What we learned: Sunday 3 September
With that, we will wrap the blog for now. Thanks for joining us with today’s news dominated by announcements on the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Here were the major events of the day:
Charges have been laid against a man responsible for a collision that killed a young woman and her teenage brother.
A multimillion dollar yacht has sunk after catching fire in Sydney.
An interest rate pause is expected when the RBA meets next week.
Tony Burke has defended the government’s workplace reforms as closing a “simple” loophole.
Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks will once again be free to watch.
Perisher has become the latest ski resort to announce early closures during Australia’s warmest winter on record.
Legendary Australian singer John Farnham has given the yes campaign the right to use his song The Voice in the upcoming referendum.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has promised a second referendum on constitutional recognition if the voice to parliament fails.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has back Dutton’s call for a second referendum saying “there’ll be no victory lap” from Nationals if no vote fails.
Indigenous leaders have rejected the opposition leader’s proposal for a second referendum saying it goes against the explicit request for tangible change.
Linda Burney hit back at the opposition leader saying the Coalition spent nearly a decade in power talking about holding a referendum on recognition but did nothing.
Updated
Damaging winds forecast for Victoria
A cold front will move through central Victoria tomorrow morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which is also forecasting gusty northerly winds developing, particularly in the southern ranges.
Here’s the bureau’s latest warning:
Strong north to north-westerly winds averaging 50 to 60 km/h with damaging wind gusts of about 90 km/h are possible the warning area from tomorrow morning as the cold front approaches.
Damaging wind gusts are particularly a risk as the wind flows downslope from the ranges, which includes parts of the Otways, the western surf coast, and in the north and east of the central district including northern suburbs of Melbourne.
Winds are expected to ease from the late morning and early afternoon as the cold front weakens and moves to the east.
The Bureau has issued a Severe Weather Warning for DAMAGING WINDS https://t.co/ypyXHXkGe6 #Melbourne #melbweather #melbourneweather pic.twitter.com/FbOXiz404J
— Victorian Storm Chasers (@VicStormChasers) September 3, 2023
Updated
Linda Burney hits back at Dutton’s referendum proposal
The Indigenous affairs minister, Linda Burney, has fired back at Peter Dutton’s proposal to hold a second referendum if the voice to parliament fails in October.
Dutton told Sky News this morning he would send Australians back to the ballot box, if his party wins the next election, to vote on including a statement in the constitution recognising Indigenous Australians as the first people of the country while ditching the voice model.
Burney, in a statement to Guardian Australia on Sunday, said the Coalition had done nothing to take action while it was in power for nearly a decade.
The minister urged Australians not to “miss this moment” in giving practical reconciliation for Indigenous Australians.
Peter Dutton and the Coalition spent nine years in government and failed to progress constitutional recognition.
Constitutional recognition through a voice is the form of practical reconciliation that Indigenous Australians requested as part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
October 14 is the one shot Australians will get at recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our constitution.
We can’t afford to miss this moment. Let’s vote ‘Yes’ on 14th October.
Earlier today, Nationals leader David Littleproud conceded the former Coalition government had moved too slowly on constitutional recognition.
He committed to enshrining it – without the voice model – if elected into power.
You’ve got to acknowledge that [the Coalition didn’t move toward constitutional recognition while in power], you can’t, you can’t sugarcoat it. But I think that there is a mood within the nation for this to be addressed. And to address it with something that’s conflated recognition with another layer of bureaucracy isn’t the right way to do it.
Updated
Siblings jump on expanded home guarantee scheme
Several sets of siblings have teamed up to buy homes with a smaller deposit under the expanded home guarantee scheme, AAP reports.
Twenty-one groups of siblings and 14 sets of friends have joined forces to secure a property under loosened eligibility requirements that kicked in on 1 July.
Another 12 spots in the commonwealth scheme aimed at providing a leg up to first-time buyers were nabbed by parent and child combinations.
The scheme, which allows first home buyers and other eligible applicants to buy a property with a lower deposit and have the rest guaranteed by the government, used to be reserved for couples and solo buyers.
