What happened Monday 27 June, 2022
With that, we’ll wrap up our live coverage of the day’s news. Here’s a summary of the main developments:
- Anthony Albanese has visited Australian troops in the Middle East as he travels to the Nato summit in Spain.
- A woman who locked herself to the steering wheel of her car and blocked the harbour tunnel is one of 11 climate protesters arrested in Sydney. The protesters were among a group of 50 to 60 activists who kicked off a week of disruption in Sydney with a march through the city centre on Monday.
- John Barilaro personally approached former New South Wales Labor leader Jodi McKay about a trade commissioner job in India, raising further questions about the role senior ministers in the government have played in appointing the controversial $500,000-a-year roles.
- Australia’s new environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has received an enthusiastic welcome in Lisbon at the UN ocean conference after flagging five new blue carbon projects and declaring that “under the new Australian government, the environment is back – front and centre”. Meanwhile, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2021 as the country wound back Covid-19 lockdowns without taking significant steps to maintain a fall in carbon pollution recorded during the pandemic.
- The United Australia party’s new senator has accused Labor of “pumping the brakes” on the crossbench’s ability to scrutinise the government by cutting their staff, as Albanese stares down the prospect of a “Senate strike” over cuts to parliamentary staff.
- Australian states and territories announced at least 23 deaths from Covid-19 on Monday.
- The Victorian department of health says the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants are likely to become dominant variants in Victoria. These may be offshoots of an earlier Omicron strain, BA.2.
- An emergency biosecurity zone has been imposed to stop the movement of bees across NSW after the deadly parasite varroa mite was discovered.
Thanks for tuning in, we’ll be back to do it all over again tomorrow – when the first tranche of 2021 census results are released.
Have a pleasant evening.
Updated
Man shot by police in Melbourne
A man has been shot by police in Melbourne.
Victoria police confirmed he was shot in Coburg North at 4.40pm on Monday, AAP reports.
They said the man was being treated by paramedics and no one else had been injured.
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Federal Liberal labels climate protesters ‘anarchists’
The shadow climate change and energy minister, Ted O’Brien, has said climate protest activity blockading streets is “unacceptable” and state governments should consider higher penalties to stamp them out.
O’Brien said:
If you want to get a message across you do not drive a car into police ... You do not inconvenience people. It is a disgrace the way they have been behaving today. Let’s hope the state government does what needs to be done ... and sends the fear of God into others who would carry on like anarchists.
O’Brien said that “true anarchists” don’t care about policy changes on climate because “their job is to cause anarchy ... any degree of rationality won’t top it”.
O’Brien said the Greens and “probably the teals” have a business model “predicated on maintaining the rage, no matter how much people try to take action on climate action” to get votes and stay in parliament.
On nuclear power, O’Brien said he “hadn’t seen any evidence” that nuclear shouldn’t be considered “due to economics”.
He criticised Labor for nixing nuclear due to its cost, which he said “hasn’t been proven” and argued that cost doesn’t justify a ban.
He said:
On the one hand we have the government calling for more gas and more coal, but Chris Bowen out there saying the solution is less of these energy sources. This crisis the country has been in is a crisis of dispatchability. The more renewables come in, the more we will need gas ... to back renewables up. It isn’t an anti-renewables debate. Renewables need partners in life.
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John Barilaro approached former NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay about trade role in India
John Barilaro personally approached former New South Wales Labor leader Jodi McKay about a trade commissioner job in India, raising further questions about the role senior ministers in the government have played in appointing the controversial $500,000-a-year roles.
Barilaro, whose recent appointment as New York trade commissioner has become embroiled in controversy, was still NSW deputy premier when he sounded out McKay last year about her interest in the India role, the Guardian understands.
While McKay did not get the job – Vishwesh Padmanabhan was appointed to the role in December last year – Barilaro’s personal approach is significant because the NSW government has insisted the public service, not government ministers, were responsible for the appointments.
Read the exclusive story here:
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Albanese visits troops in Middle East
Australia’s sense of order and its values of democracy must be defended, Anthony Albanese has declared.
AAP have filed this report from the Camp Baird base, where the prime minister visited Australian troops serving in the Middle East ahead of his week-long European trip, which includes the Nato summit in Spain before travelling to Paris.
He touched down at the Al Minhad operating base in the United Arab Emirates on Monday morning local time, where he met with defence force personnel and Australian embassy staff at Camp Baird.
The base was the site where at the highest point, 2,750 Afghan evacuees were processed following the US withdrawal of Afghanistan, and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August last year.
Speaking to about 30 troops, Albanese thanked them for their service in keeping the nation safe, and said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a “reminder of the unsafe world we live in”. He said:
Our values of maintaining international rule of law, maintaining a sense of order in the global environment is one that can’t be taken for granted.
It does have to be defended, and those of us in political life are humbled by the knowledge that it’s defended each and every day by our men and women in uniform.
Albanese spoke of a group of six young Afghan women who were living together in a house in his Sydney electorate after having been settled. “They will make great Australian citizens,” he said. He praised the women for their volunteer work in packing food hampers for those in need, and said “they will be great assets to Australia”.
Australia's men and women in uniform make sacrifices to secure our national interest and keep us all safe. Today I got the chance to thank the troops at Camp Baird in the Middle East for their excellent work and hear about what their service means to them. pic.twitter.com/3F7wqn39fY
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) June 27, 2022
About 50 Australian Defence Force personnel are serving at Camp Baird, which plays a “critical role” for Australia’s presence in the region, the prime minister said.
Albanese then spoke with individual personnel gathered for breakfast at the mess, before taking a group photo with them. Australia’s ambassador to the UAE Heidi Venamore prepared a bacon and egg roll for the prime minister.
Earlier, upon arrival at the base, Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon laid a wreath at the memorial for Australians who had been killed while serving on Middle East operations. The sombre pair was watched on by more than a dozen Australian troops in attendance.
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Annastacia Palaszczuk tightens Queensland’s lobbying rules ahead of integrity report release
Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has moved to tighten political lobbying rules ahead of a key report being released into her own government’s integrity.
