Australia news live: Dutton won’t rule out a Coalition government walking away from ICC after Israel arrest warrant request

Lisa Cox

H5N1 chook flu could be ‘catastrophic’ to Australia, government evaluation says

If the extremely pathogenic H5N1 number of chook flu arrives in Australia and establishes itself in wild chook populations, the impacts could be catastrophic, based on a government evaluation.

The Invasive Species Council says detection of a non-H5N1 pressure of chook flu at a Victorian egg farm this week ought to function a “wake-up call” for Australian governments. The council has been elevating considerations since final yr that not sufficient has been achieved to arrange a response plan for the lethal chook flu in Australian wildlife.

A risk assessment by Wildlife Health Australia for the federal government discovered “if establishment of the disease occurs within Australian wild birds there are likely to be substantial welfare, conservation, social and economic impacts across multiple sectors including the poultry sector”.

The evaluation discovered, with a average diploma of uncertainty, that institution of H5N1 in Australian chook populations would have “catastrophic” impacts, which might embrace long-term inhabitants losses affecting a number of species, native extinctions of species, severe ecosystem results or penalties for animal welfare. It discovered, with average uncertainty, that penalties could be excessive for poultry and minor for mammals.

The council’s advocacy director, Jack Gough, stated with Australia the one continent but to expertise the lethal number of chook flu, it was solely “a matter of time” earlier than the illness arrived:

If extremely pathogenic chook flu turns up in Australia it’ll have catastrophic impacts on our native birds, and should result in native extinctions of species like black swans.

The potential for environmental harm in Australia is catastrophic however, whereas our poultry business has a detailed response plan, Australia doesn’t but have an equal plan for wild birds and at-risk mammals like sea lions.

It is vital that the Australian government instantly ramps up surveillance in wild chook populations.

Benita Kolovos

Victorian opposition claims win after government backs down on GP tax

The Victorian opposition is claiming a win after the government backed down on a plan to make impartial GPs working in medical centres pay payroll tax, or, as they appreciated to name it, a “health tax”.

The opposition chief, John Pesutto, says:

For months Labor ignored healthcare professionals concerning the dire impression on sufferers their insidious Health Tax was having. The Victorian Liberals and Nationals at all times stood towards Labor’s Health Tax and immediately’s long-overdue backflip is a win for Victorians and for frequent sense.

Dutton won’t rule out a Coalition government walking away from ICC after Israel arrest warrant request

Daniel Hurst

Peter Dutton has signalled that a Coalition government could think about walking away from the worldwide felony court docket if it points arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC has not but made a determination on an software by the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan KC, for the arrest of 5 individuals in reference to occasions in Gaza and Israel since Hamas’s 7 October assaults.

Khan stated he had “reasonable grounds to believe” three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh – bore felony accountability for struggle crimes and crimes towards humanity, together with extermination, homicide, taking hostages, rape and sexual violence, torture and merciless therapy.

In addition, Khan stated he had “reasonable grounds to believe” the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, bore felony accountability for struggle crimes and crimes towards humanity through the ensuing battle, together with “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”, deliberately directing assaults towards a civilian inhabitants, and “extermination and/or murder … including in the context of deaths caused by starvation”. They have denied the allegations.

Dutton stated the Albanese government ought to, within the first occasion, strain the ICC “to make sure that they reverse this terrible decision”.

The Australian Associated Press stories that Dutton stated a Coalition government might reduce ties with the court docket if it failed to vary course:

I don’t rule it out … however I feel the strain for the time being must be for like-minded international locations that share our values, to face shoulder-to-shoulder … to be sure that this antisemitic stance that they’ve taken doesn’t advance.

Australia is amongst 124 states which are social gathering to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, having joined when the Howard government was in energy. The Albanese government has not commented on the particular software for arrest warrants however says Australia “respects the ICC and the important role it has in upholding international law” whereas including that “there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas”.

Andrew Messenger

‘Cross their legs?’: LNP MP calls for Labor apologise for ‘mischaracterising my words’

The LNP MP Ros Bates has accused Queensland Labor of “baseless misrepresentation” and demanded the well being minister apologise.

