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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy (now) and Emily Wind (earlier)

Shannon Fentiman referred to Queensland ethics committee over ‘cross your legs’ stoush – as it happened

New South Wales Flood Australia Peter Costello SES Sydney
Shannon Fentiman during question time at Queensland Parliament in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Shannon Fentiman during question time at Queensland Parliament in Brisbane on Wednesday. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

What we learned: Friday 7 June

With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Have a lovely night, and stay safe and dry out there. Here were today’s major developments:

  • Rain is easing in New South Wales however communities are still under flood watch and being prepared to evacuate, particularly around the Hawkesbury Nepean region at North Richmond, after 160mm was observed across the valley in the 24 hours to 9am.

  • A federal court has ruled against a decision blocking access to early robodebt documents drafted under the former Coalition government, as part of one man’s long-running fight to shed light on the scheme’s origins.

  • The immigration minister, Andrew Giles, has signed ministerial direction 110, saying in a statement – “a new, revised direction to strengthen the consideration of community safety in Australia’s migration system”.

  • Bird flu – the same high pathogenicity strain that has been kicking around for weeks – has been detected at a fifth poultry farm in Victoria. The H7N3 strain, first detected at a Meredith egg farm on 22 May, has been detected at another property within 5km of the original infection site.

  • Laura Jones has won the $100,000 Archibald prize for her portrait of Tim Winton. Some 1,005 entries were submitted this year, with 57 finalists.

  • In Queensland, three additional MPs – including the health minister, Shannon Fentiman – have been referred to the parliamentary ethics committee over a May question time stoush.

  • And a second person has been charged over the alleged arson attack on YouTube comedian Jordan Shanks-Markovina’s home nearly two years ago.

Updated

ASRC says ‘senseless’ new ministerial direction will harm families

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says Labor’s ministerial direction 110, signed today, is a “rushed” and “senseless” decision that will harm families and communities.

The new direction replaces direction 99 and serves as guidance for decision-making authorities who are weighing up whether to refuse or cancel people’s visas. It will come into effect on 21 June.

The direction also amends previous clauses about how decision makers consider the length of time a person has spent in Australia, including whether a person has lived in Australia since they were a child.

Hannah Dickinson, ASRC’s principal solicitor, said the federal government’s response was “reactive, ill-considered, and deeply damaging”.

Decisions under these directions will expose people and their families to unimaginable harm: it is appropriate and necessary that their circumstances be taken into account, and that due care is exercised in law-making.

The new direction is out of step with community expectations. It disregards the concerns of family violence experts that directions like these expose victim-survivors to further harm. And it jeopardises the integrity of critical decisions that irreversibly impact families and communities.

Updated

Continued from previous post:

The co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, demanded Payman apologise for the remark he said was “anti-semitic”, accusing the senator of “stoking hatred in such a vile way”.

Payman defended the use of the phrase days later, saying it was “not a call for the annihilation of Jews. Rather, it asserts a desire for Palestinians to live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominating others nor being dominated over.”

Payman has since stepped down as a member of two committees.

The Young Labor left statement finished off with:

We call on all Labor governments to commit themselves to ending the suffering of the Palestinian people. We condemn the weaponising of this issue by those who neglect and ignore the suffering in Gaza and seek to use it for their own advantage. We commit ourselves to continue the fight for justice and peace. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

ALP left youth support Payman’s criticism of party’s inaction on Gaza

Labor’s left youth factions in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory have released a statement in support of Western Australian Labor senator Fatima Payman’s comments criticising her party’s inaction on the war in Gaza.

In a joint statement originally posted to Facebook on Thursday, the youth wing’s left factions expressed “solidarity with Senator Fatima Payman for speaking out against the inaction of the Albanese government over the genocide occurring in Gaza”.

It continued:

Furthermore, we condemn the Albanese government’s support of the Coalition’s divisive motion on Senator Payman’s statement and the Islamophobic and racist remarks shouted about Senator Payman during the debate by members of the Coalition.

As my colleague Daniel Hurst reported last month, the first-time senator accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and questioned how many deaths would prompt the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to declare “enough” in a televised statement to SBS and Capital Brief.

Payman also called for sanctions and divestment from Israel and declared “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a politically charged phrase that Anthony Albanese has criticised – in a significant rupture with the Labor party position.

After the statement, a Coalition senator accused Payman of “supporting terrorists” in parliament during a fiery debate over a Senate motion to condemn the comments. The senator later withdrew the remark.

Updated

Media union calls out Peter Costello’s ‘low regard’ for journalists

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) has called out Peter Costello for his “low regard” of journalists after accusations the Nine chair assaulted a reporter from The Australian newspaper as he refused to answer questions about the embattled media company.

As the chair of a major media company that employs hundreds of journalists, Peter Costello should know that a journalist asking him questions is just doing their job, and like any other worker in this country deserves to be treated with respect and to be safe.

It is extremely disappointing that as the head chair of a media organisation, Mr Costello should appear to have such low regard for the work of journalists, whoever they are employed by.

Costello was later interviewed at the Canberra press gallery, where he told reporters “there was no assault – I did not lay a finger or a fist or anything else on him”.

As I walked past him, he walked back into an advertising placard and he fell over. I did not strike him. If he’s upset about that, I’m sorry. But I did not strike him.

Updated

Serious three-vehicle crash on Gold Coast

In Queensland, an investigation is under way after a serious three-vehicle crash, including a police car, on the Gold Coast today.

Police allege around 1.20pm, a police vehicle was stopped on the side of the road in Helensvale performing traffic duties.

The car was then struck from behind by a Mitsubishi.

The 55-year-old male police officer, the 54-year-old female driver and a two-year-old passenger of the Mitsubishi were transported to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the third vehicle, who had stopped to offer assistance, was not injured.

The forensic crash unit is investigating.

Updated

Three more Queensland MPs referred to ethics committee over question time stoush

Three additional MPs – including the health minister, Shannon Fentiman – have been referred to the parliamentary ethics committee over a May question time stoush.

The shadow health minister, Ros Bates, asked Fentiman if the government believes pregnant women should be told to “cross your legs” if a service is closed due to staffing shortages during a heated debate.

Bates accused Fentiman of misleading the parliament by posting a brief clip of the exchange with a caption.

In a decision published on Friday, speaker Curtis Pitt said he found there was an “arguable case that the published shortened extract of the proceedings, in the absence of the full context of the question asked, could have been potentially misleading” though he has yet to make up his mind if it were or not.

Fentiman argued that the video was a true and unedited excerpt from proceedings that day, he said.

Bates has already been referred to the committee for refusing to withdraw a later comment, contradicting his ruling.

On Friday Pitt referred Deb Frecklington and Fiona Simpson to the committee for encouraging her to do so.

Updated

The NSW SES has urged a number of communities to prepare to evacuate due to possible flooding.

They include:

  • Cornwallis and eastern parts of Richmond Lowlands.

  • The northern part of Pitt Town including Percy’s Place Caravan Park.

  • Parts of North Richmond and Camden.

  • The Riverside Caravan Park in Cattai.

  • Properties in the Gronos Point area including properties along Gronos Farm Road and Manns Road.

