Australia anticipated to enroll to UK-US deal on civil nuclear know-how
Graeme Wearden
Britain and the US have signed a brand new settlement to collaborate on civil nuclear know-how on the Cop29 summit, and Australia is predicted additionally to enroll.
The settlement, signed by UK vitality secretary Ed Miliband and US deputy secretary of vitality David Turk, goals to pool billions in analysis funds and share info on superior nuclear applied sciences.
The aim is to hurry up the event of recent applied sciences, reminiscent of superior modular reactors, to assist decarbonise business and enhance vitality safety. The settlement will come into pressure from 1 March.
Miliband mentioned nuclear would “play a vital role in our clean energy future”:
That’s the reason we’re working carefully with our allies to unleash the potential of cutting-edge nuclear know-how. Superior nuclear know-how will assist decarbonise business by offering low-carbon warmth and energy, supporting new jobs and funding right here within the UK.
The UK authorities says the settlement builds on a pledge made final yr at Cop28 to triple nuclear vitality capability globally by 2050.
It expects this new settlement can even be signed by Australia, in addition to Canada, France, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, China, Euratom and Switzerland.
Key occasions
Lidia Thorpe was requested about her determination to tear up the censure movement at a media convention – similar to the protest in New Zealand parliament final week led by Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.
Requested what she makes of what’s taking place in New Zealand, in comparison with Australia, Thorpe mentioned it was “same-same”.
We’re kneeling to the colony right here. The place are our rights? Our brothers and sisters over there have a treaty, and also you’ve acquired a right-wing authorities that’s attempting to wind again that treaty. At the very least over there, the tradition and language is acknowledged, language is thru the college and training system. Right here, we’ve nothing. Now we have nothing and we demand a treaty in order that we are able to have a say.
However, if what you see is occurring over there, strolling again treaty, then you already know, that makes me assume why even go down the trail of treaty?
Thorpe displays on censure movement towards her, in the future on
Impartial senator Lidia Thorpe says she “didn’t lose any sleep” over yesterday’s censure movement towards her, for her protest towards King Charles.
Talking to ABC Information Breakfast, Thorpe mentioned it was “disrespectful and wrong” that she “wasn’t given the opportunity to respond at that time”.
The federal government knew that I used to be on the airplane, the Qantas airplane. I’m a single mum, I can’t simply come up on a Sunday and put together myself for the week, I’ve to fly on Monday morning. I’ve a VCE youngster that wants me.
So, I get on the airplane like each different parliament sitting, I’m often right here on time. Nevertheless, Qantas was operating late and I watched the Senate movement taking place on YouTube on the airplane, and that wasn’t a pleasant feeling to see that I used to be being censured through YouTube after I messaged one of many ministers to say, you already know, I wish to be there and I wish to reply.
My workers had contacted the federal government, and clearly they didn’t need me there. That they had loads of alternative to achieve out to me prior.
Thorpe mentioned the movement doesn’t change something for her and she is going to “continue to protest”.
Jordyn Beazley
Civil liberties council accuses NSW authorities of appearing exterior regulation to cease local weather protest
The New South Wales authorities has been accused by a civil liberties organisation of appearing exterior the regulation in a “hell bent” bid to cease what was anticipated to be one of many greatest local weather protests in Australia’s historical past.
The federal government on Friday imposed an exclusion zone round Newcastle harbour, making it off-limits to the general public for 4 days throughout which Rising Tide activists are anticipated to paddle into the port on kayaks and rafts this weekend to cease coal exports from leaving. Those who defy the exclusion zone might face a most penalty of a $1,100 high-quality.
It got here after earlier this month, the NSW police gained a authorized problem of their try to cease the protest, which supposed to dam the port for 30 hours. However the protesters vowed to go forward, regardless of the problem that means they’d not be protected against being charged with obstruction and illegal meeting offences.
In a letter despatched yesterday to the NSW minister for transport, Jo Haylen, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties wrote that of their view the exclusion zone – which can run from Thursday to Monday – was opposite to the regulation and a misuse of energy.
The president of the organisation, Timothy Roberts, wrote to Haylen that this was the case as a result of the Marine Security Act doesn’t grant the minister powers to declare an exclusion zone for the aim of stopping public assemblies. The authority is barely given when a particular occasion reminiscent of a serious vessel race is being held to make sure the protection of navigation.
