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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Emily Wind and Natasha May (earlier)

Senator criticises ‘cult of personality’ around departing premier – as it happened

Melbourne Australia Rose Jackson Geoscience Australia Hobart
Liberal senator Linda Reynolds
Liberal senator Linda Reynolds says Mark Mcgowan’s resignation marks ‘a fundamental transformation in the politics of Western Australia’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

What we learned, Monday 29 May

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:

  • Western Australia premier Mark McGowan announced he would resign by the end of the week, citing exhaustion. His announcement, following 30 years in public service, will spark a leadership spill.

  • Reactions flowed all afternoon to the shock announcement. Prime minister Anthony Albanese wished McGowan well, labelling him “an extraordinary leader for WA Labor and a trusted friend.”

  • Meanwhile, Liberal senator Linda Reynolds said the “cult of the personality” around McGowan hurt WA.

  • Earlier in the day, David “Kochie” Koch said he would be stepping down as co-host of Sunrise after 21 years. He is Australia’s longest-serving breakfast television host.

  • Embattled consulting firm PwC directed nine senior partners to go on leave, “ringfenced” its government work and apologised to the public in a bid to stem the damaging fallout from the tax advice scandal.

  • Artist John Olsen was remembered at a state memorial in Sydney for his contribution to Australia’s art world. Prime minister Albanese was in attendance and said the greatest gift Olsen gave us was “persuading us to see Australia with fresh eyes”.

  • Meanwhile, Melbourne residents were shaken awake by a 3.8-magnitude earthquake overnight. It was the largest earthquake with an epicentre within 40km of the Melbourne central business district for more than 120 years.

Conservation regulator investigating live snakes and baby crocodile at Melbourne nightclub

Victoria’s conservation regulator is investigating the use of live snakes and a baby crocodile at a Melbourne nightclub after a social media backlash.

Two Wrongs, located on Chapel Street in South Yarra, on Sunday night shared images on social media of patrons posing with the native reptiles at an event to mark its new menu.

After criticism from social media users, the images were removed from the venue’s account.

Read more:

A baby crocodile on a blue surface
Two Wrongs nightclub in Melbourne is under investigation over the alleged use of the live animals. Photograph: Gregory Plesse/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

For a wrap on today’s biggest headlines so far, my colleague Antoun Issa has you covered:

McGowan ‘stood strong’ against Covid calls to open up WA, PM says

Prime minister Anthony Albanese just stepped up for a press conference on the resignation of Mark McGowan, speaking on his role during the Covid-19 pandemic and wishing him the best for the future:

I want to pay tribute to Mark McGowan. My friend, a confidant, but also an extraordinarily successful premier of Western Australia.

During the pandemic Mark McGowan stood strong. He stood strong against the claims that WA people should just open up. He did the right thing in order to keep West Australian’s safe.

He also has built an extraordinarily strong economy, and WA has been a powerhouse for the nation in creating jobs, in creating economic growth and in securing a positive future at what was a very difficult time that saw some other economies really struggle.

We know that without WA being so strong, the recession that occurred would have been deeper and longer, and Mark McGowan has, through social, environmental, and economic policy, built a stronger WA and I wish him all the very best for the future.

Updated

Federal government giving $29m in funding to hunger crisis in Africa, the Middle East and Yemen

Humanitarian groups have welcomed a $29m funding boost from the federal government to help tackle the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and Yemen.

Save the Children chief executive Mat Tinkler said Australia’s commitment would help save the lives of children in areas experiencing conflict and famine-like conditions:

The number of people going hungry around the world has been skyrocketing and, tragically, children are dying every day in the worst-hit areas.

This humanitarian commitment from the federal government is significant and sends a strong message that Australia is willing and able to alleviate suffering far from its own backyard.

Foreign minister Penny Wong said conflict and climate change were driving unprecedented levels of humanitarian need:

Australia is using all elements of our national power to shape the world for the better, including by providing humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable.

- with AAP

Three women are walking across the desert carrying firewood on their heads
People across the Horn of Africa are facing severe hunger. Photograph: Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Reactions flow after McGowan’s shock resignation

More reactions are flowing after Mark McGowan’s resignation, first from federal attorney-general Mark Dreyfus:

Federal Member for Bennelong Jerome Laxale said McGowan is “tired, but undefeated”:

Thank you for your service Mark. A true leader.

Updated

Mt Beerwah closed after sacred Indigenous site defaced with religious message

Mt Beerwah – a section of Glass House Mountains National Park in Queensland – has been temporarily closed following vandalism.

It will allow for cultural healing and reparations after vandalism took place on the mountain, which is of very high cultural significance to the traditional owners , the Jinibara people.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is investigating. The park will be closed until further notice.

Last week we reported that senior ranger, Nat Smith, believes a power tool was used to carve the words “Jesus saves just ask him” into a section of rock at the base of Mt Beerwah.

You can read more here:

The phrase
Mt Beerwah is closed after it was vandalised. Photograph: QPWS

Updated

Clive Palmer tweets ‘Goodbye’ to McGowan

The leader of the United Australia Party, Clive Palmer, has issued this response to the news of Mark McGowan’s resignation:

Goodbye, Mark McGowan, Goodbye

Last year the pair were both found liable for defamation in the federal court in a war of words over Covid-19 and extraordinary legislation extinguishing the billionaire’s $30bn claim against western Australia.

Updated

Newcrest’s Cadia Holdings issued final notice by EPA

The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued a final pollution prevention notice to Newcrest’s Cadia Holdings Pty Ltd, after dozens of local residents reported high levels of heavy metals in their drinking water and bloodstream.

It comes one week after the EPA announced its investigation into the Cadia Valley Operations goldmine in central west NSW, and issued Newcrest with a draft notice and licence variation over the management of emissions of dust and other air pollutants.

The NSW EPA chief executive, Tony Chappel, said finalising this notice was an important step in requiring the mine to demonstrate compliance and would inform possible further actions:

We will continue to utilise all necessary regulatory tools over the coming weeks until we are confident the mine is taking all necessary steps to meet their obligations and minimise their impact on the community.

Cadia must now provide robust information and evidence about what’s being discharged at and from the site.

Over the coming weeks, Chappel said the EPA is planning another “community drop-in session”, after more than 40 residents attended the first session in Millthorpe last Tuesday to answer questions about health and drinking water but concerns remained.

You can read more here.

Updated

Federal MP for Brand, WA reacts to McGowan’s resignation

Reactions are continuing to flow for Mark McGowan after he announced his resignation this afternoon.

Federal MP for Brand Madeleine King recognised McGowan’s role not just as premier, but as the state MP for Rockingham, which is in her electorate:

Rockingham will never be the same without [McGowan] as our local State MP!

Mark has done remarkable things for WA but importantly brought Rockingham to the forefront of State politics – right there Rocko belongs!

Thanks for your support since my election to Brand in 2016.

