What we learned today, 23 June 2022
And with that, we are going to put this blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big stories from today:
- NSW premier Dominic Perrottet increases fines for wildcat strikes.
- Northern Territory’s Howard Springs quarantine facility to close.
- Housing market posted first monthly decline since September 2020.
- Perrottet ordered investigation into John Barilaro trade job appointment.
- Samsung agreed to pay $14m penalty over misleading claims on Galaxy phones.
- Four wounded in ‘random’ stabbing attack in New Zealan attack.
- Western Australia’s mining industry failed to protect female employees, inquiry found.
- Fruit and vegetable shortages likely for another six weeks.
- Victoria’s deputy premier James Merlino and other senior ministers to retire before election.
- Western Australia eyes interim emissions reduction target.
Thank you for spending the day with us - we will be back tomorrow!
Updated
Coalition government spent $6m prosecuting whistleblowers
The former Coalition government spent almost $6m prosecuting Bernard Collaery, Witness K, Richard Boyle and David McBride over their actions in exposing wrongdoing and misconduct, new data shows.
Figures provided to the Guardian show the costs of the prosecutions has almost doubled in two years, leaving taxpayers with an exorbitant legal bill well before the cases have reached trial.
Updated
Western Australia eyes interim emissions reduction target
From AAP:
An interim plan to slash government emissions by 2030 shows Western Australia is serious about tackling climate change, the premier says.
The state government on Thursday announced it will target a whole-of-government emissions reduction of 80% below 2020 levels.
It will apply to emissions from all state government agencies, including transport, health and education, and government trading enterprises.
Much of the savings will come from WA closing its state-owned coal-fired power stations by the end of the decade.
“Action on climate change is crucial to diversifying the WA economy, creating long-term jobs, managing environmental impacts, and protecting the health and wellbeing of Western Australians,” the premier, Mark McGowan, said.
“This interim target sends a signal to the broader economy that we are serious about tackling climate change and setting up Western Australia for a healthy, prosperous, low-carbon future.”
Energy efficiency measures, reduced government vehicle emissions and the use of local offsets will help the government achieve the target.
McGowan last week announced state-owned generator Synergy would close the Collie coal-fired power station in October 2027 and the Muja station two years later.
Updated
The public servant responsible for handing John Barilaro a plum $500,000-a-year trade job in New York City told the recruitment firm searching for an appropriate candidate that it would be handled as an “internal matter”.
On 3 October, the day before Barilaro announced he would resign from parliament, Amy Brown, the chief executive officer of Investment NSW, told a representative of recruiter NGS Global the job would now be a “ministerial appointment” and that her services were no longer required.
A self-published book has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin for the first time in the award’s 65-year history, with Michael Winkler’s cult hit Grimmish clearing the final hurdle before Australia’s most prestigious literary prize is announced on 20 July.
Announced on Thursday evening, Grimmish joins Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Other Half of You, Michelle de Kretser’s Scary Monsters, Jennifer Down’s Bodies of Light and Alice Pung’s One Hundred Days to compete for the $60,000 prize.
Queensland budget reply speech focuses on lifting women’s participation
Queensland’s Liberal National party says it will have two women controlling the state’s economic leavers and bring back the state’s productivity commission if it wins government.
The opposition leader, David Crisafulli, used his budget reply to announce policies aimed at closing the gender pay gap, increasing women’s workforce participation and lifting economic productivity.
Updated
Melbourne quarantine hub could house refugees fleeing Afghanistan and Ukraine
From AAP:
Melbourne’s purpose-built quarantine hub could house hundreds of refugees fleeing war-torn Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Victorian authorities are in discussions with federal counterparts about alternative ways to use the largely vacant $200m Centre for National Resilience at Mickleham, the premier, Daniel Andrews, confirmed on Thursday.
The centre, built by the commonwealth and operated by the state, was opened as a 500-bed site in February and initially housed unvaccinated international travellers, before the state dumped its seven-day quarantine requirement.
It has since been scaling back capacity to 250 beds from 1 July, while offering accommodation to Covid-positive people who prefer not to isolate at home.
There were 55 residents at the facility as of 11pm on Wednesday, according to data on the state’s Covid-19 accommodation program.
Updated
Military not doing enough to stop suicide, defence force chief says
From AAP:
Australia’s defence force chief has admitted the military is not doing enough to stop suicide and suicidality in members and veterans, but says the armed forces are on the right path.
General Angus Campbell was testifying on the fourth day of the latest round of Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide hearings in Townsville, less than two weeks before his tenure ends on 6 July.
“Defence is not doing enough to reduce the incidents of suicide and suicidality,” he told the inquiry after arriving in Queensland on Thursday.
“We are on a continuing journey, but I think that we’re in the right place in terms of the direction we’re going,” he said.
Campbell revealed he did not receive any handover briefings or have discussions regarding suicide and suicidality in the ADF when he took the top job in 2018.
The general was questioned about his statement responding to questions from the commission, including as to why there was no public annual reporting of suicide-related data by defence.
Campbell said he would take this up with the defence minister.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Updated
Victoria’s deputy premier James Merlino and other senior ministers to retire before election
The Victorian government is set to lose its deputy premier and other senior ministers ahead of the November election.
Several sources have confirmed to Guardian Australia that the deputy premier, James Merlino, police minister, Lisa Neville, and minister for tourism, sport and major events, Martin Pakula, are expected to announce their retirements as soon as Friday.
One Labor source has said reports that the health minister, Martin Foley, was also stepping down from cabinet were correct.
Guardian Australia has attempted to contact all four ministers. It is believed they will remain in parliament until the election on 26 November but their cabinet positions will be filled in the coming weeks.
It comes after several Labor MPs, including the former attorney general Jill Hennessy and planning minister Richard Wynne confirmed last year they would be retiring at the election.
Updated
Blockade Australia says Sydney protest will go ahead
Blockade Australia’s Zelda Grimshaw addressed media this afternoon in relation to NSW police saying they are on high alert for protests from the group.
The acting assistant commissioner, Paul Dunstan, said police would be out in force across the city.
“This group remains intent on causing significant disruptions next week to motorists and members of the public through reckless and dangerous activities,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Grimshaw said:
It feels a bit like when you’re running towards a burning building to save your children, and the police tackle you to the ground and then charge you with assault police. But that burning building is our planet.
So we’re asking people to come and join us on June 27 on the streets of Sydney ... We invite everyone impacted by the destruction of our planet and by these rabid new anti-protest laws to come with us on June 27. Join us on the streets.
I’ll paraphrase Martin Luther King, when climate destruction becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
She said they were anticipating 10,000 people would join them on the streets on Monday.
Our climate is in absolute crisis. The Australian political and economic system has shown no sign of slowing down on climate destruction. So we’re here to stop that destruction and encourage other people to stand with us and stop our planet from burning.
Grimshaw was asked why they were not planning a lawful protest on Monday. She replied:
Sustained material disruption is necessary to force the political change that we need. We have seen decades of polite protests, and we are still opening new fossil fuel facilities in Australia, even with the resounding green election that we’ve just had.
Updated
Aged care providers see growing financial losses
The Aged & Community Care Providers Association interim CEO, Paul Sadler, has released a statement in relation to the latest StewartBrown figures, which show more than two-thirds of providers are operating at a loss.
Some 64% of residential aged care homes recorded an operating loss in the nine months to March 2022 with an average operating loss of $12.85 per resident per day, a position which has progressively worsened since 2018.
StewartBrown is predicting that losses will continue to grow, reaching $15.59 per resident per day by the end of June 2022.
Sadler says:
Based on these figures many providers could be forced to leave aged care unless there is additional funding to allow providers to meet the increasing costs of providing quality care and support.
It is clear that aged care workers need a significant pay rise but without additional support, aged care providers will be unable to attract more workers and to realise improvements in the quality of care.
Sadler says the Aged & Community Care Providers Association recently raised with the Albanese government two solutions to the immediate problem: an indexation adjustment to increase subsidies to providers; and legislation to introduce an independent pricing authority as recommended by the aged care royal commission.
We look forward to working with Ministers Butler and Wells on practical solutions which maintain important aged care and support services for older people.
Updated
Rapid antigen test supplier rejects TGA allegations
A pharmaceutical company supplying rapid antigen tests to Coles and Woolworths has rejected allegations it did not provide up-to-date safety and efficacy data and adequate support to consumers.
On Wednesday the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) fined Hough Pharma $106,560 for “serial non-compliance” with regulatory requirements. All manufactures of therapeutic goods, including tests, drugs and medical devices approved for use in Australia, must continually provide safety and performance data to the TGA as requested.
Updated
Resources minister calls for action on harassment in mining industry
The resources minister, Madeleine King, says the report into sexual harassment in mining is “shocking reading” and has demanded the industry do more to stop assault.
King, MP for the WA seat of Brand, said she would work with her state counterpart Bill Johnston to reform the workplace.
“Sexual harassment and sexual assault is abhorrent and should not be part of any modern workplace. It is entirely unacceptable and must stop,” she said.
“The Australian government stands ready to help the resources sector stamp out sexual harassment, which has no place in the modern workplace.”
King said women’s participation in mining was currently at its highest level in history, with women making up 18.9% of the mining sector’s workforce.
“The health and safety of workers in the resources industry is paramount and every worker has the right to be treated with respect in the workplace. Female workers need to know they are safe at work, and that they have the right to have rewarding careers in the mining industry without being subjected to sexual harassment and assault,” she said.
Updated
Aemo still deciding whether to lift market suspension
The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) is continuing to “monitor and determine” if it’s appropriate to lift the market suspension of the national energy market after announcing the activation of a “staged approach” yesterday.
Following yesterday’s announcement (https://t.co/qabN5104iH), AEMO continues to monitor and determine if it is appropriate to lift the market suspension. pic.twitter.com/9wXflnuih0
— AEMO (@AEMO_Energy) June 23, 2022
You can catch up on the latest here:
Updated
Afghan ambassador says Australians can help quake victims by supporting NGOs
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia, Wahidullah Waissi, just appeared on ABC News in the wake of the catastrophic earthquakes that have hit the nation. He said the natural disaster had been “very bad” for residents and the number of casualties was increasing, currently sitting at “around 2,500”.
It is very difficult. The terrain is mountainous. It’s very difficult to reach out ... this earthquake happened while we have in central Afghanistan half a metre of snow in first day of summer. And five provinces in north Afghanistan, we have floods. So this is totally [a] climate change disaster ... the Afghan people are innocent.
Afghanistan's Ambassador to Australia Wahidullah Waissi is speaking to @andrewprobyn on the ABC News Channel right now. He is urging the government and Australians to help his country recover from the devastating earthquake which struck early on Wednesday
— Stephen Dziedzic (@stephendziedzic) June 23, 2022
Waissi, who represents the nation in exile, independent to the Taliban, said there were many Australian-supported NGOs in Afghanistan that Australians could support.
Right now they’re working and doing a job and those NGOs can be a good facilitator of medicine, shelter and food for people and to those areas. I think people are trying to reach out to those NGOs. And also there are some activists, civil activists that they can also support to channel the funds to the affected victims.
Updated
The deputy prime minister has wrapped up his four-day trip to India after vowing to place the nation “at the heart of Australia’s approach to the Indo-Pacific and beyond” and form stronger defence ties.
Leaving India after an incredible couple of days.
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) June 23, 2022
A warm welcome, an experience like no other flying from Goa to Delhi on a P-8I, the right amount of cricket talk and importantly forging friendships.
Thank you to @AusHCIndia @AusCG_Mumbai @Indiannavy @rajnathsingh pic.twitter.com/sGzwuXRcsk
Updated
Victoria’s Covid commander appointed Commonwealth Games boss
Back in Victoria, you may remember Jeroen Weimar from countless press conferences during the pandemic and its associated lockdowns.
Now the former Covid commander has been appointed chief executive officer of the 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, the organisation charged with overseeing the build-up to and delivery of the Victorian event.
This isn’t his first rodeo. Prior to arriving in Australia, Weimar held senior roles including chief operating officer of the UK bus division of First Group and transport for London in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games.
The committee will lead the delivery of Victoria’s Games, managing venues and services, logistics, partnerships and engagement, as well as media, broadcasting and communications.
Weimar says:
I’m excited to lead a team that will work hand in glove with local communities to deliver Victoria 2026 – celebrating the Commonwealth’s greatest athletes and our state’s rich culture and diversity.
Former Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar has been appointed as chief executive officer of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) June 23, 2022
Updated
NSW unions furious over fine increases for unapproved strikes
New South Wales Labor will seek to block moves by the government to dramatically increase fines for unions which take strike action not approved by the state’s industrial relations commission, as unions declare the move a “bloody-minded” attack on workers.
Following months of industrial dispute between the government and a range of public sector workers including nurses, teachers and rail workers, the NSW finance minister, Damien Tudehope, announced on Thursday he would move to dramatically increase fines for strike action taken without approval from the industrial relations commission.
Unions have slammed the decision, which would see them fined up to $55,000 for strike action taken in defiance of IRC rulings. Fines of up to $27,500 would be issued for each day after that, while unions which repeatedly breach orders would face fines of up to $110,000.
Updated
Victoria to review coercive practices in mental health system
The Victorian government will require patient advocacy services be notified of any compulsory treatment under changes to Victoria’s mental health system, with a former federal court judge to lead a review into the criteria used for coercive practices.
But the state’s peak mental health body said the proposed Mental Health and Wellbeing Act – unveiled by the government on Thursday in response to a scathing royal commission – would not create “fundamental change” for patients.
Updated
Melbourne still one of the world’s most liveable cities but Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth drop down list
From AAP:
Melbourne has retained its place as one of the world’s most liveable cities as other Australian capitals drop out of the global top 10.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2022 survey, released on Thursday, has Melbourne placed 10th on the list and leading the way for Australia.
European cities Vienna, Copenhagen and Zurich take out the top three spots.
Last year Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth were all in the top 10, but they have fallen to 27th, 30th and 32nd respectively.
The index cited a slow lifting of Covid-19 restrictions as the reason for those state capitals losing ground.
The top 10 cities were among those with few Covid-19 restrictions, the report noted, with shops, schools and restaurants reopening, and pandemic-led hospitalisation declining.
“Cities that were towards the top of our rankings before the pandemic have rebounded on the back of their stability, good infrastructure and services, as well as enjoyable leisure activities,” the report said.
