Thread: Keeping tabs on Australia"s newly elected Government

Cost of net zero by 2050 may determine whether Coalition abandons emissions goal, shadow minister says

The financial cost to reach net zero by 2050 may shape the Coalition’s decision on whether to retain or abandon the target, the new shadow minister, Dan Tehan, says, as he prepares to lead a heavily contested internal review of the policy.

The opposition is poised for a protracted brawl over climate targets after the new Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, put all of its policies up for debate after the Coalition’s federal election defeat.

The Coalition remained deeply torn on net zero, with Nationals such as Matt Canavan and Barnaby Joyce campaigning for the commitment to be dumped and Liberals including Andrew Hastie – touted by some as a future leader – expressing fresh scepticism about the goal.

In his first interview with Guardian Australia as the shadow energy and emissions reduction minister, Tehan said there was “room for all voices to be heard” in the debate.

Asked whether it was possible to land an agreed position, given such divergent views, Tehan said: “That’s the challenge that Sussan (Ley) has asked me to undertake.

“I mightn’t have many capabilities but one I do have is dogged determination.”

Tehan said details about the review process would be released imminently, with the Coalition’s position on the Paris agreement and gas reservation scheme also up for debate.

The Liberals and Nationals have already walked back the Peter Dutton-era nuclear energy plan, agreeing to pledge to lift the federal moratorium but stopping short of committing to building government-owned power plants.

As the opposition weighs up the pros and cons of pursuing net zero, Tehan signalled the economic cost of decarbonising the economy would be the main consideration.

“The cost will be one of the most significant factors that will drive our decision,” Tehan said, accusing the government of obscuring the cost of signature climate policies, including the capacity investment scheme.

The government does not have a dollar figure for achieving net zero by 2050.

However, in response to a recent Senate estimates question on notice that sought such a number, climate department officials warned of the significant cost of “climate inaction” for Australia.

The response – dated 29 May – referenced the 2023 intergenerational report, which estimated the commonwealth could be forced to spend an extra $130bn on disaster payments by the 2060s due to climate-fuelled disasters including bushfire and floods.

Tehan wants to focus the wider climate and energy debate around economics, vowing to apply more scrutiny to the cost of Labor’s renewables-focused path to net zero than it was subjected to during the election.

Senior Coalition MPs have conceded Dutton’s campaign was too slow to counter Labor’s attacks on its supposed $600bn nuclear reactors, allowing that claim to overshadow questioning of the price tag for the government’s approach.

“What I’m going to do is, I’m actually going to say to Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen, ‘what are the true costs of your approach’,” Tehan said.

“I will hold them to account on that. And that, I think, will make us very competitive at the next election. They might actually find that they’re going to be held to account in the same way they tried to hold us to account.”

Along with the proposed taxpayer-funded nuclear power plants, Dutton’s plan for an east coast gas reservation scheme represented a significant government intervention that caused unease among free-market Liberals MPs.

Tehan said while government intervention was appropriate in cases of “market failure”, the priority should be to stimulate private investment.

If Albanese secures a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7, Tehan said the prime minister should confront the US president about his intention to pull out of the Paris agreement and what impact that might have on Australia.

Tehan said Albanese should also ask Trump if he would attend next year’s UN climate summit if Australia won the hosting rights.

The Guardian

Albanese sets off for G7 meeting in Canada

Anthony Albanese is leaving Canberra this morning to attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada early next week, a trip that will include stops in Fiji and the United States. A meeting with US president Donald Trump could take place on the sidelines of the meeting in Kananaskis – but it is yet to be officially locked in.

The prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the European Union will also be at the summit.

On Friday, Albanese will meet in Nadi with his Fijian counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, for talks on climate change and regional security in Nadi. In Seattle over the weekend he will meet with business leaders to discuss technology and artificial intelligence.

Once in Canada early next week, Albanese will participate in G7 discussions on global energy, critical minerals, secure supply chains and infrastructure. The prime minister said:

Visiting Fiji so soon after the election is a deliberate decision to reinforce my government’s Pacific priorities and to exchange views with my dear friend prime minister Rabuka, a respected Pacific statesman.

I am honoured to be invited by prime minister Carney to attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta as a key partner.

