What we learned, Thursday 6 November
We will be leaving it there – thanks for joining us. Here’s what we covered today:
The Liberal party will resolve its position on net zero emissions next week after a months-long debate that has fractured the party.
The government passed the environment protection reform bill through the House of Reps, with several amendments from the crossbench.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the government is “trying to play whack-a-mole” with its under-16s social media ban, rather than ensuring “big tech companies are forced to provide safe platforms for everybody.”
The NSW Nationals are likely to formally abandon a commitment to net zero, when the party meets next Tuesday, after the federal party’s similar moves this week.
The government placed financial sanctions and travel bans on cybercriminals supporting and funding North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction.
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer Zali Burrows was issued a broadside after the pair’s no-show in court on a car-stealing charge.
About one in 10 homes sold in October were bought with the expanded 5% deposit scheme, government figures suggest.
National Australia Bank has warned its loans have continued to get riskier, after reporting rising bad debts have eaten into its profits.
Real estate agents who illegally underquote property listings will now have to follow strict guidelines in Victoria
Updated
McKenzie says net zero debate needed to ‘work out if we’re doing the right thing in Australia’
Liberal MP, Zoe McKenzie, said she is looking forward to net zero debate among the party, scheduled for Wednesday.
McKenzie was the second Liberal net zero supporter on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.
She said last week’s meeting was “open, intelligent, it was persuasive” and emphasised the importance of understanding the “lived experience” of regional colleagues who are skeptical about the 2050 net zero target due to its potential impact on their electorates.
McKenzie appears to be laying groundwork for a compromise, highlighting the Nationals’ commitment to “net zero in the second half of this century at some time,” which she said is consistent with the Paris Agreement.
She said:
We may still get there by 2050, or shortly after.
Apart from the EU, the UK and possibly us, everybody else is miles off.
We are right to have a look at it and work out if we’re doing the right thing in Australia.
Updated
