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Immigration minister inherited ‘one million visa applications’
By Nigel Gladstone
Immigration minister Andrew Giles says the coalition “lost control of the visa system” and left almost one million visa applications on the table for him to deal with.
Speaking at the Sydney Policy Lab today, Giles said “typically”, 40,000 to 80,000 people held a bridging visa at any point in time, but today, there are over 330,000 people on bridging visas.
“Almost one million visa applications were waiting for this Labor government”, he said.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“The former government lost control of the visa system.
“This Government is committed to addressing this backlog to give people certainty about their future, not endless waiting.”
There are now more staff at the Department of Home Affairs working on visa processing and since the election, there are 180 new staff, another 140 being trained, and 150 more working on an overtime taskforce which has shifted the backlog from almost a million visa applications to around 900,000, he said.
Morrison won’t be forced to assist inquiry into secret ministries
By Lisa Visentin and James Massola
Scott Morrison will not be forced to assist an investigation into his secret ministries scandal led by former High Court justice Virginia Bell, but could be compelled to face a parliamentary inquiry should he refuse to co-operate.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday appointed Bell to lead the inquiry into Morrison’s covert appointments to five departments in 2020 and 2021, insisting it would be at arm’s length from the government and focus on how the events unfolded, why they happened and who knew about them.
Former High Court judge Virginia Bell will conduct the inquiry into Scott Morrison’s secret ministries.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen, supplied
It emerged earlier this month that the former prime minister had taken on five extra ministerial portfolios – health, finance, treasury, home affairs and industry, science, energy and resources – during the COVID-19 pandemic without telling parliament or most of his colleagues.
Morrison declined to say whether he would participate in the inquiry when contacted by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Friday but said he had not received the terms of reference or any other details from the government.
He referred to his statement earlier in the week where he said he was willing to assist a broader “genuine” process to learn the lessons from the pandemic, suggesting it should also examine the actions of the states and territories.
Bell, who will report her findings by November 25, will not have the power to compel Morrison or other witnesses, but Albanese said he would “find it extraordinary if anyone refused to talk to a former High Court judge”.
“But if it was the case that Virginia Bell felt like she was not getting the co-operation that was required, then I’m certain that other measures could be considered,” he said.
Government sources, who declined to speak on the record, said if Morrison refused to assist the Bell investigation the government could initiate a parliamentary inquiry that had the power to compel witnesses.
Read more here.
Major COVID-19 lockdown class action to go ahead in Victoria
By Marta Pascual Juanola
The Victorian government has failed in its bid to have a major COVID-19 class action thrown out of court, lawyers representing the plaintiffs say.
The class action, brought on behalf of retail, hospitality, beauty, and fitness businesses, claims the government’s mishandling of Victoria’s hotel quarantine program led to the state’s second lengthy lockdown in 2020, devastating businesses and resulting in widespread job losses.
5 Districts NY owner Anthony Ferrara.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
Damian Scattini, a partner at law firm Quinn Emanuel who is leading the action on behalf of businesses, said Justice John Dixon had allowed the case to proceed, despite attempts from the state’s lawyers to have it tossed out.
More than 1000 businesses have registered to take part in the class action, which is open to any traders that experienced a financial loss as a result of the restrictions.
Lead plaintiffs Keilor Park restaurant 5 Districts NY argue the government was negligent in its response to the pandemic, and had a duty to take reasonable care to ensure that effective infection prevention and control measures were implemented in hotel quarantine, but failed to do so.
Scattini said the program was “a disaster”, riddled with unqualified, poorly trained, and ill-equipped quarantine staff.
Read more here.
Minimum standards for new homes to be raised
By Caroline Schelle
New national construction standards have been given the green light following a meeting of building ministers from state, federal and territory governments on Friday.
The standards increase the minimum energy efficiency standards for new homes from six-stars to a seven-star rating using the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme.
Larger property developers and volume house builders were at odds over a change to residential energy efficiency standards.Credit:Nic Walker
For the average new home, this could mean elements like better insulation, higher quality window glazing and smarter floor plans.