Prof Peter Coaldrake is due to hand down his final report into government accountability and integrity on Tuesday.
In April, his interim report found lobbying was widespread, escalating and lacked proper regulation. Coaldrake said he would consider steps to ensure the ministerial code of conduct “has teeth and is observed” in his final report.
Palaszczuk on Monday pre-empted his possible recommendations and announced changes to the lobbying code of conduct. She said anyone working for a lobbying firm, except for administration staff, will be deemed a lobbyist.
“That basically means anyone working for a lobbying firm will need to be registered as a lobbyist,” Palaszczuk told reporters.
Read more:
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NRMA offering voluntary carbon offset scheme for drivers
We saw earlier today that Australia’s annual emissions are on the rise again for the first time since 2018.
(Before that, they had fallen each year since 2009, assuming you trust the data on the land sector. There are reasons not to do so, as reported here.)
Anyway, just as people can buy an offset for air travel, there are some emerging offers to do the same for motorists.
One of them is NRMA’s carbon offsets scheme, which allows drivers to plug in their car make and model and their estimated annual distance driven to work out how much they should offset to be carbon neutral.
They calculate the payment and will direct the money raised to bush regeneration in Australia, investing in renewable energy and rainforest protection.
Hummer drivers (not me) would have a lot of trees to plant, by these calculations.
@NRMOnline has launched a voluntary carbon offset program. Seems like I'll need to plant 355 trees for my *Hummer's emissions each year. (*Illustrative purposes only...)https://t.co/3RcS8U3lUp pic.twitter.com/4K7fipuM4p
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 27, 2022
More typically, a medium-sized car driven 10,000km a year would produce about 1.87 tonnes of carbon.
To take that out of the atmosphere you need to plant 84 trees (and presumably hope they survive fire, drought or water logging, etc). For that NRMA, reckons the offset will cost $41.05 – not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things.
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It’s terrific to be back in Vietnam, on my second trip to Southeast Asia as Foreign Minister.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) June 27, 2022
The ties between Australia and Vietnam run deep and I believe there is much more our two countries can do together.@AusAmbVN @dfat pic.twitter.com/GZ00V3AzIW
Fears global biodiversity talks will not settle on key targets and goals
Despite positive reviews for Australia’s role in global biodiversity talks held in Nairobi last week, there is concern that the international negotiations are drifting.
The final agreement is supposed to be reached at a meeting of countries in Montreal in December, but there are key targets and goals that have not been settled and it is likely another round of talks will be required before then.
WWF-International issued a statement saying little progress had been made in Nairobi, with key decisions “kicked down the road” and a small number of countries, such as Brazil, “actively working to undermine the talks”.
WWF-Australia’s Quinton Clements said the talks overall were lacking in political leadership and there was real concern that agreement would not be reached in Montreal.
A spokesperson for the environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, said the new government was committed to “stepping up Australia’s global environmental leadership”. She said this was made clear at the Nairobi meeting and reflected in a strengthened negotiation position on environmental protection, including actions to address extinction risk and protect more land and sea area.
“Australia’s negotiation team for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity … will be advocating for an ambitious Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in line with the government’s commitments for stronger action on the environment.”
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Albanese government changing Australia’s tone to be ‘more ambitious’ on environment
You may have read that Australia’s new environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, has told the United Nations ocean conference in Lisbon that “the environment is back – front and centre” under the Albanese government.
These aren’t the only international talks where a change in tone from Australia has been observed.
The oceans conference follows a round of negotiations last week in Nairobi for a new global agreement on nature under the convention on biological diversity.
The convention on biological diversity receives less attention than global climate conferences, but the current negotiations are aimed at achieving an ambitious new international agreement for protecting and restoring nature.
The significance of these talks has previously been compared to the Paris climate agreement.
Plibersek was not in Nairobi last week but Australia sent a delegation.
Quinton Clements, WWF-Australia’s head of policy, was among observers who noted more ambitious language from the new government.
He said:
There’s definitely a bit of a change from the previous regime. The new minister and government have given clearer direction to the Australian delegation. They’ve been more ambitious in terms of where Australia sits.”
Clements said that ambition extended to things like halting and reversing biodiversity loss and working with other countries to ensure a “nature positive” approach to wildlife and sustainable development by 2030, which in simple terms means agreeing there will be more nature by 2030 than there is currently.
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Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains likely to become dominant, says Victorian health
The Victorian department of health says the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants are likely to become dominant variants in Victoria. These may be offshoots of an earlier Omicron strain, BA.2.
In a statement, the department of health said the prevalence of BA.4/BA.5 in Victorian metropolitan and regional wastewater catchments has “risen significantly in recent weeks, indicating increasing transmission of this sub-lineage in the community”.
The BA.4/BA.5 sub-lineage was first identified in catchments in April and has since risen from under 5% in late May to 17% as of 23 June, the department statement said.
“BA.4/BA.5 is expected to overtake the BA.2 strain in coming weeks to become the dominant strain in Victoria,” the department said. “This is in line with similar patterns in NSW and Queensland.”
Both states have seen a significant rise in the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 during June.
Victoria’s department of health said the prevalence of BA.4/BA.5 in Victoria is likely to result in an increase in cases – including reinfections – and hospital admissions and deaths. This is because the strain has a greater ability than BA.2 to evade immunity provided by vaccination and earlier Covid-19 infection.
There is no evidence at this stage that the BA.4/BA.5 sub-lineage causes more severe disease, but the department is closely monitoring the situation.
The department statement urged people to stay up to date with vaccinations, stay home if unwell, and strongly recommended masks be worn in shared indoor settings.
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Tjapwurong woman withdraws legal challenge to Victorian highway after state says it will develop new plan
A senior Tjapwurong (Djab Wurrung) woman who has withdrawn a legal challenge to the construction of a highway that endangered culturally significant trees in western Victoria says the court case represents a win for her community.
Marjorie Thorpe said in a statement that she had withdrawn the challenge after the state government’s Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) agreed it would no longer rely on a 2013 cultural heritage management plan as part of its Western Highway duplication project.
