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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Nino Bucci and Caitlin Cassidy (earlier)

Environment minister seeks ‘urgent briefing’ over scrapped recovery plans – as it happened

Penny Wong Jim Chalmers NT Australia Samoa BoM Coalition
Tanya Plibersek
Tanya Plibersek at the new government’s swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Canberra on Wednesday. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

That's it for today, thanks for reading

Here are the main stories on 2 June:

We will see you all back here tomorrow.

Updated

The longest-serving former fire commissioner in Australia, Greg Mullins, has predicted the Albanese government will ramp up its 2030 emissions reduction target over the coming years, because Labor is prepared to take advice from experts.

Mullins made the prognostication after meeting the new climate change minister Chris Bowen in Canberra on Thursday.

Mullins met Bowen with colleagues from Emergency Leaders for Climate Action – an expert group that attempted to warn the Morrison government about the impending bushfire catastrophe ahead of the 2019-20 fire season, but were ignored.

Full story here:

The partner of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who is detained in China, says he is concerned about her declining health.

Nick Coyle says monthly consular visits by Australian officials were suspended because of China’s strict Covid-19 protocols.

Full story here:

Updated

Katherine Deves says media 'whipped up a frenzy' over trans comments

The failed Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, has taken a swipe at media reporting that she claims “decontextualised certain things” about her incendiary social media comments about trans people.

She said in a Sky News interview on Thursday evening:

With respect to the issues that I was prosecuting, the media had a lot to answer for. There were elements of the media who really whipped it up into a frenzy.

Deves, a longtime campaigner against trans women competing in female sports and a controversial “captain’s pick” by former prime minister Scott Morrison, took the Liberals further backward in her tilt at Zali Steggall’s seat at the May election.

The Liberals suffered a 5.2% swing away on their primary vote from Tony Abbott’s result at the last election, with Steggall taking her two-party margin to 10.7% on the current count.

Among Devess’ more controversial comments, unearthed on social media through the campaign, included comparing her activism on trans issues to resistance against the Nazis, and claiming that “half of all males with trans identities are sex offenders”.

On Sky, Deves was asked about reporting from Nine newspaper columnist Niki Savva, who wrote that Morrison’s office was involved in the Warringah campaign in order to make political hay from her activism on transgender issues.

Deves said she “genuinely believed Mr Morrison wanted to put more women up as candidates” in choosing her, but said she had only spoken to Morrison a few times through the campaign. She said:

The issue arose when there was a firestorm around things I’d said previously online. I don’t think anyone actually expected that.

Deves claimed media reporting had “decontextualised certain things and made the whole issue a lot worse than what it needed to be”.

She added that she planned to stay involved with the Liberal party in the wake of the election loss, but wouldn’t confirm or deny whether she wanted to run for office again.

Katherine Deves.
Katherine Deves claims media reporting about her comments made the issue ‘a lot worse than what it needed to be’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Speaking of the jubilee, a new Queen portrait just dropped:

Updated

PM to kick off Queen’s jubilee celebration

Here’s a report from AAP on Anthony Albanese’s involvement in jubilee celebrations (no mention of him appointing an assistant minister for the republic):

The prime minister will pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of Australians in recognition of her Platinum Jubilee.

Anthony Albanese will light the Commonwealth Beacon in Canberra on Thursday evening after delivering a speech in the Queen’s honour.

The Platinum Jubilee marks Her Majesty’s historic 70-year reign.

As part of the jubilee commemorations, Canberra’s Aspen Island will be renamed in Queen Elizabeth’s honour.

The lighting of the beacon will kick off the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Australia, Mr Albanese said.

“Australia will honour and pay tribute to the remarkable dedication and service of Her Majesty The Queen over the course of the Platinum Jubilee official celebrations,” he said.

Across Australia, iconic buildings and monuments are being illuminated in royal purple to mark the occasion for the next four days.

Governor general David Hurley and his wife Linda will be in London representing Australians at the celebrations over the weekend.

A contingent from Australia’s Federation Guard is also in London to take part in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5.

Updated

Anthony Albanese briefed today by key Covid/health officials.

We can bring you a few more details on one of the lower-key announcements from Penny Wong’s visit to Samoa.

The foreign affairs minister met earlier today with senior health officials at the Ministry of Health and the discussions included how Samoa’s new e-health system was developed with Australian support.

It is understood Wong was also able to hand over about 4.5 tonnes of critical Covid-19 supplies to support Samoa’s response to the pandemic. She also announced an eight-year initiative called “Tautua: Human Development for All”, worth $37m, to address human development challenges identified by Samoa.

The program’s jointly agreed key objectives include improving access to essential services and programs for women and girls, people with disabilities and vulnerable groups; and enhancing the quality of essential services. The program is expected to be flexible over time, and would complement Australia’s other investments such as support for Samoa’s education sector.

Updated

Police shut down ‘Flubot’ text message malware

Overnight, Europol revealed that police in 11 different countries including the Australian federal police were able to bring an end to the blight on Android phones known as Flubot.

As we reported last year, millions worldwide, including in Australia, were getting text messages saying the receiver had missed a call or had a new voicemail, providing a fake link to listen.

The link would take people to a website that looked like an official brand – in Australia it could be Telstra but in Europe it was parcel delivery companies. The page would tells users to install software on the phone to hear the message.

If the user agreed, it installed malware onto Android devices. If permissions were granted to the app, then the attackers had access to credit card details and personal information, and the ability to intercept SMS messages, open browser pages and capture other information held in the phone.

Europol said overnight the infrastructure that had been sending out the text messages was now under police control, but investigations are still ongoing into who was behind the malware.

Guardian Australia sought more information about the AFP’s role in bringing down the scheme, but a spokesperson for the AFP said it couldn’t comment while the investigation was ongoing.

Updated

Adam Bandt: We have an obligation to work together

The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, and Peta Murphy, a Labor MP who was re-elected last month in the seat of Dunkley in Melbourne’s south-east, are appearing together on the ABC.

Both MPs speak optimistically about the parties working together in the new parliament.

Bandt said:

I think we do have an obligation to work together now, especially on something as critical as climate. I think the election was a very clear signal that people want climate action. It was around rejection of the climate deniers, and a lot of people voted Green for the first time, because they wanted climate action, which starts with coal and gas.

But Bandt said he was concerned that Madeleine King, the resources minister, said today that she backed a new $16.5bn gas project in Scarborough, Western Australia. He added:

Now is the time with gas prices skyrocketing in Australia for businesses and households to get off gas, and I would hope that the government in its first budget takes a look at our plan to give subsidies to households and businesses to get off gas on to electric, in things like not only getting batteries installed cheaper in households, but also helping households with those upfront costs, switching over to induction cooking, or getting off a gas heater and having it run through an electric, through an air conditioner for example.

But secondly, in terms of what the rest of the world is doing, US president Joe Biden spent the last climate summit trying to get the world to sign a pledge to cut its methane usage, to cut its gas usage.

Now, Australia was one of the countries that said no, you didn’t want to sign that. I think the pressure is going to start to come on the new government, because coal is as – gas is as dirty as coal, and methane is a really toxic climate gas, 86 times more toxic than CO2. There is a real push now to get out of gas and Australia has to be part of it.

Updated

Dutton says department changes bad for security

AAP has this report on the overhaul of several government departments:

An overhaul of several government bodies ordered by the new prime minister will make Australia less safe, the opposition leader says.

But attorney general Mark Dreyfus says such a claim is ridiculous and wrong.

