Wong says ‘big changes’ are coming to make business travel to Indonesia easier
Foreign minister Penny Wong says the focus of Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo’s visit to Australia will be on strengthening economic ties between the two countries, on ABC RN this morning.
One of the things we’re focused on is how do we improve our economic ties. Obviously, the nation is an increasing economic power and will be over the next decade. We want to make sure we’re partners in that. So there will be a great focus on the economy and the economic relationship.
You’ll see some big changes to make sure we make business travel easier.
Wong says prime minister Anthony Albanese will “have more to say” about Australia’s visa system later today, after Patricia Karvelas asks about difficulties for Indonesians to get an Australian visa.
“,”elementId”:”227fe17e-b8cb-446f-b15a-09e6bc076756″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
One of the things we’re focused on is how do we improve our economic ties. Obviously, the nation is an increasing economic power and will be over the next decade. We want to make sure we’re partners in that. So there will be a great focus on the economy and the economic relationship.
\n
You’ll see some big changes to make sure we make business travel easier.
\n
“,”elementId”:”745c1b28-488d-4661-ae75-0b2486f60949″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Wong says prime minister Anthony Albanese will “have more to say” about Australia’s visa system later today, after Patricia Karvelas asks about difficulties for Indonesians to get an Australian visa.
“,”elementId”:”5c9fc19b-c307-4013-a7ca-458442e35f37″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1688420314000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.38 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1688421025000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.50 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1688420711000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.45 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.45″,”title”:”Wong says ‘big changes’ are coming to make business travel to Indonesia easier”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 3 Jul 2023 17.50 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 3 Jul 2023 16.30 EDT”},{“id”:”64a33e6c8f08dd198502a241″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Police have confirmed a second incident of human remains being found inside an alight vehicle in Sydney overnight.
“,”elementId”:”767d4e8b-b3d9-461f-90cb-5ecb731d78ef”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
At 2.15am, officers were called to Webb Street in North Parramatta, where a hatchback was alight.
“,”elementId”:”9c41cb9f-4027-4994-b322-e700c5215396″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Fire and Rescue attended to extinguish the vehicle before locating a body within the vehicle.
“,”elementId”:”5dbdd16d-1d36-427c-94bb-f47ca379ec99″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The remains are to be forensically examined.
“,”elementId”:”b43a154c-d057-4e33-9d41-03e61e43df77″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The two incidents are not thought to be linked at this stage.
“,”elementId”:”137dff78-910b-46b1-9edf-7665fba8b31c”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1688419948000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.32 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1688420435000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.40 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1688420214000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.36 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.36″,”title”:”Another body found inside alight vehicle, in separate incident in Sydney”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 3 Jul 2023 17.50 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 3 Jul 2023 16.30 EDT”},{“id”:”64a3383d8f0808e4930e5a80″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Human skeletal remains have been found inside a burnt-out vehicle in Sydney’s Royal national park, AAP reports.
“,”elementId”:”d57befd2-c0be-42fc-b6b5-ef68ec28de24″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Emergency services found the Toyota RAV4 ablaze at the Waterfall Flat car park just after midnight.
“,”elementId”:”890ac6fd-7761-426c-a019-05ce5c440151″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Officers from the NSW Rural fire service put out the blaze before finding the remains inside.
“,”elementId”:”7dbffd1c-1283-4a7f-8ef0-78cc5d6430ab”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
NSW Police have established a crime scene. The remains will be sent for forensic examination to determine the identity of the victim.
“,”elementId”:”eba5b1c5-ecf6-47b1-a461-508e613b3585″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1688418365000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.06 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1688419017000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.16 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1688418586000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.09 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.09″,”title”:”Human remains found in burnt-out car in Sydney”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 3 Jul 2023 17.50 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 3 Jul 2023 16.30 EDT”},{“id”:”64a2c5cc8f08d64edbf1ab42″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the Australian government is “deeply disappointed” by moves from Hong Kong authorities to issue arrest warrants for democracy advocates in exile, including two in Australia.
