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ABC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
How will Sussan Ley revitalise the Coalition?
Woman's voice: ABC Listen, podcasts, radio, news, music and more. Sabra Lane: Good morning. Welcome to AM. It's Thursday the 29th of May. I'm Sabra Lane coming to you from Nipaluna, Hobart. They're reunited. After a week's split, the Liberal and National parties are back as a coalition. Yesterday, the Liberal leader Sussan Ley revealed a refreshed shadow cabinet. The messy separation played out while Ms Ley's mother died. The new Liberal leader announced the new-look opposition frontbench alongside Nationals leader David Littleproud. She spoke with me earlier. Sussan Ley, thanks for joining AM, but condolences on the loss of your mother. Sussan Ley: Thank you so much, Sabra. It's good to speak with you. It's been a tough couple of weeks personally, but also I've reflected often on the incredible privilege of leading the opposition, leading the Liberal Party. And I'm so keen to get out there now that we've reformed the coalition to work hard for the Australian people and every single community in every single corner of this country. Sabra Lane: Just on that, you thanked David Littleproud yesterday for being respectful and productive, but some Australians would be very puzzled by that because many think the way that the Nationals behaved in the past fortnight was anything but respectful, especially as you were dealing with your mother's illness and death. Sussan Ley: There's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. There's a lot of commentary. There's even commentary about the commentary with this, but David and I are firmly focused on the future. We walked into that party room yesterday and we walked out both chatting to each other about the communities we seek to represent and in particular, the flooding in Northern New South Wales and how quickly we wanted to work together to be on the ground to support those communities. So while the nature of coalition agreements can be vigorous debate, and as I said, back and forth, I'm delighted that as a coalition, we will be a team that takes the fight up on behalf of the Australian people. Every government sabre needs the strongest possible opposition. We both really believe that we work better when we work together. Sabra Lane: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who defected from the Nationals to join the Liberal Party for a tilt at a leadership position that fizzled, says of the new shadow cabinet, I'll be honest to say that there are probably some appointments that have not been predicated on experience or merit. This is the team we have to work with. How confident are you that the Senator is going to be a team player? Sussan Ley: I'm very excited about the team. Can I say that, Sabra? Sabra Lane: But on her words? Sussan Ley: Well, she is part of that team. She's an incredible Australian in terms of her ability to connect. But I'm very proud of my team. I'm very proud of everything they offer. And it's not just the team in the shadow ministry. And that's an important message to get across. As I said yesterday, I spoke to every one of the 54 members of my party room, because everyone is involved. And I want to harness the talents of every single individual as we go out and do what we've been elected to do, which is work hard for the Australian people. Sabra Lane: On the nub of the question, though, sorry, those words don't sound like she's fully on board. Sussan Ley: Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is taking on a crucial role in defence as the shadow minister for defence industry and defence personnel. And I know working with Angus Taylor as our shadow minister for defence, this is going to be a terrifically important combination. We have Phil Thompson also in that team, and we've got work to do to present the case that we need to think carefully and work hard. Sabra Lane: Much of the criticism about the coalition's performance at the election was that many policies were lacking, that hadn't been worked through or released too late. Some were out of touch with modern Australia. How is this team going to rectify that? Sussan Ley: Modernising the Liberal Party is not about moving it to the left or to the right. It is about meeting people. Because it's true, Sara, we suffered a resounding defeat and we didn't meet the expectations of Australians. And we have to go out into those communities and we have to listen closely and we have to change. This is a new team with a fresh approach that will do things differently. We're not focused on the internals. We're not focused on what happens inside the building in Canberra, important though that is from time to time. We're very much focused on the work that we need to do. Sabra Lane: On net zero, Australia signed up to an international agreement pledging to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The coalition has said it will review that commitment to the policy. If it's ditched, won't Australians just interpret that as the coalition being an organisation of climate change deniers? Sussan Ley: Australia must play its role in reducing global emissions. There is an important role for us to play. But it is always a balance between power prices, what Australian households are paying and how they're struggling to afford to pay their power bills as we go into winter. And we must have... Sabra Lane: The nub of that question, sorry, was again, people might view the coalition as just being an organisation of climate change deniers. Sussan Ley: Well, I completely reject that. Australians, no, and that includes our team. We must reduce emissions, but we must have a stable, reliable energy grid. And that's the perspective that I will bring to the policy development in this space. Sabra Lane: How will your leadership style be different, say, from Peter Dutton's? Sussan Ley: Without reflecting on any previous leader, Sabra, I know that I bring two things to the team straight away, and that is my very strong work ethic and also my consultation. It's not about lecturing from the top. It shouldn't be in opposition. It's about listening. As we develop policy going forward, we will see them through the timeless prism of the values that we have as Liberals. And I know that, again, with the team that I have around me, we can do this job really well. Millions of Australians voted for us at the last election. Millions didn't. But right now, we're here for every single one to prove to them that we are up for the task and to earn their faith and trust in us. Sabra Lane: Sussan Ley, thanks for talking to AM this morning. Sussan Ley: It's a pleasure, Sabra. Sabra Lane: And Sussan Ley is the new Federal Liberal Party leader. The new Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, has given preliminary approval to extend Woodside Energy's northwest shelf operations by 40 years. Woodside's welcomed it as delivering certainty. It now has 10 days to respond to the strict conditions the Minister's applied to the liquid natural gas plant. Indigenous custodians and environmentalists, though, are devastated by the decision. Annie Guest reports. Annie Guest: Woodside Energy has spent seven years securing an extension beyond 2030 and CEO Meg O'Neill has welcomed the green light. Meg O'Neill: I'm really delighted that we have received the Minister's proposed approval for the northwest shelf life extension. This decision has been a long time in the coming. Annie Guest: The $34 billion northwest shelf project extracts gas off the Pilbara coast and processes it at an onshore plant covering 200 hectares not far from Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula. The approval came shortly after UNESCO flagged it would reject a bid for World Heritage listing for the Burrup Peninsula, citing concerns about emissions degrading the Aboriginal rock carvings. Ngarluma Yinjibarndi woman, Kaylene Daniel, is a traditional custodian. Kaylene Daniel: I'm feeling sad. Everything that we've all been going through, my family, the five language groups, it has been a long fight for us to do this. World Heritage listing is what we want and need. We don't need this extension. We don't want this, please. Annie Guest: The Mayor of Karratha, Daniel Scott, is also concerned about World Heritage listing for the rock art and implications for tourism. But with 300 of Woodside's employees living locally, he says there's also an upside. Daniel Scott: It's good news on one front. It's security for the people here that are directly employed by Woodside and the businesses that are directly impacted and have their services and income from Woodside. Annie Guest: But environmentalists describe extending the gas operation as terrible for marine life and reefs and disastrous for the climate. WA farmer Simon Wallwork is the chair of AgZero 2030. Simon Wallwork: Yeah, I'm really disappointed regarding this decision. It's the cost to agriculture hasn't been factored in. It's a very large amount of greenhouse gas emissions and that will have a cost on agriculture, particularly in the South West Land Division of Western Australia, where we've already lost significant rainfall and we're experiencing higher temperatures. Annie Guest: Amid concerns about electricity price rises and warnings of domestic shortfalls, Woodside is under pressure to sell 15 per cent of gas locally. Sabra Lane: Annie Guest and Angus Randall reporting there. Australia's anti-corruption watchdog is again under pressure, this time for mishandling a complaint involving one of its own commissioners. It's the latest in a string of internal stumbles, raising questions about whether the National Anti-Corruption Commission is meeting the standards it was set up to enforce. Political reporter Olivia Caisley has the exclusive story. Olivia Caisley: It was created to restore trust, a powerful new watchdog with a promise to clean up politics. But nearly two years on, the Commission is under pressure again, this time over how it handled a complaint about one of its own. The ABC can reveal the NACC failed to comply with its own legislation by wrongly dismissing a complaint about a commissioner last November. Under its Act, any referral involving staff, even about conduct before they joined, must be passed to the independent inspector. It wasn't. In a letter seen by the ABC, Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour admitted the error and apologised. Kylie Kilgour statement: Unfortunately, the Commission staff who received your referral assessed only whether your matter raised a corruption issue ... and did not consider whether the matter should be referred to the Inspector. I apologise for this error. Olivia Caisley: The commissioner at the centre of the allegation was never told about the referral, which was eventually passed on to the inspector, Gail Gurness, in February. She later found it fell outside her jurisdiction. This is the third such mandatory referral the NACC has made about its own staff. And it's not the first time the Commission has faced criticism over its internal decision-making. Last year, it initially refused to investigate senior public servants over robodebt, only to reverse course after public backlash. A later review found the Chief Commissioner Paul Brereton failed to fully recuse himself despite a declared personal link with one of the officials involved. Green Senator David Shoebridge, whose party holds the balance of power in the Upper House, says the latest incident is another significant credibility setback for the body. David Shoebridge: Because there was a statutory obligation on the NACC because of that conflict of interest to immediately refer it across to the inspector. Olivia Caisley: With growing scrutiny over how the watchdog polices itself, pressure