Updated

WA police received reports of man acting suspicious at 11am

Western Australian police said they received reports of a man acting suspiciously in the Stratton area about 11.05am today.

The man was last seen riding a black, red and white off-road dirtbike and is believed to have his face covered.

Police say they have received unconfirmed reports the man may have had a firearm.

A number of police have been deployed to the area to find him , and anyone with information is urged to contact police on 000.

Updated

Perth school reportedly in lockdown after reports of man acting suspiciously

News.com.au is reporting that at least one school has gone into lockdown in Perth’s east, while police investigate reports of a suspicious man riding a motorbike in the Stratton area who could be armed with a gun.

Updated

Labor senator speaks out on PwC scandal

Speaking on the PwC’s written apology, Labor senator Deb O’Neill said it is “too little and it’s too late”.

Look, I really think you can see that they want the scrutiny to stop. In my view, this is too little and it’s too late.

The action they’ve taken today is to ask nine people to step aside and they haven’t named them. I mean, this is really a cover-up that continues, a damage-control exercise by PwC.

This is the pile of emails, 144 pages of it, with identities blacked out [she holds them up in her hands]. Some of them may be at PwC still. Others may be in other companies around the world. Some of them could be indeed on the international board that determines standards into auditing.

We all need to know – not just to the PwC Australian current employees, but everybody has a right to know, given this was the theft of information from the Australian people. We certainly deserve transparency and that’s not what we’ve got this morning.

For the full story:

Updated

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has congratulated Mark McGowan for his public service following news of his upcoming resignation:

Mark McGowan led his state through a 1-in-100 year crisis, and worked hard to deliver every single day.

At national cabinet I saw Mark stick to his values, and above all, put the people of WA first.

Congratulations comrade. I wish you and Sarah all the best.

Updated

Marles in talks with South Korea on defence links

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles is currently in Seoul for a meeting with members of Pacific nations and to speak with Korean leadership over an expansion of defence industry links.

Despite some recent frustrations caused by Australia’s defence strategic review, Marles told the ABC that South Korea understands the “difficult decisions we’ve had to make”:

In terms of the priorities that have been outlined in the defence strategic review and the difficult decisions we’ve had to make, Korea understands that as well.

They’re going through their own process with the Indo-Pacific strategy that they have put in place, it’s remarkably similar in terms of how they see the world and the sorts of decisions they’re needing to make.

Updated

Speaking on the result at the last WA election, which saw a huge Labor majority result, Liberal senator Linda Reynolds said:

There is no question that the combination of having a single emperor-type, people have described [Mark McGowan] as a leader, but also with us not having our act together.

She said the WA Liberals were “too focused on ourselves and we didn’t provide the viable alternative that we should have”:

But as I said we’ve learnt from that, we’ve had reviews and made constitutional change and we are fundamentally reforming our party so that we can support [the new leader] and really hold this terrible government to account because there is not a single social factor and metric that this McGowan government has delivered. Not one.

Updated

Gorman also said Mark McGowan leaves behind a strong cabinet:

One of the legacies he leaves amongst many others is a very solid cabinet, some really talented ministers, and the biggest-ever backbench that’s ever been seen by a political party in Western Australia.

So there’s a lot of talent there and that gives me great optimism for the state’s future that there’s a good, diverse team who can handle whatever the next challenge is. In politics there is always another challenge coming at you and so often it’s about how you respond rather than how you necessarily anticipate, and Covid is a good example.

Updated

Speaking on the pandemic, Patrick Gorman said leaders had to make difficult decisions during that time:

Those circumstances during the Covid pandemic were unique. We backed prime minister [Scott] Morrison when he chose to close the international border. People had to make very difficult decisions. And some of them were not popular at the time and some of them have had some foreseeable and some unforeseeable consequences for the long run.

But I think the people of Western Australia backed what Mark McGowan chose to do, the decisions him and his cabinet made.

Updated

Linda Reynolds says McGowan 'cult of personality' hurt WA

Liberal senator Linda Reynolds wished Mark McGowan well on his resignation, acknowledging the toll Covid takes, but said today marks “a fundamental transformation in the politics of Western Australia”.

She told the ABC:

It is a bit of a surprise, but I think today will mark a fundamental transformation in the politics in Western Australia because we will go from the politics of the single person, the cult of the personality, which has really sucked the oxygen out of the political debate in Western Australia, because it has been all about one man.

It might be a compliment to him being a great politician, but it’s come at the great detriment to the state of Western Australia.

Updated

Labor frontbencher Patrick Gorman is ‘still in shock’ over McGowan resigning

Labor frontbencher Patrick Gorman said he is “still in shock” about Mark McGowan’s resignation.

When asked about his legacy on the ABC, Gorman said:

Mark has been such a phenomenal leader of our state. He was a friend of mine before he was premier. He will be a friend of mine for many years to come.

This is a big day for Western Australia and when I think about what that legacy is, I think about where he’s taken our state from and to.

When he came to office we had one of the highest rates of unemployment. We had growing debt and we had an infrastructure program that had really kind of run out of steam. He’s transformed the state with Metronet, he’s set us, as Western Australia, on the path to a renewable energy future in terms of the big plans they’ve put out there.

He did have an incredible role of leadership during Covid where he stood up for what was right and he stood up for what he believed in … and he showed others how to do the job of being a great premier, standing up for your state.

I’ve enjoyed campaigning alongside him for many years and I’m sure every now and then he’ll still come out and hand out how-to-vote [cards] …

For the full story on the WA premier’s shock announcement:

Updated

McGowan full resignation statement posted to Facebook

Mark McGowan has shared a full statement on his resignation, which can be read on his Facebook page– it’s a written version of the speech he gave at his press conference this afternoon.

Here is how the speech ended:

… to the people of this great state – thank you.

Wherever you live, or whatever you do, or however you vote – thank you.

It has been an absolute privilege to serve as the 30th premier of Western Australia.

Updated

Minister for government services Bill Shorten had this to say on Mark McGowan’s resignation this afternoon:

You left WA better off than you found it, that’s all anyone can ask.

He also opted for a classic democracy sausage photo to share:

Demolition to begin tomorrow on historic Surry Hills factory razed in fire last week

Fire and Rescue NSW says it is preparing for the demolition of two buildings razed by last week’s fire at Surry Hills, across from central station near the Sydney CBD.

During the blaze last Thursday, the historic factory site on Randle Street was engulfed with flames and required more than 120 firefighters to work over several hours to control the blaze.

Demolition machinery is expected to be escorted onto the site later today, with works to commence tomorrow.

FRNSW says firefighters have begun removing windows from the office block adjacent to the two fire-impacted buildings, as heat damage has made windows unstable and caused them to fall without notice, posing a safety risk within the fire ground.

Clean-up is already underway and an exclusion zone is still in place as FRNSW crews monitor the stability of the remaining structure and smouldering from deep within the rubble.

Once the site is made safe, NSW police will take possession of the buildings to enable them to continue investigations.

