Daniel Hurst
Government says online dating safety summit ‘important step’
Senior representatives of Grindr, Bumble and the Match Group – owner of Tinder and Match.com – will join an online dating safety summit in Sydney on Wednesday.
A guestlist release ahead of the federal government-organised summit says state and territory ministers will also be there, as will the eSafety commissioner and the domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said in a statement:
Every Australian deserves to live free from harassment and all forms of violence, including when using online dating and matchmaking services.
Online dating is one of the most popular ways to meet a partner. We need to ensure platforms have the appropriate safeguards for those who use them, and effective mechanisms to report an incident if something does go wrong.
Rowland said the National Roundtable on Online Dating Safety this Wednesday would be “an important step forward in this conversation about how we can improve safety for the many Australians using online dating apps”. She said a key focus would be looking at “what industry members are doing to prevent the exploitation of their services by perpetrators, to identify what more could be done to improve the safety of users, and to consider what further action is required by government and industry to improve online dating safety”.
The guestlist includes two representatives of Match, two from Grindr, one from Bumble and one from the Digital Industry Group Inc (Digi).
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Australia should be represented at King Charles coronation, PM says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the decision has yet to be made whether he will be going to the coronation of King Charles following Buckingham Palace revealing details of the 3-day celebration to be held on May 6.
Albanese told ABC News:
Well, of course, I think that Australia should be represented. King Charles is our head of state. That will be formalised on that day.
I respect our institutions and I was very honoured to be present on behalf of Australia with the 10 Australians that I took across as well as the Governor-General at the Queen’s funeral. That was an important moment to acknowledge 70 years of devotion and leadership.
The coronation of King Charles will be an important event for Australia, for all countries, because he is our head of state. That is a system of government that we have and it’s one that I respect.
Qantas flight forced to turn back to Fiji
A Qantas flight to Sydney has returned to Fiji as a precaution after pilots received a report of fumes in the cabin – days after a service from Auckland issued a mayday following an engine shutdown, AAP reports.
The incident, on Sunday evening, is the airline’s fifth turnback in the past week.
Pilots on the Boeing 737 aircraft flight QF102 from Nadi in Fiji to Sydney requested a priority – not emergency – landing on Sunday and the aircraft landed normally.
Early indications were the fumes related to the oven in the aircraft galley. They dissipated quickly and no one was impacted. Engineers will assess the aircraft.
Qantas was working to accommodate customers as quickly as possible and thanked them for their patience.
The incident follows a similar event last week. On Thursday, Qantas said QF101, a Boeing 737 bound for Nadi, returned to Sydney after an onboard “fault indicator” about a possible mechanical issue.A Qantas representative told AAP the pilots followed standard procedures and the aircraft landed normally in Sydney. The plane returned without emergency or priority landing and the fault indicator did not relate to an engine issue, Qantas said.
Three Qantas flights were also diverted on Friday – a QantasLink service from Melbourne to Canberra; a Boeing 737-800 from Melbourne to Sydney; and a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne.
On Wednesday, the pilot of QF144 – a Boeing 737 – from Auckland to Sydney shut down an engine and made a mayday call over the Pacific Ocean before landing safely at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith airport about 3.30pm. Transport safety investigators confirmed they would analyse QF144’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data after the engine failure. Qantas said all 145 passengers disembarked normally and shutdowns were rare, with pilots trained to manage them safely.
The Qantas Group averages about 60 air turnbacks per year from more than 10,000 across the total industry.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said on Friday it was confident Qantas was operating safely and has confidence in its safety management systems.
For more analysis on Qantas, our transport and urban affairs reporter, Elias Visontay, penned this piece over the weekend:
Daniel Hurst
Government says online dating safety summit ‘important step’
Senior representatives of Grindr, Bumble and the Match Group – owner of Tinder and Match.com – will join an online dating safety summit in Sydney on Wednesday.
A guestlist release ahead of the federal government-organised summit says state and territory ministers will also be there, as will the eSafety commissioner and the domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said in a statement:
Every Australian deserves to live free from harassment and all forms of violence, including when using online dating and matchmaking services.
Online dating is one of the most popular ways to meet a partner. We need to ensure platforms have the appropriate safeguards for those who use them, and effective mechanisms to report an incident if something does go wrong.
Rowland said the National Roundtable on Online Dating Safety this Wednesday would be “an important step forward in this conversation about how we can improve safety for the many Australians using online dating apps”. She said a key focus would be looking at “what industry members are doing to prevent the exploitation of their services by perpetrators, to identify what more could be done to improve the safety of users, and to consider what further action is required by government and industry to improve online dating safety”.
The guestlist includes two representatives of Match, two from Grindr, one from Bumble and one from the Digital Industry Group Inc (Digi).
Karvelas also asks Pearson about the concerns that are coming from the left, including Indigenous affairs spokesperson for the Greens, Lidia Thorpe, who will be calling for treaty before voice at the Invasion Day rally.