is now mounting for clearer guardrails. Will Partlett from the Centre for Public Integrity says the Commission needs to update its triage process if it hasn't already. Will Partlett: If they didn't know they should have known particularly on an allegation of corruption with the commissioner. Olivia Caisley: Senator Shoebridge says it's time for rehabilitation. David Shoebridge: We want the NACC to work. We want the NACC to have strong public support and we want it to do its job, free from distractions, to fight corruption at a Commonwealth level and it's not doing that right now. So again we say to the Labor government, let's have a program of reform. Olivia Caisley: A spokesperson for the watchdog described the mistake as human error and said safeguards have been put in place to prevent it from happening again. Sabra Lane: Olivia Caisley there. Israel's Prime Minister says the country's military has killed a senior leader of the militant group Hamas inside Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu says it's proof Israel's strategy is working, yet some Israelis have marked 600 days since the war began with marches and protests calling for it to end. In New York, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations has broken down while delivering an emotional address on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Middle East correspondent Eric Tlozek reports. Eric Tlozek: The Israeli military has been hunting Mohammed Sinwar for months. The younger sibling of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, he's thought to have taken a senior role in the group after the Israelis killed his brother last year. The Israel Defence Forces says there's still some doubt about his death, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel's parliament it's been confirmed. Benjamin Netanyahu: In 600 days of war of revival, we have changed the face of the Middle East. We repelled terrorists from our territory, entered the Gaza Strip with force and eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists. We cut off Hamas's weapons supply and nearly all rocket fire from Gaza into our territory. Eric Tlozek: As families of hostages prepared to march in Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister went on to say the Israeli government believes 20 hostages remain alive in Gaza, with 38 thought to be dead. Hostage families are begging for a ceasefire deal that sees their relatives freed. But Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel's increasing military pressure would soon destroy Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu: In the past two days, we've been making a dramatic shift towards the complete defeat of Hamas. We are taking control of the food distribution in the Gaza Strip. This is their money machine. This is what fuels their terror army. And this is what dismantles their governing capabilities. We are committed to eliminating both their military and governmental capacities. Eric Tlozek: The United Nations says it has no evidence Hamas stole any aid from the UN or any of its partners in Gaza. Hamas says it's accepted an American proposal for a ceasefire, which includes the release of 10 Israeli hostages. But the Israeli government's reportedly rejected it. And the United States says it's preparing to put forward a new proposal to end the war. US President Donald Trump is set to review it in the coming days. Donald Trump: We're dealing with the whole situation in Gaza. We're getting food to the people of Gaza. It's been a very nasty situation, very nasty fight. October 7th was a very nasty day, the worst that I think I've ever seen. It was a horrible day and people aren't going to forget that either. So we'll see how that all works out. Eric Tlozek: In the meantime, the mourning in Gaza continues, with dozens more Palestinians dying in ongoing Israeli strikes. The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations is among those begging powerful countries to stop Israel. Riyad Mansour told the UN Security Council the high number of children suffering in Gaza should move people to act. Riyad Mansour: Dozens of children are dying of starvation. The images of mothers embracing their motionless bodies, caressing their hair, talking to them, apologising to them. It's unbearable. How could anyone tolerate this sorrow? Sabra Lane: The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, ending that report from Eric Tlozek. That's all for today. Thanks for your company. I'm Sabra Lane. Sam Hawley: Hi, it's Sam Hawley here, host of the ABC News Daily Podcast. Today we'll be considering the plight of Australia's farmers who've suffered through the devastating floods, but also consider those further south fighting their way through severe drought and ask the question, is Australia really still fit for farming? Look for the ABC News Daily Podcast on the ABC Listen App.
ABC News
28-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Drugs a factor in Liverpool car attack
Sabra Lane: Good morning, welcome to AM. It's Wednesday the 28th of May. I'm Sabra Lane, coming to you from Nipaluna/Hobart. Sabra Lane: British police suspect the 53-year-old man they've arrested for driving his car through a crowd of football fans in Liverpool was under the influence of drugs. Eleven victims remain in hospital with serious injuries. More than 50 people had to be treated for their injuries. They'd been celebrating Liverpool's Premier League victory in the city centre. Europe correspondent, Mazoe Ford, reports from Liverpool. Mazoe Ford : Confetti still covers much of the parade route. The rubbish is yet to be cleared. The parade and Liverpool FC signs hang from the buildings. All reminders there was a huge party here before everything changed in an instant. These streets are now a crime scene. Police are collecting evidence. And those who were celebrating on Monday have been walking by the police tape in disbelief. Marie O'Brien : You just think of all these things that happen all over the world and you never think you're going to be in the middle of something like this. Mazoe Ford : Marie O'Brien from Ireland travelled to Liverpool for the parade with her husband Peter, son Paul and 11-year-old grandson Danny. She told AM they were in the path of the car which rammed the crowd. Marie O'Brien : People were just pushing us to one side because this car was coming at us. It was the ordinary people that just saved everybody. It would have been worse. Mazoe Ford : Eleven-year-old Danny was just one of many children there. Danny O'Brien: There was loads of people running. They pushed, grabbed me and pushed me to the side. And I just saw the car and I didn't know what was going on. I was just kind of shocked after it. I didn't really understand what was going on until after the whole thing. Mazoe Ford : Melbourne man Corey Judd, who also travelled to Liverpool for the celebrations, was about 200 metres from the incident as it unfolded. He told AM the mood of the day changed immediately. Corey Judd: Everyone was just in such a great mood and welcoming of people from other countries and stuff. So to hear it, it was just like, it felt like such a dampener on everything that had happened. So yeah, no, it was horrible. Mazoe Ford : In all, 50 people have been treated in hospital. Eleven remain there, but all are in a stable condition. Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims from the Merseyside Police says her team now knows how the car made it onto the closed-off parade route. Chief Constable Jenny Sims : It is believed the driver of the Ford Galaxy car involved in this incident was able to follow an ambulance onto Water Street after the roadblock was temporarily lifted so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public who was having a suspected heart attack. Mazoe Ford : Police also say they believe the driver was under the influence of drugs. Detective Superintendent Karen Jaundrill. Detective Super intendent Karen Jaundrill: We have arrested a 53-year-old man from West Derby on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving whilst unfit through drugs. He remains in custody where he is being interviewed. Mazoe Ford : Police are releasing as many details as they can to try to counter misinformation spreading online and in the community. But they haven't yet said anything about why this may have happened. And that's the question people here are asking most. This is Mazoe Ford in Liverpool, reporting for AM. Sabra Lane: Private contractors delivering aid to Gazans had to evacuate their distribution sites because they were mobbed by desperate people. This had been the start of a new Israeli-designed system to deliver food, replacing existing humanitarian agencies with a private company. Aid agencies have condemned it as inadequate and dangerous. Middle East correspondent Eric Tlozek reports. Eric Tlozek : Footage showed thousands of people overrunning the aid distribution site in Rafah in southern Gaza. The desperate Palestinians had rushed from across the strip for their first chance to get food in weeks. Afaf al Syed came with her family. Afaf al Syed : People are hungry, people are in need. I am one of them. I hope they get aid every day for the people. Eric Tlozek : Aid agencies say Gazans have been pushed to the brink of starvation by Israel's decision to block food from entering the territory in early March. In recent days, the Israeli military has let a small amount of food enter, but most people are still desperate and hungry. Mohammed Afana was one of those who got an aid package. Mohammad Afana : I can feed my children for a week with all of that. Look, there's rice. One kilo of rice costs 80 shekels. Sugar is 170 shekels. That's 90 shekels over there. Such a shame. Look, look, there's fava beans. When my children see that, they'll be happy. Eric Tlozek : The aid's being delivered by a private company staffed by former soldiers and managed by a newly formed group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It hasn't revealed where its funding comes from. In a statement, the group acknowledged its staff withdrew from a distribution site when it was mobbed by desperate Gazans. It says normal delivery resumed afterwards and will continue today. Etaf Abutir was one of the people who ran inside. Etaf Abu Tear : They opened the gates and people rushed in. Everybody rushed. They all went. We've been displaced. We're hungry. I'm an old woman. Eric Tlozek : The Israeli military denied reports it had fired on the crowd, saying soldiers had fired warning shots. The scenes highlighted some of the fears expressed by the established aid agencies already working in Gaza. They've condemned the new plan, saying it breaches humanitarian principles and won't be able to meet the huge needs. Bushra Khalidi, the Palestinian Territory's policy lead for the humanitarian organisation Oxfam, says the new agency can't replace existing networks that have helped Gazans for decades. Bushra Khalidi: How are you going to set up something that is going to serve 2.1 million people who are on the brink of starvation, who are desperate, and meet their daily needs overnight, basically. That's what they're telling us. That sounds like magic. This is not a solution. It's a distraction from the root problem. Eric Tlozek : Israel's government and military say the new system isolates the militant group Hamas, which they accuse of diverting aid. But the United Nations and other agencies are worried Israel could use its control of aid to achieve military goals. Bushra Khalidi says the implementation of this plan will have dire consequences for future humanitarian missions. Bushra Khalidi: We are basically turning aid into a tool of control. Sabra Lane: Oxfam's Bushra Khalidi ending that report from Eric Tlozek Sabra Lane: King Charles has