What we learned today, Friday 28 April
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – thanks so much for joining us. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:
Bruce Lehrmann will be free to pursue claims against News Corp and Network Ten after a court granted him an extension to the usual 12-month time limit on defamation cases.
National cabinet has committed nearly $1.5bn in new funding to overhaul Medicare, as part of a $2.2bn health plan to boost the number of nurses, increase after-hours care and expand the roles of pharmacists and paramedics.
The Australian government is resisting issuing a ban on WeChat on government devices despite many government departments instituting their own bans after the TikTok edict earlier this month.
Mark Latham’s repeated homophobic commentary is unworthy of a parliamentarian, according to the incoming New South Wales Liberal leader, Mark Speakman.
The devastated family of a Queensland man lost at sea after going overboard while on a Hawaii-bound cruise has posted loving tributes after search efforts were suspended.
Footballer Sam Kerr will lead a contingent of prominent Australians at King Charles’s coronation next week after being named as the official flag bearer for the ceremony in London.
Have a great evening, everyone. We will be back with you tomorrow morning.
Updated
Government urged to extend credit card ban to lotteries
Financial Counselling Australia has welcomed the government’s move to ban the use of credit cards for online gambling.
Its director of policy and campaigns, Lauren Levin, has been campaigning for the ban for many years. She says financial counsellors see too many clients who have used credit cards to gamble:
We should never have to discuss credit cards and gambling in the same sentence ever again.
In 2018, the federal government legislated to prevent gambling companies giving people credit to gamble. The amount spent on gambling dropped for a few weeks, but then people experiencing problems with gambling turned instead to credit cards.
Online gambling also increased during the pandemic, and a lot of it was also funded by credit cards.
Levin has also urged the government to change its mind and ensure credit cards are also banned for lotteries. She said gamblers determined to use their credit cards will find a way to do so:
Credit and gambling do not go together, even if a percentage of the amount gambled ends up funding a good cause.
Updated
Australian man arrested while naked in Indonesia
An Australian man has been arrested following an alleged naked rampage in the Indonesian province of Aceh, AAP reports.
Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, 23, reportedly faces up to five years jail if convicted over the alleged drunken incident on Thursday on the island of Simeulue off the coast of Sumatra.
The Noosa man allegedly emerged naked from his hotel room at the Lantik Moon Beach Resort and chased and struck a number of people in the street, including a fisherman who needed dozens of stitches in his leg, the Simeulue police chief, Jatmiko, said, according to Indonesian media.
Alcohol sales and consumption are banned in Aceh, which operates under a Sharia-based legal system.
He faces a charge of maltreatment, according to media reports, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
Updated
Housing stamp duty ‘discourages people from relocating’
Victoria’s largest source of tax revenue is inefficient, constrains property investment and will need replacing with support from the federal government, an inquiry has been told, AAP reports.
The Legislative Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee is examining land transfer duty fees, known as stamp duty, which is tax paid by a purchaser on a property.
The Victorian treasury and finance secretary, David Martine, said stamp duty brought in $10.4bn, slightly more than one-third of Victoria’s state tax revenue for the 2021/22 financial year. But the tax ultimately constrained individual and investor decisions.
Here’s what Martine told the inquiry:
It may discourage individuals from relocating for opportunities such as a new job, or moving to a property better suited to their needs.
Business owners may choose to continue normal operations instead of relocating to expand or take advantage of opportunities in growth areas.
Updated
Wong thanks Indonesia, Norway for support in Sudan
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has thanked Indonesia and Norway for helping to evacuate Australian citizens from conflict-stricken Sudan.
Australia has no embassy in Sudan, so diplomats have been working with other nations to provide assistance.
Our deepest thanks go out to our close friend and partner Indonesia for its help evacuating Australians from Sudan.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 28, 2023
Thank you to my good friend @Menlu_RI and those in Sudan facilitating the departure of Australians. https://t.co/tYsr8ZPfiN
Many thanks to Norway and to @AnneBeathe_ for your assistance in ensuring Australians who want to leave Sudan are able to.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) April 28, 2023
Norway's support of Australia's efforts to evacuate citizens from Sudan is a testament of our friendship. https://t.co/IClYNsMXdA
Updated
Food delivery service Providoor collapses
The gourmet food delivery service Providoor has been placed into liquidation. The company was formed during the pandemic and was popular during long lockdowns. It’s founder, Shane Delia, posted this update on the company’s website:
While today is a very sad day, I am proud of Providoor and what it has achieved. We served more than one million meals and built something that made a difference during some very dark days.
I created Providoor during lockdown, when the hospitality world was in disarray and we needed to find a way to survive. Providoor meant we could secure and create jobs as well as give people a little bit of restaurant joy during a pretty dismal time.
When people kept using Providoor after social restrictions were lifted, it showed us that it was a really good idea. I just wish it had been given the opportunity to work through the challenging economic conditions, the same facing so many in the restaurant and hospitality sector right now.
Updated
Amnesty International Australian reports ‘low-risk’ data leak
Amnesty International Australia has told its supporters that some of their data was compromised in a cyber-attack late last year.
An email to supporters on Friday afternoon said “anomalous activity” was detected on its network on 3 December and an investigation was promptly launched, with support from the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Amnesty stressed “there is no evidence that any of the low-risk information has been, or will be, misused as the result of a cyber event.
Here’s the update sent to supporters:
As soon as we became aware of this activity on 3 December 2022, we engaged leading external cyber security and forensic IT advisors to determine if any unauthorised access to our IT environment had occurred.
We acted quickly to ensure the AIA IT environment was secure and contained, put additional security measures in place and commenced an extensive investigation.
The investigation is now complete and identified that an unauthorised third-party gained temporary access to our IT environment.In the course of this investigation, we identified that some low-risk information relating to individuals who made donations in 2019 was accessed, but of low risk of misuse.
This event was limited to Amnesty International Australia and did not affect any other branches of the wider organisation.
AIA takes cyber security very seriously and has applied enhanced cyber-security measures to prevent any recurrence. We will continue to update and modify our systems to meet the latest cyber threats as they emerge.
Updated
Government to consider Port of Darwin future
A review into lease of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company will examine whether a series of previous reviews into the matters are now out of date.
The review, which was first flagged by Anthony Albanese shortly after last year’s election, is being overseen by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC).
In response to questions about the terms of reference, a spokesperson for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said today:
The government has asked PMC to review the circumstances surrounding the Port of Darwin. This includes consideration of the findings and outcomes of previous reviews into the Port of Darwin lease to the Landbridge Group, and to advise if these outcomes remain contemporary or if any action is required.
The NT’s then-Country Liberal party government granted a 99-year lease over the Port of Darwin to Landbridge Group in 2015, in a move that has been subject to several reviews, none of which has seen any action to overturn the deal.
It is understood the latest review is yet to be finalised – but the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, gave a hint while visiting Darwin this week that “the outcome of that review is not far off”.
In an interview with Mix 104.9 yesterday, Marles repeated criticism of the lease deal and said the Albanese government viewed regarded “the Port of Darwin as very strategically important”.
Updated
Abortion should be free and provided in public hospitals, Waters says
The Greens senator Larissa Waters has been speaking about the ongoing parliamentary inquiry in access to reproductive healthcare, which sat today.
She’s told the ABC that access to abortion services in Australia has been like a postcode lottery, determined by which state you live in.
We have had evidence, loud and clear from the inquiry so far, that abortion should be free, that it should be provided in public hospitals. And importantly, that contraception should be free.
I’m hoping the federal government is listening to this strong evidence from experts, from doctors, from nurses, from pharmacies from women’s health provider.
They’re all singing from the same song sheet, saying ‘prioritise women’s health’ and ‘make abortion access and contraception free and accessible no matter where you live’.
Updated
Slow progress on raising age of criminal responsibility, advocate says
As we’ve been reporting today, the nation’s attorneys general have met in Darwin to discuss a range of issues including raising the age of criminal responsibility. Five years ago, the group started a discussion about raising the age from 10 to 14.
Cheryl Axleby, the co-chair of the Change the Record Campaign, has just told the ABC she’s not satisfied with the action taken so far.
Here’s part of the joint-statement issued after the meeting:
Participants noted the ongoing work of the re-convened Age of Criminal Responsibility Working Group (Working Group) to develop a proposal to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
Participants look forward to considering the Working Group’s report, to be delivered to the Standing Council of Attorneys-General ahead of its next meeting, which will focus on how jurisdictions may support children diverted from the criminal justice system, particularly First Nations children.