Anthony Albanese announced this week that the Australian federal police would be moved out of the home affairs portfolio. Instead, the police force will be overseen by the attorney general’s department.

Home affairs was created by the previous Coalition government to bring together law enforcement and security agencies into one department.

The home affairs department, to be headed by new minister Clare O’Neil, will take over natural disaster response and mitigation.

Leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, says moving the Australian federal police from home affairs to the attorney general’s department is bad for security.
Leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, says moving the Australian federal police from home affairs to the attorney general’s department is bad for security. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

But Peter Dutton – who oversaw home affairs before becoming defence minister under the previous government – said separating the AFP from the department would reduce Australia’s capacity to track criminals.

The changes were made to appease attorney general Mark Dreyfus who wants to oversee the police force, Mr Dutton told 2GB on Thursday.

Mr Dreyfus told AAP the government always put Australia’s interests and national security first.

“Any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous and wrong, and the opposition leader should reflect on his behaviour,” he said.

Labor has for some time believed the AFP best fit under the attorney general as its role is to enforce commonwealth criminal law.

The Australian Federal Police Association has backed the move.

The Law Council welcomed Mr Dreyfus’ appointment, saying he appreciated the weight it carried and was committed to promoting the rule of law and administration of justice.

Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews said she did not want to see the changes impact upon security.

The new government’s overhaul also includes a department for employment and workplace relations with climate change, energy, environment and water to come under one roof.

The health department will be rebranded as the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Finance will gain responsibility for data policy and deregulation, along with the Digital Transformation Agency.

Updated

Here’s the full story on the press conference given earlier today by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the prime minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

Senate committee drops ABC-SBS complaints inquiry

AAP reports:

A Senate committee has dropped its inquiry into the complaints-handling processes of the ABC and SBS.

The decision by the Liberal-led environment and communications legislation committee on Thursday followed the completion of an independent review of the procedures.

The Senate inquiry into the public broadcasters was suspended in November last year after the independent review was announced.

ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose previously described the Senate inquiry as “an act of political interference designed to intimidate”. The Greens also condemned it as a partisan attempt to undermine the ABC’s independence.

The committee’s chairman, Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, wrote in a brief report tabled in parliament on Thursday that the ABC board had released details of its independent review on May 17, which included the creation of a new position of ABC ombudsman.

“As a result of the ABC board adopting all of the review recommendations, and in particular the board agreeing to the establishment of an ABC ombudsman appointed by, and reporting to, the board, the committee has decided not to proceed with its inquiry,” he wrote.

Updated

SA budget surges into the black

Here’s a report from AAP on the first budget of the state’s Labor government:

The South Australian budget will remain firmly in the black as the state’s new Labor government delivers all its election promises amid increasing uncertainty over rising costs and wages pressure.

Treasurer Stephen Mullighan has handed down his first budget, which he says begins the process of putting the state’s finances back on track at a “pivotal” moment in its history.

As well as delivering surpluses across the next four years, the treasurer says the financial blueprint provides the necessary funding to cover Labor’s $3 billion in election commitments.

“The challenge of doing so, however, has been made more complicated by further pressures arising since the state election,” Mr Mullighan said in his budget speech to parliament.

“The combination of conflict in Ukraine, record fiscal stimulus and sustained low-interest rates have contributed to price inflation not seen for decades across Australia.

South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas and treasurer Stephen Mullighan arrive at the handing down of 2022 South Australian state budget at the Adelaide Convention Centre in Adelaide.
South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas and treasurer Stephen Mullighan arrive at the handing down of 2022 South Australian state budget at the Adelaide Convention Centre in Adelaide. Photograph: Kelly Barnes/AAP

“While households and businesses are facing huge additional pressures on their finances, the government confronts not just higher costs for goods and services, but wage pressures and rapid escalation in infrastructure delivery costs as well.

“And the government does so with a balance sheet burdened with record debt levels, operating deficits, and the largest infrastructure program in the state’s history still to deliver.”

Labor’s budget forecasts a surplus of $233 million for the next financial year, growing to $645 million across the forward estimates.

But total state debt will rise marginally more than previous forecasts to hit $33.8 billion by 2025/26.

Updated

NSW government recommends coalmine expansion

The NSW government has recommended the state’s Independent Planning Commission approve another coalmine expansion in the Hunter region.

The department of planning has recommended the commission give the green light to MACH Energy’s proposal to expand its Mount Pleasant coalmine near Muswellbrook.

The project would double the amount of coal extracted per year to 21m tonnes and extend the mine’s life to 2048.

In its assessment, the department acknowledged that 56% of public submissions opposed the project and identified climate impacts as a key concern. It also acknowledged existing community concerns about dust and noise from coalmining.

The Mount Pleasant thermal coalmine, near Muswellbrook, upper Hunter Valley, NSW.
The Mount Pleasant thermal coalmine, near Muswellbrook, upper Hunter Valley, NSW. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

The department wrote that it still believed the benefits of the project outweighed the costs and it should be approved.

Nic Clyde, of the Lock the Gate Alliance, called the recommendation “appalling” when communities were already suffering from the effects of extreme weather due to the climate crisis and Hunter communities experienced worse air quality than most of the country.

For the department to recommend another coalmine expansion so soon after a federal election in which a huge number of Australians voted for greater action to mitigate climate change shows there is an urgent need for a reset by premier [Dominic] Perrottet and his government.

In the assessment, officials wrote that because most of the emissions associated with the project were scope 3 emissions that would occur after the coal was exported and used overseas, they would not count toward Australia’s emissions reporting.

Updated

Is the ‘perfect storm’ of energy price spikes a passing squall or a lingering tempest?

If Australia is facing, as newly minted treasurer Jim Chalmers says, a “perfect storm” of energy price spikes, the question is whether it’s more of a passing squall, or a tempest that might linger for a while.

After all, it is only the second day of winter, and we probably have a few more cold outbursts to come. Certainly, the wholesale prices in the national electricity market are remaining stubbornly high.

It was only two months ago that we noted those prices were averaging $87 a megawatt hour in the March quarter, and that was more than double the level of a year earlier.

We’re still seeing “lack of reserve” notices for NSW for tomorrow from the Australian Energy Market Operator as an indication that conditions remain tight in terms of balancing supply and demand for electricity. (Level 1 LORs usually get cancelled once supplies are ensured.)

Anyway, for now, Aemo is relatively comfortable about the availability of gas in the market after “a positive response from some gas producers in Queensland” to its plea for more supply. Some measures were pointing out pipelines pumping gas south were near full capacity earlier today.

While energy supplies remain tight, “we have sufficient electricity to meet forecast demand”, the operator said, adding the caveat that they are closely monitoring the situation (as you’d expect).

Actual (not metaphorical) weather conditions have eased a bit in Sydney at least, where the “feels like” temperature this afternoon at least is in double figures for degrees. Not so in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra or Hobart.

Looking ahead, the next crunch time for demand might come early next week. Melbourne, for instance, is forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology to have a few days in the 11-12 degree maximum, with a bit of rain too.

Perhaps the new climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, should convene next week’s national energy ministers’ meeting somewhere frosty to focus a few minds ... Canberra, perhaps?

Updated

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has released this statement about the death of the former high court chief justice Gerard Brennan:

Updated

Morrison government’s scrapping of recovery plans for threatened species ‘alarming’, Plibersek says

The new environment and water minister, Tanya Plibersek, says she is concerned by a Guardian Australia story today about a Morrison government decision to scrap recovery plans for almost 180 threatened species and habitats.