opened Canada's Parliament. He's the head of state there, like he is here, but it's been the first time in nearly 70 years that the Sovereign's given the opening address. He said democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom were values the Canadian government would aim to protect. It's all viewed as criticism of Canada's neighbour, US President Donald Trump, who's repeatedly threatened to annex the country. North America correspondent Lauren Day reports. Lauren Day : With a military band, a horse-drawn carriage and a royal salute, it was a Canadian welcome fit for a king. King Charles: This is my 20th visit to Canada, spread over the course of more than half a century and my first as Sovereign. As I've said before, every time I come to Canada, a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream and from there straight to my heart. Lauren Day : But this was no ordinary visit. New Prime Minister Mark Carney invited the monarch to Canada after Donald Trump's repeated threats to make his northern neighbour the 51st state of America. And the speech from the throne, written by the Prime Minister's office, had a clear but subtle message. The country already has a king. King Charles: Today, Canada faces another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear and ones which the government is determined to protect. Lauren Day : Amid the diplomatic tensions and escalating trade war with the United States, King Charles spoke about Canadians feeling anxious and worried. King Charles: Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity. A confident Canada can seize this opportunity by recognising that all Canadians can give themselves far more than any foreign power on any continent can ever take away. And that by staying true to Canadian values, Canada can build new alliances and a new economy that serves all Canadians. Lauren Day : While Canadians are indifferent to the monarchy, the King's speech wasn't necessarily for them or the members of Parliament who sat to hear it. President Trump has been a long-time fan of the royal family and Prime Minister Mark Carney will be hoping that wheeling out the King will put a lid on his escalating rhetoric. Mark Carney: It was a very successful visit, a good reminder of the strength of Canadian institutions. Lauren Day : The monarch closed his speech by quoting the country's national anthem to a standing ovation. King Charles: As the anthem reminds us, the true north is indeed strong and free. Lauren Day : This is Lauren Day in Washington reporting for AM. Sabra Lane: Australians are being warned about gaining early access to their superannuation to pay for urgent medical and dental treatment after clinics run by a New South Wales company were placed into administration. It appears more than 400 patients have handed over more than $2 million for treatment at one clinic, with none of the promised treatment delivered. Some patients have drained their super accounts and now have no teeth. National Health reporter Elise Worthington has this exclusive story. Elise Worthington : Single mum of four, Melinda Amourous, was losing teeth and struggling with her self-confidence when she visited a supercare dental and cosmetics clinic near Newcastle in 2022. She was quoted $48,000 for dental implants and offered help to apply to the ATO to access her superannuation. Melinda Amourous : I literally jumped at the chance because I was losing teeth and it was starting to affect my self-confidence a bit and also ability to chew and things. Elise Worthington : She had all her teeth extracted and spent months without teeth, chasing the clinic for appointments to have her implants installed. When they finally were, she was shocked by what she received. Speaker 4: The denture that I'm wearing, my stick-on denture, actually snapped clean in half and I had to stick it together with super glue, my $48,000 over denture. Elise Worthington : For years, she's been trying to get the company to repair the work, but has been plagued by staff turnover. Speaker 4: 26 months in at this stage, 28 months now, sitting here now, supercare dental are not coming anywhere near me. Elise Worthington : It turns out she's not alone. The clinic she used, Supercare Dental and Cosmetics in Kotara, along with the company's Tuggerah clinic and a related entity, were placed into voluntary administration last month. A preliminary report issued to creditors reveals between the two clinics, there's more than 400 patients owed more than $2.1 million in incomplete dental work. The ABC has spoken to more than a dozen patients and former dentists at the practices, who say it's likely much of that money came from patients' superannuation accounts, something the company actively promotes. Supercare Dental advertisement: You can use your super for an excellent dental treatment. Witness a dental experience like no other. Supercare Dental and Cosmetics. Elise Worthington : Early access to super is supposed to only be used to treat a life-threatening illness or injury, or to alleviate acute or chronic pain. Xavier O'Halloran is the CEO of Superannuation Consumers Australia. Xavier O'Halloran : Yeah, I think the promotion of these kind of early release schemes leave a lot to be desired, and I don't think the promoters have the best interests of consumers at heart. Elise Worthington : Last financial year, Australians withdrew over half a billion dollars of their superannuation to pay for dental work through the ATO's Compassionate Early Release Program. That figure's more than tripled over the last three years, with financial advisors warning it can cost a lot more than expected when using super to pay for dental work, especially when paying up front. Xavier O'Halloran : Be aware of tax implications. There could be a tax of around 22% taken out of the balance that you withdraw. That means you may have to take out more than the actual surgery, which again can really impact your retirement outcomes as well. Sabra Lane: Xavier O'Halloran from the Superannuation Consumers Australia Group, ending Elise Worthington's report. And last night, the New South Wales Supreme Court ordered one of the entities under administration be wound up and a liquidator appointed. Supercare Dental and Cosmetics didn't respond to our requests for comment. Sabra Lane: Farmers on the New South Wales Mid North Coast and Hunter regions are calling for more Federal Government support including assistance packages and more people to help with the clean up and recovery. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the region yesterday and announced extra help. Alison Xiao reports from Taree. Christine George : When you look back up the paddock and everything after that third fence is gone. Alison Xiao: On Taree's south west, much of the farmland has been reduced to a muddy bog. Christine George is a farmer here and runs a small cattle farm. Christine George : You know there's water, it was like up to here. Alison Xiao: About your head height? Christine George : Yeah about my head height, like I'm 173 and it was about my head height. Alison Xiao: About a quarter of her property is still underwater which is slowly receding. Christine George : My cows are looking longingly at getting out of the little paddock they're in but they've got nowhere to go. It's just all mud and no feed. Alison Xiao: Her house has been gutted with help from the Rural Fire Service and now sits empty with mud residue still on the walls. Christine George : It's just destroyed. I think the only clean thing in the place is the bath. Alison Xiao: The recovery from the devastating New South Wales floods that hit hundreds of kilometres along the east coast of the state is daunting for Christine George. Christine George : My father died three weeks ago and it was his farm. I'm sort of glad that he wasn't here to see this devastation. Alison Xiao: Seventy Defence Force personnel arrived in the flood affected region yesterday. Christine George hasn't seen them yet but is eager for their helping hands and their machinery. Christine George : I am so keen to see the ADF and the Rural Fire stay here and help with some of this debris and I think everyone else is too because it is overwhelming. Alison Xiao: The federal and state governments are pledging their help. Locals who've lost work in 19 flood affected areas will be eligible to apply for 13 weeks of income support. Residents in nine areas including Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Nambucca Heads who have had significant property damage or lost a loved one can receive a one-off $1,000 payment. Anthony Albanese: How long have you been here for? Milton Johnston: I'm 74 and I've lived here all my life. Alison Xiao: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in Taree yesterday announcing the new measures where he met with dairy farmer Milton Johnston. Alison Xiao: Was there anything in particular you said to him that you want him to remember? Milton Johnston: Look, I just said look I think Australia is reasonably generous to overseas countries and maybe it's time that we just put that on pause and we looked after Australians. There's a lot of livelihoods here at State, a lot of people in Tare, business houses, you know, who knows, who's going to start up, who's not going to start up again. Alison Xiao: And as he unloads hay donated by a local sports club, Milton Johnston is conscious more assistance will be needed. Milton Johnston: We're very hopeful that there will be a substantial amount of help. It is a natural disaster. Let's hope that there will be substantial packages come from both State and Federal Governments. Sabra Lane: Dairy farmer Milton Johnston ending that report from Alison Xiao. Sabra Lane: When Australia's Reserve Bank cut official interest rates last week, it did so because it was partly worried about the risk of a severe downside scenario for global trade. Economists say that risk has just increased with a steep fall in the value of the US dollar that we might all feel the fallout. Business correspondent David Taylor explains. David Taylor : The US dollar, the world's reserve currency, is flirting with a three-year low and its steep decline has veteran economist Saul Eslake worried. Saul Eslake : The reason for the decline in the US dollar is that financial markets are becoming increasingly apprehensive about a number of aspects of the US economy as a result of things that the Trump regime is doing. David Taylor : That apprehension is also showing up in higher long-term US interest rates, including the 30-year government bond rate, now roughly 5%. Saul Eslake : I mean, apprehension is probably putting it at its mildest. In some quarters, there is, if not panic, then certainly alarm. David Taylor : The distress relates to the connection between elevated long-term bond interest rates and the rising cost of millions of American mortgages. Saul Eslake : And with the 30-year bond yield in the US now higher than at any time since before the global financial crisis, that means that mortgage rates are going up. David Taylor : This, he says, could seriously harm the world's biggest economy. Australian mortgage borrowers on fixed interest rate loans, Saul Eslake says, are also in the firing line. Saul Eslake : Fixed rates for mortgages and for business loans, the longer out you go, the more influenced they are by US government bond yields. David Taylor : The falling US dollar, analysts say, is also pushing the Australian dollar higher. While that's good news for Australian travellers, FN Arena's Danielle Ecuyer says it's a risk for anyone holding US investments, and that includes Australians with superannuation. Danielle Ecuyer : We know that a lot of Australian investors have been piling into US stocks. And this is just one of the aspects of, I think, probably where people go, well, that's great. US assets are going up. But the problem is the US dollar is going down. So in Australian currency times, you're not doing as well. David Taylor : Saul Eslake sees the financial dangers for the US economy rising. That's because, he says, the cost of US government debt is higher than America's economic growth rate, which he points out can make servicing government debt incredibly challenging. Saul Eslake : And at its most extreme example, that's what happened to Greece 13 years ago. David Taylor : Official inflation data will be released later today, which, if low enough, could open the door to some additional relief for Australian mortgage borrowers on variable interest rates. Sabra Lane: And that's AM for today. Thanks for your company, I'm Sabra Lane.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Russia launches massive air assault on Ukraine
