What we learned, Friday 7 February
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines.
Anthony Albanese announced a six-year $843m agreement to deliver services in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The funding will ensure continuity for essential services, including policing, women’s safety, education and alcohol harm reduction as well as hearing and dental programs.
Former prime minister John Howard has advised Peter Dutton and other centre-right politicians that “an arrogant attitude cost the Liberal party in Australia dear in the 2022 election”. Writing in the UK Daily Telegraph, he warned “It’s a huge mistake for a centre-right party to assume that a disgruntled conservative has “nowhere else to go”.
Two men have were arrested and charged for allegedly displaying a flag with a swastika in Sydney’s Kings Cross. Police were called to a hotel on Liverpool Street on Thursday afternoon after reports a man was displaying the flag.
The ALP’s national president, Wayne Swan, said Peter Dutton is “playing politics” amid US president Donald Trump’s move to displace almost 2 million Palestinians and take over Gaza.
Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs welcomed the Australian government’s move to impose mandatory minimum sentences for hate crimes.
More significant wet weather is forecast for northern Australia and the possibility of a tropical cyclone. North Queensland is preparing for a new wave of monsoonal rains to hit the flood-ravaged region in the coming days.
A Victorian man was charged with allegedly making death threats and antisemitic comments to members of the commonwealth and Victorian parliaments.
In more weather news, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting severe storms in north-east of Victoria, with the potential for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hail.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. Enjoy the weekend: we will be back on Monday.
Updated
Victorian Tafe teachers reach new salary agreement
Tafe teachers in Victoria are celebrating after a new agreement was secured that will deliver a minimum salary increase of 21% over four years – including a 14% increase in the first 14 months of the deal.
The first increase, backdated to November 2024, will bring Victorian TAFE teachers into line with similarly qualified and experienced Victorian public school teachers.
The top rate for a classroom-based Tafe teacher will grow to $134,775 by the end of the agreement while a level 1.2 teacher’s salary will go from $83,429 to $100,912.
Updated
Australian troops who trained Ukrainian soldiers call for recognition for their service
From AAP:
Australian troops who trained Ukrainians in the UK to help prepare them for their fight against Russia’s invasion have called for recognition of their service.
In submissions to a parliamentary inquiry probing the Defence honours and awards system, soldiers who deployed as part of Operation Kudu described their task as the “most significant” of their military careers.
“In spite of the language barrier, we became mates and learned a lot from each other,” one soldier wrote. “We heard stories of how the war has affected the recruits and their families.”
The anonymous soldier from the 5th battalion of the Royal Australian regiment deployed for three months in late 2023 and spoke about how ADF personnel during that rotation would keep track of the Ukrainians they had trained.
Updated
Market report at close of week
From AAP:
The local share market has finished slightly lower, pulling back from its all-time high ahead of another set of US jobs figures that could shift expectations for US rate cuts.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Friday dipped 20.9 points, or 0.24%, to 8,511.4, while the broader All Ordinaries lost 4.8 points, or 0.05%, to 8,780.3.
The ASX200 fell 20.9 points for the week, making up most of Monday’s 152.9-point plunge after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on China.
The index set an all-time closing high of 8,532 last Friday.
The Australian dollar was buying 62.84 US cents, from 62.50 US cents at 5pm on Thursday.
Updated
Albanese pleads for turn away from political polarisation
Earlier today, the PM pleaded for the heat and polarisation that has taken hold in some democracies overseas to be turned down. He said:
The truth is that we do live in circumstances where the number of threats that have been made towards elected representatives [has increased].
People will say things on social media that they would never say to you face to face, and they engage in a way that seems to ramp up from zero to 11 straight away … [we want] to be able to have civil discourse in this country.
I don’t want to see the sort of polarisation that we see in some of our democracies around the world happen here.
- With AAP
Updated
Man who escaped from NSW correctional facility extradited from ACT and charged
NSW police said a man who escaped from a correctional facility on the south coast has been extradited and charged:
Police were alerted after a 44-year-old man went missing from South Nowra last Wednesday morning (29 January 2025).
About 4.30am today (Friday 7 February 2025), officers attached to ACT Policing’s city station attended an apartment block in Dooring Street, Braddon, responding to reports a man was acting suspiciously in the underground car park.
Police arrested a 44-year-old man in the stairwell and he was taken to the ACT watchhouse.
The man appeared before ACT magistrates court today, where an application for extradition was granted.
He was refused bail to appear in Parramatta local court tomorrow (Saturday 8 February 2025).
Updated
Federal bail law changes an ‘express training program for a life of crime and suffering’: critics
Critics have slammed the state government’s plan to continue the tough bail trail that has seen children accused of repeated serious burglaries or car thefts are increasingly being locked up before trial.
The chief executive of the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service, Karly Warner, told AAP:
These bail laws have not only failed to reduce crime, but have put another generation of young children into an express training program for a life of crime and suffering.
Increasing the rate of bail refusal was a poor measure of success and said nothing about crime reduction, Greens MP Sue Higginson said:
The changes were not designed to reduce crime, they were only designed to make the government appear tough on crime.
Twelve months later, we are in exactly the situation that the premier was warned about: more young First Nations people in prison and no clear reduction in the rate of offending.
