Afternoon Update: Nationals spark Indigenous voice row; Daryl Maguire charged; and China’s escalating protests
Nationals #Nationals
The National party’s decision to oppose the Indigenous voice to parliament has sparked a war of words today, and the comments are getting personal.
The prominent Indigenous figure Noel Pearson savaged the decision, accusing the Northern Territory Country Liberal party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price of being drawn into a “a tragic redneck celebrity vortex”.
Prior to that, Price, who is leading the charge against the voice to parliament, volleyed what Labor called a “repulsive” attack on the Indigenous affairs minister, Linda Burney, accusing her of “dripping in Gucci” on her tours of remote communities.
But not all Nationals are backing the party’s stance – MP Andrew Gee has broken ranks and says he’ll support the voice to parliament.
Top news Thomas Mayor says the Nationals are ‘out of touch’ with regional Australia. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian
Nationals criticised on Indigenous voice | Thomas Mayor, a key campaigner for the yes vote, says the National party is “out of touch” with regional Australia after the party announced it would not support a referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament. A poll in August found that a majority of Australians living in rural and regional areas support the idea of a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament despite not having heard much about it.
NSW Covid fines withdrawn | The New South Wales government has been forced to cancel 33,121 Covid-related fines – roughly half of all Covid-related fines issued in the state – after a court case found they were too vague. The government had come under increased pressure this year to cancel Covid-related fines that bordered on the absurd, such as for sitting in a park or riding a bike.
Daryl Maguire arrives for an Icac hearing in October 2020. Photograph: AAP
Daryl Maguire charged | The former Liberal MP and ex-partner of Gladys Berejiklian has been charged with criminal conspiracy over an alleged visa fraud plan while he was sitting in the NSW parliament. Federal prosecutors allege he conspired with a migration agent to have false or misleading documents furnished for official purposes in connection with non-citizens’ visas. He has not yet entered a plea.
Airport firefighter strike | Expect flight delays on Friday 9 December, as airport firefighters across the nation intend to strike. The United Firefighters Union aviation branch said its members had voted to strike in protest over short staffing levels, safety and pay concerns amid months of disagreement with Airservices Australia over a new enterprise agreement.
US railroad strike | The US president, Joe Biden, has asked Congress to block a railroad strike that would “devastate our economy”. Contract talks between unions and railroads have stalled over pay and working conditions, with a 9 December strike deadline looming.
Labor rejects Unesco reef recommendation | You would’ve read in our Morning Mail that Unesco has recommended the Great Barrier Reef be listed as in-danger. The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, disagrees, saying the reef – which has suffered multiple bleaching events in recent years as a result of the climate crisis – shouldn’t be “singled out”. Plibersek’s position is in line with the stance taken by the previous Morrison government, which last year successfully lobbied to keep the reef off the in-danger list.
The Spanish coastguard says it rescued three migrants stowed away on the rudder of a ship from Nigeria. Photograph: EFE Canarias/Twitter
Lucky migrant rescue | Three stowaways sat perched on the rudder of an oil tanker – just above the water line as pictured above – for 11 days as the ship made its voyage from Nigeria to Spain’s Canary Islands. Arrivals of migrants in the Canaries, after a perilous crossing from north Africa, have increased dramatically since late 2019 after checks on Mediterranean routes were tightened.
Adani protests | More than 80 protesters and police have been injured in the Indian state of Kerala as villagers demonstrated against the construction of a $1.3bn port project by Adani Group. Adani has previously faced a backlash in Australia over its Carmichael coalmine. There, activists concerned about carbon emissions and damage to the Great Barrier Reef forced Adani to downsize production targets and delayed the mine’s first coal shipment by six years.
Twitter-Apple friction | Apple has stopped advertising on Twitter and is threatening to remove the social network from its app store, according to Elon Musk. The billionaire owner tweeted the accusations, prompting Apple’s head of social advertising to fire back with the reasons for the drop in ad spend: high bot activity and a lack of trust in Twitter’s new leadership. Major brands have paused advertising on Twitter since Musk took over amid growing uncertainty over the platform’s future.
Full Story Protesters march through the streets of Glasgow demanding independence for Scotland. Photograph: Robert Perry/EPA
A blow for independence in Scotland
The supreme court has ruled that the Scottish parliament cannot hold a second referendum without Westminster’s approval. Where does that leave the independence movement? Listen to this 23-minute episode.
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“After all, it’s just a squalid little political party, the Nationals, that is currently controlled by a kindergarten child. It is only the National party that have made this decision.” – Noel Pearson
The prominent Indigenous figure was responding to yesterday’s announcement by the Nationals opposing the Indigenous voice to parliament.
In numbers Photograph: Antoun Issa/The Guardian
There’s growing public support for Labor’s attempt to cool tensions with China – 47% think the Albanese government will improve ties with Beijing versus 9% who think Labor will make it worse.
Before bed read Photograph: The Guardian
Patience with China’s strict zero-Covid policy and restrictions has worn out, and a wave of protests has hit the nation in a manner not seen under the rule of Xi Jinping. We have a guide with maps, videos and charts tracking the protests, and the Communist regime’s tough response.
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