Australia news live: Nationals MP Keith Pitt quits politics citing Coalition’s net zero target; Sydney commuters told to delay non-essential travel
Nationals MP Keith Pitt announces departure from politics
Josh Butler
Nationals politician Keith Pitt has announced his departure from politics, giving a serve to party leader David Littleproud on his way out, insinuating the Nats had lost “purpose” and taking aim at the Liberals’ net zero aspirations.
Pitt, the Member for Hinkler, said in a statement that he had told colleagues he wouldn’t be contesting the 2025 election. He called his time in politics “an incredible privilege… some extraordinary successes, many highs and some unfortunate lows”.
While I know some will be disappointed, I’m sure my decision will be warmly welcomed by others. I wish Peter Dutton every success in 2025.
Pitt has been outspoken in his time in politics, both as a backbencher and in ministerial roles, most prominently as minister for resources under the Morrison government – which was one of the roles to which Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself. Pitt has also been a strong backer of nuclear energy, the mining sector, and against renewables.
It’s also understood the Hinkler MP had been an agitator against the direction of Littleproud’s leadership, with Pitt’s name bandied about as a potential challenger – or supporter of a challenge – for the Nationals leadership for some time, and as a backer of Barnaby Joyce.
In an interview with The Australian newspaper, when asked about Littleproud, Pitt said the two men “have very different views on what’s the priority and direction for the Nationals.”
In my view, political parties without purpose soon disappear … I just think there’s been a shift in terms of policy positions that is sold as discipline but it’s more about obedience.
He said there hadn’t been enough focus on “the impact in the cost of committing to net zero emissions targets and the subsequent green policies that have to be paid for”.
And while there is literally zero impact on the temperature of the planet, it has huge impacts on the wallets of regional people.
Pitt’s broader media statement didn’t repeat such criticisms, but ended with a quote attributed to Martin Luther King:
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. I am confident I have never been silent. It has been a privilege to serve.
Key events
Greens senator says nuclear plan ‘cover for keeping coal burning longer’
Sarah Hanson-Young also lashed the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy, labelling it a “cover for keeping coal burning for longer”.
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan is dangerous because it delays climate action, it will make getting emissions down harder, it’s going to be more expensive for people, it’s going to be a big whack on the budget, but also a direct attack on everyone in Australia who has invested in putting solar panels on their own roofs. Peter Dutton’s plan undermines all that and is going to make their power bills go high.
Coalmine expansion approval ‘appalling’, Greens senator says
As Graham Readfearn reports, the Albanese government has approved the expansion of four coalmines that climate campaigners estimate will release more than 850m tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime – equivalent to almost double Australia’s annual emissions.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young spoke with ABC News Breakfast about this earlier, and labelled the decision “appalling” – as well as the environment minister’s “spin” of the government’s record on this in a post to X.
The Vulcan South mine, this is an approval for a coalmine in koala habitat – habitat that is already being destroyed … It sends the wrong message to the industry that they can go do whatever they like without approval and at the end of the day the minister will just roll over.
She pointed to a saying in politics – “putting out the bins” – and said “this is dumping the rubbish on Christmas Eve.”
If they wanted people to know about it, they wouldn’t have tried to hide it over the last 24 hours. They’re not proud of it, they know it’s damaging, they know it stinks, and they don’t have a plan to get out of the export of coal.
Nationals MP Keith Pitt announces departure from politics
Josh Butler
Nationals politician Keith Pitt has announced his departure from politics, giving a serve to party leader David Littleproud on his way out, insinuating the Nats had lost “purpose” and taking aim at the Liberals’ net zero aspirations.
Pitt, the Member for Hinkler, said in a statement that he had told colleagues he wouldn’t be contesting the 2025 election. He called his time in politics “an incredible privilege… some extraordinary successes, many highs and some unfortunate lows”.
While I know some will be disappointed, I’m sure my decision will be warmly welcomed by others. I wish Peter Dutton every success in 2025.
Pitt has been outspoken in his time in politics, both as a backbencher and in ministerial roles, most prominently as minister for resources under the Morrison government – which was one of the roles to which Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself. Pitt has also been a strong backer of nuclear energy, the mining sector, and against renewables.
It’s also understood the Hinkler MP had been an agitator against the direction of Littleproud’s leadership, with Pitt’s name bandied about as a potential challenger – or supporter of a challenge – for the Nationals leadership for some time, and as a backer of Barnaby Joyce.
In an interview with The Australian newspaper, when asked about Littleproud, Pitt said the two men “have very different views on what’s the priority and direction for the Nationals.”
In my view, political parties without purpose soon disappear … I just think there’s been a shift in terms of policy positions that is sold as discipline but it’s more about obedience.
He said there hadn’t been enough focus on “the impact in the cost of committing to net zero emissions targets and the subsequent green policies that have to be paid for”.
And while there is literally zero impact on the temperature of the planet, it has huge impacts on the wallets of regional people.