Updated
PM says his responsibility is to look after Australia, not comment on USA
The PM has been asked about Peter Dutton saying he supports Donald Trump’s moves to ban trans people from competing in sport.
He says:
Peter Dutton can speak for Peter Dutton. I’ve said I’m not going to have a running commentary on [decisions] made by the president of the United States. My responsibility is to look after Australia. That’s my priority.
Updated
Albanese addresses media in northern NSW
We’ll bring you more from the PM’s press conference as soon as we can.
Updated
Artist Khaled Sabsabi has been selected to represent Australia at the world’s most prestigious art event – the Venice Biennale.
Sabsabi is the first Lebanese Australian artist selected to represent us. We have more here:
Hello everyone! This is Cait. I will be with you for the rest of the afternoon. Let’s get into it!
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Cait Kelly will take you through the rest of today’s rolling coverage. Take care.
More than 100 firefighters tackling industrial blaze in western Sydney
Crews have been working throughout the day to extinguish an industrial fire near Blacktown in Sydney’s west.
Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters were called to a steel manufacturing premises in Rooty Hill before 6am. A 100m-long heavy-duty rubber conveyor belt system was ablaze and had collapsed into a concrete pit.
The fire remains contained within the industrial complex.
More than 100 firefighters and 26 fire trucks are actively working to extinguish the fire, FRNSW said, as well as monitoring the smoke plume and managing potential hazards associated with on-site chemicals.
The site’s infrastructure is effectively capturing all firefighting water runoff, preventing any environmental contamination and FRNSW is collaborating with the NSW EPA to ensure ongoing environmental safety.
Given the fire’s deep-seated nature and the complexities of the industrial environment, extinguishment efforts are expected to be prolonged.
Firefighters are rotating shifts and paramedics are on-site monitoring their health and safety, FRNSW said. There are no reported injuries and the broader community remains unaffected.
Best state at addressing housing crisis revealed as South Australia
The Housing Industry Association has scored all the states and territories for the effectiveness of their housing policy announcements over the past two years, and determined that South Australia is leading the way to helping the country achieve its supply targets.
As AAP reports, the Malinauskas government has implemented “an advantageous blend of planning innovation, skills investment and housing affordability policies”, positioning the state as best-placed to meet its share of the national 1.2m new homes target over five years.
South Australia has made strides to accelerate land releases and development approvals, revamped its planning system including using artificial intelligence to automate simple approvals, removed stamp duty for first home buyers and increased investment in training for construction trades.
The state was handed a nine out of 10 on the HIA’s scoreboard, followed closely by Western Australia on eight. Although Matt King, a HIA senior economist. said:
Despite these steps forward, neither South Australia nor Western Australia are on track to build the number of homes required to meet their contribution to deliver on the government’s 1.2m homes target.
At the other end of the scale, the ACT was the most disappointing jurisdiction, scoring a four out of 10.
Updated
Severe storms forecast for north-east Victoria
In more weather news, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting severe storms in north-east of Victoria, with the potential for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hail:
⛈️TODAY's Thunderstorm FORECAST (Fri 7 Feb ):
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) February 7, 2025
🔴 Severe storms likely: NE #Vic
Hazards: damaging winds, heavy rainfall and large hail
🟡Severe storms possible: central and eastern #Vic
🟢Non-severe storms possible: extending to the Mallee
Warnings: https://t.co/Ildo3KSAXK pic.twitter.com/P9Mus8sAqc
Updated
Whitsunday airport cancels all fights amid wild weather
The Whitsunday coast airport has cancelled all fights today, amid the heavy rain and wild weather. It shared an update on social media:
Due to the high potential for road closures to the Whitsunday coast airport and further heavy rain forecast, all flights today … have been cancelled. If you were scheduled to travel, please contact your airline directly.
Updated
Peak body welcomes funding for Northern Territory
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative body, the Coalition of Peaks, has welcomed the government’s $843m investment in the Northern Territory as a “significant milestone” in Closing the Gap efforts.
You can read more details on this earlier in the blog, here. The prime minister also acknowledged earlier today that Closing the Gap numbers “simply aren’t up to scratch.”
Pat Turner, lead convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, said the investment “recognises the expertise and leadership of Aboriginal organisations and communities in driving lasting change for their communities.”
This is the first time an agreement of this nature has been negotiated directly with Aboriginal people, in alignment with the Closing the Gap priority reforms. It is a critical acknowledgment that solutions must be led by our communities if we are to see real and lasting improvements.
Updated
Crown prosecutor says Kristian White failed to express genuine contrition and remorse
Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC has told Kristian White’s sentencing hearing that the since-dismissed police officer had failed to express genuine contrition and remorse for his crime, most obviously demonstrated by White’s appeal against his dismissal from the police force.
He obviously does not accept that he is guilty of manslaughter in a proper sense. His position seems to be that he was justified in doing what he did, that he shouldn’t be punished for what he did.
Man charged for allegedly targeting politicians with death threats and antisemitic comments
A Victorian man has been charged with allegedly making death threats and antisemitic comments to members of the commonwealth and Victorian parliaments.
The Reservoir man, 33, was yesterday charged with four counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of using a carriage service to threaten to kill.
Both charges carry a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a joint statement from the Australian federal police and Victorian police said. The man was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear before Melbourne magistrates court on 8 April.
