Australia news live: offshore wind farm size reduced after environmental lobbying; stealthing to be criminalised in Queensland | Australia news

Peter Hannam

December quarter GDP information might sign how quickly we would get rate of interest cuts

We’ll quickly get the nationwide accounts figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, telling us how the financial system was faring on the finish of 2023.

The GDP information at all times provides a wide range of narratives. We get quarterly numbers that may in all probability be the headline ones although they will bounce round a bit – and are sometimes revised. We additionally get the yearly ones which are in all probability simpler to digest.

Economists are predicting the December quarter posted a 0.2% improve from the September quarter, which, whereas not nice, would not less than not be a detrimental. Actually, a optimistic determine would make it 9 quarters in a row of development.

At an annual stage, these economists expect GDP was 1.5% bigger in 2023 than in 2022.

As soon as the expansion of the inhabitants is taken into consideration, although, per capita GDP was flat within the December quarter of 2022 and has been shrinking every quarter since. The December numbers ought to verify that dismal consequence has continued.

There’s one thing of a trade-off happening. The weaker the expansion, the extra doubtless it’s that the Reserve Financial institution will likely be reducing its key rate of interest, saving households on variable mortgages (and companies too).

Carry it on, you say. Except, in fact, the financial system hits the skids and employers begin shedding extra of their employees – a nasty outcome for a lot of.

Forward of at present’s numbers, traders weren’t predicting any extra RBA charge rises however the timing of the primary minimize might hinge on how weak or sturdy the GDP figures are. The primary minimize of 25 foundation factors to 4.1% isn’t absolutely priced in till October, in response to the ASX tracker.

We’ll discover out quickly sufficient. Don’t go too distant.

Benita Kolovos

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, additionally makes a quick assertion on the tabling of the report by Victoria’s particular inquiry investigating historic sexual abuse at 24 authorities faculties, together with Beaumaris Main. She says:

I wish to thank the victims and their households and family members who’ve supported individuals for thus a few years by means of the trauma and grief, skilled … in our training settings and I wish to thank them for his or her braveness and power, not simply collaborating on this inquiry however for driving this inquiry within the first place. The report has been tabled within the parliament this morning.

The deputy premier, the minister of training and I will likely be assembly with a number of the representatives who’re right here within the chamber at present to see that report. We’re going to take into account that report. It’s been handed down simply this week and we will likely be responding to that report in the end.

Victorian premier calls West Gate Bridge protesters idiots

Benita Kolovos

Becoming a member of the refrain of individuals criticising the local weather protest on the West Gate Bridge yesterday is the premier, Jacinta Allan. She says they’re “idiots”:

That is considered one of our busiest components of our street community that these – they’ve been known as idiots and I’d agree with that characterisation. A small quantity of people that behave like this, who put their security in danger, the security of different Victorians in danger.

Victoria police responded actually shortly and we’ve seen too, by way of the forestall powers, they’ve already made a few arrests … means that Victoria police have demonstrated very clearly that they’ve the powers and the sources that they want to answer incidents like this and I thank them for it.

I additionally thank the way in which Victorians responded by supporting one another in an extremely irritating set of circumstances. This does nothing, this type of behaviour, to advance your trigger.

Benita Kolovos

Jacinta Allan defends not releasing protected injecting room report

The Victoria premier, Jacinta Allan, is defending the federal government’s determination to not launch the Ken Lay report into the second protected injecting room, regardless of a movement from the higher home.

Talking outdoors parliament, she says:

The federal government intends to launch the Ken Lay report as soon as it has made the choice, based mostly on the recommendation it’s acquired within the Ken Lay report but in addition on different sources of recommendation. I’ve made that clear a while in the past, supporting weak Victorians, notably these with dependancy.

We’re targeted on supporting them in the absolute best means, not on political stunts right here within the Victorian parliament that do nothing to help weak Victorians, nothing to help individuals with addictions, and that’s what we’re targeted on.

She reaffirms her dedication to launch the report by the top of the yr. (Ken Lay handed it to the federal government in June 2023.)

A search is beneath means for a hiker lacking in bushland on Queensland’s highest mountain.

The person in his 20s was reportedly climbing in bushland off Josephine Falls Highway in Bartle Frere, a mountain south of Cairns, on Tuesday.

He was final heard from at 6.30pm, sparking an emergency service response.

Police and paramedics started a seek for the person on Tuesday night time however stopped when it acquired darkish.

The search commenced once more at 6am on Wednesday with emergency companies ramping up efforts to search out the person.

– Australian Related Press

A person has died from a doable hit-and-run incident after his physique was discovered mendacity on a suburban Sydney avenue early within the morning.