We reported this morning that Sussan Ley, in one of her final acts as environment minister, removed the requirement for 176 plants, animals and habitats, including the Tasmanian devil and the whale shark, to have legislated plans designed to prevent their extinction.

Plibersek says she has sought further information from her department.

“This is alarming. I have asked my new department for an urgent briefing.”

Several of the 176 were part of a backlog species and habitats that had been identified as needing recovery plans but those plans had never been delivered and were years overdue.

The new independent member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan, tweeted Ley’s decisions showed “callous disregard for threatened species”.

David Pocock, who is on the verge of claiming a senate seat, said it was not what Australians want or expect from government and called for a change in attitude toward the country’s biodiversity.

Ley’s decision followed a review of recovery plans by the threatened species scientific committee, which provides advice to the government about endangered wildlife.

The environment department has said the decision about each of the 176 plans was based on advice from the committee.

The committee reviewed recovery plans for 914 threatened species and habitats last year and its initial advice was that 676 no longer required a plan.

The former government’s decision has been met with outcry from conservationists, in part because recovery plans are legally binding documents whereas the document increasingly used in their place – known as a conservation advice – is not.

Our story from earlier today is here:

Updated

Former chief justice Gerard Brennan dies

This story from AAP:

Tributes are flowing in for the late high court chief justice Sir Gerard Brennan, who has died aged 94.

Sir Gerard served as a justice of the high court of Australia from 1981 to 1995, and as the 10th chief justice from 1995 to 1998.

His lead judgment on the Mabo case recognised for the first time under Australian law that Indigenous peoples had lived in Australia for thousands of years and their rights to their land, according to their own laws and customs, had never been extinguished.

Friday is the 30th anniversary of the judgment.

The high court said in a statement on Thursday Sir Gerard’s contribution to the legal system was profound.

“He was a model of judicial restraint. He was a man of deep humanity and was held in great esteem and affection by those who had the fortune to sit with him”.

A ceremonial sitting of the court to honour him will be held in August.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said Sir Gerard was one of Australia’s greatest legal minds.

“A brilliant, compassionate man whose life devoted to the law made Australia a better, fairer and more decent nation,” Dreyfus said in a statement.

In his later life, Sir Gerard was a campaigner for social justice and was a prominent advocate for a national integrity commission.

Updated

The AEC formally declares first seat

Eden-Monaro declared for Labor, AAP report:

The Australian Electoral Commission has formally declared the result in the first of 151 seats up for grabs at the 21 May federal election.

The NSW seat of Eden-Monaro was finalised on Thursday morning, with Labor’s Kristy McBain holding it with a margin of just over 8%.

Meanwhile, postal votes continue to be received and counted by the AEC, ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Labor MP Brian Mitchell will retain his Tasmanian seat of Lyons, with the margin sitting on 891 votes on Thursday. His office confirmed the Liberal candidate, Susie Bower, called Mitchell on Wednesday night to concede the seat.

Kristy McBain, with governor general David Hurley, is sworn in as Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories at Government House in Canberra on Wednesday.
Kristy McBain, with governor general David Hurley, is sworn in as Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories at Government House in Canberra on Wednesday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

In the NSW seat of Gilmore, Labor incumbent Fiona Phillips is ahead of Liberal challenger Andrew Constance by 276 votes. Phillips has not received a concession call from Constance.

The AEC plans to formally declare the seats of Cook, held by the former prime minister Scott Morrison, and Macquarie, held by Labor’s Susan Templeman, on Friday morning.

It is expected Labor will hold 77 seats in the lower house, the Coalition 58, the Greens four, while there will be 12 on the crossbench.

The Senate election result is yet to be finalised.

The 47th parliament is due to open on July 26.

Updated

Another monkeypox case in NSW

A second case of monkeypox has been confirmed in NSW. The man in his 50s had recently returned from Queensland and developed a mild illness and symptoms consistent with monkeypox before going to his GP. He was then urgently tested and confirmed as the state’s second case.

The man is now in hospital and is not believed to have any close contacts, nor is the case believed to be related to the first case from May 20. NSW’s chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said:

NSW Health is providing further information to clinicians across the state today to assist with the identification and management of potential monkeypox cases.

We will continue to work with GPs, hospitals and sexual health services across the state to provide advice on diagnosis and referral.

People who develop a rash or fever are being asked to call before visiting their local doctor or sexual health clinic.

Updated

Free flu jabs at Tasmanian GPs and pharmacies

AAP reports that Tasmania will follow a number of other states in offering free vaccinations, as the country braces for a horror flu season:

Tasmania will roll out free flu vaccinations at GPs and pharmacies for a month after the health department called for an urgent lift in jab rates.

The island state follows the lead of most mainland jurisdictions, which are offering the influenza shot without cost at health facilities.

“Vaccination, particularly of vulnerable Tasmanians, is key in protecting our community from the severe consequences of influenza and avoiding overwhelming our hospitals this winter,” the premier and health minister, Jeremy Rockliff, told state parliament on Thursday.

The free flu shots will be available for four weeks from 6 June, with participating pharmacies able to vaccinate those aged 10 and over, and GPs able to vaccinate those six months and over. The state government is already operating pop-up clinics where anyone aged six months and over can receive the jab for free.

Rockliff said Tasmania’s flu rate was below that of other states, but it had more than doubled in the past week. In the week ending 29 May, the health department was notified of 134 flu cases, higher than at the same time in 2019.

Rockliff said the health department recommended “urgently lifting” flu vaccination rates, despite almost 200,000 Tasmanians already receiving the jab.

More than 30%of people aged over 65 and 83% of children under five are yet to be vaccinated.

Updated

National Covid summary

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 57 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 874
  • In hospital: 82 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 23
  • Cases: 7,583
  • In hospital: 1,066 (with 30 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 230
  • In hospital: 13 (with no people in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 11
  • Cases: 4,169
  • In hospital: 316 (with 7 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 2
  • Cases: 2,868
  • In hospital: 214 (with 9 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 765
  • In hospital: 42 (with 1 person in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 9
  • Cases: 10,204
  • In hospital: 525 (with 28 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 9
  • Cases: 8,292
  • In hospital: 285 (with 6 people in ICU)

Updated

Former chief justice, Gerard Brennan, dies aged 94

We are only days away from the 30th anniversary of probably the most famous case chief justice Brennan was involved in: Mabo.

Updated

South Australia records 2,868 new cases

There’s 241 people in hospital, nine in intensive care. Two deaths were reported.

Western Australia records 8,292 new Covid cases

Today’s figures include nine deaths, but this includes people who did not die in the past 24 hours but whose deaths were only recently reported.

There are 285 people in hospital, and six of those are in intensive care.

Tasmania records 765 new Covid cases

There are 42 people in hospital, one in intensive care.

Annastacia Palaszczuk questioned over Queensland forensic labs

The Queensland premier was in Pinkenba earlier this morning to promote the official opening of Brisbane’s international cruise ship terminal - but reporters had other ideas.

Journalists fired a barrage of questions at Annastacia Palaszczuk about the failings with the state’s forensic labs and DNA testing. Kicking off the grilling was one reporter who asked:

Why are Queenslanders still suffering a third-rate criminal justice system... and all you’re doing is announcing a review? ... The review still hasn’t ... been set up to do anything. Meanwhile, the police have said yesterday in writing, they can trust the labs anymore.

The probing of the premier comes after the Queensland police told The Australian they are reviewing hundreds of rape cases dating back to 2018 after problems with the state-run forensics laboratory.

