Australia information dwell: search to renew for 3 lacking after Rottnest seaplane crash; Labor to spend $100m on 40 new Bushmasters

Albanese defends size of go to to NT as a part of election blitz

Talking about his election blitz, Anthony Albanese was requested about criticism from shadow Indigenous affairs minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Value that it was a ‘blink and you’ll miss it journey’ to the NT.

The PM mentioned he had three days scheduled for the territory:

Jacinta Value wasn’t there on Christmas Day on the fiftieth anniversary of the commemoration of Cyclone Tracy. That was a extremely vital occasion. I used to be there from [the] 23 till Christmas Day, within the Northern Territory. This go to will probably be my twelfth go to to the Northern Territory. Extra visits than the three Liberal prime ministers who preceded me [to] the Northern Territory over their nearly decade in workplace.

Albanese defends under-16s social media ban amid Zuckerberg aligning with Trump

Anthony Albanese was additionally requested concerning the choice by Mark Zuckerberg to align himself extra carefully with Donald Trump, asserting that he was eliminating factcheckers (see earlier submit).

Is he fearful Labor’s social media age restrictions might have picked a combat with Trump? Albanese defended the legal guidelines, saying have been about defending younger youngsters and Australian households:

We make no apologies for standing up for the pursuits of younger Australians. I do know that our sturdy motion is being watched proper around the globe, as a result of different leaders that I’ve spoken to have indicated that they applaud the truth that Australia has taken this motion. It went by the Parliament with overwhelming assist, and it has the assist of Australian households.

If Trump criticises the legal guidelines, will Australia stand by them? Albanese mentioned they have been “an Australian policy in the interests of young Australians”.

We’ll seek the advice of, clearly, as a part of the laws … however this can be a smart coverage, responding to what’s a brand new subject. A brand new know-how which is having an influence on our youngest technology …

‘Terrible news’: Albanese on airplane crash off Rottnest Island

The prime minister says his coronary heart goes out to all concerned in a airplane crash off Rottnest Island yesterday.

As we flagged earlier, Anthony Albanese will journey to the Prime Finish at this time amid an unofficial election marketing campaign by Queensland this week.

Chatting with ABC Information Breakfast from Cairns only a second in the past, he spoke on the crash and mentioned:

That is horrible information. The photographs would’ve seen by all Australians as they’ve woken up. My coronary heart goes out to all these concerned.

Australians lastly free of UK pub after spending days snowed in

Australians Naomi and Paul Wright have lastly left the UK pub the place they spent three days snowed in.

33 folks have been snowed in on the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire, Britain’s highest pub, as an Antarctic blast sweeps the UK.

Naomi and Paul spoke with the At the moment Present simply earlier, describing their reduction after farmers used their plough tools to clear the roads for everybody inside:

They’ve truly cleared the roads for us, got here up and mentioned to anybody that wished to get out, wanted to go now. So we dug the automobiles out … Everybody within the pub was cheering [and] all pitched in collectively. The fellows got here up with the ploughs, lined us up and mainly it was a mad sprint again to the freeway …

If we didn’t get out in that brief time-frame at this time, we might have been there for one more three or 4 days.

Naomi and Paul, from the Northern Territory, mentioned there had been “a lot of drinking, a lot of eating, a lot of chatting [and] playing cards”.

Chalmers responds to report exhibiting $7bn shortfall in finances for public sector wages

Jim Chalmers was additionally requested about a report within the Monetary Overview exhibiting a $7bn shortfall within the finances for public sector wages – and why the federal government is forecasting nearly no progress for the sector for 3 years from 2025/26?

The treasurer mentioned it was “important to remember that the numbers in the budgets reflect the best current estimates that we have for departmental expenses, and those departmental expenses are considered each year from budget to budget.”

Normally what occurs is that departments are required to satisfy these wage will increase from inside their present allotted assets. That’s been commonplace observe for a while now, and that departmental funding is topic to common indexation. Nevertheless it’s vital to recollect [the] very, essential distinction between us and our political opponents.

The Coalition need to slash a complete bunch of jobs that can value extra, it’ll ship much less, and it might herald a return to the times of Robodebt. We noticed how badly they mismanaged the general public service. We’ve been cracking down on exterior consultants and contractors. We’ve been rebuilding the frontline capability of the Australian public service, remembering that three quarters of those new jobs are created exterior of Canberra … and we are going to finances for that in the perfect most correct manner that we will.