The AFP will allege he used social media and email to contact a NSW-based commonwealth MP between 16 and 18 January, making death threats and antisemitic comments. Victoria police will allege the man also used social media to contact a Victorian-based state MP last month.
Special Operation Avalite and Victoria police executed a search warrant at the man’s home yesterday and seized several electronic devices. AFP counter-terrorism and special investigations command assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt said:
Anyone engaging in this type of deplorable behaviour will be investigated, located and brought before the court. Parliamentarians and members of our community should not have to endure vile threats based on their race, religion, or ethnicity.
Nutt said the community could expect “further charges” through Special Operation Avalite – established to investigate threats, violence and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians.
Updated
Crown prosecutor rejects assertion Nowland’s manslaughter was ‘at lower end’ of those offences
In his sentencing submissions, crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC rejected assertions from Kristian White’s lawyers that Clare Nowland’s manslaughter was “at the lower end” of those offences.
This was a serious criminal offence. It’s a conviction for manslaughter and the death of a person is, on any level, a serious offence.
The offender’s case that there was an imminent threat … was plainly rejected by the jury. None of the responders there were in any danger.
Justice Ian Harrison has been an active interlocutor in the early stages of sentencing submissions from the crown. The judge posited the situation with Nowland in the early hours of 17 May 2023 could have been resolved very differently.
If everyone had sat down and waited for Mrs Nowland to come out, or, on another view, offered her a cup of tea and a bun, things might have been significantly different … apply a bit of common sense and patience, and we’d have all been happily on our way.
Updated
Kristian White sentencing hearing continues
Clare Nowland’s granddaughter Kim Lloyd directed her victim impact statement directly at Kristian White, who sat in the dock across the courtroom with his head bowed.
She told White his reckless decision to fire his Taser at her grandmother were “inexcusable, unimaginable and unforgivable”.
The immediate repulsion I have for you has not dissipated, and I don’t believe it ever will. Your actions were disgracefully unfair and unjust.
Updated
Youth bail crackdown to be extended for three years in NSW
Children in New South Wales accused of repeated serious burglaries or car thefts are increasingly being locked up before trial, AAP has reported.
The bail overhaul, aimed at curbing youth crime in regional areas but opposed by youth advocates and legal groups, was set to expire in April. Labor has revealed it wants to extend the tougher regime until 2028.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said:
Under our bail laws, alleged offenders are more than twice as likely to be denied bail. The bail laws need to be retained – and that’s exactly what we are doing.
Updated
Bureau of Meteorology update on weather in Queensland
Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology was just on the ABC talking about the wild weather up in Queensland:
When are conditions expected to ease? Not for some time across north-east Queensland, unfortunately, with a fresh burst of heavy rainfall from tonight through Saturday, through Sunday, and continuing to be wet into the start of next week.
In our slightly longer range forecast, we could see an overall shift in weather pattern sometime through the middle of next week, which might bring some drier conditions.
Updated
Escaped NSW prisoner arrested in the ACT
A man who escaped a correctional facility on the New South Wales south coast last week has been arrested in the ACT.
NSW police were alerted that the 44-year-old man went missing from South Nowra last Wednesday morning.
About 4.30am today, officers attended an apartment block in Braddon, responding to reports a man was “acting suspiciously in the underground car park”.
The 44-year-old was arrested in the stairwell and taken to the ACT watchhouse where he remains, pending extradition to NSW, police said.
Updated
Already affected areas could see life-threatening flooding, BoM says
A representative from the Bureau of Meteorology is also providing an update on the weather situation in north Queensland. He said the severe weather warning extends from Ayr through to Tully, and these areas could see “dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding”.
That includes already impacted towns such as Townsville, Cardwell and Ingham.
Daily rainfall totals of up to 250mm are forecast across the region, with some areas seeing higher isolated falls.
He said severe thunderstorm activity was also forecast today, stretching along the Flinders Highway communities as far west as Mount Isa.
Given that our catchments are already saturated, additional rainfall over the weekend is very likely to see renewed rises and, particularly for some of those areas where we have already seen significant impacts, we may see major flood warnings again.
Updated
Crisafulli provides update on weather situation in north Queensland
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, is providing an update on the weather situation in north Queensland.
Speaking to reporters in Townsville, he said the weather system remains active and “intense” with a severe weather warning in place (as we reported earlier).
We are asking people to stay connected, please listen to advice … To the people of north Queensland, thank you for your resilience. This weekend will further test that resilience and that spirit, but if anyone has proven their metal over the years it is people of this region.
He said the state government had “restocked and resupplied” and are “ready for what Mother Nature can throw at us this weekend”. An operations centre in the Mackay district has been established, and seven flood boats deployed, he said.
A further four have been deployed to the Whitsundays, with swift water rescue teams in place in both places.
Residents have been tested and there is more of the test to go but we are asking people to stay safe and above all look out for your neighbours.
Updated
Kyle Sandilands reveals he has second aneurysm
The radio host Kyle Sandilands says doctors have found a second aneurysm in his chest, and that surgery for the one in his brain would be more complicated than first expected.
This comes after he revealed on Monday he would undergo “immediate” brain surgery after being diagnosed with the brain aneurysm. He has continued hosting The Kyle & Jackie O Show alongside Jackie Henderson this week.