“,”elementId”:”7592f01f-e48f-4468-8f74-21d9c607e6cd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Hong Kong police yesterday said they had issued arrest warrants for eight overseas activists, accusing them of contravening the city’s national security law and offering a reward of HK$1m ($A191,726) per person, as my colleague Amy Hawkins reported here.
“,”elementId”:”35a1c8d6-110e-4ba0-8228-05423c1a2568″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
This list includes Australian citizen Kevin Yam, a former Hong Kong lawyer and democracy activist who is based in Melbourne. Yam has been critical of foreign judges taking up judicial appointments in Hong Kong, arguing they could be inadvertently “lending credibility to an authoritarian regime”.
“,”elementId”:”aac0dd56-506d-429e-97e7-1fc2e8402fe3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The list also includes Ted Hui, a pro-democracy figure who fled to Australia via Europe in 2021.
“,”elementId”:”bd51291e-27b3-480d-9ee6-7943e643fe66″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In a statement issued late last night, Wong expressed her deep disappointment at the reports. She said Australia had “consistently expressed concerns about the broad application of the national security law to arrest or pressure pro-democracy figures and civil society”. Wong said:
“,”elementId”:”b02bb288-d0fb-4b43-a5f8-82a9d3552dc2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
The government will continue to speak out on issues that matter to Australians, including human rights. Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy, and we will support those in Australia who exercise those rights. Australia remains deeply concerned by the continuing erosion of Hong Kong’s rights, freedoms and autonomy.
\n
“,”elementId”:”f12661c7-0b14-4a36-bd8e-380452b57dcb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The comments come at a time when the Australian government is seeking to “stabilise” the relationship with China.
“,”elementId”:”70b9456f-27c6-4064-8837-b6daac1e16e7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Yam told Guardian Australia last night:
“,”elementId”:”e796f973-fad5-4443-965f-a169ff1fc2e4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”
\n
I’m heartened to see that the Australian government has stood up for Australians’ right to free expression in Australia.
\n
“,”elementId”:”bc2956f7-e8f1-4b01-8dc7-2310d7623dd9″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1688416242000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.30 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1688416784000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.39 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1688416785000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.39 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.39″,”title”:”Wong ‘deeply disappointed’ by Hong Kong arrest warrants for activists”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Daniel Hurst”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2020/03/30/Dan_Hurst.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a5af531a12fe1dac65af586a33e46f25″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2020/03/30/Dan_Hurst.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=841ba2989a73d161b6a26127a9274808″}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 3 Jul 2023 17.50 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 3 Jul 2023 16.30 EDT”},{“id”:”64a2b9698f08d551cf54ca81″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of all the day’s news. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll get things rolling with some breaking overnight stories before my colleague Rafqa Touma fires up and takes up the main business.
“,”elementId”:”a9eb02fb-1012-4ada-b9aa-0abd349d587e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
An Australian citizen and an Australian resident are among eight exiled Hong Kong democracy activists named in arrest warrants issued by the city state’s police accusing them of contravening the national security law and offering a reward of HK$1m ($200,000) per person. Foreign minister Penny Wong said the government was “deeply disappointed” by the warrants and said Australia would continue to speak out against human rights abuses in the China-controlled territory. More on this coming up.
“,”elementId”:”f5306cbb-24fe-440c-ab51-206cb247054d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Pressure on borrowers could be ratcheted up again today when the Reserve Bank meets to decide its next move on interest rates. Economists are split as to whether members will go for a 13th rate hike in little more than year as they bid to tame inflation – or place the hikes on hold in recognition of an easing of price pressures. It comes as first home buyers face paying out 40% of their average disposable income on mortgage repayments – a “huge amount” according to one expert – if the Reserve Bank lifts rates twice more this year. More coming up on the story as well.