Roberts referred to as for Haylen to urgently revoke the exclusion zone, saying she ought to “facilitate, not hinder, Rising Tide’s right to publicly assemble”. In a media launch, Roberts mentioned:
The NSW Authorities is hell bent on making certain that this protest doesn’t go forward at no matter the associated fee to folks’s freedoms. Paddling a kayak within the Port of Newcastle shouldn’t be an offence, not to mention doing so in an act of protest.
Now the NSW Authorities is stopping anybody from swimming or paddling within the Port as a result of they’re petrified of the potential for disruption to port operations. The fee to civil liberties is just too nice, this exclusion zone have to be deserted.
Financial system is on a ‘burning platform’, Enterprise Council warns
Karen Middleton
Australia is standing “on a burning platform” of sluggish financial progress and poor productiveness and its residing requirements will proceed to say no until the federal government makes it simpler to do enterprise, the Enterprise Council of Australia has warned.
In a report on productiveness printed immediately, the BCA says annual productiveness progress, now at 0.5%, must quadruple to 2% every year for the following 5 years simply to return to ranges seen within the 2010s. With out that, it says residing requirements will proceed to fall.
Chief govt Bran Black mentioned:
Plain and easy, if we are able to’t get productiveness shifting, we gained’t see sustained actual wages progress and will probably be more durable to manage inflation and allow the Reserve Financial institution to deliver down rates of interest.
The report is looking for the reversal of the Albanese authorities’s modifications to office legal guidelines, easier regulation, an extra enhance to expertise, decrease taxes and larger incentives for technological funding:
Turning round our progress and confidence malaise and delivering elevated productiveness is not going to be simple.
At instances, will probably be difficult and, as all the time on this nation, politically fraught, as latest historical past reveals. However we should take daring steps now to arrest our decline. The coverage ‘to-do’ record to attain quicker progress in productiveness and enhanced competitiveness is lengthy, however apparent. There will likely be winners and losers from any modifications, which can complicate the politics. However we should get began.
Did they discuss Trump?
One other reporter requested if Anthony Albanese and Keir Starmer mentioned Donald Trump throughout their assembly?
Albanese responded no, not within the formal assembly, however “informally, I have chats to people all the time”:
At a convention like this, on the sidelines, clearly folks point out political points that there’s a give attention to, it could be a bit disingenuous to counsel that that hadn’t occurred proper throughout the board.
How possible is it Yang Hengjun will likely be let loose?
The PM is now taking questions from reporters. One requested in regards to the assembly with Xi Jinping, after Australian educational Yang Hengjun was given a suspended dying sentence by a Chinese language court docket earlier this yr.
Reporter: You say you talked about it. How possible is it that he will likely be let free?
Anthony Albanese mentioned:
We are going to proceed to advocate, as we do, for Australian residents … What we do is we advocate for Australia’s pursuits, and there are a selection of Australians – not simply with China – however with different nations as properly, who we’ll proceed to advocate for.
PM lists conferences at summit to this point
Anthony Albanese mentioned he had a proper bilateral assembly with the re-elected president of the European Fee, Ursula von der Leyen:
We mentioned Australia’s help for Ukraine … We additionally talked in regards to the alternative that’s there for additional funding from Europe within the Future Made in Australia agenda, nations reminiscent of Germany have expressed an important curiosity in day by day. So points reminiscent of hydrogen, we mentioned as properly.
Albanese mentioned he had additionally had casual conferences with a variety of counterparts, together with President Macron and Spanish chief Sanchez, offering “a chance to engage in a constructive way and to build relationships”.
Albanese addresses reporters at G20 summit
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is chatting with reporters in Brazil.
On the connection with China, the PM mentioned dialogue was essential:
We’ve managed to enhance relations with out compromising any of Australia’s nationwide pursuits, which we’ve continued to pursue, and can proceed to pursue this affected person, calibrated and deliberate strategy.
He has been itemizing the varied leaders he has met, together with UK prime minister Keir Starmer:
We reiterated our dedication to progress negotiations on the bilateral Aukus treaty, that’s in regards to the the variation of the subs in each South Australia and Barrow within the UK, and getting that settlement in place.
