It’s Friday! We’ve almost made it!
Caitlin Cassidy will guide you through Today’s news this morning, starting with the minimum wage.
The Albanese government is due to hand down its minimum wage submission to the Fair Work Commission Today after endorsing a pay rise of 5.1% to keep up with inflation during the election campaign.
The commission is conducting its annual review to determine whether the minimum wage of $20.33 per hour should be raised, affecting around 3 million Australians.
Albanese said his decision would be “consistent” with his position throughout the campaign.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has said that the Queen will miss the national service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London Today after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s platinum jubilee celebrations.
In a speech marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee, the prime minister declared Australia’s relationship with Britain is now one of “equals” rather than “parent and upstart” while acknowledging the monarch has been an “enduring and inspiring” presence for the nation.
And as climate change returns to the forefront of national conservation amid rising energy prices, a major new study has found that almost half of the planet’s land surface needs extra conservation protection if the biodiversity crisis is to be halted.
Let’s dive in.
Updated at 17.51 EDT
Dutton said the public would “get sick” of the line the former government was to blame for everything.
This government went to the election saying they had the answers, and they didn’t. You look at Chris Bowen now; he is like the bunny in the headlights and has no idea how to go. It shows inexperience. The investment as a government we placed into renewables was one of the highest levels of investment in renewables in our country compared to any other country around the world.
This is nothing to do with renewables. I think the government has to take responsibility for what is a serious issue … the inexperience of both Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen is shining through.
Marles reiterated “no consistency” in policy from the former government had led to rising energy costs.
This is the failure of nine years of drift. That is why we are in the situation both in terms of flatlining wages and energy policy, in which there was no consistency; there was no ability for the former government to land a policy that would have dealt with the issue right now. That is why we are seeing rising energy costs.
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles and opposition leader Peter Dutton also appeared on the Today show this morning.
Asked if Marles was considering “ramping up” coal power stations to cover the gas shortage (which they also put to Wayne Swan), he said:
Whatever power generation is in the country, we will be looking at using it to deal with our current issues. But what we have now is the product of nine years of failure by the former government in terms of having a consistent energy policy … investment in renewables is down, which is why we don’t have a grid that can accept them. That is what we will do.
Updated at 18.49 EDT
If you missed it, Prince Louis became an instant meme after making iconic poses on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Wayne Swan: more coal plants not the answer to energy woes
Labor’s national president, Wayne Swan, appeared on the Today show this morning to discuss rising energy prices. Asked if opening more coal-fired power stations would fix the problem, an argument of some figures on the right, Swan said:
It won’t fix it because the coal-fired power stations are aging, and they produce expensive power. The solution is cheaper renewables over time; we must make more progress now.
The second thing, of course, [is] these energy issues draw attention to the fact that the world depends on petrol power and more energy internationally.
Updated at 18.39 EDT
‘Pick up the phone and call your energy retailer.’
The CEO of the Australian Energy Council, Sarah McNamara, appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning to discuss the perfect storm the market is currently facing.
She said the energy market was under “a lot of stress” due to several factors.
It is not a systemic market failure underway, but there is a coincidence of factors occurring in the market, putting pressure on the wholesale price, which will also put pressure on retail bills.
Most consumers won’t experience the kind of wholesale market price spikes we see now. That is because their retailers have hedging contracts to ensure their supply costs are smooth over time. However, people will experience higher bills over the coming year because of general upward pressure on prices.
We recommend that people pick up the phone and call their retailer to ensure they are on the best and cheapest deal for their circumstances. It will be a challenging period; we think … there is no silver bullet solution to this crisis.
Updated at 18.25 EDT
A fire has killed two people in western Sydney this morning.
It is reported that firefighters pulled a woman from a burning house in Glendenning before she died.
Peter Hannam
‘All options on the table when it comes to gas supply
Lots of chatter in the media this morning about reserving some of Australia’s gas production in the country’s east for “domestic use” rather than exports.