The areas are currently under “watch and act” level:

You should monitor the situation and prepare to be isolated by floodwater. Consider the effects isolation will have on family, work, and educational commitments. You may be trapped without power, water, and other essential services and it may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you.

Public faith in police drops sharply

Community confidence in police has dropped sharply since the pandemic, sparking concerns for Queensland’s commissioner, AAP reports.

Police chief Steve Gollschewski said public faith in other Australian jurisdictions was also on the decline post-Covid, citing Western Australia and Victoria.

Data released by Queensland police on Friday revealed 65.5% of 6,000 people surveyed said they trusted officers, down from 72% in 2021.

Perception of integrity had also fallen with just over 50% saying police treated people fairly and equally, down from 72.9%.

More than two-thirds of respondents were satisfied with police after having contact with them in the past 12 months and 61.3% felt confident to report domestic and family violence.

Gollschewski said other Australian jurisdictions used different methods for collecting public feedback data, but he believed there was enough statistics to indicate a parallel post-Covid decline in police confidence in other states.

The police chief said available data showed community confidence in WA police had dropped 10% to 69% in the same reporting period, while in Victoria, it had decreased from 75% to 58%.

Updated

Adam Bandt says Peter Dutton ‘dangerous for Australia’ after opposition leader’s Greens comments

The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has bit back at the opposition leader after he claimed Bandt would be “unfit for office” and alleged his party was “evil”.

In a post on X, Bandt said Peter Dutton was attacking the Greens “with the Trumpian language of a dictator, unchallenged by Labor who embraced him all week”.

Peter Dutton in charge would be dangerous for Australia.

The PM may side with Dutton, but Greens will take him on and keep pushing for peace.

Parliament’s question time erupted on Wednesday after Anthony Albanese accused the Greens of spreading misinformation and Dutton alleged the Greens were condoning acts of violence instead of condemning them.

In response, Bandt said the party had expressed support for peaceful protests across the country, and maintained calls for the government to “bring pressure to bear on this extreme Israeli war cabinet”.

Updated

Elderly Australians facing up to nine-month wait for home care assistance

Elderly Australians in need of home care support are facing wait times of up to nine months and the situation is only expected to worsen.

The federal government is being urged to address the delays with the number of those in limbo more than doubling to 68,109 over the past 12 months.

A Senate budget estimates hearing on Thursday also revealed those already receiving support are waiting for extra help as their circumstances change.

The federal government’s home care package provides support for Australians with showering, cleaning, cooking and other basic needs. Those who receive the assistance are generally seeking to delay or avoid moving into full-time residential care.

Levels of entitlement range from $10,000 to $59,000 per year, with each recipient assessed on daily fees they can contribute to the care.

As of 31 May, there were 117 people waiting for level one assistance, 17,611 for level two, 36,524 for level three and 13,857 for level four, officials at Senate estimates revealed.

Those currently waiting for level-three assistance face wait times of nine to 12 months, while those seeking a level-four package face a wait of six to nine months.

The 2024–25 budget pledged an additional 24,100 home care packages, but the government is being urged to reduce wait times as the queue grows.

– AAP

Updated

Sexual harassment ‘pervasive’ in retail industry, new study finds

Up to half of women and one in four men working in retail have experienced sexual harassment, new research shows, with peak bodies calling on the industry to urgently address the “pervasive” issue.

The report, published by researchers from the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, found young women under the age of 25 are particularly targeted and often subjected to multiple forms of sexual harassment.

Professor Rae Cooper, the director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, said employers had a legal duty to prevent harm.

These are not isolated incidents, this is happening every day across this large industry, and young people – especially young women – are copping the brunt of it.

The retail industry is a key national employer of young people, and these workplaces have a duty of care to protect their inexperienced workers who are often working their first job. Sexual harassment doesn’t just come from customers – peers and managers are often perpetrators. It is pervasive.

The report recommended researchers improve in workplace reporting mechanisms, data collection, training of staff and managers and communicating outcomes to staff to take the issue seriously.

Updated

Severe weather warning for NSW south coast and Illawarra cancelled

A severe weather warning that remained in place for the Illawarra and south coast of New South Wales today has been cancelled, the Bureau has confirmed, though some showers remain.

The surface trough which brought areas of heavy rainfall to parts of the Illawarra and surrounds overnight has now weakened. It will continue to weaken as it moves south, though showers with moderate rainfall rates are expected to persist about southeastern NSW and the ACT for the remainder of Friday.

She’s still wet out there, though, with some significant rainfall in the 24 hours to 9am, including 204mm at Port Kembla, 156mm at Wollongong and 152mm at Kiama.

Six flood warnings remain in place, including a minor to major warning for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, I’ll leave you with Caitlin Cassidy who will see you through the rest of today’s news. Take care!

Yarramundi Bridge inundated by flood waters

A bridge north-east of Sydney has become completely inundated by flood waters.

According to a Live Traffic camera, the Yarramundi Bridge at Agnes Banks – north of Penrith – is completely covered in water. Here it was pictured at just before 3pm this afternoon:

The road was closed in both directions earlier this morning as flood waters rapidly rose. Here was the bridge just before 11am, for comparison:

Motorists can use the Great Western Highway to travel between Lithgow and Sydney, Live Traffic advised.

Updated

NSW SES responds to 50 flood rescues after people drove through flood water

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines has provided an update on the severe weather and heavy rainfall across NSW:

And the NSW SES has also provided an update this afternoon, with crews responding to more than 510 incidents – 50 of which have been flood rescues after people drove through flood water.

Updated

Do not enter flood waters at North Richmond, SES advises

Communities in North Richmond and surrounding areas are being told not to enter flood waters.

The Bureau of Meteorology says rainfall totals up to 160mm were observed across the Hawkesbury-Nepean valley in the 24 hours to 9am today, with further rainfall forecast today.

The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond is currently at 6.06m and rising, likely to peak near 11.50m overnight with major flooding.

North Richmond Bridge is expected to close this afternoon.

Updated

Land clearing could lead to tree mammal extinction, research finds

Land clearing is leading to tree mammal numbers declining in northern Australia as researchers fear it could end in extinction, AAP reports.

A study deployed 187 nest boxes in trees in Garig Gunal Barlu national park in the Northern Territory to see whether the number of hollows was contributing to a decline in mammals that use the habitats. It found 67% of the nest boxes were used by tree mammals at least once.

Lead author Dr Leigh-Ann Wooley, from Charles Darwin University, said “this showed that these declining arboreal mammals were searching for and using new dens where natural hollows were reduced at a local site”.

Researchers are concerned if the loss of trees and natural hollows continues, there could be a sharp decline or extinction of these critical creatures.

Amongst the multitude of threats interacting to cause the decline of these species, such as inappropriate fire, introduced ungulates, and feral predators, habitat quality should not be disregarded when managing threats to improve outcomes for these mammals.

Halting land clearing, protecting hollow-bearing eucalypts and optimising fire regimes to ensure hollow densities and fruiting shrubs are increased are among the solutions to protect the trees and the species.

The research was published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.

Updated

And in case you missed it, here is a look at the Warragamba Dam spilling around 10am this morning:

Minor to major flood warning for Hawkesbury-Nepean rivers

A flood warning for the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system has been upgraded, with minor to major flooding forecast.

