Sydney - Middle East Times Int’l: NSW’s new Transport Minister said she was “alarmed” after receiving urgent briefings on the state’s train network, and had commissioned an independent review to investigate any potential safety and infrastructure concerns. 

Jo Haylen made the announcement on Friday, less than a week after NSW Labor won the state election.

The Transport Minister said there had been three major issues in the last 31 days alone, which indicated the need for a sweeping review. This included a system-wide digital failure which put the entire rail network at a standstill, and an incident in which fallen powerlines trapped more than 400 passengers on a hot carriage for nearly two hours between Revesby and Panania.

Most recently on Saturday evening – the day of the state election – urgent signal repairs caused long delays on multiple train lines.

 “What I have learned alarms me, there are serious problems when it comes to our train network in NSW,” said Ms Haylen.

“It’s become a daily occurrence that there are cancellations and delays and as a result, passengers are losing trust in our transport.”

The review will be conducted by National Transport Commission chair Carolyn Walsh, with an interim report expected within six weeks, and a final report to be tabled in late October.

Her recommendations will form “rapid and long term solutions” to fix the problem-plagued heavy rail network.

Funding from the review will be absorbed by the Department of Transport and funded through existing funds, with Ms Haylen clarifying it was a “modest figure” and a ”reasonable process of government”.

Ms Walsh said she would be investigating immediate issues related to “safety and reliability” as a priority.

“If you aren’t running a reliable system, with reliable assets, it’s an indicator that there might be some underlying issues,” she said.

“If I do identify any immediately safety issues, I won’t be hesitating and doing something about it but I absolutely don’t have any evidence at this stage that there’s any underlying safety issues in the system.”

Ms Haylen was also stressed the review was “not a witch hunt” and Sydney Trains was “fully co-operating,” and were “open and transparent” in the briefings.

“We want to solve the problems for passengers and we want to work with the workforce to do that together,” she said.

A Sydney Trains spokesperson said they looked “forward to participating in the review and any resultant recommendations”.

A New York grand jury on Thursday indicted Donald Trump over hush money payments made to a porn star during his 2016 campaign, making him the first former US president to face criminal charges.

The historic indictment of the 76-year-old Republican -- who denies all wrongdoing in connection with the payments made ahead of the election that sent him to the White House -- is certain to upend the current presidential race in which Trump hopes to regain office.

And it will forever mark the legacy of the former leader, who survived two impeachments and kept prosecutors at bay over everything from the US Capitol riot to missing classified files -- only to land in court over a sex scandal involving Stormy Daniels, a 44-year-old adult movie actress.

Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles told AFP she expects he will be arraigned on Tuesday next week.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office confirmed that it had contacted Trump's lawyers Thursday evening to "coordinate his surrender" in New York -- with the felony charges against him to be revealed at that point. 

Trump slammed the indictment as "political persecution and election interference," raging against prosecutors and his Democratic opponents and vowing that it would backfire on his successor, President Joe Biden.

Surrendering for arraignment over what CNN has reported could be as many as 30 counts related to business fraud would normally involve being fingerprinted and photographed, potentially even handcuffed.

More than a million Australians with private health insurance are set to be hit with a spike in their premiums.

A total of eight funds will be charging more from Saturday, April 1, as a host of others have again postponed their premium increases in 2023.

HBF will raise their premium by 4.49 per cent, HIF will hike prices by 3.10 per cent, Mildura Health Fund by 2.48 per cent, onemedifund by 2.86 per cent and Peoplecare by 2.79.

Other funds impacted include Queensland Country Health Fund with a 3.17 per cent spike, RBHS at 3.18 per cent and Westfund 2.65 per cent rise.

On average, premiums are expected to go up by 2.9 per cent in 2023.

However, just as insurers did in 2022, most have postponed their premium increases in 2023.

James Martin, health insurance expert at Finder, said there are several ways for those with health insurance to save on premiums.

 “Split your combined hospital and extras policy and choose two stand-alone policies,” Mr Martin said.

“Prepay for 12 months or more of cover right before your fund increases its premiums – some funds let you pay in advance for up to 18 months.

“Choose a higher excess. In general, choosing a higher excess will lower your premium.

“Take advantage of the latest health insurance deals and sign-up offers, which include up to 8 weeks of free cover in some cases.”

