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Six of 81 ships carrying fuel to Australia cancelled since start of Iran war, Bowen says
Chris Bowen said it was a challenging international situation, and while import ships were still arriving, some had been cancelled. The energy minister said:
We get, on average, around 81 boats a month delivering fuel to Australia. We’re aware of six boats that have been cancelled out of that 81, on average.
Some of those have already been replaced by the importers and refiners with other sources.
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Joyce likens migrants from Muslim-majority countries to ‘buying cattle’ that ‘don’t work’
Barnaby Joyce has likened a ban on migration from Muslim countries to buying cattle “that just don’t work”, saying it was necessary to be “brutal”.
When asked by Sky News this morning if One Nation would look to ban Muslim immigrants, Joyce said it was a matter of having to conform “with an Australian culture, no matter where you come from”.
“I don’t care if you come from the Vatican City, and you have a desire that Australia is going to look like the Vatican City, don’t come. How’s that?
He continued:
I don’t want to be trite about it, but it’s a bit like buying cattle. If you’re getting cattle in from a certain … seller, and there’s an unreasonable number of ones that just don’t work when they get off the truck, well, you don’t buy them any more.
And that’s not saying, ‘Oh, we just avoid people of Islamic faith’, but you have to be a very mindful of what parts of the world they’re coming from, and the predominant worldview, or an excessive worldview that’s held there that probably doesn’t mix with what you need in Australia. And if you can’t be brutal like that, as brutal in that statement, well you’re not going to help.”
Sarah Basford Canales
One Nation doesn’t ‘believe’ in multiculturalism, Barnaby Joyce says
Barnaby Joyce says One Nation is against multiculturalism, preferring to set up “guardrails” for what the party determines to be “Australian culture”.
Earlier this morning, the One Nation MP told Sky News:
We [One Nation] don’t believe in multiculturalism. We believe in Australian culture and guardrails that give us the egalitarian and freedom that we’ve always … had to express ourselves and enjoy ourselves. And if that upsets you, then be upset.
The one-time Nationals leader said One Nation’s policy was against importing “cultural Balkanisation” – a term that references the historical conflicts of people living within the Balkan peninsula.
Joyce said:
You can go to parts of the world where they all look the same, they sound like they speak the same language, they live in the same area … the only problem they’ve got is they hate each other. And we don’t want that in Australia.
Sarah Basford Canales
Barnaby Joyce suggests Labor’s SA emphatic win partly due to ‘good-looking’ Malinauskas
Barnaby Joyce believes Peter Malinauskas’ resounding win for Labor in the South Australian election overnight was in part due to being a “good-looking guy”.
The federal One Nation MP joked on Sky News this morning that the state premier was “tough” because he’s a “good looking guy”.
Sky host Andrew Clennell asked: “You reckon that helps? Being good looking, Barnaby Joyce?”
Joyce responded, joking: “Well, Andrew, if you or I were up against him, you’d find the sad answer to that question.”
Narelle downgraded to ex-tropical cyclone as severe warnings remain
Tropical Cyclone Narelle has now been downgraded to an ex-tropical cyclone as it continues to weaken, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
However, a severe weather warning remains in place across the central and western Top End due to the risk of heavy, intense rainfall and damaging winds.
The ex-tropical cyclone is now located about 225km northeast of Katherine, bringing wind gusts up to 100km/h.
Read more: Saturated NT braces for Tropical Cyclone Narelle
As Tropical Cyclone Narelle makes its way across the Top End, many territory communities are still reeling from a series of extreme weather events.
(A)manda Parkinson details the effects the extraordinary wet season has had on the region in this story:
NSW town flips switch on Australia’s first community-owned solar farm and battery
Australia’s first community co-op solar farm and battery has officially opened in Goulburn, New South Wales.
The project, a 1.4-megawatt solar farm with a 4MWh battery, is owned by 288 investors, 80% of whom are from the region’s community.
Andrew Bray, the chair of the Goulburn Community Energy Co-operative, said it was the culmination of 12 years of hard work by the community.
The powerful thing is these members now have a stake in a renewable energy power plant rather than leaving the clean energy market to large national and international interests. It is a great step in true benefit sharing.
The co-op ownership structure means that each investor has one vote, regardless of the size of their shareholding. As well as financial returns for investors, Bray said a portion of annual profits would be directed to a community fund to address energy poverty in the area.
Edison Zhou, the group director of Australia and New Zealand for Trinasolar Asia Pacific, which supplied the solar modules and energy storage, said:
Community energy projects like this one show what is possible when local determination meets the right technology and the right partners.
We are proud that Trinasolar’s solar modules, tracker and storage solutions could play a part in making it a reality, demonstrating that advanced clean‑energy technology is no longer just for large-scale developers, it is accessible to communities too.
The solar farm is completing final commissioning and is expected to be fully connected to the grid within weeks.
Severe weather warning for central Top End as Tropical Cyclone Narelle heads west
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for intense rain and damaging winds across the central Top End, south of Darwin, as Tropical Cyclone Narelle continues its westward path.
Heavy rain, including six-hourly totals of 80 to 120mm, is heading for Katherine and the Daly River district – areas already dealing with the aftermath of severe flooding.
Prolonged significant flooding would continue at Daly police station, after river levels peaked at 16.42m last Sunday, above the 1998 flood level (16.25m).
According to the BoM, the river is expected to remain above the major flood level for the rest of the weekend and into next week, with renewed rises possible.
Significant flooding is also possible at Nitmiluk.
Missing elderly Japanese tourist found alive in Tasmanian national park
An 81-year-old Japanese tourist, who was reported missing in Cradle Mountain national park, has been found alive this morning, Tasmanian Police said.
A search operation was launched about midnight on Saturday when the man could not be contacted.
Members of the public, not involved in the search, located the man about 7.45am on Sunday.
Police reported that he had walked away from his accommodation during the night and became disoriented in the darkness.
The male was located with non life-threatening injuries and is being assessed by Ambulance Tasmania paramedics at the scene. Police would like to thank all assisting Tasmanian emergency services and members of the public in successfully locating the missing person.
Explainer: Could Australia ration fuel?
While fuel rationing is not on the cards just yet, according to the energy minister, Chris Bowen, federal and state governments have the power to ration supplies in an emergency.
If you’re wondering what that could look like, this explainer from Guardian Australia’s economics editor Patrick Commins provides some context:
Bowen concedes fuel supply slowdown after earlier shrugging off reports top oil sources could cut Australia
Speaking on ABC’s Insiders program, Chris Bowen has acknowledged that the flow of crude oil to some key importers has slowed, leading to knock-on effects for their customers, including Australia.
My Guardian Australia colleagues reported on this on Friday, noting that the energy minister had shrugged off reports that some countries may prioritise their needs over exporting fuel to Australia.
They wrote:
Major sources of Australian oil, including Malaysia and South Korea, could cut their exports to prioritise local fuel needs, energy experts have warned, as Chris Bowen concedes some service stations are running out of stock. The energy minister said governments had ‘powers’ to ration petrol if supplies were more severely disrupted.
Bowen shrugged off reports in the Australian Financial Review on Thursday that the Malaysian embassy said the country’s government would ‘prioritise our own needs, and only then we can look at whatever demand that we receive from overseas’. Malaysia is Australia’s top source of crude oil.
Read more here:
