King dodges calls to directly address slavery and legacy of colonialism in Chogm speech
Kate Lyons
Just earlier, King Charles addressed the summit of Commonwealth leaders in Samoa, dodging calls to directly address slavery and the legacy of colonialism in the Commonwealth.
During his speech to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, which is being attended by Anthony Albanese, Charles said he understood that “painful aspects of our past continue to resonate” but asked Commonwealth leaders to “reject the language of division”.
None of us can change the past but we can commit with all our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure.
The king has faced calls to reckon with Britain’s colonial past, with many African, Caribbean and Pacific nations wanting this summit to commit to a discussion on the topic of reparatory justice, and discussion of financial compensation for slavery.
The king did not directly address colonialism or slavery but, in a seeming nod to the subject and the legacies of inequality left in their wake, said:
It is vital … that we understand our history to guide us to make the right choices in the future. Where inequalities exist … we must find the right ways and the right language to address them. As we look around the world and consider its many deeply concerning challenges, let us choose, within our Commonwealth family, the language of community and respect and reject the language of division.
Key events
Government accelerates ‘world first’ national targeted skin cancer screening
Natasha May
The government is accelerating the development of a “world first” national targeted skin cancer screening roadmap led by the Australians of the Year Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer.
Using the $10.3m investment announced today, the Melanoma Institute Australia will research risk-based and cost-effective national screening approaches, including improving skin cancer data collection for the Australian Cancer Database in close collaboration with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
In 2028 the Institute will deliver a report to the government with all the evidence about screening and guidance on how Australia might implement a national targeted skin cancer screening program.
The health minister Mark Butler said the program would be a “world first,” but its management would be more difficult than other national cancer screening programs:
We want to make sure we’ve got the research and the foundation right, because this is going to be a more tricky program to roll out than the population wide programs we have, for example, in cervical cancer or in breast and bowel even though there are some age arrangements around that. This will be more targeted. We don’t have a program around the world simply to take off the shelf and import.
Prof Anne Cust from the Melanoma Institute said this would be the “world first high quality, targeted screening program”.
In Germany they do have some population skin cancer screening, but it’s not actually taken up particularly well at the population level, and it’s not a targeted program.
Long said the way researchers will identify who is high risk, will be multi factorial – age will be only one of many risk factors considered:
Some of the common ones are red hair colour, people with lots of moles on their body, people with a family history, people that have had other types of skin cancer. These are the types of risk factors that we’ll be looking at, also genetic risk factors too.
Josh Butler
Butler not inclined to approve large increases to private health insurance premiums
The health minister, Mark Butler, says he isn’t inclined to approve large increases to private health insurance premiums, indicating the next increase will be “well below CPI” inflation.
Asked at a press conference this morning about whether the government would allow insurers to hike premiums on their customers by large amounts, the minister said it wouldn’t be fair in a cost-of-living crisis. The government approved only a 3% rise this year, after insurers had asked for a much higher raise. Butler said:
Earlier this year, I approved a private health insurance premium increase that was substantially below the going inflation rate. The insurers had asked for premium increases on average of 6% or more.
I ended up approving, after a process of discussion with them and asking them to sharpen their pencil, an increase of slightly more than 3% well below CPI, and certainly well below the increases happening elsewhere in the insurance sector. And I intend to take that approach again over the coming months.
Butler said he was conscious of needing to ensure “a viable private health insurance industry and private hospital sector” – before adding “but I’m also very focused on patients and members on insurance funds to ensure that their cost-of-living is not overly impacted by any increase in insurance premiums over the coming months.”
But the minister did concede that action in NSW from private hospitals, calling for reforms to how private health premiums are set, could have an impact on people in that state.
It is a matter that is still, as I understand it, going through the NSW parliament. But if that law passes, which probably we expect it will, that will have an impact on the state of NSW, and I think it’s important to bear that in mind.
More details on Monday’s 3G network shutdown
Josh Taylor
Telstra and Optus will begin shutting down their 3G networks on Monday, and are warning customers if they have incompatible devices they may be cut off.
Around 53,000 devices will potentially stop connecting to the networks once the switch-off starts, down from around 740,000 at the start of this year.
Telstra announced yesterday that from 12.01am on Monday it will block all devices that can only call Triple Zero on 3G per a government mandate. Optus began blocking some of these devices last month.
Telstra’s shutdown will begin in Tasmania, with the rest of Australia completed by 4 November.
The two companies have offered tens of thousands of free phones to customers in financial hardship in a bid to get the remaining customers off 3G.
People can SMS 3 to 3498 to check if their device is affected.
Rural health alliance CEO discussing 3G shutdown on Monday
The CEO of the National Rural Health Alliance, Susi Tegen, just spoke with ABC TV about the 3G shutdown on Monday.
Tegen said elderly people in regional areas rely on the 3G and their telephones “for safety and security” with some devices not compatible with 4 or 5G:
[This is] potentially leaving them with their device in a risky situation where they can’t ring triple zero, or if they have alarms or cardio-monitors or oxygen systems which may be impacted … they may have no one else to support them if there is need.
