Key occasions
Good morning
Thanks to Martin for beginning us off this morning and bringing us to hurry. You now have Amy Remeikis with you for many of the parliament day. It’s simply a 3 espresso morning.
Prepared? Let’s get into it.
‘Teaching toolbox’ launched
The schooling minister, Jason Clare, will launch new Stem major faculty assets at Hughes major in Canberra as we speak in an try to assist lecturers enhance their arithmetic and science abilities.
The digital “teaching toolbox” assets, developed by the Australian Academy of Science, have been funded to construct each scholar proficiency and the skilled studying of lecturers.
The academy’s secretary for schooling and public consciousness, Prof Lyn Beazley, mentioned lecturers have been typically time poor and confronted “many competing demands”, pointing to inside analysis which discovered that trainer skilled studying packages have been disconnected from the realities of the classroom:
This will result in lecturers getting ready for what their college students have to know, relatively than designing how college students will greatest study.
Present assets for major faculty lecturers aren’t all the time assembly their wants and may imply that lecturers don’t have the chance to totally develop their very own experience. That is the place the Academy’s new assets are totally different.
Victorians dealing with mounting power money owed
The Client Motion Legislation Centre report additionally reveals that the variety of Victorians with previous power debt from earlier retailers has doubled since final 12 months and that some retailers are pressuring prospects into unaffordable cost plans utilizing the specter of disconnection.
Chief government Stephanie Tonkin:
We all know that trade is being supplied authorities funds to alleviate power debt, but regardless of these schemes debt is rising for too many Victorians.
Retailers want to come back to the desk to ensure they’re assembly their obligations to help Victorians scuffling with their power payments, which is why we’re recommending a cross-sector initiative to assist those that want it most.
This is without doubt one of the key takeaways of this report and we’re bringing all of the proof and proposals to the power trade and Victorian Authorities.
Cait Kelly
‘People shouldn’t have to decide on between placing meals on the desk and holding their lights on’
Extra Victorians are struggling to pay their power money owed, a brand new report from Client Motion Legislation Centre has proven.
In 2023, 7,087 individuals from throughout Victoria known as Client Motion’s monetary counsellors on the Nationwide Debt Helpline and 849 callers (or 12% of all) offered with power payments as certainly one of their high three monetary problem areas, in contrast with 10.5% within the earlier 12 months.
Chief government Stephanie Tonkin mentioned:
Common power debt of callers has elevated to $2,626, with the very best debt recorded at $34,102. Because the cost-of-living disaster deepens, we’re seeing the very best variety of giant power money owed within the six years since we first started publishing this report.
What is obvious is that low-income households are being priced out of a vital service, necessitating structural reforms that help all Victorians to entry inexpensive power.
Folks shouldn’t have to decide on between placing meals on the desk and holding their lights on, or racking up debt they might by no means repay. Entry to this important service have to be protected no matter revenue.
Aukus pact ‘already on trial’, Labor MP says
Daniel Hurst
The Aukus pact is “already on trial” and its defenders can’t afford to imagine it would survive modifications in authorities within the three international locations over three a long time, a federal authorities backbencher and former army officer has warned.
Luke Gosling units out the case for Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines with the assistance of the US and the UK in a Lowy Institute paper to be launched as we speak.
However he has additionally conceded that “long-term political support cannot be taken for granted” and says supporters should proceed to construct the case “if the fissures in today’s public opinion are to be arrested”.
The paper mentions China greater than 20 occasions, together with its army build-up, however Gosling accuses Aukus critics of taking “the bait of foreign propagandists when they assume that it [the Aukus pact] targets one specific country”.
The MP insists nuclear-powered submarines are “a country-agnostic capability that can respond along a broad spectrum of contingencies ranging from great-power war to insidious grey-zone threats”. He says Australia “has no fixed enemies, only permanent interests”.
The Australian authorities plans to accumulate eight nuclear-powered submarines, beginning with the acquisition of at the very least three Virginia-class boats from the US within the 2030s earlier than Adelaide-built SSN-Aukus boats enter into service from the 2040s.
