Rising sea levels and soaring heat deaths: will climate action match the risks? – Full Story podcast
The national climate risk assessment has painted a challenging and confronting view of the future for Australia under global heating. Anthony Albanese says the landmark report is a “wake-up call” that reinforces the need for “serious” action on the climate emergency. But with the government’s soon-to-be released 2035 emissions target still unknown, will Labor’s action on the climate crisis match the risk?
Nour Haydar speaks with climate and environment editor Adam Morton about how the government will respond to its biggest climate challenge.
PM says PNG independence celebrations prevented treaty from being signed overnight
Anthony Albanese says the defence treaty with Papua New Guinea wasn’t signed overnight because PNG’s national executive were spread around the island country celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, the prime minister confirmed the deal hadn’t yet been inked but said PNG prime minister, James Marape, was “very supportive” of the pact.
Albanese said:
[PNG’s national executive were] all off celebrating. That’s, that’s the thing, they all went to their respective homelands, and so they didn’t have quorum at the cabinet meeting. And that’s understandable …
This is about our mutual security. This is about our mutual sovereignty as well as showing respect for each other, and it’s a natural progression of how closely we work together.
Updated
Albanese says PNG pact will take partnership between two countries ‘to the next level’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, spoke to ABC News this morning as Australia and PNG work to finalise a defence pact saying the ultimate deal – once signed – would take the partnership between the two nations “to the next level” and be akin to a pact Australia has with the US.
Albanese said:
We, of course, cooperate greatly on a day-to-day basis. This formalises this. It strengthens Papua New Guinea and it also strengthens Australia, because a strong region is certainly in our interests.
The prime minister said the treaty is still being negotiated in PNG, but he expects it to have “overwhelming support” in Australia when it goes before parliament, adding he expects the deal will have overwhelming support in PNG, too.
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Conroy ‘confident’ defence agreement with PNG will be signed tomorrow
Pat Conroy was asked about progress negotiating a major defence pact with Papua New Guinea, saying he remained hopeful Australia would sign the agreement in the coming days.
Conroy told RN:
I’m confident, but we’re respecting the processes of Papua New Guinea and letting them go through their processes. That’s really important that we respect their sovereignty.
We’re not like other countries. We don’t come in and try and impose our will on the Pacific family. We respect their processes, we listen to their priorities and we act on them, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Pat Conroy discounts Canavan’s remarks as ‘woefully’ out of touch
Pat Conroy, the minister of the defence industry, rejected Canavan’s claims, saying the report instead demonstrated an urgent need to take action “not just to protect our environment but also to seize the economic opportunities of the jobs of the future.
Conroy told RN Breakfast:
I think he’s condemning Australians to a very bleak future if he ever got into power. He’s symptomatic of an opposition that’s woefully out of place, out of touch with both the science and the views of the Australian people.
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Matt Canavan says landmark climate assessment a ‘cynical attempt to spread fear and panic’
Nationals senator Matt Canavan discounted the headlines behind the landmark national climate risk assessment, saying the government had conveniently timed the report while calling the document a “cynical attempt to spread fear and panic among people”.
The Albanese government released the troubling report yesterday, saying Australia faces a “wake-up call” and warning every Australian and every aspect of life will be disrupted and changed by the phenomenon.
Canavan maintained the Nationals position that net zero was not a good pathway for the country while saying the headlines behind the climate assessment were merely a “marketing exercise” by the government. Canavan told RN Breakfast:
The problem is the headline figures are never as bad as the detailed science that underlies it. …
It reads like the Book of Daniel, not a government report. I mean, I like government reports that are sober and reasonable. … I think Australians like a government, that just tell them the truth and not try and scare them. We saw that during Covid. People are trying to scare you because they’ve got an agenda, right?
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Infant dies and child seriously injured after crash in Sydney
An infant died and a child is in serious condition after a crash in Sydney’s south-west yesterday.
NSW police said emergency services were called to the suburb of Minto after reports a pedestrian had been hit by a car. Upon arrival, officers found a five-month-old infant and a five-year-old child in serious condition after they were struck by a vehicle.
Police attempted to treat the infant with CPR before paramedics arrived, but she died at the scene. The child was treated by paramedics and taken to the hospital.
The driver of the vehicle was uninjured. An investigation into the crash has been opened.
The Liberals are undergoing a review of all policies after a disastrous electoral defeat in May. An announcement is expected by the end of the year.
Hastie was asked yesterday whether he had spoken to the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, about his position. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was sacked last week for failing to abide by shadow ministry rules, which require public solidarity on party policies.
Hastie replied:
Everyone is whispering that anyway, so I may as well just say it out loud. I’ve nailed my colours in the mast. I went on Four Corners, and I said the net zero policy is a straitjacket for our economy and our country, and I believe that. I’m actually quite passionate about it.
Hastie’s comments followed the release of the national climate risk assessment yesterday, which revealed a detailed picture of the severe and far-reaching social and economic consequences of the climate crisis for Australia.
The assessment modelled the impact of climate-related hazards such as heatwaves, drought and floods on different parts of the community, economy and environment under three global heating scenarios: above 1.5C, above 2C and above 3C.
Under the 3C scenario, it found the number of heat-related deaths in Sydney would increase by 444% and by 423% in Darwin.