In October 2020, MPRV felled a tree considered a sacred directions tree, Thorpe said, and were preparing to destroy another tree and build the road close to five other significant trees, including two birthing trees.
Thorpe filed an emergency supreme court application soon afterwards, and an injunction preventing further roadworks until the case was heard was granted later that year.
Thorpe said that as the court case continued the state “abruptly announced that it would no longer rely on the 2013 plan to construct the road, and promised to work with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation to develop a new Cultural Heritage Management Plan”.
She said this meant there was no need for the case to continue. Thorpe added:
This week, in a win for my Tjapwurong community and ancestors, I discontinued the proceeding.
This maintains my rights to sue if the state tries to use the old Cultural Heritage Management Plan as a basis for further construction on our lands.
It also reserves my rights to review the new Cultural Heritage Management Plan once is it complete to ensure it is legal and complies with cultural heritage legislation.
Thorpe thanked community members who gave evidence in her case, and her lawyers, and urged the state to better protect Aboriginal heritage. She said:
Tjapwurong people have lost many of our stories about the trees as a result of colonisation and dispossession, but that makes the surviving stories of special importance.
They provide a connection to our past – an important connection to the existence and history of the Tjapwurong people. It is important that we preserve that connection, including so we can pass on the stories of our ancestors and our people and the land to our children and grandchildren.
I hope that this time around, the rights of our people and the remains of this precious heritage can be protected.
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Australia’s emissions climbed in 2021 as transport and fossil fuels wiped out gains during Covid
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2021 as the country wound back Covid-19 lockdowns without taking significant steps to maintain a fall in carbon pollution recorded during the pandemic.
National emissions rose 0.8% – 4.1m tonnes of carbon dioxide – in the final full year of the federal Coalition government, according to government data released on Monday.
While pollution from electricity generation continued to drop due to an increase in renewable energy and reduction in coal power, this decrease was effectively cancelled out as emissions from transport, manufacturing and fossil fuel developments – notably the gas industry – bounced back.
Emissions were also up from agriculture as the recovery from drought continued.
Read more:
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The Teacher’s Pet podcaster tells court he wanted justice for Lynette Dawson
The journalist behind The Teacher’s Pet podcast has told a court he wanted justice for Lynette Dawson, believing she had been killed by her husband in January 1982.
Giving evidence in the murder trial of Christopher Michael Dawson on Monday, The Australian’s Hedley Thomas said he had produced the 2018 podcast to help Lynette Dawson’s family seek justice for their daughter and sister who had vanished with no explanation.
“And so justice for Lyn meant to you, didn’t it, the prosecution of Christopher Dawson,” asked defence barrister Pauline David.
“I think that is a fair call, yes,” Thomas replied.
Read more:
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National Covid summary
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 23 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 927
- In hospital: 119 (with 1 person in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 11
- Cases: 6,862
- In hospital: 1,507 (with 55 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 209
- In hospital: 17 (with 1 person in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 3,260
- In hospital: 542 (with 8 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 6
- Cases: 2,137
- In hospital: 210 (with 9 people in ICU)
Tasmania
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 798
- In hospital: 45 (with 3 people in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 1
- Cases: 6,305
- In hospital: 459 (with 26 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 5
- Cases: 3,434
- In hospital: 234 (with 8 people in ICU)
Picture of @SenatorWong meeting her Vietnamese counterpart @FMBuiThanhSon in Hanoi pic.twitter.com/NgzJShLEfx
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) June 27, 2022
Energy sector vulnerable from lack of coherent climate policy, economist says
For all the chatter about the rising cost of energy, it’s interesting to be reminded that electricity accounts for around 2.4% of Australia’s CPI basket, while gas and other household fuels account for 1%.
Catherine Birch, a senior ANZ economist, has crunched the numbers, and estimates the recent increases and those to come will contribute a “hefty” 0.6 percentage points of the 7% annual consumer inflation rate we can expect by year’s end.
There’s a long list of blame for the soaring energy costs, including coal-fired power plants being subject to “unscheduled” outages.
“But an underlying issue is the lack of coherent energy and climate policy in Australia for the past several years which has undermined investment in the energy sector,” Birch said. “This has left the sector more vulnerable to shocks.”
But the impacts on household bills varies in part because of different packages offered by the states to help people pay bills.
@ANZ_Research also notes, though, that different states help mask/delay/blunt the impacts on cost of living increases with various 'rebates'. (Eg the extra $125 per household offered recently by the Queensland government). pic.twitter.com/PgI2fRnRCS
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 27, 2022
The cost of generation also varies a lot across different parts of Australia, depending on their energy mix. The ASX tracks future wholesale prices, and Victoria is projected to have a cheaper prices for the next few years at least (partly because their brown coal is not internationally traded).
Meanwhile, here's how the ASX futures suggest wholesale power prices are going to trend over the next couple of years. Victoria looking relatively cheap (but that's much higher than the $40/mwh or so average during the first quarter of 2021)... pic.twitter.com/CkBBFTxZDN
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 27, 2022
As for the future, we will get a better sense of what the Australian Energy Market Operator expects will be the necessary new investment “to keep the lights on” when it releases the 2022 Integrated System Plan this Thursday. We know from the draft plan – and last week’s release of the design of a capacity market – that a massive amount of spending is going to be needed over the next few decades.
Expect some big numbers but it is also worth remembering that we would have had to spend most of it even without a decarbonising goal since all of the coal plants and some gas ones are at or approaching the end of their design lives anyway.
As one energy insider said the other day: “How often do you see somebody driving a 50-year-old car?”
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Police vow to crack down on Sydney protesters as 11 arrested
Police have accused environmental activists who staged disruptive protests in Sydney on Monday of “incredibly dangerous” behaviour and have vowed to continue tracking down all of those involved ahead of further actions planned this week.
A woman who locked herself to the steering wheel of her car and blocked the harbour tunnel was one of 11 climate protesters arrested in Sydney, as Blockade Australia activists kicked off a week of disruption with a march through the city centre.
