What we learned - Tuesday 6 August
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here are some of today’s main headlines:
The Reserve Bank left its cash rate unchanged for a sixth meeting in a row as it waits for more proof about inflation and the health of the economy before deciding its next move. RBA governor Michele Bullock effectively ruled out a cut to rates in the next six months.
In day three of Linda Reynolds’ defamation trial against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins, Reynolds recounted the series of events leading up to the publication of Higgins’ allegations she had been raped in Parliament House in February 2021.
Foreign minister Penny Wong said she was still “deeply concerned” about escalation in the “highly risky” Middle East.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, called on the Australian government to “reconsider” funding a key UN agency delivering aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, after the announcement that nine Unrwa staff members had been fired. Dutton also said that if the Coalition wins the next election “Israel would have a more reliable ally”.
A re-elected Queensland Labor government would set up state-owned petrol stations, cap daily fuel price rises and take over operation of council buses from local government, Steven Miles announced.
Former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has used his valedictory speech to lament Covid-19 vaccine mandates, saying they were “wrong”.
Human remains were located inside a crocodile at Cooktown, in far north Queensland, after a man went missing at the weekend.
Tensions have risen rapidly in the Northern Territory police in the wake of the NT police commissioner Michael Murphy’s landmark apology to Aboriginal people delivered at the Garma festival on the weekend. The Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves says he is disappointed the police commissioner didn’t apologise to the community of Yuendumu first.
Richmond player Dustin Martin retired, effective immediately, following a 15-year AFL career.
Thanks so much for your company. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning to bring you all of Wednesday’s news. Until then, look after yourselves.
Updated
Brittany Higgins’ communications with fundraising page subpoenaed by Linda Reynolds' legal team
Day three of the defamation trial against Brittany Higgins by her former boss Linda Reynolds has wrapped up.
There were a few last minute twists in the final minutes on Tuesday.
One of those was that Reynolds’ legal team requested a subpoena of any communications between Higgins and a fundraising page for Higgins’ defence created by Saxon Mullins.
Mullins posted on Twitter/X on Monday that Higgins “has endured an endless stream of attacks and is now being sued”. The fundraising page has raised almost $30,000 so far.
Justice Paul Tottle granted the subpoena for any correspondence between the two regarding the statement contained on the fundraising page with a return date of 14 August.
The defence also requested a subpoena of a document tendered to the ACT’s board of inquiry, helmed by Walter Sofronoff.
Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, said the document was described as containing correspondence between Reynolds and Bruce Lehrmann’s then barrister, Steven Whybrow.
Young said the document was needed for Reynolds’ cross-examination later this week. Justice Tottle granted the subpoena, ordering the defence to hand a copy to Reynolds’ team once it became available on Thursday.
Updated
Reynolds tells court of ‘incredible pain’ after media scrutiny
Linda Reynolds has described the “incredible pain” she felt as a result of political and media scrutiny after Brittany Higgins publicly revealed she had been allegedly raped in the minister’s office.
On Tuesday afternoon, Reynolds told the Western Australian supreme court she experienced “incredible” chest pain in the weeks following the story’s publication.
The former defence minister said on one occasion, in question time, she recalled not being able to read or answer because everything was “blurry”.
Reynolds told the court on Monday about her heart condition. On Tuesday, she said on this occasion in February 2021, the chest pain became so bad, she left question time and sat on a couch in the antechamber and “started sobbing uncontrollably”.
Reynolds said she was embarrassed as politicians didn’t want to look weak.
That’s the dirty little secret about parliament – politicians are human beings as well.
Updated
Teenager charged with alleged stabbing at University of Sydney
A 14-year-old boy has been charged after the alleged stabbing of a 22-year-old student at the University of Sydney last month.
On Tuesday, the NSW police joint counter-terrorism team said in a statement that they had charged the boy with wounding or grievous bodily harm to person with intent to murder, and three counts of damage to property by fire/explosion.
Police will allege in court that the teenager deliberately set fire to a number of bins at two locations in Sydney’s inner-west the day before the alleged stabbing.
The boy was arrested a short time after the incident, and has been receiving health treatment for the past month.
Updated
Warlpiri elder, Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, continued his statement as follows:
If commissioner [Michael] Murphy wants Aboriginal people to believe him, he has to stop talking and listen to what they say about the harm police are still causing. He must accept there is racism in the police force …
What is the solution? How can we change this old relationship between police and Aboriginal people? That is what we have to focus on now.
We welcome the commissioner’s words. We invite him to come and sit with us and find the way forward together with actions.
Commissioner Murphy says he wants partnerships with Aboriginal communities. Partnerships are between equals who share power, share resources, share respect. Napargi napargi. You give, I give. Equal.
The commissioner said he will apologise to Yuendumu when Kumanjayi Walker’s inquest is finished, but he can take action before then. We have been clear about what we want. Karrinjarla muwajarri - ceasefire.
The police can agree now that they will not carry guns in Yuendumu. They can support our own Law and Justice Group. They can use some of the hundreds of millions of dollars the NT government gives them, to fund community-led ideas about working to keep everyone safe and happy. Words are easy. Actions are hard.
The NT police commissioner has been sought for comment.
Updated
Warlpiri unhappy about Northern Territory police apology
Warlpiri elder, Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said he’s disappointed that the NT police commissioner, Michael Murphy, didn’t apologise to the community of Yuendumu first.
But he has invited him to sit down with the community and work towards healing.
Yuendumu, 300km west of Alice Springs, is where police shot and killed Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker in March 2022. Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Walker three times while trying to arrest him. Rolfe was found not guilty in March 2022 of charges of murder and manslaughter.
A coronial inquest into Walker’s death is ongoing.
Murphy has flagged an overhaul of the force, starting with an apology to the Aboriginal people of the NT, which he delivered at the Garma festival in north-east Arnhem Land on the weekend. But Jampijinpa Hargraves said the apology should first have been given to the people of Yuendumu:
In the early days we were shot by police just for living on our country. Then they enforced government policy to take our children. Decades after that it was police who enforced the government’s Intervention, which made us powerless in our own communities. These actions are in the past but they still affect our life today …
All of this affects how we feel about police. This trauma needs to be healed.
Updated
Reynolds says she felt 'nationally vilified' after Higgins rape allegation
Linda Reynolds has been asked about her reported “lying cow” comments directed at Brittany Higgins after her interview with Network 10’s The Project aired.
Reynolds said she felt “sick”, “angry” and “hurt” at the claims Higgins made about her treatment following the alleged rape.
She said she had no recollection of calling Higgins a “lying cow” but was later told by her then chief of staff, Alex Kelton, after a staff member in her office made a complaint.
While she could not remember saying the words, she said “it characterised how i was feeling”.
Reynolds later apologised to the staff in her office for using the words, acknowledging it was a tough time for them.
Later, Reynolds recounted the “media frenzy’” her office faced in the days following the story’s publication. The senator said people in Parliament House looked at her differently and she felt her own colleagues kept their distance after she was accused of a political cover-up.
Reynolds said she went one day from “doing her job and doing it well to being nationally vilified as someone who would do something so despicable”.
Updated
Dominic Perrottet says Covid vaccine mandates were ‘wrong’ in farewell speech
Dominic Perrottet has used his valedictory speech to lament Covid-19 vaccine mandates, saying they were “wrong”.
Speaking in parliament a short time ago, the former Liberal premier said:
While we didn’t get everything right, I believe we got more right than wrong.
And without dwelling on every decision, I believe it’s important to point out one mistake which was made by governments here and around the world, the strict enforcement of vaccine mandates.
Perrottet said health officials and governments were “acting with the right intentions”.
But, he added:
If the impact of vaccines on transmission was limited at best, as is mostly now accepted, the law should have left more room and respect for freedom.
Vaccines saved lives. But ultimately mandates were wrong. People’s personal choices shouldn’t have cost them their jobs.
Updated
MyGov security controls ‘do not adequately protect people’, ombudsman finds
The commonwealth ombudsman has delivered a fail mark to the federal government’s myGov platform, after an investigation was triggered by complaints that the platform was not secure.
The report, released today, made four recommendations and two suggestions, and found that that myGov’s current security controls “do not adequately protect people from unauthorised linking where identity theft has occurred”. It also found a lack of security checks, variability in the standard of proof processes and a lack of formal processes for managing shared risks across the myGov “ecosystem”.
Identity theft is a growing problem for the platform, with phishing scams and the sale of leaked personal data contributing to cases of fraud known as “unauthorised linking”. Online tax office, Centrelink and Medicare accounts are accessed via myGov.
The commonwealth ombudsman, Iain Anderson, said that he commenced an investigation based on concerns previously raised with Services Australia, which manages myGov, that there were not adequate security controls in place to protect people from the impact of myGov fraud.
Anderson said:
People have told us about the stress and anxiety they experienced when their personal information was stolen, and fraud committed in their name. In these circumstances, it is particularly important that Services Australia provide accessible, consistent and clear information to help people.
Given the volume and sensitivity of information held in member service accounts linked to myGov, robust protections to stop fraudsters gaining unauthorised access to myGov accounts are essential.
Services Australia accepted the ombudsman’s recommendations and suggestions.
You can read more about myGov scams (and how to protect yourself) here:
Updated
Dominic Perrottet has named some of his highlights from his time in office as he continues his valedictory speech in NSW parliament.
