National news live: Latham denies abuse allegations, Albanese's China visit, Trump gives Putin 50-day deadline
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6.59am
Court to decide today about our duty to future climate refugees
A court will decide whether the federal government has a duty of care to protect First Nations people whose homes and communities are being threatened by the impacts of climate change.
At risk of becoming Australia's first climate refugees, Uncle Paul Kabai and Uncle Pabai Pabai filed the landmark case against the government in the Federal Court in 2021.
They claim it failed to protect their homelands among the Torres Strait Islands from climate change.
The uncles are seeking orders from the court that would require the government to take steps to prevent harm to their communities, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the best available science.
The court, which is due to hand down its decision on Tuesday, heard evidence communities on Boigu and Saibai could have less than 30 years left before their islands become uninhabitable.
The Commonwealth has argued it is not legally required to consider the best available science or the impacts of climate change when setting emissions reduction targets.
6.59am
Albanese to meet with China's Premier today
By Paul Sakkal
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to use a meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang today to spruik the benefits of Australia's stabilised relationship with its largest trading partner after vowing not to back down on security issues, including taking back the Port of Darwin.
As chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal reported, mining magnate Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest warned that an overemphasis on security risks was hurting trade.
The prime minister used his remarks after the roundtable, which included industry leaders from both nations, to paint Australia as a stable, open trading nation against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's stop-start trade wars.
'I think that Australia's support for free and fair trade does provide potential opportunities for Australia in this region as well, not just with China, but with ASEAN nations,' Albanese said.
6.59am
Good morning and here are the top stories
By Christopher Harris
Hello and good morning to our coverage of everything that's making headlines around the country today.
These are the top stories:
Liberal candidate for Bradfield Gisele Kapterian has ended weeks of speculation and will today appeal against the election outcome in the once blue-ribbon North Sydney seat. Kapterian fell short in Bradfield by 26 votes to teal candidate Nicolette Boele in a recount, leaving Bradfield the most marginal seat in the country. Kapterian won the initial count by eight votes.
Rogue independent NSW MP Mark Latham has denied shocking domestic abuse claims made by his former long-term partner and Liberal Party member Nathalie Matthews, which included accusations he forced her into degrading sexual acts. First reported on Monday night by The Australian, the allegations in documents filed with the NSW Local Court, detail Matthews' claims that Latham engaged in a 'sustained pattern' of abuse, including emotional, psychological and financial manipulation. Latham has denied the allegations.
Donald Trump has threatened to place severe tariffs on Russia's allies if Vladimir Putin does not make a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, marking the first time the US president has set a deadline on action from his counterpart in Moscow.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has slammed conservative campaigning group Advance and its donors after it emerged that antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal's husband's family trust gave $50,000 to the controversial organisation. But Burke has defended Segal, saying that claims she should be held responsible for her husband's actions were outdated and misogynistic.
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Environmental reform could slash government spending, lift productivity: expert
Urgent reform of Australia's 'broken' environmental laws would dramatically cut government costs and lift productivity growth, a leading environment expert claims. The Albanese government has faced continued pressure over Australia's sluggish productivity growth, which is among the worst in the developed world. Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation chair Ken Henry said sweeping environmental reform could be the solution. The former Treasury secretary will tell the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday there is 'no chance' the Labor government will meet its net-zero target while also delivering upon housing and infrastructure commitments without reform to state and federal environmental protection laws. 'The Australian government has an ambition to massively increase critical minerals exports and downstream processing here in Australia,' Dr Henry is expected to state. 'This means more mines, new industrial facilities, and more pressure being loaded onto broken EPBC project assessment and approval processes.' The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, or EPBC, is Australia's main national environmental legislation. Dr Henry said the government's pledge to erect 1.2 million homes by 2030 would require more land and transport, meaning more interaction with EPBC assessments. 'These projects, be they wind farms, solar farms, transmission lines, new housing developments, land-based carbon sequestration projects, new and enhanced transport corridors or critical minerals extraction and processing plants, must be delivered quickly and efficiently,' Dr Henry will tell the NPC. 'All these projects will be critical to enhancing economic resilience and lifting flagging productivity growth. 'Boosting productivity and resilience relies upon environmental law reform. 'But the biggest threat to future productivity growth comes from nature itself; more particularly, from its destruction.' Dr Henry will urge for a breaking of the 'deadlock' to deliver sweeping reforms in a single package. They would include protecting Matters of National Environmental Significance guidelines by shifting the focus to regional planning, urgent finalisation of the effective national environmental standards, and formation of a national environmental protection agency. He will also urge for 'genuine co-operation and a shared purpose' between business and environmental groups as well as between the states and federal government. 'Environmental law reform provides an opportunity to reconstruct the co-operative federal reform capability we developed in the 1990s but have since lost,' Dr Henry will state. 'A strong federal reform capability will be required to deliver other, even more challenging economic reforms. Environmental law reform can provide the template.' Dr Henry said there was 'no point in building a faster highway to hell', and while approvals needed to be granted faster, the environment needed to be protected. 'In reforming the EPBC Act, we can get this right. We have had all the reviews we need,' he will say. 'All of us have had our say. It is now up to parliament. Let's just get this done.' The Labor government is contending with a raft of proposals to fix productivity, from superannuation reform to artificial intelligence and disability inclusion. At the same time, Environment Minister Murray Watt said in May that legislating a federal environment protection agency was a 'very high and immediate' priority.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
