Hotline for stranded Bonza clients launched
Elias Visontay
The federal government has opened a hotline for Bonza passengers stranded throughout the nation after the funds service abruptly cancelled all providers at this time, amid discussions about its ongoing viability.
The hotline quantity is 1800 069 244.
Transport minister Catherine King stated her division had been in touch with Bonza “and our expectation is that they preserve passengers knowledgeable of their choices and their shopper rights”.
King stated:
I’m conscious of studies this morning of Bonza flights being cancelled. I’ve spoken to Qantas and Virgin CEOs this morning and each airways stand prepared to help stranded passengers needing to get residence.
Key occasions
Qantas gives free seats to stranded Bonza clients
Jetstar and Qantas stated it might present flights for gratis for stranded Bonza passengers, the place seats can be found and the place routes overlap.
This follows an identical supply from Virgin Australia earlier at this time.
In a press release, Qantas famous “at this time’s information about Bonza may have a big impression on many individuals’s journey plans” and stated:
For Bonza clients who’re attributable to journey at this time or who’re caught away from residence, Jetstar and Qantas will help by offering flights for gratis the place there are seats accessible.
Qantas stated of Bonza’s 36 routes, solely six overlap with Jetstar or QantasLink.
Qantas stated if there’s one other shut various route that it operates, clients booked to journey at this time or caught away from residence “can even journey for gratis”. Bonza clients can contact Jetstar on 13 15 38 or Qantas on 13 13 13.
Peter Hannam
Australia is undercounting its methane emissions by a minimum of an element of two, report finds
Australia has made a lot of its emissions discount efforts, a minimum of in comparison with the inflated baseline of 2005.
That 12 months, not coincidentally, was when land-clearing and different carbon air pollution was close to a peak, so not doing very a lot meant it regarded like Australia was emitting much less. (That the land sector someway manages to stay a perennial carbon sink regardless of weaker land-clearing legal guidelines is itself a doubtful outcome.)
Anyway, The Superpower Institute has printed evaluation at this time suggesting that Australia’s emissions of methane – a potent greenhouse fuel that has been the biggest supply of world heating prior to now decade – is way larger than reported within the official nationwide stock.
Main emitters, equivalent to coal mines and fuel fields, could also be polluting at twice the speed reported.
Rod Sims, previously chair of the ACCC and now the institute’s chair, known as the findings “merely astounding”.
Most problematically, these estimates to the nationwide stock are by no means externally verified. This leaves big questions in regards to the veracity of those estimation strategies, however extra importantly in regards to the precise quantity of greenhouse fuel emissions from totally different websites and amenities and due to this fact the nationwide stock as an entire.
Peter Raynor, the institute’s chief scientist and an emeritus professor, stated the group’s Open Methane instrument signifies the federal government ought to fund a minimal of 12 new monitoring websites round Australia that may be calibrated with satellites which are additionally detecting these emissions.
Chopping methane is our single finest technique to fight international heating this decade whereas we make the adjustments wanted to cut back Australia’s emissions to zero. However methane emissions aren’t being credibly measured.
Individually, our colleague Adam Morton has this clear-eyed take a look at how one in every of Australia’s largest methane polluters, Woodside, are providing little greater than rhetoric on the subject of local weather motion:
Hotline for stranded Bonza clients launched
Elias Visontay
The federal government has opened a hotline for Bonza passengers stranded throughout the nation after the funds service abruptly cancelled all providers at this time, amid discussions about its ongoing viability.
The hotline quantity is 1800 069 244.
Transport minister Catherine King stated her division had been in touch with Bonza “and our expectation is that they preserve passengers knowledgeable of their choices and their shopper rights”.
King stated:
I’m conscious of studies this morning of Bonza flights being cancelled. I’ve spoken to Qantas and Virgin CEOs this morning and each airways stand prepared to help stranded passengers needing to get residence.
Airline passenger numbers nonetheless ‘effectively beneath’ pre-pandemic ranges, new report says
In the meantime, the Australian Airports Affiliation (AAA) has additionally famous a brand new report stating passenger numbers stay “effectively beneath” pre-pandemic ranges.
The annual ACCC airport monitoring report for 2022-2023 exhibits passenger numbers have seen a year-on-year improve of 127.4% however stay beneath pre-Covid ranges.
Chief government James Goodwin stated:
Whereas home aviation has led the restoration 2022-23 passenger ranges are nonetheless 10.4% decrease than 2018-19. Worldwide operations have been slower to get well, remaining at 31% beneath pre-Covid ranges.
