Two Australians found in Nepal-Tibet floods
Two more Australians have been confirmed safe in the aftermath of the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.
The pair, who were previously uncontactable, have been found safe and do not require consular assistance.
It brings the total number of Australians missing in the floods down to 36.
Fifteen people in the Australian disaster assistance response team are expected to arrive in Kathmandu later Friday, while seven AFP disaster victim identification specialists are set to arrive on Saturday morning.
More than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, with more than 5,500 people missing.
Key events
‘Gut-wrenching’
Chris Bowen said he would meet members of the Nepali Australian community later today.
The minister said news two other Australians were safe was a welcome development but for other families of the 36 still missing or unaccounted for, the reality is just “gut-wrenching”:
Every person who’s been rescued or found is a relief to their family and to the broader Australian community. But of course, we still have 36 Australians who are missing and unaccounted for, which is just gut-wrenching for all Australians and for the Nepalese Australian community in particular, whom I’m spending time with later today.
But all I can say is that we’re continuing to send any support that the Nepalese government asked for.
Bowen says joint statement on China ‘strong’
Chris Bowen has called a joint statement about China’s missile test “strong” despite it not referring to the nation by name.
One of the biggest talking points of this week’s Pacific Islands Forum been the lack of a regional response to China’s nuclear-capable inter-continental ballistic missile test in July, as AAP reports.
The communique includes a reference to the Fiji-led Ocean of Peace declaration made last year, which states the region should be free from coercion and militarisation. However, it doesn’t name China.
Speaking to ABC’s Radio National, the climate change and energy minister said:
I think that leaders in the Pacific were deeply concerned: one, that a missile test was done without permission of the countries whose airspace had travelled through, and two, that there was no notice of the said missile test. So I think it’s both. It is a concern about sovereignty and safety, and one that Australia fully backs.
It’s a pretty strong statement, Sally, and one that Australia played a role in crafting.
‘Serious concerns’ for missing Australians, Chalmers says
The Albanese government still has “serious concerns” for the Australians missing in the Nepal-Tibet floods, Jim Chalmers says.
Speaking to ABC’s News Breakfast, the treasurer said it was “good news that two Australians have been located overnight [but] we are concerned for the 36 who are still unaccounted for”.
That would be a huge relief to the loved ones of these two Australians who’ve been located, but we still have very serious concerns for the 36 Australians that we haven’t been able to be located yet.
Chalmers said about 40 of Australia’s “best” personnel are either on the ground or en route to assist in recovery and humanitarian efforts. Unicef have warned overnight that at least 22,000 children urgently need safe drinking water and better sanitation.
Coalition says main focus of tobacco excise cut is tackling organised crime
Anne Ruston, the shadow minister for health and aged care, spoke this morning to tout the Coalition’s plans to slash the tobacco excise by 80%, saying the effort is designed to “break the business model” of organised crime.
Ruston spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying that after the government wrested control back of the cigarette market with a lower excise, then it could step in to “put in place the things to try and make sure that, first of all, we encourage Australians not to smoke, not to use nicotine products”.
Ruston was asked if cheaper tobacco products would lead to an uptick in smoking rates. She had this to say:
This is very much designed to try and get the government back in control of the nicotine market, not organised crime gangs.
We are hoping that the combined package of what we’re proposing here, not just the dropping of the excise, but the regulation of the market and making it certainly more difficult for children to access these products. In the enforcement surge and the anti-smoking and anti-vaping campaigns, we are hoping to put downward pressure on smoking rates.
She went on to say the purpose of the policy was to end the black market and, while the Coalition wanted to see smoking rates decline, “the absolute focus of this is to get this market out of the hands of organised crime”.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the blog and see us through Friday. Let’s get to it.
Two Australians found in Nepal-Tibet floods
Two more Australians have been confirmed safe in the aftermath of the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.
The pair, who were previously uncontactable, have been found safe and do not require consular assistance.
It brings the total number of Australians missing in the floods down to 36.
Fifteen people in the Australian disaster assistance response team are expected to arrive in Kathmandu later Friday, while seven AFP disaster victim identification specialists are set to arrive on Saturday morning.
More than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, with more than 5,500 people missing.
Josh Taylor
Pauline Hanson to make cost of living ‘worse’, union boss warns
Asked if she saw her role as one of countering One Nation on the cost of living, Donnelly said Pauline Hanson’s party “says one thing and does another”.
The reality is that Pauline Hanson’s track record is voting against penalty rates, voting against rights for casual and gig workers.
She’s opposed the minimum wage. She’s most recently suggested it should be easier to sack workers.
Our job, as the union movement, is to make sure our members and workers understand that is what she stands for. And if you’re worried about cost of living, Pauline Hanson is going to make it worse.
Workers should have a say in when and how AI is used, ACTU secretary says
Josh Taylor
The new secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melissa Donnelly, has said cost of living issues and the rollout of AI in workplaces are two major focuses of her new role.
Donnelly told ABC’s 7.30 program workers “absolutely deserve” a say on AI in their workplaces, but it would not amount to a veto.
She said unions will test the existing laws demanding workers are consulted over significant impacts of new technology before suggesting the laws need to be strengthened for AI.
There are a whole range of workplace issues, and workers’ rights issues, that arise with the advent of AI.
The stronger guardrails, Donnelly said, would include the capacity of workers to have a say on “when it’s used and how it’s used”.
There’s a broader conversation that we should be having as a nation about what AI means and how we regulate it. It’s not a tropical cyclone bearing down on the coast. It is technology. We’ve seen governments step in on issues like social media and set some guardrails.
We have all sorts of commentators from Bill Gates to others saying that we’ve got to have some rules around how this works, we’ve got to have protections, because we need to protect workers into there future. We need to make sure there are meaningful and quality jobs going forward.
Krishani Dhanji
Labor scraps course, citing ‘integrity’
Labor says it will shut down a management course amid fears it is being “misused by shonks” and providing a back door into Australia.
As the government faces increased pressure to curb overseas migration, Labor says the graduate diploma of management (learning) which is registered at 452 institutions, showed students either were enrolled but weren’t even starting the course, weren’t completing the course or were transferring out of it.
It’s the first time the government will use powers to shut down courses due to concerns over their integrity – though students currently completing the course will be able to finish it.
The assistant minister in charge, Julian Hill, pinned the blame on the Coalition:
The Coalition left behind a shocking mess in 2022, with unsustainably high growth in student numbers in the least reputable parts of the sector, and our high-quality student visa being degraded into a low-rent illegal work visa and misused by shonks.
Australia continues to welcome genuine international students seeking a premium education and must maintain a ruthless focus on quality, integrity and a great student experience.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
The new secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melissa Donnelly, has said cost-of-living issues and the rollout of AI in workplaces are two major focuses of her new role. More coming up.
