We are going to put this liveblog to bed now. Thanks all for your company and contributions. Thanks also to my fellow bloggers, Cait and Mostafa, for their patience, good humour, and wise counsel.
A summary as I leave:
- National cabinet agreed to continue Covid-era health funding, which the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, called “a great start”.
- Electricity reserves across the National Energy Market have improved, meaning blackouts are not expected over the weekend.
- The ASX plunged to its lowest level since November 2020.
- Australia recorded 51 Covid deaths, down from Thursday.
- Pauline Hanson was re-elected to the Senate.
Updated
“When I board the long-haul back over the Pacific for a birthday or for Christmas, Qantas is a big part of the whole nostalgic ritual,” Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes.
“I do still call Australia home, I like hearing accents from home when I board, I like having decent tea with breakfast. I like gluing my nose to the window for the view of Sydney that Clive James described so beautifully, ‘yachts racing on the crushed diamond water under a sky the texture of powdered sapphires’. In a more homesick moment, I hung a Qantas calendar in my office because it reminded me I’d get to go home. Qantas is the only brand that’s ever been able to elicit this kind of saccharine loyalty from me. Until today, I thought it was deserved.”
Read more here:
Updated
The New Zealand versus Australia match at Carisbrook in 1922 offered so many sporting contest firsts that its claim as an important milestone in the history of international football has been overlooked.
This was the first full international match featuring two national teams wearing numbered shirts.
ASX200 falls for sixth straight session as analysts predict more drops to come
AAP’s Derek Rose has filed from Sydney on the stock exchange’s dreadful week.
(Liam Byrne, the chief secretary to the Treasury under the last Labour government in the UK, infamously left a note to his successor which said, simply: “I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left”. He says he was joking. Regardless, there are strong “no money left” vibes in this piece. “Extended period of pain” is an unhappy quote in any circumstance.)
The local stock exchange has suffered its sixth straight losing session and worst week since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 – and analysts are expecting more carnage to come.
After falling by as much as 2.7% in morning trade, the ASX200 on Friday managed to claw back some of its losses in the afternoon but still finished down 116.3 points, or 1.76%, at a 19-month low of 6,474.8. The broader All Ordinaries fell 1.77% to 6,663.3.
The index followed last week’s 4.2% drop, its worst weekly loss since October 2020, with an even bigger 6.6% fall. It’s now down 10.2% for the month, 13.0% for the year and 15.2% from last year’s all-time high.
“We’ve broken some big levels in the ASX200, we broke below the bottom of its nine-month range,” City Index analyst Tony Sycamore told AAP.
“My thought now from here is that this is going be an extended period of pain.”
Sycamore said he expects the ASX200 to fall further, to 6,000, and that a recession in the first half of next year was “basically locked in, in my opinion” as central banks combat high inflation with economy-wrecking aggressive rate hikes.
The Bank of Japan became an outlier on Friday by sticking with its ultra-low rates, but the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank both raised them overnight.
The surprise 50 basis point rate hike in Switzerland was the country’s first in nearly 15 years, while England’s central bank warned that inflation could top 11% by October.
AMP chief economist Shane Oliver was more optimistic than Sycamore about the odds of a global recession, writing that it could still be avoided, although with central banks hiking rates so aggressively the risk of it was close to 50/50.
“Either way it’s still too early to say that shares have bottomed,” he wrote in his weekly update.
Cryptocurrencies were also tumbling, with Bitcoin trading just a few hundred dollars above a crucial support level of US$20,000, down 5.5% from Thursday and by more than 30% in the past seven days.
As for the ASX, among the companies whose shares hit their lowest levels in over a year on Friday were retail banks Commonwealth, ANZ, Westpac and Bank of Queensland; tech companies Xero and Megaport; retailers Breville, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Kogan.com, Super Retail Group, Temple & Webster; City Chic Collective, Nick Scali, Collins Foods and Adairs; help-wanted site Seek; glovemaker Ansell; Bluescope Steel; building products companies CSR and James Hardie; and property groups Goodman, GPT and Dexus.
Airtasker, non-bank lender Pepper Money, wealth manager Magellan Global, United Malt Group and tech company Nuix all fell to all-time nadirs.
The heavyweight mining sector was the worst-performing, falling 2.8% as iron ore prices retreated for a sixth straight day.
BHP dropped 3.4% to $42.52, Rio Tinto fell 4.2% to $107.01 and Fortescue retreated 5.3% to $18.60.
Tech dropped by 2.4% with Xero down by 5.6% and Afterpay owner Block falling by 7.8%.
The financial sector was down by 2.2% to hit its lowest level since January 2021.
CBA fell 3.6% to a 14-month low of $87.26, Westpac dipped 0.7% to 19-month low of $19.19, NAB dropped 1.7% to an 11-month low of $25.92 and ANZ fell 1.6% to a 19-month low of $21.16.
Consumer staples was the only sector to eke out gains, rising 0.6%
Goldminers were another rare bright spot on the market.
Meanwhile the Australian dollar was buying 69.75 US cents, up from 69.57 US cents when the ASX closed on Thursday.
Updated
Pauline Hanson issues statement after re-election
Pauline Hanson has been re-elected as a senator for Queensland. After a month of counting she ended up in the fifth slot.
She has a statement. There are congratulations for the new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, but also a sledge on the way through: “I’ve said in the past he probably wouldn’t make a good prime minister however I sincerely hope he proves me wrong.”
It feels like “sincerely” is doing a lot of work in that sentence ...
MEDIA RELEASE | Hanson retains seat for second term pic.twitter.com/KvguE6AYVy
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) June 17, 2022
Updated
Gold Coast beach bar approval opens ‘Pandora’s box’, critic says
The Gold Coast mayor denies his council’s decision to greenlight a bar on a beach is un-Australian or sets a precedent that could see public space privatised.
Broadbeach’s Kurrawa Beach Club, given the go-ahead on a trial basis late last year, will now be allowed to open for six months every year for the next three years.
Wildlife Queensland’s Gold Coast and hinterland branch president, Sally Spain, told the ABC the decision opened a “Pandora’s box” and was the “slippery path downwards for shops on the beach”.
“The Australian icon of our free and open, non-paying, non-excluding beaches has been breached,” she said.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Penny Wong stresses importance of climate action during Solomon Islands visit
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, speaking in Honiara, stresses the importance of climate action to the Pacific.
As she has done on her visits to Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, Wong mentions her previous role as climate change minister in the Rudd government (her message tends to be that she’s been pushing for stronger action for a while now, and understands the Pacific island countries’ voices have been consistent in long calling on the world to act).
In broader remarks, Wong tells a reporter:
We [Australia] may not have been perfect, but we are family. We live in the same region. Your security and our security are interlinked and that’s how we will approach our relationship with you.
Wong thanks the reporters for their questions and alludes to another visit down the track:
I’ll see you next time.
Updated
An update/correction from the AEC ... Pauline Hanson has come up the batting order, looking for some hitting in the middle overs apparently.
Update: The original tweet for the QLD Senate results featured an incorrect order for elected Senators. Apologies.
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) June 17, 2022
The correct order is:
1. James McGrath
2. Murray Watt
3. Matt Canavan
4. Penny Allman-Payne
5. Pauline Hanson
6. Anthony Chisholm#auspol pic.twitter.com/ncQGD7aSme
Updated
Aemo doesn’t expect power shortages this weekend
As noted earlier, the Australian Energy Market Operator (soon to be a household name) says conditions in the electricity market have improved ‘markedly’ and they don’t foresee supply shortfalls (ie blackouts) this weekend.
