Brittany Higgins’ payout $2.4m, not $2.3m

ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

The Commonwealth didn’t admit any legal responsibility within the settlement between it and Brittany Higgins which really got here to $2.445 million, The Australian ($) reviews. It means Higgins was incorrect to say within the Federal Court docket earlier this week through the Bruce Lehrmann defamation swimsuit each that it was $2.3 million, because the AFR ($) reported, and that the federal government had admitted it breached its obligation of care, as Guardian Australia reported. Right here’s the carve up: $400,000 for damage, misery and humiliation; $1,480,000 as a capital cost for lack of incomes capability; $220,000 for medical and like bills arising from the alleged sexual assault; $100,000 for previous and future home help; $245,000 to cowl authorized prices. The deed didn’t say Higgins couldn’t make additional claims in opposition to former Liberal ministers Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Money, which neither reportedly knew about.

In the meantime, conservative broadcaster Alan Jones says he’ll sue over the SMH’s ($) investigation into allegations he indecently assaulted younger males, which he denies. Radio station 2GB’s Ray Hadley says he lower ties with Jones after he heard allegations some time again, however billionaire James Packer backed Jones (he was a multimillion-dollar investor in Jones’ Australian Digital Holdings). Talking of billionaires… Australia’s second-richest particular person says fossil-fuel corporations could have “blood on their fingers” and paid for adverts within the AFR, The New York Occasions, and the Occasions of India accusing polluters of ignoring the science, Guardian Australia reviews. Mining boss Andrew Forrest — who has vowed to succeed in zero emissions by 2030 at Forestcue  — spoke at COP28 in Dubai, noting that “the petrostate and fossil-fuel sector despatched 1000’s and 1000’s of lobbyists right here”. It comes as Santos and Woodside are speaking about merging, the AFR ($) reviews, which’d carry their market worth to nearly $80 billion.

MORE AUKUS AWKS

The Australian authorities has quietly commited one other $3 billion in the direction of the US shipyards constructing AUKUS submarines, Rex Patrick writes for Michael West Media, on high of the $4.7 billion we’ve already promised. Patrick says the US Protection Safety Co-operation Company posted an announcement on its web site that confirmed the determine to go to Huntington Ingalls Industries, Common Dynamics Electrical Boat and the US Protection firm, System Planning and Evaluation Inc, over the subsequent three years. It’ll be used to offer “the tools to coach Royal Australian Navy crews in areas reminiscent of submarine navigation, communications, ship management and different capabilities”.

In the meantime Assistant International Affairs Minister Tim Watts will go to Israel (and Qatar and Egypt) subsequent week forward of International Affairs Minister Penny Wong’s journey early subsequent yr, The Australian ($) reviews. Watts will condemn Hamas terrorist assaults and “elevate the plight of civilians in Gaza”, because the paper put it. The federal government desires “continued steps in the direction of a sustained ceasefire”, Watts says, however it “can’t be one-sided”. Rigorously worded or weak as water? You resolve. Wong acknowledged yesterday that her language concerning the battle didn’t go “so far as some would possibly need”, Guardian Australia reviews, however says she actually was apprehensive about civilians dying. It comes because the SMH ($) reviews one of many actors who donned a keffiyeh, a Palestinian scarf, after a Sydney Theatre Firm play, inflicting sponsors to take their money and stroll, has promised to put on it each evening of the season.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Australians wouldn’t get computerized entry to the NDIS primarily based on a medical analysis anymore in a sweeping evaluation that made 26 suggestions and an additional 140 actions, the ABC reviews. As an alternative eligibility could be primarily based on how a lot their incapacity impacts their day by day life. One other main change will pressure all NDIS help suppliers to register — about 16,000 are, however 154,000 should not. Apparently, a few quarter of all NDIS members are youngsters underneath 9. This comes as taxpayers forked out $33 million for a psychological well being app that didn’t assist our well being, based on a examine that Guardian Australia reviews on. The cash was awarded to the principally PwC and College of Sydney-owned Innowell with out a tender through the Turnbull years.

Talking of the non-public sector — enterprise teams representing corporations together with BHP and Qantas could be furious right now after Employment Minister Tony Burke made a take care of Senate crossbenchers to cross his same-job, same-pay legal guidelines, The Age ($) reviews. Below the modifications, employers who underpay employees on objective might be jailed for as much as 10 years or fined $7.8 million, quite than solely being compelled to pay again employees. However locations with 15 or fewer workers will likely be exempt. This comes as McDonald’s Australia copped a $100 million class motion for allegedly asking workers to work one hour every shift without spending a dime,  the Brisbane Occasions reviews — half-hour earlier than their shift for a “examine” and half-hour after to complete handover. Get ‘im!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

The world’s oldest dwelling land animal — an enormous tortoise named Jonathan — has simply turned 191 alongside his male associate of 26 years. He’s lived on the attractive island of Saint Helena since 1882, when he was 50. Sure, that makes Jonno’s delivery yr 1832, earlier than the invention of the phone, the {photograph} and even the postage stamp, as euronews writes. When he was born, of us, we didn’t even know dinosaurs existed. He’s misplaced his sense of sight and odor within the many many years since, however he’s very pleased and wholesome, his vet Joe Hollins advised Guinness World Data, spending his days roaming slowly by the grounds of the governor’s home.