Updated
Fourth case of monkeypox recorded in Victoria
From AAP:
Health authorities have begun contact tracing after a man in his 20s tested positive for monkeypox in Victoria, marking the state’s fourth known case.
The man is in isolation after recently returning from Europe.
A small number of people are believed to have had contact with the man and are being contacted by the health department.
Symptoms of the virus, which has broken out internationally in recent weeks, include fever, chills, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion.
Three other Victorians, including another man in his 40s, previously tested positive after returning from Europe.
From 1 July, monkeypox will become a notifiable condition, in accordance with Victorian statutory requirements.
Anyone with symptoms is being urged to immediately seek medical care.
Updated
Wikipedia website goes down
Internet users are reporting Wikipedia has gone down. On Twitter people from around the world are reporting that they cannot get onto the site – instead, a message saying ‘No server is available to handle this request’ comes up.
It is unclear what has caused the site to go offline, but I will bring you more as we know.
Wikipedia壊れる pic.twitter.com/x6LMQYDRfK
— carbonfiber114514 (@carbonfiber1141) June 23, 2022
Updated
Law Council says continuing detention orders for terrorists unnecessary
The Law Council of Australia has criticised laws that allow terrorists to be kept in jail beyond their sentences, AAP reports:
The Law Council of Australia has argued that it is a slippery slope to detain people because they may commit a future offence under current terrorism laws.
The Law Council president, Tass Liveris, told an inquiry into the laws that it was impossible to assess such a threat.
“The Law Council is not aware of any empirically validated methodology which would help courts and judges accurately assess this risk,” he said on Thursday.
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is scrutinising laws that allow high-risk terrorists to be kept in jail beyond their sentences.
Representatives of the Department of Home Affairs, the Attorney General’s Department and the Australian federal police also appeared before the hearing in Canberra on Thursday.
The continuing detention orders are unnecessary and not proportionate to the risks posed, and the legislation should be allowed to lapse in December 2026, Liveris said.
“What could be considered is an extended determinate sentencing regime,” he said.
“This would require a decision to be made by the court at the time of sentencing to add a discrete and additional protective component known as the ‘extension period’.”
Updated
Fruit and vegetable shortages likely for another six weeks
Farmers say we should see an end to the fruit and vegetable shortage by early September, AAP reports:
Consumers have been warned to expect fruit and vegetable shortages at supermarkets for another six weeks, with supply expected to be back to normal by September.
The acting chief executive of the National Farmers’ Federation, Ash Salardini, says empty shelves can be directly linked to poor weather earlier this year in parts of northern NSW and Queensland.
“During the winter months that’s where we get most of our fruit and veg ... in four to six weeks the rest of Australia should have some of those fruit and veg come online,” Salardini said.
“We should have a lot less availability issues in four to six weeks’ time.”
However, he warned that once more fruit and vegetables became available there could still be supply chain disruptions while getting them to market.
In a message to shoppers on Thursday, Woolworths warned of extreme shortages of fruit and vegetables.
The seasonal outlook said zucchinis, green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, spring onions, Asian leafy greens and berries would remain in short supply until July.
Poor weather has also affected fresh herb stocks, and availability is not expected to improve until August.
Updated
Western Australia's mining industry has failed to protect women, inquiry finds
A Western Australian parliamentary committee into predatory sexual behaviour in the mining industry has delivered its findings, AAP reports:
Western Australia’s multibillion-dollar mining industry has failed to protect women from predatory sexual behaviour, an inquiry has found.
A committee chaired by the Liberal MP Libby Mettam delivered its findings on Thursday after almost a year of investigations, launched after a number of women came forward to police detailing claims of sexual assaults at major WA mines.
Mettam told WA’s parliament she was shocked and appalled at the scale of the problem, saying victims had faced targeted violence, stalking, grooming and threats to their livelihoods.
And she warned the industry needed to do more to force perpetrators out after hearing evidence some had merely changed work sites or gained re-employment within the sector.
“It is completely inexcusable and simply shocking that this could be taking place in the 21st century in one of the state’s most lucrative industries,” she said.
“This represents a failure of the industry to protect its workers and raises real questions about why the government was not better across this safety issue.”
Updated
Coalition calls Erickson meeting with Chinese ambassador ‘outrageous’
The former resources minister, Keith Pitt, says it is “outrageous” that the Labor party’s national secretary, Paul Erickson, met with the Chinese ambassador.
Pitt told Sky News:
I don’t think it should be someone who is out of the Labor party [to take the meeting]. It should be someone out of the executive, that’s signed off on national security, that has a security clearance. Mr Erickson is not even a ministerial staffer ... He doesn’t even have an NV2 [security clearance]. And yet he’s representing our country with our biggest trading partner, with which we’ve had significant challenges.
When host Kieran Gilbert noted it was a meeting with the ambassador, not a minister, and ambassadors “meet with everyone”, Pitt replied:
He [Erickson] is the director of the Labor party, yet he’s putting forward Australia’s interests with a meeting with our biggest trading partner. I think that’s wrong. I think that’s outrageous. And Mr Albanese should sort it out.
Updated
Labor’s Paul Erickson issues statement after meeting Chinese ambassador
The Australian Labor party’s national secretary, Paul Erickson, has issued a statement about his meeting on Tuesday with China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian. The meeting was noticed by social media users, after the Chinese embassy posted a photo on its website.
Australia: On 21 June, PRC Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian met with Paul Erickson, National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party. "The two sides exchanged views on relations between the two parties & the two countries and issues of common concern."https://t.co/quuwnDvaMP pic.twitter.com/T3FrLdfAtk
— Geoff Wade (@geoff_p_wade) June 22, 2022
Erickson said:
It was an opportunity to share the Labor Party’s view that a constructive relationship between Australia and China is in both of our countries’ interests.
I reinforced Labor’s view that trade restrictions against Australian exporters are unreasonable and should be lifted in order to stabilise the relationship.
I also took the opportunity to raise concerns about the treatment of Australians detained in China, and reinforced the deep concerns raised by Defence Minister Richard Marles about recent PLA behaviour towards an Australian aircraft.
Guardian Australia understands the ambassador approached Erickson with a request for a meeting, and Erickson consulted with the Albanese government about it ahead of time.
The Australian government’s position is that Australia is open to engagement with China so long as no preconditions are placed on such meetings.
It is understood Erickson informed Xiao during the meeting that Australia’s positions on the 5G rollout, human rights, foreign interference, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea remain the same as the previous government’s positions.
Xiao, who arrived in Australia to take up his posting in January and has been meeting with business leaders and others since his arrival, is due to address a public event in Sydney tomorrow.
Marles met with China’s defence minister in Singapore earlier this month, marking the end of a two-year freeze on high-level contact between China and Australia.
For more on the tensions in the relationship, listen to today’s Full Story podcast:
Updated
The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, has initiated his own review of the process that led to the former deputy premier John Barilaro being appointed to a coveted taxpayer-funded posting in New York City.
Perrottet says the results of his own review, which will be conducted alongside an upper house inquiry, will be made public.
