0:02

This

0:02

is an ABC Podcast.

0:08

Good morning. Welcome to AM. I'm Sabralain

0:10

coming to you from Napa Luna Hoban.

0:13

The national cabinet meets this afternoon at

0:15

the prime minister hope he can land an agreement

0:17

with state and territory leaders to intervene

0:20

in the energy market and contain rising

0:22

power prices. The Commonwealth appears

0:24

to have convinced New South Wales to put

0:26

price caps on coal and gas at Queensland,

0:29

maybe another challenge. There are warnings

0:31

that even if a deal can be worked out, power

0:34

prices will stay high. They just

0:36

won't as sore to the levels otherwise

0:38

feared. Tom Lowrey reports in parliament

0:41

house. After

0:42

weeks of negotiations, it looks like

0:44

the Commonwealth is edging closer to a deal

0:46

with the states for price caps on coal

0:48

and gas. It's a reasonably straightforward

0:51

plan. Cap the prices of two of the

0:53

biggest inputs to the energy grid and

0:55

take the pressure off customers' power bills.

0:57

The challenge has been getting the country's two

1:00

biggest coal producing states on board,

1:02

New South Wales and Queensland. Speaking

1:05

to the ABC last night, New South Wales

1:07

Energy Minister and Treasurer, Matt Kain,

1:09

said a deal isn't far off. We're

1:11

pretty close to an agreement. I'm

1:14

hoping there'll be an announcement tomorrow between Premier

1:16

Parroté and prime minister Albunesi. Both

1:18

states stand to lose revenue through

1:20

lower mining royalties. Matt

1:22

Caine says the New South Wales government is

1:25

happy to go without compensation. But

1:27

once the Commonwealth to help El swear.

1:29

If we go down the price cap path, what

1:31

we want to ensure is that Commonwealth provides

1:34

financial assistance to families and

1:36

businesses that will be impacted by Queensland's

1:38

position is less clear, but it's expressed

1:41

concerns about lost royalties and

1:43

dividends from its state owned generators. Ian

1:46

McFarlane, the former coalition minister

1:48

and now head of the Queensland Resources Council,

1:51

says a cap on coal won't achieve what's

1:53

being promised. in terms of Queensland,

1:56

the

1:56

power stations are operating on

1:58

mine mouth basis

1:59

and capping

2:00

the price coal will have no effect

2:02

on the price of electricity. If you're

2:05

unfamiliar with the jargon, a mine

2:07

mouth operation means a power plant is

2:09

right beside a coal mine. mister

2:11

McFarlane says those plans simply

2:13

aren't exposed to fluctuating prices,

2:16

so capping prices won't do anything.

2:18

The coal is bought on a on a

2:20

very long term contract that price

2:22

is usually sub-one hundred

2:24

dollars. And and in fact, in some cases,

2:26

lower than sixty dollars a ton and

2:29

therefore haven't been affected by the international

2:32

increases in coal prices. That's

2:34

the case for a lot of coal fired power

2:36

plants. But Tristan Edes, an

2:38

analyst from Progressive Advisory Group,

2:40

Green Energy Markets, says that doesn't

2:42

mean a price cap won't work. Most

2:44

coal generators do have their

2:47

coal supply is contracted. But

2:49

they aren't the ones that typically set

2:52

the market clearing price. He says

2:54

the market price tends to be set by generators

2:57

that are exposed to international prices,

2:59

particularly Gladstone and Araring, which

3:01

are close to cold ports. So

3:04

by lowering the cost for, say,

3:06

a raring or Gladstone, it

3:08

then forces the price down for all

3:10

the other coal generators that may

3:13

have far lower cost of coal. If a

3:15

deal can be hammered out in national cabinet

3:17

today, and the big coal producing states

3:19

can be brought on board, Tristan Edes

3:21

says it should help contain power prices,

3:24

but they'll still be high. We're still

3:26

gonna see very expensive gas and

3:28

expensive coal relative to

3:30

what we're historically used to,

3:32

but it's going to be a lot

3:34

less painful than what we'd unfold if

3:36

we didn't have the price caps. Tristan

3:38

Edes from Green Energy Markets,

3:41

ending that report from Tom Lowrey. Why

3:43

is today's energy meeting important? Because

3:45

some families are sleeping in swags

3:47

in their homes to avoid turning on the heating,

3:50

and some are skipping meals and using the money

3:52

to pay for higher power bills instead. Australian

3:55

Council of Social Service says the premier's

3:57

territory leaders in the prime minister must support

4:00

for families who can at least afford soaring

4:03

power cost. warning that a rising

4:05

number of Australians are facing energy

4:07

poverty and debt. John Daily

4:09

reports. So how do you like sleeping in

4:11

the swag? I

4:14

It's got because right

4:17

now, it's not coming. Malika

4:19

and her six year old daughter have been sleeping

4:21

in a swag on the lounge room floor to

4:23

stay warm at night.

