Key occasions
Jim Chalmers argues Labor making ‘sustained progress’ in opposition to inflation
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is “fairly happy to see underlying inflation come down yesterday”. He’s talking dwell on ABC Information Breakfast:
Additionally pleasing to see that headline inflation has been for some months now on the backside finish of the Reserve Financial institution’s goal vary as a result of what that tells us is that we’re making and have made actually substantial and now sustained progress within the combat in opposition to inflation.
Andrew Messenger
Brisbane visitors congestion ranked Tenth worst in world however consultants query ‘black field’ evaluation
Brisbane ranks among the many world’s most congested cities – forward of sprawling megacities comparable to Bangkok and nicely in entrance of Sydney and Melbourne – in accordance with a transport analytics report.
In keeping with the report, a median Brisbane driver misplaced about 84 hours to congestion in 2024, a rise of 14% on 2023. That ranks town because the world’s Tenth-most congested, behind Istanbul (105 hours), New York (102 hours) and London (101 hours).
However consultants have forged doubt on the methodology of INRIX International Site visitors Scorecard, which compares journey instances when roads are empty in the midst of the night time with speeds at peak hour to calculate what it calls “delay”.
“This can be a rogue metric,” stated Matt Burke of the Griffith College Cities Analysis Institute.
“INRIX scores are a little bit of a black field. You don’t fairly know precisely how they’re calculating this.”
You possibly can learn extra right here:
Ella Archibald-Binge
Greater than 1% of Northern Territory inhabitants imprisoned as document jail numbers predicted to climb
Police watch homes within the Northern Territory are being repurposed as long-term jail cells as record imprisonment numbers push the system to breaking level.
There have been 2,613 folks locked up within the NT on Tuesday – greater than 1% of the territory’s inhabitants of 255,100, in accordance with the NT Division of Corrections.
Against this, in Western Australia – the state with the following highest imprisonment charge – about 0.2% of the inhabitants is behind bars. Information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics exhibits the NT incarceration charge is greater than 5 instances the nationwide common.
Greater than 250 people are being held in NT police watch houses, spilling over from overcrowded prisons unable to deal with a surge that’s solely anticipated to develop as robust new bail legal guidelines take impact this week.
“Police watch homes are overcrowded, they’re oppressive, the lights keep on, the noise is fixed. Prisoners complain that they don’t have privateness once they go to the bathroom,” Clancy Dane, the principal lawyer at Territory Felony Attorneys, stated.
Learn the complete story right here:
Petra Inventory
New analysis into certainly one of Australia’s most specialised and weird animals has revealed the marsupial mole’s biology is as uncommon as its look.
Regardless of the animal’s hanging resemblance to “true” moles from Africa and elements of the northern hemisphere, marsupial moles had been most carefully associated to bandicoots and bilbies, the study in Science Advances stated.
College of Melbourne researchers, who led the research, extracted DNA from a museum specimen then sequenced and analysed its genome to uncover the evolutionary secrets and techniques of the golden-haired species, about which “nearly nothing is understood”.
You possibly can learn extra right here:
Urge for food for discounting on present in retail figures
After yesterday’s inflation numbers, analysts will flip their consideration to retail gross sales from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at the moment for a learn on client behaviour.
An early begin to discounting helped gasoline a strong 0.6% elevate in retail gross sales in October.
Client spending has been trending usually weak, reflecting a barely rising economic system and households beneath strain from greater mortgage repayments and inflation.
The Reserve Financial institution has been preserving a detailed eye on shoppers as an excessive amount of spending may complicate the inflation process and preserve rates of interest greater for longer.
– Australian Related Press
‘Excellent news for renters’: slower development recorded
Rental development throughout the nation is slowing amid the housing disaster, as economists predict a higher “steadiness” available in the market.
New information launched by REA Group, which owns Australia’s main actual property website, exhibits marketed rents had been unchanged in all capital metropolis markets other than two within the December 2024 quarter.
Brisbane and Canberra had been the one capital cities to document hire will increase over the previous three months, however Adelaide and Perth skilled the strongest will increase over the previous yr.
Median marketed weekly rents in Sydney ($730) and Melbourne ($570) flatlined for six months, with rents rising at their slowest tempo since late 2021.
The aid comes at a time when housing affordability in Australia continues to deteriorate, as households buckle beneath the pressure of excessive cost-of-living pressures.
In regional areas, marketed rents didn’t transfer from $550 per week within the final three months, however spiked by a large 10% over 2024.
REA Group senior economist Paul Ryan stated the figures meant excellent news for renters.
“We’re seeing broadly, the market come again right into a bit higher steadiness between renters and landlords in a bit extra rental availability,” he advised AAP.