Updated
National Covid update
Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from around Australia on Thursday, as the country records at least 52 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 1,134
- In hospital: 88 (with 1 person in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 26
- Cases: 9,203
- In hospital: 1,500 (with 53 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 260
- In hospital: 14 (with 1 person in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 5
- Cases: 4,970
- In hospital: 512 (with 6 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 2
- Cases: 2,762
- In hospital: 212 (with 10 people in ICU)
Tasmania
- Deaths: 2
- Cases: 1,043
- In hospital: 46 (with 2 people in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 9
- Cases: 7,461
- In hospital: 411 (with 23 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 8
- Cases: 5,351
- In hospital: 260 (with 12 people in ICU)
Man allegedly wounds four in New Zealand attack
From AAP:
A man has allegedly wounded four people in an apparent stabbing incident in Auckland.
The attack came to an end when the suspect was tackled to the ground by bystanders, according to police.
The police district commander, Naila Hassan, said a suspect was in custody.
“This was an extremely fast-moving incident, where our police staff responded quickly,” Hassan said.
No motive for the alleged attack was immediately apparent, police said.
New Zealand was the site of two violent stabbing incidents at supermarkets last year.
Updated
Dutton is now talking about energy:
The government went into the last election saying they have the answers on energy. Chris Bowen is a minister with a history here, he doesn’t come to the ministry as a cleanskin.
It seems he learned nothing from his years in opposition. So he was a bad minister and has come in with a very bad start because it is clear that the energy companies came to him and took advantage of his naivete and inexperience.
He says in government, crises always come, and governments need to respond to them. He says the boats arriving from Sri Lanka now are of the government’s own making.
Dutton says electricity prices came down under the Coalition:
Don’t forget when Labor was last in power, electricity prices went up by 100%. But when we were in government, electricity prices came down by 8% for households, 10% for businesses and 12% for industry. And they’re continuing to go up now once Labor has come back into power.
Not only that, you have this energy insecurity debate where business [could] withdraw those manufacturing efforts and take business overseas. Which is not going to reduce the overall emissions, it is going to cost Australia jobs.
Updated
Dutton says he supports surveillance in the South China Sea:
I think it’s in the national interest that they have a presence and work with their allies. Surveillance flights are based on intelligence.
That is very important for, in particular, the northern approaches and gathering that intelligence and putting in place the protections to the north. All that is common sense and I strongly support the work of the RAAF.
Dutton has been asked about e-cigarettes:
There has been a reduction in the rates in our country, I don’t want to see an increase of smoking rates and I don’t want to see an increase of people taking up cigarettes. But the department and government will be informed on these matters and we will see what happens.
Updated
Dutton has been asked about inflation:
Mr Albanese has made a point during the campaign, an election promise that he made, that there would be real wage growth. So Mr Albanese has to explain how that is going to be possible in a high inflation environment.
... How are they going to achieve that? How is Mr Albanese’s position consistent with that which the Reserve Bank governor has made clear over the course of the last day or so?
I am sorry to say that interest rates will be higher because inflation will be higher if the government is making decisions to spend more money and make decisions that will fuel inflation.
Updated
Dutton starts by talking about people smugglers:
They are sophisticated criminal syndicates and are marketing on that basis to people. Last thing I want to see is boats restart. I don’t want to see women and children back into detention as they were when Labor was last in power.
And we will provide whatever support we can to the government ... As a government, we have been able to deal with it. The problem with this government is that it is speaking out both sides of the mouth when it comes to issues of border protection and people being prepared to pay money to get on boats, and we know how that ends tragically.
Updated
Peter Dutton speaks to media in Canberra
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking in Canberra now.
Updated
Blockade Australia to respond to NSW police comments
Blockade Australia will be holding a press conference at 2.30 pm today, responding to comments made by NSW police – we will bring you that when it comes!
Updated
Lisa Wilkinson to promise not to discuss Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation
Lawyers for Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson have indicated the network and journalist will promise not to publicly discuss Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation, a court has heard.
The ACT supreme court has delayed the trial of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged sexual assault of Higgins due to public commentary about the case.
Updated
Samsung agrees to pay $14m penalty over misleading claims on Galaxy phones
Samsung has agreed to pay a $14m penalty for misleading claims seven of its flagship Galaxy phones were water-resistant when the devices could stop working after being used in pools or ocean water.
Justice Michael Murphy approved the proposed settlement between the tech giant and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over the long-running case launched in 2019 over ads related to seven Galaxy phone models.
The competition watchdog had alleged Samsung had misled and deceived customers with its claims about phones across more than 300 advertisements since February 2016. In court on Thursday, the barrister for Samsung, Nicholas De Young, said the full calculation of advertisements affected came to 684.
The court heard it was impossible to tell how many consumers were misled by the ads and bought a device on that basis, and then subsequently found their devices stopped working, but the ACCC said it had received 63 complaints about it prior to launching court action, and 121 to date.
Murphy said he was satisfied the penalty had enough “sting” given the penalty equated to 14% of Samsung Australia’s profits over the past six years, however he said he did not give credit to Samsung for its cooperation in reaching a settlement after “some years of trenchant opposition to the ACCC’s case”.
Samsung will have 30 days to pay the federal government for the fine, with $200,000 added on for costs.
Updated
RBA living in ‘fantasy land’ when it comes to wages growth, says ACTU
From AAP:
Australia’s peak union body, the ACTU, believes the Reserve Bank of Australia is living in a “fantasy land” when it comes to wages growth.
The RBA governor, Philip Lowe, told an event this week that a steady state of wage growth should be about 3.5%, including 1% labour productivity.
However, Lowe has been concerned for a number of years that the rate of wage growth in the 2% to 2.5% range was too low.
The ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, says the RBA governor has “weirdly changed his tune”.
“To think somehow the system is going to deliver across-the-board pay increases of 5 or 7% is ... fantasy land,” she told ABC radio on Thursday.
McManus said workers had been told they would get a pay rise when productivity increased, or when unemployment was low, or when profits were up and companies were doing well, but in each case they hadn’t.
“This has to do with a much bigger problem we have got as a country, not related to this year’s inflation spike,” she said.
“Current inflation has nothing to do with wages.”
Updated
Man charged over death at Yongah Hill detention centre
Western Australian police have charged a man over the death of a man following an incident at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre last week.
In a statement, police say they have charged a 29-year-old man with murder in relation to the incident.
Last week, a 32-year-old Turkish national died after being found with serious injuries.
The charged man, an Iranian national, will appear before the Perth magistrates court later today.
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Almost one in three businesses are having difficulty finding staff
Almost a third (31 %) of employing businesses are having difficulty finding suitable staff, according to survey results released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Tom Joseph, the head of industry statistics at the ABS, said: “Large and medium-sized businesses (66% and 62%) were more likely than small businesses (29%) to have difficulties finding suitable staff. However, nearly half (46%) of small businesses affected were impacted to a great extent.”
The most frequently reported reasons were a lack of applicants (79%) and applicants not having the required skills (59%). “This corresponds with the strengthening jobs market and current low unemployment rate,” Joseph said.
“Businesses reported having difficulty finding suitable building trade workers, clerical workers, labourers, sales staff and hospitality workers. Other in demand jobs included engineering trades and ICT professionals.”
The results also provide information about overall changes in business operating expenses.
In June 2022, almost half (46 %) of businesses experienced increases in their operating expenses over the previous month. This is more than double the proportion of businesses compared to June 2021 (21%).
