Albanese tells Michael Rowland to ‘lighten up’ over nuclear memesThis interview has taken an interesting turn with the PM demanding the ABC’s Michael Rowland “lighten up” after he asked if Labor MPs and premiers sharing pictures of three-eyed fish was juvenile.Anthony Albanese: Lighten up, Michael …MR: That wasn’t the question?AA: I endorse what I say.MR: Do you endorse what they’re doing?AA: You can ask whatever question you like. It’s up to me to give the answer.MR: That’s my job.AA: Lighten up. Lighten up, Michael. It is your job and you do it very well, along with other ABC broadcasters, but lighten up. For goodness sake.Albanese tells ABC host Michael Rowland to ‘lighten up’ over nuclear memes – videoShareUpdated at 19.22 EDTKey eventsHouse prices to rise more gradually over next 18 months, KPMG report findsHouse prices will rise nationally by 5.3% over the next six months and by 5.6% during 2025, KPMG’s new property report on Australia’s capital cities finds.Apartment prices across the country will see an average rise of 4.5% by December and then match houses by growing by 5.6% in the following 12 months.Rents are tipped to rise by 4-5% over the next two years, having increased by 7.8% over the past year, the largest increase since the GFC in 2008/9.Dr Brendan Rynne, KPMG Chief Economist, said:
In a year of high interest rates and inflation and subdued consumer sentiment the housing market has withstood all those factors and still provided strong price growth, due to demand outstripping supply.
Even the much-anticipated ‘fixed-rate cliff’ – the transition of mortgage holders off lower fixed rates to higher variable rates – has only had a mild impact and households have so far coped well with the rate rises, due to a robust labour market and Australia’s historic low unemployment rate.
ShareSydney police arrest man arrested after fatal road rage incidentA man has been arrested after an alleged fatal road rage incident in Blackett yesterday.About 8.45am emergency services were called to Jersey Road by reports that a pedestrian had been hit by a car.Officers attached to Mount Druitt police area command attended and found a 27-year-old man had been hit by a utility.The man was treated by NSW ambulance paramedics but died at the scene.Police established a crime scene and the crash investigation unit – with the assistance of state crime command’s homicide squad – launched an investigation.A 39-year-old man attended Mount Druitt police station about 6.30am today and was arrested.My colleague Jordyn Beazley had this report yesterday:ShareUpdated at 19.44 EDTHome energy upgrades in WAUp to 4,300 Western Australian households will benefit from home energy upgades thanks to a $63.2m partnership to upgrade social housing properties across the state.Social housing properties are some of the most energy inefficient in Australia, with most built more than 20 years ago, before minimum build standards. Upgrading a house from a one-star energy efficiency rating to a three-star rating can reduce energy consumption by 30% and decrease household power bills.The Albanese government is partnering with the Roger Cook’s government to implement a new state-run initiative, which will help remote and regional social housing residents in hotter climates such as the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, mid-west and Goldfield regions.Minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen:
The government was committed to helping households make real cost of living savings through their energy bills.
The Albanese and Cook Governments are helping all Australians to reap the rewards of the clean energy transformation.
ShareUpdated at 19.27 EDTWA Nationals MP accuses state party leader of bullyingWA Nationals MP Louise Kingston stunned the state’s Legislative Council with a tearful statement just before it rose for winter recess yesterday afternoon.Kingston, who represents the South West region, said:
It gives me no pleasure to have to say what I am going to have to say today.
I have been the victim of relentless bullying and harassment by the leader of the Nationals. I raised it with others and addressed it directly with him.
I believed the situation had been resolved, so therefore did not pursue a formal process through the party.
I believed everyone had learnt from the situation and used the opportunity to grow and build better relationships. Unfortunately I have now learnt a hard lesson.
