Key events
The HMAS Sydney has begun its latest work in Operation Argos, which has been established to support the United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
HMAS Sydney and its crew will “monitor and deter illegal ship-to-ship transfers of sanction goods in the region,” Defence says.
Australia has been part of Operation Argos since 2018 and in that time, 12 ships have been deployed, and 13 maritime patrol aircraft.
Vice Admiral Justin Jones, the Chief of Joint Operations, said Australia remained “committed to enforcing United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea until it takes concrete steps towards denuclearisation”.
Defence regularly deploys ADF assets on Operation Argos to monitor and deter shipments of sanctioned goods, alongside partners including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
These deployments, as part of an international pressure campaign on North Korea to denuclearise, demonstrate Australia’s commitment to the global rules-based order.”
Andrew Messenger
Speaking of the Greens, the Queensland Greens have announced they want to set up a state-owned mining company (it’s not as odd as it sounds).
The party will launch the policy today at state parliament.
A tenatively named Queensland Minerals would exploit some of the estimated half-a-billion dollars worth of critical minerals in the north-west minerals Province, near Mt Isa. The company would mine minerals like zinc, cobalt, copper, lead and gold, all of them necessary for renewable energy development.
Greens MP Michael Berkman said about 86% of the profits of the existing mining sector goes offshore because the industry is owned by “big multinational corporations”.
Instead of squandering the next mining boom sending profits overseas, the Greens want to keep them right here in Queensland.
100% of profits from Queensland Minerals would go back to the people of Queensland, with an extra $14bn to spend on things like hospitals, schools and housing.
The best job for a coalminer is another mining job, which is why we’d give former coal and gas workers priority for jobs at Queensland Minerals.
The governments of several countries, like Norway’s and Chile’s, own their own mining companies. About a third of the world’s resource production is carried out by state-owned firms.
There is a very big battle between Labor and the Coalition for the state of Western Australia occurring at the moment.
The Liberals see Tagney and the independent-held Curtin as gains, while the WA Nationals are making a play for the new seat of Bulwinkle (which would be a bit historic in its own right, given the Nats haven’t had a federal member since Tony Crook held O’Connor between 2010-2013. The WA Nationals are not in alliance with the WA Liberals)
WA helped Labor to majority government at the last election and is crucial to the plans of both major parties at the next poll. And mining has once again become a hot-button issue, with both the major party leaders claiming they are the greatest friend to WA in Canberra (Peter Dutton will be very explicit about that in his coming speech to the minerals’ council today)
The assistant minister to the prime minister, Patrick Gorman, has written an op-ed in the West Australian newspaper ahead of Dutton’s speech where he takes aim…. at the Greens.
The Greens Party is eroding democracy more than you know. The combination of their “block everything” approach and their dishonest slogans is undermining democracy.
Gone are the environmental campaigners of the 1990s that I remember from growing up in Fremantle. Replacing them is a marketing machine that, like a pyramid scheme, only cares about its own survival. And it is the people who vote for them who get hurt the most.
I have sat in parliament gobsmacked at the Greens’ destructive approach that has defined them this term. They tried to destroy the Housing Australia Future Fund. The Greens led the protection racket for the corruption in the CFMEU. Now the Greens say they will vote to oppose environmental protection australia [legislation].
I am a progressive. Sadly the Greens are now just aggressive
Anthony Albanese is starting the day in Sydney, where he will greet Australia’s Paralympians who are returning home from Paris.
The official welcome starts at 8.30
Dan Tehan outraged over tattered flag after devastating winds
Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan is continuing to moonlight as Australia’s flag hall monitor.
Canberra, like a lot of NSW and Victoria, was hit by very strong winds recently – strong enough to bring down trees – and the flag above parliament house, which flies 24 hours a day (with a special dispensation to fly at night – it is a whole protocol thing) didn’t do so well.
The staff who look after it only go up when its safe to do so. But Tehan is OUTRAGED (once again – this is a running theme with Tehan) that the flag is not looking pristine.
It’s not the government’s job to look after the flag – it’s the job of apolitical parliament staff. Tehan knows that, but here we are.
