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Nuclear costings coming ‘in coming weeks and months ahead of election’: Taylor
The shadow treasurer was also asked when the Coalition would release the costings of its nuclear plan.
We will not be announcing it on your program this morning, as much as you might like me to.
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Labour market steadying as latest monthly CPI result looms
The consensus for much of the year has been the Reserve Bank’s 13-year high interest rates would squeeze demand in the economy, nudge up unemployment and help bring down inflation. And then it could start cutting its cash rate.
And then more recently, we’re actually starting to see [the labour market] tighten.
Continue reading...Wildlife group claims win as environment department says granting licence for bird was ‘an error’
A magpie made famous on social media may again be separated from his canine friends after a special carers’ licence was revoked.
The supreme court overturned the licence just months after it was granted to Molly the magpie’s Gold Coast rescue family that includes his best mates, dogs Peggy and Ruby.
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Continue reading...Girl, 17, given community service and driving suspension in state’s first use of Sophie’s Law
A mother who lost her unborn baby in a crash has hit out at a landmark sentencing after the teenage driver responsible avoided detention, saying it is “not enough”.
An emotional Haylee Loccisano expressed her frustration outside court after the 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given community service and a driving suspension for the fatal crash under new laws.
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Continue reading...Risk of blackouts has receded in Sydney, while a WA bushfire has prompted emergency evacuation in parts of Shire of Dandaragan
The heatwave baking much of eastern Australia will rapidly make way for conditions offering the “perfect ingredients” for thunderstorms later this week, raising risks of heavy rainfall and even flash floods.
Temperatures reached the high 30s across much of western Sydney on Tuesday with Penrith’s 39.7C the hottest – about 12C above the November average. Similar readings were forecast for Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
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The independent MP Zoe Daniel was on ABC News Breakfast earlier to discuss her alternative to the under-16 social media ban, which she introduced as a private member’s bill yesterday.
Daniel said her bill would implement an overarching statutory duty of care on social media companies “that goes to safety by design – but that in and of itself is not enough”.
What you need to make that work is the companies to assess the risks, mitigate the risks, be transparent about how they’re doing that.
The bill builds in penalties so if the companies do not comply, they could be fined up to 10% of global revenue. Also, their onshore executives could be held accountable for that … and the bill also has a provision to enable users to have control over the algorithm, as exists overseas, particularly in the EU …
[There are] obviously privacy concerns, and given the government’s had to pull their misinformation [and] disinformation – or their censoring the Australian public – bill from the Senate this week, we want to make sure we get strong, robust laws that don’t damage the [right to] privacy and make compulsory Australians having to have digital IDs.
Continue reading...Detectives investigate death of two-year-old girl in Innisfail, where temperatures peaked above 30C on Monday
Police investigating the death of a two-year-old girl at Innisfail in north Queensland believe the toddler had been inside a vehicle for several hours before she was found unresponsive on Monday.
The far north police Supt Mick Searle said detectives would undertake a “very complex and detailed” investigation into the girl’s death.
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Continue reading...Female almost the length of a shipping container was found dead on a drumline in August, primary industries department has revealed
The largest great white shark ever caught in Queensland’s shark control program died while pregnant with four pups, the primary industries department has revealed.
A female white shark was found dead on a shark-catching drumline near Gladstone in August. Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries took samples for research purposes and has been collaborating with researchers interstate, a spokesperson said.
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Continue reading...Police are investigating after the child died in Innisfail on Monday
A child has died after being found unresponsive in a vehicle in north Queensland.
Police officers were called to a vehicle in Innisfail about 1pm on Monday after reports a child had been found unresponsive.
Continue reading...Growing infestations along the Logan river pose ‘very high risk’ of spreading downstream, Invasive Species Council says
An increase in fire ant infestations along Queensland’s Logan River is raising concerns Australia’s worst invasive species could form floating rafts and spread downstream.
The Invasive Species Council advocacy manager, Reece Pianta, said governments should urgently ramp up eradication efforts along the Logan River, in south-east Queensland.
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Does the delay on gambling ad restrictions have anything to do with the demands of lobbyists?
Clare O’Neil said it wasn’t about lobbying, but “about making sure that we get this right”.
And the minister has pointed to previous attempts to scale back gambling advertising that have actually resulted in more gambling advertising. This is a delicate area, and we’ve got to get the balance right, and that’s what the minister is seeking to do.