Participants re-affirmed the critical importance of this work in addressing Targets and Outcomes 10 and 11 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. Consistent with commitments from jurisdictions to work in partnership with First Nations people under the National Agreement, Participants agreed that nominated First Nations representatives of the Justice Policy Partnership would be formal members of the Working Group.
Participants acknowledged the progress made by the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
Updated
Woodside chair warns future Australian investments at risk
The chairman of Australia’s biggest energy company has warned that it wouldn’t be able to continue to invest in domestic oil and gas projects if the country’s regulations and fiscal policies keep constantly changing.
The Woodside chairman, Richard Goyder, told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting in Perth on Friday that it had only made the decision to invest $18bn in the Scarborough offshore gas project in Western Australia and the related Pluto 2 Train “because of the fiscal and regulatory certainty that Australia has always offered in the past”.
Here’s Goyder:
We will only be able to make future decisions to invest in both significant new gas projects and the new energies such as ammonia and hydrogen that will power our future, if that fiscal and regulatory certainty is maintained.
Otherwise, we expose our shareholders’ capital to unacceptable risk.
The Scarborough project is expected to deliver its first LNG cargo in 2026 for export to Asian markets.
Updated
Watts: Flights out of Sudan not guaranteed after Sunday
The assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, is urging Australians in Sudan to do all they can to get out of the country before a temporary ceasefire ends.
Here’s what he told the ABC:
This extended ceasefire is critical. I would say to any Australian who is currently in Sudan, if you can get safely to the airfield, this 72-hour window is an important one to take advantage of. We can’t guarantee there will be flights leaving Sudan after the conclusion of this ceasefire on April 30.
Updated
102 Australians have left Sudan
The assistant foreign minister, Tim Watts, have provided an update on efforts to get all Australians out of conflict stricken Sudan.
Here’s what Watts told the ABC a minute or two ago:
The civil conflict in Sudan is a dangerous and volatile situation, but I’m pleased to say that 102 Australians have safely left the country since the beginning of this conflict.
We are currently tracking 142 Australians who are still in the country, who have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs, and I can assure all of your viewers that the Department of Foreign Affairs is working 24 hours a day to secure seats on planes and seats on car convoys exiting Sudan.
Condom and pregnancy test theft increases amid cost-of-living crisis
Desperate people are stealing condoms and pregnancy tests, MSI Australia says, as it calls for a national abortion fund.
MSI Australia – formerly known as Marie Stopes – wants the fund to provide abortion access “for women and pregnant people in financial distress”.
Policy and research head, Bonney Corbin, said:
We’re in a cost of living crisis and people can’t afford to manage their own fertility. Young people are being criminalised for stealing condoms, menstrual products and pregnancy tests from supermarkets.
We need a national abortion fund. A national independent fund for abortion and contraception that could bridge gaps until the public health workforce is fully equipped.
Corbin’s not alone there – almost everyone who has fronted the inquiry today is calling for free contraceptives, and some for free abortions.
Updated
Daniel Duggan’s case to return to court on Monday
Earlier we updated you on Daniel Duggan’s family protesting his extradition order outside the US embassy in Canberra. His case will return to court on Monday morning.
His lawyers have argued the request for Duggan’s extradition is politically motivated – catalysed by the US’s deepening geopolitical contest with China – and invalid under Australia’s extradition treaty with the US.
The US alleges Duggan, a former US citizen now a naturalised Australian, trained Chinese fighter pilots to land fighter jets on aircraft carriers, in defiance of arms trafficking laws, and engaged in a conspiracy to launder money. Those claims have not been tested in court.
Duggan strenuously rejects all charges against him as being politically motivated, and the indictment full of “half-truths, falsehoods and gross embellishments”.
Duggan’s lawyer, Dennis Miralis, has written to the attorney general insisting Duggan’s extradition be abandoned, or at least paused, while the inspector general’s investigation is ongoing:
The United States should withdraw its extradition until the inquiry is concluded.
If the United States declines to withdraw, we will be left with no choice but to make an application to the court for a temporary stay of the extradition proceedings in order to protect the integrity and independence of the IGIS and Dan’s fundamental rights to a fair trial.
In our view, it would amount to an abuse of process for the US to proceed with the extradition whilst the IGIS inquiry is under way.
Updated
Property Council welcomes ‘strong step’ towards addressing housing shortage
Australia’s peak property body says the federal government’s plan to halve the tax rate for build-to-rent housing could create an extra 150,000 dwellings, AAP reports.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced a suite of housing measures on Friday, after a meeting of national cabinet in Brisbane.
The federal government will offer incentives to increase the supply of housing by increasing the depreciation rate from 2.5% to 4% a year for eligible new build-to-rent projects where construction commences after 9 May.
It will also reduce the withholding tax rate for eligible fund payments from managed investment trusts to foreign residents on income from newly constructed residential build-to-rent properties after 1 July, next year, from 30% to 15%.
Property Council’s chief executive, Mike Zorbas, said the announcement was a “strong step” toward reversing Australia’s growing housing shortage.
More supply means downward pressure on the cost of renting and buying homes and will offer more housing choices and affordable options at a time when we desperately need them.
Albanese said the nation’s planning ministers will develop proposed reforms to increase housing supply within six months as part of a national plan to manage growth in cities and towns.
Updated
Australia lagging behind on access to medical abortions, inquiry told
Australia is “well behind the rest of the developed world” for access to medical abortions, the head of the Royal Women’s Hospital has told a senate inquiry.
The hospital’s chief executive officer, Prof Sue Matthews, said there were issues around stigma, conscientious objectors, the small number of people who can prescribe, and “the highly politicised debate that lasted more than two decades and is still ongoing today”. She said:
Unfortunately, this means we are well behind the rest of the developed world and medical abortion is still inaccessible for many women, including those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and those living outside of metropolitan areas.
While early medical abortion is safe and effective, only around 23% of abortions in Australia are medical abortions. Meanwhile, in the UK where all abortion care is free, the figure’s 73% and even in the US, where there’s way less access to reproductive health, it’s 39%.
Matthews also said there were significant barriers to obtaining contraceptives, which she described as a human right:
Despite being a progressive and quite fair country, there are many barriers to affordable, appropriate and effective contraception and abortion in Australia. And much of it is by design, it’s not by choice.
She called for nurses to be able to prescribe medical abortions, and for midwives and other healthcare workers to be able to deliver contraception, and for all contraceptives to be free, along with better data collection and a national training, research and advocacy centre for contraception and abortion.
Updated
Daniel Duggan’s family protest outside US embassy in Canberra
The wife of imprisoned Australian Daniel Duggan – the former US marine pilot wanted for extradition by America – has led a protest outside the US embassy in Canberra demanding her husband be released and his extradition abandoned.
Here’s what Saffrine Duggan told protesters on Friday morning:
I am determined to fight this terrible injustice, and to demand that Australian sovereignty is respected.
Today Dan has been gone for 191 days – without any Australian charges, convictions, or history of violence – on the say-so of the United States government.
Dan should be immediately released from maximum security isolation in the NSW prison system, where he has already languished for six months with no Australian charges or convictions, before he, his six Australian children and me, are traumatised any further.”
Duggan, a former US marine pilot now a naturalised Australian, was arrested last October at the request of the US government, which is seeking his extradition on charges of arms trafficking and money laundering more than a decade ago.
Duggan, 54, denies the charges and is fighting his extradition from prison, a process that could take months, even years to resolve.
Duggan’s six children also attended the demonstration outside the US embassy in Canberra, bearing signs and banner declaring the protest was ‘for family, freedom, justice and Australian sovereignty’.
Updated
Henry Belot will be with you the rest of the afternoon. Have a lovely weekend!
Details of King Charles’s coronation
Josh wasn’t too far off the money when he said we’re hoping for an Olympic-style parade if the palace’s description of the proceedings are anything to go by:
The first processions into Westminster Abbey will be made up of Faith Leaders and Faith Representatives followed shortly afterwards by representatives from His Majesty’s Realms.
Flags of each Realm will be carried by national representatives accompanied by the Governors General and Prime Ministers.
Bearing the Flag of the United Kingdom ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mrs Akshata Murty will be Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee.
…This will be followed by The Procession of The King and The Queen which will be led by the Marquess of Anglesey, the Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Caledon and the Earl of Dundee who will carry the Standards of the Quarterings of the Royal Arms and Standard of the Principality of Wales. Francis Dymoke will carry The Royal Standard.
