What we learned today, Saturday 5 August
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:
Anthony Albanese gave his strongest pitch yet for Australians to vote yes in the upcoming referendum during his speech at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land, saying “there is nothing to fear and everything to gain” from an Indigenous voice to parliament.
Noel Pearson, a Cape York leader, leading yes campaigner and Guugu-Yimithirr lawyer, said in a speech at the Garma festival the referendum question was now in the hands of the Australian people and should be beyond retail politics.
The Garma festival in remote north-east Arnhem Land has inspired an alliance of land councils to form as a united voice on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in northern Australia.
The Western Australian government will reportedly scrap its controversial new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws early next week.
A man who police say had organised crime associations was fatally shot on Friday night in what appears to be a targeted attack near a nightlife hotspot in Melbourne’s south.
Labor is facing growing opposition from conservative and Christian groups against a plan to toughen social media self-regulation of misinformation, including fresh claims from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) that the proposal will “cancel Christian posts online”.
Truck drivers have taken to the streets across the country to call on the federal parliament to urgently pass laws that deliver better standards for transport workers.
Updated
WA Labor ‘still considering’ Aboriginal cultural heritage laws
The Western Australian government says it is still trying to find a way forward on its controversial cultural heritage laws, amid reports it plans to dump the month-old changes, AAP reports.
The senior Labor frontbencher Stephen Dawson would not confirm reports first cited in the West Australian that the laws would be scrapped in a “matter of days”.
The emergency services minister told reporters in Perth on Saturday no decision had been made by the government at this stage:
I’m not denying anything, what I am saying is the conversations continue between the state government and the various stakeholders about the legislation and the way forward.
The minister would not be drawn on a timeline, saying only that the government would decide “in the future”.
According to the West Australian, the Labor government foreshadowed an about-face at a briefing with big resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday.
More on this story here:
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Truckies hit the road to demand transport reforms
Truck drivers have taken to the streets across the country to call on the federal parliament to urgently pass laws that deliver better standards for transport workers, AAP reports.
The Transport Workers Union is leading a series of convoys in major cities calling for stronger protections against cutthroat industry demands and the erosion of standards for gig workers.
More than 600 transport drivers turned up outside federal parliament to demand action, two years after a Senate committee report on the industry was handed down.
The union says inaction on the report’s recommendations has led to the deaths of 100 workers.
The federal government is set to introduce laws to empower the Fair Work Commission to set appropriate industry standards as promised at its jobs and skills summit in September last year.
We’ve got more on our earlier update about the Western Australian government planning to scrap heritage laws “within days” here:
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WA reportedly to scrap heritage laws ‘within days’
An Indigenous group is devastated by reports cultural heritage laws that came into effect in Western Australia just over a month ago could be scrapped following a backlash from farmers, AAP reports.
The Labor government foreshadowed the about-face at a briefing with big resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday.
The West Australian reported on Saturday an announcement is expected “within days”.
The new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act laws came into effect on July 1, after Roger Cook’s Labor government resisted calls from pastoralists and the opposition to delay their introduction.
WA’s previous laws dated back to the 1970s and notably allowed the state’s Aboriginal affairs minister to grant land users permission to disturb cultural heritage sites.
Rio Tinto had ministerial approval in 2020 when it blew up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters, sparking global condemnation and devastating traditional owners.
Updated
All Blacks 23-20 Wallabies
Bad news for Australian rugby union fans: the Wallabies have been defeated by the All Blacks 23-20 in Dunedin, in a 2-0 clean sweep of the Bledisloe Cup. I’m sure nobody needs reminding, but Australia hasn’t won the series in more than 20 years.
Let’s hope this means good Australian sporting luck for the Maltidas on Monday night.
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How Melbourne’s ‘grotty’ laneways are being transformed into urban oases
This is a lovely read from our Victorian state reporter, Adeshola Ore, on a council greening trial in Melbourne that is drawing locals and tourists alike to the city’s neglected side streets.
