King's Birthday Honours
Opinion
Honouring Scott Morrison makes a mockery of awards system
The fact that every Australian prime minister gets one of these gongs is another reason to review our honours system.
Jenna Price
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Sydney Morning Herald
41 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Betrayal': NSW to cut battery subsidies as federal scheme kicks in
The NSW government will end its incentive to install a home solar battery from July in favour of an enhanced Commonwealth scheme, and use the savings to encourage households to allow their stored energy to be remotely accessed by the grid. Since last November, NSW consumers have been able to access a rebate of up to $2600 (depending on the size of the battery) to attach storage to their rooftop solar systems. The scheme resulted in 11,400 battery installations across the state in six months. The program will conclude at the end of this month, while the Australian government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program is set to start on July 1. The federal rebate, announced before the election, will reduce the cost of a battery by about 30 per cent, making it about double the size of the state scheme. Heidi Lee Douglas, chief executive of consumer advocacy group Solar Citizens, said the NSW government had betrayed solar households with its decision and put its legislated net zero targets further out of reach. The NSW Net Zero Commission has warned that NSW would not reach its emissions reduction targets from 2030 to 2050. 'This surprise decision is a blow to solar home owners planning to buy a home battery in coming months, and a betrayal of the prime minister and Federal Minister for Climate and Energy Chris Bowen's assurance that the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program can be 'stacked' with state initiatives,' Douglas said. 'This bizarre decision puts the timely closure of the Eraring coal-fired power plant at risk. A key justification for extending the life of the plant was the lack of energy storage. The Commonwealth stepped in by boosting battery rebates further and now the NSW government is making that transition harder.' The NSW government said the money would remain within its Peak Demand Reduction Scheme, a program designed to reduce electricity demand during peak periods. The government would redirect the funds to double the payments to encourage solar households to sign up to a virtual power plant (VPP) – a group of solar-powered batteries linked by software, which are owned by households and small businesses that have consented for excess stored power to be sold to the grid. Industry support
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Fourth Australian media worker struck in LA riots; press groups say journalists ‘targeted'
A Channel Nine cameraman is the fourth Australian media worker harmed by law enforcement in Los Angeles, among dozens of journalists who have been injured at immigration protests, drawing widespread condemnation from press freedom groups. The unnamed cameraman was struck in the leg with a ricocheting rubber bullet while covering the protests on Tuesday, Los Angeles time, leaving bruises. The cameraman was not filming at the time and had been following instructions to find shelter from law enforcement, a Nine spokesman said. The spokesman said Nine, the owner of this masthead, is assessing the situation and is taking into account the growing number of similar incidents involving journalists in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (AEST) the ABC's North American correspondent Lauren Day described being hit with tear gas as police dispersed a crowd of protesters. 'You can see why they call it tear gas: it really burns your eyes, it burns your throat,' Day said during a report for ABC News. An ABC camera operator was also shot in the chest on Tuesday with a non-lethal bullet – while wearing protective Kevlar – describing the pain like 'being punched in the chest' the broadcaster reported. A coalition of press freedom organisations sent a letter to US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem expressing concern that federal law enforcement officers had indiscriminately targeted journalists. It urged officers to show restraint.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Fourth Australian media worker struck in LA riots; press groups say journalists ‘targeted'
A Channel Nine cameraman is the fourth Australian media worker harmed by law enforcement in Los Angeles, among dozens of journalists who have been injured at immigration protests, drawing widespread condemnation from press freedom groups. The unnamed cameraman was struck in the leg with a ricocheting rubber bullet while covering the protests on Tuesday, Los Angeles time, leaving bruises. The cameraman was not filming at the time and had been following instructions to find shelter from law enforcement, a Nine spokesman said. The spokesman said Nine, the owner of this masthead, is assessing the situation and is taking into account the growing number of similar incidents involving journalists in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (AEST) the ABC's North American correspondent Lauren Day described being hit with tear gas as police dispersed a crowd of protesters. 'You can see why they call it tear gas: it really burns your eyes, it burns your throat,' Day said during a report for ABC News. An ABC camera operator was also shot in the chest on Tuesday with a non-lethal bullet – while wearing protective Kevlar – describing the pain like 'being punched in the chest' the broadcaster reported. A coalition of press freedom organisations sent a letter to US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem expressing concern that federal law enforcement officers had indiscriminately targeted journalists. It urged officers to show restraint.
