WORKING CAPITAL
International Affairs Minister Penny Wong says Labor has not dropped its recognition of West Jerusalem because the capital of Israel, fairly than Tel Aviv, The Australian ($) reviews. It follows an unique from Guardian Australia, which observed the DFAT web site deleted sentences about recognising West Jerusalem up to now few days. It was a Morrison-era coverage which Labor strongly objected to on the time — certainly Wong mentioned Labor “in authorities would reverse this determination”. However she advised the Oz ($) that there had been no determination to vary it by the federal government. So why is it so vital? Effectively, when the Coalition authorities adopted the US’ footsteps in recognising Jerusalem, it was seen as an enormous step backwards for Palestinians’ aspirations. That’s as a result of the Palestinian Authority hopes to make East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state — however Israel is staunchly advocating it stays the undivided capital, as Al Jazeera reviews.
In the meantime, former Sydney Uni staffer Jay Tharappel, who as soon as wore a “demise to Israel” badge as SMH reported on the time, has joined the NSW Labor Social gathering, in response to paperwork ready for the occasion’s state convention seen by The Australian ($). Tharappel made headlines when he visited North Korea in 2018 — he wrote a weirdly heat story about it for Honi Soit, the uni’s paper. “What I noticed was a extremely organised, egalitarian and energised society,” one line reads. Hmm. Anyway, the Oz ($) claims Tharappel has additionally been a supporter of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Iran. When it requested NSW Labor Chief Chris Minns in regards to the membership, Minns pointed it to officers, who didn’t reply by deadline.
BUYING BULL IN BULK
The official statistic that 9 out of 10 Australian sufferers are bulk-billed (and thus pay no out-of-pocket value) might be whole crap, in response to the joint investigation into Medicare from the SMH and the ABC’s 7.30. It’s extra like 4 to 6 out of 10, consultants say. Well being Minister Mark Butler has ordered a report into the bombshell declare that medical doctors are rorting Medicare as much as a 3rd of its annual finances ($8 billion) — the paper alleges one among our largest telehealth firms, Phenix Well being, is bulk- billing people whereas additionally charging them, “a observe that’s unlawful underneath the Well being Insurance coverage Act”, reporters Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett write. Often you’re both bulk-billed (no cost from you) otherwise you pay and then you definitely get the Medicare rebate. It’s truly getting more and more more durable to discover a bulk-billing physician, Crikey reviews, with only a quarter of GPs doing so now. Why? At the very least partly due to super-low Medicare rebates (the rebate was frozen from 2013-19). Some GPs say the monetary strain is simply too nice for medical doctors to hold the associated fee.
In the meantime, Medibank turned the newest sufferer in an extended line of massive biz cyberattacks throughout the weekend, Reuters reviews, and its shares plunged almost 5% — making yesterday the personal well being insurer’s worst buying and selling day in two and a half years. Talking of safety breaches, Vinomofo, a wine offers website, additionally despatched a notice out to prospects in a single day saying it too had skilled a cyberattack. “An unauthorised third occasion unlawfully accessed our database on a testing platform that’s not linked to our reside Vinomofo web site,” the notice learn as IT Wire reviews. Particulars like names, gender, date of beginning, addresses, e mail addresses and telephone numbers of consumers have been leaked, it added.
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FEELING QUITE GASSY
Cease renting out the CSIRO model to large fossil gas firms, Science Minister Ed Husic has advised the premier science physique. Guardian Australia reviews Husic made the feedback yesterday after a “very massive fuel firm” (most likely Santos) approached the CSIRO to lend some cred to its decarbonisation efforts. Work with smaller fish, Husic urged — however one researcher mentioned the CSIRO has chucked a Linda Evangelista and mentioned it wouldn’t get away from bed for initiatives valued at lower than $500,000. It comes as Santos, Shell and ConocoPhillips’ “unfettered rights” to export liquefied pure fuel (LNG) to markets in Asia is making it too costly to exchange coal, ABC reviews this morning. The Australian Staff’ Union known as it “loopy” that we’re one of many world’s greatest suppliers of the gas but we now have an acute scarcity of fuel. The Australian Petroleum Manufacturing and Exploration Affiliation whined that it’s truly exploration bans and regulatory uncertainty inflicting the fuel scarcity. By 2030 it’ll be outdated by batteries anyway, Inexperienced Vitality Markets mentioned, so let’s take the L and transfer on. Weirdly, the ABC story fails to level out the elephant within the room: it’s means too late amid local weather change for fuel — as a fossil gas — to be a helpful transitionary anyway, as Guardian Australia reviews.