That there remains ‘trouble at mill’, though, is suggested by the activation again of the system that pays big users to reduce their load, this evening for Victoria.
(The tab for the RERT - Reliability and Emergency Reserve and Trader is not likely to be a small one.)
We’re back to unleashing the payments for companies to reduce power use… this time for Victoria. pic.twitter.com/CGO8WTc1h3
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 17, 2022
Meanwhile, international ratings agency, Moody’s, has chimed in, saying Aemo’s suspension of the wholesales market is “credit negative” or AGL and Origin “because their dispatch prices are now capped”. (At $300/megawatt-hour, as it happens. That’s another way of saying AGL’s debt (now rated as Baa2 negative) and Origin (at Baa2 stable) might come under review.
“The price capping means that generators are at risk of being directed by Aemo to dispatch uneconomically, particularly those generators that need to source fuel at prevailing elevated prices,” Moody’s said.
“However, we understand that Aemo has instituted a compensation regime that allows eligible generators to recoup their costs of production (above the administered prices) and, as such, is likely to mitigate the risk of generation assets running at a loss.”
Perhaps, but we’ll have to wait to see how easy it is to “recoup” any losses. Anyway, to the extent Australian coal-fired power plants have to dip into markets to get more coal, here’s a graph from Moody’s on how prices have fared lately:
@MoodysInvSvc, meanwhile, says the suspension by @AEMO_Energy of the wholesale electricity market is 'credit negative' for @AGLAustralia and @originenergy because of the implied prices. They also note the soaring coal prices. pic.twitter.com/AaPTFhO4Ep
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) June 17, 2022
Updated
Penny Wong says she’s had ‘constructive’ talks with Solomon Islands PM
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is speaking in Honiara.
She says she had a “constructive” and wide-ranging meeting with met with the Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Wong says they did discuss regional security as part of the meeting (the security agreement between China and Solomon Islands was a contentious issue during the Australian election campaign).
Wong says Australia’s view remains that the Pacific family should be responsible for its security:
I welcome prime minister Sogavare’s reassurances that there will not be a military base, nor a persistent foreign military presence here in Solomon Islands. And I welcome his assurance that Australia remains Solomon Islands’ first security partner of choice and first development partner of choice.
Wong says the government of Solomon Islands is aware of Australia’s concerns and views, but most importantly is also aware that “our regional security is a joint responsibility and it is a responsibility of the Pacific family”.
She notes that the assurances she received were the same that Sogavare had made publicly in the past.
Updated
Measles case recorded in Victoria for first time since 2020
The Victorian government’s department of health has issued the following alert:
Victoria has recorded a new confirmed measles case in a returned overseas traveler.
The woman, aged in her 30s, developed symptoms on 12 June while in New South Wales and immediately sought medical attention.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause serious illness. Those most at risk of serious illness include very young children and adults with weakened immune systems.
This is the first case of measles in Victoria since March 2020, with previous cases seen in people who are not fully immunised and who have travelled overseas or been in contact with returned overseas travellers
The illness usually begins with common cold symptoms such as runny nose, red eyes and a cough, followed by fever and a rash. The characteristic measles rash usually begins three to seven days after the first symptoms, generally starting on the face and then spreading to the rest of the body.
As a precaution, there are four public exposure sites in Victoria and New South Wales. Those who attended these sites are urged to seek medical care if they develop symptoms, and to wear a mask. The sites are:
Culcairn Ampol Station, Olympic Highway, NSW
Sunday 12 June 12pm – 12.35pm
Monitor symptoms to Thursday 30 June
Astor Hotel, 641 Young St, Albury NSW
Sunday, 12 June 12.30pm – 3.00pm
Monitor symptoms to: Thursday, 30 June 2022
Justin Lane restaurant, 57-59 Brougham St, Geelong, VIC
Monday, 13 June 12.30pm – 3.00 pm
Monitor symptoms to: Friday, 1 July 2022
DFO South Wharf – Rice Work Shop, food court, South Wharf, VIC
Tuesday, 14 June 12.20pm – 1.05pm
Monitor symptoms to: Saturday, 2 July 2022
Updated
Pauline Hanson claims Senate seat in Queensland
One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson has retained her Senate seat for another term, meaning the Liberal National party’s Amanda Stoker has lost her seat.
Update: The original tweet for the QLD Senate results featured an incorrect order for elected Senators. Apologies.
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) June 17, 2022
The correct order is:
1. James McGrath
2. Murray Watt
3. Matt Canavan
4. Penny Allman-Payne
5. Pauline Hanson
6. Anthony Chisholm#auspol pic.twitter.com/ncQGD7aSme
Updated
AMA calls for long-term hospital funding from commonwealth
The Australian Medical Association has welcomed today’s announcement from national cabinet about the extension of 50-50 commonwealth-state hospital funding until December but warned a long-term solution was needed to avoid unnecessary deaths.
AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid said:
The National Partnership funding is critical to dealing with Covid demand now, but this short extension will not see us through the hospital crisis, nor through Covid, nor through the additional pent-up demand from two years of lockdowns.
We know that long term solutions take time to design and negotiate and we’re hopeful those negotiations will now start in haste so that we have a new, adequate agreement ready to commence from December.
That’s because we know this pent-up demand will still be here next year, as will Covid, as will chronic disease and our ageing population — clearly we’ll need something better in place for 2023 onwards. Three months extra Covid funding will not fix a decade of hospital underfunding.
He said the review did not need not take too long.
We know what is required — making 50-50 funding permanent, while also scrapping the growth cap on funding, and injecting funds to help with capacity expansion, performance improvement and avoidable admissions.
The AMA welcomed the commitment from National Cabinet to work together address the intersecting issues of hospital demand, aged care, NDIS and primary care.
Updated
Bunnings says only banned customers uploaded to facial recognition system
Bunnings has said only people who are banned from their stores have their images uploaded to its facial recognition system.
The company was criticised this week along with Kmart and The Good Guys over the use of facial recognition technology in stores as a loss prevention and security tool, following an investigation by consumer group Choice.
Bunnings was not willing to provide on-the-record explanations to Guardian Australia earlier this week about how the technology was used, but after the stories and the customer blowback the hardware giant has provided more information to Electronic Frontiers Australia chair Justin Warren.
Bunnings clarified that while everyone will have a face print scanned in the stores in which there is facial recognition, only those who are banned from the store have their images uploaded, and the face prints of everyone else are not retained.
Bunnings:
Images are only uploaded to this system following a particular individual being formally banned from one of our stores, or after them being suspected of engaging in unlawful or threatening conduct in our stores. The facial recognition technology checks for matches against these uploaded images, and where there isn’t a match then no action occurs. No data relating to anyone other than these uploaded images are stored in the system.
The reason for using the technology is to protect customers and staff “against repeat violent or threatening behaviour, and to prevent unlawful behaviour in our stores”, Bunnings said.
In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of challenging interactions our team have had to handle in our stores and this technology is an important tool in helping us to prevent repeat abuse of team and customers.
