What we learned – Tuesday 23 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go let’s recap the main headlines:
Crews on ‘cyclone watch’ between Innisfail and the Whitsundays
Ten people arrested at Port of Melbourne blockade against Zim
South Australia swelters as heatwave warnings issued in other states
Victoria’s budget will be ‘very tight’ this year, treasurer warns
Ita Buttrose backs David Anderson as ABC board passes unanimous vote of confidence
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again. Until then, stay safe.
Updated
Residents in parts of NSW are being asked to stay safe in the heat:
Advice from @NSWHealth
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) January 23, 2024
- Avoid being outdoors in the hottest part of the day
- Limit physical activity to early in the morning
- Stay hydrated
- Apply sunscreen, wear sunglasses and a wide brim hat
- Seek out cool places before it's too hot
Stay safe! https://t.co/VJpGqrOKdH
Local share market enjoys third straight day of gains
As United States investors remain bullish the Federal Reserve will aggressively slash rates, AAP has reported.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Tuesday finished up 38.3 points, or 0.51%, at 7,514.9, while the broader All Ordinaries rose 39.8 points, or 0.52%, to 7,742.1.
Wall Street continued to build on its hot start to the year overnight, with the Dow Jones and Nasdaq both finishing up 0.4%, while the S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to a fresh record high.
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Ita Buttrose backs David Anderson as ABC board passes unanimous vote of confidence
The ABC chair, Ita Buttrose, has issued a statement about the ongoing Fair Work case involving the journalist Antoinette Lattouf.
The broadcaster’s board met today to discuss the legal action brought by Lattouf in the Fair Work Commission. The board noted that the ABC rejects the claims and has lodged its defence.
It also passed a unanimous vote of confidence in the ABC managing director, David Anderson.
Buttrose, speaking on behalf of the board, said:
It is abhorrent and incorrect that people would suggest that he has shown a lack of support for independent journalism and journalists.
David Anderson has always been strong a supporter of the independence of the ABC and its journalists. He has encouraged them to report without fear or favour and has never weakly surrendered to criticism as some critics have alleged.
The ABC regularly receives, and responds to, complaints from individuals or organisations and the assumption that either the Managing Director as Editor-in-Chief or I would be influenced by any sort of lobbying pressure is quite simply wrong.
The Board, including the Managing Director, recognise that this is a very difficult environment for our staff with many societal issues that threaten to divide us. We will continue to prioritise actions that support our staff, ensure our journalistic independence, and protect the trust that Australians place in the ABC.
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Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam has been following the heatwave.
He says of the three states, Birdsville at 47.2C in Queensland was the hottest (so far) for the day.
With a heatwave this large, it's perhaps not surprising that WA, SA and Queensland would all post 47C temperatures on the same day. With the planet heating up, we'll see more such days and higher maximums... (Source: @bom_au) pic.twitter.com/WAtC7vLaxF
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 23, 2024
Updated
Optus reveals more customers were unable to make triple zero calls during outage than it initially said
Optus has revealed 12 times the number of customers initially claimed last year were unable to make triple zero calls during the company’s 14-hour nationwide outage of phone and internet services in November, and that welfare checks for more than 2,400 customers were not conducted.
The company’s then CEO, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, told a Senate inquiry in November that 228 of the Optus customers who attempted to call triple zero during the outage were unable to connect their call, but the company had conducted welfare checks and all those who attempted to call triple zero were OK.
On Tuesday, Optus said that a review of its processes had discovered an additional 2,468 customers who attempted to call triple zero during the outage whose calls did not connect. The company also did not conduct a welfare check on these customers.
Optus’s interim CEO, Michael Venter, said:
I offer my deepest apologies to all those customers who were unable to access Triple Zero services during the outage and did not receive a follow-up check from us.
We are writing to each customer individually to apologise for this and provide the opportunity to discuss their specific circumstances and whether there is anything we can do to assist them further.
We know we let our customers down and our entire team is committed to addressing all learnings from the outage.
The company said it would correct the Senate record and work with the various investigations into the outage.
Updated
NSW government approves Boggabri coalmine expansion
The NSW government has approved a coalmine expansion in the state’s north-west, with climate activists calling the decision “incompatible” with the state’s emissions reduction goals.
The state’s planning department has officially approved Idemitsu’s expansion of its Boggabri coalmine to extract an additional 28.1m tonnes of coal. A departmental assessment late last year recommended approval of the project because the “benefits of the modification outweigh its residual costs”.
The expansion would be responsible for an estimated additional 63m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, with 61.8m tonnes of those projected emissions occurring after the coal is sold and burnt.
The approval comes two months after the NSW parliament passed new climate legislation that enshrined the state’s emission reduction targets in law.
The Lock the Gate Alliance said the decision was incompatible with those emissions reduction goals.
Libby Laird, who lives on a property adjacent to the mine, said:
This government has just said we need urgent action to bring greenhouse gas emissions down, yet it seems like its priority is approving a new coal project.
Updated
The NHVR director of prosecutions, Belinda Hughes, says fatigue is not a “minor issue”:
A fatigued driver risks their own lives and the lives of the road users around them. This case demonstrates the shared responsibility for drivers to be fit to drive. The duty rests on the company and senior management just as much as the driver.
Our thoughts are with the families of the four officers. This tragedy serves as a sombre reminder of why we must all work together to uphold the highest standards of road safety.
The matter was heard today at the Downing Centre court in Sydney.
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Updated
Trucking company manager sentenced to three years’ jail over Eastern Freeway crash
A senior manager at the trucking company involved in the Eastern Freeway crash that claimed the lives of four police officers in April 2020 has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
The manager was charged by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator for failing to fulfil their primary duty as an operator and has been sentenced to three years imprisonment.
The NHVR executive director of statutory compliance, Raymond Hassall, says this ruling shows the regulator’s commitment to road safety:
We don’t just urge, but we challenge all companies to critically review and strengthen their fatigue management practices. These systems are crucial for ensuring the safety of drivers and the public.
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Jacinda Ardern to continue as NZ’s online extremism envoy, PM says
Jacinda Ardern will continue as New Zealand’s special envoy for the Christchurch Call, a multilateral body aiming to fight online extremism, AAP has reported.
The Call, a foreign policy initiative of New Zealand and France, brings together tech companies and countries to decrease online communications that might lead to terrorism.
Ardern, NZ’s prime minister from 2017 to 2023, took on the non-paying envoy role after leaving office to continue promoting the body.
She was expected to leave the role after the election of a right-leaning government late last year. However, the prime minister, Chris Luxon, revealed on Tuesday he had asked her to extend her term.
Updated
Little Amal to visit Australia to raise awareness about children caught in war
A giant doll raising awareness about the millions of young children caught up in the horrors of war and conflict will walk on Australian soil for the first time after travelling through 15 countries to promote peace, AAP has reported.
Towering at over 3.5 metres tall, Little Amal depicts a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl with long hair.
Little Amal is joining The Walk, an international work that has been added to the lineup of events for the 2024 Adelaide festival from 15 to 17 March.
It takes the work of four puppeteers to bring her to life, with one to carry each arm, one supporting her back and one commandeering from the inside on walking stilts.
The lifelike doll was crafted by Handspring Puppet Company, a South African production group, using cane and carbon fibre to endure the complexity and variety of weather conditions and terrains across borders.
Updated
Victoria police has apologised, saying an “accidental human error” led to its official account retweeting a post thanking the organisation for “fighting leftist scum”.
A screenshot of the post was made before it was deleted, and is now doing the rounds:
Any reason why @VictoriaPolice is retweeting inflammatory comments like this? #vicpol pic.twitter.com/jmIL0dstPT
— Rowan (@StuffedShoulder) January 23, 2024
The apology:
You may have seen an inappropriate retweet on this channel today. Please rest assured this was an entirely accidental human error using moderation software and was deleted as soon as we became aware of it.
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) January 23, 2024
Updated
Peter Dutton:
But if there is a standout achievement of his Government, it was the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. AUKUS will underpin our defence and deterrence for decades to come.
In the days and weeks ahead, we will be able to reflect on Scott’s broader legacy – in stopping the boats as Immigration Minister, in keeping our economy well-managed as Treasurer, and in looking after the constituents he cherished dearly as the Member for Cook.
But on the announcement of his retirement today – and on behalf of the Coalition – I want to thank Scott Morrison for his service to our nation, for his dedication to the Liberal Party, and for his personal friendship.
My best wishes to him, his wife Jenny, and their daughters Abigail and Lily.
Updated
Dutton pays tribute to Morrison after former PM quits politics
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has released a statement addressing the former prime minister Scott Morrison’s retirement from politics. In full:
Scott was Australia’s 30th Prime Minister.
In the time he led our country, Scott presided over some of the most difficult challenges an Australian Prime Minister has known since the Second World War; most notably COVID-19.
Thanks to Scott’s quick decision to close the border, Australian lives were saved. And thanks to his Government’s JobKeeper package, more than 1 million businesses were supported and more than 4 million Australians had their jobs saved.
