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Bowen says energy bills are ‘higher than we would like’, but claims nuclear could fix things quickly are from a ‘fantasy world’
Bowen says energy bills are ‘higher than we would like’, but any claims nuclear could fix things quickly are from a ‘fantasy world’
Chris Bowen, the federal energy minister, is speaking at the Press Club this afternoon in Canberra.
He said Australians are “right to be concerned” about high power prices, saying bills are “higher than we would like”. But, he said, the answer to that problem is working hard every day to get them down.
Claims that a magic bullet like introducing nuclear power on an “unrealistic timeline”, Bowen said, won’t help. He said those pushing such ideas were living in a “fantasy world”. He went on:
If they want the next election to be a referendum on energy, that’s OK, too. Because our plan is ultimately, the only one on offer to the Australian people that can reduce bills. And their plan will make electricity more expensive.
Key events
Penry Buckley
Reformers member needed a ‘Valium or a break’ after factional work, inquiry hears
The NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny has returned after a break for lunch. This morning’s hearing has been slower than on previous days, with counsel assisting Juliet Curtin taking Jean-Claude Perrottet methodically through his time in the NSW Liberals and in factional group the Reformers.
Perrottet admitted the group, who wanted more conservative policies on same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia, plannedto recruit “like-minded people” to the party, including in order to influence preselections for MPs.
Asked about a message in which Reformer Christian Ellis wrote “Two people happy to go into dodgy Branch”, Jean-Claude admitted the group signed up members with a view to putting them in branches not controlled by their conservative right faction.
He laughed when he was read out one message in which Greenwood wrote to Reformer Christian Ellis: “Mate, Claude either needs a Valium or a break from the faction work to rest”.
Curtin asked:
Are you laughing because it’s it’s true? You did you did need a break or a Valium at this point from faction work, or just at the expression that Mr Greenwood uses?
“I don’t know whether in that moment I needed a break … it’s just the turn of phrase, I guess,” said Perrottet.
In another message, Reformer Robert Assaf wrote that another member signed up by the group was not renewing their membership. “She is a nun,” Assaf wrote. “Only problem Reformers sign up would ever have”. “Haha,” wrote back Perrottet.
Benita Kolovos
Peter Marshall response to Operation Richmond report
The head of the United Firefighters Union, Peter Marshall, held a press conference in Melbourne following the tabling of the anti-corruption watchdog’s Operation Richmond report, which found he wielded an “extraordinary influence” in pay negotiations with the Andrews government.
Marshall said he’s been “vindicated” by the report, which stopped short of making any findings of corrupt conduct. But it found senior members of the Andrews government engaged in “serious and concerning” conduct in their dealings with him.
He told reporters at a press conference:
Now you can try and make this out to be the union having improper influence against the Labor government. Well, let me tell you the real world. How many business people go and see the Liberal government? How many other organisations and lobby groups go and see parliamentarians? There is nothing wrong with what we’ve done, absolutely nothing.
Marshall also called for an inquiry into Ibac itself, describing its surveillance methods as “extreme.” He said:
They’ve done a hit on this union, and they’ve actually tried to find a corrupt conduct. They went looking for a finding that was simply not there. Eight years, around $8m of public money they’ve spent on a witch hunt, and why? Because when they find nothing, then they try to write up something that gives it substance, and that’s what this report is, and that’s why I’m calling it creative writing.
Marshall said he wasn’t “an angel” but he did his job representing his members’ interests.
Have I breached the law? No. Have I ever been convicted for doing so? No. Have I been found of corruption? No.
Andrew Messenger
Brisbane showground to get $287m Olympics upgrade
The Brisbane showgrounds, host to the Ekka, will get a $287m upgrade over the next two years, in advance of the 2032 Olympics.
The Royal Queensland Show – known as the Ekka – will celebrate its 150th anniversary when it opens on Saturday.
Deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie announced on Wednesday that the showgrounds will get a major upgrade, becoming a 20,000 outdoor arena, over the next two years, in order to be a host venue.
The heritage-listed showgrounds date to 1886, and several stands in the main arena area are unusable due to safety problems caused by their age.
The Ekka grounds will also be a neighbour to one of three athlete’s villages.
Bleijie said construction would get under way a matter of days after this year’s Ekka ends next week, on 24 August. It will take two years to finish; next year’s show will take place using temporary facilities.
“The Ekka – the show – will go on, concerts will happen, events will take place, the Ekka will happen every year, bar one year in 2032, because the Ekka is held same month as the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Bleijie said.
The Ekka has been cancelled four times, to serve as a hospital during the Spanish Flu, twice during Covid-19 lockdowns, and in 1942, during WW2.
Josh Taylor
High court to hear social media ban challenge cases in November
The two high court challenges to Australia’s under 16s social media ban will be heard in November, orders from the court late last week reveal.
There are two cases to be heard jointly: one from New South Wales Libertarian MP John Ruddick’s Digital Freedom Project group, and one from Reddit.
In orders from 29 July, the court gave leave to both cases to file a special case jointly for the opinion of the full court.
The court ordered the matter be set down for a two-day hearing in November.
Last week eSafety’s own study of the social media ban’s effectiveness found that there had been a slight drop in the number of teens holding accounts, but “little to not change” in offline activities or “potentially problematic behaviour”.
The regulator blamed the platforms for not taking enough action to remove teen accounts, as the parliament is considering legislation that will double the fine that eSafety can seek in the court against platforms for breaching the law, and give eSafety new powers to compel the platforms to hand over documents.
Graham Readfearn
Penguins and dolphins among nearly 400 Australian species under threat from bird flu
Almost 400 native Australian bird and mammal species have been assessed as being at a high risk – or worse – from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, a federal government assessment has revealed.