He praised his Coalition colleagues and said he didn’t believe “any government since federation has ever built” as much significant infrastructure.
Perrottet said he had learnt the importance of getting out and listening to people in their own communities, such as when he visited Lismore in the northern rivers in the aftermath of devastating flooding in early 2022.
He said:
I saw the very best of the Australian spirit: the selflessness, the spirit of service.
Updated
Protesters call on WA government to save Scott Reef
Protesters have gathered this afternoon outside Western Australia’s parliament to urge the WA government to save the Scott Reef.
The protest comes a day after a multibillion-dollar Woodside Energy gas export development in the Browse basin area to the state’s north-west was been deemed “unacceptable” by the Environment Protection Authority due to its impact on marine life at Scott Reef.
Speaking to the protesters, the Conservation Council of WA’s chief executive, Jess Beckerling, said:
Browse cannot go ahead without catastrophic impacts on Scott Reef and the endangered turtles, blue whales and other marine creatures that rely on it for their survival.
It is now incumbent on the WA and federal governments to respect the EPA’s independent scientific advice and expert opinion, and refuse Woodside’s application to develop Browse.
The protesters are also urging that any changes to legislation that amend the EPA should strengthen its ability to protect the environment, not weaken it.
You can read more about the EPA’s decision here:
Updated
Perrottet calls pokies ‘machines of misery’ in farewell speech
Former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet has taken aim at the gambling industry in his valedictory speech.
The Liberal member for Epping has been marking the end of his 13-year career in state politics, after announcing his resignation last month.
Perrottet described his push to convert every poker machine in NSW to cashless gaming - before he lost the 2023 election to Labor - as one of his big reform ideas.
He said:
I look forward to the day these machines of misery in their factories of despair no longer feed on some of the most vulnerable people in the state
Perrottet’s wife, Helen, and their seven children, were watching from the public gallery along with several former federal and state Liberal ministers.
The Minns Labor government has refused to commit to cashless gaming but it is running a trial of the technology at select venues across the state.
Updated
The hearing in the defamation trial launched by Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins has resumed after a lunch break.
We’re continuing to hear from the former defence minister about her memory of events following the publication of the allegations in February 2021.
We’ll keep you updated as more evidence is provided.
James Paterson says he is not confident Tony Burke will put national interest first
The Coalition’s home affairs spokesperson, James Paterson, has revived a claim about Tony Burke that the new home affairs minister addressed back in October.
In an interview with 2GB today, Paterson said Burke was “under enormous political pressure from Muslim Votes Matters and other independent groups that have said that they’re [the government] weak on Gaza”.
The 2GB interviewer then asked about commentary published Tuesday by the Australian newspaper’s foreign editor, Greg Sheridan, that “a senator, immune to constituent ethnic group pressures, should hold home affairs”.
Paterson replied:
It’s very difficult for me to disagree with that, for obvious reasons, as a senator and the shadow minister for home affairs. But it was Greg Sheridan who made that point today, and I thought it was spot on, because I just don’t have confidence that Tony Burke will put the national interest before his political interest.
As Greg Sheridan pointed out, Tony Burke was one of the last MPs to say a single word of criticism of Hamas after the 7th of October.
But Burke rejected this claim months ago. He told parliament on 16 October, as one of many MPs to speak on a bipartisan motion:
I join with all members in the condemnation of the actions of Hamas, condemnation of indiscriminate killing, condemnation of the targeting of civilians, condemnation of the taking of hostages and condemnation of what has been described accurately as the greatest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust …
But I want to say something quite specific about hate speech. A few people, not many, were aware of the state of my health last week, which meant that my public commentary was very limited and that when comments were eventually given to the media late in the week they were not published. Allow me to take this chance to be quite unequivocal: statements of hate speech, some of which were given in my part of Sydney and some of which were given elsewhere, are all unacceptable and are all to be condemned. There is no place for hate speech in Australia.
Updated
Bullock finds it ‘difficult to read’ some letters from Australians about interest rates
RBA governor Michele Bullock was asked if she had been receiving letters – as the former governor Philip Lowe used to – from Australians who were struggling with their mortgage repayments.
She says she has been receiving them and she does read them:
And yes, some of them are quite distressing. I understand that monetary policy is a blunt tool, and interest rates is a really blunt tool, but the point I would come back to, and I’ve made it a number of times, is that it’s not just interest rates hurting those people, it’s the cost of living. It’s the fact that inflation has been so high now for a few years, and they’re not used to seeing [that]. And they don’t want to see the prices of their essentials going up at the rate they are.
So the most important thing that we, I and the board can do is to get that inflation rate back down. So I do understand that. And as I said, I do get letters that tell me this. I do understand that. … It does affect me personally. I do find it difficult to read some of them.
Updated
Bullock: ‘Are we heading for a recession? I don’t believe so’
In response to a question about whether the markets are correct and whether we are facing a possible recession, the RBA governor says she doesn’t believe that’s the case.
She says:
Are we heading for a recession? I don’t believe so. And the board doesn’t believe so because we still believe that we’re on that narrow path.
Having said that, we are data dependent and there’s a number of things as we mentioned in the statement on monetary policy that could result in the economy slowing much more quickly and inflation coming down much more quickly than we expect. And we need to be alert to those.
And if they come to pass, then yes… interest rate cuts would be on the agenda. But at the moment, given what we know at the moment and the forecasts, as I said [earlier], in the near term, interest rate cuts are not on the agenda.
Updated
Bullock: Cash rate cut unlikely ‘in the next six months’
Asked how much of a role the market volatility played in today’s decision, Bullock says it didn’t play a role in the decision itself, but “it is of interest and we do need to watch it”.
We’re watching it very closely. I think things have settled down a bit today … I think we just need to have a little bit of caution and a little bit of calm.
Asked to clarify what she meant earlier by “near term” when she said it was unlikely the RBA would cut the cash rate in the “near term”, Bullock says basically that they’re considering that to mean in the next six months.
Updated
RBA's Michele Bullock: 'A rate cut is not on the agenda in the near term'
The Guardian’s Peter Hannam asked Michele Bullock if the RBA considered a rate rise at the meeting, and what stopped it given financial conditions are less restrictive than it thought.
Bullock says the board did consider a rate rise at this meeting, as well as a hold.
She says:
Inflation is forecast to come back into the band at the end of 2025. If you look back, that’s exactly where we were in November last year. Inflation coming back into the band at the end of 2025.
The board is trying, as we’ve said in the past, to steer a narrow path here, not result in a spike in unemployment. We want to try and keep employment growing if we can. And the judgement of the board was that keeping the interest rate where it is and making sure that people understand that a rate cut is not on the agenda in the near term, given what we know that continued pressure will help to keep demand coming back into line with supply.
That’s the judgement the board’s made. But I should say that they are vigilant to the upside risks and if it does appear that inflation is not tracking the way we are forecasting, then they will, if needed, increase interest rates.
Updated
Bullock: reduction in cash rate soon 'doesn't align' with RBA's current thinking
The RBA governor Michele Bullock is effectively ruling out any reduction in interest rates in the near future.
She says:
Based on what I know today and what the board knows today, what we can say is that a near term reduction in the cash rate doesn’t align with the board’s current thinking.
We’ve seen from overseas experience how bumpy inflation can be on the way down and across the economy. We need to see demand and supply coming back into better balance.
Now, I understand that this is not what people want to hear. I know there are many households and small businesses that are struggling with interest rates where they are. Many people are doing it tough and we’re very conscious of that. The board is very conscious of that.
But really the best thing we can do, and I’ve said this before, the best thing we can do is to bring inflation back down to target, because we can’t let inflation get away.
Updated
RBA governor: ‘no guarantee’ supply and demand will return to balance quickly
Bullock, pointing to the pandemic and the immediate post-pandemic period as examples, says demand has been higher than supply for some time now, which is why inflation has been so persistent. Things like shipping backlogs and shortages of certain goods overlapped with a period when people were demanding a lot of those things, she says.
At the same time, energy costsrose when Russia invaded Ukraine.
She continues:
All of these things conspired basically, and resulted in higher goods price inflation around the world. And that was the case in Australia as well.
Now, these supply shocks have largely now worked their way through the system. And what we’re dealing with is continued strong demand, particularly for services. And we’re using the tool we have, monetary policy, to operate on the demand side of the economy.
We’re trying to bring demand back into balance with supply and get the inflation rate back into the target band of between 2 and 3%.
But the fact is that the progress on bringing inflation down has been very slow for a year now. And while growth of demand has been slow, there’s actually no guarantee that supply and demand will return to balance quickly enough.
Updated
Bullock says RBA still uncertain about economic outlook, inflation still too high
Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock is speaking to media now after the RBA’s decision to hold rates steady today. She says the RBA still has “some considerable uncertainty” about the economic outlook.
I want to highlight here that there is still a risk that inflation will take too long to return to target. So the recent CPI data were broadly in line with our expectations, our forecasts. But make no mistake, inflation is still too high and the board does remain concerned about the degree of excess demand in the economy.
Now, what I mean by that is that the amount of goods and services that households and businesses and government want to buy and need, that’s more than the amount that the economy can sustainably provide and supply.
