POWER BROKERS
We must always threaten the massive three fuel giants with export limits to get them to decrease power costs for Australian properties and companies, in line with Rod Sims. The previous competitors watchdog chair says export controls would scare the pants off Origin Power, AGL and EnergyAustralia, Guardian Australia experiences, and moreover, they’ve an “obligation” to supply power at a great value at dwelling earlier than transport all of it off abroad. Sims reckons the gasoline ought to go for lower than $10 a gigajoule domestically, which is lower than half this yr’s spot costs of greater than $20. Would we do it? Hmm. Treasurer Jim Chalmers informed the Nationwide Press Membership he’s a bunch of interventions, and there’s been chatter earlier than a few set off that may power provide into our native market.
If we do nothing, households may very well be paying an additional $1300 on power within the subsequent two years, the SMH experiences, however Chalmers says it’s simply too late to cease the surge in costs we’re dwelling by way of proper now. Right here’s what the finances says is coming: a 20% rise in electrical energy earlier than Christmas and a 20% rise in fuel costs earlier than mid subsequent yr. To June 2024, a 30% rise in electrical energy costs and a 20% rise in fuel costs. Compounding spits out that 56% total determine you may’ve seen round. So what’s on the desk? A supertax on power giants to fund a family rebate, and a cap on fuel costs — The Australian ($) experiences the union informed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that and not using a value cap, factories could be pressured to shut — and quick. One factor’s for certain, Chalmers says — any monetary help from the federal government is off the desk, the SMH experiences, though NSW Treasurer Matt Kean factors out the UK, German and French governments have been all offering direct funds to assist out households.
A SORE POINT
Our vaccine technical advisory group didn’t know the COVID vaccine posed coronary heart dangers till 5 months after it accredited the jab, information.com.au experiences. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) revealed the aspect impact from the Moderna and Pfizer jabs was not identified till Might 2021, although the center situation affected solely a really small group of individuals. Apparently, the danger was decrease when you received the AstraZeneca vaccine — which is ironic contemplating all that drama over the AZ jab final yr, because the BBC experiences. It comes as Australia’s peak medical our bodies are reeling from the Albanese authorities’s choice to finish the shared funding deal between the states and the Commonwealth. It was a COVID-era coverage that the finances confirmed would expire on New Yr’s Eve, Guardian Australia experiences. However the AMA says our hospitals are already at breaking level, and there’s a “very excessive chance” of one other COVID wave earlier than the top of the yr. It comes because the finances earmarked $2.6 billion into our ongoing COVID response, the ABC experiences, although not like the UK and US, it did not allocate a single greenback for lengthy COVID analysis.
In the meantime in Queensland, a DNA lab supervisor has informed an inquiry he ignored warnings from his group that its testing was deceptive the courts, The Courier-Mail ($) experiences. The Fee of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing in Queensland is inspecting the state lab’s failure to check 1000’s of samples appropriately. Some say 1000’s of legal investigations — together with for homicide and rape allegations — might’ve been tousled by scientists saying there was no DNA, or not sufficient DNA, discovered, The Australian ($) continues. The brink for DNA, which the inquiry has been informed was launched to save lots of the lab money and time, was scrapped in June when the inquiry kicked off.
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COURT IN THE MIDDLE
Former prime minister Scott Morrison’s apology to former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins risked a good trial, in line with the previous legal professionals of the person accused of sexually assaulting her. Morrison apologised to Higgins in February “for the horrible issues that befell right here”, saying the Parliament ought to’ve been a protected place however turned out to be a “nightmare”. The apology was one of many causes Bruce Lehrmann sought to have his trial halted indefinitely, the SMH experiences, as he argued it implied he was responsible earlier than he’d had his day in courtroom. It comes because the jury is continuous to deliberate in Lehrmann’s legal trial after 5 days.