Housing minister, Julie Collins, was pleased to see friends and family members buying together in the few months since the eligibility rules were introduced:
This is a fantastic opportunity for Australians to get into their own home.
Updated
Perisher latest ski resort to close early due to lack of snow
The warmest winter on record is forcing Australia’s most popular ski resorts to close early due to low snowfall.
Perisher became the latest resort to announce it will close additional areas on Saturday when it said Blue Cow and Guthega would be shut along with Smiggin Holes and Perisher.
Meanwhile Mt Baw Baw in Victoria and Selwyn Snow Resort in New South Wales will close for skiing and snowboarding from Monday.
Traditionally the Australian snow season runs until the first weekend of October.
In a statement posted to social media Perisher said:
What a season it’s been so far! The low snowfall, warmer temperatures & limited opportunity for snowmaking we’ve seen recently has made it hard to remember the awesome pow days of mid-June & the string of stunning bluebirds in late July.
Given current conditions, it has quickly approached the time of the season when we need to wrap up operations in certain resort areas. We would like to inform you that Perisher’s lift operations in both Blue Cow & Guthega are expected to cease for 2023 from Monday 4th September. The last day of operations in Blue Cow & Guthega will be Sunday 3rd September.
Thank you for helping us make this season a ripper one. Don’t forget, Perisher Valley is still open & waiting for you to dig into some awesome spring riding right up until October
Updated
Tens of thousands of “burners” at the Burning Man festival have been told to stay in the camps, conserve food and water and are being blocked from leaving Nevada’s Black Rock desert after a slow-moving rainstorm turned the event into a mud bath.
Organisers responding to the unusual weather indicated the closures could endure, as local reports described the conditions at the festival as “treacherous” with “thick, slimy mud that clung to shoes and anything else it touched”.
“No driving is permitted on playa except for emergency vehicles,” event organisers said in a 5am statement on Saturday. “If you are in [Black Rock City], please shelter in place and stay safe.”
Fire tornado at the Burning man festival in the USA. pic.twitter.com/QyrdTAcZQz
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) September 2, 2023
In a separate communication, they warned burners – as festival-goers are known – to “conserve food and water, shelter in a warm space” as temperatures in the desert dipped into the 50s (about 12C).
No access in or out of #BurningMan after storm — conditions are bordering on disaster with over 70,000 people currently trapped, told to shelter-in-place and conserve resources after rains turned the playa into an undrivable mud pit overnight.
— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) September 2, 2023
This is a developing story. pic.twitter.com/0AWGEMzAjZ
As of noon Saturday, Nevada’s Bureau of Land Management had declared the entrance to Burning Man shut down for good.
For more on this story, read the full report by the Guardian’s Edward Helmore.
Updated
Australian icebreaker on its way to Antarctica
An Australian icebreaker is on its way to Antarctica to evacuate an expeditioner suffering from a medical condition.
The RSV Nuyina left Hobart last week headed for Australia’s Casey Research Station about 3,500km away on the Antarctic ice cap.
A developing medical condition means the expeditioner requires specialist medical assessment and care in Australia, the Australian Antarctic Division said in a statement on Saturday.
The well-being of our people is our highest priority.
The expeditioner’s family is being kept fully informed of the situation.
All other personnel on stations were accounted for and safe, the statement said.
The state-of-the-art icebreaker vessel had been prepared for the journey in the past several weeks
The division said the ship was carrying helicopters to be used in the evacuation.
During winter, Casey station is populated by about 20 people who remain there for the season.
– AAP
Updated
Panel to oversee NT views on voluntary assisted dying
Northern Territory citizens are being encouraged to have their say on voluntary assisted dying as the top end looks to reinstate laws struck down by the federal government almost three decades ago.
In 1995, the NT became the first Australian jurisdiction to make voluntary euthanasia legal but the laws were quickly overturned by the Howard government.
All six states have since passed their own laws and both territories now have the opportunity to do the same after federal parliament voted to repeal the commonwealth’s ability to override laws on the matter in 2022.
NT chief minister, Natasha Fyles, said a panel had been formed to begin developing a voluntary assisted dying framework for the territory.