Updated
Frank Zumbo said Craig Kelly is ‘worst example’ of a politician, court hears
A Sydney court has heard former MP Craig Kelly’s long-time office manager Frank Zumbo – who has pleaded not guilty to harassing five women – told a young female employee that Kelly was the “worst example” of a politician.
Zumbo was recorded making the comment in 2015, and the audio of the conversation was played before Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on Friday as he faces 20 charges, including sexual touching and indecent assault, linked to accusations from between 2014 and 2020.
The recording was made without Zumbo’s knowledge but has been accepted as evidence in the legal proceedings.
Zumbo told a young woman who worked at Kelly’s electorate office – who recorded the conversations – that she would make a good politician and had “shelf life” because she was “a pretty girl” who was “intelligent” with an “attractive smile”.
Zumbo said: “Do you ever see yourself as a politician? Craig is the worst example. [But] you’ve got street smarts.”
Updated
Antipoverty Centre calls on Bill Shorten to waive existing Centrelink debts
The Antipoverty Centre has released a statement condemning Labor’s announcement about Centrelink debt collection activity.
The organisation has called on the government services minister, Bill Shorten, and the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, to waive all existing Centrelink debts and to ensure no new debts are raised until the system is redesigned.
Kristin O’Connell, who is an Antipoverty Centre spokesperson and Disability Support Pension recipient, said:
My blood is boiling. The government knows as well as we do that pursuing welfare recipients over so-called debts only brings more of the horrifying outcomes already produced by abhorrently low payment levels: hunger, homelessness and suicide.
We are stunned that Labor’s highest priority for people who need the social safety net is to extract further budget savings from us at a time when we are pleading for support to get through the triple crises of rapidly rising food, electricity and housing costs.
Centrelink’s debt collection approach must be dismantled and replaced with a model that treats us with humanity. The role of public servants should be to ensure that accurate payments were made, including backpay for underpayments.
Consistent cuts and political bastardry have led to the systemic failure, criminalisation and abuse of people who rely on social security – and this new government, in its first month, has indicated it has no desire to correct this.
Updated
Aemo welcomes NSW decision to secure coal supplies to its plants
Electricity supply concerns have eased in the past day or so, although the Australian Energy Market Operator is still issuing lack of reserve notices on Friday afternoon for as far out as next Wednesday.
The head of Aemo, Daniel Westerman, has welcomed the decision by the New South Wales government to secure from the state’s governor’s the right to secure coal supplies to its plants. There will be more from him shortly.
The word is that the plants that were running short of coal are Origin Energy’s Eraring and EnergyAustralia’s Mt Piper plants. Interestingly, they share a common supplier, Thai-owned Centennial Coal.
We saw Origin at the start of June slash its profit forecast and scrap its guidance for next financial year in part because of uncertainty about coal supplies.
Today the managing director at Hong Kong-owned EnergyAustralia, Mark Collette, said: “Deliveries to Mount Piper are below expected levels in 2022, with strong reliance on our primary supplier, Springvale mine.”
A Centennial spokesperson said: “Centennial is continuing to work with customers to fulfil our contractual obligations.”
EnergyAustralia said it’s running its gas plants much more than a year ago, using a fuel source which is probably four times more expensive, if not more.
“Our gas-fired power stations, Tallawarra, Newport, Jeeralang and Hallett, are playing a big role in powering Australian homes and businesses,” Collette said. “Collectively, they are being run more than seven times the volume compared with the same period last year.”
Now out of the energy woes just yet, by the looks of it.
Updated
Australia to help Solomon Islands’ vaccine rollout for children, Wong says
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, who is visiting Solomon Islands in a bid to repair the relationship, has announced that Australia will help the country deliver up to 200,000 paediatric Covid-19 vaccine doses. In a statement, the Australian government says the move is at the request of Solomon Islands:
These doses will kick start the vaccination campaign for Solomon Islands’ children 5 to 11 years of age and directly support Solomon Islands’ return-to-school plan. Safe access to schools, and protecting children from serious illness, is important for every family.
Australia and Solomon Islands are working together to ensure delivery and roll out these doses as soon as possible.
The statement says Australia has already shared more than 510,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses with Solomon Islands, including 10,000 AstraZeneca doses that arrived last week.
The assistance includes helping Solomon Islands deliver vaccines in accordance with its national vaccination plan, with an Australian epidemiologist providing technical advice in the Solomon Islands ministry of health and medical services.
Australia is also providing logistical support to the national medical store to help manage and distribute vaccines and consumables. Despite all the focus on security challenges in the region, Pacific Islands countries have repeatedly emphasised that action on climate change, pandemic recovery and development assistance are all key priorities.
Wong said:
Australia is standing with Solomon Islands to ensure children can be vaccinated against Covid-19, protecting them and their communities from serious illness and minimising disruption to learning caused by the pandemic.
The minister for health and medical services of Solomon Islands, Culwick Togamana, said if it weren’t for Australia’s significant support “the impact of Covid-19 on our health systems and people would have been far worse”.
Rolling out these paediatric Covid-19 vaccines to children aged 5 to 11 years old will be an important undertaking to ensure our children are also protected against Covid-19.
The acting education minister, Fredrick Kologeto, said the announcement was just in time as the country was now reopening its schools.
These vaccines, together with the Pfizer vaccine provided by Australia for 12- to 17-year-olds, will help our students to stay protected against illness from Covid-19, while continuing their learning.
Wong is expected to hold a press conference in about an hour.
Updated
Adam Bandt says Labor is continuing tradition of secrecy
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has responded to Anthony Albanese’s backflip on national cabinet secrecy.
Bandt said:
What’s clear is that this current national cabinet is going to be just as secret as the old one. Anthony Albanese is continuing Scott Morrison’s tradition of secrecy. The public has a right to know what the nation’s leaders are discussing.
In opposition, the Labor party used to agree with that. It seems that now that they’re on the government benches, they want to continue Scott Morrison’s plan of secrecy. People should have the right to know what is being discussed by their leaders in their names.
Updated
Albanese appreciates Ukraine invitation from Zelenskiy
From AP:
Australia’s new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said he would take advice on whether to accept president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s invitation to visit Ukraine during an upcoming European trip.
Albanese said he only became aware of the invitation to visit Ukraine when he read a newspaper report on Friday.
“I’ll take appropriate advice, and obviously there are security issues as well in terms of such a visit,” Albanese said.
I appreciate the spirit in which it’s been offered and one of the reasons why Australia has been invited to Nato is that Australia is the largest non-Nato contributor to give support to Ukraine in its defence of its national sovereignty against Russia’s illegal, immoral invasion. And we’ll continue to stand with the people of Ukraine.
Zelenskiy gave the invitation when he wrote to congratulate Albanese on his win at elections on May 21, said the deputy head of mission at Ukraine’s embassy in Australia, Volodymyr Shalkivski.
The invitation was for Albanese to “visit Ukraine at his convenience,” Shalkivski said, and the embassy handed the invitation over to the new administration 7 June.
Albanese confirmed he will attend a Nato meeting in Spain at the end of this month.
Updated
In the next few hours, we are expecting a doorstop from the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, who met Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, in Honiara today. We will bring you it when it comes.
Updated
Bill Shorten strikes deal to get NDIS recipients out of hospital faster
More than 1,000 disabled patients stuck in hospital will be discharged faster under a new agreement, AAP reports.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme minister, Bill Shorten, struck the deal with his state and territory counterparts in Melbourne on Friday, to help speed up patients leaving hospital.