It wasn’t all the time so. In the course of the Nineteen Eighties when a lot of the world suffered an financial despair, Jonno battled a private bout. He appears actually lonely, consultants mentioned (presumably spending time in his shell listening to Bob Dylan, or mournfully consuming ice cream proper out of the carton). Enter Frederica in 1991, a beautiful fellow big tortoise, who evidently lit Jonno’s unhappy outdated coronary heart on hearth. The 2 swiftly turned companions however by no means had any youngsters, with consultants shrugging that possibly they preferred their life the best way it was. Some 26 years later, it turned out Frederica was really Fred. The fervour burns as vibrant as ever, Hollins says. He nonetheless has a “good libido”. Good for him.

Hoping you’re feeling younger at coronary heart right now too, and have a restful weekend.

SAY WHAT?

To date, this prime minister is healthier identified for days on the tennis, or spinning discs on his DJ deck, in addition to abroad journey making him look indulgent when he’s imagined to working for the nation 24/7.

Peta Credlin

Credlin’s personal office, Information Corp, perpetuated the time period “Airbus Albo” to denigrate Anthony Albanese’s official journeys abroad for work even former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull counseled as furthering Australian outcomes.

CRIKEY RECAP

Seven’s glory bathtub, Haigh tears into the Oz, and an unintentional cricket slur

“As an alternative of the standard ‘PAK’ to indicate Pakistan in a sporting context, Fox’s ticker learn “PAKI 0-0” to start the four-day fixture. These extra culturally educated amongst it’s possible you’ll notice that ‘Paki’ is a well-established slur for Pakistanis and different South Asians, originating from the UK and courting again so far as the Sixties.

“A Cricket Australia spokesperson advised Crikey: ‘The graphic was an computerized feed from an information supplier which had not been used beforehand for a Pakistan sport. This was clearly regrettable, and an error we corrected manually as quickly because it got here to gentle.’ “

READ ALL ABOUT IT

UN secretary-general invokes Article 99 on Gaza (Al Jazeera)

Russia hacking: ‘FSB in years-long cyber assaults on UK’, says authorities (BBC)

Takeaways from the fourth Republican presidential debate (CNN)

50 days in Hamas captivity — Thai man recollects beatings and bleakness (Reuters)

Is ‘one thing particular’ occurring at COP28? Campaigners and delegates are divided (euronews)

[Canadian] authorities unveils framework to cap oil and gasoline emissions at 35% to 38% beneath 2019 ranges (CBC)

THE COMMENTARIAT

Albanese authorities’s 2023 temper board had extra turtle doves than ever materialised — Annabel Crabb and Brett Worthington (ABC): “Apparently, not everybody in cupboard is having a foul time of it. Tanya Plibersek — the previous deputy Labor chief whose cheap expectations of being schooling minister in 2022 had been unceremoniously thwarted by her factional rival and brand-new PM Albanese, who as a substitute chucked her the atmosphere portfolio full with the exploding cigar that’s accountability for water administration — is bowling alongside quite properly.

“The Murray-Darling Basin Plan is a doc whose drafting and amendments have despatched many a minister gray earlier than their time. Farmers, irrigators, environmental activists, scientists — each single social gathering to this factor is kind of perpetually dissatisfied. And but, Plibersek seems to be contemporary as a daisy after final week touchdown the deal on the plan, and this week getting the Greens on board to cross the Nature Restore Invoice. However mainly it permits farmers, useful resource corporations and so forth to be rewarded for good environmental observe.”

Faux white benevolence stifles truth-telling — Nat Cromb (IndigenousX): “Reality is one thing that we grapple with early on; we’re doing ourselves no favours to decorate and exaggerate, as a result of we discovered the laborious means that infantile confidence and bravado is fleeting and nation humbles us. The child who overstates his swimming means however is thrust into deep water off the tube he might not cling to is treading water for less than so lengthy till he’s calling for assist (true story). We discover the reality by statement and expertise. When mob converse the reality, it isn’t a fact we learn in a guide written by somebody with a slim lens meant to show us we’re ‘fortunate’ to be who we’re, dwelling within the nation we reside in, with the ‘society’ that we’ve.

“Our fact is uncooked. Nonetheless, our propensity for honesty usually chafes in opposition to the individuals round us, the establishments and the leaders. In a world the place ‘how’ you current is extra vital than what you say; we’re understandably alienated from the Western machine. In a rustic the place your pores and skin color, your elocution, your clothes and your gender identification are simply among the issues that will likely be weighed in opposition to the phrases that come out of your mouth in deciding whether or not you might be to be believed, and whether or not you’ve worth. Your vindication lies in whether or not you match the mould of this settler benevolence that’s synonymous with innocence, or whether or not you might be foreign money for use to display mentioned settler benevolence.”

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE

WHAT’S ON TODAY

On-line

• Creator Thomas Keneally will discuss his new guide, A Bloody Good Rant, in a webinar for the Australia Institute.

Whadjuk Noongar Nation (also called Perth)

Eora Nation Nation (also called Sydney)

• The World Financial Discussion board’s Cathy Li, Google’s James Manyika, the Council of Small Enterprise Organisations of Australia’s Luke Achterstraat, the Productiveness Fee’s Rosalyn Bell, Amazon’s Tim Bradley and extra will converse at CEDA’s AI summit on the 4 Seasons

• Editor Esther Anatolitis will launch Meanjin Summer season, joined by poets Glenn McPherson and Tina Huang, and writers Em Meller and Daniel Nour, at Higher Learn Than Useless bookshop.