Chalmers says four-day working week hasn’t been government’s focus
Chalmers was asked about the ACTU’s plans to propose a four-day working week at the productivity roundtable. The treasurer said while he had heard the proposal, the government was focused on other measures:
Our interest here is in making sure that people can balance their work and family responsibilities. That’s what motivates our position on work-from-home and some of these other contentious areas in recent times.
We haven’t been working up a policy for a four-day week. That hasn’t been our focus. Our focus in industrial relations has been abolishing non-compete clauses, protecting penalty rates, extending paid parental leave …
That’s our industrial relations agenda, and what motivates our agenda.
Key events
Telstra outage affecting more than 100,000 services on NSW South Coast
Telstra says a large outage is affecting more than 100,000 services, including mobile phones, NBN, ADSL and the public telephone network, along the NSW South Coast.
The company says there will be an update on the matter by 4.30pm.
Hamas welcomes Australia’s decision to recognise Palestinian state as Labor maintains group will have no role in future leadership
Hamas praised Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN next month in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald. Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a co-founder of the terrorist group, said the move was an “important step” for people in Gaza. He told the Herald:
We welcome Australia’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights.
This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination.
We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia’s example and translate their positions into practical steps to support the Palestinian people and end their suffering under occupation.
A government spokesperson responded to the statement in remarks to the SMH, saying Hamas “always tries to manipulate facts for their own propaganda,” adding media has a “responsibility to make professional judgments to not promote propaganda of terrorist organisations to get cynical headlines”.
What Australia has done is contribute international momentum towards a two-state solution, which Hamas opposes. We are supporting the Arab League’s efforts to isolate Hamas.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers maintained earlier this afternoon that Australia would work to ensure Hamas has “absolutely no role” in the future leadership of a Palestinian state.
Dead dolphin washes up on Adelaide beach amid algal bloom
An adult common dolphin washed up dead on a popular Adelaide beach on Wednesday morning, wildlife officials said.
South Australia is reeling from an algal bloom and officials said a necropsy will be done to investigate the animal’s cause of death, including any effects from the bloom. The dolphin was found on Henley beach.
A spokesperson for SA’s department for environment and water said in a statement officials do not believe marine mammals are at particular risk from the event:
Marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and seals are not believed to be at immediate risk from the algal bloom as it is believed only animals with gills are at immediate direct risk.
The significance of the algal bloom effects on the availability of species that marine mammals prey on is not yet clear.
The death of marine mammals, while unfortunate, is not an uncommon occurrence, particularly during the winter months.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said in a statement on Instagram:
Our oceans and beaches are sick and dying.
This is a national disaster devastating our communities and environment, and it requires a national response. South Australia can’t manage this climate catastrophe on our own. Our communities, businesses and tourism industry need support.
Bystander at Sydney airport recounts helping officers subdue man during incident this morning
A bystander at Sydney airport this morning described the moment Australian Federal Police officers arrested a man before a police firearm discharged, as reported earlier by Guardian Australia.
William, who did not give his last name, told 2GB in an interview he and his travel companion were in the airport’s T2 domestic terminal when the arrest took place. The man, who said he is a former NSW Police dog handler, helped restrain the unnamed person amid a terminal “full of people”. William told 2GB:
We saw this fellow struggling with the two AFP officers. It’s gone to the ground. The AFP officer’s long firearm has gone to the ground and was underneath the fellow. As we went to restrain him, the shot has been discharged.
William added that he jumped into action without thinking, saying: “You just do. When these things happen. I didn’t really think.”
Chalmers says four-day working week hasn’t been government’s focus
Chalmers was asked about the ACTU’s plans to propose a four-day working week at the productivity roundtable. The treasurer said while he had heard the proposal, the government was focused on other measures:
Our interest here is in making sure that people can balance their work and family responsibilities. That’s what motivates our position on work-from-home and some of these other contentious areas in recent times.
We haven’t been working up a policy for a four-day week. That hasn’t been our focus. Our focus in industrial relations has been abolishing non-compete clauses, protecting penalty rates, extending paid parental leave …
That’s our industrial relations agenda, and what motivates our agenda.
Chalmers says government has always been clear on calls for hostages to be released
Treasurer Jim Chalmers was just asked about the Israeli embassy’s statement during a press conference in Canberra. Chalmers said the government had always been “very clear on our position on the release of the hostages”, saying the recent decision to recognise a Palestinian state was about seeing a two-state solution that excluded Hamas from leadership.
Chalmers said:
First of all we’ve been very clear on our position of the release of the hostages. The announcement the prime minister and foreign minister made this week is about isolating and excluding Hamas from the future leadership of Palestine, a state of Palestine.
We see recognition making our contribution to the international progress and momentum behind this question as an important step towards a two-state solution. And a two-state solution is all about making sure that families in Israel and in Palestine can raise their kids in peace.