The plan will address the 1,100 NDIS recipients in medical facilities – some for several months – while they wait for appropriate accommodation to be made available.
Reducing the high number of NDIS appeals going to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal through the development of a different dispute resolution process will also be a top priority.
Disabled patients will be prioritised in Australia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the seven-point plan committed to by state and territory leaders.
With winter underway, ministers will work to ensure people living with disabilities have access to rapid antigen tests, PPE, and booster shots.
They will also try to identify high risk environments for people with a disability.
Updated
PM continues national cabinet secrecy
Anthony Albanese has backflipped on national cabinet secrecy, opting to continue to prevent the release of documents related to meetings of the prime minister and state and territory leaders, despite strident criticism of the practice in opposition.
At a press conference after his first national cabinet meeting as prime minister, Albanese confirmed the commonwealth had not proposed ending the practice, despite his accusation that Scott Morrison was “obsessed with secrecy”. Albanese refused to answer questions about why he had backflipped on the matter.
Morrison established national cabinet in March 2020, replacing the Council of Australian Governments with the new body, which his government claimed was exempt from freedom of information laws because it was a subcommittee of federal cabinet.
Updated
Victoria announces $10m fund for wildlife
The Victorian government will inject $10m into a nature fund to protect the state’s native plants and threatened species.
The biodiversity scheme will involve matching funding for projects spearheaded by private or philanthropic organisations in a bid to halting the decline of native plants and animals.
The state’s energy, environment and climate change minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said the fund would help the state respond to emerging threats to biodiversity:
We all need to work together to protect Victoria’s most threatened species and ensure they have a bright future in our changing climate.
On top of this, the government is investing $2.8m to Trust for Nature to protect important habitat on private land through voluntary conservation covenants signed with private landowners, as part of the Iconic Estates Program.
Protecting habitat on private land will improve resilience for threatened species on our public land, creating buffers zones and corridors to allow species more space to move and adapt to climate change.
The projects will focus on the northwest, Grampians, Otways, and far East Gippsland and will benefit a range of threatened species such as the smoky mouse, southern brown bandicoot, growling grass frog, elegant spider-orchid, Australasian bittern and white-browed treecreeper and many more.
Updated
30,300 new cases in AUS
— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) June 17, 2022
•11,654 PCR (14.76%🧪positivity)
•18,646 RAT
7d avg down 393 on yday to 25,478
⬇️8% on last week
Since 25 Jan 2020:
Local Cases🦠7,731,286
Deaths🔴9,263 (+51)
PCR Tests🧪73,058,174 (+78,961)
208,170 Active🟠(+2,269)
•2,817🏥(+4)
•93 ICU (-4) pic.twitter.com/vxK9sXMVWn
ACTU welcomes inclusion of paid family and domestic violence leave in NES
The ACTU has said it welcomes a commitment from the minister for employment and workplace relations, Tony Burke, to enshrine paid family and domestic violence leave in the National Employment Standards as his “first legislative priority”.
The peak union body said new legislation would ensure the vast majority of workers had access to the entitlement, and said it would be “a significant step towards supporting people escaping abusive relationships and saving lives”.
“Including paid family and domestic violence leave in the NES is a historic reform and will help support people – nearly always women and children – escape abusive relationships. It will literally save lives,” the ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus, said.
“Unions have campaigned tirelessly for paid domestic and family violence leave for over a decade which will give some economic security to people leaving volatile and dangerous domestic situations and build supportive workplaces.”
Updated
National Covid summary
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 51 deaths from Covid-19:
ACT
- Deaths: 6
- Cases: 962
- In hospital: 87 (with 2 people in ICU)
NSW
- Deaths: 8
- Cases: 8,355
- In hospital: 1,372 (with 42 people in ICU)
Northern Territory
- Deaths: 0
- Cases: 275
- In hospital: 18 (with 1 person in ICU)
Queensland
- Deaths: 11
- Cases: 4,182
- In hospital: 402 (with 7 people in ICU)
South Australia
- Deaths: 5
- Cases: 2,807
- In hospital: 210 (with 5 people in ICU)
Tasmania
- Deaths: 2
- Cases: 800
- In hospital: 30 (with 1 person in ICU)
Victoria
- Deaths: 18
- Cases: 7,608
- In hospital: 438 (with 24 people in ICU)
Western Australia
- Deaths: 1
- Cases: 5,311
- In hospital: 260 (with 11 people in ICU)
National Electricity Market has sufficient supply to meet weekend demand, Aemo says
The Australian Energy Market Operator has issued a statement saying electricity reserves have improved across the National Energy Market
- Aemo can confirm sufficient electricity supply can be made available to meet forecast demand over the weekend across all regions in the National Electricity Market.
- Since announcing the suspension of the electricity spot market, we have seen improvements in generation availability, as reflected in our forecasts.
- Challenges remain in the energy sector and Aemo will continue to monitor supply levels and risks across all regions.
Updated
Local government can attend national cabinet once a year, Albanese confirms
Despite criticism of Scott Morrison for excluding local government from national cabinet and promising as an election commitment to restore them, Anthony Albanese has revealed they will only be invited to the body once a year.
In March, then local government spokesman Jason Clare said that “local government will have a seat at the national cabinet table in an Albanese-Labor Government”.
But at his press conference on Friday, Albanese said:
The national cabinet agreed we will invite a representative of local government to a future meeting of the national cabinet and the treasury body once a year so all levels of government can be involved.
The communique issued after the meeting said:
National cabinet will invite a representative of local government to future meetings of national cabinet and [the council of federal financial relations] once a year to ensure all levels of government are represented. The national cabinet has agreed to meet a minimum of four times a year or as necessary and will next meet prior to the federal budget in October 2022.
That’s a little ambiguous – is it all future meetings, meaning four times a year? Or only once a year? The prime minister’s office has confirmed it is the latter.
Under Morrison, the national cabinet agreed that “once a year, national cabinet, CFFR and the Australian Local Government Association will meet in person as the national federation reform council with a focus on priority national federation issues”.
So councils have gone from one meeting a year with national cabinet and the CFFR at the same time to, at best, two meetings a year meeting them separately.
Hardly revolutionary stuff and not much of a seat at the top table.
Updated
Sydney housing affordability ‘never been worse’, economists say
House prices in Sydney remain more than 20% above pre-Covid levels despite rising interest rates, as economists warn housing affordability has “never been worse”.
After hitting record highs in January, Sydney house prices have dropped -1.5%, but remain 22.7% above pre-2020 levels, according to CoreLogic data.
Melbourne, which experienced a softer growth phase, has recorded a smaller decline of -0.8%, with housing values now 9.8% higher compared with the pre-Covid level.
Updated
Experts say double-jab worker mandates no longer justified
AAP’s Tim Dornin:
The retention of double-dose Covid-19 vaccination mandates for workers in most settings is no longer justified, leading Australian epidemiologists say.
The head of the University of Melbourne’s school of population and global health, Prof Nancy Baxter, is unsure why Victoria’s two-jab policy remains for industries not involving the vulnerable, saying the effect of vaccines on transmission wanes over time.
“[We’ve eliminated] density restrictions, mandatory mask wearing and recommendations for working at home ... those [measures] that we know will be effective against transmission,” she told a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the state’s pandemic orders.
“It’s unclear why we’re maintaining mandatory vaccines just for that.”
