Australia information stay: scientists say small nuclear reactors a ‘chimera’; Fatima Payman to start listening tour of WA

Navy chief says safety discussion board not ‘aimed at any one country’

The top of the navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, has been talking with ABC RN concerning the Indian Ocean Defence and Safety Convention in Perth at this time – we’ll convey you extra on this quickly.

Hammond mentioned the convention wasn’t “aimed at any one country” however a chance to convey defence, political and business management “into one room to discuss the role of the state of Western Australia”.

So it’s a lot broader than the problem of China, which tends to overshadow many issues in our area.

Requested broadly about Australia’s potential to defend itself, Hammond responded:

To the best extent potential, we’re enhancing the capabilities of the fleet we’re at present working, while getting after the accelerated supply of recent capabilities as rapidly as potential.

MPs to scrutinise violent extremism

A parliamentary committee will query the Division of Residence Affairs, Asio and federal police at this time about how violent extremism was being tackled and the menace it poses to Australia, AAP reviews.

Residence Affairs mentioned it was involved by members of extremists teams shifting off conventional social media platforms. The submission mentioned:

Whereas mainstream digital and social media platforms are maturing their moderation efforts, terrorists and violent extremists are migrating to area of interest and ‘alt-tech’ platforms which can be both unable or unwilling to successfully reasonable content material.

The nation’s home spy company mentioned nationalist and racist violent extremists finishing up assaults abroad have been resonating with members of extremist teams in Australia. Asio’s submission mentioned on-line platforms remained enablers of radicalisation:

Over the past 18 months, we now have seen an uptick within the variety of [extremists] advocating sabotage in personal conversations each right here and abroad. It’s notably pronounced amongst extremist ‘accelerationists’, that means extremists who need to set off a so-called ‘race war’.

The Islamophobia Register Australia and the Human Rights Fee are anticipated to present proof about extremists in Australia on the listening to.

Import ban fails to curb move of Nazi-linked objects

The variety of objects imported into Australia bearing Nazi imagery has not been slowed by a nationwide ban on the symbols, AAP reviews.

A rising variety of items coming into the nation bearing imagery linked to nationalist and racist violent extremism teams is alarming the Division of Residence Affairs.

In its submission to a parliamentary committee listening to, the division mentioned massive numbers of things bearing Nazi symbols have been nonetheless being imported, regardless of a federal ban in January.

The ban prohibits the show of symbols linked with Nazis and the sale of things displaying the imagery.

The importation into Australia of Nazi memorabilia, each traditionally real objects and trendy recreations, has not abated with the passage of [the ban].

The place these items are imported in portions which signifies the products are prone to be traded, the Australian Border Pressure refers the products to the Australian federal police to contemplate investigation beneath the legal code.

Polling exhibits 73% assist for well being warnings on gasoline home equipment

Australians need stronger well being and air pollution labels for gasoline home equipment, in accordance with a brand new report.

YouGov polling commissioned by local weather communications group Comms Declare has discovered 73% of voters assist well being warnings on gasoline home equipment and 63% need eco labels on equipment ads, not simply in shops.

Belinda Noble, founding father of Comms Declare, mentioned:

Customers are crying out for clear data on how to economize, defend their well being and scale back emissions – and so they need that data on-line the place they make their buying choices.

We name on the state and federal governments to present customers the true reality concerning the dangers of gasoline home equipment, by mandating complete air pollution labels on all their advertisements and web sites.

Small modular reactors received’t be absolutely commercially out there until the late 2040s at the least, AAP reviews, in accordance with an impartial grouping of Australia’s high technologists.

Amid the general public debate that erupted when the federal opposition introduced its nuclear coverage in June, the realized academy has launched a report analyzing the reactors from a know-how and engineering standpoint and discovering them wanting.

Katherine Woodthorpe, president of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, advised AAP:

They’re a chimera in the mean time. They aren’t one thing at this time, the place we may purchase one and put one in and have it add any worth to what we are attempting to do when it comes to decreasing our carbon emissions.

The academy’s report discovered the least dangerous possibility for Australia, if it selected to construct small modular reactors, could be to attend till a number of fashions have been established and are working in different OECD nations. However that state of affairs received’t emerge for many years. The report says:

Assuming profitable prototype trials, licensed vendor supported industrial releases may happen through the late 2030s to early 2040s and a completely fashioned market may emerge within the late 2040s.

Search on after man, 91, goes lacking in Sydney in a single day

Residents surrounding the western Sydney suburb of Canley Vale are being requested to test their yards, sheds and garages for a 91-year-old man who has gone lacking.

Police have despatched a geo-targeted textual content as a search continues for the person, who went lacking in a single day. Van Moi Bui was final seen in Prospect Street, Canley Vale, about 9pm on Tuesday night time.

Folks in Canley Vale, Canley Heights and Fairfield are being requested to test their backyards, in case he took shelter in a single day.

Police and household maintain critical considerations for his welfare, attributable to his age and the low temperatures in a single day. Biu’s household has advised police he doesn’t converse English and lives with dementia.

He’s described as being of Asian look, about 160cm tall with a skinny construct, darkish gray hair and brown eyes. The picture police have posted depicts what he carrying when final seen: blue/gray trackpants and a gray jacket. Bui is thought to frequent the Canley Vale space.

Anybody with data is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Due to Martin for kicking issues off for us! I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll take you thru our rolling protection for many of at this time.