I look forward to working productively with world leaders to discuss how we tackle some of the most challenging issues facing Australia, our region and the world

The Guardian


Anthony Albanese bound for G7 summit after quick stop in Fiji

Albanese to spruik free trade as salve to turmoil at G7 but Australia still struggling to secure meeting with Trump

Anthony Albanese will tell Donald Trump and the leaders of the world’s biggest economies that free trade can help calm rising global insecurity, as next week’s G7 summit looks set to be dominated by conflict in the Middle East.

The prime minister will visit technology giant Amazon’s Seattle headquarters on Sunday, on his way to talks with world leaders in Alberta next week, a trip he hopes will include his first face-to-face meeting with the US president.

Amazon and the federal government are building new top-secret data centres in Melbourne, set to allow the country’s military and intelligence agencies to collaborate with overseas partners on highly secured networks.

But, after Israel’s strikes on Iran and a retaliatory barrage of missiles ordered by Tehran, the meeting in Kananaskis is expected to focus on the fallout from the Middle East crisis.

Albanese will tell business leaders on Sunday that the summit will be focused “on the significant security and economic challenges facing the world”.

“But we should not lose sight of the profound opportunities that can be realised by closer and deeper cooperation,” he will say at the event hosted by Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd.

He will talk up the government’s plans on energy security and critical minerals, expected to be offered up in negotiations with the US as Australia seeks an exemption from Trump’s punishing aluminium tariffs.

“We will continue to advocate for free and fair trade, for the jobs it creates and the investment it drives,” Albanese will say.

“We will hold true to the principles of shared opportunity and collective responsibility that are vital to building a more secure, prosperous and stable region – and world.”

The federal government has so far failed to lock in a meeting with the US president on the sidelines of the G7.

Albanese is part of a long list of world leaders seeking their first face time, including the European Union’s Ursula von der Leyen and the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

The Pentagon’s review of the Aukus nuclear submarines agreement will be a top agenda item if Albanese and Trump hold talks.

The shadow defence minister, Angus Taylor, said Albanese should “do whatever is necessary to get a meeting with the president at this time”.

So far the Amazon project, dubbed the Top Secret Cloud, will see the federal government fund construction of new data centre facilities and pay for their use. Additional investments are expected, as Albanese called the deal a demonstration of joint Australian-US ties.

The world’s largest cloud computing company, Amazon already has significant deals to provide national security systems in the US and United Kingdom. The data centres provide access to Amazon cloud products as well as critical backup capabilities for an outage event taking government servers offline.

Albanese is expected to meet with executives from companies including BHP, Diraq, Trellis Health, Airwallex and Anthropic while in the US.

The G7 host, the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has ditched the practice of a lengthy joint statement from summit participants. Trump objected to a series of similar communiques in his first term.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued updated travel advice for Israel on Friday, warning nowhere in the country was safe for travel due to the volatile security situation.


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Anthony Albanese locks in first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump at G7 summit in Canada

Anthony Albanese will meet the US president, Donald Trump, face-to-face for the first time next week, using talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada to press the case for an exemption to trade tariffs and talk up the Aukus agreement.

No military role for Australia in Middle East conflict – PM

Anthony Albanese says he doesn’t expect Australia to have any military role in the growing Middle East conflict.

Israel and Iran have traded missiles in recent days after the bombing of nuclear sites late last week. Missiles have been fired at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and at least two Iranian oil facilities are on fire.

The UK government has moved jets and other military assets to the Middle East over the weekend.

During a visit to Seattle on his way to the G7 summit in Canada on Monday, Albanese was asked about any request for support from Australia. The PM said officials were monitoring the situation but there had been no request for defence involvement. “Australia does not play a role in this military conflict,” he said.

I wouldn’t expect that there would be a request for Australia to play a military role, but we will continue to play a role in terms of looking after Australian citizens.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing assistance to Australians on the ground.

The Guardian

Canada praises Australian firefighters who ‘stepped up’ during wildfires

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, praised Australian firefighters who assisted the country during recent wildfires.

At the opening of a face-to-face meeting with Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in Calgary in the past few minutes, Carney thanked emergency crews who travelled to help out during the blazes in British Columbia and in northern parts of Alberta. Carney said:

Australia has been very helpful to Canada through the years, and most recently, with the terrible wildfires that have been raging across our northern prairies.

Once again, as Australians always do, and you always do, have stepped up.

Carney said it was a great pleasure to see Albanese in town for this week’s G7 summit. Albanese thanked Carney and said he has met Canadian firefighters who travelled to Australia to help out during recent bushfire. Albanese said:

We know that climate change is meaning that those seasons are growing, unfortunately, but we have cooperated in a way that is seamless as well.