Love said it was “disappointing Ms Kingston no longer wishes to be part of our Nationals WA team” and thanked her for “her service to our party”.Kingston was preselected for the fifth spot on the party’s upper house ticket, which would make it difficult for her to win.She told parliament that she believed she been “punished by an underhanded campaign and the party decided I was not worthy to be a part of their team going forward”:
This is a pattern of behaviour. People come and go but in more recent times many talented people have left and I now join those people.
I sincerely hope that this leads to further changes in the party to address the issues I have raised.
Nationals WA president Julie Freeman said the party had a robust harassment complaints policy and the state director had confirmed that no complaints had been lodged regarding the issue raised by Kingston:
We acknowledge that Louise was disappointed with the outcome of the preselection process.
ShareUpdated at 19.10 EDTFancy a dip?We have some pics of Hobart’s nude winter solstice swim!They are long-distance shots for a reason … Photograph: Adam Sills/AAPSwimmers get ready to enter the water. Photograph: Adam Sills/AAPBondi Icebergs eat ya heart out – this is real bravery. Photograph: Adam Sills/AAPShareUpdated at 19.08 EDT‘If the Australian people speak, please respect it’David Littleproud was also asked about the state governments saying they would not support nuclear.He said:
We’re going to say we’re looking for a mandate but if the Australian people speak, please respect it. They want that from politicians.
ShareUpdated at 18.57 EDTNationals leader defends lack of consultation over nuclear announcementThe Nationals leader, David Littleproud, is now on the ABC – he has been asked why communities weren’t consulted on the nuclear announcement:
We made it very clear that we would be putting nuclear power plants where existing coal-fire plants are. We’ve been ruminating that for 12 months.
We’ve done further geotechnical assessments to whittle that down to seven locations and, on Wednesday, that was the start of that process, a two-and-a-half-year process of consultation with these communities in engagement around what is happening here. We’re not taking away anyone’s property rights in this.
If you look at existing renewable projects, there is no process that would mirror what we are putting in front of these communities. They are simply told they’re coming and off they go.
ShareUpdated at 18.57 EDTAlbanese tells Michael Rowland to ‘lighten up’ over nuclear memesThis interview has taken an interesting turn with the PM demanding the ABC’s Michael Rowland “lighten up” after he asked if Labor MPs and premiers sharing pictures of three-eyed fish was juvenile.Anthony Albanese: Lighten up, Michael …MR: That wasn’t the question?AA: I endorse what I say.MR: Do you endorse what they’re doing?AA: You can ask whatever question you like. It’s up to me to give the answer.MR: That’s my job.AA: Lighten up. Lighten up, Michael. It is your job and you do it very well, along with other ABC broadcasters, but lighten up. For goodness sake.Albanese tells ABC host Michael Rowland to ‘lighten up’ over nuclear memes – videoShareUpdated at 19.22 EDTCoalition nuclear strategy aimed at ‘denial and delay’, PM saysAnthony Albanese has attacked the Coalition for stalling when it was in power, accusing it of using nuclear energy as a “distraction”:
What this is now is a recipe for further denial and delay. They’re trying to scare off investment rather than attract the investment that we need for the transition that is occurring.
They won’t say what their emissions target will be in 2030. They’re saying vote for us and we’ll let you know after the election some time what will actually happen.
They should be embarrassed that they’ve presided over a decade of denial and delay and now what they want is more denial and delay up until the 2040s.
ShareUpdated at 19.00 EDTDutton’s nuclear plan doesn’t stack up, PM saysAnd we are on to Peter Dutton’s nuclear announcement. The prime minister says “it doesn’t stack up”.
You had this announcement of seven sites, six of which have said they don’t want a bar of it. You’ve had no costings put forward.
In 10 days’ time we’ll produce energy price relief of $300 for every household. In the 2040s, they’re saying we’ll do nothing until then and then in the 2040s, sometime, there’ll be the most expensive form of new energy brought into the system.
There’s a reason why the Coalition are saying that they’re going to nationalise that part of the energy sector, unusually for a Liberal party, and that’s because no bank, no financier, will touch it with a barge pole.
ShareUpdated at 19.22 EDT