Data obtained by The Australian showed DNA profiles were found in two-thirds of ­samples from sex offence investigations that forensics lab had initially claimed contained “in­sufficient DNA”.

But Palaszczuk said questions were best put to the state’s health minister, Yvette D’Ath, who “is taking this issue incredibly seriously.” Palaszczuk said:

We do have an independent forensic review happening ... the health minister has tabled those terms of reference, from memory, in the parliament.

We need to get those results first but let me say, nothing is off the table ... The health minister is absolutely committed to seeing what is going on and fixing this.

But reporters hit back, with one claiming the health minister has not answered “a single question” and they’d “only been stonewalled” despite “multiple questions” they’d put her.

Opposition leader, David Crisafulli, has previously accused the review of falling short as it will not look into “previous failings” by the lab, meaning “potentially thousands of victims ... [would be] denied justice”.

The review’s terms of reference state that while specific cases may be examined to inform the scope of the review, it will exclude re-analysis of DNA samples, issues in specific cases and information about identifiable cases.

According to the terms of reference, this was because the review “is focused on systems and processes and so as not to prejudice any ongoing or future criminal matters”.

Annastacia Palaszczuk and deputy premier Steven Miles
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and deputy premier Steven Miles at the official opening of the International Cruise Ship Terminal in Brisbane. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Updated

Here’s possibly the best suggestion yet for a nickname for the biggest plant on Earth:

You can read the original story here:

China’s foreign minister heads to Papua New Guinea amid tensions over election

This story just in from Reuters is timely, given that recent press conference in Samoa:

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi arrives on Thursday in Papua New Guinea, where tensions are high in the lead-up to a national election and an official told media Beijing’s proposal for a regional security pact has caused resentment.

The timing of Wang’s visit has also been criticised by former Papua New Guinea prime minister, Peter O’Neill, who is campaigning for the top job, in a series of media interviews where he said no agreements should be signed with China before the election.

It would be “improper” for China to donate security equipment or offer security support for the election, the Post Courier newspaper quoted O’Neill as saying on Thursday, after Australia’s broadcaster ABC reported Beijing would offer 2,000 body armour kits to police during Wang’s visit.

Wang is on a tour of eight Pacific island nations where he has signed a series of bilateral agreements on trade, fisheries, infrastructure and the supply of police equipment.

On Monday, a virtual meeting hosted by Wang in Fiji with counterparts from 10 island nations deferred consideration of a sweeping regional agreement spanning policing, security, fisheries, data and a free trade zone, proposed by China.

The United States and its allies have expressed concern about Beijing’s ambitions for security ties with Pacific island nations which control vast areas of resource-rich oceans and access to a region with strategic military significance.

Several Pacific nations said they opposed the deal or needed more time to consider its regional implications.

“There has been resentment over Pacific Agreement on security matters,” Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Affairs secretary Elias Wohengu was quoted as saying by the Post Courier newspaper.

Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong on Thursday arrived in Samoa, and will also visit Tonga on Friday, days after China’s Wang visited both nations.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Photograph: Leon Lord/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Press conference concludes

Fiame and Wong finish the press conference, with Fiame noting that reporters had asked the five questions they were allocated.

Updated

Fiame adds, re the proposal put forward by the Chinese government:

You know, it has been reported that apparently, supposedly we had signed onto this proposal from the Chinese government.

I think that has been a misrepresentation, so I want to use the press conference just to clarify that. The signing that took place here last week that some of you came to was bilateral programs, projects. Most of them had started a number of years ago, and it was a formalising process, which is a normal process.

It just seemed a bit abnormal because the minister of foreign affairs was here and there was this particular proposal from the Chinese, that they were seeking regional agreement on.

So our decision was that you cannot have regional agreement when the region hasn’t met to discuss it, and to be called in to have that discussion and to have an expectation that they would be a comprehensive decision or outcome was something that we could not agree to.

So I think the region has come to that conclusion, that, you know, we need to meet as a region to consider any proposal that is put to us by our development partners that requires a regional agreement. So I just want that clear.

Updated

Wong says about the current security situation:

Your prime minister has shown a lot of leadership and wisdom, not only now but I think in many of the statements about the importance of robust regional architecture, respectful regional processes to deal with some of the external circumstances we all find ourselves in.

We have taken a view that regional security is an issue for the Pacific family. We have consistently taken the view that what sovereign nations do, and sovereign nations are sovereign, but ultimately have the potential to affect the nature of the security arrangements of the region.

So, having the collective consideration of those matters is important. I think that is a long winded way of saying I think it was a very wise intervention.

Updated

Wong is asked about the one issue she has been “itching” to change. She responds:

It is climate. I spent a lot of time trying to change our country’s position on climate. I have two daughters, I would like us to be able to say to our children that we did something. I think that matters.

On workers from the Pacific, Wong said:

We made a number of commitments on the Pacific. And they were driven by the desire to make sure that the policy, the investment, the resources, the energy and the policy framework for the Pacific reflected a uniquely Australian contribution. One of the things we can offer as a member of the Pacific family is access to our Labor market as you know.

We did listen to the criticisms or the concerns raised by some stakeholders and one of them is the difficulty for people to take their family. So we did propose as part of our election policies that for the longer visas, there are short-term visas, which are the seasonal workers program, the Pacific workers program which is long overdue, that we would change the visa conditions to allow people to bring their families because many workers and representatives from participant nations, that is a real barrier for people to participate.

I’ve only been in office, I’ve only been in this job for 10 days, but we will work through that. We will also work with those countries whose workers, whose citizens do come to Australia on the implementation, because there are some issues.

Updated

Wong was asked by a reporter about a “climate war” reference she made. She responded:

The climate war I was referring to was the war in our domestic politic that we have seen, conflict in our domestic politics that we have seen on climate over the last 10 years which the Australian people have voted to end. And that’s I think a very reasonable assessment of the election.

She was also asked what exactly the government would do about the climate crisis. Wong said:

We are committed to doing a number of things. The first is we will lodge a much more ambitious target under the Paris commitment, our commitment is at 43% reduction by 2030 along with zero emissions, we will legislate the 2050 target.

We will put in place stronger mechanisms to actually achieve the target for example, and I know that Samoa has been very focused on renewable energy, obviously Australia being, has had a reasonable carbon intensive economy. So we understand we have to transition. The market has been doing that transition but government policy will accelerate that and reduce electricity prices compare to what they would otherwise be.

We anticipate under our policy framework around about 83% of our national grid will be powered by renewable energy by the end of the decade, so that is a very substantial change in our plans.

Updated

Wong announces that Australia will replace a Guardian-class patrol boat. The previous $30m boat was in such bad shape that it was found to be beyond repair earlier this year.

Updated

Fiame adds that the meeting covered a range of areas, including the rights of Samoan workers in Australia, and “the security issues that seem to be high on media attention”. She added:

And most importantly, we have discussed the unity of the region. And how important that is to carry forward the positions of our region, but you also ensure that with unity, we can bring a higher level of development to our respective countries.

Updated

'With your policy stance, we are greatly encouraged'

Fiame agrees that climate change is a high priority. The new Australian government is now more closely aligned on climate with its Pacific neighbours, she said.

Climate change, of course, is very high on the priorities of both our respective governments. We are very pleased in Samoa and no doubt the Pacific region, that with the new Australian government, the policy shift brings them closer to alignment with the Pacific advocacy for climate change.

We feel that this will strengthen the Pacific positions on climate change and of course, we’ve worked closely with Australia especially in responses to climate impact.

