Australia information reside: Kevin Hogan proposes utilizing crucial minerals as ‘leverage’ towards Trump tariffs; hearth forces evacuation of Surfers Paradise lodge

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Inquiry may even have a look at earlier scrutiny of Northern Seashores hospital operations

The inquiry may even take into account the how the findings and proposals of the final parliamentary inquiry into the Northern Seashores hospital in 2019, which checked out its operation and administration, have been carried out.

Park stated the inquiry was a dedication he made to Joe Massa’s mother and father “to undertake the necessary reviews to understand how they and their son have been let down, as well as to learn what changes need to be made to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again”.

I’m grateful to the Massas for his or her generosity in time and spirit in working with us to honour Joe’s reminiscence.

The chair of the committee holding the inquiry, Jason Yat-Sen Li, stated they’d announce the opening of submissions in addition to listening to dates in the end.

Natasha Could

Parliamentary inquiry into Northern Seashores hospital introduced

The parliamentary inquiry into Northern Seashores hospital, which the NSW well being minister promised would happen after the dying of two-year-old Joe Massa on the hospital’s emergency ward in September, has been introduced.

The NSW Well being minister, Ryan Park, confirmed this morning the state parliament’s Public Accounts Committee will conduct the inquiry into the protection and high quality of well being providers supplied by Northern Seashores hospital.

The chair of the committee, Jason Yat-Sen Li, stated “I am determined to get this inquiry under way as quickly as possible, but I also want to get it right.

The scope of the inquiry will stretch back to the hospital’s start as a privately operated facility in October 2018, and will consider incidents at the hospital, including those that are the subject of serious adverse event reviews, how the hospital responded, and the extent to which it implemented changes prompted by those incidents.

The inquiry will look at how the hospital supports patient and carer escalation, including the REACH protocol that allows relatives and carers to trigger an independent review of a patient’s treatment – an initiative Park acknowledge was “insufficiently accessible” within the case of Joe Massa.

It can additionally look at the adequacy of methods and processes designed to forestall adversarial occasions, in addition to the employees requirements and capabilities.

Scott Morrison weighs in on Trump’s actions regarding Ukraine battle

Former prime minister Scott Morrison says he doesn’t imagine a Trump presidency will alter US intelligence sharing relationships with its allies, together with Australia.

In an interview with Instances Radio, Morrison has weighed in on the Trump administration’s potential impact on the 5 Eyes partnership given his place on the battle in Ukraine.

After greater than three years of battle after Russia invaded its smaller neighbour, Trump has outlined a ceasefire deal, which the Kremlin has but to conform to.

Morrison stated it was a “misread” to interpret this as Trump being ready to “go it alone”.

I believe what the president is making an attempt to do right here is finish a battle that has reached a stalemate.

For the final three years we’ve got been engaged on this at horrible price to everyone concerned – most importantly, the individuals of Ukraine.

Morrison stated he didn’t suppose Trump put the 5 Eyes intelligence sharing association between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US in jeopardy.

He stated:

You don’t go into all of those specific occasions as a collective; everyone has their very own capabilities, and there are methods that that’s shared between all of us.

However how particular person events share what they’ve entry to with third events outdoors the settlement is a matter for them.

Hundreds of individuals in Qld stay with out energy after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Hundreds of households stay with out energy in south-east Queensland almost per week after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred made landfall.

Energex, the Queensland government-owned electrical energy firm that distributes energy to 1.5m houses and companies throughout the area, says 17,101 prospects had been nonetheless with out energy as of 7am, this morning.

An enormous clean-up operation is beneath means after extreme climate related to Alfred hit the state.

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Coalition’s Hogan: Aukus funding could possibly be tariff bargaining chip

Hogan says Australia may use additionally its funding for the Aukus safety partnership to barter US tariffs.

Now we have the $800m Aukus cheque that [defence minister] Richard Marles simply went over and threw on the desk as a part of the take care of Aukus.

Hogan’s feedback come after Australia made its first $800m (US $500m) cost beneath the Aukus defence settlement, beneath which it would purchase nuclear-powered submarines.

Reuters reported that the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, stated president Donald Trump helps the trilateral safety settlement between Australia, the US and the UK.

Below the pact, Australia pays the US $4.78bn to spice up the capability of the US submarine business, and Washington will promote a number of Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia within the early 2030s.