This is due to potential major flooding at North Richmond tonight, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond is currently at 6.06m and rising, with minor flooding. It is likely to exceed the moderate level (7.9m) late this afternoon and could peak near 11.5m overnight into Saturday, with major flooding.

Moderate flood is currently occurring at Menangle Bridge and minor flooding is occurring at Penrith.

Updated

Parts of Camden and Ellis Lane told to prepare to evacuate

Meanwhile, other parts of Camden and Ellis Lane have been told to prepare to evacuate. This includes those in:

  • Sheathers Lane and Cawdor Road near Matahill Creek, Camden

  • Kirkham Lane, Camden

  • Poplar Caravan Park, Elderslie

  • Properties next to the Macquarie Grove Bridge on Argyle Street, Camden

  • Milford Road along Sickles Creek and Ellis Lane north of Sunnyside Drive, Ellis Lane

People are urged to monitor the situation and make the necessary preparations in case they are directed to leave. The NSW SES said bridges and roads may be impacted by floodwater.

Updated

Communities in parts of Camden told to prepare to isolate amid rising floodwaters

Communities in parts of Camden, south-west of Sydney, have been told to prepare to isolate amid rising floodwaters along the Nepean River.

People in these communities are being told to prepare to isolate:

  • Low lying properties on Cut Hill Road, Cut Hill

  • Low lying properties on Cobbitty Road, Cobbitty

The NSW SES said in an alert:

You may be trapped without power, water, and other essential services and it may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you.

The Nepean River at Camden Weir is currently at 7.38m and rising.

Updated

Qantas plane turns around mid-flight after hitting a bird

A Qantas plane was forced to turn around mid-flight and return to Sydney after hitting a bird earlier this morning.

The Sydney to Auckland flight hit the bird shortly after take-off, Qantas confirmed in a statement.

It landed normally and was cleared to continue operating a little over an hour later. We will reaccommodate customers as soon as possible.

We appreciate our customers’ understanding and apologise for the inconvenience.

Dutton argues teal independents are 'Greens', not ‘disaffected Liberals’

Asked by a punter in the crowd how the Liberal party is going to counter the success of independents in recent years, Peter Dutton said:

The task for us is to make sure that we remain united and [are a] credible alternative … We’ve made the mistake at some previous elections of just being a shade lighter or darker than where the Labor party has been. Why vote for us in that circumstance?

And that’s the decision that I’ve taken, that my colleagues have taken and I believe they can find a pathway to victory. We need to pick up teal seats, and we need to do that in Victoria and New South Wales. Clearly, we need to pick up seats in Western Australia where we lost a swag last time and we know that redistributions, to which you referred, is now being released for Victoria and Western Australia, next Friday for New South Wales and a seat will be lost there.

Dutton said he was keen to communicate to voters that teals were “not disaffected Liberals”.

Let’s dispense with that nonsense. Most of the teals have never voted Liberal in their life … these people are Greens. And if people vote for teals [at] next election, they’re voting ultimately for a minority government and a minority government is a bad thing for this state and for our country.

Updated

Dutton says Australians reconsidering Coalition ‘in ways they weren’t 18 months ago’

Dutton also has a crack at Albanese, saying he is not offering a vision for a “safer and more secure” nation:

The prime minister is not offering that at the moment. I think the prime minister’s lack of leadership, frankly, in relation to the antisemitism that we’re seeing on university campuses or on the steps of the opera house or more generally, in the community – I think it’s a national disgrace. And so I think there are a number of reasons why people are reconsidering us, perhaps in a way that they weren’t 18 months ago.

Updated

Dutton on lessons from Aston and Dunkley byelection losses

Peter Dutton is asked what has he learnt since the byelection losses in Aston and Dunkley?

He replied:

Not to go to byelections when the government’s at its peak honeymoon period, that’s a pretty basic principle [that] applies since federation.

He also doubles down that the Liberals’ candidate in Aston, Roshena Campbell, was an “excellent” candidate, despite criticism from within the party that she was parachuted in from another part of Melbourne.

Dutton said:

She was up against it because the government had only just months ago been freshly minted, and people were keen to give it a go. But there’s now two years of lived experience … I think we have presented ourselves as a credible alternative.

Keeping the team together is not always a feature of opposition, it wasn’t when we left government in 2007. And yes, we need to be bold, not reckless in our policy offering. And the easy task would be not to take a position to support nuclear, just to pretend it’s not the debate that we should have. But my belief is that people will pay for us if we stand up for what we believe in, as we did on [the] voice and as we did in a number of other debates over the last four months.

Updated

Dutton fields questions about where proposed nuclear reactors would go

And back to Peter Dutton, where the Q&A section of the Melbourne event has begun.

The first question is about when he will release more information about his nuclear plan and proposed locations. He repeated his line that the proposed plants would likely be based around the sites of existing coal-fired power stations.

Dutton said:

Well, if you live in a neighbourhood where your backyard is the boundary line with the existing coal fired power station, then we are looking at that.

He said Anthony Albanese’s recent comments on nuclear energy were “juvenile”.

Updated

Renewables make more sense than nuclear for Australia because of ‘natural advantages’, Albanese says

Circling back to Anthony Albanese, who is now taking questions on energy policy.

Andrew Clennell put forward a number of projections for renewables, suggesting the government is behind on its targets, and asked if the energy transition is tracking where the government wants it.

Albanese said he didn’t “accept” the figures put forward, and when it comes to tracking renewable projects, charts “don’t move in a straight line” but increase upwards.

Asked about nuclear, he said it makes sense “for some countries” to adopt nuclear but in Australia, because of the “natural advantages we have”, renewables are the answer.

We have all the critical minerals [and we have] green hydrogen … the advantage that we have is space … We have a comparative advantage in this country.

Albanese said Australia has a “disadvantage” when it comes to nuclear because it would be “a decade and a half” until anything could come online.

Updated

Peter Dutton addresses business leaders in Victoria

Meanwhile the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has been addressing the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Melbourne.

He’s opened his speech by mentioning it’s his 36th visit to the state since becoming the Liberal leader:

I’m here today to send a very clear message to the Victorian community, to the leaders who are represented here today, to say the Liberal party is back in town. We are absolutely keen, enthusiastic and determined to engage with you to get a better understanding of the ways in which we can invest, make the state grow again and make sure that we can repair some of the damage that’s been done in recent years.

Updated

The PM has been taking questions from host Andrew Clennell.

Clennell asked Anthony Albanese about when the next federal election will be, but as with previous times he’s been asked this, he is not budging. The PM said:

I think three years is too short, I think governments should serve full terms … Three years is too short as it is, so my intentions is – I’m just focused on governing and getting it right.

Updated

The prime minister said he has “never been more optimistic” about Australia’s future. He ended his speech with this:

In business, there is no final point of perfection. In economic reform, there is no last word. In government there are always new pressures to manage, new challenges to meet, new global uncertainties to confront.

But I can tell you, two years after I had the extraordinary honour of being elected prime minister of this nation, I have never been more optimistic about Australia’s future and never been more determined to deliver for the Australian people.

Because when you look at where the world is heading and when you look at what we have here – this moment is made for us. This moment is made for the dynamism and drive of Australian business, the skills and smarts of Australian workers.