Sabra Lane: Good morning, welcome to AM. Its Monday the 26th of May. I'm Sabra Lane, coming to you from Nipaluna/Hobart. Sabra Lane: The floodwaters have dropped and all emergency level warnings have been downgraded across the flood zone in New South Wales. Emergency workers are assessing the damage from last week's record floods so far more than 500 homes and businesses have been ruled uninhabitable. Many flood affected residents are now battling exhaustion and fatigue as they begin the clean up and recovery. Gavin Coote reports. Gavin Coote : Across Taree, locals are ripping out damaged walls, removing debris and using shovels to clear away the thick layers of mud in homes and businesses. John Mansour is among them. His family owns and runs a shopping arcade that was severely damaged by floodwaters. John Mansour : At this stage, you know, I'm not trying to, even though I am thinking further ahead, I'm trying to just think day by day. The reality is we just need to cleanse it as quick as possible. There was enough debris there that we needed to have the fire brigade come in twice and hose it out. But yeah, removing the gyprock, removing all the sort of the skirtings, the carpet, the tiles, you know, flooring, sort of some of that floated timber, all that, the water just finds its way into all the little grooves. So we have to remove everything unfortunately. Gavin Coote : In towns and villages right across the mid-north coast and Hunter regions, residents and businesses are counting the cost of the worst floods on record. Alison Penfold is the member-elect for Lyon and has been surveying the damage throughout her electorate, which stretches from Port Stephens to just south of Port Macquarie. Alison Penfold : And it's not just, you know, here in the Manning Valley has been the hardest hit and it's certainly got the public profile, but the flooding hit from up in the Hastings and even beyond my electorate into Kempsey and all the way down to the Hunter River, the Lyon electorate is 16,000 square kilometres and I've got a lot of communities in the area that have been hit by this incredible flood event. Gavin Coote : Emergency teams are now assessing the damage to the approximately 10,000 flood-affected homes and businesses. As communities move into recovery mode, financial relief will soon be available, including income support for those who've lost work. Alison Penfold says she's grateful for the support, but wants the Defence Force called in to help with the clean-up. Alison Penfold : And what I'm hearing, and there's anger brewing in this community, is where is the external support? We had it for the rescues, we've had it for the resupply, now we need it for the recovery. You know, this is a community that had floods only a few years ago and the ADF turned up and people have been saying to me all week, when's the military coming? When's the military coming? There's RFS, there's SES, there's a whole bunch of people here, there's just general people from the community coming to help. But we need more. They're tired, they're stressed, they're traumatised, their friends and families have been affected. We need that external support and we need it now. Gavin Coote : Flood-affected residents are being urged to wait for the all-clear from the State Emergency Service to ensure it's safe to return home. Gavin Coote reporting there. Sabra Lane: The Minister for Emergency Management joined me earlier. Kristy McBain, thanks for joining AM. Sabra Lane: Good morning, Sabra. Sabra Lane: We've heard from the new member for Lyon this morning, Alison Penfold, that locals are crying out for more help from Defence with the clean-up. Is that coming? Kristy McBain: Look, we have enacted a number of requests for support from New South Wales already, including ADF search and rescue helicopters, and we will ensure that we're with communities for the long haul, and we'll have more to say on the clean-up and longer-term supporters damage assessments are undertaken. Sabra Lane: When will he have more to say? Is that going to come today? Kristy McBain: I'll be meeting with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister today, and we'll be talking about the ongoing recovery needs that communities are going to need in the coming days, in the coming weeks and the coming months. We've enacted a number of responses already, including the disaster recovery allowance, which is an income support for four local government areas. We've enacted the disaster recovery funding arrangements with New South Wales for 19 local government areas, as well as a community clean-up for councils for those 19 council areas as well. Sabra Lane: So far, there are about 10,000 homes that need assessing, and about 500 have been declared uninhabitable at the moment. How long will it take to assess all of these homes? Kristy McBain: Well, as the water continues to recede, New South Wales SES will be able to get on the ground and complete those assessments. This is going to be a process that will take a little bit of time, but we've now got over 2,500 emergency service personnel from across New South Wales on the ground, and we've also got deployments from Victoria, the ACT, Queensland, and coming from other parts of the country as well. So this is a real sort of one Australia moment, and we've got those emergency service personnel coming from right across the country. Sabra Lane: With 500 homes declared uninhabitable, how and where are those people who were living in those homes going to stay short and long term? Kristy McBain: There are some big questions that we're still working through with New South Wales. I know being on the ground last week with the Prime Minister and the Premier and Emergency Services Minister, Jihad Dib, was really important, speaking directly with community members and state and federal members. I know the New South Wales Minister for Recovery, Janelle Saffin, on the ground as well, and I was speaking to her yesterday about some of those longer term issues that need to be sorted, and we'll have obviously some work ahead of us as will community members to ensure that we are taking care of their immediate needs, but also planning for the long term. Sabra Lane: The 2022 floods were the most expensive natural disaster to date in Australia's history. A federal parliamentary inquiry examined that and last year recommended that it was time nationally for consistent flood mapping to be made available to everyone. What progress, if any, has happened on that? Kristy McBain: Floods are difficult because they're hard to map and understand unless we know exactly where the rain will fall and when and how heavy. For some of these areas, it's the cumulative effect of rain that has been the real problem, and for a lot of people, this episode is just the straw that ends up breaking the camel's back. You know, for some of these areas, they've had more than a third of their total annual rainfall in the last few months alone. So for a lot of community members and a lot of these communities, it's the cumulative impact of rain that's been the real issue. Sabra Lane: Sure, but a lot of people in Wingham in New South Wales were told after the 2021 floods it was a once in a lifetime event. They've been flooded again. One home in Queensland is now being rebuilt for the third time in five years due to floods. Shouldn't there be an adult conversation, given what scientists are saying about the frequency of extreme events like this happening right now, about rebuilding and where people should be allowed to rebuild? Kristy McBain: Yeah, look, I think that, you know, from my perspective, the science of climate change is absolutely settled and we know that there are going to be more impacts and the results of those episodes are going to be more impactful. So, you know, we've got to start having some of those conversations. The emergency management ministers from across the country meet regularly and it's something that's continually on the list about how we can ensure that we've got more appropriate responses. And I think states and territories understand that the conversation is up to be had. I think local councils too are absolutely prepared to have these conversations because at the end of the day, these are the people who are with communities, you know, long after the lights turn off and the cameras go away. So it's really important, I think, that we're progressing solutions for the three levels of government and the collaboration during this event of the three levels of government has been at its absolute highest. Sabra Lane: Well, how and when should that conversation happen? Because as Andrew Hall from the Australian Insurance Council says, allowing people to keep rebuilding in flood zones is the definition of insanity. Kristy McBain: Yeah, look, I think, you know, the conversations are happening, but they have to be had with community. And that's really important. Communities need to have a say in these things, particularly after a disaster. Sabra Lane: Kristy McBain, thanks for joining AM. Sabra Lane: Thank you. Sabra Lane: Kristy McBain is the Federal Minister for Emergency Management. Sabra Lane: Ukraine's president sees America's silence and that of others in the world's only encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's criticism has been sparked by Russia's biggest air raid on the capital, Kiev, since the conflict started three years ago. At least 12 people died in a barrage of ballistic missile and drone attacks. That assault happened as the two sides swapped 1,000 prisoners in a rare show of cooperation. I spoke earlier with Europe correspondent Elias Clure. Elias, Russia's air assault's been described as the biggest yet. What more can you tell us? Elias Clure : Well, the Ukrainian military have said that over 300 drones and missiles were launched. Several people have been killed, at least 12 at the last count, including children, and that's across multiple cities. Now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again accused Russia of targeting civilians, but it's a clear escalation from Russia here and perhaps an indication that not only are they willing to grind it out on the battlefield, but they're willing also to intensify attacks. And I should also mention that Kiev, the capital, was targeted in this latest airstrike. So that's significant to note as well. But there's been a call to action by Volodymyr Zelenskyy now who says Russia needs to be punished further for its latest attack. Sabra Lane: And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the United States of remaining silent as this attack intensified. Elias Clure : He has. So on Twitter on Sunday local time here, he said that the White House had been silent on the issue and that that was effectively emboldening the Kremlin and in turn Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Now, what he's likely referring to is the fact that Donald Trump has resisted