Updated
Reynolds angry about ‘how we had got it so wrong’
In Perth, we’re breaking for lunch in the defamation trial brought by Liberal senator Linda Reynolds against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins.
The afternoon block should resume at 2.15pm Perth time/4.15pm AEST. Shortly before the break, Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, asked the senator how she felt upon seeing the news.com.au article revealing Higgins’ allegations publicly for the first time.
Reynolds said she felt “sick” over the claim in the article that Higgins had felt forced to choose between her job or making a complaint.
As angry and upset as I was going through, reading this, I also started to feel sorry for her because … I started thinking ‘what have we missed?’
Reynolds later added she was “angry” at Higgins but also “angry at myself and how we had got it so wrong”.
The Western Australian supreme court’s Justice Paul Tottle reminded Reynolds to confine her answers to the question being asked after defence raised the issue.
Updated
Angus Taylor says government responsible for not breaking ‘the back’ of inflation
Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor has just held a press conference in the wake of the Reserve Bank’s announcement that it is holding interest rates at the current level.
He says he expects Australians to be relieved that rates haven’t gone up again, but that the Labor government should be held accountable for not “[breaking] the back of inflation”.
The RBA has “extended the time frame it’s going to take to get back to the target level of inflation”, he says.
This is bad news for Australian families that following from the government’s budget, it is very clear it’s going to take longer to get back to the target level of inflation. Indeed, it won’t be until well into 2026 and it will take longer also to get into the target range, which won’t happen until the end of 2025 …
Not only are we at the back of the pack in terms of dealing with inflation, we are [also] in terms of economic growth. Now, if the government had broken the back of inflation, we wouldn’t be in this situation.
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. I’ll handover to Stephanie Convery who will guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage this evening. Take care.
Updated
Reynolds returns to courtroom following earlier adjournment
Linda Reynolds has now returned to the courtroom after a brief health-related adjournment.
She continues with her recount of what happened in the weeks leading up to the publication of Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape in Parliament House.
RBA rate cut not likely any time soon
Borrowers might have drawn some relief from the Reserve Bank’s cash rate hold today but a reading of the accompanying statement and 60-odd page quarterly statement of monetary policy suggests a rate cut isn’t around the corner.
The RBA sees inflation as “persistent”, and the underlying inflation rate has remained above 2.5% – the midpoint of its target range – for 11 quarters in a row. And that underlying – or core – inflation figure “has fallen very little over the past year”.
As you can see in our separate story, the tone of the RBA is very much “we haven’t seen the economy slow as much as we’d have liked” (to paraphrase):
That means if there’s a bad inflation surprise in the current quarter – perhaps we’ve spent up big after our tax cuts and various rebates – then the next move by the RBA might even be a rate rise.
Nothing “ruled in or ruled out”, as governor Michele Bullock will no doubt reinforce when she holds her presser shortly.
Updated
International factors adding to domestic economic uncertainty, Chalmers says
Circling back to stock market volatility, Jim Chalmers is asked if he can provide any further details from his briefing with the Treasury.
He says the briefing was “fundamentally about the causes of this volatility” – pointing to weaker-than-expected job numbers and underperformance in tech sector earnings in the US, and issues affecting interest rates in Japan.
My briefings with the Treasury are to understand the sources of this volatility. [To] understand the consequences for us in terms of our dollar, our own markets and any exposure [of the] economy to that kind of volatility.
But even before the last few days, it has been really clear to us – certainly through the course of this year – that in addition to the cost-of-living pressures which are coming at people from domestic sources, there is a big international element to the economic uncertainty that people are feeling.
Updated
No national plan for publicly owned petrol stations following Queensland announcement
The treasurer was also asked to weigh in on the Queensland government’s plans to launch 12 state-owned petrol stations. Jim Chalmers says:
I welcome the fact that the state governments are prepared to play a role in easing some of these cost-of-living pressures that people are under.
We don’t have a similar plan nationally … but we do welcome the efforts of the Queensland government [and] other governments around Australia to help alleviate some of these cost-of-living pressures that we know people are under.
Asked if other states should follow suit, Chalmers says: “That’s a matter for them.”
Updated
Chalmers refuses to speculate about future rate movements
Given that volatility, does Jim Chalmers believe the RBA will cut rates to ease some of that pressure?
The treasurer says he wouldn’t make assumptions or predictions on future movements in interest rates:
There are good reasons why I don’t do that. I don’t pre-empt them before a decision, and I don’t try and predict future movements in interest rates.
Asked when there would be switch a from controlling inflation to stimulating growth, Chalmers says the government’s primary focus is on fighting inflation.
We have to strike a series of fine balances. I’m confident that we have [done that] in the budgets that we’ve handed town, and particularly that one that was handed down in May. There are a balance of risks in our economy – inflation, primarily – but we can’t ignore the challenges to growth.
Updated
Stock market volatility ‘really important warning against complacency’, treasurer says
Jim Chalmers is asked just how worried he is about the stock market volatility?
The volatility we’ve seen in international markets has been really substantial. Part of that has been unwound in Japan today, for example. But it’s another reminder of just how uncertain the global economic environment is.
We are confident about the Australian economy. We are confident we can continue to see inflation moderate, we’re confident that we can continue to grow. But this is a really important warning against complacency. The fact that we’ve seen this kind of volatility in international markets, and also the fact that we saw a much weaker jobs outcome in the US in the first place. And so we are confident, but not complacent, about Australia’s economic prospects.
Chalmers briefed on market volatility and will be ‘kept up to date on developments’
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is now speaking to reporters after the RBA’s decision to keep rates on hold at 4.35%. He says:
Australians are doing it tough enough already, the last thing they needed today was more cost-of-living pressure, so this decision is welcome … I also think that having rates on hold now since November last year provides a bit more certainty to mortgage holders and small businesses who are already under pressure.
Turning to market volatility, Chalmers tells reporters:
The market volatility that we’ve seen has been driven by a weaker-than-expected jobs growth and tech earnings in the US, as well as rising Japanese interest rates impacting Asian markets as well.
Australia’s not immune from these global developments. We’ve seen them play out in the Australian dollar and in our own share markets as well.
I’ve been briefed by Treasury today on this volatility, and I’ll be kept up to date on developments as they unfold.
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Reynolds recounts worry over media inquiry in October 2019
Shortly before court was adjourned, Linda Reynolds described the worry she felt when a media inquiry came in about an incident at Parliament House in early 2019.
The request came from a Canberra Times journalist in October 2019. Reynolds said she “immediately knew that it was related to the incident with Bruce [Lehrmann] and Brittany [Higgins]”.
The journalist said they were going to run a story for the next day, Reynolds said.
Reynolds arranged for her then chief of staff, Alexandra Kelton, to speak with Michaelia Cash’s then chief of staff, Daniel Try. Higgins had taken a job in Cash’s office as a media adviser shortly after the May 2019 federal election.
However, the media inquiry never amounted to a story.
Reynolds recalled asking Higgins when she left for the job in Cash’s office whether Reynolds should mention the incident to Higgins’ boss.
“She looked aghast and said ‘absolutely not,’” Reynolds said.
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Chalmers welcomes RBA decision to keep rates on hold
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has reacted to the Reserve Bank’s decision to hold interest rates, writing on X:
Today’s welcome decision to keep interest rates on hold recognises that Australians are under pressure, as well as the significant progress we’ve made on underlying inflation, softness in our economy and the substantial uncertainty and volatility around the world.
He is expected to front the media shortly.
Updated
Just back to news the Reserve Bank has left its cash rate unchanged:
The RBA said “[i]nflation in underlying terms remains too high, and the latest projections show that it will be some time yet before inflation is sustainably in the target range”.
“Data have reinforced the need to remain vigilant to upside risks to inflation and the Board is not ruling anything in or out,” it said, maintaining a stance it has had all year.
The Australian dollar rose slightly, to 65.15 US cents from 65 US cents just prior to the RBA decision. Stocks pared some of their modest gains of about 0.5% for the day, as investors viewed the accompanying forecasts as implying interest rates might have to stay higher for longer than thought.
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Higgins defamation trial adjourns after Reynolds complains of rising blood pressure
The defamation trial by Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins has been temporarily adjourned after the Western Australian senator complained of health conditions.
Reynolds was recounting the series of events leading up to the publication of the Higgins’ alleged rape in Parliament House in February 2021.
The Liberal senator was telling the court about how the Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, who has since died, approached her in the Senate chamber to let her know Labor had found out about the 2019 incident and was intending to “rain hell” on the senator and the Morrison government.
While Reynolds said she did not consider Kitching a friend, she described her as a “trusted colleague”. Reynolds said Kitching had told her she had received an anonymous letter about the incident in the previous year and had passed it on to the AFP.
Reynolds said she remembered feeling “a bit incredulous that [Labor] would even contemplate doing such a thing”.
Justice Paul Tottle paused Reynolds for a moment to remind her not to interpret the emotions of others but to stick to what they said when she suggested Kitching’s decision to tell the AFP, over her colleagues, drew her Labor colleagues’ ire.
Reynolds said she planned to meet with the then prime minister, Scott Morrison, to let him know and intended to speak with the then Senate president Scott Ryan.
Reynolds paused to drink some water, saying she was losing her voice and she could feel her blood pressure rising. She said this memory was “particularly emotional” for her as it “led to Kitching’s death”.
