Greens and independents line up to condemn Liberals’ net zero decision – as it happened

7.00am GMT What we learned today, Thursday 13 November We will wrap up the live blog here for the evening. It was a big day in politics. Here’s a look back at some of the headlines: Liberal leader Sussan Ley has defended the Liberal plan to dump legislated pledges for net zero and renewable energy while claiming to be committed to the Paris agreement. Ley said net zero “would be welcome” if we can “get there with technology, with choice and with voluntary markets”. Zali Steggall, a teal MP elected in 2019, says the Coalition is now “unelectable” after the “reckless” decision to abandon a net zero by 2050 target. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has accused the Liberals of being an “absolute train wreck” and “a bunch of nutters who want to drive Australia’s economy over a cliff and continue to trash our environment”. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.3% in October, from 4.5% in September, as new official data revealed a big jump in employment in the month. A range of colourful children’s sand products imported from China and sold at leading Australian retailers have been recalled due to concerns they may contain asbestos. A self-proclaimed fortune-teller and feng shui master who allegedly orchestrated a highly sophisticated $70m money-laundering syndicate across Sydney has been charged. The NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, says the government will support an 11th-hour compromise from the crossbench, as it attempts to pass controversial workers compensation reforms in the final sitting weeks of the year. Thanks for your company today. We’ll be back with you early tomorrow. Updated at 7.06am GMT 6.33am GMT Job figures send markets to lowest close since mid-September Australia’s share market has tumbled to its lowest close since 18 September after stronger-than-expected jobs data scuppered hopes of further interest rate cuts. The S&P/ASX200 dropped 46.1 points on Thursday, down 0.52%, to 8,753.4, as the broader All Ordinaries lost 44.9 points, or 0.49%, to 9,034.5. A surprise drop in unemployment to 4.3% in October prompted interest rate markets to slash expectations for future cuts, dragging on rate-sensitive sectors such as IT stocks, real estate, financials and industrials. Jessica Amir, a market strategist at share trading platform Moomoo, said the drop was likely the beginning of a consolidation that would persist while market players adjusted their portfolios: It’s a bit of a wake-up call – don’t expect what has been going up over the past 10 months to continue to go up for the rest of the year. Big money is chasing international companies that are going to do well from the global economic slowdown, not just from Australia. - AAP Updated at 6.46am GMT 6.19am GMT Jobless rate fall further reduces chances of interest rate cuts While many of us are fixated on the Liberal party’s self immolation, it’s worth remembering there was some good economic news today. A jump in employment in October pushed the jobless rate back down to 4.3%, assuaging fears that we were on the brink of a labour market downturn. It also means the Reserve Bank is unlikely to feel the need to cut interest rates again, especially after inflation reared its ugly head again in the September quarter. NAB economists had been among the holdouts for another rate cut (in May), but now see rates on hold for the foreseeable future. “The acceleration in house price growth and investor lending also argues for stable policy at a minimum,” they say. Updated at 6.21am GMT 6.01am GMT Tasmania’s ‘self-esteem as a state will be trashed’ if stadium not built, parliament told Leaving the politics of net zero behind us for one moment: It may be off-season, but the Hobart stadium continues to be a political issue. Doors will “slam closed” on the aspirations of young people if a new waterfront AFL stadium isn’t built, a parliamentary debate on the divisive project has been told. Construction of a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart is a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL and AFLW in 2028. The $1.13bn project requires the approval of both houses of state parliament to proceed, with debate under way in the lower house. It is expected to pass the chamber on Thursday night with the support of the governing Liberals and Labor opposition. State minister Eric Abetz says “confidence will be shattered and our self-esteem as a state will be trashed” if the proposal doesn’t go ahead: The message will be: don’t try and do business in Tasmania. - AAP Updated at 6.03am GMT 5.46am GMT NSW Health issues measles exposure warning for parts of Sydney including Oasis concert A person from Queensland with measles has visited several locations across Sydney, promoting NSW Health to issue an alert. There have also been three cases of measles in Queensland associated with the Jelly Roll concert in Brisbane on 24 October. NSW Health said anyone who visited the following locations should be on alert for symptoms until Friday, 28 November: The Oasis concert at Accor stadium in Sydney on Saturday 8 November Sydney airport, Sydney CBD, inner west locations and trains at various dates and times between Saturday 8 and Monday 10 November The full list of locations is at the NSW Health website. There is no ongoing risk from visiting those sites. Dr Jeremy McAnulty, the executive director of Health Protection NSW, said measles is a vaccine-preventable disease that is spread through the air when someone who is infectious coughs or sneezes. Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes, runny nose and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body. It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after exposure. He urged people to be up-to-date with their vaccinations. Updated at 5.48am GMT 5.36am GMT Monique Ryan: Liberals have ‘consigned themselves to electoral oblivion’ Independent MP Monique Ryan, who won the Melbourne seat of Kooyong from the Liberals, says their decision to ditch net zero has consigned the party to “electoral oblivion”. She’s part of the conga-line of MPs who’ve been speaking to the ABC this afternoon: I think it is calamitous for the Liberal party of Australia because it means we no longer have an effective opposition to the Labor party and the major conservative force in our country in terms of political terms for the last six decades has taken itself out of the contest. For the Liberal party to walk away from what is one of the most important areas of policy in this country in the way they have, I think means they have consigned themselves to electoral oblivion. Updated at 5.56am GMT 5.29am GMT Barnaby Joyce on Liberals dumping net zero: ‘A great day for Australia’ While some moderate Liberals aren’t overly impressed by today’s policy change, Barnaby Joyce is. He’s just been asked what he thinks about the change on ABC: I think it is a great movement. They are to be congratulated. This is a great day for Australia. But when asked whether this would make him more likely to return to the Nationals, he wasn’t so clear: This is not about me, this is about getting rid of the policy. I keep my cards close to my chest and I played my part. Now I look forward to seeing what happens on Sunday. Updated at 5.36am GMT 5.16am GMT Tehan says Australia must consider nuclear energy Dan Tehan has been asked whether the Liberal party has become a joke on the issue of climate change. Obviously, politicians aren’t in the business of calling themselves a