The official release also confirms the Australian lord Simon Abney-Hastings, the Earl of Loudoun, who lives in Wangaratta, will be carrying the spurs, as Calla Wahlquist reported this week:
Updated
Matildas star to be Australian flag bearer at King Charles's coronation
Anthony Albanese has formally confirmed his trip to London for King Charles’s coronation, announcing the Matildas star Sam Kerr will be the Australian flag bearer at the event.
The prime minister has said for some time that he would again head to London for the coronation, but his office has now locked in a series of events around the visit.
The PM’s office said:
The Prime Minister will join the Governor-General, State Governors and a number of other Australian representatives, including Ms Sam Kerr OAM who will be the Australian flagbearer at the Coronation.
The release doesn’t give any more details about that, but we’re hoping for an Olympics-style parade where Kerr will lead the Australian procession into the venue.
The PM will also be accompanied by a host of notable Australians selected for the trip, including the musician Nick Cave, entertainer Adam Hills, and ballet dancer Leanne Benjamin.
Albanese will also meet with the British PM, Rishi Sunak, as well as visiting the Barrow-in-Furness shipyards which will be crucial to building the new Aukus nuclear submarines.
The PM said in a statement:
I’m honoured to represent Australia at the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort, a historic occasion. I am proud to join a group of remarkable Australians who will also attend the Coronation, showcasing our truly diverse and dynamic nation.
I will meet with the highly trained and skilled workers at the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, who will be an important part of helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines through Aukus.
He will be overseas from 2-6 May. It’ll be a busy period for the PM; he will arrive back in Australia just before the 9 May budget, then host the Quad leaders meeting in Sydney on 24 May. Albanese will jet to the UK early next week, after attending the wedding of the radio host Kyle Sandilands this weekend.
Updated
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has struck south of the Fiji Islands. The bureau of meteorology has said it poses no tsunami threat to Australia.
No #tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 6.5 #earthquake to the south of Fiji Islands. Latest advice at https://t.co/Tynv3ZPROS. pic.twitter.com/xLl6aTP8sU
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) April 28, 2023
Baby black rhino uncovers new knowledge of species
The elaborate process has also uncovered new knowledge about the species, says Justine O’Brien, Taronga’s manager of conservation science.
Kufara gave birth 490 days after mating, exceeding the longest recorded gestation length of 486 days. O’Brien says:
It shows that normal range can vary, with more and more animals that we are monitoring. That’s a classic thing for threatened species, where there are not many left, and we don’t get the opportunity to gather this data.
So every rhino in our zoos, and those that we’re monitoring in wild populations, are so valuable for giving us this information.
There are fewer than 6,500 black rhinos left in the wild due to habitat destruction, and poaching for the illegal rhino horn trade.
Updated
The black rhino supervisor Jennifer Conaghan explains what it took to solve the problem and bring the new calf into the world:
We ended up having to internally ultrasound her twice a week … to determine the size of her follicle to pinpoint when she was most receptive, regardless of what behaviour she was displaying.
But given black rhinos are notoriously sensitive that meant a whole lot of work to create precisely the right conditions for her to willingly submit to the process. Conaghan says:
Of all the rhino species, black rhinos are the most high maintenance. They are very sensitive and complex.
It only takes them to have a perceived negative experience – it might be ‘Oh a bird landed on the fence and it scared me. I’m done’. And it’s not, I’m done for a week. It’s I’m done.
Which explains why every single one of those hundreds of ultrasounds was a four-person job.
Kufara had to come willingly.
She had to be able to walk away if she didn’t like any aspect of the intimate procedure involving a vet’s arm and the rectum.
And she had to have some nice distractions from a dedicated pat provider and a snack attendant, while two others at the back got the job done.
Updated
Black rhino birth at Dubbo zoo
Now that we have a breather, the news I’ve been most excited to share with you … a little black rhino calf has been born at Taronga Western Plains zoo in Dubbo.
The chunky, big-headed boy emerged feet first two weeks ago, AAP reports.
The calf, which is yet to be named, is the 16th born under the zoo’s long-running breeding program for the critically endangered species.
And he gets the award for the “most hard-won calf” given it took an entire team of people years and hundreds of carefully orchestrated ultrasounds to achieve his conception.
His mother, 13-year-old Kufara, had her first calf, Mesi, six years ago but failed to conceive naturally again.
When zoo experts delved into why, they discovered the outward signs she displayed of being in season didn’t line up with the release of her eggs, so the sexy time she was spending with the bulls was futile.
Updated
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, will attend radio personality Kyle Sandilands’ wedding tomorrow.
The Guardian has confirmed the Labor leader will join the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, at the star-studded event.
Earlier in the day, Albanese described Sandilands as a “significant public figure” and “an Australian success story”.
ACCC finds 81% of social media posts by influencers misleading
In a sweep of social media influencers and their sponsored content, the competition regulator found that 81% of posts reviewed were considered misleading endorsements or testimonials.
The review, conducted earlier this year, examined the social media posts of 181 users with high numbers of followers and whether posts that were sponsored by advertisers were properly disclosed.
In its latest digital platforms inquiry report, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it found the disclosure by influencers of sponsored posts need to be improved, and the ACCC will be embarking on “various education, compliance and potential enforcement activities” as a result.
The regulator also raised concern that there is a lack of understanding about pay rates for influencers and brands, and influencers can often face high rates of harassment and bullying.
Child influencers was also a concern, with the regulator noting they can be susceptible to greater harms online, including harassment, privacy breaches, and lack of labour protections.
Updated
ACCC says social media platforms not doing enough to prevent scams
The consumer watchdog says social media companies such as Meta are not doing enough to prevent users falling victim to scams on the sites.
In the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest report out of the digital platforms inquiry, released on Friday, the regulator reveals Australians reported $80m in losses from scams initiated on social media in 2022, up from $27m in 2020.
The ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said that would only be a fraction of the overall scams as most do not report it.
The report also found Australians still spend more time on the Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram platforms than any other platform, which gives Meta significant market power, though this was weighted more to older demographics – which younger users on multiple platforms including TikTok and BeReal.
The report recommends the introduction of laws cracking down on unfair trading practices, and for the platforms to weed out scams through better identification of advertisers.
Updated
Bandt says rent freeze still ‘on the table’
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, is happy about the national cabinet announcement on renters’ rights, claiming it could constitute a rent freeze as his party has been advocating for – but the federal government says it isn’t going in that direction.
To go back for a second, the Greens (whose support the government needs to pass its signature housing policy) had urged Albanese to ask the national cabinet to impose a freeze on rent increases. Albanese announced after Friday’s meeting that state and federal housing ministers would work on a new framework for renters’ rights, but stressed it wouldn’t lead to a national approach, noting those laws varied by state.
However, the PM also specifically noted that some states were looking at capping rents.
After the meeting, Bandt claimed that a rent freeze was “on the table”.
The PM has finally admitted the @Greens are right.
— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) April 28, 2023
Labor can freeze rents.
Only weeks ago he called rent freeze ‘pixie dust’, but now it’s on the table at National Cabinet.
Labor now has no excuse for not freezing rent increases for 2 years and capping rent rises after that.
But federal government sources quickly clarified this was not the case. They maintain that a rent freeze would not be practical, and that the housing ministers would look at providing more certainty for renters’ rights – not capping their payments.
Updated
Albanese to discuss Aukus with Sunak in UK
While the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is in the UK to attend the coronation, he will also further discuss the Aukus deal with his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak.
The PM says the two will talk about “efforts to support an open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region”.
Albanese will also travel to Barrow-in-Furness to inspect the shipyard where the first British SSN-Aukus submarine will be built. The government said the state-of-the-art UK facilities will help enhance Australian experience and expertise for future defence manufacturing.
The talks with Sunak will also canvas opportunities from the Australia-United Kingdom free trade agreement, which will soon be in place, as well as the clean energy transition.
Albanese said:
This will be the third occasion that I meet with prime minister Sunak.
We will discuss the Australia-United Kingdom free trade agreement, which will shortly enter into force, and will deliver benefits for Australian exporters, Australian workers and our economy more broadly.
I will meet with the highly trained and skilled workers at the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, who will be an important part of helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines through Aukus.
Updated
Sam Kerr confirmed as flag bearer for King Charles's coronation
The government have just released the details of which Australians will be representing the nation at King Charles’s coronation.
They’ve confirmed the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will travel to the UK from 2-6 May to represent Australia at the event.
