As it happened: Dutton unveils Coalition’s nuclear costings; Qantas engineers begin 24-hour strike

Thanks for reading our live national news blog today (and every single day this year I can only assume). I’m Sherryn Groch and I’m now closing up the blog for the night - and the year - but our live national coverage will be back in January.

Here’s what we covered today:

• Opposition Leader Peter Dutton unveiled the costings of his controversial $331 billion nuclear power plan to transition Australia’s energy grid – he claims it will cost less than Labor’s renewables plan, but critics (and Labor) call it a fantasy based on improper modelling that will take too long to deliver, running the risk of the lights going out under ageing coal-powered stations.
• Tennis ace turned MP Sam Groth stood down from the Victorian Liberal Party frontbench, intensifying pressure on the state opposition leader John Pesutto to resign.
• Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was out defending the Labor government’s new plan to force the tech giants to pay for Australian journalism.
• President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders to his inauguration next month in an unorthodox move.
• Hours after shock jock Ray Hadley finished his radio career after more than four decades, fellow 2GB presenter Chris O’Keefe announced that he was also leaving
• Raygun has defended the controversial trademarking of her name and famous Kangaroo pose silhouette, which forced Raygun: The Musical to cancel their show.
• A “close confidant” of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has been revealed as an alleged Chinese spy, banned from entering the UK on national security grounds.

Thanks for reading! Happy holidays!

A mother accused of faking her six-year-old son’s cancer diagnosis, including shaving his head and eyebrows to raise money for bogus treatment, will spend Christmas behind bars after being refused bail.

The Adelaide woman and her husband had allegedly been requesting donations through an online fundraising page and the child’s school.

They appeared before Port Adelaide Magistrates Court today, each charged with one aggravated count of committing an act likely to cause harm, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in jail. They are also charged with deception, accused of fraudulently raising $60,000 after putting their son in a wheelchair with bandages to imitate radiotherapy treatment.

Revealing the allegations earlier today, Acting Assistant Commissioner John DeCandia said he “couldn’t think of a more devious and cruel scheme that the parents have done to their own child”.

Police had worked with child protection services and the child’s school on the case and the boy and his sister had been removed from their parent’s care, staying with a relative as daily risk assessments were done to ensure their welfare.

“Our investigation has confirmed the child is not seeking medical treatment,” DeCandia said. “We believe this farce illness is causing significant and serious psychological harm to the child and their sibling.

“It’s disgusting that these types of cases may ... have an impact on people who genuinely need that assistance. It would be terrible for people not to contribute to genuine causes because of a rare case such as this.”

With AAP

Gout Gout is only 16 years old but he just ran faster than any Australian man ever over 200 metres. Better than that – he has run quicker than the quickest man in the world ran when he was the same age.

The young Australian is exciting the athletics world after he stopped the clock at 20.04s. Gout’s time broke not only a 56-year-old Australian national record, but the time run by world champion Usain Bolt as a 16-year-old, too.

See both Gout and Bolt in action below and read more in Ian Payten’s report here.

Last Friday, Rabbi Shlomo Kohn woke to the news that the home of his Adass Israel congregation had been burned down.

The Orthodox synagogue in the suburbs of Melbourne found itself at the centre of Australia’s reckoning with antisemitism after a firebombing on the Ripponlea site – now being investigated by the anti-terrorism squad.

But, Kohn and members of his three-generation family were only temporary residents of the country. Immigration Minister Tony Burke phoned Kohn yesterday to change that.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Rabbi Shlomo Kohn, now granted permanent residency.

“If people made you feel unwelcome, then in the most direct way I can – and I’ve got the paperwork in front of me – I would like to make you and your family permanent residents of our Australia,” Burke said on a video call this week with the rabbi, his wife and grandchildren.

Flanked by Department of Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster, Burke said Kohn, who led Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on a tour of the burnt-out synagogue on Tuesday, deserved to stay in Australia.

“You and your community, the dignity you have shown and the way you have responded to the awful hatred, with so much dignity and a sense of peace, is inspiring to all Australians,” Burke said in the call.

Read the full story by federal political reporter Paul Sakkal here.

A bumper Chinese stimulus package could convince the Reserve Bank of Australia to push back the start of its interest rate cuts after much better than expected jobs figures slashed hopes of a February rate cut.

In a speech at the University of Adelaide today, RBA chief economist Sarah Hunter warned external economic uncertainty risked delaying cuts even further after a strong labour market report on Thursday caused economists and bonds traders to scale back rate cut expectations.

If China delivers a larger fiscal stimulus than expected to support its stagnating economy, growth and inflation in Australia would receive a boost beyond the RBA’s forecasts.

“China is a large economy and Australia’s largest export destination, which means its trajectory is important for Australian monetary policy settings,” Hunter said.

While the RBA considers a large stimulus package unlikely, its models show significantly stronger Chinese demand – as well as higher Australian household spending because of stage three tax cuts – could result in inflation remaining above its 2.5 per cent target.

“In the upside scenario the board may need to consider a tighter policy stance – this could be a rate hike or a longer period on hold,” Hunter said.

Softer economic growth figures and a dovish tilt in the RBA’s commentary following its December rate meeting on Tuesday had raised hopes of a February rate cut. That was offset by Thursday’s unexpected drop in unemployment to 3.9 per cent, said ANZ senior economist Adelaide Timbrell.

