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CFMEU law delay prompts building costs warning
A failure to place the CFMEU into administration would lead to escalating building costs and flow through to other parts of the economy, housing groups warn.
As AAP reports, a parliamentary inquiry has been told any further hold-ups in passing laws to place the union into external administration will lead to the construction sector going further into jeopardy.
Attempts to grant ministerial powers to place the construction division of the CFMEU into administration fell through yesterday after the Coalition and the Greens voted down the proposal.
Master Builders Australia deputy chief executive Shaun Schmitke said delays to the bill created greater uncertainty for the industry. He told the inquiry today:
At the moment, everyone’s very tense, but I can tell you that the industry needs that certainty. They need to know that they will be able to move forward in a period where they’re going to be able to deal with the union in administration or otherwise, which is responsible, lawful and sensible.
The longer the bill is delayed, the greater the concern amongst industry participants, and the bigger the pressure that is mounting.
Key events
Liberal deputy mayor ‘disappointed and embarrassed’ after nomination failure
Georgia Ryburn, the deputy mayor of the Northern Beaches council, is one of the 130 Liberal candidates unable to run in the upcoming NSW council elections following the party’s administrative bungle.
In a statement shared online this afternoon, Ryburn said that “to say I’m saddened, disappointed and embarrassed by this outcome is an understatement”.
Whilst you may not be a Liberal voter, this is a devastating outcome for our democratic process. Our community deserved a choice on September 14 … I have put my heart and soul into this role, and am devastated it will be another four years before this opportunity may arise again.
I’m so grateful to the community and relationships I’ve built over this term on council. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together … For now, I’ve got four more weeks as your deputy mayor, so let’s do this.
Friday afternoon has rolled around, meaning its time to get stuck into the latest Weekly Beast from Amanda Meade:
Tasmanian senator urges federal government to follow scientists’ advice for saving Maugean skate
Yesterday, Adam Morton exclusively reported that fish farms in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour are the greatest threat to the survival of the Maugean skate, according to scientists advising the government.
The advice is included in a conservation report by the government’s threatened species scientific committee that says the skate – an ancient ray-like species found only in the harbour in the state’s west – should be considered critically endangered. You can read Adam’s full report below:
Tasmanian Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has called on the federal government to implement the advice from scientists, stating:
The viability of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour has been drastically overstated to the West Coast community by the salmon farming industry. Science has identified Macquarie Harbour as an unsuitable place for the scale of salmon farming that is currently operating there – clearly efforts should be focused on transitioning workers into more sustainable industries…
The Albanese government now has a critical moral and political decision to make: will it heed the advice of its own expert [committee], or protect the profits of foreign-owned salmon companies?
IV fluid shortage easing, health ministers say
Natasha May
Health ministers say the shortage of IV fluids is easing, assuring Australians that health services are continuing although shortages will still continue throughout this year.
The federal, state and territory health ministers released a statement after meeting in Sydney this morning, outlining the steps being taken to address supply in Australia and seeking to provide reassurance to all Australians that challenges are being addressed.
A cross-jurisdictional response group has been convened by all states and territories and the commonwealth, as well as the broader health system, with representation from private hospitals and primary care.
In their statement, the ministers said the response group had already taken immediate steps to address supply and distribution issues in jurisdictions agreeing to measures to improve transparency, logistics, coordination and communication:
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Sharing data across jurisdictions on usage and supply, and ensuring that producers and suppliers of IV fluids in Australia are providing data on their current supply and production forecasts, to better understand the severity and duration of the shortage.
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Ensuring there is a coordinated national approach to distribution across the jurisdictional supply chains.
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Partnering across government to work with manufacturers and distributers to help them address supply issues
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Agreeing consistent messaging across all jurisdictions to support appropriate usage while supply remains constrained.
The cross-jurisdictional response group would continue to meet on a weekly basis, or more frequently if required, while supply remained constrained in Australia, the statement said.
Australian mpox cases on rise amid global emergency
Australia is being urged to take swift protective action as mpox cases spike in the eastern states, AAP reports.
