Australia news live: Melbourne Metro Tunnel to begin taking passengers early; Spender has ‘absolutely no idea’ how dumping net zero will lower energy bills

12.57am GMT Melbourne Metro tunnel to open on 30 November Anthony Albanese is in Melbourne, where he and Victorian premier Jacinta Allan have announced the opening date of the city’s new Metro tunnel project. Allan said she was “thrilled” the Metro tunnel would be in operation from 30 November, with the long-awaited $15.5bn federal and state project finally ready to open. The prime minister said the project had been spoken about for more than a decade. “This will be fantastic on November 30th, but it would have been opened years earlier had the money not been ripped out,” Albanese said, referring to Tony Abbott’s budget decisions in 2014. It opens up the opportunity for further investment, further expansion and the key to people getting around major cities around the world is always public transport, including this great city here of Melbourne. He confirmed that more money would be set aside for the city’s suburban rail loop, adding: I feel a sense of obligation to do the right thing by Victorians, as I feel an obligation to be Prime Minister for the whole country, not just for Sydney. Read more here: Related: Melbourne Metro Tunnel train services will soon begin – but what is the ‘summer start’ and when is the ‘big switch’? Updated at 1.00am GMT 12.28am GMT Meta, Google and TikTok to be included in media bargaining measures The man charged with rolling out a new measure to make social media platforms pay for news content they take from Australian publishers says Meta, Google and Tiktok will be covered by the rules. Daniel Mulino, the Albanese government’s assistant treasurer, is designing the news media bargaining incentive, designed to penalise big tech companies not paying for the media content they make money from. Large social media and search platforms with Australian-derived revenue of at least $250m will be subject to the new rules, irrespective of whether they carry news content, according to a discussion paper released last week. “Our expectation is that Meta, Google and Tiktok would fall within that,” he told Sky this morning. Mulino said he had been consulting with media players, with digital platforms and also briefing the Trump administration about the plans. Trump had threatened to retaliate over what he viewed as unfair treatment of American-based platforms. First announced in December 2024, its start date of the new scheme is yet to be decided and will be subject to a month-long public consultation by the government. “We’re seeing a reflection from stakeholders that they’re keen to engage constructively with the government,” he said. All of the digital platforms have indicated, initially, that they’re really keen to engage and that’s a very welcome thing from my perspective. Updated at 12.31am GMT 12.08am GMT ‘Have a drink on us’: $35k shout after gig cancelled Hard rock band Amyl and the Sniffers has shouted thousands of free drinks for fans after a gig was shut down over safety fears. The Melbourne-based outfit was due to play a free, all-ages show at Federation Square last night, but the event was cancelled minutes before lead singer Amy Taylor and her band mates were due to hit the stage, with The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation which operates Fed Square reportedly saying there had been multiple breaches of security barriers, reports AAP. “Hello Fed Square and everybody who came to show up, we’re so f**king sorry that we couldn’t play,” Taylor said in an Instagram post . She said a “bunch of people” rushed the barriers, making the event unsafe. “Especially because it was all ages, we just can’t have that,” she said. The band told fans “to have a drink on us”, opening $5,000 tabs at seven venues. “We really wanted to play,” Taylor said. “I was chucking a tantrum like no tomorrow. You can’t imagine it, and I’m so sorry. Just have some fun tonight.” Updated at 12.10am GMT 11.48pm GMT Total fire ban in parts of New South Wales While a storm system continues to affect parts of New South Wales’ east, the state’s west faces extreme fire danger. A total fire ban has been issued for the state’s central ranges and central west plains, with extreme fire danger impacting areas including Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst. The Bureau of Meteorology said warm and dry conditions, combined with fresh and gusty west to southwesterly winds, led to elevated fire dangers today. During a total fire ban it is prohibited to light, maintain or use a fire in the open, or to carry out any activity in the open that causes, or is likely to cause, a fire, according to the Rural Fire Service. The ban is expected to be lifted tomorrow. Updated at 11.52pm GMT 11.30pm GMT Allegra Spender has ‘absolutely no idea’ how dumping net zero will lower energy bills Allegra Spender predicts the Coalition’s climate policy to