Justice Tottle said court would adjourn until Reynolds’ health improved.
Updated
RBA leaves its key interest rate at 4.35% as economic growth worries mount
The Reserve Bank has left its cash rate unchanged for a sixth meeting in a row as it waits for more proof about inflation and the health of the economy before deciding its next move.
The central bank kept the interest rate at 4.35%, where it has sat since November. Economists had expected such a result from the two-day board meeting after June quarter inflation numbers released last week largely met the RBA’s forecasts.
Some economists had wondered if the RBA would react to turmoil in global financial markets by cutting the interest rate to bolster confidence in the economy. Such a move can’t be ruled out if markets resume their deep plunges of recent days.
The RBA’s next action remains likely to be an interest rate cut unless inflation shows a surprise resurgence with stretched borrowers hoping any reduction arrives soon.
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Tasmanian GPs taking call for funding and staffing boosts to state parliament
Tasmanian GPs are today taking their calls for funding and staffing boosts to the state parliament as Tasmania loses yet another local practice.
A rural general practice in southern Tasmania will be shut down in September, after three practices in Hobart closed in May.
The state has only 106 GPs per 100,000 people, below the national average of 119 per 100,000, which is pushing Tasmania’s emergency department wait times above the national average, according to the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP).
Several small rural practices facing workforce challenges have been saved from closure through last-minute interventions, but RACGP Tasmania chair Dr Toby Gardner says that has not been enough:
While eleventh-hour rescues have saved some communities’ local general practices, we need long-term solutions. There is no substitute for the quality care you get from a GP who knows you and your history. General practice care helps people stay healthy and out of hospital.
RACGP members are meeting with Tasmanian MPs today to ask for faster authorisation of overseas-trained doctors to become GPs and for rural trainee doctors to take rotations in general practices.
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The Bureau of Meteorology says cold fronts are affecting both the southeast and southwest today, with showers, storms and strong winds forecast for parts of Tasmania and WA:
Cold fronts are affecting both the south-east and south-west of the country today. Showers, storms and strong winds are forecast for parts of #TAS and #WA. More: https://t.co/jlOoTZL1iF pic.twitter.com/rsmSdquIPP
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 6, 2024
Snap protest to protect Scott Reef set to take place outside WA parliament
A snap protest is scheduled outside West Australia’s parliament today, with protesters demanding strengthened nature laws in the state.
This comes as a multibillion-dollar Woodside Energy gas export development off the state’s north-west was deemed “unacceptable” by the state’s Environment Protection Authority, due to its impact on marine life at Scott Reef:
The protest, by the Conservation Council of WA, coincides with WA parliament’s first sitting day back after winter recess. We’ll aim to bring you more from the protest later on.
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40-year-old doctor from Newcastle revealed as fatal crocodile attack victim
Dave Hogbin, a 40-year-old doctor from Newcastle, has been identified as the victim of a fatal crocodile attack in far north Queensland at the weekend.
According to a News.com.au report from a family member, Hogbin was taken by the crocodile during a freak accident while on a family holiday with his wife of 10 years, Jane, and their three sons, aged seven, five and two.
While walking along an established path on a 15-metre high riverbank, it’s believed a portion of the bank gave way causing him to fall. Jane attempted to pull him out of the water but began slipping herself, so he let go and was taken by the crocodile within moments.
Jane said in a statement:
David touched so many people’s lives that everyone deserves to know who he was and how it all ended for him. I want to put a face to this tragedy. Someone didn’t just get killed by a crocodile; we have lost a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, friend and doctor.
We were just enjoying a standard day of our holiday and everything just changed within 30 seconds. He wasn’t doing anything wrong – in fact, he was doing everything right, and this still happened. Things can change so quickly in an instant despite doing everything right.
He saved me – his last act was to not pull me in with him. I’m glad I’m still here, because it could have been a millionfold worse for everyone involved, not just the boys.
I have a lot of comfort in knowing there’s nothing that I’m frustrated or angry about – he was just walking around a corner on a well worn path. There’s no regrets about it, because it’s one of those random accidents that happen and [that] nothing could have been done to prevent.
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Queensland public transport patronage jumps on first day of 50-cent fares
Steven Miles has used his ‘state of the state’ speech to announce patronage jumped on the first day of 50-cent fares.
641,900 people used public transport yesterday across south east Queensland alone. Patronage was up to 94% on pre-Covid levels.
Miles says the policy is “something I’ve wanted to do since I was a teenager”.
The government wants patronage to be at or above its level before the pandemic to keep the scheme beyond a six-month trial.
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Queensland premier announces public transport authority in ‘state of the state’ speech
Queensland premier Steven Miles has kicked off a major ‘state of the state’ speech, laying out plans for a fourth Labor term.
As reported earlier today, the premier is expected to announce a plan to establish state-owned petrol stations, if elected to a second term.
Miles also announced that if elected, the government would create an Independent Transport Authority for South East Queensland. It is akin to Public Transport Victoria, responsible for ensuring the system is coordinated.
Queensland’s public transport system isn’t what it could or should be. The new transport authority will work in conjunction with our local government partners and Queensland Rail, to outline a longer term jointly agreed vision for the growth and evolution of our transport network.
And to set out the future of public transport planning and investment, including key routes, in the south east Queensland region all the way out to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games. Translink will be a one-stop shop for trains and buses and making sure they all work together.
The government would also create a new traffic management centre at Kedron.
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Lidia Thorpe accuses Labor of ‘double-speak’ over makarrata
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has accused the Labor government of “double-speak” when it comes to implementing makarrata, or a truth-telling commission.
In a post to X, Thorpe argued that the minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy was in “damage control” following Anthony Albanese’s comments at the weekend.
On Insiders, Albanese suggested that consulting Indigenous organisations to address disadvantage and boost economic development fits the definition of makarrata. You can read all the background on what was said below, from Lorena Allam:
Thorpe wrote on X just earlier:
It’s the dishonest double-speak we’ve become so used to with Labor. They want makarrata supporters to believe it’s still on the cards, while signalling to [Peter] Dutton supporters that they aren’t committed. Labor must come clean and stop stringing everyone along with false hope …
Labor must clearly recommit to a truth-telling commission. Treaty and truth is what this country needs to mature as a nation. It’s the only way to bring peace to First Peoples and the rest of the population.
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Reynolds ‘a little shocked’ to learn junior staffer had made sexual assault complaint, court hears
Linda Reynolds says she remembers being “a little shocked” upon being informed by the AFP that her junior staffer had made a sexual assault complaint, alleging the incident happened in her ministerial office.
The then defence industry minister met with AFP assistant commissioner Leanne Close on Thursday 4 April 2019 in her office, where she claims she was first informed about the alleged rape on the couch in that room.
“I was a little shocked … I was glad to hear Brittany had taken the matter up,” Reynolds says on the witness stand in a Western Australian supreme court.
Reynolds later sent a letter to her then employee, Bruce Lehrmann, who she said was in the process of being sacked for an earlier security incident.
The letter, shown to the court, said the minister was “considering terminating [Lehrmann’s] employment on the basis of serious misconduct” and expected a response before 4pm on Friday 5 April.
Lehrmann responded he was “feeling embarrassed, ashamed and deeply remorseful” about the security breach and offered “no excuses”. He added Reynolds had been his sixth boss during his time working in Parliament House but remained “the best”.
Lehrmann was formally terminated from Reynolds’ office on Friday 5 April.
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Queensland premier lays out more details of ‘state-owned servos’ plan
The Queensland premier Steven Miles has laid out some more details of Labor’s plan to set up “state owned servos”.
We want to see more competition in the market, in particular, more independent fuel retailers, and so we will charge EDQ (Economic Development Queensland), that’s the state’s commercial property development agency, and TMR (the department of main roads) with identifying appropriate land for new independent retailers to build service stations on.
Where we are unable to identify interest from an independent retailer in building a service station on that land, then we will trial building 12 publicly owned petrol stations on those sites.
The party hasn’t decided if employees at the service stations will be directly employed public servants or contractors.
The party also threw its support behind a call by insurer and motoring assistance group, RACQ, for price regulation, capping the amount and frequency of rises, as is done in Western Australia. The RACQ says independent petrol stations are consistently cheaper than chains.
Miles admitted Labor hasn’t done any modelling on the effect of the policy, but RACQ CEO David Carter said it was confident that it wouldn’t lead to negative outcomes like higher overall prices or driving private companies out of business. It hasn’t modelled the state-owned service station plan.
The state treasurer, Cameron Dick, says the party would aim to pass legislation to regulate price rises within a year of reelection. He estimates the “state owned servos” would cost the state about $36m.
We’ve used public ownership successfully to drive down energy costs, electricity costs, and we intend to use it here to deliver greater competition into our fuel market. It’s designed entirely to push prices down and to provide more reliable pricing for Queensland.
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Iranian ambassador’s online tweets abhorrent, hateful and antisemitic, Albanese says
Q: Should the Iranian ambassador to Australia be expelled, after he tweeted that Israel should be “wiped out by 2027”?
Anthony Albanese:
We have called in the Iranian ambassador to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as is the protocol when something like this happens. I make it clear: there’s no place for the sort of comments that were made online in social media by the Iranian ambassador. They’re abhorrent and they are hateful, they [are] antisemitic, and they have no place.
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Common factors for those radicalised online include being young and male, Albanese says
Back at Anthony Albanese’s press conference in Sydney:
The prime minister has outlined some common factors among people Asio has observed becoming radicalised online – males aged between 14 and 21, “potentially acting as lone wolves” at home in isolation, “in a way that’s difficult to identify”.
But the director-general has also been clear that this could be anyone of any age of any gender, of any ethnicity … There was a case … where someone was engaged in activity or had resources that were Antifa-related – so, extreme left – and neo-Nazi. So, you had the extreme left and extreme right meeting, if you like, with this same person being radicalised, and just made angry.
And I guess that is my call: we could do with less anger in political discourse, and in general in how we deal with other people.
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Reynolds-Higgins defamation hearing under way
Linda Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, begins the hearing by attempting to subpoena some of Brittany Higgins’ communications following a social media post she shared on Monday afternoon as Reynolds gave evidence.
Higgins’ Instagram story shared a post by Julian Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, promoting her latest book, How many more women? How the law silences women. Higgins’ post included the words “Pertinent reading”.
Bennett on Monday said it was “extraordinary aggravating conduct” by Higgins.
On Tuesday, Bennett said it had been another attempt by Higgins to “mischaracterise the nature of these proceedings” and to cast Reynolds as someone “seeking to silence” sexual assault survivors.
Bennett also pointed to a fundraising page that had also been set up on Monday to help cover Higgins’ legal fees.
Reynolds’ team is seeking to subpoena any communications between Higgins, the fundraising page’s organiser, Saxon Mullins, her husband David Sharaz and her Perth-based lawyer, Carmel Galati.
“We don’t see it as coincidental,” Bennett said.
Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, said the defence denied the allegation but still needed the time to look at the subpoena, which the defence team said they received on Tuesday morning.
The judge deferred the decision until the end of the day.
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‘Israel would have a more reliable ally’ in Australia under Coalition, Dutton says
Peter Dutton has also promised that if the Coalition wins the next election “Israel would have a more reliable ally”.
The opposition leader visited Israel last week on a trip organised by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). Dutton held several meetings, including with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
In today’s interview, Sky News Australia’s Laura Jayes asked:
You’ve just been to Israel, you’ve met with Benjamin Netanyahu, you’ve seen the attack site for yourself. Of course, there is growing concern about this wider war and where it ends up. Were you able to express your solidarity with Israel, but also, did you have any concerns about the escalation, or path on which Israel is on?
Dutton’s answer did not include any mention of concerns about the way in which Israel is carrying out its military operations.
His full response was:
Well, Laura, Australians had a choice to make when we saw the 9/11 attacks in the United States – a couple of thousand people lost their lives and the United States rightly went after a listed terrorist organisation, al-Qaida.
When Israel was attacked by a listed terrorist organisation, in Hamas – Hamas crossed the border, literally gunned down women, children; still to this day, there are over 100 people who are held captive in tunnels. Hamas hide their guns, their bombs and their victims, their hostages within populations at hospitals, around schools, within residential areas. That’s exactly what we get from terrorist organisations. We saw the treatment of women by al-Qaida, and they have no regard for human life whatsoever. Hamas has no regard for the life of Israelis, nor does it for the life of Palestinians.
So, I think this is a test for our country to stand up for our values. I think it’s a test for the West, and I think when we see an ally under attack, like we saw in the case of 9/11, or like we saw on the 7th of October in Israel, it’s our obligation to stand with somebody of shared values. I certainly expressed those sentiments when I was in Israel.
The Australian government has repeatedly called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of civilian life, and adherence to international humanitarian law. Gaza’s health ministry reports that at least 39,580 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli military offensive on the territory, which was launched in response to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October in which about 1,200 people were killed.
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No specific focus on NSW after terrorism threat level raised, PM says
The PM is also commenting on yesterday’s decision to raise Australia’s terrorism threat level from “possible” to “probable”.
Noting that eight events in recent times had either been conducted or attempted and planned, Anthony Albanese was asked whether these were all within NSW and if there was a specific focus on the state.
The PM suggested the issue was wider than the one state:
When we look at the appalling events that happened in Queensland, in the Darling Downs, we know that this can happen anywhere. It can happen in a city, an urban community, it can also happen in – in that case – a rural community.
We need to make sure that we’re vigilant, that precautions are made. This declaration is an important step in doing that.
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Anthony Albanese addressing the media from Sydney
The prime minister is speaking to the media from Sydney.
Anthony Albanese is commenting on the conflict in the Middle East and has reiterated his call for Australians in Lebanon to return:
To see Australians travel in recent weeks in spite of the very clear warnings that are being issued by the Australian government … We want Australians to be safe.
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Dutton echoes Israeli government comments on Unrwa being ‘discredited’
Circling back to Peter Dutton’s interview with Sky News: Dutton said he would “like to see more information” after the UN announced nine Unrwa staff members had been fired over alleged involvement in the 7 October attacks.
The opposition leader said Australians would want aid funding to support “people who are in need” and “if that turns out not to be the case, then I think the government really has a lot to answer to here”.
Dutton echoed the Israeli government in saying that Unrwa had been “discredited”.
The Israeli ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, has previously tweeted that it was “very disappointing to learn Australia is reinstating funding to the discredited Unrwa”. The Guardian has previously reported on Israel’s proposal to dismantle Unrwa. In March the international court of justice ordered the Israeli government to take “all necessary and effective measures” to ensure the large-scale delivery of aid to Gaza “in full cooperation with the United Nations”.
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, complained at a press conference on Monday that international pressure meant the government had “no choice” but to bring in aid:
Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned.
Comment has been sought from the Australian government.
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Day three of hearings into Higgins defamation trial under way
Day three of hearings in Linda Reynolds’ defamation trial against Brittany Higgins is under way.
Reynolds will continue to provide her evidence through today. It’s expected cross-examination of the Western Australian Liberal senator by the defence will begin tomorrow.
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Dutton calls on government to ‘reconsider’ funding key UN agency delivering aid to Palestinians
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has called on the Australian government to “reconsider” funding a key UN agency delivering aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, after the announcement that nine Unrwa staff members had been fired.
The UN secretary general’s office announced the move in a brief statement on Monday, saying the nine included seven staffers who were fired previously over the claims of involvement in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October.
Farhan Haq, the UN deputy spokesperson, said that “for nine people, the evidence was sufficient to conclude that they may have been involved in the 7 October attacks”. The spokesperson said that in 10 other cases, evidence failed to support allegations of involvement.
Australia was among more than a dozen countries to pause funding to Unrwa after Israel made the allegations in January. All of the countries, except the US, have since reinstated the funding after pressing for stronger internal controls and in light of the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Dutton said in an interview with Sky News Australia today that the sackings were “obviously a very significant revelation, and not one that will come as a surprise to many people”. He said:
It should cause the Albanese government to reconsider their involvement, their engagement, their funding of Unrwa. It’s completely and utterly unacceptable that a UN agency would have employees involved in, or alleged to have been involved in, the October 7 tragedy.
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Rex administration hearing at federal court under way
Administrators determining the future of Rex believe the embattled airline was insolvent or likely to become insolvent when it appointed administrators on 30 July, a court has heard.
In a federal court hearing today, lawyers representing the administrators from firm Ernst & Young also sought a number of orders ahead of the first meeting of Rex’s creditors scheduled for Friday.
Barrister Daniel Krochmalik said administrators believed there were 4,450 creditors excluding Rex customers with tickets for the now cancelled Boeing 737 jet operations between major cities. Regional operations using the airline’s Saab 340 fleet are continuing, after administrators secured further funding from Rex investor PAG Asia Capital.
In addition to trade creditors, lawyers said there are 1,057 current employees of Rex remaining who are creditors, in addition to employees terminated since entering administration. Rex was widely reported to have had about 2,000 employees prior to entering administration, and administrators had previously indicated to staff that more than 600 could be terminated as a result of the end of the airline’s jet operations.
The administrators believe there are at least about 54,000 customer creditors with forward bookings. Holders of about 185,000 bookings were notified of the creditors meeting on Monday evening; however, individual customers may hold several bookings such as for return legs and bookings for friends or family they’re travelling with. Customers who availed themselves of Virgin’s offer to rebook them for free would not be recognised as creditors.
Krochmalik said the large number of creditors was “a recipe for an unwieldy and difficult process”. Citing recent history of administration proceedings for Virgin Australia and Bonza, he sought orders to allow for about 15-20 creditors comprising a cross section of aircraft lessors, employees and customers to be elected to vote on the behalf of others during the administration proceedings.
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Watch: Penny Wong makes various announcements while in Washington DC
Earlier, we brought you a few announcements out of Washington DC, where the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is visiting.
They included that Australia would join the US Global Entry program from next year, and that Australia would also join the Landsat Next satellite program.
Wong and the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, also signed a memorandum of understanding on countering foreign state information manipulation.
Wong is visiting the US as Ausmin talks are due to kick off from tomorrow. You can watch a video of those announcements from earlier below:
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Man rescued from flood waters near Tamworth as minor flood warning in place
A man in his 20s was rescued from fast-rising flood waters near Tamworth in NSW early this morning.