Updated

McGowan leaves ‘an incredible legacy’, says Member for Perth

Member for Perth, Patrick Gorman, said Mark McGowan leaves “an incredible legacy” after announcing his resignation:

Mark leaves an incredible legacy, including Metronet, one-vote one-value, TAFE investment and returning the WA budget to surplus.

He stood up to Clive Palmer and he stood up for WA time and time again.

I am grateful for Mark’s support and the fun of campaigning alongside him.

Labor MP Andrew Leigh noted that McGowan’s 2021 election victory was “the biggest win at any level in Australia since Federation”.

If anyone has earned the right to take a breather, it’s him.

Matt Keogh MP shared similar sentiments:

Updated

More reactions rolling in on Mark McGowan from his federal colleagues.

It seems Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers got the same memo about what type of candid photo to post:

Albanese praised the WA leader as earning “a place in Australian political history” with his state election win, and wished McGowan and his family “all the best”.

Reactions from federal government are rolling in after McGowan’s resignation

Reactions from the federal government are already rolling in after Mark McGowan’s resignation, with treasurer Jim Chalmers describing him as a “huge figure” in Australian politics.

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek went one better, calling him “a political rock star”.

There are ramifications of McGowan’s decision for federal politics, too. The Labor party won national government in no small part due to its better-than-expected results in western Australia, as they won a clutch of Liberal seats in 2022 - Tangney, Pearce, Swan and Hasluck - with McGowan’s personal popularity and Labor’s massive majority in the WA state parliament seen as major factors.

WA Labor may still hold that organisational advantage by the time of the next federal election, but the absence of McGowan’s own political popularity on the campaign trail alongside national candidates could be an interesting factor at the next poll.

Updated

'An extraordinary leader and a trusted friend': Anthony Albanese on Mark McGowan

Prime minister Anthony Albanese said he spoke with Mark McGowan earlier today to congratulate him on his retirement and all he has achieved during his time in public life.

In the statement, Albanese said McGowan leaves office as he led – on his own terms and as his own man:

He has been a great premier of his proud state, an extraordinary leader for WA Labor and a trusted friend.

Above all, Mark will be remembered for seeing the people of Western Australian safely through one of the most challenging crises in our nation’s history. In unprecedented times, Mark always held to his convictions and always sought to do the right thing by his state.

While it’s true the sheer scale of his final election victory earned him a place in Australian political history, I know Mark’s definition of success has always been about delivering for people, improving lives and creating progress that endures. He has done all this in spades.

I wish Mark, Sarah and their family all the very best for the next chapter of their lives.

Updated

Thanks Natasha for taking us through the morning! I’ll be with you for the remainder of the day, let’s get into it.

And that’s it from me too! You’re in the excellent hands of Emily Wind for the rest of the afternoon.

McGowan has now wrapped up the press conference – but a few final remarks from the outgoing leader:

He denied his stepping away from the party will take the shine off Labor at the next election and said he will only ever be a “phone call away” for whoever steps into his shoes.

He said he doesn’t plan to stop working but didn’t specify what his next role could be:

There are few opportunities out there. Look, I don’t have any plans but I don’t want to stop work. So, I will see what the future holds but I don’t have any plans, I have discussed it with no one.

Updated

Asked about any regrets, McGowan takes a philosophical tack:

There are always things you think you could have done better but I don’t want to dwell on those. In life – and I do do this – you dwell too much on what you do wrong rather than what you do right. I don’t want to be one of those people.

Updated

Asked how he would like his term to be remembered, McGowan says:

I just wanted to leave the state better than I found it. Politics is about doing good things. If you can do good things, if you can make life better, fix future problems.

… I think I am known for economic things, all the things in terms of the public finances or economic activity, all that sort of thing.

I’m actually very proud about some of the environmental things, like there are going to be five million additional hectares in national parks by the end of this term.

Raising support for foster children to the age of 21.

… I was very proud to be part of the government that built the railway back to my electorate, 15 years or so ago.

Updated

Asked how he would describe his 30 years in office McGowan says:

It has been wonderful. Wonderful.

I was interested in politics as a kid. I liked reading the newspaper.

My dad in particular, was a strong Labor supporter even though we grew up in small businesses, he always had an idea about being fair to everyone.

He was really strong and that we talked about past political leaders, in particular, Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, and people like that.

… I couldn’t have imagined anything better. It has been a wonderful experience, done the best I can, pretty much spent now.

Updated

Asked if he came to the decision in the lead-up to the state’s budget, McGowan says it was a combination of events:

It was a few months ago. But I had to do the budget, and you may recall, I went to China and a few things like that. I made the decision. … but once you make a decision, it is hard to hold out implementing it.

Updated

McGowan will not say if he has a preference for who takes over the leadership. He says he will leave the decision to his colleagues.

McGowan is now taking questions. The first one is if there was a lightbulb moment that prompted his decision:

It’s sort of built up over time. It built up over time. I worked out I did not want to fight the next election, so the next election is 20 months away. So therefore at what point in time do I leave?

I wanted to give my successor, whoever that is, the opportunity to cement themselves and create their own way and their own agenda and enough time to bid themselves in.

As I said, I have basically done been in public life in one way or another for 30 years, so it has been the vast majority of my working life. And anyone who does the same job for 30 years, as you will understand, what maybe get tired and maybe look to the future.

Updated

McGowan is now expressing his thanks to all his ministerial and caucus colleagues, his staff, the West Australian branch of the Australian Labor party, the WA public sector workers and his family.

Western Australian premier Mark McGowan arrives to announce his resignation in Perth.
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan arrives to announce his resignation in Perth. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

Updated

This week will be my final week: Mark McGowan

McGowan says this will be his final week in office:

I’m convinced WA Labor can win and will win the next election in 2025. But I just don’t have the energy or drive that is required to continue in the role as premier, or to fight that election which would have been my eighth election as a member of parliament.

This job is like no other. After seven elections across nearly three decades, now is the right time to step away from the job that I have loved. Therefore, I will be resigning as premier and member for Rockingham. This week will be my final week.

It is not a decision I have taken lightly, I’ve been considering it for quite a while. But I needed to hand down a state budget before I made a final decision. Taking this step I note two things: WA is stronger and more successful than ever before; and the government has a great team and can very, very easily find a replacement.

Updated

McGowan stepping down due to exhaustion

McGowan is citing exhaustion as the reason he is stepping down.

I have loved the role, I have loved being able to deliver on our agenda for the benefit of our state. I have loved the challenge of solving problems, making decisions, getting outcomes, and helping people. But the truth is I’m tired, extremely tired.

In fact, I’m exhausted.

The role of political leadership does not stop, it is relentless. With huge responsibility but it is all-consuming, each and every day. And combined with the Covid-19 years, it has taken it out of me.

Updated

McGowan is speaking about his achievements as premier:

When I was elected as Premier I had ambitions for the state I wanted Western Australia to become the strongest, most successful state in the nation. To become more economically diversified and have the strongest public finances.