Shannon Fentiman took offence after Bates yelled “cross their legs?” throughout the ground of parliament in query time.

The premier, Steven Miles, stated it was “disgraceful behaviour”.

But Bates stated the remark was “clearly not about the health minister”.

“It was about the alarming Queensland maternity crisis, which continues to worsen on her watch,” she stated.

Shannon Fentiman is conscious I’m a sufferer of home violence. She can also be conscious I’m a mom. For her to mischaracterise my phrases for her personal political achieve and try to painting me as a misogynist is deeply offensive.

Bates stated her remark associated to a query concerning the closure of maternity clinics in regional Queensland.

“With Labor suggesting women could just bypass their local hospital to go to another hospital to give birth, I could not believe Labor was telling mothers to “cross your legs” whereas in labour.

That is the remark I made.

Bates was first elected to state parliament in 2009.

Cait Kelly

More than 30% of people that took their lives in 2019 have been on welfare, AIHW says

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has simply launched some knowledge that exhibits greater than 30% of suicides in 2019 have been individuals on the incapacity help pension (DSP) and newstart – regardless of being simply 5.7% of the inhabitants.

During 2019, the latest pre-Covid pandemic yr, the age-standardised suicide charge amongst males who obtained unemployment funds was 2.8 instances that of the male Australian inhabitants comparability. For females, it was 3.3.

During the identical yr, unemployment recipients accounted for roughly 20% of all suicide deaths amongst Australian women and men (throughout the identical age vary 15-66 years). Those on DSP have been 14.5%.

The DSP recipient and Antipoverty Centre spokesperson, Kristin O’Connell, stated:

The new figures on welfare recipient deaths by suicide are chilling, however replicate my all-too-frequent experiences supporting people who find themselves planning to or have made an try as a results of coping with “mutual” obligations or poverty.

Every government determination to depart us in poverty and topic individuals to abuse by way of “mutual” obligations is a determination that kills.

In 2020, Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank stated the quickest and handiest factor the government might do to ease the psychological well being disaster was to maintain the jobseeker cost on the poverty line.

The Morrison government plunged individuals again into deep poverty, and regardless of their claims to supply “cost of living relief” the Albanese government has continued the brutal welfare insurance policies that led to those alarming suicide charges and widespread hurt in our communities.

Benita Kolovos

It’s not fairly often the government points a media launch with so many stakeholder feedback, however it appears they’re eager to get throughout that each one are supportive of this settlement. Here’s the others.

President of Australian Medical Association Victoria, Dr Jill Tomlinson:

General observe is important for maintaining Victorians out of hospital. After listening to advocacy from the sector, the state government has applied modifications that ship certainty and readability to Victorian normal practices. While AMA Victoria acknowledges that there can be prices related to this transition, this can be very optimistic news for normal practices, normal practitioners and Victorians.

Australian GP Alliance deputy chair, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal:

On behalf of General Practice house owners and sufferers who we look after, AGPA has sought readability, consistency, stability and a honest and comprehensible system to work with. We thank the Victorian Government for his or her determination and dedication to the first care sector as this end result will help practices to stay viable into the long run.

Dr Rodney Aziz from Primary Care Business Council:

We welcome this determination by the Victorian government which is able to relieve the quick strain on normal observe and guarantee major care stays reasonably priced for all Victorians because the cost-of-living disaster continues. As the consultant physique for greater than 40% of normal observe consultations throughout Australia, the Primary Care Business Council has advocated for a smart strategy to payroll tax and we commend the Victorian Government for making the fitting determination.

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) president Dr Dan Halliday:

ACRRM appreciates the Victorian Government’s determination to exempt bulk-billed consultations from payroll tax. However, nationwide Medicare reform remains to be required to enhance healthcare affordability.

Dr Louise Manning, president-elect of the Rural Doctors’ Association of Victoria:

The Rural Doctors’ Association of Victoria (RDAV) is supportive of the announcement by the Victorian Government of the exemption of retrospective funds of payroll tax for normal observe masking the interval as much as July 1 2025. The accessibility of reasonably priced major care is of main concern to RDAV, and broader well being system reform is required to make sure the viability of personal rural normal observe into the long run so that each one communities can entry protected and acceptable care near residence.