In total, 11.81 million people have hospital-only or combined hospital and extras cover in Australia, according to the latest industry stats from APRA.

Almost two dozen health funds have delayed any premium increases until November 1 including Australian Unity, Navy Health, Bupa and CBHS Corporate.

Newly-elected Premier Chris Minns said his government intends to introduce its $60 toll cap at the beginning of 2024.

Under the plan, drivers would not need to pay more than $60 per week in tolls, in a plan manages by Service NSW.

Under the plan, the Premier said prior to the election the government also intended to appoint Professor Allan Fels AO, the former chairman of the ACCC, to lead an overhaul of Sydney’s roads, including leading negotiations with toll operators.

Prior to the election, Minns also promised to reveal the multibillion-dollar toll deals, including Transurban, WestConnex and NorthConnex.

Today, the Albanese Government has passed landmark reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism through the Parliament. 

These crucial reforms will reduce 205 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions to 2030 – equivalent of taking two-thirds of the nation’s cars off the road.

Passage of this legislation ensures the country’s largest emitters remain internationally competitive in a decarbonising global economy while contributing towards Australia’s emissions reduction task.

Consultation and collaboration with industry and constructive members of Parliament have strengthened the design, ensuring flexibility and support for industry to remain competitive while delivering accountability, transparency and integrity. 

The former Coalition Government introduced the Safeguard Mechanism in 2016. It applies to facilities that produce over 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually (around 215 facilities) to keep their net emissions below a baseline (or ceiling). 

Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, said parliamentary passage of the Safeguard Mechanism Bill was a landmark achievement for Australia’s economy and the climate. 

“Today is an historic day for the country to ensure our economy can take advantage of the opportunities of decarbonisation and meet our ambitious climate targets,” Minister Bowen said.

“These reforms will safeguard our economy, safeguard our climate and safeguard our future.

“Passage of this legislation is the culmination of extensive feedback from Safeguard businesses, industry associations, climate and community groups, academics and private individuals. 

“These reforms have been supported across the spectrum – from the Business Council to the Climate Council, Manufacturing Australia to the Australian Conservation Foundation.   

“We thank those across the Parliament who engaged in good faith discussions to ensure accountability, transparency and integrity for the scheme, and ensure flexibility and support for industry.” 

The updated Safeguard Mechanism scheme will be in operation as of 1 July 2023.

Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation said they were offended by the disrespect shown to senior elder Aunty Joy Murphy after she was removed by organisers from performing a Welcome to Country ceremony at An Evening with Barack Obama event tonight in Melbourne.

The corporation said that after event organiser Growth Faculty were asked to allow a support person to accompany Aunty Joy, along with requests to provide Mr Obama with a gift as is the cultural practice; but she was told that she was being “too difficult” and was removed from the event proceedings.

“This is a deep offence to the Wurundjeri people and to all First Nations people,” a statement from the corporation said.

“ Our Welcome to Country protocols are our traditional law and practice that have been used to welcome and offer protection to our guests on Wurundjeri lands for millennia.” 

They said Aunty (a traditional title for female elders) Joy had welcomed to Wurundjeri Country the likes of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, and Dalai Lama.

“They have always shown me respect and accepted my Welcome as a gift from our people,” Aunty Joy said.

“I have been shocked and distressed by the way I have been treated by event organisers. I am 78 years of age. I have never been treated or spoken to in this way in the past. I do not want this to be a reflection on ex-US President Obama. I am a leader of the Wurundjeri Nation; I asked to be treated as an equal.”

“The Welcome to Country is a very important ceremony for our people.  It is an honour to Welcome people like President Obama and I upset that I am unable to do this today,” Aunty Joy said.

Australians will be able to access a digital version of their Medicare card anytime and anywhere.

The universal public health pass will be available on the myGov app on Thursday and could soon be accessible through the Service NSW app.

The major update will make the card more accessible to Australians while also providing an extra layer of security.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has admitted it may take time for medical practitioners and service providers to adjust their systems.

The digital card has been accessible on the website version for some time but will now be added to the app, making it easier to access on the go.

The wallet has been designed as a safe and convenient way for people to keep their Medicare card with them everywhere they go.

“As with all items in the myGov wallet, the Medicare card has protections against fraud and theft, including a hologram and QR code,” Mr Shorten said.

“The animated hologram shows that the card is not just a screenshot and the QR code can be scanned by health professionals to confirm the card is genuine and valid.”

