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Key events
The prime minister continues to make the rounds this morning, currently appearing on ABC News, where he is first asked about the referendum on the Voice to Parliament, where he said he is “positive” Australians will support it:
I am very positive that Australians will take up the gracious and generous offer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for reconciliation, to move forward together and the Uluru Statement from the heart is incredible document. In such a short space, people would be surprised that it can fit on one page, it can fit on a T-shirt and in that statement, it was a call for unity, it was a call for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our constitution.
It was also a call for a voice, that we know that for a long time, for over 120 years now, since federation, we have had decisions made for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. What the voice does is just say that they should be consulted on matters that impact their lives, on their education, health, justice issues, housing, on all of these issues. You will get better outcomes when you have dialogue and when you have that genuine engagement.
The PM is pressed on the apparent “lack of details,” being asked if a model for the Voice will be put forward before the referendum:
There is an over 200 page document of detail that went to the cabinet of the Morrison government, not once but twice. There has been a process, a five year process leading up to the Uluru Statement in 2017 and then a five year process since then.
There has been parliamentary committees, parliamentary reports, there has been this cabinet document worked through by Marcia Langton and Tom Karma of 200 pages which outlined Aboriginal representation between men and women and what it could look like. Its recommendation was a model of 20 people. That is all subservant to the parliament.
Paul Karp
Anthony Albanese has done a round of morning interviews to discuss the voice to parliament, trade talks with China, and compensation for coal power stations.
On Channel 7, Albanese disputed an estimate of $450m compensation to Rio Tinto and its partners for the power station at Gladstone.
He said:
Those reports are just that. They are reports. There are no government ministers quoted, not even the company is quoted at all. What we have said is that where the price of production is more than the cap, then there will be some support offered in Queensland’s case, which is what the report is about there is only one power station, Gladstone, we expect it will be nothing like the sort of figures that I’ve seen in the newspaper. But they, of course, are the subject of commercial discussions and they will continue, obviously because we have a cap on coal that’s been imposed by state governments of $125 per ton, where the cost of production are more than that, they are going to the power stations then there will be some level of compensation … I have no idea where that figure came from.
Albanese was asked about whether Australia could drop WTO disputes with China – although its important to note trade minister Don Farrell said this would occur IF China dropped its trade bans. Farrell is meeting his Chinese counterpart this year.
Albanese said:
We will wait to see what comes out of that but we enter into all of these dialogues with goodwill. I think there has been very constructive engagement and certainly the meeting I had with the president Xi was very positive and we will wait and see with regards to a visit by myself. There are none planned at the moment.
Attempted murder charge laid as woman with burns fights for life
AAP is reporting that a man has been charged with attempted murder as a woman fights for life in hospital with significant burns after an alleged dispute in Melbourne’s west.
The 32-year-old woman from Werribee South was in the front yard of a home when she was seriously burnt about 2am on Wednesday, according to police.
She was flown to the Alfred hospital with upper body injuries where she remained in a critical condition on Thursday morning.
Police announced late on Wednesday they had charged a 43-year-old Werribee South man with attempted murder, along with intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury and conduct endangering life.
The man was remanded in custody to appear at Melbourne magistrates court on Thursday.
Another 45-year-old Werribee South woman who spoke to police was released pending further inquiries.
Police urged anyone with information to contact them.
Two people on broken-down jetski rescued in WA after children raise alarm
Western Australia police have confirmed that two people have been rescued off the coast of Port Kennedy overnight after two children were found by a member of the public at a boat ramp last night.
Police say the children, aged 11 and five, were found at the the Port Kennedy boat ramp, off Port Kennedy Drive, where they told the man their parents had left on a jetski hours before and hadn’t returned.
WA police were informed and a marine search operation was launch, with the parents found soon afterwards:
The crew on board the police helicopter located the jet ski, which had broken down on the water further north off the coast of Port Kennedy / Warnbro, and the Water Police vessel was directed to its location.
The two people on board the jet ski – a 41-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man – were transferred on board the police vessel and the jet ski was towed to shore, where the children were reunited with their parents.
Good morning
Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you this morning, and taking you through the day’s news. We start in Queensland, where a man in his 40s has drowned at Surfers Paradise beach, adding to the tragic holiday toll.
Eleven people have now drowned across the country over the holiday period, with the latest drowning coming after emergency services were called to Surfers Paradise Boulevard about 7pm last night. They could not revive the man.
It comes amid calls for alcohol to be avoided near the water, and after calls for people to use caution in “heightened danger” of holidays.
Sticking to Queensland, the state government yesterday defended bail laws amid concerns after Emma Lovell’s death. Lovell and her husband, Lee, were stabbed on their front porch on Boxing Day at their home in North Lakes.
Last night Lee appeared on A Current Affair, describing the ordeal as “terrifying” and saying he believed his wife was going to survive in the moment.
An emergency warning has been issued for properties in the Mary Ann Reserve in Mannum, South Australia, after the State Emergency Service advised that flooding is expected due to a stormwater infrastructure failure.
Elsewhere, former prime minister Kevin Rudd is scheduled to speak at the Woodford folk festival today, on “how humankind might avoid the greatest catastrophe that the world could see in its future”. As newly appointed ambassador to the United States, it will be interesting to hear Rudd’s reading of the relationship between the US and China.
There is still much to get through, so let’s dive in.
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