Anthony Albanese has appointed former ADF chief Mark Binskin to investigate the circumstances around aid worker Zomi Frankcom’s death in Gaza. Photograph: Con Chrosnis/AAP
Anthony Albanese has appointed former ADF chief Mark Binskin to investigate the circumstances around aid worker Zomi Frankcom’s death in Gaza. Photograph: Con Chrosnis/AAP
Craig Emerson’s interim supermarket review found the existing voluntary food and grocery code was “not effective” and that the code should be mandatory and come with “heavy penalties” including fines of up to $10m. Opposition leader Peter Dutton called the report commissioned by Labor a “Mickey Mouse review”.
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EPA issues warning to councils after asbestos found in Melbourne parks
Victoria’s environment watchdog is warning local councils to tighten quality controls on potential asbestos in mulch, as it investigates suspected illegal dumping of the contaminated material, which has been discovered at several parks.
The Victorian Environment Protection Authority on Sunday said it had ordered Hobsons Bay council, in Melbourne’s west, to hand over records of its supply chain for mulch production and conduct wider testing for asbestos, after the material was found in several reserves in the council area.
The EPA on Monday said its inspections uncovered contaminated material at six parks, five in the Hobsons Bay council area and one in Merri-bek council, in Melbourne’s north. The EPA has sent materials containing suspected asbestos from four sites to be tested, with results expected on Tuesday.
One last, and more light-hearted, moment from the interview with Anthony Albanese on ABC Afternoons, that has just wrapped up.
In closing, he was asked whether he and his fiancee Jodie Haydon had had a chance over the Easter weekend to set a date for their wedding.
The prime minister was not biting.
“I can confirm that I will not be discussing the date with yourself or anyone else on a TV program,” he said. “Diaries bounce around and the difficult task of setting a date as prime minister is something that is ahead of us.”
Coalition’s stalling on migration bill ‘beyond comprehension’, PM says
Anthony Albanese is being asked on the ABC about boat arrivals to Australia, after criticism from the opposition that government policies have created a “pull factor”.
While refusing to comment on reports that about 10 people arrived on the mainland, the prime minister has said that “people who come as unauthorised boat arrivals in Australia will not be allowed to be settled here”.
We want to make it very, very clear that there is no incentive on coming to Australia by boat, that people won’t be allowed to settle here. Because we don’t want people risking their lives and we also don’t want the quite evil trade of people smuggling to be able to profit from such activities.
Asked whether the government’s stalled deportation measures contained in the migration bill that failed to pass the Senate before Easter could have been marketed by people smugglers, Albanese was critical of the Coalition for refusing to vote for the bill.
We put forward that legislation in good faith. It passed through the House of Representatives on one day and then the Coalition changed their mind and deferred it on the very next day.
The Coalition need to explain why it is that they deferred that legislation given that they have failed to come up a single policy disagreement that is in that legislation. It is beyond my comprehension how it is that the Coalition have contradicted their own rhetorical position by not passing this legislation.
Hamas are a terrorist organisation and that is why they are outlawed. They don’t respect the rule of law and they are an organisation that targets civilians and with the atrocities that occurred on October 7, which is why we unequivocally condemn it.
Democratic nations have different responsibilities. They have responsibilities to comply with international law and that is what we expect of Israel.
Transparency around Zomi Frankcom's death 'in Israel's interest': Albanese
Anthony Albanese says that Mark Binskin is well regarded globally and that Australia expects full cooperation from the Israeli defence force and their authorities, as Binskin participates in the investigation into the aid worker deaths.
We are confident that that will be made available. Because it is in Israel’s interest as well for there to be transparency around these incidents. They have shaken the world.
Prime minister calls for ‘proper accountability’ from Israel over deaths of aid workers
Anthony Albanese is speaking on ABC Afternoons at the moment about the appointment of former ADF chief Mark Binskin as a special adviser to look at the “sufficiency and appropriateness” of Israel’s response to its strikes that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.
