La Niña not a certainty this year: BoM
Peter Hannam
A La Niña is not a certainty for later this year, at least according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest model run.
We’ll get the other model runs updated tomorrow by the Bureau. Another of the climate drivers for Australia is the Indian Ocean, and the influence there may have the opposite effect of a La Niña, with odds favouring a positive phase of the dipole in that basin:
Meanwhile in the Indian Ocean, @Bom_au is predicting a tilt towards a positive IO dipole in the coming months. Such an event would tend to reduce rainfall for Australia’s south-east for winter going into spring. pic.twitter.com/o2QrLzrpm3
— @[email protected] (@p_hannam) July 22, 2024
All up, what it means is we have competing influences possible in the coming season or two, making it tricky for farmers and others (eg holiday makers) to know which way to lean.
Key events
Elias Visontay
Virgin cuts Cairns-Tokyo flights
Virgin Australia has announced it will cut its only flight to Japan, axing its Cairns-Tokyo Haneda route due to poor demand from Japanese tourists.
Cairns’ international airport has long positioned itself as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef for tourists from across Asia.
However, while Japan has been a top outbound tourist destination for Australians this year, the relative weakness of the yen which has made holidaying there cheaper has had the reverse effect on residents of Japan, for whom a trip to Australia is now an expensive proposition.
As a result, inbound visitors travelling from Japan to Australia remain up to 35% below pre-Covid levels. The yen is now about 40% lower than during 2019.
Virgin will cease operating the Cairns-Tokyo route and the lucrative access slot at Haneda airport from 24 February 2025, with about 2,000 customers with bookings to be offered refunds.
While Cairns-Tokyo was one of the few international routes Virgin Australia has offered in its slimmed down existence following its pandemic-induced administration and restructure, the airline will still allow customers to book tickets to Japan through flights from its partner airline All Nippon Airways.
Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia chief transformation and strategy officer, said:
Our international network continues to be a central part of our strategy. Withdrawing from Cairns-Tokyo services was a tough decision, but unfortunately the recovery of inbound visitors from Japan is significantly below forecast and therefore operating our own service to Tokyo is no longer commercially viable.
Emily Wind
Many thanks for joining me on today’s blog. I’m handing over to Rafqa Touma to see you through the rest of our rolling coverage! Take care.
The Paris Olympics is officially kicking off at the end of this week. Here is everything you need to know, courtesy of Jack Snape!
La Niña not a certainty this year: BoM
Peter Hannam
A La Niña is not a certainty for later this year, at least according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest model run.
We’ll get the other model runs updated tomorrow by the Bureau. Another of the climate drivers for Australia is the Indian Ocean, and the influence there may have the opposite effect of a La Niña, with odds favouring a positive phase of the dipole in that basin:
Meanwhile in the Indian Ocean, @Bom_au is predicting a tilt towards a positive IO dipole in the coming months. Such an event would tend to reduce rainfall for Australia’s south-east for winter going into spring. pic.twitter.com/o2QrLzrpm3
— @[email protected] (@p_hannam) July 22, 2024
All up, what it means is we have competing influences possible in the coming season or two, making it tricky for farmers and others (eg holiday makers) to know which way to lean.
Galactic zoom-out one of three Emmys nods for Australian firm
Imagine winning an Emmy for 60 seconds of television that begins inside a single atom and zooms out all the way to the nearest star.
That’s the opening title animation for the Netflix series 3 Body Problem, designed by the Australian firm Antibody, run by Patrick Clair and Raoul Marks. Their mother of all zoom-outs has been nominated for outstanding main title design, one of three nominations for Antibody at the awards in September.
Clair said, “We feel very lucky, it’s a great time for television, everything has kind of come roaring back after the strike, and lots of great shows are being made.”
It’s the second round of Emmys for 2024, with last year’s awards delayed by the writers’ and actors’ strikes and held in January. Antibody has quietly collected 15 Emmy nominations over the last decade – and two wins for their work on the HBO series True Detective and Prime’s The Man in the High Castle.
– via AAP
Here’s the full story from our own Amanda Meade on the resignation of the Australian Financial Review’s editor-in-chief, Michael Stutchbury:
BoM forecasts warmer conditions on the way but strong winds likely
The Bureau of Meteorology has shared a weekly weather update, with another burst of strong wind expected to make its way across southern areas in a few days’ time.
Weekly Weather Update: Settled and warmer weather this week, with another burst of strong wind across southern areas. Video current: 11:30am AEST 22 July 2024. Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/k2TlJzU9z5
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) July 22, 2024
Man denies late night indecent act on long-haul flight
A Sydney man who allegedly harassed a fellow passenger on a flight from the Middle East to Australia has pleaded not guilty to committing an act of indecency.
Simon John Dunham, 50, allegedly committed the act on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Sydney about midnight on 27 April.
AFP officers interviewed passenger and airline crew at the scene, and on 10 June, Dunham attended the AFP office at Sydney airport where he was issued a court attendance notice and charged with one count of committing an act of indecency without consent.
During a brief hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court today, a not-guilty plea was entered on Dunham’s behalf. The matter is due to return to court on 10 September.
– with AAP
NAB cuts three-year fixed rate by 0.60 percentage points
The National Australia Bank has slashed its three-year fixed rate by 0.60 percentage points, in the first fixed rate change from a big four bank this year.
The move was “designed to appeal to customers worried about the prospect of future cash rate rises”, according to a statement from RateCity.
The change takes NAB’s lowest three-year fixed rate down to 5.99% for owner-occupiers that own at least 30% of their property. The next lowest big four bank fixed rate is from Westpac at 6.49%, fixed for 2-years.