As all the time, you will get in contact by way of X, @emilywindwrites, or e-mail, emily.wind@theguardian.com, with any ideas, suggestions or questions.

Let’s get began.

Brisbane is not any “hillbilly town”, insists 2032 Olympic boss Andrew Liveris, who indicated he would have the ultimate say on the town’s controversial Video games venue plan.

As AAP reviews, the Darwin-born, Brisbane-raised company heavyweight addressed the Worldwide Olympic Committee session in Paris yesterday, precisely eight years out from Brisbane’s 2032 Video games.

Solely Suncorp Stadium was proven in his visible presentation that was constructed round their catch phrase: “Shine brightest. Together.” There have been no pictures of the Gabba, initially proposed as the primary stadium earlier than hovering prices noticed the challenge thrown on the scrap heap. Victoria Park’s new stadium, really useful in a subsequent impartial assessment however then disregarded, wasn’t sighted.

And even the 40,000-seat short-term athletics stadium in Nathan – the choice at present on the desk – didn’t fee a point out.

“I really ask to stop making the Olympics a political football please,” Liveris advised journalists in a press convention in Paris that adopted.

This [Olympics] is a present. Let’s get the passion for what we’ve been given proper and no matter finally ends up occurring with venues, we’ll ship.

Brisbane will not be a hillbilly city, [not] that ‘strange place up north’. It’s very cosmopolitan, perhaps not 24/7 but, however on it’s method.

Full story right here:

Josh Taylor

Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft might be pressured to report back to the Australian eSafety commissioner about measures to sort out little one sexual abuse materials on their companies each six months quite than yearly for the following two years beneath notices issued on Wednesday.

Discord, Snap, Skype and WhatsApp additionally acquired notices to elucidate what they have been doing to sort out little one abuse materials, livestreamed abuse, on-line grooming, sexual extortion, and the creation of deepfake little one abuse materials.

The reviews are due by 15 February, 2025. Summaries of the reviews to eSafety might be printed, commissioner Julie Inman Grant mentioned:

After we despatched notices to those corporations again in 2022/3, a few of their solutions have been alarming however not stunning as we had suspected for a very long time that there have been vital gaps and variations throughout companies’ practices. In our subsequent conversations with these corporations, we nonetheless haven’t seen significant adjustments or enhancements to those recognized security shortcomings.

If the businesses fail to conform, the commissioner can search fines of as much as $782,500 per day that the notices should not complied with.

Fatima Payman begins ‘listening tour’ of Western Australia

Daniel Hurst

The newly impartial senator Fatima Payman at this time begins a listening tour round Western Australia, setting a objective of visiting “12 towns in 12 days”.

Payman, who give up the Labor social gathering earlier this month to push for a stronger line in opposition to Israel’s struggle in Gaza, is looking for to listen to constituents’ views throughout the total vary of coverage points.

The primary-term senator for Western Australia will go to Geraldton at this time, earlier than spending Thursday in Carnarvon and Friday in Karratha.

Different stops embody Port Hedland, Broome, Kununurra, Bunbury, Collie, Katanning, Albany and Esperance. The tour will finish on 5 August in Kalgoorlie.

Labor figures have criticised Payman for quitting the social gathering, arguing she was solely elected to the Senate in 2022 as a result of she was an ALP candidate.

However Guardian Australia understands that Payman is planning to make use of the tour to speak to as many locals as potential and to listen to their views about priorities and the way she will be able to finest symbolize them in Canberra as an impartial voice.

Second Australian water polo Olympian assessments optimistic to Covid

A second member of the Australian girls’s water polo crew has examined optimistic to Covid-19 forward of the Paris Olympics, Australian Related Press reviews.

Staff chef de mission Anna Meares mentioned in a single day {that a} participant had delicate signs after testing optimistic on Monday night time.

A couple of hours later the Australian Olympic Committee mentioned a second participant additionally had examined optimistic.

The AOC assertion mentioned:

The participant who has examined optimistic to Covid-19 final night time has chosen to not prepare along with her teammates this afternoon.

All shut contacts have been examined. A second participant who was a detailed contact has additionally examined optimistic, however that participant is effectively sufficient to coach.

The AOC added no different athletes within the Paris crew had been identified. Meares mentioned:

This can be a high-performance surroundings, so we’re being diligent, however I would like to emphasize we’re treating Covid no totally different to different bugs just like the flu – this isn’t Tokyo.

Welcome

Martin Farrer

Good morning and welcome to our rolling information protection. I’m Martin Farrer with one of the best in a single day information traces earlier than Emily Wind picks up the pressure.

Brisbane Olympics chief Andrew Liveris has pleaded with the media to not give attention to the Gabba stadium shambles as he sought to spruik prospects for the 2032 pageant at a press convention in Paris. Precisely eight years earlier than the world’s finest athletes collect in Queensland for the Video games, Liveris urged the media to not use the controversy over the Gabba stadium redevelopment as a “political football”. He additionally rejected suggestion that Brisbane was a “hillbilly town”. It got here as a second Australian Olympic water polo participant caught Covid. Extra arising.

Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft might be pressured to report back to the Australian eSafety commissioner about measures to sort out little one sexual abuse materials on their companies each six months quite than yearly for the following two years.

And former Labor senator Fatima Payman is to start a “listening tour” of her dwelling state of Western Australia. Extra on that, too, in a minute.