On Monday afternoon, the acting assistant commissioner, Paul Dunstan, said those involved will be charged with recently introduced state government legislation to crack down on illegal protesters following several arrests of climate change activists blocking traffic and access to ports. Protesters face a maximum penalty of two years’ jail and $22,000 fines for disrupting traffic or preventing access on roads.
Dunstan said police will continue going through CCTV footage to identify protesters so they can be arrested. He also said police will have an increased presence across the city in coming days in anticipation of further actions.
Police will continue to be out in force in the coming days as this group continues their unlawful disruption of Sydney. They appear hell-bent on continuing this activity to disrupt the people of our city ... We need the public’s help to help us identify those involved and to help us prevent further unlawful protest activity.
Dunstan said police had a “very strong deployment on the footprint of the CBD” on Monday, “however, the group this morning was highly unorganised and erratic, and they were moving throughout the CBD in an unstructured format, and it was difficult to get ahead of them”.
We will be out in force and we will have additional police as a result of this morning’s activity. What I will say – the behaviour of this group was nothing short of criminal activity. The throwing of bicycles, the throwing of garbage bins, the throwing of other items in the path of police, in the path of media, in the path of innocent members of the public just walking by, will not be tolerated and cannot be by the people of NSW.
Read more:
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Free refresher RSA courses extended for NSW hospitality
Hospitality workers are being given extended free access to refresher courses for responsible service of alcohol and responsible conduct of gambling certificates as part of a New South Wales government bid to ease worker shortages.
The scheme is being extended into next year as pubs and clubs continue to struggle to find workers. The hospitality minister, Kevin Anderson, said:
Many who left the sector have seen their mandatory certifications lapse. We want to make it easy for those people to quickly and freely renew those certifications and remove any barriers that are preventing them from re-entering the hospitality sector.
People whose certificates lapsed since February 2020 will be able to renew their certificates for free until February next year.
More than 16,000 people have completed free RSA and RCG refresher courses since February this year, according to the government.
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Taking a break from Covid.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 27, 2022
While Beijing's zero-Covid policy means strict lockdowns and restrictions in some part of China, in Henan province at the weekend thousands crowded into a pool at a water park in Zhengzhou pic.twitter.com/OfWRVBDU9z
‘Alarming’ state of the environment report to be released in July
Tanya Plibersek says a damning national environmental report card received by the former Coalition government last year but not released, tells an “alarming story” of decline, native species extinction and cultural heritage loss.
In one of her first interviews as the new federal environment and water minister, Plibersek said the state of the environment report – a five-yearly official scientific assessment – would be released when she gave a National Press Club address on 19 July. It would help inform changes Labor planned to strengthen the country’s widely criticised national environment laws, she said.
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Confirmed - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken to his Solomon Islands counterpart. PMO says they had a "good conversation" and "look forward to meeting in person in Suva at the Pacific Islands Forum". @10NewsFirst
— Chloe Bouras (@ChloeBouras) June 27, 2022
Thanks so much for hanging out with me this morning. I’m handpassing this blog over to my lovely colleague Elias Visontay now – he’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon. See you tomorrow morning!
Frank Moorhouse remembered for contribution to Copyright Agency
If you’re a creator in Australia and you’ve ever received a payment from the Copyright Agency for use of your work, you have Frank Moorhouse to partly thank for that.
The Copyright Agency have talked about the late writer’s legacy in a Twitter thread here:
Copyright Agency is saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Moorhouse. In 1974 Frank was one of a small band of determined volunteers campaigning for respect and financial recognition for Australian creators.
— Copyright Agency (@CopyrightAgency) June 27, 2022
1/5
Photo: Kylie Melinda Smith @PenguinBooksAus pic.twitter.com/wg2y1sAiL5
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New UAP senator calls on PM to review staffer reduction decision
The United Australia party’s new senator has accused Labor of “pumping the brakes” on the crossbench’s ability to scrutinise the government by cutting their staff.
Ralph Babet, the Victorian senator, has called on Anthony Albanese to review the decision, which the prime minister has doubled down on despite threats from minor parties of disruption in the Senate if their allocation is not increased.
On Friday, Labor revealed that crossbench parliamentarians will receive just one additional adviser, down from four under the Morrison government, prompting One Nation and senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock to threaten to delay government bills.
Babet said:
Cutting independent and minor party parliamentary staff allocation by 75% will make it very difficult for us to be able to do our jobs effectively.
The prime minister is essentially pumping the brakes on our ability to scrutinise the government and the legislation they may propose. We call on the prime minister to review his decision.
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Auction levels down after interest rate rises
With Australia likely to have considerably higher interest rates by the end of the year, it’s not surprising that the most rate-sensitive parts of the economy are going to get a bit more attention, particularly real estate.
Of course, record-low interest rates from November 2020 until (awkwardly for the Morrison government’s reelection hopes) May this year, helped propel property prices to record levels in many parts of the country. It makes sense that we’ll see some unwinding of those rises now the cost of borrowing is increasing.
CoreLogic, a consultancy, said the past week’s auction levels were down about one-fifth in the main capitals from a year ago. But preliminary clearance rates edged slightly higher to 59.8%. This time last year, 75.4% of auctions held recorded a successful result.
Data from @corelogicau shows auction clearance rates over the weekend were generally lower than a year ago for the major markets. In Sydney, about 29% of the properties on the scheduled auctions were pulled, the most since April 2020 (when Covid came to town...) pic.twitter.com/G9rldhHMFn
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 27, 2022
Sydney, the most expensive city to live in the country, did have a small uptick in clearance rates too. However, not so promising was 28.6% of scheduled auctions in the past week that were pulled – a level not seen since late April 2020, CoreLogic said.
For now, investors are betting the Reserve Bank has more increases to come this year in its cash rate target (a rate that in turn directly influences what commercial banks charge households and businesses for their loans).
If the market’s speculation is correct that the RBA will lift its cash rate from 0.85% to 1.5% on 5 July, the 65-basis-point move will be the largest since 1994.