In the meantime, Cricket Australia and vitality firm Alinta’s $40 million deal is lifeless, the SMH reviews. The pair initially signed on for 4 seasons. Take a look at captain Pat Cummins fronted Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley with “moral objections” to Alinta’s contract, the paper says. Alinta’s guardian firm, Pioneer Sail Holdings, is one among our highest carbon emitters. So why did they signal within the first place? In 2018, the lads’s group was battling a reputational hit from the Newlands scandal and the departure of monetary providers agency Magellan. Alinta was one among solely a handful of sponsors. Our netball group, the Diamonds, are additionally taking a stand over the group’s new $15 million sponsor, mining magnate Gina Rinehart’s firm Hancock Prospecting, which is splashed throughout their uniforms, Fox Sports activities reviews. The Commonwealth Video games gold medallist group says the iron ore miner thinks local weather change will not be brought on by people, and likewise take offence that Gina’s dad, Lang Hancock, mentioned in 1984 that Indigenous individuals must be sterilised to “breed themselves out”. Abhorrent.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
An American man named Arthur Lee Cofield sat down sooner or later and positioned a name with a graceful brokerage, banking and monetary firm named Charles Schwab, as The New York Occasions reviews. On the decision, Cofield primly requested the creation of a chequing account, offering a photograph of a driver’s licence and a invoice. Definitely sir, the consultant mentioned. All was so as, and Cofield instructed the consultant to please switch US$11 million to a valuable metals seller. Immediately, the consultant responded, and it was executed. Upon the cash’s supply, Cofield organised to buy no fewer than 6106 American eagle gold cash. After all, the dear metals seller responded cordially. Cofield organised a personal safety firm to switch the cash on a chartered aircraft, and upon their arrival in Atlanta, used the cash to supply the prosperous proprietor of a regal six-bedroom residence on a sprawling property a cool US$4.4million. Why, positive, the proprietor responded, and Cofield transferred the complete stability. Simply one other day for almost all concerned.
The one downside? Cofield was an inmate behind bars in a most safety Georgia jail, utilizing a contraband telephone to impersonate somebody your entire time. And never simply anybody: Hollywood heavyweight Sidney Kimmel, a 94-year-old vogue mogul who has bankrolled box-office hits like Moneyball, United 93 and Loopy Wealthy Asians. Cofield, 31, was initially executed for armed theft, however who says we will’t diversify our skillset? He was described as “a shrewd, clever particular person who may con you out of tens of millions”, by the jail’s warden, however he didn’t fairly get away with it this time: he was charged with a slew of monetary crimes for the con (he’s pleading not responsible). There’s only one downside, federal prosecutors say: what the heck can we do with the property he efficiently fleeced? A spokesperson for Charles Schwab mentioned the consumer had been absolutely reimbursed, and apart from, Kimmel hardly observed. His legal professional mentioned he was “unaffected by no matter occurred” and had “no data of [how it] occurred”. However now authorities imagine Cofield has executed this earlier than to different billionaires — maybe a number of occasions. That’s one method to stick it to the wealthy, I suppose…
Wishing you the breezy nonchalance of a conned billionaire as we speak.
SAY WHAT?
[Former] prime minister Scott Morrison has been a revered chief in Australia, all through the APAC area and world wide. Recognized for offering measured geopolitical management and aggressively working towards a internet zero world emissions financial system, Prime Minister Morrison’s experiences and insights can be essential for enterprise leaders on six continents.
Dan Sims
The previous PM has signed on to the Worldwide Audio system Group and the principal gushed at Morrison’s credentials as “the true definition of a pacesetter with a 360-degree world view”. Que? The Morrison authorities obliterated our relationship with France and China, and in 2021 Australia was ranked final for local weather motion out of almost 200 international locations.
Why is Rupert Murdoch considering of placing the band again collectively?
“Rupert’s eldest son Lachlan Murdoch is CEO of Fox Corp and co-executive chairman of the corporate together with his father, whereas at Information Corp he’s the co-chairman however serving in a non-executive capability whereas each his father and chief government Robert Thompson draw multimillion-dollar government salaries.
“The opposite son, James Murdoch, fully left the Fox enterprise after the Disney sale after which give up the Information Corp board in 2020 over editorial variations associated to local weather change, leaving Lachlan unchallenged to share energy together with his father. Today, James is conspicuously internet hosting Biden fundraisers at his New York pad, confirming his political variations with the Fox Information line.”
One yr on, is ICAC’s Berejiklian report lastly able to drop?
“November 1 will mark one yr since former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian final took the stand throughout the NSW corruption watchdog’s inquiry into her actions as state chief. With two weeks to go till that anniversary, the Impartial Fee In opposition to Corruption (ICAC) has neither delivered a report into the matter nor given any clear indication of when the investigation, referred to as Operation Keppel, will wrap up.
“However there are doable indicators the fee may report its findings quickly. Assistant commissioner Ruth McColl, who’s overseeing ICAC’s probe, is approaching the top of a six-month extension of her tenure. A spokesperson for the notoriously secretive anti-corruption physique revealed in July it could maintain McColl on till the top of October 2022.”
