As it happened: Voice to parliament bill introduced; RBA faces major shake-up

Thanks for reading our live coverage today. Here’s what you need to know tonight.

• An Australian parliamentary delegation to Washington is in damage control as they are forced to answer for Paul Keating’s blistering attack on AUKUS. Politicians on Capitol Hill have continued to raise concerns about the former prime minister’s remarks after he branded the pact “the worst deal in all history”.
• One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson has demanded the party’s NSW leader, Mark Latham, apologise for homophobic comments he made towards NSW independent Alex Greenwich.
• The Australian Federal Police is withholding evidence used by local investigators to prosecute former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann from an inquiry into the abandoned rape trial.
• TikTok users have hit back at a potential ban on the video sharing app considered by US Congress.
• The Albanese government’s signature climate policy, the safeguard mechanism, was approved by the federal parliament today. The mechanism will impose carbon emissions limits on Australia’s 215 biggest polluters.
• Mark Butler said he expected future waves of COVID-19 to hit Australia ahead of a new government campaign to promote booster shots.

In the surrounds of Denpasar’s Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre, Indonesia’s big moment on the world football stage was finally due to arrive on Friday.

It was then and there, in a sacred complex featuring a Hindu temple, that the draw for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup was to be held.

The FIFA Under-20 World Cup trophy at the 2019 final. Credit: AP

Instead, the draw was cancelled and now Indonesia’s hosting of the tournament is off, stripped by governing body FIFA after a domestic storm over the participation of the Israeli team.

The outcome is a spectacular own goal for the South-East Asian nation.

Read South-East Asia correspondent Chris Barrett’s analysis of how politics hijacked Indonesia’s FIFA moment.

That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage today. We’ll be back tomorrow with more live news.

Thanks for reading our live coverage today. Here’s what you need to know tonight.

• An Australian parliamentary delegation to Washington is in damage control as they are forced to answer for Paul Keating’s blistering attack on AUKUS. Politicians on Capitol Hill have continued to raise concerns about the former prime minister’s remarks after he branded the pact “the worst deal in all history”.
• One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson has demanded the party’s NSW leader, Mark Latham, apologise for homophobic comments he made towards NSW independent Alex Greenwich.
• The Australian Federal Police is withholding evidence used by local investigators to prosecute former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann from an inquiry into the abandoned rape trial.
• TikTok users have hit back at a potential ban on the video sharing app considered by US Congress.
• The Albanese government’s signature climate policy, the safeguard mechanism, was approved by the federal parliament today. The mechanism will impose carbon emissions limits on Australia’s 215 biggest polluters.
• Mark Butler said he expected future waves of COVID-19 to hit Australia ahead of a new government campaign to promote booster shots.

Gender pay gap data for all companies with over 100 employees will be published online next year.

New federal laws require the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to release data for private businesses from early 2024.

The agency’s chief executive, Mary Wooldridge, said going public with pay gaps would make businesses accountable.

“Publishing employer gender pay gaps will provide [workers] deeper insights on their employer’s progress, while jobseekers can get a clearer indication of a prospective employer’s commitment to ensuring the contributions of all employees are equally valued and rewarded,” Wooldridge said.

“This is also an opportunity for employers who may have been slow to prioritise gender equality to get serious about change.”

The gender pay gap is at 13.3 per cent, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.

Read the full story by Rachel Clun.

One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson has posted a video message condemning homophobic comments tweeted by the party’s NSW leader, Mark Latham.

“I want you to know that I don’t condone them [the comments] and neither do my members of parliament or party associates,” Hanson told her supporters.

“I think they are disgusting ... and I have clearly sent a text message to him telling him my views and also I’ve asked for him to give the people an apology.”

Latham deleted the tweet several hours later but his comments have drawn widespread condemnation.

Alexandra Smith has the full story.

Returning to comments made by Health Minister Mark Butler today, the government’s new COVID-19 vaccination campaign will emphasise new advice issued in January that shifted booster eligibility away from how many doses a person had, to how many months it had been since their last dose or infection.

The new government health department campaign promoting booster shots starts on Sunday.

All adult Australians who have not had a COVID-19 infection or vaccination in the last six months can get an extra booster, regardless of how many vaccine doses they have previously received.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said Australia had a “ripple” of increasing cases.