He is calling Frankcom’s death a “tragedy” that has “shaken the world” and says that the Australian government does not find Israel’s investigation into the deaths to be satisfactory.
This is a tragedy. You have Zomi Frankcom, who was there, working, supporting her fellow humans. Doing work in Gaza, providing aid in a way that should have kept her safe.
She did everything possible to do the right thing, as did her organisation, and we had circumstances where one car was hit then another car was hit, then a third car was hit.
We need proper accountability, we need full transparency about the circumstances and I think that is what the Australian public would expect.
A candle-lit vigil is held in Paris for Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Strong number of first home buyers enter property market, February ABS data shows
A fresh batch of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released today shows that first home buyers are making it on to the property ladder in respectable numbers, despite affordability challenges, AAP reports.
The ABS recorded a 4.3% uptick in the number of new loan commitments to first-time owner-occupier purchasers in February.
While this followed a 5.6% fall in January, first home buyer loan numbers were 13.2% higher than a year ago.
With more than 9,300 first home buyer loan commitments recorded over the month, activity was well down from the highs reached in January 2021 but broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels.
Photograph: VictorHuang/Getty Images
National Australia Bank senior markets economist Taylor Nugent said lending approvals for first home buyers had proved resilient.
He said this suggested higher mortgage rates were not proving much of a hurdle, or at least compared to the rising cost of renting.
“Higher mortgage rates and affordability constraints are being offset by tightness in rental markets and underlying strength in housing demand,” said Nugent.
Reflecting higher house prices, the value of loans to first home buyers rose 4.8% over the month to be 20.7% higher annually.
CommSec economists Ryan Felsman and Craig James said demand for homes continued to rise given a “relatively firm job market, a healthy stock of savings and rising migration offsetting higher interest rates”.
They said it was a promising sign first home buyers remained active.
“There is a general perception that interest rates have peaked, and this may be seeing greater urgency by homebuyers to secure their purchase, fearful of a more significant influx of buyers when interest rates actually start their descent,” they added.
Car industry lobby head grilled over letter to Labor about vehicle efficiency standards
The head of the car industry’s main lobbying group has been questioned about how a document – which warned Labor of the political risks of its proposed vehicle efficiency standards – was given to the energy minister Chris Bowen’s office.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has been one of the key bodies critical of the proposed changes designed to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles and bring down overall transport emissions.
Appearing at a parliamentary inquiry into lobbying on Monday, its chief executive, Tony Weber, was presented with the document obtained by former senator, Rex Patrick, under freedom of information (FoI).
The document, which contains no letterhead or date, outlines the “political risks” of introducing a “harsh” standard, warning consumers would blame the government for any loss of choice or increase in the cost of cars.
It reads: “The issue is like the Voice – most people are supportive of the concept, until they see the detail. Once it becomes a cost of living and consumer choice argument, it’s dead.”
It also describes carmakers, referred to as original equipment manufacturers or OEMs, as “almost schizophrenic” on the introduction of vehicle efficiency standards.
“Many OEMs will be privately critical of the policy settings in this area but will publicly position themselves from a marketing perspective to embrace it. This leads to the announcements of EVs that are planned in a situation where there are no real plans to actually build and provide them.”
ACT senator David Pocock asked Weber why the document was allegedly given in hard copy, and had no letterhead or date. Pocock also asked whether it had been given to the minister’s office informally by a lobbyist in Parliament House. Pocock suggested it was done so to avoid being captured in an FoI – which was unsuccessful.
Weber said he needed time to read the document but did not dispute it had come from the peak body. Weber said it could have been a background document provided in a meeting with officials but took other questions on notice around its origin and how it was handed to the minister’s office.
Hello, I’m Kate Lyons and will be seeing you through until the end of the day.
In case you missed it and are in need of a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, Eliza Spencer, from our rural network, has this utterly delightful story about Woody the (formerly) escaped merino sheep.
Woody the runaway sheep brought in for first shearing in three years – video
The sheep was found wandering the streets of Woodstock, a small New South Wales town on the central tablelands late last year.