The Matildas’ captain, Sam Kerr, will be the Australian flag bearer.
Albanese and Kerr will be joined by the governor general, state governors and a number of other Australian representatives, including the singer-songwriter Nick Cave. You can see the full list of Australian representatives on the dedicated page on the government’s website.
Albanese said in a statement:
I’m honoured to represent Australia at the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort, a historic occasion. I am proud to join a group of remarkable Australians who will also attend the Coronation, showcasing our truly diverse and dynamic nation.
Updated
Climate activist arrested after scaling Melbourne arts centre
A climate protester has been arrested after scaling the spire of the Melbourne arts centre in an early morning demonstration, AAP reports.
Just after dawn on Friday, the climber unfurled a giant banner promoting climate activist group Extinction Rebellion as supporters watched on.
He climbed back down the structure about 10am and was arrested by waiting police who led him away in handcuffs.
The banner he attached to the structure promoted three days of climate rallies to be held in late May.
The group says the May demonstrations will include daily acts of civil disobedience.
Supporters set up tents outside the performing arts centre at Southbank in inner Melbourne to watch the climb on Friday.
The tourism, sport and major events minister, Steve Dimopoulos, visited the arts centre for an unrelated event on Friday and said there were better ways to call for action on climate change. Dimopoulos told reporters:
Protest is healthy in any democracy but it has to be safe.
Safe for yourself, but also safe for other Victorians and people who try and then get you out of harm’s way [such as] emergency services.
Arts Centre Melbourne has declined to comment on the situation.
Updated
Bid for Lehrmann to give evidence under oath prior to trial
Lawyers for the media outlets want Bruce Lehrmann to give evidence on oath about what happened on the night he is alleged to have raped Brittany Higgins, prior to the defamation trial in November.
Sue Chrysanthou SC, acting for Lisa Wilkinson, said the defendants would be at a disadvantage, given Higgins has already given evidence on oath and been cross-examined, whereas Lehrmann has not.
Justice Michael Lee said there was a degree of “asymmetry” about the current situation.
No decision has yet been made.
Earlier, Lee also said he could see no reason why a defamation claim against the ABC shouldn’t also be heard at the same time as the trial against News Corp and Network Ten.
These proceedings should be heard and determined with celerity. Recently, a related proceeding was commenced (Lehrmann v Australian Broadcasting Corporation, NSD 316 of 2023). Subject to hearing from the parties, there is no reason why all three proceedings should not be heard concurrently.
Lehrmann denies that he raped Higgins and pleaded not guilty at trial. He also told police that he did not rape Higgins. A video recording of his interview was played at his criminal trial.
Lehrmann defamation trial to be heard on 20 November
The court sets down the defamation trial for 20 November. It is scheduled to last 20 days.
Justice Michael Lee has not yet decided whether to order that a jury be used to hear the case.
He said he can see “pros and cons” and has asked the parties for submissions on whether a jury is needed. In his judgment, he said:
It is perhaps arguable that the ends of justice, including public confidence in the resolution of these disputes, might be promoted if a jury hears and determines at least some factual issues, rather than a judge. Having said this, given the vast publicity already afforded to these allegations, the multiplicity of proceedings and other logistical matters, I am sensible of potential difficulties in ordering a jury.
Lehrmann’s legal team warned of the potential risk of a hung jury and said the case provoked strong opinions.
Lee expressed no preference either way but the court will proceed on the basis of a judge-alone trial, until a decision can be reached.
Medibank refusing to release Deloitte report
Medibank is refusing to release a Deloitte report detailing how the company was hacked that resulted in the personal information of close to 10m customers being posted on the dark web last year.
In November last year, Medibank CEO David Koczkar said the company would “share the key outcomes and consequences of the review, where appropriate”. However on Friday, Medibank announced that despite being provided with the external review, it would not be released publicly.
A spokesperson for Medibank said the review included confidential and sensitive information, and could not be released. The spokesperson said:
We don’t think it is in the interests of our customers or the broader Australian community to publicly release their findings given the security risks this would pose, not only to Medibank but other Australian businesses.
The company said it would share what it had learned with other businesses, as well as implement the recommendations not already undertaken from the report.
The AFP investigation is ongoing, the company said.
Shoppers receive fresh food respite as costs moderate
Supermarket shoppers are experiencing a reprieve from high fresh food costs, with Coles recording falling prices for several items including lettuce, cucumbers and carrots.
The supermarket and liquor chain recorded a 6.5% lift in sales for the first three months of the year to $9.67bn, compared to the prior corresponding period, while reporting moderating inflation.
Coles’ food inflation hit 6.2% in the quarter, down from 7.7% in the prior quarter.
The company said in a trading update it was receiving fewer requests from suppliers to increase prices:
The largest drivers of the moderation were in fresh produce, with some key lines in deflation, including lettuce, cucumbers and carrots and in the meat, deli and seafood category.
Fresh food prices were generally elevated last year amid widespread flooding of farmland.
Prices for dairy items remain elevated, Coles said today.
Coles has been enjoying a profitable period even as inflation and supply interruptions have increased the prices it pays for its goods.
The supermarket chain has been able to pass on those costs to shoppers who are eating more frequently at home due to cost-of-living pressures.
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Immunisation program to expand to pharmacies
The health minister, Mark Butler, has announced pharmacists will soon be able to give immunisations to people aged over five, with the National Immunisation Program being expanded to pharmacies.
Community pharmacies will also be able to deliver opioid dependence programs, as part of new measures to let more medical professionals work at “top of scope”.
The government is also looking to attract 500 enrolled and registered nurses back into the primary care workforce, as well as support 6000 nursing student places.
“Frequent hospital users” will get more wrap-around primary care, to improve access to comprehensive clinical care and support self-management for people with chronic conditions.
Albanese said at his press conference that this could include identifying people with mental health or alcohol problems, who frequently visit hospital, to give them better care to avoid frequent visits.
Another major change is one we’ve talked about for a while, a “blended funding model” that would let health practitioners work together in primary healthcare teams.
That’s aimed to provide “flexible funding for multidisciplinary team-based models to improve quality of care and support treatment of chronic and complex conditions”, Butler’s office said, in a bid to make it “more affordable for practices to employ or contract a range of health professionals”.
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Victoria’s emergency management commissioner to resign
Andrew Crisp has told the state government he intends to retire at the end of his five-year term in August.
Crisp has become a familiar face for Victorians since he took on the role in 2018 – leading the state’s emergency response during the 2019-20 bushfires, the pandemic response, the June 2021 storm event and the October 2022 flood event.
Prior to his appointment he also had a distinguished 40-year career with Victoria police where he held several senior leadership roles including as a deputy commissioner.
The minister for emergency services, Jaclyn Symes, said:
While this state has experienced some of the most turbulent times, Commissioner Crisp has been a calm, commanding and reassuring presence for Victorians.
He has provided exceptional leadership and has delivered significant reform across the sector during his tenure.
I would like to sincerely thank Commissioner Crisp for his commitment and dedication to the role and I wish him and his family all the best for the future.
Symes said Crisp will take planned leave in May before returning in June to complete his tenure. Before he retires, he will continue to engage with communities affected by recent emergencies, and hopes to thank first responders who have worked tirelessly to keep their communities safe.
The state government will undertake a recruitment process for his replacement and an announcement will be made in due course.
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Albanese says Sandilands an ‘Australian success story’
Circling back to the PM’s press conference, where Albanese was asked about his attendance tomorrow at radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands’ wedding.
The prime minister has confirmed he will be in attendance and hailed Sandilands’ career as “an Australian success story”.
Reporter:
Are you really DJing a radio shock jock’s wedding with questionable … figures in attendance?
Albanese:
I’m not in charge of the invite list. I was invited by Kyle Sandilands to his wedding, which is taking place tomorrow in Sydney. I accepted that invitation. And I intend to attend the wedding.
Kyle Sandilands is someone who’s a significant figure and one of the things about Kyle Sandilands – I’ll say this – a bloke who at one stage was homeless, living on the streets of Sydney, and has grown into someone who is a significant public figure, is a part of what is an Australian success story.
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Lehrmann wins extension bid, free to sue Network Ten and News Corp
Bruce Lehrmann has won his bid to extend the usual 12-month time limit on defamation claims.
Justice Michael Lee decided on Friday to grant Lehrmann’s request for an extension.
The decision paves the way for his high-profile, high-stakes defamation case against Network Ten and News Corp.
