Liberal senator describes atmosphere as Coalition descends on Canberra to debate net zero policy
Leah Blyth, a Liberal senator for South Australia, said predictions for how the Coalition moves forward on net zero remains the “million-dollar question” as members descend on Canberra today.
Blyth spoke to RN Breakfast, saying while she personally doesn’t believe net zero is “working for the Australian people”, she was looking forward to the broader opposition discussing if they should abandon the policy. She said:
It will certainly be a very good process for us to have a genuine debate and come up with a position that’s in the best interests of the Australian people. …
I think all of my colleagues are absolutely in favour of us doing our bit and to certainly have the minimal impact that we can on our natural environment. … I think the really important thing is everyone in the Coalition is committed to doing what’s right for our economy, for the environment and for the Australian people.
Blyth said her major hurdle with net zero remained the price tag:
I don’t think that we can be stewards of the environment if we can’t afford it.
Leah Blyth. Photograph: Leah Blyth – Liberal Senate candidate Facebook pageShare
Updated at 15.59 EST
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NSW confirms state funeral for John Laws next week
The family of broadcaster John Laws has accepted an offer for a state funeral in New South Wales, the premier said this morning. Laws, a titan of talkback radio, died at home on Sunday. He was 90.
The funeral will be held on 19 November at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
John Laws, pictured here in 2003. Photograph: AAP
Premier Chris Minns said in a statement:
On behalf of the NSW Government, I extend my deepest condolences to John’s family, friends, colleagues, and all who listened, learned and were challenged by him.
His legacy lies not only in the thousands of hours on air, but in the connection he forged with millions of Australians.
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Updated at 16.57 EST
Tom McIlroy
Climate 200 relaunches fund for community groups supporting independent candidates
Ahead of today’s meeting of Liberal MPs on the hot-button issue of net zero by 2050 emissions policies, campaign outfit Climate 200 has relaunched its fund for community groups looking to support climate-friendly independent candidates.
The Community Accelerator Fund is designed to raise and distribute more than $1m for community groups working ahead of the next federal election. Groups who did well at this year’s federal election but fell short against major party candidates, could again receive early-stage funding from Climate 200.
Climate 200’s post-election review found early funding was critical to success for local groups around the country, and that the sooner groups got to work, the more likely they would be successful. The moves come as some Liberal branches undertake early preselection and after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told Labor officials to move quickly to lock in candidates, giving them the best chance to build name recognition in key seats.
Climate 200’s money can go to recruitment of community organisers, placement of candidate recruitment ads, local events, volunteer training, and communications campaigns.
“As the Liberal party tears itself apart over net zero, community groups are getting on with the job of real leadership, working to get the political leaders they deserve,” co-convener Kate Hook said.
ShareJonathan Watts
Removing CO2 from atmosphere vital to avoid catastrophic tipping points, leading scientist says
Removing carbon from the atmosphere will be necessary to avoid catastrophic tipping points, one of the world’s leading scientists has warned, as even in the best-case scenario the world will heat by about 1.7C.
Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who is one of the chief scientific advisers to the UN and the Cop30 presidency, said 10bn tonnes of carbon dioxide needed to be removed from the air every year even to limit global heating to 1.7C (3.1F) above preindustrial levels.
Johan Rockström. Photograph: Christopher Hunt/Christopher Hunt/The Observer
To achieve this through technological means, such as direct air capture, would require the construction of the world’s second-biggest industry, after oil and gas, and require expenditures of about a trillion dollars a year, scientists said. It would need to be done alongside much more drastic emissions cuts and could also have unintended consequences.
Rockström was among several leading climate experts who spoke at a first public event for the Science Council, which was set up as an advisory body by the Belém Cop30 presidency.
Read more here:
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Updated at 16.21 EST
Josh Butler
Tim Wilson warns Liberals of becoming ‘Nationals-lite’
Shadow minister Tim Wilson says his party would be “Nationals-lite” if they dumped or watered down their emissions reduction targets, ahead of the crucial party room meeting today.
