Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
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:
Sarah Basford Canales
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.
Tom McIlroy
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.
Sarah Basford Canales
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
Sarah Basford Canales
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
Luca Ittimani
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.