Goodwin stated the rationale for the unfinished restoration is constrained airline capability, “significantly from the 2 fundamental home carriers”.
The rebound in airport revenues merely displays the elevated variety of travellers, with the reporting interval the primary with out Covid border or journey restrictions.
Airports affiliation monitoring Bonza scenario, it says
The Australian Airports Affiliation (AAA) says it’s monitoring funds airline Bonza’s present scenario carefully.
As Elias Visontay reported earlier, Bonza has cancelled a raft of flights throughout the nation, and sources advised the Guardian that its fleet of Boeing 737-Max 8 plane had been repossessed.
In a press release, AAA chief government James Goodwin stated:
Airports labored to assist Bonza to enter the Australian market and we’re monitoring the rising scenario carefully whereas we help affected passengers at terminals throughout Australia.
Lisa Cox
Sarah Hanson-Younger calls on Plibersek to halt Darwin land clearing
Persevering with on from earlier put up:
The clearing has drawn condemnation from conservationists, Darwin group members and impartial and Greens MPs.
The Greens atmosphere spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Younger known as on the atmosphere minister, Tanya Plibersek, to urgently shield the location, which was habitat for important species such because the critically endangered jap curlew:
The Minister lately made an enormous splash about saving Japanese Curlew habitat in Toondah Bay in Queensland, however that very same critically endangered chook deserves safety in Lee Level Darwin as effectively.
The impartial senator David Pocock tweeted that the clearing was an instance of Australia’s damaged system of environmental protections.
The clearing comes a month after the developer, Defence Housing Australia, was given the inexperienced mild to begin the event, which it had paused for a number of months whereas Plibersek thought-about an emergency utility by Larrakia conventional homeowners for defense of the location on cultural grounds.
Plibersek notified the candidates late final month that after contemplating the proof she was not happy that the precise space that will be developed met the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Act necessities for a “important Aboriginal space in accordance with Aboriginal custom”.
Destruction of woodlands begins for defence housing improvement in Darwin
Lisa Cox
Destruction of woodlands which are habitat for a whole bunch of chook species, together with the endangered gouldian finch, has commenced on the web site of a deliberate defence housing improvement at Lee Level/Binybara in Darwin.
Footage launched by the Surroundings Centre NT exhibits bulldozers flattening bushes on the much-loved web site {that a} group marketing campaign had fought to guard.
Darwin group members who arrived on the web site this morning have been met by police and safety guards:
Amy Remeikis
Second tutorial questioned over racism impacts throughout Faruqi-Hanson courtroom case
The federal courtroom listening to Mehreen Faruqi’s racial discrimination case in opposition to Pauline Hanson has simply completed listening to from the College of Melbourne tutorial, ProfKate Reynolds.
Reynolds additionally ready a report which varieties a part of Faruqi’s proof on the impacts of racism on well being and wellbeing. Reynolds has a PhD in psychology and advised the courtroom:
I come from a self-discipline of social psychology, the place we spend plenty of time making an attempt to know the function that folks’s group memberships play in shaping their attitudes, their behaviour, and their wellbeing.
Reynolds says folks can expertise issues as a part of a gaggle, or as a person.
Hanson’s counsel, Sue Chrysanthou led many of the questioning of Reynolds, which centres round whether or not there was sufficient info to evaluate whether or not folks skilled the Hanson tweet as racism. Reynolds:
What this skilled opinion says based mostly on the proof that’s accessible and mentioned is that’s that marginalised group members are more likely to expertise a tweet equivalent to this as racist. And when that happens, there’s a move on impact to poorer bodily and psychological outcomes.
Reynolds had additionally reviewed the physique of labor across the well being and wellbeing impacts of racism, which included worldwide and home research. Chrysanthou’s questions centre round whether or not unfavourable outcomes are “potential” or “probably”. The distinction, as Chrysanthou lays out is “probably is extra possible than not. And potential is one thing lower than that”.
Reynolds says within the skilled opinion supplied to the courtroom, it’s “probably”.
Reynolds says she has not interviewed, studied carefully or examined the people concerned within the case – and that she is showcasing the “prime quality” proof which is on the market, which “speaks to the connection between experiences of racism and unfavourable outcomes”. Reynolds:
I feel probably is the phrase I’d use to explain my evaluation of this literature within the context of those sorts of cases.
Reynolds is excused from the courtroom, which is now on break till 2.15pm. Hanson is predicted to offer proof later this afternoon, as soon as the courtroom resumes.
Luca Ittimani
Australia’s public service fee introduces CALD targets for public service
Individuals from culturally and linguistically various (CALD) backgrounds maintain just one in ten senior government positions within the federal public service, regardless of making up one in 4 Australians.