4:24

We've been sleeping in a swag

4:26

me and my daughter for the

4:28

most part of this year. when

4:31

it came to winter, we

4:32

just weren't coping whatsoever

4:35

like it's that cold in this house.

4:37

The twenty six year old single mom fled domestic

4:39

violence. and now lives in social housing

4:41

in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, and

4:43

gets by on single parent payments. Her

4:46

government provided house has little

4:48

insulation and certainly no solar

4:50

panels, leaving her with tough decisions. Face

4:52

the elements or deal with unaffordable electricity

4:55

bills. that's been

4:55

a consistent struggle ever since I moved

4:58

out on my own from DV.

4:59

It's just like nothing is

5:02

ever on without needing to be most

5:04

of the knots. So I try to use candles, and

5:07

that also helps with the warmth.

5:08

Family little

5:11

effects to get around it and stuff like that. It's

5:13

not a comfortable way to live.

5:14

That's for sure. Life hacks aside,

5:16

she can't help but disparate her circumstances.

5:18

Oh, I hate this house. and I hate living

5:20

here. And I like to be honest, I hate living

5:22

in Australia because it seems

5:24

to be a countrywide thing and it's never

5:26

gonna get better off. So A recent report

5:28

from the Australian energy regulator found

5:31

the number of households in energy debt

5:33

of more than two thousand five hundred dollars

5:35

has increased by thirty nine percent

5:37

throughout the year. Since Vincent DePaul's Society

5:39

policy and research manager Gavin

5:41

Duffy says stories of energy

5:43

bill related poverty becoming

5:45

more common. I did some work the

5:47

other day to help assisting somebody,

5:50

an age pensioner, who

5:52

was foregoing prescription

5:54

medication because they had to pay

5:56

their energy bills, put food on the

5:58

table, and they're rent they're in a rental

6:00

property. people without children will make

6:02

decisions about getting disconnected. So

6:06

they'll they'll put food on the table elite, and then

6:08

they'll sit in the dark. National Cabot

6:10

is considering capping coal and gas

6:12

prices to lower electricity bills, which are

6:14

predicted to rise fifty six percent

6:16

in the next two years. Australian

6:18

Council of Social Service chief executive

6:20

Cassandra Goldie says there needs to be

6:22

energy efficiency measures targeted

6:24

at low income households. we need a

6:26

commitment to roll out

6:27

large scale energy efficiency and

6:30

solar retrofits for low income households

6:32

have been completely left behind

6:34

when it comes to accessing those technologies.

6:36

And we also need

6:39

minimum energy efficiency standards

6:41

for those rental properties so that people

6:44

are reducing their energy use.

6:46

Malika hopes some help comes out of

6:48

today's national cabinet meeting. I'll

6:50

just have many fingers and toes crossed that they're

6:52

actually gonna do something to help and

6:53

not harm. Like

6:55

Macquarie's social housing resident, Malika,

6:57

ending that report by John Daly in Small

6:59

business owners know this

7:00

all too well with the unemployment

7:03

rate so low. It's hard to find enough staff.

7:04

And right now, it's giving workers the opportunity

7:07

to shop around for jobs that pay

7:09

well and for better

7:10

working conditions.

7:11

The number of people switching jobs is

7:13

hit levels not seen in more than a decade.

7:16

The resources sector is snapping up many

7:18

of them because it's paying more. Tim

7:20

Wong said he prepared this report.

7:24

Jasmine Clark is firing

7:26

up the coffee machine at a local cafe

7:28

in Albany on WA's South

7:30

Coast, where she works as a barista But

7:35

today is the last time she'll be

7:37

serving up the hot drinks. So I'm

7:39

quitting

7:39

my job here. plays my

7:42

last shift and I'm doing utility

7:44

care off in the mines. Now

7:46

Mount Holland. The mine

7:48

site that'll be Jasmine's new workplace

7:50

is five hours east of Perth. She'd

7:52

be working in hospitality, preparing

7:54

and serving meals, and maintaining worker

7:56

accommodation. and there's

7:58

one big draw card. If I'm gonna

8:00

be honest, the pay. It's

8:02

it's very good pay for what you do.

