As it happened: Inflation jumps to 3.2 per cent, chances of rate cut slimming; Israeli airstrikes on Gaza kill 60, including children; Trump, Albanese arrive in South Korea

At the time the policy ended, this masthead’s Beijing correspondent, Phillip Wen, wrote: “The landmark move reflects the ruling Communist Party’s concern over a demographic time-bomb which has contributed to a shrinking workforce and ageing population, pressures which have weighed on an already slowing economy.”

Wen also shone a light on the heartbreak the policy had brought about on a personal level while it was in effect.

Beijing subsequently raised the cap from two to three children in May 2021, and later that year announced it would stop fining parents who had more than three, effectively ending the limits entirely.

Today, China’s population exceeds 1.4 billion, with the population declining slightly in each of the past four years.

Gallagher said on Wednesday the government opposed the motion to grant five extra questions to non-government senators every question time.

Her comment to the chamber was cut off before she demanded more time to speak, “given the magnitude of what is about to happen here”.

“What the Senate is going to do here is to rip up the convention of how question time has applied in this place,” Gallagher said.

“[The Briggs] report was commissioned by myself for the purposes of looking at how we improve appointments to boards and committees across government in recognition of the culture of jobs for mates that had existed under the former government. I voluntarily said that I would be releasing that report … and I will,” she said.

“I had a meeting this week on that report where I’m discussing it with a number of officers as we resolve the government’s position on this.”

Pocock’s motion noted that the report was expected to be published in late 2023, and Senate guidelines said governments could not claim confidentiality just because it uses the word “cabinet”.

The embattled telco’s parent company, Singtel, will also be scrutinised for how it ensures Optus meets its obligations to provide a dependable service.

The telco regulator will also face the music, with representatives from the Australian Communications and Media Authority to appear after Optus.

The inquiry will investigate the regulator’s response to the outage and whether more could have been done by it or the government to prevent the loss of life.

AAP

The company paid the final instalment of its $450 million Austrac fine in July.“Crown Resorts is entering a new chapter – marked by improved financial performance, operational stability and a renewed focus on growth,” Tsai said.

“While the company continues to navigate a complex regulatory landscape and economic headwinds, these results demonstrate we’re heading in the right direction.”

Crown confirmed that its Melbourne golf course, Capital Club, is for sale and a transaction is expected to be finalised this year.

Crown also confirmed it had sold the last of its Barangaroo apartments in Sydney, and these transactions were expected to settle during the current financial year.

Crown’s performance has struggled to justify the $8.9 billion that US investment group Blackstone paid for it in 2022, delivering billionaire James Packer a $3.36 billion payday for his 37 per cent stake in the company.

Trump expressed optimism the deal with South Korea “will be finalised very soon” while saying any agreement that emerged from his talks with Xi would benefit the region broadly.

“The world is watching, and I think we’ll have something that’s very exciting for everybody,” Trump said. “And that’s also good for South Korea.”

Bloomberg