Unemployment rate remains at 3.9 per cent for December, Federal government says it will not intervene in the DP World-Maritime Union dispute, Socceroos hoping for improvement in tonight's Asian Cup match against Syria.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Unemployment rate remains at 3.9 per cent for December.
- Federal government says it will not intervene in the DP World-Maritime Union dispute.
- Socceroos hoping for improvement in tonight's Asian Cup match against Syria.
Employment Minister Tony Burke says the latest labour force data shows there is a slowing of employment growth off the back of what was a very strong high.
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found the unemployment rate has remained at 3.9 per cent in December.
Employment dropped by 65,000 while the number of unemployed Australians decreased by 1,000 - allowing the jobless rate to plateau.
Mr Burke has hailed the data as a success.
"The figures that have come out of the Australian Bureau of Statistics today confirm that 2023 was a great year for jobs in Australia 2023 We now have a year where 381,000 new jobs were created. 2023 stands as the first year in the history of the monthly unemployment series, where every single unemployment figure was below 4 per cent."
But Treasurer for the Opposition Angus Taylor has criticised the federal government, saying the latest data reflects poorly on its leadership.
"Now what all Australians want to see is a strong, low inflation economy. But to get to that, you need a government that understands economics and is focused on it. And instead, we've seen a prime minister and a treasurer, that who have been asleep at the wheel over the course of the last 12 months. They've been focused on other things. They've been focused on their failed referendum. They've been focused on other distractions other than the issues that really count to Australians, which is to have this strong, low inflation economy."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed his confidence that the workers of the Maritime Union of Australia will be able to come to an agreement with Emirati logistics company DP World and halt their industrial action.
It comes after a meeting of both parties with Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke, who says he has made it clear that he expects them to find a resolution to their problems and that the federal government will not intervene.
The pay dispute issues between the Maritime Union workers and DP World have caused disruptions across all of Australia's major ports.
Mr Albanese says it is in the best interest of all parties for this matter to be resolved as quickly as possible.
"We want to see this issue resolved in mutual interests. We think there are mutual interests between workers and their employers. And we'd urge the parties to bargain in good faith and to have a resolution that is in their interest, but also in the interests of our national economy."
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A judge has threatened to kick former U-S President Donald Trump out of his own defamation trial due to his constant outbursts that disrupted the hearing.
Writer E. Jean Carroll testified to the court that her reputation was shattered after she accused Mr Trump of sexual harassment.
The former U-S President ignored judge Lewis Caplan's warning to remain quiet during the testimony and was then threatened with expulsion.
Mr Trump has accused the judge, who was appointed by Democratic party member Bill Clinton, of being impartial.
"Same judge. Same judge is a radical Trump hater. And I said, uh, I will go to all days. So what happened very terribly is we asked to just delay the trial for one day so I could go to the funeral tomorrow, and then we could start Friday or Monday or any time they want. And he said, absolutely not. The trial will go on just as it is. You can go to the funeral or you can go to the trial, but you can't do both. I thought it was terrible. I thought it was terrible."
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The Queensland Premier says there is a real possibility that the reconstruction of the Gabba stadium will not go ahead.
Premier Steven Miles has confirmed that former Brisbane mayor Graham Quirk will be in charge of a review into the 2032 Olympics infrastructure.
Mr Miles called for the review after he was named Queensland Premier, claiming the issue of the 2032 Olympic Games had caused division.
The independent assessment is set to begin on Thursday ((January 18)), with the Gabba rebuild, worth $2.7 billion, sitting at the top of the list.
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The Socceroos will be hoping for an improved performance on Thursday ((January 18)) night as they take on Syria for day two of the Asian Cup group stage.
A potential three points could see Australia advance to the next round of the competition.
Graham Arnold's men struggled to claim a 2-0 win against India in the opening game of the tournament.
The Socceroos coach says he expects more from his players.
"We're excited obviously to get back on the field. We obviously play against Syria but the full focus is on ourselves and we were happy with our performance against India but my expectations are that we will improve every game that we play, our performance. So it's about playing better than what we did against India and going out there and having a great match."