8:04

The resources sector has long been a

8:06

popular employer, thanks to its willingness

8:08

to pay higher wages. But

8:10

Rachel Jones, the WA Director for

8:12

employment agency, Collagroup, says

8:15

the sector's been boosting its recruitment

8:17

efforts over the past twelve months.

8:18

Clients are really understanding

8:21

that they need to future proof their business.

8:23

Even more so now if you think about

8:25

the way we've just come from coming out of

8:27

COVID and all the borders are

8:29

closed, It's really

8:31

highlighted the impacts

8:33

of the businesses with us qualified

8:35

people and experienced people. And there are

8:37

plenty

8:37

of jobs to fill. According to

8:39

the Bureau of Statistics, job vacancies

8:42

in mining jumped sixty two

8:44

percent in August this year compared with

8:46

February twenty twenty. Allison

8:48

Jones is a professor of economics at

8:50

the University of Western Australia,

8:52

and she says these jobs are attractive

8:54

to workers who want to switch industries.

8:55

for example, if I take childcare

8:58

workers, they're not necessarily being able to

9:00

demand higher wages where they

9:02

are, but what they can actually do then is

9:04

move to another employer group happens that might

9:06

get better terms and conditions of

9:08

employment. But what we are also seeing

9:10

with the mining sector again because it

9:12

does have that capacity to pay

9:14

that it is going to suck out labor

9:16

from groups. And workers

9:18

are moving around. The bureau of

9:20

statistics says nine and a half

9:22

percent of people changed jobs in the

9:24

twelve months to February of this

9:26

year, the highest annual job

9:28

mobility rate since twenty twelve. Recruiter

9:31

Rachel Jones says mining companies are targeting

9:33

young workers.

9:33

They're committed, they're

9:36

loyal, and they want to learn

9:38

and develop. Companies are really

9:40

focused on making sure that they've got the

9:42

right programs in place, the right

9:44

training in the right

9:46

bullying scenario as well. It's the

9:48

kind

9:48

of support Jasmine Clark might need

9:50

as she begins her new FIFO lifestyle,

9:53

which she admits is a huge

9:55

change. To be

9:55

honest, I'm so nervous. It is really

9:57

nerve racking, especially that I've never done

9:59

this. So I

10:00

like this with I've never been away from

10:02

home for more than a week.

10:05

But I'm I'm getting

10:07

there.

10:07

It's very nerve wracking, I'd say so.

10:10

Former

10:10

Barista Jasmine Clark ending that report

10:12

by Tim Long Sea.

10:17

US

10:18

basketball star Britney Greiner has

10:20

been freed from the

10:20

penal colony in Russia and exchanged

10:23

in a prisoner swap with a

10:25

notorious Russian armed dealer known as

10:27

the merchant of death. As

10:29

North America correspondent Carrington Clark

10:31

reports, the United States had been trying to

10:33

secure the release of two Americans

10:35

for the Russian. Standing

10:37

in the White House and flanked by the US

10:39

president and vice president, Sheryl

10:41

Reiner tried to keep her emotions

10:43

in check.

10:45

So

10:46

over the last nine months, y'all have

10:48

been so

10:51

privy to one of the darkest moments of my

10:53

life. And so today, I'm just standing

10:55

here. overwhelm with

10:57

emotions, but the most important

10:59

emotion that I have right now is just sincere

11:01

gratitude for president

11:03

Biden and his entire diminish restration.

11:06

She's

11:06

thankful that the American government has

11:08

finally been able to release her wife.

11:10

W NBA All Star and double

11:12

Olympic gold medalist Britney Greiner from Russian

11:14

custody. Greiner had been

11:16

arrested back in February after arriving

11:18

in Russia to play basketball, carrying

11:20

cartridges of cannabis oil.

11:22

She said she'd inadvertently packed them, but

11:24

a Russian court sentenced her to

11:26

nine years imprisonment. President

11:29

Biden says Britney should never have been

11:31

jailed. after months being unjustly

11:33

detained in Russia, held under

11:35

intolerable circumstances. Brittany

11:37

will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones

11:39

and and she should have been there

11:41

all along. This is

11:43

a day we worked toward for a long time.