At some point he had escaped the shared community paddock and taken up residence near the local tip, relying on food and water left by residents.
Prompted by concern about his large fleece, authorities decided to bring him in.
Volunteers from the Woodstock Rural fire service began the chase on Wednesday, and a livestock transporter, Matthew Blazley, made the capture.
Woody is well, and was sheared of about 10kg of wool, having missed an estimated three shearing seasons.
Australian GPs have welcomed New South Wales’ first drug checking pilot program.
As Catie McLeod reports, the state’s first drug checking service will open at Sydney’s supervised injecting room after the government resisted calls to introduce pill testing at music festivals.
The NSW and ACT chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), Dr Rebekah Hoffman, welcomed the move as “an important step forward”.
Under this pilot, those who present with their drugs will be given an analysis of the substance, including what mix of drugs is actually present, as well as targeted harm reduction advice. The samples will then be sent for further confirmatory testing of the drug makeup.
Drug checking, including pill testing, saves lives. People can find out what substances the drugs they have been sold contain without fear of law enforcement action. Drug testing services also allow trained staff to talk candidly to them free of judgment about why they are using drugs and explain the many risks involved. Many people who submit drugs for testing discard them when they find out what they contain.
Dr Hoffman called on the NSW government to follow Queensland and the ACT by introducing drug testing services featuring fixed and mobile sites across NSW.
Road and rail disruptions continue following east coast floods
Sticking with the east coast floods: road and rail disruptions are continuing, with parts of the South Coast train line remaining closed due to flood damage.
The wild weather over the weekend caused some significant flooding on the South Coast line.
Thanks to the local community for your patience as we work to clean up the damage, with buses replacing trains south of Waterfall while we work to restore services as quickly as possible pic.twitter.com/Es4BIy3CR4
— Transport for NSW (@TransportforNSW) April 8, 2024
Bulldozers are set to cut through a temporary evacuation road in the Blue Mountains-Megalong Valley after a land slip shut off the only access road, isolating hundreds of residents.
The Blue Mountains mayor, Mark Greenhill, said cutting a temporary road through rock would take three days and would be contingent on careful geotechnical advice. Food and fuel drops via helicopter are underway.
Residents are continuing to return to their homes north-west of Sydney and along the Hawkesbury River after evacuation orders were lifted following receding floodwaters.
About 800 people were under an evacuation order in the Sydney region where floods have damaged more than 60 homes, leaving 17 uninhabitable.
A demolition team begin to clear part of a home washed up in Mt. Kiera, Wollongong. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA
Dutton responds to appointment of Mark Biniskin as special advisor
Peter Dutton has also responded to the appointment of former ADF chief Mark Binskin as a special adviser to look at the “sufficiency and appropriateness” of Israel’s response to its strikes that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.
Dutton said that Binskin is a “fine person” who has “been a great contributor to our country for many decades”, but has been given “mission impossible” from Anthony Albanese when it comes to this position.
Because this is about a political outcome for the prime minister, I’m sorry to say … What the prime minister is doing in importing Mark Binskin is not hoping for some discovery of a silver bullet or some thing that is being hidden by the Israelis. What the prime minister is doing here is trying to find a pathway through what is obviously a torn ALP.
The caucus of the Australian Labor Party is split at the moment … what we have seen here by the prime minister is a political response and, frankly, while Mark Binskin is an excellent public servant and is beyond reproach, an incredible individual, he has been given mission impossible by this prime minister because the prime minister is after a political outcome for what is obviously a lot of anxious and difficulty within the left wing of his Labor caucus.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
Dutton doubles down on claim supermarket review was ‘predetermined’
Continuing from our last post, Dutton also argued the review was a “Mickey-Mouse review”:
[What] we’ve got at the moment is a government with a predetermined outcome for a review conducted by Craig Emerson, you may as well have asked Wayne Swan to conduct a review.
The review was written, the results were dictated by Jim Chalmers and I think this is a Mickey-Mouse review that has been conducted by Labor…