The World Health Organisation has declared the viral infection a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, with an African outbreak spreading to other continents.
Australia has recorded 35 cases in the past 15 days amid a spread in several states. Nearly 100 cases have been detected in NSW since the start of June after just one case in the prior five months. Another 110 cases of mpox have been detected in Victoria and 23 in Queensland since April.
CSIRO virologist Nias Peng said the emergence was similar to the one in 2022, which he said saw the infection “neglected” in causing a global outbreak.
The declaration of a public health emergency of international concern is timely to allow health authorities of respective nations to reinforce measures in order to curb the spread. It is now time for us to act quickly to prevent history from being repeated.
The virus is transmitted chiefly through prolonged physical or intimate contact with an infected person. A rash, lesions or sores, fever, chills, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and sore throat are among the common symptoms.
NSW Health recommended sexually active gay and bisexual men (cis and trans) and their sexual partners, as well as sex workers and their sexual partners, get mpox vaccinations and watch out for symptoms.
The Bureau of Meteorology has published its weekend weather update, with rains and storms forecast in Western Australia and showers for the country’s south-east.
Blue Mountains Greens seek votes for ‘more balanced council’ amid no Liberal candidates
The Greens have begun shifting their messaging ahead of the upcoming NSW council elections, following the Liberal party’s failure to nominate more than 130 candidates.
The administrative bungle has seen eight local councils – including several in party heartland – without a Liberal candidate on the ticket.
The Blue Mountains Greens are positioning themselves as the “only party that is in a position to … hold Labor to account”, as the Liberal party will not be running local candidates.
Responding to the administrative failure in a post to social media, the Blue Mountains Greens said:
This is not healthy for democracy and we understand this is a shock to those who would have voted for them. This is a huge disappointment for those candidates who are now not able to run for council.
Labor has six seats on council and now stands to gain more. The Greens stand for a more balanced council. With a major party unable to run, the Greens is the only party that is in a position to bring community views to the table and hold Labor to account.
For the first time since 2016, the Greens are standing candidate teams in all four Blue Mountains wards.
CFMEU law delay prompts building costs warning
A failure to place the CFMEU into administration would lead to escalating building costs and flow through to other parts of the economy, housing groups warn.
As AAP reports, a parliamentary inquiry has been told any further hold-ups in passing laws to place the union into external administration will lead to the construction sector going further into jeopardy.
Attempts to grant ministerial powers to place the construction division of the CFMEU into administration fell through yesterday after the Coalition and the Greens voted down the proposal.
Master Builders Australia deputy chief executive Shaun Schmitke said delays to the bill created greater uncertainty for the industry. He told the inquiry today:
At the moment, everyone’s very tense, but I can tell you that the industry needs that certainty. They need to know that they will be able to move forward in a period where they’re going to be able to deal with the union in administration or otherwise, which is responsible, lawful and sensible.
The longer the bill is delayed, the greater the concern amongst industry participants, and the bigger the pressure that is mounting.
Protest to ‘bring back the ban’ on greyhound racing scheduled for Sydney tomorrow
Community leaders and animal welfare advocates are due to gather in Sydney tomorrow to protest against greyhound racing.
The “Bring Back the Ban” protest will take place at 11am on Saturday at Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD.
The state government last month announced its industry watchdog would lead an inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW after the release of a veterinary report that alleged widespread animal abuse.
Kylie Field, the NSW director of the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, said it had been almost eight years since former premier Mike Baird’s backflip on a ban of the industry.
The latest revelations have incensed the community. We’ve heard allegations about a rehoming disaster, under-reporting of greyhound deaths, serious animal welfare breaches, and the biggest increase in injury rates in the history of NSW dog racing.
Speakers will include Animal Justice party MLC Emma Hurst, Greens MLC Abigail Boyd, independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich and Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore.
First Nations communities should lead response to missing and murdered report, human rights commissioner says
The Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for action on the findings of a new report on murdered and missing First Nations women.