Prof Catherine Bennett, from Deakin University, said the situation had fundamentally changed since two-dose worker vaccine mandates were considered justified and necessary.
“I don’t think there’s any dispute that [mandates] served a role at the time,” Bennett said.
“It did make a difference in terms of our population-level response and our control, but I don’t think there was ever going to be an argument – even before Omicron – for keeping the two-dose mandates in place.”
Baxter said a significant number of Australians remained unprotected against the virus, including children under five and some immunocompromised people.
She said it is important to be cautious when it comes to mandates in aged care, health care and disability settings, where patients and clients are particularly at risk.
Earlier, Prof Margaret Hellard, from the Burnet Institute, told the inquiry authorities should still pursue measures to minimise cases and deaths, estimating Australia could record between 10,000 and 15,000 Covid-related deaths this year.
Updated
Victoria reports 7,608 new Covid cases and 18 deaths
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 17, 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/VWMI6ZuE7G
Updated
WA reports 5,311 new Covid cases and one death
This is our WA COVID-19 update for Friday, 17 June 2022.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) June 17, 2022
For official information on COVID-19 in WA, visit https://t.co/gIGAhoXMnm https://t.co/floUehkTj1 pic.twitter.com/oyOrzyXCUC
Updated
ACT reports 962 new Covid cases and six deaths
[1/7] ACT COVID-19 Update – 17 June 2022
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) June 17, 2022
💉 COVID-19 vaccinations
◾ Aged 5-11 years (1 dose): 80.6%
◾ Aged 5-11 years (2 doses): 68.5%
◾ Aged 5+ years (2 doses): 97.3%
◾ Aged 16+ years (3 doses): 77.0% pic.twitter.com/um8JiFBghh
Updated
And with that, I will hand over the blog to the always brilliant Ben Doherty for the last time this week. Thanks for reading.
Penny Wong welcomed to Solomon Islands by PM Sogavare
A small update on another meeting happening today: the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is in Solomon Islands and has met with the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare.
“Nice to see you,” Sogavare said as he greeted Wong, in clips released by the minister’s office.
Sogavare and Wong exchanged gifts before the meeting began.
We expect to hear from Wong at a press conference in about four hours from now. She is also expected to participate in several community events.
Updated
SA premier ‘grateful’ to be noticed by Vladimir Putin
So that press conference has ended, but I just want to back over some answers given, including South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas speaking about his Lithuanian heritage when discussing his inclusion on the list of Australians banned from travelling to Russia.
I’m just grateful that Vladimir Putin took notice.
I am very grateful for the fact that Vladimir Putin has paid attention to the leading role that South Australia is playing, for standing up for the democratic values that we collectively as a country hold dear.
My heritage, my family knows all too well the human tragedy that can occur in the face of unacceptable Russian aggression and I am very proud of the fact that my government has played a leadership role and look forward to doing that in the future.
Updated
Albanese on migration and skills shortages: ‘We are working on those issues’
So, final question is on skill shortages and whether there will be any migration program introduced to deal with the issue.
The PM says:
We are working on those issues. We are a government that have been in place for a matter of weeks. Just weeks. So we’re working on issues with the department appropriately and I’ve discussed with the minister for home affairs as well as the minister for women as well as Brendan O’Connor who has the response and skills and trainings, on how we deal with these issues.
In the immediate sense though, in the sense of the week that I became prime minister, I directed (before the ministers were appointed to those jobs), I directed the departments to look at the backlog and indeed in the meetings that I had prior to the election I foreshadowed to departmental heads that there was something that we needed to address ... we got departments ready to act.
Updated
More on national cabinet secrecy ...
Before the election Anthony Albanese was a fierce critic of national cabinet secrecy.
When he had his own FOI request for national cabinet documents rejected by the department of prime minister and cabinet, Albanese said it was “extraordinary” and accused Scott Morrison of an “obsession with secrecy”.
The then shadow attorney general Mark Dreyfus also told the Canberra Times Labor would unwind the legal fiction that national cabinet is a subcommittee of federal cabinet, which allowed the government to block FOIs.
In March, Dreyfus reportedly said:
As [ACT chief minister] Andrew Barr has observed, ‘national cabinet is reaching the end of its fairly limited lifespan’. But Labor’s position is that it was never subject to cabinet-in-confidence rules for FOI requests, and we would adhere to this in office.
At the first meeting of national cabinet under Albanese on Friday, he was asked if he had proposed ending the secrecy and if not “what changed”.
Albanese said: “No” and “you got to ask one question”.
So, a backflip retaining secrecy and then choosing not to even explain why.
Updated
Daniel Andrews says politics was 'put aside' during meeting
Politics was put aside at this meeting and we have put patients first and that is the most important thing ... another test for all of us will be to work hard in the weeks and months to come, to come up with practical ways in which we can make the system work – GP primary care as well as hospitals, NDIS clients, aged care residents. I think we can do that ... we have put patients first and there is perhaps nothing more important than that.
Updated
Dominic Perrottet says health funding a 'great start'
NSW premier Dominic Perrotet is asked what he thought of the agreement to continue the Covid-era agreement on health funding, and gives a positive outlook:
This is a great start. This is something we have been discussing at national cabinet for some time, so to have the first meeting today and for this matter to be resolved in some degree, to be extended to December, I think is incredibly welcome and supported by every state premier and chief minister.
But also I think in addition to that today, what is incredibly pleasing is a real focus of working with the states and territories in relation to substantive health reform going forward. This is something that has been in the too hard basket for too long. We certainly got a sense today from the prime minister that we came back to national cabinet for the budget. That is reassuring; there are areas where we can provide further support for our health systems right across the country.
They are all going through a challenging time, not just through Covid but obviously the impact of that going forward, and the lack of integration between the GP network and primary care and the public health system is a challenge that every jurisdiction is facing. Working closely with the commonwealth government I think there is great opportunity for substantive reform in that space because the prime minister has said this is not about money, it’s about working together on substantial reform and I thought today’s national cabinet was refreshingly collaborative.
Updated
Albanese is asked about national cabinet secrecy
First question goes to the Guardian’s Paul Karp, who asks if Albanese brought up national cabinet secrecy, referring to Albanese saying last year Scott Morrison was “obsessed with secrecy”.
Albanese dismisses the issue, answering with one word:
No.
Updated
Cabinet agrees to meet a minimum of four times a year
Finally, the PM rattles off a series of agreements, including that the national cabinet will invite representatives of local governments in future meetings, announcing he will speak at an advanced economies forum convened by President Biden, and that they will meet again before the next federal budget.
The national cabinet agreed as well that we will invite a representative of local government to a future meeting of the national cabinet and the Treasury body once a year to each of those meetings to ensure that all levels of government are able to be involved.
The national cabinet has agreed to meet a minimum of four times a year or as necessary. Will meet prior to the federal budget, which will be handed down in over 2022.
Updated
States and territories support move for referendum on voice to parliament
The PM has continued, saying the leaders of state and territories have supported the commonwealth government’s moves to hold a referendum on a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament.
Can I say as well that the states and territories expressed their support for the commonwealth’s commitment to progress a referendum for a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament. As one of my colleagues
here said: if not now, when?And we’re very concerned that five years after the statement from the heart, this reform will just drop off. It is something that’s got to be progressed this year and this term and that is why [we need] the support of the states and territories. Constitutional change requires four out of every six states with the majority across the country in order to be improved.