Speaking on the radio this morning, Sandilands provided an update on his condition and said he left the doctors with “more questions than when I went in”.
Remember how they were going to thread it through a vein and stick a little coil in there? Well, mine’s the wrong shape for a coil … so they have to drill a hole through my skull the size of a drinking glass, pull that bit of skull out and go into the brain.
He said doctors found a second aneurysm in his chest, which would require a separate surgery, as well as “very bad calcium build up in the heart, [with a] 25% chance of having a heart attack in the next five years”. This would also require surgery, he said.
Updated
Clare Nowland’s son says repercussions of mother’s death will ‘echo through our family for generations to come’
At the Kristian White sentencing hearing, Dennis Nowland – Clare Nowland’s fourth child – said his life has been “on hold” since his mother’s death, and that he has been unable to properly grieve because of the criminal justice proceedings and intense media interest.
He said he struggled to comprehend how a police officer – charged with serving and protecting the community – could “fail so catastrophically” to uphold his responsibilities. He told the court:
This is a wound I will never fully heal from but I have to learn to live with. The repercussions will echo through our family for generations to come.
White, the since-dismissed police officer convicted of Nowland’s manslaughter, is sitting alone in the dock.
Updated
PM says Dutton should say where public spending will be cut
Asked about Peter Dutton’s intention to cut public spending, Anthony Albanese told reporters in Alice Springs it’s “not good enough” for him to wait until after the election to reveal where these cuts will be.
As we reported yesterday, the opposition leader provided little information on his plans to get the “economy back on track” through slashing government jobs and other “wasteful spending”.
The prime minister said:
[Dutton] said that they’ll tell you what [the cuts] are after the election. I don’t think that’s good enough. I think you’re entitled to ask where the cuts will be – and that’s before he has to find an additional $600bn of funding, of cuts, in order to pay for his nuclear fantasy.
After one more question, the press conference wrapped up.
Updated
Clare Nowland’s eldest son tells court of trauma of losing his mother
Circling back to the Kristian White sentencing hearing: Michael Nowland, the eldest son of Clare Nowland, has told the New South Wales supreme court of the trauma of losing his mother. He said fell into a state of shock at the “inhumane act” perpetrated on his mother.
This was unfathomable. Who in their right mind would do this to a frail 95-year-old lady?
To this day I am traumatised by this gutless, coward act. This continues to cause me sleepless nights and anger, blaming myself as to how I could have negated this act and protected my mother.
Michael Nowland described his mother as “the most caring person in the world”, who was not allowed to die with dignity.
The Nowland family want justice and fairness.
Updated
PM taking questions from reporters in NT
Taking questions at the press conference in Alice Springs, Anthony Albanese said the funding for the NT would be “a line item when we hand down our budget”.
It’s not people in Canberra saying, ‘Here’s what you’re going to do.’ It’s engaging with people on the ground that will make an enormous difference …
This is the full suite of services, including policing, that will make a difference … for community safety, children’s health [and] alcohol harm reduction.
Updated
Kristian White sentencing hearing begins
The sentencing hearing for former police officer Kristian White – who fatally shot 95-year-old Clare Nowland with a Taser gun in a nursing home in 2023 – has begun in King Street courts in Sydney.
Justice Ian Harrison has noted the unique nature of the case, saying the “idiosyncratic, almost enigmatic” circumstance means there is no precedent for sentencing in a case such as this.
The court is about to hear statements from members of Nowland’s family.
Updated
PM flags Closing the Gap speeches
Anthony Albanese flagged that Closing the Gap speeches will take place in Parliament on Monday. He told reporters:
I want to make sure, though, that we were here on the ground – the commonwealth government, with the NT government, with Indigenous services here in the Northern Territory – to make a difference.
Updated
Albanese says funding outcomes will be monitored
The prime minister said the government had a range of audit processes in place and “if things aren’t working, we’ll change them”.
We’ll intervene to make sure that the dollars go to where they are anticipated, which is improving the lives of Territorians. So we have high expectations of organisations that deliver taxpayer-funded programs.
Updated
Closing the Gap numbers ‘aren’t up to scratch’ – PM
Anthony Albanese is speaking to reporters in Alice Springs alongside the Northern Territory chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro.
As Dan Jervis-Bardy reported earlier, a six-year, $843m agreement to deliver services in remote Indigenous communities in the NT has been inked by the commonwealth and Territory governments.
Finocchiaro labelled the funding as “one of the best health funding deals we’ve ever had for the territory”.
We know that community safety is the number one priority of Territorians no matter where they live, but this funding will go further than remote policing, which is critical. It will also support better health outcomes for Aboriginal people living in the bush, greater empowerment and decision making and, of course, making sure that our remote communities are invested in.
Albanese said the six-year agreement was about “empowering those local communities to work with government to deliver real solutions”.
Australians want to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and we know that we’re, frankly, not doing well enough. And no government have done well enough, which is why so many of the indices that will be released next week simply aren’t up to scratch. So this is about doing better.
Updated
Ex-police officer Kristian White faces sentence hearing
A now former police officer who fatally Tasered a 95-year-old dementia patient in New South Wales could receive a jail term when he faces a sentence hearing.
Kristian James Samuel White was found guilty of manslaughter after Tasering Clare Nowland at Yallambee Lodge aged-care home in the southern NSW town of Cooma in the early hours of 17 May 2023.
