THE PM AND THE PRESIDENT
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese talked to Chinese language President Xi Jinping about Australia’s assist for Taiwan’s established order, Tasmanian devils, the worldwide financial system, “regional safety”, imprisoned Australian Yang Hengjun’s plight and pandas. Right here’s the speech. AUKUS didn’t come up, Albanese mentioned. Xi’s opening remarks acknowledged the 50-year anniversary of Gough Whitlam turning into the primary Australian prime minister to go to China, Sky Information Australia experiences, saying the Chinese language folks wouldn’t overlook that foundational transfer. He acknowledged that “we’ve labored out some issues” collectively and felt “heartened” in regards to the “mutual profit” of our relationship rising and persevering with, Guardian Australia experiences. Commerce in beforehand sanctioned Australian exports has surged from $85 million final yr to $6 billion between January and August, The Australian ($) added.
In future, Albanese mentioned any points should be talked out: “The place variations come up it can be crucial that we’ve communication. From communication comes understanding.” That would imply each governments are about to renew the China-Australia Strategic Financial Dialogue and the Victorian Belt and Highway deal, the SMH ($) explains. (The latter was scrapped by the Morrison authorities in 2021, so Beijing suspended the previous in obvious retaliation.) Xi can be pushing to hitch the Complete and Progressive Settlement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, however Albanese mentioned the opposite 11 nations must comply with that. He did, nonetheless, invite Xi to Australia, and when requested if he trusted Xi mentioned the pair had been “constructing a relationship”.
GOTCHA POLITICS
The AFP investigated seven sexual assault allegations in opposition to federal politicians after Brittany Higgins got here ahead together with her allegation, Guardian Australia experiences. That’s in line with paperwork the paper FOI’d between February 2021 and June 2022. Names and dates had been blacked out, nonetheless. We did know already about some 28 allegations in opposition to parliamentarians, however that is the primary time we’ve learnt the proportion that had been sexual in nature. Two investigations had been accomplished and finalised — 5 presumably stay. In the meantime the way forward for “the Liberals’ most outstanding insurgent MP” relies upon upon whether or not Opposition Chief Peter Dutton protects her, The New Each day writes. Bridget Archer mentioned she’ll stare down any problem. Neighbouring Tasmanian Liberal MP Gavin Pearce is reportedly contemplating doing simply that to make a degree about how usually she crosses the ground (similar to on Scott Morrison’s censure, and the NACC).
In the meantime, Senator Hollie Hughes mentioned a transfer to make native TV companies simpler to search out on sensible TVs is Orwellian, Sky Information Australia experiences. The framework would see free-to-air broadcasters similar to ABC iView, SBS on Demand, 7plus, 9now and 10play preinstalled on house screens, one thing former Labor senator Stephen Conroy accurately mentioned doesn’t resemble in any approach a transfer from the federal government to regulate folks’s viewing habits. Hughes mentioned subsequent minute they’ll need “a ministry of fact”. Yawn. Subsequent. Hughes couldn’t miss a possibility to punch down on the Greens and the ABC both, saying some Greens senators “kowtow and suck as much as the ABC, it’s actually fairly disgusting”. Why? Properly, senators need a job there, Hughes reasonably spuriously claimed, they usually additionally need the ABC to assist their agenda.
ROCKY ROAD
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has instructed states to drag the belt in by $33 billion notches, the associated fee blowout of suburban street and rail blowouts beneath the Coalition authorities (similar to on the inland rail from Brisbane to Melbourne the place prices blew out from $4.4 billion to $31 billion, the Melbourne suburban rail hyperlink, the place prices at the moment are as excessive as $200 billion, and the Sydney Metro metropolis and south-west between Chatswood and Bankstown, which blew out from $11.5 billion to $20.5 billion, as Brisbane Occasions ($) lists). Tax the wealthy as a substitute of our roads, performing Queensland Premier Steven Miles wrote for The Courier-Mail ($), reigniting the stage three tax cuts debate. The $120 billion earmarked for the 10-year constructing program remains to be going forward, King assured everybody, however we’ve obtained to comply with the IMF’s urging that infrastructure spending is pushing inflation up — and that’s pushing the money price up.