Pearson says he’s not concerned about it because protest is justified and “completely understandable” but qualifies that activists need to understand that the protest “has to lead to something”.
And when you have a breakthrough response, a breakthrough response like constitutional recognition, you’ve got to grab it. You’ve got to switch from protest to grabbing the opportunity.
… And I believe that a full response to the Uluru statement will achieve actual real reconciliation. We’re at a point in our history, where the protest has achieved the result we desire. And, and so we’ve got to be smart about it.
What I will say about the far left is there’s a point in the clock face where the far left meets the far right, and all of a sudden, the fringe of the left and the fringe of the right find common ground. They’re on a unity ticket. They’re saying the same thing. That is where you get Lidia and Jacinta Price holding hands.
But recognition will only come if the great vast middle of Australia votes for it. This is a question not for the fringes. The fringes will go their own way.
Chance for reconciliation could be lost ‘forever’ if voice referendum fails, Pearson says
Pearson goes on to say that reconciliation itself is at stake with the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, in what will be “the most important year” in the issue since the first fleet arrived.
This this year is the most important here in the past 235. That’s my assertion. This is the most important year and and this referendum is the most important question concerning Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians since the first fleet.
We’ve got to understand what is at stake, and that is the chance for reconciliation and if the referendum is kiboshed through game play and spoiling game by the opposition, we will lose the opportunity forever.
The question that will be put is, do we recognise indigenous people in the Constitution? And if we say no to that, then I can’t say how it is, how the future will be anything other than protest. Indigenous presence in this country will forever be associated with protest rather than a proper response by the Australian people to this call for recognition and and the achievement of reconciliation.
Noel Pearson says he fears demand for voice detail is part of a ‘spoiling game’
Lawyer, academic and land rights activist Noel Pearson is now speaking to ABC Radio, saying he finds the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, Julian Leeser, threatening to withdraw his support “very concerning.”
Because this demand for detail is a diversion. Detail concerns legislation, not constitution. And the referendum is about the constitution. Legislation is for the parliament.
The responsibility for detail is is parliament’s. So the people responsible for the detail on the voice are people like Peter Dutton, Anthony Albanese, Adam Bandt, David Pocock, Allegra Spender, Julian Leeser himself, Patrick Dodson. It’s the parliamentarians who have the responsibility to come up with the detail, the Australian people are being asked to vote on a constitutional amendment.
And so I think that Julian Leeser, the leader of the opposition, Peter Dutton, it’s very concerning. They may be just choosing to play a spoiling game. I hope they are not.
‘The government is in danger of losing me’ on Indigenous voice, says Julian Leeser
Leeser has spoken to ABC Radio’s Patricia Karvelas following threatening to withdraw his support for the Indigenous voice to parliament over the weekend.
The government is in danger of losing me because I just don’t think that they’re listening, and, and I’m really trying to get them to listen to the reasonable concerns that people are raising.
The prime minister says, I’ll look at all there in the Calma Langton report but it’s clear the government is not adopting the Calma Langton report and when he cherry-picks pick some bits and pieces from the report he gets the detail wrong.
Karvelas:
In your speech you called this the prime minister’s referendum. That is a very partisan take after as you say you’ve supported these principles since 1998. Are you politicising this process?
Leeser:
The prime minister has set the date for the referendum. He set the timetable. You know, if you’re following the Calma Langton report and following the ordinary process, you will be rolling out the local and regional bodies first, the government has not committed to doing that.
I think the success of this in so much depends on those local and regional bodies feeding into a national body.
The referendum in some respects is the icing on the cake. Whether this will work or not, whether this will change lives on the ground depends on the detail on the substance of the bodies that are created.
Coalition continue to push back on Indigenous voice to parliament
Over the weekend the opposition has continued to push back on the Indigenous voice to parliament. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, continues to call on the government to release more detail ahead of the referendum in the second half of this year while the shadow attorney general and minister for Indigenous Australians, Julian Leeser, revealed his backing of the referendum is in danger.
Circling back to the prime minister’s interview with ABC News Breakfast, Albanese pushed back against Dutton’s comments saying:
There’ll be more detail being worked through the referendum working group, and that will be released. But let’s be clear, already, last July, I released what Australians will potentially be voting for – a draft question and draft constitutional change. That was something that was requested.
There hasn’t been any suggested changes to that draft from the Coalition and they have had more than six months to put forward constructively.
Recession fears if interest rates hiked, Deloitte says
One of the nation’s biggest consultancy firms has painted a bleak picture for the year ahead, saying Australians are at the mercy of the central bank while warning of a possible recession.
Deloitte Access Economics says economic growth will slow dramatically in 2023 as the consumer-led recovery runs out of steam.
Falling house prices, rising interest rates, high inflation, low levels of consumer confidence and negative real wage growth are expected to create a perfect storm of economic headwinds.
Deloitte Access Economics warned of the potentially devastating consequences if the Reserve Bank increased the cash rate again after a series of rate rises.
Partner Stephen Smith said:
Any further increases in the cash rate beyond the current 3.1% could unnecessarily tip Australia into recession in 2023.