During the disruption of the pandemic, where travel was constrained, he engaged in worldwide telephone and video conferencing diplomacy to maintain and deepen our critical relationships.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, he immediately reassured President Zelensky that Australia stood with the people of Ukraine. And it was not empty rhetoric. Under Scott Morrison’s leadership, Australia provided millions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to our friends.
Updated
Hello everyone – this is Cait Kelly, I will be with you for the rest of the afternoon. Let’s get into it!
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, my colleague Cait Kelly will take you through the remainder of today’s news. Take care!
Fire ant nest found in northern NSW has been destroyed and fenced off
After the detection of fire ants in Wardell, south of Byron Bay, on Friday, the NSW agriculture minister, Tara Moriarty, says the nest has been destroyed, treated and fenced off.
She said this afternoon:
After three days of surveillance only one infested site has been identified.
Investigations into where the ants are from, including genetic analysis, are continuing with tracing of all the inputs of fire ant carrier material into the site progressing and a number of businesses have been inspected and engaged with.
Genetic testing is key – it will indicate whether the Wardell outbreak is linked to the ongoing infestation in south-east Queensland.
Moriarty added that almost 100 people have visited a pop-up information centre close to the site and the government’s biosecurity hotline has taken 520 calls since November, when fire ants were discovered in Murwillumbah – the first time fire ants have breached state borders and spread from the Queensland containment area.
A biosecurity control order covers an area of 5km from the nest, with fines of up to $1.1m for individuals or $2.2m for businesses for breaching the order.
Updated
Communities along WA’s Fitzroy River urged to prepare for flooding
Communities along the Fitzroy River are being urged to prepare for minor flooding today and tomorrow, as heavy rainfall continues in northern Western Australia.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) says there is “no immediate danger” but people need to keep up-to-date in case the situation changes.
According to the latest alert, heavy rainfall over the past few days has resulted in significant river rises along the Fitzroy River, which is continuing today.
Minor flooding is occurring at Fitzroy Crossing, and is possible at Noonkanbah from this evening.
Further areas of heavy rainfall are forecast today and into tomorrow which are likely to cause higher river levels over the next few days, DFES says.
There are also a number of road closures, including:
Duncan Road and Tanami Road.
Victoria Highway (at the Northern Territory/WA border).
Gibb River Road between Mount Barnett and Great Northern Highway.
Great Northern Highway between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek.
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‘It has been an honour’: Morrison releases statement on his resignation
Following his earlier statement to Facebook, Scott Morrison has released a formal statement on his resignation from politics and as the member for Cook.
His statement says:
I am very pleased with what I have been able to accomplish as a member of Parliament, Minister and Prime Minister. I am also pleased to see how the Coalition has been able to move forward in Opposition after the last election, maintain the stability and unity we were able to achieve in Government during my leadership with Josh Frydenberg and is performing well under Peter Dutton’s leadership.
I am thankful to all those who supported me in what we were able to achieve in Government, from the early days of stopping the boats to delivering tax cuts for individuals (stages 1, 2 & 3) and small business, leading Australia successfully through the global pandemic, saving lives and livelihoods, and delivering AUKUS, the single most significant defence agreement in seventy years.
There will be time later to speak of these achievements and thank everyone involved, including my parliamentary colleagues, when I leave the parliament. Today, my priority is to express my deep gratitude to my community and my family for supporting me to do this job for as long as I have. It has been an honour.
You can read his statement in its entirety here.
Updated
US and UK-led coalition details ‘proportionate and necessary’ strikes on Houthi targets
As we reported earlier, Australia has supported the US and UK militaries in an additional round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
Here is the full joint statement from the US, UK and Australia, as well as Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands:
Today, the militaries of the United States and United Kingdom, at the direction of their respective governments with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes against 8 Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea. These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Houthi actions since our coalition strikes on January 11, including anti-ship ballistic missile and unmanned aerial system attacks that struck two US-owned merchant vessels.
Today’s strike specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities.
The Houthis’ now more than thirty attacks on international and commercial vessels since mid-November constitute an international challenge. Recognizing the broad consensus of the international community, we again acted as part of a coalition of like-minded countries committed to upholding the rules-based order, protecting freedom of navigation and international commerce, and holding the Houthis accountable for their illegal and unjustifiable attacks on mariners and commercial shipping.
Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats.
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Victoria’s budget will be ‘very tight’ this year, treasurer warns
The Victorian treasurer, Tim Pallas, is set to hand down his 10th budget this year but he has warned it won’t be pretty.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne earlier today, Pallas said:
We’re expecting it to be a very, very tight budget. Can I be clear this government is not shirking its responsibilities. In acknowledging the challenges that we confront, since the last budget, we’ve had multiple increases in interest rates, we’ve seen that our construction costs continue to mount as a consequence of an overheating infrastructure delivery pipeline, not just in the public sector but in the private sector.
He said the government had also spent about $31bn to support the community and businesses through Covid and this was now going to be wound back:
Believe me, I am looking very closely at all the expenditures that the government is making, and we will make choices … We cannot keep the Covid expenditure at those levels, we will bring it back to the pre-Covid levels, otherwise we won’t have sustainable budgets. I’m absolutely committed to doing that.
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Minns vows full investigation into reports of violence and sexual assaults after Lismore floods
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has vowed to fully investigate reports women were subjected to violence and sexual assaults in evacuation centres in the wake of the 2022 Lismore floods.
The stories were published in a University of Newcastle report released today. Asked what would be done, Minns said:
That report is extremely troubling. It’s a very disturbing report. It will be fully examined by the NSW government … We’re taking it seriously at the highest levels of government. If there’s a criminal justice response, of course that will be launched. We want to make sure that we learn lessons for communities like the northern rivers so that those appalling reports are not repeated.
More here:
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Scott Morrison confirms his resignation from politics
The former prime minister Scott Morrison has confirmed his resignation from politics and as the member for Cook in a post to Facebook.
This follows speculation today that Morrison, the former Liberal leader who has served in parliament for 17 years, would imminently announce his retirement.
Morrison said he had decided to leave parliament at the end of February to “take on new challenges in the global corporate sector and spend more time with my family”.
His resignation will trigger a byelection in Cook.
Morrison wrote:
I am extremely grateful to my family, friends, local community and local party members and supporters in Cook for their incredible support during this time, that has enabled me to serve my country at the highest level and make Australia a stronger, more secure and more prosperous country. It has been a great honour to serve as the Member for Cook and as Prime Minister.
I also thank my staff and parliamentary colleagues over the years for their friendship and support, especially my Deputy Leader Josh Frydenberg and Deputy PMs Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce. I also want to wish Peter Dutton and his team all the very best and congratulate him on the great job he has done leading our Party and the Coalition since the last election.
The Shire and southern Sydney is a great place to live and raise a family. I have always worked hard to try and keep it that way as their local member. By giving advance notice of my intention to leave parliament at the end of February, this will give my Party ample time to select a great new candidate who I know will do what’s best for our community and bring fresh energy and commitment to the job.
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Stuart Highway reopens after floods, allowing critical supplies through
Luke Gosling, the MP representing Darwin, says the Stuart Highway has reopened after intense flooding, allowing truck drivers and critical supplies back through.
Heavy rainfall across the NT – which has now moved over to the Pilbara and Kimberley in WA – caused flooding across major highways and an emergency warning for the remote town of Kalkarindji (we had more about this in yesterday’s blog here).
Produce shelves in Darwin supermarkets appeared bare at the weekend, but as Gosling notes, now appear fully stocked once more.
He said:
Massive thanks to those working to repair the roads, our truckies, and the retail workers who’ve worked all hours to feed the North.
Stuart Highway is open but will close in the evenings for repair work – check ahead.
Now this is the best kind of before and after 🙌🏼.
— Luke Gosling MP (@LukeGoslingMP) January 23, 2024
Massive thanks to those working to repair the roads, our truckies 🚛, and the retail workers who’ve worked all hours to feed the North.
Stuart Highway is open but will close in the evenings for repair work - check ahead. pic.twitter.com/uw33tJuTDy
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Greens’ Mehreen Faruqi congratulates activists who stopped Israeli-owned ship docking
The deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, has congratulated the activists who stopped an Israeli-owned Zim ship from docking in the Port of Melbourne for four days.
As we reported earlier, 10 people were arrested yesterday afternoon amid the pro-Palestine blockade, when tensions escalated and police used pepper spray on protesters.
Victorian police confirmed that nine people were charged and bailed for trespassing, while one person was expected to be charged on summons with criminal damage.
At its peak there were 200 police officers in attendance.
In a series of posts to X, Faruqi said:
I’m disturbed by the reports of police brutality, including pepper-spraying [and] excessive use of force … It speaks volumes that in Aus[tralia] it’s more likely for police to violently disrupt a peaceful protest than for our Govt to demand Israel stop their invasion of Gaza that has killed over 25k people.
Power to everyone doing whatever they can to take action to stop the massacres and end the occupation and apartheid, when our Government refuses to budge.
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NSW launches $7.5m scheme to promote Aboriginal-led justice solutions
Research projects and pilot programs attempting to reduce Aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system across New South Wales will be able to apply for grants as part of a $7.5m scheme opening today.
The state government money will be made available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations trying to address the problem through consultation, investigations and pilot programs.