Emergency companies had been known as to an intersection in Mount Pritchard, within the metropolis’s south-west, about 3am on Wednesday after stories of a person on the street with severe accidents.

Paramedics attended the scene however the man was declared lifeless.

Law enforcement officials established against the law scene and had been investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Officers would examine whether or not the person was the sufferer of a hit-and-run.

Insp Benjamin McIntyre known as on anybody with data to contact investigators.

“We’d be calling for any individuals who had been travelling on Pritchard Road at Mount Pritchard between 2am and 3am to make contact with police, particularly in case you have dashcam footage,” he stated.

“We’ll spend the remainder of the morning canvassing the encompassing streets on the lookout for CCTV footage.”

– Australian Related Press

Henry Belot

Media watchdog analyzing offshore playing advertisements in cricket protection

Australia’s media watchdog is taking a better take a look at promoting for offshore playing firms throughout worldwide broadcasts of cricket in Australia and New Zealand.

Final week, Guardian Australia revealed Cricket Australia was paid to advertise the “surrogate” of a controversial offshore playing firm that’s banned by a number of nations and accused of accepting bets on youngsters’s sport, cockfights and selling topless casinos.

The sporting physique instantly eliminated the 1xBat brand from its worldwide broadcast of the Boxing Day Check match as soon as it confirmed the model was an affiliate of the controversial playing firm, the topic of an official warning from the Pakistan government.

This morning, the ABC stories the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) is examining whether Foxtel breached gambling laws by broadcasting advertisements for 2 unlawful offshore betting firms throughout protection of the Australia v New Zealand Check match final week. One firm was 1xBat, the opposite was Parimatch.

Australia’s Interactive Playing Act prohibits offshore playing firms from providing bets to individuals based mostly in Australia and bans the promotion of their companies. However an exemption is obtainable if an advert is “an unintended or incidental accompaniment to the publication of different matter”. Within the case of Cricket Australia and 1xBat, the advertisements weren’t proven to Australian audiences.

An Acma spokesperson stated:

The ACMA is contemplating the details about the Aus/NZ cricket together with the context wherein the content material was alleged to have occurred.

Peter Hannam

Spender needs ‘individuals energy plan’ to deal with cost-of-living crunch

The unbiased MP Allegra Spender has kicked off a serious vitality convention in Sydney with a name on the Albanese authorities to fund a “individuals energy plan” in its Might funds.

With photo voltaic panels enhancing in effectivity and value, and batteries falling in value by 20% a yr, the economics are shifting inexorably in direction of renewables within the dwelling – particularly when energy payments have been climbing in recent times.

However not quick sufficient, and lots of households – suppose renters – are lacking out, therefore Spender’s push. (Virtually half of these in her Wentworth citizens are renters and 60% stay in residences.) She says:

Our energy payments had been pushed up by Australia’s dependence on ageing and unreliable coal-fired energy stations and by the value gouging of a foreign-owned gasoline cartel, however there’s a means out.

House electrification is an enormous cost-of-living and local weather alternative. However there are too many people who find themselves nonetheless locked out.

That’s not truthful.

Spender’s plan would goal renters and apartment-dwellers, amongst others lacking out. These in regional areas would even be a precedence, not least as a result of such communities are anticipated to host the wind and photo voltaic farms cities can’t.

Regulatory reform would even be wanted to interrupt down the bureaucratic limitations, she stated.

Funded by taxing the windfall earnings of the gasoline trade, the plan might goal half one million houses to impress over the subsequent three years.

That final half is likely to be unwelcome by the federal government however the normal push to unfold the advantages of renewables is more durable to reject. Latest strains within the energy grid by simply quick heatwaves must be a reminder to governments state and federal that they need to do much more and shortly to keep away from extra severe strains subsequent summer time (if not earlier than).

Spender additionally informed the Sensible Vitality Council convention that nuclear vitality plans by the opposition didn’t make sense. The expertise was “too gradual and too costly and [small modular reactors] are fully unproven”, she stated.

The federal vitality minister, Chris Bowen, has considerably decreased the dimensions of Australia’s third offshore wind zone after lobbying from environmental teams.

An offshore wind zone close to western Victoria will likely be one-fifth of its unique deliberate measurement.

Bowen made the announcement at present, saying the choice to chop the realm of the Southern Ocean wind zone adopted intensive session with native leaders, trade and group teams.

The ultimate space of the zone, to be positioned about 15km to 20km off Victoria’s coast, would span 1,030 sq km slightly than the initially deliberate greater than 5,000 sq km, Bowen stated in a joint launch with the Victorian vitality and sources minister, Lily D’Ambrosio.

