David Pocock says emissions reduction target ‘not ambitious enough’
Independent senator David Pocock just spoke to the media about the emissions reduction targets, saying the levels announced by the Albanese government did not go far enough to address the major threat of climate change.
He said:
It is not ambitious enough to allow us to go to the world stage and to push big emitters, the rest of the world, to do better. We know what is at stake. We have seen in the national climate assessment just what climate change is going to do to our country, is going to do to our communities, the ocean that we love, the reefs that we love, the bushland that we love, the native species that make this continent so incredible.
And yet we have a government that is not listening to the science.
Pocock added:
We cannot give up on this. We have to keep fighting and keep pushing, the Labor party, the major parties to take our future seriously.
David Pocock. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 01.13 EDT
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Tory Shepherd
Protective factors to prevent male violence should be encouraged, report says
Services must engage with men and boys to change the conditions that enable DFSV (domestic, family and sexual violence), a government report published today says.
The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission has put together a snapshot of the existing knowledge base on DFSV and what “protective” factors can be encouraged to prevent men becoming violent.
Commissioner Micaela Cronin wrote in the snapshot that calls to work with men and boys “acknowledge that there must be accountability for men who use violence, but that these men also need support from those around them, including friends, families and support services, to stop their violence”. She said:
This is a challenging and confronting topic to consider, particularly at a time when rates of homicide and sexual violence against women and children are so high.
The snapshot says extremism and men’s violence can be viewed within a national security lens, to help tackle rising misogynistic views in young men and boys, some of whom are being radicalised online.
It says men and boys must be “meaningfully” engaged, warns that terms such as “toxic masculinity” can be alienating, and argues for better integration of men’s behaviour change programs within the justice, social services, health and child protection sectors.
Assistant minister for Social services and the prevention of family violence, Ged Kearney, said the government had invested $4bn towards preventing violence but that there was “much more to do. She said:
We know that when boys grow up with love and affection from their fathers, they are far less likely to use violence. That tells us something powerful – the answers don’t just lie in stopping harm, but in building a culture where care, respect and equality are the foundations of what it means to be a man.
International Jewish organisations release statement ahead of UN meeting
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have released a joint statement ahead of a UN general assembly meeting in New York.
In the statement, the representative organisations of Jewish communities in Australia, Canada and the UK call on their governments to “keep central to their diplomatic efforts to end the devastating conflict in Gaza the following priorities”:
• the return of all remaining hostages taken on or before 7 October 2023, living and dead;
• the disarming of Hamas and its removal from power;
• the need for unrestricted aid to reach civilians in Gaza, whilst ensuring it is not diverted to serve Hamas’s interests;
• the obligation of all parties to adhere to international law.
Updated at 01.56 EDT
Anne Davies
NSW opposition ‘inclined to support’ changes to planning laws
A day after the NSW premier, Chris Minns, announced significant changes to planning laws to speed the delivery of new housing, the overall response has been supportive, if cautious.
“Well, we’ll have to look at the detail. But as I said, our default position is to say why not rather than why. And unless there is something stuck in it, then we’re inclined to support the legislation,” opposition leader Mark Speakman said.
He’s also backing the decision to develop the half-built Woollahra station in the blue-ribbon seat of Woollahra, though he cast doubt on whether the already builtup area would support 10,000 homes.
The peak body for local government in NSW has broadly welcomed the changes too, despite the fact that the bill contains provisions that require them to deal with complying developments that have minor deviations within 10 days or see it automatically approved. Local Government Association president, mayor Phylis Miller, said:
LGNSW supports genuine and sensible efforts to streamline planning regulation and contribute to increasing housing supply and diversity. We want to work with the government to ensure councils are supported to fulfil their assessment and broader planning responsibilities.
She particularly welcomed the proposed one-stop shop for state approvals.
On a less welcome note, she said councils were unhappy with plans to enshrine the Housing Delivery Authority (the HDA) as a permanent fixture.
She said state and federal government funding and delivery of key infrastructure should remain the priority.
But not everyone is enamoured with a one-stop shop for state agencies.
The independent member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan, whose electorate on the Northern Beaches is particularly bushfire prone, expressed “serious concern that the government’s bill risks diluting the Rural Fire Service’s role”.
Updated at 01.42 EDT
Andrew Messenger
More on the developing Townsville mayor story
Townsville mayor Troy Thompson has responded to the announcement that he faces sacking from the council in parliament this morning.
Thompson was elected mayor last year, but was suspended over allegations he’d misled the electorate about his military history. Local government minister Ann Leahy told parliament she had issued him with a 14-day show cause notice to explain why he shouldn’t be dismissed from the council. Thompson said on Facebook:
These are allegations – not findings. And they have been brought forward by a minister who, in my view, is politically conflicted in this matter. Her recent comments suggest more about point-scoring and political distraction than genuine concern for due process or the Townsville community.
My legal team is prepared to respond in full once the allegations have been formally provided. Until now I have not been afforded natural justice by either the state or local government. That is unacceptable in a democratic system that claims to value fairness and integrity.
Thompson was referred to the state’s Crime and Corruption Commission last year after allegations he embellished his military record by stating he spent five years in the army, including time with “SAS Swanbourne”.
Updated at 01.28 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Townsville mayor asked to ‘show cause’ to save job
Controversial Townsville mayor Troy Thompson will be issued with a show cause notice today to explain why he shouldn’t be sacked by the state government.