These complicated matters, they just are. You know, if this was a really simple problem to fix, then it would have been fixed a long time ago.
I would say our government deserves credit for stepping up and saying we’re going to take action on this, and the minister [Michelle Rowland] is doing what is appropriate, which is diligently working through what the proposals will look like.
The minister is working with people, experts, stakeholders, others who will be affected by this legislation, and the government has said will come forward with … proposals early next year.
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Heatwave conditions are building over parts of Victoria and New South Wales today.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, much of Victoria will experience heatwave conditions, with maximum temperatures in the mid to high 30s.
Continue reading...Commission chair reopens submissions and says report will be finished and tabled in parliament
The head of Queensland’s Indigenous truth-telling and healing commission has vowed to complete the inquiry, defying the government’s plan to eliminate it.
The chairperson, Josh Creamer, restarted the historic inquiry on Friday, 23 days after the new premier, David Crisafulli, ordered it to halt work.
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Continue reading...Queensland’s new premier vowed to sack cabinet members who didn’t meet public targets. A month in, accountability questions are being raised
David Crisafulli staked his government’s success – and his own future – on meeting targets.
During last month’s election he vowed to resign if crime figures didn’t decline and to sack ministers who couldn’t deliver on key performance indicators (KPIs) set for each portfolio.
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New South Wales MPs condemned for ‘part-time’ parliamentary year
Scores of NSW MPs will earn the equivalent of more than $10,000 per sitting week in 2025 after a bid to increase the year’s 16-week calendar was rejected, AAP reports.
To do this, government MPs have to turn up to parliament and discuss matters. Voters won’t be happy that government MPs would prefer to hide in their electorate offices rather than turning up to parliament, where they face scrutiny.
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Oxfam reacts to Australia’s Cop29 pledge
Oxfam Australia has welcomed the government’s Cop29 pledge of $50m towards a global loss and damage fund to help the world’s most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown.
If climate change losses and damages are not included in the new global climate finance goal, the new fund for responding to loss and damage risks becoming an empty vessel.
The danger is that developed country governments will prioritise meeting the new and ambitious climate finance goal, and will not prioritise a fund that doesn’t count towards it.
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First investment announced as part of National Reconstruction Fund
The science and industry minister, Ed Husic, was on ABC News Breakfast to discuss the government’s first investment via the National Reconstruction Fund – $40m to a Toowoomba mineral processing factory.
The difference in terms of what the [NRF] does is it provides loans, equity, and guarantees to firms that are [working across] seven priority areas to expand and grow their operations.
Given the sizes of the investments, it does take more time to be able to go through to shape up what the investment will look like, how big it’ll be, over what term, the rate of return – because the other important thing to stress to viewers is – this is not about handing out grants, and certainly not doing it on the basis of political colour-coded spreadsheets as we saw with the last government.
In fact, the social media users were less likely to have a negative attitude towards Jewish and Muslim people, irrespective of where they were on the political spectrum.
Continue reading...Collariums, which emit UVA radiation, are often advertised on private social media accounts, thwarting search warrant efforts
Queensland Department of Health investigators are struggling to prosecute sunbed operators claiming the devices are “safe” because inspectors do not have the necessary UV detection equipment, and because services are being advertised on private social media accounts.
Guardian Australia called and messaged several wellness clinics and individuals operating out of their homes throughout New South Wales and Queensland, confirming that businesses are offering “collarium” treatments with rates starting at $25 for 20 minutes of use. Some of these businesses did not explicitly advertise collariums on their social media pages or websites but did offer collarium bookings over the phone.
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Continue reading...Firefighters battle two out-of-control blazes as other communities brace for winds, storms and possible flash flooding
Two out-of-control bushfires in Victoria have forced townships to evacuate and destroyed at least one home as parts of Australia’s east remain on alert for fires while being hit with wild winds and storms.
Firefighters were on Sunday working to contain the fires in Victoria’s west, with flash flooding and heavy rainfall possible in the state’s north-east, south-east New South Wales and north-east Tasmania.
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Continue reading...High court rules Aboriginal woman can pursue damages for abuse allegedly suffered in state care more than 60 years ago
The high court has ruled an Aboriginal woman can pursue damages on some allegations of historical sexual and physical abuse while in state care in Queensland.
The woman, 70, had tried to sue the Queensland government for almost $1.76m in damages, claiming she suffered a psychiatric injury as a “state child” decades ago.
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