News live: Tony Abbott doubts Australian political assassination ‘imminent’; Bowen warns of coal’s threat to power grid reliability | Australia news
Tony Abbott doubts an Australian political assassination is ‘imminent’
Tony Abbott was also asked about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and if he is worried about something similar occurring in Australia.
He responded:
We’re very blessed in this country. We don’t have a gun culture, we don’t have a history of political violence, we don’t at this point in time – thank God – have the fragmentation and polarisation that sadly exists in America to quite the same extent.
So look, can you rule these things out? Of course not. Do I expect it? Well, maybe some time in the next 100 or 200 years, sure. Almost anything could happen in that period of time. But is is imminent? I doubt it very much.
I suppose we need constant vigilance, A, to try to ensure that there aren’t people who are, given the ready opportunities, [would] do harm; and B, that we try always to be our best selves and bring out the better angles of our natures.
Key events
Lingering price risks still cloud global economy: IMF
Stubbornly high inflation in advanced economies threatens “higher-for-even-longer interest rates”, the International Monetary Fund warns, citing lingering services price pressures and escalating trade tensions.
As AAP reports, Australia’s economic growth outlook has also been slightly trimmed by the IMF to 1.4% for 2024 from the 1.5% forecast in April. Gross domestic product is then expected to expand 2% in 2025, unchanged from previous forecasts.
The IMF’s latest economic assessment lands as economists warn persistent price pressures threaten the Reserve Bank of Australia’s inflation fight, which could lead to interest rates staying higher longer.
Much hinges on June quarter inflation data out later in the month, with a strong outcome potentially putting another hike on the table at the August cash rate meeting.
Globally, the IMF’s growth projections were unchanged and inflation had slowed enough to be broadly on track for a soft landing. Yet deteriorating public finances as well as slowing disinflation progress, particularly due to persistent services price pressures, were highlighted as downside risks to the outlook.
Possible escalation of trade tensions was also identified as potential source of bumpiness along the disinflation path, threatening higher costs for imported goods along the supply chain.
The prime minister Anthony Albanese has shared the following message to social media, on the ten year anniversary of the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
Ten years ago the world was shaken by the terrible news that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 had been shot from the skies. All 298 passengers and crew on board that day lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home.
While in Kyiv in 2022, I had the chance to pay my respects at the memorial to the Australian victims. These were travellers heading home. Young families, lifelong partners, retirees returning from trips they’d long planned, grandchildren alongside their devoted grandfather.
We remember them today and our hearts go out to all those who knew them best and loved them most. The people for whom this anniversary brings a new reminder of irreplaceable loss.
Australia remains steadfast in our commitment to seeking truth, justice and accountability from those responsible for this horrific act of violence.
Ten years ago the world was shaken by the terrible news that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 had been shot from the skies.
All 298 passengers and crew on board that day lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home. pic.twitter.com/Jkspr76YXv
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 16, 2024
Snow in Queensland!
Spicer Peak Lodge in the rural town of Maryvale, west of the Gold Coast, witnessed snow “for a few minutes” yesterday. The last time it experienced snowfall was on 17 July 2015 – almost exactly nine years prior.
The promise of snow across the Granite Belt has lured tourists, photographers and storm chasers from right across Queensland. People were lucky to see a small flurry at Mount Mackenzie Lookout in Tenterfield, just across the border into NSW.
As Weatherzone reports, it snows every few years in the Granite Belt near the NSW border. The town of Stanthorpe holds the record for Queensland’s coldest temperature on record, -10.6C in June 1961, and sees occasional snowfalls.
The heaviest snowfalls in Stanthorpe this century occurred on 17 July 2015, when at least 5cm of fluffy coated the region.
‘I should have done more than shirtfront him’, Abbott says of Putin
Circling back to former PM Tony Abbott’s earlier interview on ABC RN: he was asked about comments he made in the past that he wanted to “shirtfront” Russian president Vladimir Putin, and whether he regretted this?
Abbott said that he had “rather been vindicated by history”.
And I frankly should have done more than shirtfront him, because that was probably the only way to stop him, to be much more forceful than anyone was back then.
Q: Although we are against political violence, right?
Abbott responded:
We are against aggression. We are against unjustified violence, and the aggression by Russia against Ukraine – whether it was in 2014 or 2022, and subsequently – was never, ever justified. Ukraine never threatened Russia. The idea of Ukrainians invading Russia was just fanciful, completely fanciful. The idea of Nato invading Russia was completely fanciful.
Peter Hannam
Adding nuclear to Australia akin to coaxing Swiss to take up surfing, Bowen riffs
It’s a busy couple of days for energetic energy minister Chris Bowen, with a national press club speech in Canberra later today, as noted in earlier posts.