The panel will oversee community consultations to ensure Territorians can have their say about end-of-life care.
Fyles said the assisted dying framework would prioritise safety, ethics and appropriate safeguards to protect individuals and practitioners.
Territorians deserve to have a say on whether or not they want these laws in the territory, and if so, how they want it to work.
The expert panel will ensure all voices are heard from all regions of the territory, as well as consider what the Northern Territory can learn from other jurisdictions, including overseas.
Former NT administrator Vicki O’Halloran and barrister Duncan McConnel will co-chair the panel of seven advisory members with expertise in psychology, health, palliative care, ageing and Indigenous Australians.
Town hall consultation meetings will be held in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Jabiru, Nhulunbuy, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and regions from October.
People will also be able to submit their views via an online survey, written submissions and community group meetings.
A report is expected to be provided to the chief minister by July 2024.
– AAP
Updated
Littleproud says ‘there’ll be no victory lap’ from Nationals if voice referendum fails
More from that chat with Littleproud on the voice.
The Nationals leader also said the party won’t be popping champagne on the Sunday 15 October if the voice fails to pass.
Littleproud said:
There’ll be no victory lap from the Nationals if the voice goes down but in fact, our first words will be is that we’ll be very constructive. If the government or anyone else wants to work through a proper process of constitutional recognition, and that’s done through a constitutional convention – we have no issues in that.
Asked why the former Coalition government hadn’t launched a referendum on constitutional recognition during its nine years in power, Littleproud – who was elected in 2016 – said they hadn’t moved quickly enough.
We obviously didn’t move quick enough towards it. You’ve got to acknowledge that, you can’t, you can’t sugarcoat it. But I think that there is a mood within the nation for this to be addressed. And to address it with something that’s conflated recognition with another layer of bureaucracy isn’t the right way to do it.
Updated
David Littleproud backs Dutton’s proposal for second voice referendum
Nationals leader David Littleproud has backed Peter Dutton’s promise to hold another referendum if the voice to parliament fails in October and the Coalition wins at the next federal election.
Littleproud told Guardian Australia on Sunday he supported holding a referendum on constitutional recognition for First Australians and would do so if the Nationals were part of the winning ticket at the next election.
I was disappointed to hear the prime minister say on Wednesday … [a referendum failure] closes the door on constitutional recognition. No it won’t. What you need is political leadership. I wasn’t a political leader in the last nine years, I am now, but I give a commitment that if political leaders are prepared to step up, and start that process, that due process of constitutional recognition with the constitutional convention, and move through that, at whatever pace, then we stand ready to be constructive, regardless of the past.
We want to look to the future, I want to look to the future as the Nationals leader, and prepare to do that with whether that be the current government, or whether we’re part of the next Coalition government.
Updated
Yes campaigner Megan Davis dismisses Dutton’s second referendum promise
Key yes campaigner and architect of the Uluru statement from the heart, Prof Megan Davis, has also dismissed Peter Dutton’s promise to hold another referendum on constitutional referendum without a voice to parliament, should October’s voice fail and the Coalition win the next election.
Here’s what the opposition leader told Sky News earlier today:
Enshrining a voice in the constitution is divisive, it will divide the country down the middle. It will not provide the practical outcomes. It will change the way of government very significantly, because of the broad words. And I think it would grind the process of government decision-making to a near halt.
Many yes campaigners and Indigenous leaders have dismissed that argument today, arguing constitutional recognition is symbolic and the voice is urgently needed to improve outcomes for First Nations people.
Here’s Davis:
There’s no use going to a referendum if it’s not going to change the daily lives of First Nations peoples. And there’s zero evidence anywhere in the world that a statement of recognition [in the constitution] changes anything.
Updated
‘The Trumpian era has arrived on Australian shores’: yes campaign criticises disinformation ahead of referendum
Uluru statement from the heart architect, Prof Megan Davis, has accused the no campaign of relying on Trumpian disinformation tactics, conceding it has made the job of persuading Australians to vote yes more difficult.