Britain and Australia intend to later construct a brand new Aukus-class submarine as a part of the settlement.

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Kevin Hogan says Australia ought to use extra of its “leverage points” to barter an exemption from the Trump administration’s commerce tariffs.

The Coalition MP has been talking on ABC Radio Nationwide Breakfast, a number of days after the US introduced it will reject Australia’s plea to be exempt from 25% tariffs on metal and aluminium imports.

He factors to Australia’s crucial minerals provide for instance of one thing Australia may use as a bargaining instrument, saying:

Now we have some nice crucial minerals which can be crucial to them, particularly some that they’ll’t entry.

We truly imagine we’ve got extra leverage factors with America now [than] a number of years in the past.

Hogan says the Coalition believes it’s “very important” that the negotiations be achieved “leader to leader” and he says the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, ought to go to the US to talk to Donald Trump.

He stated:

That’s how Trump … operates. And it’s very disappointing that our chief hasn’t discovered the desire to go over and do this.

A powerful chief would ensure that they obtained that assembly.

Opposition power spokesperson O’Brien spruiks Coalition’s fuel coverage

The opposition’s power spokesperson, Ted O’Brien, has talked up the significance of fuel to make sure electrical energy provide “in the short-term”.

O’Brien has been interviewed on ABC Information Breakfast, after the power regulator’s announcement yesterday that it was anticipating energy payments for residential prospects to extend by between 2.5% and eight.9% – relying on the area – in contrast with final 12 months.

Requested what the Coalition would do within the short-term to convey down energy payments, O’Brien stated:

Within the short-term, the precedence must be fuel.

Fuel could be costly however in relation to electrical energy, you don’t want plenty of fuel, you simply want it in the correct volumes on the proper time, on the proper place and on the proper value.

The Coalition’s method is we have to pour extra fuel into the market.

O’Brien pointed to the Coalition’s coverage of accelerating home fuel manufacturing for home provide.

He stated:

The Coalition believes we have to use Australian fuel for Australians first, that must be the precedence.

The one means you get costs right down to have low-cost, clear and constant power on this nation is a balanced power combine: renewables, fuel and, as coal retires, nuclear.

Friends evacuated after Surfers Paradise lodge catches on hearth

Friends at a lodge in Surfers Paradise had been evacuated in a single day after the constructing caught hearth.

A spokesperson for the Queensland Hearth Division stated six crews responded to stories of a hearth on the Hilton Lodge Surfers Paradise at about 1.50am.

A fireplace had began on the roof, with falling embers beginning one other hearth on the pool deck, the spokesperson stated.

Hearth crews had extinguished the pool deck hearth by about 2.20am and put out the roof hearth by about 2.40am, with visitors allowed to return to their rooms at about 3am.

The spokesperson stated the fireplace was “relatively small” they usually couldn’t say what prompted it.

There have been no stories of any accidents, the spokesperson stated.

Catie McLeod

Hi there, I’ll be taking you thru at present’s information till this afternoon. I hope you will have a superb morning.

Coalition insurance policies will get the Full Story remedy

Staying with the Coalition and politics, at present’s Newsroom version of the Full Story podcast appears at this very subject.

Reged Ahmad talks to Guardian Australia’s editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor, head of newsroom Mike Ticher and nationwide information editor Jo Tovey about whether or not Peter Dutton’s missteps and the Coalition’s coverage issues will begin to add up within the minds of voters.

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Some Coalition MPs worrying about opposition’s election coverage providing

Some Coalition MPs are involved that they’ll begin the federal election marketing campaign with out a correct coverage to promote to households feeling the pinch from the cost-of-living disaster.

Yesterday, Peter Dutton once more performed down the prospect of revenue tax cuts and at present we’re reporting on a brand new subject the place he may come beneath strain himself, particularly his plan to crack down on working from dwelling.

He has been fairly outspoken about making federal employees work from the workplace and the Coalition launched the coverage final week.

However some suppose it is probably not correctly “thought through” as a result of working from house is widespread with plenty of voters, and appeals particularly to working skilled girls of the kind the Coalition has to win again in teal seats.

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On the ABC final night time, Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd stated he would proceed combating for tariff exemptions for Australian items regardless of what seems to be an uphill battle in Washington.

