What we learned today, Tuesday 5 September
And that’s where we’ll wrap up today. Thanks so much for your company.
Here’s a little of what we learned:
A Senate inquiry will be held into the government’s decision in July to block Qatar Airways from offering additional flights in Australia after an amended motion put forward by the Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie passed.
The Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, has advised the board he will quit immediately, bringing forward his retirement by two months following a tumultuous few weeks for the airline.
The three brothers who owned Whakaari/White Island at the time of its deadly eruption had the individual charges against them thrown out by a New Zealand judge on Tuesday, two months into their trial.
The Senate will investigate the proposed development of the Middle Arm precinct on Darwin Harbour after the government voted to support an inquiry into the controversial project.
The Speaker of the house, Milton Dick, gave MPs a “final warning” after a protest by the Community and Pharmacy Support group erupted in the public gallery yesterday.
Borrowers will again get a break after the Reserve Bank announced it will keep the cash rate unchanged for a third month in a row, keeping it at 4.1%.
The government has resolved to not support the Greens senator David Shoebridge’s bill to legalise cannabis, which would have allowed recreational use and a commercial industry nationwide.
The New South Wales Teachers’ Federation has reached an in-principle agreement to back the state government’s pay deal, which will make public teachers in the state among the best paid in the nation.
The NSW government will “engage” with the owner of Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station, Eraring, for a “temporary” extension of its operating life, prioritising short-term energy security over emissions reductions.
The corporate regulator is suing Westpac after it allegedly failed to appropriately respond to hundreds of financial hardship requests from bank customers.
Updated
Mike Bowers has captured new Liberal senator Maria Kovacic’s first speech in the Senate, in which she called for tax changes to increase home ownership, including capping negatively geared properties.
As Paul Karp wrote earlier, given the Coalition successfully opposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax in 2019, Kovacic’s speech brought quite a breath of fresh thinking into the economic debate.
Updated
