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Gregg Bakowski
It was only in August this year that Fifa switched the World Cup tournament opener to Qatar v Ecuador, instead of Netherlands v Senegal. The change is in line with a long-standing tradition of the first matches involving either the hosts or reigning champions. So, now we have the curtain-raising opening ceremony followed by Qatar kicking things off, here are 10 things to look out for as the tournament begins.
Some flooding updates for Victoria from emergency services, including a “Prepare Now” warning for Tallandoon and a “Too Late To Leave” notification for Iraak Island.
If you’re in an area at risk of flooding, please make sure you check for active warnings and follow emergency services’ advice.
This EMERGENCY WARNING – RIVERINE FLOOD – Too Late to Leave has been issued for Iraak Island
An Evacuation Warning remains current, but it is now too late to leave as Rudds Road is closed due to its deteriorating condition.
More details at https://t.co/tCGUThNgv4 pic.twitter.com/grRWosT6Oc
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) November 20, 2022
Josh Butler
Parliament might need ‘extra time’ to meet election pledges: Albanese
Federal parliament’s sitting calendar may be extended beyond its scheduled Christmas break next week, as the government hopes to pass a raft of complex legislation and fulfil election promises before the end of the year.
As we mentioned earlier, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has conceded the Senate may need “extra time” to consider his contentious industrial relations bill, with the government still needing to woo crossbench senators to pass the workplace legislation.
With just eight sitting days scheduled before the end of 2022, and bills including the national anti-corruption commission and the territory rights euthanasia changes still to be debated, the government is open to keeping politicians in Canberra to continue debate.
Albanese told Sky News on Sunday:
We might well have to sit extra days and that’s fine. I don’t mind the parliament sitting at all.
Parliament resumes on Monday for its final scheduled sitting fortnight of the year. The current sitting calendar, designed by the Labor government and agreed to by the parliament in July, would see the last sitting day for 2022 on 1 December.
If sittings were extended beyond 9 December, it would clash with school holidays in Queensland. The government has previously said it wants to minimise sessions sittings during school holidays.
Read more here:
No fossil fuel phase out but Cop27 deal a victory for Pacific: Greenpeace Australia
Greenpeace Australia said the final decision text did not include any “improved commitments to phase out all fossil fuels or sufficient measures to reach the 1.5 degree target, but it does contain a breakthrough agreement to establish a loss and damage finance facility.”
Shiva Gounden, Pacific advisor at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said in a statement on Sunday that the decision was a victory for low-lying Pacific Island countries describing the moment as a “new dawn for climate justice”.
We’ve worked for a generation for this moment. More than thirty years after the idea of loss and damage was first introduced by Vanuatu, it is Pacific Island nations and the developing world that has made Cop27 a real moment for action on climate justice.
Moving forward into discussion of the details of the fund, we need to ensure that those most responsible for the climate crisis make the biggest contribution. For countries like Australia that spent a staggering $11.6 billion on fossil fuel subsidies in 2021-2022, this means paying up, not paying off polluting industries.
The Australian government must take stock of this moment and truly champion our journey for climate justice through words and action, and through addressing the causes and symptoms of the climate crisis.
Ulaiasi Tuikoro, Fijian climate activist and representative of the Pacific Youth Council, said the deal offered the Pacific Islands said the world must now “move on agreeing to phase out all fossil fuels”.
It was devastating for us Pacific Islanders to go into rooms and negotiate. We don’t negotiate numbers and clauses, we negotiate our lives, cultures, communities, people, and our very existence.
The commitment to a loss and damage finance facility at Cop27 is a result of solidarity and a step forward for climate justice, but in order to give the Pacific a fighting chance we must tackle the causes and the consequences of the climate crisis simultaneously.
UN secretary general António Guterres has welcomed the creation of a loss and damage fund at Cop27.
#COP27 has taken an important step towards justice.
I welcome the decision to establish a loss and damage fund and to operationalize it in the coming period.
Clearly this will not be enough, but it is a much-needed political signal to rebuild broken trust. pic.twitter.com/5yhg5tKXtJ
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 20, 2022
Jordyn Beazley
Councils grappling with an influx of homeless Australians
There are only three residents left in Huntly Lions Park, a campground just north of Bendigo’s city centre. In August, the council rezoned the land and told everyone living there in tents and caravans they had 14 days to leave.
Council staff say the decision was in response to some residents not “feeling safe” when visiting the park and because the site was unsuitable for long-term living. But Lee-Anne Gray, who has been living at the campground since January, refuses to leave because she has nowhere else to go.
