What we learned: Tuesday 7 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s a wrap of the main events today:
The RBA decided to raise the cash rate by another 0.25%, bringing the cash rate to 3.6%, but Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe’s language shifted on the number of future hikes.
Anthony Albanese condemned Peter Dutton for keeping Stuart Robert on the opposition frontbench after revelations in the robodebt royal commission this week.
Former prime minister Paul Keating took aim at the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age over the papers’ coverage of national security threats facing Australia.
Sally Rugg failed in her bid to keep her job as a staffer for independent MP Monique Ryan pending the full trial of her fair work case alleging she was sacked for refusing “unreasonable” additional hours.
Australian software company Atlassian will cut about 500 jobs, representing 5% of its workforce, in the latest round of tech industry layoffs.
Penny Wong, Linda Burney and Pat Dodson released a joint statement naming Justin Mohamed as the first ambassador for First Nations people.
The commonwealth freedom of information commissioner quit less than a year into a five-year appointment because he says his powers aren’t enough to overhaul a chronically delayed system.
A former senior Department of Human Services official told the robodebt royal commission he informed his boss, Kathryn Campbell, about legal concerns connected to the program at the height of the scandal in 2017.
The Andrews government conceded its strained workers’ compensation scheme is “fundamentally broken” and not fit for purpose.
Updated
Chalmers says Labor will bring ‘level head’ to Asia-Pacific challenges
Jim Chalmers has told ABC Melbourne that the government will be approaching challenges faced in the Asia-Pacific region with a “level head”.
The treasurer responded diplomatically when asked about a story published by Nine newspapers that said Australia faced a “real prospect of war” with China.
Chalmers said Australia’s best interests were served by a “peaceful, prosperous, secure and stable region, and that’s objective in our foreign policy”.
We’ve got an opportunity with a new government to try and stabilise that relationship.
But we do that recognising it’s a complex and difficult relationship to manage.
My job is to do what I can working with [foreign minister] Penny Wong, [defence minister] Richard Miles, [prime minister] Anthony Albanese, [trade minister] Don Farrell and others to try and make their relationship with China the best that it can be.
It’s important to our economy, it’s important to our society, it’s important to our region.
Updated