– Australian Related Press
Rafqa Touma
Because of Martin Farrer for kicking off the weblog this morning.
I’ll be rolling your information updates by way of the day – let’s get into it.
Extra on that seaplane crash from AAP:
The homeowners of the seaplane say they’re distraught over the tragedy.
“We’re devastated by these injured and the lack of the 2 passengers concerned within the horrible incident yesterday,” Swan River Seaplanes firm director Kristy Bailey stated.
“Our deepest and honest condolences are with their households and buddies.
“We’re heartbroken by the tragic lack of James [Wong], a proficient and devoted pilot who was an integral and deeply cherished member of our workforce.”
Investigators to attempt to salvage remaining seaplane wreckage off Rottnest Island
Investigators will at the moment try to salvage the remaining wreckage of a seaplane that crashed throughout take-off, killing three folks and critically hurting three different passengers, AAP studies.
It’s believed the plane carrying seven folks struck a small limestone outcrop close to common vacation spot Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, about 4pm on Tuesday.
The Cessna 208 Caravan 675 plunged nose-first into the water close to Thomson Bay, killing pilot James Wong, 34, a 65-year-old Swiss girl and a 60-year-old Danish man.
Investigators hope the sunken airplane and wreckage already retrieved will present solutions about the reason for the crash, the Australian Transport Security Bureau chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, stated on Wednesday.
“Any of the data that we are able to collect from on board the airplane, that’ll be our focus tomorrow as we recuperate the airplane from the seabed,” he stated.
“Any of the recorded info from on board, from cell phones.”
Mitchell stated bureau investigators working with police would proceed interviewing witnesses to the crash.
Kosciuszko hiker Hadi Nazari anticipated to return residence at the moment
We might be listening to extra about Hadi Nazari’s Kosciuszko nationwide park ordeal at the moment after he’s debriefed by police.
He spent the night time at Cooma hospital however is anticipated to be despatched residence at the moment.
“I’ve each confidence that he’ll be launched very quickly,” NSW police Insp John Broadfoot advised reporters yesterday.
“Our specialist paramedics have had a have a look at him and he’s appeared in nice situation so full hopes he’ll be on his means residence very shortly.”
In a press release on behalf of the household, sister Zahra Nazari stated they had been grateful he was secure and sound.
“We’re grateful for everybody concerned in serving to us discover my brother,” the household stated.
Within the meantime take a look at this piece by Cait Kelly about how he foraged for berries and drank water from creeks to maintain going.
$50m federal incentive for farmers and truckers to go electrical
Sarah Basford Canales
The Albanese authorities will at the moment announce a $50m initiative to encourage farmers and freight corporations to purchase up electrical autos as a part of its plans to decarbonise the economic system.
The power minister, Chris Bowen, stated a deal between the Clear Energy Finance Company and Metro Finance will supply eligible farmers, freight corporations and different small and medium companies the choice to tackle cheaper loans to purchase electrical autos.
A farmer financing a $60,000 electrical automobile, for instance, may save about $1,700 in curiosity over 5 years, the federal government stated.
Greater than 4,000 electrical autos had been purchased utilizing the financing subsidies as of December 2024.
Bowen stated:
Australian motorists deserve extra selections of cleaner, cheaper-to-run vehicles and that’s precisely what the Albanese authorities is delivering.
Electrical autos made up 9.5% of sunshine automobile gross sales final yr, rising from 8.4% in 2023 and three.8% in 2022.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our dwell information weblog. I’m Martin Farrer right here to take you thru a few the most effective in a single day tales earlier than Rafqa Touma takes over as your information information for the day.
Hadi Nazari might be debriefed by rescue groups at the moment after his remarkable 13-day ordeal misplaced within the Kosciuszko nationwide park wilderness. The 23-year-old was described as “alert” and in a position to stroll after being rescued yesterday however was taken to Cooma hospital final night time for checks. The Riverina district commander, Supt Andrew Spliet, stated police wished to listen to from him about how he stayed alive and the way he protected himself from the daytime warmth. Extra developing.
Peter Dutton will maintain his first election campaign-style rally in Melbourne on Sunday, in accordance with a report within the Age this morning. It says that Liberals had been advised an occasion was coming within the japanese suburbs the place the Coalition is aiming to win again the seats of Chisholm and Aston as Dutton responds to Anthony Albanese’s whirlwind tour of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia this week. Talking of which, his Labor authorities is placing up $50m to incentivise farmers and freight corporations to change to electrical autos. Extra developing.
Police watch homes within the Northern Territory are being repurposed as long-term jail cells because the variety of prisoners reached more than 1% of the territory’s population this week. That’s greater than 5 instances the nationwide common – and if the NT had been a rustic it might have the second-highest incarceration rate in the world. We’ll have response because it occurs.