To be socially reformist with landmark achievements in conservation and environmental protection as well. To provide citizens with quality public services, and long-term infrastructure for long-term futures.

I stand here today and I know our state is in the position I set out to reach. We have the strongest economy in Australia in one of the strongest in the world, we turned our finances around, returning the budget to surplus and with debt being repaid. We regained the Triple-A credit rating.

Updated

McGowan:

As a young naval officer, when I drove across the Nullabor in my Corolla in June 1991, to be given my posting at Garden Island I never imagined I would one day become the premier of Western Australia.

Updated

McGowan says serving as premier has been an honour beyond what he imagined his career would amount to:

Today I’m announcing I will be stepping down as premier and as member for Rockingham. I was elected as premier of Western Australia in March 2017, more than six years ago.

Prior to that I served as opposition leader for five years, I have held the privileged position of WA Labor leader for around 11 and a half years. I have served in parliament for 26 and a half years as either premier, opposition leader, minister, shadow minister, parliamentary secretary and of course, as the member for Rockingham. Before that I served for three years as a Rockingham City council and deputy mayor.

That’s nearly 30 years in public life. It has been an honour and privilege to serve the people of the state in my community over this time. It is way beyond what I could ever have imagined my career would amount to. Western Australia has provided me with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Updated

Mark McGowan resigns as WA's premier

Western Australia’s premier Mark McGowan has just announced he will be stepping down from the role after six years in the job.

Western Australia’s premier Mark McGowan has just stepped up to the mic in Perth to make his announcement.

MPs are filing into the room in Perth where Mark McGowan is set to make his announcement.

ABC’s election guru Anthony Green chipping in with stats in anticipation of a by-election:

Updated

Speculation and puns are rife as we prepare for McGowan to take the mic.

Western Australia’s premier Mark McGowan will be stepping up in 10 minutes (2.45PM AEST and 12.45PM WST) for a press conference and we’ll bring you what he has to say.

Updated

Reports Mark McGowan could step down as WA premier

The West Australian is reporting there is growing speculation that premier Mark McGowan could step down.

Independent member for North Sydney Kylea Tink also signed the open letter calling for indexation on student loans to be urgently freezed.

She told Guardian Australia she’d been contacted by young professionals in her electorate with concerns because the indexing comes into effect in June, they’re paying hundreds, in some cases more than $1,000 in additional repayments.

The interest is added to their loan before any payments they made in the previous year are deducted - how can this be fair? To me, it makes no sense.

Tink said for many years the tertiary system had operated on the basis that those who used it did so with the opportunity to repay student debts once they entered the workforce – which had worked, for a time.

In this time of exceptionally high inflation, on top of changes to the pricing of courses under the prior government, there’s no doubt current settings aren’t fair.

Inter-generational equity is one of the biggest challenges of our time ... looking at how and when to apply indexing to student loans is a good first step.

Updated

Inmate rushed to hospital from Barwon prison

An inmate with serious injuries has been rushed to hospital from Victoria’s most secure jail, AAP reports.

Emergency services were called to the maximum security Barwon prison, located in Lara, at 9.30am.

Ambulance Victoria said a man was taken to hospital with upper body injuries in a stable condition.

AAP has contacted Corrections Victoria for comment.

Updated

Education minister holds firm on indexation of student loans despite lobbying of crossbenchers

The education minister is not going to budge after calls from the Greens and seven crossbench MPs to freeze indexation ahead of a 7.1% rise in student loans on Thursday.

Jason Clare told Guardian Australia changes to affordability and access to higher education were being considered via the Universities Accord, due to hand down a final report at the end of the year.

To assist with immediate cost-of-living pressures, the May budget lifts the rate of JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy by $40 a fortnight. Commonwealth rent assistance is also being boosted.

Senator Lidia Thorpe was among the MPs to sign an open letter to the minister this afternoon.

She said student debts were “soaring faster than any other debt in this country” in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

This will have long-term impacts on these young people, putting extra pressure to earn money through whatever job pays most rather than being able to focus on starting the career they want.

It is an unfair burden to put on young people, to punish them for getting an education. Studying should be free for all - we have had it in the past and we can surely do it again.

Updated

Albanese congratulates Erdoğan on victory

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who overnight claimed victory in the country’s run-off election.

After no candidate won more than 50% of the first round two weeks ago, Erdogan has now claimed more than 52% of the votes over his challenger, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in this second round.

Supporters carrying a flag bearing the face of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after his election victory
Supporters carrying a flag bearing the face of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after his election victory. Photograph: SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Erdoğan has been at the top of Turkish politics for 20 years, first as prime minister and then as president. Since becoming president he’s increased the power of the office through constitutional changes - some of which Kılıçdaroğlu had promised to reverse.

Erdoğan also moved away from the strict secularist foundations of the Turkish republic, in favour of policies more in tune with Islam-friendly conservatism.

For analysis on what Erdoğan’s re-election means:

Updated

In the open letter, PwC said that it would set out new processes to “ring-fence” its work in government and oversight.

However, Pocock says this proposed action is inadequate:

There are also larger issues about the management of conflict of interest in huge professional services firms like PwC. ‘Ring-fencing’ government work to protect it from conflicts of interest is totally unacceptable: those pitching for consultancy contracts should not also be auditors, and those who accept government contracts should not be donors to political parties.

Greens senator Barbara Pocock
‘“Ring-fencing” government work to protect it from conflicts of interest is totally unacceptable’, says Greens senator Barbara Pocock Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

PwC’s mea culpa too little, too late, senator Barbara Pocock says

Coming back to the breaking news of PwC’s apology and promise to stand down nine parters, Greens senator Barbara Pocock says the firm’s mea culpa is “too little too late.”

Pocock has been on the front foot, calling for greater accountability in the fallout of PwC’s tax scandal, vowing to refer it to the new national anti-corruption commission when it commences on 1 July and last week attempting to table the names in a Senate hearing of all individuals who received emails regarding the confidential information.

In response to PwC’s announcement this lunchtime, Pocock says a wider investigation is needed to capture everyone involved, including players outside PwC:

PwC is scrambling to remediate the impact of its appalling behaviour but it’s too little, too late as far as I’m concerned.

Their failure is much bigger than a single instance of ethical failure. If PwC had managed this properly when it began more than eight years ago, Australian taxpayers would not be footing the bill now, and PwC would not have damaged the reputations of their 10,000 employees and potentially the reputations of many of their clients.

PwC have denied and obfuscated for too long ... There have been significant ethical and governance failures across the board and we need a full investigation not just into PwC but all the agencies that have played a role in this appalling chapter.

Our call for a full independent inquiry into the exact involvement of everyone who had knowledge of this, becomes more pressing by the day.

