Australia information dwell: Labor to vow higher cell protection and extra accessible seashores and parks

Good morning

Emily Wind

Emily Wind right here, signing on for running a blog duties – because of Martin for kicking issues off for us. I’ll be with you on the weblog for many of in the present day, guiding you thru our rolling updates.

As at all times, you may learn out with any suggestions, questions or suggestions by way of electronic mail: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s go.

The boss of Australia’s largest retail financial institution has penned a letter of reassurance to prospects amid cost-of-living pressures and a slip in its shares, AAP stories.

Commonwealth Financial institution chief Matt Comyn mentioned in a letter that hit most patrons’ electronic mail inboxes on Monday:

It’s been a difficult time for Australian households and companies, and we all know many purchasers have been trying ahead to decrease charges.

For our variable house mortgage fee prospects, the total rate of interest discount will hopefully present some aid.

CBA shares fell greater than 8% final week – a fall mirrored by different main Australian banks – however recovered on Monday, rising 2.97%. Comyn declared in his letter that bodily money was “here to stay”, even when prospects’ banking preferences could evolve:

We’ll proceed to distribute greater than $4bn in money every month by means of Australia’s largest department and ATM community, which may even profit from $100m in upgrades in 2025.

Now we have prolonged our promise to maintain all our regional CommBank branches open till a minimum of 31 July 2027 to help communities and jobs in regional Australia.

Cait Kelly

Greens vow to overtake job companies and abolish mutual obligations

This morning the Greens will launch their coverage to overtake job companies by eliminating for-profit suppliers from the employment companies system, restoring the Commonwealth Employment Providers, abolishing mutual obligations and hiring extra workers to convey name wait instances to Centrelink to beneath 5 minutes.

Based mostly on PBO evaluation, the get together mentioned its plan would price roughly $3.6bn over 4 years. It mentioned the CES would create hundreds of public service jobs and could be universally accessible for everybody, together with those that are already employed.

Greens spokesperson on social companies Penny Allan-Payne mentioned:

The privatised employment service system is expensive, ineffective and merciless. It makes it tougher for folks to search for and discover work, whereas enriching for-profit suppliers, lots of whom have demonstrated a callous indifference to the well-being of the folks they’re meant to assist.

Mutual obligations are usually not solely merciless, they’re utterly dysfunctional. A number of ongoing expertise points have rendered the system nearly inoperable, whereas info that’s not too long ago come to mild raises critical questions in regards to the legality of the entire scheme.

We’d be higher off taking out the system altogether, moderately than persevering with to throw good cash after dangerous on one thing that’s expensive to manage and utterly counterproductive.

Pledge to make seashores and parks extra accessible

Josh Butler

The Labor authorities has pledged $17.1m to offer extra accessible seashores, parks and vacationer places for folks with a incapacity. Social companies minister Amanda Rishworth is launching the “Accessible Australia” initiative in the present day in Cairns.

It goals to offer federal funding for infrastructure reminiscent of extra accessible change room and bathroom amenities, all-terrain or seaside wheelchairs, and “inclusive” play areas for folks with particular wants.

An present program, Altering Locations, will probably be expanded to assist folks entry parks and seashores, together with funding for accessible pathways higher suited to wheelchairs, “mobi-matting” appropriate for folks with wheelchairs or decreased mobility, and playgrounds with amenities like sensory play platforms.

Rishworth’s workplace suggests the initiative may assist appeal to extra guests to Australia, with this system to be promoted by means of Austrade. The minister mentioned:

By Accessible Australia, we’re considerably broadening the forms of accessible infrastructure and facilities that will probably be constructed throughout Australia, offering entry – for the primary time for a lot of – to nationwide parks, seashores and play areas.

The Australian authorities may even present funding to state and territory governments to assist with the design, growth and supply of Accessible Australia tasks.

Folks with incapacity have the identical rights to be included in our communities, to entry the areas we collect in, and to expertise our lovely pure atmosphere.

Labor outlines plan to broaden cell protection throughout Australia

Josh Butler

The Labor authorities is promising a “universal outdoor mobile obligation” if it wins the approaching election, pledging what it calls a “world first reform” for common name and SMS service throughout nearly all of Australia.

Communications minister Michelle Rowland will launch the coverage in the present day. Her workplace says it is going to result in as much as 5m sq km of latest out of doors cell protection throughout Australia, together with greater than 37,000km on regional roads. The brand new common out of doors cell obligation would require cell carriers to offer entry to cell voice and SMS nearly in all places throughout Australia.

Rowland mentioned:

Whether or not it’s in nationwide parks, mountaineering trails or out on the farm, out of doors protection will probably be accessible nearly anyplace the place Australians can see the sky.

The plan would broaden triple-zero entry, enhance voice and SMS protection in cell black spots, and enhance cell indicators throughout disasters and energy outages. The federal government says it will search to introduce laws this 12 months, with implementation by late 2027, to “expand the universal service framework to incorporate mobile coverage for the first time”. Rowland:

The federal government will work with stakeholders and business to get the laws proper, together with flexibility the place warranted by provide, spectrum and different components. The Albanese authorities may even interact with business and look at incentives and elimination of limitations to help public curiosity aims and competitors outcomes.

Good morning and welcome to our dwell information weblog. I’m Martin Farrer with the highest in a single day tales after which it’ll be Emily Wind with the principle motion.

Anthony Albanese says he’s assured that the US would defend Australia if it had been to return beneath assault, regardless of Donald Trump rewriting European safety since coming to energy. However the prime minister added that Australia wanted to take care of its personal safety and would make its personal choices on international coverage, together with on help for Ukraine.

The feedback got here on a particular version of the ABC’s Q+A final evening, wherein he took questions from members of the general public on international affairs, the cost-of-living disaster, housing and social cohesion. Response arising.

With reference to the economic system, the Commonwealth Financial institution boss Matt Comyn has written to his prospects to reassure them amid cost-of-living pressures. He says excessive borrowing charges have proved a “challenging time for Australian households and businesses” and “we know many customers have been looking forward to lower rates”. Extra arising.

The Labor authorities is promising a “universal outdoor mobile obligation” if it wins the approaching election, pledging what it calls a “world first reform” for common name and SMS service throughout nearly all of Australia. Extra arising as Michelle Rowland, the communications minister, launches the plan in the present day.

And Labor can be promising $17.1m to offer extra accessible seashores, parks and vacationer places for folks with a incapacity. Extra on that in a tick.