Melbourne’s lord mayor, Sally Capp, says the council has been mulling over how to “beautify” the city’s nearly 1,700 laneways.
Melbourne’s laneways are synonymous with graffiti but Capp says Guildford Lane – where a street artwork depicts hens pecking at the laneway plants – shows the two can complement each other.
The program builds on the council’s urban forest strategy, which is designed to keep the city cool, helping it adapt to climate change.
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Voice vote is ‘a path to a truly united nation’, land councils say
The Garma festival in remote north-east Arnhem Land has inspired an alliance of land councils to form as a united voice on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in northern Australia.
The newly formed Northern Alliance says the referendum on the voice to parliament will be an opportunity to “achieve the greatest turning point in the lives of Indigenous Australians and the nation’s identity”.
It said in a statement:
This is the opportunity to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a voice, and with it, the ability to influence governments on the policies and programs which affect them.
If successful, the referendum will provide a path to a truly united nation, one with a shared history and culture, one where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receive necessary recognition in the nation’s founding documents.
The alliance includes the Kimberley Land Council, Northern Land Council, Cape York Land Council, North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), Tiwi Land Council, Central Land Council, and Anindilyakwa Land Council (Groote Archipelago).
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‘There needs to be an acknowledgement of our existence’: Nova Peris
The former Labor senator and Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris says she believes a yes vote in the voice referendum will help address inequality, AAP reports.
Speaking from the Garma festival, the nation’s biggest Indigenous cultural gathering hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation on Gumatj country, Peris said the festival holds a deep resonance for her and her daughter, Destiny.
Peris said:
Yothu Yindi means mother and child.
Garma is two-way learning, bringing all the knowledge together – it’s not just Aboriginal people continuing their cultural responsibility, it’s actually showcasing to the rest of Australia how rich our culture is.
Peris agreed with Anthony Albanese’s previous comments that the festival was an opportunity to discuss the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous voice.
I think about the ignorance, about our non-existence in this country – terra nullius.
Every non-Indigenous person who comes up here has to walk away with a sense of wow, Aboriginal people, we thrive, we co-exist, we’re welcoming and irrespective of the shitty past that this country has thrown at us, we still open our arms and try to educate the rest of the country.
There are two histories here, there is 1788 and there is now.
You can’t change anything that happened in between but in order to progress this country, to unite this country, there needs to be an acknowledgement of our existence.
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‘What we do now is absolutely momentous’: Noel Pearson urges a yes vote
We’ve got a bit more for you from AAP on the speech Noel Pearson made at the Garma festival earlier today.
Pearson urged Australians to vote yes in the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament. He said this was an important step to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution, but also said “the bigger project is one of understanding who Australian people are”:
What’s our history, where do we come from, who we are in the present and what do we want to leave to our children?
Pearson said a successful referendum would entwine three cultural histories together – Indigenous, British and multicultural:
Australia is going to put behind it the idea of settler versus natives when it recognises Indigenous people as Australian.
This vote in the referendum is the most important, what we do now is absolutely momentous.
It’s a beautiful document, the constitution – it’s like the rules of cricket and about that compelling – but all of a sudden we’re going to have a new provision and when children read this and think ‘Oh, this is what Australia is’.
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If you, like us at Guardian Australia, have been struck by Matildas fever the past few weeks during the Women’s World Cup, you’ll enjoy listening to today’s episode of Full Story on everything you need to know before the big game against Denmark.
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Australian Christian Lobby says plans to combat social media misinformation will ‘cancel Christian posts’
Labor is facing growing opposition from conservative and Christian groups against a plan to toughen social media self-regulation of misinformation, including fresh claims from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) that the proposal will “cancel Christian posts online”.
The ACL joins Family Voice, One Nation and the former Nationals MP George Christensen in campaigning against the bill. Its new claims come despite the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, releasing an exposure draft and guidance materials that explain Australian Communications and Media Authority will not gain the power to request specific content or posts be removed from digital platform services.