Updated

Indexation on student debt disproportionally affects women, Haines says

Many members of the crossbench say it’s a pressing issue for their constituents. Independent MP for Mackellar Sophie Scamps said:

We need to do more to act on the growing intergenerational inequality here in Australia. Our young people are working hard to get ahead but many are struggling to keep up, or worse, going backwards.

I’ve had many constituents write to me letting me know that despite paying off their Help debt all year, the debt will be higher at the end of the year than at the start.

Add in the cost-of-living pressures and sky-high rents and you know they are doing it very tough.

Independent MP for Indi, Helen Haines, highlighted that indexation disproportionately affects women:

One of my constituents returned to university to study education, but told me she is reconsidering whether to continue with her studies because of the seemingly endless debt that comes with higher education studies.

We desperately need teachers and so many other professions in regional Australia, but the high rate of indexation means many people look at university study and see only a debt burden, not an opportunity.

Indexation of loans also disproportionately affects women in the workforce who take time out to care for children. Their degree ends up costing them more than those who don’t undertake care outside of work.

Updated

Government ‘seriously misjudging’ student debt issue: Andrew Wilkie

The open letter from the crossbench noted the Universities Accord process, due to hand down its final report in December, was considering the affordability of higher education but the “unprecedented situation” required urgent intervention.

The cross-benchers called on the federal government to immediately intervene to halt the 7.1% indexation rate and stood “ready to support legislation which achieves this end”.

Mehreen Faruqi introduced a bill in November which would abolish Help indexation and increase the minimum repayment threshold, now $51,550, to the median wage of $64,399.

It received support from around 15 tertiary bodies and three senior academics but was rejected by a committee, citing concerns over financial implications on the budget and whether it would ease the cost of living burden.

Faruqi said she had been “bombarded” with correspondence in the past weeks from people “desperate and distressed” about the student debt hike.

The Greens and a number of crossbenchers are ready to support the changes … now it’s on Labor to come to the table.

Refusing to act is negligent and just plain cruel. If the government refuses to provide a reprieve, the Greens will absolutely make this an election issue.

Andrew Wilkie said the government was “seriously misjudging” the issue:

There is widespread concern in the community about the skyrocketing debts, and the least that should be done is to implement an immediate freeze on the indexation.

Jason Clare was approached for comment.

Updated

Crossbenchers pen open letter to halt student debt increase

Pressure is mounting for the federal government to intervene on student debts with a coalition of crossbenchers penning an open letter to the education minister to halt the record high increase coming into effect this week.

In Australia, student loans are tied to inflation and increase annually in line with the consumer price index, which means rises cause Help loans to spiral, sometimes in excess of repayments.

Last month, the last consumer price index (CPI) revealed debts will be indexed at 7.1% this year, up from 3.9% last year and 0.6% in 2020. It will take effect on Thursday, 1 June.

Based on the CPI forecasts in the May budget, the parliamentary library has estimated next year, student debts will be indexed by around 3.9%, representing a 15% increase in two years.

Eight MPs including Greens spokesperson for education Mehreen Faruqi, independent MPs Helen Haines, Dai Le, Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink and Andrew Wilkie and Senators Lidia Thorpe and Tammy Tyrell signed their names to the letter, requesting “urgent intervention” from Jason Clare to halt the indexation rate.

The letter says:

The growing burden of student debt is making news every day and it’s beyond clear that urgent intervention is necessary.

Indexation is causing student debts to increase faster than they are being paid off. Larger debts take much longer to pay off, with student debt becoming a lifelong burden for too many.

Updated

Online florist accused of misleading customers

The competition regulator has taken Meg’s Flowers to court over allegations it misled customers by claiming to be a local florist when it is actually a national online business.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said in a statement that Meg’s Flowers represented on 156 location-based websites and in advertisements that it was a local business in suburbs and towns across the country.

Meg’s Flowers is a national online business which distributes flowers through its corporate warehouses and subcontractors, the ACCC said.

The regulator is seeking penalties and compliance orders in the federal court. Meg’s Flowers has been contacted for comment.

ACCC commissioner Liza Carver said:

Many consumers prefer to seek out local businesses to support, and many also wish to source the freshest flowers in a suburb close to the recipient’s address.

We are taking this court action because we allege Meg’s Flowers misled consumers into thinking they were ordering flowers from a local florist, when they were actually dealing with a national business and the orders were often fulfilled from a corporate warehouse outside of that suburb.

Here are some more images from Olsen’s memorial:

The program is seen during a State Memorial for the late artist Dr John Olsen AO OBE at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney.
The program at a state memorial for the late artist Dr John Olsen AO OBE at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney. Photograph: Jenny Evans/AAP
Wendy Whitley arrives during a State Memorial for the late artist Dr John Olsen AO OBE at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney.
Wendy Whiteley arrives. Photograph: Jenny Evans/AAP
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese greets Tim Olsen, son of John Olsen during a State Memorial for the late artist Dr John Olsen.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese greets Tim Olsen, son of John Olsen. Photograph: Jenny Evans/AAP

Updated

Prime minister pays tribute to artist John Olsen, a ‘poet of the brush’

Anthony Albanese has penned a tribute to John Olsen, saying the greatest gift he gave us was “persuading us to see Australia with fresh eyes”.

To behold this landscape – in all its familiarity and extraordinary antiquity – and see it in a new light.

Today we mourn an extraordinary Australian, a poet of the brush.

But more than anything, we celebrate him, and we hold on to the gift he gave us.

May John Olsen rest in peace.

Updated

Artist John Olsen remembered at state memorial: ‘When it came to lighting up a room he was in a class of his own’

At a state memorial service in Sydney, Australia’s art world has paid tribute to artist John Olsen, who revolutionised the way people saw the Australian landscape, AAP reports.

Wendy Whiteley, Ken Done and Ben Quilty are among those in the crowd at the Art Gallery of NSW, with the prime minister and NSW premier also attending.

Master of ceremonies Michael Yabsley said Olsen had charisma by the truckload, even in his later years.

When it came to lighting up a room he was in a class of his own - remarkably, in the twilight of his life, John was still in the prime of his life.

He remembered the artist as a bon vivant, a cook, philanthropist, teacher, mentor, lover of literature, and businessman too.

The great man would say the only embellishment to an outstanding piece of art should be a red dot.

The Sydney Art Quartet played some of Olsen’s favourite pieces of music, before musician William Barton performed his piece Spirit of the Landscape for voice and didgeridoo. Barton said:

Now Uncle John is up there painting those big dreaming stories too with those elders of our landscape and our mother country ... his paintbrush was his message stick.

Updated

Marles: ‘Ukraine has provided us with a menu of options’ for additional support

Pressed on whether Australia would provide requested additional support – including Hawkei vehicles – Marles told Sky News:

I’m not going to go into the specifics of what we will provide, that’ll be a conversation that we have and are having with Ukraine itself. And we’re speaking with the ambassador as well. But as I said, I spoke with my counterpart in the last few weeks, and Ukraine has provided us with a menu of options if you like ... We’re working through with the government of Ukraine about how we can best do that in an ongoing way. But they absolutely understand that we are committed to their cause and that we’re going to stand with them shoulder to shoulder for as long as it takes so that they can resolve this conflict on their terms and they’re very grateful for that.