He will face a sentence hearing in the NSW supreme court today, during which prosecutors are expected to argue he should serve time behind bars. Read more below:
Updated
Follow live: Antoinette Lattouf v ABC hearing
Day five of the Antoinette Lattouf v ABC unlawful termination claim is under way today.
Chris Oliver-Taylor, the outgoing ABC content chief who sacked Lattouf, has begun giving evidence.
Remaining witnesses include the former ABC Radio Sydney manager Steve Ahern, the ABC Radio Sydney’s content director, Elizabeth Green, and former chair Ita Buttrose.
You can follow along live with Kate Lyons in our separate live blog here:
Domino’s to close 205 ailing stores, mainly in Japan
Domino’s Pizza Enterprises will close 205 stores, mostly in Japan, after prolonged struggles in its Asian expansion.
The Australian-listed company, which holds the branding rights in several countries of the American pizza chain, had invested heavily in Japan but without the success of other international brands such as KFC, which has a passionate following there.
The managing director, Mark van Dyck, said Japan was still a “high potential market” and that Domino’s would adopt a more focused strategy.
We are committed to being disciplined in expansion – prioritising locations in high-density prefectures where we can drive incremental growth.
Domino’s was an early market darling of the pandemic amid a boon in takeaway food and deliveries. But its share price has crashed more than 80% since those 2021 highs, weighed down by changed buying habits and its troubled operations in Japan and France.
The pizza chain had unsuccessfully tried to reshape its menu to meet local tastes, such as introducing pizza rice bowls to drive sales in Japan.
Domino’s disclosed in a trading update today that same store sales had increased in its Australia and New Zealand reporting unit over the past six months, but fallen sharply in Asia.
All of the 205 stores that will be closed were recording losses, with 172 located in Japan.
Updated
Unions NSW calls for stronger action on short-term holiday rentals across state
Unions NSW is urging the state government must take action on short-term holiday rentals on platforms like Airbnb, saying they are worsening the housing affordability crisis and pushing essential workers out of their communities.
It has made a submission to the essential worker housing inquiry, pointing to a survey that shows 78% of frontline workers in NSW are in housing stress, spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
Unions NSW said that as of March last year, 167,955 dwellings across Australia were being used for unhosted short-term rentals – and in Sydney, Airbnb listings were occupied on average for only 71 nights a year.
Of the Airbnbs in Sydney, more than 30% are run by investors with 10 or more listings.
It said the housing affordability crisis had reached “critical levels” as low vacancy rates in Sydney couple with weekly rents rising by almost 60% since 2020, from $519 to $833.
Mark Morey, the secretary of Unions NSW, will present the evidence to the upper house inquiry today. He said in a statement:
Places like Byron Bay are taking matters into their own hands, introducing a 60-day cap on unhosted short-term rentals. The NSW government must follow suit and introduce statewide limits in high-demand areas.
Updated
Parts of remote WA forecast to reach 47C
Moving over to the west coast, Western Australians are continuing to swelter through a heatwave, with remote areas facing near 50C temperatures into the weekend.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of maximum temperatures in the low to high 40s, and overnight minimum temperatures in the mid 20s to low 30s.
Both Marble Bar and Gascoyne Junction are forecast to reach a top of 47C today and tomorrow. The latter reached 49C on Sunday, 49.2C on Monday and 48.8C on Tuesday this week, according to the bureau.
Leinster, Leonora, Paraburdoo, Wiluna and Meekatharra are all expected to reach 46C at the weekend. Laverton is expected to reach 45C at the weekend, followed by 46C on Monday.
Updated
Major flood warnings as severe weather forecast for north Queensland
Back to the weather in Queensland, here’s a look at some of the major flood warnings that remain in place, from the Bureau of Meteorology:
Major flooding is occurring along the Murray River, based on upstream gauges, and may remain so throughout the day. Further rainfall is forecast over the next few days, which may cause renewed or prolonged flooding depending on the location of the heaviest falls.
Minor to major flooding is occurring along the Herbert River, downstream of Nash’s Crossing. At Halifax, the river is at 4.96m and steady, near the major flood level. It is likely to remain around this level today, with further rises possible amid forecast rainfall.
Major flooding is likely at Taemas from this afternoon, as water levels rise along the Cape River. It is currently at 6.51m and rising, expected to reach the major flood level of 8m this afternoon.
A severe weather warning remains in place for parts of the tropical north coast, Tablelands, Herbert and Lower Burdekin. The BoM warns:
Significant rainfall may develop over the weekend about the Herbert and Lower Burdekin and the Cassowary coast, with a monsoon trough in place, rich tropical moisture and onshore flow expected to strengthen.
Enhanced rainfall due to widespread showers and isolated embedded thunderstorms is possible from tonight and throughout the weekend, with extremely wet soils and river catchments leading to a higher than normal vulnerability to flash flooding.
Updated
Mandatory minimum sentence for displaying Nazi symbol ‘problematic’ – barrister
Circling back to barrister Bret Walker SC’s interview on ABC RN this morning on the government’s hate crime legislation: he spoke about the one-year mandatory minimum sentence for displaying a Nazi symbol and said this was “perhaps the easiest to use as an example of the really problematic nature of this kind of law”.