During an event to launch a new television ad featuring John Farnham’s song, You’re the Voice, Davis was asked whether misinformation and disinformation could derail any momentum gained by the ad campaign.
Here’s her response:
Electoral experts and others have said to us they expected this avalanche of Trumpian misinformation to come with the 2022 election. It didn’t come then. It’s come for our referendum. We are now in that era. The Trumpian era has arrived on Australian shores.
There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation circulating, particularly on Facebook, but also through mainstream media as a consequence of that. And it makes our job harder.
Davis cited a Guardian Australia investigation that found lobby groups campaigning to sink the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum have deep links to a number of conservative Christian organisations and consultancies.
The investigation found the no campaign was working with companies that appear to specialise in conservative Christian campaigning, including a US-headquartered marketing and fundraising firm that aims to help Christian nonprofit ministries “fulfil their mission”. It showed links between the no campaign and the failed conservative push to defeat the marriage equality postal survey in 2017.
Here’s Davis:
It’s been disappointing. The Guardian and others have run stories about American companies, registered in the south, who are ploughing money [into Australia] and Trumpian techniques.
The Australia Electoral Commission is obviously deeply concerned about the Trumpian arguments that the polling is rigged.
All we can do is get out there and talk neighbour by neighbour, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, netball club by netball club, soccer club by soccer club. It’s just going to be mob yarning with Aussies, and that’s the only way we can get our information out there.
Updated
Auction activity has risen slightly this weekend with 2,291 auctions held across the country.
This is higher than the 2,278 auctions held last week and above the 1,823 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 71.2% across the country, which is higher than the 72% preliminary clearance rate recorded at the weekend last week and the 66.8% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 757 auctions with a clearance rate of 73.8%
Melbourne: 800 auctions with a clearance rate of 69.3%
Brisbane: 117 auctions with a clearance rate of 66.7%
Adelaide: 64 auctions with a clearance rate of 82.8%
Canberra: 5 auctions with a clearance rate of 63.6%
Tasmania: One of two auctions held.
Perth: Five of eight auctions have been held.
Interest rate pause likely as Lowe bows out
The Reserve Bank of Australia has few reasons to fire off another interest rate hike this week and is widely tipped to leave monetary policy unchanged for the third month in a row.
RBA board members will meet on Tuesday for the final cash rate call with governor Philip Lowe at the helm.
After lifting interest rates from a record low of 0.1% to 4.1% since May last year, two consecutive pauses in July and August have fuelled hopes its tightening cycle is done.
But economic data over the past month points to no change in September, with the job market showing signs of softening and wages tracking sideways in response.
The monthly consumer price index also cooled convincingly, falling from 5.4% in June to 4.9% in July.
A slowing Chinese economy was also likely to feature in the board’s discussions on Tuesday, he added.
More details could emerge when Lowe gives a speech – his last as governor before his deputy, Michele Bullock, takes the reins on 18 September – to the Anika Foundation on Thursday. The speech is titled “Some closing remarks”.
On Wednesday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release the key national accounts numbers for the June quarter.
Meanwhile, the Australian stock market is expected to open higher on Monday, despite a mixed performance on Wall Street on Friday after jobs data pointed to a pause in interest rates.
– AAP
Updated
Treasurer signals slowing economy ahead of data release next week
Treasurer Jim Chalmers appears to be prepping the ground ahead of the release of a battery of economic data next week.
In a statement on Sunday, the treasurer said:
This week’s National Accounts will inevitably show the impact on our economy of high interest rates, high but moderating inflation and continuing global uncertainty.
We’ve been clear and upfront that we expect growth in our economy to slow considerably over the next year, and that’s been apparent in recent retail and building approvals data.
We know households are under significant pressure, which is why we’re focused on helping Australians through these difficult economic times while at the same time laying the foundations for future growth.
This month the government is rolling out billions of dollars of further targeted and responsible cost-of-living relief to Australian households in a way that doesn’t add to the inflation challenge.
We’re halving the cost of many medicines for chronic conditions, providing the biggest increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance in 30 years, and continuing to take the sting out of power bills with energy price relief for millions of households.