Marles suggested that “details are to come”:

So the government of Ukraine is really aware of all that we are looking at doing. And we’re working with them. And I might say with other countries who are providing support about how we can best lend assistance and coordinate in with that broader effort. And that’s what we’ve been doing up until now. And that’s what we’ll do going forward.

Updated

Marles rejects suggestion of ‘scaling down’ in Australia’s assistance to Ukraine

Circling back to the defence minister’s interview before the big PwC news broke, Sky News pressed Richard Marles on Australia’s contribution to Ukraine’s defence.

Sky News asked the defence minister why there had been a “scaling down” of Australia’s assistance this year. Marles said he wouldn’t agree with that characterisation:

I mean, we’ve continued to deliver the assistance that we’ve already announced on the schedule that we announced it. And that [the delivery schedule] is obviously not public, for a whole lot of important national security reasons, but we are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.

We’re providing training assistance to Ukraine, and I was there earlier in the year in England where that training is taking place. And again, that’s been ramped up really from the beginning of this year. And we’re working very closely with the Ukrainian government. I spoke with my counterpart in the last few weeks about ways in which we can continue that support.

Updated

PwC says ‘vast majority’ of email recipients not involved in ‘any confidentiality breach’

Additionally, PwC says it will release the independent report from Ziggy Switkowski in full – but not until September.

But the company has continued to resist calls for it to release the names of all individuals who received emails regarding the confidential information. Despite attempts from Greens senator Barbara Pocock to table the names in a Senate hearing last week, and PM Anthony Albanese saying this morning that “all of this should become public at the appropriate time”, PwC says it does not believe all those who received the emails were involved in wrongdoing.

The company said in its statement today:

There has been an assumption by some that all those whose names have been redacted must necessarily be involved in wrongdoing. That is incorrect.

Based on our ongoing investigation, we believe that the vast majority of the recipients of these emails are neither responsible for, nor were knowingly involved in any confidentiality breach. We have and will continue to take appropriate action against anyone who is found to have breached confidentiality or failed in their leadership duties.

Updated

PwC admits ‘failure of leadership and governance’

Accounting firm PwC has told nine partners to go on leave immediately and other senior employees have resigned, as the scandal around the leak of confidential government information grows. The firm’s acting CEO, Kristin Stubbins, has admitted in an open letter mea culpa “we failed”.

PwC said in a statement this morning that it would set out new processes to “ringfence” its work in government and oversight. The company admitted to “a failure of leadership and governance” in the episode, where it misused information about government tax changes.

Stubbins said “we recognise that our stakeholders want more transparency in order to restore confidence in our firm”.

PwC said it had directed nine partners to go on leave immediately, pending the outcome of its internal investigation, which included those in leadership or governance roles.

In addition, the chairs of the governance board and its designated risk committee have decided to step down from their respective roles.

PwC admitted it had failed to conduct appropriate investigations after learning of the breach, which it called “a failure of leadership and governance”.

In addition, the company will work to “ringfence the provision of services to federal government departments and agencies to enhance our controls to prevent conflicts of interest.” PwC will establish separate governance and oversight arrangements, which it says will occur by September, which would separate the provision of government services from other businesses inside the company – including processes the company said would enhance confidentiality and conflicts controls.

In an open letter, Stubbins said the company had betrayed the trust placed in it.

She said the company had failed in several ways, including a lack of respect for confidentiality, inadequate processes, and “a culture at the time in our tax business that both allowed inappropriate behaviour and has not, until now, always properly held our leaders and those involved to account.”

More to come.

Updated

PwC stands down nine partners and apologises to public for betraying trust

PwC Australia’s acting chief executive, Kristin Stubbins, has apologised on behalf of the company for sharing confidential government tax policy information and “betraying the trust placed in us”.

In an open letter, Stubbins also announced the firm is standing down nine partners:

PwC Australia has directed 9 partners to go on leave, effective immediately, pending the outcome of our ongoing investigation. This includes members of the firm’s Executive Board and Governance Board.

My colleague Josh Butler will bring you more in a moment.

Updated

Vapers urged to see health risks ‘through the haze’

Young Victorians are being told to see through the haze as part of the largest anti-vaping campaign in Australia’s history, AAP reports.

A new Quit campaign highlighting the risks of vaping has been launched alongside research by Cancer Council Victoria’s Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer.

The “See through the haze” campaign includes footage of a young person vaping around friends.

The person exhales a cloud of aerosol which gradually morphs to represent objects containing chemicals that are also in e-cigarettes, such as biofuel, paint thinner and insect killer.

The federal government has vowed to ban the import of all non-prescription e-cigarettes under a $234m regulatory crackdown announced in the May budget, but no funding was set aside to enforce it.

Updated

Richard Marles says there is ‘huge strategic alignment’ between Australia and South Korea

The defence minister has travelled to Seoul to attend an inaugural summit between South Korea and members of the Pacific Islands Forum today. His schedule also includes meetings with the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, and defence minister, Lee Jong-sup.

In an interview with Sky News this morning, Marles said he and Lee would meet “a number of times over the next few months”. Marles added:

We really hope to be able to take the relationship to a new level in terms of the tempo of exercises, access to each other’s facilities, looking at ways in which we can do more exchanges between our two defence forces, looking at how we can increase what is already a very significant defence science exchange that happens now, and of course defence industry.

So across the board, there’s opportunity here, and this is really one of the key relationships in the region that we want to take forward.

Marles said Australia wanted to work with like-minded countries to provide for “the collective security of the Indo-Pacific region and the maintenance of the global rules-based order within our region - and we’re very invested in that; South Korea is very invested in that”.

Updated

Albanese also defended calling the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, “the boss” at his rapturous stadium welcome during his visit last week.

Despite the country’s hardline stance against minorities, Albanese said it was a “good thing” the Indian leader came to Australia with the country projected to become the third largest economy in the world.

Albanese insisted “we speak up for our values” and said he privately raised unspecified issues with Modi. As for calling Modi the boss:

That was a reference to the fact that the last time I was at the stadium there in in Homebush, was to see Bruce Springsteen, who of course was known as the boss.

…the fact that [the Indian community] gathered there some 12 hours in advance of when Prime Minister Modi was addressing them, was rather quite extraordinary. No one queues for 12 hours to see an Australian Prime Minister!

Albanese says PwC leak reinforces need to bolster federal public service

Albanese:

Any government department undertaking work needs to bear in mind the ethical considerations that come from this PwC behaviour.

… There’s also been, over a period of time, a loss in the capacity of the federal public service to provide that internal advice that avoids all of these risks, all of these for-profit motives.

Updated

Albanese says PwC employees with access to confidential tax information should be named 'at appropriate time'

The list of PwC employees allegedly involved in the tax advice scandal should be made public, the prime minister Anthony Albanese says.

