- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
Australia has partnered with France to supply Ukraine with 155-millimetre artillery shells, Defence Minister Richard Marles and his counterpart Sebastien Lecornu have announced.
Aussie
- Thread starter Pegasus
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
A crater of an explosion is seen next to a destroyed house after a Russian rocket attack in Hlevakha, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Jan. 26, 2023.
Share
SYDNEY —
Ukraine is urging Australia to increase its military aid ahead of a visit to Europe next week by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles.
Australia, the largest non-NATO contributor to Ukraine’s war effort, has supplied missiles and Bushmaster armored personnel carriers. They have a special ‘V’-shaped floor designed to spread the impact of an explosion more effectively than a conventional flat floor. A group of up to 70 Australian defense force personnel has also been stationed in Britain to help train Ukrainian troops.
Analysts say the commitment of Germany and the United States to deliver tanks to Ukraine puts pressure on Australia to increase its military assistance to Kyiv.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday he hopes Canberra will boost military assistance to his country.
“Australia can choose to send more Bushmasters,” he said. “What is important is that Australia continues supporting Ukraine. We are extremely thankful for what Australia has done so far, especially the last package, which was announced in October, where another 30 Bushmasters were allocated. The troops, which are now in Britain, will be training Ukrainian soldiers. We are thankful for that. it is really a big help.”
The United States is by far the biggest provider of weapons and equipment to Ukraine, followed by Britain, Poland, Germany and Canada.
Australia also has sweeping sanctions on Russia -- the most severe ever imposed on a foreign government.
Since the war began almost a year ago, Australia has granted visas to almost 9,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said Canberra condemns “Russia's unilateral, illegal and immoral aggression against the people of Ukraine,” adding that the “invasion is a gross violation of international law.”
Wong and Marles head to France next week to try to repair a diplomatic rift caused by Canberra’s abrupt cancelation in 2021 of a lucrative submarine contract with Paris in favor of a new alliance -- the AUKUS pact -- with the United States and Britain.
They will also travel to Britain for ministerial talks.
Share
SYDNEY —
Ukraine is urging Australia to increase its military aid ahead of a visit to Europe next week by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles.
Australia, the largest non-NATO contributor to Ukraine’s war effort, has supplied missiles and Bushmaster armored personnel carriers. They have a special ‘V’-shaped floor designed to spread the impact of an explosion more effectively than a conventional flat floor. A group of up to 70 Australian defense force personnel has also been stationed in Britain to help train Ukrainian troops.
Analysts say the commitment of Germany and the United States to deliver tanks to Ukraine puts pressure on Australia to increase its military assistance to Kyiv.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday he hopes Canberra will boost military assistance to his country.
“Australia can choose to send more Bushmasters,” he said. “What is important is that Australia continues supporting Ukraine. We are extremely thankful for what Australia has done so far, especially the last package, which was announced in October, where another 30 Bushmasters were allocated. The troops, which are now in Britain, will be training Ukrainian soldiers. We are thankful for that. it is really a big help.”
The United States is by far the biggest provider of weapons and equipment to Ukraine, followed by Britain, Poland, Germany and Canada.
Australia also has sweeping sanctions on Russia -- the most severe ever imposed on a foreign government.
Since the war began almost a year ago, Australia has granted visas to almost 9,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said Canberra condemns “Russia's unilateral, illegal and immoral aggression against the people of Ukraine,” adding that the “invasion is a gross violation of international law.”
Wong and Marles head to France next week to try to repair a diplomatic rift caused by Canberra’s abrupt cancelation in 2021 of a lucrative submarine contract with Paris in favor of a new alliance -- the AUKUS pact -- with the United States and Britain.
They will also travel to Britain for ministerial talks.
I'm starting to get tired of Z running around asking for more. He should be happy getting what he's getting.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
What is happening around our region this morning
Testing times. Improving relations between China and Australia are poised face another test writes Ben Westcott. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to Washington next month to unveil the design for a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The reset with Beijing has Canberra again navigating the rivalry between the US and China.NZ rates decision. New Zealand’s Reserve Bank is tipped to moderate its pace of interest-rate increases to a half-percentage point on Wednesday, according to economists. It’s the latest sign inflation has peaked, as the country deals with the aftermath of the of Cyclone Gabrielle.