You can always rely upon Australia. I know that our Australian firefighters are really proud, of the effort that they have been able to make including wildfires, which you are experiencing.

The Guardian

NSW Nationals signal ‘full support’ of coal power and will consider abandoning net zero target

The New South Wales Nationals have passed a motion at their state conference in Coffs Harbour that calls on the party to “reinstate our full support of the use of coal in power generation”, keep coal power stations open and explore building new high efficiency, low emissions coal fired power stations in the future.

The motion was proposed by the Orange branch and the Northern Tablelands state electorate council and was carried easily on Friday.

On Saturday, the NSW Nationals will consider whether to abandon Australia’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, when debate resumes at the party’s weekend state conference.

The motion has been placed on the agenda by the Tweed state electorate council, in Northern NSW and is expected to spark torrid debate. A separate motion from the Young Nationals calls for the Nationals to advocate for withdrawal from the Paris agreement.

Since the federal election in May, the Nationals have continued to fight publicly and privately over whether to hold fast to the goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a target they agreed to in 2021, despite strong internal opposition.

A decision to abandon the target by the NSW branch, which contains more moderate elements of the Nationals, would be a new headache for federal opposition leader, Sussan Ley, who managed to patch up the Coalition last month after the Nationals briefly announced they would split.

Albanese to continue with plans at G7 despite Trump departure

Anthony Albanese will continue with his program at the G7 summit here in Canada tomorrow, despite Donald Trump leaving early tonight local time. The pair had been due to meet for the first time on the sidelines of the event in Kananaskis in the Rocky Mountains.

After the news broke, a government spokesperson said:

Given what is occurring in the Middle East this is understandable. As the prime minister said a short time ago, we are very concerned about the events in the Middle East and continue to urge all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy.

After a dinner for G7 partner countries hosted by Canada’s governor general tonight, Albanese is due to meet with the leaders of the UK, Germany, the European Union and France at the summit.

The Guardian

Albanese announces new security and defence partnership with EU

Anthony Albanese says he has accepted the European Union’s offer of high-level negotiations on a new defence and security pact. The prime minister met the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa, on the sidelines of the G7 summit here in Kananaskis in the past hour.

Albanese says he will task the foreign minister, Penny Wong, and the defence minister, Richard Marles, with leading work on the agreement. The EU already has similar deals in place with countries including Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

It is not legally binding and would not include troop deployment, but is designed to strengthen cooperation on global security challenges.

It comes amid renewed talks on a possible Australia-EU free trade agreement. The deal could be used in areas including foreign interference, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, defence industries and critical technologies. Negotiations on the new agreement were first proposed at the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV in Rome last month.

Australia was initially cool on the idea, but it has picked up serious momentum at the G7 summit in Canada.

The Guardian

The EPBC reform train is leaving the station, says Murray Watt

Leaders from about 25 mostly environment and business organisations will meet with the environment minister, Murray Watt, in Canberra today to give their views on how to fix the national environment laws.

It is the first meeting of stakeholder groups on the issue since the previous minister, Tanya Plibersek, last year delayed a commitment to rewrite the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act until after the 3 May election.

A promise to create a national Environment Protection Agency was also later shelved after Anthony Albanese scuttled a potential deal with the Greens following pressure from WA.

Watt told Guardian Australia the meeting would include environment organisations, business groups, the mining industry, urban developers, renewable energy companies and first nations bodies. He said there was “very broad agreement that we desperately need change to these laws – they’re broken”.

The purpose in bringing them all together is so that people can hear each other’s perspectives, rather than being each other in their own corners, you know, fighting.

The way I’ve described it to a couple of people is: the EPBC reform train is leaving the station. We broadly know where we want to get to, but we haven’t yet defined the exact destination, and there’s an opportunity for all of these groups to be involved in shaping that final destination.

I want as many interest groups on that reform train working together as possible, rather than people choosing to stand on the platform, throwing rocks and shouting.

The Guardian

A climate crisis, a ballot, and a chance at a new life in Australia

World-first agreement that creates a visa in the context of climate change stirs hope among young people in Tuvalu

On the sandy shores of Vaiaku, as coconut trees sway gently in the breeze, Tekafa Piliota sits in his small classroom and dreams of becoming a doctor. The 13-year-old, who lives in Tuvalu’s capital Funafuti, knows that would mean leaving his homeland. There aren’t any universities in the small Pacific island nation, which lies between Australia and Hawaii. The country has another problem: it is predicted to be one the first countries to become uninhabitable due to rising seas.

