Dean Smith

MORE MIGRATION CUTS?

Western Australia Liberal senator Dean Smith has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Treasurer Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton urging support for a year-long Senate inquiry into Australia’s population policy, arguing that recent migration cuts have not gone far enough to address community concerns.

The Australian ($) reports that Smith’s call follows today’s Newspoll results, which found that 72% of respondents supported the Turnbull government’s recent cut of more than 10% of the migration rates. The opinion poll found that only 9% of respondents strongly oppose the cut to 163,000 last financial year, the lowest migration rate in over a decade.

Separately, Newspoll ($) once again found an increase in the gap between preferred prime minister, with Turnbull (48) jumping four points in his lead over Shorten (29), while Labor has remained steady in its two party lead of 51/49.

EMISSIONS PREDICTIONS

Climate change is expected to increase Australia’s number of deaths related to urban air pollution, with a new report predicting that business-as-usual carbon emissions will see stronger build-ups of pollutants, dust and pollen.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the study, published by Climate Dynamics, projected an increase in severity across all modelled “inversion events” from 2020-39 and 2060-2079. Inversion conditions occur when cool air becomes stuck beneath warmer air, creating a lack of mixing that can increase pollutants. It could occur in Sydney today as overnight temperatures hit four degrees — the lowest for July in 11 years.

HEY THERE, SPORTS FANS

France has beaten Croatia 4-2 in a nail-biter at the FIFA World Cup final. While sad news for first-time finalists Croatia, Australia can at least breathe easy that Burt the Psychic Croc was right ($). 

Elsewhere, Serbian star Novak Djokovic has beaten South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-2 6-2 7-6(3) at the Wimbledon final, joining Germany’s Angelique Kerber as 2018 champion. Also, Australian Richie Porte has pulled out of the Tour de France, after a crash in the ninth stage yesterday left him with a broken damaged shoulder and believed broken collarbone.

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THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

He can stick his submarine where it hurts.

Vern Unsworth

A British diver involved in the Thai cave rescue hits out at Elon Musk’s mini-submarine as a PR stunt. Musk then went on to inexplicably call Vern Unsworth a “pedo guy”, in a since deleted tweet.

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

My Health Record could be our worst government data breach yetBernard Keane

“The potential for a large-scale data breach of the most serious kind will increase in coming months as the so-called ‘My Health Record’ e-health system is rolled out. From Monday, citizens will be able to opt-out of having an electronic health record created by the government for them. Those that don’t, face the risk that their health records could be accessed via a data breach, particularly of any third party service providers involved.”

Why the media is so interested in the Thai cave rescue storyEmily Watkins

“As the world’s media was dishing out a play-by-play on the Thai cave rescue this week, a ferry sank on the other side of the country, with rescuers working through heavy weather to retrieve the bodies of Chinese tourists and Thai crew. There were 49 people rescued — the remaining 56 people on board were either confirmed dead or missing. Thirteen of the dead were children.”

The energy cartels holding Australian gas prices ransomBruce Robertson

“‘Australia may soon be importing gas.’ What a bizarre, implausible statement. Australia is the second largest exporter of gas in the world. Why would we ever import gas? Our very own Department of Industry, Innovation and Science ranked Australia’s market share at 20% of world gas exports in 2017. Sadly, however, it is true.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

‘Five deaths in one month’: Child protection workers left reeling

Nepalese family’s second appeal against same judge ($)

Victoria Police charged with bullying

Wrong Skin: They were young, in love and defying the most powerful men in their community

Pharmacies push for permission to treat patients ($)

Ellenbrook homicide: Mum, two children dead, 19yo man in custody after ‘horrific’ crime

Future Adelaide: The Port of the past may be the key to its future ($)

Praise for energy guarantee from International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol ($)

Shorten’s plan for backflip on health cap ($)

Gaza truce largely holding after flare-up

Theresa May: Trump told me to sue the EU

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

  • House and Senate committee inquiries will be held into inauthentic Indigenous art; visa cancellations on criminal grounds; migration agents; industrial deaths; mental health; and superannuation legislation.

Brisbane

  • ACTU Secretary Sally McManus and US film star Danny Glover will meet with activists ahead of the ACTU Congress starting on Tuesday.

  • Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles will address a CEDA conference on health, ageing and social services.

  • Day one of the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council and the UQ Human Rights Consortium’s four-day symposium,” The Path of Resistance: First Nations solidarity and the Wangan & Jagalingou Traditional Owners’ fight for their future”.

Melbourne

  • Former prime minister Kevin Rudd will be joined by Australia’s most senior public servant during his leadership, Terry Moran, to discuss the challenges of government.

  • Consumer Policy Research Centre chief Lauren Solomon, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims and Australian Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow will speak as part of the Consumer Data Conference and discuss the CPRC’s new data protection findings.

  • Day one of the two-day Liveable Cities Conference.

  • CEO of ACPET Rod Camm, CEO TAFE Directors Australia Craig Robertson, and CEO Community Colleges Australia Don Perlgut will speak at the The Australian Federal Vocational Education and Training Policy Forum.

Perth

  • Treasurer Scott Morrison will discuss the 2018 federal budget and Productivity Commission’s final GST report at a CCIWA breakfast function.

Adelaide

  • India’s High Commissioner to Australia Dr Ajay Gondane, will deliver “India’s Growth Story: India-Australia Relations” at The University of Adelaide’s Institute for International Trade.

Logan, Queensland

  • The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council will hold a community summit on sentencing for criminal offences arising from the death of a child.

Sydney

  • Artist Saretta Fielding will open her latest exhibition at the Rocks Discovery Museum, Nukung Yapung – Her Path.

  • Day one of the three-day Conference on the Theory of Quantum Computation, Communication and Cryptography.

Hobart

  • Women in Film and Television will launch their Tasmania branch with a screening of the new documentary, Jill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible, along with executive producer Sue Maslin in attendance for a Q&A.

Darwin

  • Cricket NSW will conduct a Metro Academy Tour until Friday July 20.

Helsinki, Finland

  • US President Donald Trump will meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (time TBC, expected overnight Monday AEST).

THE COMMENTARIAT

Canberra’s discriminatory behaviour trickles down to us — Kristen Hilton (The Age): “As Channel 7 was accused of fear-mongering in its crime reporting last week, Victoria’s Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission was crunching data on discrimination, racism and harassment in Victoria. We found that reports of racist incidents in our streets, shops, schools and public spaces had jumped by an alarming 34% (from 470 to 630 on our inquiry line) in just one year.”

Political attention seekers to the fore — Sean Kelly (The Saturday Paper): “If you snored through this week in politics, believing it a fairly inconsequential time, boy were you wrong. Once again, Australia bravely leapt to the defence of Western civilisation. It threatened collapse, but we pulled it back from the brink. The fact this happens every week makes it no less auspicious. Heroism should never be taken for granted.”

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