Dutton says Liberals will not ‘take money away from’ members of his electorate who will benefit from stage-three tax cut changes
Speaking to Nine’s Today show, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was asked:
At the end of the day, you know, your own electorate is among those who are going to benefit greatly from these changes to the tax cuts, some 85% of them. You don’t want to take money away from them, do you?
Dutton:
And we’re not going to. I’ve been very clear about the fact that…
He was also asked whether he backed calls from some premier’s that the RBA should cut interest rates. Yesterday, Queensland premier, Steven Miles, said the RBA “needs to start cutting interest rates now to take pressure off households”.
Dutton argued Miles, and Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, were “at odds with their Labor colleagues”, noting the RBA’s independence.
Somebody like Steven Miles or Jacinta Allan and others, frankly, they’d be better off concentrating on how they can deal with the ambulance ramping disaster and youth crime at the moment, which is out of control in many parts of the country.
So, I think they should concentrate on fixing up their own problems at the moment.
Key events
Peter Hannam
Australia’s January was fourth hottest on record, BoM data shows
Summer might not have felt very warm so far, but perceptions can be misleading.
Data out from the Bureau of Meteorology for last month shows that it was particularly warm for overnight temperatures. January, in fact, was the third-warmest on record for minimum temperatures:
Maximum temperatures weren’t notably warm, perhaps not surprising given the storms and rain events that meant there was a lot of moisture to evaporate and blunt some of the daytime heat:
Mean temperatures that average out the days and nights were also pretty high, given the warm overnight readings to start with.
The result is that by mean temperatures, only three other Januaries were warmer than last month.
A couple of hot spells ahead, such as Sunday and Monday in eastern states, so February might end up on the warm side of the ledger too.
Penny Wong signals next steps in UNRWA funding investigation while in NZ
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has shared more photos from her meeting with New Zealand’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Winston Peters.
Through working together, Australia and New Zealand can use our influence to shape the world for the better.
NZ’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and I discussed what more we can do together, in particular in the Pacific. pic.twitter.com/EsBRIZXsFG
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) February 1, 2024
In case you missed it: while in New Zealand, Wong announced she has directed Australia’s humanitarian coordinator, Beth Delaney, to coordinate “like-minded partners as well as UNRWA” to work out the next steps after more than 10 countries suspended funding to the agency.
Peters said New Zealand’s next tranche of funding to UNRWA was not due until the middle of the year, meaning there was time for Wellington to assess the findings of the investigations.
You can read all the details from Daniel Hurst below:
Two dead after being hit by train in Berowra
A man and a woman have both died after being hit by a train in Berowra, in Sydney’s north.
According to NSW police, emergency services were called to Berowra railway station shortly after 12am following reports a man and woman had been hit by a train.
Police were told a woman, aged in her 30s, was being assisted off the tracks by a man in his 20s when they were both hit by a freight train.
The pair were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics, however they died at the scene. They have not been formally identified.
Officers have established a crime scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.
Dutton says Liberals will not ‘take money away from’ members of his electorate who will benefit from stage-three tax cut changes
Speaking to Nine’s Today show, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was asked:
At the end of the day, you know, your own electorate is among those who are going to benefit greatly from these changes to the tax cuts, some 85% of them. You don’t want to take money away from them, do you?
Dutton:
And we’re not going to. I’ve been very clear about the fact that…
He was also asked whether he backed calls from some premier’s that the RBA should cut interest rates. Yesterday, Queensland premier, Steven Miles, said the RBA “needs to start cutting interest rates now to take pressure off households”.
Dutton argued Miles, and Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, were “at odds with their Labor colleagues”, noting the RBA’s independence.
Somebody like Steven Miles or Jacinta Allan and others, frankly, they’d be better off concentrating on how they can deal with the ambulance ramping disaster and youth crime at the moment, which is out of control in many parts of the country.
So, I think they should concentrate on fixing up their own problems at the moment.
Dutton does not take definitive position on stage-three tax cut changes
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, spoke to Nine’s Today show earlier about the changes to stage-three tax cuts.
He argued the tax changes were a political decision made in the lead-up to the Dunkley by-election. He pointed to the rising cost of groceries, fuel and electricity as something the government needed to focus on, but denied the Coalition is “at odds” over whether to support the tax cuts.
No, we’re not [at odds]. We’re working through the figures. There are big numbers here, and our argument is that there should be incentive in the system.
There was a bit of back-and-forth over the opposition’s position on the changes. Dutton was asked if he would stand in the way of these changes as a party?
He responded:
I’ve been very clear that the Liberal party is the party of lower taxes. We always have been, we always will be, because we manage the economy more effectively. So, we’ll announce our position in due course, but we think there’s a massive black hole in what the government’s doing at the moment.
So, no definitive answer on the Coalition’s position just yet.
