You may have seen some of the breathless reporting that has happened in response to Democratic New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s political run (which is ongoing).

It’s an another example of how legacy media is out of step with what is happening on the ground. The voices who have been elevated in the political bun fight would give people who only receive their news from old-school sources the impression that Mamdani was only receiving support from ‘radical’ leftists, and somehow managed to hijack the race. And yet, here is the data – support across the board when it comes to young people, including young Jewish voters (which is relevant here because of how many in the media and political establishment tried to paint Mamdani as being out-of-step with Jewish voters (particularly since he said he would not visit Israel if elected mayor – that instead he would stay in New York City and deal with NYC issues – the only Democratic candidate to do so)

The Property Council has released a statement asking its traditional political allies, the Coalition, to not go ahead with its planned move to disallow regulations for the government’s build-to-rent program.

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg announced the move yesterday, saying the program would mean people would be driven to the “nightmare of lifelong renting” (which is just reality for a lot of people, and wouldn’t be a nightmare if we actually had proper rental protections for tenants, which included leases that meant you could make a property your life long home”.

It is unlikely the Coalition will get the numbers for the disallowance motion, which means this is more of a grandstanding move than a serious threat. But it is the Coalition’s first move on housing since the election loss. The Property Council says the Coalition should be supporting increasing supply:

Property Council Chief Executive Mike Zorbas:

This is wrecking ball policy,” Mr Zorbas said
…Threatening to knock out 80,000 new rental homes will directly raise the cost of new homes for
everyone in the market.
“We should have moved on from last year’s debate to new policies that reduce last-mile
infrastructure bottlenecks, revoke daft state taxes that target new buyers and improve broken
planning systems

Are there massive issues with build-to-rent? Yes. Will it fix the housing market? No. Are there more things that can be done? Absolutely. It is just interesting to see the Coalition start to make these moves and see the instant response from the vested interest groups.

You can read more about some of the problems, here.

For some reason, even after two leading Israeli human rights groups concluded, themselves, that Israel was committing genocidal acts in Gaza, after the world’s leading humanitarian and international law groups concluded the same months ago, and even after all the on-the-ground reporting we have seen from Palestinian journalists over the last 22 months, the ABC is STILL leading on Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar claiming Anthony Albanese is ‘lying’ about Israel withholding aid from Palestinians in Gaza.

Anyone who chooses to look can see that Israel has been withholding aid from Gaza, which includes medical supplies and baby formula and has been from the beginning – it has just now hit the point that we have been warned about for months and months – irreversible stage five malnutrition.

And the first people who die in a famine are children and the elderly, who do not have the same reserves as adults.

There is no reason to lead on that story at this point of time. Of course it should be reported as part of the response, but the response in this case should not be THE story. Not when we know what is happening.

If we are actually reaching a point where even the UK (even if it is in the most cooked way possible) is now saying it will recognise Palestine as a state in September if Israel doesn’t agree to a ceasefire (which is an implicit admission that it is not, as many have claimed, Hamas who have been holding up negotiations) and there is a push coming from Westminister to have more aid and supplies immediately enter Gaza, than surely the dial has shifted enough where Australian media outlets can start reporting on what is happening in a way that does not centre Israel.

Top sporting stars who competed in the 1980 Olympics in the face of intense pressure to boycott will be honoured in the nation’s capital.

About 50 members of the 1980 Australian Olympic team will be recognised by the prime minister and opposition leader in Parliament House on Wednesday, more than four decades after defying public pressure and taking part on the controversial Moscow Games.

Contemporary athletes including triple Olympic champion Jessica Fox and Australia’s most decorated Olympian Emma McKeon will also attend, with the latter supporting her father Ron McKeon, who swam in the Moscow event.

The boycott, which was the largest in Olympic history, was a protest against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s.

Though many countries, including the United States, Japan and West Germany took part in a full boycott, Australia opted to support the action but allowed athletes to make the final call over whether they would participate.

Many faced intense pressure from the government and commentators to snub the games, and only 121 out of the 204 possible athletes ended up attending.

The Australian Olympic team’s website states it was a “sad time, with the onus on young athletes to do the dirty work of politicians”.

Those in attendance did not march behind Australia’s national flag in the opening ceremony, with athletics competitor Denise Boyd and swimmer Max Metzker instead carrying the Olympic flag.

Australia won nine medals in Moscow: two gold, two silver and five bronze.

In total, more than 45 countries boycotted the games while 80 competed.

The Productivity Commission will release its annual Closing the Gap data tonight at 10.30pm.

I haven’t seen it, but don’t expect to see too many positive moves. And somehow, culturally, we have landed in an even worse place with One Nation senators openly turning their backs on the Acknowledgement of Country, the WA Liberals voting to cut down on the bare minimum acknowledgements as well as remove the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags from any future Liberal PM’s press conferences, the Queensland government making a big song and dance about removing flags and not engaging with traditional owners over sites marked for major infrastructure projects, the NT Liberal government announcing it is reinstating spit hoods in juvenile detention centres, and no moves on the other parts of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Well done Australia.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) has issued an alert saying that the worst-case scenario of famine in Gaza is already unfolding. 

Oxfam policy lead in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Bushra Khalil said in a statement:

Israel’s genocide has thrown Gaza into the final chaotic stages of a full-blown human catastrophe. Today’s warning of an unfolding famine – one created entirely by Israel’s murderous siege – must finally rouse the international community to act with a clarity and resolve that has so far been beyond it. World leaders have been variously divided, complicit, uncaring, and collectively ineffectual in stopping Israel’s campaign of erasure. In failing to protect the Palestinian people, they have no more excuses left. Ending Israel’s genocide of Gaza is a test not only of our world order but of our collective humanity.

ir drops, and brief pauses for relative crumbs of aid, is nowhere near enough to prevent human death at an unimaginable scale. We need urgent forceful diplomacy and whatever restrictive measures are necessary in order to achieve an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, break Israel’s siege and allow humanitarian aid to flow freely and safely throughout Gaza. The hostages and unlawfully detained prisoners must be released.”