The landmark inquiry’s final report was tabled on Thursday and found there has been “little, if any, justice” for many First Nations women and children who have been murdered or disappeared.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, Katie Kiss, said the report would play a “vital role” in improving the safety and rights of First Nations women and girls.
Violence against First Nations women and children is a major problem, and we need to be clear-eyed not only about the nature and extent of this violence, but also about the root causes of this violence, and that’s prejudice, gender inequality and discrimination against women, lack of opportunity, personal trauma, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism.
Systemic failures not only drive the violence but also affect the provision and quality of care and support for women experiencing violence, and this includes failures by police, healthcare workers and other service providers.
So, it’s a very complex issue which requires a multi-faceted response, and this has been recognised by the comprehensive nature of the report’s recommendations. But that response must be led by First Nations communities. We know what will work to protect our women and help our communities thrive, and governments and service providers need to give our communities the respect and resources we need to make this happen.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has shared some photos from his meeting with New Zealand’s prime minister Chris Luxon in Canberra today.
Google claims in Senate hearing it doesn’t dominate search
Josh Taylor
Google has rejected suggestions from Australian senators that it is the dominant player in search in Australia.
The Labor chair of the AI adoption Senate committee, Tony Sheldon, pointed to the US federal court ruling this month that Google illegally monopolised search and questioned whether Google dominated search in Australia.
Google’s Australian government affairs and public policy director, Lucinda Longcroft, told the committee Google did not agree with the ruling and would be appealing and refused to say Google dominates search, instead saying that Google has a popular search product but the search market was diverse and highly competitive.
Longcroft didn’t accept figures comparing Google to other search engines like Bing and compared Google to people using Amazon to find products or Seek to find jobs.
Josh Taylor
Google fronts AI adoption Senate inquiry
Google has been probed over the high energy consumption of generative AI after it was revealed the company’s emissions jumped nearly 50% in five years due to AI.
At the AI adoption Senate inquiry, the Greens’s David Shoebridge questioned what Google was doing to make sure users were aware that responses to generative AI prompts, such as images or video, use much more energy than a standard Google search.
Google’s director of government affairs and public policy in Australia, Lucinda Longcroft, said the information is contained in the company’s publicly available environment report and Google was working to meet its targets, noting that emissions from AI are reducing as investment in the technology increases.
Shoebridge pointed out that people aren’t alerted when entering into a prompt how much energy it might use.
Are they going to be referencing the state of the environment report when I do that? Is Google thinking that as a responsible global player, that some kind of … real-time acknowledgement of the energy use, feedback and response might be useful?
Longcroft said it was an interesting idea and she would take the question on notice. The company also said it would look to provide information on the relative energy use for a Google search versus image or video generation using AI.
Jo Haylen weighs in on NSW Liberals council election fiasco
Catie McLeod
The New South Wales transport minister, Jo Haylen, says she can understand why Liberal council candidates affected by the party’s local government election fiasco would be disappointed and angry.
The Liberal party is grappling with the fallout from its catastrophic administrative error that resulted in it missing the noon Wednesday deadline to lodge the necessary paperwork to nominate more than 130 candidates for the 14 September local government elections.
Speaking to reporters earlier this morning, Haylen said:
Communities have been let down and candidates have been let down. I can understand why there is great anger and disappointment, not only within the Liberal party, but across many communities in Sydney today.
People deserve a choice. The Liberal party has failed to deliver that opportunity for people across Sydney.
Haylen, who served as Marrickville’s Labor mayor before she entered state parliament, said councils were a “pathway to state politics” for many MPs.
There are many reasons why people within the Liberal party are very angry about what has occurred.
Albanese says discussions taking place on PNG NRL team
Asked whether PNG would be getting an NRL team, Anthony Albanese responded:
We are working through those issues. I can confirm we are in discussions with the Australian Rugby league, with the New Zealand government and the Australian government.
We see this not just being about sport, but being about economic development and about cementing the relationship that our two great countries have.
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