“I would like to go to Australia to study. There is higher ground in Australia, and it might be safer during natural disasters,” Piliota says.

In the years to come, he could see that dream become a reality. This week the first ballot opened that allows Tuvalu citizens to apply to move to Australia. It is part of a world-first agreement the two countries signed in 2023 that creates a visa in the context of the climate crisis.

The agreement, known as the Falepili Union treaty, will allow up to 280 Tuvaluans each year to migrate to Australia and obtain permanent residency, and move freely between the countries. The treaty also contains other provisions to deepen ties, including security guarantees and disaster assistance.

Tuvalu’s prime minister, Feleti Teo, described the agreement as “groundbreaking, unprecedented and landmark”.

“There’s a lot of excitement around the migration pathway, both in Tuvalu and among our diaspora,” Teo tells the Guardian. “It doesn’t mean you have to live the rest of your life in Australia. You can go in and come out as you wish.”

Yet as the historic treaty stirs hope among some Tuvaluans, it has also raised fears that the flow of people out of the country of around 11,000 people will create labour gaps and lead to a loss of cultural knowledge. Others have criticised the treaty’s sovereignty implications and questioned how it was negotiated.

“It was done in a secretive manner, kept away from the people, kept away from parliamentary process,” says Enele Sopoaga, a former prime minister of Tuvalu and renowned climate diplomat.

“You cannot take people away and pretend nothing is happening on the ground. That’s a daft way of thinking. [It’s] modern-day colonialism at its worst,” Sopoaga said.

Tuvalu is one if the smallest countries in the world, with a total land mass of about 26 sq km. Funafuti is the capital of Tuvalu and a low-lying atoll of more than 30 islets, home to about 60% of the country’s population. Encircling the vast 275 sq km Te Namo lagoon, much of Funafuti’s land is less than one metre above spring high tide levels. This makes the atoll acutely vulnerable to climate threats such as sea level rise, saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion, which already affect freshwater supplies and increase flooding during high tides. Scientific projections suggest that by 2050, half of Funafuti could be submerged during high tides, with up to 95% of the land regularly flooded by the end of the century.

To confront these escalating risks, Tuvalu’s government is working with international agencies on a series of adaptation projects. The Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project has built 7.8 hectares of raised, flood-resilient land and reinforced 2.78km of shoreline using seawalls, groynes and natural buffers. Work is expected to be completed later this year. Another project aims to reclaim 3.6 sq km of elevated, climate-resilient land for the relocation of residents and key infrastructure beyond 2100.

Yet in this environment, many living in Funafuti think about their options for the future – and whether to stay or go.

Among them are Piliota and his classmate Hope Aoga Kofe, who attend Natui primary school in the village of Vaiaku in Funafuti.

Hope Kofe also has dreams of one day studying in Australia.

“I want to become a flight attendant because I love travelling and I enjoy helping and serving people,” she says.

“I think the idea of moving to Australia is good, especially for getting a better education. It would be easier to find jobs there. Life here in Tuvalu is harder, but if I got a good job in Australia, I could always come back and visit.”

About 800 children study at Natui primary school. Principal Kainaki Taula works hard to make sure her students are ready for the future, but acknowledges there aren’t enough job opportunities.

“We try our best to equip them with the knowledge and skills to survive and thrive wherever they go,” Taula says.

Letiu Afelee, a father of five young boys, sees the Falepili pathway as a necessary option for families like his, seeking opportunity beyond Tuvalu. His eldest son is a student at a nearby high school, who hopes to work in land planning and dreams of playing Australian rules football.

“If the predictions are true, and in 50 years Tuvalu is underwater, then we need to have a way out,” Afelee says.

“If we are granted permanent residence, they can go to Australia, live there, and still come back to Tuvalu when they want.”

Adriana Pedro Tausau, who is in her final year of high school in Funafuti, is excited about what a move to Australia could bring now – and years down the track.

“This is a great opportunity. The Falepili pathway would help my family access health, education, and jobs, not just for me but for my future children too,” she said.

The inaugural ballot for the Falepili pathway opened on 16 June 2025 and is due to close next month. Successful applicants will be chosen at random. Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, said it would enable “mobility with dignity, by providing Tuvaluans the opportunity to live, study and work in Australia as climate impacts worsen”.

