Labor ‘playing games’ on gambling reforms, Sarah Hanson-Young says
Hanson-Young says she had spoken to the communications minister, Anika Wells, about amendments to the government’s gambling reform but has not spoken directly to Anthony Albanese.
Asked if she expected to speak to the prime minister, the Greens senator said “I hope so”:
The government said they weren’t prepared to move at all, and now here they are. So, I mean … they’re playing games here.
Their own backbenchers know it’s not strong enough.
Hanson-Young said she would not vote for what was “on the table at the moment”
If you are not prepared to do what’s needed here, well, we’ll take this out of your hands and we’ll do it in the Senate ourselves.
Key events
ABC’s Insiders is marking its 25th birthday with a special anniversary edition this morning.
The show’s founding host, Barrie Cassidy, has returned to the couch for the first time since he retired in 2019.
Reflecting on how Australian politics has changed since the show began in 2001, Cassidy says:
You’ve had that degrading of the support for the major parties, 80% to 50% in the life of Insiders, and that’s quite extraordinary. It happened kind of like bankruptcy, slowly, and then all at once.
The all at once period was pretty much just in the lead up to the last election.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young was also asked about her call for a moratorium on building of data centres until there are the proper laws in place to regulate their impact on the country’ energy, water use, environment and communities.
Asked about the proposal, Hanson-Young said:
I want an ironclad guarantee for the Australian people: their power bills won’t go up, their water is going to be protected, their jobs are going to be protected, and that they get some type of community benefit because without those things there is going to be no social license and it’s evaporating very quickly.
Labor ‘playing games’ on gambling reforms, Sarah Hanson-Young says
Hanson-Young says she had spoken to the communications minister, Anika Wells, about amendments to the government’s gambling reform but has not spoken directly to Anthony Albanese.
Asked if she expected to speak to the prime minister, the Greens senator said “I hope so”:
The government said they weren’t prepared to move at all, and now here they are. So, I mean … they’re playing games here.
Their own backbenchers know it’s not strong enough.
Hanson-Young said she would not vote for what was “on the table at the moment”
If you are not prepared to do what’s needed here, well, we’ll take this out of your hands and we’ll do it in the Senate ourselves.
Greens call on Albanese to put ‘cards on the table’ as gambling negotiations continue
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has called for the Albanese government to put its “cards on the table” as part of a potential strengthening of its gambling reform.
Labor is expected to face strong opposition from gambling giants if it accedes to Coalition and Greens demands for a tough new ban on financial inducements for betting, as part of closely watched Senate deal making expected within days.
Speaking to the ABC’s Insiders, Hanson-Young said:
If the government’s now willing to move on some things … good. But the devil’s going to be in the detail. And what I say to the prime minister and to the government is, put your cards on the table.
Josh Taylor
SA premier meets Apple chief following social media ban
The premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas has visited Apple’s headquarters and met with outgoing chief executive Tim Cook in the United States.
Malinauskas posted on LinkedIn that Cook was keen to discuss the under-16s social media ban, which kicked off with South Australia’s proposal last year before the federal government adopted a national approach.
Apple has been keen to credit Australia with inspiring planned changes to parental controls on iPhones and iPads, with Cook calling the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, earlier this year when Apple announced the changes.
Documents released under freedom of information laws this week suggest the pair discussed the possibility of Albanese visiting Apple’s California headquarters on his next trip to the United States.
The documents surrounding the call between Albanese and Cook reveal an unnamed employee at Apple following up the call in late June and enquiring about “the possibility of the PM visiting Apple Park in Cupertino (California) when he visits the US for the UN General Assembly.”
Any potential visit by Albanese to Apple may come after Cook steps down as chief executive, and is replaced by John Ternus on 1 September, as the UN general assembly’s 81st session commences on 8 September.
Bird flu detected in inland NSW, on the Murray Darling Basin
Petra Stock
New South Wales recorded its first cases of H5 bird flu in two local birds on Saturday, including one found near Wentworth on the Murray-Darling Basin.
Jack Gough, chief executive of the Invasive Species Council, said:
That should be ringing alarm bells for governments because it suggests it could soon be spreading among inland bird colonies ahead of spring breeding season.
Birds in the Murray-Darling basin are already in decline due to feral animals, insufficient water to critical wetlands and the loss of habitat – now they have a deadly disease to contend with.
Samples from two deceased greater crested terns in NSW – the other found near Narooma on the south coast – tested positive at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
On Saturday, a further 28 positive cases were confirmed in South Australia, bringing the state’s total to 147. An additional 13 suspected cases were also detected, including an ibis in Adelaide and a cormorant in Carpenter Rocks on the Limestone Coast.
Victoria confirmed 10 positive cases on Saturday, all from greater crested terns in south-west Victoria and Clyde in south-east Melbourne.
As of 3pm yesterday, Australia had a total of 215 H5 bird flu cases nationally.
Good morning
This is Adeshola Ore here to take you through today’s news as it unfolds.
Let’s get into it.
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