However, he might have been testing some of his best lines last night in a fireside chat (sans feu) at the Australian Clean Energy Summit dinner in Sydney, where he said:
I have no ideological objection to nuclear energy. I have an economic and engineering – to quote Malcolm Turnbull [who was at the dinner] – objection.
Nuclear energy was too expensive and would take too long to build, Bowen said. (The market regulator forecasts all coal-fired plants will shut by 2038.) That’s not saying it isn’t the decarbonising energy answer for other nations less blessed with abundant renewable energy resources than Australia.
For Australia to go nuclear because other nations were doing so, though, was “like us going to Switzerland and saying, ‘look, I know you’ve got lots of snow, but we really think you should try surfing’,” Bowen said.
Nuclear energy, Bowen said, was actually something of a “sideshow” globally, with much more wind and solar being added globally. Nuclear reactor capacity even shrank 1 gigawatt last year as more generation was shut down than was added.
As you might expect, Bowen’s comments went down well. His opposition counterpart, Ted O’Brien, is due to speak at the summit this morning, and may find a less sympathetic audience.
Tim Ayres flags ‘proportionate’ federal response to CFMEU
A Labor senator says that federal intervention into alleged criminal behaviour within the CFMEU will be effective and proportionate, AAP reports.
Tim Ayres said steps to deal with allegations against the union would be announced shortly by workplace relations minister Tony Burke. He told ABC TV earlier:
Tony and the team in there are doing the careful work of making sure that the government’s response is effective, well-weighted and effective.
Ayres said calls from state governments to distance state Labor branches from the CFMEU would be dealt with by the national executive of the party.
While I don’t forecast the debates in terms of the national executive, we have received these requests from the premiers, we will act upon them, and we’ll act in accordance with the requests from the premiers.
Tony Abbott doubts an Australian political assassination is ‘imminent’
Tony Abbott was also asked about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and if he is worried about something similar occurring in Australia.
He responded:
We’re very blessed in this country. We don’t have a gun culture, we don’t have a history of political violence, we don’t at this point in time – thank God – have the fragmentation and polarisation that sadly exists in America to quite the same extent.
So look, can you rule these things out? Of course not. Do I expect it? Well, maybe some time in the next 100 or 200 years, sure. Almost anything could happen in that period of time. But is is imminent? I doubt it very much.
I suppose we need constant vigilance, A, to try to ensure that there aren’t people who are, given the ready opportunities, [would] do harm; and B, that we try always to be our best selves and bring out the better angles of our natures.
Abbott says Russian leadership needs to take responsibility for downing of MH17
Former prime minister Tony Abbott, who was PM when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came down, has reflected on the “atrocity” 10 years on.
Speaking with ABC RN just earlier, he said that to this day he was “very angry” and believed Russian president Vladimir Putin owed the victims’ families an apology and compensation.
Because plainly, this aircraft was brought down in the pursuit of Russia’s geopolitical objectives in Ukraine and these were the Australian victims…
The Hague has sentenced three people – Igor Girkin, Leonid Kharchenko and Sergey Dubinsky – to life in prison for their roles in the downing of the flight and murder of all 298 onboard. But Abbott says that “in the end, responsibility has got to be taken by the Russian leadership”.
Treaty negotiations in Victoria set to begin within months
Adeshola Ore
Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly says it is ready to enter treaty negotiations with the state government which are expected to begin in the coming months.
The assembly has informed the treaty authority – the umpire that will oversee the process – it is ready to commence negotiations.
Assembly co-chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg says Victoria’s traditional owner groups and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander community have worked to “create a shared understanding and vision of how the journey to treaty should unfold”.
We’re proud of the inclusive structures and ways of working that we have in place to ensure the collective hopes and aspirations in our communities are well represented and that the assembly can be the strongest advocate possible for all mob in Victoria.
The state-wide treaty will cover issues impacting all Indigenous Victorians. Traditional owner groups will also be able to enter into separate treaties with the state regarding priorities for their area.
Rudd weighs in on Tenacious D controversy
In case you missed it: Jack Black has put his rock duo Tenacious D on hold following an onstage comment made by his bandmate Kyle Gass about the shooting of Donald Trump.
Black said he was “blindsided” by what was said on stage, and he “no longer feel[s] it is appropriate to continue” the tour. You can read more below:
Kevin Rudd, the ambassador to the US and former prime minister, has weighed in on the matter and said:
It makes me feel sick that someone would joke about violence. It makes me feel physically ill. People might think that it is funny ha-ha to run off your mouth there. It’s not. It’s about physical life. It’s about the threat to physical life. It’s about the near assassination of a former and prospective president of the United States, depending how people vote, and about the murder of an innocent civilian and two people seriously wounded. These people need to grow up and find a decent job.