About a week out from the next RBA board meeting, investors are still tipping almost a two-in-three chance that the central bank will lift its cash rate to 1.5%, with a lot more increases to come: pic.twitter.com/BnJTD49YxG
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 27, 2022
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SA Liberal party data harvesting was ‘inadvertent’, ombudsman says
Data harvested through hyperlinks in media releases and on government websites used by the previous South Australian Liberal government was muddled and of little use, the state ombudsman has ruled.
Wayne Lines looked at the use of links by the Liberals that redirected web users through a domain used by political parties around the world to collect data for campaign purposes, AAP reports.
Lines said it appeared the practice had been inadvertently carried over when the former government was elected in 2018 and ceased in March 2021.
As well as the hyperlinks being used in media releases, employees from a range of agencies had cut and pasted them on to agency resources without understanding the potential implications.
The ombudsman engaged an expert in cyber security, privacy and the protection of government data to provide advice after studying the functions of several of the hyperlinks in question.
Lines said on Monday that advice found the data was effectively “muddled” and most likely could not be used in any meaningful way:
In all of the circumstances, particularly noting the expert advice that it does not appear data was produced in any meaningful form, I determined, in my discretion, that it is not in the public interest to take further action in relation to the matter.
Even so, the use of stateliberalleader.nationbuilder.com for the management of media distribution lists by the former government as a carryover from being in opposition is regrettable and created the perception of public information being used for party-political purposes.
Lines said he had released details of his inquiries to remind all political parties of the importance of government resources not being used, or having the appearance of being used, for party-political purposes.
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NSW is facing a week of industrial action
New South Wales is bracing for a week of industrial action with train drivers, teachers, nurses and midwives calling for better pay and staffing conditions, AAP reports.
Rail commuters have been warned to expect delays with action by The Rail, Tram and Bus Union starting on Tuesday with a go-slow, with train drivers limited to 60 km/h. The action will escalate until Friday when drivers will refuse to drive foreign-built trains.
The union’s NSW head, Alex Claassens, said without those trains the network would be reduced to about 30% capacity.
The action is driven by safety concerns over a new fleet of Korean-built trains, which the union maintains need to be modified to keep passengers safe.
The transport minister, David Elliott, said he was “open minded about the modifications so long as it doesn’t cost taxpayers unnecessarily” and “so long as it doesn’t void the warranty”.
Public and Catholic school teachers across the state will strike for 24 hours on Thursday. Teachers are calling for a pay rise to keep up with rising inflation as they grapple with unsustainable workloads and worsening staff shortages.
And nurses and midwives are planning to stop work for periods ranging from two hours to 24 hours on Tuesday demanding better staff to patient ratios. Hundreds are expected to participate in a union mass meeting in the Sydney CBD.
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Australian politicians react to Roe v Wade decision
Earlier, we reported Anthony Albanese’s comments about the US supreme court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion in that country.
Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent, Daniel Hurst, has rounded up comments from other Australian politicians on the issue here:
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Queensland records 3,260 new Covid cases with 542 people in hospital
No deaths were recorded in the state in the past 24 hours. There are eight people in intensive care.
Today we have recorded 3,260 new COVID-19 cases.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) June 27, 2022
We have reported 0 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Full details➡️ https://t.co/6L6VcCs88t… pic.twitter.com/M6ktWbpTW3
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Census data to be released on Tuesday
Australians are about to get a clearer idea of how we are changing as a nation, and how the Covid pandemic changed us, when results from the 2021 census are released.
On Tuesday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release the first tranche of data covering topics such as population flows between cities and regional areas, how Australians are housed, the languages we use, Indigenous health and education, employment and unpaid rates of work.
Demographers are eagerly anticipating Tuesday’s release as a snapshot of mid-pandemic Australia.
However they are cautioning that on an initial glance the results will tell two very different stories: on the night the census was taken, 10 August 2021, half the country was in lockdown while other states enjoyed some of the most relaxed rules on internal movement during the pandemic.
So what can we expect? Read the full story here to find out:
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Protests continue on Sydney streets
Some worrying birds’-eye footage of a car driving through the Blockade Australia protest in Sydney:
The moment a car drives through the Blockade Australia protest in the Sydney CBD. @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/hkMQE7RIiv
— andrew rickert (@_rockrit) June 27, 2022
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The ASA is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Moorhouse AM, an acclaimed writer, powerful activist and tireless advocate for authors. Moorhouse was a President of the ASA and instrumental in founding the Copyright Agency. (1/2)
— Australian Society of Authors (@asauthors) June 27, 2022
More on the late Australian author Frank Moorhouse, from our deputy culture editor, Sian Cain:
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Northern Territory records 209 new Covid-19 cases with 17 people in hospital
NT Health has reported 125 cases recorded in the Top End region, 48 in Central Australia, five in East Arnhem, 10 in the Big Rivers region, zero in the Barkly region and 21 are under investigation.
There are currently 17 patients in hospital. There are two patients requiring oxygen and one patient is in ICU.
The number of active cases in the NT is 1,565.
You can see all the Covid-19 statistics for NT on their website.
Tasmania records 798 new Covid-19 cases with 45 people in hospital
No deaths have been recorded in the state over the last reporting period. There are three people in intensive care.
You can see all the Covid-19 statistics for Tassie on their website.
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Nasa launches a rocket from Australia for the first time in 27 years
Nasa has successfully launched a rocket from the Northern Territory – the first commercial space launch in Australia’s history, AAP reports.
Troublesome winds caused the countdown to be aborted several times before the first of three scheduled rockets launched at about half past midnight (ACST) on Monday from the Arnhem Space Centre on the Dhupuma Plateau, near Nhulunbuy.
It is the space agency’s first launch from a commercial spaceport outside the US and will help scientists study how a star’s light can influence a planet’s habitability.
The rocket is carrying an X-ray quantum calorimeter, which will allow University of Michigan scientists to measure interstellar X-rays with precision and provide new data on the structure and evolution of the cosmos.
About 75 Nasa personnel were in Arnhem Land for the launch, the agency’s first in Australia in 27 years.