And I do want to recognise your former administrations, we agreed to differ but then as we do, as partners in development, we keep moving forward in ways that we are able to move forward. But we feel that Senator, with your policy stance, we are greatly encouraged, not only in Samoa but I am sure for the other Pacific countries.

Updated

Wong adds re climate crisis:

We understand how important climate change is to this prime minister, to the leaders and peoples of all Pacific nations, when I was climate minister, I was climate change minister many years ago, 2007- 2010. The experience of island nations was, was crystal clear.

And ... your voices have become even stronger since that time. So I want to be very clear with you, there is a lot of bipartisanship in the relationship, both parties of government in Australia value our relationship with the Pacific family deeply. But there is a change in direction and we look forward to working with you.

Updated

Wong:

We are deeply committed to taking strong action on climate, and we were elected with a mandate to do so.

Wong:

We want to put more energy and more resources into the Pacific.

Fiame introduces Wong, saying:

We’re very fortunate to welcome the honourable senator Wong from the Australian Ministery of Foreign Affairs, so very soon after the new administration has taken over.

Updated

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the prime minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, are giving a joint press conference.

We expect to hear soon from the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, who is in Samoa and is scheduled to hold a joint press conference with the prime minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

Thank you Caitlin for another cracking morning on the web log.

With that, I will pass you on to the sterling Nino Bucci. We should be hearing from foreign minister Penny Wong who is back in the Pacific shortly, so strap yourselves in!

Amid increased chatter on becoming a republic, Canberra is showering itself in purple for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

ACT records 874 new Covid cases

The ACT government has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 874 new cases reported and no further deaths.

There are 82 people being treated in hospital with the virus including four people in ICU.

Seasonal bushfire outlook released

AFAC, the national council for fire and emergency services, has released the seasonal bushfire outlook for this winter.

There’s “varied fire potential” across Australia. While winter has the lowest risk for fires in Australia’s south, it’s also the start of dry season in the north.

In the Top End, wildfire risk in winter months will see similar conditions to those normally experienced later in the fire season. Above normal bushfire potential is expected for large areas of the Gulf, Victoria River district and Katherine region.

Above average rainfall is also likely over much of Australia this winter, influenced by a negative Indian Ocean Dipole in conjunction La Niña, and warmer sea surface temperatures around northern Australia.

In the ACT and parts of NSW and Queensland, above average rainfall and soil moisture suggests a below normal fire potential, including in areas recovering from the 2019-2020 bushfires.

AFAC CEO, Rob Webb, said the seasonal bushfire outlook reflected the diversity of risk across the Australian landscape.

Our colleagues in the NT are preparing the landscape and the community for the dry season, with some locations near or at record dry levels over the past three months, which increases their fire risk.

Elsewhere, we have seen significant rainfall this year for much of the country, and are expecting above average rain to continue through winter. While this reduces fire potential for this season, it will increase grass and fuel as we move into spring and summer. Agencies will continue to monitor local conditions and manage risks accordingly.

Updated

Queensland records 11 deaths, 4,169 new Covid cases

Queensland Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 4,169 new Covid cases reported and 11 deaths.

There are 316 people being treated in hospital with the virus including seven people in ICU.

More on the ‘biggest plant on Earth’

On Twitter, commentors have suggested an Indigenous name for our newly discovered friend.

A reader has also suggested Biollante, a kaiju grown from the cells of Godzilla – a plant and a woman.

I have also had feedback that adding “Mc” to something doesn’t make it funny, but considering two separate individuals have suggested “Grassy McGrassface” I’m not sure what to tell them.

Updated

Bowen quizzed again on the gas trigger

Katharine Murphy is back with another question.

You said the trigger is not effective and is not an immediate solution ... you said all actions are not being ruled in or out, whatever action [is] necessary ... and you’re talking to gas companies to date – is one option that the government could pick up the costs of any redirection of contracted gas?

Bowen says with respect to breaching contracts he won’t comment on the matter, and it’s minister King’s decision to implement the trigger.

This is the situation the previous government has left us in. Under the very complicated circumstances they put in place, it is not an easy trigger to pull and if it was pulled to date it would not have any effect until January.

Andrew Probyn attempts to ask one last question, to which Bowen lobs back: “you do not run the press conference, Andrew”. And off he goes.

Minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen.
Minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Bowen: ‘Matt Canavans of the world’ think coal-fired power outages are the fault of renewables

Bowen is asked whether he would consider the production of more coal-fired power to ease energy price burdens.

He says the “Matt Canavans of the world” think coal-fired power outages are the fault of renewables. But he fails to understand this logic.

If there is advice about sensible action to be taken, I will take [it].

Updated

Bowen: If ACCC or regulator needs to take action ‘they will have our full support’

Bowen takes a little swipe at culture wars, which he says won’t influence the government’s policy when asked whether he’s going to get on the blower to chief executives of gas companies.

Minister King is doing that today. She is speaking to the chief executives. I want to say to you, respectfully, that sort of culture war of this is that person’s fault or that person’s fault - we will take any action necessary to ensure proper gas supply. What I won’t do is start unnecessarily demonising particular people or sectors.

If the ACCC needs to take action, they will have our full support. If the Australian Energy Regulator needs to take action, they will have our support. It will be based not on your allegations against individuals, Andrew, [but] on any evidence of wrongdoing or changes in approach that are necessary.

Updated

Bowen: ‘Too early’ to know how high energy prices will go

Bowen is asked if he’s been briefed on how much higher energy bills are going to go in the coming weeks and months.

“It is a little too early,” he replies.

The energy market is under enormous pressure. At the moment, this is impacting on wholesale prices in the gas market – thankfully around 80% of gas contracts are done over the longer term. It is not yet, in that regard, impacting on retail prices in a way which – it could be a lot worse. In terms of what impact it is going to have in coming weeks and months, that will be something the regulator briefs me and the state energy ministers on early next week.

But he braces Australians to prepare for long-term pain.

We have to be clear that this does have the potential to be an ongoing issue. This is an immediate challenge for coming days ... but the new government is taking, will take any action.

Updated

Now to questions:

Bowen is asked, if unwilling to use the gas trigger, what options are on the table to ease price pains.

He says the government will take advice and reiterates he hasn’t ruled anything out, then takes another dig at Taylor.

I have indicated what AEMO has done over the last 24 hours, the caps and gas supply mechanism, is intervention. I welcome appropriate intervention. I have spoken to Mr Westerman this morning and asked him to prepare to give advice to me and the state energy ministers early next week – Monday or Tuesday, depending on the availability of the ministers – on what further actions can be contemplated.

I rule nothing in and nothing out at this point. It will be done carefully, methodically and based on expert advice. I won’t take advice from former minister Taylor who helped to get us into this situation.

Updated

Bowen on the gas trigger

Bowen turns to the gas trigger - a mechanism which has been doing the rounds in the media as a possible short term reprieve on energy prices. He says this is false.

I have seen media commentary about the so-called gas trigger ... I have seen unnamed members of the former government calling for us to implement it, despite the fact they never did it.

The government will take whatever action is necessary, based on advice. We are not today ruling out or in any particular action going forward over and above what I have announced today.

Bowen says the gas trigger wouldn’t come into force until 1 January and therefore isn’t a short term solution.

It is a supply trigger not a price trigger. For those unnamed anonymous members of the former government who are acting hairy-chested on the way out the door, it is a policy they designed and it is not one designed to deal with the current crisis.

Updated

Bowen to meet with state energy ministers

Bowen says he will convene a meeting with all energy ministers early next week on the current supply situation.