The ACL will campaign against the changes in Rowland’s seat of Greenway at the Victory Life Christian church in Blacktown on Saturday evening.
Read more:
Updated
Man shot in Melbourne had organised crime associations, police say
Victoria police say the man who was fatally shot in Melbourne’s South Yarra on Friday night had organised crime associations but it is too early to say whether this association is linked to the shooting.
Police say the shooting of the 53-year-old on a side street off Chapel Street was a targeted attack. The victim had been at the gym before the incident and was accompanied by another male, who police say has not been forthcoming with information.
Police say they are making inquiries as to whether a torched car found in Rowville – about a half-an-hour drive from the incident – is linked to the shooting.
A spokesperson for police told a press conference on Saturday:
We’re very concerned about not only the risk to the people or persons that are targeted, but also innocent community members that get caught up in activity like this.
I’d just like to reaffirm that this isn’t a random attack, it’s targeted … there are no concerns to the general community or people living in and around this area, or anyone coming into the area.
Read more here:
Updated
The Wallabies have kicked off against the All Blacks in Dunedin. You can follow the Bledisloe Cup match here:
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Albanese closes with a call to action:
More than 17 million Australians … are enrolled to vote in this referendum. The highest number of voters in our nation’s history. This includes, by the way, a record number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voters … In this decisive moment, each of us holds an equal responsibility, and each of us has an equal opportunity.
Yes, we can make history together. More importantly, we can shape the future together. We can vote yes in a spirit of unity. We can vote yes with optimism and hope, not just for success at this referendum but our greater success as a nation. We can bring our country together. We can bring our two worlds together. With our hearts and, yes, with our heads.
This year, on referendum day, the power to reach for a better Australia is in our hands. Let’s seize it together. Let’s vote yes for recognition. Let’s vote yes for a voice. And let’s vote yes for the better future that both will deliver for all of us.
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Albanese accuses Coalition of 'creating noise and confusion' over Indigenous voice
Anthony Albanese begins to wrap up his Garma festival address by discussing the no vote, describing “confected outrage”:
There are some in the no camp, including the leader of the federal Liberal party, who say they support constitutional recognition, but only a legislated voice.
I say this: not only does this mean rejecting the form of recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have requested, a form of recognition designed through more than a decade-long process of consultation, the majority of which occurred under the Coalition government – their commitment to legislate a voice also undermines every other argument that they make against it.
Clearly they acknowledge that a voice is needed, otherwise why legislate it? Clearly they recognise it will make a positive difference, otherwise why legislate it? Clearly they don’t see it as divisive or radical or any of the other noise and confusion they are seeking to inject into this referendum, otherwise why legislate it?
The only difference that all of this confected outrage about is whether it be enshrined in the constitution or whether, after all of this struggle going back to 1788, it can be dismissed with the stroke of a pen by a future government. That is what this referendum is about.
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A yes vote is not a foregone conclusion, Albanese says:
In any democracy we know that there is no such thing as a foregone conclusion. There are no guarantees of success. But that’s not a reason to delay. It’s why we have to hold to the courage of our convictions.
At this very venue one year ago, when I confirmed that my government would fulfil our election commit to hold a referendum for constitutional recognition this year, Yunupingu asked me just over there … are you serious? And I said to him, yes, we are going to do it …
Australians now have a chance to deliver this change, to take up the gracious request of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to advance reconciliation, to take up the offer of the Uluru statement from the heart.
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Albanese says “there is nothing to fear but so much to gain”, and encourages Australians to convince others to vote yes:
We know that most Australians have never got out their constitution as bedside reading, and that’s why the campaign is there to be won – because what will decide that referendum is those conversations: the respectful, genuine conversations Australians have with one another, engaging as neighbours, colleagues and friends …
At the heart of it all is a conversation between generations – young Australians talking to their parents and their grandparents about what this moment represents for their generation and for the generations to come. Explaining just what voting yes can mean for our country and our future, making it clear that there is nothing to fear but so much to gain, and making it plain that there is indeed no time to waste.