Pitt’s broader media statement didn’t repeat such criticisms, but ended with a quote attributed to Martin Luther King:
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. I am confident I have never been silent. It has been a privilege to serve.
Birmingham on conflict in the Middle East
Earlier, ABC RN had spoken with the director of emergency at Médecins Sans Frontières, who said there were undeniable signs of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
Simon Birmingham was asked if Australia should continue to support Israel in the face of these assessments and allegations? He responded there is “no doubt” an “immense human tragedy [that has] unfolded in Gaza”.
What Australia should continue to do is, indeed, support [our] democratic partner and ally in Israel and their right to self defence, but also apply maximum pressure for a ceasefire to be negotiated – one that sees hostages returned, one that sees terrorist capabilities surrendered at this conflict, which started all the way back on the seventh of October last year, from Hamas’ attacks …
Birmingham was asked if he regards Médecins Sans Frontières as a credible organisation? He said they were “certainly a credible organisation in the provision of relief [and] medical assistance” – but “different parties will add different commentary to their assessment of what’s happening on the ground.”
I don’t deny for a moment the realities in terms of the human suffering that is occurring, the tragedy that’s occurred there. The analysis is to causes of that, and how to get out of that? Something that then comes down to difficult decisions … Peace ultimately needs to see terrorists removed from a position where they could restart at any time.
Should sanctions against Syria be removed now Assad regime has fallen?
Moving to the Middle East, Simon Birmingham was asked whether sanctions Australia has had in place against Syria since 2011 should be reviewed now the Assad regime has fallen?
He said “obviously” sanctions should be under review “in terms of assessing how things unfold”, but added:
I wouldn’t rush to prejudge those conclusions that Australia would wish to see in Syria – a situation where all minorities, all peoples, have their rights protected, where Syria engages responsibly, not only with its own population in terms of their rights, but also with its neighbours … [If there are] strong steps in those directions … of course sanctions should be removed.
Shadow foreign minister questioned on nuclear waste from Coalition’s energy plan
The shadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning, and was asked which scientific experts in Australia had come out in favour of the Coalition’s nuclear plan.
He responded that “I haven’t gone and compiled my own list there” – but pointed to discussions with formerCSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall as one example.
What we’ve seen Coalition do is develop independent economic modelling that’s been released – and yes, like all economic modelling, it has people who will criticise and analyse it …
Asked if there are any scientific experts in Australia who have endorsed the plan, he responded: “Well, I’m not sure what you mean there by scientific experts.” Asked another way – if the Coalition’s plan was safe and feasible – he replied:
It absolutely is.
He was also asked about nuclear waste, and the estimate of how much there would be, and responded that the scale for a country like Australia is “entirely manageable”.
Pushed to give a specific estimate, Birmingham said:
I don’t have a piece of paper in front of me that tells you the tonnage or weight of the size of waste. Not denying the fact that there is waste that comes from a nuclear power plant, [but it] is waste that is eminently manageable and sensible for a country like Australia …
New Parramatta light rail opens
The new Parramatta light rail has officially opened this morning after five years of construction and testing. Passenger services began for the new L4 Westmead and Carlingford line at 5am this morning.
Services will be every nine minutes in the peak between 7am to 7pm, and 12-16 minutes in the off-peak on Monday to Friday. And on weekends services will be every 12 minutes in the peak between 7am to 7pm, and 16 minutes in the off-peak.
Transport for NSW said the Parramatta light rail stage 1 would connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia, with a two-way track spanning 12km and 16 light rail stops.
This will connect passengers to the Westmead health precinct, CommBank stadium, Rosehill Gardens racecourse and three Western Sydney University campuses at Westmead, Parramatta and Rydalmere.
By 2026, about 22,000 people are expected to use the Parramatta light rail every day.
NSW transport minister Jo Haylen said it had been more than 140 years since the first steam-powered tram went through Parramatta in 1883.
It will be a historic moment for the people of western Sydney when they jump onboard the sleek, modern red and white light rail vehicles. I want to thank everyone for their patience while a significant amount of testing has been completed to get light rail ready for passengers.
More Australians want property prices to fall rather than rise – survey
A survey from the Australia Institute has found more Australians want property prices to fall rather than rise next year.
The survey sampled 1,009 people, finding renters (60%) overwhelmingly support price falls, with just 16% saying they’d like to see prices rise.
Less than half of all home owners want prices to keep rising, including 45% who own their homes outright and 42% who are paying off a mortgage.
Coalition voters were the only group where more people want prices to rise rather than fall (41% compared with 30%). More One Nation voters wanted prices to fall (48%) than rise (21%). 44% of Independent/other voters wanted prices to fall (44%) than rise (20%). For the Greens it was 40% fall and 32% rise, and Labor 35% fall and 31% rise.
Key findings of the survey include:
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More Australians want property prices to decrease in the future (36%), than want them to increase (33%) or stay the same (18%).