The scheme differs from other migration programs in the Pacific. Unlike temporary labour pathways, successful applicants will be granted permanent residency before departure, meaning they gain access to health, education and other services as soon as they arrive in Australia. They will also be free to travel to and from Australia, to maintain connections with Tuvalu. It is wider than other migration programs, with no restrictions on age or disability.

PM won't attend Nato summit, Marles likely to instead

Anthony Albanese will not attend the Nato summit after all, with defence minister and deputy PM Richard Marles likely to attend instead.

The prime minister had flagged he was considering going to the Nato conference, next week in the Netherlands, amid growing concern over the Middle East conflict – with the added benefit that Albanese may have had another chance to meet with US president Donald Trump at the conference too.

After his scheduled meeting with Trump at the G7 was cancelled this week as the president went back to Washington early, Albanese was asked if he might attend Nato instead. “Yes that is being considered,” Albanese replied on Wednesday.

But government sources said on Friday afternoon Albanese would not attend the conference, with plans under way for Marles to represent Australia instead.

The Guardian

US bombing of Iran a 'blatant breach of international law', Greens leader says

The US bombing of Iran represents a “fundamental threat to world peace” and Australia must distance itself from the attack, leader of the Greens Larissa Waters said.

In a statement published on Sunday, Waters said Australia cannot allow itself to be dragged into “another brutal US war in the Middle East” and said the US strikes were a “blatant breach of international law”.

Waters said the escalation was a “terrifying and catastrophic escalation by the USA, and Australia must condemn it.”

From Iraq to Afghanistan, we have seen Australia follow the US into devastating and brutal wars that have done untold damage to the people of the Middle East. We know that you cannot bomb your way to peace.

Australia must always work for peace and de-escalation. Australia is not powerless, and we cannot be involved in another brutal war in the Middle East.

Australia must take this opportunity to get out of Aukus, have an independent foreign policy that centres peace, and must not allow the use of Australian US military bases like Pine Gap in this conflict.

Only when countries like Australia push back and hold to principles and international law and back them up with material actions, will there be a chance for peace.

Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson on defence and foreign affairs, said the world was “at a crossroads” and “the Albanese government must choose to be a force for peace not for war”.

With US president Trump’s bombing of Iran showing clearly that he is no friend of peace, and the Albanese government must distance Australia from these actions.

The Guardian

Former ambassador to US says ‘no way’ Australia would put boots on the ground

Amid questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos says combat troops are not the way forward.

Sinodinos, who served in the role from 2020 to 2023, told AAP after the US strikes on Iran:

There’s no way we would put troops on the ground. I don’t think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do.

I’d be very surprised if there’s anybody saying that we, automatically as a result of what the US has done, are now part of that conflict.

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...08c39b90a6c48e

Anthony Albanese responds to Iran crisis: 'We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war' – video

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the government supports action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon while underlining the need for a diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran war. 'We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation,' the PM said. Pushed by reporters on whether Australia was briefed before the US bombed Iran’s nuclear site at Fordow and whether Australia provided any military support via US bases in Australia and the region, Albanese told reporters 'we don’t talk about intelligence matters', before saying this 'was a unilateral action by the United States'

PM welcomes Trump announcement of Iran-Israel ceasefire

Anthony Albanese has welcomed Donald Trump’s announcement earlier of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, saying Australia had “consistently called for dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation”.

The prime minister said in a statement:

The safety of Australians in the region is our priority.

We continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and are deeply concerned about keeping Australians safe.

Trump claimed the ceasefire would take place in multiple steps: later today Iran will start the ceasefire, upon which Israel would then start its own ceasefire after Iran complies with the initial period. At the end of the 24th hour, Trump said, the conflict between the two countries would end. The US president said earlier:

On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.”

The Guardian

Don’t believe the hype: Victorian government deserves credit for not buckling to aggressive pro-gas campaign

Australia’s most gas-reliant state takes a significant step to move households and businesses away from fossil fuels and cut energy bills

It didn’t go as far as previously flagged, but don’t believe the negative hype about Victoria’s plan to start weaning off gas: it is a significant step that will help drive households and businesses away from fossil fuels and cut energy bills.

The Allan Labor government announced that gas heating and hot water systems will be banned in all new homes and nearly all new commercial buildings, including schools and hospitals, from 1 January 2027. They will not be connected to the state’s gas network and will run on electric systems. New agricultural and manufacturing buildings, some of which use gas for high-temperature industrial processes, are excluded.