While the GDP growth numbers are expected to stay positive for this year – and hence Australia will avoid a “technical” recession of two negative quarters in a row growth per person won’t be so fortunate. The latter slid 0.2% in the March quarter from the previous three months and a second such retreat is possible in the June quarter.
Updated
Sydney NYE fireworks viewing sites free again
Almost all of the government-owned sites around the Sydney Harbour foreshore will be free for people to watch the famous fireworks display on New Year’s Eve.
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has this morning announced the decision, including exemptions for fundraising events already planned at Taronga Zoo and the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The previous government introduced ticketed areas at government-owned sites in 2018. The decision was met with upset from many within the community.
Most of the government sites will operate on a first come, first served basis, with capacity limits in place.
Updated
Indigenous leaders dismiss Dutton’s referendum proposal, arguing ‘we have to act now’
Indigenous leaders have dismissed the opposition leader Peter Dutton’s promise to hold another referendum on constitutional recognition should the voice vote fail and the Coalition win the next election.
The issue was addressed as the Uluru Dialogue launched a new television ad campaign featuring John Farnham’s iconic song, You’re the Voice, in Melbourne.
Marcus Stewart, an Uluru Dialogue representative also criticised the comments and said they would delay urgent improvements to people’s lives.
How long do we have to wait to put this to the Australian people? We know the outcomes in our community now. Our communities on the ground are suffering. We need to do better.
We’ve seen failures by consecutive governments, so kicking the can down the road isn’t what this is about. We need change to happen now. We have 42 days to potentially wake up to a better country, on the Sunday after the referendum,
Stalling only means the outcomes for our communities are going to get worse. This is urgent. We have to act now.
Kirstie Parker, a strategic adviser to the Uluru Dialogue, accused Dutton of not listening to her community:
This demonstrates that the opposition leader is not listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who have very clearly asked for something that will change our lives.
Some people have said the referendum is an expensive exercise, and yet here we have the opposition leader, proposing to spend the same amount of money on something that would not change lives.
Updated
Walkley Foundation issues statement after reports of founder’s racist views
The Walkley Foundation has released a statement after reports on the racist views of its founder and namesake, William Gaston Walkley.
Walkley is the founder of Ampol which was responsible for the first oil find in Australia and founded the Walkley Awards for journalism in 1956.
In 1961 he invited by the Sydney Morning Herald to contribute an opinion piece in 1961 which asked prominent businessman “what would you do if you were ruler of Australia?”
Walkley, who was a defender of the White Australia policy, called for to double the population over fears Australian would “cease to become a white man’s country”.
These reports emerged in the wake of a growing boycott started by cartoonists over the ongoing sponsorship of the awards by fossil fuel company Ampol.
In a statement on Sunday, the board of Walkley Foundation said it “condemned and expressed deep regret for racist views expressed by the founder of its major awards”.
His views do not reflect the values, views and ethics of the Walkley Foundation. We apologise for the deep hurt and offence these statements will have caused for journalists and the broader community.
As an ethical organisation, we must call out the mistakes of the past.
In response to concerns over ongoing fossil fuel sponsorship, the board said:
We recognise their concerns about fossil fuel sponsorship and hope to welcome them back as entrants in future years.
It is understood the Walkley Foundation is revising its sponsorship policy which will be announced “shortly”.
The Walkley Foundation is in the final stages of formalising a revised sponsorship policy which will be announced “shortly”.
Updated
Federal, Tasmanian governments, renegotiate Marinus Link deal
The federal government is intervening to shore-up the proposed Marinus Link between Tasmania and mainland Australia after the project has been rocked by supply chain issues and inflationary pressures.
Several amendments will be made to the agreement between the state and federal government that governs the arrangement, with the project to primarily rely on one cable in the first instance and “negotiations to continue on a second cable”.
Under the arrangement, the federal government will take a 49% stake, with Tasmania’s share to be 17.7% and Victoria holding 33.3%, with Tasmania getting the option to sell its stake to the commonwealth in the future.
The Tasmanian government estimates its investment in the project to be $106-117m.