At the same time, real household disposable income per capita – a key measure of prosperity – is falling, and will finish the current financial year at levels last seen before the onset of the pandemic.
There is no doubt that Australian households are starting to hurt.
The damage won’t be spread evenly across the country as south-eastern states with higher levels of consumption and pricey housing are left the most vulnerable.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he wasn’t expecting a recession this year and wouldn’t be interfering with advice for the independent Reserve Bank. He said on Sunday:
My job is to make sure that we’re doing what we can to provide that cost of living relief and grow the economy the right way, without adding to this inflation challenge. Our expectation is that the Australian economy will continue to grow.
Deloitte predicted headline inflation this financial year would come in at 7.2%, while wages were tipped to grow at 3.5% – less than half the inflation rate.
Wages were forecast to catch up to – but still lag – inflation in the next financial year, growing 3.7% against consumer price rises of 3.9%.
Deloitte expects real GDP growth to fall to 1.4% in 2023-24, down from the 3.1 % tipped for this financial year.
– AAP
Australians warned over ‘insidious’ tax office scams
Daniel Hurst
Australians are being warned against falling for “insidious” scams on social media in which criminals create fake profiles appearing to be Australian Taxation Office staff members.
The federal government will ramp up the warnings today, saying such scammers are directly targeting Australians who have posted publicly about experiencing problems with the ATO or the myGov site or who have asked questions about these topics.
A government statement to be issued today explains how these scammers operate:
They then hijack the conversation using a fake ATO profile, contacting the member of the public directly with an offer to help resolve a complaint or follow up on a comment. After earning their trust, the scammer asks them to click on a link or provide personal details.
The government says the ATO is “working with social media platforms and other government agencies to help remove these damaging interactions” but argues “the best defence against such scams is community awareness”.
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, urged people to exercise “extreme caution” in their social media interactions. Jones said:
Fake tax officer accounts on Twitter and Facebook can be extremely convincing, which is what makes this scam so insidious. The tax office will never ask for personal information over social media and never send links that ask you to fill out your personal information like your tax file number, myGov log in or bank account details.
Albanese says price caps ‘already’ having impact
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking with ABC News from Canberra after returning from Burwood yesterday where he attended lunar new year celebrations.
He expressed his own enthusiasm for the Chinese year of the rabbit:
A happy lunar new year for all those who celebrate it. For people of Chinese background, of course, it’s year of the rabbit which is particularly auspicious for a South Sydney supporter. And for people of Vietnamese background, it’s year of the cat, the zodiacs are different this year. So I had that explained to me last week and now hopefully we’re right on top of it, but happy new year to everyone.
Albanese is asked about the big increases in energy prices Australians are seeing despite the recall of parliament before Christmas to introduce the energy price cap.
He says “the price caps are having an impact already”.
That’s the good news in what is otherwise a difficult story because of what we’re seeing in global prices. When you look at the caps that are there in the futures market, the prices have come down substantially.
‘I mourn my family, I mourn the police officers and I mourn the neighbour,’ says daughter of Wieambilla shooters
Madelyn Train, the daughter of Wieambilla shooters has spoken out publicly to Guardian Australia as well as Channel Nine news last night.
Train opened up to Guardian’s Nino Bucci how her parents upbringing, their descent into conspiracy theories as well as how her own relationship with them had deteriorated.
She told Nine that she is suffering from a stress disorder as a result of the recent tragedy:
I mourn six people. So I mourn my family, I mourn the police officers and I mourn the neighbour. Grieving three of our family members is hard enough. But then finding out what they did and then seeing everyone’s reaction to what they did…
Good morning!
And welcome to the live blog this new week.
The government is warning Australians to be on the lookout for scammers pretending to be Australian Taxation Office staff members.
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, says the tax office will never ask for personal information over social media and never send links that ask you to fill out your personal information like your tax file number, myGov log in or bank account details.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, will convene an online dating safety roundtable to be held this Wednesday following the calls for reform after a NSW man was charged with the murder of a woman he met online last month.
The guest list has been released this morning with social services minister Amanda Rishworth, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, state and territory ministers and representatives from dating apps including Match, Bumble and Grindr all set to attend.
Rowland has told ABC Radio this morning:
There are unacceptable levels of abuse and harassment. The Albanese government is deeply concerned about it and we also recognise that we have over 3.2m Australians using video dating apps in 2021 and it’s actually now the most common way to meet a new partner.
In economic news, Deloitte Access Economics is warning that any further interest rate hikes from the central bank could “unnecessarily” tip Australia into a recession in this new year.
The robodebt royal commission resumes today with the third block of hearings getting under way in Brisbane. Later next week the former social services minister Christian Porter and former human services minister Alan Tudge give evidence about their roles in the unlawful debt collection scheme.
In tennis news, the last Australian left in the singles draws, Alex de Minaur, will take on one of the tournament favourites Novak Djokovic which is scheduled for 7pm AEST at Rod Laver Arena.
Let’s get into it.
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