When considering the month ahead, 44% of businesses expect operating expenses to increase. The proportion of businesses expecting an increase is the highest recorded since the question was first asked in July 2020.
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Hello everyone, this is Cait Kelly, I will be with you into the evening.
So let’s jump into it!
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And with that I will leave the blog in the steady hands of Cait Kelly. Thanks for reading.
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NSW Labor leader Chris Minns delivers budget reply speech
The NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, has delivered his budget reply in parliament today, saying the government’s budget was designed in response to the “teals challenge”, as opposed to implementing “real change”.
Minns listed four things he said Labor would do differently:
- Give immediate help to household budgets.
- Grow jobs at home.
- Invest in education.
- Ensure the economy delivers for “the many, not just the lucky few”.
A Labor government will back NSW jobs with a comprehensive package of measures to get the job done.
We’ll do things differently ... creating jobs in NSW through local procurement and domestic manufacturing, ending the obsession of offshoring jobs ... and stopping the gutting of regional Tafe.
After four premiers, four treasurers, 12 budgets, the Liberals and Nationals are going to ask for 16 years in government.
The treasurer and the premier still think they can somehow announce their way into a better future for the people of this state. The future isn’t shaped by spin.
Minns said it was time to “turn the page” on the government, and announced a range of potential measures, including a target of 50% minimum locally made content for future rolling stock contracts, 100 new government preschools in its first four years, a ban on the sale of major state assets without the approval of both houses of the NSW parliament and dismantling the state’s controversial rail corporation.
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New medical advice issued on electronic cigarette harm
National advice on electronic cigarettes has been issued by Australia’s health and medical research agency, the National Health and Medical Research Council.
The advice states the vapour from e-cigarette devices can be harmful and there is limited evidence that e-cigarettes are effective at helping smokers quit.
The advice has been supported by the chief medical officer and chief health officers from all states and territories. It is based on the most current evidence on the health impacts of e-cigarettes, including research and extensive toxicology reports.
The advice states:
- All e-cigarette users are exposed to chemicals and toxins that have the potential to cause harm. In addition to nicotine, more than 200 chemicals have been associated with e-liquids.
- E-cigarettes containing nicotine are addictive and people who have never smoked are more likely to take up tobacco smoking.
- E-cigarettes are not proven safe and effective smoking cessation aids. Many people end up using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. There are other proven safe and effective options to help smokers quit.
The National Health and Medical Research Council CEO, Prof Anne Kelso, says:
The design and technology behind e-cigarettes continue to evolve but the method is the same – e-cigarettes deliver harmful substances direct to the lungs. We know from data gathered nationally that the number of e-cigarette-related calls to Australian Poisons Information Centres doubled between 2020 and 2021.
If you have never used e-cigarettes, don’t start – the evidence shows there is a possibility you will go on to smoke tobacco cigarettes.
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Dominic Perrottet orders investigation into John Barilaro job
The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has asked for an investigation into the circumstances leading to John Barilaro’s appointment to a plum $500,000-a-year trade commissioner job in New York City.
The Guardian revealed this week that Barilaro was given the trade job – which he created while still in government – ahead of another highly qualified candidate.
Perrottet revealed on Wednesday that Amy Brown, the chief executive of Investment NSW, had signed off on Barilaro’s appointment after the Guardian revealed she had previously answered to him while he was deputy premier.
On Thursday Perrottet said he had asked for the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Michael Coutts-Trotter, to investigate the appointment.
Perrottet said he would make the report public after it was completed.
It comes as the opposition leader, Chris Minns, said he would recall Barilaro from the job if Labor wins government at next year’s election.
Minns said:
We’re expected to believe a global search took place, not just the eight million people who live in this state but around the entire world to represent the economic and trade interests of the people of NSW and the bloke they picked was the guy they sat next to for 12 years who just happened to be the leader of the National party.
If we win the next election he’s going to have to come home. This is a farce.
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Housing market posts first monthly decline since September 2020
Houses and units have recorded a 0.1% fall in value over May, the first fall since September 2020, as trends in value across both quarterly and annual timeframes continue to weaken.
According to CoreLogic’s national home index, this is the first month of negative dwelling value growth in 20 months, and comes amid “lower consumer sentiment, increasing global uncertainty, mounting inflationary pressure, and the first cash rate rise since November 2010, up 25 basis points in May”.
The results also showed a steeper decline for houses, which saw a larger monthly decline than units, falling 0.15% and 0.08% respectively.
The combined capitals unit market fell 0.2%, its first monthly decline in values since October 2020, while regional unit values showed some resilience rising 0.8% over the month.
The CoreLogic research analyst Kaytlin Ezzy said monthly declines in unit values across Sydney (0.7%) and Melbourne (0.3%) weighed the national results down:
While last month’s rate rise likely added further downward pressure to the Sydney and Melbourne unit markets, growth conditions have been weakening over the past year amid worsening affordability, lower consumer sentiment and rising fixed mortgage rates.
More recently we have also seen surging inflation and a more cautious lending environment also dampening housing demand.
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Mark McGowan announces 80% emissions cut by 2030 for WA government
The Western Australian government says it will cut greenhouse gas emissions from its own departments, agencies and government-owned enterprises by 80% below 2020 levels by 2030.
Premier Mark McGowan said the “whole-of-government” target would be reached with the help of energy efficiency, buying more renewable energy, cutting emissions in government-owned vehicles and also through the purchase of offsets.
A spokesman told the Guardian the 2019-20 baseline for the target was set at 7.3m tonnes of CO2-e.
Because the target only covers the government’s own emissions, WA remains without a statewide 2030 emissions reduction target.
Latest national figures that include 2020 – a year affected by drops in fossil fuel use as a result of the pandemic – showed emissions in the state were at 81.7m tonnes and had risen 4% from 2005 levels.
Last week McGowan announced the state would close its coal-fired power stations by 2030. McGowan said today:
This interim target sends a signal to the broader economy that we are serious about tackling climate change and setting up Western Australia for a healthy, prosperous low-carbon future.
Action on climate change is crucial to diversifying the WA economy, creating long-term jobs, managing environmental impacts, and protecting the health and wellbeing of Western Australians.
Greenpeace said the announcement was a “welcome step” but the state needed to rein in massive gas industry expansions that were impeding a clean energy transition.
Jess Panegyres, the head of clean transitions at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
Western Australia is particularly vulnerable to worsening climate change, as we saw from this summer’s extreme heat and bushfires. It’s heartening to see the state government step up to protect West Australians from dangerous climate impacts by committing to strongly reduce emissions across state-owned utilities over the next few years.
As part of this ambitious climate agenda, we also need the McGowan government to get serious about reducing the role of gas, a dangerous fossil fuel that’s driving climate change.
With projects like Woodside’s proposed Scarborough and Browse gas fields set to release billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution over the course of their operation, Western Australia’s gas industry undermines the state’s climate targets and impedes the clean energy transition.
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Daniel Andrews pledges $100m to support Victorian innovation
As the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, was announcing a $100m investment from the Breakthrough Victoria fund to universities, he said he believed the state’s science and innovation can hold its own with the world’s best.
The funding will go towards turning groundbreaking ideas into commercial propositions, with examples including a prosthetic bone, which can replace the work done by screws and other surgical devices, developed at RMIT.
