Key posts
- Ex-Greens leader says Labor to blame if safeguard mechanism falters
- AG wants urgent advice from AFP after Lidia Thorpe tackled at protest
- UK central bank lifts interest rates despite banking turmoil
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
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Ex-Greens leader says Labor to blame if safeguard mechanism falters
Former Greens leader Christine Milne says it would be fair and reasonable for the Greens to block the Albanese government’s signature climate policy if the minor party’s demands to veto new coal and gas projects are not met, and put the onus on Labor to find a solution.
The former Tasmanian senator – who led the Greens from 2012 to 2015 and was deputy leader in 2009 when the party blocked the Rudd government’s emissions trading scheme – argued the safeguard mechanism was not enough to address the threats of climate change.
She is the second former Greens leader to speak out on the policy after party founder Bob Brown weighed in on Wednesday.
Christine Milne says it would be fair and reasonable for the Greens to block the safeguard mechanism if the party’s demands to veto new coal and gas are not met.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Greens leader Adam Bandt has demanded the federal government veto any new coal or gas projects in return for his party’s crucial Senate support for the safeguard mechanism, which will impose pollution limits on the nation’s 215 biggest carbon emitters.
More on the safeguard mechanism debate is available here.
AG wants urgent advice from AFP after Lidia Thorpe tackled at protest
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he is seeking urgent advice from the commissioner of the Australian Federal Police after independent senator Lidia Thorpe was tackled by an officer after trying to confront an anti-trans rally outside Parliament House.
Dreyfus said the footage of Thorpe going to the ground after being grabbed by a police officer on the parliament lawn was “concerning”, while Thorpe’s former Greens’ colleagues have also sought a briefing from police as soon as possible about the clash.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe is manhandled after attempting to disrupt British anti-transgender rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also at an anti-trans rally outside Parliament House..Credit:AAP
“I have sought urgent advice from the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. The AFP has announced it has referred the incident to the AFP’s professional standards command for investigation,” Dreyfus said.
Greens leader Adam Bandt said, “this is very concerning to see. The AFP needs to explain how this occurred.”
Read what happened here.
UK central bank lifts interest rates despite banking turmoil
The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter-point to 4.25 per cent to combat double-digit inflation, the 11th successive hike in less than 18 months.
The decision followed both the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve’s move to increase their benchmark rates in the past week, despite turmoil in the banking sector, which was partly triggered by tighter monetary policy.
The Bank of England has raised UK interest rates.Credit:AP
It lifts UK interest rates to their highest since October 2008, early in the financial crisis, when the bank rate was 4.5 per cent. It also comes after inflation took a surprise leap to 10.4 per cent in February. Inflation hit a 41-year high at 11.1 per cent in October.
More on this courtesy our Europe correspondent here.
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning, and thanks for your company.
It’s Friday, March 24. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started:
- Rental properties will be expensive and hard to get for years to come as sluggish home construction and continued demand contribute to rising rent.
- Former Greens leader Christine Milne says Labor would be to blame if climate reform fails over future coal and gas projects.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are divided on the Voice referendum, as the prime minister acknowledges the risk but says, “we’re all in”.
- Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and others want the Australian Federal Police commissioner to provide urgent advice after independent senator Lidia Thorpe was tackled when she tried to confront an anti-trans rally outside Parliament House.
- Voters in NSW will head to the polls tomorrow for the state election, and according to the Herald’s editorial they face a genuinely difficult decision.
- In Victoria, the state’s opposition leader expects the Liberal Party to consider expelling a controversial MP if he ousts her from parliamentary ranks at a party room meeting next week.
- Overseas, the UK central bank has lifted interest rates despite turmoil, which is the 11th successive hike in less than 18 months.
- And the boss of TikTok has been grilled by US legislators who are convinced the app should be barred.
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