The remains of the Puketapu Bridge that washed away during Cyclone Gabrielle near Napier on February 16, 2023.
Photographer: STR/AFP
BHP dividend. The world’s biggest miner has slashed its dividend after rising costs and softer commodity prices drove a decline in half-year profit.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
Brit design. Australia’s new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines will be based on a modified British design with US parts and upgrades, people familiar said. The submarine plan, set to be announced next week, will take years to produce its first vessel, probably necessitating stopgap measures, according to the people. In the meantime, the US may base nuclear submarines in Australia or even sell the country US Virginia-class submarines.
Top-level meeting. The submarine design decision will be unveiled on Monday in San Diego when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The trio’s talks are expected to focus on the next steps in the process for commissioning the submarines for Australia.
Battery boom. Australia’s rapid shift from coal-fired power to cleaner alternatives is underwriting a boom in battery projects able to store solar and wind energy. The country has at least 250 planned battery developments with a potential capacity of almost 130,000 megawatt-hours, a pipeline that’s second only to China, data compiled by BloombergNEF show. Meanwhile, there’s a belief among miners that battery materials are heading for an epic bull run.
Top-level meeting. The submarine design decision will be unveiled on Monday in San Diego when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The trio’s talks are expected to focus on the next steps in the process for commissioning the submarines for Australia.
Battery boom. Australia’s rapid shift from coal-fired power to cleaner alternatives is underwriting a boom in battery projects able to store solar and wind energy. The country has at least 250 planned battery developments with a potential capacity of almost 130,000 megawatt-hours, a pipeline that’s second only to China, data compiled by BloombergNEF show. Meanwhile, there’s a belief among miners that battery materials are heading for an epic bull run.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
Sub deal: Australia will acquire three US-built nuclear submarines by around 2033 and eventually build five UK-designed subs around a decade later.
The cost to taxpayers will come in at an eye-watering $268 billion to $368 billion over the next three decades. The plan will take $9 billion from the budget's bottom line across the next four years and $50 billion to $58 billion over the next decade.
The cost to taxpayers will come in at an eye-watering $268 billion to $368 billion over the next three decades. The plan will take $9 billion from the budget's bottom line across the next four years and $50 billion to $58 billion over the next decade.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
From the reserve bank
Economic growth in Australia is forecast to slow this year as rising interest rates, the higher cost of living and declining real wealth weigh on growth. The outlook for GDP growth is little changed from three months ago (Table 5.1). While the incoming data on domestic demand for the second half of 2022 was a little weaker than expected, the overall implications for the growth outlook have been broadly offset by stronger population growth, which is being driven by higher net overseas arrivals. GDP growth is expected to have been 2¾ per cent over 2022 and to be 1½ per cent over both 2023 and 2024. Domestic activity is forecast to pick up a little from late 2024 onwards as the drag on growth from the earlier monetary policy tightening starts to wane and inflation moderates. The labour market is very tight; the recent pick-up in net arrivals following the reopening of the international border has supported robust growth in employment and is helping to alleviate shortages in some areas. The unemployment rate is forecast to remain around 3½ per cent until mid-2023, before rising as growth in output slows.
Headline consumer price inflation was 7.8 per cent over 2022. Inflation is forecast to decline to around the top of the 2–3 per cent target band over coming years. The easing in global price pressures already underway is expected to flow through to domestic prices over time. In addition, slower growth in domestic demand and a moderation in labour market conditions are expected to reduce domestic inflationary pressures. Inflation could turn out to be higher than expected if the high inflation environment leads to greater feedback between wages and prices than has been typical in the inflation targeting era. On the other hand, inflation could be lower than expected if the easing in goods inflation is faster or more widespread than anticipated.
