Qantas faced legal action for allegedly selling tens of thousands of tickets to flights that had already been cancelled in its system. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images
Qantas faced legal action for allegedly selling tens of thousands of tickets to flights that had already been cancelled in its system. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images
ABS head of prices statistics Michelle Marquardt reports:
Housing rose 5.2% in the 12 months to May, up from 4.9% in April. Rents increased 7.4% for the year, reflecting a tight rental market across the country. The annual rise in new dwelling prices remained steady at 4.9% with builders passing on higher costs for labour and materials.
Electricity prices rose 6.5% in the 12 months to May, up from 4.2% in April. Out-of-pocket costs for electricity are gradually increasing as the Energy Bill Relief Fund rebates are progressively being used up by eligible households.
Annual inflation for Food and non-alcoholic beverages was 3.3% in May, down from 3.8% in April.
The largest contributor to the annual increase in food prices was Meals out and take away foods, which rose 4.2% in the 12 months to May compared to 5.4% to April. Higher prices for grapes, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes and capsicums drove Fruit and vegetable prices to their largest annual rise since April last year.
Australia’s inflation rate quickened to the fastest pace in 2024 last month, stoking concerns that the Reserve Bank won’t be cutting its key interest rate soon and might yet have to raise it.
Consumer prices in May were 4% higher than a year earlier.
That result compared with CPI at 3.6% in April and the 3.8% pace economists had expected for last month.
The pickup in inflation to its highest level since November was driven by a 5.2% increase in the cost of housing, with transport costs up 4.9% from a year earlier, the ABS said.
The Australian dollar jumped about 0.2US cents to almost 66.7US as investors shifted their bets about interest rates. Stocks also shed about 0.2 percentage points, bringing the losses for the day to about 0.9%.
More details on Australia-Solomon Islands police training partnership
Returning to the Solomon Islands–Australia partnership for a moment, here is the read-out from the meeting between the two nations’ prime ministers when it comes to increasing the police force:
Noting Australia’s position as Solomon Islands’ security partner of choice, leaders discussed the request from Solomon Islands to Australia to assist in growing and building the capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, including the Solomon Islands Government’s ambition to increase its police force from 1,500 to 3,000 officers – a program of decadal change, which will support the Solomon Islands Government’s ambitions to grow its police force to 5,000 over time.
Leaders asked ministers and officials to work together on next steps and to consider the basis on which this request could further strengthen sovereignty and regional stability.
Australia’s continued support to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force will build Solomon Islands’ ability to meet its own security needs, and reduce its reliance on external partners.
Australia welcomed Solomon Islands’ three-tier security arrangement, comprising: tier one, being addressed through enhanced domestic capability of a strengthened and empowered Royal Solomon Islands Police Force; tier two, assistance from Melanesian Spearhead Group countries through bilateral or collective engagement; and tier three, activation of bilateral or collective support from Pacific Islands Forum members.
Leaders agreed to the importance of this three-tier framework for strengthening Solomon Islands’ sovereignty, stability and resilience.
Greens back call to address wage theft at universities
The Greens have backed calls to crack down on wage theft at universities after new analysis released by the union today estimated underpayments were on track to exceed $380m.
Deputy leader and spokesperson for higher education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, said the National Tertiary Education Union’s (NTEU) findings were “of no shock to any of us”.
The fact that we have a university system where vice-chancellor’s earn salaries exceeding $1m a year while casual staff are robbed of hundreds of millions of dollars is obscene.
Enough is enough. It is time for the government to fix the broken business model of the neoliberal university that only works off the back of casual and underpaid staff. This must end.”
Faruqi called on the government to require universities to set public targets for increased permanent employment, increase funding and overhaul university governance to be more representative of staff and students.
Wage theft disproportionately impacts staff on casual contracts.
Read more on vice-chancellors’ salaries and the NTEU’s claims in Caitlin Cassidy’s report from last month:
On the issue of increasing the size of the Solomon Islands police force, and the role of the AFP in that, Anthony Albanese says:
With regard to Australia’s role, we had police commissioner [Reece] Kershaw as part of the meeting that we had in the cabinet room, and that’s not by accident.