Updated
Albanese opens door to migration as short-term solution to skills shortages
Next up, the PM is addressing skills shortages, opening the door for migration as a short-term solution:
The second issue that we dealt with today was the issue of skill shortages. It recognises that we need to train Australians for the needs of the day but also the jobs of tomorrow. And we need to work on a national skills plan in order to deliver that.
But it’s also to recognise that short-term shortages mean that we need to one: work on clearing the backlog from people who have visas that have been granted and waiting 12 or 18 months before they are actually able to take their place in workplaces around the country.
That’s placing pressure in construction, in infrastructure, leading to increased costs, also taking and putting pressure on service delivery. And short-term migration will need to be a part of the solution to skill shortages and we will work with the business community ... cooperatively to address those issues.
Updated
Federal government agrees to extend Covid funding arrangement until end of year
The PM has begun by welcoming the meeting of national cabinet for the first time since the election, and announced the government will extend its Covid funding arrangement until 30 December.
It was conducted in a very good spirit, a spirit of engagement, one that recognised our common interests and our common purpose to serve people and our respective state and territories – from my perspective, to serve people around the nation. There was a focus, of course, on the response to the health pandemic, which we know is ongoing.
And in recognition of the pressure that health and hospitals continue to be under, the commonwealth has agreed to extend the Covid funding arrangements until the 30th of December this year. There are some arrangements in place as well about some of the measures not being continued beyond September because it was agreed that they were not necessary. Importantly, we’ve agreed as well that ... Glen Davis, the head of the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, will conduct a process review of health funding and health arrangements, looking at health reform.
What that is about isn’t necessarily additional dollars. What it’s about is a recognition that our hospital system at the moment has people who should be looked after by their local GP ... That the lack of nurses and health professionals in the aged care system means that many people who should be either being looked after at home or looked after as aged care residents end up in the hospital system as well as putting further pressure on the system.
Updated
The PM has just begun speaking after his first national cabinet meeting.
Updated
ANU voices support for Australian academics sanctioned by Russia
The Australian National University says it will support its academics as they speak out about the war in Ukraine, after four were included on a list of sanctions announced by Russia overnight. The list of Australians subjected to travel bans announced by Russia includes:
- Professor Brian Schmidt, ANU vice-chancellor
- Emeritus Professor Paul Dibb, ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre
- Professor John Blaxland, ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre
- Associate Professor Matthew Sussex, ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre
A spokesperson for ANU said in a statement issued a short time ago:
Earlier this year ANU cut all institutional ties with Russia in response to its illegal invasion of Ukraine. That position remains in place.
Our academics play a pivotal role in helping Australia and the world better understand complex issues every day – including war. We will continue to support our experts to speak about the war in Ukraine and its tragic consequences.
ANU stands with everyone affected by this war.
Sussex also tweeted about being on the list:
Humbled to be included on #Russia #MFA blacklist for Australia. Quite the splattering of names, but a special pleasure to share the company of @WarintheFuture, @RG_Horvath, @JohnBlaxland1 @mfullilove @chrizap @Dr_M_Davis among other worthy recipients. https://t.co/7uXraCI8NQ
— Matthew Sussex (@matthew_sussex) June 16, 2022
Over the past few months, Australia has joined close partners in expanding its own sanctions against Russian political and media figures over the invasion of Ukraine.
Updated
PM and premiers to speak soon
The Prime Minister is in Canberra today with First Ministers and will hold a press conference at 11:15AM #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) June 17, 2022
Updated
Simon Birmingham admits to 'missed opportunity' on energy
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham has said the Coalition’s lack of an energy plan was the “missed opportunity of the last decade”.
Birmingham was discussing the Coalition’s failure to establish a framework like the National Energy Guarantee on Sky News this morning, and admitted his government was culpable for some of the issues leading to the energy crisis:
And one of the things that I think was a missed opportunity of the last decade was the type of measures proposed in the National Energy Guarantee.
Which was to make sure we had a framework to reduce emissions and to achieve lower emissions electricity generation but, at the same time, effective obligations to keep reliability in the energy markets as well.
Updated
Australian stock market plunges again
The local stock market has plunged again, dropping to its lowest level since November 2020, AAP reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 177.7 points, or 2.7%, to 6,313.4 at 10.39am AEDT. The broader All Ordinaries was down 2.75% to 6,597.
The plunge came after Wall Street indices retreated further in bear market territory, with the S&P500 falling 3.3% and the Nasdaw down 4.1%.
Overnight, the Bank of England raised its key rate for the fifth time since December, opting for an increase of 0.25 percentage points. Switzerland’s central bank raised rates for the first time in years, with a half-point hike.
“The backdrop for equities right now is about as bad as it gets,” City Index analyst Tony Sycamore wrote in his morning note.
“Central banks determination to break the back of spiralling inflation at the cost of growth likely guarantees a recession during the first half of 2023.”
The ASX200 is down 11.1% so far this month and 13.9% this year.
Updated
Ed Husic 'absolutely agitated' with gas companies
The industry and science minister Ed Husic has backed calls for a domestic gas reserve, saying there should be no supply issue in Australia given the amount of gas exported. He added that a windfall profits tax should be considered as a means of addressing the energy crisis.
Husic told the ABC’s RN Breakfast this morning that he was “absolutely agitated” with the gas companies, saying the government should send a signal that these businesses could no longer burden the public with this crisis:
I’ve got a great deal of sympathy for the view in the broader public that these are Australian resources that should be made available for use by households.
If we’re shipping out of some of our ports seven times the level of supply that is used by the Australian market in one year, it’s not an issue of supply here. This is not an issue that we don’t have the gas. It’s the supply that is available locally at a price that works for industry.
If interest rates were falling and banks were holding on to that and not passing on the interest rate cut to the wider community, one of the arguments we’d be putting is that that’s having an impact on the commercial environment for a lot of other businesses. And we’d be putting pressure on the banks to play ball.
I think we’re in similar sort of territory here with gas companies, and I think they do need to recognise the social licence that exists.
Updated
Kean doesn’t expect NSW government will need to use emergency powers
Kean said the powers have been put on standby to use if needed but at the minute “fuel security is fine”:
Obviously fuel security is one thing that we are always focused on. I’ve spoken to each of the energy companies in the last few days and we remain in regular contact with them.
Right now fuel security is fine, but we are just putting those powers ... on standby if we need them.
And I should just say we don’t envisage that need will arise at this stage, but we are giving ourselves all the levers that we need to give the community certainty that we are doing everything that we can.
Updated
Kean on generators: ‘These are old bits of machinery. They are not as reliable as we would like’
Kean has expanded on the energy situation in NSW, saying that a generator came back online yesterday, and that another generator is expected to come back online tomorrow:
We had a generator come online yesterday. That added 680 megawatts to the system that wasn’t there the night before. Tomorrow we are expecting another generator to come back online, giving us much more reserve capacity. As I said, these are old bits of machinery, they are not as reliable as we would like them to be, particularly when we need them during this time.
We are not just seeing it in New South Wales. We’ve seen generators in Victoria also off line when we need them and also generators in Queensland, so he a challenge which is being faced by all the states and territories in the national entry market.
Updated
NSW treasurer says emergency energy powers a ‘proactive step’
NSW treasurer and minister for energy Matt Kean has stepped up for a press conference, and provided some clarity on the special powers activated last night. They give him the power to direct coal companies to provide fuel to electricity generators.