Chalmers says authorities addressing cost-of-living pressures in ‘meaningful and responsible way’

Jim Chalmers was additionally requested concerning the resignation of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau amid the nation’s cost-of-living disaster.

He was requested why he thinks Australians would give his authorities a move and return them to energy when cost-of-living ache is so nice? Chalmers mentioned they “don’t take any outcomes in the election for granted”.

The election will probably be very powerful. It will likely be very tight. It will likely be contested because it all the time is, and because it all the time needs to be, and so we’re not complacent concerning the consequence of the election.

Individuals are beneath very substantial strain, and so they usually categorical themselves politically. Our job is to take the correct financial choices for the correct causes.

Chalmers argued the federal government was responding to cost-of-living pressures in a “meaningful and in a responsible way” and that “if our opponents were in charge, people would be much worse off”.

Chalmers speaks forward of inflation figures being launched at this time

Only a second in the past, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, spoke with ABC RN earlier than the newest inflation figures being launched at this time.

He acknowledged Australians are nonetheless beneath strain however mentioned at this time’s numbers would present “an indication of the progress that we’ve made together, from inflation with the six in front of it to inflation with the two in front of it”.

We all know that the massive nationwide mixture figures don’t all the time completely translate into [how] individuals are feeling or faring in native communities round Australia.

Chalmers pointed to a variety of cost-of-living measures the federal government has applied and mentioned “any number today with the two in front of it shows that inflation has more than halved since we came to office”.

As for whether or not there could also be an rate of interest minimize in February, Chalmers mentioned he didn’t need to pre-empt choices of the RBA however “we do know that inflation in the monthly figures and in the quarterly figures is now within the Reserve Bank’s target range”.

Emergency bushfire warning for cities alongside Nice Ocean Street

An emergency bushfire warning has been issued for Cape Otway and Hordern Vale in southern Victoria.

An out-of-control bushfire is travelling in the direction of Lighthouse Street, VicEmergency mentioned, urging these within the space to take shelter now as it’s too late to go away:

It’s too late to go away the realm safely so you will need to take shelter now … You might be at risk and have to act instantly to outlive. The most secure possibility is to take shelter indoors instantly. It’s too late to go away.

A heatwave warning is in place for southern Victoria. In accordance with the Bureau of Meteorology, extreme heatwave situations have eased however low-intensity heatwave situations are anticipated to develop throughout the state later within the week.

From at this time, Aussies travelling to the UK might want to apply for a digital allow to go to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Eire.

The digital journey authorisation, or ETA, prices £10 – or $A20. Folks can get an ETA to go to the UK as a substitute of a visa if they’re:

The official web site to use for an ETA is right here – preserve an eye fixed out for rip-off web sites that falsely provide ETA functions.

Eliza Owen, the top of analysis at CoreLogic Australia, says in a report at this time that the autumn in home costs in December was exacerbated by slowing financial progress and “higher-for-longer” rates of interest.

Home costs fell by 0.1% in December, led by Sydney and Melbourne. In distinction, Perth noticed property costs improve by 0.7% and Adelaide’s market rose 0.6% over the month. Owen mentioned:

After nearly two years, the housing market seems to lastly be buckling to those pressures. Not simply rates of interest which were larger for for much longer than anticipated, however affordability constraints, the place there’s an enormous hole between what folks can realistically afford and what residence values truly are.

Learn our full report right here:

Greens calling for legal guidelines to ‘Dutton-proof’ upcoming federal election leaders’ debates

The Greens need to see Labor move legal guidelines declaring the ABC official hosts of the upcoming federal election’s leaders’ debates in a bid to “Dutton-proof” the occasion.

The minor get together additionally needs to carve out its spot on the stage alongside the foremost events’ leaders, claiming it’s “more important than ever” given the potential of a minority authorities.

The get together’s communication spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Younger, will announce the proposal at this time, arguing voters deserved to observe the talk without cost and for it to be moderated by the “most trusted media outlet in the country”. She mentioned:

It is a easy and commonsense proposition; our nationwide broadcaster needs to be the house of our nationwide election debates. In relation to our democracy and a good and balanced leaders’ debate, we will’t go away it to the Murdoch[-owned] media.

