Afternoon Update: Pocock says BHP ‘laughing’ at climate policy; Vivid drone debacle; and an Ozzy Osbourne AI avatar

Want to get this in your inbox every weekday? Sign up for the Afternoon Update here, and start your day with our Morning Mail newsletter. The independent senator David Pocock says leaked BHP documents show that the mining giant is “laughing” at Australia’s key climate policy while pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars through a generous diesel tax break. An exclusive investigation based on documents leaked to the Guardian and the ABC show BHP has scrapped a project to significantly reduce global emissions, delayed vast renewables projects in the Pilbara and war-gamed options to push the electrification of its polluting diesel truck and train fleets into the next two decades. It did so despite internal memos as recently as 2023 saying: “Urgent decarbonisation in line with BHP’s public commitments effectively underpins [the Western Australian iron ore division’s] licence to operate, sustain and grow.” Analysis provided to the Guardian suggests BHP paid less than $9m under the safeguard mechanism for its excess emissions last financial year. At the same time, the analysis suggests it received $622m in fuel tax credits from the federal government for its use of diesel