Watt says idea of a federal EPA has been ‘particularly contentious’
On whether he believes environmental approval should sit with the environment minister or an independent body such as a federal EPA,Wattapologises for sounding like a broken record, saying he needs to discuss the issue with different parties:
Watt says he will approach environmental reform ‘in the spirit’ of Graeme Samuel review
Is labor committed to introducing national environmental standards to assess development applications against – as wasrecommended in the Graeme Samuel recommendations?
Watt says:
Watt undecided on form environment bill will take
Wattis being asked more about specifics – whether he will continuePlibersek’s approach of trying to reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in stages or look to legislate the reforms all together.
Watt says he hasn’t reached a concluded view but will test the issues with different stakeholders:
Murray Watt says his job is to build on environment work done by Tanya Plibersek
Murray Watt, the new environment minister, is talking on ABC Radio National about how his first job is to get environmental laws passed:
Albanese meets leaders in Rome
Albanese’s flurry of meetings with world leaders while attending the pope’s inaugural mass were immortalised with formal pictures and Vatican-backdropped selfies:
Hearings begin to determine Qantas penalty for outsourcing of ground handlers
Qantas could be forced to pay more than $120m in penalties, as the final hearings begin of what has been a years-long, costly legal process after the airline was found to have illegally outsourced 1,820 ground handlers.
From Monday, a five-day hearing in the federal court will determine the financial penalty Qantas must pay over the 2020 outsourcing decision, in which theTransport Workers Union(TWU) – which brought the initial legal action that found the outsourcing had been illegal – will call for the maximum penalty of $121m to be ordered.
The outsourcing saga has already seen the airlineagree to pay $120m in compensation to the affected workers as part of a deal reached in December, on top of the hefty legal fees covering its defence against the initial legal action brought by the Transport Workers Union as well as subsequent unsuccessful appeals to the full bench of the federal court and the high court.
If justiceMichael Leedoes decide on the maximum penalty, it would bring the cost of penalties and compensation to more than $240m, wellabove the $135m Qantas budgeted for in its half-year financial results released in February.It would cap off a costly 12 months for Qantas – in an entirely separate matter in May last year, the airline also agreed to a civil penalty of $100m and $20m in customer compensationfor allegedly selling tens of thousands of tickets to flights that had already been cancelled.
Michael Kaine, the TWU national secretary, said the union is calling for the maximum penalty against Qantas to “reflect the scale of its decision” and ensure the financial burden of the legal process meant there was no remaining “business case” for the outsourcing.
Kaine said:
You can read more about the outsourcing legal process here:
Albanese spoke to pope of his mother ‘looking down from heaven’
What didAnthony Albanesechoose to tell the Catholic leader when he met him?
After being taken into the basilica to greet the pope after the mass,AAPreports Albanese spoke to him about his mother:
Albanese, who was raised Catholic in a housing commission flat in Sydney, often references his late single-parent mother and her influence on his life.
The prime minister,Anthony Albanese, says he has been honoured to attend the inaugural mass and meet His HolinessPope Leo XIV.
While in Rome, Albanese also met with other world leaders on the sidelines, including the Canadian prime minister,Mark Carney, European Union president,Ursula von der Leyen,and Ukrainian president,Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Back home heavy rainfall, strong winds, hazardous surf and minor to moderate flooding is expected on the northernNew South Walescoast throughout the first half of this week, the SES warns.
The slow-moving heavy rainfall is expected to last several days across the mid north coast and Hunter regions, with the SES having already had to rescue eight people.
More to come soon, let’s get going!