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Melbourne hit by magnitude 4.6 earthquake
Melburnians were shaken by a magnitude 4.6 earthquake at 1.32am.
Continue reading...Greens and environmentalists say legislation introduced to parliament by Tanya Plibersek could facilitate new fossil fuel projects
Proposed changes to Australia’s sea dumping laws that would allow carbon dioxide to be pumped into international waters could be used to justify the expansion of the gas industry, the Greens and environment groups say.
The legislation, which was introduced to parliament by the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, last week, would allow the minister to grant permits so CO2 captured during industrial processes could be exported and stored under the seabed – a process known as carbon, capture and storage (CCS) – in another country’s waters.
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Continue reading...National party MPs argue it is a ‘legitimate industry’ and that it should be ‘managed appropriately’ to avoid commercial stations suffering
National party MPs Barnaby Joyce and Keith Pitt have warned against a total ban on online gambling ads, arguing it is a “legitimate industry” that can be managed with less extensive measures.
The pair are the first federal MPs to caution against the plan proposed by a parliamentary inquiry, which has raised concerns from television broadcasters about loss of gambling ad revenue.
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Continue reading...Icac finds former premier and Daryl Maguire engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’, but says it does not want the DPP to consider prosecuting Berejiklian. Follow live updates
We are waiting on the publication of the Icac report. But it appears the Icac website has crashed under the load.
Stay with us. We will bring you the findings as soon as we possibly can.
Continue reading...Treasurer Jim Chalmers wants to maintain strong budget position while rolling out existing policies; federal government cancels satellite program. Follow the day’s news live
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, denies Australia’s first budget surplus in more than a decade comes at the expense of under-pressure households as the cost of living rises, AAP reports.
Chalmers has confirmed there will be a larger surplus for the 2022/23 financial year than predicted in last month’s federal budget.
By getting the budget in much better nick by finding savings ... it actually makes it possible from that much stronger foundation to provide the $15bn of cost-of-living relief that we had in the budget.
Continue reading...Berejiklian stood down in 2021 after it was revealed she was in a ‘close personal relationship’ with Maguire, who was also found to be corrupt by Icac’s Operation Keppel
Former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has been found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct by the state’s corruption watchdog.
However the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) has not recommended charges be pursued against Berejiklian.
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Continue reading...Comments come after poster on voice was removed from an NDIS commission office over concerns it compromised impartiality
The federal minister for government services, Bill Shorten, has backed public servants displaying their support for the Indigenous voice referendum at work, after a stoush between unions and the NDIS commission over an information flier posted in an office.
Guardian Australia understands a Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) poster featuring referendum information, bearing a “unions for yes” emblem, was removed from a Melbourne NDIS commission office last week, upsetting the union.
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Historical societies say banning hate symbols could impact history preservation
Historical societies are also concerned about the proposal to ban Nazi and Islamic State symbols, AAP reports. They worry it will limit education and the preservation of history, and impact memorabilia value.
Modellers need to be able to purchase these items (and) symbols, let alone the basic right of Australian citizens to partake in the legitimate hobby of collecting modelling military items.
The words inscribed on the Islamic flag are sacred words and written by Muslims on a daily basis.
These words are taken directly from our scripture, the Holy Quran, and therefore cannot be subject to a ban.
Continue reading...Advocates say caps or freezes may help reduce pressure on renters but experts warn they are not a simple fix
Renters are bearing the brunt of Australia’s housing crisis, with stories of extortionate rent increases for poor quality homes making headlines all too often.
One solution being flagged by advocates is to control rents, either through freezes or caps on how much landlords can increase the amount.
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Continue reading...Report cited by environment minister in support of offset bill was criticised for inflated figures and lack of clarity on outcomes
PwC has walked back a report used to claim the nature repair market could be worth $137bn, accepting it measures “indirect spending towards biodiversity” but the amount spent on “threatened species conservation, with clear outcomes, is likely much less”.
The consultancy firm made that submission to a Senate inquiry examining the Albanese government’s nature repair market bill in response to a critique of the report from progressive thinktank the Australia Institute.
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Birmingham tells RN he is ‘conflicted’ over voice to parliament
Shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, avoids disclosing what he will vote in the voice referendum, dodging ABC RN’s Patricia Karvelas’ questions.
Do you support the voice?
I’ve been clear that I don’t intend to actively campaign in the referendum.
Why aren’t you taking a position? I mean, you’re making it clear that you want it to be private. If it’s private, that means you are actually sitting on the fence.
Patricia, I think you can hear from my answer there, that I am, in some ways conflicted and think this is a very difficult situation the country has been put in, that we have got a question before a proposed change.
We’re getting a situation where the government is not really directly responding to Ukraine’s requests for the Hawkei vehicles, or the Abrams tanks, nor the D mining equipment they’ve asked for.