To a different trial now and the Federal Court docket has ordered the Commonwealth to enter mediation with the Indonesian youngsters who have been jailed in grownup prisons, the ABC experiences. Greater than 120 Indonesian boys (now males) who have been attempting to achieve entry to Australia by way of boat have been embroiled within the saga — the AFP’s controversial X-ray method used the wrist bones to evaluate age, however Australia’s Human Rights Fee discovered the tactic was “inherently flawed”. Then attorney-general Christian Porter refused to refer the instances of two younger teenagers to enchantment, saying a courtroom “couldn’t fairly conclude {that a} miscarriage of justice has occurred”, as Guardian Australia experiences, though six of the eight boys had their convictions overturned by a WA courtroom in the beginning of the yr. Staying in WA a second, Liberal Clan MP Ian Goodenough had reported “solid texts” to police that present him threatening to stop the Liberal Social gathering and sit as an impartial, The West ($) experiences. The paper had the receipts — it confirmed him the screengrabs earlier this month, and he retorted that he “totally [denied] sending these messages”.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
Police are warning companies within the Northern Territory to be careful for faux $100 notes. The counterfeit foreign money is identifiable by “refined variations”, the prim directions learn. For one, there’s a giant honkin’ Steve Irwin face on the entrance. Flip the be aware over and also you’re met with the strict glare of Alf Stewart from Residence and Away, lesser identified by his precise title Ray Meagher. The unlikely duo changed Sir John Monash, a warfare hero and extensively revered engineer, and Dame Nellie Melba, probably the most well-known singers within the late Victorian period, as The New Day by day experiences. OK, however what if of us simply figured we modernised the moola? The police proceed there are different telltale indicators one could be on alert for. You recognize the Shrine of Remembrance? It “is now John Farnham“, the be aware from the police states frankly.
Nonetheless, you might be considering, it wouldn’t be that bizarre to see the trio of Aussie blokes on our notes. For many who want additional directions on the right way to spot the counterfeit money, merely take a look at whether or not the phrase “Australia”, usually written in wealthy, cursive throughout the pale inexperienced be aware, is as a substitute spelt “Straylia”. Then you’ll know for certain you might be holding a faux invoice, the police say. So the place did these patriotic notes come from? They have been a part of a TV manufacturing however have been stolen in Alice Springs, although we don’t actually understand how a lot was taken — along with the $100 Detective Performing Senior Sergeant Robert Kent warned there is likely to be faux $10s, $20s and $50s in circulation. Who will adorn the back and front of these counterfeit notes? The SBS’s Lee Lin Chin? Agro from Agro’s Cartoon Connection? That child who by way of an egg at conservative then senator Fraser Anning’s noggin? We are able to solely surprise.
Hoping you possibly can see what’s actual at present in your world too.
SAY WHAT?
Inflation is the dragon we have to slay … However there’s a proper technique to spend and there’s a improper technique to spend. And maybe shocking to some was our willpower to ship cost-of-living aid solely the place it met very particular and really strict standards.
Jim Chalmers
Somebody has been having fun with the Sport of Thrones prequel, Home of the Dragon, it appears. The treasurer made the feedback whereas defending his austere finances, which comes as inflation has jumped to 7.3%.
Freshman MP’s tax minimize ‘stunt’ unites authorities and opposition in opposition to Greens
“A ‘stunt’ by a freshman Greens MP to power a debate on a provide invoice was roundly criticised in Parliament, even uniting the opposition and authorities, in what one educational says highlights the celebration’s newfound hubris after the election outcomes. Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather informed Crikey on Wednesday he had no regrets and that the federal government was feigning ‘fake outrage’ to distract from a set of controversial tax cuts.
“The evening earlier than, a full hour after the treasurer’s finances speech when many of the chamber had emptied and the MPs left have been going by way of the motions of passing appropriations and provide payments, Chandler-Mather moved to amend a set of payments with a purpose to make a protest speech concerning the authorities’s stage three tax cuts.”
The children are alright: Proud Boys face school pushback in Pennsylvania
“The temper was alternating between edgy and violent, which may be very a lot the temper of the nation in the meanwhile. Donald Trump, in a rally in Texas, seemed ahead to journalists being jailed and raped in jail; the Republican anti-abortion candidates now oppose abortion, even when the mom’s life is in danger; Kanye West is speaking concerning the Jewish cabal, about killing Jews, and has simply been dropped by Adidas — which takes some doing; President Biden has warned Russia to not use tactical nuclear weapons, prefer it was a commerce dispute.
“On CNN that morning, a narrative on the sentencing of the Parkland highschool mass killer was interrupted by breaking information a few highschool shooter in St Louis. The latter killed a trainer and a scholar earlier than police received him. He left a be aware saying he was lonely and remoted and had by no means had a girlfriend. He had additionally left 600 rounds in 12 magazines as ammo drops across the faculty he was about to shoot up. On it goes.”