Liberals will meet in Canberra at midday to discuss the net zero target. The meeting is expected to run for some time. We’re hearing comments from Liberal MPs arriving in Canberra, and Wilson wrote on X that: “Today is going to be a great day.”
“Liberals face a choice,” he continued.
“We can be Nationals-lite & outsource our emissions policy to globalists. Or we can lead, choose hope, a sovereign target, build energy, reindustrialise Australia & back small business!”
Wilson finished his post with a cheeky sign-off: “Welcome to Liberal country.”
Tim Wilson. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 16.12 EST
Liberal senator describes atmosphere as Coalition descends on Canberra to debate net zero policy
Leah Blyth, a Liberal senator for South Australia, said predictions for how the Coalition moves forward on net zero remains the “million-dollar question” as members descend on Canberra today.
Blyth spoke to RN Breakfast, saying while she personally doesn’t believe net zero is “working for the Australian people”, she was looking forward to the broader opposition discussing if they should abandon the policy. She said:
It will certainly be a very good process for us to have a genuine debate and come up with a position that’s in the best interests of the Australian people. …
I think all of my colleagues are absolutely in favour of us doing our bit and to certainly have the minimal impact that we can on our natural environment. … I think the really important thing is everyone in the Coalition is committed to doing what’s right for our economy, for the environment and for the Australian people.
Blyth said her major hurdle with net zero remained the price tag:
I don’t think that we can be stewards of the environment if we can’t afford it.
Leah Blyth. Photograph: Leah Blyth – Liberal Senate candidate Facebook pageShare
Updated at 15.59 EST
Ken Henry says he hopes Coalition reflects on what they owe to future Australians during net zero debate
Ken Henry, the former federal Treasury secretary and now chair of the Nature Finance Council, said this morning he hopes members of the Coalition debating the opposition’s stance on net zero have a moment to “pause and reflect” on how they serve Australians.
Henry spoke to RN Breakfast this morning as MPs are set to meet in Canberra today to discuss the policy, a major thorn for opposition leader Sussan Ley and her hold over the Coalition.
Henry said:
If 25 years ago somebody had told me that this would be happening right now, in November 2025, I would have just simply laughed at them. I would hope that the people who are involved in the debates in the Coalition at the moment at some stage this week take the opportunity to pause and reflect and ask themselves what their role is.
And I would hope that in contemplating that reason, they understand the awesome responsibility that they owe to future generations of Australians.
Ken Henry. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
He went on:
That their job is not all about worrying about the cost of living in the present, but that they do whatever they can in a functioning democracy to ensure that future generations of Australians enjoy even more opportunity than has been available to us.
And there’s no way they’re going to be able to argue that they’re looking after future generations whilst they continue to avoid achieving net zero in a timely fashion.
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Updated at 15.40 EST
NT childcare staff charged over death of toddler Ebony Thompson
Caitlin Cassidy
Staff at a childcare centre in the Northern Territory have been charged over the death of a toddler in 2023.
The NT education department said last night two charges had been laid against the Humpty Doo Community & Child Care Centre near Darwin and the three nominated supervisors who were on staff when Ebony Thompson died.
They included one count of inadequately supervising children and one count related to the protection of children from harm and hazards. Both charges were under the Education and Care Services National Law.
The infant was just 22 months old when she was found unresponsive at the childcare centre on 31 August 2023 after being unaccounted for during a period of around 10 minutes. She died in intensive care days later of a brain injury due to cardiac arrest.
A coroner’s findings, released in late October, determined Ebony was trying to get over a chicken-coop gate by standing on a tricycle and fell prior to her death.
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Good morning, and happy Wednesday. Nick Visser here to take things over. Let’s get to it.
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Updated at 15.14 EST
Jessica O’Bryan
Homelessness advocate welcomes expansion of NSW crisis accommodation
A Salvation Army leader working first-hand with homelessness has said the NSW government’s crisis accommodation announcement responds to a system “under enormous strain”, with one in two people urgently seeking safe shelter currently being turned away.
