Australia news live: Greens pledge to ‘end homelessness'; Good Life festival the latest to skip 2025
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Martin Farrer with some of the top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes the news baton.
In our top story this morning, the former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr tells us that Australia faces a 'colossal surrender of sovereignty' if promised US nuclear-powered submarines do not arrive under Australian control. As a report by a group called Australians for War Powers Reform is released today, Carr argues that the US is 'utterly not a reliable ally' to Australia. More details on the way.
There's a lot of politics around this morning with another report saying a re-elected Labor government would reduce the price of PBS-listed medicines to no more than $25 a script in a major election pledge to be included in next week's budget. At the same time, Peter Dutton faces internal pressure to match Labor's budget giveaways as Coalition MPs hope to neutralise a potentially potent Labor attack during the campaign. And the Greens launch their housing policy in Brisbane today with a call for billions in extra funding for accommodation and supported tenancies. More coming up.
Dovetailing with this buildup of political stories today, we have a fascinating read today by the researcher Rebecca Huntley about social trends and how Australians have lost hope in the concept of the 'fair go' and place more value in security and personal freedom. She finds that driving this change is the unaffordability of housing and declining engagement with politics, and has some suggestions about how to fix the problem.
And the Good Life music festival has joined the growing list of festivals to cancel their 2025 editions, as costs escalate. More on that soon. Share
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Air Canada flight attendants continue strike despite order to return, airline delays restart
MONTREAL Aug 17 (Reuters) - Air Canada ( opens new tab flight attendants remained on strike on Sunday past the deadline in a government-backed labor board's order to return to work, causing the country's biggest airline to delay restarting operations. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said in a statement that members would remain on strike and invited Air Canada back to the table to "negotiate a fair deal," calling the order to end its strike unconstitutional. The airline said it would delay plans to restart operations from Sunday until Monday evening. On Saturday, Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government moved to end the strike by more than 10,000 flight attendants by asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order binding arbitration. The CIRB issued the order, which Air Canada had sought, and unionized flight attendants opposed. The Canada Labour Code gives the government the power to ask the CIRB to impose binding arbitration in the interest of protecting the economy. The government's options to end the strike now include asking courts to enforce the order to return to work and seeking an expedited hearing. The minority government could also try to pass legislation that would need the support of political rivals and approval in both houses of parliament, which is on break until September 15. The government did not respond to requests for comment. "The federal government has entrusted a board to administer these rules in the Canadian Labor Code, and if you defy them, you are transgressing and essentially violating the law," said Rafael Gomez, a professor of employment relations at the University of Toronto. The government, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, intervened last year to head off rail and dock strikes that threatened to cripple the economy, but it is unusual for a union to defy a CIRB order. Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new contract. Air Canada had said it planned to resume flights on Sunday evening, following the expected end of the strike that caused the suspension of around 700 daily flights on Saturday, stranding more than 100,000 passengers. The union called a decision by the CIRB chair Maryse Tremblay to not recuse herself from handling the case a "staggering conflict of interest," since she had worked as a senior counsel for Air Canada in the past. According to Tremblay's LinkedIn profile, she served as Air Canada's counsel from 1998 to 2004. The CIRB did not respond to a request for comment. Other unions joined the flight attendants' picket line in solidarity in Toronto on Sunday. "They are in support here today because they are seeing our rights being eroded," said Natasha Stea, an Air Canada flight attendant and local union president. Air Canada had started cancelling flights on Thursday in anticipation of the stoppage. Travelers at Toronto Pearson International Airport said they were confused about whether their flights would resume or Air Canada would make alternative arrangements. "We are kind of left to figure it out for ourselves and fend for ourselves with no recourse or options provided by Air Canada at this time," said Elizabeth Fourney of Vancouver. The most contentious issue has been the union's demand for compensation for time spent on the ground between flights and when helping passengers board. Attendants are largely paid only when their plane is moving. CUPE had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline. Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB had ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement can be reached.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Air Canada union says flight attendants will continue strike, airline delays restart plan
MONTREAL Aug 17 (Reuters) - Air Canada ( opens new tab flight attendants said on Sunday they would remain on strike despite a government-backed labor board's order to return to work by 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), calling the order unconstitutional. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said in a statement that members would remain on strike and invited Air Canada back to the table to "negotiate a fair deal." The airline said it would delay plans to restart operations from Sunday until Monday evening. On Saturday, the Canadian government under Prime Minister Mark Carney moved to end a strike by more than 10,000 flight attendants at the country's largest carrier by asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order binding arbitration. The CIRB issued the order, which Air Canada had sought, and unionized flight attendants opposed. The Canada Labour Code gives the government the power to ask the CIRB to impose binding arbitration in the interest of protecting the economy. The government, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, intervened last year to head off rail and dock strikes that threatened to cripple the economy, but it is unusual for a union to defy a CIRB order. It was not immediately clear what options the government has if the union continues its strike. Air Canada had said it planned to resume flights on Sunday evening, following the expected end of the strike that caused the suspension of around 700 daily flights on Saturday, stranding more than 100,000 passengers. Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new contract. The union called a decision by the CIRB chair Maryse Tremblay to not recuse herself from handling the case a "staggering conflict of interest," since she had worked as a senior counsel for Air Canada in the past. According to Tremblay's LinkedIn profile, she served as Air Canada's counsel from 1998 to 2004. Air Canada, the CIRB, and a Canadian government spokesperson were not immediately available for comment. Other unions joined the flight attendants' picket line in solidarity in Toronto on Sunday. "They are in support here today because they are seeing our rights being eroded," said Natasha Stea, an Air Canada flight attendant and local union president. Air Canada had started cancelling flights on Thursday in anticipation of the stoppage. Travellers at Toronto Pearson International Airport said they were confused about whether their flights would resume or Air Canada would make alternative arrangements. "We are kind of left to figure it out for ourselves and fend for ourselves with no recourse or options provided by Air Canada at this time," said Elizabeth Fourney of Vancouver. The most contentious issue has been the union's demand for compensation for time spent on the ground between flights and when helping passengers board. Attendants are largely paid only when their plane is moving. CUPE had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline. Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB had ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement can be reached.
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
Air Canada union says flight attendants will continue strike, defy government
MONTREAL Aug 17 (Reuters) - Air Canada ( opens new tab flight attendants said on Sunday they will remain on strike and challenge a return-to-work order they called unconstitutional, defying a government decision to force them back to their duties by 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT). Air Canada had said it planned to resume flights on Sunday evening, a day after the Canadian government issued a directive to end a cabin crew strike that caused the suspension of around 700 daily flights, stranding more than 100,000 passengers. Thousands of Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday for the first time since 1985, after months of negotiations over a new contract. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said in a statement that members would remain on strike and invited Air Canada back to the table to "negotiate a fair deal." Air Canada and a Canadian government spokesperson were not immediately available for comment. The country's largest carrier had said some flights would still be canceled over the next 7-10 days as the schedule stabilizes and returns to normal. It had started cancelling flights on Friday in anticipation of the stoppage. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board ordered Air Canada to resume operations and all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to their duties. The CIRB was acting on a directive from Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu as the government moved to end the strike and require binding arbitration to break a contract impasse, an action that Air Canada had previously sought from Prime Minister Mark Carney's minority Liberal government but unionized flight attendants fiercely opposed. The most contentious issue in the contract negotiations has been the union's demand for compensation for time spent on the ground between flights and when helping passengers board. Attendants are now largely paid only when their plane is moving. CUPE had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline. Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB had ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement can be reached.