She became homeless after losing her job and rental and has been unable to find another home, according to Damian Stock, the chief executive of Arc Justice, a community legal centre advising Gray on her rights.
As the housing and cost of living crisis deepens, a growing number of Australians have turned to public land and campgrounds to set up makeshift homes until there is a better option. That has forced local councils to grapple with a social issue they argue is caused by the failure of other levels of government – particularly of the states – to build enough social and emergency housing.
For more on this story read the full report by Guardian Australia’s reporter Jordyn Beazley:
Queensland police chief staying positive ahead of review report
Queensland police commissioner Katarina Carroll says there are “definitely positives” to be expected in a review of the state’s police service that will be released on Monday.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Carroll would not be drawn on the contents of the report as it was still cabinet in confidence, but said “more reform was needed” after an inquiry found horrific levels of sexual harassment and misogyny within the law enforcement agency.
Carroll did not directly respond to questions about a petition circulating for her to be replaced.
I think everyone is – can start petitions if they wish. I do want the public and Queenslanders to have high confidence I have commenced earnest reform over the last three years.
And there needs to be more. Significantly more amount of work to be done. It’s been relentless in reform and I know those recommendations will come and we will further transform.
But I want Queenslanders to have confidence in me to deliver that and in me to deliver that as well.
Carroll said she would be looking for the positives when the review is released, saying “whenever you do a review of any type, there’s always positives”.
She also said the Queensland police service was still attracting women into the force despite the scandal.
The final report of the inquiry into the Queensland police is expected to be released on Monday. It follows an inquiry that has highlighted the massive scope of sexual harassment and misogyny within the force; raised alarm about alleged police failures to adequately investigate the deaths of First Nations women; and detailed the way police failed to pursue credible domestic violence allegations against officers.
For more on this story, read the Guardian Australia’s Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee’s previous reporting:
Rare honeyeaters released in New South Wales
The wild population of one of Australia’s rarest birds is being boosted this week with the release of 50 zoo-bred regent honeyeaters in the Lower Hunter Valley.
NSW environment minister James Griffin said on Sunday that the release on Wonnarua Country was the second large-scale release of the endangered honeyeaters undertaken in NSW.
The regent honeyeater used to flock in its thousands from Queensland to South Australia, but now there are only around 300 birds left in the wild.
We’re releasing conservation-bred birds to boost numbers in the wild as part of a national effort to save this critically endangered species.
We recently learnt that wild regent honeyeaters are losing their song culture because there are fewer older birds for young regent honeyeaters to learn from.
Griffin said the ability for the honeyeater to sing and call was vital to attracting a mate and the introduction of the Taronga Zoo-bred birds would give the wild birds the chance to learn their songs again, find mates and ensure survival into the future.
In 2021, 58 regent honeyeaters were released in the Lower Hunter Valley, and breeding activity was documented along with assimilation of zoo-bred birds into wild flocks.
Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Tara Dever said the release on Mindaribba land reflected the deep relationship between the birds and the country at the foot of Mt Tomalpin.
“While conditions need to be just right to ensure the birds have enough food and shelter, the deep connection between First Nations People and this land has assisted with the success of the release,” Dever said.
The breeding program is led by Taronga Conservation Society Australia, BirdLife Australia and the NSW government’s $175m Saving our Species program.
Taronga Conservation Society Australia wildlife conservation officer Monique Van Sluys said almost 600 regent honeyeaters have been bred at Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo since 2000.
“Over the past 20 years, Taronga has refined its approach to conservation breeding and increased our understanding of this beautiful and rare species,” Sluys said.
“Juvenile zoo-bred regent honeyeaters are now housed in aviaries with wild adult birds to be exposed to their wild regent honeyeaters’ song prior to release. This crucial step allows the birds to learn and refine their distinctive song.”
BirdLife Australia’s NSW Woodland Bird Program manager Mick Roderick said around 39 birds will be monitored for up to 10 weeks by BirdLife Australia.
“Monitoring will involve a small radio-tracking crew, following transmitter signals and recording individual bird locations and behaviour to understand survival, breeding attempts and dispersal patterns,” Roderick said.
– from AAP
Governments meeting at Cop27 agree to creation of loss and damage fund
A loss and damage fund will be created after the Cop27 meeting in Cairo has run into overtime over negotiations about whether to compensate developing countries for harms caused by climate change.
President of Cop27, Sameh Shoukry confirmed the fund would be created just prior to the plenary restarting.