In the meantime, half of all householders can be plunged into monetary stress (the place 30% of the family earnings goes to a mortgage) if the money price rises right this moment, Guardian Australia experiences. Most pundits count on it to hit 4.35% right this moment, it’s highest since 2011, which in greenback phrases would see repayments on a $700,000 mortgage go up $105, in line with Price Metropolis. The proportion of financially harassed householders has practically doubled prior to now few years, from 26.7% in 2019 to a predicted 48.5% right this moment.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
On the craggy shoreline of the Scottish Highlands stood a woolly determine, staring forlornly out to an limitless sea. Fiona the sheep had been alone 700 or so days, with solely distant birds for firm. The then-lamb had been idly nibbling the grass close to the water when she all of the sudden realised she couldn’t see her mum anymore. Wanting upwards on the steep cliff, her pathway house was gone. “It’s straightforward to go down. It’s not as straightforward to return up,” sheep farmer Cammy Wilson instructed The New York Occasions. He had heard about Fiona’s predicament after a kayaker had noticed her and simply couldn’t bear the considered it. The ewe, so named for the spouse of Shrek the lonely New Zealand merino, was formally the world’s loneliest sheep.
After a petition to avoid wasting her attracted hundreds of signatures, Wilson obtained 5 farmers collectively to rescue her. The reclusive Fiona was really in nice well being due to the ample grass she needed to snack on — certainly technically thought of “fats” for a sheep at 92kg. “I’m not certain if you’re allowed to say that lately to sheep, however she didn’t appear to be too offended,” Wilson mentioned. Fiona was taken to her endlessly house, an area petting farm, the place she’ll dwell alongside 4 or 5 different sheep. There was some concern that her solitary life wouldn’t lend itself to human interplay, however farmer Ben Finest assured everybody that Fiona wouldn’t be “an expertise for guests”. Remarkably, the previous recluse is taking all of it in her stride, consuming, ingesting and enjoyable as 9kg of wool was shaved off. The world’s loneliest sheep is lonely no extra, Finest mentioned.
Hoping you get a little bit alone time right this moment too.
SAY WHAT?
He says that I’m a fraud … He’s the one which didn’t worth property accurately. How do you do this? How do you rule in opposition to any individual and name them a fraud, because the president of the US who did an awesome job … It’s a horrible factor you’ve executed … You believed that political hack again there, and that’s unlucky.
Donald Trump
The previous toddler-in-chief is on the penalty section of his $250 million civil fraud trial however had a little bit tanty. Choose Arthur Engoron requested him whether or not he was executed, to which a chastened Trump replied: “Completed.”
CRIKEY RECAP
‘Misinformation conflict’: Contained in the Fb teams preventing in opposition to offshore wind farms
Residents in these teams share hyperlinks to research that they are saying assist their beliefs, worldwide information articles about wind turbine failures or setbacks and posts from pleasant politicians. Generally this veers from cherry-picked data to outright misinformation: one article posted by an anti-wind farm web page that claimed the Illawarra and Hunter Valley tasks had been purportedly from the Marine Coverage journal turned out to be utterly fabricated, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
“(No Coastal Wind Farms Port Stephens chief Rhys Westbury posted to his Fb group final night time that every one claims should be cited to ‘mitigate hazard of permitting data that isn’t factually backed by sources to creep in and undermine the strong work we’ve been creating’). Posts present how anti-wind farm activism is being influenced by connections with different teams.”
“The digicam then flashed to the interviewer, who was leaning in and squinting, actually squinting, and nodding in a approach that impressed upon everybody watching that he knew what the hell Howard was on about, even when no-one else did. What a hero.
“Howard then slurred and sludged out just a few extra phrases, lastly muttering one thing inaudible a few ‘progressive barn dance’ and ‘institutionalised distinction’, at which level each dead-eyed attendee at this blazing nirvana of right-wing group remedy kind of discovered themselves on the identical web page. Cue the unserious applause. That is trendy conservatism, catatonic, stripped naked. A disturbing glimpse into the vasty deep of what passes for high-tide right-wing pondering right this moment.”
“Their go to is especially apt as a result of Israel is presently led by a determine similar to them, albeit with key variations. Netanyahu’s dealing with of the pandemic, a minimum of till the second wave hit the nation, was much better than Johnson’s. And in contrast to Johnson and Morrison, Netanyahu is alleged to be personally corrupt — he stays on trial for fraud and corruption. He has additionally had a far longer profession as his nation’s chief than both Morrison or Johnson managed.
“However Netanyahu’s incompetence is on the core of present expectations that he might be compelled from workplace each time the assault on Gaza permits it. Not solely was he chief when essentially the most outstanding Israeli safety failure in 50 years occurred, his assist for Hamas as a part of his technique of stopping any two-state answer is a matter of public document.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Who’re Israeli settlers, and why do they dwell on Palestinian lands? (Al Jazeera)
No faculty, no play as air air pollution chokes Delhi (BBC)
Simply Cease Oil protesters smash glass on portray at Nationwide Gallery (The Guardian)
Zelensky invitations Trump to Ukraine and says former president ‘can’t carry peace’ due to Putin (CNN)
UN leaders say Gaza conflict should ‘cease now’ as reported loss of life toll tops 10,000 (Reuters)
Chechen chief fingers son, 15, ‘outstanding place’ in safety forces (euronews)
THE COMMENTARIAT
This king’s speech will maintain the final merciless phrases of a Tory celebration dealing with oblivion — Polly Toynbee (The Guardian): “Anti-terror safety for venues might include the draconian banning of speech that ‘undermines’ British values, one in every of which is free speech. A criminal offense and justice invoice extending whole-life sentences and jailing shoplifters will add to overflowing prisons. The Mail on Sunday obtained a tasty morsel with a ‘new regulation to crack down on airways’ sneaky add-on fees’, whereas The Solar obtained ‘cops to be handed powers to bust into telephone thieves’ properties and not using a search warrant’. The remaining might be ‘traps’ for Labour, notably rising North Sea oil drilling.
“Is Rishi Sunak’s anti-green, anti-rail, anti-Ulez, pro-car, pro-oil posturing a winner? Planet-boiling indifference just isn’t ‘long-termism’, whereas voters will see weaponising the local weather as political cynicism: drivers additionally fear about fires and floods. A invoice banning councils from boycotting different nations, actions usually focused at Israel, might taunt Labour, as might Michael Gove’s ban on four-day weeks for council staff no matter employees retention. His threats to council CEOs incomes £100,000 are a ineffective decoy to clarify council bankruptcies. These aren’t even ‘sticking plaster’ insurance policies for any of the nation’s crucial accidents. Sunak licenses Suella Braverman as his outrider from hell to suggest random cruelties. However are there actually sufficient individuals who need to rip the tents off homeless folks to power them to alter their ‘way of life decisions’?”
Wish to assist ladies’s profession prospects? Shut up about mmenopause — Tania Ewing (The SMH) ($): “The announcement of a Senate inquiry into the influence of menopause on office insurance policies, on the face of it, seems to be like one other win for working ladies. It’s not. Beneath the ‘feminist solidarity’ of this international push to recognise menopause and its influence on our well being, funds and lives is, in truth, one other instance of siloing ladies out of the office, and off profession ladders, due to their biology. This offers males a purpose to make use of our biology to maintain us out of the office, to ‘clarify’ why in our 50s, 60s and 70s we’re completely different from them, and never fairly as much as main a enterprise or nation …
“Girls die later than males — globally we dwell on common seven years longer, we’re thinner, have fewer coronary heart assaults, we’re much less more likely to commit suicide and are extra socially related. But we’re poorly represented relating to positions of energy though we’re clearly biologically higher geared up for our older years. No shock it’s due to societal norms and expectations. As ladies in our 20s and 30s we generally slip off the profession ladder to have, and lift, youngsters. Now this motion to catastrophise or at greatest to ‘normalise’ an obsession with menopause solely serves to maintain us out of positions of energy simply when we’ve lastly jettisoned the youngsters, now grown, the companion, now possible divorced, and we’ve put the runs again on the board for our careers.”
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WHAT’S ON TODAY
Eora Nation Nation (also called Sydney)
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Writer Christos Tsiolkas will speak to journalist David Marr in regards to the former’s new guide, The In Between, at White Bay Beer Firm.
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Yuggera and Turrbal Nation (also called Brisbane)
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Author Marko Newman will speak about his new guide, Dronikus, at Avid Reader bookshop.