Minister for climate change Chris Bowen said the project was an investment in cheaper power.
This is a gamechanging project for both Tasmania and the mainland and this updated agreement will not only deliver the benefits of MarinusLink, it will be cheaper to Tasmanians.
The Albanese government’s commitment is a win-win-win – for Tasmanian consumers, for Tasmanian energy security and to put downwards pressure on energy bills.
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff said he the amendments meant the project would be delivering a better deal for the state.
This is a great outcome for Tasmania. It will mean jobs, economic growth, energy security and lower power prices with Tasmania investing its fair share and no more.
I’m very pleased we’ve been able to land this on the right side of our line in the sand. I want to thank the prime minister and his minister for climate change and energy for coming to the table and working with us to achieve this outcome.
For more on this story, read Guardian Australia’s previous reporting from Peter Hannam.
Updated
Farnham's not gonna sit in silence
The Australian music legend John Farnham has lent his beloved song You’re the Voice to the referendum’s yes campaign, backing calls to insert an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution.
Farnham is the latest high-profile musician to support the referendum, after singer-songwriter Paul Kelly this week released a new single advocating for a yes vote.
You’re the Voice will soundtrack a new series of ads from the Uluru Dialogue to be released in a nationwide blitz this weekend. It’s believed to be the first time Farnham, who is recovering from cancer, has ever permitted the song to be used in a commercial.
This song changed my life. I can only hope that now it might help, in some small way, to change the lives of our First Nations peoples for the better.
The Uluru Dialogue co-chair, Prof Megan Davis, one of the architects of the voice, has joked previously about friends saying they should use Farnham’s song to promote the referendum. You’re the Voice plays over the ad, to be released on TV and digital channels, which shows other major moments in Australian history, including the 1967 referendum and Cathy Freeman’s gold medal run at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
You’re the Voice is the nation’s unofficial anthem. I was in primary school when it was released and, as a young girl, instantaneously felt the power of its message about agency and walking together.
History isn’t just something we witness and observe, but something we ourselves can influence. And now we all have a voice in what happens at this critical moment, and we must use it.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Josh Butler:
Peter Dutton vows second referendum to provide recognition if October vote fails
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has said the Coalition would hold another referendum to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution, saying it is “the right thing to do”.
On Sky News this morning, Dutton said he supported “regional voices” and recognising First Australians but said enshrining a voice in the constitution wasn’t the right approach.
If the referendum failed in October, Dutton said the Coalition would promise another referendum going into the next federal election to provide recognition.
But enshrining a voice in the constitution is divisive, it will divide the country down the middle. It will not provide the practical outcomes.
It will change the way of government very significantly, because of the broad words.
And I think it would grind the process of government decision-making to a near halt.
Updated
Some will pay more if bill passes but ‘impact on jobs will be positive’: Burke
Burke says the right to disconnect – that is the right to turn off your phone and not answer calls or emails once you have clocked off, won’t be in the bill.
Conceptually I’m interested in it. Obviously an employer needs to be able to call, there is a shift, someone is sick, things like that, but this concept where some people are constantly expected to be answering emails, answering questions where they are not being paid, I have some sympathy.
Burke says there will be “a full four weeks” to debate the bill before it is sent to the Senate.
The minister says “there are some people who will have to pay more” if the bill passes, but the impact is about closing loopholes “where we already have a standard” but the “impact on jobs will be positive”.
We have a standard for what people should be paid. Wage theft is where that is undercut. We have standards for gig employ, for employees but the gig economy is undercutting that. The labour hire loophole is where people are being paid less than the enterprise agreement rate has been agreed to. All this bill does is says where we already have standards in place, you shouldn’t be able to undercut them.
Updated
Contract work on sites like Airtasker won’t satisfy ‘employee-like’ test: Burke
The minister says that picking up contract work through websites like Airtasker “wouldn’t satisfy” the test “to be employee-like”.
It is three things you have to satisfy to be employee-like, that the [Fair Work Commission] will look at and is working out. They will look at whether or not you have low control over your work. They will look at whether or not you have low bargaining power, and they will look at whether or not you are being paid less than what you are being paid if you were an employee. That does apply to the gig economy.
