Albanese, Giles advisers photographed in Nikki Haley merch

BE-GILING

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s senior adviser Zack Drury has been photographed with conservative US presidential candidate Nikki Haley sporting an “I choose Nikki” badge, The Australian ($) stories. Each Drury and Jesse Northfield, who’s Immigration Minister Andrew Giles‘ chief of workers, have been snapped along with Haley at her rally in Iowa Metropolis. So what can we find out about Haley? She’s anti-abortion, anti-trans rights, anti-UN Human Rights Council and anti-Trump’s impeachment. Labor sources advised the Oz the staffer pair have been on go away on the time, and the pic has since been deleted from social media. It comes as Albanese mentioned International Affairs Minister Penny Wong’s journey to the Center East was “not about a possibility for a photograph op,” The Age stories, after going through criticism from the suitable about not visiting the positioning of October 7’s bloodbath.

Again to Giles a second, and one of many stateless detainees free of immigration detention is suing the immigration minister for “aggravated” and “compensatory” damages, Guardian Australia stories. Often called DVU18, the Kurdish man was launched following a November Excessive Courtroom resolution that discovered the federal government couldn’t indefinitely maintain former offenders who had accomplished their sentence however had no place to be deported to. Respectfully, no shit. The paper says the case, which will even problem the ankle bracelet and curfew situations, might show an essential precedent for the roughly 150 folks launched.

SAY AI DO?

The Lawyer-Common’s Division is utilizing AI platforms like ChatGPT, The West ($) stories. Liberal Senator Jane Hume advised the paper practically half of the 75 departments and companies that responded to her query both allowed AI or didn’t ban it — The Australian Nationwide Audit Workplace, for example, says it doesn’t use it for official biz however workers can entry it on their work laptops. AgriFutures Australia, which funds analysis and growth, makes use of it for social media posts and for writing speeches, whereas The Clear Power Finance Company makes use of it as an “alternate search engine”. Hume desires a constant strategy.

To a different accusation of inconsistency now and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas says his state’s Voice to Parliament is “essentially totally different” to the federal physique put ahead in the course of the failed referendum, Sky Information Australia stories, after his state proved a majority No voter within the nationwide ballot. Mali says the controversy was largely associated to enshrining the Voice within the structure, not the creation of an advisory physique — and SA’s Voice exists outdoors of the founding doc. The SA premier can also be within the information for his assist of the stage three tax cuts amid rumours Labor rank-and-file celebration members need them scrapped, The Advertiser says. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed final evening the reforms would go forward — they’ll substitute the 37c tax bracket utilized to incomes between $120,000 and $180,000 with a 30c tax fee from $45,000 to $200,000.

HEALTH / COSTS

Not less than 20 individuals who died at music festivals wouldn’t have if we launched widespread pill-testing, a brand new report by way of the Brisbane Occasions says, as a result of the MDMA of their system was above the overdose restrict. In the event that they’d recognized how lethal it was, Monash Uni’s Jennifer Schumann concluded, they’d probably by no means have taken the tablet or cap. In the meantime we’ll want 1,000,000 new GP visits a 12 months for 450,000 Australians in search of nicotine vapes, in line with the Division of Well being. However the SMH stories “low bulk-billing charges, excessive hole charges and regional well being deserts” might see folks persist with the black market as a substitute, which might torpedo Well being Minister Mark Butler’s world-first vape reforms. The report additionally identified a price barrier: refillable vapes will price as much as $150 from pharmacies, whereas the now-banned single-use ones price as little as $20.

To different value information now and the patron watchdog could sue “an enormous grocery store chain” because the AFR reasonably cryptically places it. ACCC chair Gina Cass–Gottlieb mentioned a “was, now” tactic (the place a store places up the worth briefly earlier than slapping a reduction price ticket excessive) has been the supply of complaints. TikTok customers have additionally been filming inconsistencies between the low cost tag’s “prior” value and the worth beneath it. It comes as Queensland Premier Steven Miles will meet with grocery store executives as we speak after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned there was a discrepancy between what the farmer will get paid and what we pay on the until. Yesterday The Courier-Mail reported the price of our groceries had doubled in three years. Dismal.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

You’ve bought to see the rat gap, a lethal critical Hayley Hudson advised her pal Windslow Dumaine when he advised her he was visiting Chicago. Not the Bean at Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Riverwalk, or Wrigley Subject — the rat gap is the vacationer attraction within the reasonably chilly metropolis. The artist was mystified by the instruction however dutifully jotted down the residential tackle and made his strategy to the spot in query. When he arrived on the nondescript tree-lined road, he burst into laughter. It actually was a rat gap, no two methods about it — a rat-shaped indent within the concrete sidewalk on West Roscoe Road, an obvious belly-flop full with the define of 4 paws and a tail. It was “viscerally foolish,” he advised The Washington Submit ($) (sure, they reported on this).

What’s it concerning the rat gap that simply feels so joyful? Dumaine says it’s an ideal instance of visible storytelling. Taking a look at it, precisely what went down, extending “throughout language limitations” and even time — “You possibly can present this to somebody 500 years in the past, they might know precisely what occurred,” he mentioned. So when did the rat gap turn into so? Locals say it was really most likely a squirrel that briefly fell into the contemporary cement from a tree that has since been reduce down. It makes it funnier, one neighbour mentioned, that passersby will cease and go searching, questioning how the rat gap got here to be. However the symbolism is wealthy for gritty Chicagoans — all of us, actually. “That rat fell in that cement, brushed himself off and went to work,” Dumaine mentioned.

