Australia information reside: ACTU ‘had no idea’ of CFMEU allegations, McManus says; drone supply service lands in Melbourne

A reasonable flood warning has been issued for the Yarra River in Victoria from Coldstream to Warrandyte, with communities urged to maneuver to increased floor.

Average flooding is predicted to happen at Yarra Glen as we speak, the place the Melba Freeway could turn into impacted.

The Yarra River at Yarra Glen is at present at 4.32m and rising, anticipated to peak round 4.6m as we speak.

Properly-known Aussie wine manufacturers offloaded by French proprietor

A few of Australia’s best-known wine manufacturers have been offloaded by their French proprietor to a consortium with sturdy native hyperlinks, AAP reviews.

Pernod Ricard introduced in a single day in Paris the sale of most of its portfolio of worldwide wine manufacturers, together with the Barossa Valley-based Jacob’s Creek, Orlando and St Hugo.

The customer is Australian Wine Holdco Restricted, a consortium of worldwide institutional buyers whose backers embody the non-public fairness agency Bain Capital.

The consortium additionally owns Accolade Wines, one of many world’s largest wine firms, which holds the Hardys, Grant Burge, and Petaluma manufacturers amongst others.

The sale is because of be accomplished within the first half of 2025.

Peter Hannam

Jobs figures to supply replace on economic system’s well being and pointers for RBA

Later this morning, we’ll get the June labour market figures from the ABS, which might be one of many main financial figures this aspect of the RBA’s 5-6 August board assembly to resolve on the rate of interest.

Economists’ consensus is for the jobless fee to tick as much as 4.1% final month from 4% in June (or the extent it beforehand touched in January and April). The economic system in all probability added 20,000 jobs, or about half the extent of Might and about half the speed the workforce is swelling.

Nevertheless, there are at all times a couple of transferring elements to think about to know if the outcomes are good or unhealthy indicators for the economic system’s well being. Revisions for Might could make it appear to be the June unemployment fee has risen or fallen, and a shift in part-time jobs can seem to nullify full-time actions (which is why we normally give the latter extra heed).

The participation fee also can fluctuate, including to the nuance, as can the variety of hours labored.

And, in fact, past the information fizz are the livelihoods of individuals, lots of whom are hoping to remain in work to have the ability to meet rising prices like rents and debt repayments. (The RBA has a twin mandate, too, of retaining the economic system as near full employment as attainable with out stoking inflation.)

Within the background, the chances of an August RBA fee rise have been quietly ebbing and now are lower than one-in-five, based on the ASX. We’ll see how that may change after 11.30am Aedt when the numbers land (together with proper right here on this weblog).

Nuclear reactors taking many years to construct ‘not acceptable’ for individuals within the Hunter, says native MP

One of many seven websites the Coalition has proposed for a nuclear reactor, if elected, is within the Hunter area of New South Wales.

The native member, Labor MP Dan Repacholi, spoke with the Immediately Present earlier about this and stated it might “absolutely destroy” farming within the area.

What’s that going to do to the farming proper right here within the Hunter? Just like the meat produce, the hen? It’s simply going to utterly destroy it.

So I’m not in opposition to nuclear power, proper, and let me get that straight on the market. What I’m in opposition to is the most costly type of power, and the truth that it’ll take 20 to 30 years to construct, and that’s not acceptable for individuals within the Hunter.

The proposed nuclear reactor web site within the Hunter is the one location put ahead by the Coalition in a Labor-held seat. One is held by a former Nationals turned unbiased, and the remainder are in Coalition seats.

Benita Kolovos

Victorian Greens say Labor transfer to demolish public housing ‘a callous betrayal’ of residents

The Victorian Greens have slammed the state authorities’s choice to signal a contract for demolition works at three public housing towers topic to a category motion – as reported by Guardian Australia this morning.

The Greens’ spokesperson for public housing, Samantha Ratnam, stated Labor has beforehand used the awarding of demolition contracts to power residents to depart their houses utilizing the specter of eviction and authorized proceedings.

She stated the transfer exhibits a “complete disregard for the existing class action and is a callous betrayal of residents still living in the buildings”.

Labor steamrolling forward with this demolition and privatisation plan utterly undermines the rights of residents who’re being pressured from their houses. Folks have known as these towers house for many years and but Labor is decided to tear these communities aside.

Right here’s our full report:

Melburnians’ high quality of life plummeting, based on new report

Greater than a 3rd of Melburnians really feel their high quality of life has worsened over the previous 12 months, regardless of most having fun with dwelling within the metropolis, AAP reviews.