Medicare is the No.1 service linked to myGov, with more than 19 million accounts, although the myGov app is only used by just one million people.

 “For too long the former government didn’t prioritise the benefits of digital health,” Health Minister Mark Butler said.

“Labor is the party of Medicare and we will always strengthen it.”

It is the latest form of identification to get a digital facelift after the Covid-19 vaccination certificate and Centrelink concession cards became available last year.

Australians will still be able to use their physical Medicare card if they prefer, with health service providers able to access both.

• Go to your myGov online account

• Link your Medicare account

• Open the myGov app on your smartphone

• Go to the wallet on the home screen

• Select “add” and simply follow the steps

AUSTRALIAN Senator Lidia Thorpe has accused a white Liberal senator of racism and said she wouldn’t tolerate being “racially vilified in her place of work”.

The racism claims followed the senator being interrupted while giving an acknowledgement of country.

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes was picked up by the official transcript muttering “how many times has that happened today?” as the acknowledgement was made. 

The comment was too faint to hear on playback footage but was picked up on the official transcript and clearly heard by Ms Thorpe, who was speaking about the impact of climate change and colonisation.  

Ms Thorpe’s response was immediate; the newly independent senator pointed toward Ms Hughes and asked the chamber: “Is that racism?”

“Can I just call out racism in this chamber right now, please? Acting Deputy President, I call it out.”

Ms Hughes immediately asked Ms Thorpe to withdraw the comments, which she refused to do.

“I am in my workplace and I don’t need racists being racist while I’m reading my speech,” Ms Thorpe said.

“Can you make sure that I am not targeted with racism while I’m trying to do my job, please?”

Ms Hughes immediately hit back; she said it was inappropriate “to be referring to anyone in this place as racist”.

“I would ask her to withdraw. That is absolutely inappropriate, and I will not be referred to by you as anything, let alone that.

“I would just like to make the point that the constant reference to Australians who were born here from a different heritage being referred to as colonisers is not helpful in any way.” 

Ms Thorpe doubled down on her criticism of Ms Hughes, requesting a review of the Hansard (transcript) and vowed not to withdraw her comments “until you understand that I have just been racially vilified”.    

She had discussed the Safeguard Mechanism Amendment Bill and commending the Greens - her former party - on the concessions they won from Labor regarding coal and gas mining.

Senator Thorpe noted First Nations people are hit “first and worst by the impacts of climate change” yet have not benefitted from the industry.  

"The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomes the Federal Government’s introduction of Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 to parliament. The Bill sets out the proposed wording in the constitution for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. 

"As Australia's National Human Rights Institution, the Commission considers the proposal for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to be consistent with fundamental human rights principles, and with international human rights conventions that Australia has endorsed.  

"There is clear international guidance that establishing representative structures to support self-determination and representation for Indigenous peoples is necessary to prevent and overcome discrimination. 

"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have unique and inherent rights that arise from their distinct status as Australia’s First Peoples. The proposal for a Voice is consistent with the realisation of these rights, and with the rights of all Australians."  

Australia is set to welcome more than 650,000 additional migrants over this financial year and next, raising concerns of an emerging housing crisis.

Net overseas migration is set to be boosted to 350,000, a 50 per cent increase on forecasts in the October budget, according to a report in The Australian.

The migrant surge will predominantly include international students, foreign workers and tourists and will likely break the two-year net migration record of 577,000 set in 2008-09.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said there was already “pressure” on Australia’s housing market and infrastructure as he conceded the added migration would no doubt increase rental stress.

But Mr Jones said the Albanese government’s Housing Australia Future Fund, which is currently deadlocked in the Senate, would increase supply to address added migration.

“There is no doubt that we have pressure in our housing markets which is why the government is so focussed on getting our Housing Australia Future Fund through the Senate,” Mr Jones told Sky News Australia on Wednesday.

“A fund set up in perpetuity to build more houses to add to supply.

"We’re trying to do two things at once, building more houses and ensuring that we can deal with the Labor supply issues through immigration, through our massive boost in TAFE and skills training.”

The government has also argued business has been crying out for more skilled migration – a key factor in last year’s Jobs and Skills summit which saw Labor boost the annual permanent migration cap to 195,000.

Skilled migration would represent 70 per cent of the allocated places.

