$70m to fix ailing Darling River in northwestern NSW
Rivers and lakes in NSW will be restocked after millions of fish died; More Australians are supporting the mining industry and Peter Dutton denies wrongdoing over Chinese billionaire meeting. HERE’S YOUR FEDERAL POLITICS WRAP
NSW
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Rivers and lakes where millions of fish died over summer will be restocked and get new hatcheries under a $70 million plan to restore waterways in northwestern NSW.
The new funding will be part of the Morrison government’s response to the independent report into the mass fish deaths in the Barwon Darling basin.
The Daily Telegraph last month revealed the dire state of the Darling River system and the plight of communities along it as they suffer prolonged drought, in our special series The Great River Run.
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The plan also commits $5 million to water flows, $20 million to research on links between weather changes and water conditions, and $5 million to better connect the Warrego and Darling Rivers.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said: “I think all Australians who saw footage of these fish deaths were deeply saddened.
“The federal government accepts and will address each recommendation made to it, and will work with states on others.”
Aussies still think coal is a gold mine
More Australians are getting behind the mining industry and believe coal is the nation’s most important resource, new research reveals.
It comes as Environment Minister Melissa Price yesterday signed off on the final federal approval required for the contentious Adani coal mine in Queensland, taking the project one step closer to construction.
A survey of 1000 voters reveals that 55 per cent support the mining industry, a significant jump from 46 per cent about a year ago, despite an intense Greens campaign to shut down coal.
The approval of the Carmichael mine’s groundwater management came a day after Queensland LNP powerbroker James McGrath threatened to call for Ms Price to be sacked over what he perceived as deliberate delays.
Further approvals are still needed from Queensland’s Labor state government before construction could begin.
Minerals Council chief executive Tania Constable said community support for Australia’s mining industry had grown markedly. The research, commissioned by the Minerals Council and conducted by JWS Research last month, found 12 per cent of respondents labelled coal the most important resource industry for the future of Australia, up from 9 per cent last May and almost one in three put coal in the top three.
Almost a quarter of people ranked natural gas as the most important while iron ore equalled coal with 12 per cent.
“Our industry is very pleased that more Australians are supporting mining because a strong mining industry is essential to our nation’s future,” Ms Constable said.
Dutton denies wrongdoing over Chinese billionaire meeting
Malcolm Turnbull says he is “very, very concerned” about Peter Dutton’s meeting with a Chinese billionaire despite the Home Affairs Minister’s own department since banning Huang Xiangmo from entering Australia.
The former prime minister, who has met Mr Huang, called on his replacement Scott Morrison to investigate Mr Dutton’s dealings.
It has been claimed Mr Huang paid tens of thousands of dollars to a lobbyist in 2016 to secure a lunch with then immigration minister Mr Dutton in a failed attempt to fast- track his citizenship application. Mr Dutton has denied any impropriety and Mr Morrison yesterday stood by him, saying he was not worried.
“I have spoken to Peter Dutton about this. There are no issues here that troubled me at all,” he said.
The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Dutton had not been briefed by Australia’s spy agency that Mr Huang may pose a risk to national security at the time of their meeting.
Mr Turnbull yesterday spoke of his concern about Mr Dutton’s lunch despite it taking place about a month after the former prime minister was himself photographed with Mr Huang at a Chinese New Year celebration.
It can also be revealed that the man who was paid to line up the lunch, former deputy Liberal leader in Queensland Santo Santoro, is currently acting as a lobbyist for Chinese-backed renewable energy companies with a series of interests in NSW.
Mr Dutton (inset) yesterday denied any wrongdoing and said he had agreed to the meeting because Mr Huang was considered a significant leader in the Australian-Chinese community.
“I’ve never received a dollar from this individual. I had that one meeting with him over lunch. I haven’t seen him since. What’s he got from me? Well, he’s now offshore,” he said.
The government stripped Mr Huang of his Australian residency in February and his bid for citizenship was knocked back after ASIO raised concerns about his ties to the powerful Chinese Communist Party.
Mr Dutton said Mr Huang’s citizenship application was not discussed at their meeting.
Mr Turnbull said Mr Dutton and Mr Santoro had a lot to explain about the “very troubling” revelations.
“Scott Morrison is the prime minister and you can’t wave this off and say it is all part of gossip and the bubble,” he said.
“This has to be addressed at the highest level of security, priority, urgency by the prime minister. The buck stops with him.”
But Mr Morrison resisted Mr Turnbull’s call for an urgent investigation.
“Our government not only didn’t provide him (Mr Huang) with citizenship, we cancelled his visa so he cannot return to Australia,” he said.
“The actions here are that we’ve acted against foreign interference in this country.”
Shorten pledges to cut smoking rate
Bill Shorten wants to drive down the nation’s smoking rate, with a target to have fewer than one in 10 Aussies puffing under a $63 million assault on the social blight.
If elected Labor will reboot the National Tobacco Campaign and spend $15 million to employ 20 more lung-care nurses.
The Opposition Leader also wants to stop Australian investors making money out of tobacco companies.
Mr Shorten said Australia had been a world-leader in driving down smoking rates but a lack of investment under the Coalition has seen the proportion of daily smokers plateau at 12.2 per cent between 2013 and 2016.
“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the country, with the lowest five-year relative survival rate when compared to the other top five most commonly diagnosed cancers,” he said.
Labor will pledge $40 million over four years to reintroduce the National Tobacco Campaign to cut Australia’s smoking rate to below 10 per cent with funding allocated in bursts to maximise impact.
Originally published as $70m to fix ailing Darling River in northwestern NSW
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