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Albanese goes on to discuss what a no vote would mean:
It is more of the same. Not only rejecting the opportunity to do better, but accepting that what we have is somehow good enough. An eight-year gap in life expectancy in the land of the fair go. The suicide rate twice as high in the lucky country. Shocking rates of disease in a nation with some of the world’s best healthcare. Only four out of 19 Closing the Gap targets on track. Surely no leader can honestly say that is good enough. Surely no leader can say it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Surely no leader can imagine change is not desperately and urgently needed.
That is why with every passing day, it becomes more and more obvious that the no campaign are desperate to talk about anything but the actual question that is before the Australian people. Because they understand that more of the same is not just unacceptable, it is indefensible. And this is where the Uluru statement from the heart is also such a clear and practical appeal to the head. To the compassion we feel in our hearts but also the truth that we know in our heads.
The principle of the voice is grounded in “irresistible logic”, Albanese continues – in the “unavoidable fact that if we continue to do the same things in the same way we will get the same outcomes”.
Updated
The voice represents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for real, overdue and much-needed change”, Albanese says:
That is why today I can promise all of you and all Australians: there will be no delaying or deferring of this referendum. We will not deny the urgency of this moment. We will not kick the can down the road, we will not abandon substance for symbolism or retreat to platitudes at the expense of progress …
The referendum is ... about whether we retreat into ourselves or have the courage to advance forward. That is what it is about. Prime ministers and governments have come and gone, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been so clear: the form of constitutional recognition they are asking for is a voice.
Not our sympathy, not a symbol, but a vehicle for progress. A practical tool to make their children’s lives better. Not just something that will feel good – something that will do good, that will make a positive difference. We can get this done together and we can get this done now, this year. Because if not us, who? And if not now, when?
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Albanese says the referendum gives an opportunity to recognise and celebrate Aboriginal culture and connection:
Through a voice we can ensure that the Garma spirit of learning and cooperation and shared progress is not confined to this one part of Australia, and one group of Australians.
It is shared with our nation to serve our whole nation, to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people everywhere have the opportunity of a better life … an Australia where more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are going to school, finishing school and finding a path to a qualification that they want and deserve for a job that they live. Where more families know the stability of a roof over their head, where communities are safer, happier and healthier.
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Albanese:
Something else happens when governments listen. Investment is effective. This is an economically rationalist argument as well, because the funding actually gets to the people and the communities who need it. The money is invested in things that work, creating jobs and building secure homes and packing local schools and keeping people healthy.
And here at Garma we can also see the coming together of how it enlarges the world and enriches both. We see Australians of all ages and backgrounds … all walks of life, all sides of politics, sharing in the welcoming beauty and joy of this place.
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Albanese on the Uluru statement from the heart and the coming referendum:
My government supports the Uluru statement from the heart and its call for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice in our constitution, which is what the coming referendum is about. A vehicle for real and practical progress. A committee of Indigenous Australians chosen by Indigenous Australians to work for Indigenous Australians in every part of our nation. The regions and remote communities, big cities and the Torres Strait Islands, giving parliament and government the advice to drive better results in health, education, employment and housing.
That is what the voice is about: advice. Advice that will ensure government benefits from the perspective and experience of the people on the ground. So we listen to communities, make better decisions and achieve better results.
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Albanese addresses Garma festival
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is delivering his speech about the voice to parliament at Garma, the nation’s biggest First Nations festival. He begins with a tribute to Dr Yunupingu:
In May this year, I had the extraordinary honour of paying tribute to the life and legacy of a truly great Australian, a man it is hard to imagine Garma without …
His very name meant the place on the horizon where the sea merges with the sky. How fitting that he devoted his life to seeking change in a spirit of unity – momentous national change but also practical, local change.