Andrews said the money, and the focus on innovation, will help the state as it emerges from the pandemic:
This is a big part of our future. But it’s happening right now.
It’s not about waiting with a sense of hope that there’s private sector investment. You’ve got to make these things happen. You’ve got to capture these ideas, help them come to fruition and then make sure that the jobs are right here in Melbourne and across Victoria, in every single industry.
We can’t take anything for granted. We’ve got big challenges as a state, as a nation, coming out of Covid. And the only way to deal with those challenges is to grow our way out of those challenges. And if you have all the best ideas coming from Melbourne, but the profits and the jobs are going to Singapore or to San Francisco, that’s no good for Victoria.
This is about supporting universities and those who through universities make these amazing, amazing discoveries. Coming up with these great ideas, they just need some support to take those ideas and turn them into products, profits and jobs, and that’s exactly what this platform will do.
When you talk about great cities of the world for science – and the same can be said for innovation and product development, for tech – you’ve got London, you’ve got Boston and you’ve got Melbourne, and we need to make sure that we value that and we continually invest to make sure that leading position is guaranteed. Guaranteed for the future.
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NSW opposition leader Chris Minns to push local manufacturing
The NSW opposition leader, Chris Minns, is preparing to deliver his budget reply speech, and told 2GB that he intends to call on the state government to copy the Victorian government’s manufacturing policy.
He says the government should ensure that at least 50% of items in the state are locally manufactured, as NSW has lost 42,000 local manufacturing jobs over the last decade.
Minns says he will be backing “Australian-made again”, but adds that residents should expect his plan to take a couple of years:
This is over the course of the next parliament, we can’t do it immediately. We have to build up the capacity in New South Wales.
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It has been a cold couple of days but I have a feeling this picture will warm even the coldest among us:
If this doesn’t warm your heart, I don’t know what will - Kopika & Tharnicaa have just finished up their first day at their new school in Biloela 🥰 @HometoBilo @7NewsCQ @7NewsBrisbane @7NewsAustralia pic.twitter.com/GbTGsCdDpE
— Ebony Abblitt (@ebonyabblitt) June 22, 2022
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Peter Dutton says Labor isn't responding to issues fast enough
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has taken to the airwaves to blame both the energy crisis and asylum seeker boats from Sri Lanka on Labor.
Dutton, who, let’s not forget, was part of a government for nine years whose inaction has led to much of the issues being faced now, who had to be pushed into responding to the pandemic, and whose delay in vaccine rollout led to a range of challenges, told 2GB Labor needs to be more “nimble”:
I worry that they’re making the wrong decisions … you’ve got to respond quickly as a government to the problems of the day. You’ve got to be nimble.
He went on to call energy minister Chris Bowen a “disaster” and that Labor “haven’t got Operation Sovereign Borders” (I don’t understand that if the operation is ongoing), adding that the “sugar is back on the table” for people smugglers.
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Lehrmann trial date set for October
Bruce Lehrmann’s trial for the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins will go ahead on 4 October and last four to six weeks.
At a mention on Thursday Lehrmann’s counsel, Steve Whybrow, asked for the trial to be heard next year, arguing that the “bushfire” of controversy around the case “is still burning”. Lehrmann denies any form of sexual activity took place in early 2019 and is pleading not guilty.
The ACT supreme court chief justice, Lucy McCallum, said a three-month delay was a “significant period” to allow potential prejudice to Lehrmann to dissipate, and that much of the coverage she had seen had been “ameliorative” because it focused on the fact “a man is facing a trial for serious offence and is entitled to the presumption of innocence”.
McCallum and the director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, revealed lawyers for Channel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson have written indicating they are prepared to make undertakings to refrain from commentary about the allegation, the complainant and accused, and acknowledging the need to avoid a contempt of court.
Given that letter, Drumgold said there would be no grounds for an injunction if the undertakings were given. He also revealed that as many as five books are in the works that may touch on the Higgins complaint, and said he would contact their authors.
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Perrottet orders review into Barilaro appointment
Sticking with Dominic Perrottet for a moment, he has asked the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet to conduct a review into the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro as a New York-based trade commissioner.
Michael Coutts-Trotter is the secretary for the department, and Perrottet said he had tapped him to look into the “circumstances” that led to Barilaro’s appointment to the $500,000-a-year job:
He will provide that report to me. I will review it and I will make it public.
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Perrottet defends fines for strikes
I just wanted to return to the NSW Premier’s press conference, where he has both announced and defended the NSW government’s decision to hike fines for illegal industrial action.
It comes as both health and eduction sectors face strikes in the coming days, both in response to government decisions (mostly related to staff hires and wages), with the government increased illegal strike fines to $55,000 for the first day of industrial action and $27,500 every day after that.
Subsequent strikes could mean unions are hit with a penalty of $110,000 for the initial day followed by $55,000 every day after.
These fines today should act as a deterrent for not conducting illegal strikes. These are strikes the Industrial Relations Commission has deemed to be illegal,” Perrottet said in a press conference on Thursday morning.
If we have to take further action, we will.
Howard springs quarantine facility to close
The Northern Territory government has announced its decision to close the Howard Springs quarantine facility from next week. It is likely to remain on standby for another year.
The facility has been in use since the beginning of the pandemic as the country’s forefront quarantine facility.
Chief minister Natasha Fyles said the facility had achieved its goal, adding that it had put the NT “on the national and global stage”:
The government has always, and will always do, what it needs to do to keep Territorians safe.
The Centre for National Resilience helped put the NT on the national and global stage, providing care for Australians and international repatriates in the most uncertain of times.
The closing of the facility symbolises not only the importance it played in keeping our community safe but also how far we have come transitioning from living under the pandemic to simply living with the pandemic.
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Visited the NDIA office in Canberra and announced the NDIS Annual Pricing Review. Price limits for supports delivered by disability support workers increase by 9%. Current NDIS plans automatically increase to match. Working towards a better NDIS. More info https://t.co/OIk6QCKZ9u pic.twitter.com/uhxtd8Ia56
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) June 22, 2022
Perrottet increases fines for wildcat strikes
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has stepped up for a press conference, and first up he is discussing the strikes that the state are facing (in health and education) and says the union bosses should be hit “with the hardest fines possible” for “inconveniencing families”:
The changes we make today are in line with every other jurisdiction.
My message to the union bosses is that, please work with the NSW government. When it comes to wages in the state, as we know, we had a leading wage policy in the country. We will continue to work with the unions right across NSW in the best interest of the people of our state.
These fines today will act as a deterrent for not conducting illegal strikes.
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Labour shortage leaves crops at risk of rotting, Ausveg warns
As I am certain everyone has noticed, the prices of fruit and vegetables is skyrocketing, and the head of Ausveg says there could be more price increases coming for cucumbers, tomatoes and berries.
Ausveg spokesperson Tyson Cattle told Nine that farmers were warning that crops were at risk of rotting if there weren’t enough workers to pick them, adding that flood-affected areas in Queensland have added to the price rises:
The reality is … it‘s going to take 12 to 16 weeks for supply to get back to normal.
The cost of production issues are significant. Fertiliser costs, chemical costs, fuel costs, as you’re seeing, wage costs, all these different impacts are having critical impacts on growers to be able to plant their crops.