He said this was a “complete reversal” of the usual approach of “tailoring sentences so they comply with the message sent by the maximum, and then they meet the position of the individual offender and the particular offence.”
Asked if he could understand some of the public desire for mandatory minimums, and also the political pressure surrounding this issue, Walker said he didn’t
But I am, I suppose, like really everybody, completely sympathetic with and join in the extreme distaste, the disgust with people who think it appropriate – or perhaps knowing it is inappropriate and intending to be offensive – display these symbols or say these things about groups who are all entitled to equal protection of the law.
Updated
Josh Butler analysis on hate crimes legislation
Our own Josh Butler spoke with ABC RN earlier about the government’s amendment to the hate crimes bill, which passed the Senate yesterday afternoon.
He drew a comparison between the government’s existing rhetoric, painting themselves as being in contrast to Peter Dutton, with their apparent decision to follow his lead on mandatory minimum sentences:
Labor’s entire election campaign, and what they’ve sort of revealed so far in the PM’s speech at the press club the other week, was all about drawing that contrast of Peter Dutton – they’re the past, we’re the future. Dutton’s this, we’re that … On so many national security and social cohesion issues now, they have followed Peter Dutton’s lead. And I think the government would protest and say, ‘well, it’s our legislation … we’re the ones who passed it’, that sort of thing …
We look at the NZYQ immigration cohort, we look at some of the other social cohesion measures, the government has said from the start, we’re not going to do what Peter Dutton says, you know, terrible idea, and then they gradually, gradually, gradually, at the last minute, 8pm in the federation chamber on Wednesday night, fold, and do exactly what Peter Dutton said at the start.
So I think there is this case to be made – and the opposition is very gleefully making it – that they are leading the conversation on national security, on social cohesion, on antisemitism, and the government is not really doing much to push back on that.
You can read his full analysis in this piece below:
Updated
More on the tropical low forecast off Queensland
Circling back to earlier news that a tropical low is expected to develop in the Coral Sea off the Queensland coast on Saturday:
The Bureau of Meteorology says the tropical low may form in the Coral Sea at the weekend before moving east, away from the Queensland coast.
It said an active monsoon trough might persist across north Queensland during the week.
The risk of the tropical low developing into a tropical cyclone increases to “low” on Sunday, moving eastward once it forms, away from the Queensland coast.
It is likely to move to the east of the Australian region on Monday or Tuesday.
Updated
The week that was in politics
Parliament resumed this week for the first time in 2025 – and it was certainly back with a bang. Here’s a recap of some of the key moments from the past few days, in case you missed it:
Labor and the Coalition continue to back a two-state solution after the US president, Donald Trump, announced the US would “take over” the Gaza Strip and “level” it.
Dutton said Trump brought “gravitas” to the Middle East conflict and was a “big thinker”, in response to the announcement.
As we’ve flagged throughout the blog today, an amendment to the hate crimes bill to add mandatory minimum sentencing for some terrorism offences and displaying hate symbols passed the Senate yesterday afternoon. However, the former Labor senator Kim Carr said mandatory jail terms were a “clear breach” of the party’s platform.
For more, you can have a listen to today’s Full Story podcast – looking at why politicians often find it so hard to pass the pub test:
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Tropical cyclone threat renewed off Queensland
A flood emergency is not over yet, AAP reports, with more significant wet weather forecast for northern Australia and the possibility of a tropical cyclone.
North Queensland is preparing for a new wave of monsoonal rains to hit the flood-ravaged region in the coming days.
Ingham has been one of the worst hit with floodwaters cutting power, disrupting telecommunications and affecting food supply. Power was finally restored and a temporary crossing built on a damaged bridge for emergency services to transport much needed supplies late yesterday.
But the sodden town is again on alert with Bowen also at risk of more flooding from further rainfall, premier David Crisafulli warned.
The double whammy is that you have conditions where everything is so waterlogged, it’s got nowhere to go. So if you have heavy rainfall in a short period of time, there is the real risk of flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a severe weather warning was likely to be issued today for heavy rainfall that might lead to “life-threatening” flash flooding.
The flood risk has been increased due to catchments that have been saturated by heavy rainfall over the past week.
A tropical low is expected to develop in the Coral Sea off the Queensland coast on Saturday and the bureau warned it had a low chance of becoming a cyclone. However, it was expected to move east from the mainland over the weekend.
Rainfall totals until Sunday could reach up to 300mm for the north.
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Walker rejects notion there was legislative urgency for mandatory minimum sentences
Asked if there was a legislative urgency for the government to impose mandatory minimum sentences, Bret Walker SC said no – and that the urgency is to investigate the alleged offences “under laws that already exist”.
There’s an urgency in the proper prosecution of them. There’s certainly an urgency, in the event that any sentences appear to be unduly lenient, to have them reviewed by the pre-existing and perfectly robust processes for a review and appeal.
But there’s no urgency in putting in laws to create offences which really are just doubling up, in the classic Australian way, for laws we already have … in our law books.
Walker said an unintended consequence was that the laws appeared to be “singling out particular aspects of social dysfunction for particular attention”. He pointed to 9/11 and said that “the notion of terrorism was very heavily emphasised in many statute books around the world, including ours” in the aftermath.
I’m not at all sure, however, that any of that was warranted to the degree it occurred, bearing in mind [the] death of human beings … that is at the bottom of all the really important crimes that we deal within our statutes, and the idea of singling out some as being somehow worse is, I think, really dangerous.
