AUSTRALIAN TERRORIST IMPRISONED FOR LIFE

Following a four-day hearing in a New Zealand high court, the 29-year-old Australian terrorist responsible for the Christchurch mosque massacres has received life without parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one of engaging in a terrorist act.

As the New Zealand Herald and Stuff report, Justice Cameron Mander yesterday handed handed down the harshest sentence in the country’s history to a man “empty of any empathy”, “detached” and “entirely self-absorbed”, while highlighting that victims’ families — 91 of whom had read impact statements this week — are now “living their own sentence”.

Now, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has demanded Australia take back the terrorist to serve out his life sentence on home soil, a valid request given the man was radicalised here and, post-2014, Australia automatically deports anyone sentenced to cumulative 12 months or more.

A TAYLOR-MADE DEFINITION

As RenewEconomy reports, Energy Minister Angus Taylor has sought to expand the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s investment remit — which, until now, excludes fossil fuels — to include gas projects.

The amendment forms part of legislation to establish the Morrison government’s $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund, which would be administered but not funded by the CEFC and is currently considering six renewable projects, one gas, and one coal-fired station by Coalition donor Trevor St Baker.

Elsewhere, The Guardian reports that a coalition of unlikely business-farming-environmental groups — including the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the National Farmers’ Federation, the Australian Aluminium Council and the ACTU — have released a statement slamming Australia as “woefully unprepared” for climate change and calling on the Morrison government to create a stronger (i.e. existent) emissions policy.

PS: For perspective on Taylor’s investment priorities since taking on the role in late 2018, check out RenewEconomy’s latest analysis; investment for new wind and solar farms has fallen from new-record highs to near record lows, with just three new projects closed in the last quarter — 90% of which came from a single solar farm courtesy of the Queensland government.

MORRISON TO RESCUE CITIZENS TRAPPED BY MORRISON

In COVID-19 headlines:

• According to The Age, the Morrison government is drawing up a “rescue plan” for stranded overseas citizens who have previously been barred from returning due to “strict caps on international arrivals”
• The ABC reports that Victoria Police wanted private security guards used in the state’s hotel quarantine program
• Epidemiologists speaking with The Sydney Morning Herald flag that, with just 30% of Sydney residents seen wearing masks in August (via CCTV footage), the state should make them mandatory on public transport
• In a speech at News Corps’ bush summit in NSW today, the Herald Sun ($) reports that Scott Morrison will call for an end to Victoria’s hard border for neighbouring residents not deemed essential workers or who haven’t otherwise been granted exemptions.

PS: And in yet another win for centrism, The Guardian reports that Anthony Albanese has slammed for-profit aged care providers, but stopped short of pledging to nationalise the sector and only said Labor would form its policy following the royal commission.

UNITY THROUGH *CHECKS NOTES* DIVISION?

In an address at the National Press Club today, Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge will outline harsher values tests for would-be citizens (The Sydney Morning Herald) and hit out at foreign governments “exploiting” Australia’s multicultural communities (ABC).

The speech is called “A united Australia: Safeguarding our social cohesion and keeping Australians together in a time of COVID”, a slightly ironic title given his core policy contribution until now amounts to trying to take mobile phones off detained migrants.