[The Albanese government’s] contribution in terms of humanitarian assistance is simply $10m compared with the $65m that had been provided previously. So this is a concern …
Status as the leading non-Nato contributor to Ukraine has slipped away and the type of support being offered now doesn’t seem to be either meeting Ukraine’s requests, providing the modern equipment that they want or need, nor the type of scale that would seem to keep Australia commensurate support of our other parts.
Continue reading...PM reels off names of prominent yes campaigners backing ‘a moment of national unity’
Anthony Albanese has suggested the media has a “responsibility” not to confuse voters about support for the voice among First Nations people, arguing that Indigenous critics are outnumbered by supporters.
The prime minister told ABC Coffs Coast radio that Indigenous leaders have been campaigning for the voice “for a long period of time” as their preferred model of constitutional recognition.
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O’Neil defends decision to keep Nauru offshore processing open
Home affairs and cyber security minister Clare O’Neil was asked about why the offshore processing site on Nauru is being kept open if the last refugee has been removed on ABC RN this morning.
It is an unmitigated good thing for the country that we’ve transitioned the last asylum seeker off Nauru. This has been a festering sore in Australian politics for more than a decade. And I’m very pleased that our government has taken that approach of making sure that we bring that to a close.
However, it is very important that we maintain our strength on the borders. Offshore processing is a part of our overall approach and that is why Nauru will remain open and on standby.
Continue reading...Prime minister says ‘we have got to explain what it is about’ as he shrugs off polls showing slipping support
Anthony Albanese has shrugged off polling results showing slipping support for the Indigenous voice, but concedes the government needs to “make it clear” what is at stake in the referendum as the campaign begins.
The prime minister is confident of a yes vote in the referendum, expected in October, as he flags the Labor party will swing in behind the official Yes23 campaign to bolster its work.
Continue reading...CEO Kristin Stubbins says once internal investigation is complete there will be ‘appropriate accountability’ for those found to have acted inappropriately
The consultancy firm PwC will name all staff involved in the tax scandal shortly after it completes an internal investigation.
“This is a comprehensive, detailed investigation and as you can appreciate, we need to get it right,” acting PwC chief executive, Kristin Stubbins, told a parliamentary inquiry on Monday.
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Continue reading...Public messaging of referendum supporters hopes to offer antidote to ‘fear and misinformation’, yes campaigners say
The yes campaign for the referendum will offer grants of up to $15,000 for a blitz of community functions supporting the Indigenous voice, in a bid to support thousands of events nationwide backing the change.
Other big headline events and an advertising campaign are in the works for the yes campaigners, who will begin ramping up their public messaging from next week in the long run-up to the vote on an Indigenous voice to parliament, widely anticipated to be held in October this year.
Continue reading...Court to consider rule that keeps large swathes of government documents secret by denying freedom of information requests
The practice of using ministerial portfolio changes to keep large swathes of government documents secret is severely undermining transparency and accountability, the federal court will hear on Monday.
Rex Patrick, who marked himself as a transparency campaigner during his time in the Senate, is mounting a legal challenge against a common method of denying freedom of information requests for documents held by government ministers.
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States will ‘do their own things’ on rent caps: Collins
Speers asks for what evidence Collins is referring to. The minister points to research by Graeme Samuel, former boss of the ACCC, which she referred to in parliament this week and again reiterates the talking point:
The overwhelming evidence suggests that it doesn’t work. States and territories will do their own things in terms of this. What we are being asked to do here is have eight different jurisdictions make these decisions at the same time and we have been told very clearly from those jurisdictions that they won’t be doing this. Some states have already ruled out both freezes and caps. What we’ve been asked to do is simply not achievable and we won’t commit to something that is not achievable, David.
When you look at the evidence that has been cited by others, the evidence shows that it reduces supply significantly by up to 15%. The other thing that it shows is the quality of the stock diminishes over time, so I will look at the data and the evidence and the data and the evidence says that it doesn’t work.
Continue reading...Sydney protest was held over the decision to block the building of a new Russian embassy near Parliament House in Canberra
Anthony Albanese has renewed his call for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine as Russia was plunged into crisis and pro-Putin protesters marched on Kirribilli House in Sydney on Saturday.
The protest was held over the decision to block the building of a new Russian embassy near Parliament House.
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Continue reading...Judge suggests there may have been ‘interference with administration of justice’ and government officials could be referred ‘to relevant authorities’
The Department of Home Affairs deliberately withheld information that raised serious questions about the reliability of a future crime prediction tool because it wanted to keep using it on other offenders, the Victorian supreme court has heard.
The supreme court justice Elizabeth Hollingworth is considering whether convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika should be subject to an extended supervision order while he is held in immigration detention, and the conditions of such an order.
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