RateCity research director Sally Tindall said:
This is a strategic move from NAB in a bid to test whether there’s any appetite among borrowers to revert back to fixing. A big bank fixed rate that starts with a ‘5’ is likely to turn at least a few heads, particularly among those worried about the prospect of further cash rate hikes…
It’s hard to see people flocking back to fixed rates, but this rate under 6% from NAB is designed to test this.
Dutton accuses Climate 200 of being a ‘front for Green candidates’
Taking questions from reporters, Peter Dutton was asked about Climate 200 – the fundraising giant that bankrolled the teal independent wave at the last election – and its backing of independents in nine Coalition seats.
Dutton accused Climate 200 of being a “front for Green candidates” and said:
They’re not disaffected Liberal candidates, they’re Green candidates … Can anyone name anything that the teals have achieved since they’re been in parliament? I mean there’s nothing …
He was later asked about comments from Aemo that nuclear energy would not get online in time to replace retiring coal fired power plants, and that delays in rolling out renewables would likely lead to higher costs and interrupted grid supply. Dutton argued that this was “an outlier view.”
Peter Dutton says Biden has ‘done the right thing’ by withdrawing from US election race
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking to the media from Queensland, alongside the shadow climate change minister, Ted O’Brien.
Weighing in on the US president Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race, Dutton said he met with Biden in New York during Aukus talks and that “he has been a great friend of our country [and] strengthened the relationship between our two countries”.
Dutton said the Australia-US relationship is essential for trading and security during this time, which is “the most precarious since the end of the second world war”. The opposition leader said Biden has “done the right thing” by withdrawing and added:
The fact that President Biden has given his entire adult life to public service is something we should trumpet today as well.
Australian Financial Review editor-in-chief to step down
Amanda Meade
The editor-in-chief of the Australian Financial Review, Michael Stutchbury, will step down after 13 years in the role and will be replaced by James Chessell, the former executive editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age.
Nine Entertainment’s managing director of publishing, Tory Maguire, said Stutchbury, 67, had guided the Financial Review through enormous changes in technology and consumer behaviour.
The shakeup comes as journalists at the Financial Review, as well as the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, face looming cuts of up to 90 jobs. The unionised mastheads are also seething over the company’s latest pay offer of 2.5% during bargaining for a new EBA.
Death of toddler and father at Carlton train station prompts safety investigation
Safety upgrades for train stations will be considered after a father and his toddler daughter died when a pram rolled on to the tracks, AAP reports.
The girl’s twin, who survived the fall on to the tracks, and their mother have left hospital after the tragedy at Carlton railway station in Sydney’s south yesterday afternoon.
Multiple investigations into the incident, including a coronial inquiry, will try to identify any necessary changes to improve safety.
But the NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he will not immediately commit to any measures – such as the installation of glass barricades used on metro stations – until he knows how they could be implemented.
We will take steps that we need to take to keep people safe. Unfortunately, public transport, particularly train stations, can be dangerous and it’s incumbent upon everybody to be as safe as possible.
Gai Waterhouse ‘infuriated’ about Rosehill housing plan
A NSW government-backed proposal to develop Sydney’s historic Rosehill racecourse for housing represents an attempt to “hijack” the thoroughbred racing venue, champion trainer Gai Waterhouse says.
As AAP reports, a state parliamentary inquiry is examining the proposal after the government in December signed a memorandum of understanding with racecourse owner, the Australian Turf Club, for plans to build more than 25,000 homes on the site.
Appearing at the inquiry on Monday, Waterhouse says she is “incensed at the attempt to sell Rosehill and hijack – meaning steal – the proceeds”.
We would not be here today to discuss selling the cricket ground, the SCG, or Bondi Beach, but yet we’re here to discuss the sale of Rosehill.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says Waterhouse is entitled to her view:
I’m not confident of getting Gai over the line. I’d just make this point that this is a great opportunity for literally billions of dollars to go into racing in NSW and completely remake the industry.
Lawyer used balloons to smuggle tobacco on prison visit
A lawyer has been caught using balloons to smuggle tobacco into a prison while visiting an inmate as their representative, AAP reports.
Kristy Lee Howell was arrested on 2 July on the same day she arrived at Parklea Correctional Centre, in Sydney’s western suburbs.
The 43-year-old appeared at Blacktown local court today, where her barrister Lang Goodsell said she would plead guilty to unlawfully bringing 106g of tobacco into the prison.
The Cranebrook woman has not entered pleas to two drug supply charges, which cover allegations she brought 18g of methamphetamine and 3g of cocaine into the prison.
Magistrate Brian Van Zuylen adjourned the matter until 16 August after hearing Howell’s lawyers had just come on board and needed more time.
He told Howell and her legal team pleas to all four charges would be formally required at the next court date.
The 43-year-old did not say anything to reporters as she left court today.
She is on bail under conditions barring her from attending any prison or being in contact with the Parklea inmate she was visiting on the day of her arrest.
Elias Visontay
Luxury ute tax loophole costs Australians $250m a year, researchers say
A loophole in Australia’s tax law is in effect subsidising the price of luxury utes such as Ram and Chevrolet SUVs, costing taxpayers more than $250m a year in forgone revenue, an analysis has found.
The research from the Australia Institute centres on the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) – introduced in 2000 for imported cars partly to protect the domestic industry that existed at the time – and an exemption that applies to certain utes.
The tax must be paid on the sale of all imported cars valued above a threshold, which is $80,576 this financial year. The 33% tax rate applies to the value of the car above the LCT threshold.
As all manufacturers have ceased car production in Australia, the LCT applies to any car that costs more than $80,576.
You can read the full story here:
