News live: Two more Australians confirmed safe in Nepal-Tibet floods; Hanson to make cost of living ‘worse’, union boss warns | Australia news
Two Australians found in Nepal-Tibet floods
Two more Australians have been confirmed safe in the aftermath of the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.
The pair, who were previously uncontactable, have been found safe and do not require consular assistance.
It brings the total number of Australians missing in the floods down to 36.
Fifteen people in the Australian disaster assistance response team are expected to arrive in Kathmandu later Friday, while seven AFP disaster victim identification specialists are set to arrive on Saturday morning.
More than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, with more than 5,500 people missing.
Key events
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the blog and see us through Friday. Let’s get to it.
Two Australians found in Nepal-Tibet floods
Two more Australians have been confirmed safe in the aftermath of the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.
The pair, who were previously uncontactable, have been found safe and do not require consular assistance.
It brings the total number of Australians missing in the floods down to 36.
Fifteen people in the Australian disaster assistance response team are expected to arrive in Kathmandu later Friday, while seven AFP disaster victim identification specialists are set to arrive on Saturday morning.
More than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead in the disaster, with more than 5,500 people missing.
Josh Taylor
Pauline Hanson to make cost of living ‘worse’, union boss warns
Asked if she saw her role as one of countering One Nation on the cost of living, Donnelly said Pauline Hanson’s party “says one thing and does another”.
The reality is that Pauline Hanson’s track record is voting against penalty rates, voting against rights for casual and gig workers.
She’s opposed the minimum wage. She’s most recently suggested it should be easier to sack workers.
Our job, as the union movement, is to make sure our members and workers understand that is what she stands for. And if you’re worried about cost of living, Pauline Hanson is going to make it worse.
Workers should have a say in when and how AI is used, ACTU secretary says
Josh Taylor
The new secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melissa Donnelly, has said cost of living issues and the rollout of AI in workplaces are two major focuses of her new role.
Donnelly told ABC’s 7.30 program workers “absolutely deserve” a say on AI in their workplaces, but it would not amount to a veto.
She said unions will test the existing laws demanding workers are consulted over significant impacts of new technology before suggesting the laws need to be strengthened for AI.
There are a whole range of workplace issues, and workers’ rights issues, that arise with the advent of AI.
The stronger guardrails, Donnelly said, would include the capacity of workers to have a say on “when it’s used and how it’s used”.
There’s a broader conversation that we should be having as a nation about what AI means and how we regulate it. It’s not a tropical cyclone bearing down on the coast. It is technology. We’ve seen governments step in on issues like social media and set some guardrails.
We have all sorts of commentators from Bill Gates to others saying that we’ve got to have some rules around how this works, we’ve got to have protections, because we need to protect workers into there future. We need to make sure there are meaningful and quality jobs going forward.
Krishani Dhanji
Labor scraps course, citing ‘integrity’
Labor says it will shut down a management course amid fears it is being “misused by shonks” and providing a back door into Australia.
As the government faces increased pressure to curb overseas migration, Labor says the graduate diploma of management (learning) which is registered at 452 institutions, showed students either were enrolled but weren’t even starting the course, weren’t completing the course or were transferring out of it.
It’s the first time the government will use powers to shut down courses due to concerns over their integrity – though students currently completing the course will be able to finish it.
The assistant minister in charge, Julian Hill, pinned the blame on the Coalition:
The Coalition left behind a shocking mess in 2022, with unsustainably high growth in student numbers in the least reputable parts of the sector, and our high-quality student visa being degraded into a low-rent illegal work visa and misused by shonks.
Australia continues to welcome genuine international students seeking a premium education and must maintain a ruthless focus on quality, integrity and a great student experience.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
The new secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melissa Donnelly, has said cost of living issues and the rollout of AI in workplaces are two major focuses of her new role. More coming up.
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