joke. But here’s the defence: Not at all. We believe in climate change and taking action and that’s why we have set out three goals when it comes to emissions reduction, year on year, on average we will reduce emissions over a 5-year period. We will also make sure we work with like-minded countries to pay our fair share and we will bring all technologies to the table to reduce emissions. We will become a relic if we do not look at nuclear energy. We will fail next generations, because energy abundance is what everyone wants to pursue and [want to] do it in an emissions-free way. Updated at 5.20am GMT 5.11am GMT Tehan denies that Liberal party has become the ‘Nationals-lite’ Dan Tehan of the Liberals is up on ABC, being asked with the Liberals are now “Nationals-lite”. That phrase hasn’t come from nowhere – fellow Liberal MP Tim Wilson warned the party against a “Nationals-lite” approach ahead of today’s meeting. Here’s Tehan’s response: No, we are the Liberal party, and there has been a thorough process we have undertaken to bring this policy together. He was then asked specifically about votes in Wilson’s inner-suburban seat. He’s pivoted to talking about energy costs, as have many of his colleagues today. There will be people in his seat, in my seat, people across Australia today who are opening power bills saying Anthony Albanese promised me a $275 reduction in my power bill by the end of this year and not only that, he used modelling to base his commitments to reducing emissions on that modelling. Updated at 5.14am GMT 5.00am GMT Politics expert says Ley’s move is attempt to maintain party cohesion Zareh Ghazarian, the head of politics and international relations at Monash University, was watching that press conference from Sussan Ley. He says the Liberal party “continues to tie itself into knots over the issue of climate policy”: The issue has been a key point of division within the party for many years. As is expected after a heavy loss, the party’s new leader, Sussan Ley, is still trying to assert authority over the party. On this occasion, it appears that the party’s leadership has erred on the side of trying to maintain cohesion within the party. On one hand the party has abandoned a net zero policy, but on the other hand it has committed to the Paris agreement and working to mitigate emissions. This has the potential to either define, or undermine, Ley’s nascent leadership. Updated at 5.01am GMT 4.43am GMT Hanson-Young says Nationals have killed the Liberals Sarah Hanson-Young continues: It’s crystal clear that the National party has killed the Liberals today. You know, Barnaby Joyce wanted to kill the National party and he ended up killing the Liberals too. That’s what’s happened today. The Liberal party has been dragged by the nose into this anti-science, anti-environment, anti-economy position and they look like a bunch of nutters. They don’t look like a party fit for government. Updated at 4.45am GMT 4.39am GMT Greens verdict on Coalition decision to dump net zero: 'an absolute train wreck' And now it’s time for the Greens to react to the Liberal’s decision to ditch net zero. Sarah Hanson-Young isn’t holding back: What an absolute train wreck. This is a bunch of nutters who want to drive Australia’s economy over a cliff and continue to trash our environment. The Liberal party’s policy as announced today is even worse than it was under Scott Morrison, a bloke who brought a lump of coal into the parliament. Thisis a Liberal party who are clearly controlled by climate deniers and people who don’t even accept the clear climate science. Their policy is a recipe for economic wrecking and environmental vandalism and they simply cannot be trusted to be any type of partner on climate or environment policy. Updated at 4.41am GMT 4.24am GMT ‘I’m heartened by what I’ve seen today,’ Littleproud says David Littleproud has gone on to thank the Liberals for their policy change: This is one of the biggest policy decisions the Liberal party has got to make and they’ve done it with great maturity, with great leadership. I’m heartened by what I’ve seen today, that this debate now shifts from any challenging the science to actually now having a conversation with the Australian people about the economics of net zero and the alternative ways that we can do that here in Australia. Updated at 4.25am GMT 4.14am GMT David Littleproud welcomes Liberals’ net zero change As expected, Nationals leader David Littleproud has welcomed the Liberal party’s policy change: The Nationals embarked on a calm, considered pathway back in June to understand and review our previous position on net zero by 2050. What we wanted to understand is can we live up to continuing to reduce emissions, to continue on that pathway, to do our fair share, to make sure that we do the right thing by future generations but to also do the right thing by households and businesses today. Littleproud says the Nationals will meet with senior Liberals in coming days to sort out the finer details of the Coalition’s policy. Today what we’ve heard from the Liberal party gives us great hope that, in the coming days, we’ll sit down constructively with them to work through the pathway that they’ve articulated. Updated at 4.17am GMT 4.10am GMT Recap of Sussan Ley press conference Sussan Ley and senior Liberal colleagues have wrapped up a press conference in Canberra after announcing they will ditch a net zero emissions by 2050 policy. Let’s just recap a couple of key points from that press conference: Despite saying “make no mistake, we are not pursuing net zero”, Ley is also saying net zero “would be welcome” if we can “get there with technology”. She dismissed questions from reporters about whether the party was playing “word games”. Dan Tehan, the shadow energy minister, says Australia is already doing its fair share on emission reductions compared with other nations. He says the Liberals are about “growing the economy” while claiming Labor were about “strangling the economy”. Ley has also dismissed suggestions this policy change will hurt the party in urban seats. She says “I know that people in the city are struggling with affordability of energy costs … These are highly relevant questions to people in the cities”. Ley insists energy costs would be lower under a Coalition government, but is unwilling to put a date on when that would happen. Updated at 4.11am GMT 4.00am GMT How soon will energy bills come down? Sussan Ley is unwilling to put a timeline on when energy bills would be lower under a Coalition government. On multiple occasions during this press conference, Ley has sought to reference “mums with kids who are struggling to pay the bills”. Ley has been asked how quickly bills for that mother would come down, should the Coalition win an election. Her response: I can 100% guarantee power bills will be lower under us. But it’s two and a half years until the election. I want to make this point very clear. Those energy bills will be much lower under us and, on the eve of the election, we may be able to give you further detail. Updated at 4.03am GMT 3.46am GMT Ley says new policy will still appeal to city voters who abandoned Coalition for teals or Labor Ley was asked how she hopes to appeal to city seats claimed by teal independents or the Labor party in recent elections with this new policy. The opposition leader said she still has an eye on those seats: Of course we will be pitching for and presenting serious credible compelling policy alternatives at the next election. They do include the city seats, but I know that people in the