Speaking to 2SM radio, Albanese described the scandal as a “terrible indictment” and said action was required.

Asked whether the names of all the partners at PwC who had access to confidential tax information should be publicly released, Albanese said:

I think all of this should become public at the appropriate time. Of course there are investigations under way and I don’t want to say anything to interfere with those processes.

Quite clearly, what went on there is completely unacceptable.

Albanese said although it occurred under the former government, “quite clearly, no one in the former government, I’m sure knew about it, and people in the treasury didn’t know about it either.”

This is the fault of PwC. As soon as it has come to light, there are now appropriate investigations taking place.

Federal police are investigating, following a referral by the Treasury department.

The Greens during Senate estimates sought to release the list of names of employees who had leaked confidential Treasury information.

But finance department officials said naming the partners involved in the tax advice scandal could disrupt the criminal investigation.

PwC had agreed to stand down staff who knew about the Treasury leaks from working on government contracts.

- with AAP

Updated

Update on Victorian fire brigade commander’s sexual harassment claim

I have an update on a story my colleague Adeshola Ore wrote some months ago about the Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) commander, Donna Wheatley, who went public with allegations of harassment and gender discrimination over her 20-year career.

Wheatley lodged an application with the Victorian civil and administrative tribunal (Vcat) alleging sustained sexual harassment at work after she left FRV in mid-2021.

In 2022, FRV had sought to strike out large parts of her complaint on the basis of the time she took to come forward (Adeshola’s report deals with this).

But this attempt failed and FRV appealed the decision in the supreme court.

However, on Friday the supreme court upheld Vcat’s decision and ordered FRV to pay Wheatley’s legal costs.

Wheatley issued this statement this morning:

It certainly [has] been hard pursuing this case. I expected it to be a long haul, but it’s been much longer than I ever imagined. Two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars that has gone into the legal process that have just been deflections and delays by FRV.

Her lawyer, Josh Bornstein from Maurie Blackburn, said the FRV had “aggressively used taxpayer funds” to block the case:

FRV has now unsuccessfully tried twice to strike out parts of her claim of very serious sexual harassment that dates back some 20 years. The supreme court judgement allowing the complaint to proceed in full is a huge win for Donna and it’s a huge win for all woman who have suffered historical sexual harassment at work.

A spokesperson for Fire Rescue Victoria has previously told Guardian Australia the organisation is committed to providing an inclusive, safe and respectful workplace that is free from discrimination, vilification, bullying, harassment and victimisation.

Wheatley said she was looking forward to her case finally progressing.

Updated

Cat reacts to Melbourne earthquake

We’ll bring you more of what the prime minister had to say in that interview, but just before then, here’s some CCTV footage from the Melbourne earthquake including a cat scuttling down the stairs of its home seconds after the magnitude 3.8 quake struck.

You’ll hear the thunderous boom 30 seconds into this video:

Updated

‘He captured light, and Australia so well,’ Albanese says ahead of John Olsen memorial

Albanese spoke to John Laws on 2SM radio ahead of attending Olsen’s memorial at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Albanese said Olsen was an “extraordinary artist”:

One of the privileges is of being prime minister is having art from the National Gallery collection in our offices in Parliament House and the PM’s residences in Canberra, and Kirribilli House and there is an Olsen work there, but it’s just stunning. He captured light, and Australia so well.

Albanese says Australia is blessed with so many artists depicting its culture and natural beauty. He says he’s particularly grateful for the effects of Lloyd Rees’ “serene and calming” painting of the Derwent River in his parliamentary office:

After a question time I’m in there, I just look at it and immediately makes a difference.

Updated

State memorial to begin for artist John Olsen

The state memorial for artist John Olsen will commence in 10 minutes at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Olsen, best known for his landscapes, died at the age of 95 in his home near Bowral, NSW, surrounded by his family on 11 April this year.

The memorial will be attended by many prominent Australian artists and leaders including the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.

Updated

Australia to donate additional $29m to Middle East and Africa to address food security crisis

Vulnerable people in the Middle East and Africa will receive an additional $29m from the Australian government to aid them amid a growing food security crisis.

The government says they are deeply concerned about the “dramatic rise” in the number of people at risk of acute food insecurity since the Covid-19 pandemic, and will contribute:

  • $15m to address increased humanitarian, displacement and protection needs of people in drought-affected areas in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

  • $4m to provide food and nutrition support to the most vulnerable in Yemen.

  • $10m for food and monetary assistance to refugees and vulnerable populations in Lebanon and Jordan.

Roba Galgalo, 26, walks next to his emaciated cows at Kura Kalicha camp for the people internally displaced by drought near Das town, Oromiya region, Ethiopia in March.
Roba Galgalo, 26, walks next to his emaciated cows at Kura Kalicha camp for the people internally displaced by drought near Das town, Oromiya region, Ethiopia in March. Photograph: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters

The minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, said:

Conflict and climate change are driving unprecedented levels of humanitarian need, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Australia is using all elements of our national power to shape the world for the better, including by providing humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable.

The assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, said the $29m package is part of a broader effort to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and displacement globally.

Yemenis wait to receive food rations at an aid distribution centre of the World Food Programme in Sana’a on 17 May.
Yemenis wait to receive food rations at an aid distribution centre of the World Food Programme in Sana’a on 17 May. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

Updated

Earthquake geologist explains ‘boom’ which accompanied earthquake

Earthquake geologist Dee Ninis at the Seismology Research Centre says the seismic energy produced by the quake transforms into the “boom” many Victorians would have heard last night. Sound on for the video:

Updated

PM sends best wishes to retiring David Koch

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has congratulated David Koch on a “remarkable effort” saying he deserves a sleep-in after 21 years of co-hosting Sunrise.

Updated

So why does Victoria seem to be getting earthquakes fairly regularly when it’s not on the edge of a continental plate?

Pascale explains:

In the last couple of weeks we had a quite a few. There was one in Croydon and Fern Tree Gully in Melbourne’s east. We’ll get an earthquake reported felt about once a month or so and we locate about 30 or 40 earthquakes every week in south-east Australia.

Although Australia is within a tectonic plate, we’re still being pressured from those boundaries. We’re being squashed and there are little faults happening and breaks on those faults within our area.

So whenever we have an earthquake there’s a fault, and sometimes we don’t know about them until they have produced an earthquake.

Updated

Shallowness of Melbourne earthquake means it’s more likely to cause damage

We brought you the chief scientist at the Seismology Research Centre in Melbourne, Adam Pascale’s, response on Twitter to the Melbourne earthquake. He’s now spoken with ABC News Breakfast about the magnitude 3.8 quake which he first noticed when it started shaking his bed:

We can start to see damage at this sort of level of earthquake and above.

This earthquake is about 100 times smaller than the one two years ago in September 2021, but it was a lot closer to Melbourne. So it was felt in a similar intensity but for a shorter duration.