That’s obviously going to have a flow-on effect to the Australian consumers.
If we do have the labour coming in, then all of a sudden we can have the confidence to plant more product … we don’t want to have to rely on a backpacker who is largely here to have a good time and enjoy themselves and enjoy the luxuries Australia has to offer.
We don’t want to have to rely on that. We’re disappointed that the government hasn’t followed through in terms of the ag visa.
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Victoria records nine Covid deaths and 7,461 new cases
Victoria is reporting 7,461 new Covid cases and nine deaths overnight:
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 22, 2022
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAcOZP#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/haqzbFeSdc
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NSW records 26 Covid deaths and 9,203 new cases
Another increase in Covid-related deaths in NSW today, with 26 reported in addition to 9,203 new cases:
COVID-19 update – Thursday 23 June 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 22, 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/QxzS0wcmVE
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NSW nurses vote to strike
Nurses and midwives will be striking next Tuesday in NSW after the union attacked the state government for a lack of transparency in its budget announcements.
More than 70 of the nearly 180 public sector branches of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association voted to strike for periods ranging from two hours to 24 hours on 28 June, after ballots were held yesterday.
Liverpool and Bankstown hospitals will strike for 24 hours, while Westmead and Westmead children’s, Blacktown, Campbelltown, and Royal Prince Alfred hospital nurses and midwives will stop work for 12 hours.
Sixteen branches also voted to undertake industrial action but decided they could not “due to severe staffing shortages and a commitment to life-preserving care”.
The union has said it is still unclear how many new nurses and midwives are included in the proposed 10,000 new full-time health staff touted in the state budget.
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Australian scientists celebrate world first
AAP is reporting that in a world first, Australian scientists have developed a device with “exquisite precision” that they say is a huge step towards a commercial quantum computer.
Scientists have joined atomic dots with “exquisite precision” to build a device they say is a huge step towards a commercial quantum computer.
Silicon Quantum Computing today unveiled a quantum processor that integrates all the components of a classical computer chip but on an atomic scale.
Published in the journal Nature, the breakthrough comes two years ahead of the research schedule and less than a decade after the team made the world’s first single atom transistor.
Founder Prof Michelle Simmons said traditional computers struggle to simulate even relatively small molecules due to the large number of possible interactions between atoms.
Simmons said the atomic-scale circuit technology would allow the construction of quantum models for a range of new materials, for use in pharmaceuticals, materials for batteries, or catalysts.
To achieve the first quantum integrated circuit, three separate technological feats of atomic engineering were required. The first was to create small dots of atoms of uniform size so that their energy levels aligned and electrons could easily pass through them.
The second was the ability to tune the energy levels of each dot individually, but also of all dots collectively, to control the passage of quantum information. The third was the teams’ ability to control the distances between the dots with precision.
Dr Charles Hill, a senior lecturer in quantum computation at the University of Melbourne, said the quantum devices used for this demonstration were made with sub-nanometre accuracy:
This is a remarkable piece of engineering. This experiment paves the way for larger and more complex quantum systems to be emulated in future.
Simmons said the milestone delivered on a challenge set 63 years ago by pioneering theoretical physicist Richard Feynman in his lecture Plenty of Room at the Bottom.
His invitation to enter a new field of study asserted that to understand how nature works, scientists must control matter at the atomic scale. Proving this theory, the team has built an integrated circuit using atomic components in silicon.
Simmons said:
It won’t be long before we can start to realise new materials that have never existed before.
The “exquisite precision of the device” also proved their atomic manufacturing capabilities, she said.
To build the processor, the scientists had to integrate multiple atomic components within a single device, which was achieved at a facility in Sydney.
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RBA boss not 'in touch with reality', ACTU secretary says
Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus has criticised Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe, saying he isn’t “quite in touch with reality”, after he warned of a potential price spiral after the 5.2% minimum wage increase.
McManus was speaking to RN Breakfast and said inflation had “absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with wages”, adding that Lowe’s warnings come from a “total boomer fantasy land”.
She said the RBA board wouldn’t know “how things work” because it did not take part in pay negotiations:
All of this is just a fantasy because they don’t understand what actually happens at the bargaining table.
I think the Reserve Bank governor has weirdly changed his tune, he was the one who said so long as wages keep up with inflation and productivity, they are not inflationary.
Let’s be clear, the workers’ share of the overall economy is at the lowest level it has been since this has been measured, and that’s back in the 1960s.
So there is a lot of money and wealth in the country, it’s just that working people aren’t sharing this and it can’t go on like this. We keep hearing that productivity needs to rise and then we’ll get a pay rise but productivity is rising and we don’t see those pay rises.
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AI Group chief says Aemo should be 'ready to step in again'
AI Group chief executive Innes Willox says energy market operator Aemo needs to be prepared to suspend the energy market again if supply is threatened in the coming months.
Wilcox was on RN Breakfast this morning and said he had heard from business groups that they felt uncertain about the cost of power, and that Aemo shouldn’t let supply come under threat again:
The operators made the decision that now is the time to step out and see if the market has stabilised – that’s the great unknown for industry and for consumers of gas and power.
The hope is that it has stabilised, but it’s been through a very rocky couple of weeks and we would just urge the operator to be ready to step back in if necessary, and, we hope is not going to be necessary and that things have stabilised, but it’s been such through such a treacherous couple of weeks that you’ve got to think there’s a chance that things could go awry again, and we still have the underlying factors that created this.
The difficulty with coal-fired power, the impact of Russia and Ukraine, the fact that we are in the depths of winter, all of those sorts of things are still with us.
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Political advertising under spotlight
Voters say they want truth-in-political-advertising laws in place for the next election after being swamped by $12.5m of digital ads in two months, according to an Australia Institute survey.
The thinktank analysed political ad spending on Facebook and Instagram and surveyed 1,424 votes, of whom 86% backed the proposed laws.
The survey found 73% of voters said they had come across political ads that they knew to be misleading and only 5% said they did not. A further 22% said they were unsure.
Of those who had seen misleading ads, 43% said it had happened “once a day or more often”.
The study found the major parties still dominated digital ad spending, with Labor spending $5m in the last two months of the campaign and the Coalition $3.5m.
Clive Palmer was the biggest spending candidate, dropping $462,500 on Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram), while his United Australia party spent $1.7m on Meta and a further $11.8m on Google ads.
Labor’s ads received the most impressions, 273m in total, with some 42.5% of all impressions across parties. The Coalition received 205m impressions or 32% of the total, followed by the Greens (31.4m).
More impressions were from women (182m) than men (164m), with the gender difference showing substantially more engagement by women with Labor and Greens ads.
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Capacity mechanism ‘an important safety net’
I just wanted to return to Chris Bowen’s appearance on ABC News earlier, because he was asked about a capacity mechanism, and while he confirmed it was due by 2025, he also added that he would like it to “happen earlier than that”:
I’ll be working with the states and territories to try to make that the case. I’ve been clear about that. This is an important safety net and I know that there’s a lot of commentary and a lot of people have viewed about it. But it’s an important safety net. And under the Labor government, it will support our move to renewables. Under the previous government, it was designed to prop up unsustainable technology.
Under us, it will be an essential safety net to ensure that this transformation occurs safely and we build the renewables with that support. Be focused on new technologies and be focused on things like storage.