11:46

We never stopped pushing for her

11:48

release. In a game of high stake

11:50

diplomatic chess to get Britney

11:52

Greiner freed, the United States had to

11:54

give up its own high profile

11:56

prisoner, Viktor Bout, an arms

11:58

dealer who was halfway through a

12:00

twenty five year prison sentence. He'd

12:02

earned the nickname the merchant of

12:04

death as he evaded capture for years.

12:06

Boots bloody exploits inspired the two

12:08

thousand and five film, Lord of War

12:10

starring Nicholas Kate. The

12:12

US had been trying to get a two for one

12:14

swap for boot Former

12:15

marine, Paul Whelan, is also in

12:17

Russian captivity, but it appears

12:19

Russia wasn't willing. George Washington

12:22

University legal expert Paul Schiff Berman says

12:24

the Biden administration should still be

12:26

applauded for what they got. With these

12:28

sorts of prisoner swaps and

12:30

diplomatic relationships and hospice its negotiations

12:32

and so forth, the perfect is always

12:34

the enemy of the good. You never

12:36

get a perfect deal. You always

12:38

get less than you wanted. But

12:41

sometimes you have to grab what you

12:43

can, when you can get it, and

12:45

hope that the momentum that

12:47

is created and the relationships and

12:49

trust that is created because

12:52

of this first success will

12:54

lead to other successes. The prisoner

12:56

swap took place in the UAE. President

12:58

Biden promises Brittany Greiner will be

13:00

back on American soil soon. The

13:02

poor Whelan's family is begging the president to

13:04

not forget him. They're hoping

13:06

Professor Berman is right, and success

13:08

begets success, but there are

13:10

concerns the US has played its

13:12

biggest and most powerful piece for

13:14

Greiner, and there's little left to negotiate

13:17

with. This is character Clark in Washington

13:19

reporting for AM. In

13:21

Australia, Myanmar and around Asia, young

13:23

people have been chanting, stop executing

13:25

our friends, and they've been writing that

13:27

message on the palms of their hands as

13:29

well. It's part of a protest against

13:31

Myanmar's military junta, which has

13:33

imposed death sentences on

13:35

seven university students. Students

13:38

were accused of killing a former military

13:40

officer and convicted in a closed

13:42

court. Activists are now trying to

13:44

stop the executions. with

13:46

more his Southeast Asia correspondent,

13:48

Mizzo I Ford.

13:49

Speaking out against the military regime in

13:51

Myanmar can be dangerous and

13:53

even deadly. But for mennon

13:55

Ted, it's a risk he says he has

13:57

to take. He's president of

13:59

the

13:59

Dagon University student union,

14:02

And since seven fellow students were

14:04

given death sentences last

14:06

week. He's been vocal in leading a

14:08

social media campaign, hashtag

14:10

stop executing our friends. in a

14:12

bid to save them from the gallows.

14:14

He told AM through a translator.

14:17

Some of

14:17

them are my close friends. So

14:19

if those death sentences and executions

14:21

are conducted, I

14:23

think it'll make me very regretful because

14:25

I couldn't do anything for them.

14:27

They're just kids. Now they're

14:30

being handed a death sentence. More

14:31

than a hundred and thirty people have been

14:34

sentenced to death in Myanmar since

14:36

last year's coup. In July, four

14:38

political prisoners were hanged for

14:40

aiding terror acts. The

14:42

students were convicted in a closed

14:44

court for murdering a former

14:46

military colonel outside a bank where

14:47

he worked.

14:50

Fermi's activists in Melbourne

14:52

and Sydney have been protesting this

14:54

week against the planned executions. Liu

14:57

has been among them. The

14:58

military use well,

15:01

that's study as a tool or

15:04

she's, like, AAA working

15:06

to make their power stronger

15:08

and course, they

15:10

feel to to young people

15:13

who are defending the top I see.

15:15

The

15:15

junta says Myanmar's courts are

15:17

independent. and those arrested

15:20

received due process. We can never

15:22

trust their trials, and it will never

15:24

be free and fair. It will never be

15:26

transparent and all the

15:28

they got orders from the Honda and

15:30

they do it according to the

15:32

Honda's order. Burmese democracy activist

15:35

Tinsa Shunlei says the death

15:37

penalty is a desperate move in

15:39

the face of unrelenting resistance.

15:41

The honda, remain in

15:43

power, but they're not in control.