calls to impose further tariffs on Russia. Now, we know Europe and the UK are now drawing up yet more sanctions on Russia to try and restrict their ability to fight in this war further. But Donald Trump says he doesn't want to interfere with the now personal negotiations he's having with Vladimir Putin. So again, it seems to be frustrating Mr Zelenskyy now, who's now making very pointed comments on social media urging the White House and Donald Trump to take more action. Sabra Lane: Aside from this, there's been a rare show of goodwill as the two nations have swapped prisoners. Elias Clure : That's right. So over three days, a thousand prisoners were swapped between the two countries. On the last day, we saw very emotional scenes when just over 300 Ukrainians were returned to home soil. They were handed phones when they got off the bus and you could see them holding back tears as they saw loved ones on FaceTime calls. Now, this agreement was struck a couple of weeks ago when both warring sides met in Istanbul to thrash out a peace deal. Now, of course, nothing came of that. This was the one tangible agreement. Back to Donald Trump though, Sabra, he mentioned that this show of cooperation could lead to quote something big. But as we've seen over the weekend, not only is Russia eager to escalate attacks, but they're still indicating that they're going to fight this war to the very end unless their terms of the ceasefire are met. Sabra Lane: Elias Clure there. Sabra Lane: Israel's military says it's intensifying its assault on Gaza. Is it prepares to put in place a new system for delivering food to Palestinians who are on the brink of starvation. Israel's Defence Force has ramped up its deployment to the Palestinian territory with thousands of Israeli troops now reportedly inside Gaza. Middle East correspondent Eric Tlozek reports. Eric Tlozek : The doctors at the Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital say only the most severely malnourished patients are admitted. These children are among the worst affected by the food and medicine shortages caused by Israel's refusal to allow aid into Gaza. Sahar Al-Bahtimi's three-year-old daughter Ghada is here for treatment. Sahar al Bahtimi: She currently has a urine infection. Because of the closure of the crossings and the lack of food entering Gaza, many children are suffering from dire health conditions. Had the crossing been open, we would have enough food. Our children would not suffer from health problems. Eric Tlozek : Mohammed Hijaj is another parent who's brought his child, one-year-old Dunia, to hospital in search of help. Mohammed Hijaj : She weighs four and a half kilos. She's starving. I cannot find her milk, not even diapers. I cannot buy her anything. She's like this because of starvation, malnutrition. I cannot find food for her. I'm afraid for my daughter and I don't even mention all of my other children. My other children are also in a bad situation, but she is in the worst. Eric Tlozek : Israel has allowed only a small amount of food into Gaza over the past 11 weeks, cutting off aid to pressure the militant group Hamas. Now the Israeli military's launched a renewed offensive in the territory, part of a plan that will see most of Gaza's population displaced again. The director of the paediatric department at Al-Rantisi Hospital, Dr. Ragheb Roush Agha, says children are already dying. Dr. Ragheb Roush Agha : As a consequence, children are losing weight and immunity. The immunity deficiency leads to inflammation. For many children, it leads to death. In short, the fragile immune system due to malnutrition kills children. Eric Tlozek : Israel's government is reportedly about to allow more food into Gaza, but not the hundreds of trucks waiting on the border with deliveries for the established organisations operating inside. Instead, private security contractors will oversee aid distribution at selected points in southern Gaza, surrounded by the Israeli military. Israel says this plan will stop Hamas from seizing aid, but humanitarian groups have condemned it. The Israeli government's also yet to say when the system will start, and did not answer the ABC's questions about that. Father Mohammad Hijaj says the food has to come soon, or his daughter Dunia won't survive. Mohammed Hijaj : I swear to God, it has only been one month now, and we're only filling our tummy with water, water, water, and only water. Nearly nothing. I don't want anything for myself. I'm worried about my daughter. I don't want her to die. Sabra Lane: That's a translation of Palestinian parent Mohammad Hijaj. Ending that report by Eric Tlozek. Sabra Lane: A former Liberal cabinet minister is urging the party and membership to change, saying if they don't, they'll head to oblivion at the next federal election. Karen Andrews also says the party's new leader, Sussan Ley, should be given every chance to succeed. The warnings come as the party heads to reunification with the Nationals after last week's messy short break-up. Political reporter Nicole Hegarty is more from Parliament House. Nicole Hegarty : After a week dominated by the Nationals' relationship with the Liberals, the two parties are set to get back together. We got an outcome in two or three days because of principles over politics. Nationals leader David Littleproud telling Sky News he's relaxed about his future as leader. But the ructions of the past week have cast doubt over his tenure, even if the party does return as the junior coalition partner. His deputy, Kevin Hogan, seeking to hose down leadership murmurings. Kevin Hogan: David Littleproud has the overwhelming support in our room. Nicole Hegarty : As the focus returns to the Liberal party, its leader, Sussan Ley, readies to reveal her front bench. Sussan Ley: The approach that we said we would take to our party room about policies, nothing adopted and nothing abandoned. Nicole Hegarty : That approach sidelined, with the party agreeing to in-principle support for the Nationals' four policy demands. Those demands are $20 billion regional future fund, nuclear power, supermarket divestiture powers and improved telecommunications in regional and rural parts of the country. The policy rethinked to be accompanied by a broader review into the Liberal party's electoral thrashing. And as the wait continues for a decision on who will undertake that body of work, former Liberal cabinet minister Karen Andrews is urging party members to take responsibility for the result and listen. Karen Andrews: If they don't change now, they run every risk that they will go even further backwards, potentially into oblivion in 2028. Nicole Hegarty : Karen Andrews says the review should be done by someone outside of the party and its recommendations acted on, not left to gather dust like those from 2022. Karen Andrews: Sussan has been elected. She should be given the opportunity to succeed. Nicole Hegarty : As for the events of the last week... Karen Andrews: All that does is reinforce to the public that the Liberal and National parties were not ready to be elected to government in 2025 and they need to get the house in order. Nicole Hegarty : Members of both Coalition partners breathing a sigh of relief that the short-lived prospect of a shadow cabinet being made up solely of Liberals and a list of National's spokespeople won't materialise. One Liberal source suggesting that would have been diabolical. While the coalition might be back on track, so to speak, the raw numbers in the house are most likely Labor with 94 seats, the Coalition 43, meaning the opposition is condemned to years in the political wilderness. Years its members hope will be spent wisely. Sabra Lane: And that's AM for today. Thanks for your company. I'm Sabra Lane.
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Trump and Putin 'working towards ceasefire'
Sabra Lane: Good morning, welcome to AM. It's Tuesday the 20th of May. I'm Sabra Lane, coming to you from Nipaluna/Hobart. Sabra Lane: The Reserve Bank boards in the middle of a two-day meeting. It'll announce a decision on interest rates this afternoon. Most economists think the bank will cut the official rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The rate's currently 4.1 per cent, but the big question is whether there'll be follow-up cuts later this year, now that the inflation rate is back within the bank's target band of two to three per cent. For more on this, I spoke earlier with our senior business correspondent, Peter Ryan. Peter, the inflation rate's come down from 2.8 per cent in December 2022. It's down now to 2.4 per cent. Is that enough for the Reserve Bank board to keep cutting interest rates after today's expected cut? Peter Ryan: Well, Sabra, they're going to be pretty cautious. Money markets do see a 97 per cent chance of a cut to 3.85 per cent, the second rate cut this year. Some economists see two, maybe three more cuts later on in the coming months, but the urgency of that has dissipated now that Donald Trump's tariffs campaign has eased off with a 90-day pause in trade hostilities with China, so less of a need for a rate cut buffer here in Australia, given less global uncertainty. Also, the labour market is resilient to surprise 90,000 new jobs created in April and a jobless rate of 4.1 per cent, so a tight jobs market, good news, but that could end up stoking inflation. Warren Hogan, economic adviser to Judo Bank, says the RBA board will be cautious about signalling too many more cuts, given that inflation is still out there at a risk that might even put rate hikes back on the agenda if inflation makes an unwelcome comeback. Warren Hogan: They've probably got one or two rate cuts up their sleeve, and of course they'll be worried about doing that because inflation might have come down, but it's still at the top of the target band. The employment markets are solid, people have got incomes, and of course there is still inflation out there. It might not be showing up as consumer price inflation right now, but certainly businesses are feeling the pressure on their costs. So I think today might see some pretty cautious guidance. We may have room for one more cut in the next few months, but at the same time I don't think the Reserve Bank's going to be sending a signal today that they're up for a few more. I think it's going to be a very balanced assessment of the outlook. Sabra Lane: Warren Hogan, the economic advisor to Judo Bank there. Peter, what might be the trigger for another interest rate cut or two in the months ahead, and might the bank completely surprise everybody and hold today? Peter Ryan: That's an outside possibility. Not many people are seeing a hold, but the RBA board will now be watching every piece of employment and inflation data, including Donald Trump-related developments from overseas. Official data for the June quarter will be key. Now, if inflation continues to slow or stays in the middle of the RBA's comfort zone, that could herald more relief for borrowers, though not for people relying on money earning interest in the bank. They'll be unhappy getting less. Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock will hold a media conference this afternoon after the rates decision, and as Warren Hogan mentioned, she's likely to be managing expectations about more rate cuts later this year. Sabra Lane: Peter Ryan there. Sabra Lane: A leading violence prevention organisation says Australia's education system needs an overhaul to tackle gender-based violence. The group, Our Watch, has put forward a blueprint, backed by 10 years of research, with suggestions on how schools should address a range of issues, from bullying to harassment and sexual violence. Bridget Fitzgerald reports. Bridget Fitzgerald : Four years ago, former Sydney student Chanel Contos took to social media to ask her peers whether they'd been sexually assaulted during their school years. The responses sparked a national conversation about consent and what teenagers were seeing online. Chanel Contos: Big tech companies know what keeps young boys online and knows that they can spend a lot of time online if they're angry, if they're outraged or if they're seeing sexually explicit content. Bridget Fitzgerald : But rather than seeing things change for the better, the CEO of Teach Us Consent says in many ways it's gotten worse. Chanel Contos: Casual misogyny in school seems to be something that is an increasing challenge. Bridget Fitzgerald : And that disrespectful and sexist messaging is being borne out in classrooms around the country. Patty Kinnersly is the CEO of violence prevention organisation Our Watch. Patty Kinnersly : We know that 40% of 16 and 17 year olds have experienced sexual harassment in a place of study and nearly a quarter of young women aged 18 to 24 have experienced image-based abuse. Bridget Fitzgerald : She says while the problem is clear, so is the solution. Today Our Watch has released a blueprint for comprehensive, respectful relationships education in every school in the country. Patty Kinnersly : The education system and schools are one of our best approaches to preventing violence against women and gendered violence before it occurs by building young people's skills and knowledge about consent and healthy relationships and rigid gender stereotypes so that they're as they're entering their first relationships, as they're going into the world of work, as they go out into the world and be adults and teachers and sports coaches themselves, they've actually built a strong foundation of what healthy relationships are. Bridget Fitzgerald : Respectful relationships education covers everything from teaching students about communication skills and emotional regulation to how to deal with issues like consent or the harms of pornography. But it also involves training teachers how to respond if there are instances of bullying or harassment between students and encourages both staff and students to challenge gender stereotypes and promote equality. Michael Jenkins : We know that early intervention research tells us that's our best way of changing behaviour but it's something that happens over time. Bridget Fitzgerald : Michael Jenkins is the acting principal at Yarrunga Primary School in Wangaratta in northeast Victoria. He saw an immediate drop in schoolyard incidents of bullying and exclusion soon after his school adopted respectful relationships education in 2019. Michael Jenkins : In term one of 2019 we had 114 incidences, in term four we had 70 and term one of 2020 we had 61 incidences. So we saw nearly a 50% drop off. Bridget Fitzgerald : Respectful relationships education was a key recommendation of the 2016 Victorian Rural Commission into family violence. Our Watch wants a commitment to whole of school respectful relationships education in every state and territory. Sabra Lane: Bridget Fitzgerald there. Sabra Lane: The United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have had a two-hour phone call about Ukraine. Mr Trump says Russia and Ukraine will now immediately start negotiations on a ceasefire. The US President's been trying to broker peace in the region, which he'd previously claimed he could clinch in one day. North America correspondent Carrington Clarke's in Washington. Carrington, what do you know about the call? Carrington Clarke : Well, both sides, the White House and the Kremlin, were trying to focus on the positives. US President Donald Trump took to social media to say that Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and an end to their three-year-old war. Earlier, Russia's President Vladimir Putin had said efforts to end the war were generally on the right track and that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a potential peace deal. But any hope of a major breakthrough here had been dashed, at least for the time being. There's no ceasefire agreement, just more talks about a potential ceasefire. Donald Trump instead focused on the potential for an improvement in the economic relationship between the US and Russia. And very importantly, there was no explicit threat of hitting Russia with further sanctions, as he himself had previously suggested might be on the table. So we're seeing again more carrot than stick from the US president. Donald Trump did say that the Vatican would be interested in hosting peace negotiations. And later at the White House Rose Garden, the US president was painting an optimistic picture of the conversation and the potential for the war to be brought to a close sometime soon. Donald Trump: And I think some progress has been made. It's a terrible situation going on over there. So hopefully we we did something. We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations and we're trying to get that whole thing wrapped up. Sabra Lane: Carrington, what happens now? Carrington Clarke : Well, there is no clear end in sight. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had two phone calls with the US president today. He's since said there could be a high level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end the war. He said it could be hosted at the Vatican, as suggested by President Trump or Turkey or Switzerland. But remember, Ukraine and Russia held direct negotiations in Istanbul last week at the behest of the United States. And those talks just really highlighted how far apart they are in their visions for ending the war. President Zelenskyy said he expected Europe to announce a strong new package of sanctions on Russia, though he didn't really elaborate exactly on how they'll function. He called on the United States to sanction Russia's banking and energy sectors to reduce the revenue for its military needs. But we have seen no indication that Donald Trump is willing to do so. Sabra Lane: Carrington Clarke there in Washington. Sabra Lane: Five years after the Brexit split happened, the United Kingdom and the European Union have finally reached a wide-ranging agreement on trade and security cooperation. While some of the details are still under negotiation, the British Prime Minister claims the deal is a win-win, but not everyone agrees. Syan Vallance reports from London. Syan Vallance: It's being sold as the Great Reset. Ursula von der Leyen : We're turning a page. Sir Kier Starmer: A new era in our relationship. Syan Vallance: Britain and the European Union have inked a wide-ranging deal covering fishing, trade, defence and energy. This is how European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sold it. Ursula von der Leyen : This is the story of historical and natural partners standing side by side on the global stage. Syan Vallance: Sentiments echoed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Sir Kier Starmer: Britain is back on the world stage, working with our partners, doing deals that will grow our economy and putting more money in the pockets of working people. Syan Vallance: The series of deals opens the door to deeper defence cooperation in the face of growing Russian aggression. It creates new energy networks and will make it easier to trade food across the Channel. The Prime Minister claims that will bring down bills, create jobs and protect Britain's borders. Sir Kier Starmer: It gives us unprecedented access to the EU market, all while sticking to the red lines in our manifesto about not rejoining the single market, the customs union and no return to freedom of movement. Syan Vallance: But some feel he's taken the EU's bait when it comes to fishing concessions. The new deal gives European fishermen access to British waters for 12 more years, a concession slammed by the leader of the opposition and conservative party, Kemi Badendoch. Kemi Badendoch: It's going to be over a decade that we are giving away our fishing rights. That sells out so many coastal communities in the UK. Syan Vallance: Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson went further on conservative media outlet GB News. Boris Johnson: I think it's a complete and deliberate portrayal of Brexit. He's turning this country once again into the orange bull-chewing, leather trust gimp, if I've got the right word. Syan Vallance: His former conservative colleague, now vice president of pro-EU organisation European Movement, Dominic Grieve, doesn't agree. Dominic Grieve : Every trade deal involves some give and take. The problem is that for some people, including in the conservative party, Brexit is seen in such absolutist terms that reopening any part of it appears to be unacceptable. Syan Vallance: He says the global context has changed dramatically since the vote in 2016. Dominic Grieve : At a time when Trump's administration is showing increasing signs of no longer being reliable in terms of European defence, makes defence cooperation absolutely essential. Syan Vallance: A recent YouGov poll showed a majority of Brits regret the Brexit vote, an opinion echoed on the streets of London today. British man: I'm very sad we left the EU. British man 2: The time before Brexit was better for Britain. British woman: I'm just not quite seeing the benefit of it for us. Syan Vallance: Many details are still being finalised, so there'll be plenty of negotiating and compromising to come. Sabra Lane: Syan Vallance there in London. Sabra Lane: The Federal Government says it's working to reform a controversial carbon offset scheme. The admission follows a court case involving one of the country's biggest energy retailers. Energy Australia yesterday apologised to 400,000 customers. It had used the offset program Climate Active to claim customers were making a positive impact on the environment while buying power derived by fossil fuels. There are calls now to shut down the scheme as Annie Guest reports. Annie Guest : Inspired by school students' climate activism, Parents for Climate formed five years ago and in 2023 it took Energy Australia to court alleging misleading and deceptive behaviour. CEO Nick Seton has welcomed a settlement. Nick Seton : We're absolutely chuffed with this result. It's a huge outcome for truth in marketing, truth in advertising and climate integrity. Annie Guest : The electricity retailer Energy Australia has apologised to 400,000 customers it signed up to its Go Neutral carbon offset program that promised to offset emissions released due to their electricity and gas consumption. As part of its Federal Court settlement with Parents for Climate, Energy Australia released a statement acknowledging carbon offsets do not prevent or undo damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Nick Seton again. Nick Seton : Trust matters more than anything else and parents are busy and they need to know that the information they're being provided is reliable and high integrity. Annie Guest : Energy Australia has stopped offering the carbon offset program which it says it developed as part of its participation in the Federal Government's Climate Active certification scheme. In its statement the company said there is legitimate public concern about the efficacy of offset programs, including those offered as part of the Government's Climate Active program. That's a view shared by Stephen Long from the Australia Institute. Stephen Long: Unfortunately for a long time Climate Active has functioned as state sponsored greenwashing. It really needs to be scrapped. Annie Guest : A spokesperson for the Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Josh Wilson, says the Government recognises that Climate Active needs reform and that work is underway. That's backed by John Connor, the CEO of the Carbon Market Institute. He rejects calls to shut down the Government's Climate Active scheme. John Connor : We think