Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher saying it is “entirely proper” to ask questions about the “security implications” of people arriving in Australia from Gaza, Australian productivity inappropriate with wage increases, Australia has the highest life expectancy among English-speaking countries, and Heavy downpours put emergency services on high alert in Queensland and New South Wales.
Politics
Peter Dutton is demanding answers to the appropriate questions about Gaza refugees
Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher says it is “entirely proper” to ask questions about the “security implications” of people arriving in Australia from Gaza, Sky News reported. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called for a total ban on people coming in from Gaza as the Albanese government prepares to grant visas to Palestinians fleeing the Israel-Hamas war. “What steps are the government taking to satisfy themselves that we are not having Hamas sympathizers or supporters coming into Australia,” Mr Fletcher said. “These are appropriate questions in relation to the national security implications for Australia.”
Business
Australian productivity is at a standstill despite the continued rise in wages
Rabobank global strategist Michael Every said growing wages, currently outpacing inflation, will create economic issues in Australia, Sky News has reported. “If we can get productivity up, then you can have wage growth, and everyone wins; in Australia, productivity is completely zero, so that’s the real issue,” Mr Every said. “Well, it’s got to be more on the government than the RBA, surely. The RBA certainly has a role in it, and they can jawbone all they like, and the interest rate does have an impact at the margin.”
Health
Australia has the highest life expectancy among English-speaking countries
BMJ Open found that Australians outlive their peers in five high-income English-speaking countries, including the UK and the US, by 1 to 4 years, news-medical.net reported. While English-speaking high-income countries have much in common, they also have notable differences, including inequality in their healthcare and welfare systems, racial and ethnic composition, and immigration history. Specifically, Australia has a 4 to 5-year life expectancy advantage over the USA and a 1 to 2.5-year advantage over Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and the UK.
Regions
Heavy downpours put emergency services on high alert
The Guardian reported that emergency services are poised to carry out rescues as record-breaking downpours have soaked parts of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. NSW State Emergency Service spokesperson Andrew Edmunds said an incident management team had been set up in Lismore to coordinate flood rescues. Crews had already responded to 163 incidents and three flood rescues across the state within 48 hours.
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