Crime Command’s homicide squad are assisting.
Police will address the media today at 10am as the investigation is underway.
Anyone with information, CCTV footage, dashcam vision or mobile phone footage are urged to contact Marrickville police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Rallies across NSW as nurses and midwives strike for better pay
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association action started at 7am in the union’s second major stop-work action since Labor came to power in March 2023. The strike is part of a union push for a 15%, one-year pay rise, a demand the premier, Chris Minns, has said is unaffordable.
“I just can’t agree to [it],” Minns said yesterday:
As a result of the nurses claim and demands at the last election for ratios, or safe-staffing levels, in NSW hospitals, which the government agreed to, we’ve had to recruit 2,000 nurses.
Other workers would be lining up for pay rises too if the nurses got the 15% they sought, he said.
All NSW public sector workers, including nurses, have been offered a three-year 10.5% pay increase factoring in a mandatory rise in superannuation payments.
The opposition leader, Mark Speakman, said the government needed to make sure the strike did not compromise patient safety. “It’s also incumbent from the nurses union to cooperate to the same extent,” he said.
Public rallies are planned outside Parliament House in Sydney as well as in Tweed Heads and Albury near the Queensland and Victorian borders, two states the union says nurses are moving to in order to secure better pay.
Minimal, life-preserving staff levels will remain in public hospitals and health services during the strike, the union said.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
More on NSW nurses rallying for improved pay offer
The 24-hour stop-work action by nurses and midwives today is not expected to impact support for life-saving care, but will affect elective surgery and cause delays for some patients.
The government had not made a genuine attempt to negotiate on pay and conditions, the general secretary of NSW Nurses and Midwives, Shaye Candish, said. “The state government could have stopped this industrial action from occurring by coming to the table with an improved offer, but it has chosen to ignore us repeatedly,” Candish said in a statement today.
Nurses and midwives are outraged by the government’s unwillingness to negotiate beyond its insulting 3% offer, especially since we found the savings to fund the pay rise.
The Industrial Relations Commission’s president, Ingmar Taylor, had not yet examined the union’s argument for pay rises, but recommended an interim deal and four weeks of “intensive discussions” in a bid to broker a deal.
The health minister, Ryan Park, said officials had sought to contact patients with surgery scheduled to make alternative arrangements due to the industrial action.
“I acknowledge the dispute between the government and the association has a way to go,” he said on Monday.
- Australian Associated Press
More to come.
Updated
Alleged copper thief caught red handed
Three men were caught red handed allegedly stealing copper in Kilsyth after a call to police from a passerby, Victoria police said.
A good Samaritan called about the suspicious behaviour of three men on Mount Dandenong Road around midday yesterday, according to a statement. The men appeared to be working in a cordorned-off telecommuncations pit, wearing hi vis vests. They were allegedly using their vehicles to extract copper wiring out of the pit.
When the police arrived, two of them allegedly fled in a dark-coloured SUV with a trailer attached, east of Canterbury Road. One man was detained and resisted arrest and officers “were forced to deploy OC spray,” the statement said.
The 44-year-old Watsonia North man has been charged with theft, resist emergency worker, possess drug of dependence, drive whilse disqualified and use fraudulent registration label. He has been bailed to appear at Ringwood magistrates court on 11 December. The other two men have not yet been located.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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Tony Armstrong to leave ABC News Breakfast for new show
Tony Armstrong is leaving ABC News Breakfast for a new show screening in 2025. He told viewers this morning:
I just want to thank Brekky and the broader ABC News team for welcoming me in with open arms and helping me grow over the past few years. I love live TV and those moments that are unplanned and unpredictable where anything can happen. I’ve been so lucky to be surrounded by an incredible team and it’s those friendships that I’m going to cherish the most.