Lee said it was reasonable for Lehrmann to defer bringing the case for a number of reasons, including that he received legal advice in February 2021, telling him to delay.
He was also facing the prospect of criminal proceedings, which would have required him to delay any civil case, including to avoid any compromise to his right to silence.
For more on this story:
Updated
Lehrmann acted reasonably in delaying defamation claim: judge
Justice Michael Lee is now examining whether Lehrmann’s right to silence in his criminal proceedings may have been jeopardised by the launching of defamation cases.
This is key to Lehrmann’s argument that he was forced to delay bringing a defamation claim because of the risk, and then reality, that he would face criminal charges. In such circumstances, he argues that bringing defamation proceedings would have compromised his right to silence, because he would have had to hand over documents and potentially give evidence in the civil case.
The media outlets argued that Lehrmann had already given police an interview, lowering any risk of prejudice that defamation proceedings could have posed.
But Lee rejected the assertion.
Lee goes on to say it was reasonable for Lehrmann to defer bringing defamation claims against the media outlets.
He said it was not reasonable for Lehramnn to act contrary to legal advice he was receiving to defer his defamation claim. He said he received that express advice on 15 February 2021.
Lee also said Lehrmann was facing the possibility of criminal proceedings in one of the most high-profile and commented upon cases in the country.
Updated
Some big takeaways from the national cabinet meeting in Brisbane, on Medicare and the NDIS, but pay close attention to the housing policies just announced.
Consider the announcements, about a framework on renters’ rights and more housing affordability and supply policies, in the context of the federal government’s $10bn housing affordability future fund (HAFF) policy. The Albanese government’s signature housing policy is currently in limbo, because the Greens - the lynchpin vote in the Senate - want it to go far further in providing support for the nation’s rental and housing crisis.
The Greens had urged Albanese to use the national cabinet meeting to organise state and territory leaders to impose a freeze on rent increases. The government was never going to do that, but a national focus on the rights of renters is new. PM Anthony Albanese stressed that this process wouldn’t lead to a “uniform” set of national laws, because those laws are done by the states, but he did specifically note that some states were looking at caps on how much rents could increase by, or how often.
The government might be trying to signal to the Greens that they’re up for some compromise. But Albanese also took a swipe at the HAFF policy “being held up by the Coalition and the Greens political party in the Senate”.
You can’t argue you want more housing supply and more social and affordable housing if you are continuing to oppose that program.
Greens’ housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather is holding a press conference this arvo after 1.30pm. Let’s see how the party reacts.
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Text messages about Lehrmann legal advice ‘insecure foundation’: judge
Justice Michael Lee is going through the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing on the time extension application by Bruce Lehrmann.
He is critical of Lehrmann’s counsel for changing their position on what evidence they wanted to call, including from Lehrmann’s former lawyer, Warwick Korn. He says their position shifted like “mercury on a plate”.
Lee then summarises Lehrmann’s evidence on why he delayed bringing defamation claims against the media outlets.
One of his key reasons is that he had been told by his then lawyer, Korn, to delay pursuing any defamation claim due to the possibility of pending criminal proceedings.
That’s despite Lehrmann sending text messages, including to his former girlfriend, during a meeting with Korn suggesting he was being advised he was “up for millions” in defamation and that he would not be charged.
Lee described the meeting between Korn and Lehrmann as “apparently lubricated by whiskey and punctuated by Mr Lehrmann’s texting”.
But he said the texts were an “insecure foundation” upon which to determine what advice Lehrmann was actually receiving from his lawyer.
Lee said he is satisfied that Lehrmann was lying in the text messages when he claimed there was no prospect of criminal charges and that defamation was the only thing being discussed.
Lehrmann denies raping Higgins in parliament house. He pleaded not guilty at a criminal trial, which was aborted due to juror misconduct. A second trial did not proceed due to concerns about the risk to Higgins’ mental health.
Updated
Albanese is taking questions. It’s been agreed at national cabinet to work towards putting the NDIS on a firmer growth trajectory, but it’s still unclear how much responsibility the state governments will be taking funding-wise.
Reporter:
What happens if the states don’t want to do more? As premier Palaszczuk said, it’s a national scheme with the NDIS? What’s the plan if the states won’t come to the party?
Albanese:
We’re about making sure that we all have an interest in developing, making sure that the NDIS is sustainable going forward. And that’s agreed.
That isn’t just about jurisdictions. That’s about the values of the people who stand up here. That’s what’s it’s about. Making sure that people with disabilities get the support that they need. So that as well they can contribute fully to the economy.
One of the things about the NDIS and making sure that people with disabilities can fully participate in society … it shouldn’t be seen as a cost, that’s an investment. It’s an investment in our economy, and also an investment in our humanity.
It’s those values that I share with everyone here.
Updated
Federal court prepares decision on Bruce Lehrmann defamation cases
The federal court is about to hand down a key decision in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case against Network Ten and News Corp.
Justice Michael Lee has arrived on the bench and is explaining his decision on whether Lehrmann can have an extension to the usual 12-month time limit on defamation claims. If successful, he will be free to sue Network Ten and News Corp subsidiary, News Life Media Pty Limited, over their reporting of Brittany Higgins’ allegations of rape in February 2021.
The media outlets have opposed Lehrmann’s bid to extend the time limit, saying it was not reasonable for him to delay bringing the case until 2023.
Lehrmann denies raping Higgins in parliament house. He pleaded not guilty at a criminal trial, which was aborted due to juror misconduct. A second trial did not proceed due to concerns about the risk to Higgins’ mental health.
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Other topics discussed in national cabinet include the national skills agreement, the net zero transformation and the care/support economy.
First ministers are continuing to work collaboratively on long-term skills reform and agreed that skills ministers will finalise a new five year national skills agreement.
The national cabinet also discussed how to best support regions that are exposed to socio-economic changes associated with decarbonisation. The prime minister also provided an update on roles and responsibilities across Australian governments for the implementation of the national transformation principles, as agreed by national cabinet in 2022.
Discussing the development of a national strategy for the care and support economy, the first ministers agreed to work together to progress a first tranche of reforms to streamline worker screening, improve worker safety, and grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander care and support workforce.
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State ministers to develop proposal for strengthening renters’ rights and increasing housing affordability
On housing and planning, the state ministers are set to develop their own proposals for national cabinet to strengthen renters’ rights and increase housing affordability.
They are part of a range of reforms which first ministers have agreed to, supporting a national approach to planning:
Housing ministers will develop a proposal for national cabinet in the second half of 2023 outlining reforms to strengthen renters’ rights across the country.
Within the next six months, planning ministers will develop a proposal for national cabinet outlining reforms to increase housing supply and affordability, working with the Australian Local Government Association.
As part of the new national migration strategy, the commonwealth will ensure states and territories have a greater contribution to Australia’s migration settings, to ensure migration meets the local needs of communities across the country.
The commonwealth is commencing an independent review of its infrastructure investment program and adopting a refreshed approach to infrastructure investment. States and territories have agreed to support the review.
States and territories will also work with the commonwealth to support a more sustainable infrastructure pipeline, in the short term, at around $120bn over 10 years that provides certainty to the market and delivers the highest priority projects for growing communities.
The commonwealth will also reinstate a vision to ensure growth in cities is sustainable in partnership with state and territory governments via the national urban policy.
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First ministers commit to NDIS financial sustainability framework
The commonwealth says it is working with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) board to take immediate action to ensure a sustainable scheme, and is committing more than $720m in the 2023-24 budget to lift NDIA’s capability, capacity and systems to better support participants.
The framework is the next step, and will provide an annual growth target in the total costs of the scheme of no more than 8% by 1 July 2026, with further moderation of growth as the scheme matures.
NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, has been pushing for greater shared responsibility for the scheme by the states.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the meeting has seen the state governments affirm they share the goal of reaching long term sustainability for the scheme and have elevated this objective to national cabinet.
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Government commits $2.2bn to strengthening Medicare
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has just stepped up to speak following the national cabinet meeting which has discussed reforms around the theme of “a better future for the federation”.
The first ministers reaffirmed their commitment to health as the priority for the national cabinet in 2023 and agreed to a range of tangible Strengthening Medicare measures including:
Supporting workforces to work at top of scope, including pharmacists, paramedics.
Expanding the nursing workforce to improve access to primary care.
Improving access to and delivery of after-hours primary care.
Introducing MyMedicare (patient ID) to support wraparound care for patients registered with their local GP through new blended payment models.