The Australian flag flying above Parliament House is again in tatters, throwing Labor’s care for our national symbol and institutions into question. pic.twitter.com/cVxqeWM7zM
— Dan Tehan (@DanTehanWannon) September 9, 2024
House values spiral amid interest rate and cost of living pressures, data shows
Nino Bucci
House values dropped in almost 80% of Melbourne suburbs in the past three months, property data shows, with falls also recorded across 30% of suburbs analysed nationally.
The data from CoreLogic analysed values in 3,655 suburbs over the three months until August. The ABS says there are 15,353 suburbs and localities across the country.
In a statement, CoreLogic said it found Melbourne (79.1%) and regional Victorian suburbs (73.8%) made up the majority of falls over the quarter. More than half of the suburbs in Hobart (54.3%), Darwin (51.2%), and Canberra (51.6%) also experienced declining values, while all suburbs analysed in Perth saw values increase.
Kaytlin Ezzy, an economist at CoreLogic, said quarterly value declines were becoming more common as high interest rates and cost of living challenges continued to bite:
While values are still rising at the national level, albeit at a slowing pace, beneath the headline figure, we’re starting to see some weakness, particularly in Victoria.
Ezzy said declines in Melbourne were concentrated in more affluent regions.
The proportion of suburbs in quarterly decline nationally was 29.2% in August, up from 17.2% a year ago.
After Melbourne, Sydney was the Australian city with the largest increase in the proportion of suburbs in decline over the past year, from 3.8% to 25.9%.
Good morning
Amy Remeikis
A very big thank you to Martin for starting us off on what is going to be a jam packed day – and that’s not even counting the US presidential candidate debate.
You have Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day – ready? Let’s get into it.
Experts call for vaping enforcement in wake of uptake study
More on that vaping study we mentioned earlier: Public health experts say the research highlights why the government’s vaping reforms introduced this year now need to be strongly enforced.
Prof Becky Freeman, the study’s supervisor from the University of Sydney, said “when it comes to teenage smoking, up until recently Australia was an international success story. Our Australian teenage ever-smoking rates dropped from 58% in 1996, to 14% in 2023. But recent data has suggested a possible increase in teenage smoking over the same time period that vape use has exploded.”
“Public health experts have warned that teenage vaping uptake has the potential to undo the positive progress Australia has made in reducing smoking. This latest study shows how real that threat is.”
Adjunct Prof Terry Slevin, chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, says that while public health experts have welcomed the reforms positive change won’t happen overnight.
“We need to make sure that state and territory governments are harmonising their local legislation and enforcement with the federal reforms. All levels of government will need to work together to protect young people.”
Caitlin Cassidy has been reading through the speech to be made by Universities Australia chair Prof David Lloyd at the National Press Club today.
In it, he will accuse both sides of parliament of using the tertiary education sector as a “political plaything” in a scathing critique of Labor’s proposed international student cap. Here’s her full story:
Teenagers who vape are five times more likely to try smoking, study finds
Natasha May
Teenagers who vape are at least five times more likely to go on to try smoking than those who have never vaped, new research has found.
The study published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found an “alarming trend”: the younger a person starts vaping, the higher their risk that they will subsequently try smoking.
The researchers calculated 12-year-olds who had vaped were 29 times more likely to go on to try smoking than those who had never vaped, 13 year olds were over 11 times more likely, and 14 year olds six times more likely. By comparison, 17 year olds were twice as likely to have tried smoking if they had vaped.
The study analysed the answers of 5,114 teenagers aged 14 to 17 who took part in the Generation Vape survey in 2023, recalling information going back to when they were 12 years of age. Using the responses to questions about their age and the order of starting smoking/vaping, the researchers constructed retrospective timelines of initiation events.
“While e-cigarettes may have been initially claimed as a smoking cessation aid for adult smokers, the stark disparities in [rates] for younger adolescents are a sobering reminder of the broader public health consequences of a market that has failed to contain vaping product marketing and access,” the researchers wrote.
They also found the initiation of vaping appeared just as likely to lead to smoking beyond non-experimental levels as to mere initiation of a few puffs.
Lead author Sam Egger from the Daffodil Centre said: “It’s the first Australian study to look at the relationship between teenage vape use and smoking over time, and across different ages.”