WA retains 15% of gas produced in that state, and new resources minister Madeleine King is reported as saying, “all options are on the table”.
That may well be the case, but it will be a complicated thing to implement for the Albanese and other governments, as is examined in this explainer of what’s going on:
Queensland has a policy of reserving some of the new acreage (hectare-age?) for domestic use as it is. (Let’s see.) Appea, the industry group, notes Victorian gas from Bass Strait has no direct export route (though much of it is piped out of the state), and NSW’s main gas project – Santos’s Narrabri venture – is intended for use in that state.
Meanwhile, wholesale power prices are again high in the spot market this morning, according to PocketNEM:
The high prices (the March quarter averaged $87 per megawatt across the national electricity market) came even after the Australian Energy Market Operator declared a potential gas shortage in Victoria had been “resolved”.
Spot wholesale prices don’t tell you what will happen for most of our power bills. Generation costs can be as little as a quarter of household electricity bills, with networks and retailing taking up most of the rest. Still, standard offers will rise by as much as 18% from July; the Australian Energy Regulator said last month.
Smaller retailers, though, are already struggling to cope with soaring energy costs and their ability to pass them on to customers. More of them are preparing to tell their customers to find other suppliers or face steep charges, by the looks.
We see 24 retailers have removed their market offers in NSW and QLD. Some of these are hedged but getting swamped with new customers and need to limit growth to their hedging cover. The future looks bleak for those 5-10 asking existing customers to leave.
— WATTever Australia (@watteverAus) June 2, 2022
Updated at 18.16 EDT
30 years since Mabo
Today we marked the 30th anniversary of the historic Mabo decision when the fiction of Terra Nullius was overturned in Australia.
Queensland’s minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships Craig Crawford praised Eddie Koiki Mabo’s pursuit of recognizing his lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait.
For ten years, Eddie Koiki Mabo pursued a case in the High Court of Australia to establish legal recognition of his family’s ownership of their lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait.
Ultimately, his claim was successful when on 3 June 1992, the High Court ruled in his favor, though sadly, he did not live to see the result of his advocacy.
Significantly it dispelled a myth, acknowledged the truth of the nation’s history, gave us native title laws, and inspired us all to embrace reconciliation.
30 years ago, Mr. Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo became a constant reminder that connection to country is real; thank you for helping us to learn, fight and grow xx pic.twitter.com/27xVTlFXgz
— Troy Cassar-Daley (@troycassardaley) June 2, 2022
In 1990, a judge determined Mabo had no inheritance claim on the land he had grown up on, as he hadn’t been formally adopted under Queensland law by his uncle.
His mother died shortly after he was born, and he was raised by his uncle Benny Mabo under Ailan Kastom’s (Torres Strait Island custom) child-rearing practice.
Under Queensland laws, these children’s legal identities didn’t align with their cultural and family identities. The practice, Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa, which means “for our children’s children”, became law in Queensland last year.
Updated at 18.29 EDT
Wong: no ‘loudhailer’ diplomacy on Assange
Now to Julian Assange, who remains incarcerated and faces a string of espionage charges in the US.
Asked if the Labor government will go harder on pushing for his freedom, Wong replies:
The prime minister has expressed that it’s time for the case to end.
The Australian government, under both parties, has consistently raised the issues with Mr. Assange and his arrest in the US and the UK.
[The prime minister said] not all foreign affairs is best done with the loudhailer and … I would be taking that advice.
Updated at 18.03 EDT
Wong on China trade relationship
Turning more broadly to China, Wong is asked if Australia can improve its relationship with Beijing.
She says the government is interested in a world where trade and economic engagement are free.
The concern Australia has raised about the Chinese economic measures against Australia is that they undermine that principle.
Beijing has said it wants to improve its relationship with Australia – is that still possible?
“We are interested in a world where trade and economic engagement is open and free and is predicated on norms and rules.”
– @SenatorWong (PART 1)
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) June 2, 2022
Beijing says the detention of Australian Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun shouldn’t be an issue. “How concerned are you about them?”
