Here is a look at what is making news around the country today
Today’s national news has a mystery Russian diplomat sparking a national security standoff between Canberra and the Kremlin, Prime Minister Another Albanese saying he will visit China at an “appropriate time”, Australia okaying a plan to build a $34 million renewable hydrogen plant in Victoria, and Twitter being labeled as the top platform for online hate in Australia according to the eSafety Commissioner.
Politics
Russian diplomat sparks standoff in Australia
A mystery Russian diplomat sparked a national security standoff between Canberra and the Kremlin, defying Australia’s efforts to kick him off a building site near Parliament House, The Inquirer reported. Australia has blocked Russia from building a new embassy on land near Parliament House after intelligence officials warned that Moscow would use the site as a base to spy on lawmakers. Last week, Australia passed laws specifically drafted to stop the development, which sits about 400 meters away from the parliamentary precinct.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1792629/squatter-russian-diplomat-sparks-standoff-in-australia
Nation
Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to China to be scheduled at ‘appropriate time’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would set the date for a China visit at an “appropriate time” as he stressed the importance of bilateral trade, and expressed concerns about an Australian journalist being detained in Beijing, Reuters reported. Australia continued to advocate for the removal of any impediments to trade between the “two great nations”, Albanese said. China in May said it was set to resume imports of Australian timber days after Trade Minister Don Farrell returned from a trip to Beijing. A visit by Foreign Minister Penny Wong in December was followed weeks later by the resumption of coal shipments.
Industry
Australia to construct renewable hydrogen plant
Plans for a $34 million renewable hydrogen plant in Victoria have been approved, federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has said. He said the 10-megawatt electrolyser to be built in Wodonga would be the biggest in Australia, and be used to blend green hydrogen into gas networks to supply around 40,000 homes, Reuters reported. The construction of the new electrolyser for producing low-emission hydrogen from renewable power would start this year, with the site set to go live in 2025.
Social media
Twitter is the top platform for online hate
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has sent a legal notice to Twitter demanding an explanation after one-third of all complaints she received about online hate concerned Twitter, even though the platform has far fewer users than TikTok or Facebook and Instagram, CNN has reported. The site has become the country’s most complained-about platform since new owner Elon Musk lifted bans on a reported 62,000 accounts, Ms Grant said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/22/tech/twitter-australia-online-hate/index.html
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