Now the federal government has promised to raise illustration from the present common of 11% throughout the senior ranks of the general public service to 17% by 2030 and subsequently to 24%, roughly according to the nationwide inhabitants.
The business, science and assets division has the bottom CALD illustration on the senior government degree at 4%. Three different main authorities departments have solely 5% of senior positions stuffed by CALD workers, whereas even essentially the most consultant division (overseas affairs and commerce) has solely 19%.
The targets are for the general public service on common, and particular person companies will set their very own benchmarks and plans to assist the sector-wide goal.
The Australian public service fee has introduced the targets as a part of a CALD employment technique, which additionally consists of improved coaching, recruitment and promotion processes to cut back discrimination throughout the public service.
Teen arrested after alleged stabbing in Melbourne
An adolescent has been arrested following an alleged stabbing in St Albans this morning, in Melbourne’s north-west.
Emergency providers have been known as to studies a 37-year-old man was situated injured in a quick meals outlet automotive park on St Albans Highway about 6am. It’s alleged a dispute occurred between the sufferer and one other man earlier than the sufferer was stabbed.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested at a Keilor Downs handle at this time. It’s additional alleged he was concerned in a stabbing at St Albans railway station yesterday.
It’s alleged the sufferer was chased by three males earlier than being stabbed. The 21-year-old Tarneit man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening accidents.
Investigations into the incident stay ongoing.
Natasha Could
Queensland well being warns of record-breaking Ross River detections
A spike in Ross River virus instances has coincided with a record-breaking variety of detections in mosquito traps this summer time season in Queensland.
Performing chief well being officer Dr Catherine McDougall stated within the 12 months so far 2,065 folks have had Ross River virus, which is the very best variety of instances because the final important outbreak of the virus.
Half of these instances have been in south-east Queensland, which has seen case numbers between six to eight instances larger than common this summer time season (from November to April), McDougall stated.
Instances peaked through the second week of March with 333 weekly instances recorded, she stated.
Hospital and well being service areas with the biggest will increase in Ross River virus instances in comparison with earlier years have been Sunshine Coast, Metro North, Metro South, Gold Coast, and Vast Bay.
Ross River virus is unfold by the chew of contaminated mosquitoes, with signs together with fever, rash and joint ache. There is no such thing as a therapy accessible however most individuals really feel higher in a number of weeks.
The final time there was a big Ross River virus outbreak in Queensland was in 2020, when 3,381 annual instances have been recorded.
The well being division’s gathering and testing mosquito samples helps assess danger. They are saying the very best variety of mosquito entice checks returned a optimistic outcome this summer time because the surveillance program began in 2016.
Out of greater than 1,225 mosquito traps examined for Ross River virus a document 116 traps have returned a optimistic outcome McDougall stated. It’s the newest warning from well being authorities following earlier notices of rising instances:
Man charged after alleged stabbing in Sydney’s west
Members of the general public detained a person who had been chasing folks with a knife in Sydney’s west on Monday afternoon, police say.
New South Wales police stated in a press release {that a} 25-year-old had been charged with a number of offences after allegedly stabbing a person and chasing different folks at Heber Park in Hebersham about 5.45pm.
When police arrived on the park, they discovered a person had “been detained by members of the general public”, in accordance with the assertion.
NSW police stated:
Police have been advised he allegedly chased a number of members of the general public and stabbed a person in his 20s earlier than bystanders disarmed and restrained him.
The injured man was handled for wounds to his neck and head earlier than being taken to Nepean Hospital in a secure situation, police stated.
The alleged offender was additionally taken to hospital for evaluation, however was later launched and charged at Mount Druitt police station with two counts of stalking or intimidation with intent to trigger concern or bodily hurt, frequent assault and wounding individual with intent to trigger grievous bodily hurt.
He was refused bail to seem earlier than Mount Druitt native courtroom on Tuesday.
NSW police count on to talk to the media in regards to the incident at 1pm on Tuesday.
Truckie in B-Double driving greater than 50 km/h over the restrict: police
A truckie has been fined and had his licence suspended after police detected him driving his B-double at 114km/h in a 60 km/h hour zone close to a New South Wales nation city.
NSW police stated in a press release that the 25-year-old Queensland man was detected about 11am on Monday driving by roadworks south of Coonabarabran.
He was examined for medicine and alcohol however returned a unfavourable outcome.
Police issued the person an infringement discover for exceed pace by greater than 45 km/h and his licence was suspended.