One thing missing to fix Aussie crisis
Urgent reform of Australia's 'broken' environmental laws would dramatically cut government costs and lift productivity growth, a leading environment expert claims. The Albanese government has faced continued pressure over Australia's sluggish productivity growth, which is among the worst in the developed world. Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation chair Ken Henry said sweeping environmental reform could be the solution. The former Treasury secretary will tell the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday there is 'no chance' the Labor government will meet its net-zero target while also delivering upon housing and infrastructure commitments without reform to state and federal environmental protection laws. 'The Australian government has an ambition to massively increase critical minerals exports and downstream processing here in Australia,' Dr Henry is expected to state. 'This means more mines, new industrial facilities, and more pressure being loaded onto broken EPBC project assessment and approval processes.' The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, or EPBC, is Australia's main national environmental legislation. Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation chair Ken Henry says environmental reform would boost productivity. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Dr Henry said the government's pledge to erect 1.2 million homes by 2030 would require more land and transport, meaning more interaction with EPBC assessments. 'These projects, be they wind farms, solar farms, transmission lines, new housing developments, land-based carbon sequestration projects, new and enhanced transport corridors or critical minerals extraction and processing plants, must be delivered quickly and efficiently,' Dr Henry will tell the NPC. 'All these projects will be critical to enhancing economic resilience and lifting flagging productivity growth. 'Boosting productivity and resilience relies upon environmental law reform. 'But the biggest threat to future productivity growth comes from nature itself; more particularly, from its destruction.' Dr Henry will urge for a breaking of the 'deadlock' to deliver sweeping reforms in a single package. They would include protecting Matters of National Environmental Significance guidelines by shifting the focus to regional planning, urgent finalisation of the effective national environmental standards, and formation of a national environmental protection agency. Environment Minister Murray Watt said legislating a federal environment protection agency was a 'very high and immediate' priority. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia He will also urge for 'genuine co-operation and a shared purpose' between business and environmental groups as well as between the states and federal government. 'Environmental law reform provides an opportunity to reconstruct the co-operative federal reform capability we developed in the 1990s but have since lost,' Dr Henry will state. 'A strong federal reform capability will be required to deliver other, even more challenging economic reforms. Environmental law reform can provide the template.' Dr Henry said there was 'no point in building a faster highway to hell', and while approvals needed to be granted faster, the environment needed to be protected. 'In reforming the EPBC Act, we can get this right. We have had all the reviews we need,' he will say. 'All of us have had our say. It is now up to parliament. Let's just get this done.' The Labor government is contending with a raft of proposals to fix productivity, from superannuation reform to artificial intelligence and disability inclusion. At the same time, Environment Minister Murray Watt said in May that legislating a federal environment protection agency was a 'very high and immediate' priority.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Environmental reform could slash government spending, lift productivity: expert
Urgent reform of Australia's 'broken' environmental laws would dramatically cut government costs and lift productivity growth, a leading environment expert claims. The Albanese government has faced continued pressure over Australia's sluggish productivity growth, which is among the worst in the developed world. Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation chair Ken Henry said sweeping environmental reform could be the solution. The former Treasury secretary will tell the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday there is 'no chance' the Labor government will meet its net-zero target while also delivering upon housing and infrastructure commitments without reform to state and federal environmental protection laws. 'The Australian government has an ambition to massively increase critical minerals exports and downstream processing here in Australia,' Dr Henry is expected to state. 'This means more mines, new industrial facilities, and more pressure being loaded onto broken EPBC project assessment and approval processes.' The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, or EPBC, is Australia's main national environmental legislation. Dr Henry said the government's pledge to erect 1.2 million homes by 2030 would require more land and transport, meaning more interaction with EPBC assessments. 'These projects, be they wind farms, solar farms, transmission lines, new housing developments, land-based carbon sequestration projects, new and enhanced transport corridors or critical minerals extraction and processing plants, must be delivered quickly and efficiently,' Dr Henry will tell the NPC. 'All these projects will be critical to enhancing economic resilience and lifting flagging productivity growth. 'Boosting productivity and resilience relies upon environmental law reform. 'But the biggest threat to future productivity growth comes from nature itself; more particularly, from its destruction.' Dr Henry will urge for a breaking of the 'deadlock' to deliver sweeping reforms in a single package. They would include protecting Matters of National Environmental Significance guidelines by shifting the focus to regional planning, urgent finalisation of the effective national environmental standards, and formation of a national environmental protection agency. He will also urge for 'genuine co-operation and a shared purpose' between business and environmental groups as well as between the states and federal government. 'Environmental law reform provides an opportunity to reconstruct the co-operative federal reform capability we developed in the 1990s but have since lost,' Dr Henry will state. 'A strong federal reform capability will be required to deliver other, even more challenging economic reforms. Environmental law reform can provide the template.' Dr Henry said there was 'no point in building a faster highway to hell', and while approvals needed to be granted faster, the environment needed to be protected. 'In reforming the EPBC Act, we can get this right. We have had all the reviews we need,' he will say. 'All of us have had our say. It is now up to parliament. Let's just get this done.' The Labor government is contending with a raft of proposals to fix productivity, from superannuation reform to artificial intelligence and disability inclusion. At the same time, Environment Minister Murray Watt said in May that legislating a federal environment protection agency was a 'very high and immediate' priority.