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Why WA is set to scrap its month-old Aboriginal heritage laws
AAP has more details on the Aboriginal cultural heritage laws that came into effect in Western Australia just over a month ago, which are reportedly about to be scrapped following industry confusion and a backlash from farmers:
The Labor government foreshadowed the about-face at a briefing with big resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday, the West Australian reported on Saturday.
An announcement is expected “within days”, it added.
The new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act laws came into effect on 1 July, after Roger Cook’s Labor government resisted calls from pastoralists and the opposition to delay their introduction.
WA’s previous laws dated back to the 1970s and notably allowed the state’s Aboriginal affairs minister to grant land users permission to disturb cultural heritage sites.
Rio Tinto had ministerial approval in 2020 when it blew up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters, sparking global condemnation and devastating traditional owners.
The new system abolished the Section 18 approvals process and placed an emphasis on agreements between land users and traditional owners.
But there were deep concerns about the compliance requirements, some of which were only been made clear days before the laws came into effect.
More than 25 new local Aboriginal cultural heritage services were also being set up to manage sites within particular regions.
The government had flagged a “light touch” approach in the first 12 months to ensure stakeholders understood their obligations.
But the laws, which were proposed and established under ex-premier Mark McGowan, have proven controversial for Cook, who has been bedding down his leadership since taking over in June.
Critics argued they were too complex and landowners feared their activities would be impacted. Landowners concerned about the new laws were planning to gather on Tuesday at state parliament to call for changes to protect freehold property rights.
The opposition leader, Shane Love, is due to hold a press conference in Perth later on Saturday.
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Pearson says yes campaign will leave ‘no stone unturned’ to reach Australians
Noel Pearson is speaking at Garma festival now, in advance of the prime minister.
Among his remarks he has said he “cannot see Australia doubling down on exclusion”.
When we [First Nations] are psychologically accepted, racism will diminish. Fear will diminish.
Too much discrimination is based on fear.
He said it had been a long journey, and that no other public policy issue had gone through so many governments, committees and reports.
We are on the last stretch now.
Indigenous people could languish in a nation where the default setting was no, Pearson said, emphasising that the vote was not an election campaign, not between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton, but about “whether we are going to achieve a new Australia”.
Pearson said it fell to the 97% of Australians to decide the question, and that the yes campaign would leave “no stone unturned” in the efforts to reach and talk to as many of them as it could.
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Australia may face a summer of heatwaves
Australians should prepare for a summer of heatwaves even if an El Niño does not take hold this year, a senior climate scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology has said.
Dr Karl Braganza, the bureau’s national manager for climate services, said this year “could be significant in terms of heatwaves and fires”, but was unlikely to repeat the horrors of the 2019-20 black summer bushfires.
He said the current record breaking heat in the world’s oceans could be one reason behind the failure of El Niño to form so far:
Historically we have not seen a situation like this before going into an El Niño event with record global ocean temperatures.
Read more:
WA government to reportedly scrap Aboriginal cultural heritage laws
The West Australian government will reportedly scrap its controversial Aboriginal cultural heritage laws early next week.
The laws, which came into effect on 1 July, had been introduced to modernise the 1972 Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation, in order to heighten cultural protections after the destruction of Juukan Gorge.
The new laws require landowners to ensure their properties do not contain cultural heritage before conducting ground-disturbing activities.
The laws have been opposed by farming groups, the WA opposition, and the federal Nationals leader, David Littleproud.
The WA premier, Roger Cook, and the WA minister for Aboriginal affairs, Tony Buti, will reportedly make an announcement in the coming days.
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ABC to investigate coverage of protest at Woodside CEO's home
The ABC has updated its statement in response to criticism about Four Corners crew filming a protest action at the home of the Woodside chief executive, Meg O’Neill.
