The topics hotter than your flat white today

All the news that's fit to print

All the news that's fit to print

Anthony Norman Albanese was sworn in as our 31st Prime Minister on Monday.

The ALP Quintet

We also got a new Treasurer in Jim Chalmers, Foreign Affairs Minster Penny Wong, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and deputy PM Richard Marles.

The quintet had to be given their new gigs quickly so Albanese could make his first international trip as PM to the Quad meeting, a security summit that brings together leaders from the US, India and Japan.

Only a PM with the middle name of "Norman" could get away with this.

Before flying out to Tokyo he held his first press conference where new flags made their appearance inside the Blue Room - the official ministerial media room. Where former leaders like Tony Abbott used to have up to as many as eight Aussie flags behind him, Albo has stationed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait flag permanently.

He did say the aim of his leadership was to "unite the country" and this was a symbolic first step.

Wong has done the same. In her first hours as Foreign Minister she sent a video message to "our Pacific family" on Twitter letting everyone know Australia will no longer be the Regina George, we'll be Damian instead.

"We will be a generous, respectful and reliable member of the Pacific family," Wong said in her address.

On my first day as Foreign Minister, I want to share some thoughts with our Pacific family.
Our region faces unprecedented challenges, but we will face them together.
We will achieve our shared aspirations together.
And we will listen because we care what the Pacific has to say. pic.twitter.com/he6p8G46eq

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) May 23, 2022

While overseas Albanese will chew the fat with US president Joe Biden, PM Modi of India, and sign Australia up to a new US-led Asia Pacific economic bloc aimed at countering Chinese regional dominance. 

You know you're poor when...

You're not invited to the World Economic Forum.

While Albanese took our private jet to Japan, the world's richest people jetted into the small Swiss town of Davos for the annual rich person love in.

Except this year, something is different. In BC times (before Covid) the likes of Elon Musk et al would swan around the slopes emitting even more CO2 by talking about their achievements, this year - the first in person event in two years - millionaires are protesting and demanding to be taxed more. 

Millionaires Marlene Engelhorn and Phil White in Davos, demanding that the rich get taxed. Time to wake up Davos. #TaxTheRich pic.twitter.com/hbCCvlCgMo

— Patriotic Millionaires UK (@PatMillsUK) May 22, 2022

"While the rest of the world is collapsing under the weight of an economic crisis, billionaires and world leaders meet in this private compound to discuss turning points in history," UK millionaire Phil White said.

"It's outrageous that our political leaders listen to those who have the most, know the least about the economic impact of this crisis, and many of whom pay infamously little in taxes. The only credible outcome from this conference is to tax the richest and tax us now," the business consultant said.

Oxfam, which issues a report on inequality during the Davos forum each year, announced overnight that during the past two years a new billionaire had been created every 30 hours.

(Don't worry that sentence personally attacked me also).

The Voice gets louder

The Greens, not the Coalition, may threaten the new government's plans to endorse an Indigenous voice to the parliament.

Tiwi woman Marion Scrymgour, Labor’s likely victor in the knife-edge count for the seat of Lingiari in the NT, told The Australian.

"I'm not so much worried about the Liberals; it's more the Greens," Scrymgour said. "While they say they are friends of Indigenous people, they’re not really because they just want to run their outrageous agendas all the time."

On Monday, Greens leader Adam Bandt reaffirmed the party’s ­official position that a $250m truth commission and a treaty process were higher priorities than Labor’s promised referendum on an Indigenous voice.

Incoming Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney said the new government supported a treaty but it would take time as there are now a record number of Indigenous MPs heading to Canberra which bring with them competing priorities to be looked at.

“Treaties are complex. We need to look at the states and ­territories that already have ­treaty processes under way and look at the structures in place, the architecture,” Burney said.

Don't Cry Your Heart Out

Singer turned swimmer Cody Simpson has made the cut for the Australian swimming team for the Commonwealth Games.

He cried when he heard the news then celebrated with the cuddle from his girlfriend, Olympic legend Emma McKeon. He missed out on selection for the Australian team for next month’s world championships after Kyle Chalmers (Emma's ex) changed his mind and decided to swim in the butterfly heats.

Shayna Jack, the swimmer who copped a two year doping ban, is back and has made the squad also.

Rebellion of the 1%

The new "teal" MPs are rich and have wooed the voters who are also really rich, and have WA levels of wealth at home.

According to exclusive data compiled by The Australian, the candidates have claimed victory on the back of ticked off Liberal voters in the nation's wealthiest and most educated electorates.  

Wentworth, North Sydney, Mackellar and Warringah in NSW, Goldstein and Kooyong in Victoria and WA's Curtin all have significantly higher than average weekly household incomes.

Allegra Spender, the new Independent MP for Wentworth speaks to voters outside Bondi Beach Public School.

In Wentworth, where Liberal MP Dave Sharma was unseated by Allegra Spender, 12.2% of the population there have a weekly personal income of greater than $3000, according to the latest census data.

That’s almost five times the national average of 2.5%.

"All the teal seats have at least three times the number of voters earning more than $3000 a week except Mackellar on Sydney’s northern beaches, where general practitioner Sophie Scamps has defeated incumbent Jason Falinski, which has more than double," The Australian reported.

Bless you

Queenslanders are getting free flu shots for the first time ever in bid to help the hospitals cope with the combination of Covid and the flu. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has committed $40m to set up outdoor flu clinics outside emergency wards around the state. Everyone is eligible for the free shot from today.

NT's new Flyling cabinet

The new NT chief minister Natasha Fyles has had her new ministry sworn in.

Fyles was sworn in as the territory's new Chief Minister earlier this month, following the resignation of Michael Gunner from the role.

Seven ministers in the nine-member cabinet are women, and three are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. She will be leader and has also retained the health portfolio.

Orange is the NSW Black

Gang warfare in Sydney has NSW police and prison authorities a bit worried reprisal attacks could start happening in cells around the state. The solve the issue, instead of sending everyone to the "shiv", they'll separating rival gangs by moving them all to random Big Houses around the place, some are more than 100km from each other. 

Sweet Jesus

Travis Barker has the Virgin Mary tattooed on his bald head. His new bride, mother of three Kourtney Kardashian, incorporated that "piece of art" into the veil of her wedding dress at the couple's third wedding.