This moment is made for the aspiration and creativity and resilience of our people. This is an opportunity made for every one of us – and now it’s up to every one of us to make the most of it. To make our future, right here in Australia.

Australia 'can't afford to waste 15 years down nuclear rabbit hole', PM says

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been giving a keynote speech on Australia’s economic outlook at an event hosted by Sky News and The Australian.

He’s been spruiking the government’s cost-of-living measures, the recent budget surplus, moves to tackle inflation, and the Future Made in Australia plan.

But turning to energy policy, the PM said his government has spent two years working to repair “the damage that climate denial did to clean energy investment and our international relationships”.

Australia cannot afford to go back to the days when energy policy was about fighting for power in the Coalition party room rather than powering the nation.

And we cannot afford to waste 15 years down a rabbit hole about nuclear reactors. Because just as we will not find our security in isolation, we will not build our prosperity by standing still.

Updated

Women’s State of Origin clash sets new television ratings record

The broadcast of last night’s second Women’s State of Origin clash has set a new television ratings record for a women’s rugby league match.

Channel Nine’s average audience for the contest – won in the dying stages by Queensland 11-10 to keep the three-game series alive – was 1.068 million, surpassing the previous record of 941,000 set by the first game of the series.

More than 2.2 million Australians tuned in at some point during the broadcast, according to ratings provider VirtualOz, another record high for a women’s rugby league match.

By comparison, Monday’s broadcast of the Matildas’ friendly against China reached 2.6 million Australians and recorded an average audience of 1.095 million.

Thursday’s Origin match also set a crowd record for the series, as 25,782 fans in Newcastle braved the rain to experience the historic occasion.

An attendance of around 25,000 and another strong television audience are expected for the series decider in Townsville on 27 June.

Updated

Number of elderly waiting months for home help doubles

Elderly Australians in need of home care support face wait times up to nine months, AAP reports, with the number of those in need doubling to 70,000 in just one year.

The government is facing increasing pressure to reduce the delays with the number of those in limbo growing to 68,109 by 31 May this year, from 28,665 in June last year.

The senate budget estimates hearing yesterday also revealed that those who are already receiving the support are waiting for extra help as their circumstances change. The department of health and aged care’s Russell Herald said:

We have seen a deterioration of access, particularly in the last six months.

The home care package provides support for Australians with showering, cleaning, cooking and other basic needs with those receiving the assistance trying to delay or avoid moving into full-time age care.

Levels of entitlement range from $10,000 to $59,000 per year, with each recipient assessed on daily fees they can contribute to the care.

As of 31 May, 117 people were waiting for level one assistance, 17,611 for level two, 36,524 for level three and 13,857 for level four, officials at senate estimates revealed.

Those currently waiting for level-three assistance face wait times of 9 to 12 months, while those seeking a level-four package face a wait of 6 to 9 months.

The documents could reveal what former prime minister Scott Morrison – who was then responsible for the social services portfolio – and other senior ministers, including Christian Porter, Alan Tudge and Marise Payne, knew about the scheme during initial plans.

Continuing from our last post, the federal court ruling stated:

The tribunal was only able to determine that information in these draft documents was deliberated on by the Cabinet by considering other documents and “joining the dots” ... that was a mistaken approach.

The court ruled the matter be sent back to the AAT for “rehearing and determination according to law.

Isabelle Reinecke, the executive director at Grata Fund – which is financially supporting Warren’s case – said the news was a win for robodebt victims and transparency more broadly.

After yesterday’s news that the National Anti-Corruption Commission won’t investigate six people referred by the robodebt royal commission, this full federal court decision is a win for the victims of the robodebt scheme, and for greater integrity in government.

Today’s decision closes another loophole in the FOI system that has been manipulated by governments to avoid transparency, in line with commissioner Catherine Holmes’ recommendation to stop the misuse of cabinet confidentiality exemptions. Greater transparency means better policy making, and will help to ensure scandals like robodebt will never be able to flourish and cause so much harm again.

Updated

Federal court rules against decision blocking access to robodebt documents

A federal court has ruled against a decision blocking access to early robodebt documents drafted under the former Coalition government, as part of one man’s long-running fight to shed light on the scheme’s origins.

This morning, justices Geoffrey Kennett, Anna Katzmann and Shaun McElwaine ruled a December 2022 decision made by the administrative appeals tribunal to keep robodebt documents, including draft costings and new policy proposals, should be set aside due to procedural unfairness and incorrectly applying cabinet confidentiality exemptions.

The man seeking the key robodebt documents, IT expert Justin Warren, first made the freedom of information request to the then Department of Human Services, now named Services Australia, in January 2017. The department identified 13 documents, totalling 287 pages, but refused him access on the basis they were cabinet documents and related to the agency’s investigation methods.

The decision sparked a years-long battle between Warren and the agency, which is now in its seventh year.

The federal court’s ruling this morning stated Warren had been “deprived” of procedural fairness after Services Australia altered its case and relied upon “confidential evidence that [Warren] was not privy to”.

It also ruled the AAT’s decision to agree the documents were cabinet-in-confidence was “mistaken in its construction and application”.

More to come.

Updated

Bird flu detected at fifth Victorian poultry farm

Bird flu – the same high pathogenicity strain that has been kicking around for weeks – has been detected at a fifth poultry farm in Victoria.

The H7N3 strain, first detected at a Meredith egg farm on 22 May, has been detected at another property within 5km of the original infection site.

Agriculture Victoria confirmed the detection today. It’s the third to be found this week within the 5km restricted zone established after the first infection at Meredith 16 days ago.

Victoria’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Graeme Cooke, said the spread to nearby properties was not unexpected.

It’s why our reasonable and risk-based Restricted and Control Areas are in place and shows that Agriculture Victoria’s comprehensive and ongoing surveillance activities are working well to date.

Cooke added it was “a difficult time for our farmers and we’re making sure mental health support is available and eligible producers can access compensation”.

There is a restricted area in place over the Meredith and Lethbridge properties where H7N3 has been detected, and around the Terang farm where another strain, high pathogenicity H7N9, was detected.

Agriculture Victoria said all the poultry at the property with the newly detected infection will be “safely disposed of under veterinary supervision”.

More than half a million chickens have already been euthanised and disposed of since the outbreak was first detected.

Updated

Take a look at the three winners here:

Updated

Laura Jones ‘can’t describe the mixture of feelings’ on winning Archibald prize

Jones says she never expected to win the prize, and “can’t describe the mixture of feelings” she had after receiving the call that she won this morning.

I can’t believe my portrait of Tim Winton would join such illustrious company.

As a little girl in Kurrajong, I dreamed about being an artist. I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream come true.

Jones says she’s only the 12th woman to win the Archibald prize, adding she hopes her success inspires more young girls to pursue the career.

On to Winton, she pays homage to his environmental work and says he rang her this morning to congratulate her, adding it looked like he “felt he had the weight of the world on his shoulders”.

I hope my painting reminds everyone of what an incredible and inspiring human being he is.

Updated

Laura Jones wins Archibald prize for portrait of Tim Winton

And we are on to the Archibald winner, the $100,000 national portrait prize.