A key source of uncertainty for the domestic activity outlook relates to the competing forces affecting household spending. Aggregate household incomes have been sustained by strong labour demand, which has supported employment and hours worked and has led to stronger wages growth. Household balance sheets – in aggregate – are in good shape, underpinned by a high level of savings in recent years, although some households (especially those with limited spare income, high debt and low savings) are finding it hard to adjust to higher interest rates and higher inflation. High inflation and rising interest rates are also weighing on aggregate household disposable income and spending in real terms. Household consumption will also be dampened by wealth effects due to the decline in housing prices.
5. Economic Outlook
Global growth is forecast to remain well below its historical average over the next two years. Real incomes have declined as the cost of living has escalated, in part due to Europe’s energy crisis. The highly synchronised global monetary policy tightening is also expected to weigh on demand. While the central forecast for growth in Australia’s major trading partners is unchanged, the balance of risks has improved (with plausible scenarios for higher or lower inflation and growth over the next few years). In particular, the Chinese authorities’ decision in December to lift most COVID-19 restrictions sooner than had been expected, inflation showing clearer signs of peaking and lower global gas prices have reduced some of the downside risks to the global outlook (see chapter on ‘The International Environment’).Economic growth in Australia is forecast to slow this year as rising interest rates, the higher cost of living and declining real wealth weigh on growth. The outlook for GDP growth is little changed from three months ago (Table 5.1). While the incoming data on domestic demand for the second half of 2022 was a little weaker than expected, the overall implications for the growth outlook have been broadly offset by stronger population growth, which is being driven by higher net overseas arrivals. GDP growth is expected to have been 2¾ per cent over 2022 and to be 1½ per cent over both 2023 and 2024. Domestic activity is forecast to pick up a little from late 2024 onwards as the drag on growth from the earlier monetary policy tightening starts to wane and inflation moderates. The labour market is very tight; the recent pick-up in net arrivals following the reopening of the international border has supported robust growth in employment and is helping to alleviate shortages in some areas. The unemployment rate is forecast to remain around 3½ per cent until mid-2023, before rising as growth in output slows.
Headline consumer price inflation was 7.8 per cent over 2022. Inflation is forecast to decline to around the top of the 2–3 per cent target band over coming years. The easing in global price pressures already underway is expected to flow through to domestic prices over time. In addition, slower growth in domestic demand and a moderation in labour market conditions are expected to reduce domestic inflationary pressures. Inflation could turn out to be higher than expected if the high inflation environment leads to greater feedback between wages and prices than has been typical in the inflation targeting era. On the other hand, inflation could be lower than expected if the easing in goods inflation is faster or more widespread than anticipated.
A key source of uncertainty for the domestic activity outlook relates to the competing forces affecting household spending. Aggregate household incomes have been sustained by strong labour demand, which has supported employment and hours worked and has led to stronger wages growth. Household balance sheets – in aggregate – are in good shape, underpinned by a high level of savings in recent years, although some households (especially those with limited spare income, high debt and low savings) are finding it hard to adjust to higher interest rates and higher inflation. High inflation and rising interest rates are also weighing on aggregate household disposable income and spending in real terms. Household consumption will also be dampened by wealth effects due to the decline in housing prices.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
�
[TD]650,640[/TD]
[TD]
New Zealand[/TD]
[TD]564,840[/TD]
[TD]
Philippines[/TD]
[TD]310,050[/TD]
[TD]
Vietnam[/TD]
[TD]270,340[/TD]
[TD]
South Africa[/TD]
[TD]200,240[/TD]
[TD]
Italy[/TD]
[TD]177,840[/TD]
[TD]
Malaysia[/TD]
[TD]177,460[/TD]
[TD]
Sri Lanka[/TD]
[TD]146,950[/TD]
Some of the largest immigrant groups into aussie . Note the composition has changed over time and the uk is no longer the largest intake group last I checked it was India
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2020)[32] | |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Estimated resident population[A] |
| Total Australian-born | 18,043,310 |
| Total foreign-born | 7,653,990 |
 England | 980,360 |
 India | 721,050 |
 Mainland Chinahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Australia#cite_note-34 |
[TD]
New Zealand[/TD][TD]564,840[/TD]
[TD]
Philippines[/TD][TD]310,050[/TD]
[TD]
Vietnam[/TD][TD]270,340[/TD]
[TD]
South Africa[/TD][TD]200,240[/TD]
[TD]
Italy[/TD][TD]177,840[/TD]
[TD]
Malaysia[/TD][TD]177,460[/TD]
[TD]
Sri Lanka[/TD][TD]146,950[/TD]
Some of the largest immigrant groups into aussie . Note the composition has changed over time and the uk is no longer the largest intake group last I checked it was India
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
The Aussie banking system seems unaffected by recent problems in US and europe . The regulators of the Aussie system seem to be on pointin this regard .