Nasa last launched from Australia in 1995, when its rockets lifted off from the Royal Australian Air Force Woomera range complex in South Australia.
Nasa will launch another two rockets from the space centre on 4 and 12 July.
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Still cold in Tassie:
🥶 It was a cold start with several locations in #Tasmania dipping below 0 °C, including Launceston (-2.1 °C), Grove (-1.0 °C), and Wynyard (-0.5 °C). ❄️There were also snowfalls down to around 500 metres overnight (mainly about the west). pic.twitter.com/S8ZeIxV2aJ
— Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) June 27, 2022
Oyster and kelp farmers join calls to future-proof NSW south coast’s blue economy
During the 2019 black summer bushfires, oyster farmer Kevin McAsh’s leases along the Clyde River on the New South Wales south coast were badly charred. Afterwards, floods washed debris upstream into the Batemans Bay estuaries:
The elders said they’ve never seen anything like it. All the ground cover was destroyed.
The soil was absolutely scorched. Now there’s nothing left to hold it. Mangroves with their feet in water were cindered.
Although it will be years before the mangroves McAsh is replanting can restabilise the riverbank, he is grateful for ongoing work by scientists monitoring the water quality.
Oyster leases can generate $40,000 a hectare in an industry the state government calls the most viable aquaculture sector in NSW.
Yet with scientists estimating that Australia’s east coast estuaries are warming four times faster than anywhere else in the world, McAsh has joined the call to future-proof the region’s blue economy.
Read the full story from Elizabeth Walton here:
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Why are teachers leaving Australian schools?
Why does a teacher shortage occur?
Gabbie Stroud, teacher and author, says it’s because our education system is operating “under a business model which treats students and parents as customers, and teachers as expendable workers expected to function as told, rather than as autonomous professionals tasked with the unique and complex responsibility of guiding young people’s learning.”
Stroud spoke to numerous teachers leaving the profession amid Australia’s teacher shortage, who say their skills are “not respected or valued”, the expectations were destroying them, and the lack of trust and compounding stress made their jobs untenable.
Read the full story here:
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Albanese says Roe vs Wade decision in the US is 'a setback for women'
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the US supreme court’s decision to overturn abortion rights “is a setback for women and their right to control their own bodies and their lives”.
Albanese had spoken to reporters about the decision before flying out of Australia last night. But his comments to the ABC’s AM program this morning were slightly stronger in describing the implications of the US supreme court’s decision:
Well, people are entitled to their own views, but not to impose their views on women for whom this is a deeply personal decision. That is, in my view, one for an individual woman to make based upon their own circumstances, including the health implications.
This decision has caused enormous distress. And it is a setback for women and their right to control their own bodies and their lives in the United States. It is a good thing that in Australia, this is not a matter for partisan political debate.
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Disruption is ‘essential in cutting through climate denial’, activists say
More on the climate protests happening in Sydney today: AAP are reporting that about 50 masked protesters marched north down Kent Street towards the harbour after moving through the city, beginning at Elizabeth Street, between Park and Bathurst streets.
Blockade Australia protests have previously shut down Port Botany, the Harbour Bridge and Spit bridge.
The Transport Management Centre says the Sydney Harbour Tunnel is closed at the tunnel entrance in North Sydney, after a protester parked a car, blocking access.
Blockade Australia livestreamed a video of the young woman in her car blocking the tunnel, claiming she was from the northern NSW town of Lismore, which was subject to extreme and repeated flooding earlier this year, and is still recovering.
All traffic is being diverted via the Sydney Harbour Bridge and traffic is backed up for several kilometres.
Blockade Australia said they would continue to cause disruptions in the days ahead:
Disruption to the infrastructure of Australia’s project of exploitation is essential in cutting through the climate denial that this system survives off.
Earlier this year, the NSW government arrested climate crisis activists blocking traffic and access to ports. Protesters now face a maximum penalty of two years’ jail and $22,000 fines for disrupting traffic or preventing access on roads.
The roads and crimes legislation amendment bill, passed earlier this year, created new offences targeting activists who block access to major facilities including ports and railways.
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Albanese to have discussions about Ukraine at Nato summit
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is not speculating about what further assistance Australia may offer Ukraine – but says he will have discussions with Australia’s friends at the Nato summit in Madrid this week.
He told the ABC’s AM program it was significant that Australia, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand were invited:
This is an important time in international politics. We have Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; this brutal invasion is against the rule of law – it’s an attack on the sovereignty of the people of Ukraine. It’s important that democratic nations stand side by side with the government and people of Ukraine.
Asked to describe the implications for Australia if President Vladimir Putin prevails in Ukraine, Albanese said:
Well, the implications are not just for Australia, but for all of those who cherish democracy, who cherish the rule of law, and who cherish the rights of nations to be sovereign, are extreme. We know that there is an alliance that has been reached as well between Russia and China.
There are implications for our region, given the strategic competition that is in our region, which is why this Nato summit comes at such a critical time and why I look forward to the discussions that I’ll have both in the formal proceedings at the Nato summit, but also in the bilateral meetings I’ll have with our democratic friends, including Prime Minister [Boris] Johnson, but also Justin Trudeau and other democratic leaders.
Lane asked about Afghanistan – which last week suffered an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and left many people homeless amid a broader humanitarian crisis – and whether the government’s announcement of an extra $1m in aid was enough.
Albanese replied:
Well, we’ve provided support that we see as being appropriate. And we certainly feel for the people of Afghanistan who are going through this difficult time at the same time as, of course, with the change that has occurred in regimes there has caused further hardship.
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NSW records 11 deaths from Covid-19 with 1,507 people in hospital
There were 6,862 new cases recorded in the state over the 24 hour reporting period, with 55 people in intensive care.
COVID-19 update – Monday 27 June 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 26, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 96.6% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 95.1% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/BIgJ6SBqPc
Victoria reports one Covid-19 death with 459 people in hospital
The state has recorded 6,305 new cases in the last 24 hours. There were 26 people in intensive care and 10 on ventilators.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 26, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/Jsi4brjpo9
Climate activists block Sydney streets including the harbour tunnel
Climate activists have blocked the harbour tunnel in Sydney among other streets in the city centre as part of a “week of resistance” against climate inaction.