Energy minister says nuclear and renewables ‘simply incompatible’ in Australia
Josh Butler
In his speech to the National Press Club, Chris Bowen will say areas earmarked for nuclear plants – such as Port Augusta, Lithgow and central Queensland – require major investment and revitalisation as soon as possible, not a decade from now under the Coalition’s nuclear announcement.
Bowen said those areas “need jobs and investment now”, claiming the Coalition’s nuclear plan would lead to uncertainty in energy markets and threaten investment in renewable energy. He will claim:
The biggest problem of all is that in Australia, nuclear and renewables are simply incompatible. While the opposition purports to support an “all of the above” energy mix, their ideological pursuit of nuclear reactors in two decades’ time would wreck the renewables rollout now.
Bowen brands the opposition “arrogant” over its comments about forcing states and local towns to accept nuclear plants, even if they don’t want them.
The minister predicts an “investment chill” into Australian industry if the government-backed nuclear policy came into force, asking: “Why would domestic or global investors try to compete with unlimited taxpayer subsidies for state-sponsored generation?”
Base-load nuclear plants simply don’t stack up economically in a grid with significant renewable generation.
Josh Butler
Coal-fired power ‘biggest threat’ to power grid’s reliability – Bowen
Energy minister Chris Bowen says coal-fired power stations are “far and away the biggest threat to reliability” in Australia’s electricity grid, signalling the Labor government will seek to fight the next election on power policy and the Coalition’s controversial nuclear plan.
Bowen will address the National Press Club in Canberra today, with his speech to draw a distinction between what he called “reliable renewables” and Peter Dutton’s “anti-renewables” nuclear power plants.
According to advance speech notes, Bowen will say:
Far and away the biggest threat to reliability in our grid is over reliance on aging coal-fired power stations. Over the last year, not a single day has passed without an unplanned outage at a coal power generator in eastern Australia.
Bowen has previously spoken of his hope to “end the climate wars” in Australia, but his speech indicates the government will seek to draw a strong contrast between its energy plan and that of the opposition.
Penny Wong to host memorial service with families of MH17 victims
Foreign minister Penny Wong will today host a memorial service for the families of MH17 victims, along with first responders, investigators and officials.
The service will be held at Parliament House, while the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will attend an event in the Netherlands hosted by the MH17 Air Disaster (Next of Kin) Foundation, with representatives from victims’ families and loved ones.
Today is the 10-year anniversary since the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, where 298 lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home.
A statement from Wong and Dreyfus reads:
Ten years on, those killed that day remain in our hearts and in our purpose. Our thoughts are with their loved ones – the passing of time does not diminish the pain of their loss.
We acknowledge and remember the courage and resilience shown by those who responded to the disaster. We recognise the Australian federal police, defence force and Australian Transport Safety Bureau personnel whose work was central to the thorough and painstaking investigation.
Australia remains steadfast in our commitment to seeking truth, justice and accountability from those responsible for this horrific act of violence.
NSW wants CFMEU construction arm suspended from ALP
The NSW government has called for the construction arm of the CFMEU to be suspended from the NSW Labor party.
As AAP reports, premier Chris Minns and treasurer Daniel Mookhey have written to the NSW Labor party general secretary in the wake of new corruption allegations.
They’ve asked the state branch to take the “necessary steps” to immediately suspend the CFMEU construction and general division’s affiliation with the party and stop any donations or affiliation fees.
Minns and Mookhey said the NSW Labor government was working with the federal Labor government on a “coordinated approach” towards the CFMEU, since corruption allegations began circling the Victorian branch on Friday.
We will also ask the commonwealth government to review enterprise bargaining agreements in NSW which the CFMEU is party to.
Further, the NSW construction compliance unit will work with federal regulatory bodies and act on any allegations.
We must take the necessary action to protect honest and hardworking construction workers and union members.
The NSW government said it would provide an update later today on other actions it intended to take.
Welcome
Emily Wind
Hello! And welcome back to a new day on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be bringing you our rolling coverage this Wednesday.
Making news overnight: New South Wales premier Chris Minns has called for NSW Labor to suspend the CFMEU construction arm. As AAP reports, Minns and state treasurer Daniel Mookhey have written to the NSW Labor party general secretary in the wake of new corruption allegations.
They’ve asked the state branch to take the “necessary steps” to immediately suspend the CFMEU construction and general division’s affiliation with the party and stop any donations or affiliation fees.
Meanwhile, foreign minister Penny Wong will today host a memorial service with the families of the MH17 victims, on the 10-year anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines flight downing. 298 people lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home.
We’ll have more on both of these stories in a moment.
As always, you can get in touch with any thoughts, tips or questions via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s get started.
