Politicians, scientists and costume designer feature in King's awards
Former prime minister Scott Morrison, the nation's most successful winner of Academy Awards and a scientist who rivals Charles Darwin for the number of animals bearing his name are among 830 Australians recognised in the King's Birthday Honours list.
Morrison, who left parliament a year ago, was made a Companion of the Order of Australia – the highest honour – for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his key role in the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal with Britain and the United States.
While Morrison has come under attack for several issues in the wake of his prime-ministership, including his secret assumption of duties of some of his ministers and his role in the controversial robo-debt automatic recovery of welfare payments, the honour noted his eminent service to the public and the parliament.
Morrison told this masthead the award was a rare honour and that it was 'particularly humbling'.
'I see it as a recognition beyond me, but of what Australia was able to achieve in those times … there is a global recognition of what Australia was able to avoid during COVID,' he said.
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'The other part of it is how our economy came through, that was a hallmark of our approach, it really distinguished us from many other countries. This was not an ideological struggle but a biological challenge, as many other countries in our region realised too. We saved lives and livelihoods.'
Morrison said that he was particularly pleased that the 'game-changing' AUKUS nuclear submarine deal had survived three changes of government since it was inked.
'I met with Donald Trump last year in about May, this time last year ... it came up, I didn't walk away with any concerns,' he said.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'Partial tick': coalition cautious on PM's summit idea
The federal opposition has given the government a partial tick over its upcoming productivity summit, saying that at least Labor recognises there is a problem. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the gathering of business, union and other leaders in Canberra in August would focus on ways to lift economic output. "A round table. Yay!" shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien joked during an interview on Nine's Today program on Wednesday. "But look ... to be fair, at least they're recognising the problem ... so let's take that as a partial tick." Experts are concerned about Australia's lagging rate of productivity - a key economic measure of efficiency and long-term driver of improved living standards. Despite criticism that previous federal government economic summits were too slanted, Mr Albanese said this roundtable would be broad-based. He called for a mature discussion from all parties, noting it was in everyone's interest for productivity to improve. "We're a Labor government, we support unions existing ... but we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "There are common interests ... you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. "It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment." The Productivity Commissioner's most recent report showed labour productivity fell 0.1 per cent in the December quarter and dropped 1.2 per cent in the past year. The Business Council of Australia says productivity growth over the past decade has been the lowest in 60 years. Council chief executive Bran Black welcomed the roundtable, saying "lifting business investment is essential to boosting productivity, lifting real wages, creating jobs and ensuring more opportunity for more Australians". "We will continue to be very clear about policies that the business community believes will be counterproductive to improving productivity," he said. Mr Albanese said he wanted a boost to productivity, alongside other economic indicators as part of his second-term agenda. "We want to build an economy where growth, wages and productivity rise together," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus said working Australians must be at the centre of the roundtable. "We need to leave behind the idea that productivity is equated with cutting pay and making people work harder for less," she said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said boosting productivity was essential for economic growth. "The business community looks forward to participating in the summit and contributing constructive and sensible ideas to address the problem," he said. Meanwhile, the World Bank has slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 per cent. The downgrade was driven by higher US tariffs on foreign imports and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The World Bank is the latest body to cut its growth forecast as a result of President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies. But it stopped short of forecasting a recession, despite predicting global economic growth this year would be the weakest outside of a recession since 2008. with Reuters The federal opposition has given the government a partial tick over its upcoming productivity summit, saying that at least Labor recognises there is a problem. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the gathering of business, union and other leaders in Canberra in August would focus on ways to lift economic output. "A round table. Yay!" shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien joked during an interview on Nine's Today program on Wednesday. "But look ... to be fair, at least they're recognising the problem ... so let's take that as a partial tick." Experts are concerned about Australia's lagging rate of productivity - a key economic measure of efficiency and long-term driver of improved living standards. Despite criticism that previous federal government economic summits were too slanted, Mr Albanese said this roundtable would be broad-based. He called for a mature discussion from all parties, noting it was in everyone's interest for productivity to improve. "We're a Labor government, we support unions existing ... but we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "There are common interests ... you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. "It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment." The Productivity Commissioner's most recent report showed labour productivity fell 0.1 per cent in the December quarter and dropped 1.2 per cent in the past year. The Business Council of Australia says productivity growth over the past decade has been the lowest in 60 years. Council chief executive Bran Black welcomed the roundtable, saying "lifting business investment is essential to boosting productivity, lifting real wages, creating jobs and ensuring more opportunity for more Australians". "We will continue to be very clear about policies that the business community believes will be counterproductive to improving productivity," he said. Mr Albanese said he wanted a boost to productivity, alongside other economic indicators as part of his second-term agenda. "We want to build an economy where growth, wages and productivity rise together," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus said working Australians must be at the centre of the roundtable. "We need to leave behind the idea that productivity is equated with cutting pay and making people work harder for less," she said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said boosting productivity was essential for economic growth. "The business community looks forward to participating in the summit and contributing constructive and sensible ideas to address the problem," he said. Meanwhile, the World Bank has slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 per cent. The downgrade was driven by higher US tariffs on foreign imports and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The World Bank is the latest body to cut its growth forecast as a result of President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies. But it stopped short of forecasting a recession, despite predicting global economic growth this year would be the weakest outside of a recession since 2008. with Reuters The federal opposition has given the government a partial tick over its upcoming productivity summit, saying that at least Labor recognises there is a problem. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the gathering of business, union and other leaders in Canberra in August would focus on ways to lift economic output. "A round table. Yay!" shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien joked during an interview on Nine's Today program on Wednesday. "But look ... to be fair, at least they're recognising the problem ... so let's take that as a partial tick." Experts are concerned about Australia's lagging rate of productivity - a key economic measure of efficiency and long-term driver of improved living standards. Despite criticism that previous federal government economic summits were too slanted, Mr Albanese said this roundtable would be broad-based. He called for a mature discussion from all parties, noting it was in everyone's interest for productivity to improve. "We're a Labor government, we support unions existing ... but we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "There are common interests ... you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. "It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment." The Productivity Commissioner's most recent report showed labour productivity fell 0.1 per cent in the December quarter and dropped 1.2 per cent in the past year. The Business Council of Australia says productivity growth over the past decade has been the lowest in 60 years. Council chief executive Bran Black welcomed the roundtable, saying "lifting business investment is essential to boosting productivity, lifting real wages, creating jobs and ensuring more opportunity for more Australians". "We will continue to be very clear about policies that the business community believes will be counterproductive to improving productivity," he said. Mr Albanese said he wanted a boost to productivity, alongside other economic indicators as part of his second-term agenda. "We want to build an economy where growth, wages and productivity rise together," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus said working Australians must be at the centre of the roundtable. "We need to leave behind the idea that productivity is equated with cutting pay and making people work harder for less," she said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said boosting productivity was essential for economic growth. "The business community looks forward to participating in the summit and contributing constructive and sensible ideas to address the problem," he said. Meanwhile, the World Bank has slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 per cent. The downgrade was driven by higher US tariffs on foreign imports and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The World Bank is the latest body to cut its growth forecast as a result of President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies. But it stopped short of forecasting a recession, despite predicting global economic growth this year would be the weakest outside of a recession since 2008. with Reuters The federal opposition has given the government a partial tick over its upcoming productivity summit, saying that at least Labor recognises there is a problem. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the gathering of business, union and other leaders in Canberra in August would focus on ways to lift economic output. "A round table. Yay!" shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien joked during an interview on Nine's Today program on Wednesday. "But look ... to be fair, at least they're recognising the problem ... so let's take that as a partial tick." Experts are concerned about Australia's lagging rate of productivity - a key economic measure of efficiency and long-term driver of improved living standards. Despite criticism that previous federal government economic summits were too slanted, Mr Albanese said this roundtable would be broad-based. He called for a mature discussion from all parties, noting it was in everyone's interest for productivity to improve. "We're a Labor government, we support unions existing ... but we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "There are common interests ... you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. "It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment." The Productivity Commissioner's most recent report showed labour productivity fell 0.1 per cent in the December quarter and dropped 1.2 per cent in the past year. The Business Council of Australia says productivity growth over the past decade has been the lowest in 60 years. Council chief executive Bran Black welcomed the roundtable, saying "lifting business investment is essential to boosting productivity, lifting real wages, creating jobs and ensuring more opportunity for more Australians". "We will continue to be very clear about policies that the business community believes will be counterproductive to improving productivity," he said. Mr Albanese said he wanted a boost to productivity, alongside other economic indicators as part of his second-term agenda. "We want to build an economy where growth, wages and productivity rise together," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus said working Australians must be at the centre of the roundtable. "We need to leave behind the idea that productivity is equated with cutting pay and making people work harder for less," she said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said boosting productivity was essential for economic growth. "The business community looks forward to participating in the summit and contributing constructive and sensible ideas to address the problem," he said. Meanwhile, the World Bank has slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 per cent. The downgrade was driven by higher US tariffs on foreign imports and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The World Bank is the latest body to cut its growth forecast as a result of President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies. But it stopped short of forecasting a recession, despite predicting global economic growth this year would be the weakest outside of a recession since 2008. with Reuters
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
The burning question about renewable energy
Every time a light is switched on in a farmhouse, or a dairy, or an abattoir, that electricity has arrived via a power line that runs across the paddocks of hundreds of farmers. It's a truth forgotten by some advocates for rural and regional Australia that we need power in the country, every bit as much as people need power in the cities. Australia is in the middle of shifting its power system from one fueled primarily by coal to one powered primarily by a mix of clean energy technologies and storage. Currently, around 40 per cent of our electricity is generated from renewable projects like wind, solar and hydro. By 2028, the time the next federal election rolls around, this will be closer to 60 per cent. If government plans are successful, by the election after that this number will be above 80 per cent. That shift is happening because coal plants are reaching the end of their lives and becoming increasingly unreliable. Nexa Advisory has been analysing the performance and reliability of Australia's remaining coal-fired power stations. Their work shows that coal has now become the greatest threat to the reliability of our energy supply. Yallourn in Victoria had unplanned outages for 32 per cent of the time in 2024, Callide B in Queensland was offline for 42 per cent of 2024 due to unplanned outages and maintenance, and each of Eraring's units in NSW experience an average of about two months of downtime annually - all of which pushes our bills higher. Throw in extraordinarily high prices for gas stoked by international conflict and supply issues, and we have a growing problem. To maintain a reliable, affordable power supply for all Australians - across the bush and from the cities to the coast - we urgently need to build infrastructure that replaces the coal and gas plants that have served us well in the past, but no longer can in the future. This is the plan that the majority of Australians voted for at the recent federal election. So the burning question now is, how can we do this in a way that works for rural and regional Australia? READ MORE: RE-Alliance has been working with regional communities at the centre of the shift to renewables for more than a decade. Our work with leaders across country Australia has shown us there is a real appetite for a seat at the table in shaping legacy benefits like better roads, housing infrastructure and energy discounts for entire postcodes. They also want to share local knowledge on where projects should be situated to work best for farmers, nature and communities. There are hundreds of councillors, council staff, leaders of community organisations, farmers and passionate locals who want to come together to get the best outcomes for their communities - we need to listen to them and get on with the job of making this once-in-a-generation change work for rural and regional Australia. Every time a light is switched on in a farmhouse, or a dairy, or an abattoir, that electricity has arrived via a power line that runs across the paddocks of hundreds of farmers. It's a truth forgotten by some advocates for rural and regional