Chalmers says latest IMF findings reflect ‘really dangerous time for the global economy’

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to RN Breakfast after the IMF warned of the potential for a global recession, including high inflation and elevated fuel prices through to 2027.

He said the IMF was “really sounding the alarm here” about some of the potentially severe scenarios. He told RN:

double quotation markThis is a really dangerous time for the global economy. The international monetary fund is expecting slower growth and higher inflation, and we are too …

What it tells us once again is that from an economic point of view, the end of this war can’t come soon enough. Australians didn’t choose the circumstances of that war, but they are paying a very hefty price for it.

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Updated at 17.50 EDT

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Cait Kelly

The non-royal visit continues, with Prince Harry speaking about mental health

At the home of the western bulldogs in Melbourne’s west the non-royal visit continues this morning.

Prince Harry has been speaking at the Movember launch of the report More Than A Provider – a look at mental health of new fathers.

Prince Harry takes part in a Q&A session during a visit to Movember at the Western Bulldogs headquarters. Photograph: Getty Images

The prince, who has been open about seeing a therapist, has talked about how important it was for him to do therapy before he became a father.

double quotation markI knew I had stuff from the past I had to deal with.

Harry said he needed “to cleanse” himself from his past before he became a dad.

double quotation markFor so many years it’s been deemed as a weakness to put your hand up and ask for help.

The more grief I get, the more I want to stand up and talk about it. I know if I go quiet, what does that say to everyone else?

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Virgin lifts air fares and cuts capacity

Jonathan Barrett

Virgin Australia is lifting air fares and reducing flights to offset the high costs of jet fuel caused by the Middle East conflict, the company announced this morning.

The airline’s response to the oil crisis is similar to changes announced by Qantas yesterday, although Virgin has a smaller network and its capacity is only reducing by 1% over the coming months.

Its fuel costs are expected to increase by between $30m and $40m in the second half of the financial year, compared with previous forecasts.

Virgin says it is adjusting air fares and capacity to “offset the impact from increased fuel and other operating costs”.

Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShareTom McIlroy

Anthony Albanese in Brunei on fuel diplomacy mission

Anthony Albanese has laid a wreath in honour of Australian soldiers who died liberating much of Brunei and then-British Borneo from the Japanese at the end of the second world war.

After arriving last night, Albanese said it was a great honour to pay his respects to the 127 Australians who died in the area during Operation Oboe in 1945.

The PM and Pehin Halbi, the country’s second minister of defence and minister at the prime minister’s office, laid a wreath at the monument, accompanied by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong.

Brunei’s minister of culture, Dato Nazmi (left), and Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, lay wreaths. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/EPA

In 1945, Australians landed at Muara Beach, now the site of the memorial, in the dying months of the second world war.

They then moved inland, freeing Brunei’s oilfields, rubber plantations and production facilities. After the military action, they worked with locals and allies to restart production at Brunei’s oilfields, allowing the country to resume oil trade in March 1946.

“The efforts that Australian servicemen made during world war two, the incredible sacrifice … we’re here paying our respects,” Albanese said.

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Updated at 19.26 EDT

Josh Taylor

Latitude to engage independent expert on spam processes

Earlier in the blog, we reported that Latitude Financial had paid a nearly $4m fine over spam law breaches related to text messaging to customers.

A spokesperson for Latitude said the company had immediately reported the matter to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) after becoming aware it had sent potentially noncompliant SMS messages, and immediately strengthened its spam compliance processes.

The spokesperson said:

double quotation markAs part of the enforceable undertaking, Latitude will engage an independent expert to confirm that its strengthened spam processes are operating compliantly.

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Updated at 19.06 EDT

NSW pharmacists will be able to prescribe the pill directly to women over 18

The NSW government will invest $4.5m to make it easier for women to access the pill, allowing pharmacists to prescribe it directly to those over 18 without a GP visit.

The reform, the government says, will take pressure off GPs and give women faster, easier access to care. The government will pay for the first 5,000 consultations with a trained pharmacist, but once that service is exhausted, women should only expect to pay between $20 to $60.