Through the 2022 federal election, three debates have been held on business tv, together with one behind a paywall on Sky Information.

The previous prime minister, Scott Morrison, accepted invites to look on the business networks however refused a request by the ABC.

Months after Anthony Albanese was elected prime minister, the ABC referred to as for laws to make sure it hosts and broadcasts not less than one leaders’ debate throughout a federal election marketing campaign.

Hanson-Younger mentioned “election debates should be about providing information to Australian voters, not about securing ratings for billionaire media moguls”.

Good morning

Emily Wind

I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you thru our dwell protection this Wednesday on the Australia information dwell weblog. In case you have any ideas, suggestions or questions, be happy to achieve out by way of e-mail: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s go.

4 folks have been pulled from the water – however three are nonetheless lacking – after a privately owned airplane crashed into the ocean off Western Australia’s in style vacationer website Rottnest Island.

Rescue efforts – led by police and emergency companies crews, but additionally involving civilian vessels – was nonetheless beneath manner yesterday night.

Police confirmed the seaplane was carrying seven folks, together with the pilot. Three folks have been pulled from the water struggling critical accidents, a fourth was rescued unhurt.

However three folks remained lacking, a number of hours after the airplane went down at 4pm native time.

Potential repercussions for Australia amid Zuckerberg transfer to align nearer with Trump

The choice by Mark Zuckerberg to align himself extra carefully with Donald Trump might have repercussions for the political discourse in Australia on this election 12 months.

In asserting that he was eliminating factcheckers, the Meta boss, who controls Fb, Instagram and Threads, mentioned “factcheckers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created”.

He added that Meta was going to “get rid of a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse”.

Learn our full story right here:

Fb’s factchecking has a fraught historical past in Australia – an RMIT-run service was reinstated in 2023 two months after a suspension over Information Corp complaints:

Nonetheless, its web page now seems to have been deleted.

Forty extra Bushmasters to be in-built regional Victoria

Sarah Basford Canales

The Albanese authorities has introduced it’ll construct an extra 40 of its Bushmaster protected mobility autos in regional Victoria after securing a $100m cope with defence contractor Thales.

The autos, recognized globally for his or her reliability, will probably be utilized by the Australian military and are anticipated to be primarily based in Adelaide’s north as soon as they’re constructed.

The federal government mentioned the deal would lock in additional than 250 native jobs in Bendigo as soon as manufacturing is beneath manner.

The defence trade minister, Pat Conroy, mentioned the federal government’s choice to put money into the armoured autos confirmed its “commitment to modernising the Australian defence force”.

This contract underscores the Albanese authorities’s dedication to offering the Australian defence power with the capabilities and tools it must preserve Australians protected. This extra funding will assist a whole bunch of jobs, underscoring the Albanese authorities’s dedication not solely to the folks of the Bendigo area however to constructing Australia’s future.

Good morning and welcome to our dwell information weblog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the perfect of the in a single day tales, after which it is going to be Emily Wind to take you thru the remainder of the day.

There’s a “massive gap between what people can realistically afford and home values” – that’s the verdict of a CoreLogic report into why the housing market is “buckling” beneath strain from the cost-of-living disaster and rising charges. Nonetheless, householders beneath strain shelling out large quantities on mortgages will probably be relieved that the information analysts assume the downturn will probably be “short-lived”. Inflation figures out later this morning might have some bearing on whether or not charges will fall quickly or not.

Anthony Albanese will journey to the Prime Finish at this time after getting the ball rolling on the unofficial federal election marketing campaign in Queensland this week. With the run-up to the election prone to be lengthy and fractious, the prime minister will little doubt learn with some concern this morning that Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has thrown his lot in with the incoming Donald Trump presidency by saying he’ll dump factcheckers and “prioritise free speech”.

Three individuals are lacking and three are in hospital with critical accidents after a personal airplane crashed into the ocean off Western Australia’s in style vacationer website Rottnest Island yesterday afternoon. A serious police operation was launched after the incident at about 4pm, native time, with civilian vessels additionally serving to with the rescue effort. A fourth individual was rescued unhurt. The seek for the lacking passengers continues and we’ll let you understand of any updates.

And the Labor authorities has introduced a cope with defence producer Thales to construct 40 new Bushmaster autos for the Australian military at a value of $100m. Extra on that in a couple of minutes.