Hoping you will be just like the rat, as we speak and all the time.

SAY WHAT?

No quantity of fairy bread buns can redeem Woolworths for its un-Australian resolution or its thinly disguised disparagement of a rustic nearly each migrant regards with undiluted affection.

Nick Cater

Spare a thought for conservative opinion writers throughout the nation who should by some means shove nuanced and poignant conversations about race and id each January into embarrassingly small scandals — this 12 months, a easy provide and demand resolution made by a grocer about some low-cost merchandise.

CRIKEY RECAP

Prepare for a proper royal flush of embarrassment — there’s an Australian-born queen

King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark (Picture: DPPA/Sipa USA)

“We additionally study that ‘the couple’s stipend of $416,000 a month from the Danish authorities will enhance considerably’, which is good to listen to. To her credit score, Magnay doesn’t associate with the various shops that insist on referring to her as ‘our Mary’ (the brand new queen renounced her Australian citizenship a long time in the past).

“In the meantime, over on the ABC, take a look at this actually unforgivable little bit of clickbait: ‘Denmark’s King Frederik wished a low-key ascension. However one factor he noticed introduced him to tears’. Spoiler: it was the crowds. Actually the crowds gathered to have fun his ascension to the throne.”

Australia’s elites are souring on migration. However new knowledge reveals its advantages

“If unions are frightened about employers utilizing migrants to undercut native wages — a authentic concern, given how unscrupulous employers have exploited visa schemes in different industries like farming — the federal government ought to take into account elevating the $135,000 threshold for tradies, as a substitute of carving them out altogether.

“Even higher, it might broaden public builds alongside tradie admissions to make sure trade enlargement. Absent this, the federal government’s modest moderation of inflows could also be justifiable for now. However stress is already mounting from the suitable to curtail migration in more and more drastic and outright racist methods.”

Company Australia loves to speak about local weather motion, however fails to observe by means of on rhetoric

“The report appeared on the local weather coverage engagement of the 70 largest firms in Australia and the 25 most influential foyer teams … just one in 10 have been supportive of initiatives to cut back emissions when participating in consultations on payments and authorities methods.

“Some examples within the report included Glencore, which fought the federal government’s proposed design of the safeguard mechanism; Origin Power, which opposed obligatory nationwide power effectivity targets within the Nationwide Power Efficiency Technique; and the Minerals Council of Australia, which opposed introducing a local weather set off within the Setting Safety and Biodiversity Conservation Act.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Russia dismisses Davos dialogue on Ukrainian president’s peace plan (Al Jazeera)

Yemen: US shoots down missile from Houthi-run space fired in the direction of warship (BBC)

Brutal arctic blast expands its attain because the South offers with lethal snow and ice (CNN)

Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China (The Guardian)

German economic system dodges recession regardless of shrinking 0.3% in 2023 (Reuters)

Virtually 40% of jobs around the globe can be impacted by AI, IMF chief says (euronews)

THE COMMENTARIAT

Anthony Albanese’s navy response to the Pink Sea disaster is just too late, too gradual, too little — Cameron Stewart (The Australian) ($): “Firstly, Australia rejected the US Navy request in December to ship a warship — an asset which might have been massively helpful proper now — to the Pink Sea to assist shield transport from the Houthis. As a substitute, the federal government promised in December to “triple” the variety of ADF personnel on the Mixed Maritime Drive headquarters in Bahrain from 5 to 16. However now it seems that none of those promised additional navy personnel who have been supposed to assist the CMF beef up maritime safety within the Pink Sea have even departed Australia.

“In different phrases, the federal government has responded in gradual movement to this fast-moving disaster, which now has erupted into open warfare between US warships and Houthi terrorists. The additional ADF Pink Sea personnel will arrive, belatedly, by the top of this month. But after they do land they received’t have the ability to play any position in aiding present or future strikes in opposition to Houthis in Yemen. Why? As a result of the 39-nation CMF can not conduct offensive operations with out the settlement of all its members, which might by no means occur. That’s the reason the US and the UK performed the strikes unbiased of the CMF. So our additional navy forces that can be deployed to the CMF to help within the Pink Sea disaster received’t have the ability to do something on the pointy finish to sort out the Houthis in Yemen.”

The Submit Workplace scandal is a uncommon second of catharsis. Now, we should channel that rage — Julian Baggini (The Guardian): “Maybe essentially the most questionable function of our collective response to the Submit Workplace scandal is the important thing assumption that the villains are safely totally different from us. The extra disturbing reality is that this scandal shouldn’t be the doing of a distinct breed of human being. Tons of of staff should have been complicit: managers, auditors, IT crew members and lots of others within the Submit Workplace, authorities and Fujitsu went together with the persecution of department managers with out even elevating considerations.

“For a lot of, the aim of the continued inquiry is to establish who’s responsible and to carry them to account. A extra urgent query — one that basically must be addressed — is what made extraordinary folks complicit in such an outrage? If we’ve got already demonised these we see because the dangerous actors, possibly we don’t even ask that query. And that has repercussions. If we don’t reply it, the identical sort of complicity might happen once more. There was one thing cathartic about this collective present of anger. We’re proper to be outraged and to demand justice for the department managers. However it’s not all the time as straightforward as this to aspect with the angels.”