The NSW attorney general, Michael Daley, said:
Justice reinvestment encourages Aboriginal-led solutions and is an example of government supporting communities to identify local issues and develop a plan for change.
The grants program is designed to support new thinking that is based on data and evidence.
According to the government, justice reinvestment “aims to resource communities to develop and deliver solutions that reduce contact with the criminal justice system, including the police, courts and prison”.
Updated
South Australia swelters as heatwave warnings issued in other states
We have a bit more information here about the heatwaves expected over parts of the country in the coming days. From AAP:
Severe heatwave conditions are forecast in northern and central parts of South Australia, with the state’s capital tipped to reach 41C this afternoon, the first day over 40C this year.
By 11am, the mercury had already hit 36C in Adelaide with an extreme UV rating of 13 predicted.
Places in SA’s north-west, such as Coober Pedy, were forecast to stay in the high 30s until at least Friday.
A heatwave warning was also issued for Western Australia, parts of New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Sydney is expected to reach the mid-30s on Thursday and Friday, while Penrith in the city’s west will be closer to 40C.
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Liberals believe Scott Morrison will soon announce resignation
Rumours are rife in the Liberal party that Scott Morrison, the former prime minister and member for Cook, is imminently going to announce his retirement.
We are yet to confirm that he’s going, and many we’ve spoken to have noted wryly that they’ve heard this all before with repeated rumours throughout 2023 that the backbencher is on his way out.
But Morrison has told colleagues he’s hopeful of having something to announce soon, and we’ve heard indirectly that the NSW Liberal state director, Richard Shields, has told colleagues that Morrison is leaving. Guardian Australia has contacted Morrison and Shields for comment.
The expected announcement is imminent – with sources suggesting it could be made by the end of January.
In July, Morrison was the subject of adverse findings in the robodebt royal commission report. He denied all wrongdoing. The report led to pressure from colleagues including the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, Liberal MP Bridget Archer and Senator Andrew Bragg for him to go. But, perversely, colleagues also expected the report made it less likely he would pull the pin immediately.
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The Bureau of Meteorology has put out this map which shows how the severe heatwaves are moving across the country – you can access more information on the website.
Low-severe intensity #heatwaves continue across much of the country. Locally extreme heatwaves are impacting Pilbara/Gascoyne.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 23, 2024
Extreme Fire Dangers for parts of the Pilbara coast today and tomorrow.
A cool change will develop from Wednesday.
More: https://t.co/jlOoTZL1iF pic.twitter.com/6mNUQ8NFk1
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The South Australian Country Fire Service has brought in water bombers to help respond to a bushfire in the Belair national park.
This comes as some areas in the state are forecast to reach a high of 46C today.
HAPPENING NOW: Water bombers have been called in to help crews respond to a fire in the Belair National Park. Parts of the state are on high alert with extreme conditions. 7NEWS Adelaide at 6pm | https://t.co/Pahuemb7jD #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/FnQntCzuM5
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) January 23, 2024
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‘A wonderful day’: freed journalist Cheng Lei thanks PM
During her imprisonment in China the journalist Cheng Lei thought she would never return to Australia. And now, years later, she has visited Canberra to thank the prime minister in person for achieving the unachievable.
The mother of two spent two years and 11 months in a Chinese jail accused of national security-related offences after accidentally breaking an information embargo a few minutes early.
During that time, she penned a love letter to Australia and wrote of the many things she missed including the sun and – most of all – her children.
The government had provided consular assistance to Cheng and her family throughout the period and, in October, she finally returned to Australia after the Chinese legal processes concluded.
Today she at last had an opportunity to thank Anthony Albanese when she presented him with a gift at Parliament House. The framed work of Chinese calligraphy was created by her uncle, Cheng explained.
It says, Prime Minister Albanese: close to the people, loves the people, protects the people.
I thought it was unachievable at the time [but now] I am very, very grateful.
Albanese hugged Cheng and explained how her return had been kept under wraps within his government:
It was such a wonderful day. We were very pleased we achieved the outcome. It takes determination and we were determined.
– AAP
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The senior BoM forecaster Miriam Bradbury has published this severe weather update with the latest on Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, expected to develop later today:
Severe Weather Update: Tropical cyclone developing over the coral sea in the next 24 hours. Video current: 09:30am AEST 23 January 2024. For the latest forecasts and warnings go to our website: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh pic.twitter.com/EMZkkdxPNt
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 23, 2024
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Business confidence ebbs but so do inflation pressures, NAB survey finds
While the political and media focus is typically on cost of living pressures for households, it’s worth keeping an eye on how business is faring too.
@NAB's monthly business survey finds conditions sagging but remaining above the long-term average. Conditions, while higher at the end of 2023, remain below the norm. pic.twitter.com/lBLUzrIkBR
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 23, 2024
NAB’s latest monthly survey found business conditions continued to ease but remained above the long-run average at the end of 2023. Trading conditions and employment also fell as did capacity use, all trends you’d expect with interest rates rising to 12-year highs.
The two biggest states (by economic activity) seem to be dragging the chain, so to speak.
Across the nation, confidence and conditions are lagging in Victoria and NSW (about half the Australian economy between them.) (Source: @NAB) pic.twitter.com/WqE7BdegPE
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 23, 2024
Still, confidence actually perked up, led by the retail sector, although that part of the survey remained well-below average. Other positive trends were the “clear signs of further easing in input cost pressures in [December] – with labour and purchase cost growth easing”, NAB found.
NAB’s chief economist Alan Oster said:
There was a marked fall in retail price growth in December. The sales periods around Black Friday and Christmas likely have played a role here but this is nonetheless an encouraging sign that inflation may have eased at the end of the quarter.
We’ll get the official ABS consumer price index figures for October-December period on 31 January. Might even be a “3” on the CPI for December alone.
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Angus Taylor says changes to stage-three tax cuts would be ‘the mother of all broken promises’
The opposition is already criticising the government over breaking its promise of delivering the stage-three tax cuts, before any official change has been announced.
Earlier this morning, the shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, spoke to Sunrise and argued if any changes go ahead this would be “the mother of all broken promises”.
This is something that the prime minister and treasurer have committed to over 100 times. As you said, it’s in legislation and Labor voted for it. And it’s been to two elections. So this is not something you change. And frankly, if the prime minister decides he wants to change this, it tells us that he is not good for his word.
Asked whether he wants to see more support for those on the lower end, Taylor replied: “What I want is lower inflation.” And when asked about rent assistance, he said there is “no point dealing with the symptoms when you’ve got to get to the source” – being inflation.
Host Natalie Barr asked:
If you’re sitting there on that lower end, and you’re seeing people [earning] over $200,000 getting $9,000 back in this, you’re thinking, ‘Hang on, I get nothing. I’m earning 40-45 grand a year, and I’m getting nothing in this.’ Can you see their frustration?
Taylor:
Well, that’s right, they are frustrated because they’ve seen standards of living dropping faster than we’ve ever seen before. But the answer is [to] get a strong economy … Aspiration drives our economy and these tax cuts were all about rewarding hard-working, aspirational Australians, who don’t just benefit themselves when they go hard. They invest, they take risks … they benefit others by building businesses, creating jobs and so on. That’s what we need. That’s how you beat inflation.
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Power been restored to Kalgoorlie-Boulder area
Checking in with the power outages in and around Kalgoorlie, Western Australia:
Western Power said that, as of yesterday afternoon, power had been restored to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area.
This was done through a combination of Western Power network assets, Synergy’s back-up generator and a local privately owned generator, it said.
Late last week, residents of the mining town were told they may face a blackout lasting up to a week, after an intense thunderstorm badly damaged the town’s main transmission towers:
Western Power said it is continuing to assess options for a rebuild of the 220kV transmission line.
Initial construction exploration began [on Sunday] and we expect rebuild work to take seven or eight days.
Across the state, 950 people remained without power as of yesterday afternoon.
There are 72 active outages.
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Antipoverty Centre calls for increase to Centrelink payments
The Antipoverty Centre is reiterating its call for the Albanese government to urgently increase all Centrelink payments to “at least” the Henderson poverty line.
Spokesperson and DSP recipient Kristin O’Connell said Labor’s caucus meeting tomorrow, called to discuss the cost-of-living, shows this has turned into a “political crisis for the government”.
Labor has finally realised that people who can’t afford the basics will not be gaslit into believing the pitiful measures in last year’s budget are alleviating our financial distress. Whatever is decided this week, welfare recipients must not be left behind yet again.
O’Connell argued that most of the time, payments such as commonwealth rent assistance and energy subsidies “will not put a dent” in the cost-of-living crisis affecting welfare recipients.
Poverty is a lack of money. The fastest and most effective thing the government can do to help poor people in a cost of living crisis is ensure we have enough to live by lifting Centrelink payments to at least the Henderson poverty line.
There are currently 2.4m working age people relying on Centrelink payments to live. JobSeeker is $375 a week for a single person with no children, which the centre says is $227 below the poverty line.
About 900,000 welfare recipients are currently under mutual obligations, as well.
Updated
An ACT man has allegedly stolen an Eftpos machine and used it to generate $16,000 in illegal refunds.
A 34-year-old Gungahlin man is facing the ACT Magistrates Court today on more than 130 fraud and theft related charges.
On 12 October last year, police responded to a report of a stolen Eftpos machine from a business in Belconnen. On 19 October, police executed a search warrant on the man’s home and recovered the machine, along with identity documents in the names of other people.
Following an investigation, police yesterday executed a second search warrant at the mans home and seized numerous identity and falsified documents, as well as mobile phones.
Police will allege the man stole more than $16,000 via unauthorised refunds using the Eftpos machine, and that he allegedly attempted to steal a further $55,000.
Police said they will speak to the 77 people whose identity documents were allegedly stolen to see if further offences have been committed.
A forensic examination of the seized items is underway and police have not ruled out further charges.
NSW’s turn to face a power pinch on Thursday (with Queensland also straining)
Queensland broke its power demand record yesterday by almost 10%, with a heatwave nudging consumption to 11,068 megawatts at its peak yesterday evening.
With Sydney warming up to the mid-30C on Thursday and Friday (closer to 40C in the city’s west), it will soon be NSW’s turn to face a strain on the grid.
It’s two days away, but it’s interesting that the Australian Energy Market Operator is today alerting about a large level two “lack of reserve” for a lengthy period of time on Thursday.
Aemo looks to muster up enough supply of electricity as a buffer against an unexpected drop (such as an ageing coal-fired power plant’s unit tripping). In its alert this morning, the operator says that between 3pm (Aedt) and 10pm, the capacity reserve needed is 1331MW while the available reserve is only 366MW.
The low-intensity heatwave taking in Sydney and Brisbane (and almost all the coastline from FNQ to the NSW south coast) looks like to strain in the power grid. pic.twitter.com/pb3QI0OCiR
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 23, 2024
(AGL’s Liddell power plant had about 1,200MW capacity when it shut last April although one of its four units was already offline by then and the remaining three weren’t always available.)
We saw NSW’s energy minister, Penny Sharpe, appeal for consumers to reduce power demand on 14 December when there was another hot day (but not matched by one in Queensland).
We can expect her to reprise that message later this week.
Updated
Independent MP Monique Ryan has welcomed reports the Labor government is considering modifying the stage-three tax cuts amid what she labelled “the worst cost of living crisis in a generation”.
Earlier, the prime minister Anthony Albanese all but confirmed middle-income earners would be given more cost-of-living relief this week, but remained noncommittal about whether stage-three tax cuts would remain in their current legislated form or could be modified.
(You can read more on this from Paul Karp here).
In a statement, Ryan said the stage-three tax cuts should be modified “so they benefit more Australians” and that “whatever happens, the government should make them fairer”.
My community has been clear with me: if the government is going to add to inflation with tens of billions of dollars in tax cuts, it should do so in a fairer way.
For months now I have called on the government to retain the 37% tax bracket and redirect the $8bn a year saved to build 100,000 homes, and expand the Commonwealth Rental Assistance to help those most in need keep a roof over their heads.
ABC and Antoinette Lattouf to meet in March
The ABC and former casual employee Antoinette Lattouf will next meet in March after the public broadcaster filed objections attempting to throw out her unlawful termination dispute.
This morning, the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) deputy president, Gerard Boyce, issued directions for the matter, confirming the ABC would have until 2 February to file documents supporting its amended response.
Lattouf will have until 16 February to do the same, with replies due on 23 February.
The former broadcaster is alleging her casual employment with ABC radio was unlawfully terminated due to matters of “political opinion”, later amended to include two further alleged unlawful grounds on the basis of “race” and “national extraction or social origin”.
The ABC denies the allegations, and yesterday filed an amended response calling on the application to be dismissed because the employment agreement was not terminated by the ABC but rather ended on 22 December.
The broadcaster also alleges Lattouf should not be permitted to proceed because she was entitled to make a general protections court application, rather than an unlawful termination application.
The matter is next listed for hearing in Sydney, in-person, at 10.30am on Friday 8 March.
If the ABC is successful in making out either of its objections, it may bring an end to proceedings. If not, Lattouf will be able to take her claims before the federal court of Australia.
Updated
It has been a very busy morning, so in case you missed it: A review into how the criminal justice system approaches sexual violence cases will take place over the next year.
This comes as the federal government looks for ways to limit further trauma for victim-survivors.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has appointed the former Victorian supreme court judge Marcia Neave and the South Australian district court judge Liesl Kudelka to lead the 12-month review to be undertaken by the Australia Law Reform Commission.
You can read more on this below:
No load shedding as Queensland grid reached highest demand, energy minister says
Queesland’s energy grid did “no load shedding whatsoever” and didn’t do demand management overnight as the grid reached its record highest demand, according to state energy minister Mick de Brenni.
Load shedding is where grid managers switch off power to groups of customers or entire suburbs if there’s a shortage of generation.
More than 40,000 homes lost power at about 4.50pm because parts of the transmission system tripped out as a result of extreme heat, De Brenni said.
There was no load shedding whatsoever. We do have quite a range of techniques to ensure the system can be managed, but no power was intervened to be switched off.
Demand management doesn’t need to mean crisis management. In fact the modern grid is designed to use non time-sensitive users like charging electric cars and energy-hungry businesses to ramp up and ramp down to make supply meet demand:
De Brenni said the failure was in “localised hardware” – “down to the street level; could be a fuse, or a transformer”.
The government has ordered the Energy Queensland chief engineer to investigate whether the equipment can be improved. He will report by the end of the week.
The chief engineer will also look in to why the suburb of Camp Hill lost power at about 2.30am, well after the heatwave passed.
About 99% of the customers who lost power have been reconnected.
Updated
ANZ says stage-three tax cuts are worth two RBA rate cuts
Lots of running of slide rulers over what changes to the stage-three tax cuts might look like (probably inside Treasury too).
If they didn’t happen at all, a pulse of 0.4 percentage points of GDP growth or $20b-plus would evaporate, the ANZ says in a note out this morning.
Without it, we’d be a tad closer to a recession and that would have the RBA lopping 50 basis points off its cash rate. (For a typical $600,000 mortgage, that would trim monthly repayments by about $200.)
It’s all speculative, of course, as is the ANZ’s estimate that there “could be additional fiscal support for lower-income households of up to 0.5% of GDP, which may not yet be reflected in the RBA’s forecasts”.
We’ll have to wait and see what the Albanese government comes up with. The RBA has already factored in the stage-three tax cuts so I’ll be monitoring whatever changes might throw its forecasts out.
Separately, ANZ sees consumer sentiment holding up, perhaps because of all the chatter of some cost of living relief. It’s higher than any time between last February and December.
@ANZ_Research's weekly consumer confidence survey with @RoyMorganAus finds no change in its most recent survey: pic.twitter.com/VCmihFTYqa
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 22, 2024
What’s not so promising, though, is the uptick in inflation expectations. Not a big deal yet but the December quarter consumer price index is likely to come in towards the lower end of the 4%-4.5% range.
Inflation expectations, though, are ticking slightly higher: pic.twitter.com/f0EV9ObDrX
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 22, 2024
Let’s hope consumers are overly pessimistic on where price rises are going.
Updated
Greens urge government to scrap stage-three tax cuts
As debate swirls around whether the government will modify the legislated stage-three tax cuts, the Greens say they have written to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, urging him to scrap them.
(You can see today’s commentary around the stage-three tax cuts from the prime minister Anthony Albanese here, deputy PM Richard Marles here, and independent senator David Pocock here).
Deputy leader of the Greens, Mehreen Faruqi, argued the tax cuts will “turbocharge inequality and inflation”, writing on X:
People earning between $50,000 and $100,000 will be the worst off under these tax cuts for the rich. They will see very little from stage 3, and will see their mortgages go up when the tax cuts make inflation harder to control.
Meanwhile, Greens senator Nick McKim described the stage-three cuts as “unfair, inequitable and inflationary”.
Chalmers and Albanese must listen to the Greens and scrap them. Use the savings to put dental and mental health into Medicare, wipe student debt, raise income support and make childcare more affordable.
Labor’s stage 3 tax cuts are unfair, inequitable and inflationary. Chalmers and Albanese must listen to the Greens and scrap them. Use the savings to put dental and mental health into Medicare, wipe student debt, raise income support and make childcare more affordable. pic.twitter.com/J8UuJsKzfq
— Nick McKim (@NickMcKim) January 22, 2024
Updated
Australia’s support for strikes against Houthis involved defence personnel in non-operational roles
Let’s return to the news of Australian support for strikes against against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The strikes were carried out by the US and the UK. It is understood the Australian support for the strikes, like last time, took the form of defence personnel in non-operational roles.
While the government has not been definitive about precisely what the personnel are doing, it is understood it could include helping to monitor information and providing analytical and specialist advice.
Updated
Queensland cyclone expected to bring destructive winds and flash-flooding
Laura Boekel from the BoM also warned of wind gusts up to 120km/h, associated with the cyclone.
This would develop in the Whitsundays Islands from as early as Wednesday evening, she said, and extend to mainland communities between Townsville and St Lawrence on Thursday morning.
Destructive wind gusts up to 150km/h – or gale-force winds – may develop about coastal and inland communities between Cardwell and Bowen, including Townsville, on Thursday.
And in terms of the flooding risk: heavy rainfall which may lead to flash-flooding is likely between Townsville and St Lawrence from late Wednesday, before spreading into adjacent inland areas and north to Cairns during Thursday and Friday.
Boekel:
We can also expect intense rainfall which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash-flooding … close to the centre of this system. That’s where we’re likely to see the most intense rainfall. A lot of this rainfall may fall in catchments that are already very wet and saturated, so catchments will respond very quickly.
She added that it’s also important to look at what will happen after the cyclone crosses the coast, when it is expected to weaken into a tropical low.
As it moves further inland and then south across central and southern Queensland, it will still have with it a significant amount of rainfall.
This could bring heavy rainfall to areas across central and south inland Queensland later this week into the weekend and into next week as well.
This could be a very widespread as well as a very-long-duration event.
Updated
Laura Boekel from the Bureau of Meteorology was next to speak at the press conference.
She said the tropical low is currently in the Coral Sea, 840km east north-east of Townsville. And as mentioned previously, the low is expected to become Tropical Cyclone Kirrily late tonight or tomorrow morning.
Boekel said Kirrily is expected to cross the coast overnight on Thursday, somewhere between Cardwell and Airlie Beach.
Our most likely scenario is still … a [severe] category three crossing. We have a watch zone which is between Cairns and St Lawrence, [but that] doesn’t include Cairns – [it] is the boundary of that watch zone.
It does include Townsville, Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands. These communities can expect impacts within the next 24 to 48 hours and we’re asking them to stay up to date with all of our forecasts and warnings.
Updated
Steven Miles tells coastal residents between Townsville and Mackay to prepare for storm
Queensland premier Steven Miles just spoke at a press conference from Brisbane on the likely Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
Miles said he had just chaired the first Queensland disaster management committee to discuss the response to the tropical low, expected to be declared a cyclone late tonight.
There is a chance of a severe tropical cyclone making landfall, although the chance of that intensity has decreased somewhat.
He said residents in coastal towns between Townsville and Mackay should prepare for a potential dangerous storm tide.
It’s now critical that everyone in the area from Cardwell to Airlie Beach monitor the bureau’s warnings and warnings that come from their local government areas.
Widespread flooding is likely to follow the cyclone crossing the coast… Energex and Ergon are pre-deploying today emergency workers into Rockhampton so that they are as close as they can safely be, ready to move into wherever the cyclone hits.
Updated
Albanese meets Cheng Lei for the first time since her release from a Chinese prison
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has shared a video meeting with Australian journalist Cheng Lei for the first time since she was released from prison in China.
A pleasure to welcome you home in person, Cheng Lei. pic.twitter.com/WYXfkNLqBy
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) January 22, 2024
Cheng spent almost three years in China’s prison system for breaking an embargo by a few minutes, she revealed in an interview last October:
Cheng’s return was not part of a deal struck with Beijing and her release followed the completion of China’s judicial process, Albanese previously said.
The federal government continues to advocate for the release of Australian writer and activist Yang Hengjun, whose health is deteriorating.
Updated
Kirrily’s post-cyclone track may include heavy rain for Brisbane
Emergency services in Queensland are rightly focused on preparing the populations near Townsville for what looks to be a category-3, or severe, Tropical Cyclone Kirrily crossing coast in the early hours of Friday, Australia Day.
About six weeks ago Cyclone Jasper hit north of Cairns and the biggest impacts were the floods (rather than the winds or coastal storm surge, the other two perils with cyclones).
Trying to get a steer on what Kirrily will do after it crosses the coast (as it looks like doing) remains a bit unclear, but the Bureau of Meteorology’s main Access model has the cyclone remaining a low-pressure system over south-eastern Queensland for some days.
@Bom_au's Access model has #Kirrily turning to the southeast and remaining in the region for another four days at least... pic.twitter.com/XY0GT7iKSb
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 22, 2024
The European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts has its main IFS model suggesting the low could linger even longer, perhaps a week.
It's a long way off, but @ecmwf's IFS model has the probably ex-tropical cyclone #Kirrily lingering over Queensland until the following Thursday (Feb 1st). pic.twitter.com/ELG1Ursfvu
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 22, 2024
At this point, the bureau’s rainfall predictor maps are not forecasting big rainfall totals from the event.
@Bom_au's eight-day rainfall forecast not yet picking up huge falls from #kirrily but with many wet catchments, it probably won't take a lot to cause some flooding. pic.twitter.com/yVdMxN8oeT
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 22, 2024
One indication of the uncertainty is the range of forecasts for Brisbane’s rainfall. Saturday could have 3-60mm and Sunday 0-50mm, for instance.
The second men’s test match between Australia and the West Indies starts on Thursday in Brisbane and may not see much cricket on days three or four (assuming it’s not over by then, sadly).
Such an outcome, though, may be the least of Queensland’s worries by that point.
Updated
Warehouse robbery investigation sparks illegal tobacco find
More than two tonnes of allegedly illicit tobacco and cigarettes were seized from a Melbourne property last week.
Victorian police were called to reports of a burglary at a business in Altona North last week, around 4am on 18 January.
Police alleged offenders forced entry into a warehouse and stole tobacco products, before allegedly fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
Detectives later executed a search warrant at the premises, where they allegedly uncovered 2,159kg of allegedly illicit tobacco, as well as 341,000 loose cigarettes, 75,000 cigarette packages and 160 vapes.
A 43-year-old Altona man and a 48-year-old Point Cook man were interviewed in relation to the alleged sale of illegal tobacco.
They’ve both been released pending further enquiries and the investigation into the alleged burglary remains ongoing.
Updated
Northern WA communities brace for monsoonal weather
Western Australian communities through the Pilbara, Kimberley and the northern interior are being urged to take action now amid monsoonal weather affecting the region.
In an alert from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (Dfes), it says a tropical low in the north interior is forecast to move south-west and reach the Pilbara later today.
Locations that could be affected include Newman, Jigalong, Parnngurr and Telfer.
Heavy rainfall which could lead to flash flooding is likely over the eastern Pilbara, and western and southern parts of the north interior tonight. Six-hourly rainfall totals between 60-100mm are likely.
Updated
Australia ‘supporting’ latest strikes against Houthis
Australia has supported the US and UK militaries in an additional round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The US Pentagon detailed the eight new strikes in a joint statement with Britain, as well as from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, which supported the latest military action, the statement said.
These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners.
You can read more details in our Middle East live blog below:
Updated
‘We understand the importance of tax cuts’: Richard Marles
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, also addressed the possibility that Labor could trim the stage-three tax cuts to make them less generous for high-income earners and give more to low- and middle-income earners.
Marles said:
Look our position hasn’t changed but let me say this: in all that we do, in every decision that we take, we are utterly concerned about easing the cost-of-living pressures on middle Australia and every decision we continue to take that will happen.
We understand the importance of tax cuts. We’ve said that all along. But let me make this clear: we are completely focused on easing the cost-of-living pressures on middle Australia. We’ve been doing that since the moment that we have been elected and we’ve seen that through a number of initiatives, be it cheaper medicine [or] downward pressure on power processes.
The inflationary environment around the globe has persisted, and that is putting pressure on middle Australia. We will be entirely focused in all the decisions we take on easing that.
We shouldn’t assume that trimming stage three is the only way to deliver cost-of-living relief. Labor could be preparing to offer some form of stage three plus further relief for middle Australia.
Updated
Circling back to the pro-Palestine blockade being staged at the Port of Melbourne:
(We had more details on this earlier in the blog here and here).
Victorian police have confirmed that nine people were charged and bailed for trespassing, while one person is expected to be charged on summons with criminal damage.
Activists have been at the Port of Melbourne since Friday, staging a blockade to prevent an Israeli-owned shipping company Zim from unloading. It has been forced to anchor in the bay.
As the blockade escalated yesterday, police confirmed it used pepper spray on protestors. Activists have condemned the “police violence” throughout “the last [four] days” as well as the “excessive use of force”.
In an earlier statement, Victoria police acknowledged “this protest action is of concern to some employees” with a peak of 200 police in attendance.
Penny Wong responds to Netanyahu comments
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has responded to Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments rejecting a two-state solution.
Asked about Netanyahu’s comments, Wong said:
As you know I just returned from the Middle East. And [what] I want to say is that has reaffirmed my view and the government’s view that any pathway to peace requires progress towards an independent Palestinian state. And that is the best route to ensure peace, security and dignity for the Palestinian people and also for Israelis ... [The government’s position] is that a pathway towards peace requires progress towards an independent Palestinian state.
So it was implicitly a rejection of the remarks without particularly singling Netanyahu out for any criticism, unlike assistant foreign affairs minister Tim Watts who said the remarks were “deeply disappointing”.
Members of Labor’s caucus have gone much further still. Julian Hill has said the implication of Netanyahu’s comments are “that he is hellbent on formalising a policy of apartheid”; while Maria Vamvakinou has said it shows he is no partner for peace.
Updated
Salaries on the rise, outstripping inflation
Advertised salaries for prospective employees have grown above inflation, despite a sluggish end to the year and cost of living pressures, AAP reports.