A moment’s thought about sexual offences being inspired by really vicious misogyny, a moment’s thought about the the nature of murders inspired by homophobia, for example. All of that rather suggests that we don’t need special laws for lesser outcomes …
He said laws existed as an “aspect” of social cohesion but can’t “compel people to be pleasant” or civil.
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Barrister says government should have resisted mandatory minimum sentences from ‘legal and social’ perspective
Barrister Bret Walker SC spoke with ABC RN just earlier about the government’s hate crimes legislation – which adds mandatory minimum sentences for some terrorism offences and the display of hate symbols.
The legislation passed the Senate yesterday afternoon, introducing mandatory minimum sentences of six years for terror offences, three years for financing terrorism and one year for displaying hate symbols.
Asked if the government should have resisted these changes, amid a push from the Coalition, Walker said “of course they should have”, from a legal and social perspective.
The questions of politics, I’m afraid, don’t always align with those of principle.
He said a mandatory minimum sentence “sends a message about a particular class of case, and sometimes, therefore, about a particular class of accused person or victim person, that they stand apart from the usual run”.
The whole point about a mandatory minimum is that it requires a sentence to be imposed from time to time that would be more harsh than the merits of the case would deserve. There is no other reason for the minimum to be mandatory. It is the parliament telling the courts, even though everything else about the case would combine to produce a particular result, I insist you must impose a sentence which is more harsh.
Now that is obviously a complete reversal of the usual approach we take to the usual run of crime, where we don’t have mandatory minimums for obvious reasons. Every offence is individual to the particular offender.
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Israel welcomes move on hate-crime sentences
Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs has welcomed the Australian government’s move to impose mandatory minimum sentences for hate crimes.
In a post to X, the foreign ministry wrote:
We welcome Australia’s decision to pass legislation against hate crimes in response to the alarming rise in antisemitism. No Jew in Australia – or anywhere in the world – should have to live in fear.
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O’Neil questioned over Dutton’s ‘big thinker’ remark on Trump
Clare O’Neil was asked about Peter Dutton’s description of Donald Trump as a “big thinker” amid his plans to take over Gaza – how would she describe him?
The housing minister responded that she wasn’t going to “get into making descriptions of president Trump today” – similar to Anthony Albanese’s repeated statement he would not give a daily “running commentary” on all of the president’s remarks.
O’Neil continued that she was “respectful of [Trump’s] position as president of a very important partner and friend of Australia”.
What I would say about the foreign policy aspects of this is very simple – we’re the Australian government and we make Australia’s foreign policy. We have a really clear approach to the issue in the Middle East and that is we support a two-state solution. We’ll keep pursuing that through international forums.
Is it a good thing for the opposition leader to praise the president in this space? O’Neil said she would leave Dutton’s “actions and approaches to him”.
There’s a lot more work to do and all of it is at risk if Peter Dutton is elected prime minister. That’s going to be our big focus over the coming months.
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O’Neil makes housing announcements in lead-up to election
The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, is in Parramatta today and will travel to Bennelong later, announcing 28 new social and affordable homes
She said the housing crisis had been “a generation in the making” and that the government was “announcing new funding [and] turning sods on new projects, or opening new homes” across the country.
She was asked about $800m in funding for remote Northern Territory communities (as we flagged just earlier) and whether this would help to close the gap. O’Neil said it “absolutely” would.
Funding is incredibly important here. I know all of our Australians at home who are watching are really deeply concerned about those devastating differences we see between health outcomes, even important things like infant mortality.
All of the indicators that we use to determine equality of life are very different between our First Nations communities, particularly in remote areas.
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Swan accuses Dutton of ‘playing politics’ with Trump Gaza plan
ALP national president Wayne Swan says Peter Dutton is “playing politics” amid US president Donald Trump’s move to displace almost 2 million Palestinians and take over Gaza.
Speaking about the move on the Today Show, Swan said this was not a “remarkable idea”, as suggested by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
I think our prime minister has been quite sober and rational about this, but it is not a reasonable idea, and it’s not shrewd as described by Peter Dutton.
Swan argued Dutton “just can’t resist playing party politics” and said the “last time the Liberals did this, Scott Morrison blew up our relationship with China”.
So I think the prime minister has done the right thing. And Peter Dutton is out there playing politics.
Independent MP Dai Le, also on the program, said she viewed Trump’s comments as “a big thought bubble” and that it seemed he uses big announcements on stage as a way of “negotiating with or talking about solutions”.
But the issue, I think, here that we’re missing is that Gaza has completely been destroyed … It’s devastating to see those kind of images. So there needs to be a rebuild. There needs to be a place that people can come back to in a safe haven for them to call home.
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Two charged in Sydney for allegedly displaying swastika flag
Two men have been arrested and charged for allegedly displaying a flag with a swastika in Sydney’s Kings Cross.
Police were called to a hotel on Liverpool Street on Thursday afternoon following reports a man was displaying the flag.
A short time later, the 51-year-old and another man, aged 44, were arrested nearby and taken to Kings Cross police station.
The flag and several electronic devices were seized.
Both men were charged with knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public without excuse. They were refused bail to appear before Downing Centre local court later today.