TV audiences betray The Traitors (by not watching it)
“Ten premiered a much-hyped program known as The Traitors — the viewers betrayed the community with solely 343,000 viewers tuning in from 7.30 to 9pm. The place’s Kim Philby or Donald Maclean if you want turncoat? It’s again up tonight (or is meant to be) and tomorrow night time. Ten’s not having time — The Actual Love Boat sank simply after it left port and The Traitors listed and nearly turned turtle.
“With a lead-in as weak as The Traitors, the producers of Have You Been Paying Consideration?, Ten’s best-performing program, can sit up for comparatively weak viewers figures in tonight’s rankings. Not look from Ten to be butchering the rankings to your finest program. The Superb Race Australia did it on Mondays for the previous month.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Imran Khan calls for contemporary polls after byelection wins, threatens march (Al Jazeera)
Protester is dragged right into a Chinese language consulate in England and crushed (The New York Occasions)
Nigeria rushes to help flood victims, as demise toll tops 600 (CBC)
New UK finance minister drops nearly all of tax-cut plan (The New York Occasions)
Ulf Kristersson: Swedish Parliament elects new PM backed by far proper (BBC)
Fighter jet crashes into Russian constructing in Yeysk metropolis (Al Jazeera)
Venezuela disaster: 7.1m go away nation since 2015 [amid economic and political crisis] (BBC)
Kanye West agrees to purchase social media app Parler (Reuters)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Authorities should move the stage three check of integrity — Kylea Tink (The AFR): “So let me be clear: as North Sydney’s consultant, I stay of the place that stage three tax cuts ought to go forward in 2024 as deliberate. For the tax cuts to be realised, the federal government should determine and unlock different income streams and alternatives to keep away from pointless spending. One of many greatest challenges we now have as a nation is how we generate income. Fairly ceaselessly we fall again right into a debate about private earnings tax, however to me that’s like attempting to drive an vehicle with only one wheel and leaving the opposite three fully off the automobile.
“Past taxing our employees, there are a lot of different necessary alternatives to generate income for Australia together with acceptable taxing of multinational firms, and windfall taxes to assist be certain that income from the vitality disaster are extra pretty shared. As former Australian Competitors and Client Fee chairman Rod Sims has mentioned, it’s ‘actually unhealthy for society’ to have Australia’s oil and fuel exporters posting document income from excessive vitality costs throughout the Ukraine warfare whereas our households’ vitality prices skyrocket. We additionally should not overlook alternatives to scale back spending in wasteful areas together with offshore processing of asylum seekers, and undesirable and pointless infrastructure just like the $600 million Kurri Kurri energy plant.”
Who’s the strongman — Xi Jinping or this lone protester who dared to defy him? — Peter Hartcher (The SMH): “He was alone. Dressed as a building employee in yellow laborious hat and orange overalls, the lone protester selected a well-known bridge in Beijing to make his declaration on two daring banners. He knew he’d have little or no time, a couple of minutes at most, underneath the all-seeing eye of the world’s most superior techno-surveillance state. So his protest chant, broadcast by way of a loud-hailer, appears to have been pre-recorded. And he lit a hearth spewing black smoke to verify he was seen.
“He wasn’t well-known or highly effective. He’s a physicist. He knew he’d have one likelihood earlier than disappearing into the black maw of the regime’s secret prisons. Not that fame or energy are any safety. A well-connected billionaire property tycoon, Ren Zhiqiang, was jailed for 18 years for calling President Xi Jinping a “clown” over COVID coverage. ‘College students strike, employees strike, take away the dictator and state thief Xi Jinping’ declared one of many red-lettered banners strung throughout the Sitong Bridge in Beijing’s Haidian district on Thursday … This single act by a lone protester shook Beijing.”
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE
WHAT’S ON TODAY
On-line
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Minister for Social Companies Amanda Rishworth, Anti-Poverty Week government director Toni Wren, Australian Human Rights Fee’s Anne Hollonds and CEDA’S Melinda Cilento will discuss how we will eradicate poverty in a webinar for CEDA.
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Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy and Important Media’s Peter Lewis will unpack the fortnight’s political information in a webinar for the Australia Institute.
Yuggera Nation (also referred to as Brisbane)
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Former Brisbane lord mayor Tim Quinn and Dr Invoice Metcalf will chat in regards to the latter’s new e book, Brisbane: Utopian Goals and Dystopian Nightmares, at Avid Reader bookshop. You may as well catch this one on-line.
Ngunnawal Nation (also referred to as Canberra)
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Minister for Abilities and Coaching Brendan O’Connor will talk about the federal government’s plans about expert migration, pensions, TAFE, and parental go away in a chat hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce.
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Opposition immigration and citizenship spokesman Dan Tehan will give an deal with to the Nationwide Press Membership titled “A greater Australia not merely an even bigger Australia”.