Benita Kolovos

Victoria scraps plan to make impartial GPs working in medical centres pay payroll tax

The Victorian government has backed down on a plan to make impartial GPs working in medical centres pay payroll tax after a marketing campaign by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the opposition.

In August final yr, the Victorian income workplace revealed a ruling that confirmed for the primary time that many impartial GPs working in medical centres could be topic to payroll tax. Up till that time, it had been accepted throughout the business that impartial GPs, who lease rooms from a observe proprietor, had not been topic to the tax.

The RACGP and different our bodies had argued as many as 90% of GPs have been impartial and the change would have pressured medical doctors to hike their session charges. The opposition earlier this month had vowed to scrap the change if elected in 2026.

But in a assertion on Wednesday afternoon, the treasurer, Tim Pallas, introduced the change wouldn’t go forward as deliberate on the finish of subsequent month.

He stated after “extensive consultation with the primary care sector and work to align settings across the country”, all Victorian normal observe companies will obtain an exemption from any excellent or future evaluation issued for payroll tax on funds to contractor GPs for the interval as much as 30 June 2024.

An extra 12-month exemption from payroll tax for funds to contractor GPs, by way of to 30 June 2025, can be accessible for any normal observe enterprise that has not already obtained recommendation and begun paying payroll tax on funds to their contractor GPs on this foundation.

Pallas stated this exemption can be supplied by way of his ‘ex gratia’ powers.

Then, from 1 July 2025, the government will present an exemption from payroll tax for any GPs offering bulk-billed consultations.

Pallas stated in a assertion:

We’ve labored intently with the first care sector on how we are able to finest help them – and we’re making these long-term modifications to supply certainty to normal observe companies and help extra bulk-billing for Victorians.

RACGP chair Dr Anita Munoz stated:

The prospect of retrospective tax payments on GPs was a supply of huge stress for a lot of normal observe groups and their communities. We are grateful the Victorian government has taken retrospective taxation off the desk. This transfer will assist maintain native GPs’ doorways open.

We admire the Victorian government coming to the desk and dealing with us to search out a middle-ground resolution. GP practices now have the understanding we’ve been asking for and may plan for the long run.

Ben Doherty

France to run evacuation flights from New Caledonia to Brisbane

France will run evacuation flights to Brisbane to get vacationers out of New Caledonia, because the Pacific territory stays beneath a state of emergency and strict curfew.

More than 100 Australians and different vacationers have been evacuated on two Royal Australian air pressure planes on Tuesday. France, whose president, Emmanuel Macron, is ready to go to New Caledonia, will run subsequent flights out of the nation.

Australian’s consul-general in New Caledonia, Annelise Young, stated on-line:

“My team and I are continuing to work on assisted departures of Australians from New Caledonia, in close collaboration with local authorities.”

French safety forces have secured the principle street to New Caledonia’s worldwide airport.

“Road operations on the way to La Tontouta continue. More than 90 roadblocks have been neutralised and are being cleared,” Young stated.

The French president is predicted to land Thursday in New Caledonia, a French territory of 270,000 the place the indigenous Kanak individuals have waged a decades-long marketing campaign for independence.

This month’s unrest has raised new questions on Macron’s dealing with of France’s colonial legacy.

The newest unrest erupted over French plans to unfreeze electoral rolls for provincial elections – modifications that might give tens of hundreds of non-Indigenous residents voting rights.

Under the phrases of the Nouméa accord, voting in provincial elections was restricted to individuals who had resided in New Caledonia earlier than 1998 and their kids. The measure was aimed toward giving higher illustration to the Kanak inhabitants.

The Kanak individuals make up about 40% of New Caledonia’s inhabitants and endure vital financial and social drawback. Kanak teams argue the brand new voting guidelines would dilute their vote.

More than a week of rioting, looting and arson has left six individuals lifeless, together with two gendarmes, and a whole lot injured.

Child in Victoria data nation’s first human case of H5N1 chook flu pressure

Calla Wahlquist

The Victorian well being division has confirmed a case of the extremely pathogenic H5N1 pressure of avian influenza in a youngster who not too long ago returned to Australia from abroad.