Read more:
Andrew Hastie threatens to quit Coalition frontbench over net zero
Andrew Hastie says he would quit the shadow frontbench if the Liberals remain committed to a net zero by 2050 policy, spelling more trouble for Sussan Ley as the opposition leader looks to steady a rocky ship.
The shadow home affairs minister and Western Australian MP claimed on Monday night that the Albanese government’s target to reduce emissions to net zero on 2005 levels by 2050 is being done in “the name of climate alarmism”.
Hastie’s warning in an appearance on ABC Radio Perth follows the sacking of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the shadow ministry last week after she declined to publicly support Ley or apologise for suggesting the federal government’s migration program favoured Indians to win Labor votes.
Hastie is part of a growing number of Coalition MPs to speak out against net zero and has previously described the government’s commitment to cleaner energy a “moral hypocrisy” and a “scam”.
When asked what he would do if the Liberals decide to keep the policy after its post-election review, the Canning MP said it would leave him “without a job”.
Read more here:
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the liveblog. Thanks to Martin Farrer for getting things rolling.
Ayres calls for worker consultation on AI integration in jobs
Workers should have a say in how AI is integrated into their jobs, and get proper support and training for the transformation ahead, the minister for industry and innovation Tim Ayres says.
Ayres will use a speech to the National Tech Summit in Sydney on Tuesday to argue the rapid progress of AI across the economy will deliver a new set of consequential decisions from government, firms, trade unions, advocacy groups across society.
He said “thickets of regulation that would discourage investment” are not needed, but Australia should work to be ready to host the digital infrastructure that will support growing AI demand here and across the Asia Pacific region.
“Adopted properly, AI can help Australia advance its scientific and research objectives, drive decarbonisation across the economy, revitalise industry, enhance the export competitiveness of Australian manufactured goods, boost productivity and lift the living standards of all Australians,” Ayres will say.
“The technology is here now, and if Australia is to make the most of it, we can’t afford to lean back.”
Importantly, Ayres will tell the event new research by Jobs and Skills Australia will show that major job losses because of AI driven change are not expected or necessary:
That report indicates that AI will change the kind of work Australians do and the way they go about it.
But the number of occupations at risk of disappearing is, on balance, pretty small – not zero, of course, but pretty small – while the number of occupations likely to have their functions augmented is high.
The eSafety commissioner’s guidance states that platforms should not retain data or details captured in any age verification process – but they will be required to track the effectiveness of their systems.
Companies that fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of up to $49.5m. The communications minister, Anika Wells, said:
This industry guidance makes clear our strong expectations that social media platforms step up to the plate to implement the minimum age in a way that is effective, private, and fair on Australian users.
The government has done the work to ensure that platforms have the information they need to comply with the new laws – and it’s now on them to take the necessary steps.
eSafety watchdog issues new guidance for online safety rules
Australia’s online safety watchdog has recommended social media platforms undertake the “most minimally invasive techniques” to determine a user’s age from December when a ban on under-16 users kicks in.
Guidance from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, released Tuesday, shows digital platforms will also need to offer a “layered” approach to checking someone’s age to ensure those under 16 can’t bypass restricted sites.
The expectations also require platforms to remove existing underage accounts, prevent re-registration by under-16s and avoid allowing users to self-declare their age without additional checks.
The internet regulator’s guidance states platforms cannot force users to solely provide their government ID and that blanket age verification “may be considered unreasonable, especially if existing data can infer age reliably”. As my colleague, Josh Taylor, explained previously, this could mean checking a user’s behaviour, interests, or other factors such as the length of time since account registration.
Sydney airport to add up to 14 new international gates
Sydney airport is planning its biggest expansion since the city’s Olympics as it prepares to nearly double its passenger numbers and fend off its forthcoming rival in the city’s west.
The T2 and T3 domestic terminals would be connected and opened up to overseas flights, adding up to 12 new international gates along with two more at the existing T1 international terminal.
The airport’s current 25 international gates would rise to a possible 39, accommodating a surge in overseas passengers from 16 million annually to 36 million by 2045.
Domestic passenger numbers are expected to rise at a slower pace, rising from 25 million to 36 million, leaving Kingsford-Smith hosting a total of 72 million passengers annually. Air freight is expected to more than double from 0.6m to 1.4m tonnes.
Its new local rival, the Western Sydney international airport, expects to open in 2026, moving 8.4 million passengers annually by 2030 and then 10 times as many by 2063. Its last strategic plan suggested it would overtake Kingsford-Smith as Australia’s largest airport, though the new Sydney airport announcement suggests the incumbent is set to dominate for some decades.
Scott Charlton, Sydney airport’s chief executive, said:
This plan is about building the future of Australia’s gateway … [It] will be the most significant development at Sydney airport since the Olympics, and will unlock greater capacity across all terminals.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
The big political news overnight is that Andrew Hastie, the shadow home affairs spokesperson, has threatened to quit the Coalition frontbench over Sussan Ley’s plan to support net zero. The reactions are like to roll on – especially given the government’s focus this week on the climate crisis.
Sydney airport is planning its biggest expansion since the city’s Olympics as it prepares to nearly double its passenger numbers and fend off its forthcoming rival in the city’s west. More shortly.
Plus, social media companies have been given a list of do’s and don’ts for the upcoming age restrictions, which require much more than just asking “are you 16?”. We’ll have the details in a bit.