Data from employment website Seek revealed the growth of advertised salaries on its platform rose by 4.5% in the year to December 2023, outpacing inflation which stands at 4.3%.
While the growth was large in the past 12 months, advertised salaries increased by 0.9% in the last quarter of 2023.
It was an even smaller uptick for monthly changes, with just a 0.3% increase from between November and December.
Seek senior economist Matt Cowgill said the growth in wages was reassuring:
Finally, advertised salaries are rising faster than prices once again. After a long period of declining real wages, the Seek advertised salary index is now rising in real terms.
Growth held steady at 0.3% each month in the final quarter of 2023. Although this is solid growth, it’s a clear slowdown from the previous quarter, when Fair Work Commission decisions delivered a bump to wages growth.
The commission increased the national minimum wage to $23.23 an hour in July, with award minimum wages rising by 5.75%.
How will cyber sanctions hit their target?
Earlier, at the press conference, officials responded to questions about what practical impact the cyber sanctions will have on the alleged hacker Aleksandr Gennadievich Ermakov.
(He is named in the sanctions notice posted on the government’s legislative instruments website overnight).
Abigail Bradshaw, the head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, said that cyber criminals “trade in anonymity”.
It is a selling quality, and so naming and identifying [him] with the confidence that we have from our technical analysis will, most certainly, do harm to [his] cyber business.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said anonymity is cyber criminals’ “calling card”.
Australia is the first to name Ermakov globally, which Marles said would have a “very significant impact” on him.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said that part of the sanctions are financial, making it an offence to use or deal with his assets including cryptocurrency, so the government expects this will have “financial consequences” for Ermakov.
Updated
Business ticks off expanded paid parental leave scheme
Business groups have backed a proposal to increase the number of weeks offered under the paid parental leave scheme, AAP reports.
The federal government introduced legislation last year which would extend the scheme by two weeks each year from 1 July, to eventually reach 26 weeks in mid-2026.
The number of weeks reserved for each parent will increase to four weeks in a bid to encourage sharing of care and household responsibilities.
Under the legislation, both parents would be able to take four weeks off at the same time from 2026.
Advocacy organisation The Parenthood said increasing paid parental leave will enable more women to go back to work after having children:
Extended paid parental leave will enhance gender equality through the redistribution of unpaid care and increase women’s workforce participation.
The Parenthood recommended the introduction of a six-week “use it or lose it” provision in the expanded scheme to incentivise men to access it.
In its submission, the organisation said the policy change was a “huge win” but was still short of the more than 50 weeks that families in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have access to.
Updated
Homelessness services providers stretched
Mission Australia’s chief executive Sharon Callister said frontline staff at Mission Australia say the situation is the worst they’ve seen it.
She said many are finding it near impossible to help vulnerable people find safe and secure accommodation because the housing stock isn’t available.
As we head towards the federal government’s cost-of-living caucus this week and the May federal budget, we urge the prime minister and treasurer to invest far more in the imminent national housing and homelessness plan if we are to have any chance of ending homelessness in Australia and turning these worsening statistics around.
Meanwhile, Homelessness Australia’s Kate Colvin says homelessness services providers are “being asked to make impossible choices, like turning away a teenager fleeing an abusive home because a mum with young kids has also walked through the door”.
This is traumatic for everyone and it shouldn’t be happening in a wealthy nation like Australia.
For homelessness services to respond to everyone needing urgent homelessness help, a significant funding boost is needed.
Updated
Mission Australia CEO calls on government to lift income support payments to at least $78 a day
Homelessness groups have been responding to the Report on Government Services this morning, urging more funding and support for people in poverty and housing insecurity.
As we mentioned earlier, that report has shown homelessness is a persistent issue across the country, and the cost of rent in the private market is keeping people in financial stress even for those receiving commonwealth rent assistance payments.
Mission Australia’s chief executive Sharon Callister has called for increases to income support payments to help people keep their heads above water.
Callister said:
There isn’t enough accommodation options for everyone who needs it, and these days, finding a rental that’s affordable is like finding a needle in a haystack.
This is why the federal government must increase commonwealth rent assistance by at least 50% and lift income support payments to at least $78 a day to keep people who are in need out of poverty and help people in rental stress avoid homelessness.
Updated
Queensland energy minister Mick de Brenni spoke to the Energy Queensland CEO last night, who has asked the chief engineer for a review of the state’s network settings and infrastructure are appropriate in case of a future peak.
He said:
What we’re not seeing is a system-wide failure, what we’re seeing is a localised tripping of some of those assets.
We will get to the bottom of that. We’ll make improvements where we possibly can.
Most energy users have got power back this morning with Energex crews working to restore the rest, he said.
Updated
40,000 homes lose power in Queensland heatwave
About 40,000 households lost power yesterday during Queensland’s highest ever peak demand, but the energy minister insists power supply held up.
Mick de Brenni told ABC local radio it was simply so hot on Monday that some transmission infrastructure tripped and failed to avoid causing more damage.
A surprise thunderstorm hit the Cherbourg area yesterday evening, after a day when temperatures hit the high 30s across south-east Queensland and the high 40s in the west of the state. With humidity, the apparent temperature hit a sweltering 41C in Brisbane.
De Brenni:
We did see some overheating of some assets.
No lack of supply but the severe weather – that storm that came through, and that severe heat – did have some impacts across some suburbs.
The state exceeded its record of 10,070 megawatts of peak demand yesterday. The Australian Energy Market Operator’s price and demand chart says the state used 11,068 megawatts of power at peak at about 4.50pm.
De Brenni:
We didn’t just surpass the previous record we absolutely smashed it.
About a 10% of increase of demand for power, but supply got us through, and that’s in part due to a large amount of solar.
He said storms, lightning strikes and wind were also responsible for some failure of transmission infrastructure.
Updated
Clare O’Neil says alleged hackers ‘cowards’ and ‘scumbags’
Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil was next to speak at the press conference, and signalled today as a “very important day for cyber security in the country”.
This is the first time an Australian government has identified a cyber-criminal and imposed cyber-sanctions of this kind and it won’t be the last.
Medibank in my view was the single most devastating cyber-attack we have experienced as a nation. We all went through it, literally millions of people having personal data about themselves, their family members, taken from them, and cruelly placed online for others to see.
It helped us … understand the enormous cost this problem will have to all of us as Australians, if we don’t step up to this challenge. It also showed us something about the calibre of people we are dealing with in terms of this problem on the other side.
O’Neil labelled alleged hackers as “cowards” and “scumbags” who “hide behind technology”.
Today the Australian government is saying that when we put our minds to it, we’ll unveil who you are, and we’ll make sure you are accountable.
Updated
Imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions laws against Russian citizen ‘unprecedented step’, Marles says
Speaking to the media, deputy prime minister Richard Marles said today’s move in imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions laws against a Russian citizen is a “hugely significant and unprecedented step”.
He credited the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) for their investigation to identify the alleged hacker Aleksandr Gennadievich Ermakov, as named in the sanctions notice posted on the government’s legislative instruments website overnight.
Marles:
The sanctions that are put in place on Alexander Ermakov today and publicly naming him will have an enormous impact on his activities and send a very strong message to cyber-criminals around the world that we mean business …
Medibank have been incredibly open in the way they have engaged with ASD. This has been fundamentally important in allowing ASD to do its work. And it’s a really good example of how companies being willing to share this really sensitive information with ASD allows the investigations to occur in a way that’s ended up with the result that we have today.
Updated
Further sanctions against Middle East terror groups
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong also announced further counter-terrorism and financing sanctions on 12 persons and three entities who are linked to Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad:
This is concurrent with further sanctions imposed on Hamas-linked targets by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Updated
Penny Wong gives press conference about sanctions imposed on Aleksandr Gennadievich Ermakov over Medibank breach
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong is giving a press conference about the cyber sanctions used on a Russian individual for his alleged role in the Medibank breach.
The sanctions notice posted on the government’s legislative instruments website overnight says the measure is a response to the “Medibank Significant Cyber Incident 2022”.
The government’s notice names Aleksandr Gennadievich Ermakov, a Russian citizen born on 16 May 1990, as the person facing targeted financial sanctions and Australian travel bans.
The document says this person is also known as Alexander Ermakov, GustaveDore, aiiis_ermak, blade_runner or JimJones.
Speaking at the press conference, Wong said:
As you might recall, more than nine million records of Australians, including names, dates of birth, Medicare numbers and sensitive information was stolen in the 2022 attack and the majority published on the dark web. It was an egregious violation, it impacted some of the most vulnerable members of the Australian community.
I can confirm that thanks to the hard work of the Australian Signals Directorate and the AFP, we have linked Russian citizen and cyber-criminal Alexander Ermakov to the attack.
– with Daniel Hurst
Updated
More on the 10 arrests at the Port of Melbourne amid a pro-Palestine blockade against Zim:
In a statement, Victoria police acknowledged “this protest action is of concern to some employees” with a peak of 200 police in attendance.
Police said some employees have chosen not to enter past the protestors despite “vehicle access to the dock [being] maintained during the protests”.