Wong:
I am concerned about any Australian citizen who is incarcerated.
I understand from the department that we’ve continued to seek consular access by the agreement with China. There have been some health issues raised … we continue to advocate publicly for Miss Cheng to be treated appropriately.
Given your intervention in the Pacific, are you expecting more trade sanctions for Australia?
“we will do what we think is right.. bearing in mind we are part of the Pacific family.”
– @SenatorWong, Foreign Minister
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) June 2, 2022
Updated at 18.01 EDT
Wong asked if the China PNG visit was political interference
During the election campaign, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi is in Papua New Guinea Today. Asked if this amounted to political interference, Wong replied:
I point to the decision by the Australian government to respect the indication from PNG and the advice we’ve been given that it is not an appropriate time to visit during an election campaign.
We’re seeing China being much more active in the region … that’s been confirmed by what the Chinese government has said. We have to lift our engagement in the area and talk to them about our climate policy, an essential issue for many Pacific island nations.
We have to do more work than previously done in the region; that’s what the next few years look like.
Updated at 17.56 EDT
Penny Wong continues Pacific tour
Foreign minister Penny Wong is in Tonga this morning on her second visit to the Pacific in a week.
She spoke with Radio National this morning, reiterating Australia will continue to work with the Pacific family as a national priority.
This is about the Australian government reaching out to the Pacific; we said in the election we would bring new energy and more resources to the Pacific, and we said we would be much more ambitious on climate.
Regional security should be dealt with by the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part.
China’s Foreign Minister is coming to the end of his Pacific tour – Who will come away happier?
“This is about the Australian government on behalf of Australia reaching out to the Pacific..”
– @SenatorWong, Foreign Minister (PART 1)
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) June 2, 2022
Updated at 17.55 EDT
Albanese platinum jubilee speech
Prime minister Anthony Albanese marked the Queen’s platinum jubilee yesterday evening as ACT buildings were lit in purple.
In a speech, Albanese said Australia’s relationship with the colonial power “is no longer what it was at the dawn of [Queen Elizabeth’s] reign”.
No longer parents and young upstarts, we stand as equals. More importantly, we stand as friends.
Albanese also praised the Queen as a “rare constant, an enduring, inspiring … presence of calm, decency and strength”, noting that during the past 184 years, the throne has been held by women for 133 of them.
Unlike her forebears, Princess Elizabeth did not choose a new name for herself as monarch. There was no question that she would retain the name that she had for all of her life. Already she was giving a sign of the stability and continuity she would provide, and indeed the continuity that royal women have provided.
Australian Parliament House and landmarks are lit purple during a celebration marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/Getty ImagesParliament House in Canberra is illuminated in purple as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last night. Photo: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
It comes as assistant minister for the republic Matt Thistlethwaite says the work done over the next three years will ensure the country is “ready to go in a second term of an Albanese government”.
Updated at 17.53 EDT
It’s Friday! Wwilltlin Cassidy is with you this morning to guide you through Today’s news, starting with the minimum wage.
The Albanese government is due to hand down its minimum wage submission to the Fair Work Commission Today after endorsing a pay rise of 5.1% to keep up with inflation during the election campaign.
The commission is conducting its annual review to determine whether the minimum wage of $20.33 per hour should be raised, affecting around 3 million Australians.
Albanese said his decision would be “consistent” with his position throughout the campaign.
Meanwhile, the QueeBuckingham Palace has said that n will miss the national service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London Today after experiencing “some discomfort” during Thursday’s platinum jubilee celebrations, Buckinpeech marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee, the prime minister declared Australia’s relationship with Britain is now one of “equals” rather than “parent and upstart” while acknowledging the monarch has been an “enduring and inspiring” presence for the nation.
And as climate change returns to the forefront of national conservation amid rising energy prices, almost half of the planet’s land surface needs extra conservation protection if the biodiversity crisis is to be halted.