Gosling requires future Australian governments to contemplate constructing extra nuclear-powered submarines from the 2050s, even after Australia has eight.
Melissa Davey
Extra response to the vaping choice
The chief government of the Public Well being Affiliation of Australia, Terry Slevin, mentioned the PHAA supported the federal government laws as initially put ahead, “and that remains our strongly preferred model”.
However he mentioned there had “been a wide diversity of views, and we know very well the industry has very aggressively lobbied on this”. Regardless, he thinks that if the amendments cross it would nonetheless be “a substantial step forward” for vaping reform:
Somebody I spoke to earlier talked concerning the days after we have been attempting to get smoke-free zones in eating places and pubs and golf equipment.
We acquired eating places first, and we acquired pubs and golf equipment some years later, as a result of tobacco management has all the time been an extended, gradual street.
There’s by no means been any excellent tobacco laws handed. We make progress. We take steps ahead. We argue for the absolute best coverage. We take wins after we can get them.
Well being specialists decry watering down of vaping invoice
Melissa Davey
On Monday the federal government introduced it had reached an settlement with the Greens to considerably water down vaping laws. The unique laws would have solely allowed individuals to purchase vaping merchandise from a pharmacy if they’d a prescription from their physician or one other authorised well being skilled.
However to safe help from the Greens within the Senate, the federal government has agreed to quite a few amendments, the important thing one being to permit individuals to purchase vapes at pharmacies and not using a prescription.
It’s a vital step-back, on condition that the unique invoice and prescription-only mannequin was backed by peak medical our bodies, well being organisations and tobacco management specialists. The unique laws additionally had robust public help.
College of Sydney public well being skilled Affiliate Prof Becky Freeman mentioned she needs to know what will likely be accomplished to make sure pharmacists will likely be really impartial from the vaping and tobacco industries if the amendments cross:
Which means we want measures to make sure that there isn’t any promoting of those merchandise allowed to pharmacists, that there’s no wining and eating of pharmacists to attempt to get sure vape merchandise into pharmacies, and we have to be certain that vapes stay a therapeutic product and never a shopper good that’s simply obtainable to anybody going to a pharmacy.
She added that, if the amendments cross, vapers wouldn’t should see a physician for a prescription, so necessary alternatives for conversations about quitting vaping and well being monitoring will likely be misplaced.
Welcome
Martin Farrer
Morning and welcome to as we speak’s stay information protection from Canberra I’m Martin Farrer and listed below are among the large tales as we begin the day, earlier than Amy Remeikis takes over.
A well timed reminder that Australia must get its act collectively on local weather and power comes as we speak with Unesco warning the federal government it should set extra bold emissions targets or the Nice Barrier Reef might be positioned on the “in danger” listing of world heritage websites. The report, revealed in Paris late final night time, says Australia must be requested to submit a progress report by February. After that, the committee “could consider the inclusion of the property on the list of world heritage in danger” at its 2026 assembly.
Specialists have been lining as much as criticise the Albanese authorities’s choice to water down the laws that was initially billed as a crackdown on vaping. Public well being specialists say a possibility has been missed and it appears to be like as if the federal government will cop a whole lot of flak for the backtracking as we speak. However with a deadline of the beginning of July to repair a vaping coverage bearing down on them, Labor has ignored the pleas of docs and watered down its plans to win the help of the Greens. Extra evaluation and information arising.
It’s not shocking that the chilly climate in jap Australia has led to a spike in demand for fuel. However the provide of fuel is coming below pressure and the issue will worsen with out the pressing addition of extra backup assets. Unusually calm climate has hampered renewable provide as properly, in keeping with Rick Wilkinson, the chief government of consultants EnergyQuest, and Victoria will “need a backup” to deal with peak winter fuel demand from 2026.
And a Labor MP has written a paper warning that Aukus supporters should proceed to construct the case for nuclear submarines to counter “fissures” in public opinion. Extra on that, too, in a tick.