Rental properties including public housing – a third of the housing stock – will have to move to electric appliances when existing gas heaters and water systems reach the end of their lives, starting from 1 March 2027. Owner-occupiers will have to make a similar shift, but only for hot water.

Crucially, landlords will also have to do a range of energy efficiency work on their properties, including installing an efficient electric cooling system in main living areas – or a reverse-cycle air conditioner that both heats and cools – sealing leaky external doors, windows and wall vents, and making sure there is ceiling insulation. If properly implemented, these minimum standards will further cut bills and lead to homes being better temperature-regulated and healthier to live in.

The logic for the move away from gas is straightforward. There are three main parts to it.

Though still marketed as “natural”, and sometimes even as “clean”, gas is actually methane – a highly potent fossil fuel. It releases plenty of greenhouse gas when burned. The electricity grid is moving from being dominated by coal-fired power to renewable energy. Electric appliances are better for the planet and the people who live on it. It is a necessary part of getting to net zero emissions.

Gas is expensive. Analysis has found electrification of appliances should save households nearly $1,000 a year on their energy bills. There are upfront costs in getting new systems, but the Victorian policy is not forcing people to change over until their existing system is dead, and offers rebates to help with the change.

Victoria is running out of gas. For decades, it has relied on reservoirs in Bass Strait, but they are running low, and all potential new sources are expensive. The state government wants to install a 20-year floating liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminal near Geelong to make sure demand is met. It sounds ridiculous, but may be the least bad option available – after the most obvious one: reducing gas use as much as possible so that it is available for the few industrial processes that do not yet have viable alternatives.

Victoria is Australia’s most gas-reliant state, with about three-quarters of homes connected to the gas network, and there is a decent case that it could be going further. Labor shelved an earlier proposal to also require owner-occupiers to buy electric heaters when their gas heaters died. Gas cookers are not included at all. They can continue to be installed indefinitely.

But the government deserves credit – and has been praised by advocates and some in industry – for not buckling to an at-times aggressive pro-gas PR campaign that has lobbied ministers and government staff and sought to sway the public.

NT Greens call for federal investigation into concerns about lobbying activities of consulting firm and Empire Energy

The Northern Territory Greens have called on the Albanese government to investigate concerns raised about the consulting activities of a firm called Good Advice, run by a former branch manager from the Northern Land Council, and its client, the gas company Empire Energy.

It follows a major leak of Northern Land Council files, correspondence and recordings to Guardian Australia containing claims that traditional owners were offered financial benefits if they agreed to let Empire Energy sell “appraisal gas” – which is gas collected during the exploration phase – from its Carpentaria pilot project in the Beetaloo basin.

The leaked files reveal concerns among traditional owners and bureaucrats about the lobbying activities of Empire Energy, Good Advice and several members of the NLC’s full council, who were employed as advisers in an individual capacity by the consulting firm.

Greens member for Nightcliff, Kat McNamara, called for the federal government to “urgently” investigate the claims:

This exploitative industry cannot be trusted. Fracking cannot continue under these current conditions.

Across the NT we continue to see the revolving door from government or statutory bodies to the private sector. To prevent community members from being taken advantage of, we must introduce stronger regulations.

Good Advice has declined to respond to the claims made about its consulting work. Empire Energy has said it had “a long history of respectful engagement with traditional owners”.

The Guardian

Matt Kean to say Australia should reduce emissions at ‘breakneck pace’, window to protect corals closing

The chair of the government’s Climate Change Authority, Matt Kean, will tell an audience of scientists this morning that Australia needs to act to reduce emissions at “breakneck pace” and “with all the vigour we can muster”.

The authority is set to advise the government on a recommended 2035 target to cut emissions. A preliminary assessment released last year by the authority suggested cuts of between 65% and 75% by 2035 from levels in 2005 were achievable. The government has said it will announce the target by September, ahead of the next global climate talks to take place in November in Brazil.

In a speech to the annual conference of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, in Cairns, Kean will say:

When it comes to climate action, forget bottlenecks – we need breakneck pace.

In the speech, Kean will say an upcoming authority report on the Great Barrier Reef warns the window for avoiding broadscale losses of corals is closing. He will point to record-breaking ocean temperatures that caused simultaneous bleaching on the Queensland reef and across reefs in the west, where Kean will point to how scientists there have been distraught by widespread coral death.

The Guardian

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Sussan Ley says Liberals didn’t just lose, ‘we got smashed’

Sussan Ley is speaking at the National Press Club and addressed the Liberal party’s widespread losses during the federal election.