“,”elementId”:”9ceb10d7-e710-4133-8782-e59ab12d9c22″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Pauline Hanson has threatened to send her own 2,000-word anti-voice essay to Australian voters unless a parliamentary committee includes her contributions in the official referendum pamphlet for the no side. She is not alone in her frustration about probably being overlooked because minor parties in general appear likely to be edged out by the no and yes committees dominated by the Coalition and Labor respectively.
“,”elementId”:”4bead1b2-621a-44bd-8bc3-7e289e1a8f43″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1688416242000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.30 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1688415657000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.20 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1688416242000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.30 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.30″,”title”:”Welcome”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 3 Jul 2023 17.50 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 3 Jul 2023 16.30 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”format”:{“display”:0,”theme”:0,”design”:10},”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”}”>
Key events
Another body found inside alight vehicle, in separate incident in Sydney
Police have confirmed a second incident of human remains being found inside an alight vehicle in Sydney overnight.
At 2.15am, officers were called to Webb Street in North Parramatta, where a hatchback was alight.
Fire and Rescue attended to extinguish the vehicle before locating a body within the vehicle.
The remains are to be forensically examined.
The two incidents are not thought to be linked at this stage.
Australian women break breast cancer screening records
Record numbers of women are lining up for quick breast cancer screenings, AAP reports.
The month of May saw 37,000 women take mammograms at BreastScreen NSW clinics – the highest monthly figure in the state’s history.
Bookings also rolled in at an average of 10,000 a week, setting another record.
This comes after screening rates fell in 2020 and 2021, responding to the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, rates nationally were three per cent lower than in 2019.
One in seven women will develop breast cancer over their lifetime.
Acting NSW premier Prue Car encouraged women to keep the momentum going and not wait until it was too late:
If you’re over 50 and haven’t had a mammogram since June 2021 – don’t wait for a letter in the mail.
Pick up the phone or go online to book in your breast screen – it could save your life.
Human remains found in burnt-out car in Sydney
Human skeletal remains have been found inside a burnt-out vehicle in Sydney’s Royal national park, AAP reports.
Emergency services found the Toyota RAV4 ablaze at the Waterfall Flat car park just after midnight.
Officers from the NSW Rural fire service put out the blaze before finding the remains inside.
NSW Police have established a crime scene. The remains will be sent for forensic examination to determine the identity of the victim.
Tasmania police to conduct water search for missing Belgian woman
Tasmania police will conduct “swift water searching” in the Philosopher Falls area at Waratah today, before the search for missing Belgian woman Celine Cremer is scaled back.
Cremer was reported missing last Monday but was last seen on 17 June near Cradle Mountain.
The search has involved ground crews, police drones and helicopters, specialist search and rescue rappelling, and ATVs, inspector Anthea Mangay said yesterday.
No further signs of Celine have been located since her car was found in the Philosopher Falls car park last Tuesday.
Mangay said:
Weather conditions have been challenging, with personnel facing freezing temperatures, snow, rain and strong winds over the past week.
Today, search and rescue efforts “will utilise more resources to conduct swift water searching in the area”.
We’re doing this in a bid to find some answers for Celine’s family, before we begin to scale back the search.
Last week we received expert medical advice indicating Celine could not have survived the conditions she has been exposed to.
More to come.
Thank you Martin Farrer for manning the blog this morning!
I’m Rafqa Touma, and I’ll be rolling your news updates through the day. Let’s get into it.
‘Not in the spirit of cricket’: UK PM criticises Australia’s actions in Ashes Test
British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has appeared to criticise Australia’s Lord’s win after Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal helped them take a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series.
His official spokesperson said:
The prime minister agrees with Ben Stokes. He said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did.
Asked whether Sunak thinks Australia’s actions were not in keeping with the spirit of cricket, his spokesperson said: “Yes”.
Less surprisingly, English cricket’s great curmudgeon, Geoffrey Boycott, used his newspaper column to call on the Australian team to apologise “if they are man enough”.