Did lockdowns trigger extra hurt than good, or did they save lives? Unbiased report lends weight to anti-closure trigger
“For lockdowns to have been genuinely efficient, areas that refused to take such measures would want to have skilled far larger extra deaths and COVID-related deaths. Maybe counterintuitively, in lots of instances, the alternative occurred — with some areas that locked down as a substitute experiencing extra extra deaths. The obvious (however definitely not solely) instance was oft-criticised Sweden, which took a lighter-touch method.
“Sweden didn’t forcibly shut down non-essential workplaces. As a substitute, Sweden inspired individuals to do business from home and closed senior faculties and universities (however allowed youthful college students to proceed to attend in-person courses). Maybe paradoxically, Sweden suffered fewer extra deaths than many different international locations that undertook prolonged lockdowns, together with Peru, Italy, the US, Spain, Chile, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and France.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Assault on Shiraz shrine kills 15: Iranian state media (Al Jazeera)
Putin watches first Russian nuclear drill since invasion of Ukraine (BBC)
Lebanon begins ‘voluntary’ repatriation of Syrian refugees (Al Jazeera)
Atmospheric ranges of all three greenhouse gases hit report excessive (The Guardian)
Dubai firm eyeing takeover and lease of Ports of Auckland enterprise (NZ Herald)
US mortgage rates of interest leap to 7.16%, highest since 2001 (Reuters)
Germany to legalise possession of as much as 30g of hashish and sale for leisure functions (EuroNews)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Our most urgent financial problem is hovering energy costs, and the federal government wants easy options, quick — David Speers (ABC): “Greater power prices are additionally one of many principal drivers of inflation, pushing up costs throughout the economic system. In response to the finances, larger electrical energy and fuel costs will contribute 0.75% to inflation this monetary yr and 1% in 2023-24. With out this strain from energy costs, inflation could be significantly decrease. Actual wage development would kick in earlier. That is an pressing coverage downside for the federal government, with no signal it’s but labored out what to do.
“The federal government rightly factors on the market are elements at play right here past its management. Power costs are hovering globally because of the ongoing warfare in Ukraine. Nor has a decade of shifting home coverage positions on local weather and power helped. And but, the notion of an power exporting super-power like Australia being unable to supply inexpensive power at dwelling turns into more and more tough to understand. As does the confusion over Labor’s pre-election promise (nonetheless being made after the warfare in Ukraine had begun) that energy costs would fall by $275 by 2025.”
Childcare, go away, housing: the place girls gained in Labor’s first finances — Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon (The SMH): “In a coverage already introduced, from July subsequent yr, a better earnings eligibility threshold of $530,000 will carry subsidy charges for 96% of households utilizing childcare. Underneath $80,000, the refund will probably be 90% for a primary little one. The charges are additionally extra beneficiant for subsequent youngsters. The concept of the plan for cheaper childcare is to scale back limitations to girls’s workforce participation by making early childhood training extra inexpensive. The price is $4.7 billion over 4 years, with the federal government resisting calls to herald the modifications early, in January, to attempt to ease the talents and labour scarcity.
“In a bid to ‘help extra equitable distribution of labor and care between mother and father’, $531.6 million over the identical 4 years as above will fund modifications to paid parental go away. This, too, was introduced forward of the finances and lets both father or mother take paid go away that may attain 26 weeks (up from 18 weeks) by July 2026. At the moment, the cost goes solely to the beginning father or mother with fathers and companions receiving simply two weeks’ moreover. From July subsequent yr, mother and father will be capable to take the go away in blocks as small as a day at a time. The intention is larger flexibility and selling extra equal distribution of paid and unpaid work in households, the federal government’s girls’s finances assertion says. Earnings testing the funds at a whole-of-family earnings of $350,000, as a substitute of the person earnings check at the moment set at $156,647, will enable an additional 2200 households to entry the scheme and profit girls with incomes above that stage who’re the first earnings earners.”
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WHAT’S ON TODAY
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The New York Instances’s Jane Coaston and ABC’s Annabel Crabb will chat concerning the 2022 US midterm elections, held on the College of Sydney.
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Former Australian military intelligence analyst Clinton Fernandes will chat about his new ebook, Sub-imperial Energy, in a chat held at Glee Books.
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