– with AAP
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Good morning
Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Many thanks to Martin for kicking things off this morning – I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
You can get in touch with any story tips, questions or feedback via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s go.
Protesters to fight Trump’s proposal to redevelop Gaza
As an international outcry rings out over Donald Trump’s proposed US push into Gaza, Australia’s Palestinian community will again take to the streets to show its fury.
As AAP reports, Palestinian supporters say the president’s proposal amounts to ethnic cleansing and criticised opposition leader Peter Dutton for “legitimising” the plan.
Trump suggested the US should take over, own and redevelop the destroyed Gaza Strip while Palestinians are relocated elsewhere.
At Sydney Town Hall later today, the Palestine Action Group will protest against the president’s declaration, along with the “persecution, slander and silence” from Australia’s politicians and media. They wrote on Facebook:
Trump has just announced the tearing up of the ceasefire deal, and a continuation of the slaughter … we have said all along Israel’s real goal in Gaza was always genocide and the expulsion of the Palestinians from their homeland.
The despicable Australian political and media establishment are refusing to call Trump’s statements what they really are; calls for genocide.
Yesterday, Dutton described the president as a “big thinker and a deal maker”, before later clarifying he still supported a two-state solution.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the comments “legitimised” Trump’s plan and treated Gaza like a bargaining chip.
International law experts have suggested a US takeover of Gaza would not be legal as the use of force is prohibited.
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Starmer says he wants to build fleet of nuclear power stations of same design touted by Dutton
Staying in the UK and with Peter Dutton, prime minister Keir Starmer made an announcement yesterday that he wants to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations of the same design touted by the Liberal leader.
Britain already has nuclear power stations and is in the process of building an extremely expensive new one at Hinckley Point in Somerset. But this time around, Starmer wants to build small modular reactors which will provide a base power load for the country’s push to develop its AI industry.
Here’s the full story from our UK team:
And you can read an explainer on SMRs here.
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Dutton coy on what public servant jobs he will slash if he wins election
Peter Dutton, of course, says he wants to cut the size of the federal government and has promised to slash civil service jobs in what appears to be an attempt to live up to the Howard dictum.
Making a rare media appearance in Canberra yesterday, Dutton said he “plans to get the “economy back on track” through slashing government jobs and other “wasteful spending”.
However, he was careful not to give any actual details of the plan and which jobs he would cut, as many critics were only too happy to point out.
Read more from Sarah Basford Canales and Josh Butler:
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John Howard says 'arrogant attitude' cost Liberals in 2022
As his latest successor as Liberal party leader plots his strategy to win power this year, the former prime minister John Howard has advised Peter Dutton and other centre-right politicians to make sure they can deliver on the key promise of less tax and less government.
Writing in the UK Daily Telegraph, Howard ruminates on the difficulty faced by parties to attract support from young people in the face of a challenge from the populist right, and the challenge of finding new members in an age where people have stopped “being joiners”.
He says the the challenge is to scoop up increasing numbers of floating voters while not alienating the base. But he says a trap lies in wait, because taking conservative voters for granted cost the Coalition power last time out:
It’s a huge mistake for a centre-right party to assume that a disgruntled conservative has “nowhere else to go”. That arrogant attitude cost the Liberal party in Australia dear in the 2022 election. In the UK they now have Reform to go to.
The way to do it, Howard says, is to “stand for less government, either in the form of state ownership or excessive regulation, and lower taxation”, along with stronger defence.
These are the invariable default definitions trotted out. Yet the reality often falls short, and that creates a credibility deficit. The voting public will no longer accept the excuse that taxes would be higher under leftwing governments as a substitute for actual tax relief under conservative ones.
Central to the success of future centre-right governments will be their capacity to actually deliver on tax and smaller government – and not just talk.
You can find his whole piece here – although it is behind a paywall.
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PM to announce $843m remote services funding
A six-year, $843m agreement to deliver services in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory has been inked by the commonwealth and territory governments.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will make the announcement in Alice Springs on Friday morning alongside the NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro.
The funding will ensure continuity for essential services, including policing, women’s safety, education and alcohol harm reduction as well as hearing and dental programs.
The commonwealth will fund the entire $843m, which will shore up 570 jobs, including more than 278 for First Nations workers.
The prime minister said:
Australians want to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Australians believe in the fair go. The task before us is to build a future in which all Australians have access to the same opportunities.
My government remains determined to seek better results for Indigenous Australians and help close the gap.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Emily Wind with the main action.
It has been a busy week in the federal parliament, where the government introduced legislation mandating prison sentences for hate crimes.
In Sydney today, a pro-Palestine rally is planned outside Town Hall to protest against Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US could seize control of Gaza. Organisers have criticised Peter Dutton for “legitimising” the idea, so things could get lively. More on that later.
John Howard says the Coalition lost power in 2022 because they took for granted that conservative-minded people would vote for them. Writing for the UK’s Telegraph in a tribute to Margaret Thatcher becoming Tory leader 50 years ago, Howard has issued a challenge to Dutton and centre-right politicians around the world that they must focus on delivering on the key aims of lower taxes and smaller government.
And Antoinette Lattouf’s unlawful termination claim against the ABC, which was due to finish hearing evidence today, is running at least a day behind schedule and will not conclude this week – but we’ll be following along in court, with a separate blog later.
More coming up.
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