The activists, from group Blockade Australia, moved from Hyde Park at 8am this morning across the CBD towards the harbour and have reportedly blocked multiple roads.
About 8.30am (27/06/22), police were called to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, following reports a woman had locked herself to a vehicle blocking citybound lanes of the causing significant disruptions. She has been arrested and the vehicle is in the process of being removed.
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) June 26, 2022
Last week, activists from the group said they wanted to “blockade the streets of Australia’s most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored”.
The NSW parliament passed controversial anti-protest laws in April widely understood as intended to stymie climate protest.
Seven Blockade Australia activists were charged a week ago after an extraordinary incident in the Colo Valley involving undercover police officers.
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Albanese responds to crossbench backlash
Returning to that interview with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on the ABC’s AM program:
ABC’s Sabra Lane asked him about criticism of the cuts to crossbenchers’ staff allocations. Asked whether the move was dismissive and arrogant, Albanese said:
Well, what is not fair is the idea that Zali Steggall’s electorate should have double the representation in terms of staff of electorates in the same region. And the fact is that the eight staff that were allocated to the crossbench is more than senior frontbenchers had in opposition.
Up until 2017 the crossbenchers had one additional staffer for House of Representatives staff members. This is something that was increased to three in 2017 and then was further increased in 2019 at the same time as there were changes in the composition of the parliament with some defections from the Liberal party.
Despite the current backlash, Albanese sought to emphasise his interest in constructive relationship with the crossbench:
I’ve had discussions with crossbenchers. I’ve rung all of them after the election and I have rung everyone back who wanted to discuss these issues. There are some misconceptions there.
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Literary community pays tribute to Frank Moorhouse
The Australian literary community is paying tribute to the writer Frank Moorhouse, who died on Sunday, aged 83.
His publisher at Penguin Random House, Meredith Curnow, said in a statement to Nine Newspapers:
Renowned for his use of the discontinuous narrative in works such as The Americans, Baby and Forty-Seventeen, Frank Moorhouse has been an active participant in Australian literature for nearly 50 years.
The Edith Trilogy, made up of the astounding novels Grand Days, Dark Palace and Cold Light have not only brought immense pleasure to so many readers, but have also affected the career paths of many women. I feel so privileged to have worked with Frank on Cold Light.
One of the reasons I will forever adore Frank Moorhouse is his generosity toward new writers and people working in publishing. He loved to sit and learn from younger people and to share his immense wisdom and incredible stories. We will all miss him very much.
Vale Frank Moorhouse. What a terrific writer. I studied his deft, savage, short fiction at UTS, full of rich bohemians and awful men. So well observed and always so funny. Really loved The Americans, Baby and Futility and other animals. Vale
— B E Ayshford (@episode2480) June 26, 2022
On #FrankMoorhouse:in 2004 #MUP published #AuthorsTakeSides on the Gulf War.Invited to contribute he replied why not #DentistsTakeSides? I said if he’d met my dentist he’d know the answer.He was asking must the writer always take a public position? And then he did- typical Frank.
— Louise Adler (@louiseadler) June 26, 2022
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Frogs that lay eggs on land – new WA genus named after teacher whose lab was a campervan
Four frog species in Western Australia that lay their eggs on land have been identified as a new genus and named after a retired high school music teacher-turned-scientist.
Researchers have classified the frogs into the distinct biological group Anstisia. Their tadpoles develop entirely on land and never contact the water of a creek or pond before becoming adults. Instead, they swim around in a jelly-like pool created by laid eggs and are nourished by yolk reserves.
The genus has been named in honour of Marion Anstis, who worked as a high school teacher for 31 years before cataloguing virtually all known frog species on the Australian continent.
Grant Webster at the University of New England, one of two scientists who classified the genus, said Anstisia was the first frog genus in Australia to be named after a person:
It does happen a lot in plants – like Banksia, for example, after [Joseph] Banks.
Usually, a frog scientist of such prestige and contribution will get a frog [species] named after them eventually. [Marion Anstis] never had anything named after her.
Read the full story about this remarkable woman (and the frogs!) here:
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Anthony Albanese defends crossbench staff cuts as David Pocock warns of 'unfair playing field'
Anthony Albanese commented this morning about the parliamentary staff cuts for crossbench MPs. He told ABC radio:
They’re not totally on their own … They have access to the parliamentary library that we will be increasing support for, they have access to clerks that draft legislation in addition to personal staff …
At the same time as [the Morrison government] were cutting Centrelink staff, people can’t get passports, visas can’t get processed, the only area of public service that saw an increase in staffing levels appears to have been parliamentary staff.
He said there had been “misconceptions” about the job of electoral office staff, who often did parliamentary work.
Also speaking on ABC RN, independent ACT senator David Pocock accused the prime minister of making the decision to gain political advantage:
Cutting back on our small teams creates an unfair playing field which disadvantages our communities and our capacity to actually advocate on their behalf.
It could be incredibly hard to actually be across legislation and if I don’t understand things it’s going to be very hard to actually vote on them.
… I want to be constructive, to represent a community I love. I’m certainly not going to just vote against things to make a point, that’s not how I do things.
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Victoria: it’s cold! It’s getting colder!
🥶Cold this morning? More places (esp across the N of Victoria) are expected to drop below zero tomorrow.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) June 26, 2022
This morning...
Hopetoun Airport -1.8°C @ 7:33am
Redesdale -1.8°C @ 7:17am
Ballarat Airport -0.5°C @ 6:58am
Horsham -0.1°C @ 5:30am#VicWeather: https://t.co/BQEpwrEDgw
It’s not warm in NSW either:
Current temperatures across #NSW, the chance of frost about the ranges and southern inland. That area of frost is expected to increase tomorrow and include on and west of the ranges. Chance of showers along the coast and possibly southern ranges today. See:https://t.co/SPHgGeisGZ pic.twitter.com/sCTUgdjOxZ
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) June 26, 2022
Australian Muslim group lodges complaint against Twitter for failing to remove ‘hateful’ content
An advocacy group for Australian Muslims has lodged a complaint against Twitter with the Queensland Human Rights Commission, accusing the site of failing to take action against accounts that incite hatred on the platform.
The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (Aman) argues that, as a publisher, Twitter is responsible for content posted by a far-right account that has been cited in the manifesto of the extremist who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.
The network says despite multiple requests, Twitter has refused to delete the account and replies to its posts that “vilify” Muslim. The network has accused Twitter under Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Act of inciting hatred as a publisher of third-party accounts, as well as discrimination for refusing to take action against hateful content.
Its complaint also says Twitter has engaged in indirect discrimination by failing to apply Australian standards to content on its platform.
Read the full story here:
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Movement of bee hives and products in NSW banned amid biosecurity concerns
An emergency biosecurity zone has been imposed to stop the movement of bees across NSW after the parasite varroa mite was discovered for the first time in Australia, AAP reports.
Agriculture minister Dugald Saunders issued the order on Sunday, saying no bees will be allowed to be moved across NSW:
Australia is the only major honey-producing country free from varroa mite, the most serious pest to honey bees worldwide.
The tiny reddish-brown parasites have the potential to devastate an industry that’s worth $70m annually by spreading viruses that cripple bees’ ability to fly, gather food and pollinate crops.
Varroa mite was detected at the Port of Newcastle on Friday by the state Department of Primary Industries, which is now investigating potentially contaminated hives outside an initial 50km biosecurity zone.
A property near Trangie in central western NSW will be inspected and containment and control activities will be carried out on Monday after hives near the Port of Newcastle were recently sent there.
Saunders said:
If varroa mite settles in the state, it will have severe consequences, so we’re taking every precaution and action needed to contain the parasite and protect the local honey industry and pollination.
We’re working with apiary industry bodies and stakeholders to ensure beekeepers are well informed and can continue to help us with this critical response.
The 50km biosecurity zone in place around the Port of Newcastle means beekeepers within the area must notify the department of the locations of their hives.
A 25km surveillance zone is active around the site and officials are monitoring and inspecting managed and feral honey bees.
A 10km emergency zone around the port remains in place, with hives in that area to be eradicated.
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Melbourne startup raises $9m for mental wellness game based on tending houseplants
A Melbourne games startup has raised $9m in funding while developing a mobile game aimed at mental wellness that doesn’t try to keep you on for hours a day, in what is said to be the largest venture capital seed investment for a game studio founded by women in Australia.
Lumi Interactive has been developing Kinder World since 2020.
The premise of a mobile game of houseplant maintenance within a community focused on mental wellbeing was conceived during the six pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne between 2020 and 2021. Co-founder Lauren Clinnick said during the lockdowns, random acts of kindness made the world a better place.
Read the full story:
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A little bit of background on that: under the previous Coalition government, crossbench MPs and senators were allowed to have two advisers and two assistant advisers. Crossbench MPs and senators have now been told they can only have one senior adviser, alongside their four electoral office staff.
Monique Ryan, the teal independent who knocked Josh Frydenberg out of Kooyong, said over the weekend:
After coming to power, Prime Minister Albanese stated that he wanted to work cooperatively with crossbench MPs to ensure they were able to contribute fully to the parliament’s deliberations and operations. It’s disappointing that his first act towards the crossbench is utterly at odds with that statement.
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Labor’s Katy Gallagher defends crossbench staffing cuts
Finance minister Katy Gallagher has just been speaking on ABC RN about the parliamentary staffing cut:
The prime minister isn’t trying to put anyone offside … Boosting the parliamentary library is a fairer way to deal with this resource allocation. We’re open to constructive discussion with the crossbench … but we also need to be sustainable.
RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas puts it to her that they are in a very different situation to the major parties, which have significantly more collective resources, and “the machinery of government” behind them.
Gallagher says increasing resources to the parliamentary library is a “fairer” way of doing it.
We are having ongoing and constructive engagement with [the crossbenchers] and we will continue that.
People of Australia have voted for this parliament, it’s up to this parliament to make that work ... Everyone is taking a hit here because we’re trying to make it fairer and more sustainable across the parliament.
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Good morning
Good morning folks, welcome to yet another Monday.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is on his way to Europe today, arriving in Madrid this afternoon for the Nato summit, which will focus on talks about the war in Ukraine and further sanctions on Russia. Albanese will be joined by leaders from New Zealand, South Korea and Japan among others.
He’s expected to meet with UK PM Boris Johnson and US president Joe Biden during the trip. Albanese said prior to departure that he was still taking “security advice” on whether it was safe to visit Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.
Back at home, independent members of the new federal parliament, Monique Ryan, David Pocock, Zali Steggall and Jacqui Lambie have criticised Albanese’s decision to cut the number of parliamentary staff crossbench MPs and senators can hire from four to one senior adviser, alongside their four electoral office staff, saying it will hamper their ability to properly scrutinise legislation.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ new cabinet will be sworn in today after the Labor government was forced into a swift cabinet reshuffle five months out from the November state election. Deputy premier James Merlino, health minister Martin Foley, jobs minister Martin Pakula and police minister Lisa Neville all stepped down from cabinet on Friday, along with retiring planning minister Richard Wynne, prompting the reshuffle.
Andrews’ new frontbench was revealed on Saturday, with Jacinta Allan crowned deputy premier. Sonya Kilkenny, Lizzie Blandthorn, Steve Dimopoulos, Harriet Shing and Colin Brooks will be sworn in at Government House on today.
And the movement of bees across NSW has been banned under an emergency order to stop the spread of the varroa mite, after an infestation was detected at the Port of Newcastle on Friday. The mite can be devastating for hives and crops.
I’ll be with you until lunchtime today. If you see something you reckon I ought to take a look at, you can find me on Twitter @gingerandhoney or send me an email at stephanie.convery@theguardian.com. Got a coffee? Let’s get into it.
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