It is the primary human case of H5N1 in Australia, and the first case of this subtype of the virus being detected on the continent, amid a world outbreak. It means H5N1 has now been detected on each continent on this planet.

It comes simply a few hours after authorities confirmed that an outbreak of chook flu on a Victorian egg farm was not H5N1 however was one other extremely pathogenic pressure, H7N7.

In a assertion, the division of well being stated the kid returned to Victoria from India in March. They suffered a “serious infection” however have since recovered.

The department said:

The avian influenza virus was detected by way of additional testing of optimistic influenza samples that takes place to detect novel or regarding flu virus strains, as a part of Victoria’s enhanced surveillance system. Contact tracing has not recognized any additional circumstances of avian influenza related to this case.

Paul Karp

Chalmers assaults Taylor’s ‘shambolic’ press membership speech after confusion over migration figures

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has taken goal at Angus Taylor for a “shambolic” handle to the National Press Club additional complicated the Coalition’s goal for web migration.

Taylor stated the Coalition needs a 25% reduce over its time period of government, regardless of Peter Dutton and others saying it needs to chop web migration from 260,000 to 160,000 (a 38% reduce).

Chalmers informed reporters in Tasmania:

Angus Taylor’s speech on the National Press Club was an absolute shambles. The centrepiece of Peter Dutton’s price range reply is now a smoking wreck due to Angus Taylor’s speech. The solely factor that Peter Dutton needed you to know in his price range reply was about migration, and Angus Taylor has utterly and completely stuffed up immediately in Canberra. Peter Dutton lowered the bar and Angus Taylor has tripped over it …

He couldn’t reply essentially the most fundamental questions concerning the centrepiece of Peter Dutton’s price range reply. He couldn’t inform us the place he would discover a whole lot of billions of {dollars} of financial savings. He couldn’t inform us how he would fund larger tax cuts for the wealthiest Australians. He couldn’t inform us the place the nuclear reactors are going to go or how a lot they’re going to value. But I feel most basically, he couldn’t clarify the migration numbers which have been on the very core of Peter Dutton’s price range reply.

. … Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor’s credibility was already not substantial, and now it’s nonexistent as a consequence of this absolute shambles that we’ve seen on the press membership.

Josh Butler

Summaries from Covid-19 inquiry’s business roundtables revealed

The federal inquiry into the Covid pandemic is progressing, with the method now transferring into roundtable discussions with varied business stakeholders and consultants.

The Covid-19 response inquiry, arrange late final yr, has revealed summaries of the primary of its roundtables, with the well being analysis and the freight & logistics sectors.

“The roundtables are being held to further explore the impact of the pandemic on key sectors and communities, and to open up further discussion in areas where we have heard differing views on the best ways we can move ahead in pandemic preparedness and response,” the inquiry’s panel members stated in a assertion final week.

“They also allow the panel to test early directions and stakeholder suggestions and refine the thinking on various themes and lessons learned.”

The summaries of roundtables held final week have been revealed immediately. The well being analysis business informed the panel of “the importance of confidence and trust in the evidence by decision-makers and the public”, and that there “needs to be transparency in the evidence relied upon, including the details of modelling”.

“Established research and surveillance infrastructure is vital in crises, including understanding the wider health, social and economic impacts of public health measures, and how these are distributed within and across communities,” the panel wrote of the emotions it heard from the business.

Public belief is important throughout a pandemic, and misinformation can rapidly fill the void the place there’s restricted sharing of proof. Australia noticed actual analysis improvements through the pandemic, and these capabilities should be maintained so we’re able to go for the following pandemic.

The freight and logistics business informed the panel that it might welcome future disaster planning with government, together with situation testing workout routines.

“Industry would find communication with governments more efficient if there was a single point of contact. A national approach to essential workers and cross-border travel would help freight and logistics businesses ensure they could keep functioning and minimise the risk of supply chain disruptions,” the panel stated.

“Workers in the sector faced significant hardship due to operation of public health orders.

“Freight and logistics businesses would find it easier to keep track of requirements and provide practical advice to workers if public health orders were written in plain English, with any changes clearly communicated.”