MOBSTER WITH A LOBSTER SCANDAL RESURFACES

Long-time Liberal Party and property industry figure Tony De Domenico is expected to resign from Development Victoria, the state’s property development agency, after he was revealed to have promoted alleged mafia boss Tony Madafferi to the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry last year.

The Age reports that De Domenico yesterday told the Development Victoria board that he plans to resign as deputy chairman just days after the paper revealed De Domenico had promoted Madafferi, the alleged Calabrian mafia boss central to Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s “lobster with a mobster” scandal, as a chamber member in October. 

SCOMO PROBLEMS

Treasurer Scott Morrison reportedly blasted Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack soon after the Nationals leader spoke to The Daily Telegraph about a very generous federal budget.

The Daily Telegraph ($) today reports that Morrison phoned McCormack around 11pm Monday night to express concern over comments the fresh-faced acting PM made about “Scott Santa Claus Morrison” delivering “goodies” in the May budget. Morrison diplomatically denied a high-spending budget yesterday, and, as today’s front page reveals, his Santa beard is officially gone.

SHIP TO PHWOAR!

And in good news for old-timey treasure hunters, a mapping team has hit upon a large mystery shipwreck off Western Australia’s north coast.

The ABC reports the team were in shock as sonar mapping of the ocean floor off the coast of Karratha revealed a large structure that was later confirmed via camera to be a previously unknown shipwreck. The location of the wreck is currently being kept hidden as the team work to solve the mystery, discover whether it might be the final resting place for the people aboard, and presumably scoop up any precious gold and/or diamonds located within.

THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

[re: ‘Greens leader @RichardDiNatale has today proposed the legalisation of cannabis. But he will only do soft interviews. Too scared to come on #MirandaLive because he knows the policy is a shocker.’]

I’m sure your 8 viewers will forgive me. Been a busy day.

Richard Di Natale

The Greens leader caps off a day spruiking the party’s cannabis proposal with an apology (of sorts) for snubbing Miranda Devine.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Wind and solar boom makes Malcolm Turnbull’s NEG a dead letter ($)

Live export industry to discuss Labor’s plan for independent animal welfare inspector

Labor’s $3.75bn retiree savings grab revealed ($)

A Public Servant Who Was Sacked For Tweeting About Refugees Just Won Her Worker’s Comp Claim

John Barilaro to push the nuclear power button ($)

AMP grilled over ‘independent’ review of advice scandal

Could the world intervene and decide drilling is not on for SA’s natural wonder? ($)

‘I hope you run it in full’: Greg Hunt in fiery and bizarre interview over gay conversion therapy

Passenger partially ‘sucked out of plane window’ forcing landing in Philadelphia

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Does anyone in the Australian public service get held to account?Bernard Keane

“We’ve been tracking the growing problem of public service bungling for a couple of years now, and the evidence is that things are getting worse, not better. The highest profile public service casualty of recent times has been Border Force’s Roman Quaedvlieg, but his dismissal wasn’t the result of underperformance. The comprehensive failure of the agriculture department to effectively regulate live export companies for animal welfare, revealed by the decade-long non-compliance of sheep exporter Emanuel Exports, led to the relevant minister publicly savaging his own bureaucrats for their failure to do their jobs properly. No one at agriculture will, as far as we know, be held to account for the failure, though.”

Razer: how to tell the baddies from the goodies in this Syria nightmareHelen Razer

“The thing is difficult to understand. This is not to suggest that Abbott ever understood it, but he did appoint a Foreign Minister who gave understanding a go. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s view has shifted a little in past days. But, as recently as last year, she’d said the “Assad must go” position was ‘taken by a number of allies of the United States, before a political solution could even be discussed. Australia was not of that view.’”

What’s to stop Turnbull sending us to war?Charlie Lewis

“Last week we looked at the system of checks and balances that stops (or fails to stop) the US president from sending the country to war without authorisation. But before we get too smug, it’s worth bearing in mind our system is demonstrably worse.”

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

  • The High Court will deliver judgement for “Plaintiff M174/2016 v. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection & Anor”, a case relating to Australia’s “fast track” system for assessing refugee claims of people seeking asylum by boat.

  • Australian author Richard Flanagan will address the National Press Club.

Melbourne

  • A federal inquiry into carbon capture and storage will hold a public hearing in Melbourne City, with the list of speakers including energy transition specialist Simon Holmes à Court and representatives from the Australia Institute, the Australian National Low Emissions Coal Research and Development, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Minerals Council of Australia, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation among others.

  • Victorian Greens transport spokesman Sam Hibbins and state party leader Samantha Ratnam will announce plans for a proposed extension to the Melbourne Metro Rail project.

  • Victorian Deputy Police Commissioner Wendy Steendam, surgeon Spencer Beasley and Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kirsten Hilton will speak at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia on gender diversity, leadership and cultural change agendas in the police force and surgical practice.

Sydney

  • NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard will open the state’s first lung cancer research centre.

  • Winner of 33 finalists will be announced for the 2018 Gallipoli Art Prize.

  • The Royal Australian Air Force will hold a ceremony to welcome the 10th and final C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifter.

Perth

  • John Langoulant, who headed the recent WA inquiry into government programs, will address a Centre for Eceonomic Development event on public sector reform along with Service Priority Review chair Iain Rennie and Sustainable Health Review chair Robyn Kruk.

  • A 39-year-old woman will face 93 offences of sexually abusing children, some of whom were reportedly her own. The children’s stepfather and another man will also face a total of 112 charges between them.

Brisbane

  • Workers at the XXXX brewery will strike for the third time over the use of contractors and (disputed) claims that the brewery owner wants to shift production interstate.

  • Around 300 Australian Defence Force personnel will be farewelled before deploying to Iraq on Operation OKRA.

Ballarat, Victoria

  • Victorian Innovation Minister Philip Dalidakis, Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford and telco representatives will launch mobile phone booster-fitted trains to help end regional “black spots”.

Adelaide

  • Prince Edward will begin a three-day visit to Adelaide and South Australia, including visits to Prince Alfred College and Adelaide Zoo roundtable with tertiary groups.

Australia

  • Truck drivers will protest across all major capital cities on the second anniversary of the Federal Government shutting down a road safety tribunal.

  • Today is Youth Homelessness Matters Day, a national campaign aimed at raising awareness of youth homelessness amongst both decision makers and the wider community. Vinnies’ CEO Sleepout events will be held across major Australian cities.

THE COMMENTARIAT

Don’t believe the hype on natural gas. It’s a fossil fuel just like coal — Fiona Stanley, Graeme Pearman and Richard Yin (The Guardian): “The domestic carbon footprint from exploiting WA’s unconventional gas reserves, currently subject to a fracking inquiry, would be three times the amount Australia could emit if it were to comply with the Paris Agreement. Chevron’s Wheatstone project, one of four LNG facilities currently operating in WA’s northwest, is set to release 10.4m tonnes of CO2 annually, a staggering 12% of the state’s total emissions. Yet currently there is no requirement for the company to offset these emissions.”

There are more jobs, but 730,000 people are still out of work — Matt Wade (Sydney Morning Herald): “You’d have to be hiding under a rock not to know that jobs growth has been strong lately. As Malcolm Turnbull keeps reminding us employment has increased by more than 400,000 in the past year ‘the largest number on record’. That’s very good news but it hasn’t made much difference to the unemployment rate. The latest figures put the rate at 5.6 per cent, exactly what it was six months ago.”

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