Providing flexible funding for multi-disciplinary team-based models to improve quality of care.
Investing in digital health to improve health outcomes.
Albanese says $2.2bn will be in the budget to deliver these measures.
The first ministers also endorsed the independent review of overseas health practitioner regulatory settings interim report, which was led by Robyn Kruk.
The interim report recommends measures to immediately boost the health workforce and ensure Australia is a competitive destination for the global health workforce into the future, while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.
National cabinet tasked health ministers to progress recommendations and report back to the national cabinet as a priority.
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A committal hearing into the alleged murder of Toyah Cordingley has been adjourned 28 days with the next hearing set for 9 June.
A number of members of the community and local and national press were present for the brief hearing at the Cairns magistrates court on Friday morning.
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‘Now is the time to leave’: Australians urged to leave Sudan immediately
The next 72 hours are vital for getting any remaining Australians out of Sudan, the assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, says.
At least 88 Australians out of 134 total have left the conflict zone so far. The ceasefire has been extended for another 72 hours, and it is expected to allow more foreign nationals to escape the fighting.
Watts has told ABC Radio this morning about the government’s plan:
We’ve got currently 134 Australians registered with Dfat in Sudan and at least 88 Australians and their family members have safely departed the conflict in Sudan so far.
What we’ve been doing since this civil war broke out is facilitating the departure of Australian citizens and their families in Sudan by arranging places on flights and on-road convoys departing Khartoum.
Our teams have been working 24 hours a day. They’re in direct and regular contact with all Australians in Sudan who’ve registered with us and letting them know about flights and road departure options in real-time.
But as you say, the situation is dangerous, it remains volatile. So, this window, this 72-hour extension of the ceasefire, is really important. We’re encouraging any Australian still in Sudan, take this opportunity. Now is the time to leave, if you can, safely do so.
For background on the events unfolding in Sudan, by Adam Fulton and Oliver Holmes:
Updated
Now, unrelated to the contingency issue of Aukus (see previous post), Shoebridge has also highlighted the fact that the PBO costings (and the government’s own public figures) do not cover costs after the 2054-55 financial year.
It’s worth explaining, at this point, that the Aukus deal includes plans for Australia to buy at least three Virginia class submarines from the US in the 2030s (with an option to buy two more) which means we could have between three and five Virginia class submarines, before the new British-designed SSN-Aukus starts rolling off the production line in Adelaide in the early 2040s. Shoebridge says the 2055 cutoff means that Australia will only have five of the eight planned SSN-Aukus submarines by that point:
Australians were astounded to hear that the $368bn price tag announced by their Albanese government, but now we see that this only gets five of the eight planned Aukus submarines?
The truth is the real cost of delivering these eight Aukus nuclear submarines will be closer to half a trillion dollars. That’s a level of public funding that’s almost impossible to comprehend.
The government is likely to contest this interpretation. It has committed to Australia having a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines but ultimately it will be a decision for a future government to decide how many SSN-Aukus submarines are produced. The defence minister, Richard Marles, is due to hold a press conference shortly and will no doubt be asked to address this.
Updated
Aukus costings explained
There has been a burst of publicity today about the huge price tag for the Aukus nuclear-powered submarines.
The genesis is a parliamentary budget office (PBO) requested by the Greens that first appeared in an ABC report this morning.
Let’s start with undisputed facts: the multi-decade program will be hugely expensive and has a large number of risks and uncertainties within it.
When the Aukus plans were announced in mid-March, the government estimated the program would cost somewhere in the range of $268bn to $368bn over the period between now and the mid 2050s (most of it beyond the first four-year budget period).
In line with this, today’s PBO costing confirms an upper estimate of $367.6bn over that same time period. That figure includes a contingency of $122.9bn over the same time period, which can be drawn on in the event of a major unexpected event. Now this $122.9bn contingency is a huge amount, but it cannot be added to the $368bn to suggest a cost blowout. It is included in it.
The defence spokesperson for the Greens, David Shoebridge, said:
Even complex defence projects traditionally only see contingency allowances of at most 20%. The 50% contingency allowance for the Aukus submarines demonstrates how little understanding the Albanese government has about how they will be designed and built.
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Family heartbroken over death of 'kind, beautiful, and gentle soul' lost overboard
The family of the Australian man who fell overboard the cruise ship off Hawaii, Warwick Tollemache, say they have been left heartbroken.
The US Coast Guard announced earlier it had called off the search for Tollemache after discussions with the Australian consulate and his family who were on board the cruise ship.
Tollemache went overboard on Tuesday night local time from Royal Carribean’s Quantum of the Seas cruise ship, which had left Brisbane on April 12 and had been due to arrive in Honolulu Friday.
Tollemache’s family have released a statement, along with images:
Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick.
He was a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him.
He will be deeply missed. We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult time. Thank you for your understanding.
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Over-representation of First Nations children in criminal justice system a ‘great shame’, Dan Andrews says
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says the over-representation of First Nations children in the child protection and criminal justice system is a “great shame” for his government.
The statement is contained in a letter the premier wrote to the state’s Indigenous truth-telling commission that is investigating historical and current injustices against First Nations people. The inquiry is holding public hearings to probe issues in the criminal justice and child protection systems.
In the letter to the Yoorook justice commissioner, Andrews acknowledges that discrimination against First Nations people persists today:
The ongoing over-representation of First Peoples in the criminal justice and child protection systems is a source of great shame for the Victorian government.
It [the government] is also responsible for ensuring that racism and injustice are confronted and addressed.
Updated
Government commits $10m for evaluation unit across agencies
Giving teenagers infant simulators (‘robo-babies’) was supposed to prevent pregnancies in WA’s schools, but on evaluation, the program was found to have backfired, actually increasing teen pregnancy rates.
Examples like this one is why the government is investing more in making sure its policies and programs are actually doing what they are supposed to be doing.
The federal government is committing $10m in the upcoming budget for a new centralised evaluation unit which will look to improve the delivery of programs across all agencies.
The government says it wants to deliver better value on taxpayer money by ensuring its policies and programs are as fit-for-purpose, cost-effective, and aligned with whole-of-government priorities as they can be.
Effective evaluation won’t just be about cost saving but can also provide evidence to support costly programs that deliver long-term benefits, according to the government.
The government says it’s a move away from over-reliance on consultants and delivering the government’s commitment to cutting spending on contractors.
The new evaluation unit will be established in Treasury and partner with departments and agencies across government to conduct evaluations on mutually agreed priorities.
The assistant treasurer, Andrew Leigh, said:
Rigorous impact measurement is fundamental to good government. Yet in 2019, a report found that under the Morrison government, evaluation of government programs was ‘piecemeal’.
The Albanese government is committed to measuring what works.
This unit will conduct high-quality impact evaluations of government programs, including randomised policy trials. This will allow government to evaluate the impact of policies with the same rigour we use to test new medical treatments.
Quality evaluation will save taxpayers money, and help government design and adapt programs to better serve the community. It’s good for the budget bottom line, and good for all Australians.
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Extinction Rebellion stage protest in central Melbourne
More from AAP on the climate protester who has scaled the spire of the Arts Centre Melbourne in an early morning demonstration:
Just after dawn on Friday, the climber unfurled a giant banner promoting climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, as supporters watched on.
The banner promotes three days of climate rallies set to be held in late May.
The Extinction Rebellion group is known for disruptive, high-profile protests staged around the world.
The group says the May demonstrations will include daily acts of civil disobedience.
Supporters set up tents outside the performing arts centre at Southbank in inner Melbourne to watch the climb on Friday.
Spokeswoman Jane Morton told Nine’s Today program the purpose of the demonstration was to draw attention to the climate crisis.
We are looking at societal collapse, that is what scientists are saying. It’s not really on the news. That is why Extinction Rebellion is going to try to sound the alarm.
Victoria police say they are aware of the situation and are responding to the protest.
Arts Centre Melbourne representatives have made no comment while a live police operation is underway.
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The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, is speaking in Sydney announcing the new rules to ban betting online with a credit card.
Rowland says harm minimisation is the key principle.
The message is simple, people should not be betting with money they don’t have. We know that some 15-20% of online wagering is currently done with credit cards.
The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, follows Rowland and says the problem with credit cards is that people are “using debt to facilitate online gambling.”
You can read the full details about those new laws here:
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NSW records 35 Covid deaths and 1,285 people in hospital
There were 11,745 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 36 people are in intensive care.