According to a report I read Aussies are dying in very high numbers due to covid, diabetes and dementia. What are you guys eating down there?
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
This is concerning I have mixed feelings.
Quote
Police searched close to 600 people across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Townsville over the Easter weekend and found six knives.
"We're very pleased with the results but our ultimate aim is, of course, to see no one carrying knives and those six knives that were detected, that's absolutely six too many," Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler told reporters on Tuesday.
"By detecting those six knives and taking them from the people who are carrying them, we know that we could have saved lives just over the weekend."
Last month state parliament passed laws allowing officers to randomly search people in nightlife precincts and on public transport networks.
One of the weapons was discovered on someone at the Willows Shopping Centre bus stop in Townsville, and another two were being carried by people at the Brunswick Street railway station in Brisbane.
The other knives were found in nightlife areas in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, and in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
Several folded blade knives were among those detected.
Officers on the Gold Coast had previously used the powers to undertake random searches under a trial in the Gold Coast's safe night precincts, in which 266 weapons were seized.
Those caught with a knife in public face a fine of almost $6000 dollars, or a year in prison.
Quote
Police searched close to 600 people across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Townsville over the Easter weekend and found six knives.
"We're very pleased with the results but our ultimate aim is, of course, to see no one carrying knives and those six knives that were detected, that's absolutely six too many," Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler told reporters on Tuesday.
"By detecting those six knives and taking them from the people who are carrying them, we know that we could have saved lives just over the weekend."
Last month state parliament passed laws allowing officers to randomly search people in nightlife precincts and on public transport networks.
One of the weapons was discovered on someone at the Willows Shopping Centre bus stop in Townsville, and another two were being carried by people at the Brunswick Street railway station in Brisbane.
The other knives were found in nightlife areas in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, and in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
Several folded blade knives were among those detected.
Officers on the Gold Coast had previously used the powers to undertake random searches under a trial in the Gold Coast's safe night precincts, in which 266 weapons were seized.
Those caught with a knife in public face a fine of almost $6000 dollars, or a year in prison.
Australians are dying at a rate not seen since wartime but politicians are ignoring demands to find out why, critics say. In 2022 there were 25,235 more deaths than would be expected in a normal year, 10,095 of which were directly caused by Covid with another 3,000 where the virus was 'a contributing factor'.
Australians are dying at a rate not seen since wartime but politicians are ignoring demands to find out why, critics say. In 2022 there were 25,235 more deaths than would be expected in a normal year, 10,095 of which were directly caused by Covid with another 3,000 where the virus was 'a contributing factor'.
Australians are dying at a rate not seen since wartime but politicians are ignoring demands to find out why, critics say. In 2022 there were 25,235 more deaths than would be expected in a normal year, 10,095 of which were directly caused by Covid with another 3,000 where the virus was 'a contributing factor'.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 44,289
- Reaction score
- 1,168
- Points
- 133
Umm Cusp excess deaths are a world wide event atm . I am unaware it is happening at a greater rate in Aussie than elsewhere .
We have collated better stats on it than some country .
Have you got the US figures for comparison ?
So far as I understand the research into the reason are still in early stage but people delaying normal health care seems to be a factor . The Uk is well aware of having this issue as are other countries I am surprised the US has not published good figures on it .
We have collated better stats on it than some country .
Have you got the US figures for comparison ?
So far as I understand the research into the reason are still in early stage but people delaying normal health care seems to be a factor . The Uk is well aware of having this issue as are other countries I am surprised the US has not published good figures on it .