Australia ‘on track’ with climate targets to protect reef, Labor tells Unesco
Graham Readfearn
The Albanese government has claimed it is “on track” to have national climate targets that would be in line with keeping global heating to 1.5C in a report to Unesco on efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The federal and Queensland governments are trying to convince Unesco not to recommend the world’s biggest coral reef system be placed on a list of world heritage sites in danger – with a decision due at a meeting in India in July.
Last year Unesco’s 21-country world heritage committee followed recommendations from Unesco that Australia should submit a report by 1 February that would review progress against a list of concerns, including action on improving water quality, sustainable fishing and climate change.
Continue reading:
Today, the government is also set to release a strategy to restore and protect wetlands in the catchment of the Great Barrier Reef.
Heatwaves scorch WA but cool change expected over weekend
Over in Western Australia, the state is expected to swelter through yet another day of heatwaves.
However, a cool change is on the way this weekend, senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told ABC News Breakfast.
We are continuing to see severe heat waves across the west coast, including Perth. We have seen a few extremely hot days across there with temperatures in the high 30s and low- to mid-40s. Perth has seen a couple of days in the low 40s and is forecast to get to 39 today. T
he good news is we are expecting a cooler change to move through over the weekend with milder temperatures on the way there.
Today, there are extreme fire danger ratings in place for Swan Inland North, Swan Inland South, Brockman and Blackwood.
BoM warnings over ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily still current for Queensland
Senior BoM meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is currently sitting north of Burketown in Queensland, expected to be slow-moving today.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Bradbury said the BoM still has warnings current for the Gulf Country, with the ex-cyclone impacting the far northwest of Queensland and far northeast of the NT.
Mornington Island saw more than 130mm of rainfall overnight, and has seen wind gusts over 100km/h, with very wet and windy conditions in the vicinity of the ex-cyclone.
We are expecting ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily to be slow moving today, lingering in the same area it is now.
Through the weekend we are expecting to see the system drift slowly southwards, so through the western districts of Queensland, gradually moving towards NSW.
It is likely to move into NSW early next week but it will start to lose moisture and energy that we have been seeing across Queensland.
BoM issues wind weather warning for Tasmania
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in parts of Tasmania.
Damaging wind gusts of around 100km/h are likely to persist across elevated areas in the south-west and central west, as well as areas like Hobart and the Tasman Peninsula, the BoM said.
Winds are likely to ease below warning thresholds this afternoon.
Kununyi (Mt Wellington) recorded a 137km/h wind gust at 4am, while Cape Bruny recorded a 100km/h wind gust at 2am.
Severe Weather Warning for DAMAGING WINDS
South East, Central Plateau and parts of Western, Upper Derwent Valley, North West Coast, Central North & Midlands Districts. Locations affected Strathgordon, New Norfolk, Tarraleah, Geeveston, Dover & Huonville. https://t.co/wgSR5iYq7W pic.twitter.com/z44zOLXyg8— TasALERT (@tasalert) February 1, 2024
Aid head says ‘not tenable’ to cease funding to the UNRWA in Palestine
The CEO of the Australian Council For International Development, Marc Purcell, was just speaking to ABC News Breakfast about the open letter (see previous post).
Purcell argued it was “simply not tenable” to cease funding to UNRWA right now:
Australia has a very important role to play as a signatory to the ICJ, a signatory to the genocide convention, to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians and ensure that the investigations that are occurring with UNRWA … don’t inhibit funding and delivery of services that are going to basically save lives in coming days and weeks and months.
He said funding “must” continue flowing to UNRWA even while investigations are ongoing, because “this is a conflict situation”.
UNRWA has done the right thing in standing down the staff, sacking them. They have got an independent investigation occurring. 150 UN UNRWA staff have been killed, their families and children as well, over the past several months of this conflict. The UN is in the middle, sandwiched in the conflict, trying to do its best to save lives. Donor governments like Australia need to bear this in mind that, if funding ceases, there is nowhere else to turn to. People will simply collapse and die.
Aid groups call on PM and Wong to back ICJ ruling on Israel
A coalition of Australian aid groups have written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, urging them to publicly back the interim International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel must prevent possible acts of genocide in Gaza.
The letter from peak body the Australian Council For International Development (ACFID), also signed by Oxfam Australia, ActionAid Australia and Caritas Australia, also calls on the government to ensure Australia adheres to rules it is bound to under the genocide convention and arms trade treaty.
The letter calls for the unconditional release of hostages, also urging the government to support new funding worth $100m to Gaza and the West Bank, including for Australian non-government organisations on the ground.
Speaking to the pausing of funding to UNRWA, ACFID’s CEO, Marc Purcell, said:
It is imperative the Australian government considers the allegations against a small number of the agency’s 13,000 employees in the context of the catastrophic consequences of withholding life saving aid to Palestinian civilians, including children.