That is why we have made numerous offers to assist to [the Victorian International Container Terminal] and the Port of Melbourne to get employees to and from work via alternate routes.
While these offers to assist were declined on Saturday and Sunday morning, they were supported on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, we continue VICT employees to access their workplace.
Police described the protest activity as “extremely dynamic” and having escalated in recent days – “so too has our response”.
While there is no policing jurisdiction in the world that has hundreds of police on standby should there be a sudden surge in protest activity, to suggest there were not enough police officers at the dock is simply untrue.
Victoria Police can only arrest people for protesting once the property owner requests that they leave. This happened for the first time on Monday.
Updated
Ten people arrested at Port of Melbourne blockade against Zim
Ten people have been arrested during an ongoing pro-Palestine blockade being staged at the Port of Melbourne by activists.
Throughout the day yesterday, police said 10 arrests were made – nine people were arrested for trespassing and one arrested for criminal damage.
This comes as activists have been at the Port of Melbourne since Friday, staging a blockade to prevent an Israeli-owned shipping company Zim from unloading. It has been forced to anchor in the bay.
Activists said in a statement that it “condemn[ed] the police violence today and throughout the last [four] days”, including the use of pepper spray and “excessive use of force”.
Many dock workers were stood down without pay for refusing to work in unsafe conditions. The community has donated generously to cover the pay their bosses have docked from them. We thank them for their solidarity.
Police confirmed the use of pepper spray on protestors. As of 7.30am AEDT police could not confirm if any charges had been laid yet.
In a statement, Melbourne Activist Legal Support said it would be making a detailed statement of concern in the next 24-48 hours and releasing this to police, Victorian Equal Opportunity and the Human Rights Commission.
Updated
Albanese confirms intent to give middle Australia cost-of-living relief
The prime minister Anthony Albanese has spoken to KIIS FM, again all but confirming that middle-income earners will be given more cost-of-living relief this week.
But the prime minister is still noncommittal about whether stage-three tax cuts will remain in their current legislated form or could be modified.
Albanese said:
I support tax cuts and everyone will be getting a tax cut. You will always be looked after, Kyle, because I know that you’re struggling.
Look, what we need to do across the board – what we’re doing is looking at how we can help low- and middle-income earners. Middle Australia particularly is doing it really tough ... people who have a mortgage. So we’re looking at ways in which we can provide assistance to them.
We did that last year with a range of measures. People are benefiting from cheaper medicines cheap, childcare, the energy price relief plan but we’re looking at other ways as well, are there other ways that we can provide support for people?
Updated
As reported just earlier by Daniel Hurst, the Australian government has used Magnitsky-style sanctions laws against a Russian citizen over the Medibank Private cyber breach from 2022.
If you want to learn more about these sanction laws, you can have a read of this below:
Essentially, the sanction laws include a world-leading measure to allow travel bans and asset freezes on those deemed responsible for “significant” cyber-attacks.
In late 2022 the shadow minister for cybersecurity, James Paterson, conceded the hackers were unlikely to come to Australia on holiday so would not be directly affected by travel bans, but this should not stop the Australian government from “using every tool we have available” to deter malicious cyber activity:
We should be making the world a smaller and less welcoming place for them. If we don’t put a price on it we’re going to have more of this behaviour.
Barnaby Joyce says any possible changes to stage-three tax cuts would be ‘breaking a promise’
Earlier, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce was asked about possible changes to the stage-three tax cuts while speaking to ABC TV.
He criticised the government for any possible change to the tax cuts and said “when you modify a promise, you are breaking a promise”.
In Australia, we’re all paying more and more tax. We’re going up through the tax brackets. It’s not the government’s money. It’s our money … [people] want to work more for themselves and less for the government.
When asked about the Labor caucus meeting called for tomorrow to discuss the cost of living, Joyce asked: “Well, what have they been talking about for the last 1.5 years?”
How [have they all of a sudden] understood something that’s been front and centre of their own polling?
You can read more on this issue below:
Updated
Queensland premier speaks ahead of expected tropical cyclone
Queensland premier Steven Miles just spoke to ABC TV as Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is expected to develop off the coast of Queensland late today or early tomorrow.
He said emergency services are preparing for either a cyclone or very heavy rainfall from late this week, through the weekend and into early next week.
Miles acknowledged that Kirrily may impact places that were already hit by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper last year:
Some of the models predict more than a metre of rain and that’s a massive amount of water on already saturated catchments.
If you can imagine as far north as just south of Cairns, all the way down to the south-east, we expect the cyclone to cross somewhere between Innisfail and Airlie Beach. We have very populated areas there, places like Townsville and Mackay. We have pre-positioned emergency services there and we continue to look to the bureau to guide us about where our emergency services should be.
Miles said emergency services are “stretched” after a busy December. The cost of Jasper alone is expected to cost the state “multiple billions” and Queensland is facing “effectively” a repeat of that:
It could double the impact of natural disasters. But that’s not our focus right now, our focus is always on getting Queensland ready, on making sure we protect lives and as much property as possible, but first and foremost, lives.
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David Pocock said it was a positive move to see the major parties “talking about the lack of competition in Australia” around groceries, and is hoping to see a full ACCC inquiry – rather than “parliamentary inquiry’s that come and go”.
When you look at it you have airlines, groceries, the banking sector, are so concentrated here in Australian and everyday Australians pay the price for that.
Updated
Housing should be affordable, not an investment vehicle, Pocock says
Turning back to David Pocock’s earlier interview on ABC RN:
He argued that broader tax changes are needed in Australia to address the cost of living, with housing playing a large role with things like the capital gains tax:
We live in a country where it’s easier to buy your second house than your first house and I think most Australians would say that that is not how it should be.
We should be viewing housing as something that everyone in our community can afford, not as an investment vehicle and our tax system has been set up for investors. We need to turn that around.
Unfortunately, the major parties don’t want to have that conversation. But I’m hearing loud and clear from from the people that I represent, that they are ready for that, they they want us to turn things around when it comes to housing.
Updated
Russian citizen sanctioned over 2022 Medibank hack
In breaking news, the Australian government has used Magnitsky-style sanctions laws against a Russian citizen over the Medibank Private cyber breach from 2022.
It is believed to be the first time the significant cyber incident section of the Magnitsky laws have been used.
A document posted on the government’s legislative instruments website shows the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, signed the sanctions listing yesterday.
The attached explanatory notes say one person will be subject to targeted financial sanctions and a travel ban under the significant cyber incident criteria:
This listing demonstrates Australia’s ongoing commitment to deterring and responding robustly to malicious and significant cyber incidents. The listing acts in our national interest to impose costs on, influence and deter those responsible for malicious cyber activity.
The government is due to hold a press conference at 8.30am with Wong, Richard Marles and Clare O’Neil.
Updated
Stage-three tax cuts ‘wrong policy for the current economic environment’: Pocock
Speaking on ABC RN, David Pocock argued that putting money into the pockets of lower- and middl- income earners would see them spend this on essential items, which is different to the “discretionary” spending of high earners.
They’re probably going to spend it on essentials – on groceries, on paying for school excursions and ensuring that the kids can play community sport. I think that’s very different from high-income earners being able to spend that money on discretionary items.
Pocock said for him, this position is about “fairness”.
We had the low- and middle-income earner tax offset come in and help a lot of people at the bottom end, and expire. Why have we got these tax cuts that are across $300bn plus dollars?
Yes, bracket creep is a real issue that the government does need to address but stage three in its current form is poorly designed. I think it’s the wrong policy for the current economic environment. You can address bracket creep in other ways.
Updated
ABC RN host Patricia Karvelas pushes back: don’t people also want governments to be true to their word?
Pocock:
Well, I would argue that redesigning them would have a lot more support than scrapping them.
He argued the stage-three tax cuts benefit “people like [him] – a senator on a really good wage” – at a time when so many Australians are doing it tough.
Why are we going ahead with this sort of change to our tax system?
This is a tough one for government, but I’m really concerned that if you continue with these … we’re then going to have to find other money to deal with cost of living, which it’s hard to [do].
Updated
David Pocock responds to speculation about stage-three tax cuts
Independent senator David Pocock is speaking to ABC RN about speculation the government is planning to scrap, or change, the stage-three tax cuts.
This comes as the prime minister Anthony Albanese has called the Labor caucus to Canberra for a snap meeting tomorrow to discuss cost of living measures.
Pocock said he has been advocating for the stage-three tax cuts to be redesigned since the election:
I don’t think they should be scrapped, but there’s a way to make these fairer. And yesterday … modelling that was commissioned by the Greens shows we’re looking at $323bn over the next 10 years, that’s baked into the budget.
Let’s use that to actually address cost of living, let’s use that to have a fairer Australia going forward. Not an Australia where someone earning $45,000 is paying … the same rate of taxes as someone earning $200,000.
Pocock acknowledged that the opposition is already labelling this as a “broken promise” on the part of the government, but he argued the Australian people “want governments to have integrity” and “respond to the challenges”:
This is an opportunity to change the policy to be fit for the current economic environment.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily forecast to become category two storm
Senior forecaster Miriam Bradbury from the Bureau of Meteorology spoke with ABC TV just earlier, and was first asked to provide an update on the tropical low which is set to become Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
She said the low has “slowed down very slightly in its development”, expected to develop into a cyclone overnight or into early tomorrow morning.