Burke also says that where a person’s conditions are better than the minimum standards, the task will not be applied.
Updated
Burke says the government’s consideration for portable leave entitlements for those working in the gig economy are “a long way down the track”.
Updated
Reforms ensure basic standards around pay and working conditions: Burke
Burke has also flagged reforms to ensure gig workers have some basic minimum standards around pay and conditions. Burke says the government reforms are not designed to “break the technology”.
There is no doubt that when people are ultimately receiving really low wages then making ends meet is tougher, and that puts extra pressure on you to take risks.
Burke says these conditions create conditions to consider running red lights, or forming an extra lane alongside parked cars, leading to situations where people opening their doors hit a delivery rider.
Riders have spoken to me about it and they say quite specifically that part of the desperation is you are just not earning enough to make ends meet.
Updated
Tony Burke says criticism of workplace reforms misplaced
Burke says criticism of the government’s reforms saying it will make the system too “complex” are misplaced, as the government is trying to directly address issues around wage theft.
We’re talking about the crime being for intentional wage theft, that’s where someone knows the rules. They know exactly what they’re doing. It is the cases where somebody knows that someone is meant to be paid more and they don’t care because they think they can get away with it, and they know that up until now the worse they will have to do is just pay the money back at a later point in time. So wage theft has nothing to do with complexity. It is about theft.
Updated
Burke says the change would mean delegates could access information where they suspect underpayment is taking place, not where there is a suspicion that documents are being destroyed, however these powers would not apply to non-union members.
And I’ve seen the fear campaign that we are going to change those rules, but we are not changing them at all. Not at all that. Section remains exactly as it is. And there was also a fear campaign something about residential premises. There is a ban of right of entry being used for residential and home businesses that remains unchanged as well.
Burke says changes around training would not apply to small business, but that a code will be introduced which will ensure small businesses don’t end up in trouble.
Updated
Union delegates will receive training and right to access payroll: Tony Burke
Burke says additional changes would give union delegates training so they could better represent those in the workplaces and to ensure they know their rights.
He also says the changes would give union delegates the right to access payroll information “when issues arise” but this would not be a blanket right to access payroll information.
Burke says the Fair Work Commission already has powers to allow someone with the right of entry to visit a workplace with 24 hours notice, but these powers would be expanded.
We are adding one extra ground so they can do that in cases where the commission believes there is a risk of underpayment occurring. The reason for this is sometimes in underpayment cases, all the records are impeccable because, for example, people are clocking off and being told after you’ve clocked off you’ve got to come back and keep working. Now, the only way you get to uncover and establish that that is in fact happening is if you arrive without the notice, but that would be entirely in the hands of the commission in granting permission.
Updated
Tony Burke defends Labor's workplace reforms
Workplace relations minister Tony Burke says a government bill to reform workplace relations laws is a “simple” solution to a “simple loophole” and that he is surprised it has generated any controversy.
At the moment if you intentional take money from the till, as a worker, it is a criminal offence and it should be, but if an employer intentionally withholds money from our pay, it’s not a criminal offence.
That’s a simple loophole, should be simple to close. I’m surprised it has been controversial. The objective is not to send people to jail. The objective is to make sure people are paid properly.
Burke says that when 7-Eleven was found to be deliberately underpaying workers $173m, it was only fined $2m.
Now, we don’t have a situation where someone robs a bank and we say, ‘All you have to do is give the money back and maybe pay 1% extra on top of it’. The big shift we are doing with the fines – yes, there is a shift to the maximum fine, but the big thing is that the fines will now be able to be multiples of what the underpayment was, so you get a direct relationship between how much has been underpaid and what the courts are ultimately able to order, up to three times the amount of the underpayment.
Updated
Charges laid over Sydney car crash that killed brother and sister
A 20-year-old New South Wales man is due to face court on Sunday charged over a horror crash in Sydney’s south-west that killed a young woman and her teenage brother.