… The distance you are away from the earthquake has a big influence on the effect. So because this was a shallower earthquake, even though it was a smaller magnitude, it could potentially produce some damage, some cosmetic damage for sure, structural damage perhaps but really when you’re getting above fours and fives that’s when you start to see real damage.

Pascale says 1902 was the last time an earthquake of that magnitude had its epicentre in Melbourne metropolitan area.

Updated

‘It’s time to bring through the next generation,” David Koch says

Koch announced live on air this morning he is leaving the “world’s best job” but says he wants to focus on his family business and make way for the younger generation:

I decided to hang up the boots as co-host of Sunrise after nearly 21 years, over 5,300 shows and almost 16,000 hours of live TV, it’s time to work some business hours I reckon and have a bit of flexibility to focus more on our family business and frankly my footy club as well.

And so after 20 consecutive premierships in the breakfast TV ratings game, I’m frankly finding it harder to get off the ground and take those flecky marks and I reckon it’s time to bring through the next generation. Let me tell you, I don’t want to be a list clogger.

You know I started here before Facebook before Instagram before Twitter, and iPhones – yes that’s how old I am – and I have loved every single minute of it. And I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved here over the last 21 years.

I’ve been privileged to experience so many great adventures to meet so many incredible people and to cover so many moments of history in the making. It really is the world’s best job.

I’m going to miss working with the entire Sunrise team … I’ll miss you the Sunrise viewers who have energised me every single day and been so lovely every time we’ve met in person.

I know I’m going miss it enormously. But Sunrise has always been bigger than any one person. It just seems right to exit stage left on Friday next week. I will do so with enormous pride and gratitude.

David Koch, pictured here in 2011.
David Koch, pictured here in 2011. Photograph: Seven Network

Updated

David Koch to leave Sunrise after 21 years

Sunrise host David Koch has announced he is stepping down after nearly 21 years.

Updated

Earthquake footage from Melbourne

Back to the earthquake, some Melburnians burning the midnight oil recording music and sports radio network SEN 1116 happened to capture the moment the quake struck on camera:

Updated

‘No’ campaign for Indigenous voice has underestimated Australians, PM to say in major speech

Meanwhile the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will use a major speech later tonight to claim the no campaign for the voice has radically underestimated Australians, who would not succumb to fear campaigns about the constitutional change.

You can read more about Albanese’s delivery of the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration in Adelaide this evening, from my colleague Josh Butler:

Updated

Paterson defends Dutton on voice debate

Paterson says it’s “unfair to single out” Peter Dutton following Australia’s race discrimination commissioner comments that making race the focus of the voice debate will embolden racists and increase abuse and vilification towards Indigenous Australians.

Particularly given leaders of the yes campaign have used it to viciously personally attack people that have a different view.

Updated

Indigenous voice to parliament ‘offensive to liberal principles’, says Liberal senator

Paterson says the Indigenous voice to parliament’s differentiation on the basis of characteristics people have no control over is “offensive to liberal principles”.

Asked about whether he agrees with his leader Peter Dutton, when he talks about the voice re-racialising Australia, Paterson says:

What proponents of the yes campaign are trying to do is to treat Australians differently. … what we are doing is putting into our constitutional something which treats people differently because of a characteristic over which they have control. And I think that is offensive to liberal principles. And we are all human beings and we’re all Australian, and we should be all treated equally before the law before the Constitution as well.

Liberal senator James Paterson.
Liberal senator James Paterson. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Patterson says the opposition hasn’t been briefed if there is any indication that Wagner might be getting funding from Australia, but he says it would be prudent to implement as a preventative measure.

It is in Australia’s national interest that Ukraine prevail. We have to do everything in our power to ensure they do.

Coalition call on Australian government to list Wagner mercenary group as terrorists

The opposition is calling for the Wagner mercenary group, who have been accused of human rights abuses in Russia’s war, to be listed as a terrorist organisation under Australian law.

The French parliament has called on the EU to formally label Wagner as terrorists, and the UK is reportedly preparing to do the same.

The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, says Australia has practical and moral reasons to follow suit:

There are two reasons why we list terrorist organisations in Australia.

The first is the practical reasons – it makes it unlawful to associate with them as an organisation or to raise funds on their behalf or recruit people on behalf.

But there’s also a moral component to it. This is an opportunity for Australia to state our views out and stand in conjunction with our allies and say that we don’t tolerate the activities or conduct of the particular group.

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) addresses his units withdrawing from Bakhmut on 25 May.
Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin (left) addresses his units withdrawing from Bakhmut on 25 May. Photograph: Press service of Prigozhin/UPI/Shutterstock

Updated

Melbourne quake the largest in over 100 years to hit metropolitan area

The chief scientist at the Seismology Research Centre in Melbourne, Adam Pascale, says last night’s earthquake was the largest in over 100 years in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

You can read more here:

Updated

Earthquake poses no tsunami threat

The Bureau of Meteorology says there is no tsunami threat posed by the Melbourne earthquake.

The SES said no injuries or damage have been reported, but the number of people reporting the quake led the emergency service’s website to go down.

Updated

NSW homelessness minister announces reprieve from rental rule

People seeking temporary accommodation in New South Wales will have more “dignity”, with 12 months of reprieve from a rule that saw those most in need required to prove they had been rejected for a private rental to get help.

The NSW homelessness minister, Rose Jackson, will announce the “rental diary” policy update today before it kicks in on 1 July.

She said there was little evidence the 10-year-old requirement was improving housing outcomes for rough sleepers, describing it as an “arbitrary, bureaucratic process”.

Jackson said:

We want to ease the burden on people trying to find stable accommodation, not add to it. We’re committed to rebuilding our housing system and restoring dignity in the process. Part of that includes the removing the requirement of the unnecessary “seeker diaries”.

On average, some 1,190 households stayed in temporary accommodation each night this month so far, according to the government.

NSW premier Chris Minns (left) and minister for housing and homelessness Rose Jackson (right) during a visit with local residents in Leichhardt on 10 May.
NSW premier Chris Minns (left) and minister for housing and homelessness Rose Jackson (right) during a visit with local residents in Leichhardt on 10 May. Photograph: Gaye Gerard/AAP

Victorians are reporting the earthquake felt like a truck rushing past outside, as others report damage to their homes.

Updated

Good morning!

And welcome to our live news blog.

Thousands of Victorians were woken by a powerful quake in Melbourne’s north-west fringe just before midnight on Sunday, which was felt as far south as Hobart.

The magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 3km in depth near Sunbury about 11.41pm.

Geoscience Australia said there have been 21,386 felt reports as far as Bendigo and Hobart.

Melbourne resident Paul Lejos said people in the central business district were shaken awake.

We’ll bring you more shortly.

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T3
Cher was ‘shocked’ to discover her legal name after birth certificate mix-up
Pop icon had gone for years without knowing what was written on her birth certificate
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
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