Tegen noted that Telstra had provided low-cost telephones, but isn’t sure what the uptake has been.
In the end, rural, remote and regional Australia deserves the same coverage the people in the city again. Just because they live out of the postcode region, why should they receive less services? We need to ensure there aren’t as many blackspots and the 4G take-up is as high as it can be.
Caitlin Cassidy
Body of woman found on property at Gunnedah
In New South Wales, police will address the media this afternoon after a woman’s body was discovered in Gunnedah.
As we reported earlier, police located the body at a property this morning after reports of a concern for welfare. She is yet to be formally identified, however is believed to be aged in her 50s, police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Gunnedah police station where he is helping police with their inquiries. Police believe the man and woman were known to each other.
Chief inspector Michael Wurth will appear outside Gunnedah police station at 1.30pm – we’ll endeavour to bring you updates here.
Caitlin Cassidy
PM says you can’t ‘flick a switch and act immediately’ on climate
Anthony Albanese is asked about pressure on his own government at the conference, with suggestions from Pacific leaders that Australia is not doing enough on emissions.
Yesterday, the Tuvalu prime minister released a report blaming Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom for producing 60% Commonwealth nations’ carbon emissions, despite accounting for just 6% of the population.
Albanese says he had “positive discussions” with Pacific leaders.
They recognise that the challenge of climate change doesn’t mean you can flick a switch and act immediately. We need to make sure energy security is prioritised to make sure that we have that support going forward … the feedback from Pacific leaders has been very welcoming of Australia’s leadership in the Pacific with climate action.
Albanese backs strong comments from King Charles that climate change poses an “existential threat”, suggesting he is correct about “the responsibility we have to future generations”.
In most parts of the world, with few exceptions, climate change is above politics. We are seeing the impact of climate change, recognised by scientists around the world. One of the first world leaders to recognise the challenge of climate change and the need to act was Margaret Thatcher.
Caitlin Cassidy
Albanese says Australia supports Pacific’s global leadership on climate action
Anthony Albanese says Chogm comes at an “important time”, noting it is the first time it’s been held in the Pacific.
The Pacific is a global leader in climate action. Australia supports that leadership. The meeting with the prime minister of Samoa and other Pacific partners was about galvanising action in our region. It will be front and centre of the next two days of deliberation.
Albanese says Australia and the UK are “old friends” and “partners”, noting this is the first time he has met Starmer face-to-face since he became the Labor leader.
He announces new grants on the Australia-UK Renewable Hydrogen Innovation Partnership Program, the first formal bilateral announcement with the incoming government.
We today discussed importantly our new climate and energy partnership we will deliver on. We have a common view about the challenge but the opportunity as well that climate change action represents.
We are both on the path to net zero through the transition and we see that as an opportunity for new industry and jobs and a new industrialisation of our respective countries … There is a real opportunity for us to develop technologies together to make a difference as well as look at co-operation in climate finance. The new partnership will allow us to explore co-operation in all these areas.
He says he and Starmer also discussed Aukus – with the foreign affairs ministers and defence ministers of both countries to meet in December.
PM addresses media at Chogm
Caitlin Cassidy
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is addressing the media at the sidelines of the opening of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Samoa.
He confirms he had a bilateral meeting with the Samoan prime minister, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, this morning, followed by a meeting with the prime minister of the UK, Keir Starmer.
Climate change has been on the agenda at Chogm, placing pressure on Australia, with King Charles using his visit to highlight the existential threat of the fossil industry and the inequality of the climate crisis’s impacts.
Burney shares throwback for World Teachers’ Day
Today marks World Teachers’ Day and politicians across the divide have marked the occasion with sharing memories to social media – including Labor’s Linda Burney.
Burney has shared a photo from 1978, when she began her career as a teacher, and said:
A lot has changed since then, but one thing has not: how hard our wonderful teachers work every day. Let’s give a big thank you to all the teachers and educators who give our children the best start in life!
Happy World Teachers’ Day!
In 1978 I started my career as a teacher
A lot has changed since then, but one thing has not: how hard our wonderful teachers work every day.
Let’s give a big thank you to all the teachers and educators who give our children the best start in life! pic.twitter.com/xXaEoI6CYF
— Linda Burney MP (@LindaBurneyMP) October 24, 2024
Qantas to give $1,000 ‘thank you’ payments to staff
Jonathan Barrett
Qantas has promised to give employees $1,000 as it seeks to repair relations with staff.
The Qantas chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, said at the annual general meeting today that the payment would be made to non-executive employees “to say thank you”.
The company has emerged from a bruising period for its reputation and is facing a hefty compensation bill expected to exceed $100m for its decision to illegally sack almost 1,700 baggage handlers in 2020.
The airline recently published an independent report into its governance that found there had been alack of board focus on non-financial issues, employees and customers.
Just under 1.4m have voted early for Queensland election
The Electoral Commission of Queensland has provided an update on pre-polling across the state before tomorrow’s election.
The total number of early votes is just under 1.4m, after roughly 150,000 people cast their votes in pre-poll yesterday.