Daniel Hurst
Parliamentary group name for nuclear ban
A cross-party group has renewed requires Australia to affix a treaty that imposes a blanket ban on nuclear weapons, saying “historical past is looking”.
In a video message launched at this time, members of the Parliamentary Pals of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons say Australia ought to be part of the 93 nations which have already signed as much as the comparatively new treaty.
The treaty, often called the TPNW, is opposed by all the nations which have nuclear weapons, together with the US.
However the treaty “has given nations, and residents, internationally hope, and a brand new and promising pathway in the direction of the abolition of those weapons”, in accordance with MPs and senators together with Labor authorities backbenchers Josh Wilson, Susan Templeman, Sam Lim, Louise Pratt, Sharon Claydon and Josh Burns.
Others to seem within the video are Russell Broadbent (former Liberal now impartial), Warren Entsch (LNP) and Jordon Steele-John (Greens), Lidia Thorpe (impartial) and Monique Ryan (impartial). The group says:
As members of the Parliamentary Pals of TPNW, we’re working collectively to see the nuclear weapons ban treaty signed and ratified.
We’re pleased with our nation’s dedication to eliminating different inhumane weapons, like landmines, cluster munitions, organic and chemical weapons.
We welcome Australia’s engagement with the TPNW underneath the Albanese authorities, and we pay tribute to the group activism being undertaken in assist of Australia becoming a member of this treaty.
The performing director for Worldwide Marketing campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Australia, Jemila Rushton, welcomed the video as as a “joint message of hope” at a time of “unbelievable international insecurity”. Rushton known as on Labor to signal the treaty “immediately”.
Amy Remeikis
Faruqi-Hanson courtroom case continues
Sue Chrysanthou SC has completed her questioning of Prof Yin Paradies, so Mehreen Faruqi’s counsel Saul Holt KC has taken the chance to ask Paradies about Britishness as an ethnicity and whether or not criticising the colonial empire could possibly be thought-about being racist to British folks.
Holt is re-examining Paradies after Chrysanthou’s questioning yesterday within the first day of the listening to about whether or not it was potential to be racist in opposition to white folks.
Paradies says from the analysis, “racism skilled once you’re white, has a weaker affiliation between a weaker affiliation with well being outcomes. So you need to map it otherwise”.
Paradies then turns to a different situation:
There may be additionally in fact, the problem of what’s typically known as white fragility.
And in these instances individuals who expertise racism will be significantly perturbed by the expertise as they don’t actually have a lot historical past of being subjected to the experiences themselves.
On the concept of Britishness as an ethnicity, Holt asks in regards to the concept of Britishness together with a colonial historical past and whether or not “to criticise a colonial historical past is to criticise the ethnicity of contemporary British people”.
Paradies:
There have been many nation states that engaged in colonisation, Britain was definitely a kind of. And sure, some folks definitely really feel folks of British descent definitely really feel a sort of a guilt over that coloniality however in the long run, individuals are not establishments.
And so to critique the British Empire is to not critique any specific British individual.
… So I feel there’s a distinction between critiquing colonisation and being racist to British folks.
Paradies is excused by the courtroom.
See the total background to the case and yesterday’s hearings right here:
Luca Ittimani
Retail commerce falls 0.4% from February to March as customers proceed to really feel cost-of-living pressures
Australian consumers reduce a bit of greater than anticipated in March, with retail commerce falling 0.4% from February.
The figures stunned markets, which had anticipated commerce to choose up 0.2% over the month, a bit of beneath February’s month-to-month improve of 0.2% (which itself was revised beneath its earlier 0.3% estimate). Right now’s knowledge from the Australian Bureau of statistics additionally confirmed NSW consumers reduce essentially the most, by 1.1%.
A key indicator of cost-of-living stress on Australian clients, family items commerce, has now resumed its downward slide, falling to $5.61bn within the month in comparison with a $5.8bn development on the finish of 2023.
The determine has been slipping because the finish of 2022, as steeper costs and rate of interest rises ate away on the financial savings households would have spent on fridges and furnishings.
Count on the sector to maintain sliding as worth rises show onerous to curb, after Australia’s inflation charge slowed lower than anticipated within the March quarter. That led markets to concern the Reserve Financial institution might nonetheless hike rates of interest additional earlier than the tip of 2024.
However Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia, stated at this time’s knowledge confirmed rising prices have been “nonetheless placing the squeeze on family budgets”.
Final week’s CPI knowledge spurred issues that the RBA could but want to boost charges once more to rein in inflation. However these knowledge are an additional affirmation that shopper demand may be very restrained at current.
We’ll get a greater sense of how the RBA views the info after its assembly subsequent week.