Australia news live: Chalmers to put pricetag on climate change; Biden offers Pacific islands $62bn in aid | Australia news

The impacts of climate change could cost the country about $1.8bn in GDP in today’s dollars within three decades if further action isn’t taken.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers in a speech to the national drought forum in Rockhampton today will reveal the latest modelling from Treasury on the impacts.

It comes as leaders from emergency management, response and recovery agencies and organisations converge in Canberra for the second day of Australia’s first national disaster preparedness summit ahead of a dry summer.

Chalmers will say major weather events, such as the black summer bushfires and October 2022 floods, cost the economy around $1.5bn each and that, without further action, could cost even more down the line.

And the latest projections also show the significant impact that climate change could have on our regions. If further action isn’t taken, Australian crop yields could be 4% lower by 2063 – costing us about $1.8bn in GDP in today’s dollars.

The treasurer will point to the 433% increase in commonwealth funding given to the disaster recovery funding arrangements, which has jumped from $335m in 2017-18 to $2.5bn in 2022-23.

The pressure of a changing climate and more frequent natural disasters is constant, cascading, and cumulative.

Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of our top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes the controls.

Advocates for 33 Australian women and children held for four years in desperate conditions in a Syrian detention camp have challenged the federal government to prove it cannot bring them home, or “bring their bodies to the court” in Australia. In filings before the federal court, Save the Children Australia is representing 12 Australian women and their 21 children – the partners and children of killed or jailed Islamic State fighters.

A world-first discovery from Australian researchers unlocks the potential for the development of better vaccines and therapies against influenza viruses. They show that “killer T cells”, which help fight the virus, are replaced by less effective cells as we age, meaning treatments can be tailored to different age groups . It comes as separate research published today reveals that an antiviral drug used to treat patients with Covid-19 may be fuelling the evolution of new variants.

Joe Biden has offered $US40bn ($A62bn) in economic aid to Pacific islands at a White House meeting with leaders from the region aimed at bolstering US engagement in the face of growing Chinese presence. Leaders were given the star treatment in Washington as the president also announced formal US recognition of two new island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue, at the start of the Pacific Islands Forum – two days of meetings with leaders from the group’s 18 members. The Australian embassy is hosting a barbecue for them to conclude the day’s activities.

And back home the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will today reveal the coming cost of climate change that we can already put a figure on, and the inquiry into the nation’s airline industry continues as Qantas chairman Richard Goyder faces calls for his resignation.

Chalmers warns on cost of climate change

Sarah Basford Canales

The impacts of climate change could cost the country about $1.8bn in GDP in today’s dollars within three decades if further action isn’t taken.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers in a speech to the national drought forum in Rockhampton today will reveal the latest modelling from Treasury on the impacts.

It comes as leaders from emergency management, response and recovery agencies and organisations converge in Canberra for the second day of Australia’s first national disaster preparedness summit ahead of a dry summer.

Chalmers will say major weather events, such as the black summer bushfires and October 2022 floods, cost the economy around $1.5bn each and that, without further action, could cost even more down the line.

And the latest projections also show the significant impact that climate change could have on our regions. If further action isn’t taken, Australian crop yields could be 4% lower by 2063 – costing us about $1.8bn in GDP in today’s dollars.

The treasurer will point to the 433% increase in commonwealth funding given to the disaster recovery funding arrangements, which has jumped from $335m in 2017-18 to $2.5bn in 2022-23.

The pressure of a changing climate and more frequent natural disasters is constant, cascading, and cumulative.

Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of our top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes the controls.

Advocates for 33 Australian women and children held for four years in desperate conditions in a Syrian detention camp have challenged the federal government to prove it cannot bring them home, or “bring their bodies to the court” in Australia. In filings before the federal court, Save the Children Australia is representing 12 Australian women and their 21 children – the partners and children of killed or jailed Islamic State fighters.

A world-first discovery from Australian researchers unlocks the potential for the development of better vaccines and therapies against influenza viruses. They show that “killer T cells”, which help fight the virus, are replaced by less effective cells as we age, meaning treatments can be tailored to different age groups . It comes as separate research published today reveals that an antiviral drug used to treat patients with Covid-19 may be fuelling the evolution of new variants.

Joe Biden has offered $US40bn ($A62bn) in economic aid to Pacific islands at a White House meeting with leaders from the region aimed at bolstering US engagement in the face of growing Chinese presence. Leaders were given the star treatment in Washington as the president also announced formal US recognition of two new island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue, at the start of the Pacific Islands Forum – two days of meetings with leaders from the group’s 18 members. The Australian embassy is hosting a barbecue for them to conclude the day’s activities.

And back home the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will today reveal the coming cost of climate change that we can already put a figure on, and the inquiry into the nation’s airline industry continues as Qantas chairman Richard Goyder faces calls for his resignation.