1. Morrison sets wild unemployment target
A “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to drive unemployment below 4%, and budget restraint designed to keep a lid on inflation are key to Scott Morrison’s hopes of securing his government a fourth term. “I believe we can now achieve an unemployment rate with a 3 in front of it this year. Our goal is to achieve this in the second half of 2022,” he said at the National Press Club. “We have not seen this in Australia for almost half a century. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

2. Japanese government criticises China on human rights days before Winter Olympics
Overnight, Japan’s lower house passed a resolution outlining its concerns about the treatment of the Uyghur population in China’s western province. The motion states it is “a legitimate matter of concern for the international community, not just an internal issue for one country”. As for Japan’s complex relationship with its powerful neighbour, “Japan treads a narrow path between maintaining ties with the U.S., its only formal military ally, and China. Long reluctant to criticize other nations publicly over human rights, Japan shifted its stance following Beijing’s 2020 clampdown on Hong Kong, further chilling an already difficult relationship,” Bloomberg reports.

3. Quest for EV charging stations to ease in NSW
The NSW government has pledged to build more than 1,000 charging stations for electric vehicles under a four-year plan that would create the most extensive EV network in the country. “Wednesday’s announcement comes after data was released showing sales of new EVs in Australia tripled in the past 12 months with more than 20,000 drivers in the country choosing the low emissions option in 2021,” The Guardian reports.

4. Putin lashes out on NATO and Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin was speaking at a press conference following talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with whom Putin shares friendly ties, in Moscow on Tuesday. It marks the first time that Putin has commented publicly about the geopolitical crisis with Ukraine in weeks.“It’s already clear now ... that fundamental Russian concerns were ignored,” Putin said at a press conference Tuesday, according to a Reuters translation. “Let’s imagine Ukraine is a NATO member and starts these military operations. Are we supposed to go to war with the NATO bloc? Has anyone given that any thought? Apparently not.”

5. ASX to rise following Wall St push
ASX futures were up 33 points or 0.5% to 6942 near 7am AEDT, with the AUD +0.7% to 71.18 US cents. On Wall St: Dow +0.4%, S&P 500 +0.3%, Nasdaq +0.2%. 2-year yield: US 1.17%, Australia 0.85%. 10-year yield: US 1.80%, Australia 1.90%.