city are struggling with affordability of energy costs … These are highly relevant questions to people in the cities. Updated at 3.51am GMT 3.38am GMT Ley points to Tomago smelter as evidence energy policy needs change Ley just spoke about Australia’s largest aluminium smelter and its financial woes as a key episode reflecting the need for a shift in policy. The Tomago smelter, owned by Rio Tinto, recently said it was not “commercially viable” because of high energy prices. Its current contract with AGL Energy expires in December 2028, and the company said it had not yet found a way to support commercial operations sustainable beyond that period. Read more here: Related: Australia’s largest aluminium smelter Tomago ‘not commercially viable’ and facing closure, says Rio Tinto Updated at 3.41am GMT 3.33am GMT Ley says net zero ‘would be welcome’, but Liberals won’t pursue it Sussan Ley said net zero “would be welcome” if we can “get there with technology, with choice and with voluntary markets”. She said: Make no mistake, we are not pursuing net zero. We are pursuing energy affordability and emissions reduction and it is really important that we make it clear to the Australian people that we believe we can have far more success in affordable electricity and emissions reduction than the current government. Updated at 3.40am GMT 3.31am GMT ‘We’re about doing our fair share,’ Dan Tehan says Dan Tehan, the shadow energy minister, said the Liberals were about “growing the economy” while claiming Labor were about “strangling the economy”. He said Labor’s emissions policies were too dramatic when compared with targets set by other nations, saying: We’re about doing our fair share. Whereas Labor is about racing ahead of the world. Tehan said the Liberals’ policy would see emissions reduced year-on-year “in five-year blocs”, and in-line with “comparable countries”. He referenced unspecified “available technology” to help make sure Australia was doing its fair share. Updated at 3.33am GMT 3.24am GMT Ley makes it official: the net zero emissions target is gone from the Liberal platform She said: The Liberal party will remove a net zero target from our policy. And if elected, we will remove the 43% 2030 target and its net zero by 2050 target from the Climate Change Act. We remain committed to the Paris agreement and to doing our fair share to reduce emissions. But we will do it in a way that protects households and budgets and keeps our economy strong. Ley said Australia should be a country where Australian resources “help Australians first”. You all know that Australians have been absolutely crushed by cost of living increases. Updated at 3.26am GMT 3.22am GMT Sussan Ley is speaking in Canberra Opposition leader Sussan Ley is speaking in Canberra. She’s starting with attacks against Labor’s energy policies: Australians deserve affordable energy and responsible emissions reduction. And the Liberal party believes we can do both. But affordable energy must come first. Updated at 3.52am GMT 3.20am GMT Meta working to let teens keep Messenger without having Facebook account Earlier we brought you the news that teens under the age of 16 would not be able to keep using Messenger once the social media ban kicks in from 10 December because you can only access Messenger with a Facebook account. Meta has been in touch and says the company is working to fix this issue so kids will still remain part of the family group chats. A spokesperson said: We’re working on a solution to maintain access to Messenger for teens so they can stay connected with friends and family, despite the ban taking effect just before the summer holidays. 3.06am GMT Andrew Hastie to PM after the Liberals’ net zero move: ‘We are coming for you’ Most Liberal MPs are staying quiet publicly for the moment, with Sussan Ley about to speak on the net zero discussion, but backbencher and leadership aspirant Andrew Hastie seems happy about the decision. In an Instagram Story post, Hastie published a screenshot of Anthony Albanese’s comments calling the Liberals a “clown show” this morning. Hastie wrote the caption: “I sense your fear @AlboMp”, tagging the PM’s Instagram handle. He went on: “we are coming for you ...” Updated at 3.12am GMT 2.59am GMT Teen who fatally stabbed woman near Brisbane sentenced to 16 years’ jail A teenager who fatally stabbed a grandmother in front of a young girl has been jailed for 16 years over a murder that sparked landmark law reforms, AAP reports. Vyleen White was murdered by the boy, then aged 16, in a car park at Redbank Plains shopping centre, west of Brisbane in February 2024. The teen quickly approached White and demanded her car keys, then inflicted a 17cm-deep knife wound that was fatal. The teen later pleaded guilty to the murder, as well as car theft and three counts of stealing. The 70-year-old’s death was a catalyst for the Queensland Liberal National government’s controversial “adult crime, adult time” laws, ensuring juveniles face at least 20 years in custody for murder. However, they are not retroactive, meaning the teen was on Thursday sentenced under Queensland’s previous laws after earlier pleading guilty to murder. Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said: (Ms White) was a person who mattered greatly to her family and her community. All lives matter. They are precious. They are not to be wasted by selfish and senseless acts of violence. Updated at 3.00am GMT 2.50am GMT More on today’s great labour force figures, which showed the unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in October The latest figures reversed a shock rise to 4.5% in the previous month that had some economists fretting that the jobs market was on the verge of a major downturn. The 42,200 increase in the number of employed Australians in October included a 55,300 jump in full-time work, offset by a 13,100 fall in part-time employment. For context, the economy added more jobs in October than it did in the previous five months combined. It follows a stretch of weak labour force reports that suggested the jobs market in 2025 was struggling to make the transition from government-led employment growth to private sector hiring. The underemployment rate – which includes the unemployed and those with jobs but are trying to get more hours – also fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.7%. Terry Rawnsley, a senior economist at KPMG, the Australian Bureau of Statistics data “show that the labour market is proving resilient”. Despite some challenging economic headwinds, both employment and hours worked have increased significantly. 2.40am GMT Sydney Trains worker stood down after reportedly attending neo-Nazi rally A Sydney Trains worker has been stood down pending an investigation into his reported attendance at Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally outside NSW parliament.In a statement, a spokesperson for Sydney Trains confirmed the decision and said it was “very concerned with the matter”. In the interim, Sydney Trains has directed the employee not to attend work while the matter is examined. The employee’s role is frontline and his actions are not supported by Sydney Trains or Transport for NSW and are not in line with public sector values. 2.30am GMT Allegra Spender says Liberals have ‘abandoned’ action on climate change Wentworth MP Allegra Spender has lashed the Liberal party for ditching support for net zero by 2050 policies. Spender, who beat Liberal Dave Sharma in the 2022 teal wave, says the opposition has “abandoned evidence-based policy thinking”. Let’s be clear – the Libs have abandoned climate action and the need of businesses having certainty to invest. They are playing culture wars with energy policy and the country is worse for it. They have no serious plans to reduce household power bills or business energy costs and have refused to provide a stable political environment for businesses to make investments. Spender points out Australia is more vulnerable to floods, storms, droughts and coastal erosion than most countries. We need concerted international action but the Libs would reduce our chance to reduce global warming by influencing international action. The Coalition’s delayed climate action is just climate denial again. Updated at 2.32am GMT 2.22am GMT Sussan Ley to speak in just under an hour We’re hearing Sussan Ley and Dan Tehan will hold a press conference around 2.15pm to explain the Liberal decision to dump a net zero target. High on the list of topics for questioning will be how they explain their intention to stay in the Paris agreement but ditch a net zero target. So what happens now? With the Liberal position now decided, they will try to hash out a defined Coalition joint position with the National party – so this story has a few days to go yet. The joint party room of Libs and Nats will meet on Sunday virtually, but ahead of that, three people from each party will meet over the next few days to try and come to an agreed mutual position. For the Liberals, the delegation will be Dan Tehan, Jonno Duniam and Sussan Ley; for the Nationals, it will be Matt Canavan, Susan McDonald and Ross Cadell. Updated at 3.02am GMT 2.15am GMT Coalition ‘unelectable’ after net zero move, Zali Steggall says Zali Steggall, a teal MP elected in 2019, says the Coalition is now “unelectable” after the “reckless” decision to abandon a net zero by 2050 target. Steggall just released a statement condemning the move: At the last election, one in three Australians voted for an independent or minor party – a clear sign that millions feel the major parties no longer represent them. Today’s announcement shows the federal Liberals, just like the Nationals, are now even further removed from community expectations over climate action in Australia. This decision makes the Coalition unelectable. She goes on to say reports that a commitment to the Paris climate agreement would remain part of the Liberal platform make no sense. I note media reports that the Liberals’ position is that Australia should remain in the Paris agreement while scrapping its net-zero commitment. I do not understand how this is compliant with the rules of the agreement, which requires all signatories increase their commitments over time. Updated at 2.33am GMT 2.00am GMT After Liberals agree net zero position, talks to start with Nationals A bit more info on the next steps to settle the Coalition’s policy after the Liberal party resolved its position. Three Liberals and three Nationals will be chosen to negotiate a joint position, which will be put to a joint party-room meeting on Sunday for endorsement. Guardian Australia has confirmed the three Nationals representatives in the talks will be Matt Canavan and Ross Cadell – who led their party’s internal review of net zero – as well as Susan McDonald, the shadow resources minister. Updated at 2.01am GMT 1.49am GMT Liberals ditch net zero emissions by 2050 target The Liberal party will abandon a firm net zero emissions target, siding with the Nationals to end the Coalition’s commitment to the climate goal. The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is expected to announce the decision on Thursday afternoon after the Liberal shadow ministry met to finally resolve a position following months of bitter infighting. The shadow ministry agreed a future Coalition government would not withdraw from the Paris agreement, which was a red line for moderate Liberals such as Andrew Bragg and Maria Kovacic. In a olive branch to moderates who wanted the target retained, MPs will be free to argue that reaching net zero would be a “welcome outcome” in the future, two sources confirmed to Guardian Australia. Updated at 1.52am GMT 1.31am GMT Liberal party net zero meeting ends It seems official – the Liberal party has ditched a net zero by 2050 commitment, but it appears it’s committed to officially staying in the Paris agreement. We’ve just seen members filing out of the meeting room, but none seems too talkative. The few people we’ve seen made a hasty exit, not saying much. But a few people in the room have said the meeting was largely cordial, focused on how to sell their new plan politically. It’s expected the Liberal talking points will go toward a focus on energy prices rather than strictly on emissions reductions. Sussan Ley is expected to speak in about an hour. Updated at 1.47am GMT 1.27am GMT Social media ban to kill family group chats on Messenger One side effect of the upcoming social media ban that includes Facebook and Instagram will be that teens under the age of 16 won’t be able to use Messenger once the ban kicks in. As first reported by Crikey, in advice to Meta tabled by the eSafety commissioner last month, Julie Inman Grant noted that Meta had raised that Messenger users need a Facebook account (either active or inactive) in order to use the app. She said while Messenger was considered an exempt service, the company will need to restrict access to Messenger for teens while a Facebook account is needed.She said: As Messenger requires an end-user to hold a Facebook account in order to use the service, Meta’s compliance obligations under s 63D (which focuses on ‘having accounts’) also extend to Messenger. If Meta were to decouple the accounts between the two services, allowing end users to only hold a Messenger account, then because Messenger is not an age-restricted social media platform, Meta would not be required to comply with s 63D in respect of Messenger. This is not unexpected, and Meta has not given any indication it will break out Messenger into a separate registration scenario for Australia when it is complying with the law, so it likely means if parents or grandparents are using Messenger for family group chats including the teens, they’ll need to move to an exempt service like WhatsApp or Signal for group chats after 10 December. Updated at 1.51am GMT 1.15am GMT Mathias Cormann tells Australia to lift economic game Company taxes and regulation must be cut to boost productivity, Australia has been told by an expat head of a leading global economic body. Mathias Cormann, the first Australian to lead the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and a former federal finance minister, said the nation trails other member countries in attracting investment and this led to poorer productivity growth. Here’s what he told the corporate watchdog’s annual forum in Melbourne: Australia needs to reassess the international competitiveness of its regulatory and of its tax policy settings. Australia can and must do better. While productivity challenges were common across developed countries, Australia’s labour productivity grew at just 0.5% annually between 2010 and 2024, well below the OECD average of 0.9%, Cormann said. Updated at 1.24am GMT 1.05am GMT NSW crossbench MP: parliament ‘should not rise’ until workers’ compensation scheme fixed Returning to NSW’s workers’ compensation reforms, independent MP Alex Greenwich, whose compromise solution has the support of the Minns government, says the proposal has the numbers to pass the upper house, despite the opposition of the Coalition and the Greens. Earlier the treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said the reforms could now be subject to more than a hundred amendments, with the bill moving between the upper and lower house in the coming weeks. Parliament sits this week and next week before the summer break, although the government has the option to use a reserve week. Greenwich says the opposition leader in the upper house, Damien Tudehope, has indicated the Coalition will not support a crossbench proposal to increase the impairment threshold for psychological injuries to 25%, rising to 29% by 2029. The Coalition has characterised the government’s original proposal to increase the threshold to 30%, potentially dramatically reducing the numbers of workers able to claim compensation as “nasty”. Greenwich, who says the crossbench compromise has the key support of upper house Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham, says: We know [workers’ compensation] is broken. We have negotiated a comprehensive fix for it. Now’s the time for the Coalition to get on with it and, if they stall, we will just keep sitting. My message to the government is, don’t let parliament rise until the workers’ compensation system in New South Wales is fixed. Updated at 1.15am GMT 12.54am GMT Seven’s merger with Southern Cross Media a step closer Australia’s competition watchdog has helped get Kerry Stokes closer to retirement, clearing Southern Cross Media to take over his Seven West Media, AAP reports. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has opted not to oppose the media tie-up, with deputy chair Mick Keogh saying the companies were different enough not to significantly impact advertising or content markets. Southern Cross is a radio and podcast business, led by the Triple M and Hit networks, while Stokes’s company operates national broadcaster Seven and newspapers in Western Australia. Keogh said on Thursday: Southern Cross and Seven are not close enough competitors for content. Owners of traditional media platforms such as radio, free-to-air television and newspapers will continue to face strong competition from digital media. Southern Cross will be no exception, even after the acquisition. Updated at 12.56am GMT 12.44am GMT Unemployment rate falls to 4.3% The unemployment rate has dropped to 4.3% in October, from 4.5% in September, as new official data revealed a big jump in employment in the month. In a result that backs the case for a cautious Reserve Bank to keep interest rates on hold for the foreseeable future, the number of employed Australians climbed by a robust 42,200 in October. The RBA’s latest economic forecasts predict the jobless rate will remain at about 4.4% over the foreseeable future. Blair Chapman, a senior economist with JobSeeker, just spoke to the ABC about the figures: It is a positive month … People are right to not hang their hats on a single month of data. This is one of the strongest months of employment for a little while. [Considering] the relatively weak employment growth over the last few months, 42,000, that is a good month. Updated at 12.50am GMT 12.28am GMT Sydney’s new fish market one step closer to completion, with opening date set for January The mammoth new Sydney Fish Market is closer to opening after the NSW government said today construction on the structure is now finished, with the keys in the hands of the company that operates the market. The new building will be open to the public on 19 January after individual vendors finish their fitouts inside, allowing one final holiday season trading period at the old market nearby. NSW premier Chris Minns said in a statement the new fish market would be a “magnificent building” for Sydney’s harbour: From when it opens, this world-class building will attract millions of visitors each year and provide an enormous boost to our economy. Thank you to everyone who has slogged away at completing this incredible building that we can all be so proud of. Updated at 12.31am GMT 12.11am GMT Bill to restrict late-term abortion defeated in South Australia after emotional debate A bill to restrict access to abortion after 22 weeks and six days has been defeated in the South Australian parliament. The former One Nation MLC Sarah Game, who is now an independent, worked with the controversial anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe on the legislation that went before the SA parliament on Wednesday night. It was voted down by 11 votes to eight. Several MLCs became visibly distressed and tearful during the debate on Wednesday evening. The attorney general, Kyam Maher, referred to comments from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (Ranzcog) that the bill was premised either on an ignorance of reality or a wilful misrepresentation of the facts. “I can only imagine the pain and anguish that mothers and families must experience when having such a difficult decision so late in a pregnancy for a variety of complex and very deeply personal reasons,” he said. Read more here: Related: Bill to restrict late-term abortion defeated in South Australia after emotional debate 11.59pm GMT NSW government supports 11th-hour compromise on controversial workers compensation reforms The NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, says the government will support an 11th-hour compromise from the crossbench, as it attempts to pass controversial workers compensation reforms in the final sitting weeks of the year. They reforms to the scheme, which the government says is costing it billions, passed the lower house in June, but were sent to a parliamentary inquiry by the upper house. The Coalition and the Greens oppose the proposal to raise the threshold at which workers would receive compensation for psychological injury, or “whole of person impairment” (WPI), from 15% to about 30%. The inquiry report, released this month, found this left workers at risk of self-harm or suicide. The compromise, proposed last week by crossbenchers including lower house independent MP Alex Greenwich, would see the WPI threshold increasing gradually from 25% in July next year to 29% by 2029. The NSW chief psychiatrist, Murray Wright, would also be tasked with devising a tool to determine psychological impairment within 18 months. Asked if the government would commit to the chief psychiatrist’s recommendations irrespective of cost, Mookhey said: We’ll have to wait to see what the chief psychiatrist says, but we are absolutely committed to working with the chief psychiatrist to see the result of it. We’ve made the point all along – this is as much a task of modernisation as it is a task of … taking old concepts, updating them, fixing them, changing them, creating new ones if that’s what’s necessary. Updated at 12.21am GMT 11.49pm GMT Limits on landlord loans no surprise, but not yet, economists say Economists say they “wouldn’t be surprised” if the financial stability regulator moved to limit banks’ lending to property investors, after data yesterday showed landlord loans hit record highs in September. The surge in lending shocked banks and markets and saw the Greens urge the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to pull the brakes on investor lending. An Apra spokesperson confirmed they would respond to the letter. The regulator has since July been engaging with banks on options to curb lending, including new investor loans, in case limits are needed. Cameron Kusher, an independent property expert, said Apra could have reason to act by early 2026: We’ve seen intervention before and it’s happened when investor lending has been at similar levels to what it’s at now … I’d be surprised if we got it this year but I wouldn’t be surprised if early next year there was some sort of intervention. Ashwin Clarke, a senior economist at Commonwealth Bank, noted the sharp rise in investor loans would raise worries but was yet to reach the 2014-15 highs that last triggered Apra’s intervention: This print will likely add to their concern, but we don’t think the threshold for macroprudential policy has been reached. Read more here: Related: Property investors make up two in every five Australian home loans amid record borrowing 11.32pm GMT What’s the mood like in Parliament House amid the Coalition’s net zero policy debate? The mood was much more subdued this morning in the corridors of Parliament House ahead of a shadow ministry meeting to settle on climate and energy policy. Unlike yesterday, when streams of Liberal frontbenchers and backbenchers filed into the party room for a five-hour marathon meeting on whether to keep net zero by 2050, no journalists or photographers crowded to observe the frowns or smiles on the faces of Liberal MPs entering. Held in one of the Senate’s committee rooms, media activity is restricted and this journalist was politely reminded of those rules by Liberal staffers and shooed away. Yesterday, my colleague, Dan Jervis-Bardy, reported 49 MPs spoke, with 28 speaking against net zero entirely, 17 expressing a desire to keep it in some form while four were on the fence. The meeting’s outcome – to make it official – seems all but written in stone at this stage, but anything can happen in Canberra. The shadow cabinet is expected to meet for a much shorter period today, a relief to most who waited hours for a resolution yesterday only to be fed breadcrumbs of information by the late afternoon. But the implications could be long-lasting for a party already rife with internal division, struggling to attract inner-city and suburban votes and broadly shunned by younger voters. Updated at 11.35pm GMT 11.20pm GMT ACCC issues recall notice for children’s sand that may be contaminated with asbestos The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has published a recall notice for children’s sand products that may contain asbestos. The products include colourful sand sold at several retailers, including Officeworks, Educating Kids, Modern Teaching Aids and Zart Art. The sand is brightly coloured and labelled as Kadink Sand (1.3kg), Educational Colours Rainbow Sand (1.3kg) and Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg). The products were sold between 2020 and 2025, and were recalled because they may contain a naturally occurring asbestos called tremolite asbestos. ACCC deputy chair, Catriona Lowe, said: We have engaged with Officeworks who is a major supplier of these products and they advised that the products have been removed from sale. We expect they will take all the necessary steps to alert their customers. We continue to engage with suppliers and expect all to provide appropriate support to consumers including responding to queries and providing advice about arranging a refund. Anyone who purchased the sand is advised to stop using it immediately and secure it away from children. Do not throw it in general waste, but look up asbestos disposal facilities in your area here. Updated at 11.26pm GMT 11.10pm GMT Aurora australis the result of ‘cannibal’ solar storm The aurora australis that lit up the sky across large parts of Australia and New Zealand last night resulted from what has been dubbed a “cannibal” solar storm. Dr Laura Driessen from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy said: There’s a really strong and magnetically active sunspot on the sun at the moment. Since 9 November, the sun has released two strong coronal mass ejections – bursts of high-energy plasma – towards Earth. Driessen said: They happened at two different times on the ninth and the 10th. Basically, the one on the 10th was a bit faster, so it caught up with the one on the ninth. Experts from the British Geological Survey told CNN: The second one caught up with the first one and they amalgamated together by the time they reached Earth. Hence, the term ‘cannibalised’, as the second one gobbled up the first one. Updated at 11.18pm GMT 10.55pm GMT Penny Wong says Australia still advocating for climate summit, adding Pacific voices ‘should be elevated’ The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, spoke earlier about the ongoing tussle over next year’s UN climate summit, the annual Cop. Wong told ABC News this morning that conversations surrounding the event, which Australia would like to host in Adelaide in partnership with Pacific nations, remain “difficult” as Turkey has maintained its own hopes of hosting it. She said: Turkey has been very focused on maintaining its bid. What we are saying is that the Pacific is at the frontline of climate change. We are saying that Pacific voices and the Pacific experience should be elevated the Pacific’s agenda should be more prominent in the global agenda. That has been really the impetus behind Australia’s bid to host this and we’ll continue to work with others and to engage with Turkey to try to get the outcome that we want for Pacific island nations. Updated at 11.09pm GMT 10.39pm GMT Albanese adds he is ‘concerned’ about neo-Nazi rally outside NSW parliament The prime minister was asked about the neo-Nazi rally outside NSW parliament last weekend, and reports that members of a group that promotes white supremacist views intend to register as a political party. Related: Was the neo-Nazi rally outside NSW parliament legal? Could police have stopped it? Albanese said: I am concerned about the gathering that was there. I condemn it unequivocally. There’s no place in Australia for the antisemitic display that we saw outside New South Wales parliament house. The prime minister said the New South Wales government was “responding” to reports of the party registration. He would not comment on any individuals at the rally having their visas reviewed, but said: I do note that people who come to Australia and then say that they are anti-migrants coming to Australia, I think that speaks for itself. 10.32pm GMT Albanese says Coalition ‘choosing to take Australia backwards’ with net zero debates Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking about the Coalition’s debates on its net zero policy. He just said during a press conference: The Coalition are choosing to take Australia backwards. They’re walking away from jobs for Australians, and investment certainty for business. … They’re walking away from climate action because they fundamentally do not believe in the science of climate change. … Australians cannot afford to keep paying the price of Coalition infighting when it comes to climate policy and energy policy. 