We still expect this system to continue intensifying as it approaches the coast, making landfall some time late Thursday going into Friday morning.
The current cyclone watch area extends from Cairns down to St Lawrence. There may be further changes, because tropical cyclones can slow down or speed up, or change that direction of their track.
The cyclone may become a severe category three by the time it reaches the Queensland coast, but the current forecast map suggests it may only be a category two.
Updated
Homelessness increasing across Australia, report finds
In January every year, the Productivity Commission releases its Report on Government Services, which “monitor[s] the performance of Australian governments in the delivery of important services to the community”.
The reports on housing and homelessness services were released today, which show that things are, as they have been for a while now, pretty dire in this sector.
The number of people experiencing persistent homelessness has slowly been increasing across the country over the past five years, with 26.5% of people who sought help from specialist homelessness services (SHS) experiencing homelessness for more than seven months over a 24-month period.
That number has risen more steeply in some parts of the country than others, but the rates are highest in the ACT, where 45.0% of SHS clients experience persistent homelessness.
The level of unmet need for support is fluctuating differently around the country – it’s been going down over five years in Tasmania, for instance, and it’s been up and down in Victoria (partly due to targeted lockdown-era support programs). But the rates of unmet need are highest by a long margin in New South Wales, where 48.8% of people seeking help for homelessness didn’t get it in the 2022-2023 financial year.
That figure is actually down on the previous year, when it was sitting at 49.9%.
There’s also some data on rental stress – defined as spending more than 30% of your gross household income on housing costs.
Back in 2019-20, 52.5% of lower-income households renting in the private sector were paying more than 30% of gross household income on housing costs. At the end of June 2023, of those people receiving rental assistance, 70.6% would have experienced rental stress without, and 42.9% were still in rental stress even with the supplement.
Updated
Crews on 'cyclone watch' between Innisfail and the Whitsundays
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services state disaster coordinator, Shane Chelepy, was just speaking to ABC RN about Tropical Cyclone Kirrily – due to become an official cyclone late today.
Chelepy said according to the latest data from the Bureau of Meteorology, crews are on “cyclone watch” between Innisfail and the Whitsundays in Queensland.
He said people between Cairns, all the way down to Mackay, should be on alert and start making preparations:
The first thing is to stay connected with the emergency messaging and understand the alerts that may and will come out as the cyclone approaches the coast.
But more importantly, use the next 48 hours to 72 hours to prepare yourself and your family for a potential cyclone crossing and flooding event after. You can do simple things like keep the fuel in your car topped up now, make sure you have enough food in your house for 72 hours, [and] make sure you have battery charging packs for your phone. Very simple things you can do.
Updated
The AEU is calling for the federal government to lift its contribution to government schools from 20% to 25% of the SRS, and 50% for the Northern Territory where disadvantage is greatest in order to address massive shortfalls in the sector.
Haythorpe said the cost of inaction was “too high” for governments to continue to fail on funding.
The federal government has committed to getting every school to 100% of the SRS, but are yet to put a timeline in place.
The education minister, Jason Clare, told Guardian Australia the bilateral agreements were extended for a further 12 months to provide time to analyse the NSRA review.
One of the big things that we need to do this year is strike a new NSRA which funds our public schools properly. I am committed to working with the states and territories to get every school to 100% of its fair funding level and this is what I will be negotiating with the state and territory education ministers this year.
I want public education to be parents’ first choice. The best way to do that is making sure that public schools are fully and fairly funded and that we tie that funding to the things that will make a difference.
AEU calls for more school funding
The Australian Education Union (AEU) has made a renewed push for governments to urgently address public school underfunding following the extension of current bilateral agreements until 2025.
Weeks after the National School Reform Agreement (NSRA) review called for “urgent and critical” action to fully fund the government sector, education ministers agreed to delay arrangements for the 2024 school year to negotiate the long-term funding of schools.
AEU federal president Correna Haythorpe said it was deeply disappointing there would be no change in 2024 to the “unacceptable position” that only 1.3% of public schools were funded to the schooling resource standard (SRS) – the minimum needs-based level agreed to by governments more than a decade ago. She said:
At the end of October, all governments were told by the expert panel they established that fully funding public schools was urgent and a critical prerequisite for improving student learning and wellbeing. Yet only weeks later, education ministers signed agreements for 2024 that deliver no increase in the commonwealth share of the SRS and either no increase in the state and territory shares or very small increases.
Catch up on all the biggest headlines from overnight with the Morning Mail:
Good morning, and happy Tuesday! I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you on the liveblog today.
See something that needs attention? You can get in touch on X, @emilywindwrites or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
With that, let’s get started.
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily could be felt in '24 hours'
The effects of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily may be felt as early as the coming 24 hours, Australian Associated Press reports.
After days of anticipation, an escalating tropical low over the Coral Sea is due to become an official tropical cyclone late on Tuesday.
A “severe impact” is likely, with the cyclone predicted to intensify to a category three before hitting the Queensland coast.
“Sustained gale-force winds, winds up to 120km/h, heavy rainfall and flash flooding are all possible,” meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.
“This may bring down trees and power lines, cause property damage, closing roads and access routes and potentially even lead to power failures.”
Far north Queensland is still recovering from record flooding caused by December’s Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which was a category two system when it crossed the coast.
The latest cyclone is predicted to make landfall on Thursday, south of Townsville, but residents from Innisfail to Airlie Beach have been told to brace.
“Keep your car topped up with petrol, make sure you have a power pack for your phone, as when we see events like this that do cross the coast, it’s up to 72 hours sometimes before emergency services can get out and assist you,” state disaster coordinator Shane Chelepy said.
More than 25,000 people are already without power in the state’s south-east after powerful storms swept the region in the wake of scorching temperatures on Monday.
Updated
Pro-Palestine protester ejected from Australian Open tennis
A protester scattered leaflets reading “free Palestine” on to an Australian Open court, disrupting a tense clash between Olympic champion Alexander Zverev and Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
The fourth-round encounter on Margaret Court Arena was briefly halted during the sixth game of the third set last night after a woman threw leaflets from the stands.
The leaflets were printed with the words “while watching tennis bombs are dropping on Gaza” and “Australia is complicit in war crimes and genocide”.
Security removed the protester before the match continued and the leaflets were cleared up. Zverev went on to triumph 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (10-3).
Palestinian, Israeli, Russian and Belarusian flags are banned from Melbourne Park amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
A group claiming responsibility for the demonstration suggested it involved dropping thousands of leaflets across multiple matches.
Video also showed a grey ute fitted out with loudspeakers playing audio of air raids outside the event as police watched on.
The group accused the Open of being “complicit in the genocidal attempt of Israel to erase Palestine and its people” over its prohibition on all symbols associated with Palestine.
Rents hit record high, data shows
Australians are paying a new weekly record of $601 in rent, amid an alarming surge in demand for homelessness services, Australian Associated Press reports.
Shocking data released by CoreLogic has revealed the soaring cost of housing across the country, as renters faced a median cost of $31,252 a year to keep a roof over their heads.
Rent has jumped by a median of $164 to $601 per week in December 2023, from $437 per week in August 2020.
Sydney has topped the market as the most expensive city to rent in, setting people back $745 per week.
Canberra followed in second place at $651 per week, and Perth ranked third as renters forked out $630 per week.
Brisbane recorded the fourth highest weekly rental price at $627, with Darwin coming in fifth at $611 per week.
Melbourne and Adelaide were tied at $565 per week.
Hobart was the cheapest capital city to rent in, with a median price of $535 per week.
The portion of gross median household income needed to pay for rent surged from 26.7 per cent of income in March 2020 to almost a third in September last year.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the best of the overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind fires up for the rest of the day.
Australians are paying a new median weekly record $601 in rent amid an alarming surge in demand for homelessness services, in new data that will increase pressure on Anthony Albanese as he examines proposed new cost-of-living relief measures this week. The Greens are urging him today to scrap the stage-three tax cuts to fund help for low- and middle-income earners. The Greens have warned that stage-three tax cuts will add to inflation by injecting $20.7bn into the economy in their first year while some lower earners pay more thanks to bracket creep. More coming up.
The competition regulator should scrutinise Australia’s major supermarkets for using their market power to expand profits and exert pricing pressure over shoppers, suppliers and consumers, according to recommendations by former watchdog Allan Fels to the federal government. Fels, presenting the initial findings of an ACTU-led price-gouging inquiry he recently chaired, said in a letter to the federal treasurer on Monday there were also potential problems with supermarket promotions, with once-normal prices now regularly advertised as specials.
The first effects of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily may be felt in northern Queensland in the coming 24 hours. The storm is expected to make landfall near Townsville on Thursday and the escalating tropical low over the Coral Sea is due to become an official tropical cyclone late today. A “severe impact” is likely, according to forecasters, with the cyclone predicted to intensify to a category three before hitting the Queensland coast. Residents along a large swath of the state’s coast have been warned to stock up on food and supplies in case they become cut off. More coming up.