Emergency crews responded after the man’s vehicle became stuck and flood water rose above the bonnet of his car. When they arrived, he had climbed out of the car and was sitting on the roof. He was rescued via boat and is uninjured.
The rescue comes as a minor flood warning is in place along the Peel River, with 53mm of rain falling in the 24 hours since yesterday. At Tamworth Road Bridge, the river is now at 3.34m and rising.
An early morning rescue from rising floodwaters occurred this morning in Tamworth!
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) August 6, 2024
A man in his 20s found himself in trouble as floodwaters surged above his car bonnet, forcing him to climb onto the roof of his vehicle.
More details on this incident: https://t.co/AmEeQ6Mmnn pic.twitter.com/mfwCaRS5fB
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Queensland police launch review after revelations of ‘abominable’ treatment of children in watch houses
The Queensland police commissioner says he acknowledges “end-to-end systemic issues” in police watch houses after revelations about the “abominable” treatment of children, conditions likened to “torture” and allegations of misconduct.
Steve Gollschewski on Tuesday announced a broad-ranging review into the state’s watch houses, which he said were “under significant pressure”.
Police watch houses are holding cells designed to hold violent, dangerous and drug-affected adults for short periods. In Queensland, children can be held in them indefinitely – sometimes for several weeks – due to overcrowding in the youth detention system.
An investigation by Guardian Australia and SBS’s The Feed revealed footage showing children placed in isolation cells in watch houses, including a 13-year-old girl with a severe intellectual disability. An ABC report also detailed an allegation of police brutality.
Read the full details about the review just announced, here:
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ASX edges higher in reprieve from brutal sell-off
The Australian share market is enjoying a reprieve from the intense selling pressure that has gripped global markets sparked by growing recession fears in the US.
Australia’s S&P/ASX200 index was hovering around the 7,680 mark at 11.20am, up about 0.4% on Monday’s closing price.
It comes after the benchmark index shed 5.8% over two volatile days that have erased $160bn of value from shares.
Second world war veteran Tom Pritchard dies aged 102
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has issued a statement after the death of Tom Pritchard – a second world war veteran and Australia’s last Rat of Tobruk.
Albanese, in a joint statement with the deputy PM, Richard Marles, and the veterans affairs minister, Matt Keogh, said:
Tom Pritchard was amongst the last standing of an extraordinary generation of Australians.
Those who knew Tom describe him as having all the characteristics for which the Rats of Tobruk were known. He was a larrikin, selfless to a fault and with a wicked sense of humour.
Upon his passing at the age of 102 we salute his service to Australia, and of those who have gone before him.
The legacy of these great Australians lives on in all who have and continue to wear our nation’s uniform.
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Sydney mailbox scam falsely claiming to be from NSW Health reported to police
A mailbox scam in Sydney containing remedial medicine falsely claiming to be from NSW Health has been reported to police.
A Reddit user has shared images of a remedial therapy gift placed in their letterbox, claiming to be from NSW Health. It included a small bag of an unknown substance, and a note which read:
A hand-crafted gift and personal remedial therapy for you and your family … A NSW Health Services Incentive … Compliments of Our Father.
The state’s health minister, Ryan Park, said he was aware of the scam letters, urging people to dispose of them immediately if they had received one in their letterbox:
NSW Health will never communicate with people or patients in this way. We won’t be putting gifts in a letter box for people. That’s not the way NSW Health does business …
We are very concerned that these letters are appearing in people’s mailboxes. Our message is very simple: Please dispose of them immediately, don’t take any action. These are not from NSW Health, these are a scammer.
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Wong responds to Israeli embassy comments after review into aid worker killings
In Washington DC, Penny Wong was also asked for her response to the Israeli embassy’s statement yesterday. This all stems from a review of the killing of the Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues in Gaza by Israeli drone strikes on 1 April.
To recap: the former Australian defence force chief Mark Binskin – in a report that the Australian government released on Friday – found the Israeli military’s controls failed, “leading to errors in decision making and a misidentification, likely compounded by a level of confirmation bias”.
But Binskin said he did not believe the strikes were “knowingly or deliberately directed against” the World Central Kitchen.
When Wong, the foreign affairs minister, released the report on Friday, she said the deaths of Frankcom and her colleagues were “inexcusable” and that they “were killed in an intentional strike by the IDF”.
An Israeli embassy statement on Monday took issue with how the Australian government had characterised Binskin’s findings. The embassy said the Australian government’s statement “regrettably included some misrepresentations and omitted crucial details with respect to the manner in which the report was conducted, the degree of cooperation and openness exhibited by the IDF, and even with respect to certain aspects of the tragic incident itself”.
Wong told reporters in Washington DC early this morning:
I will say that people can read the report for themselves, and the IDF itself has taken responsibility, including for what it has said is a grave mistake and a failure to follow rules of engagement. Those are not my findings; they were the findings of the Israeli Defence Force.
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Wong ‘deeply concerned’ about escalation in ‘highly risky’ Middle East
Let’s bring you some more comments from Penny Wong’s press conference in Washington DC early today Australian time.
The foreign affairs minister, when asked for her assessment of the security situation in the Middle East, reiterated her existing calls for Australians to leave Lebanon:
The security situation in the Middle East is highly risky.
Wong noted that she had recorded a video last week calling on Australians to leave Lebanon:
We didn’t do that lightly; we don’t do that lightly. We do that because we are deeply concerned about the possibility of conflict, escalation. It’s something we’ve been worried about, all of us have worried about since the October 7 attacks.
We know what has occurred in recent times. We know that the number of Australians who are in Lebanon and how difficult it would be for those Australians to be assisted in numbers, particularly if Beirut Airport closes. So, I again say to people, if you are in Lebanon, leave now while you still have options to do so. If you’re thinking of travelling to Lebanon, do not.
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Australia joins US-led Landsat Next satellite program
More announcements are coming out of the US, with Australia officially joining the Landsat Next satellite program.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is in Washington, and has made a series of announcements alongside the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken. This included news Australia would join the Global Entry program from next year.
The US-led Landsat Next satellite program, which Australia has joined as a core partner, will map the Earth’s surface and support mining exploration, environmental monitoring, agriculture and disaster management.
The program is set to launch in 2031. Under the Landsat Next agreement, Australia will commit $207.4m over the next four years for Geoscience Australia to develop advanced processing and analytics capabilities.
The funding will also provide essential support to the mission through upgraded ground station capabilities in Alice Springs. Wong said:
The satellite data delivered through this partnership will not only be of benefit to our two countries, but its critical insights will help the Indo-Pacific to optimise food security and agricultural production, improve urban infrastructure planning, and prepare for disasters.
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Bird flu fears for Australian species
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, says the government is worried a deadly strain of bird flu will put some Australian bird species at risk of extinction.
In a speech to the Zoo and Aquarium Association conference, Plibersek said “the new H5 variant is coming for us”. The highly pathogenic H5 bird flu strain has wreaked havoc on bird and other wildlife populations globally but has not yet been detected on Australian shores:
We are worried about the extinction risk of birds that are in captive breeding programs, where numbers are already critically low in the wild and there’s little capacity to cope with a new disease.
We are also worried that species in the wild that are currently doing well – or travelling along OK – will become vulnerable to extinction due to mass deaths.
Plibersek said the government was taking the risk seriously and there needed to be an “all-in” approach with different levels of government and private organisations working together to try to minimise the threat:
Avian influenza doesn’t just impact birds. It’s also impacting mammals overseas. We know that seals and sea lions are at particularly high risk. The spring bird migration from the northern hemisphere in the coming months is a particularly dangerous time.
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Australian share market edges lower amid US recession fears
The Australian share market has opened slightly down on Tuesday, extending a US-led global sell down marked by growing recession fears in the world’s biggest economy.
Australia’s S&P/ASX200 index was trading at 7,630 shortly after trading commenced, down 0.25% from yesterday’s close.
The weaker opening comes after the benchmark index shed 5.8% over two volatile days that have erased $160bn of value from shares. The index is now flat for the year.
Investors in the US, Europe and Asia have been unwinding their positions in response to weak US jobs data late last week that triggered a recession indicator, following a prolonged period of large gains underpinned by excitement over artificial intelligence and the wider tech sector.
The US Federal Reserve has also indicated it would soon start cutting interest rates, in a move that investors interpreted as a sign that the economy was weakening.
In response, so-called risk assets such as equities have been falling, while investors shifted their money into safe havens like bonds.
The market has, however, shown some signs of resilience, with chip maker Nvidia, as well as the Australian dollar, paring some of their sharp losses overnight.
This has raised questions among analysts over whether a market crash is taking hold, or if it’s an overdue pullback after a period of strong returns.
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Russian-born Australian citizens have Brisbane apartment restrained after espionage charges
The Australian federal police has obtained court orders restraining the home and assets of two Russian-born Australian citizens, charged with an espionage-related offence last month.
On 2 August the Queensland supreme court made restraining orders over property owned by the married couple, valued in excess of $550,000.
The AFP alleges the 40-year-old woman, who is an army private in the ADF, and her 62-year-old husband, accessed sensitive ADF information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities.
A Brisbane apartment owned by the couple is subject to the restraining order, as well as multiple bank accounts and the superannuation funds acquired by the woman during her employment with the ADF.