look like “what the Nationals have wanted all along” as the opposition today designs its joint policy on energy and climate change. The independent member for Wentworth told the ABC a short time ago: I expect it will be pretty much what the Nationals have wanted all along because it’s been really clear that they have set the agenda in terms of the energy and climate policy of the Liberal Party. She said their policy had been prompted by Barnaby Joyce’s threats to potentially side with One Nation. She said she had “absolutely no idea” how the Coalition expected to lower energy bills by dropping net zero – and that the move might not help future election prospects. I’m genuinely concerned and genuinely disappointed that this has happened because we do need to take action on climate change. I think my a lot of my community will be going ‘Why on earth has the Coalition done this if they are seeking to ever take back seats’ like mine? But I think probably the most important thing we need to be thinking about right now is how do we hold the government to account in terms of their climate and energy policy? 11.11pm GMT Australia hopes for last-minute Turkish backdown over Cop31 Staying with the Cop deadlock, the energy minister, Chris Bowen, says he’ll stand his ground and won’t back down over the right to host the world’s most important climate meeting, despite rival bidder Turkey’s determination to do the same. The two nations have been locked in a months-long standoff, even though Australia has secured “overwhelming support” to bring Cop31 to the Pacific region, reports AAP. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, wrote to the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, earlier in November in a bid to resolve the tussle. The United Nations’ annual Conference of the Parties lacks provisions to break deadlocks over such disputes, with the scenario relying on one side or the other voluntarily withdrawing. If neither budges, the conference will be held in Bonn, in Germany. However, Bowen said Australia remained committed. “We have the overwhelming support of the world to host” the 2026 conference, he told reporters at Sydney airport on Saturday, on his way to join this year’s summit being held in the Amazonian city of Belem. “Our nation has a lot at stake when it comes to climate change but every effort we make now will help avert the worst impacts,” he said. It’s not a matter of fighting on for months afterwards - it gets decided at this conference. It’s not a ballot process. That means we need to reach an agreement with Turkey – that’s difficult. Updated at 11.15pm GMT 10.55pm GMT Wong says Turkey-Australia Cop31 hosting deadlock ‘needs to be resolved’ Australia and Turkey have very different reasons for wanting to host the next Cop climate conference, says Penny Wong, as the impasse continues – and the deadline for the decision fast approaches. Speaking with the ABC’s Insiders a short time ago, the foreign affairs minister said she anticipates a resolution by the conference’s end rather than automatically defaulting to Bonn, as per Cop rules. “Obviously, what the Pacific want for the conference and what Turkey want are very different, so we’re gonna keep advocating for the Pacific Cop,” she said. What I would say is this does need to be resolved. Obviously, discussions are ongoing now in Belem, in Brazil. Chris [Bowen] is on his way – or he may be there now – and we hope that negotiations will see an outcome. The prime minister is looking forward to seeing President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan at the summit. I would anticipate there will be resolution by the end of the week. She did not comment on claims the conference would cost Australia up to $2bn. Updated at 10.58pm GMT 10.44pm GMT Speedway car injures 13 after ploughing into crowd A speedway car lost control and ploughed into a grandstand, injuring 13 rural motoring enthusiasts. Early on Saturday evening, emergency services rushed to Walcha’s showgrounds, 90km from Tamworth in New South Wales, after a crash at the Walcha Motorcycle Rally, reports AAP. A 27-year-old speedway car driver had an on-track collision in the demolition derby before his vehicle crashed through the fence and into the crowd, NSW police said. A NSW Ambulance spokesperson told AAP 13 people were injured in the incident. Two are in a critical condition – a man in his 50s suffered spinal and hip injuries and a man in his 30s had a head injury. They were taken to John Hunter hospital in Newcastle by helicopter. The 11 other victims, aged 20-75, were transported to hospitals in Armidale, Tamworth and Walcha; six had serious injuries. Police crash investigators are examining the scene. Updated at 11.11pm GMT 10.35pm GMT ‘You can’t be more Pauline than Pauline’: Penny Wong says Liberals being 'overrun by fringes' Penny Wong says the Liberal party is “overrun by the fringes” and that its approach to environmental policy will lead to higher