First day of official campaigning for the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament. Australia's energy market regulator calls for urgent investment into new renewable energy. And in sport, all eyes are on the AFLW to deliver the best season yet amid the hype for women's sports.
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- First day of official campaigning for the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
- Australia's energy market regulator calls for urgent investment into new renewable energy.
- All eyes are on the AFLW to deliver the best season yet amid the hype for women's sports.
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Hundreds of volunteers have taken to the streets to kick off the first day of official campaigning for, or against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the date for the referendum as October 14.
Australians will be asked to decide whether to enshire a permanent advisory body for Indigenous voices.
Director of the YES23 campaign Dean Parkin says excitement for the referendum is building.
"Well, obviously yesterday, a very momentous day in this campaign for constitutional recognition through the voice, seeing the Prime Minister announced the date giving us that October 14 date very much sets the nation on the pathway to the referendum. We've already been out there campaigning as the Yes campaign and as you can see today, going from Adelaide to Hornsby train station today having further conversations with voters on the ground a tremendous vibe out here."
And you can find comprehensive information about the referendum visiting the SBS Voice Referendum portal at www.sbs.com.au/voicereferendum
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Australia's energy market regulator is calling for urgent investment into new renewable sources of electricity, warning of "significant risks" to reliability of energy supply.
The warning comes from the Australian Energy Market Operator in a report detailing its latest 10-year outlook for the national electricity market.
Opposition energy minister Ted O'Brien says the dire situation outlined in the report is a consequence of poor policy decisions from the Labor government.
"Australia is in the imminent danger of the lights going out. That's the key takeaway from today's report released by the market operator, Australia lights out. That's the risk we now face. Energy commentators have been saying this morning that never before has the situation been so dire. It is a direct consequence of Labor's policies."
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Workplace relations Minister Tony Burke will today release a new raft of industrial relations laws which are expected to stop gig workers from relying on tips to make ends meet.
Ride-share drivers and food delivery riders are among the thousands of workers who would be impacted by the changes, which include protections from unfair deactivation and implementing minimum pay rates.
The protections on offer will stop short at overtime rates and rostering arrangements that could restrict flexibility for workers.
Mr Burke told ABC Radio the protections aim to implement important minimum standards for workers who are already often adversely impacted by low wages and low bargaining power.
"We're not meant to be a country where you have to rely on tips to be able to make ends meet. And for holiday gig workers at the moment, that's the world they're in. So we want to be able to set minimum standards that accept the form of engagement, that accept that you're not an employee, but stop it from being a complete race to the bottom."
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The consumer watchdog has launched legal action against Qantas, alleging the airline advertised tickets for 8000 flights that had already been cancelled but not removed from sale.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges the flights in question were scheduled to depart between May and July 2022, and Qantas kept selling tickets for an average of more than two weeks after they were cancelled.
Liberal Senator Jane Hume told Channel Nine Prime Minister Anthony Albanese needs to explain his involvement in the decision.
"It is hard to fathom. I mean, we've now seen two former heads of the ACCC, the consumer watchdog come out and say that this decision by the Labor government to deny Qatar Airways additional routes is costing Australians more. The CEO of Flight Centre and Virgin have come out and said air fares are now somewhere between 20% and 50% higher than they were pre COVID and higher than they need to be. No one's really adequately explained why the government has made this decision."
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All eyes are on the AFLW to deliver the best season yet amid the massive hype for women's sports.
The competition returns on Friday, almost 300 days since Melbourne claimed their maiden premiershipby beating the Brisbane Lions in Queensland.
The women's sports landscape has changed considerably since then thanks to a historic co-hosted World Cup in Australia where the Matildas captured the nation.
AFLW chief Nicole Livingstone says the league has "planned methodically" to deliver a sport worthy of doing the same.