We are going to have to manage this transformation carefully and need the existing power stations in the system to help us with the transmission. We do need capacity there, even if it is not switched on … In the meantime, there are more urgent things to do.
We authorised Aemo to buy a gas reserve that they can hold and put into the system in times of emergency. That’s being done and that’s being worked on and developed. All of this is happening. That’s the short-term. In the longer term – renewables, transition and storage is the key and that’s what we’re focused on.
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Plan to transform the ADF
Richard Marles, speaking to an audience in India, trod carefully when it came to India’s reluctance to condemn Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. But he suggested that it was in Australia’s and India’s interests for China to never come to “a similar judgment” as Vladimir Putin that the benefits of conflict outweighed the risks:
I do not come here to lecture India on how it should respond to this conflict, or how it should manage its relationship with Russia. Every country needs to make its own choices.
But Russia’s war on Ukraine does teach us that we cannot just rely on economic interdependence to deter conflict; and that deterrence can fail when one country’s determined military build-up creates an imbalance of military power. An imbalance that encouraged President Putin to conclude the benefits from conflict outweighed the risks.
This is a lesson Australia is taking to heart. It is in all of our interests to ensure no country in our region ever comes to a similar judgment.
Marles said this lesson was why the Australian government intended to “transform the Australian defence force into one with more potent deterrence capabilities, including long-range and precision strike weapons, offensive and defensive cyber, and area denial systems”.
The same logic underpinned the decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines with the US and the UK under Aukus. Aukus would also “guide accelerated development of advanced defence capabilities where they have the most impact, such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence, undersea warfare, hypersonics and counter-hypersonics”.
Australia sees these investments as a necessary and prudent response to the military build-up we see taking place in the Indo-Pacific. These investments are not only about Australia’s security – they are about the region’s security as well. And they will make Australia a more valuable and potent partner for our allies in the Indo-Pacific.
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Bowen defends decision to suspend energy market
We are off and running, with energy minister Chris Bowen the first politician in the media this morning, telling ABC News that he is confident there won’t be the need to suspend the energy market again this winter.
Bowen defended the decision taken by Aemo to suspend the market, saying commentators and politicians that have protested against it “don’t know what they are talking about”:
We have enough generation in the system. Generators are bidding too and we have excess supply for today. That’s good news and what we hope and expect. Obviously, we’ll continue to monitor the situation very closely over the next 24 to 48 hours and we’ll return step by step, carefully. I said before that this could be a bumpy winter.
We have a lot more supply and I want to thank Aemo and the energy generators and everyone who worked hard to manage to avoid any blackouts and load shedding and that’s been working closely with the commonwealth and the states and territories as well.
Aemo was operating under the law of the land and they were doing what they had to do and Aemo gets a lot of the credit for managing to work to keep the lights on and to keep the system operating. They had to make a big call last Thursday and did so with my full support and the support of the state and territory ministers.
I saw some ill-informed commentary from some in politics who don’t know what they’re talking about, but it’s what we needed to do and the system worked. Aemo worked very well. I’m going there this afternoon, to Aemo, to talk to the staff who worked so hard over the last week or so to make this system work. It’s been a tough situation and it was a big call, but we will do what we have to do as a government.
They will do what they have to do as an operator to keep the lights on. Consumers come first.
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‘The global rules-based order matters everywhere’
Richard Marles acknowledged that deeper Australian-Indian security cooperation was “often seen as a response to a rising China”.
But he said it “would be wrong to assume, as some commentators tend to, that China is at the centre of every decision”:
We all expect a more powerful China to have a stronger say in regional and international affairs. But what is important is that the exercise of Chinese power exhibits the characteristics necessary for our shared prosperity and security. Respect for agreed rules and norms. With trade and investment flow based on agreed rules and binding treaty commitments. And where disputes among states are resolved via dialogue, and in accordance with international law.
This is vital when it comes to the rearmament we are witnessing in the Indo-Pacific.
Marles went on the stress the need for openness about China’s military build-up. Similar to language he used during his visit to Singapore for a security summit, he said Australia did not question the right of any country to modernise its military capabilities consistent with its interests and resources.
But Marles – who met with his Chinese counterpart in Singapore, ending the diplomatic freeze with Australia – said said large-scale military build-ups “must be transparent and they must be accompanied by statecraft that reassures” to avoid driving an arms race:
China’s military build-up is now the largest and most ambitious we have seen by any country since the end of the second world war. It is critical that China’s neighbours do not see this build-up as a risk for them. Because without that reassurance, it is inevitable that countries will seek to upgrade their own military capabilities in response.
Insecurity is what drives an arms race.
India’s own experience illustrates this maxim more than most. The assault on Indian forces along the line of actual control in 2020 was a warning we should all heed. Australia stood up for India’s sovereignty then and continues to do so now. It is vital that China commits to resolving this dispute through a process of dialogue consistent with international law. The global rules-based order matters everywhere, including in the highest place on Earth.
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Richard Marles in India
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has vowed to “place India at the heart of Australia’s approach to the Indo-Pacific and beyond”.
Marles, who is also defence minister, used a speech to the National Defence College in New Delhi last night to say the Aukus deal with the US and the UK was “just one partnership” and ties with India were also important.
When I look out at the world, India stands out.
Marles, who will soon by flying from India to Rwanda to join the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, spelled out what he saw as the current strategic challenges:
Our world – and our region – faces the most serious strategic confluence of events since the end of the second world war: intensifying strategic and geo-economic contest, the return of war in Europe, growing climate risks, and enduring pandemic impacts, all of which are driving inflation, supply chain shocks, and de-globalisation …
As Australia’s new defence minister, I come to the position conscious of a profound responsibility: to ensure Australia has the capability necessary to defend itself in the toughest strategic environment we’ve encountered in over 70 years.
It will involve a generational reinvestment in the size, capability and structure of the Australian defence force. In service of this goal, I have instructed my department to commence a new force posture review to inform decisions I expect to make in the months ahead.
(This is consistent with Labor’s election promise to launch a force posture review.)
Marles went on to argue that Australia’s cooperation with India in the Indian Ocean was “underdone”. He said Australia and India could “afford to do more, not only bilaterally, but also trilaterally with others such as Indonesia”.
He also promised that Australia would become “a more engaged and responsive partner to our Pacific neighbours”. The ADF would “always be there for our Pacific neighbours. Be it in response to natural and humanitarian disasters, or the complex array of security issues we now mutually face.”
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Good morning
Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you today, taking you through the day’s news.
We begin with deputy prime minister Richard Marles’ visit to India, which last night he vowed to place “at the heart of Australia’s approach to the Indo-Pacific and beyond”. Marles is there to reinforce the relationship between the two nations, with defence and trade at the forefront of conversations.
Back in Australia, the national energy market operator has this morning begun the process of lifting the unprecedented suspension of trading on the electricity market, confirming that the risk of “any shortfall has reduced markedly”.
This comes as more electricity retailers are predicted to fail over the next year, as the new default market offers loom on the horizon, and with the Australian Energy Regulator likely to have to activate its “retailer of last resort” provisions.
And a NSW Greens MP says she will push for the release of internal briefing documents relating to the botched police operation targeting environmental protesters, saying the force used by officers was “extreme”.
There is much happening, so let’s dive in.
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