AAP

Former tennis ace and shadow Victorian sports minister Sam Groth has stood down from the Liberal Party frontbench following the defamation finding against John Pesutto, intensifying pressure on the state opposition leader’s position.

“At all times in my life, both professionally and personally, I have believed in acting with integrity,” Groth said in a statement released moments ago.

Victorian Liberal MP Sam Groth.Credit: Eddie Jim

“It is with regret that, following yesterday’s Federal Court judgment against John Pesutto and his subsequent decision to remain as Liberal leader, I have decided to resign from his frontbench.

“In good conscience, I can no longer continue to serve in this role.”

Groth said he would continue to work for his electorate of Nepean, which takes in the Mornington Peninsula. Groth has previously been touted as a possible leadership contender.

Keep updated with the unfolding Liberal leadership drama in Victoria here.

Australia’s ageing Collins-class submarines have been listed a “product of concern” with only one of the six boats fully operational.

Following the recommendation by Defence, enhanced ministerial oversight of the submarines’ sustainment will be enacted amid a plan to extend their lives by another decade.

An Australian Collins-class submarine.Credit: ADF

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy on Friday said Defence would develop a remediation plan by early next year.

“By listing Collins class sustainment as a Product of Concern, the government is demonstrating its commitment to remediating these challenges and ensuring the Submarine Enterprise, which includes Defence and ASC Pty Ltd, delivers and sustains improved performance,” he said.

Australia operates a fleet of six Collins-class submarines which entered service from the mid-1990s, but have recently been hit with corrosion issues and maintenance delays.

Australian National University expert associate Jennifer Parker said the announcement raised questions over the viability of putting all six submarines through the life of type extension.

AAP

Raygun has defended the controversial trademarking of her name and famous Kangaroo pose silhouette, which forced Raygun: The Musical to cancel their show, saying on an Instagram video it was because other parties were attempting to trademark it.

“I want to take a moment to correct the misinformation, yes, I have trademarked my name and my now famous kangaroo silhouette pose, which is being used in just about every Raygun merch out there. Which I’m not profiting off of by the way,” said the breaker, whose name is Rachel Gunn.

Another one of Raygun’s iconic moves.Credit: Getty Images

“It was really unfortunate that the show had to be cancelled so close to the launch. I know the artist would have put a lot of work into it and that really sucks.”

Gunn, addressing the controversy, said the issue was not about not being able to handle a joke.

“This has also never been about the money. I have been contacted to go on just about every reality TV show out there, and I have declined big money because I am not about that,” said Gunn.

But a lot of the blow-back had come from claims that the trademark on Gunn and her team’s behalf was culturally profiting off Indigenous Australian culture, which she addressed in the latter of the Instagram video.

“In terms of the kangaroo dance, I did not trademark it or claim any trademark ownership of the kangaroo dance, and it in no way mimics Aboriginal dance. It was instead inspired by the Australian Olympic mascot, BK, the boxing kangaroo, and I wanted to represent and celebrate that spirit,” said Gunn.

“I know that this misinformation about the kangaroo dance has upset many members of the Indigenous community, and I am sorry for that. I’m really sorry that it hasn’t been corrected sooner. I have the utmost respect for Indigenous Australians, who are a part of the oldest, continuous, living culture on the planet.”

Hours after shock jock Ray Hadley finished his radio career after more than four decades, fellow 2GB presenter Chris O’Keefe announced that he was also leaving to start his own political and media advocacy business.

Adding to the dizzying number of end-of-year changes in Sydney and Melbourne radio, the Drive host said he had been thinking of ending his media career for a year.

2GB drive host Chris O’Keefe Credit: Steven Siewert

“Today is my last show and my last day in journalism,” O’Keefe, 36, said. “As much as I have enjoyed my time here at 2GB and my 13 years at Nine, the time is right for me to make the call to move on.

“I’m a young father and I’m looking at what the next 10 years looks like for me and my family.”

O’Keefe said he had told Nine’s managing director for radio, Tom Malone, last week that he was quitting after two years at the station but did not want to divert any attention away from Hadley’s departure.

“I’ve always wanted to run my own business,” he said. “I love politics. I know it back to front, that’s my real passion. So being able to jump into that space sort of adjacent will be a hell of a challenge and a bit of fun.”

Embattled Health Workers Union boss Diana Asmar will not be allowed to carry out her duties as branch secretary until a judge rules on whether the union should be placed into administration.

Federal Court Justice Craig Dowling made the orders on Friday, following a push from the national Health Services Union (HSU) to further restrict Asmar’s role in the Victorian branch. The HSU claims the branch is dysfunctional after the Fair Work Commission alleged Asmar falsely claimed more than $120,000 as relevant business expenses.

Health Workers Union boss Diana Asmar.Credit: Justin McManus

Justice Craig Dowling made orders on October 7 limiting Asmar’s powers, including preventing her from dismissing any employees or altering their employment.

She made an undertaking to the court that she would follow the judge’s orders.

Two union officials from the Victorian branch and five call centre workers were stood down in November after Asmar allegedly made a speech denouncing traitors who betrayed her.

AAP