We additionally mentioned the progress that we introduced in job of the local weather and vitality partnership. It is going to be signed by our respective ministers, ministers Bowen and Norbert in Cop29 this week.
Haines requires scrutiny of electoral reform laws
The impartial MP for Indi, Helen Haines, is the following visitor up on ABC RN this morning.
She is requested in regards to the authorities’s proposed electoral reforms and says whereas she welcomes a number of the measures – like larger transparency for political donations – however “like my crossbench colleagues I have some serious concerns about many details included in this very, very consequential reform of our electoral system”:
I wish to see it referred for larger scrutiny. I believe that’s a wholly cheap factor the federal government can do. The joint standing committee on electoral issues is the apparent place to go, or the federal government might arrange a joint choose committee with a variety of parliamentarians to scrutinise this invoice.
I believe it’s completely cheap to try this. The general public have to know extra about it earlier than we launch into one of many greatest reforms seen on this nation in a long time.
Haines says she isn’t as involved about herself as an incumbent as she is for brand new gamers:
There’s no cause why we are able to’t scrutinise it, apart from the federal government desirous to ram this by means of with the help of the opposition. None of those modifications are slated to take any impression within the coming election, we’ve acquired tons of time. I believe the federal government wants to elucidate why they’re so afraid of scoping on this invoice.
Will the Coalition withdraw help for presidency’s cost-of-living measures?
Jane Hume was requested if the Coalition would keep Labor’s cost-of-living measures, if elected.
She responded that “certainly we would approach the cost-of-living crisis in a different way”:
Elevated public expenditure fuels inflation. Additional, it means the inflation disaster is increased for longer, which implies rates of interest are increased for longer, until you handle that root reason for inflation. Effectively, you’re simply exacerbating the issue, and the rest is a band-aid answer.
Again to the preliminary query, she mentioned it wasn’t the Coalition’s intention to withdraw any of the applications, including that “we’ll announce our policies in the lead-up to the election”:
There’s all the time going to be applications that have to be funded. Important providers will, after all, proceed, however there may be a whole lot of pointless waste and undisciplined expenditure.
‘We want to make sure that the relationship is one that is of mutual respect’
Shifting to the Australia-Chinese language relationship, Jame Hume was requested what the Coalition would do if it acquired again into authorities to make sure there isn’t a dip in relations, seen throughout the Morrison years.
She mentioned the Coalition had been “consistent in saying that we want to see a normalisation of our trading relationship with China”:
However we don’t wish to try this on the expense of our nationwide curiosity. We wish to be sure that the connection is one that’s of mutual respect, not merely a respect for one aspect …
We additionally perceive that there are tensions, and we don’t essentially must agree or see eye to eye on each concern, however there does have to be mutual respect for one another’s positions and and that must be mirrored, I believe, within the relationship between the leaders.
Coalition occasion room to take a look at proposed electoral reforms
Jane Hume was additionally requested about criticism from the crossbench of the federal government’s proposed electoral reform, that it’s a stitch-up between the main events to rig the system of their favour.
Hume mentioned the reforms have been going earlier than the occasion room immediately, so “I don’t [know] what the result of that party room would be”:
The federal government solely launched its laws yesterday … so I don’t assume I can remark any extra on electoral reforms. We’ll wait to see what the occasion group says.
Rethink visas moderately than pupil caps, Hume says
Jane Hume argued the “root cause” – the visa system – is what must be addressed, moderately than pupil caps, and that there wasn’t sufficient session:
Simply placing caps on worldwide college students moderately than addressing the visa system is basically not fixing the issue …
We don’t really feel that there’s been any satisfactory session, significantly with these non-public suppliers or regional universities … these suppliers are telling us that they haven’t had satisfactory session within the setting of those caps.