Today is the last day of early voting. More than 3.68m Queenslanders are enrolled to vote in Saturday’s election.
Cait Kelly
More than 100 LGAs don’t have access to long day care centres
More than 100 local government’s across Australia do not have access to long day care centres (LDC) and there is a shortage in lower-socioeconomic areas, according to a new report from Mandala and the Front Project.
Most LGAs without LDC services are in rural communities, while the ACT has the greatest amount of supply relative to its population aged 0-6 years old – with 43 places in LDC services per 100 children. Conversely, Tasmania and Western Australia only have 23 places per 100 children.
The more advantaged and metropolitan areas in Australia are also those that have the greatest access to LDC centres and the sector is increasingly being dominated by large for-profit providers who charge higher fees, the report found.
The Front Project’s chief executive, Caroline Croser-Barlow, said if the government focuses its childcare reforms solely on increased subsidies, it would only make the problem worse:
If you simply pump money into the market via subsidies without conditions beyond regulatory compliance, what you will get is a market increasingly dominated by large for-profit providers. And the research tells us these large for-profits generally provide lower-quality education, worse workforce conditions and higher prices.
All the focus of our debate is around subsidies but, no matter how they’re calibrated, subsidies alone mean sleepwalking into a market we don’t want.
Severe heatwave warnings in place for parts of Queensland, NT and WA
There are a number of fire and heatwave warnings in place across the country today.
In the Northern Territory, there is an extreme fire danger warning in place for Barkly North, with Fire and Rescue advising:
Extreme fire dangers are forecast [today] due to very hot and dry temperatures, combined with fresh east to southeasterly winds during the late morning and into the afternoon.
This comes as a heatwave warning is in place for the Daly, Tiwi and Arnhem districts across the territory. The Bureau of Meteorology says temperatures could reach the low 40s inland, with severe heatwave conditions set to persist into next week.
A severe heatwave warning is also in place for parts of far north Queensland, including over the Cape York Peninsula – building further over the weekend and into next week.
In Western Australia, a severe heatwave warning is also in place for the Kimberley, Pilbara and North Interior districts. Conditions are expected to persist into the weekend, impacting Port Hedland.
🌡️ Hot temperatures with Severe Heatwave warnings for the Kimberley, Pilbara and North Interior today.
⛈️ An afternoon thunderstorm possible in the Goldfields.
☀️ A taste of summer next week for western and southern parts.
Find your forecast: https://t.co/0mJfdX5yUY pic.twitter.com/Rbti4w5oU2— Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) October 24, 2024
Search for missing senior’s body as murder charge laid
A semi-rural property is being searched for the body of a missing elderly man on the same day his accused killer appears in court for the first time, AAP reports.
Police allege Edwin Dobbin, 82, was shot dead some time after he disappeared from southwest Sydney in late September. Nearly a month later, detectives charged a 67-year-old with killing the elderly man and disposing of his body.
The accused killer, who police said knew Dobbin, was arrested at a home in Smithfield yesterday after allegedly telling authorities conflicting accounts of the elderly man’s disappearance.
Following the arrest, police began searching a semi-rural property in the Hawkesbury region, northwest of Sydney, where they believe Dobbin’s body is buried. Authorities said they would continue the search for his remains today.
The accused man was also charged with hindering an investigation into a serious indictable offence and the unlawful disposal of a corpse. He was refused police bail and is due to appear at Fairfield Local Court today.
Two missing-person appeals were issued for Dobbin after he was last spotted at Leppington, about 80km from where the search for his body was taking place, early on the morning of 25 September.
Jonathan Barrett
New Qantas chair pledges to resolve future issues ‘quickly and ethically’
The new chair of Qantas, John Mullen, struck a conciliatory tone in his opening remarks at the company’s annual general meeting in Hobart today, as the airline seeks to avoid a repeat of last year’s tense exchanges. Mullen told shareholders that:
There is no pretending that last year was anything other than a very difficult year for Qantas.
You have our absolute commitment to learn from the past, correct mistakes quickly and ethically if they occur, and ensure that we earn the trust and respect of all of our stakeholders, from government to customers to employees and to everyday Australians.
The airline will be hoping to avoid a second strike to its remuneration report today, after shareholders delivered one of Australia’s largest ever protest votes against executive pay at last year’s meeting.
Last year, the meeting erupted with shareholders shouting “shame on you” at the board’s chairman, Richard Goyder, who has since stepped down.
Shareholders are expected to ask questions today about the fallout of a string of scandals that included a $100m penalty for selling thousands of tickets for cancelled flights.
Man arrested after woman’s body located in regional NSW
A man has ben arrested after a woman’s body was located on a property in north-central New South Wales.
About 8.20am this morning, police located the body of a woman at a Gunnedah property after reports of a concern for welfare. She is yet to be formally identified, however is believed to be aged in her 50s, police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Gunnedah police station where he is helping police with their inquiries. No charges have been laid.
Police believe the man and woman were known to each other.
A crime scene has been established which will be forensically examined by specialist police, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
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