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Three in five Australians (60%) who rent want property prices to decrease.
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Only two in five Australians who own their own homes, either with a mortgage or outright, want property prices to increase (42% and 45%, respectively).
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Australians who own an investment property are the only group with a majority (59%) who want property prices to increase.
Matt Grudnoff, senior economist at the Australia Institute, said those who owned their own home might feel wealthier as prices rose, but “they have come to understand that it is coming at a terrible cost to so many people”.
Increasingly Australians are coming to the view that housing should be about a safe and secure place to live not a way to make money.
Five Bali Nine members arrive in home states
The five released members of the Bali Nine have arrived in their home states, according to The Australian.
The newspaper reported that Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen were due to be en route to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane after spending four nights at a federally controlled facility in Darwin.
It reported that the men left Howard Springs Detention Centre yesterday amid a carefully planned attempt to shield them from the media waiting at the airport.
Victorian Liberals meet to decide on Moira Deeming’s future
Victorian Liberal MPs will gather at 9am today to thrash out if Moira Deeming can return to the party room after she was defamed by party leader John Pesutto, AAP reports.
A motion calling for Deeming to re-enter the Liberal parliamentary party room will be debated and put to a vote at a special meeting ths morning.
It was signed by Benambra MP Bill Tilley, opposition emergency services spokesman Richard Riordan and first-term backbenchers Renee Heath, Joe McCracken and Chris Crewther.
The rebel group said they wanted to give their colleagues a chance to “do the right thing” after the federal court found Pesutto defamed her and ordered he pay $315,632 in damages.
Tilley, who has announced he will retire at the 2026 state election after a leukaemia diagnosis, insists the push is not an attack on Pesutto’s leadership. Here’s the background to the meeting:
More on northern Queensland downpours
Senior forecaster Miriam Bradbury from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier to provide an update on the wet weather forecast for northern Queensland.
She said a tropical low was developing over the Cape York Peninsula, and in the past 24 hours there had been widespread rainfalls of 50mm to 100mm between Port Douglas and Mackay.
But plenty of places – particularly centred around Townsville and Mackay – [are] seeing 100mm to 200mm. Really high rain rates as well, that’s a lot of rain falling in a short space of time. Some places say seeing 60mm to 70mm in 30 minutes, over 100mm in a couple of hours. It’s that kind of rainfall that leads to flash-flooding.
The tropical low is expected to move southeast across the North Tropical Coast today, continuing to direct heavy rainfall along the same stretch of coast, she said.
More of these really high rainfall totals are quite likely today … It is gradually going to start to move away [over the weekend] but, unfortunately today, and even into tomorrow, they’ll be quite wet days nonetheless.
Heavy showers and flooding forecast for Queensland’s tropical north
The sunshine state is not getting any sunnier, with more heavy showers and flooding on the horizon, AAP reports
Clear skies have been forecast for Queensland’s south-east after days of storms, causing road closures, power outages and flooding. The tropical north is set to get drenched today, with wet weather expected to linger for days.
Authorities issued a warning for people to stay out of flood water yesterday, with widespread falls of 30mm to 50mm in the south-east and along most of the eastern coast.
Delays and cancellations expected across Sydney and south coast train networks
Leave extra time if you’re commuting using the Sydney Train or south coast networks this morning. Protected industrial action is expected to cause delays and cancellations according to the state government.
In a statement last night, Transport for NSW said trains were not running between Wollongong and Bomaderry in both directions, with passengers urged to delay non-essential travel or take alternative routes:
Delays on the South Coast Line are expected to impact the morning peak.
Passengers were also warned of cancellations and delays for Sydney trains from Friday:
Sydney Trains again apologises to our passengers for the disruption, and thanks everybody for their understanding as staff work to minimise the impacts of this protected industrial action …
We are working through the full impact of the protected industrial action and will update passengers as soon as possible of any potential disruption to services.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
Commuters in Sydney are facing more delays today amid protected industrial action on the city’s train network. Matt Longland, the chief executive of Sydney Trains, warned that it would be “a challenging period on the rail network” between now and New Year’s Eve after a failed legal attempt to quash the strike action. More coming up.
Victorian Liberal MPs will meet this morning to decide whether Moira Deeming should be allowed back into the party room after a federal court found she had been defamed by the party leader, John Pesutto. We’re expecting it to kick off at 9am and we’ll have more coming up.
We have been talking to members of Australia’s LGBTQ+ community after data released yesterday revealed almost one in 10 young people aged 16 to 24 are LGBTQ+ – 4.5% of people aged 16 and over. For some like Shayne Wilde, 67, it’s proof of society’s wider acceptance compared with her youth, while for 22-year-old Damien Nguyen, the figures provide a basis to keep pushing for more rights.
As always, you can reach out with any questions or feedback via email: [email protected]. Let’s get started.