The opposition leader said:

We didn’t just lose. We got smashed. Totally smashed.

What we, as the Liberal party, presented to the Australian people was comprehensively rejected. The scale of that defeat, its size and significance, is not lost on me, nor any one of my parliamentary team sitting here today. It was devastating for our parliamentary colleagues, our party members, our supporters and voters across the country

The Guardian

Emissions reduction not about 'landing on a certain date', opposition leader says
Sussan Ley says emissions reduction is not about “landing on a certain date”.

The opposition leader was asked on ABC RN a short while ago about the committee she set up to develop a new energy and climate policy:

It’s iterative and it’s continuous, and it will develop a plan … underpinned by two goals. That we have a stable energy grid which provides affordable and reliable power for households and businesses, and that we reduce emissions so that we’re playing our part in the global effort and the global challenge of climate change.

So it’s not ending at a certain point in time. It’s not landing on a certain date. It’s an important working group, and it will reflect the wide range of views on energy policy across Australia, and it will also hold up a mirror to this government, because they’ve made big promises on energy. We’re going to hold them to account, and we’re going to make sure that they explain to the Australian people how they are on track to reduce the cost of electricity. We haven’t seen that so far.

The Guardian

Albanese says Australia will drive its own defence spending despite US tariffs pressure on Spain

Albanese was repeatedly asked whether he is worried Australia will be threatened with tariffs by the US – which was Spain’s fate after prime minister Pedro Sánchez opted-out of the Nato defence spending pledge.

“I’m not going to comment on things between Spain and the United States,” Albanese said. “What my job is to look after Australia’s national interest, that includes our defence and security interests and that’s precisely what we are doing.”

After being pushed a number more times, Albanese continued:

There’s a big focus on Spain … here today. We’ll invest in whatever capability we need.

When it comes to economic issues, I met with the treasury secretary of the United States just a week ago as well as with their trade representative.

Sánchez rejected Nato’s proposal for member states to increase their defence spending to 5% of their GDP, saying the idea would “not only be unreasonable but also counterproductive”.

The proposal – advanced by the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, in response to Donald Trump’s demands for a 5% target – suggests member states agree to raise defence spending to 3.5% of their GDP and commit a further 1.5% to wider security spending.

Trump criticised Spain after the summit, saying they would “pay twice as much”.

The Guardian

Australian government loans $100m to install EV chargers and solar panels at Bunnings and Officeworks stores

Wesfarmers has secured a $100m loan with the government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation to install more solar panels, batteries and EV chargers at its Bunnings and Officeworks stores.

The chief executive of the CEFC, Ian Learmonth, said he hoped the financing package at the high-profile stores would help create a “ripple effect” through the commercial sector, where the uptake of rooftop solar has been slower than across residential properties.

The financing package, to be paid back by Wesfarmers over seven years at a competitive interest rate, would help accelerate the group’s decarbonisation plans, Learmonth said.

“As a leading Australian company with these household brand names, we can provide them with competitive finance that’s allowing them to meet a business case to deliver roof top solar, battery storage, various energy efficiency initiatives and putting EV chargers in,” he said.

“There is potential growth in the commercial and industrial sectors. When people see Bunnings and Officeworks doing this, it adds a ripple effect where other large companies can be influenced by seeing what these companies are doing, and seeing their car parks with EV chargers.”

He said large industrial roof spaces had not been as well utilised with solar panels as households, sometimes because either structurally the roofs were not strong enough, or agreements were complicated between tenants and building owners.

He said: “This is a great opportunity where we have the owner and operator – Wesfarmers – that we can work with.”

The CEFC, with access to $32bn of government money, is a green bank that provides financing and loans to accelerate decarbonisation.

Australia’s retail sector accounts for half of the energy use of all commercial properties and 5% of the country’s emissions.

CEFC said the solar and battery installations could also help to stabilise the country’s electricity grid.

Storing solar electricity in batteries to use in evening peaks, for example, can help even out power demand at times of higher electricity use.

The executive director at the CEFC, Richard Lovell, said: “By focusing on using its existing building assets to support renewable energy generation and energy storage, which are crucial for energy demand management, Wesfarmers continues to execute its active decarbonisation strategy to reduce its direct emissions.”

Bunnings, Officeworks and WesCEF all have targets to reach net zero direct emissions by 2030, and to use 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2025.

