Key posts
- ‘Spirit of consensus’: Albanese’s safe economic pitch to voters
- US, UK ban Russian oil imports in a bid to thwart Putin’s war
- Greater Sydney smashed by floods with winds set to cause more chaos
- Victoria records first Japanese encephalitis death
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
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‘Spirit of consensus’: Albanese’s safe economic pitch to voters
Labor leader Anthony Albanese will promise a “spirit of consensus” to rebuild the economy in a pitch to voters about his plans to create more national wealth if he leads his party to victory at the election in May.
Vowing to avoid drastic change that pits people against each other, Mr Albanese will outline ways to increase prosperity with a $15 billion reconstruction fund, more spending on training and a climate policy he says can create jobs.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese is promising to bring Australians together economically if he wins the federal election.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
The Labor leader will set out the goal of lifting productivity but will not make a specific pledge to increase salaries, while pointing to Labor’s time in government from 1983 to 1996 to assure voters he can unite the country.
“We must rediscover the spirit of consensus that former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke used to bring together governments, trade unions, businesses and civil society around their shared aims of growth and job creation,” Mr Albanese says in draft remarks.
More on today’s speech, and what that means for the upcoming election, here.
US, UK ban Russian oil imports in a bid to thwart Putin’s war
The US has announced it will ban the importation of Russian oil and gas amid growing bipartisan pressure to stop inadvertently financing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine. Within hours, Britain also announced it would stop importing Russian oil, as well.
As Russia continued its attack for a 14th day, President Joe Biden announced the US would boycott Russia’s oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal in a bid to thwart Putin’s “war machine” and further punish him for his “unprovoked” attack.
President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports.Credit:AP
The sanction is designed to target a top source of income to Putin’s economy. But the move is politically dicey, partly because it could further shake global energy markets and cause petrol prices to soar at a time when many Americans are already struggling with record inflation rates and rising prices on everything from fuel and food, to rent and furniture.
Petrol prices in America hit a record high on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), reaching an average of $4.17 a gallon ($5.72 AUD) amid the Ukraine crisis. One gallon is 3.78 litres.
Read more about the foreign policy measures here.
Greater Sydney smashed by floods with winds set to cause more chaos
Sydney’s record-busting deluge has killed at least two people, forced thousands to abandon their homes and will trigger a sharp climb in insurance claims, as authorities warn of a new danger to the city today from gale-force winds.
The 820 millimetres of rain that has fallen on Sydney since the beginning of January is more than double the year-to-date average and smashes the previous record, set in 1956, of 782mm.
Some areas recorded more than 120mm in six hours on Tuesday, turning roads into rivers and causing chaos for commuters.
The torrential rain is forecast to ease significantly today, although dangerous winds will continue to cause chaos.
Wind gusts exceeding 90 km/h were forecast for Sydney and the Illawarra this morning.
Follow our dedicated live coverage here.
Victoria records first Japanese encephalitis death
Health authorities say a man in his 60s from northern Victoria has become the first person in the state to die from Japanese encephalitis.
The Victorian Health Department said it was investigating how the man contracted the mosquito-borne virus after an autopsy revealed it was the cause of his death on February 28.
The Japanese encephalitis virus is mosquito-borne. Credit:Dave Hunt
As of yesterday, there were seven confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis in Victoria, including the man who died.
The cases are the first ever acquired in the state as it is the first time the virus has spread below the country’s northern tip.
Along with the cases in Victoria, two have been confirmed in NSW and one has been confirmed in Queensland.
Read the full story here.
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning and thanks for your company.
It’s Wednesday, March 9. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day. My colleague Hanna Mills Turbet is keeping an eye on all things Ukraine.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started.
- The United States will ban Russian gas and oil imports in a move US President Joe Biden says is another blow for Russia’s war machine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed British parliament and called for greater sanctions and for the UK to categorise Russia as a terrorist state. The UK has subsequently announced it will stop importing Russian oil.
US President Joe Biden says he wants to thwart Russia’s “war machine”. Credit:Bloomberg
- Closer to home, and the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for people in the NSW Illawarra, Hunter, Metropolitan and South Coast regions and says there could be “damaging wind gusts today”. It comes after parts of Sydney received 100mm of rain over the past 24 hours and communities in northern NSW (and parts of south-east Queensland) continue with the cleanup from the deadly floods.
SES personnel help evacuate mums and their children from Guardian Childcare on Waine St, Manly, due to flood waters. Credit:James Brickwood
- In federal politics, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will tour flood-affected regions of NSW today. And Labor leader Anthony Albanese is expected to outline his vision for a reformist centre-left government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to leave isolation today after testing positive to COVID-19. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
- And in Victoria, a man in his 60s has become the first person in the state to die from Japanese encephalitis. The mosquito-borne tropical virus has been discovered along the Victorian side of the NSW-Victorian border for the first time, with climate change to blame, according to scientists.
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