Last night, Chris Bowen also gave a speech to the Investor Group on Climate Change where he said:

Twenty years ago the Australian Parliament was debating whether to take action on climate change and some were making outrageous claims that action on climate would cost jobs and energy bills!   

A situation unthinkable today!  

If only!  

Twenty years ago Barnaby Joyce was warning that it was technically impossible for our energy grid to get 5% renewable energy.  

Well here we are, despite all the progress we have made together some debates are circular and some people with an unquenchable prejudice against renewable energy refuse to accept the evidence, the science, the economics and the common sense of our transition.  

But that’s OK, their relentless drive against modernity sees them driven further and further to fringes of the debate and the depths of Opposition.  

In all seriousness, despite the desperate rear guard action of the desperate dinosaurs of the Opposition, we have made enormous progress.  

Twenty years ago, renewable energy was a tiny proportion of our grid, the Federal Government was talking about mythical “clean coal”, disavowing the Kyoto Protocol and disputing the science.  

This term it’s likely we will see renewable energy will surpass coal as our biggest source of electricity and then surpass 50% of our energy, Australia is a key leader of international climate discussions and we are working closely with Pacific partners.  

But there is so, so much more to do.  

Chris Bowen was also asked about the Australian government response to Israel’s non-stop killing of Palestinians in Gaza. (Again, much more passive language was used).

This morning, we have reached the insane place of where the UK is ‘threatening’ to follow France and recognise Palestine as a state, IF Israel doesn’t commit to a peace process.

I mean does anyone understand just how crazy that is? A colonial power, responsible for creating the situation Palestinians are living in today, is now threatening an ‘ally’ with recognition of a state (that has always existed) if that ‘ally’ doesn’t ‘commit to peace’. The same country that just prescribed Palestine Action – a group dedicated to elevating Palestinians – as a terrorist group. This is where the world is today.

Anyway, here is what Chris Bowen was asked:

Chris Bowen. There are reports this evening that the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has convened an emergency cabinet to discuss his plan for peace in Gaza, but also for aid, further aid to get to Gaza. Would Australia as a middle power join a joint effort to ensure more aid gets into to Gaza, also ensuring that the Israelis are forced to open ports and borders to make that happen?

Bowen:

Well, I think the best thing I can do, is very warmly and strongly and positively point you to the Prime Minister’s comments.

One, his abhorrence at what has been happening in Gaza in recent times, his condemnation of that action and his statements about Australia’s role in a pathway going forward, a sensible pathway for Australia to work towards the recognition of Palestine at the right time. But also his abhorrence at the breaches of international law.

That’s a very strong statement. And to your question directly, he has made clear he has been in contact with his counterparts as the Foreign Minister has been in contact with hers.

And there is a high degree of coordination between Australia and like minded countries or middle powers, as you correctly put it. There is a very high degree of coordination there and you should expect that to continue.

Now I’m not going to comment on the details what Keir Starmer may or may not be doing because that’s a matter for the United Kingdom.

Obviously we would respond in due course. But I will point to the Prime Minister’s very, very strong comments which I wholeheartedly endorse obviously and his statements about the pathway going forward.

So is there a Plan B, if we don’t make it to 82% renewable generated power by 2032?

Chris Bowen:

It’s important that we achieve this, Sarah, as I said, not just for emissions reduction, as vital as that obviously is. But let me just make the point about reliability. I mean the biggest threat to reliability in our electricity system today is coal fired power.

Today there are, as we speak today, there are three separate coal fired power stations out, not working – not planned outage – just broken down.

This is a daily occurrence and that will happen more and more as they get older. This is not some sort of woke agenda as the Opposition would have you believe, and the Opposition is acting unbelievably recklessly here. This is vital investment for energy reliability for the future.

Again, that renewable energy backed by storage as we’re doing with the big batteries and the so far, four weeks into the programme, 16,304 home batteries all this is a very important investment in a more reliable energy grid as well as a much lower emissions one.

What does Chris Bowen think of all the predictions, including that of Ross Gaurnaut (of the Superpower Institute) that the Albanese government is going to fail in its bid to have 82% renewable generation power by 2032?

Bowen says he thinks the naysayers are wrong (in the broad) first and then says on Gaurnaut:

He has a different view about carbon taxes to me and the government. He’s never thought- he’s always thought that that was the right policy response. That’s not our view. It hasn’t been and won’t be. But what you asked me, Sarah, why do I think we’re dealing with strength? And again, I underline no complacency. We have to continue the effort, including on environmental approvals, working with the states, making sure that we’re all aligned and that’s an ongoing process and task. But why do I, why do I point to the strength again? Just in the last financial year, 4.4 gigawatts connected and a massive 15.7 gigawatts beginning the process, getting connection approval. That means they’re not built yet, but they are now approved to proceed. That’s a massive pipeline of investment that is coming. I’ve announced the expansion in the capacity investment scheme today because again, we’re dealing with strength. Every auction has been massively oversubscribed. We’re not dealing with weakness. We’re dealing with such a strong pipeline and an analysis of that pipeline to say these are good projects that, that stack up and can be built with the right policy environment. So, we are providing the right policy environment.

Gaurnaut believes in a carbon tax, and the Albanese government doesn’t, mostly because of old politics and it’s part of the ‘Australia can never have a serious discussion about this’ list because ‘Australia can never have a serious discussion about this’ so Labor won’t even look at it.