But businessman and found of Wizard Home Loans Mark Bouris has warned the surge of new migrants would see even further strain put on the rental market.

According to the latest CPI figures, rent prices increased by four per cent year-on-year while the Domain Rent Report found weekly rates had surged by up to 17 per cent in the December quarter.

Mr Bouris said landlords would “put the rent up” if they knew they could which would ultimately lead to higher inflation.

“It’s a big problem in the US because of the influx of people into the US,” Mr Bouris told Sky News Australia.

“The same here, everyone wants to come here and all we’re going to do is keep putting rents up which increases the inflation, which increases the interest rates, which then increases the rents it’s a major problem.”

The government has countered concerns of continued inflation by pointing to its $10 billion housing fund which aims to build 30,000 social and affordable dwellings in the next five years.

But Mr Bouris said the problem would be more immediate.

“More supply yes, but the lead time for more supply is years, these things don’t happen overnight,” he said.

“It’s a major drama, it will be okay overtime but the next two years I reckon it’s going to be really messy.”

The government’s claims for the need of more skilled migration have also been rubbished with concerns the surge of new migrants may not represent skilled workers.

Former Deputy Secretary of Department of Immigration Abul Rizvi said the scale of the net migration was “concerning” given it was “unplanned”.

But he also said the figure did not represent predominantly permanent migrants.

“Treasury was forecasting net migration at 235,000 and it’s now saying it’s going to be over 350,000,” Mr Rizvi told media.

“The unplanned nature of it is a problem, the second part of it that’s a problem is that it’s not predominantly permanent migrants coming into the country.

“It’s actually predominantly overseas students and…it's people arriving on visitor visas and then changing status after arrival and that is worrying because we don’t know a lot about what the skills of those visitors are what they are seeking to do in Australia what impact they’ll have on the Labor market.”

A deep ocean circulation around Antarctica could be headed for collapse, say scientists.

They says Antarctic circulation could slow by more than 40 per cent over the next 30 years with significant implications for the oceans and the climate.

The results are detailed in a new study coordinated by Scientia Professor Matthew England, Deputy Director of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) at UNSW Sydney. The work, published in Nature, includes lead author Dr. Qian Li—formerly from UNSW and now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)—as well as co-authors from the Australian National University (ANU) and CSIRO.

Cold water that sinks near Antarctica drives the deepest flow of the overturning circulation—a network of currents that spans the world’s oceans. The overturning carries heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe and influences climate, sea level and the productivity of marine ecosystems.

“Our modelling shows that if global carbon emissions continue at the current rate, then the Antarctic overturning will slow by more than 40 per cent in the next 30 years – and on a trajectory that looks headed towards collapse,” says Prof England.

About 250 trillion tonnes of cold, salty, oxygen-rich water sinks near Antarctica each year. This water then spreads northwards and carries oxygen into the deep Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

“If the oceans had lungs, this would be one of them,” Prof England says.

The international team of scientists modelled the amount of Antarctic deep water produced under the IPCC ‘high emissions scenario’, until 2050.

With a collapse of this deep ocean current, the oceans below 4000 metres would stagnate. “This would trap nutrients in the deep ocean, reducing the nutrients available to support marine life near the ocean surface,” says Prof England.

Co-author Dr Steve Rintoul of CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership says the model simulations show a slowing of the overturning, which leads to rapid warming of the deep ocean.

“Direct measurements confirm that warming of the deep ocean is already under way,” Dr Rintoul said.

The nation’s top four housing and homelessness advocacy bodies have called on the Federal Senate to pass a $10 billion housing fund and other laws to tackling the housing crisis.

The joint call was made by the Community Housing Industry Association, National Shelter, Homelessness Australia and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association.

Surging rents and rising interest rates are eroding household budgets. 

Last week’s ABS Census data showed a 5% increase in the number of homeless while UNSW City Futures Research Centre analysts found 640,000 Australians were in housing stress with the number tipped to hit one million by 2041.

The National Shelter Rental Affordability Index showed a 14 per cent decline in rental affordability the last year, with an even steeper decline in affordability for lower income households.

Wendy Hayhurst, CEO of Community Housing Industry Association said the lack of affordable rental housing was restricting social and economic potential.