Hamas will have absolutely no role in that.
Israeli embassy says Australia should up demands for release of hostages
The Israeli embassy in Australia said it was deeply troubled a recent joint statement condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza only had “vague wording” calling of the release of hostages held by Hamas since the 7 October attack in Israel.
Australia was among a group of 29 signatories calling for urgent action to end starvation and the blocking of aid into Gaza yesterday. The statement urged “immediate, permanent and concrete steps must be taken to facilitate safe, large-scale access for the UN, international NGOs and humanitarian partners”. It ended with a call for a ceasefire to end the war and for “hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered”.
The Israeli embassy said while it shared concern for the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, “it is deeply troubling that the plight of Israeli hostages, men and women, held by the Hamas terror organisation is reduced to a single line at the bottom of the statement,” adding:
These innocent civilians are starving in underground tunnels …
We have yet to hear the Australian government speak with the same urgency about their humanitarian situation. Pressure must be placed squarely on Hamas to release them immediately, as their continued captivity is a grave violation of international law and basic human decency.
In recent days both prime minister Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong have repeatedly stressed the need to see all remaining hostages released after announcing Australia would soon recognise a Palestinian state.
Greens say Victorian government ‘really misread’ public sentiment on protest laws
Benita Kolovos
David Southwick, the Coalition police spokesperson, described the government as “all talk and no action” when it came to introducing tougher protest laws. He told reporters outside parliament:
We keep hearing words from the premier – strong words, no action, and then winding back those words and watering them down and giving us weak laws. That’s not what Victoria expects. We need tougher laws and consequences … We can’t wait till the end of the year. That’s just ridiculous.
But the government’s walk back was welcomed by the Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, who said the government had “really misread the Victoria public” when it floated the “draconian laws to crack down on people’s right to peaceful protest”. She said:
The Victorian people know that the right to peacefully protest when you see something that is unjust is a fundamental right in a democracy and the Victorian people don’t want to see the Victorian Labor government go down the path of Trump’s America or even the New South Wales government that are trying to crack down on the fundamental right to peaceful protest.
We’re really glad that it looks like Jacinta Allan might have to go back to the drawing board.
Benita Kolovos
Reactions coming in after reports Victoria will scale back proposed anti-protest laws
There’s been a lot of reaction to our story this morning that the Victorian government will scale back its proposed anti-protest laws – including an outright ban on face masks at protests and attachment devices.
While the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, would not confirm details in the report, she acknowledged that any laws on face coverings at protests would need to allow for their legitimate use. She said:
There are always legitimate reasons to do certain things and these are matters that need to be taken into account. There’s nothing unique in drafting and designing these laws. That’s why it’s important to engage and consult and listen really carefully to those who are impacted [and to] Victoria police.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, also admitted to difficulty legislating “safe access” areas around places of worship, which she had committed to introducing back in December:
There’s clearly some complexity with those sorts of laws but we are examining options.
PM welcomes wage growth figures
On the news out of the Australian Bureau of Statistics that the wage price index rose 0.8% in June, with 3.4% annual growth, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said it was “great news”.
We inherited a position where inflation was at 6%, real wages were falling, interest rates began to increase. Now what we have is inflation down to 2.1%, unemployment is relatively low at 4.3%, we have interest rates that yesterday decreased for the third time this year and we have real wages increasing. That is a good thing.
That means increased living standards and is I think welcome, just like the interest rate decision.
We are working very hard … inflation [is] down, interest rates [are] falling, real wages [are] increasing, unemployment [is] steady. That is the envy of the Western world in terms of economic outcomes that has been produced by the hard work that Australians have been producing, it is I think one of the reasons why we received the backing for a second term to continue our approach to these measures.
Finally, Albanese said he is available to meet with the US president, Donald Trump, at very short notice at any time and the government has been engaged with American colleagues on a ministerial level.
He said there have been three phone calls between him and Trump, including “a very warm” one after the election.
Albanese asked about EV road tax, four-day work week
Turning to other issues, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is asked about the potential for electric vehicle road users to be charged a tax. Albanese notes it has been an issue that has been discussed for a decade, and there is a need for money “to ensure roads are adequate”.
What we need to do is to work those issues through and to come up with a realistic plan that can be implemented, and we’ll await those discussions. I know Catherine King will obviously play a role in that as the transport minister.
On the union proposal for a four-day work week, Albanese said the government has no plans, but they’re welcome to put forward the idea.
The ACTU, of course, is entitled to put forward whatever ideas it likes. But that doesn’t mean, as I’ve said, that it’s government policy because someone put forward an idea.
Albanese said it was regrettable the Queensland government had pulled out of the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre but said there are opportunities in Queensland, and he has a constructive relationship with the state government.
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