He says the government’s decisions will be based on evidence and good policy not “partisan politics, bickering, climate wars and culture wars”, another dig on the “Taylor era”.

It is my intention to convene a meeting of all energy ministers early next week to be advised by AEMO and AER on the current supply situation on any further necessary actions which may need to be taken by the commonwealth or the states and territories working together cooperatively.

Bowen says he has been encouraged by the state minister’s willingness to work cooperatively.

Updated

Bowen: the days of ‘kneejerk reactions’ to energy crises are over

Bowen says the days of “kneejerk reactions” to crises and government policy are over. They were the “[Angus] Taylor era”, but they are not the era of this government.

I don’t hold the former government accountable for any particular element of the situation, the serious situation we are facing. I do say this though: The former government’s nine years of denial and delay, their 23 energy policies, their changes of policy approaches have left Australia ill-prepared and our energy markets ill-prepared for the challenges we face today in relation to gas and energy supply.

If we had more storage and renewables and better transmission, we would be much better placed to deal with the current challenges. That is exactly what our Powering Australia plan seeks to implement but it will take some time to implement. As I have said, you don’t overturn nine years of dysfunction, denial and delay overnight. But action is necessary.

He says AEMO has publicly announced it has implemented the gas supply guarantee mechanism and that is already showing some improvement in supply.

The situation is serious but it is being managed by our regulators professionally and it is important that Australians know that the new government has confidence in our regulators ... I make clear that the Albanese Labor government will take whatever action is necessary to ensure ongoing reliability and affordability for the energy markets.

But I also make this point: The days of knee-jerk reactions, the days of ad hoc interventions, the days of implementing ill-thought-out policies are the days of the last nine years. They are not the days of this government. This government will take action when necessary and appropriately we will do so, based on expert advice, we will do so cooperatively with our state and territory colleagues. The climate wars are over and the energy wars are over.

Updated

Chris Bowen: energy and gas supply situation 'very serious and challenging'

Now to the energy crisis.

Bowen echoes the treasurer’s comments that Australia’s energy markets are facing a “perfect storm”.

He has spoken to his department, the peak energy body, the treasurer and energy ministers of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, WA and SA today.

There are a number of factors at play in relation to the very serious and challenging situation with electricity supply and with gas supply in particular. We are facing obviously a geopolitical situation around the world. We are facing some coal fired power closure station outages and some flooding impacts on coal mines and an array of other factors.

Updated

Greg Mullins on emissions target: ‘43% is a lot better than 26-28%’

Mullins is asked whether Labor’s target of a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 recognises the seriousness of the climate crisis.

“Did you speak to Mr Bowen about increasing that target potentially over the next 10 years so that it is more in line with the 75% target you are proposing?”

He replies:

The science is saying that a much stronger target is needed but I must say, 43% is a lot better than 26-28%. We will work on that.

Updated

Bowen is asked about Labor’s 2030 emissions target

Katharine Murphy asks Bowen why, when paying tribute to the expertise of the group he is meeting with, he hasn’t agreed to a 75% reduction in emissions by 2030 as has been advocated.

“Why are they wrong?”

He replies:

We went to the election seeking a mandate for a 43% target which, as you have heard me say many times, is not just a target but it is the modelled impact of our policies. I also recognise that starting in 2022, that is an ambitious target for 2030. It is 92 months away. That is the target which we will be notifying the UN of.

That is the target we sought a mandate for and that is the target we will implement and it is the modelled impact of our policies.

Updated

Former NSW fire and rescue commissioner says ‘we have been brought into the tent’

Mullins is up, drawing on the “stark contrast” between the newly elected Labor government’s approach to consultation with the bushfires two years ago.

Emergency leaders for climate action tried to warn the then prime minister Scott Morrison that we were facing a bushfire catastrophe. That was in early 2019. Eventually we met with a couple of ministers but it was after hundreds of homes and lives were lost.

We have to set aside the climate wars. No more blame, no more misinformation. We need to get on with this task. We have been through Black Summer, massive floods that have broken all records. This is climate change. We must take urgent action on emissions. That is the only thing that is going to drive down the severity and intensity of natural disasters into the future ... we are very pleased that we have been brought into the tent. It was pretty hard being outside the tent and knowing that a fire or a flood was coming.

Asked what the first thing he wants the government to do to act on climate change, Mullins replies: “what they’ve already done, open the door”.

The last government had closed doors and closed minds. This government is already showing it is ready to consult, ready to ask experts and to take on board the science, so that is a very promising thing.

Updated

Chris Bowen says he will seek ‘expert advice’ on climate action

Bowen says the Labor government will “seek to end the climate wars” by listening to Australians with expertise to guide their agenda.

Emergency leaders for climate action have that expertise. They have been warning Australia and Australian governments of the emerging natural disaster crises as a direct result of climate change and they have been ignored for too long and Australians have paid a price.

Far from shying away from their expert advice and their counsel, I am honoured by their presence and I was particularly keen for them to be my first meeting after being sworn in as climate change and energy minister.

Updated

Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen speaks

Energy minister Chris Bowen is speaking now. The first part of his press conference will be devoted to his guests: Greg Mullins, former fire and rescue commissioner for NSW; and Peter Dunn, retired commissioner of ACT emergency services.

The second part will move to the energy crisis.

These are the group that Scott Morrison refused to meet with. This morning I met with emergency leaders for climate action. This was my first non-departmental briefing meeting as climate change and energy minister after being sworn in yesterday afternoon. I wanted to do that because the climate wars should end.

Updated

Nearly 60% of Australian GPs report burnout, study finds

There has been a 30% drop in applications for GP training from 2017, new figures from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) have revealed.

Dr Lisa Becke – founder of Candor Medical and fellow of RACGP – says the decline is due to terrible pay, long hours and work conditions.

Some 58% of practising Australian doctors reported feeling burnout.

Updated

Talking of energy ...

Forget the climate wars, we have the energy wars to fill the gap, and it’s hard to keep up.

Sydney’s 2GB shockjock-lite Ben Fordham had a bit of a rant this morning about soaring gas and electricity prices and he said “that’s why we have Matt Kean on”.

After a short sting, he jumped back on, “Matt Canavan, I meant, not Matt Kean.”

Kean, of course, is the energy minister and treasurer of NSW, known to support serious climate action, especially as it relates to increasing renewable energy.

Canavan, by contrast, is a Queensland senator who is a big fan of coal-fired power and not at all a fan of the Coalition’s net zero commitment. Easy to mix up, I suppose.

Anyway, we’ll shortly have Chris Bowen, the new climate and energy minister (in that order, note) fronting a media conference in Australia. As we detailed here, there is a bit going on – indeed, something of a “world of pain” for energy users and even the threat of gas shortages.

A short time ago, wholesale electricity prices were still elevated, given the average a year ago would have been $100 per megawatt-hour or even less:

The Coalition bravely campaigned on an argument that they had lowered prices by 8-10% and, frankly, too few journalists pulled them up on it. (They were down for a short span.)

Meanwhile, there are calls from a few quarters for the new government to intervene to keep more of the gas we export at home, including from the outgoing SA senator Rex Patrick.

There are calls too to activate the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism. More to come on this one, but according to Tennant Reed at the AiGroup, it would be next to useless in the short term, unless rules are hurriedly rewritten.

We’ll find out shortly if that’s what the new government is planning to do.

Updated

Supergrass?

Suggestions are rolling in from readers on what to name the newly discovered biggest plant on earth.