Australia that we need power in the country, every bit as much as people need power in the cities. Australia is in the middle of shifting its power system from one fueled primarily by coal to one powered primarily by a mix of clean energy technologies and storage. Currently, around 40 per cent of our electricity is generated from renewable projects like wind, solar and hydro. By 2028, the time the next federal election rolls around, this will be closer to 60 per cent. If government plans are successful, by the election after that this number will be above 80 per cent. That shift is happening because coal plants are reaching the end of their lives and becoming increasingly unreliable. Nexa Advisory has been analysing the performance and reliability of Australia's remaining coal-fired power stations. Their work shows that coal has now become the greatest threat to the reliability of our energy supply. Yallourn in Victoria had unplanned outages for 32 per cent of the time in 2024, Callide B in Queensland was offline for 42 per cent of 2024 due to unplanned outages and maintenance, and each of Eraring's units in NSW experience an average of about two months of downtime annually - all of which pushes our bills higher. Throw in extraordinarily high prices for gas stoked by international conflict and supply issues, and we have a growing problem. To maintain a reliable, affordable power supply for all Australians - across the bush and from the cities to the coast - we urgently need to build infrastructure that replaces the coal and gas plants that have served us well in the past, but no longer can in the future. This is the plan that the majority of Australians voted for at the recent federal election. So the burning question now is, how can we do this in a way that works for rural and regional Australia? READ MORE: RE-Alliance has been working with regional communities at the centre of the shift to renewables for more than a decade. Our work with leaders across country Australia has shown us there is a real appetite for a seat at the table in shaping legacy benefits like better roads, housing infrastructure and energy discounts for entire postcodes. They also want to share local knowledge on where projects should be situated to work best for farmers, nature and communities. There are hundreds of councillors, council staff, leaders of community organisations, farmers and passionate locals who want to come together to get the best outcomes for their communities - we need to listen to them and get on with the job of making this once-in-a-generation change work for rural and regional Australia. Every time a light is switched on in a farmhouse, or a dairy, or an abattoir, that electricity has arrived via a power line that runs across the paddocks of hundreds of farmers. It's a truth forgotten by some advocates for rural and regional Australia that we need power in the country, every bit as much as people need power in the cities. Australia is in the middle of shifting its power system from one fueled primarily by coal to one powered primarily by a mix of clean energy technologies and storage. Currently, around 40 per cent of our electricity is generated from renewable projects like wind, solar and hydro. By 2028, the time the next federal election rolls around, this will be closer to 60 per cent. If government plans are successful, by the election after that this number will be above 80 per cent. That shift is happening because coal plants are reaching the end of their lives and becoming increasingly unreliable. Nexa Advisory has been analysing the performance and reliability of Australia's remaining coal-fired power stations. Their work shows that coal has now become the greatest threat to the reliability of our energy supply. Yallourn in Victoria had unplanned outages for 32 per cent of the time in 2024, Callide B in Queensland was offline for 42 per cent of 2024 due to unplanned outages and maintenance, and each of Eraring's units in NSW experience an average of about two months of downtime annually - all of which pushes our bills higher. Throw in extraordinarily high prices for gas stoked by international conflict and supply issues, and we have a growing problem. To maintain a reliable, affordable power supply for all Australians - across the bush and from the cities to the coast - we urgently need to build infrastructure that replaces the coal and gas plants that have served us well in the past, but no longer can in the future. This is the plan that the majority of Australians voted for at the recent federal election. So the burning question now is, how can we do this in a way that works for rural and regional Australia? READ MORE: RE-Alliance has been working with regional communities at the centre of the shift to renewables for more than a decade. Our work with leaders across country Australia has shown us there is a real appetite for a seat at the table in shaping legacy benefits like better roads, housing infrastructure and energy discounts for entire postcodes. They also want to share local knowledge on where projects should be situated to work best for farmers, nature and communities. There are hundreds of councillors, council staff, leaders of community organisations, farmers and passionate locals who want to come together to get the best outcomes for their communities - we need to listen to them and get on with the job of making this once-in-a-generation change work for rural and regional Australia. Every time a light is switched on in a farmhouse, or a dairy, or an abattoir, that electricity has arrived via a power line that runs across the paddocks of hundreds of farmers. It's a truth forgotten by some advocates for rural and regional Australia that we need power in the country, every bit as much as people need power in the cities. Australia is in the middle of shifting its power system from one fueled primarily by coal to one powered