ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
The Commonwealth didn’t admit any legal responsibility within the settlement between it and Brittany Higgins which truly got here to $2.445 million, The Australian ($) experiences. It means Higgins was fallacious to say within the Federal Courtroom earlier this week throughout the Bruce Lehrmann defamation swimsuit each that it was $2.3 million, because the AFR ($) reported, and that the federal government had admitted it breached its responsibility of care, as Guardian Australia reported. Right here’s the carve up: $400,000 for harm, misery and humiliation; $1,480,000 as a capital fee for lack of incomes capability; $220,000 for medical and like bills arising from the alleged sexual assault; $100,000 for previous and future home help; $245,000 to cowl authorized prices. The deed didn’t say Higgins couldn’t make additional claims in opposition to former Liberal ministers Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Money, which neither reportedly knew about.
In the meantime, conservative broadcaster Alan Jones says he’ll sue over the SMH’s ($) investigation into allegations he indecently assaulted younger males, which he denies. Radio station 2GB’s Ray Hadley says he lower ties with Jones after he heard allegations some time again, however billionaire James Packer backed Jones (he was a multimillion-dollar investor in Jones’ Australian Digital Holdings). Talking of billionaires… Australia’s second-richest particular person says fossil-fuel corporations may have “blood on their fingers” and paid for adverts within the AFR, The New York Occasions, and the Occasions of India accusing polluters of ignoring the science, Guardian Australia experiences. Mining boss Andrew Forrest — who has vowed to succeed in zero emissions by 2030 at Forestcue — spoke at COP28 in Dubai, noting that “the petrostate and fossil-fuel sector despatched 1000’s and 1000’s of lobbyists right here”. It comes as Santos and Woodside are speaking about merging, the AFR ($) experiences, which’d convey their market worth to virtually $80 billion.
MORE AUKUS AWKS
The Australian authorities has quietly commited one other $3 billion in direction of the US shipyards constructing AUKUS submarines, Rex Patrick writes for Michael West Media, on high of the $4.7 billion we’ve already promised. Patrick says the US Protection Safety Co-operation Company posted an announcement on its web site that confirmed the determine to go to Huntington Ingalls Industries, Normal Dynamics Electrical Boat and the US Protection firm, System Planning and Evaluation Inc, over the following three years. It’ll be used to supply “the tools to coach Royal Australian Navy crews in areas similar to submarine navigation, communications, ship management and different capabilities”.
In the meantime Assistant Overseas Affairs Minister Tim Watts will go to Israel (and Qatar and Egypt) subsequent week forward of Overseas Affairs Minister Penny Wong’s journey early subsequent 12 months, The Australian ($) experiences. Watts will condemn Hamas terrorist assaults and “elevate the plight of civilians in Gaza”, because the paper put it. The federal government desires “continued steps in direction of a sustained ceasefire”, Watts says, nevertheless it “can’t be one-sided”. Fastidiously worded or weak as water? You resolve. Wong acknowledged yesterday that her language relating to the battle didn’t go “so far as some may need”, Guardian Australia experiences, however says she actually was fearful about civilians dying. It comes because the SMH ($) experiences one of many actors who donned a keffiyeh, a Palestinian scarf, after a Sydney Theatre Firm play, inflicting sponsors to take their money and stroll, has promised to put on it each evening of the season.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Australians wouldn’t get computerized entry to the NDIS primarily based on a medical analysis anymore in a sweeping evaluate that made 26 suggestions and an additional 140 actions, the ABC experiences. As an alternative eligibility could be primarily based on how a lot their incapacity impacts their day by day life. One other main change will power all NDIS help suppliers to register — about 16,000 are, however 154,000 aren’t. Apparently, a couple of quarter of all NDIS contributors are children beneath 9. This comes as taxpayers forked out $33 million for a psychological well being app that didn’t assist our well being, based on a research that Guardian Australia experiences on. The cash was awarded to the largely PwC and College of Sydney-owned Innowell and not using a tender throughout the Turnbull years.
Talking of the non-public sector — enterprise teams representing corporations together with BHP and Qantas could be furious right now after Employment Minister Tony Burke made a cope with Senate crossbenchers to move his same-job, same-pay legal guidelines, The Age ($) experiences. Below the modifications, employers who underpay employees on function might be jailed for as much as 10 years or fined $7.8 million, relatively than solely being compelled to pay again employees. However locations with 15 or fewer workers will likely be exempt. This comes as McDonald’s Australia copped a $100 million class motion for allegedly asking workers to work one hour every shift totally free, the Brisbane Occasions experiences — half-hour earlier than their shift for a “verify” and half-hour after to complete handover. Get ‘im!
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
The world’s oldest residing land animal — a large tortoise named Jonathan — has simply turned 191 alongside his male accomplice of 26 years. He’s lived on the attractive island of Saint Helena since 1882, when he was 50. Sure, that makes Jonno’s start 12 months 1832, earlier than the invention of the phone, the {photograph} and even the postage stamp, as euronews writes. When he was born, of us, we didn’t even know dinosaurs existed. He’s misplaced his sense of sight and scent within the many a long time since, however he’s very glad and wholesome, his vet Joe Hollins informed Guinness World Data, spending his days roaming slowly by means of the grounds of the governor’s home.
It wasn’t all the time so. Through the Eighties when a lot of the world suffered an financial despair, Jonno battled a private bout. He appears actually lonely, specialists mentioned (presumably spending time in his shell listening to Bob Dylan, or mournfully consuming ice cream proper out of the carton). Enter Frederica in 1991, a beautiful fellow big tortoise, who evidently lit Jonno’s unhappy outdated coronary heart on fireplace. The 2 swiftly turned companions however by no means had any children, with specialists shrugging that possibly they preferred their life the best way it was. Some 26 years later, it turned out Frederica was truly Fred. The fervour burns as vivid as ever, Hollins says. He nonetheless has a “good libido”. Good for him.
Hoping you’re feeling younger at coronary heart right now too, and have a restful weekend.
SAY WHAT?
Thus far, this prime minister is healthier recognized for days on the tennis, or spinning discs on his DJ deck, in addition to abroad journey making him look indulgent when he’s purported to working for the nation 24/7.
Peta Credlin
Credlin’s personal office, Information Corp, perpetuated the time period “Airbus Albo” to denigrate Anthony Albanese’s official journeys abroad for work even former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull counseled as furthering Australian outcomes.
CRIKEY RECAP
“As an alternative of the standard ‘PAK’ to indicate Pakistan in a sporting context, Fox’s ticker learn “PAKI 0-0” to start the four-day fixture. These extra culturally educated amongst chances are you’ll be aware that ‘Paki’ is a well-established slur for Pakistanis and different South Asians, originating from the UK and relationship again so far as the Nineteen Sixties.
“A Cricket Australia spokesperson informed Crikey: ‘The graphic was an computerized feed from a knowledge supplier which had not been used beforehand for a Pakistan sport. This was clearly regrettable, and an error we corrected manually as quickly because it got here to gentle.’ “
“This ongoing tradition of concern and intimidation — that the federal government can nonetheless wreck your profession even you probably have moved to the non-public sector — is extraordinary and has not often been seen earlier than — exterior the times of the Bjelke-Petersen authorities in Queensland.
“If it have been a Coalition authorities perpetrating such intimidation, the outrage from the left and Labor could be palpable. Daniel Andrews and Victorian Labor have taken the Victorian public service to a really darkish place characterised by concern, intimidation and secrecy — and it’s Victorian taxpayers who bear the fee for generations to come back.”
“An unsealed copy of the indictment issued by a grand jury on November 29, obtained from the FBI by Crikey, reveals that certainly one of Day’s alleged threats got here within the aftermath of final December’s assault the place two cops, a neighbour and the three shooters, Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Practice, have been all killed.
“Day’s interactions with the Trains have been first reported by Crikey as taking place on YouTube the place the Australian trio posted feverish conspiracy movies within the lead-up to and instantly after capturing the cops and neighbour.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
UN secretary-general invokes Article 99 on Gaza (Al Jazeera)
Russia hacking: ‘FSB in years-long cyber assaults on UK’, says authorities (BBC)
Takeaways from the fourth Republican presidential debate (CNN)
50 days in Hamas captivity — Thai man recollects beatings and bleakness (Reuters)
Is ‘one thing particular’ taking place at COP28? Campaigners and delegates are divided (euronews)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Albanese authorities’s 2023 temper board had extra turtle doves than ever materialised — Annabel Crabb and Brett Worthington (ABC): “Apparently, not everybody in cupboard is having a foul time of it. Tanya Plibersek — the previous deputy Labor chief whose affordable expectations of being schooling minister in 2022 have been unceremoniously thwarted by her factional rival and brand-new PM Albanese, who as a substitute chucked her the setting portfolio full with the exploding cigar that’s duty for water administration — is bowling alongside relatively properly.
“The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is a doc whose drafting and amendments have despatched many a minister gray earlier than their time. Farmers, irrigators, environmental activists, scientists — each single social gathering to this factor is kind of perpetually disenchanted. And but, Plibersek appears contemporary as a daisy after final week touchdown the deal on the plan, and this week getting the Greens on board to move the Nature Restore Invoice. However principally it permits farmers, useful resource corporations and so forth to be rewarded for good environmental follow.”
Pretend white benevolence stifles truth-telling — Nat Cromb (IndigenousX): “Fact is one thing that we grapple with early on; we’re doing ourselves no favours to brighten and exaggerate, as a result of we discovered the arduous manner that infantile confidence and bravado is fleeting and nation humbles us. The child who overstates his swimming capacity however is thrust into deep water off the tube he may not cling to is treading water for less than so lengthy till he’s calling for assist (true story). We discover the reality by means of remark and expertise. When mob converse the reality, it’s not a fact we learn in a e-book written by somebody with a slender lens meant to show us we’re ‘fortunate’ to be who we’re, residing within the nation we reside in, with the ‘society’ that we’ve got.
“Our fact is uncooked. Nonetheless, our propensity for honesty usually chafes in opposition to the individuals round us, the establishments and the leaders. In a world the place ‘how’ you current is extra vital than what you say; we’re understandably alienated from the Western machine. In a rustic the place your pores and skin color, your elocution, your clothes and your gender id are simply a number of the issues that will likely be weighed in opposition to the phrases that come out of your mouth in deciding whether or not you might be to be believed, and whether or not you have got worth. Your vindication lies in whether or not you match the mould of this settler benevolence that’s synonymous with innocence, or whether or not you might be forex for use to display mentioned settler benevolence.”
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WHAT’S ON TODAY
On-line
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Creator Thomas Keneally will talk about his new e-book, A Bloody Good Rant, in a webinar for the Australia Institute.
Whadjuk Noongar Nation (also referred to as Perth)
Eora Nation Nation (also referred to as Sydney)
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The World Financial Discussion board’s Cathy Li, Google’s James Manyika, the Council of Small Enterprise Organisations of Australia’s Luke Achterstraat, the Productiveness Fee’s Rosalyn Bell, Amazon’s Tim Bradley and extra will converse at CEDA’s AI summit on the 4 Seasons
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Editor Esther Anatolitis will launch Meanjin Summer time, joined by poets Glenn McPherson and Tina Huang, and writers Em Meller and Daniel Nour, at Higher Learn Than Lifeless bookshop.