Restraining orders prohibit the disposal of, or any dealing with the property subject to restraint, unless authorised by the court.
The pair was charged in July with one count each of preparing for an espionage offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment. It was the first time an espionage offence has been laid in Australia since new laws were introduced in 2018.
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Richmond player Dustin Martin retires after 15-year AFL career
Legendary Richmond player Dustin Martin has retired, effective immediately, following a 15-year AFL career. He informed his teammates of the decision today, and said:
It is hard to put into words what the Richmond Football Club means to me, I love this place so much. I will be forever grateful for the love and the support I have received from the people here.
To my teammates, the brotherhood that we all share is what I value most, as well as the bond with the staff and coaches… thank you to all of you. To my family and friends, thank you for your unconditional love and support.
To the Tiger Army, I have always felt loved and supported throughout my career, and for that, I will be forever grateful. The memories that we have created together will live with me forever. Thank you.
Martin played 302 games and booted 338 goals, making his debut for Richmond in Round 1 of his first season (2010). Richmond CEO, Brendon Gale, said it was hard to put into words the contribution Martin had made to the club.
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Tensions arise in Northern Territory police in wake of apology to Aboriginal people
Tensions have already arisen in the NT police in the wake of the Northern Territory police commissioner Michael Murphy’s landmark apology to Aboriginal people delivered at the Garma festival on the weekend.
Last night, Murphy announced he had resigned his membership from the Northern Territory Police Association over its response to his speech.
Murphy said he was “incredibly disappointed” by the Association’s statements.
I love policing. I know you do too, and I am proud to be your Commissioner. I have a vision for the future of NT Police; and in order to achieve that future, we need to be able to understand and acknowledge our history. Our shared mission is to serve and protect all Territorians.
The NTPA had said they were “disappointed” that the Commissioner hadn’t communicated to them the “content, and intent, directly with the membership well in advance of his speech”. NTPA acting president Lisa Bayliss said:
In fact, the speech in its entirety was sent to the media before the membership. It is also not the role of police to assess the success or otherwise of federal government-directed policies of Closing the Gap, the Stolen Generation and the Intervention, as the Commissioner has done.
If the Commissioner is genuinely committed to achieving the goals he has outlined, it is essential that the entire Agency is included in this process and fully supported in its efforts to serve the community. Our members deserve the backing of the senior police executive, ensuring they are not unfairly overburdened with blame but rather empowered to continue their vital work for the benefit of all Territorians.
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Day three of Reynolds-Higgins trial continues today
We’re heading into day three of Linda Reynolds’ defamation trial against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins.
The Western Australian supreme court will continue to hear the federal Liberal senator’s account of events following the alleged rape of Higgins in Parliament House in early 2019.
Reynolds told the court on Monday afternoon she had spoken with a “very upset” Higgins in the days following the incident but was not yet aware of a potential sexual assault allegation.
Reynolds is suing Higgins for a series of social media posts published in July 2023 she says damaged her reputation.
Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, is expected to hand over the questions to the defence on Wednesday or Thursday for cross-examination.
Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, has indicated she will seek to demonstrate Reynolds was aware of Higgins’ alleged rape by 1 April 2019 and that claims Higgins and her now husband, David Sharaz, concocted a conspiracy to damage her reputation are wrong.
We’ll update you in a few hours when the hearing begins.
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Here’s a list of the Australian athletes to watch out for today, as we head into day eleven of the Paris Olympics:
Urgent push to overhaul men’s behaviour change programs
Court-ordered men’s behaviour change programs are littered with missed opportunities and must be urgently overhauled to boost engagement. That’s according to Monash University research, which found simply attending or completing courses should not be viewed as success.
As AAP reports, providing participants with ongoing support after courses end, collecting data on what happens to them, funding programs on a longer-term basis and boosting housing options for men who take part were identified as key areas to address.
Lead author Prof Kate Fitz-Gibbon said:
Men who do not have stable accommodation are more likely to skip group sessions and to exit the program early. It is then highly challenging to monitor and manage their ongoing risk where no fixed address is provided.
Fitz-Gibbon said there are mixed definitions of what success looks like and experts in the area called for long-term funding, as short term programs undermine the integrity and effectiveness of their work.
The current approach to working with men who use violence is missing opportunities to more effectively engage men in behaviour change, to keep their risk visible and to hold them accountable.
These missed opportunities represent critical moments where victim-survivor safety could have been improved.
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University sector blasts Labor for ‘draconian’ international student cap
Universities are speaking to the Senate education committee about the government’s proposed cap on international students.
Universities Australia’s chief executive, Luke Sheehy, said the bill is “rushed policy”, “ministerial overreach” and a “political smokescreen” designed to give the government the upper hand in “the battle over immigration ahead of the election”.
Sheehy said that “facts and data” don’t support claims international student arrivals are linked to the housing crisis, with higher vacancy rates around universities and international students making up just 4% of the private rental market. He said they are being made “scapegoats” for the housing crisis.
International students “accounted for more than half of Australia’s GDP growth [last year], almost single handedly saving from recession”.
The Group of Eight’s chief executive, Vicki Thomson, said the proposed cap was “draconian” and “economic vandalism”.
With immigration a “key battleground” between political parties, the university sector is “shaping up as the fall-guy”, she said.
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Advocates to rally outside NSW parliament for accessible building codes
People with disability and advocates are set to rally outside New South Wales parliament today, calling to ensure new housing developments in the state are accessibly built.
According to Building Better Homes, NSW is one of just two states which hasn’t adopted the design standards mandated in the national construction code – requiring developers to include basic accessibility features, like a step-free shower and level entry to a home.
Campaign spokesperson Julie Charlton said the refusal of the state government to adopt the standards – which were a key recommendation of the disability royal commission – shows a “complete disregard for people with disability, older Australians, and others who require accessible housing.”
It’s not difficult or expensive to implement these standards but it would change the lives of people with disability and older Australians.
According to modelling from the Australian Building Codes board, the standards would add about 1% to the cost of a new build.
Advocates will rally outside NSW parliament at 11am and attempt to present government representatives with a signed open letter from hundreds of people with disability.
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Lack of early social media regulation may have allowed easier radicalisation of young people: experts
Security experts say governments not regulating social media in its early years may have led to young people being more easily radicalised online, AAP reports.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi has said governments not enforcing social media in its early years had contributed to platforms not being regulated, allowing for the radicalisation to more easily occur. He told ABC Radio today:
These issues of people being angry, people being feeling disaffected, and people having a issue … have always been there. The advancement in technology and use of social media has a huge amplifying effect.
When social media was being developed, mistakes were made by democracies by not regulating early enough, not baking in security.
The question though now is how do you get that back? We’re so far down the line, people rely on the internet, rely on social media for their lives and livelihoods.
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Wong addresses media in Washington and comments on Australia-US alliance
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has spoken in Washington following news Australia will join the US Global Entry program from next year.
Wong is in the US for Ausmin talks tomorrow, and met with the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, earlier.
On the Global Entry program, Wong said it would be “good for our citizens … good for Australian businesses [and] good for our friendship”:
The US-Australia relationship is unprecedented in scale, scope and significance – but underpinned above all else by the links and bonds between our people. And this program and our participation in it is a sign of our closeness and our trust.
Wong described the Australia-US alliance as “a living expression of two countries and two peoples aligned by who we are, by what we stand for, and for what we want in the world.” Ahead of tomorrow’s talks, she said:
There have rarely been such strategic challenges as we face today.
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Human remains located inside crocodile in Far North Queensland
Human remains have been located inside a crocodile at Cooktown, in Far North Queensland, after a man went missing at the weekend.
Queensland police said a formal identification process was under way and a report would be prepared for the coroner, however the remains are believed to be those of a missing 40-year-old NSW man.
At the weekend, a search commenced in the Annan River area after following reports the 40-year-old had been taken by a crocodile. Initial investigations indicated the man had been fishing on the riverbank, when he fell into the water and failed to resurface.
The search and rescue operation has been suspended, and police are working with wildlife officers as investigations continue.
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Queensland Labor plans state-owned petrol stations as it bids for fourth term
A re-elected Queensland Labor government would set up state-owned petrol stations, cap daily fuel price rises and take over operation of council buses from local government, Steven Miles will announce.
The premier will use Tuesday’s state of the state address hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia to make a populist pitch for a fourth Labor term.
He will promise to construct a dozen state-owned petrol stations and crack down on petrol price gouging by “big multinationals” if successful at the 26 October poll.
Continue reading below:
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Speaking of the Olympics, here’s what you missed overnight from Paris, thanks to our sports team!
Queensland firefighter Olympian cheered on by state fire department
Queensland firefighter Aly Bull will kick off her Olympic campaign this evening in the K-2 and K-4 500m sprint kayak events.
The Queensland fire department has cheered her on in a post to X, writing:
Allez Allez Allez Aly!!! … Representing Durack Station on the international stage, the three-time Olympian will be firing on all cylinders as she pushes for a podium finish. Good luck Aly! We’ll all be cheering you on!
