Key occasions
Gallagher defends funds after criticism from EY economist
Katy Gallagher, the minister for finance, has responded to an announcement from Cherelle Murphy, EY’s chief economist, on ABC Radio Nationwide.
Murphy stated the federal government – and different governments earlier than it – haven’t been keen to match up income and expenditure, passing money owed throughout generations. Gallagher:
I feel it’s straightforward to commentate on a funds. It’s tougher to place one collectively.
And we if you take a look at what we’ve accomplished with this funds since coming to authorities, the funds is $200bn higher off since we inherited it. We’ve additionally paid down debt. We’ve paid lowered the curiosity invoice on that debt. We’ve delivered two surpluses, and we’ve managed to seek out investments to enter all of these key areas that individuals care about, whether or not it’s value of residing or important companies. And we’ve accomplished all of that.
It’s a balancing act. There’s extra work to do. A funds is an ongoing mission, in a way, as a result of the calls for of presidency by no means cease.
Australian rescuers arrive in Vanuatu
Australian rescue and medical groups have arrived in Port Vila as Vanuatu races to reply to Tuesday’s 7.3-magnitude earthquake. The loss of life toll stood at 14 late on Wednesday with at the least 200 injured, in response to the Crimson Cross, Australian Related Press stories.
Anthony Albanese stated the crews could be on the bottom from final evening and the folks of Vanuatu had a protracted street to restoration forward.
“Australia stands ready to provide further assistance to our Pacific family in their time of need,” he wrote on X, previously referred to as Twitter.
No Australians have been confirmed lifeless within the quake, however one case particularly exhibits the ties between the 2 Pacific neighbours.
Rodney Prestia, chief government of labour rent enterprise iComply, advised AAP {that a} 26-year-old girl who he recognized solely as Valerie was crushed in a collapsed constructing.
“It’s an absolute tragedy and our team’s been really rattled by it,” he stated.
With the airport reopening on Wednesday afternoon, aid and help from Australia was capable of contact down, together with a C17 Globemaster and C130 Hercules with personnel from Queensland and NSW Hearth and Rescue.
Australian federal police, a international affairs division disaster response workforce and a medical help workforce have been additionally deployed.
The taskforce chief and chief superintendent, Douglas Could, stated their first precedence was to assist folks trapped underneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.
“Ultimately we know there are lives to be saved there right now,” he stated.
Adam Morton
Labor offers go forward to electrical energy transmission hyperlink in southern NSW
The Albanese authorities has given the greenlight to a serious electrical energy transmission hyperlink in southern New South Wales that would enable three gigawatts of large-scale renewable power initiatives to attach the Australian east coast energy grid.
The setting minister, Tanya Plibersek, stated she had accredited the $4.8bn HumeLink – a long-promised 365km, 500-kilovolt high-voltage connection that might hyperlink Wagga Wagga, Bannaby and Maragle and is required to attach the troubled Snowy 2.0 improvement.
Plibersek stated the approval got here with circumstances to guard nature, together with limits on land clearing and that many of the new transmission traces could be inside current transmission corridors.
In an announcement, Plibersek stated Labor was “getting on with the job of transforming Australia into a renewable energy superpower” whereas the Coalition was proposing a “risky nuclear plan”:
The renewable power transition is actual, it’s occurring proper now, and it’s the one plan supported by specialists and enterprise to ship clear, inexpensive and dependable energy for houses.
The opposition chief, Peter Dutton, final week introduced additional particulars of the Coalition’s nuclear coverage. It could contain considerably slowing the rollout of renewable power and trying to increase the lifetime of outdated coal-fired crops till after 2040. You may learn extra about it right here, right here and right here.
Rafqa Touma
Thanks Martin Farrer for kicking off the weblog this morning. I’ll be rolling your information updates by way of the day – let’s get into it
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our stay information weblog. I’m Martin Farrer with the highest in a single day tales after which it is going to be Rafqa Touma who takes over.
Penny Wong has pledged one other $1.5bn in support to Ukraine and introduced that the Australian embassy in Kyiv might be reopened. On a go to to the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday, the international minister stated the ambassador to Ukraine, Paul Lehmann, and the deputy head of mission will return to Kyiv in January. Extra developing.
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has introduced this morning that tech corporations could have two further months to finalise plans to limit youngsters from accessing grownup web sites. She stated the trade wanted time to contemplate the rushed under-16s social media ban laws and the way it would possibly intersect with restrictions on grownup content material.
Vanuatu’s capital was nonetheless with out water final evening, a day after reservoirs have been destroyed by the magnitude 7.3 earthquake that wrought havoc on the South Pacific island nation. The loss of life toll of 14 is anticipated to climb as rescue staff dig by way of collapsed buildings and features a girl who lately completed a nine-month work stint in Queensland. Extra developing.