10.25pm GMT Senior Liberals meet to decide fate of net zero target Liberal members of the shadow ministry are meeting this morning to decide the fate of the party’s commitment to a net zero emissions target. The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is expected to agree to dump the climate goal after the majority of MPs supported abandoning it during an almost five-hour party-room meeting in Canberra on Wednesday. Senior Liberals including Angus Taylor, Ted O’Brien, Michaelia Cash, James Paterson, Alex Hawke, Jonno Duniam and James McGrath all argued in favour of ditching the 2050 target during the marathon meeting, putting enormous pressure on Ley as she fights to retain authority over the party room. The shadow ministers are expected to retain a commitment to the Paris agreement, which could be enough to prevent an exodus of moderate Liberals who have threatened to quit if the party walks away from all of its climate commitment. On Wednesday, the party room backed a set of “principles” to underpin the party’s climate and energy agenda, which included backing coal, gas and nuclear and opposing most of Labor’s emissions reduction policies, including changes to the safeguard mechanism to curb pollution at major industrial sites. After Thursday’s meeting, three Liberals and three Nationals will be tasked with thrashing out a joint Coalition position, which will be put to the joint party room on Sunday. Updated at 12.15am GMT 10.16pm GMT Victoria signs first formal treaty with Indigenous traditional owners The state of Victoria has officially signed the first formal treaty with Indigenous traditional owners. The premier, Jacinta Allan, signed the document this morning alongside the co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly, Rueben Berg, and Natalie Hutchins, the minister for treaty. Related: Australia’s first formal treaty with Indigenous traditional owners passed in Victoria The document establishes the First Peoples’ Assembly as a permanent representative body to advise the state government. The assembly will be able to make representations, provide advice and question ministers. Ministers and departments will also be required to consult the assembly on laws and policies related to first peoples. Updated at 10.19pm GMT 10.03pm GMT Fortune teller arrested for alleged role in multimillion-dollar fraud scheme Two women, including one claiming to be a feng shui master and fortune teller, have been arrested and charged for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar fraud and money-laundering operation in Sydney. NSW police said the arrests are part of a growing investigation into a scheme to purchase luxury “ghost cars” that did not exist using allegedly stolen personal information to apply for false loans. The two women, 53 and 25, were arrested yesterday in Sydney’s Dover Heights. Police said the older woman “allegedly exploited vulnerable clients within the Vietnamese community by persuading them to take out financial loans – while taking a share herself – based on her prediction that there was a ‘billionaire’ in their future”. The alleged fraud is estimated to total nearly $70m. The older woman was charged with 39 offences, including 19 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception. She was refused bail and will appear in court today. The younger woman was charged with multiple counts, but was granted conditional bail to appear in court in January. Seventeen other people have been arrested as part of the broader investigation, Strike Force Myddleton, and remain before the courts. The NSW Crime Commission has now frozen $75m in assets linked to the alleged syndicate. Updated at 10.18pm GMT 9.51pm GMT Real estate agents face $110,000 fine for underquoting under new laws in NSW Real estate agents in New South Wales could be fined $110,000 or more if caught underquoting properties under proposed new laws intended to stamp out misleading price estimates and increase transparency for buyers. The Minns Labor government has started consultation with the property sector as it prepares to draft legislation to enact tougher underquoting laws, which it expects to introduce to parliament next year. Underquoting is a tactic used by some agents who advertise a property for less than the estimated selling price or the owner’s asking price in order to lure buyers and drum up competition. It is against federal consumer law to underquote, and most states, including NSW, have additional regulations to further discourage the practice. Read more here: Related: Real estate agents face $110,000 fine for underquoting under new laws in NSW Updated at 9.54pm GMT 9.24pm GMT Teal MP says net zero debate signalling ‘death knell of the Liberal party’ Teal independent MP Sophie Scamps said the Coalition’s position on net zero policies signals the “death knell” of the Liberal party as Sussan Ley appears poised to dump emissions targets. Scamps appears on the Today Show this morning, where she was asked about apparent wins yesterday in Canberra by conservatives looking to dump the net zero targets. Scamps said: I think it signals the death knell of the Liberal party. They’ve been led around by the nose by the likes of Barnaby Joyce and Gina Rinehart for way too long. We have been facing climate change, which is the issue of our era, and the Liberal party and the Nats have failed to act now for 25 years. Not only have they failed to act, but they’ve also failed to lead and they’ve obstructed action on this. We know that the cheapest form of electricity is renewable energy. We would like to be way further ahead, but unfortunately, we had a Coalition that blocked action for many decades and that’s why people are moving away from the Liberal party in droves. Updated at 9.30pm GMT 9.07pm GMT Wong says Coalition wars over climate change ‘fused in their minds’ The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said this morning the Coalition “still haven’t learned” in its fight over net zero policies. Wong spoke to ABC News this morning, saying the opposition was seeing the same infighting over climate change as it has for the past 15 years. She said: What we see the Coalition is the same conflict, the same climate chaos, the same leadership wars which has defined them on this issue for, you know, what is it, 15 more years. What is the consequence? Well, we’ve seen it. The consequence is higher energy prices … What we need is policy certainty. That’s what the Albanese government is giving. The Coalition still haven’t learned – the climate wars and leadership contests have become fused in their minds for almost 15 years and it all continues. Updated at 9.14pm GMT 8.51pm GMT Liberal senator says those seeking to drop net zero commitments for political win are ‘wrong’ Andrew McLachlan, a Liberal senator from South Australia, said Coalition colleagues who believe scrapping net zero commitments will help them politically are “wrong”. McLachlan spoke to RN Breakfast this morning after members of the opposition met in Canberra to discuss their stance on net zero. Sussan Ley is poised to dump the target after the meeting after senior MPs advocated for doing so. Related: Liberals poised to dump net zero target after majority reject policy in marathon five-hour meeting McLachlan said he is a “big supporter” of Ley, but said those seeking to abandon net zero pledges would fly against momentum in business and the opinions of the broader community. He told RN Breakfast: I’ve been in the Liberal party a long time. There’s been good days and bad days. You pick yourself up, you move forward, and you fight for your values. I’m passionate about the natural world. I think, as a person of a conservative disposition, I owe it to advocate for it. … I wouldn’t be advocating for net zero if I didn’t think it was important. I do so because I have a strong commitment to emissions reductions, but I also think it’s exceptionally good politics, but that’s my secondary factor. … I’m a financial services executive before I came to parliament. I lived every day under targets. I don’t know why there’s a fear of targets. Updated at 9.04pm GMT 8.36pm GMT Measles alert issued for north Brisbane Queensland Health issued an alert after a confirmed case of measles spent time in two hospitals last Saturday, warning members of the public to be on alert for signs