The perception comes as a part of the committee for Melbourne and Ipsos’s dwelling in Melbourne 2024 report, which was launched as we speak. It quizzed 1,000 Melburnians and located although 81% are happy with dwelling within the metropolis’s metro space, 37% really feel their high quality of life has worsened over the previous 12 months.

Melbourne’s sprawling suburbs are creating challenges for residents, based on the survey, with 72% utilizing automobiles of transport to journey to and from work or examine. That is in contrast with decrease charges of commuting by trains (36%), trams (28%) and buses (16%).

64% of respondents rated the state authorities’s in depth future public transport initiatives as an important think about selecting the place to reside.

The committee for Melbourne’s chief government, Mark Melvin, stated Melburnians’ priorities for town embody security, value of dwelling and inexpensive housing.

The overarching message from the info is that Melburnians love their metropolis and that is mirrored within the attitudes. However, the weather which make Melbourne a terrific place to reside might more and more turn into underneath pressure, with indicators that town’s way of life choices are more and more changing into more durable for individuals dwelling exterior the interior suburbs to entry.

Two thirds of these surveyed are extra supportive of accommodating new housing in outer areas of town. This in contrast with simply lower than half supporting elevated density in established, inner-city Melbourne suburbs.

Animal testing to be reined in with medical tech push

A state-first community of consultants might be set as much as develop expertise to assist lower out the usage of animals in medical analysis and ship higher remedies for sufferers in New South Wales, AAP reviews.

The non-animal applied sciences community might be arrange with $4.5m of state authorities funding to discover alternate options to animal testing. It’ll examine choices resembling the usage of human cells or tissues rather than animal trials throughout the growth of medication and different medical advances.

Non-animal expertise is beginning to exceed the efficiency of animal fashions by way of the usage of human materials that was biologically much like the sufferers being handled, the federal government stated in a press release.

The funding will assist aggressive analysis grants and a working group to develop rules, along with financing the institution of the community.

McManus says Liberal deal with ABCC ‘trying to make this a union-bashing exercise’

Why not give the Australian Constructing and Development Fee (ABCC) extra powers if there’s something systemic occurring throughout the business, as urged by the shadow treasurer earlier? Sally McManus responded:

The Liberals have been simply targeted on making an attempt to make this a union-bashing train as an alternative of truly addressing the problem right here.

The ABCC … why was it targeted on … flags and stickers on exhausting hats and never targeted on these specific points?

That organisation was there for a protracted time frame and we are able to see it was utterly ineffectual as a result of it was about politics, not about what the precise points are.

The ABCC was abolished in 2023 and had enforced office relations compliance within the constructing and development sector. Its powers have been transferred to the Honest Work Ombudsman.

Requested if there ought to then be a legal physique, McManus responded: “There’s the police.”

And requested if she was anxious about her private security, Sally McManus stated a couple of individuals have raised this together with her, however she’s going to “do what’s necessary [to] stand up against this behaviour, and we will fight to ensure that construction workers get the union they deserve.”

McManus says it might take years for CFMEU to analyze allegations

Q: How damaging is that this for the union motion?

Sally McManus responded:

Some individuals in that union have been placing their very own private pursuits earlier than the remainder of the motion for fairly some time, [but] the typical union member in our nation is a 46-year-old nurse…

That’s why we kick these individuals out and we’ll proceed to uphold that, each single day. Australia wants a robust precept[d] commerce union.

She urged it might take “years” for the union to analyze and tackle allegations and considerations.

The secretary of the Australian Council of Commerce Unions (ACTU), Sally McManus, spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning in regards to the allegations in opposition to the CFMEU.

Responding to accusations that her union was beforehand conscious of allegations in opposition to the CFMEU, McManus stated “we had no idea of the alleged infiltration by criminal elements” and added:

How come [the media] wanted a nine-month investigation? How come the police haven’t been speaking about this? How come [you’re] anticipating that we’d know that, when the individuals with all the assets – all the assets – weren’t saying it?

It’s one factor for individuals to say, ‘oh, we knew it’ or this or that, or ‘why didn’t they go to the police’? That’s what I’d say: if we had identified, if we had of identified there have been [alleged] legal components in that union, that’s precisely what we’d have executed. And now that we do, we’ll battle it.

Murray Watt flags assist for Labor suspending donations from CFMEU’s development arm

As we flagged earlier, Invoice Shorten was on 7.30 final evening and stated he expects the nationwide government of the Labor social gathering to droop political donations from the development arm of the CFMEU throughout a gathering as we speak.

The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, was on ABC Information Breakfast earlier and was requested if he would assist the transfer.

Yeah, I will surely anticipate the nationwide government of the Labor social gathering to be making strikes in that route this morning, and that will have my full assist.