Some of Australia’s most beloved animals – including species of penguins, fur seals, quolls, dolphins, more than 300 birds and the Tasmanian devil – are considered at least high risk from the virus, meaning they could suffer “severe reduction in population size or viability” or worse if it reached them.
Five species are considered at extreme risk, meaning “unlikely to survive where the virus occurs”.
Read more here:
Bowen says energy bills are ‘higher than we would like’, but claims nuclear could fix things quickly are from a ‘fantasy world’
Bowen says energy bills are ‘higher than we would like’, but any claims nuclear could fix things quickly are from a ‘fantasy world’
Chris Bowen, the federal energy minister, is speaking at the Press Club this afternoon in Canberra.
He said Australians are “right to be concerned” about high power prices, saying bills are “higher than we would like”. But, he said, the answer to that problem is working hard every day to get them down.
Claims that a magic bullet like introducing nuclear power on an “unrealistic timeline”, Bowen said, won’t help. He said those pushing such ideas were living in a “fantasy world”. He went on:
If they want the next election to be a referendum on energy, that’s OK, too. Because our plan is ultimately, the only one on offer to the Australian people that can reduce bills. And their plan will make electricity more expensive.
Luca Ittimani
Investors rushing to buy homes via superannuation before ban, mortgage broker says
Australians are racing to borrow to buy investment properties though their self-managed super funds before the government bans the practice next week.
Labor’s reforms to investor tax breaks became law in June with the Greens’ help, on the condition SMSF loans be banned from 10 August, as you can read here:
Loan Market, a mortgage brokers group, says it received hundreds more SMSF loan applications than normal in the month ahead of the ban.
Applications for SMSF property loans rose about 30% from July 2025 to June 2026, after the budget reforms made super one of the least-taxed ways of investing in property.
Applications then rose 326% in July 2026 to hit record volumes, after the ban was announced, Loan Market reported.
About 1.2 million Australians have self-run super funds, which are an alternative to industry super that typically incur high fees, and housing made up only about 6% of their combined wealth. The government estimated just 4,000 people took out SMSF investment loans each year but the Australian Finance Industry Association estimated more than 16,000 were written in 2025-26.
The rush suggests there is still demand for property investment despite a broader fall as prices slide. Lending to all housing investors rose 0.8% in June, or 10.4% annually, its highest rate since 2015, according to Reserve Bank data. Lending to owner-occupiers rose 0.5% in the month.
Caitlin Cassidy
Julian Leeser says funding isn’t the answer to improving educational outcomes
The shadow education minister, Julian Leeser, says “money is not the issue” to improving Naplan results after Wednesday’s release showed one in three students are failing to reach literacy and numeracy benchmarks, with disadvantage gaps persisting.
Leeser says it is “another disappointing round of national results” but “clearly, money is not the issue”.
I am calling on every Labor government in Australia to stop pretending that funding is the answer. We have much more fundamental problems – with curriculum, with discipline and with the way that we teach. We need a renewed focus on quality.
Since Labor changed the way we measured outcomes in 2023, funding has gone up significantly, but results have not. In fact, in most cases, kids are behind where they were years ago.
Last year, the Labor government reached a deal with every state and territory to fully fund public schools for the first time. The money will be rolled out over a decade to 2034. Currently, the ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia where public schools receive the minimum benchmark of funding.
Caitlin Cassidy
Experts say Naplan results point to ‘concerning’ advantage gaps
The CEO of the Smith Family, Doug Taylor, says Wednesday’s Naplan results have again highlighted a “significant and persistent” gap in achievement between students from low and high socioeconomic backgrounds.
The results showed three in 10 students from disadvantaged backgrounds needed additional support to reach minimum literacy and numeracy benchmarks – 10 times higher than their peers from high socioeconomic backgrounds.
Taylor:
A test can reveal whether a student can decipher the theme of a poem or solve an algebra equation. But it doesn’t show the very real challenges holding many children and young people back from making the most of the educational opportunities … Early intervention is key. That’s how we close the achievement gap between students from low and high SES backgrounds.
Tanya Serry, a professor at La Trobe’s school of education, says the “persistent gap between our highest and lowest performing students is of concern”.
Students from more advantaged areas, and those who live in urban areas of Australia, are much more likely to be meeting proficiency levels. This is a concerning social equity issue.
Read about the results here:
Penry Buckley
Jean-Claude Perrottet was made redundant from Catholic Schools NSW in month before Icac hearing
Returning to the NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny hearings, Jean-Claude Perrottet, younger brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet, has been giving evidence under questioning from counsel assisting, Juliet Curtin.
Questions this morning have methodically gone through Jean-Claude’s history with the Liberal party and his early years in conservative right faction group the Reformers, alleged to have solicited illegal donations, after joining in 2018. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Like Reformer Robert Assaf and previous witness Dylan Whitelaw, Jean-Claude has been an employee at Catholic Schools NSW. Icac is investigating the allegation that illegal donations were made by the schools governing body, arranged and approved by the Catholic Schools NSW chief executive, Dallas McInerney.
The inquiry heard that although Jean-Claude was promoted to head of communications in May this year, he was made redundant from Catholic Schools NSW in June, weeks before Icac’s inquiry. He says McInerney, who has stepped aside from his role during the inquiry, told him the decision was because of office changes. Curtin asks:
Curtin: “I want to suggest to you, Mr Perrottet, that the reason you were made redundant only a month after you’ve been promoted to this new role was because of your involvement in this inquiry. Is that right?”
Jean-Claude Perrottet: “That wasn’t what was communicated to me from the office and the emails that I received, but I mean, obviously, I’ve thought about the timing of it.”