Here is the language of the document – it’s in UN climate speak but it is significant:
The Conference of the Parties and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement,
Recalling the Convention and the Paris Agreement…
Decide to establish new funding arrangements for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, in responding to loss and damage, including with a focus on addressing loss and damage by providing and assisting in mobilizing new and additional resources, and that these new arrangements complement and include sources, funds, processes and initiatives under and outside the Convention and the Paris Agreement;
Also decide, in the context of establishing the new funding arrangements referred to in paragraph 2 above, to establish a fund for responding to loss and damage whose mandate includes a focus on addressing loss and damage.
The document, agreed by almost 200 countries, also establishes a committee to come up with rules to make the fund happen. That committee will report back at next year’s Cop.
For more follow the Guardian’s live coverage of the Cop27 meeting:
Cost of living bites as nearly one in two Australians dread Christmas
Just 51% of people say they are looking forward to Christmas this year, according to a new survey by online payments giant PayPal.
Amid cost-of-living pressures, around 60% of Australians plan to spend less than $500 on Christmas presents this year and one in six hope to spend under $200.
One way Aussies are planning to cut costs is by shopping the end of year sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday which this year fall on 25 and 28 November.
Some say they will even wait until Boxing Day to buy gifts, to take full advantage of potential savings.
For more on how people are dealing with the rising cost of living, read how five Australians are responding going into Christmas.
– with AAP
Analysts read RBA tea leaves for hints of future rate rises
All eyes will be on the Reserve Bank of Australia this week to see how it’s factoring in recent strong wages and jobs data, ahead of its next interest rate meeting in December.
At its board meeting earlier this month, the central bank floated the near term possibility of keeping the cash rate steady at 2.85% up to Christmas to allow monetary policy tightenings to date to flow through the economy.
But since then, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has published robust wages and employment figures that suggest the economy is still roaring along and further rate rises may be needed to temper demand.
RBA governor Philip Lowe is due to speak at a Committee for the Economic Development of Australia dinner in Melbourne on Tuesday and his speech will be scanned for any changes in the central bank’s messaging.
But AMP Capital economist Shane Oliver said a pause was unlikely given the solid 3.1% rise in wages in the year ended September and a surprisingly low jobless rate of 3.4% for October.
“A pause is unlikely in December though and we continue to expect another 0.25% rate hike but a pause is likely from early next year where we expect the cash rate to peak at 3.1%,” he said.
The RBA board does not meet in January but will gather on the first Tuesday in February.
– from AAP
Investigator arrives at WA’s Burrup to examine industry’s impact on rock art
Traditional owners on the Burrup peninsula in Western Australia have welcomed the arrival of a government-appointed investigator responsible for examining the impact of nearby industrial operations on rock art.
Alison Stone was appointed as part of an assessment secured by the Save Our Songlines campaign to examine the cumulative effect of all industry on the Burrup peninsula.
Stone has until November 30 to take submissions from traditional custodians as part of the assessment process and her findings will be considered by the minister when deciding to impose permanent protections through legislation.
It is the first time the impact of climate change is to be considered as part of the process.
Raelene Cooper, Mardudhunera woman and former chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation who is part of the Save Our Songlines campaign, said in statement:
We welcome the arrival on the Burrup of the Section 10 Reporter Alison Stone to allow all traditional custodians to have their say on the full cultural heritage assessment of all industry on the Burrup Hub.
The extension of the submissions process by the federal government will allow our whole community to engage fully in this critical process and enable detailed scientific submissions from experts.
The latest research provides timely evidence of the significant damage being done to our sacred Murujuga rock art by emissions from these plants. It clearly demonstrates the need to make permanent protections to limit the long term impact of emissions in addition to preventing the immediate removal of rock art to facilitate these projects.
The Burrup is home to a significant industrial operations, including Woodside Energy’s Pluto Train 2 plant being built as part of its $16bn development of the Scarborough gas field.
A note about Twitter embeds
We’ve also been getting a few comments about the continued use of Twitter embeds in the blog and I just wanted to address this briefly: despite all the chaos that has unfolded with Twitter in the last two weeks, the platform remains a key line of communication for many emergency services and government agencies.
The ability to quickly share and embed Tweets into the blog allows us to rapidly communicate information to those who may need to it, wherever they are – especially when it is weather or flood-related. Sometimes this information is complex and the Tweets contain links to the most accurate and up-to-date statements.
Right now we will to continue sharing critical information as needed, whether it’s a major government announcement, or information about flood warnings, weather forecasts and other material that may help people make decisions about their safety.
Twitter lifts Donald Trump ban, but will he return?
His Twitter account may be unlocked but former US president Donald Trump has been coy about whether he will make a return to the platform.