The zone would now not soak up an space off South Australia’s coast, and the numerous discount accounted for the realm’s environmental, cultural heritage and financial significance, the ministers stated.

“The Southern Ocean offshore wind zone has the potential to create hundreds of recent, high-value jobs and assist safe cleaner, cheaper extra dependable vitality for regional Victoria,” Bowen stated in a press release.

The wind zone was slated to work across the Bonney Upwelling, Deen Maar Island and transport routes.

– Australian Related Press

Extra to return within the subsequent weblog publish.

Victorian authorities gained’t launch protected injecting room report

Benita Kolovos

Victoria’s lawyer normal, Jaclyn Symes, says the federal government is not going to be releasing the Ken Lay report right into a second protected injecting room for the CBD.

Final month, a movement handed the higher home requiring the Allan Labor authorities to publicly launch the total Ken Lay Report by 6 March.

However Symes – who can be the chief within the higher home – says the federal government will declare “govt privilege” on the report:

We will likely be claiming govt privilege only for the needs of responding to the movement, however I wish to reaffirm the federal government’s dedication to launch that report, accompanied with a response from the federal government … on the similar time.

Eden Gillespie

Coercive management and stealthing legal guidelines set to move Queensland parliament

Eradicating a condom with out consent will likely be thought of rape and coercive management will grow to be a legal offence beneath a invoice anticipated to move by means of Queensland parliament at present.

Coercive management is a sample of behaviours that’s extremely correlated with the danger of home hurt and murder. Beneath sweeping reform by the Queensland authorities, it’ll grow to be a legal offence in 2025 and entice a most penalty of 14 years.

The act of stealthing – or eradicating or tampering with a condom throughout intercourse with out consent – will likely be criminalised and carry a most penalty of life in jail.

Stealthing is unlawful in Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT.

The affirmative consent mannequin can be anticipated to move parliament. It should require free and voluntary settlement to take part in a sexual exercise.

Benita Kolovos

The Greens MP for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell, has a special tackle the protest. She tells reporters:

It’s very courageous to go on the market and put your self in danger to sound the alarm about our legislators not doing sufficient about local weather change. I do know that folks had been disrupted and I’ve acquired sympathy for individuals – it’s irritating to have your day disrupted like that.

However take a look at the disruption that’s been brought on by local weather change. We’ve already had actually hundreds of individuals evacuated from their houses due to fires this yr. We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of individuals with out energy due to storms exacerbated by local weather change. These are the sorts of disruptions that we’re seeing already due to local weather change. And I feel it’s brave for individuals to face up and say, no, politicians must do higher.

Benita Kolovos

Victoria’s police minister, Anthony Carbines, is just not comfortable concerning the local weather protest yesterday on the West Gate Bridge.

Talking outdoors parliament, he says police moved as shortly as they may to carry it to an finish:

Protesters had been making a degree of being in a posh location. So it was at all times going to be very difficult and troublesome for the police to maneuver. That’s a part of the ways that they make use of – the despicable ways that they make use of – police deployed a cherrypicker. They did every thing they may to take away protesters and we must always be glad about the work that they do.

Carbines says the group had been “put in danger” throughout the protest:

We’ve seen start by the facet of the street in visitors yesterday, others who missed medical appointments which are very severe.

Two local weather protesters are in jail for blocking visitors lanes on a serious Melbourne freeway, inflicting vital rush-hour delays.

Deanna “Violet” Coco, 33, from NSW and 51-year-old Bradley Homewood from Williamstown pleaded responsible to 2 counts of public nuisance by obstructing motorists and obstructing police and emergency service staff on Tuesday.

Each had been sentenced to 21 days imprisonment.

Their co-accused, Joseph Zammit, 68, from Melbourne, additionally pleaded responsible to the identical costs.

He was launched on bail on the situation that he not attend illegal protests or undertake any illegal actions throughout a protest and never affiliate with Coco and Homewood.

The members of environmental motion group Extinction Rebel parked a truck on the West Gate Bridge about 7.45am on Tuesday and climbed on prime, unfurling banners which learn “declare a local weather emergency” and “local weather breakdown has begun”.

Police alleged they set off flares whereas on prime of the truck.

The protest precipitated a visitors gridlock with three city-bound lanes blocked and delays stretching about 30km.

Officers used a cherrypicker to arrest and decrease the trio safely at 9.45am after they refused to get off the truck. Vital visitors delays continued after the lanes had been reopened.

“The ramifications of their actions precipitated huge catastrophic inconvenience and delay to hundreds of members of the general public,” a police prosecutor informed court docket.

– Australian Related Press

(Extra to return on this within the subsequent weblog publish)