energy prices. Speaking with the ABC’s Insiders just now, the foreign affairs minister asked: What has become of the Liberal party? I mean, this used to be a serious mainstream political party in this country, and now it is overrun by the fringes. They are trying to outflank Pauline Hanson, and what I’d say to Sussan Ley – and to Andrew Hastie and to Angus Taylor – is you can’t be more Pauline than Pauline. But, ultimately, what their … confused, divided approach will lead to is higher prices for Australians. She said Labor “understands” people’s frustration with energy prices and that bringing more supply into the system will “structurally improve the position on prices for Australians”. Updated at 10.38pm GMT 10.30pm GMT ‘We want to get this right’ Duniam says of slashing overseas migration The shadow home affairs minister, Jonathon Duniam, says the opposition will promise a cut to overseas migration in coming months, days after conservative Liberal MPs raised the policy as a possible warning shot against Sussan Ley’s leadership. After the party’s moderates lost an internal policy fight on net zero carbon policies by 2050, some Liberal MPs warned dealing with the hot-button issue of migration policy was their next priority. Duniam – who expressed support for Ley’s leadership on Sky on Sunday – declined to put a timeline on the policy process. “We want to get this right, and I want to work very closely with my colleagues and experts in the field, including representatives of immigration stakeholder groups, to ensure that we do the right thing,” he said. I’m not just going to rush to an announcement of a policy and pluck numbers out of thin air and processes. We’re going to get it right, and we’ll do it at a time that is right for our party and for our country. Duniam said the policy would cover both net overseas migration and Australia’s permanent intake of overseas arrivals, confirming the policy would cut arrival numbers. Updated at 11.11pm GMT 10.05pm GMT Storm barrage to continue lashing eastern Australia Severe thunderstorms could continue to lash parts of NSW and Queensland on Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology says. Damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall or hailstones were possible, meteorologist Angus Hines said. “From Port Macquarie northwards across the border into much of eastern and central Queensland, we could continue to see severe thunderstorms,” he said. On Saturday, severe thunderstorms lashed south-east Queensland, with more than 50mm of rain recorded in 30 minutes at multiple locations west of Brisbane. Almost 3,000 properties were without power in south-east Queensland at 9pm on Saturday, according to Energex. Large hail up to 7cm in diameter fell in the tiny town of Silverspur, about 60km south-west of Stanthorpe, according to Higgins Storm Chasing Facebook page. The group’s social media posts also showed flash flooding in the Scenic Rim region and several fallen trees near Coffs Harbour in northern NSW. The storms are expected to move off the coast on Sunday. – AAP Updated at 10.28pm GMT 10.04pm GMT Conservative Liberal senator says Sussan Ley's leadership secure after net zero axing Conservative Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam says he supports Sussan Ley’s leadership and doesn’t expect a challenge against her in the wake of the net zero decision. Speaking on Sky News, Duniam downplayed a show of force from the Liberal party’s right wing ahead of last week’s party room meeting, when conservative MPs and leadership aspirants Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor arrived as a united group. I’m great mates with Andrew Hastie, also great mates with Angus Taylor and all of the people in that group, along with people that others would classify as moderates. At the end of the day, what we need to do is straighten out our policy offering and have clear, coherent arguments about what we are offering and why it is better for the Australian people than what Labor are offering. Duniam declined to say whether Hastie or Taylor would be a better leader of the opposition. “Sussan Ley is our leader,” he said: I support her because she is the one who’s guided us through this process. She’s the one who has landed this policy outcome. I look forward to working with her on other issues like migration, which is in the home affairs and immigration policy area. So I’m supporting Sussan Ley. She’s our leader. She’ll take us to the next election, and we are going to give it a red hot go and hold this appalling government to account. Updated at 10.46pm GMT 10.03pm GMT Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Daisy Dumas and I’ll be bringing you the day’s breaking news. We’re expecting ongoing fallout from the Coalition’s reversal on net zero, while a storm of a different kind battered parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland last night – more on the wild weather very soon. Let’s get going.