and symptoms of the virus. The confirmed case spent several hours at Brisbane Northside Emergency at St Vincent’s private hospital in Chermside between 8am and 12pm on Saturday 8 November. They also spent time at North West private hospital in Everton Park between 12pm and 1pm that day. ⚠️ #Measles alert for Gold Coast, Brisbane and Wide Bay⚠️Find out more: https://t.co/63TlfdWFFu pic.twitter.com/ByZ6WFzCaj— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) November 12, 2025 The health department said “members of the public who visited the above areas on the specified dates and times may have been exposed to the disease and need to be alert for symptoms for up to three weeks from the exposure date”: Measles is a highly infectious virus that is spread by coughing and sneezing or through direct contact with secretions from the nose or mouth. Symptoms usually start 7-10 days after contact with an infected person but can sometimes take as long as three weeks. The measles virus is also airborne and can spread via aerosols which can survive for up to two hours in the air after an infected person leaves a room. Early symptoms include fever, lethargy, runny nose, moist cough and sore red eyes, followed a few days later by a blotchy, red rash that often starts on the face before spreading to the body. Updated at 8.43pm GMT 8.18pm GMT Victoria government to lengthen family violence orders and change stalking laws Victoria will reform stalking laws to create better clarity about the offence, under proposed laws to be introduced by the state government on Thursday. The Allan government will also introduce legislation to create a two-year minimum term for all family violence intervention orders to reduce the number of times victim-survivors need to go to court. The stalking reform involves creating better clarity over what constitutes a stalking offence under state legislation. It was a key recommendation from a 2022 report commissioned after the murder of Melbourne woman Celeste Manno in 2020. Last year Luay Sako pleaded guilty to murdering his former colleague after stalking her. As part of a suite of reforms to strengthen family violence orders, courts will extend the length of these to align with a perpetrator’s prison sentence if they are behind bars. An additional 12 months will be added after the perpetrator is released from prison to help reduce the heightened family violence risk at this time. Updated at 8.25pm GMT 8.11pm GMT Good morning, and happy Thursday – Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s see what the day has in store. 7.56pm GMT 100 community groups call on parliament to reject nature law reforms More than 100 community groups have called on the federal parliament to reject the Albanese government’s legislation to reform Australia’s nature laws. In a letter, which was expected to be handed to the environment minister Murray Watt last night, 130 organisations said the proposed changes to national laws would take environmental protection and community rights and interests backwards: We are dismayed that the Albanese government has put forward national environment law reform that experts tell us will take us backwards – backwards on protecting environments, backwards on integrity, and backwards on community rights and interests. The signatories include more than 60 regional conservation councils and environment groups and 19 national organisations such as 350.org Australia, Friends of the Earth Australia and Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action. The groups are concerned about several aspects of the bills, including a new streamlined assessment process that reduces community consultation and fast-tracks approvals, a proposal to hand approval powers under national laws to state and territory governments, and a new “pay to destroy” environmental offsets scheme. Georgina Woods, head of research and investigations at the Lock the Gate Alliance, said the reforms took “a hatchet to already inadequate environmental protections and the public’s right to participate in decisions that affect us all”: Kirsty Howey from the Environment Centre NT said the government had promised laws that would protect nature but instead “they’re fast-tracking destruction” and the legislation locked out regional communities on the frontlines of the biodiversity and climate crises: This is a message from the heart and soul of the environment movement. Grassroots groups across the country say no to Labor’s nature law betrayal. Related: Will Labor’s environment laws actually address Australia’s biodiversity crisis? Five reasons to be concerned Updated at 8.10pm GMT 7.51pm GMT Liberals to unveil their energy policy Following a “constructive” meeting of the Liberal party yesterday (Dan Tehan’s words) that went for nearly five hours, the party will today reveal its energy policy with the likelihood that it will be dumping the net zero by 2050 target. The shadow energy minister, who has been charged with creating the policy, spent last night writing up a submission which he’ll present to the shadow ministry at 9am this morning. At a press conference last night, Tehan gave little away, and said we’d all know the policy – which he and leader Sussan Ley will announce – by midday today. That policy will reflect two foundational principles and eight guiding principles that were handed out following yesterday’s marathon meeting. The two foundational principles are to create a stable energy grid with affordable power, and reduce emissions in a responsible way that ensures Australia “does its fair share” – in that order. The eight guiding principles include: putting affordable energy first, technology neutrality, a commitment to Paris (but with no legislated mandates or interim targets), social licence requirements for electricity infrastructure and scrapping carbon taxes, tariffs and mandates such as the national vehicle emissions standards. Updated at 8.08pm GMT 7.40pm GMT Aurora lights up night sky Stargazers were given a rare treat last night when the southern lights were visible across wide parts of the Australian night sky. A severe solar storm had paved the way for the spectacular display of aurora australis, particularly in Victoria and as far north as the Blue Mountains where they were seen over the Three Sisters near Katoomba. Aurora Australis putting on a great display over the 3 sisters at echo point, Katoomba, Blue Mountains tonight... pic.twitter.com/YA4JOkjLyH— Ben Pearse (@benjaminpearse) November 12, 2025 The lights were also seen in New Zealand. Updated at 7.48pm GMT 7.30pm GMT Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, setting the scene for the day, and then it will be Nick Visser to guide you though the day. We’re expecting to hear Sussan Ley announce whether or not the Liberal party is going to keep its net zero commitment or follow the Nationals in ditching the policy. After yesterday’s marathon five-hour party room meeting, the shadow cabinet will hear the verdict from Dan Tehan at 9am and then we expect to hear from the leader in public by midday. More coming up. Stargazers were given a rare treat last night when the southern lights were visible across wide parts of the Australian night sky. We have some pictures coming up. More than 100 community groups have written an open letter to all federal MPs and senators urging them to reject the Albanese government’s legislation to reform Australia’s nature laws. The letter, signed by groups such as Lock the Gate Alliance and Friends of the Earth, says the reforms “take us backwards”. More details shortly.