On the front page of the West Australian on Friday, the newspaper targeted the ABC and protesters. News Corp outlets have also criticised the ABC for attending the protest.
In the updated statement, the ABC said:
In response to concerns that have been raised, the ABC is conducting a detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding this matter.
The Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance have defended the ABC.
Prof Peter Greste, the executive director of the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom, has said he was surprised the ABC was attacked for the reporting:
There’s no suggestion that they were supportive of the protesters.
What they’re doing was simply covering the protests. That’s legitimate journalism.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance deputy chief executive, Adam Portelli, told Guardian Australia on Friday that no one should restrict access to journalists covering a protest.
More details, as reported by Amanda Meade, here:
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Man dies after late-night street shooting in inner Melbourne
Homicide squad detectives are investigating after a man was shot dead while walking down an inner-city Melbourne street, AAP reports.
Police were called to Almeida Crescent at South Yarra, close to nightlife on the popular Chapel Street, about 11.40pm on Friday after reports a number of shots were fired at a man walking.
The man, who is yet to be identified, sustained life-threatening injuries and later died in hospital.
Detectives are yet to determine the circumstances but believe the incident was targeted, Victoria police said.
Officers cordoned off the area and set up a crime scene.
Police urged anyone with information or footage to contact Crime Stoppers.
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Anthony Albanese is set to address the Garma festival around 11.15am AEST, in his strongest pitch yet for Australians to vote yes in the upcoming referendum. We’ll bring you more in the next hour or so.
Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, is in Arnhem Land at the festival. She has a preview of Albanese’s speech. He is expected to say there is “nothing to fear and everything to gain” from an Indigenous voice to parliament, and that he will not delay the vote.
Read more:
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Defence department clamps down on private consultants
The Australian government is moving to curb the revolving door between the Department of Defence and private consultants amid increasing scrutiny of the practice.
Guardian Australia understands Defence has introduced a new moratorium on entering into contracts with personnel who have left within the past 12 months.
It comes after the department spent more than $1.3bn on temporary personnel and recruitment services over the 2022-23 financial year, government contract notices show.
Sarah Basford Canales and Daniel Hurst have the story:
And if you missed it earlier in the week, Henry Belot had an exclusive on a “laughable scenario”: the finance department has entered into a $32,000 contract with an external consultant to provide advice on how it should engage other external consultants who also provide advice to government. Yes, you read that right.
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Government hopeful end of barley tariffs will provide ‘template’ for wine taxes
The federal government is hoping that China’s official end to tariffs on Australian barley, which comes into effect today, will pave the way for a similar scrapping of import taxes on Australian wine. AAP has the story:
On Friday the Chinese government confirmed that it was no longer necessary to continue with the crippling taxes on Australian imports due to “changes in the market situation of barely in China”.
Under the Albanese government trade impediments have been reduced from $20 billion to $2 billion, but the majority of Australian wine exported to China still face duties of more than 200%.
Trade minister Don Farrell, a key figure in the talks with Beijing, described the barley decision as “another very positive step in the full resumption of normal trade between Australia and China”.
Farrell said the government has its sights set on the Chinese tariffs placed on Australian wine producers.
“We intend to use this process as a template for resolving the issue in respect of wine which is still ongoing,” he said.
Australia will discontinue its World Trade Organisation dispute against China over the tariffs, a case it had suspended in exchange for Beijing agreeing to a review.
Speaking on the ABC, Farrell said the barley decision was significant in helping China-Australia relations, describing it as “one step along the way of stabilising our relationship with China”.
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Australia is a land of extremes in weather, here's how that looked in July. ⬇️ Temps can range from 40°C in desert regions, to below freezing in the south-east - sometimes all on a single day. Rainfall is also highly variable across the country. For more: https://t.co/MaT6CLyGkC pic.twitter.com/kOXdjwc4Lj
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 4, 2023
Albanese says he won’t announce date of voice vote at Garma
Albanese will not announce at Garma what date the voice to parliament referendum will be held on:
I’ve made it clear a year ago what the timetable would look like, that it would be in the last quarter of this year. Obviously when we get into December, you are into the rainy season, so that gets knocked out. September, it could be held then except we have the footy finals.