Kean said the Australian Energy Market Operator advised him to activate the emergency powers in the event there was an “unexpected change” to the situation:
We’ve seen problems in Queensland, seen problems in South Australia, seen problems in Victoria and we’ve also seen problems in New South Wales. Aemo have described the energy situation as much healthier, and that’s good news.
With regard to the special powers that we’ve activated, Aemo advised me that we should activate some special powers to have on stand-by if in the event there was an unexpected change to the situation.
We are just taking a proactive step that will support us if there are issues with fuel security, if there are issues with logistics in getting fuel to the site of the generators.
We want to make sure that we have everything in our tool kit to keep the system running and make sure we get through this period.
Updated
Greens announce portfolios ahead of 47th Parliament #auspol pic.twitter.com/kyz40kkJZW
— Political Alert (@political_alert) June 16, 2022
Albanese shrugs off prospect of Greens trying to block Labor’s emissions plan
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he’s unfazed by the Greens potentially gearing up to vote down legislation for his 43% emissions reduction 2030 target, claiming the progressive party “haven’t learned” from its 2009 opposition to Kevin Rudd’s carbon pollution reduction scheme (CPRS).
The Labor government will introduce legislation around the expanded emissions scheme when parliament resumes, but Albanese yesterday stressed the legislation wasn’t actually necessary – all but confirming the plan wasn’t up for negotiation.
Labor will need the support of the Greens plus at least one Senate crossbencher to pass legislation in the upper house, and the Greens have been vocal in saying Labor’s 43% plan wasn’t enough, calling for higher targets and a temporary moratorium on new fossil fuel developments in Australia.
Asked on the Today show about whether the Greens may create “rocky times ahead” for the fresh government, Albanese was dismissive.
He said:
The Greens party haven’t learnt from what happened in 2009. I mean ... Kevin Rudd and John Howard both went to the 2007 election with similar plans to ratify Kyoto, to have, in that case at the time, it was an emissions trading scheme going forward, and the Greens blocked that proposal and we have had a decade of problems since.
It was a reference to Rudd’s CPRS, a long-running point of contention between Labor and the Greens. Labor has complained that the Greens’ opposition to the plan blocked meaningful Australian action on climate for years, and led to higher emissions; the Greens maintain the CPRS “was bad policy” and pointed to treasury modelling that it would not have led to a reduction in emissions for years, and given handouts to polluters.
On Friday, Albanese shrugged off criticism of Labor’s latest emissions plan.
If the Greens or other parties want to try and block it, well so be it. That will be a matter for them. But we will get on. It doesn’t require legislation,” he said.
It doesn’t have to be legislated. We are getting on with doing it. We’ve signed up to it. Whether it’s legislated or not, is a matter for the Parliament but it’s not necessary to drive this policy.
Albanese accused others of “grandstanding” on the issue.
On Sky News, shadow foreign minister and opposition Senate leader Simon Birmingham declined to commit to whether the Coalition would support or oppose the government’s plan. He said the opposition wanted to see more detail before making a decision.
Updated
Secrecy of national cabinet likely to remain, leaders suggest before meeting
Before the election Anthony Albanese was a fierce critic of national cabinet secrecy.
When he had his own FOI request for national cabinet documents rejected by the department of prime minister and cabinet, Albanese said it was “extraordinary” and accused Scott Morrison of an “obsession with secrecy”.
But based on what the the premiers and chief ministers said on the way into their first formal meeting with Albanese on Friday, it seems the core principles of national cabinet solidarity and secrecy are popular and likely to stay.
Asked about reforming national cabinet and secrecy, the Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said:
I think national cabinet is really important. It served the people really well when we dealt with the pandemic for two years ... If we keep that format in terms of making decisions in the best interests of the country I think we’ll get a lot of things done.
Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, said:
I believe that national cabinet was a good mechanism throughout the pandemic ... I’m looking forward to a very collaborative arrangement.
South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, dropped a big hint that there might be a rebrand of the body:”
We support the national cabinet model that has been in place for a while. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to experience national cabinet and I enter the process with an open mind. The one thing that every Australian knows is this, the nation needs to come together. I do think there is an appetite across the political divide ... to work together collaboratively ... Whether we call it first ministers or national cabinet, I’m rather non plussed.
Asked if secrecy and solidarity would remain, Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, said:
I would expect so ... I know people always look for points of difference but it’s actually been pretty good over the last two and a half years. And I certainly support those sorts of things.
New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, said “I don’t think so” when asked if secrecy would be scrapped. “I think the national cabinet actually worked quite well,” he said, adding that as treasurer he felt it worked better than the Council of Australian Governments.
He said:
As long as the states have buy-in and it’s not an us vs them mentality, which I think it has been in the past, I think we can get some constructive discussions. It’s important, which I’ll be raising today, that the states have capacity to engage and put their own agenda into the national cabinet meeting. it can’t just be a top down approach ... that was certainly something all the state premiers and first ministers share that view, and something the prime minister took on board.
Asked about secrecy and solidarity the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said:
It’s a matter of fact that if you want cabinet government to work you need cabinet rules - they’re the rules that apply to national cabinet and should apply, so we can continue to get things done.
Updated
Dutton says Labor ‘unluckiest people in politics’
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has hit out at the Labor government, sarcastically labelling them the “unluckiest people in politics.”
Dutton was on the Today Show with deputy prime minister Richard Marles, and in a heated exchange, said Marles had “no idea” how to handle the energy crisis:
It’s remarkable how Labor always has this bad luck in government in relation to the economy, it all sours on their watch.
The reality is we’re dealing with these issues every day, Ukraine hasn’t just gone to war, they’ve been at war for months, there hasn’t been a problem with energy supply since Labor.
The problem is gas companies have heard Labor say they wouldn’t support gas.
So let’s have a sensible discussion instead of the Labor talking points who just want to blame the previous government.
Updated
The distribution of preferences for the QLD Senate count will be undertaken at 4:15 this afternoon.
— AEC ✏️ (@AusElectoralCom) June 16, 2022
This will determine the six successful candidates for that election and we'll post the list here shortly afterwards. #ausvotes
NSW records 8,355 new Covid cases and 8 deaths
Overnight, NSW has reported 8,355 new cases and eight deaths:
COVID-19 update – Friday 17 June 2022
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 16, 2022
In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:
- 96.5% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 95% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/S45eNpyQBK
SA Premier says he won't be 'bullied' by Putin
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has taken to Twitter to respond to the Russian government’s decision to blacklist him.
He says the move was in response to his government’s “strong stance in standing up for Ukraine”.
Overnight I became the first Premier blacklisted by Vladimir Putin.
— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) June 16, 2022
It means I cannot visit Russia.
While travelling to Russia wasn’t on my bucket list, it appears this decision has been made in response my government’s strong stance in standing up for Ukraine.
This includes:
— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) June 16, 2022
- Legislating to ban State Government investment in Russian assets
- Sending medical equipment to Ukraine
- Welcoming Ukrainian refugees and advocating for more
Vladimir Putin, I won’t be bullied, the State Government won’t be bullied and I will continue to stand up for democracy.
— Peter Malinauskas (@PMalinauskasMP) June 16, 2022
Updated
This first National Cabinet under PM Albanese will reset the working relationship between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories.