that would be a bad mistake and throw the baby out with the bathwater. Annie Guest : John Connor says Climate Active provides credible tools for decarbonising construction and other industries. And he's optimistic the era of misusing carbon credits and offsets as a substitute for climate action is over. John Connor : Where you've got to have fair dinkum decarbonisation plans but crediting and investment in climate solutions can go along with that. In the case of Climate Active it should be aligned to that decarbonisation, aligned to net zero, not just aligned to neutrality. Annie Guest : Critics say there's still a big cloud over carbon offsets, the integrity of carbon offsets. John Connor : Look there has been questions around the integrity of credits here and overseas. A lot of work has been happening over the last 18 months, two years to improve that and to have extra checks and balances. Sabra Lane: That's John Connor from the Carbon Market Institute ending Annie Guest's report. Sabra Lane: New workplace laws that put limits on bosses contacting workers after hours have not caused the conflict and chaos predicted by some business groups. A national survey led by the Australian HR Institute has found a majority of employers have reported an increase in productivity and worker engagement since laws came into effect last year. National Work reporter Bronwyn Herbert filed this report. Bronwyn Herbert : South Australian finance worker Allie thought getting a mobile phone provided by her employer was a generous work perk, but the reality was something else. Allie: It really keeps us connected at all times. For example, being able to contact customers outside of hours once we've logged off for the day or once we've left work for the day. Bronwyn Herbert : She says bosses never exactly said they had to be available at all hours, but it quickly became the norm. Allie: More of an unspoken rule. Everyone's trying to support the team the best they can and unfortunately the finance sector is severely understaffed. So even outside of working hours, you're always trying to do the best you can to support your workmates. Bronwyn Herbert : Research released today shows right to disconnect laws have changed those workplace expectations for the better. A report from the Australian HR Institute, which represents HR professionals, surveyed 600 business decision makers on the reform. It found 58% of employers have found the new law has actually improved employee engagement and productivity. Sarah McCann-Bartlett is the Institute CEO. Sarah McCann-Bartlett : Employers tell us that it has actually supported better work-life balance for employees and a reduction in stress for employees, which in turn has led to improved employee engagement and productivity in the organisation. Bronwyn Herbert : The law came into effect in August last year for businesses that employ 15 or more workers. It will soon apply to all businesses. Gabrielle Golding from the University of Adelaide specialises in employment law. Gabrielle Golding : This legislation hasn't opened the floodgates for legal claims. And I think one key reason for that is that it requires a conversation to happen at the workplace level first, before any application is brought to the commission. Bronwyn Herbert : When the laws were brought in, the Australian Industry Group called it an unnecessary overreaction. Innes Willox : Common sense has pretty much reigned here and employers are working it out with their employees to try to make the system work to prevent that conflict. Bronwyn Herbert : Innes Willox is the Chief Executive of the AI Group. Innes Willox : There is going to come a time when there will not be agreement and this will have to be arbitrated and decided upon and that will set the rules for everyone and that will make things harder and faster for everyone to deal with. Bronwyn Herbert : Does it surprise you the findings that employee engagement and productivity has improved? Innes Willox : It's hard to tell because there's a whole lot that goes into productivity. A lot of this sort of fits into the working from home scenario as well and we're trying to work through exactly how that works. What you're seeing now is people working in different ways, different hours and in different contexts and both employers and employees are having to deal with it. Bronwyn Herbert : The right to disconnect law will expand to small businesses in August. Sabra Lane. Bronwyn Herbert there. That's AM for today. Thanks for your company. I'm Sabra Lane.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Trump lifts sanctions on Syria
Sabra Lane: Good morning, welcome to AM, it's Wednesday 14th of May. I'm Sara Lane, coming to you from Nipaluna/Hobart. Sabra Lane: The Liberal Party's made history after its catastrophic defeat by electing Sussan Ley as its first female federal leader. A former colleague has questioned her effectiveness on getting women into Parliament, but others are praising her appointment. Ms Ley won the ballot over rival Angus Taylor by four votes. She's promising to harness the talents of all in the party room, including those who didn't support her. She says the party must reflect modern Australia, but as Annie Guest reports, the future of nuclear and net zero carbon emissions policies is unclear. Annie Guest : The former shearer's cook and stock-mustering pilot, who later studied finance and worked for the Tax Office, labels the sensible centre as her focus. Sussan Ley : Meeting people where they are involves listening to their views. Annie Guest : Sussan Ley is not saying where she stands on the net zero emissions target, particularly after the National signalled it might dump it. Ms Ley also isn't clear on whether the Coalition will pursue its agenda of nuclear energy, instead pledging everything is up for review. Sussan Ley : And every person who walked through that polling booth door and didn't vote for us had some of the same reasons and some had different reasons. So the first thing we need to do is engage with what those reasons are. Annie Guest : Former Liberal MP Julia Banks quit the party in 2018 over its approach to women, integrity and climate. She doesn't think it will change under Sussan Ley, who she describes as a glass cliff appointment, something the new leader has vehemently denied. Julia Banks : As the shadow minister for women, she continually said, we're listening to women, we're listening to women, we're going to win the Teal independent seats back. None of that was achieved. Annie Guest : What then do you think is the direction for the Liberal Party? Julia Banks : I think the direction for the Liberal Party is very much towards the fringe of the right wing. Annie Guest : But the former New South Wales Liberal leader Kerry Chikarovski is optimistic. Kerry Chikarovski : Well it's taken a while for the Liberal Party to get to the stage where they finally had a female leader and I'm delighted that it's Susan Lee because I think that she was a senior minister, she's got a finance background, she was a pilot. She will do an extraordinary job. Annie Guest : Former Liberal Julia Banks describes this as a glass cliff appointment. Kerry Chikarovski : Yeah, I've heard that description before, but that undermines Sussan's abilities and I don't think that that's fair. Annie Guest : While the Coalition's nuclear and net zero emissions policies are up in the air, Kerry Chikarovski says its stance will need to be clear. Kerry Chikarovski : I think what they need to do is to articulate policies which people understand and their climate policy for example, I think whilst there's a whole lot of discussion about nuclear, that disappeared. They stopped talking about nuclear. Annie Guest : But if they've now appointed Ted O'Brien as the deputy leader when he was the main prosecutor of the nuclear argument, what does that say about what they've learned? Kerry Chikarovski : Well I think Ted was doing a very good job of prosecuting the argument but for reasons that I don't understand, they stopped talking about it during the campaign. I think other issues got in the way that they got distracted by. Now whether they're going to continue with that, I have no idea. Sabra Lane: Former New South Wales Liberal leader Kerry Chikarovski ending any guest's report there. Sabra Lane: The new Liberal Party Deputy Leader joined me earlier. Ted O'Brien congratulations on winning arguably the second hardest job in Australian politics. What's the most important part of your role now? Ted O'Brien: Well, I think, Sabra, now is when the Liberal Party comes together and we rebuild. And I think it's recognising that in the Liberal Party room here in Canberra, every single member has something to offer. Everyone has a role to play. And we are deeply united around a common set of values. And it's through those values, and there I'm talking about a belief in freedom, equality, a fair go for all, a belief that with rights come commensurate responsibilities, with effort comes reward. These are the beliefs of everyone in the Liberal Party. Everyone has a role to play. And now we get on with the job at hand. Sabra Lane: There's now a review into the party's biggest defeat. Why do you think it happened? Ted O'Brien: Well, as Sussan Ley mentioned yesterday very clearly, our main job now is to listen and to learn. It's critically important that we approach the next period of time with humility. Clearly people were disappointed with what we had to offer at this election. And we need to take the time to listen and to get it right. That's our approach. We need to make sure that we accept the result and we reflect with humility on how we can do things better. We want to go forward respecting modern Australia, reflecting modern Australia and representing modern Australia. Sabra Lane: You must have some ideas though as to why that happened? Ted O'Brien: Well, there's no doubt that when the Australian people looked at the Albanese government, we saw no evidence of them being excited. Indeed, Australians are becoming poorer by the day. And when they looked at the coalition, they unfortunately didn't see, Sabra, the policy suite that they wanted to see. Sabra Lane: You don't have any thoughts right now yourself? Ted O'Brien: I think what we need to avoid doing, Sabra, is jumping to conclusions. Because as Sussan made it very clear yesterday, we need to meet Australians where they are, which means we need to better understand where Australians are today. What are the challenges they are facing? And instead of, as a political party, jumping to the conclusions that we might think as politicians, now is the time for us to take a step back, to truly engage with the Australian public and to listen to what they tell us about the challenges they are feeling at the moment. That's our objective. Sabra Lane: You were responsible for selling the nuclear power policy to voters. Did that have a role in the coalition's defeat? Ted O'Brien: Ultimately, we're a team and we all take responsibility for the last election. And again, it is with that humility that we engage with the Australian people from here on. We listen, we learn, we regroup and we get on with it. Sabra Lane: So specifically, did the policy on nuclear power also play a role, given that Peter Dutton said last year he was happy for this to be a referendum on the policy? Ted O'Brien: Well, there's no doubt that every policy plays a role. Now, my colleagues have some different views on nuclear, different views on every policy that was taken to the election. And we need to ensure that we take the time to talk about that, to ventilate it. But we also need to be engaging with the Australian people. I think that the problems that we sought to address in our energy policy are still there today. You know, the election was two weeks ago, but Australians