LOWE AND BEHOLD

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has left Coalition ministers frustrated by a “lack of policy detail” in his call for the government to stimulate the flat-lining economy, The Australian ($) reports, following a private meeting ahead of yesterday’s National Press Club address.

TALKING POINT: There’s one RBA proposal they could take up: raise Newstart. Not only does Deloitte say it would stimulate the economy at a rate of 3.3:4, but it could, you know, save lives.

DUTTON LOOKS TO EXPAND QUARANTINE CAMPS

As Australia records our 14th case of coronavirus, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has flagged expanding quarantine zones from offshore prison camps to mines and hotels, The Guardian reports.

Meanwhile, a Melbourne couple has accused DFAT of refusing to evacuate their toddler from Wuhan, the ABC reports. An Australian citizen, the child had been briefly staying with grandparents and would face complications travelling unaccompanied.

EV SALES TRIPLE

The Electric Vehicle Council has announced that EV sales more than tripled from 2216 in 2018 to 6718 in 2019, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

While that’s maybe not as impressive as it sounds — our 0.6% sale plug-in rate pales in comparison to countries such as Norway, Iceland and China —  it has spurred EV advocates to call for a ban on new, petrol cars within 15 years.

'I WILL NOT BE BULLIED INTO SAVING THE WORLD'

Scott Morrison has declared he won’t be “bullied” into climate action that involves raising taxes or energy bills — an interesting turn of phrase for a man whose party, as The Guardian reports, is currently being bullied by their Coalition partner into doing exactly ‘nothing’ on climate change.

SLOW TO THE TRIGGER

Former UK prime minister David Cameron‘s bodyguard forgetfully left both a loaded pistol and the Brexit-creator’s passport in a plane toilet, where it was found by another passenger, the ABC reports.

HOT TAKE: What an apt metaphor for the way Cameron left the country.