During an appearance by video link at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas on Saturday, Trump told his audience that Twitter had “a lot of problems” and encouraged them to stick to his own social media platform, Truth Social.
I hear we’re getting a big vote to also go back on Twitter. I don’t see any reason for it, and a lot of problems at Twitter. You see what’s going on, they may make it, it may not make it, but the problems are incredible, the engagements are negative. And you have a lot of bots and a lot of fake accounts. Truth Social has taken the place for a lot of people and I don’t see them going back onto Twitter.
The last post on Trump’s twitter account is dated 9 January 2021 and reads: “To all those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th”. It has not been updated since.
Elon Musk made the decision to reinstate the former president to the platform after an online Twitter poll.
He posted the results of the poll, showing a narrow win for allowing Trump back to Twitter with 51.8% voting yes and 48.2% voting no. “The people have spoken,” Musk tweeted.
Ironically, it is not clear how many of those votes were legitimate as Musk acknowledged during the poll that vote numbers were being influenced by automated bot accounts.
“Bot & troll armies might be running out of steam soon. Some interesting lessons to clean up future polls,” Musk said.
For all the details, read the full story:
NSW Labor pledges to ban phones in high schools if elected
Mobile phones will be banned in NSW high schools if the Labor party wins next year’s state election.
Parents have been calling for the change but the NSW government has not been listening, opposition leader Chris Minns said in a statement on Sunday:
As a parent of three children myself, I share the concerns of parents worried about the impact of phones and devices on our kids and their learning.
NSW Labor will restrict phone use in schools to help cut distraction, deal with cyber-bullying and help improve student outcomes.
Phones are already banned in NSW primary schools but there are no mandatory restrictions in place for high school settings.
Under Labor’s proposal, all NSW public school students will have their phones turned off during school hours and kept out of sight until the end of the day.
There will be exemptions for students with special circumstances, like those needing to monitor health conditions.
South Australia, the Northern Territory, Victoria and Western Australia have already implemented a mobile phone ban in schools.
NSW residents will go to the polls on 25 March.
– via AAP
Victorian premier responds to MP’s call for him to be turned into ‘red mist’
Benita Kolovos
Daniel Andrews says Victoria is “better than violent extremism” after upper house MP, Catherine Cumming, told a crowd of protesters that he should be turned into “red mist”.
Cumming is being investigated by police for inciteful behaviour after she was filmed giving a speech outside Flinders Street Station on Saturday afternoon.
She told the crowd:
I joined the Angry Victorian Party for one reason – to make Daniel Andrews turn into red mist.
In the army, we would call it pink mist, but I want him into red mist. Give anyone here in the army a job to blow someone up, and they will.
“Pink mist” is a military term used to describe the blood that comes out of a sniper’s target when they are hit.
Speaking in Narre Warren South on Sunday, Andrews said Cumming’s speech was a “matter for police”:
I will just say this. I think we’re better than this. Our multicultural, multi-faith state, a thoughtful, inclusive, compassionate state. We are much better than this. We’re much better than violent extremism. We ought to leave that to the United States.
This is not America, and I for one will do nothing to contribute to the Americanisation of our politics. We’re putting a positive and optimistic plan to the Victorian community, and then it will be their choice.
I’ll leave it to others to defend their actions, their statements, their preference deals that stand – indeed the conduct of their candidates. That’s a matter for them.
Andrews was referring to the Liberal party’s decision to preference fringe parties above Labor in every seat.
He announced that if re-elected, Labor will spend $584m to establish 50 new low-cost child care centres across the state by 2028. It will also spend $159m to attract and retain early childhood educators.
Aaand he’s back. Donald Trump’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, has been reinstated.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian opposition leader defends candidate who railed against Indigenous recognition and abortion
Victorian opposition leader, Matthew Guy, has defended a Liberal party candidate who railed against Indigenous recognition, climate change, abortion and described a senior MP as a “prick”.
Speaking in Bentleigh on Sunday, Guy said Timothy Dragan – the Liberal candidate for Narre Warre North – had apologised for comments reported by the Age on Sunday, including that Australia should not recognise First Nations people because “we won this land fair and square”.
Asked if he was confident having Dragan on his team, Guy replied:
He’s apologised for silly comments. He’s not alone in this world for making silly comments and he’s apologised for the ones he made … Some of those were disrespectful. I know they were disrespectful. I saw what was printed. He apologised for those as he should. But the first thing you’d ask of someone who makes any disrespectful comment is for an apology. And he gave that and I think that’s fair and reasonable.