Because Australia has historically played a role in training, in delivering support for the Royal Solomon Islands police force which is there. What we’ve had is discussions that we’ll continue.
We will deliver, very soon as well, two vessels for the Solomon Islands. Importantly, they’re purpose built for the Solomons. They’ll be able to be repaired in the Solomons.
Some of the lessons of the past have been learnt in order to improve when we provide infrastructure to make sure it’s sustainable, and to make sure we’re providing training and skills to maximise the benefit for the Solomon Islands going forward.
On the issue of Solomon Islands being seen to have become closer to China under previous governments, Jeremiah Manele says:
Our security partnerships, including with China, is domestically focused. We are trying to address internal security challenges. Of course, we do acknowledge and appreciate that our partners – China and Australia – they have security strategic interests as well. In our case we see security through a development lens. As a country, we have wider and deeper development interests, that it is important for us to work with all our partners to address these development challenges going forward.
Jeremiah Manele says he is honoured to be in Australia, for what is his first international trip since becoming the prime minister of Solomon Islands – and he paints a bit more of a picture about how the meeting between himself and Albanese went:
We had very frank discussions and dialogue and looked at ways to lift the current Solomon Islands–Australia relationship to another level, through transformational partnership.
During this visit we discussed many areas of mutually important strategic partnerships, ranging from the highly successful and mutually beneficial Pacific Australia labour mobility scheme, as the prime minister has alluded to, to investments in infrastructure, police training and security, climate change, health, and the new Pacific engagement visa to mention a few.
I’m committed to ensure our relationship with Australia goes from strength to strength.
And I’m also committed to finding amicable and win-win solutions to any of our partnerships that may need the attention of our cabinet.
And on that note, I have said we had very frank discussions this morning, and taken onboard Australia’s concerns in some of these areas. And we will report back to cabinet on the way forward.
Anthony Albanese is holding a press conference with the Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele.
He opens by speaking about the strength of the relationship:
Australia and Pacific nations are well-placed to reach the security needs of our region.
We regard security as the job of our Pacific family. As we demonstrated during the Solomon Islands’ historic joint elections in April, when Australia worked with Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Fiji, to assist the Royal Solomon Islands police force with election related security and logistics.
And, prime minister, can I say that I very much look forward to working closely with you in the future.
This has been an important visit for you. It’s been a visit in which you will see, go to the State of Origin tonight in Melbourne to experience some Australian culture, before visiting Brisbane as well.
You and your delegation are welcome here. You are very familiar with Australia, having been here, as we discussed in our one-on-one meeting, as part of the public service engagement and cooperation that we have with exchanges.
Those people-to-people relations are so important. And I see today as an important next step in a personal partnership, but also a partnership between our two nations that I want to see grow into the future.
Jeremiah Manele (left) and Anthony Albanese speak to the media during a press conference at Parliament House. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
The Greens attempted to amend the legislation to add in that until low-paid workers get a 43% pay rise the governor general shouldn’t either, and that the government should cut ties with the British monarchy, establish truth telling and treaties with First Nations people and make Australia a republic – but that did not go anywhere.
The vote passing the legislation is happening as I write this and the Coalition is in support, so there is no question of it passing.
The legislation would raise the salary for the incoming governor general, Sam Mostyn, from $495,000 to $709,017. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
An important element in all of this is the salary is being increased as Sam Mostyn, the incoming governor general, does not have a pension from a previous public service position. David Hurley, the outgoing governor general, receives a very generous pension from his ADF senior service.
That pension was considered in setting his base salary, which was 43% lower than what is being set for Mostyn, but his pension also came from taxpayer funds.
It is normal to set the governor general’s salary in-line with what the chief justice of Australia receives, making allowances for any other taxpayer-funded pensions which may be paid due to previous positions. If you don’t have one of those pensions, then the base salary is increased. If the next governor general after Mostyn does have one of those pensions, then the base salary would decrease.
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