primarily by a mix of clean energy technologies and storage. Currently, around 40 per cent of our electricity is generated from renewable projects like wind, solar and hydro. By 2028, the time the next federal election rolls around, this will be closer to 60 per cent. If government plans are successful, by the election after that this number will be above 80 per cent. That shift is happening because coal plants are reaching the end of their lives and becoming increasingly unreliable. Nexa Advisory has been analysing the performance and reliability of Australia's remaining coal-fired power stations. Their work shows that coal has now become the greatest threat to the reliability of our energy supply. Yallourn in Victoria had unplanned outages for 32 per cent of the time in 2024, Callide B in Queensland was offline for 42 per cent of 2024 due to unplanned outages and maintenance, and each of Eraring's units in NSW experience an average of about two months of downtime annually - all of which pushes our bills higher. Throw in extraordinarily high prices for gas stoked by international conflict and supply issues, and we have a growing problem. To maintain a reliable, affordable power supply for all Australians - across the bush and from the cities to the coast - we urgently need to build infrastructure that replaces the coal and gas plants that have served us well in the past, but no longer can in the future. This is the plan that the majority of Australians voted for at the recent federal election. So the burning question now is, how can we do this in a way that works for rural and regional Australia? READ MORE: RE-Alliance has been working with regional communities at the centre of the shift to renewables for more than a decade. Our work with leaders across country Australia has shown us there is a real appetite for a seat at the table in shaping legacy benefits like better roads, housing infrastructure and energy discounts for entire postcodes. They also want to share local knowledge on where projects should be situated to work best for farmers, nature and communities. There are hundreds of councillors, council staff, leaders of community organisations, farmers and passionate locals who want to come together to get the best outcomes for their communities - we need to listen to them and get on with the job of making this once-in-a-generation change work for rural and regional Australia.
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
'Partial tick': coalition cautious on PM's summit idea
The federal opposition has given the government a partial tick over its upcoming productivity summit, saying that at least Labor recognises there is a problem. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the gathering of business, union and other leaders in Canberra in August would focus on ways to lift economic output. "A round table. Yay!" shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien joked during an interview on Nine's Today program on Wednesday. "But look ... to be fair, at least they're recognising the problem ... so let's take that as a partial tick." Experts are concerned about Australia's lagging rate of productivity - a key economic measure of efficiency and long-term driver of improved living standards. Despite criticism that previous federal government economic summits were too slanted, Mr Albanese said this roundtable would be broad-based. He called for a mature discussion from all parties, noting it was in everyone's interest for productivity to improve. "We're a Labor government, we support unions existing ... but we will always respect both the role of business and the role of unions," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday. "There are common interests ... you don't get union members unless you've got successful employers. "It's the private sector that drives an economy. What the public sector should do is facilitate private sector activity and private sector investment." The Productivity Commissioner's most recent report showed labour productivity fell 0.1 per cent in the December quarter and dropped 1.2 per cent in the past year. The Business Council of Australia says productivity growth over the past decade has been the lowest in 60 years. Council chief executive Bran Black welcomed the roundtable, saying "lifting business investment is essential to boosting productivity, lifting real wages, creating jobs and ensuring more opportunity for more Australians". "We will continue to be very clear about policies that the business community believes will be counterproductive to improving productivity," he said. Mr Albanese said he wanted a boost to productivity, alongside other economic indicators as part of his second-term agenda. "We want to build an economy where growth, wages and productivity rise together," he said. ACTU secretary Sally McManus said working Australians must be at the centre of the roundtable. "We need to leave behind the idea that productivity is equated with cutting pay and making people work harder for less," she said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said boosting productivity was essential for economic growth. "The business community looks forward to participating in the summit and contributing constructive and sensible ideas to address the problem," he said. Meanwhile, the World Bank has slashed its global growth forecast for 2025 by four-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 per cent. The downgrade was driven by higher US tariffs on foreign imports and heightened uncertainty posed a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. The World Bank is the latest body to cut its growth forecast as a result of President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies. But it stopped short of forecasting a recession, despite predicting global economic growth this year would be the weakest outside of a recession since 2008. with Reuters