The Gold logie nominee has been ABC News Breakfast’s full-time sports presenter. He is leaving to host a new ABC show to be announced later this year. ABC News Breakfast’s host, Bridget Brennan, said:
How blessed we’ve been to have Tone on our screens every morning, bringing the sparkle, joy and heart that only Tony can! Tony is a wonderful friend and everyone at News Breakfast is going to miss his infectious and caring nature. I know it’s meant so much to me and to thousands upon thousands of First Nations viewers waking up to see Tony representing us on the daily. Can’t wait to see what you do next, Tone! Maybe sleep?!
Incidentally, did you know Armstrong is a huge drum nerd?
Updated
Firearms allegedly brandished during robbery at Sydney hotel
Two men armed with a shotgun and a pistol fled a robbery in Canterbury, Sydney, this morning, NSW police said in a statement.
Police responded to reports of an armed robbery at a hotel on the corner of Canterbury Rd and Toncombe St around 1:02am this morning.
Two men wearing dark clothing, face coverings and gloves allegedly entered the hotel and threatened staff and patrons, Police were told. One man was armed with a shotgun, and the other with a pistol.
Police say cash was stolen from the premises before the men fled east on foot. A 38-year-old security guard suffered minor injuries during the incident.
A crime scene was established and examined by specialist police.
Shortly before, a vehicle was seen driving the wrong way down Tinconbe St before stopping in Minter St.
Detectives urge anyone who may have information, or who were in the area at the time with available dashcam or phone footage, to contact Burwood police station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Updated
Good morning! I’ll be rolling the live blog through today’s breaking news. If there is anything you don’t want us to miss, send it my way on Twitter @At_Raf_
Higgins lowers asking price on French house she is selling to pay legal fees
Brittany Higgins has been forced to lower the asking price for the home in France that she and David Sharaz put on the market to help pay their mounting legal fees.
The house near Bergerac, east of Bordeaux in south-west France. was initially listed for €420,000 (A$690,000). The 160 sq metre three-bedroom house on more than an acre of land includes a swimming pool and the agents describe it as “full of charm”. Photos back up the claim – it looks delightful.
However overnight on Monday the asking price fell to €404,000 ($660,000), suggesting the Bergerac property market is not exactly bubbling.
Higgins is waiting on judgment in a defamation suit brought against her by her former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, whose lawyers have asked for a payout in the region of half a million dollars – plus costs.
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$23m federal funding for early intervention domestic violence scheme
The federal government will put $23m toward a new early intervention trial for young men and boys against domestic violence, asking organisations nationwide to create new programs for those at risk of committing violence.
Aimed at boys aged 12 to 18 with adverse childhood experiences or at risk of using violence, the program is meant to assist in recovery, help them avoid committing violence, and build evidence bases on how to deal with young men. The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, said this morning it would include counselling, mentoring, safety plans and case management.
Supporting children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right and addressing the impacts of developmental trauma to help healing and recovery will help break future cycles of violence.
There are currently only limited and inconsistent services available across Australia that specifically support children and young people who have experienced violence and are themselves using or at risk of using violence and this trial will help address this gap.
The 12 sites include a mix of city, regional and remote locations, including Newcastle, Shepparton, Ipswich, Rockhampton, Broome, Hobart and Launceston, with each to cater for up to 160 boys each year. Some services say their plans will include 45-minute support sessions each week for up to 12 months, while others may offer cultural camps, therapeutic counselling or mentoring.
The services are expected to begin rollout from early 2025. The plan is based on studies showing people who use violence can often start using it at a young age, and the links between people experiencing violence then later using it themselves.
“Early intervention is a key area of focus under the National Plan to End Violence against Women 2022-2032,” Rishworth said.
Man stabbed to death in Sydney
A man was stabbed to death in Sydney’s inner west on Monday evening, NSW police say. At about 7.40pm, emergency services responded to reports of a stabbing on Marrickville Rd.
The man died at the scene and a crime scene was established. Police said some streets had been closed and motorists were advised to avoid the area.