Some 1,005 entries were submitted this year, with 57 finalists.

The unanimously decided winner is Laura Jones for her portrait of Tim Winton.

Updated

Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu wins Wynne prize

Next up is the $50,000 Wynne prize, which is awarded to the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or figurative sculpture. This year 738 entries were submitted, with 41 finalists – including 21 Aboriginal works.

This is the first time in the history of the prize that there were more works hung by Aboriginal artists than non-Indigenous.

The winner is Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu, for their piece Nyalala gurmilili.

Updated

Naomi Kantjuriny wins Sulman prize

First to be announced is the Sulman prize, a $40,000 prize given to the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project.

The winner is Naomi Kantjuriny, for her piece, Minyma mamu tjuta.

Kantjuriny is a respected community Elder and leading presence at Tjala Arts in Amata on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, South Australia, where she has worked since 2001.

In her statement, partially delivered in traditional language, she says she is “so happy” to have won the prize.

This is a story we sing and dance to … it teaches a lesson to the grandkids. Sometimes they are funny and joyful stories that make us laugh … our culture is in everything and will be celebrated at Tjala Arts forever but today is a happy day.

Updated

And, drumroll please, David Gonski, president of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, is about to announce the prize winners.

This is his last year as president and last time announcing the winners.

I don’t know whether the applause you gave was that I’m going, but I appreciate it enormously.

I just want to congratulate everyone who has entered these competitions in my 19 years as judge.

Updated

2024 Archibald Prize winner to be announced shortly

The winner of the 2024 Archibald Prize will be announced from noon today, just a short time away.

Run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the national portrait prize carries $100,000 prize money for the winning artist.

Some of the portraits include Julian Assange, Tony Armstrong, Chloé Hayden and Marcia Langton. You can see a selection of the finalists below:

Meanwhile, a portrait of Indigenous rapper Baker Boy by Matt Adnate has won the $3,000 packing room prize – awarded annually by the gallery staff.

Updated

Dutton says he has ‘never known’ Peter Costello to be aggressive

Peter Dutton has also responded to accusations that Peter Costello assaulted a journalist from The Australian newspaper as he refused to answer questions about the embattled media company. Costello has denied the allegations. You can read the full story below:

Dutton said he hopes the journalist is okay. He also said Costello had been a friend of his for over 20 years:

So I guess I’m not the person to be asking for comment in relation to it. I’ve never known Peter to be aggressive or anything of that nature. I haven’t seen the other angles of the footage, etc, I know that some people have and they are out there, so I will leave that to those you comment on but as I say, I know Peter very well and aggression is not part of his nature.

Dutton said he had never knocked over a journalist accidentally, but jokingly noted their “enthusiasm”, saying:

They are multi-skilled, generally, journalists. Some of them with good skills and some with bad skills, depending on which organisation you are coming from – but we can go into that at another time … Sometimes when they are walking backwards, some have the ability to stay upright and others don’t. On this circumstance … it is hard to make a judgement when you haven’t seen all of the footage.

Updated

Peter Dutton fronts media after ministerial direction 110 signed

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has been speaking to the media, responding to the government’s new ministerial direction 110.

He accused the prime minister of “unfortunately [making] decisions along with Andrew Giles that has made us, as a society, less safe”.

I think the prime minister, and while he refuses to get up and apologise now, really should get up and apologise. But this new direction 110 doesn’t give much change [to] circumstances at all and it will still give rise to the sort of outcomes that we’ve seen in allowing these people to stay in our community.

Updated

Prepare to evacuate warning for Chipping Norton

Communities in low-lying areas of eastern Chipping Norton, near Liverpool, are being told to prepare to evacuate amid predicted flooding.

The warning encompasses the following areas:

Newbridge Road between Riverside Road and east to Georges River; on Riverside Road between Childs Road and Newbridge Road; on Davy Robinson Drive; on Rickard Road; and on Arthur Street.

Communities are urged to monitor the situation and “prepare to evacuate so that you can safely evacuate when instructed to do so by NSW SES”.

Roads may become flooded, the SES said.

Updated

Man to face court after allegedly approaching another vehicle with an axe

A man is due to face court after allegedly approaching another vehicle, armed with an axe, following a collision.

A sedan and hatchback collided in Tomago about 3.20pm yesterday. Officers attended and were told that, after the crash, the driver of the hatchback allegedly approached the other vehicle armed with an axe.

Police were alerted and the man allegedly ran into nearby bushland, with a police dog brought in to assist with searching the area.

About 6.30pm, officers arrested a 35-year-old man at a property in Williamtown.

He was taken to Raymond Terrace police station and charged with three outstanding warrants, as well as three counts of possessing a prohibited drug and trespassing.

He was refused bail to appear in Raymond Terrace local court later today.

Police said inquiries are continuing into further charges relating to the crash and alleged road-rage incident.

Updated

New visa direction leaves discretion to depart from community safety as paramount consideration

We’ve now had an opportunity to read the new ministerial direction on visa cancellation.

Earlier this morning the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, said it “makes it clear that the safety of the Australian community is the government’s highest priority – and includes this as a key principle of the decision-making framework”.

While that statement is true, the direction also states that protection of the Australian community is “generally to be given greater weight than other primary considerations”, which suggests the decision-maker retains a discretion to depart from safety as the paramount consideration.

Gildes told reporters in Melbourne the new direction “also elevates the impact on victims of family violence and their families into one of the existing primary considerations, reflecting the government’s zero-tolerance approach to domestic and family violence”.

The direction does so by specifying, when weighing the “nature and seriousness of the conduct”, the decision-maker should consider the “impact of the offending on any victims of offending or other conduct and their family”, provided the non-citizen has been afforded procedural fairness to respond.

Updated

ABC issues statement over Dreyfus’ appearance on Afternoon Briefing

The ABC has published a statement about comments attorney-general Mark Dreyfus made on Afternoon Briefing earlier this week.

It reads:

During an interview on June 5, attorney-general Mark Dreyfus asserted the Greens leader had been encouraging criminal damage, riotous behaviour and violent behaviour. The Greens leader Adam Bandt has strongly denied the claim, stating “We’ve been crystal clear that as a party of peace and nonviolence, protests must be peaceful with respect to people and property.”

Bandt has threatened Dreyfus with legal action over the comments he made on Wednesday on the program, which were about pro-Palestinian protests at MPs’ electorate offices. You can read more below:

Agencies meet with food delivery drivers amid rise in e-bike fires

Fire and Rescue NSW and SafeWork have engaged Australia’s leading food delivery companies and their top e-bike provider to discuss the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, following a number of fires.

The agencies said they had met with representatives from Uber Eats and Doordash in recent months, who have “agreed to educate their delivery riders about how to safely store and charge their e-bikes”.

This comes after lithium-ion battery fires rose from 165 in 2022 and 272 in 2023, to 131 so far this year. 35 of the fires this year related to devices such as e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards.

Today, the agencies met with Zoomo – a Sydney-based e-bike fleet management business that leases bikes to 600 food delivery riders in NSW. FRNSW commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said:

Lithium-ion battery power represents a tremendous technological benefit but the flipside is if the cells are damaged, over-charged or of poor quality, it can lead to what we call ‘thermal runaway’ whereby just one battery can overheat and set off a highly dangerous chain reaction within the array of cells.