The number of cases have come down from last week’s 12,393 – but deaths which are always a lagging indicator are up on 29 reported in the last period.
COVID-19 weekly update – Friday 28 April 2023
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) April 27, 2023
In the 7 days to 4pm Thursday 27 April:
- 11,745 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded: 5,493 rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 6,252 PCR tests
- 35 lives lost pic.twitter.com/VF71Gi9NAl
Lehrmann to learn today whether time limit for defamation is extended
At midday today, Bruce Lehrmann will learn whether he is able to proceed with his defamation case against Network Ten and News Corp subsidiary, News Life Media Pty Ltd, over their reporting of Brittany Higgins’ allegations of rape.
Lehrmann is suing the two outlets outside of the usual 12-month window. Their initial reporting of the Higgins story took place in February 2021 and Lehrmann did not commence proceedings until this year.
That means he needs to convince a court to extend the usual time limit on defamation claims by proving it was not unreasonable for him to delay bringing the case.
He has argued he was delayed due to earlier legal advice, received just after the initial reporting, which advised him to delay defamation proceedings. Lehrmann also says he delayed bringing the civil claim because of the prospect of criminal proceedings that then hung over him.
The media outlets say there was an obvious window for Lehrmann to commence proceedings against the media outlets within the first 12 months of publication. They say the evidence shows he was clearly contemplating defamation proceedings in February 2021, and pointed to text messages suggesting Lehrmann was receiving legal advice immediately after the publications he was “up for millions as defamation”.
Lehrmann denies raping Higgins in Parliament House. He pleaded not guilty at a criminal trial, which was aborted due to juror misconduct. A second trial did not proceed due to concerns about the risk to Higgins’ mental health.
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Hunt for driver after woman injured in road rage attack
The hunt is on for a driver accused of repeatedly punching a woman in the face and breaking her nose in a vicious road rage attack, AAP reports.
Victoria police believe the woman sounded her car’s horn after the male driver’s black VW Golf hatch overtook her vehicle on a suburban street in Melbourne’s east at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
The man abruptly hit the brakes several times and approached the woman when she pulled over on a quiet street in Balwyn North.
He then verbally abused her as she sat inside her white Honda Civic.
The woman waited for him to return to his car before getting out, however he allegedly approached her and punched her in the head.
She fell to the ground and the man punched her head several more times as she tried to crawl away, police said.
The man then got back into his car and drove off.
The woman’s mother and witnesses called for help and she was taken to hospital with facial injuries, including a broken nose.
The man wanted over the attack is described as southern European in appearance, aged in his 20s and about 175cm tall.
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Philanthropists pledge $17m in united effort to support voice
An alliance of philanthropic foundations have declared their support for voice and pledged $17m to the yes campaigns.
The 31 Australian foundations and funders have unveiled a philanthropic pledge, all calling for the need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have a say in the matters that affect them through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Signatories include the Australian Communities Foundation, the Besen Family Foundation, Cages Foundation, Mecca M-Power, the Nelson Meers Foundation, and the Myer Foundation.
Paul Ramsay Foundation CEO Prof Kristy Muir said:
Philanthropic organisations are deeply engaged in working with First Nations-led organisations and programs around the country.
As a sector, we’ve learned from experience that the best outcomes emerge when the voices of those affected are heard. Voice is a vital mechanism that’s been missing for a long time.
Philanthropy Australia CEO Jack Heath welcomed the pledge:
Philanthropy Australia’s support for the Yes case is based on listening to what First Nations peoples say is needed to improve their daily lives and it is backed by the overwhelming majority of our membership.
The philanthropic pledge is available to view on the Philanthropy Australia website here.
Updated
Weather warnings likely
Those on the east coast might want to give any outdoor plans a rethink. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a wet weekend.
A wet weekend is forecast for parts of eastern Australia due to an upper-level trough and developing low pressure system off the #NSW coast.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) April 27, 2023
The Bureau is monitoring the situation closely, and warnings will likely be issued over the weekend.
Latest: https://t.co/HMFwnfozD1 pic.twitter.com/M8vZUZsoYc
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Ley harks back to Liberal party’s 2013 glory days
In her message, Ley has said the 2013 election victory was built on “no sniping from inside the tent” the Australian reports:
There were no factional chiefs threatening to bring the party down. Well ahead of time, we had candidates in place to contest seats – really good ones – some of whom still serve in parliament and are widely acknowledged as the best in the marginal seat business.
We weren’t bogged down in culture wars. We weren’t beating our chests trying to out-right wing or out-left wing each other.
Every single Liberal, with every fibre of their being, was just trying to defeat Labor so that we could get into government and help aspirational Australians get ahead. Discipline won the day.
Asked about the issue of disunity in the Liberal party given her strong language in this message, Ley tells ABC News:
Look, it has been an issue and we shouldn’t shy away from that. And I also make the point that in 2013 we selected great candidates, we fought as a unity team, we got there for the Australian people for all the right reasons. So, of course, there’s no room and no reason for factional infighting. You see it across all political parties, by the way, it’s not confined to the Liberal party.
Ley also backed Peter Dutton as “absolutely” the right leader to win back inner-city seats for the Liberal party and avoided answering the question of whether she herself aspires to the leadership.
Updated
Sussan Ley on why ‘the time to sook and moan’ is over for the Liberals
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley is concluding a pre-budget tour of key electorates almost a year since the Coalition’s federal election defeat.
Explaining her message that “the time to sook and moan is over” to ABC News Breakfast, Ley says:
Sometimes people take a while to get over a defeat and a loss, and that includes our party members and the people I meet in the street. But what my message today is that Australians need us, they need us to be a strong opposition, actually everybody needs the opposition to be strong, even if you support the government, because that gets the best possible public policy outcomes.
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Minister ‘not surprised’ at backbench backlash over jobseeker
Social service minister Amanda Rishworth says she is “not surprised” there is backlash from Labor backbenchers as the Albanese government looks set to ignore calls to raise jobseeker in the upcoming budget.
Rowland asks:
Do you agree $50 a day is simply not enough for JobSeeker recipients to live on?
Rishworth:
I have always said it is difficult to live on income support. It is not easy.
Rishworth follows her fellow ministers insisting “there will be a package of how we support our most vulnerable” including “targeted” cost-of-living measures like energy relief.
On the growing number of Labor MPs calling on the government to raise kobseeker (at least 10 by this count), Rishworth says:
I am very committed to working with government members about how we best tackle cost of living and disadvantage.
I am not surprised that Labor members care about tackling disadvantage.
I am really very much going to be working with my colleagues.
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Extinction Rebellion banner on Melbourne Arts Centre spire
An Extinction Rebellion protester has scaled the Melbourne Arts Centre spire to unveil a banner raising awareness for the upcoming “Occupy for Climate” next month.
The demonstrator is still up on the spire and protesters are gathering below, according to live shots on ABC News.
BREAKING NEWS! #ExtinctionRebellion rebel @homewood_brad is climbing the Arts Centre spire, preparing to drop a giant banner calling on everyone who is terrified about impending #ClimateCollapse to join us at #OccupyForClimate May 25-27, Melbourne CBD. @XRebellionAus pic.twitter.com/9MUiFJjntx
— Jane Morton (@SafeClimate) April 27, 2023
The climate activist on the Arts Centre says he’ll come down (and get arrested) after the tv crews have got their shots.@OzRebellion says the aim today is to get some publicity not to cause disruption.. they’re saving that for Occupy for Climate next month. @3AW693 pic.twitter.com/9Fflxr2bdU
— Pat Mitchell (@patty_mitchell) April 27, 2023
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) April 27, 2023
Protestors have scaled the Melbourne Arts Centre to unveil a banner as part of three days of extinction rebellion disruptions. pic.twitter.com/NRj7Lok8xk
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‘Gamble responsibly’ to be replaced with ‘You win some you lose more’
Rishworth is also flagging further gambling reform to sports betting ads and other areas to come.
Rishworth mentions the better tag lines to prevent gambling harm, for example “gamble responsibly” being replaced with “You win some you lose more”.
Michael Rowland asks Rishworth if she thinks there are still too many sports betting ads, particularly in sporting event broadcasts:
In addition to this credit card ban, to implementing a number of new measures, the government is very much looking forward to the House of Representatives inquiry into online wagering.
It is looking at a whole range of areas, including advertising. We look forward to those recommendations and certainly there is an appetite for a discussion about what comes next with my state and territory colleagues.