Royal visit to include fleet review, cancer research and meeting with First Nations groups
The Sydney schedule for the king and queen’s visit doesn’t yet include the King Charles III Stakes horse race, scheduled to run at Randwick on the first full day of his visit. The king’s mother was famed for her love of horse racing but her son reportedly didn’t share the same fervour.
But it will include both royals conducting a fleet review of the Royal Australian Navy and an appearance at a “community BBQ celebrating Australia’s cultural diversity and showcasing quality produce from across New South Wales”.
Charles will meet the Australians of the Year, Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer, who will brief him on cancer research. His schedule in Sydney also includes a meeting with First Nations representatives and groups. The exact dates for each of these commitments are yet to be confirmed.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement:
The royal visit is an opportunity to showcase the best of Australia – our rich culture, our sense of community, and contributions to science, research and global progress.
His Majesty first visited Australia in 1966, and has a strong personal affection for our nation. We are delighted that His Majesty is recovering well and has made visiting Australia once again a priority.
Australians look forward to welcoming the King and Queen back to Australia in October, and highlighting the best of the Australian spirit.
Royal visit details announced
King Charles and Queen Camilla will hear about the global impacts of the climate crisis, meet political and community leaders and inspect naval ships during their visit to Australia next month.
Buckingham Palace and the Australian government have released details about the royal visit scheduled to run from 18 October to 23 October, with stops in Canberra and Sydney.
Charles and Camilla are expected to be welcomed to Parliament House and attend a reception for political and community leaders. They are also expected to meet Australians who have excelled in the fields of health, arts, culture and sport.
The king and queen are expected to attend the Australian War Memorial and visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra, where they will “meet with staff and volunteers to discuss the global impacts of climate change”, according to a summary of the schedule.
Charles will also hear from CSIRO scientists on their work to deal with the impact of bushfires in Australia, while Camila will join a discussion on family and domestic violence.
Dutton to slash environmental activist powers if elected
Peter Dutton says he will slash the power and influence of environmental groups to challenge mining proposals if he wins government, Australian Associated Press reports.
“A government that I lead will not allow activists to dictate economic policy and to pull the handbrake on our prosperity,” Dutton is expected to say in an address to the Minerals Council of Australia on Wednesday, according to notes distributed to the media in advance.
Dutton will commit to defunding the Environmental Defenders Office and limiting the ability for third parties to challenge decisions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act if he becomes prime minister.
“And we will cut green tape while striking the right balance between our responsibilities to the environment and the economy,” the notes read.
The Environmental Defenders Office, the national body dedicated to protecting climate and communities through running litigation and advocating for law reform, had millions of dollars of federal funding restored by Labor after it was cut in 2013.
Dutton will promise to “turbocharge” the mining sector to help steer the nation through the economic slump and into another boom. “A Dutton coalition government will be the best friend that the mining and resources sector in Australia will ever have,” he will say.
“I want to see more excavators digging, more gas flowing, and more trucks moving.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog following all the news and developments from Canberra – but also around the country. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ve got some of the early headlines before Amy Remeikis takes you through the main action.
Our top story this morning highlights the plight of asylum seekers detained on Manus and now stranded in Papua New Guinea who face being made homeless this week because they can’t afford to pay their rent. Asylum seekers have been threatened with eviction if an alleged $110,000 rental arrears debt is not paid, leading to urgent calls for the Australian government to intervene to prevent them becoming “homeless”.
The chair of Universities Australia will accuse both sides of parliament of using the tertiary education sector as a “political plaything” in a scathing critique of Labor’s proposed international student cap. Speaking at the National Press Club today, Prof David Lloyd will call the decision to cap international student enrolments at a maximum of 270,000 the most “extraordinary intervention” by a government into universities since the Morrison government vetoed six Australian Research Council grants in 2021.
Teenagers who vape are at least five times more likely to go on to try smoking than those who have never vaped, new research has found – more on that coming up.
Some of the itinerary for the king and queen’s visit to Sydney and Canberra next month has been revealed; we’ll pop the details in this blog for you.
And Peter Dutton is to give a speech today at Minerals Week in which he will promise to be a “best friend” to the mining industry, get rid of regulation and reduce the ability of environmental groups to challenge projects. He wants “more gas flowing and more trucks moving”.