We’ll make an announcement soon. We’ll talk through with the Australian Electoral Commission and make sure it’s an appropriate date, one that doesn’t clash with other events.
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Albanese accuses Indigenous voice opponents of a 'confected search for difference'
Albanese on Peter Dutton and the opposition to the voice:
What is occurring with this referendum is it’s a clear proposition … the words are clear that have been put forward, they’ve been passed by the parliament, overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Indeed, across the parliament, both sides say they support constitutional recognition. Both sides say that you need to legislate the voice. The only difference is that Peter Dutton is saying that if you actually … enshrine it in the constitution, that that is something that they oppose.
The wording makes it very clear that the structure and operations and functions and make-up of the voice are subject to the parliament on an ongoing basis.
What we are seeing is some confected search for difference … the no campaign seems to have given up on finding arguments on why people should vote no.
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PM says Indigenous voice the way to ‘achieve better results’
Albanese continues:
What Australia will actually have the opportunity to vote for in the last quarter this year is two simple things: recognition and then listening.
That is the form of recognition Indigenous Australians have asked for, and listening to achieve better results. It’s the means to the end, the end we’re aiming for. How can we close the gap? We can’t continue to do things the same way and expect different outcomes.
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Albanese says Garma shows benefit of listening to local voices
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking on ABC News ahead of his expected speech this morning at Garma festival.
Asked how confident he is “that unity will be achieved at Garma” and more widely across the country as he campaigns for the yes vote, Albanese says:
Unity certainly has been achieved here at Garma … We met with the Dilak council here, which is made up of traditional owners, the leaders of 13 different clans. It’s the sort of structure that will work with the voice. It shows what can happen in practice and these communities show us the benefit of listening to local voices, because you have better education outcomes, kids are staying at school, they’re completing school, better health, better housing.
Live from the Top End. pic.twitter.com/Wqyk1SckEq
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 4, 2023
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Student outcomes could improve with eased workload, teachers say
Teachers say mounting workloads are negatively affecting students, AAP reports:
That was one finding of a national survey of parents, teachers and students which will feed into work on overhauling the school education system.
The survey of almost 25,000 people found 74% of teachers said reducing workload would help lift student outcomes.
A discussion paper released alongside the survey said increasing workloads were impacting on teacher health and wellbeing and were the most significant stress factor identified by school leaders and teachers.
It is leading to many teachers leaving the profession early, putting further pressure on schools and impacting student outcomes.
As schools look to expand the range of support provided, 77% of parents and 59% of teachers said they backed improved access to allied health professionals, including occupational therapists and speech pathologists.
An expert panel is set to provide a final report to education ministers by the end of October, advising on the targets and reforms that should be tied to funding in the next national school reform agreement to be negotiated next year.
The education minister, Jason Clare, said he was committed to working with states and territories to get every school on a path to 100% of its fair funding level.
Schools receive $61 billion in recurrent government funding each year, with more than half provided by the states and territories to cater for the nation’s four million students.
Yet the Australian Education Union says 98% of public schools are funded below the schooling resource standard.
You can read more about inequalities in Australia’s education funding in our series the gutting of Gonski.
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A board of inquiry report on the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann, led by Walter Sofronoff KC, was handed to the ACT government on Monday.
Sofronoff provided embargoed copies of the final report to journalists at the Australian and the ABC without the authorisation of the ACT government, and before the report had been provided to the chief minister.
Why was the report made public and what did it find? What happens next? My colleagues Nino Bucci and Christopher Knaus have you covered:
Hello, it’s Donna Lu here, taking the reins from Martin Farrer.
As usual, if you spot anything, feel free to get in touch at Donna.Lu@theguardian.com or via the site formerly known as Twitter @donnadlu.