Emergency services were called to the incident about 9.30pm on Friday to find the pair trapped inside their Toyota Echo after it was hit head-on by a Mercedes allegedly travelling at high speed on the wrong side of the road.
Paramedics treated the 24-year-old woman and her 15-year-old brother at the scene but they died.
A third car was also struck by the Mercedes which police said was reported stolen, but the two occupants inside the stationary Rav4 were unhurt.
Witnesses told police the three young men inside the Mercedes then ran from the scene, before driving off in a Volkswagon Golf.
That car was stopped by police about an hour later and the 18-year-old driver was questioned and released without charge.
A 20-year-old man presented himself to Liverpool police station on Saturday afternoon at about 2pm.
Police said on Sunday the man has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death.
He was also charged with driving in a dangerous manner, negligent driving occasioning death, two counts of failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing death, as well as driving while disqualified.
He had bail refused and is due to face Parramatta bail court on Sunday.
– AAP
Updated
Tony Burke the guest on Insiders this morning
Minister for employment and workplace relations Tony Burke is speaking to ABC Insiders this morning about his proposed changes to Australia’s workplace laws.
We’ll bring you all the latest as it happens.
Updated
Parliament to debate cost of living and workplace reforms
The cost of living and workplace reforms are expected to dominate federal parliament this week.
Politicians will return on Monday for a fortnight-long sitting, after a three-week break from Canberra.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be away for a sizeable chunk of the sitting as he travels through Asia and attends the G20 summit in New Delhi.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke will introduce a raft of changes to industrial laws on Monday.
The “closing loopholes” bill will define casual employment, set minimum standards for independent contractors in the gig economy, and safeguard workers from discrimination if they have been affected by domestic violence.
But manager of opposition business in the house Paul Fletcher said has branded this next round of changes as “draconian” and “radical”, and claims parliament will have less than 24 hours to consider the bill before debate begins.
This bill imposes new barriers to casual employment - even though many Australians prefer this mode of work - and aims to force all workers in a given role at a given workplace to be paid exactly the same, regardless of experience or performance.
Independent South Australian MP Rebekha Sharkie will seek to progress the debate on the real-time disclosure of political donations and a lowering of the donation threshold to improve transparency.
Fellow NSW Independent MP Allegra Spender will lead a debate on the housing crisis, calling for fresh ways to boost supply and make more land available, as well as support young people and renters.
The federal opposition will pursue the government over the decision to knock back Qatar Airways from securing extra flights - a decision that’s been labelled a “protection racket” for Australia’s national carrier Qantas.
Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie has lodged an order to produce documents relating to Transport Minister Catherine King’s decision.
There is also a push to disallow a government move to make medicines cheaper through 60-day prescriptions, which the coalition and pharmacists argue will force businesses to the wall.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is expected on Wednesday to introduce reforms to the Murray Darling Basin Plan and water market changes.
- AAP
Luxury vessel destroyed in Sydney
Police and fire investigators are looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed a luxury motor cruiser in Sydney.
Police said emergency crews were called to a dock fire on Clarke Road at Woolwich on Sydney’s lower north shore just after 8pm Saturday to find the 27-metre vessel fully engulfed.
Crews worked to extinguish the fire but the vessel was destroyed, with only debris left floating on the water.
• This segment was amended on 4 September 2023 because after publication, the news agency corrected the vessel involved, and removed references to the vessel’s size, ownership and value.
- AAP
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
Australian music legend John Farnharm has given permission to the yes campaign to use his career-defining song You’re the Voice in the referendum campaign. Farnham has also released a statement in support of the Indigenous voice yes campaign, saying the song changed his life and he hopes it will now help change the lives of First Nations people.
A 20-year-old New South Wales man charged with killing a young woman and her teenage brother in a horror car collision will face court for a bail hearing on Sunday. Emergency services responded to the incident on Friday night to find the pair trapped in their car after it was hit head-on by a Mercedes allegedly travelling at high speed on the wrong side of the road.
Meanwhile, a multimillion dollar yacht has sunk in Sydney and workplace reforms are tipped to dominate when parliament resumes this week.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs, taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