‘Real people, real families’: Coalition signals dramatic shift away from anti-immigration rhetoric of Dutton era

The federal opposition will adopt a more empathetic approach to migrants that seeks to emphasise people’s positive contribution to Australia, says the new shadow immigration minister, Paul Scarr, drawing a line under the harsh anti-immigration rhetoric deployed under Peter Dutton.

Scarr, who is also shadow minister for multicultural affairs, told Guardian Australia it is a “profound tragedy” that Chinese, Indian and other diaspora communities have abandoned the Liberals at the past two elections, as in his view, their values should naturally align with the party’s core principles.

His comments come as the pollster and former Labor strategist Kos Samaras says that to have any hope of winning those voters back, the Coalition would need to abandon an approach to multicultural Australia that acted “like we are still living in 1996”.

“They have hard-baked a brand that they are not a political party that likes people who have come to the country over the past 15 or 20 years,” Samaras says.

Immigration was one of the Coalition’s main priorities under Dutton, who promised dramatic cuts to permanent migration and net overseas migration as he sought to directly link a post-pandemic influx of people to the housing supply and affordability crisis.

The future of those policies is up in the air as the Liberals, now led by Sussan Ley, review their entire agenda after the election defeat.

But one thing Scarr has immediately committed to is a new tone when talking about migrants, signalling a dramatic shift from the sort of inflammatory language associated with Dutton’s immigration agenda.

At various points during the previous term, Dutton – who has a long history of comments attacking refugees and asylum seekers – called for a temporary ban on people from Gaza coming to Australia and floated the idea of a referendum on deporting dual citizens who committed serious crimes.

Albanese reaffirms US tariffs on Australia ‘should be zero’

Anthony Albanese says tariffs placed on Australia by the US Trump administration “should be zero” as leaders around the world prepare for a second “liberation day” announcement following a 90-day pause on tariffs.

In a frosty, sub-zero morning in Canberra’s Bruce, the prime minister said Australia would continue to put its case forward with the close ally.

Albanese said:

We’ll continue to put our case forward that it shouldn’t be 10. It should be zero. That is what a reciprocal tariff will be. We have a US free trade agreement, of course, and we’ve put forward very clearly our arguments.

Flanked by finance minister Katy Gallagher and skills minister Andrew Giles, Albanese was there to talk up a new $10,000 incentive payment for students in construction but the questions centred heavily on defence spending and tariffs.

Asked whether his government could increase defence spending next April as part of the national defence strategy, Albanese bluntly replied “No”.

No, because you’re seeing it now with $57bn that we have in the budget - $57 bn isn’t nothing ... What we want to do is to use defence procurement, not just to assist in the defence of Australia, but also to be a facilitator of that advanced manufacturing.

The Guardian

Anthony Albanese dismisses US rift concerns, says meeting with Trump will happen

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dismissed concerns around his lack of face-time with US President Donald Trump, saying they had a "respectful" relationship.

Albanese had been due to meet Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Canada last month, before the US president left early to, as it turned out, oversee US strikes on Iranian nuclear assets.

Since then, no firm date has been set for a meeting between the two world leaders, with Albanese opting not to attend the recent NATO summit.

Albanese conceded the timeline was a bit open-ended, but said a meeting would happen.

"We've had a few constructive discussions. I'm sure when we meet it will be constructive as well," he told Today.

Two subjects likely to be on the agenda when the hypothetical meeting does take place are defence, including Australia's military spending and the AUKUS agreement, and the White House's implementation of tariffs on Australian imports.

But Albanese pointed out that not only was the tariff on Australian goods and services the lowest imposed by the US, at 10 per cent, but also that it had not halted exports.

Australian beef exports to the US were up in value in April this year compared to April last year, Albanese said.

"So the goods are still being exported, it's just that those purchasing those goods are paying more for them," he said.

"And that is why tariffs are an act of economic self-harm. That's why we haven't reciprocated by imposing tariffs on US imports into Australia, consistent with our free trade agreement."

Albanese said he would also "talk Australia up" as an "important ally" in US defence.

"We contribute so much to peace and security in our own region by investing in our capabilities," he said.

"But importantly as well, the role that we play in investing in our relationships in the region is absolutely critical."

Albanese said the "constructive" relationship with the US, including high-level talks with members of the Trump administration, would continue despite differing views on subjects like tariffs.

"Now, this president has a right to adopt his America First policy, as he calls it," he said.

"We have a right to represent Australia's national interests."