As we know, Anthony Albanese is expected to speak about the voice to parliament vote later today at the Garma festival in the Northern Territory.
Rirratjingu traditional owner and Garma cultural curator Mayatili Marika is speaking about the festival on ABC News:
The theme of this Garma for 2023 is a word that means ‘excellence’, so putting the program together was easy because we have so much we want to share with Australia – our art, dance, cultural practices, song lines, our deep connection to country and our Yolngu way of looking at the cosmos. A great honour to have everyone here.
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As Anthony Albanese prepares to deliver his keynote speech at the Garma festival focusing on the voice to parliament, our chief political correspondent Paul Karp looks at how he has been struggling to counter the negative tactics of the no campaign.
In particular Paul looks at how the prime minister, after being questioned about a T-shirt he once wore with the slogan “Voice, treaty, truth”, got tangled up in the issue about whether or not a yes vote in the voice referendum will pave the way for a wider treaty.
Paul writes:
It is arguable that facts like Albanese wore a treaty shirt, Albanese supports the Uluru statement, and Labor has given funding for a Makarrata commission are not very newsworthy because they lack currency.
These things don’t simply “emerge” – they are resurfaced by the opposition and imbued with a renewed significance by reporting in the context of the referendum debate. Putting the second and third planks of the Uluru statement back in front of the public creates a problem for Albanese, requiring him to disentangle them from the voice.
Albanese hasn’t done a very good job of that. On Wednesday, when asked on Radio National if he will move to trying to negotiate a treaty or treaties, he replied “no” .
He notes that opposition leader Peter Dutton has been successful in driving down support for the voice by arguing that Albanese is being dishonest by hiding details about the process. This has obscured the wider questions about the need for the voice to help reduce disadvantage.
He concludes:
There are more intellectually honest ways of having this argument. Dutton could simply have said: although treaties aren’t on the ballot, a no vote will stop them before the idea catches on.
But that would force voters to confront whether the real motive of the no campaign is to stop the long, slow walk of reconciliation.
Far better for opponents to frame the referendum as a judgment on a prime minister with something to hide when, in fact, the destination of treaties and truth-telling have always been clear.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer bringing you a few of the best overnight news stories before Donna Lu assumes control and takes you through the day.
Anthony Albanese will attempt to rejuvenate the voice to parliament yes campaign today with a speech at the Garma festival in which he will say there is “nothing to fear and everything to gain” from the constitutional change. In his strongest pitch yet for Australians to vote yes in the upcoming referendum, the prime minister will say he promises to stay the course on the vote, due between September and December this year. He attacked the “desperation” of the no vote and said “more of the same” would entrench inequality in the Indigenous population. The prime minister is expected to start speaking at 11.15am AEST so we’ll bring you details from our team in Arnhem Land as soon as we have them.
Police are facing an uphill battle against paedophiles who have become skilled in hiding their activities on the dark web, according an expert speaking after the shocking discovery of an alleged child abuser working as a childcare worker in Queensland. Jodi Death, a researcher in child abuse at Queensland University of Technology, tells our reporter Ben Smee that rapid changes in technology enabled offenders to stay ahead of law enforcement but she praises police for doing a “remarkable job” in tracking down offenders.
The Tasmanian Liberal faithful will gather in the home of the party’s last remaining government for their annual meeting, but they will be without the presence of Peter Dutton. No explanation has been given as to why the federal Liberal leader will not appear for the Tasmanian Liberal Council gathering in Hobart as embattled premier Jeremy Rockliff clings to minority government. Dutton also declined an invitation to attend the Garma festival but his whereabouts are unknown. Victorian senator Jane Hume will attend the Hobart gathering on his behalf. The premier and Dutton have opposing views on the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament. Rockliff has committed to the “yes” vote but the federal leader is campaigning for the “no” side. He is due to give the main address at 11am on Saturday.
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