— Andrew Barr MLA (@ABarrMLA) June 16, 2022
There are many significant challenges inherited from the previous government that will require a joint effort from all of us to resolve. pic.twitter.com/4Ttc7q8Nej
Albanese says private investment in renewables key to resolving energy crisis
The PM is making the rounds this morning, appearing on Sunrise and repeating his line that almost a decade of “delay and denial” under the former Coalition government led to the current energy crisis (I feel like this will be a recurring theme today.)
People want an end to the nonsense that’s gone on for the last decade.
You can’t fix 10 years of inaction in just 10 days but we are taking immediate action through Aemo to make sure that the lights stay on. At the same time, we’re making sure that we create the investment environment to make sure we get it right.
We need new investment in the system, and the cheapest form of new investment is clean energy.
Once you make that outlay, then energy becomes cheaper in the future and then you become so competitive. So if we get this right, this can be an opportunity to drive new jobs, new industries.
Updated
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas jokes he’s “proud” to be on the new list of Russian sanctions against Australians, but that Russia wasn’t exactly on his “to-do list” anyway pic.twitter.com/2OjUGZlhO0
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) June 16, 2022
McGowan calls for national gas reserve
West Australian premier Mark McGowan said it was “very strange” that some parts of the nation are lacking in gas supply, and called for the implementation of a national gas reserve.
Speaking on RN Breakfast, McGowan referred to WA’s decision in 2006 to implement a 15% gas reservation policy, which has shielded the state from the energy crisis.
The gas is actually the property of the people of the state, whichever state that is, and there should have always been enough for the state and the country in question. It just seems to me to be very strange that there’s no gas for local people yet.
Coal-fired power generation is very old technology and very difficult for coal plants to cope with renewables coming onto the grid, basically, new renewables every minute
So essentially, we’ve given a timeframe to close down the coal fired power stations because they will no longer be required by late 2029.
Updated
Albanese says productivity key to boosting profits
And a final question to the PM was on the Fair Work Commission’s decision earlier this week to raise the minimum wage.
Albanese was asked if he was concerned at a potential inflationary spiral, which the PM dismissed, saying the commission considered these issues at length before coming to their decision:
You look at what the Fair Work Commission head Iain Ross said in his statement – that this wouldn’t be inflationary, this was in the context of a relatively low unemployment rate which is there.
And, they made the decision that given the cost-of-living pressures that people are under, if you didn’t have at least a 5.1% increase in at the minimum wage what you would be saying is that people who are the lowest paid workers in this country would get a real wage cut, and they couldn’t afford to do that, so I welcome the decision by the Fair Work Commission.
It was based upon their assessments about the economy and the impact on it as well. What we need to do in the medium and longer term, and I will be talking with premiers and chief ministers about this today, is that if you want to increase profits and increase wages, the key to that is boosting productivity and we need a productivity agenda. And, I am pleased that the states and territories want to be a part of that as well.
Updated
Albanese: there are real pressures in the health system
Albanese is next asked about health funding in the context of the national cabinet meeting due today.
Albanese was asked what his government would be doing in the short term, denying that any of his election pledges were only long-term solutions:
There are real pressures in the health system and we understand that that is the case. But, when you look at those pressures, it isn’t just a matter of hospital funding, it is the way the hospital system is operating in general.
That’s why we announced during the election campaign our urgent care clinics. That’s why we announced our Medicare-strengthening GP payments as well for every GP clinic in the country. That’s why we announced $750m to our Medicare program.
We will have discussions today about the pressures that the system is under. We note that the Covid payments in terms of the hospital system due to end at the end of September, but was something that was put in place by the former government and we will have constructive discussions about better this morning with state premiers and territory leaders.
Updated
Albanese says 10 years of 'denial and delays' led to energy crisis
Next up is the prime minister himself, who was on ABC News Breakfast, who was asked about the government’s short-term strategy to deal with the energy crisis on the east coast.
Albanese, though, said there was little reform his government could do in the immediate term, adding that it would be “dishonest” to try and say he could fix the transmission grid overnight:
AEMO has made clear it will stay in place while it is deemed to be necessary. What I can’t do is stand here in my office in Parliament House and create a new power plan or fix the transmission grid. It is just dishonest.
The problem is, we have had 10 years of denial and delays. We haven’t had the investment, we haven’t had the grid effects, and as a result we have problems with the energy system. We had 22 policies announced and not landed. It is just dishonest. If I stood here and said that I could create a new power grid in a day – you simply can’t do that. What we simply needed to do was to have a short-term measure in place, but also to make sure that we get that investment, so that in the future we don’t have these problems.
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Richard Marles says Australia should be 'partner of choice' for the Pacific
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles is first off the bench this morning, and said the government is focusing on building a more robust relationship with Pacific nations, while adding that “the door is open” to more discussions with China.
Marles was on Sunrise this morning, and said Australia wanted to be the “partner of choice” for the Pacific, adding that his meeting with Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe was “purposeful”.
I think the important point is that both of us went into that meeting at the beginning with a sense of wanting to take the bilateral relationship to a better place, and that is also how the meeting ended.
It’s only a first step. There is a long way to go, but I think the door is open to more dialogue with China.
It is important that around defence issues you do have a dialogue, so there is no issue of miscalculation, and so we will do that in a much more professional way than what we saw with the Morrison government.
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Russia sanctions 121 more Australians
Here is the full AAP report on the Russian sanctions on Australians:
The Russian government says it is sanctioning a further 121 Australian citizens including business people, army officials and journalists.
Russia’s foreign ministry on Thursday night said the move to bar entry to the Australians was in response to Australian government sanctions against Russian individuals, put in place following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
It accused those on the list of promoting a “Russophobic agenda” in Australia.
Names include ABC chair Ita Buttrose, News Corp co-chair Lachlan Murdoch, South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas and Defence Force chief General Angus Campbell alongside various business people, newspaper editors, academics and thinktank heads.
Media personalities Stan Grant, Andrew Bolt and Liz Hayes were included as well as Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, mining magnates Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Gina Rinehart as well as Nine Entertainment Group chair Peter Costello and Meriton apartment developer Harry Triguboff.
Those mentioned on the list are barred from entering Russia indefinitely, the foreign ministry said.
It added that it could expand the blacklist as the Australian government “does not seem inclined to abandon its anti-Russia policy line and continues to produce new sanctions”.
Russia describes the incursion of its forces into Ukraine as a “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” its neighbour.
Ukraine and its allies have rejected this as nonsense.
Australia in May sanctioned more than 70 Russian politicians and more than 30 local officials in the eastern Ukrainian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
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Good morning
Good morning and happy Friday, Mostafa Rachwani with you this morning, taking you through the day’s news.
We begin with a report that the Russian government says it is sanctioning a further 121 Australian citizens including business people, army officials and journalists. Russia’s foreign ministry on Thursday night said the move to bar entry to the Australians was in response to Australian government sanctions against Russian individuals, put in place following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
In Canberra, national cabinet is reconvening with a new prime minister today, with expectations premiers will ask the federal government for more consistent health funding and improvements to primary care.
In NSW, energy minister Matt Kean last night took the extraordinary step of taking emergency powers that force coal companies to guarantee fuel supplies to the local electricity market, as stockpiles run low. It was another night where blackouts were narrowly avoided, and the energy crisis continues.
There is still much going on, so let’s dive in.
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