The divisional commander of New South Wales/ACT Salvation Army, Major Robyn Black, said the charity is seeing people experiencing homelessness that they’ve “never seen before”.
“People who used to be volunteers at the Salvos are now finding themselves homeless, and people who are the working poor, people who still have a job and cannot afford rent in Sydney. We have the working homeless,” Black told Guardian Australia.
Black described the $130m funding and additional 200 crisis accommodation beds, announced by the NSW government today, as “a tangible and compassionate” response to homelessness.
“I think this is a fantastic step in the right direction. There are other factors at play [like] family and domestic violence, there’s a severe rental affordability crisis, there’s the increased cost of living. But at least this gives a chance of people having a roof over their head.”
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Updated at 14.56 EST
Minns government invests $130m to expand crisis accommodation
Jessica O’Bryan
The NSW government has today announced a $130m investment to add at least 200 crisis accommodation beds across the state for those in critical need of safe shelter.
Crisis accommodation will be expanded and upgraded to increase capacity and better support people experiencing homelessness, including domestic and family violence victims, young people and Aboriginal communities. The first of the 200 additional beds are expected to be available from next year.
The plan comes as homelessness has continued to rise each year under the Minns government, with a 35% increase in people sleeping rough in the state since 2023, according to the past three NSW Street Counts.
The minister for housing and homelessness, Rose Jackson, said the plan was “about making sure that when someone reaches out for help, there’s a door open, a bed ready, and the support they need to get back on their feet”.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said: “Whether it’s a mum and her kids escaping domestic violence, or a young person facing a night on the streets, this plan will deliver more safe and secure beds. Every new bed means one fewer person sleeping rough.”
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Big four banks have handed fossil fuels $43bn in decade, analysis claims
Luca Ittimani
Australia’s big four banks have provided $43bn to fossil fuel companies in the last decade, with ANZ and Westpac continuing to fund further gas expansion.
Expansions of coal, oil and gas projects accounted for $30bn of the funding, according to analysis by green advocacy group Market Forces released nearly 10 years on from the Paris agreement’s signing.
Each bank has endorsed the agreement and CBA has reduced its fossil fuel financing since changing its policies in 2024, with NAB indicating it will do the same, Market Forces’ report found.
ANZ has provided the most fossil fuel funding of the big four, accounting for over $10bn from 2016 to 2021 and a further $5.7bn since 2022. Westpac has become the second largest, lending $3.8bn since 2022 to companies such as Woodside and BP.
The report concluded the two banks’ policies were “little more than window dressing and greenwashing”. The big four would be breaking their own promises if they offered further financing to any of the 23 active customers with “egregious” fossil fuel expansion plans incompatible with the Paris agreement, it found.
Kyle Robertson, head of research at Market Forces, said ANZ and Westpac could still stop enabling the industry:
“Australia’s biggest banks have well and truly given their fossil fuel clients long enough to prepare. If they’re still not transitioning, it’s time to turn the money tap off once and for all.”
An ANZ spokesperson said the bank was a significant lender for the energy sector and aimed to move towards a lending portfolio accounting for net zero emissions in line with the Paris agreement. Westpac was contacted for comment.
Australia’s big four banks are enabling the fossil fuel industry. Composite: Reuters/The GuardianShare
Updated at 14.44 EST
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories and then Nick Visser will take up the slack.
Australia’s big four banks have provided $43bn to fossil fuel companies in the last decade, with ANZ and Westpac continuing to fund further gas expansion. A study by the green advocacy group Market Forces showed the expansion of coal, oil and gas projects accounted for $30bn of the funding. More details in a moment.
The NSW government is going spend $130m to add at least 200 crisis accommodation beds across the state for those in critical need of safe shelter. The Salvation Army said the move was a response to a system “under enormous strain”. More details coming up.
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