Often, you’ll hear a popping or crackling sound, then the hissing of highly toxic gas emitting from the device before a fiery explosion occurs.

The heat given off is extreme and our fire crews are regularly forced to immerse the devices in tubs of water, sometime up to days, to let them cool and prevent re-ignition.

Earlier, we reported Lidia Thorpe had been asked to either mute her video screen or remove the “activist material” seen in her office during estimates – a Palestinian flag with the words “free Palestine” written across it.

Our video team have clipped up the moment she was asked to remove the sign by committee chair Louise Pratt, following a privately received a point of order.

Thorpe has since removed the flag that was visible over her shoulder.

Updated

Chris Minns provides SES update on floods

NSW premier Chris Minns is speaking to the media, providing an update on the wet weather across the state.

He said the immediate concern for the SES over the weekend will be south-west Sydney, the Picton area, stretching down the coast all the way down to Jindabyne.

It is important to people in low-lying areas listen to the SES and emergency broadcasters with the latest information.

In terms of the Nepean-Hawkesbury region, he said the SES had deployed vehicles and staff to the area and “are expecting potentially flash flooding”.

Riverine flooding may be an issue over the weekend…

Updated

Lidia Thorpe removes protest flag from view during virtual Senate hearing

Following on from our earlier post about Lidia Thorpe’s appearance at Senate estimates: Thorpe later removed the flag.

Updated

Nepean River expected to peak at 11m this afternoon

Minor and moderate flood warnings remain in place for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers, south of Sydney.

The Nepean River at Menangle Bridge is currently at 10.47m and rising, above the moderate flood level of 9.2m, the Bureau of Meteorology said. It is expected to peak near 11m early this afternoon.

Updated

Lidia Thorpe ordered to take down ‘protest’ sign during estimates

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has been told to either mute her video screen while asking questions at estimates today – or remove the ‘activist material’ visible behind her on the screen.

Chair of the senate finance and public administration legislation committee, Louise Pratt, said she had privately received a point of order about the material visible on Thorpe’s screen.

Pratt said Thorpe could either mute her video when asking future questions or remove the sign.

A Palestinian flag had been visible on her bookshelf over her shoulder, with the words “free Palestine” written across it.

Thorpe said she was in her office, and asked if she would be expected to rearrange her office to meet the requirement. Pratt suggested that Thorpe turn her video screen off while asking future questions.

“There’s a genocide going on,” Thorpe is heard to say.

Independents and Greens back UN call for Australia to ban fossil fuel advertising

We reported last night that at least nine independents MPs and the Greens had called on the Australian government to ban fossil fuel advertising and for media companies to stop accepting money to promote coal, oil and gas companies.

It follows the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, on Wednesday urging governments to introduce bans, and news and tech media to stop enabling “planetary destruction” by taking fossil fuel money.

Many of the MPs said fossil fuel advertising was a clear case of greenwashing, and compared it to advertising for tobacco products.

They have been backed by the executive director of candidate crowdfunding organisation Climate 200, Byron Fay. He said “state capture by our fossil fuel industry is comprehensive” and argued the major political parties were on a “unity ticket” supporting it.

They put the interests of fossil fuel companies that are making record profits, and boiling the world while they do it, above the interests of the Australian people.

Woman arrested after man found unresponsive in south Sydney unit

A woman has been arrested after a man died in Sydney’s south this morning.

A man was found unresponsive about 3am this morning at a unit complex in Engadine. The 36-year-old was treated by paramedics, but died at the scene.

A 33-year-old woman was arrested and taken to Sutherland hospital for mandatory testing. She was then taken to Sutherland police station and is assisting police with their inquiries.

A crime scene has been established and police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Giles releases statement on new visa direction

Here is the rest of Andrew Giles’ statement on the new ministerial direction 110:

The government has also taken further steps to strengthen the new revised direction.

The revised direction makes it clear that the safety of the Australian community is the government’s highest priority – and includes this as a key principle of the decision-making framework.

It elevates the impact on victims of family violence and their families into one of the existing primary considerations, reflecting the government’s zero-tolerance approach to family and domestic violence.

Ministerial direction 110 is an important step in ensuring that our migration system works in our national interest, and visa decisions are in line with common sense and the safety of Australians.

Community safety is and always will be our government’s highest priority.

Updated

Immigration minister signs direction 110 after visa controversies

Immigration minister Andrew Giles has today signed ministerial direction 110, he said in a statement – “a new, revised direction to strengthen the consideration of community safety in Australia’s migration system.”

He said that since coming into office the government has refused and cancelled a large number of visas in the interest of community safety, but “it is clear the AAT has made a number of decisions independently of government that do not reflect the government’s intent or meet community expectations.”

Since the beginning of last week, I have cancelled 40 visas in the national interest. Today, we take the next step in strengthening our cancellation system to better reflect community expectations.

Ministerial direction 110 is guided by two key principles; the protection of the Australian community and common sense.

This new revised direction makes crystal clear that the Government expects the protection of the Australian community be given greater weight in visa decisions.

Updated

Palmer given court date in his effort to strike out charges of dishonesty

Billionaire Queensland businessman and former politician Clive Palmer has been given a court date in his effort to strike out charges of dishonesty.

Palmer faces two charges of using his position to act dishonestly with an intent to gain advantage for himself or others. There is another charge against him and his company Palmer Leisure Coolum for failing to respond after announcing or proposing a bid.

He has moved to strike out the charges for abuse of process.

Palmer didn’t attend the Brisbane magistrates court this morning. He was represented by lawyers Kris Byrne and Peter Dunning.

Magistrate Aaron Simpson was visibly annoyed by delays in the case at a brief hearing at the court this morning.

“This is becoming bigger than Ben Hur,” he said, complaining that his busy callover court would be delayed by any complicated legal argument.

Prosecutor April Freeman said some of the applications dated to last year. Palmer’s application will be heard in August.

Updated

Minor flood warning for Georges River in southern Sydney

An initial minor flood warning has been issued for the Georges River at Liverpool Bridge in south Sydney.

The Bureau of Meteorology said an isolated 115mm of rainfall fell in the Georges River catchment in the 24 hours to 9am this morning.

Minor flooding likely to occur at Liverpool Bridge this morning, which is currently at 1.97m and rising. It is likely to peak around 2.10 metres late this morning, the Bureau said.

Updated

Albanese speaks with Modi following Indian election win

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has thanked the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, for his “warm wishes and congratulations” after he won an historic third consecutive term.

In a post to X, Modi wrote:

Very glad to speak to my friend [Albanese]. Thanked him for the warm wishes and congratulations. Look forward to working together to strengthen India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Albanese responded, and said it was “always good to talk with you as leader of the world’s largest democracy”.

Much work to do enhancing our strategic partnership and with the Quad.

Modi was returned to power, but failed to achieve a predicted landslide victory.

Updated

A road weather alert for Sydney has been cancelled, however a severe weather warning for heavy rain is still current for the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands and parts of metropolitan Sydney:

Jason Clare reiterates accusation that Greens are ‘telling lies’ about Labor’s position on war in Gaza

Speaking on Sunrise, the education minister, Jason Clare, was asked if Labor would put the Greens last on its how to vote cards at the next election. This comes after opposition leader Peter Dutton called on the party to do so, accusing the Greens of stoking social division amid the war in Gaza.

