Good afternoon. The government has been pressed at Senate estimates as to why Kathryn Campbell, the public servant who held the top jobs at the two departments responsible for robodebt, was given a plum $900,000-a-year job in June 2022 as an Aukus advisor.
Penny Wong offered a qualified defence in response, saying the evidence that has since come out in the robodebt royal commission went “beyond what [she] would’ve anticipated”. In April, Bill Shorten warned that public servants adversely named by the royal commission could face disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, the TikTok feuds in the US continue – this time the social media giant is suing the state of Montana for banning the platform last week.
Top news
Victoria to end native timber logging | Native forests are one of the winners from a tough state budget that will see logging end from the start of next year. Unlikely to be impressed by the budget are big business and property investors, who were hit with more taxes as the state tries to reduce its record debt accumulated during Covid. See the winners and losers from the Victorian budget, and this report on the native timber logging decision.
Police officer suspicious of Brittany Higgins allegation | Det Supt Scott Moller had oversight of the ACT police investigation into Higgins’s allegation that she was raped by her former Liberal party colleague Bruce Lehrmann in 2019. Moller told an inquiry he was “immediately suspicious” of the allegation, saying he questioned her motives for the complaint because she intended to speak to the media. Lehrmann has always denied the allegation of rape and no findings have been made against him.
Nauru offshore processing to cost taxpayers $485m | … for just 22 asylum seekers who remain at the processing facility. “The human cost of what is happening to innocent people on Nauru would be unacceptable even if it were costing us nothing financially,” Greens senator Nick McKim said.
NSW officer suspended after Tasering woman in aged care | The police officer who Tasered 95-year-old Claire Nowland at an aged care facility in Cooma last week has been suspended from duty with pay, according to NSW police. Nowland, who has dementia, is in end-of-life care at Cooma district hospital after the incident caused her to fall and sustain life-threatening head injuries.
Qantas’s record profit | The airline is on track to deliver a record net profit of nearly $2.5bn this financial year amid surging travel demand. Part of the anticipated record profit was generated during a period also marked by persistent flight delays and disruptions, angering passengers.
E Jean Carroll files for new damages | The author and columnist is going back to court to demand “very substantial” additional damages from Donald Trump for the disparaging remarks he made about her during a televised CNN town hall just a day after he was found liable in a civil case for sexually assaulting her.
Argentina’s 109% inflation | The country has a new, high-denomination bill of 2,000 pesos. Except it’s only worth about A$13. The South American nation has one of the highest rates of inflation in the world, which a central bank poll estimates could hit nearly 130% by the end of the year. The interest rate has been hiked to an eye-watering 97%.
TikTok sues Montana | The state last week became the first in the US to issue a blanket ban on the social platform. TikTok has responded with a lawsuit, arguing the ban violates the US constitution’s first amendment.
Full Story
Missteps and misinformation on the voice to parliament
After falsely claiming the grandson of the land rights activist Vincent Lingiari is voting no to Australia’s Indigenous voice to parliament, the no campaign has been accused of spreading misinformation. Elsewhere, concerns have been raised that some community consultations on the voice lack Aboriginal representation. Listen to this 20-minute episode.
What they said …
***
“I would rather leave too early than too late.” – Damien Hardwick
An emotional Hardwick confirmed today he is stepping away from AFL after 14 years as Richmond head coach, with three premierships to his name and as the Tigers’ longest-serving coach in the club’s 138-year history. Read how he changed the way the game is played in a column by Jonathan Horn.
In numbers
With international wool markets in long decline, and forestry emerging as a more lucrative use of the land, sheep numbers in New Zealand have been dropping.
Before bed read
Everyone appreciates different aspects of a city’s weather – so which one is right for you?
We’ve taken a deep dive into the country’s weather data and created a tool that can answer that question.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: BET. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know. Sign up for our Morning Mail newsletter here.