Will Anthony Albanese be obliged to defend the country’s honour?
We’ve got a full story here:
Pilot program to boost rates of Indonesian speakers in Australia to be announced
A pilot program to get more Australian students to speak Indonesian is due to be unveiled as president Joko Widodo begins his visit, AAP reports.
The Indonesian president touched down in Sydney on Monday night for a three-day trip to Australia.
Widodo will meet with prime minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday for one-on-one talks where trade, regional security and climate will be on the agenda.
It is expected a pilot program to boost rates of Indonesian speakers in Australia will also be announced, as the federal government looks to expand ties with the Southeast Asian nation.
Widodo will hold business talks in Sydney to start the day on Tuesday, before meeting with Australia’s governor general David Hurley at Admiralty House.
A state lunch will then be held, also attended by senior ministers from both countries.
The two leaders will then travel to Taronga Zoo, where formal one-on-one talks will take place before the pair visit a Sumatran tiger exhibit.
The West Australian premier, Roger Cook, will also hold talks with Widodo in Sydney, with the pair likely to discuss Indonesia’s transition towards renewable energy and its aspirations for an electric vehicle manufacturing industry.
Wong ‘deeply disappointed’ by Hong Kong arrest warrants for activists
Daniel Hurst
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the Australian government is “deeply disappointed” by moves from Hong Kong authorities to issue arrest warrants for democracy advocates in exile, including two in Australia.
Hong Kong police yesterday said they had issued arrest warrants for eight overseas activists, accusing them of contravening the city’s national security law and offering a reward of HK$1m ($A191,726) per person, as my colleague Amy Hawkins reported here.
This list includes Australian citizen Kevin Yam, a former Hong Kong lawyer and democracy activist who is based in Melbourne. Yam has been critical of foreign judges taking up judicial appointments in Hong Kong, arguing they could be inadvertently “lending credibility to an authoritarian regime”.
The list also includes Ted Hui, a pro-democracy figure who fled to Australia via Europe in 2021.
In a statement issued late last night, Wong expressed her deep disappointment at the reports. She said Australia had “consistently expressed concerns about the broad application of the national security law to arrest or pressure pro-democracy figures and civil society”. Wong said:
The government will continue to speak out on issues that matter to Australians, including human rights. Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy, and we will support those in Australia who exercise those rights. Australia remains deeply concerned by the continuing erosion of Hong Kong’s rights, freedoms and autonomy.
The comments come at a time when the Australian government is seeking to “stabilise” the relationship with China.
Yam told Guardian Australia last night:
I’m heartened to see that the Australian government has stood up for Australians’ right to free expression in Australia.
Welcome
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of all the day’s news. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll get things rolling with some breaking overnight stories before my colleague Rafqa Touma fires up and takes up the main business.
An Australian citizen and an Australian resident are among eight exiled Hong Kong democracy activists named in arrest warrants issued by the city state’s police accusing them of contravening the national security law and offering a reward of HK$1m ($200,000) per person. Foreign minister Penny Wong said the government was “deeply disappointed” by the warrants and said Australia would continue to speak out against human rights abuses in the China-controlled territory. More on this coming up.
Pressure on borrowers could be ratcheted up again today when the Reserve Bank meets to decide its next move on interest rates. Economists are split as to whether members will go for a 13th rate hike in little more than year as they bid to tame inflation – or place the hikes on hold in recognition of an easing of price pressures. It comes as first home buyers face paying out 40% of their average disposable income on mortgage repayments – a “huge amount” according to one expert – if the Reserve Bank lifts rates twice more this year. More coming up on the story as well.
Pauline Hanson has threatened to send her own 2,000-word anti-voice essay to Australian voters unless a parliamentary committee includes her contributions in the official referendum pamphlet for the no side. She is not alone in her frustration about probably being overlooked because minor parties in general appear likely to be edged out by the no and yes committees dominated by the Coalition and Labor respectively.