If the week was a road, then Wednesday’s a speed bump covered in weary workers and unwritten emails. That’s right folks, it’s another hump day.
However, the news, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to chockablocked full of important headlines this December 7. Here are some of Wednesday’s biggest stories that you should know about.
Will Coal Be Priced Capped Before 2023?
Nobody wants coal for Christmas. Give us some solar panels or wind turbines any day of the week. Not only is coal not great for the planet, but this power source has also contributed to Australia’s energy price crisis.
Nevertheless, coal isn’t being cancelled before the silly season starts. So, with that in mind, the Federal Government is asking the states and territories to put a price cap on the coal that they sell. Moreover, the Federal Government is also asking them to cap the price of gas, which is currently through the roof. It’s hoped that these caps will come into effect before the start of 2023.
Our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is working with the states and territories in an attempt to strike a price cap agreement. There’s been some tension regarding these caps, as some states want to be compensated for implementing them.
Albanese said, “You’ve got to draw a distinction between what premiers and some states say in public in order to promote their own position and what is actually happening.”
“I’ve had discussions with the premiers over the weekend, and again yesterday, and last week. State premiers all know that there is real pressure on the manufacturing industry, that there’s pressure on households. And they know that they have an interest in ensuring that some of that pressure is alleviated.”
Albanese will be meeting with the state and territory leaders this Friday. We’ll let you know if a price cap consensus is reached during this discussion.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Being Investigated
Elon Musk isn’t just the CEO of Tesla and Twitter. He’s also the CEO of Neuralink: A company developing a brain implant it hopes will allow paralyzed people to walk.
Neuralink is currently under investigation by the US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General. This investigation might be about potential violations of America’s Animal Welfare Act.
Since starting up, Neuralink has killed 1,500 animals while conducting science experiments. These animals include over 280 sheep, pigs, and monkeys.
While the aforementioned investigation might not centre on these killings, some current and former Neuralink employees believe that the number of deaths is higher than warranted. They’ve alleged that Musk has demanded speed in research that’s caused an unnecessary animal death rate.
Related: Thousands Leave Twitter as Elon Musk Takes Over
Related: Vegan Beauty Brands for the Conscious Consumer to Shop
Behrouz Boochani Is in Australia
Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish refugee and writer who fled Iran in 2013 due to being a persecuted ethnic minority. He then went to Indonesia and attempted to enter Australia by boat. Boochani was detained and kept in offshore detention for years.
In 2019, the Home Affairs Minister of that time, Peter Dutton, said that Boochani would never step foot inside Australia. In 2022, Boochani did just that.
Boochani is in Australia promoting his new book — Freedom, Only Freedom: The Prison Writings of Behrouz Boochani. However, despite being here, Boochani doesn’t consider this a win.
“I don’t look at it as an achievement. I just came here for work. An achievement like living in Australia or finally visiting Australia? No,” said Boochani.
“After the election, during the election campaign, the Labor government manipulated people, the public. People think something changed about refugees. But nothing changed with refugees.”
Boochani currently lives in New Zealand, having received asylum status.
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