  • Kelp McKelpie.
  • Androgyny (because the grass is celibate, with a mix of male and female genes).
  • Ralph the Wonder-Kelp.
  • Grassy McGrassFace.
  • Methuselah-weed.
  • Big Grass.
  • Albo.

I quite like our live news editor’s line of thinking:

Updated

Victorian MP Bernie Finn confirms he will lead DLP

Controversial Victorian MP Bernie Finn has confirmed he will lead the Democratic Labour Party at the state’s November election.

Last week, the Victorian Liberals voted to expel Finn from the parliamentary party after he posted on Facebook that abortion should be banned, even for survivors of rape. The decision forced Finn to move to the crossbench in the upper house.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy last week said he expected Liberal MPs to be “team players” and “uphold standards in their public discourse.”

Speaking to 3AW radio, Finn confirmed he would lead the DLP at the Victorian state election. He said the party would help support workers, families and small businesses:

I think that will appeal to a lot of people.

In March, the DLP was deregistered at a federal level due to low membership. But the party still exists in Victoria.

Bernie Finn.
Bernie Finn. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

Updated

Study finds media fanned fear of Covid vaccine adverse events

Exaggerated media reporting during the initial months of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout stoked the global spread of rumours about alleged adverse events, a study has found and AAP reports.

The University of Western Australia research used Google trends data and social media activity monitoring tools to trace the emergence and dissemination of prominent Covid-19 vaccine rumours from December 2020 to April 21, 2021.

Online discussion of clotting, fainting, infertility, Bell’s palsy and the death of baseball legend Hank Aaron were among the topics analysed.

Although some cases illustrated that social media networks synthesised and amplified adverse event rumours, the UWA study concluded traditional mass media reporting was crucial in promoting and moderating discourse:

While committed anti-vaccination activists can circumvent traditional media and successfully generate spikes in interest and coverage, even these populations look to traditional media sources as markers of credibility.

Egregious reportage and sub-editing by publications clearly encourages ongoing circulation of misinformation – and the internet has facilitated the proliferation of less rigorous and credible reporting.

Hyperbolic reporting, it said, tends to be shared more widely, incentivising writers and platforms to exaggerate claims to get more story clicks.

Dr Tauel Harper, the study’s lead author, encouraged journalists to be “particularly earnest” when reporting on adverse event claims and speak to relevant scientists before publishing.

However, he said scientists and health professionals should also promote their own perspectives to clarify stories lacking rigour.

Updated

Inspector general lashes out about NSW water

“Our water resource is not an open tab on the bar” – NSW inspector general of water Troy Grant has lashed out, saying he will be talking to new water minister Tanya Plibersek about the state’s water resource failures.

Updated

Expando?

Readers!

The newly discovered biggest plant on earth still needs a nickname. What do you call a 200 square kilometre Posidonia australis seagrass?

Suggestions welcome in the comments.

If you missed Graham Readfearn’s mind-boggling story, catch up here:

Updated

Penny Wong: ‘the security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific’

Foreign minister Penny Wong has again jetted to the Pacific, travelling to Samoa and Tonga days after China signed bilateral agreements with both nations, AAP reports.

The pact came off the back of China’s foreign minister Wang Yi embarking on a travel blitz through the Pacific.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he had already spoken to his Indonesian counterpart Sri Mulyani and would be working to engage with others across the Pacific region:

All of us in our own portfolios, in our own ways, can make a contribution to strengthening our relationships and our partnerships with friends in our neighbourhood.

The first week of my treasurership was about engaging with state and territory treasurers, peak business groups and unions. I’ve moved on now to engaging with international counterparts, and part of that will be Pacific friends.

The treasurer and new finance minister Katy Gallagher will also be working to enact the government’s Pacific strategy as it moves to counter Chinese influence in the region.

While China has signed bilateral agreements with some Pacific nations, the Asian powerhouse has put a region-wide security deal on ice. Beijing instead set out a position paper on the Pacific, covering areas such as security and development, along with greater dialogue and diplomatic ties.

Wong will meet with Samoan head of state Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II and prime minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, followed by Tongan prime minister Siaosi Sovaleni and Tonga’s foreign minister.

She said Australia would increase its contribution to regional security.

We understand that the security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Pacific family in addressing the existential threat of climate change, and we will deepen cultural and sporting ties.

While security will feature heavily in talks with Pacific nations, Wong is also expected to speak with Tonga’s government about relief efforts following the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami there earlier this year.

Here’s our preview story:

Updated

Central Victoria is looking particularly beautiful today as minus temperatures brought morning frost.

Australian boss of AstraZeneca given knighthood

The Australian boss of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which produced the first major vaccine for Covid-19, has been given a knighthood by the Queen, AAP reports.

Sir Pascal Soriot, who has dual citizenship and spent much of his time during the coronavirus pandemic in Australia, has been knighted for services to UK life sciences and the response to Covid-19.

Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca.
Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/PA

The Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was approved in December 2020, and jabs were initially rolled out among the older and the most vulnerable in society.

In a statement, Pascal said:

I am truly humbled by this recognition. Growing up in France, I had many dreams and hopes for the future, but I never thought I would receive a knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen.

As an Australian citizen, it is a great privilege to receive this award and an honour to work with so many outstanding people around the world dedicated to following the science in order to bring medicines to patients. This recognition is also theirs and I would like to thank each of them for their commitment to our mission.

AstraZeneca chair Leif Johansson applauded Pascal’s knighthood, saying he was dedicated to scientific advances.

AstraZeneca played a crucial role in the global battle against Covid-19. It famously made its vaccine available at no profit and most of the doses supplied since have been at cost.

More than three billion doses have been delivered to more than 180 countries, including Australia. Sir Pascal, who is a doctor of veterinary medicine, has been CEO of AstraZeneca since 2012.

Updated

Canva pulls out of Russia

An update on our story last month about Australian tech darling Canva continuing to operate in Russia despite Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine: the company has pulled out.

In a statement, the company said its earlier strategy of trying to “raise awareness” in Russia by providing anti-war templates to users of its online clip art product no longer worked:

Though there was room for voices and protest during the early stages of the war, the Russian government has now shut down the vast majority of communication channels, making it impossible for people to voice dissent.

Those who do find workarounds or stand up in opposition to the government now face horrendous charges and prison sentences for speaking out.

As a result, it no longer operates in Russia and its landing page in the website now shows a message saying: “We categorically condemn Russia’s ongoing illegal war in Ukraine”. It also urges Russian users to visit the UN website for information about the invasion.

You can read our earlier coverage here:

Updated

Some of today’s NSW Covid deaths date back to April

Updated

NSW records 23 deaths, 7,585 new Covid cases

New South Wales Health has released today’s Covid update. Another 23 people have lost their lives due to the virus.

There have been 7,583 new Covid cases recorded in the latest reporting period.

There are 1,066 people being treated in hospital including 30 people in ICU.

Updated

Victoria records nine deaths, 10,204 new Covid cases

The Victorian Department of Health has released today’s Covid update.

There have been 10,204 new cases reported and nine further deaths.

There are 525 people being treated in hospital with the virus, including 28 people in ICU.

Updated

Ousted Victorian Liberal Bernie Finn reportedly to run for DLP

Bernie Finn was ousted from the Victorian Liberal party for posting on Facebook that abortion should be banned, even for survivors of rape.

Updated

Snaps of the cold snap

Here are some snaps of just how frosty it’s been in central Victoria from our reporter Calla Wahlquist (featuring her beautiful ponies).

As mentioned earlier, there has been some disparity around Australia between the actual temperature and the “feels like” temperature, which has been several degrees lower in some places this week.