The new rules will also improve accessibility standards by adding step-free street or parking entry requirements.
The National Construction Code will be introduced next May, but there will be a transition period running until October to give the industry time to adjust.
Santos restricts drilling its $5b Barossa project until court approval
By Peter Milne
Santos has agreed not to drill into its Barossa gas reservoir for three weeks until the court that has heard a case against its US$3.6 billion ($5.2 billion) project brought by Traditional Owners reconvenes.
Dennis Tipakalippa, a senior lawman of the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin is suing the offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA alleging his Munupi Clan was not properly consulted before the regulator approved Santos’ plan to drill up to eight gas wells about 120km north of the islands.
The Barossa field will produce the most carbon-intensive LNG in Australia due to the high level of CO2 in the reservoir.Credit:Santos
The Environmental Defenders office, representing Tipakalippa, has argued in a weeklong Federal Court trial that concluded on Friday that inadequate consultation by Santos renders NOPSEMA’s March 2022 approval of the drilling invalid.
After the hearings that included taking evidence on-country Santos has agreed not to drill any new wells in the Barossa gas field and to stop drilling its current well before it breaches the gas reservoir.
Mr Tipakalippa said he was relieved to get Santos’ promise.
“Drilling into the seabed is like drilling into our bodies,” Tipakalippa said.
“This week, we have had our voices heard. We will fight to protect our Sea Country, from the beginning to the end.”
The Valaris MS1 drilling rig arrived at Barossa in July and drilling was expected to continue until October 2023. The rig has been reported as costing about $US220,000 ($316,000) a day by industry news site Offshore Energy.
At the next hearing in the case, on September 16, a decision will be delivered or arguments relating to an injunction to restrain further drilling will be heard.
Read more here.
ASX closes in green as investors sift through company earnings
By Carla Jaeger
Welcome to your five-minute recap of the trading day and how the experts saw it.
The numbers: The Australian sharemarket finished the week in positive territory despite a late slump during the session, with 10 out of 11 sectors closing the green.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed 0.8 per cent higher, up 56 points to 7,104.1 on Friday, with the energy sector leading the charge up 1.32 per cent. The big four banks all rose, and mining stocks rallied 1.1 per cent.
Wall Street is bracing for Jerome Powell’s speech from Jackson Hole.Credit:Bloomberg
The lifters: Qantas shares jumped to 6.58 per cent at $5.18; Iron ore group Fortescue metals moved up 3.81 per cent to $18.87; and Pilbara minerals gained 4.11 per cent at $3.55.
The laggers: Ramsay Healthcare dropped 2.4 points to $70.55 before being put on a trading halt; Mercury NZ slumped 3.55 per cent; and TPG Telecom slipped 1.48 per cent to $5.33.
The lowdown: With the earnings season on its last legs, analysts say the deluge of company results have alleviated investors’ concerns over inflation’s effect on corporate profitability. However, investors shouldn’t jump the gun just yet, according to Seema Shah, chief global specialist at Principal Global Investors.
“While earnings season has been positive, persistent challenges indicate an increasingly difficult operating environment, likely limiting profit persistence in the second half of the year,” Shah said.
“The macroeconomic backdrop is likely to deteriorate further only adding to concerns around future challenges to corporate margins and sustainable profit growth.”
Read more here.
First refugees arriving under new community settlement plan
By Nigel Gladstone
Three families from Syria will be the first to settle in Australia this week under a new program that places them in areas where they get support from trained community groups.
Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) announced in December 2021 an $8.6 million trial for up to 1500 refugees.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles said this new community-based settlement idea is for refugees referred to Australia for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and who do not have family links in Australia.
“We know that at this time, there are more people displaced globally than ever before,” Giles said. “Sponsorship programs such as this will become additional to our existing refugee intake numbers.”
Trials will run in Gosford in NSW and Wonthaggi in Victoria, and will run until June 30, 2025.
Further information about CRISP can be found on the department’s website here.
Richard Marles: Military celebrated end of Dutton’s war on ‘wokeness’
By Matthew Knott
Defence Minister Richard Marles says the nation’s top military leaders breathed a sigh of relief when he overturned his predecessor Peter Dutton’s controversial ban on LGBT morning teas and other inclusive events.
Rather than distracting from core business, Marles said promoting inclusivity would strengthen Australia’s defence capabilities by helping attract a diverse talent pool and ensuring the military reflected modern Australia.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says he decided to overturn the ban on inclusive events in his first week in the job.Credit:AP
In an all-staff memo on Tuesday, Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty and Defence Chief General Angus Campbell confirmed Marles had ordered the previous directive be scrapped, allowing Defence staff to hold events recognising “Wear it Purple” and “R U OK” days.
Marles said he decided to overturn the ban in his first week as defence minister after consulting leading military figures.
Asked about the response from Defence leadership to the reversal, Marles said: “It was absolutely welcomed. To me, it felt like there was a sigh of relief that we were back to a place of sense.”
Dutton issued the ban last May in response to morning tea events where Defence staff were encouraged to wear badges and shirts in support of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia.
“I will not tolerate discrimination, but we are not pursuing a woke agenda,” Dutton said at the time, adding he considered such events a distraction from the military’s core duties.
Read more here.
Greens say ‘inexplicable hole in the centre’ of Morrison inquiry
By Nigel Gladstone
The inquiry into former PM Scott Morrison’s secret ministries is hamstrung without the power to compel witnesses and the failure to include the Governor General’s office in the terms of reference, Greens Senator David Shoebridge says.
“Virginia Bell is an eminent person to chair the inquiry into Morrison’s secret Ministries, but the government has put her in a very difficult spot by refusing to give her the power to summons uncooperative witnesses or compel the production of documents,” Shoebridge said.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge.Credit:James Alcock
“Hoping that Scott Morrison and his former front bench will turn up and face the music seems to ignore why we are here in the first place, they have a proven track record of refusing transparency.
The failure to include the Governor General and his office in the terms of reference leaves an inexplicable hole in the centre of this inquiry, Shoebridge said.
“The potential for a Governor General and a Prime Minister to secretly direct political power is a serious threat to democracy and it is extraordinary this is not part of the terms of reference,” he said.
“The PM acknowledged that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet could not independently review its own actions, but failed to address the fact that the former Attorney General, presumably on advice from his department, green lighted this entire scandal.”
Conflicts of interest inside the government are of heightened concern when the chair of the inquiry will not have an independent secretariat or independent powers and is dependent on the government of the day for access to information and resources, the senator added.
Snowy Hydro boss Paul Broad resigns
By Colin Kruger and James Massola
Paul Broad, the chief executive of government owned electricity utility Snowy Hydro, has resigned amid delays and cost blow outs to its controversial Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme.
“The Snowy Board will now commence a process to identify new leadership. Roger Whitby, chief operating officer, will lead the organisation on an interim basis, with support from Paul to facilitate a smooth transition,” the company said in a statement this afternoon.
Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad has been leading the hydropower giant since 2013.Credit:Renee Nowytarger
The $5 billion pumped hydro scheme may not be ready to generate power until as late as 2028, according to reports on the latest delays to the project.
A spokeswoman for Climate Change minister Chris Bowen said: “The government values SnowyHydro and its critical role in supporting a changing grid”.
“The Albanese government notes the resignation today of SnowyHydro CEO Paul Broad after almost ten years of service, and thanks him for his work in the energy market over that period.”
The project, which commenced in 2019, was due to be finished by 2026 and offset the closure of AGL Energy’s Liddell in the Hunter Valley, which is scheduled to close next year.
The pressure to complete Snowy Hydro 2.0 has risen with soaring energy prices on the East coast and more of Australia’s ageing coal generators being retired sooner than planned. This includes Origin Energy’s Eraring power station, Australia’s biggest coal-fired plant, closing in 2025.
More to come
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2022-08-26 08:38:58Z
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