To date, 773 pharmacies are registered to provide the resupply service in NSW. The premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement:

double quotation markThis is basic healthcare for millions of Australian women – and this is about making it easier to get that care, without extra cost or hassle.

Just because something’s always been done a certain way, it doesn’t mean it’s the best way to keep doing it – it’s not working for busy women to access a doctor to get a script.

Victoria unveiled a similar program last month, which will begin in July.

Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty ImagesShareJordyn Beazley

Man charged over alleged sexual assault on international flight to Perth

A man has been charged in Western Australia after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman seated next to him on an international flight.

The Australian federal police said police met the man upon the plane’s arrival in Perth and later charged him with one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of an act of indecency without consent.

The woman reported the alleged assault to airline staff, who moved her to another seat and reported it to police.

The AFP acting Supt Peter Brindal said:

double quotation markEvery passenger has the right to feel safe when travelling, especially when confined in an aircraft close to other passengers.

No act of indecency on an aircraft or at an airport is appropriate, and any travellers who break the law will be dealt with swiftly.

The man, who is an Indian national, appeared before Perth magistrates court yesterday.

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Updated at 18.34 EDT

Some context on the scale of travellers to and visa holders in Australia

For a bit of context about the scale of monitoring incoming travellers’ social media accounts:

Abul Rizvi, the former deputy immigrations secretary, suggests there are about 500,000 visa applications per month into Australia that need to be processed, about 3 million temporary entrants, and about 4 million permanent residents.

“So, are we going to use this taskforce to analyse the social media of all of those people to identify whether they are in breach of Australian values?” Rizvi questioned on RN earlier.

Photograph: Julian Smith/AAP

Jonno Duniam responded to criticisms of the scale of monitoring all those people by saying a Coalition government would “triage efforts” based on where people came from.

Some countries would have a lower bar, while others would face more scrutiny, he told RN:

double quotation markThere are certain jurisdictions, like we’ve talked about, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, for example, where perhaps because of the nature of society in those countries, there is a lower risk.

There would still be an assessment, but it would be a different one to countries where, for example, they do not share our approach to democracy, rule of law.

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Updated at 18.20 EDT

Chalmers says Taylor’s immigration plans ‘pretty strange’

Back to Chalmers, who said earlier Angus Taylor’s immigration speech yesterday was a “pretty strange and pretty disappointing” contribution.

double quotation markI think what he’s doing is he’s plagiarising the politics and the rhetoric of other countries and another time.

A lot of the rhetoric he uses, and the divisive politics that he is trying to play, we’ve seen in other parts of the world. And in Australia we should be taking the right decision for the right reasons.

Chalmers added that, to him, it seemed Taylor was playing internal politics with three rightwing parties, rather than reflecting the will of Australians.

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Updated at 18.06 EDT

Duniam says Coalition’s immigration plans not about stopping people from ‘expressing an opinion’

Jonno Duniam, the shadow minister for home affairs, is speaking to RN now about the Coalition’s immigration plans. He said:

double quotation markThis is not about stopping people from expressing an opinion. There are people who hold certain views and values, aligned with faith, political views and the like.

But when you start inciting hatred, inciting political or communal violence, inciting harm, those sorts of things … They’re the kinds of things that would trigger what we’re talking about here.

Duniam said the target of the hardline policy would be those who are preaching hatred, or in Australia to “cause harm and undermine our way of life”.

Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam (left) and opposition leader Angus Taylor (right). Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare

Updated at 18.20 EDT

Budget plans have ‘obviously’ changed due to Middle East war, but still ambitious

Chalmers said the budget, coming next month, will still be ambitious but had “obviously” changed in the wake of the ongoing war. He told RN:

double quotation markIt will be a responsible budget. There will be savings in the budget, to get the budget into better position, including, to put in a position to be able to respond, if we see some of these more serious scenarios, play out.

Obviously, the budget that we contemplated in February won’t be identical to the budget that I hand down on the 12th of May, but it will still be ambitious.

Jim Chalmers. Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPAShare

Updated at 17.48 EDT