| Good morning, early birds. The NSW government will commit to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030, and press freedom is on the agenda in the Federal Court. It’s the news you need to know, with Rachel Withers. | | | | | | AT ODDS WITH BEREJIKLIAN The NSW government will commit to new emission reduction targets, following remarks by NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean linking the state’s intense fire season to climate change, Nine reports. The state will commit to lowering greenhouse gases by 35% by 2030, building upon the previous target of zero emissions by 2050. The announcement comes a day after an estimated 20,000 protesters marched through the CBD, demanding action on climate change. Kean said NSW will not rely on carry-over credits to reach its target, the use of which federal Minister for Energy Angus Taylor is currently defending at UN climate talks in Madrid. Many have criticised the use of credits, with analysts saying its legality is open to challenge. | PRESS FREEDOM Decorated Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith is attempting to force two Nine journalists to expose their sources, as part of a defamation claim against them in the Federal Court, Nine reports. Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters are fighting a pre-trial battle against efforts to force them to reveal the names of their sources, along with privileged documents and names of witnesses. The defamation case, which goes to trial in June 2020, centres around a series of reports accusing Roberts-Smith of committing war crimes during overseas missions. Bruce McClintock QC, acting for Roberts-Smith, outlined the soldier’s version of events in court yesterday, calling the allegations “extraordinarily grave”. | TAX EVADERS The ATO’s corporate tax transparency report has revealed that 32% of large companies have once again failed to pay a single cent of tax, the ABC reports. Hundreds of companies have been able to reduce their tax bills to zero despite gross profits, claiming tax losses and concessions going back years or shifting profits offshore. ATO deputy commissioner Rebecca Saint told The Guardian the data showed good progress, with the number of companies paying no tax down from 36% three years ago, but said more needed to be done. Crackdowns on tech tax dodgers such as Google and Facebook saw an added $3.8 billion in revenue from foreign multinationals, with tax payable up $6.6 billion from last year, mostly off the back of strong commodity prices. | THEY REALLY SAID THAT? | “ | Too often state governments are using the bogeyman of climate change to distract from their shortcomings in managing our land. — Matt Canavan |
The federal resources minister has accused NSW colleague Matt Kean of blaming the “bogeyman” ($) for the NSW bushfires. | WE’RE CHUFFED THE WORM IS PART OF YOUR MORNING ROUTINEBut that’s just the start at Crikey HQ. By the time you’ve caught the Worm, we’re already working on The Daily — it’s where our insights, analysis and the freshest Inq stories live. On Wednesdays, our readers look forward to Side View, Bernard Keane’s curated guide to what’s new and overlooked, and on Saturday mornings, we wrap up the week with the Weekender. All of it is reader-funded and that’s why your support matters. Join today and save $40 on an annual Crikey membership when you use the promocode CRIKEY2020. | |
| READ ALL ABOUT IT | CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY | | | | “Inq has also established that at the same time as the BMW incident (and subsequent silence), one ACCC safety official was so concerned about the commission’s lack of action on dangerous products that he blew the whistle and put his concerns in writing, citing the Takata airbag, via an internal process called a Public Interest Disclosure (PID). That disclosure went to the executive level of the ACCC, but no action was taken and the whistleblower soon left the organisation. ” |
| | | | “As the British election heads towards its final 48, the central paradox is becoming clear. Though it is a rare election of such importance that it will determine the future form of the entity whose parliament is being elected, and though the two major parties represent, for the first time in decades, genuinely different proposals for running society, the campaigns of both have been consumed not merely by a series of cheap stunts and memes, but by total confusion and conflict over what was real and what not. And wotnot.” |
| | | | “Sally is a sex worker. In the years leading up to the purchase of the house, the Commonwealth Bank had closed her business account, and her attempts to set up merchant services at other banks had been rejected. The banks refused to say why, let alone put the information in writing. American Express said they would provide these services, but charge her a rate that would make work unsustainable.” |
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| | | THE COMMENTARIAT Bob Hawke’s daughter has paid a high price, so leave her history alone – Pru Goward (The Age/Sydney Morning Herald): “Rosslyn Dillon’s life, by her own admission, is a poor and broken one. Now she has made allegations, in her challenge to her father’s will, that she was raped and sexually assaulted by Victorian Labor politician Bill Landeryou while she worked in his office in 1982 – but that Hawke told her not to report it to police because he was challenging for the federal Labor leadership. It is disingenuous to dismiss her claims as outrageous because his other children have not made them. Vulnerabilities differ. Suffice it to say that whether Landeryou did know, in that instinctive way predators know, how vulnerable Rosslyn was, or whether he was confident her father’s ambition would protect him from accountability, Rosslyn believes she has never recovered from those events.” It’s time to restore faith in our tainted democracy ($) – Tanya Plibersek (The Australian): “We need to reassure people that democracy is worth defending. Not just because it’s better than the alternatives but because it’s the best vehicle for delivering a better quality of life for everyone. This will require dedication from all Australians. But the greatest effort should rightfully be made by those who have done the most damage: politicians and the political class. For voters to truly believe we are capable of fulfilling the promises we make to them, they need to trust us. We need to prove that parliament is driven by the needs of Australian citizens, not the vanity of its politicians.” Australia’s lungs have collapsed and Generation X needs to take part of the blame – Paul Daley (The Guardian) “I’ve written before, here, about what a dangerous place we’ll leave behind. But the criticism I’ve heard most from my family’s next generation, aged from 14 to 35, relates to us X-ers’ failure, refusal or inability to tackle the Boomer generation’s decades of inaction and intransigence on mitigating climate change. ‘Why didn’t you do more?’ The truth is, no matter what we’ve done individually to pressure politicians and policymakers, we can no longer blame the generations before us. The answers are ours and, increasingly, those of the children we’ve failed; it’s no longer the Boomers making the policy and political decisions – or abrogating their responsibilities to do so.” | HOLD THE FRONT PAGE | WHAT’S ON TODAY Canberra The aged care royal commission will hold a public hearing into access to the healthcare system. Sydney Parents in NSW will take action outside their children’s schools, demanding an urgent response to the climate crisis from Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. An inquiry into the budget process for independent oversight bodies will hear from senior officials, ICAC, the NSW Electoral Commission and the NSW Ombudsman. State Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will reveal the state’s balance sheet at his half-yearly budget review address. Melbourne Sustainability Victoria and Green Santa will give out 1,000 reusable tote bags as Victoria celebrates its first Christmas free of single-use plastic bags. Tewantin, Queensland Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer will attend a special event to recognise the United Synergies’ 30-year contribution to child, youth and homelessness services. Darwin Northern Territory constable Zachary Rolfe will make his first court appearance after being charged with the murder of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker. UK The UK general election will be held. |
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