are still paying among the highest prices in the world for electricity. And the Albanese government does not know its own cost for its electricity plan moving forward. And so the problems are still there. I think what we now need to do, Sabra, with humility, is to listen to the Australian people, to regroup as a united team, and to put every single policy we have on the table for review. Now, that doesn't mean, you know, policies are being all thrown out. We had a meeting yesterday to choose the leadership team. We've now chosen that team, and I'm very honoured to be serving with Susan as our leader. And now we'll do the review that's necessary. Sabra Lane: Is this now an existential question for the Liberals? If you don't sort this problem out in this term, it could be the end. Ted O'Brien: No, I don't think so. I know people have spoken about, you know, an existential crisis. I don't believe so. Our real goal as the Liberal Party has to be to save Australians from a very bad Labor government. Sabra Lane: If that was the case, Labor wouldn't be sitting on a 93-seat win. Ted O'Brien: That is our primary goal, to save Australia from a bad Labor government, which is making Australians poorer by the day. Sabra Lane: Ted O'Brien, thanks for talking to AM. Ted O'Brien: Thanks very much, Sabra. Sabra Lane: And that's Ted O'Brien, the new Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. Sabra Lane: During the past 24 hours, the ABC has exposed terrible abuse of children who are supposed to be living in therapeutic residential care. That system claims to offer 24-7 in-home support for vulnerable youngsters when they can't live with family, foster parents or kinship carers. Instead, these children are being exploited and in some cases placed directly in harm's way, including being sexually abused, with pleas from family for help dismissed, ignored or dealt with at a glacial pace. I spoke earlier with the National Children's Commissioner. Anne Hollands, thanks for talking to AM. Anne Hollands : Hi Sabra. Sabra Lane: You started your career as a frontline child protection worker. You're now the National Children's Commissioner. Reading that ABC report yesterday, has anything changed in how officials respond to this? Anne Hollands : Well, Sabra, it seems that not enough has changed. When I was a frontline child protection worker, that was an awfully long time ago, one would think with decades of royal commissions and inquiries since that time, that we would have a system that was able to protect the safety and wellbeing of our children, but we're still not able to do that. I was really shocked reading yet again how many children are being failed by the systems that are meant to be helping them and keeping them safe. Sabra Lane: Does there need to be another inquiry? As you mentioned, there have been dozens over the years. Do we know the solutions and what works right now? Anne Hollands : Well, I think the problem is not a lack of knowledge. The problem is a lack of accountability for action. What I would like to see is that the safety and wellbeing of children be made a national priority in this country and that we work together across the Federation to actually finish the job to implement the recommendations of these many, many reports and inquiries, including by Children's Commissioners in every state and territory. The five-year-long Royal Commission that reported in 2017, that's eight years ago. We have looked at these issues again and again and it's time to act on the evidence. Sabra Lane: The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced a new ministry earlier this week, a Cabinet-level Minister for Children, was not in that list despite many people saying he should have one. Should it have been there? Anne Hollands : Well, many of us are extremely disappointed that there is still no Cabinet Minister for Children when we've had Cabinet Ministers for women, for example, for decades. And women and women's safety is also a priority for National Cabinet, but children are not mentioned on that list of priorities. So there are a number of things we can do to ensure that across the Federation we are implementing evidence-based safety measures for children and that we can actually fix these problems. They are preventable. That's the thing. We should make child safety and wellbeing a national priority at National Cabinet because that's where all the heads of the states and territories and the Prime Minister work together on issues of national significance. Clearly, the safety and wellbeing of our children has to be a national priority. Sabra Lane: It costs about a million dollars for one child a year in residential care, yet many people would find that hard to believe, especially foster families. They struggle to get appropriate money. On that measure alone, is it worth trying to find different solutions to help these children become normal, well-adjusted adults? Anne Hollands : Well, I think we need, what we need is some independent monitoring and oversight of how these children are being cared for, whatever the system is, whatever kind of out-of-home care is involved. But we've also got to look at the money that's being put into prevention, Ms Arborer, and reports again and again show that while it costs a million dollars to put a kid in resi care, we're spending minuscule amounts on intensive early intervention with their families. And I think we also need to be examining how well we're trying to prevent and intervene early to protect these kids and keep them at home with their families because clearly removing them is not necessarily keeping them any safer. We're swapping one set of harms just for another set of harms, as we've seen in these ABC reports. Sabra Lane: Anne Hollands, thanks for joining us this morning. Anne Hollands : Thank you. Sabra Lane: Anne Hollands is the National Children's Commissioner. Sabra Lane: The United States President Donald Trump's on his first trip to the Middle East since being re-elected, with his first stop in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our Americas editor John Lyons is in Washington. Join me earlier. John, what did we learn from President Trump's first major address? John Lyons: Well, Sabra, in some ways this was almost like the Trump Doctrine. Quite a fascinating speech. He outlined a whole range of things on his visit to Saudi Arabia. For example, he was so effusive in his support for Saudi, for its leader. The Saudi economy, he said, was so hot, it's rocking. He signed the largest arms deal, or one of the largest arms deals in history, for the US to sell $142 billion worth of armaments to Saudi Arabia. He foreshadowed normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which is something his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been pushing hard for. He said Iran would never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. He said Iran had a short time to accept the US offer to get sanction relief, or else there would be massive maximum pressure on them. And he announced that the US would immediately lift sanctions against Syria. So it was a very comprehensive remaking of America's policy in the Middle East. Sabra Lane: So the speech then has given us an idea of the kind of foreign policy this second Trump administration is going to pursue? John Lyons: It sure did. If anything, he used the phrase himself, no mercy. If I could sum up this speech it would be, don't mess with America. He was saying that we have the largest military in human history. He said we have lethal weapons. He singled out submarines, which I thought was interesting. He said the most lethal of all the US's weapons were its submarines, which of course would be of interest to Australians, given that if AUKUS does go ahead, then Australia's would presumably be getting some of these submarines. Sabra Lane: John, where to next in this Middle East visit? John Lyons: Well, now the President will be travelling to Doha and to some of the other Gulf states. He said that the Saudi Arabians will hopefully agree to the normalisation deal with Israel in their own time. That's of course part of the Abraham Accords that he signed some of those in his first term. But the main game really now for the United States for Donald Trump is Iran, and he's going to do what he can. However, from the left flank may well come up, he may well depart on Thursday to go to Istanbul. If Vladimir Putin does come to Istanbul to meet Vladimir Zelenskyy, the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, there's a chance that Donald Trump will suddenly divert there, which would be an absolutely remarkable summit, those three men. Sabra Lane: Obsessive compulsive disorder can be debilitating but often goes untreated. Now a new global study has identified the genes linked with the condition. Researchers hope it'll lead to better treatments and diagnosis. Isabel Moussalli reports. Isabel Moussalli : Dr Leigh Sheppard's earliest memory of her obsessive compulsive disorder was being asked to pick a balloon for her sick brother. Leigh Sheppard : In my mind, if I chose the wrong balloon, my brother would die. And so I'm making these huge decisions in my mind, but also it's really illogical. Often it doesn't make sense. Isabel Moussalli : But the now medical doctor didn't receive a diagnosis or treatment until she was 33. Her struggle in finding support led her to start the non-profit OCDWA. Leigh Sheppard : At my worst, I was almost bedridden. I could barely function and through treatment I now function really well and it's meant that I can return to work. Isabel Moussalli : And more people could soon receive the diagnosis and treatment they need. That's the hope of a large global group of scientists who've just published significant findings. Eske Derks : This is the first time, the first large study where we found genes linked to OCD risk. Isabel Moussalli : Professor Eske Dirks is a senior scientist at Medical Research Institute QIMR Berghofer and was involved in the decade-long project. Eske Derks : We have access to data from 50,000 patients with OCD and 2 million people who don't have OCD. And then we looked at the genetic profiles and compared them and yeah, we found 250 genes that are increasing OCD risk and 25 of these are very likely to be causal. Isabel Moussalli : She cautions it doesn't mean they're the only genes as larger studies are being conducted. Eske Derks : But... It's very important findings I think for several reasons. Because we have a better understanding of the genes that are related to OCD, we can look at existing drugs that might be effective. The other important reason to do this research is that it's also the first step into being able to predict the risk for OCD. Isabel Moussalli : Dr. Sheppard from OCDWA believes it'll be a landmark moment for her community. Leigh Sheppard : Identifying the genes and brain regions that are involved in OCD confirms what clinicians and people with lived experience have long understood, which is that OCD is a complex neurobiological condition, not a personality trait or a behavioural choice. Isabel Moussalli : Sane Australia's CEO, Rachel Green, also hopes it'll break down the stigma. Rachel Green : OCD is a condition that carries with it some incredible stigma that actually prevents people from seeking help. It's not just wanting to keep your house really clean and it's important not to use it as a term in that sort of context. It can be a really debilitating condition for people who live with it and a very lonely and isolating experience, especially if they haven't yet been able to seek help. Isabel Moussalli : And she says one place people can seek support is the Sane Australia website. Sabra Lane: Isabel Moussalli reporting there. And that's AM for today. Thanks for your company. I'm Sabra Lane.