“Whether that will turn into wave … it’s difficult to predict at this stage. But certainly, there has been an increase in numbers over the last few weeks.”

Natassia Chrysanthos has the details.

Health authorities in NSW and Victoria have warned the risk of mosquito-borne disease remains high this mosquito season, which occurs between October and April.

One case of Japanese encephalitis and four cases of Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) have been detected in Victoria this season. Three people died of MVE.

The vast majority of cases go undetected because most people don’t get symptoms.

The state has also detected 169 cases of Ross River virus and five cases of Barmah Forest virus.

Regional Victorian schools were urged hire pest controllers to kill mosquitos after months of wet weather caused a rise in mosquito populations, particularly in the north of the state.

NSW has recorded a second case of MVE this season in a man who lives in the state’s south-west Hilltops region. It’s the first time the disease, which in rare cases can cause severe neurological illness, was detected in the area.

In response to a high number of MVE in “sentinel chickens” (birds placed in high-risk areas that get tested regularly for mosquito-borne diseases), NSW Health established an expert advisory panel on mosquito control with medical entomologists from across Australia.

High-risk schools have been urged to hire pest controllers to spray their grounds to prevent mosquito-borne viruses.Credit: Dave Hunt

People who live in at-risk areas can reduce their risk of infection by wearing insect repellent, long shirts and pants, especially during dawn and dusk.

“Only a small proportion of people infected with Murray Valley encephalitis virus will have any symptoms, which include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, and muscle aches,” Director of NSW Health’s One Health branch Keira Glasgow said in a statement.

“Signs of severe infection include severe headache, neck stiffness, sensitivity to bright lights, drowsiness, confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness.”

Anthony Albanese will attend the May 6 coronation of King Charles III in London.

The prime minister will be accompanied by Governor-General David Hurley and all of the state governors at the historic event.

King Charles III speaking to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Buckingham Palace last year.Credit: AP

“A number of other notable Australians, most of which are based in the United Kingdom, have been chosen to show the world the best of our values - caring for others, serving the community and championing progress,” Albanese told parliament today.

“And I note that the palace requested in particular that there be significant representation from Indigenous Australians as part of the coronation.”

Defence force representatives will also attend.

Albanese said he would hold talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on defence and trade, noting the Australia-UK free trade agreement received royal assent in the UK on March 23.

He will also visit the submarine yards in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness, following on from the agreement reached with the US and UK on building nuclear-powered submarines.

AAP

The Albanese government’s signature climate policy, the safeguard mechanism, was approved by the federal parliament today. The government secured 89 votes to 50 for its legislation.

The mechanism will impose carbon emissions limits on Australia’s 215 biggest polluters.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen during question time in parliament today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“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,” Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

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

The safeguard mechanism is designed to deliver one-third of the cuts needed to achieve Australia’s legally binding climate target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.

The government cut a deal with the Greens to secure their support for the legislation in the Senate, after the Coalition opposed the reform.

A tiny Pacific Island nation has pulled off the kind of diplomatic win that can elude global superpowers.

On Wednesday, US time, Vanuatu, population 300,000, rallied a majority of countries to ask the world’s highest court to weigh in on a high-stakes question: can countries be sued under international law for failing to slow down climate change?

Swiss retirees took their country to the European Court on Wednesday, for failing to take stronger action on climate change.Credit: AP

The measure passed by consensus, meaning none of the 193 member states requested a vote. The General Assembly hall erupted in applause.

That it was adopted by consensus reflects widespread frustration over the fact that the greenhouse gas emissions warming the planet and wreaking havoc on the poorest nations are not being reduced quickly enough.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the move “would assist the General Assembly, the UN and member states to take the bolder and stronger climate action that our world so desperately needs”.

Read the full story.

The World Health Organisation has said healthy children and adolescents may no longer need COVID shots.

A child receives the Pfizer vaccine in Germany in December.Credit: Getty

Older people and higher-risk groups still should get COVID boosters between six and 12 months after their last injections, the WHO said in a statement announcing a revised vaccine road map for the new stage of the pandemic.

“Countries should consider their specific context in deciding whether to continue vaccinating low-risk groups, like healthy children and adolescents, while not compromising the routine vaccines that are so crucial for the health and wellbeing of this age group,” said Hanna Nohynek, chair of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation.

Read the full story.