Updated
In a much anticipated speech in Sydney yesterday, Peter Dutton continued to refuse to release costings for the Coalition’s plan to build seven nuclear plants, saying he would announce details “in due course” before the next election.
He tried to shift the terms of the debate to the cost of Labor’s renewables policy but, as our political editor writes today, he “relied on warm, fuzzy assurances” rather than “cold, hard facts”.
Read her column here:
Victorian paramedics reach pay deal with state government
Victorian paramedics are set to receive double-digit pay rises under a deal to end a long-running dispute with the state government, Australian Associated Press reports.
The Victorian Ambulance Union reached an in-principle agreement with Ambulance Victoria and the premier, Jacinta Allan, yesterday for improved pay and conditions.
The wage increases will range from 16.98% to 33% over the next four years, including more than 20% for experienced paramedics. An additional $12,500 relativity uplift for highly skilled Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (Mica) paramedics would deliver overall increases of up to 33%.
There will also be $5 an hour availability allowances for rural ambulance officers who volunteer to respond in remote areas.
The Victorian Ambulance Union’s secretary, Danny Hill, said the deal means the paramedics will be among the best-paid in Australia.
“This deal rewards longer serving ambos, it makes our elite Mica paramedics the highest-paid in Australia, it rewards community officers for the time they contribute to their community and most of all it will help our members finish their shift on time and get home to their families,” he said.
Improvements to clinical instructor allowances, unsociable shift allowances, on call allowances, reserve/flexibility allowances and travel allowances are also part of the deal.
Paramedics will also no longer be sent to lower acuity cases in the last hour of a shift and will taken out of service once their hours are up. Instead, they will only be contacted for confirmed life-threatening emergencies.
NSW nurses to strike from 7am
A pay dispute between NSW nurses and the state government will escalate when thousands of union members walk off the job at public hospitals in day-long industrial action, the AAP report.
The stop-work action by nurses and midwives today will affect elective surgery and cause delays for some patients, while support for life-saving care will not be impacted.
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said officials had sought to contact patients with surgery scheduled to make alternative arrangements due to the industrial action.
“I acknowledge the dispute between the government and the association has a way to go,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association action will start at 7am in the union’s second major stop-work action since Labor came to power in March 2023. The strike is part of a union push for a 15% one-year pay hike for members, a demand that the premier, Chris Minns, has said is unaffordable.
All NSW public sector workers, including nurses, have been offered a three-year 10.5% pay increase factoring in a mandatory rise in superannuation payments.
The union says Labor has failed to express a willingness to move its position after months of talks, prompting the strike.
The industrial relations commission’s president, Ingmar Taylor, has not yet examined the union’s argument for pay rises but recommended an interim deal and four weeks of “intensive discussions” in a bid to broker a deal.
The interim offer involved a 3% wage increase with back-pay if nurses agreed to halt industrial action.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling new coverage. Before today’s regular blogger comes along, this is Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories to get you started.
The Reserve Bank is expected to keep its key rate unchanged for a seventh meeting in a row today, according to a survey of 45 economists by Reuters, prolonging the agony for Australia’s leveraged households. The bank lifted the rate 13 times between May 2022 and last November. But despite soft growth and lower inflation, the RBA’s governor, Michele Bullock, and the board are tipped to keep the rate steady. We’ll have the announcement at 2.30 and plenty of reaction.
Nurses in New South Wales are due to walk out for another 24-hour strike this morning. It comes as the Victorian government agreed to wage increases for ambulance workers that will range from 16.98% to 33% over the next four years, including more than 20% for experienced paramedics. More on this in a few minutes.
Our latest Essential poll shows more than twice as many voters support parliament passing the federal government’s two stranded housing bills as want them blocked, including a majority of Greens voters. The survey found 48% polled believe the Greens and Coalition should pass the Labor government’s Help to Buy and Build to Rent legislation and argue for their own policies at the next federal election. Overall support for blocking the bills was at 22%, with 30% unsure and a margin of error of about 2%.