I convened them for the first time since 2007 recently, where we had a discussion about how we minimise harm. There are really important conversations that includes advertising, it includes other areas where we can actually start to continue to take steps to reduce harm.
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New gambling law
This morning the government has announced new rules which will bar gamblers from using credit cards for online betting.
The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, says harm from online wagering is growing and one of the ways of minimising it is to ensure “people are not betting with money they don’t have.”
Rishworth told ABC News this morning:
By using a credit card, you’re going into debt and if you are using that for online wagering, you can get yourself into trouble.
When it comes to things like casinos, pokies, you are not able to use a credit card for that, so we are wanting to bring in line online wagering and ban the use of credit cards.
Read more about the change here:
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Princess Mary arrives in Sydney after Pacific trip
Australian-born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is back on home shores for her first official engagement in 10 years, AAP reports.
During a whirlwind tour, Mary will cycle the streets of Sydney, take a ride on the Danish inspired-light rail and champion the transition towards more sustainable cities.
The princess is leading a delegation from her adopted country to discuss Australia’s “green transition” while visiting a number of Danish-led projects related to sustainable construction and transportation, the royal family said in a statement earlier this month.
In the morning, she will hit Hyde Park bike lanes with fellow cyclists for a lap around the CBD.
The delegation will then board the light rail – a project led by renowned Danish architect Jan Gehl – to Sydney Town Hall.
The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, is excited to host the royal “and show off some of the infrastructure they [Danes] have helped inspire”.
In 2007, Moore handed the keys to the city to Gehl to make Sydney a greener, more connected and more attractive place to live and work.
His work has been credited for pedestrianising George Street and bringing inner-city laneways to life as well as inspiring urban design in Perth, Adelaide and Hobart.
Gehl was the second Dane to be awarded the keys to the city after architect Jørn Utzon in 1998, who won a competition in 1957 to design the Sydney Opera House.
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US Coast guard calls off search for overboard Australian
The US coast guard has called off the search for the Australian man who yesterday went overboard from a cruise ship travelling to Hawaii.
The US coast guard made the decision to suspend the active search for the missing passenger after reviewing the relevant information of the case with Australian consulate counterparts as well as the next of kin.
The coast guard received the report of the incident aboard Royal Carribean’s Quantum of the Seas cruise ship Tuesday night local time. After an initial search and rescue mission launched by the cruise line, the Coast Guard conducted the search from 9am until 3pm Wednesday.
Spokesperson for the 14th district coast guard based in Honolulu, Ryan Fisher, said:
A decision to suspend a search for a missing person is never an easy one.
The decision was made together with our Australian counterparts, as well as we spoke with the family members on board the Quantum of the Seas cruise line.
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End of an era for coal-fired Liddell as grid goes green
The Liddell power station will be switched off after more than 50 years of service to NSW and the national electricity grid, with today the last of a 10-day phased shutdown.
Thousands have worked at the site over the years and many are gathering to farewell the plant that they refer to as “the old girl”, AAP reports.
Although activists are celebrating the demise of the coal-fired “clunker”, critics are concerned shutting down the Muswellbrook plant in the Hunter region will remove 10% of the state’s power.
Owner AGL Energy insists the lights will stay on and says it’s been preparing for the closure for the past seven years by adding more wind and solar.
Once powering the equivalent of more than 1m homes, the carefully engineered shutdown that began a year ago will end with the last of Liddell’s units switched off today.
More than 90% of the materials in the plant are expected to be recycled during demolition, including 70,000 tonnes of steel – more than the total weight of steel works for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Demolition will begin next year and take about two years.
Boilers, chimneys, turbine houses, the coal plant and various buildings will go and the site will be levelled with crushed concrete.
But transmission connections will be retained as the site gears up to become an industrial energy hub, equipped with a grid-scale battery.
If you haven’t read it already, my colleague Peter Hannam has taken a look at Liddell’s closure through a two-part feature with our photographer Blake Sharp-Wiggins’ pictures letting you step inside the plant in its final days:
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Happy Friday! Thanks to Martin for getting things started, I’ll be with you until the afternoon.
Defence research into hypersonics and information warfare
The federal government will pledge today to pour an extra $591m into defence innovation – including in the areas of hypersonics and information warfare.
In the latest announcement sparked by the defence strategic review, the government will promise a new body to help “rapidly translate disruptive new technologies” into use by the Australian defence force.
The government will promise $3.4bn over the next decade to establish the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (Asca).
But most of this money comes from reallocation from existing initiatives. It is understood that over the full 10 years, the funding to Asca represents an additional $591m above current planned spending on defence innovation.
The government says Asca will initially focus on six priority areas for defence innovation, science and technology. These are hypersonics, directed energy, trusted autonomy, quantum technology, information warfare and long-range fires.
This will ensure game-changing ideas are developed into capabilities that give the ADF an asymmetric advantage.
Asca is expected to replace the defence innovation hub and next generation technologies fund, which the government believes are “no longer fit for purpose in Australia’s current strategic environment”.
Asca is expected to begin running on 1 July, but the exact operating model will be developed, tested and refined over the first 18 months.
The funding starts relatively slowly. In the first four-year budget period the allocation is understood to be $619m.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, and the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, will announce the details in Sydney today.
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National cabinet to discuss planning for urban growth
The national cabinet will also discuss a paper called Better Planning for Stronger Growth, in which the federal government will propose a set of work to prepare for growing cities, towns and suburbs.
The paper proposes that governments, including treasurers, housing and infrastructure ministers, better prepare for population growth – with planning to be conducted this year, in line with the changes to the migration system flagged on Thursday that will be introduced in late 2023.
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, told the National Press Club:
We are still facing these very substantial difficulties with housing. Our housing problem in Australia is the fault of 10 years of gross inaction by a federal government that never had a serious housing policy, not for a day ... There is no way for our three levels of government to work together to plan for housing, services and infrastructure needs that result from population changes.
While the federal government controls our migration settings, a real partnership with states and territories is going to be crucial to us getting the system right. The fact that there is actually no genuine mechanism at the moment for us to plan for population changes as a country is a bit startling. Tomorrow, when national cabinet meets, the prime minister will begin the conversation around how we can work together better as a federation to plan for housing and services and infrastructure. This will build on the incredible work my colleagues Jim Chalmers and Julie Collins have done with the housing accord.
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National cabinet meets in Brisbane
The national cabinet will meet in Brisbane today to discuss health, the national disability insurance scheme, migration, and the voice referendum
While the states are expected to once again lobby for 50-50 hospital funding, the federal government has announced ahead of the meeting that it will improve access to after-hours care as part of its response to the strengthening Medicare taskforce report.
The current funding for after-hours programs through primary health networks terminates at the end of this financial year.
The Albanese government will provide funding to support primary health networks working with local primary care providers to provide after-hours care, including by addressing service gaps in regional areas and making improvements to Healthdirect.
Funding will also support new PHN programs with local community organisations that will increase access to primary care services for culturally and linguistically diverse Australians and people experiencing homelessness in the community.
The health minister, Mark Butler, said:
After nine years of cuts and neglect, Medicare is in its worst shape in 40 years. The former government froze the Medicare rebate for six years, ripping billions of dollars out of primary care and causing gap fees to skyrocket.
We said at the election that there was no higher priority for Labor in the health portfolio than strengthening Medicare and rebuilding general practice.”
The Albanese government is making it easier for Australians to see a doctor when they need it. Being able to access a doctor after hours is critical for patients to get they need, when they need it, taking the pressure off hospitals. The Albanese government is committed to investing in general practice and strengthening Medicare.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you some overnight breaking stories before my colleague comes along to take the reins.
Our lead this morning is on former governor-general Peter Hollingworth and complaints about his handling of child abuse complaints when he was Brisbane archbishop. The Anglican church’s complaints body has spent more than five years considering complaints about Hollingworth’s inaction on child abuse but two women have requested the church review its decision not to defrock him, saying they were “sickened” by the outcome.
We’ve also got two strong stories about gambling, with the government about to ban gamblers from using credit cards for online betting – reckoned to be about 20% of deposits in wagering accounts. New legislation banning the payment method is expected within months. Meanwhile, bookies Ladbrokes and Neds have become the first companies to be fined for accepting in-play bets after a game has begun.
And it’s national cabinet day today with Anthony Albanese meeting state and territory leaders in Brisbane to discuss health funding and the expansion of urban areas, among other issues. We’ve got some details about exactly what to expect coming right up, along with another announcement on defence spending today: billions set aside for research into cutting edge, “disruptive” technology.
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