Afternoon Update: Landmark gender equality bill; Nationals oppose Indigenous voice; and Bob Dylan’s ‘fake’ signature
Labor has kicked off a busy legislative week with the passing of the signature Respect@Work bill. The law aims to improve gender equality in the workplace, a year after the sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, handed down a report outlining key recommendations to address toxic work cultures.
The other big ticket items the Albanese government is hoping to pass this week are the industrial relations bill, a federal anti-corruption commission and strengthened privacy laws with tough penalties for company data breaches. If you missed the news this morning, the IR bill is set to pass now that independent senator David Pocock has won a few concessions.
Top news
Respect@Work bill passes | Conduct that results in a hostile workplace environment on the basis of sex is now clearly prohibited, after the bill passed parliament.
Morrison faces censure | Labor will officially move to censure Scott Morrison this week – the parliamentary equivalent of a slap on the wrist – over his secret ministries scandal. Albanese says the push to reprimand his predecessor was important for the accountability of Australia’s democratic system. The Coalition will probably oppose the censure.
Nationals oppose Indigenous voice to parliament | It’s official – the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, confirmed the party’s position, saying it didn’t want to create “another layer of [bureaucracy] in Canberra”. The proposed voice would act as an Indigenous consultative body with input into government decisions. Greens senator Barbara Pocock criticised the Nationals’ call as “incredibly disappointing”.
RBA governor apologises | The Reserve Bank head, Philip Lowe, has apologised for saying interest rates were unlikely to rise until 2024. Lowe acknowledged people “acted on that [advice] and now find themselves in a position they don’t want to be in”. Asked if Lowe should resign, Albanese said it wasn’t up to him “to give an ongoing, running commentary on the actions of the secretary of the Reserve Bank”.
Terrorism threat level downgraded | After eight years Asio has reduced the threat level from “probable” to “possible”. Australia increased its terrorism alert level from medium to high in 2014 – a time when Islamic State controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria and was attracting recruits from abroad.
Solitary confinement of children | The UN committee against torture is urging Australia to end the practice of solitary confinement as well as raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility, which the committee said is set to a “very low” age of 10. The committee also pointed out the “persistent overrepresentation” of Indigenous children and children with disabilities in the youth justice system.
Brussels riots | Clashes erupted in the Belgian capital after Morocco’s surprising 2-0 victory over Belgium in the World Cup. Cars were torched and vandalised, and electric scooters set on fire, as police deployed water cannon and teargas to disperse crowds. Belgium has a sizeable Moroccan immigrant community, and prominent Belgian-Moroccans were quick to condemn the violence, and stressed that most celebrations were peaceful.
Bob Dylan auto-signature | Another apology, this time from the famous musician who has admitted to using an autopen to sign books and artworks. Special copies of his new book had been advertised as “hand-signed” and came with a letter of authenticity from publisher Simon & Schuster. Fans who paid US$599 (AU$897) for the autographed book were quick to discover those signatures weren’t so authentic after all.
Full Story
Who will foot the bill for global climate disasters?
Developing countries had a win at Cop27, this year’s international climate summit, with developed countries agreeing to chip in to a fund to cover loss and damage from climate disasters. But will rich countries actually pay? Listen to this 20-minute episode.
What they said …
In numbers
Queensland will continue to export coal for “as long as the market dictates”, the premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said. The state has committed to slashing emissions 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, lower than the 50% targets set by New South Wales and Victoria.
Before bed read
Few myths have persisted as long as the lost city of Atlantis – now it has a Netflix touch. The new series, Ancient Apocalypse, is presented by author Graham Hancock, who for decades has advanced the idea that a flood destroyed the advanced civilisation, and its survivors spread knowledge and science throughout the more primitive world. Archaeologists say there’s little evidence to back up these grandiose claims. So, is the new Netflix show presenting conspiracy theories dressed up as science?
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