Local government minister Anne Leahy told parliament on Thursday that she had made the decision after a briefing by the Crime and Corruption Commission last month which “set out serious allegations”. Leahy said:
I will today issue councillor Thomson with a formal show cause notice. This will provide him with 14 days to respond and sets out in detail the basis of my concerns, as required under Section 120 of the Local Government Act 2009. The notice includes a detailed explanation of the factual basis for forming my reasonable belief that dismissal may be appropriate.
Following the 14-day period and upon receipt of councillor Thomson’s response, I will carefully consider the matters raised before making a final decision.
Mr Speaker, these are serious matters, and the actions I have taken reflect this government’s firm commitment to transparency, natural justice and the highest standards of integrity in local government. At every step, my focus has been on the people of Townsville, they deserve a council that is stable, accountable and able to deliver for its community.
Thompson was elected as Townsville mayor last year. He was suspended by Leahy on full pay after allegations he misled the electorate about his military history.
Updated at 01.26 EDT
Greens also lash Labor’s emissions target
The Greens, as it happens, are also not fans of Labor’s emissions target, describing it (over and over again) as an utter failure.
Greens leader Larissa Waters said in a statement:
Coal and gas corporations will love this utter failure of a target.
Labor has sold out to coal and gas corporations with this utter failure of a target.
Labor’s utter failure of a climate target is a betrayal of people and the planet and a win for coal and gas corporations.
Updated at 01.20 EDT
Littleproud says Nationals won’t support ‘nonsense’ targets
Unsurprisingly, Littleproud says of the target:
So we won’t be supporting these interim targets. We won’t be legislating targets. That’s nonsense.
What we’ll do is be responsible. What we will be is sensible and what we’ll make sure is we put Australian families and Australian business at the core of this because, coming to Australian families, whether it be directly through job losses or through their energy bill or through their food bill or whether their daily movement around this country, you are going to pay the price of this.
Updated at 01.16 EDT
Climate target ‘nothing more than an expensive charade’, Nationals leader says
Nationals leader David Littleproud is speaking about Labor’s new emissions target.
He says it’s “nothing more than an expensive charade on the people of Australia”.
The reality is that in three years of government they haven’t reduced emissions at all, yet they’re trying to tell us that they’re going to take us from around 26 to 28% of reduction that we achieved … to 62% by 2035. They can’t do it and they can’t explain how they’re going to do it. And the detail around the cost. Australians need to know that they’re going to foot the bill for this. They’re going to foot a very expensive bill, either through their energy bills but also through their grocery bills and everything else they buy. So the Albanese government is very much big on rhetoric, but not a lot on detail.
Updated at 01.12 EDT
Nick Visser
That’s all from me! Nino Bucci will take the blog from here. Enjoy the rest of Thursday.
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Catie McLeod
‘Worst is over’ when it comes to cocoa prices but retail chocolate prices to remain high for longer
The cost of cocoa is forecast to reduce significantly by mid-2027, but retail chocolate prices will take longer to fall and are still expected to remain higher than they were four years ago.
Researchers at the agribusiness bank have published a new report that found consumers can expect some relief from rising chocolate prices, which are today more than 50% higher than they were in 2021.
The price has jumped markedly in the last year alone. In September last year, a premium-branded 100g chocolate tablet retailed at EUR 2.93 at the time at a Dutch supermarket, the report said.
The same product is now retailing at EUR 3.95, an increase of nearly 35% in just 12 months.
Photograph: Anna Kazantseva/Alamy
Paul Joules, an agriculture analysist at RaboResearch, says the surge in retail chocolate prices was caused by a “cocoa shock” or crisis in the industry caused by poor harvests, crop disease and “structural supply issues”.
Joules says while the worst is over, global cocoa prices will remain above “pre-crisis” levels due to ongoing issues including aging trees, crop disease, and climate volatility, which means retail prices could take longer to fall. He said:
The chocolate market is entering a new era of higher costs and persistent volatility, requiring agility and continuous adaptation from industry players.
While the peak of chocolate retail price inflation may be behind us, the pressure remains, and the industry is hedging its bets for a resilient future.
Updated at 00.50 EDT
David Pocock says emissions reduction target ‘not ambitious enough’
Independent senator David Pocock just spoke to the media about the emissions reduction targets, saying the levels announced by the Albanese government did not go far enough to address the major threat of climate change.
He said:
It is not ambitious enough to allow us to go to the world stage and to push big emitters, the rest of the world, to do better. We know what is at stake. We have seen in the national climate assessment just what climate change is going to do to our country, is going to do to our communities, the ocean that we love, the reefs that we love, the bushland that we love, the native species that make this continent so incredible.
And yet we have a government that is not listening to the science.
Pocock added:
We cannot give up on this. We have to keep fighting and keep pushing, the Labor party, the major parties to take our future seriously.
David Pocock. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 01.13 EDT
Ley says there is ‘no division’ among Coalition to oppose ‘latest piece of trainwreck energy policy’
Ley said she just came out of a shadow cabinet meeting and said the Coalition is unified in its plans to oppose the emissions reductions targets.
She said:
I can assure you there was absolutely no division in opposing Labor’s latest piece of trainwreck energy policy. And we know that we’re doing this on behalf of hard-working Australians who actually expect better from a government whose credibility is in tatters.
Sussan Ley. Photograph: James Ross/AAPShare
Updated at 01.05 EDT