Optimism about successful a carve out appears to be fading, with Rudd admitting negotiations have been troublesome and mentioning that America’s historic commerce surplus with Australia had not minimize any ice.

Rudd stated:

We’re up towards a deep, ideological, strategic view of this Trump administration. These are deep-seated, elementary adjustments on this totally different America, which each and every one of many 36 nations who negotiated tariff exemptions on metal and aluminium final time spherical, again in 2017, have needed to cope with this time spherical.

Rudd additionally revealed that he had requested Anthony Albanese to make a second name to Trump this week however “by the time the decision was taken, late Tuesday, we had not been able to secure that time”.

I believe it stands to motive we must always query whether or not, actually, even this request for a late phone name would have essentially made a cloth distinction.

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A lot of south-east Australia is in for a sizzling weekend as temperatures head into the 30s in Sydney. Coastal suburbs will see about 31C on the guage whereas it could possibly be as much as 35C within the west.

It will likely be particularly sizzling within the southern area of New South Wales the place it’s anticipated to be about 37C in Wagga Wagga.

Melbourne will probably be milder, at about 27C however rural Victoria may see excessive 30s north of the ranges, in accordance with Angus Hines of the Bureau of Meteorology.

South Australia may even be extremely popular for this time of 12 months with 35C in Adelaide.

The BoM launched its long-range forecast for April via to June in a single day and predicts that we will count on hotter than common days and a few unusually excessive daytime temperatures throughout the nation.

The identical goes for night-time temperatures with hotter than common readings “very likely” and an “increased chance” of unusually excessive in a single day temperatures.

Rainfall-wise, ranges are anticipated to be inside the typical vary for the interval throughout most of jap, central and southern Australia, and above common throughout elements of the north.

State and territory leaders sweating on their take of the GST will lastly study their destiny as the brand new carve-up is revealed within the lead-up to the federal election, stories Australian Related Press.

The commonwealth grants fee will hand down suggestions to the treasurer Jim Chalmers on Friday about distribute the tax income for the 2025-26 monetary 12 months.

The unbiased authority has adopted a brand new means of assessing how a lot every jurisdiction will get as the tactic is reviewed each 5 years, however the verdict in 2025 comes with the added consideration of a federal election on the horizon.

The carve-up continuously comes beneath fiery criticism from state and territory leaders.

Labor leaders within the two most populous states obtained caught right into a confrontation with one another in 2024 when the NSW premier, Chris Minns, described Victoria as a “welfare state”.

Former Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas returned hearth, claiming Minns didn’t perceive the GST system.

It’s additionally a serious speaking level in resource-heavy Western Australia, which benefited from a lift in 2018 beneath the Coalition.

Anthony Albanese vowed to not change the association within the west and in February 2024 even signed the promise on the arm of a journalist whereas visiting Perth.

NSW and Victoria have been pushing for a per-capita distribution whereas Queensland’s former deputy premier Cameron Dick hit out on the fee’s determination to look at how coal royalty income is calculated.

States and territories depend on GST for funding for monetary assist to fund main expenditure together with well being, training, infrastructure and housing.

Good morning and welcome to our reside information weblog. I’m Martin Farrer with the highest in a single day tales after which Catie McLeod will probably be on the controls.

Kevin Rudd has vowed to maintain combating for exemptions from US tariffs, however advised 7.30 final night time that he and his “team Australia” has already “thrown everything” at talks with the Trump administration. Australia’s ambassador to the US advised the ABC that the talks with the White Home commerce group had been “tough”. Farmers concern they could possibly be subsequent in line for commerce levies on Australia’s $6.2bn in meat exports, whereas Trump is slapping a 200% levy on European wine.

Now we have heard grumbling this week from Coalition insiders sad about what they see as an insufficient financial coverage providing going into the federal election. At present we’re reporting that some within the Liberal and Nationwide camp concern that Peter Dutton’s vow to crack down on working from dwelling coverage is not “fully thought through” and will hamper the drive to win again teal seats.

A lot of south-east Australia will expertise very heat climate over the weekend with some inland elements of Victoria and NSW approaching 40C. The Bureau of Meteorology’s long-term forecast suggests the nation is in for spells of “unusually” heat climate within the months to June.

The annual carve-up of GST income between the states is a fairly dry topic, however arouses a lot ardour amongst premiers eager to stability their budgets (or assign blame for purple ink). Extra on this quickly.