Prime minister says Labor believes ‘Optus should pay, not taxpayers’ after customer data compromised. Follow the day’s news
Election wash-up
As we reported yesterday, the AEC will be appearing at the electoral matters parliamentary committee hearing this morning.
Continue reading...Investor Group on Climate Change says clear price on carbon needed and removal of all fossil fuel subsidies by 2050
Australia needs an ambitious 75% emissions reduction target by 2035, a clear price on carbon, and to remove all fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 in order to unlock the investment needed to reach net zero by 2050, according to a new report.
The Investor Group on Climate Change has released its policy priorities report for 2022-2025, outlining key areas for reform that would align Australia’s emissions target to the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5C and ensure the country was able to manage an “orderly” retreat from coal.
Continue reading...Prof Jane Halton says country has not reached ‘Covid stable’ and suggests vaccination advertising campaigns continue to 2024
Australia’s vaccination advisory body is investigating whether to expand the availability of the Novavax Covid jab, amid concerns tens of millions of doses could be wasted due to recommendations it not be used as a general booster shot.
It comes as a review of Australia’s Covid vaccine procurement found the former Coalition government’s actions were “consistent with other high-income countries”, but warned of a potential shortfall in Moderna unless the Labor government orders more supply.
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Continue reading...Shorten: ‘Optus hasn’t done enough’
Over on the Nine network Bill Shorten had a chat about Optus and the robodebt royal commission (Shorten has found his media niche in commercial tv, particularly breakfast shows).
Well, first of all, we want Optus to look after its customers. Based on what I’ve been told, Optus hasn’t done enough. They have done not enough to protect its customers and their follow up needs to be much more diligent. Clare O’Neil, our Minister for Home Affairs, is coordinating our response. I think it’s time for a giant overhaul- or not a giant overhaul, but a big overhaul of how data’s kept by our large corporations. So we’re doing everything we can to try and apprehend the hackers. But there’s no doubt that the defences of the company were, as I’ve been informed, inadequate, and they’ve got to reach out and support their customers. That’s what we want to do.
Continue reading...Attorney general Mark Dreyfus also confirms integrity commission will be able to investigate conduct retrospectively
Labor is facing a backlash from the crossbench over its decision for the national anti-corruption commission to hold “most” of its hearings in private with public hearings limited to “exceptional circumstances”.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday the high bar for public hearings was the “right setting” to avoid “reputational harm”, but did not rule out that it was included at the Liberal opposition’s request.
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Continue reading...Bazzi will not face prospect of high court overturning earlier win and Dutton will not pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs
Peter Dutton’s defamation case against Shane Bazzi has come to an end, with the Liberal leader dropping his attempted high court appeal and the refugee activist ceasing a bid for costs.
Bazzi’s lawyers, O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors, revealed the pair had reached a resolution with final orders made by the full federal court on Monday.
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Continue reading...The Nationals want to get back to their roots – the regions.
The country party are launching a “regional listening tour” to find out what is affecting people in the country.
Migration is not the only solution to the challenges our regions are up against,” Littleproud said.
We need to look at what can be done now to help those Australians that are already in town.
We know distance is one of the greatest barriers to opportunity. So we’re coming to your town to create this opportunity to share your concerns and help us come up with the solutions.
For example, would a Regional University Centre stop our children from leaving town? Or could paying their HELP debts be the incentive they need to stay where we need them?
Continue reading...‘History is calling’, according to ad from Uluru Dialogue group, which says it’s the start of a ‘journey of nation-building’
The first ad campaign to encourage a yes vote in a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament is an emotive pitch targeted at everyday Australians from different walks of life.
The Uluru Dialogue group has produced the ad to support its voice referendum campaign, “History is calling”. It coincides with one local council making a call for 1,000 volunteers to sign up for a training program to raise support for a yes vote.
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Continue reading...Australia’s defence minister says Vladimir Putin’s threat ‘cannot be allowed to stand’
The defence minister, Richard Marles, has condemned the latest nuclear threat from Russia as “appalling”, and says Australia is preparing to support Ukraine for a protracted military conflict.
Speaking on Sunday, the deputy prime minister said the threat from the Russian president Vladimir Putin last week to use the country’s nuclear arsenal as part of its ongoing war with Ukraine could “not be allowed to stand”.
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Continue reading...NSW and Victoria have dragged their heels and now risk the federal government taking over Australia’s most important river system
State governments which have dragged their heels on delivering on their commitments under the Murray-Darling Basin plan are now risking a federal government takeover of water policy after June 2024.
They must judge whether the federal water minister, Tanya Plibersek, will be prepared to reach for the cudgels that are built into the Murray-Darling Basin plan and take over administration of Australia’s most important river system.
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Continue reading...Australia Post offers a priority service for $225 but there are fears it will just push those already waiting further into a backlog
Thousands of Australians are heading into school holidays anxiously waiting for new passports to arrive, with longer wait times for first-time adult and children’s passports amid ongoing delays.