Clare said it was a “decision for the party organisation”. But he accused the Greens of “telling lies” about the government’s position on the war, and said:

We’ve been calling for a ceasefire, but you wouldn’t know that from some of the lies that the Greens have been saying.

I’ve said repeatedly on this show that we can’t let a war on the other side of the world tear us apart here in Australia. It’s having a massive impact on the Jewish community and the Muslim community here in this country, and a big part of that is because the dead bodies that we see on our TV screens for the Jewish community and the Muslim community aren’t just dead bodies, they have names. They’re often family members or friends and it’s not right that we have political parties trying to exploit that for political dividends.

We need as leaders to work together here to try to keep the country together, not pull it apart.

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather spoke about his party’s position earlier today, which you can read in the blog here and here.

Updated

Politicians weigh in on stoush between Peter Costello and News Corp journalist

Education minister Jason Clare has said “no one should be pushing other people around” in response to footage released of Peter Costello yesterday.

Costello has been accused of assaulting a journalist from The Australian newspaper as he refused to answer questions about the embattled media company. Costello has denied the allegations. You can read the full story below:

Clare weighed in on the matter on Sunrise this morning, and said:

I wasn’t there, I’d leave it to others that were there to comment. I’d just make the general point that everybody should be safe at work, no one should be pushing other people around.

Clare said his view is that “if a journalist asks you a question you stop and answer it, and that’s the simplest way to do it rather than try and run away or say no comment or accidentally knock somebody over.” He also said it will be up to the airport whether it decides to release CCTV footage.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley was also on the program, and said she hopes the “journalist is okay”.

I’ve known Peter Costello for many years, and I’ve never known or found him to be aggressive in nature. There’s different camera angles. I haven’t seen them all … I think it’s worth remembering that in public life people do need to be respectful, whether they be public figures, journalists, politicians, whoever. But I’m not going to comment further…

Updated

Here are some photos of flood rescues at Woollamia near Shoalhaven in NSW, amid the heavy rainfall:

Updated

Second person charged over alleged attack on Friendlyjordies' home

A second person has been charged over the alleged arson attack on YouTube comedian Jordan Shanks-Markovina’s home nearly two years ago.

Better known as Friendlyjordies, the YouTuber’s home was significantly damaged during a fire just after midnight on 23 November, 2022. The house was vacant at the time.

According to police, initial inquiries linked the incident to a fire at the same house on 17 November, 2022.

A 37-year-old man was charged late last year for his alleged involvement in the two incidents, and remains before the court.

Yesterday, strike force detectives arrested another 37-year-old man at Parramatta police station. He was charged with one count of destroy property in company use fire and participate criminal group contribute criminal activity.

The man was refused bail to appear before Parramatta local court today. Police will allege in court the man was driving a vehicle involved in the second alleged arson attack and is a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

Updated

Evacuation order lifted for Picton CBD amid heavy rainfall but SES remain concerned

The assistant commissioner of the SES has just provided a wet weather update to the ABC. Dallas Byrnes said while the weather appears to be clearing in the Illawarra, the SES remains concerned about the trough:

It’s still raining in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley area and that water will move downstream into North Richmond and Windsor, so a close focus [will be] on that today to see what the impacts will be for [the] community.

He confirmed an evacuation order for the Picton CBD had been lifted:

It’s been heavily sandbagged [and the] water is receding there. The sooner the system moves off, the happier we’ll be. Our volunteers have done a fantastic job in the last 24 hours.

Updated

Warragamba Dam and other Sydney dams spilling

Warragamba Dam began spilling early this morning, following intense rainfall overnight.

Water NSW confirmed the dam is at full capacity and began spilling at 4.20am this morning. By 7am the dam was spilling at a rate of 150 gigalitres per day (GL/day), and increasing. Total inflow to the dam was 270 GL/day and rising.

A severe weather warning is in place for heavy rainfall across the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley, plus a flood watch for moderate flooding across the region.

Water NSW said:

The Warragamba catchment received 87mm of rain in the 48 hours to 6am Friday. The Upper Nepean catchment received 129mm rain in the same period, and the Woronora catchment 111mm.

Other Sydney dams spilling this morning are the Woronora, Nepean, Cataract, Cordeaux, Avon and Tallowa, and the Blue Mountains storages, except Upper Cascades.

The April spill of Warragamba earlier this year peaked at about 220GL/day.

Updated

Victorian police investigating suspicious fire amid ongoing ‘tobacco wars’

Victoria police are investigating a suspicious fire at a tobacco shop in Coburg early this morning.

It is understood the alleged offenders broke into the shop on Sydney Road and lit a fire just before 4.30am, police said in a statement. Images on social media show that it was the Blck & Bronze tobacco store allegedly targeted.

No one was inside at the time of the incident, and an investigation is ongoing.

The alleged incident is the latest in a string of arson attacks on tobacco stores in Victoria.

Wollondilly mayor gives update on weather conditions

The mayor of Wollondilly council in south-west Sydney, Matt Gould, said it had been a “very long night” in Picton, where there is a watch and act to prepare for evacuation amid heavy rainfall overnight.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast just earlier, he provided the following update:

The Stone Quarry Creek has risen rapidly overnight. In a bit of good news, it does seem to have peaked and in the last 10 minutes we have had the SES downgrade us to an advice level now…

The residents of the Picton CBD and businesses are sandbagged and a lot of them will be closed today, and SES is continuing to watch the situation closely.

The rain has eased off here in the last hour but we have been told it could pick up again in the next few hours.

Updated

Greens MP continues criticism of Labor over alleged lack of action on Palestine

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather is continuing the breakfast rounds and just spoke to ABC RN about the legal action Adam Bandt is considering against Mark Dreyfus over comments on pro-Palestine protests.

Host Patricia Karvelas asked if it was possible for Australia to be “concerned about violent protests” but also talk about the “very significant violence overseas?”

Chandler-Mather responded:

I suppose the murder of 35,000 Palestinians and 15,000 children should warrant more coverage in the Australian media when the Australian government is not taking any material actions to put pressure on Israel to stop it.

Labor has previously called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the release of hostages and for Israel to allow aid to flow.

Asked if it’s appropriate for people to “blockade” an MP’s office, Chandler-Mather said “people feel like they’re not being heard.”

They look at other countries that have banned arms trade with Israel and they say, why is it that those countries can do it and Australia doesn’t?

Chandler-Mather said “meaningful action” would include sanctions on Israel, a ban on two-way arms trade, and for Australia to join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel.

Updated

Max-Chandler Mather weighs in on Bandt’s potential legal action against attorney-general

Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier about the ongoing stoush between his party and Labor, with Adam Bandt threatening legal action against the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, over comments on pro-Palestine protests.

Asked if Bandt was serious about taking legal action, Chandler-Mather said it was a “matter that we will leave between the attorney general and his decision about whether or not to apologise.”

He is asked again to comment on the case, and said:

Asking me to comment on the specifics of a case like that – outrageous comments by the attorney general, completely baseless and without fact … this is an attempt to distract from the fact that the Labor government is complicit in a genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza.