15:45

Manimong from human rights watch

15:47

says if the military thinks the threat of

15:49

capital punishment will scare

15:51

opponents it may find it galvanizes

15:53

them instead. People will

15:55

become very angry

15:57

because these young,

15:59

so

15:59

young, they're just university

16:02

students who've decided to take up

16:04

arms to basically fight against

16:06

a military that is

16:08

persecuting them. Rights groups are again

16:10

calling for a global arms embargo on

16:12

Myanmar and targeted

16:14

sanctions on the generals. The Australian

16:17

government told AM it's deeply concerned

16:19

by reports of the death sentences

16:21

and opposes the death penalty in

16:23

all circumstances. It

16:25

says sanctions remain under active

16:27

consideration.

16:27

Missouri Ford.

16:34

While the NFLW has just

16:36

racked up its full first fully

16:37

expanded season with all eighteen clubs,

16:39

a branch of the women's game in the United

16:42

States is gaining popularity.

16:44

Hundreds of American players are now turning to

16:46

the Australian code, but agents say there's

16:48

no investment to help talented

16:50

US exports pursue a career in

16:53

the sport. Britney Klein reports from

16:55

Washington. No. Run

16:56

on it. Run on. Alright,

16:58

Russ. With the Washington monument as

17:00

their backdrop, These women might be

17:02

sixteen thousand kilometers from

17:04

the MCG, but they're training for a

17:06

sport born and bred in Victoria.

17:10

Afl teams in the United States have even adopted

17:12

similar branding to Australian

17:15

clubs. Although here in the nation's capital,

17:17

Claire Conley's team, the DC

17:19

Eagles, hail from the east,

17:22

not west coast. Yeah.

17:23

I am right here right here. I've lived around the

17:25

US a lot and everywhere I've been able

17:27

to find a USAFL team and they've

17:29

become my new family, my new home. On the hands.

17:31

On the hands. The current club is one of

17:33

seventeen across the United States.

17:35

that has a developing woman's side.

17:38

It's also where Meghan Sullivan got

17:40

her start before moving to the Gold

17:42

Coast and signing up to play NFL

17:44

at a state level. coming here, it

17:46

was really hard to get confidence. I

17:48

kind of played every position and

17:50

wherever the club needed me, but it

17:52

was really hard to cement

17:54

where I felt comfortable especially with learning

17:57

all the rules and obviously

17:59

the

17:59

competition is such a higher level. That's why

18:02

it was big news when the first

18:04

American export was signed to the

18:06

AFLW

18:06

in twenty nineteen. Sounds good, Olivia. Thank

18:08

you. An Arizona woman making history, she

18:10

is the first American female to

18:12

ever sign a pro contract

18:15

to play professional Australian rules

18:17

football. President Daniel Masher

18:19

reminds the only American buy it to

18:21

make the lape from the US IFL.

18:23

There's no scholarships. There's no pathways really.

18:25

It was basically just like, hey, I'm gonna take

18:27

a gamble on this. I'm gonna buy

18:29

my own plane find my own place to

18:31

stay, find my own local club to play

18:33

with. I think the NFL missed the boat.

18:35

Player agent Jason Hill says the league

18:37

should have invested in international

18:40

when the women's game was in its infancy.

18:41

The talent we see now on the park, we

18:44

can reach out and the AFOW is at such a

18:46

high level that to see someone come

18:48

from what is a community league

18:50

anywhere in the world now would be

18:52

a a massive step up. plays in the

18:53

game. So There were thirty six international imports

18:56

in the AFLW this

18:58

year, more than half, were Irish.

19:00

That's because clubs have much

19:02

more success in signing former Gayleic football

19:05

players who have transferable skills.

19:07

In the US, Claire

19:09

Conley says it's still struggle

19:11

to source Sanazi rules football or even

19:14

goals for training. We

19:15

have big metal rods that they just, like,

19:17

sort of hammer into the and

19:19

and it's PVC pipes. You're

19:21

right. But with more resources,

19:23

even

19:23

exchange programs, she's confident

19:25

the American brand of AFL could

19:28

grow. There's Are you able to

19:30

take it? Yes, sir. Britney Klein reporting and that's AM

19:32

for today. Thanks for

19:33

your company. I'm Sabra Lane.

19:38

Hi.

19:38

I'm Sam Horley, hosted the

19:40

ABC News Daily Podcast.

19:42

This week, a climate change

19:44

protester was jailed for fifteen months after she

19:47

disrupted traffic on the Sydney Harbour

19:49

Bridge earlier this year. Its

19:51

outraged human rights groups and the

19:53

United Nations. Today, we discuss whether

19:55

these kinds of protests are

19:58

effective

19:58

and if stricter laws will

19:59

really discourage them. Look

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