Requested what proof the Coalition has that worldwide college students are the issue in the case of housing, moderately than housing provide and coverage, she responded:
I didn’t say they’re the issue, however we actually know that they’re a part of the issue, significantly in our inside cities …
Coalition doesn’t consider worldwide pupil caps will work, Hume says
The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, is up on ABC RN to debate why the Coalition determined to oppose the federal government’s worldwide pupil caps. She mentioned the Coalition thinks the laws “simply won’t work”:
These caps that the federal government wish to place on worldwide college students are simply a part of a really piecemeal strategy that actually does nothing to handle the structural issues that the federal government has made by itself …
The federal government’s basically opened floodgates to report ranges of worldwide college students, however we all know that that’s a part of the explanation why the housing disaster that we’re dealing with is being fuelled. It’s additionally inflicting unprecedented chaos within the worldwide training sector.
Hume mentioned caps “might be part of the system”, however “the way the government has gone about it is “chaotic, and we don’t think it’s going to solve the problem that they’re trying to address”.
Lidia Thorpe to vote towards authorities mis- and disinformation invoice
Impartial senator Lidia Thorpe says she is going to oppose the federal government’s mis- and disinformation invoice until there are main modifications made.
Thorpe mentioned she was “no stranger to the problems” to this subject and “false information about me is routinely published in mainstream media and spread online”. However this invoice is “not the solution”, she mentioned:
The broad and obscure definitions on this laws permit an excessive amount of scope for suppression of dissenting voices. Now we have to make sure that political dissent, protest and Fact-Telling usually are not suppressed or censored.
I’ve considerations that this invoice might stifle First Nations voices that problem systemic injustice—be it by means of advocacy for land rights, resistance to oppressive insurance policies, or critique of colonial governments.
The Invoice’s reliance on white-dominated establishments to manage what constitutes ‘truth’ will additional erase, suppress and misrepresent First Nations narratives and activism.
Thorpe argued that Acma and abroad tech firms weren’t “appropriate arbitrators on questions of ‘truth’” and that Acma lacked First Nations experience or advisory roles:
This laws offers these firms an excessive amount of discretion to resolve what’s and isn’t misinformation, and doesn’t require sufficient transparency.
She referred to as for a digital rights act and human rights act to be established, and added:
Earlier than we’ve these rights enshrined, we have to be very cautious with any laws like this.
Gender pay hole at lowest level but, ACTU says
In response to a brand new report from the Australian Council of Commerce Unions, the gender pay hole is now at its lowest level ever at 11.5%.
It mentioned new work rights and better wages in sectors like aged care have been closing the hole at a charge 3 times quicker than beneath earlier Coalition governments. Since 2022, the gender pay hole has been closing at a charge of 1.3% every year, in contrast with 0.4% beneath successive Coalition governments.
ACTU president Michele O’Neil mentioned that sectors with a majority of ladies staff “pay some of the lowest wages despite workers providing some of the most valuable services to our community, such as caring for our loved ones”:
Authorities insurance policies have a direct impact on the underpayment of ladies staff and the gender pay hole.
The gender pay hole is closing 3 times quicker beneath this present authorities than the earlier authorities, that means if Peter Dutton’s occasion was nonetheless in energy, the common lady working full time can be $1,900 worse off.
Electoral reform defended
Ed Husic was requested about feedback from Clive Palmer in a single day on the 7.30 program, that the federal government’s proposed electoral reforms are a Labor and Liberal stitch-up for the main events to have your complete sport to themselves.
Husic responded:
I’m not shocked folks with some huge cash who need to have the ability to affect elections are upset by what we’re desirous to do. However I believe a whole lot of Australians will again what we are attempting to do and wish to be sure that we’ve acquired elections which can be truthful and that aren’t influenced by huge cash.
The minister mentioned a lot of state governments had began to work on related reforms.
Husic accuses Coalition of enjoying politics on worldwide pupil cap
Ed Husic was requested in regards to the Coalition’s determination to not again the federal government’s proposed cap on worldwide college students. You’ll be able to learn all the small print on this under:
Husic mentioned Peter Dutton had indicated in budget-reply speeches that he additionally needed to deliver immigration again to pre-pandemic ranges, and accused the Coalition of not “back[ing] up what they say they’ll do”:
That is one other case of them enjoying politics, placing their political pursuits above the pursuits of the nation. We have already got some measures in place to assist us on this space. However, as stakeholders have noticed, the Coalition simply opposing this laws offers no answer, no indication about what they’d do.
So the onus is on them now to say, “Well, if you said this is important to do, why won’t you actually support work to be done in this space?”