Labor has previously called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the release of hostages and for Israel to allow aid to flow.

Asked about the targeting of Labor MP offices by protestors, and whether politicians have a responsibility to be cautious with the language they use, Chandler-Mather said:

Of course. What is causing social unrest is the fact that the Australian government is not taking any meaningful action to stop Israel and put pressure on Israel.

Updated

Victorian Labor government would win election, poll says

Victoria’s Labor party would enter its fourth historic term if an election was held now, according to a poll.

As AAP reports, the Herald Sun reports a Redbridge poll of 1,000 Victorian voters shows the government has extended its two-party preferred lead over the coalition, 55 to 45.

While Labor has a lesser share of the primary vote than it did when it won the 2022 election, the survey shows those lost voters are not going to the Liberal-National coalition.

Redbridge directors Kos Samaras and Tony Barry said while the Coalition was winning back votes from minor parties, it was failing to attract disaffected Labor voters. Instead votes are going to the Greens, which would go back to Labor in a flow of preferences.

The next state election will be held in November 2026.

Updated

SES respond to 450 incidents overnight in NSW after wet weather

The State Emergency Service has responded to 450 incidents overnight across NSW.

Dallas Byrnes from the SES has told the Today Show that 49 of those were flood rescues – 28 being in the Illawarra.

As we flagged earlier, there is a watch and act for the low-lying areas of Picton to prepare to evacuate, plus warnings for the Wollundry and Shoalhaven rivers due to the heavy rainfall overnight.

Byrnes urged those in the Illawarra particularly to drive with caution into work this morning.

Updated

Rain can’t drive off Women’s State of Origin spectators

The east coast rain didn’t stop people from getting out and about last night. Here are some photos from the second game of the Women’s State of Origin match in Newcastle last night:

Updated

Wet weather will move to south coast later today, Bureau of Meteorology says

Senior meteorologist Angus Hines has just provided a wet weather update to ABC News Breakfast.

He said an eastern band of rain sat over the east coast overnight, drenching the Illawarra region in particular. Around Wollongong there was 200mm of rain, “most of which fell through the evening and overnight night last night.”

Port Kembla also received a bucketing, with over 200mm of rainfall.

The rivers have risen really quickly, there’s been areas of flooding across roads and road closures, areas of inundation into properties as well.

Heavy rain will continue in the Illawarra and parts of Sydney’s metropolitan, he said, plus parts of the tablelands and south coast.

The rain [in those hardest-hit areas] is expected to continue for the next few hours but by around the middle of the day, the band will move south and weaken back slightly.

For the second half of the day, the focal point will become the south coast of New South Wales, while the spots around the Illawarra and Sydney might see showers this afternoon, but the intensity and persistence of the rain should dial back.

A few more hours of wet weather in those places before some brighter and drier conditions on the way.

Good morning

And happy Friday – I’m Emily Wind, reporting for blogging duty this Friday. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off for us!

If you see something that needs attention, or have any questions, you can always reach out via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s go.

ANU to review ‘socially responsible’ investments despite not meeting with Palestine protestors

The vice chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU), Genevieve Bell, has confirmed that the university will meet at the end of next week to review its policies related to weapons manufacturers investments.

Asked whether the university would consider its ties that made it complicit in a “genocide in Gaza”, Bell said the university’s “socially responsible investment policy” would be reviewed next Friday by the university’s council.

Bell said she had received a number of correspondences related to investment and pro-Israel sentiment, including “one irate call” from the former member of Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg.

Asked why Bell hadn’t met with pro-Palestine students to discuss the encampment, a spokesperson said they hadn’t been able to put forward representatives to mediate their demands.

Australia National University expels two over Palestine protests

Ten students at the Australian National University (ANU) have had disciplinary action lodged against them and two have been expelled since the war in Gaza broke out last October.

Speaking to education estimates on Wednesday evening, the vice chancellor of ANU, Genevieve Bell, confirmed of 10 students that had disciplinary proceedings against them, five had been rendered and two had been excluded from campus.

Academic freedom is not absolute, it’s governed by and constrained by Australian law as well as our internal policies as a university.

Pointing to students that had made the alleged Nazi salute and a Nazi symbol during a council meeting, Bell said four cases that had activated disciplinary proceedings had been referred to the AFP, including the alleged Nazi symbols and two students that refused to condemn Hamas on ABC radio.

Bell reiterated that the campus supported protest as long as it was “peaceful, respectful” and sat within the university’s code of conduct.

Updated

NSW SES issues evacuation warning for areas in south-west Sydney

The NSW SES has issued a warning for areas south-west of Sydney, due to rising hazardous flash flooding.

In a warning issues at 3am today, the SES advised locals in Picton and the nearby Stone Quarry Creek to monitor the situation and prepare to evacuate so they can safely evacuate when instructed to do so.

Rising creek waters were threatening to cut off the town.

“Wherever possible, you should prepare to stay with family or friends, or make other accommodation arrangements,” the warning said. “If you remain in the area, you may become trapped without power, water, and other essential services. It may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you.”

The current weather systems are causing heavy rainfall across the area, with the possibility of flash flooding.

People in the area most at risk were advised to lift important belongings up onto tables, beds, benches, and shelves above predicted flood levels, and to collect or create sandbags by filling pillowcases or shopping bags with sand and place them around doorways and in toilets and over drains to prevent rising sewage.

They were also reminded not to swim or drive in floodwaters.

Heavy rain kicked off on Wednesday night and parts of NSW recorded more than a month’s rainfall in 12 hours. Read more:

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage at the end of another busy week in the world of news. I’m Martin Farrer and I’m going to run through a few of our top stories this morning before handing over to Emily Wind.

With little sign that the Reserve Bank is about to cut interest rates any time soon, our business correspondent has picked out four charts to explain the financial pressure being felt by Australian households. From rising insolvencies to affluent stress, and from falling spending to more inequality, the signs of strain are slowly building.

However, we might get some idea about the direction of travel for rates when the RBA’s deputy governor, Andrew Hauser, speaks at the Australian Economic Outlook conference in Sydney today. Anthony Albanese is top of the bill, though, so we’ll be bringing you details of what they say a soon as we get them.

Australia is being hit by a wave of Covid cases this winter, combined with an outbreak of other respiratory illnesses that has experts worried. Leading epidemiologists say it could be a few weeks before the country sees the peak of the current Covid outbreak, as a drop in vaccinations and a lowering of the public guard means a double-whammy effect. The impact of a “big wave” of Covid-19 infections is being made worse by a rise in ​influenza, respiratory syncytial viru, pertussis and pneumonia.

Peter Costello, the former federal treasurer and current chairman of Nine Entertainment, has been accused of assaulting a journalist from the Australian newspaper as he refused to answer questions about the embattled media company. Costello has dismissed the allegations, saying “there was no assault” and that the journalist “fell over an advertising placard”.

The drenching experienced by NSW since Wednesday saw nine rescues and a flash flood warning this morning for a town south-west of Sydney. More on that soon.

And at a Senate estimates hearing, the Australian National University vice chancellor has revealed ten students have been disciplined and two expelled over the pro-Palestine protests on campus. More on that, too, soon.

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