Australia news LIVE: Grocery stores face billion-dollar fines; Nuclear energy debate to dominate return of parliament

A new bill that would require housing to be treated as a human right for every Australian will be introduced into both houses of parliament today.

Spearheaded by two crossbenchers, Independent Senator David Pocock and Teal MP Kylea Tink, the bill would mandate that the government “make a long-term plan to transform Australia’s dysfunctional housing system”.

In an interview with ABC’s News Breakfast this morning, Pocock said recognising housing as a fundamental right is “the first step in actually acknowledging that we have a housing crisis that is underpinning the broader cost of living crisis”.

In a statement issued by Tink and Pocock, they said the legislation will define the 10-year plan’s “scope and ambition, as well as specifying the housing policy challenges it must address”.

The bill will also propose the establishment of a National Housing Consumer Council (NHCC) to represent tenants and homebuyers and an Office of the National Housing and Homelessness Advocate, to monitor the rollout of the plan.

Pocock and Tink say they have the support of 117 stakeholders in the housing space, including academics, economists, politicians and advocates who signed an open letter.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says the energy transition to renewables has already begun, slamming the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy and accusing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of misinformation.

“The scale of investment in renewables has just gone through the roof. And you can see it in Australia as you can see it globally,” Plibersek said.

“The big danger is that Peter Dutton will distract and divert investment.”

Plibersek echoed rebukes by Treasurer Jim Chalmers earlier this morning, calling Peter Dutton’s claim that the government’s energy policy will cost $1.2 trillion “a joke”.

“This is another example of misinformation from the opposition. They’re inflating the costs of the transition. They’re inflating the biggest … kilometres of transmission lines and so on. Because they know that their proposal for nuclear energy is expensive and unattainable.”

Plibersek says the energy transition is already under way, pointing to the “doubling” in renewable projects approved under her leadership.

“It’s real and it’s already happening. You can see that with the addition of around 25 per cent renewable energy in the national grid, and you can see it with the projects that have already come before me for assessment, and you can see it with what’s in the pipeline.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the cost of renewables is a 10th of the $1 trillion figure Opposition Leader Peter Dutton argues it would cost.

Speaking on Nine’s Today, Chalmers argued the nuclear energy policy Dutton released without any costing proves it is a “shambles”.

“What we’ve seen with this nuclear shambles from Peter Dutton is economic insanity, pure and simple. You know, the path that Peter Dutton wants for Australia is the most divisive path,” he said.

“He’s divided his party over it, he can’t provide key details and nuclear, as we know, costs more.”

Asked if he knows the cost of renewables after Dutton claimed it would cost $1 trillion, Chalmers cited the Australian Energy Market Operator report saying renewables cost about $121 billion from now until 2050.

“If you look at the AEMO report, which talks about $121 billion from now until 2050, which is less than a 10th of the figures that Peter Dutton is bandying about,” Chalmers says.

“The difference between our approach, we know what AEMO says … about our investment needs, we know the kinds of investment we’ll need from the private sector to make the most of this global net-zero energy transformation. We don’t know from Peter Dutton how much his nuclear fantasy will cost.”

In another appearance on ABC’s News Breakfast, Chalmers was asked about an interview opposition energy spokesman Ted O’Brien gave to ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, in which O’Brien suggested we won’t know the Coalition’s proposed mix of nuclear, renewable and other forms of energy until after the election.

“They are making it up as they go along,” Chalmers replied.

“This is a very dangerous approach from Peter Dutton and the Liberals to a very serious issue.”

Legislation that could fine supermarket giants billions of dollars if they breach a revamped and mandatory code of conduct will be introduced to the parliament as soon as possible, says Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

A review led by former Labor cabinet minister Craig Emerson into strengthening the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct is set to be released today, as the government has accepted all the recommendations.

Woolworths would face maximum penalties of $5 billion and Coles could be forced to cough up $3.8 billion – 10 per cent of each company’s annual turnover – which Chalmers told ABC the government will legislate.

“We will legislate it as soon as we can,” he said.

“We recognise this is a reforming government and we have a lot of legislation before the parliament. We need to change the Competition Act to implement these changes to the Food and Grocery Code, we will do that when we can, we will need the support of the parliament in order to do that,” Chalmers continued.

“We want to bed down these changes as soon as we can so we can ensure that the supermarkets are doing the right thing by their growers and suppliers and customers.”

Two of the teenagers who triggered a lockdown at an Adelaide Westfield on Sunday afternoon have been arrested.

Two groups of young men fighting in the food court of the Marion shopping centre in south-west Adelaide activated a centre-wide lockdown, as panicked shoppers fled.

Police searched the centre for the group, but the young men, some of whom were allegedly armed with expandable batons, were not initially located on Sunday.

Further investigations led to the two arrests, with two boys aged 15 and 16 charged with assault, affray and aggravated robbery, and two expandable batons seized.

The two teens will appear in the Adelaide Youth Court later today.

South Australia Police are continuing their investigations to locate the remaining boys involved in the indent, which they believe was not random.

Australia’s supermarket giants could be fined billions of dollars – the highest penalties for any industry – if they breach a revamped and mandatory code of conduct designed to fix an imbalance of bargaining power between the major grocery stores and small suppliers.

Woolworths would face maximum penalties of $5 billion and Coles could be forced to cough up $3.8 billion – 10 per cent of each company’s annual turnover – under the massive fines that will be introduced on the recommendation of a major review tasked with strengthening the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct.

Read the full story here.

A major shopping centre in Adelaide was forced into lockdown on Sunday afternoon following reports of an armed offender.

Police say the incident at Westfield Marion, south of the CBD, was sparked by two groups of young men fighting in the food court.

“A thorough search of the centre was conducted including rooftops. However, the groups involved were not located,” South Australia Police said in a statement on Sunday.

The offenders are still at large as of Monday morning, with police saying CCTV will be crucial to locating the teenagers.

Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Duval said the boys had expandable batons and may have had knives, but that was yet to be confirmed.

He asked them to come forward and face the consequences of their actions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was coming to an end but that the war would not end until the Islamist group no longer controls the Palestinian enclave.

Once the intense fighting is over in Gaza, Netanyahu said, Israel will be able to deploy more forces along the northern border with Lebanon, where fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah has escalated.

“After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this, first and foremost for defensive purposes. And secondly, to bring our (evacuated) residents home,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14.

“If we can, we will do this diplomatically. If not, we will do it another way. But we will bring (the residents) home,” he said.

Many Israeli towns near the border with Lebanon have been evacuated during the fighting.

Asked when the phase of intense fighting against Hamas will come to an end, Netanyahu answered: “Very soon.”

But the military will still operate in Gaza.

“I am not willing to end the war and leave Hamas as it is,” he said.

Netanyahu also reiterated his rejection of the idea that the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority run Gaza in place of Hamas.

Reuters

Good morning blog readers. My name is Josefine Ganko, and I’ll lead our live coverage through the morning.

It’s Monday, June 24.

Here’s what made news in Australia and around the world overnight.

• A new poll revealed many Australians are willing to consider nuclear power even if they are unsure, raising the stakes for Labor and the Coalition in an election fight on energy.
• Australia’s supermarket giants could be fined billions of dollars if they breach a revamped and mandatory code of conduct.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was coming to an end but that the war wasn’t over yet. His comments come as footage of an injured Palestinian man strapped to the bonnet of an IDF vehicle spread online.
• Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing six police officers and injuring 12.