The full list of signatories also includes Act for Peace, ADRA, Anglican Overseas Aid, Baptist World Aid, Good Return, Global Mission Partners, PLAN International and WaterAid.
Grab a coffee, and catch up on all the biggest headlines from overnight with today’s Morning Mail:
AI report warns against technological biases and ‘culturally unsafe’ outputs
More on the latest report from the government Productivity Commission:
The Productivity Commission report also touches on issues of AI bias and warns that technology could discriminate against certain communities. An overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in administrative data could result in biased AI outputs, for example.
Improved data on driving behaviour could lead to better drivers paying lower premiums for car insurance and vice versa.
There are also concerns about generative AI programs using art in their training data. Not only does this pose issues for artists’ copyright, but it also poses issues for authenticity.
For example, if First Nations art is used in AI training data sets, it allows generative AI programs to produce “culturally unsafe outputs”, the report said.
The productivity commissioner, Stephen King, said clear rules around text and data mining for AI training models would help protect creative industries and improve data accessibility, as would a national data strategy.
– from AAP
Good morning
Emily Wind
And happy Friday! Thanks to Martin for kicking things off – I’m Emily Wind and I’ll bring you our live coverage today.
See something that needs attention? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: [email protected].
Let’s get into it.
Productivity commission warns sports patrons may be unknowingly giving up biometric data
Australians who attend sports games could unknowingly be trading their biometric data for entry to the match as advances in artificial intelligence incentivise risky data collection, AAP reports.
The latest report from the government productivity commission says the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI technologies will pose significant issues.
“AI is heightening data-related risks including through increased capacity to misuse (or even weaponise) data,” the report says. “Data that is not risky today may become so tomorrow.”
AI technologies are generally trained on immense datasets, which has increased the value of data and changed the nature of data collection. Developments such as facial recognition have increased the potential for intrusive personal information collection that can put a person’s privacy and rights at risk.
For example, the report says crowds at sports grounds that use facial recognition technology could have their faces scanned and the data sold.
Nerves and memory as Queensland stares down ex-Cyclone Kirrily
More on Queensland: The former cyclone Kirrily has been lingering near Burketown, which was evacuated last year after torrential rain led to record river levels and “unprecedented” flooding in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria.
“There’s a lot of really nervous people,” Burke shire’s mayor, Ernie Camp, told AAP.
The former cyclone is set to start moving in the north-west today, tracking south inland over western Queensland in the coming days. There is also a severe weather warning for the north tropical coast, Tablelands, Herbert and Lower Burdekin regions north of Townsville with heavy rainfall developing last night.
But there may be more heavy showers to come after a low formed off the south-east coast. The storm has a “low” chance of intensifying into a cyclone by mid-next week but may then track back towards the Queensland coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Flood warnings as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily lingers near north-west Queensland
A nervous wait lies ahead for north-west Queensland, with ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily set to bring more rain and flooding, Australian Associated Press reports.
Almost a week after making landfall near Townsville as a category two cyclone, Kirrily is still lingering. The cyclone’s remnants have been in the state’s north-west for days, bringing widespread rain and flooding.
Roads are cut, rail networks affected, Kynuna residents have been evacuated and the town of McKinlay is isolated.
Now a remote region is bracing for the worst with ex-Kirrily’s presence sparking a severe weather warning for Gulf Country set to last through to today.
Heavy downpours, including isolated falls of 300mm, are possible and may lead to “life threatening” flash flooding.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the top stories this morning to kick things off.
Yesterday we learned who the big donors are in Australian politics. But our analysis shows there is $57m of “dark money” floating around – funding where the source is unknown. That’s around one quarter of political funding and comes about because parties were only required to declare the source above a certain threshold, which in 2022-23 was $15,200. The figures bring more calls for more transparency and to increase scrutiny on the Albanese government’s promises to reform political funding.
It’s a big day in Victorian politics with the start of the defamation proceedings brought by former Liberal MP Moira Deeming against the state’s opposition leader, John Pesutto. She says he defamed her in a series of comments after she spoke at an anti-trans rights rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, who performed the Sieg Heil salute on the front steps of parliament last March. He is expected to rely on an “honest opinion” defence which allows people to express opinions on matters of public interest, as well as the defences of contextual truth and qualified privilege. Get up to speed with this preview by Benita Kolovos.
The Albanese government has claimed it is “on track” to have national climate targets that would be in line with keeping global heating to 1.5C in a report to Unesco on efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
In Queensland, ex-cyclone Kirrily is still lingering and is about to hit the Gulf country.
And the Productivity Commission has published a report on artificial intelligence. More on that soon, but the top line is that it brings new risks for privacy and the “weaponisation” of data.