The Australian Passport Office (APO) continues to see unprecedented demand post-Covid, receiving up to 15,000 applications per day and experiencing around six weeks of work in the processing queue.
Continue reading...Dozens of flood warnings across NSW after state lashed by heavy rainfall overnight. This blog is now closed
Wong highlights decline in the UN’s Human Development Index
Despite inheriting the biggest debt in our nation’s history, the new Australian Government is determined to play its part in supporting the development of other nations, particularly in our region.
We are alarmed that, for the first time, the UN’s Human Development Index has declined for two consecutive years – in 2020 and 2021 – and the impact of this decline has been most severe on women and girls, with nearly half a billion women and girls now living in extreme poverty. And the global food security crisis is increasingly grave.
The Australian parliament I serve in is ever more reflective of our modern nation, both enriched by their diversity. And this follows the collective decision of the Australian people to turn the page and write a new future for themselves. Newly elected parliamentarians have origins from across the world and Indigenous Australians have been elected in record numbers and serve in the ministry in record numbers.
The new Australian government is determined to make real progress on the national journey of healing with Indigenous Australians, the First Peoples of our continent. And as foreign minister, I am determined to see First Nations perspective at the heart of Australian foreign policy, and this week I have been encouraged by discussions with other countries on their own journeys. I am humbled to be guided in these efforts by First Nations colleagues.
Continue reading...Legislation to end mandatory scheme delayed by death of Queen Elizabeth II but now expected to pass next week
People on the cashless debit card will be able to leave the program from early October after legislation to abolish the mandatory income management program was delayed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Albanese government announced the updated timeline late Friday, along with the details of a new “enhanced” card which people who choose to remain on the income management program will be able to use. They also announced $67m in additional social supports for communities transitioning off the card.
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Continue reading...In its submission to Privacy Act review telco said giving people right to erase personal data would involve ‘significant’ hurdles and costs
Optus has repeatedly opposed a proposed change to privacy laws that would give customers the right to request their data be destroyed, with the telco arguing there were “significant hurdles” to implementing such a system and it would come at “significant cost”.
On Thursday, the company revealed it had suffered a massive cyber-attack in which the personal information of customers was stolen, including names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, addresses, and passport and driver’s licence numbers.
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Continue reading...The foreign minister is in New York City for the UN general assembly. Follow the day’s news live
In New South Wales politics this has just happened:
The Senate is also up and about with a condolence motion being held in the upper house as well.
Continue reading...Coalition committed to respond in ‘early 2022’ but failed to do so, while Labor has not issued a full response since taking office
Successive governments have failed to produce a response to a damning review of the child abuse redress scheme published 18 months ago, missing a self-imposed deadline by at least five months despite the review’s pleas for urgency.
The national redress scheme, established in the wake of the 2017 child abuse royal commission, has been operating for four years, offering capped amounts of compensation to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.
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Continue reading...Foreign minister condemns Russia’s heightened military response in Ukraine as opposition calls for further sanctions
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says the federal government is considering expelling the Russian ambassador as a result of President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear aggression towards Ukraine, as the Coalition opposition steps up calls for further sanctions over the invasion.
Wong said Australia is considering sending further military assistance to Kyiv in the face of Russia’s escalating rhetoric but security and logistical issues were complicating factors.
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Continue reading...Q: Is an external review now the precedent for anyone at other clubs who may come forward with similar allegations?
McLachlan:
Our integrity team is investigating many things concurrently. I think it depends on the nature of the allegation and the particular circumstance. But that’s certainly what we felt was warranted here. And I hope that history says that all allegations will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially.
And that’s the challenging part about this, that these courageous people have come forward and now there’s a huge spotlight on them. And I hope it doesn’t deter them to lean in on this and have that conviction to tell their stories to this independent panel so that we can get to the bottom of this.
I spoke to our senior Indigenous players last night. Eddie was on the call. Shaun Burgoyne was there, and Shane Edwards and Steven May and Neville Jetta and others.
And what was confronting for them – and I think they’d be happy for me to talk about this – Burgoyne was there right through this period, and was confronted and challenged he didn’t see any sign of this. I know that was weighing heavily on him.
Continue reading...Victorian government commits $1bn to emergency departments in Melbourne’s north
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has vowed to expand two of the state’s busiest emergency departments in Melbourne’s north, in a pre-election $1bn health pledge.
We know there is pressure in the system.
This means more emergency department space, more emergency department patients being treated and a stronger and better health system for millions more.
Continue reading...Patrick will use the federal court to demand the information commissioner explain the lawfulness of her office’s delays in reviewing freedom of information decisions. Follow the day’s news live
The NSW government and the transport union will be meeting this afternoon behind closed doors after the union announced yesterday they’ll be withdrawing their plans to shut down the Opal card system.
Last week the union announced their plans to shut down the Opal card system indefinitely as part of their ongoing dispute with the state government.
[W]e know that higher interest rates will tend to depress residential and commercial property prices but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude and even the timing.
Not only can declining property prices have implications for economic activity, but also for financial stability as we outlined in the April financial stability review.
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