Labor blasted for jobseeker stance; tributes flow for Father Bob; and Melbourne’s endless suburban sprawl

By Antoun Issa

Good afternoon. The Labor government has been roundly criticised for?ignoring calls?from its own experts to substantially lift the jobseeker rate.

The Greens, members of the crossbench and anti-poverty advocates?came out firing today, with Adam Bandt saying Labor was “becoming a centre-right government”.

And in sad news, Father Bob Maguire – the beloved Melbourne priest who defiantly and tirelessly advocated for the underdog – has?died aged 88.

Top news

• Jobseeker row |?The independent senator David Pocock has said voters will hold Labor to account for its failure to significantly increase jobseeker. “It appears that this Labor government can find extra money for just about anything – from inland rail cost blowouts to submarines – but it won’t do more to protect the most vulnerable,”?he said. Labor’s Bill Shorten?conceded?he “couldn’t live” on the current jobseeker rate, but said the government had to be “responsible”.
• Labor accused of stalling on EVs |?More affordable electric car choices are coming, but not any time soon, if the federal government’s?new EV strategy?is any guide. The strategy promises fuel efficiency standards – in line with most OECD countries – that would improve the range of EVs in the Australian market, but only after a period of consultation, with legislation possible by the end of the year. John Grimes of the Smart Energy Council expressed concern “that the can just keeps being kicked down the road”, pointing to a “very concerted campaign by the fossil fuel car industry” to delay reforms that would boost EV uptake.
• Father Bob Maguire dies |?“Our nation has just lost a hero,” the New South Wales premier Chris Minns wrote, as one of the many tributes flowing for the “social justice warrior”.?Read our obituary?for the priest who was loved by the poor, but not by the Catholic hierarchy.
• Daniel Andrews defiant after Ibac finding |?The Victorian premier has denied power is centralised in his office,?after an anti-corruption inquiry found?a $1.2m contract was awarded to a union due to pressure applied by Victorian government advisers. The Ibac investigation – dubbed Operation Daintree – did not make any findings of corruption against Andrews. But it found staff in the health minister’s and premier’s private office “improperly influenced” health department officials to award a training contract to the Health Workers Union.
• Witness J’s secret jailing decision released |?The long-sought sentencing remarks in the case of Witness J – a man who was trialled and jailed in complete secrecy for the disclosure of confidential information – reveal that?not even his mother knew?he was behind bars. Secrecy is “anathema to the rule of law”, the ACT’s chief justice Lucy McCallum said, amid calls for the federal government to change laws to prevent secret trials.
• China’s fifth Antarctic base |?Satellite images show?building work has resumed on the base?for the first time since 2018 amid concern about Beijing’s growing polar presence. Western governments worry China’s increasing presence in the polar regions could provide it with better surveillance capabilities.
• Iowa child labour |?The Republican-controlled?state senate has voted to allow?children to work longer hours and serve alcohol. “No Iowa teenager should be working in America’s deadliest jobs,” said Zach Wahls, the senate minority leader. “Iowa Republican politicians want to solve the … workforce crisis on the literal backs of children.”
• NYC parking garage collapses |?Concrete floors?fell on top of one another?in a parking garage in lower Manhattan, killing one person and injuring five. “We freaked out. Given the history of this place, it’s a little scary,” said a 19-year-old bystander.
• Dominion wins but the public loses |?Fox News has avoided a trial that would have opened the company to scrutiny. Who really gains as a result? Read?this analysis.

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