Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Australia warning Israel against a military operation in Rafah, Parliament wanting WikiLeaks founder back home, the Jobless rate hitting a two-year high, and Indonesia beating New Zealand as the top destination for Aussies.
Economy
Jobless rate hits two-year high
The jobless rate as measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics breached the four per cent threshold for the first time in two years—reaching 4.1 per cent in January, up from 3.9 per cent in December, the Australian Associated Press reported. “I wanted to put these numbers into perspective by saying that 4.1 per cent is still very low by historical standards,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said. Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said the worst result in two years was worrying and “an indication the Albanese government needs to get serious about jobs”.
https://www.aap.com.au/news/australias-jobless-rate-hits-two-year-high/
Politics
Parliament wants WikiLeaks founder back home
Australia’s parliament passed a motion with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s support calling for an end to 52-year-old WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s prosecution by the US and UK so that he can return to his family in Australia. Assange, an Australian citizen, will go to London’s High Court next week, seeking leave to appeal against his extradition to the United States for trial on espionage charges. He is accused of publishing some 700,000 confidential documents related to US military and diplomatic activities, starting in 2010, Barron’s has reported.
https://www.barrons.com/news/australian-pm-condemns-long-us-uk-pursuit-of-assange-a30681df
Australia warns Israel against military operation in Rafah
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a joint statement warning Israel of the catastrophic consequences of the planned offensive in southern Gaza, ABC has reported. “Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas,” the joint statement read. Israel has indicated it plans a large-scale military operation in Rafah, where one and a half million Palestinians have fled since the start of the war.
Travel
Indonesia beats New Zealand as top destination for Aussies
Indonesia is Australia’s favourite overseas holiday destination, with 1.37 million going there for a holiday, beating New Zealand for the first time since tourism records were kept, SBS News reported. About 1.37 million Australians travelled to Indonesia last year — with 86 per cent going for a holiday, the latest ABS statistics say, while 1.26 million travelled to New Zealand. New Zealand has consistently been the most popular destination since the ABS started recording tourism data nearly 50 years ago, with Indonesia overtaking the US as the runner-up since early 2014.
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