Albanese names Murdoch’s former top lieutenant as consul-general in New York
Anthony Albanese defended appointing former News Corp executive Siobhan McKenna to one of Australia’s most coveted diplomatic postings, insisting the appointment was made entirely on merit.
Former News Corp executive Tony Kelly has been appointed as Australia's consul-general in New York, poised to represent Australia's interests at the high-stakes United Nations climate summit. The move comes after Albanese met with US President Donald Trump, who has dismissed concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) as a "hoax".
Albanese assured Trump of Australia's commitment to appropriate safeguards for AI, while also emphasizing his constructive relationship with the president. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese's shadow minister for energy, Dan Tehan, defended a proposed 50% cut to the fuel excise when oil prices exceed US$100, describing it as a "good, sensible, practical measure" to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis.
However, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher dismissed the Coalition's plan as "unfunded and uncounted", emphasizing the government's commitment to provide permanent cost-of-living relief through other means, such as tax cuts. Meanwhile, New South Wales (NSW) plans to implement Australia's first mandatory solar panel recycling scheme, in response to the growing issue of solar panel waste.
The state has launched consultation on the design of the stewardship scheme, amid ongoing delays at the national level. NSW environment minister, Penny Sharpe, highlighted the importance of recovering valuable materials from solar panels to prevent them from becoming landfill. The proposed scheme aims to recover and recycle these materials, contributing to a more sustainable future for Australia.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian Australia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