Why the difference?

Well, according to Weatherzone’s Anthony Sharwood, who very helpfully answered my musing on Twitter, the “actual” temperature measures still air, unaffected by wind or direct sunlight.

The apparent temperature, as the “feels like” temperature is officially known, is a way of gauging what the current weather feels like for humans, especially regarding wind chill.

Updated

Treasurer questioned on staff shortages in hospitality

Amid his media blitz, treasurer Jim Chalmers appeared on Sunrise this morning discussing energy woes.

But he was also asked about ongoing staffing shortages hitting the hospitality sector, with businesses struggling to find staff and greater absences due to Covid-19.

What are we going to do to alleviate those staff issues and how long is it going to take for that to happen?

“Well, there are three ways,” Chalmers replied.

Obviously there is a role for cheaper childcare so that if people want to work more and earn more we can tap [into] that really big workforce of parents that find it too hard because they get priced out of work by the childcare system. And we are up for ... conversation with business about migration settings to make sure that they are appropriate so that they are not a substitute for doing those other things at home.

Updated

Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment ‘to be broken up’

Updated

Matt Thistlethwaite: ‘next step’ after voice to parliament is Australian head of state

Assistant minister for the republic Matt Thistlethwaite is appearing on Radio National.

He reiterates Labor’s first term in government will prioritise a voice to parliament for First Nations people, after which the “next natural step” is for Australia to have its own head of state.

As the Queen comes to the twilight of her reign we should pay respect for her for the wonderful job she’s done but I think Australians are beginning to think about what comes next for our nation.

It’s time we start the serious conversation once again ... and looking to have one of our own as our head of state, to recognise that independence and maturity going forward.

Assistant minister for the republic Matt Thistlethwaite shakes hands with the governor general during swearing-in ceremony.
Assistant minister for the republic Matt Thistlethwaite shakes hands with the governor general during swearing-in ceremony. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

He said there wasn’t a preference for a model to “force” on Australians (a big reason cited for the failure of the previous referendum on moving to become independent) but he “overwhelmingly” wanted to make it a force that “unites Australians” rather than divides.

Updated

Jim Chalmers warns of ‘tricky’ economic conditions

Chalmers also appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning, and was quite frank about the situation Australians are facing, with rising energy prices compounding the cost of living crisis.

We have high and rising inflation feeding through into rising interest rates, falling wages, and our capacity to deal with that is constrained by the fact that there is more than $1 trillion of debt in the budget we have inherited. I say to those Australians [featured on the ABC], thank you for your candour. The new government in Canberra shares your view of the big challenges in the economy and the hard work to address them has already begun.

We can have a bright future in this economy but only if we navigate these tricky conditions we have inherited from the former government, including some uncertainty around the world. We can get through these difficulties. But only first by acknowledging these difficult issues and addressing them.

Updated

Koalas found in Kosciuszko

There is fresh hope for koalas in New South Wales after evidence of an important population was discovered in Kosciuszko national park.

Surveys done between last November and February found male koalas at 14 different places across the park’s Byadbo Wilderness Area.

The NSW environment minister, James Griffin, said it was big news because until now, there had been just 16 recorded sightings of koalas in Kosciuszko in 80 years.

This exciting news provides hope that Kosciuszko national park may be a refuge for this iconic species.

ANU koala expert David Lindenmayer explained the researchers believed the park could be home to a more significant population that may be “more resilient to climate change”.

He said:

These findings are important because of the area’s elevation, which we hope will make the populations more resilient to climate change. The project involved using 100 passive acoustic recorders and spotlight surveys.

Griffin said the next step was to better understand the population at the park and work out what it could mean for the endangered species.

Updated

Coldest morning of the year

Let’s talk weather.

On day two of winter, it’s been the coldest morning of the year so far in parts of New South Wales and Queensland, including disparity between the actual temperature and the “feels like” temperature.

Scrolling through the BoM app, it’s officially -3.4 degrees in Canberra right now, but it feels like a crisp -7. In Sydney, it’s a warmer 8.2 degrees but feels like 3.3, while in Brisbane, it’s 11.8 degrees but feels like 9.2.

In Victoria, frosts with temperatures down to -2 degrees are forecast this morning in parts of the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, North East, South West and Central forecast districts.

And a marine wind warning is in place for every state and territory excluding the NT and Queensland.

Updated

Budget to focus on wellbeing

Chalmers is asked about the October budget, which will have a greater focus on wellbeing measures, as was rolled out in New Zealand as part of a mental health strategy.

The idea is to implement broader living standards like health and education that impact people’s wellbeing alongside economic data.

Chalmers:

One of my personal obsessions is that we need to get better at measuring what matters ... we should be measuring progress in this country more effectively.

Updated

No quick fix to energy costs, says Chalmers

Asked what’s currently on the table to ease immediate energy pressures, Chalmers said he wouldn’t preempt discussions and deliberations about the “various levers” governments have.

The energy market operator has already imposed a cap … that’s an important step, there is the so-called trigger which is about domestic supply, we need to recognise that even that potential policy trigger has its own challenges and is not necessarily immediate our most important responsibility is to try and inject the sense of certainty.

If there are near-term steps we will discuss and deliberate with them.

But Chalmers said the government “shouldn’t pretend” there would necessarily be a quick fix to a challenge that had been “building for over a decade”.

He said decent energy policy, including the push to expand renewables, would be the longterm solution.

I’m not going to be the kind of treasurer who says to Australian people ... that everything’s fine in the economy when it’s not. I want to be upfront, honest ... we’ve got a serious set of economic conditions that we’ve inherited from our predecessors which we have to acknowledge.

If we’re to deal with these challenges, we have to acknowledge them.

Updated

Treasurer talks about energy woes

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is speaking now on Radio National.

Asked if he wasn’t upfront enough with Australians about the energy woes facing the nation, he replied, “no, of course not”.

We’ve been upfront with people before and after the election that there’s a cost of living crisis in this country and the most pressing element of that now is these challenges in the energy market … putting extreme pressure on industry but also on households right around Australia.

We’ve ... said these are some of the challenges we’ve inherited.

Chalmers said the government would implement a cost of living package in October to get wages moving, push on renewables and implement childcare reform.

He said if there was an “easy fix” to the challenges they would already have been implemented, citing near term and international pressures but also 10 years of inadequate Coalition action.

We shouldn’t pretend that flicking one switch or another will fix things overnight when it won’t.

Updated

Good morning

It’s another frosty day on the east coast, compounding Australia’s energy woes as wholesale power prices soar.

Caitlin Cassidy here to guide you through this morning’s news. If my electric blanket usage in just two days of winter is any indication of where my gas bill is heading, I am deeply concerned.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will be briefed today on the situation facing the energy market, which he says is facing a “perfect storm” following a decade of climate change “policy failure”.

Forecast prices in Victoria soared to 50 times their normal level earlier this week, prompting the energy market operator to intervene. Yesterday, it warned of potential gas supply shortages amid the ongoing burst of cold weather.

Meanwhile, Penny Wong has flown to the Pacific for the second time as foreign minister as the Labor government ramps up diplomatic efforts in the region.

Wong arrived in Samoa today and will travel to Tonga tomorrow, after China’s foreign minister signed new deals with the Pacific.

And in one of former environment minister Sussan Ley’s final acts, recovery plans designed to prevent the extinction of almost 180 threatened species and habitats, including the Tasmanian devil, were scrapped by the Coalition.

Grab your blankets, let’s jump in.

Updated

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