“We need to get moving on building a better supply of social and affordable housing and these three pieces of legislation are important building blocks. We can strengthen them and provide additional resources in the years ahead but we need to get moving now. “

Emma Greenhalgh, CEO of National Shelter said the housing market has failed to meet these challenges. “Vacancies plummeted, rents skyrocketed and people are paying the price. We badly need government investment and intervention and time is of the essence. This is a national crisis, action cannot be deferred.”

Kate Colvin, CEO of Homelessness Australia, said the nation needed a housing reset. “The package of laws before parliament will not be enough to fix the housing crisis alone but they are critical to kick-starting a longer term response. We need the planning, co-ordination and financing in place to make sure this is the last housing crisis we face and for that reason, it’s important that the Housing Australia Future Fund, Housing Australia and other key bodies get going now.”

Ivan Simon, CEO of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Association stated that: “The extremely high levels of severe overcrowding in remote and non-remote communities continues to have negative impacts on the health and well-being of our people.” 

The Qld Government will slash land tax by up to 50 per cent for Build-to-Rent developments that feature at least 10 per cent as affordable housing.

The government says its tax concessions for Build-to-Rent will include a 50 per cent discount on land tax payable for up to 20 years; a full exemption for the 2% foreign investor land tax surcharge for up to 20 years and a full exemption from the Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty for the future transfer of a Build-to-Rent site.

Queensland Treasury said it will consult with the property industry on the land tax concessions ahead of proposed starting date of July 1, 2023 

Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “We know Build-to-Rent programs create more affordable housing in the areas where it is needed most.

“Driving new investment into social and affordable housing is key to ensuring we get more Queenslanders into the safe, secure homes."

Treasurer and Minister for Investment Cameron Dick said: “The private construction sector is at capacity across Australia. Our government is working with industry to identify innovative ideas that create new pipelines of housing supply.

“The Build-to-Rent projects that we’ve brought to Queensland are already boosting rental supply.”

The land tax concessions is expected to help unlock more investment into housing and build on three developments under the government’s Build-to-Rent Pilot Program.

Combined, these current developments in Newstead, Fortitude Valley and the Brisbane CBD will deliver more than 1200 new dwellings, of which up to 490 rental homes will be provided at discounted rent thanks to a government subsidy.

In early February, the government also called for new expressions of Interest under the $2 billion Housing Investment Fund.

This process is targeting proposals with ready-to-proceed social and affordable housing developments on privately owned sites, including affordable-only proposals.

Inflation rose 6.8 per cent in the 12 months to February, suggesting Australia’s economy is on the track to normalisation.

It’s the second consecutive month of lower annual inflation after the 8.4 per cent peak in December and the 7.4 per cent rise in the 12 months to January – but the figure is still well above the Reserve Bank’s aim of 2 to 3 per cent.

The Reserve Bank will be looking closely at the latest data – released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics – when it meets next week to consider whether to raise interest rates for the 11th consecutive time.

The most significant contributors to the annual inflation increase to February were housing (up 9.9 per cent), food (8 per cent), transport (5.6 per cent) and recreation and culture (6.4 per cent).

ABS head of statistics Michelle Marquardt noted the annual increase for the housing group was lower than January (10.4 per cent).

“New dwellings grew 13.0 per cent in the 12 months to February which is the lowest annual growth since February 2022 as price rises for building materials continue to ease. Rent prices rose again due to the tight rental market, maintaining the 4.8 per cent annual growth recorded in January,” she said.

Grocery prices have surged over the last year, with an annual rise of 12.5 per cent for bread and cereal products and a 14.3 per cent rise for dairy and related products.

Power prices were up 17.2 per cent compared with a year ago.

The latest inflation figures come a day after the retail trade numbers revealed a stagnant 0.2 per cent rise in February – well down from January’s 1.8 per cent rise.

Year-on-year, retail trade was up 6.4 per cent.

The inflation figures are the last major piece of data ahead of the RBA board’s next meeting on Tuesday.

Given the annual inflation figure was well down on the market expectation of 7.2 per cent, economists are predicting RBA governor Philip Lowe and the board will keep interest rates as they are – 3.6 per cent – for at least this month.

Greens economic spokesperson, Nick McKim, said the RBA needed to “act in the best interests” of Australians by pausing rate rises.

“Rate rises were never the right tool to tackle this bout of inflation. And now that inflation is coming down, the rate rises must stop,” he said.

“Next week we will see if the RBA is finally prepared to act in the best interests of Australians instead of blindly following the rest of the world towards a recession.”