Allez Allez Allez Aly!!! 🔥🆙QFR Firefighter Aly Bull kicks off her Olympic campaign this evening in the heats of the K-2 and K-4 500 metre Sprint Kayak events. Representing Durack Station on the international stage, the three-time Olympian will be firing on all cylinders as she… pic.twitter.com/ZbWWFL2Akj
— Queensland Fire Department (@QldFireDept) August 5, 2024
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Ambassador’s comment inflammatory, repugnant, says Wong
Comments from Iran’s ambassador to Australia calling for Israel to be wiped out have been condemned by the foreign minister, Penny Wong.
As AAP reports, remarks on social media from ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi on Saturday called for a “wiping out” of Israelis in Palestine by 2027, while also referring to Israelis as a “Zionist plague”.
Wong criticised the remarks, saying they were inconsistent with national values:
Those comments are inflammatory and they’re repugnant, and they do not represent Australia. We maintain a diplomatic relationship with Iran because we seek to further Australia’s interests; that is why we continue to engage, including in relation … to the importance of de-escalation, given the circumstances we face in the Middle East.
Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have held talks with Sadeghi following the social media comments. But the opposition home affairs spokesperson, James Paterson, called for the federal government to take further action against the ambassador. He told ABC Radio today:
If he wasn’t an ambassador, it’s highly likely [the comments] would fall afoul of Australia’s anti-incitement and racial vilification laws.
If he is wantonly breaking the law like that and inciting violence against the community … it is incumbent on the government to take action. They have options available to them under the Vienna Convention, including declaring an ambassador to be persona non grata.
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Caroline Kennedy weighed in on how important China would be during discussions between Australia and the US:
The US-Australia alliance is really a global partnership, and obviously with China being such an important … trading partner and competitor for both of us, that is obviously one of the main topics.
But I think we’re also talking about what we can do together to fight climate change, to help the Pacific Islands build critical infrastructure to connect them, just like we were doing with the subsea cables or with the digital and cloud computing centre. So it’s so multifaceted …
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Australia and US sign memorandum of understanding on tackling foreign misinformation
The US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, is speaking with ABC News Breakfast following news Australia will join the US Global Entry program from next year.
We had more details on this earlier in the blog here.
She was asked about the fact that the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had signed a memorandum of understanding on tackling foreign misinformation. Kennedy said:
It definitely is [a growing problem], and that’s why it’s so important for countries – more than 20 countries have signed up to this framework – that we will be able to provide trustworthy information to countries in the region. I think it’s a great step for our democracy to be working together.
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RBA’s rate hold looks even more certain amid $10tn market rout
The Reserve Bank’s two-day board meeting that wraps up this afternoon was very likely to have left the key interest rate unchanged for a sixth straight gathering even without the sudden burst of global market mayhem.
The downward spiral in equity markets became evident to most Australia investors last Friday, or about the time the RBA was finalising forecasts for its quarterly statement on monetary policy that will inform the rates verdict we’ll all learn about at 2.30pm AEST.
The unwinding of big bets on artificial intelligence and US tech titans such as chipmaker Nvidia began, though, about three weeks ago. Over that time, stock markets had shed $US6.4tn in value, or about $10tn in Australian dollars. (That looks like $10,000,000,000,000.)
The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, will probably be asked why the RBA isn’t cutting its cash rate of 4.35%, where it’s sat since November. It will be interesting to hear whether the board considered such a move along with the “hike” or “hold” options. (We looked at those two options here yesterday.)
Bullock is likely to say the central bank is watching market developments closely, and the RBA has the capability to intervene to cut the cash rate to support the economy or to purchase Australian dollars if the currency goes into a tailspin (and fuels inflation as import prices rise). (The dollar is holding steady at about $US65 US cents so far.)
Markets that were tipping a rate rise before the end of the year now predict a 20% chance of rate cut today, and about 60% of 50 basis points of cuts to 3.85% by December.
Uncertainty is likely to be word of the day, whether it’s sliding markets, a potential escalation of war in the Middle East, and who knows what in the US presidential campaign over the next three months as election campaigns ramp up.
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Uber teaming up with electric car importer for program to offer secondhand EVs
More rides and deliveries could take place in secondhand electric vehicles if a pilot program launched by Uber takes off in Australia, AAP reports.
The tech company announced its vehicle trial today after partnering with Queensland firm Car Empire to offer discounted access to used electric cars from Japan. The Nissan Leaf models, which will cost about $22,000, will be offered to delivery as well as rideshare drivers for the first time.
Uber Australia and New Zealand managing director Emma Foley said despite these and other efforts to help professional drivers adopt electric cars, their high initial cost remained a speed bump.
New electric vehicle purchase numbers are coming up – in 2023, 8.5% of new vehicles in Australia were EVs – but the secondhand market is still less than one per cent. We hope that, long-term, this becomes a catalyst for the wider market because ride-share drivers might have these cars for a few years and on-sell them.
Uber’s secondhand EV trial will extend to drivers in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, and will give them access to used Nissan Leaf vehicles from 2017 to 2019.
The vehicles, which will be packaged with three-year warranties and roadside assistance, will be available on five-year loans for $124 a week.
Car Empire director David Cosgrove said the company had 20 EVs ready and could import up to 200 models a week, depending on demand.
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Australia to join United States Global Entry program from next year
Australia will join the US Global Entry program in 2025, creating an easier pathway for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who visit the country each year.
Eligible Australians who sign up for the program would benefit from streamlined and expedited immigration and customs clearance channels on arrival into the US, a statement from the foreign minister, Penny Wong, says.
The program will be available from January 2025 to a limited number of Australians who travel most frequently to the US, with plans to expand the program later in 2025. Wong said:
Joining the Global Entry program is a mark of the closeness and the strength of the relationship between our two countries.
The foundation of the friendship between Australia and United States is the friendship between our people. This program will deepen these links and make it easier to foster greater commercial ties.
Philip Ruddock ousted as Hornsby mayor
Last night, Philip Ruddock was ousted as Hornsby mayor after councillor Warren Waddell won a Liberal preselection 164 votes to 104, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Ruddock was a cabinet minister in the Howard government from 1998 to 2007, and is one of Australia’s longest-serving politicians, first elected in a 1973 byelection.
The 81-year-old has been mayor since 2017 and ran for council less than a year after quitting federal parliament.
• This post was amended on 6 August 2024. Philip Ruddock is not Australia’s longest-serving politician as an earlier version said.
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Eraring extension benefits outweigh costs, new modelling argues
Wholesale energy prices could be reduced by billions of dollars under a controversial plan to keep Australia’s largest coal-fired power station operating until 2027.
As AAP reports, NSW government-commissioned modelling to be published today shows delaying the closure of Eraring will slash wholesale prices by up to a third in the first year.
It also predicts negligible impacts on new renewable and storage investments as a result of keeping the 40-year-old generator running. But extra carbon emissions from the ageing plant are forecast to cause harm valued in the high hundreds of millions of dollars.
Advice to Treasury, also released today, showed the benefits of keeping Eraring open outweighed the costs by a potential factor of four, predominantly through pushing down wholesale energy costs.
Energy consultants ICA Partners advised the government should proceed with the deal “given it is a viable and cost-effective source of insurance against the risk of supply interruptions”.
State officials were also advised the extension would not impact the state achieving its 2030 emissions reduction target. That’s despite modelling predicting carbon emissions being 9m tonnes higher over two years.
The modelling came with caveats including that it modelled a three-year extension, rather than the later-approved two-year deal. Under the three-year model, wholesale prices were down $4.4bn and increased reliability and savings delivered an extra $500m benefit. That was weighed against costs of $1.7bn, including $1.1bn for higher emissions.
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Australian Conservation Foundation has X account reinstated
On yesterday’s blog, we brought you news that the Australian Conservation Foundation had had its X account suspended for the second time – with little explanation.
The account was suspended for “breaking” the X rules, but was not told which tweets in question did so. ACF’s engagement director, Jane Gardner, said she believed they were being report-bombed by pro-nuclear groups.
(“Report-bombing” is the practice of submitting large volumes of user-based reports to a platform saying a particular user’s content should be removed. It is often weaponised to try to remove content.)
Last night, the account was reinstated by X. While pleased with the decision, the ACF said there “remains no word from X about why we were suspended”.
The environment and energy minister, Chris Bowen, weighed in on the situation last night and said:
This is another outrageous example of social media trying to shut down voices for climate action. I don’t agree with [the ACF] about everything but they are an important and credible voice in the climate debate …
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Universities rally against international student caps
Universities and businesses are lobbying against laws to give the education minister the power to cap the number of international students, AAP reports.
They argue it will stifle financial viability and put thousands of jobs at risk, but the government says the laws are necessary to better manage a migration system where people are using student visas as a backdoor into Australia.
The proposed changes would add extra repercussions for dodgy education providers found to flout visa rules and take advantage of international students.
The laws were rushed and “designed to deal with a political issue around migration ahead of the next federal election,” Universities Australia said in its submission to an inquiry into the bill.
International student revenue was crucial for research efforts, the Business Council said as it opposed caps.
The Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi called the proposal “a migration policy disguised as an education policy” as the government worked to reform immigration levels.
Labor is crushing universities in a bid to look tough on borders.
The home affairs department said there had been a growth in “non-genuine students and unscrupulous providers” using the sector as a back door to enter Australia.
The universities, business groups, unions, legal experts and the department will on Tuesday give evidence to a parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill. The committee will report by 15 August.
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Good morning
And happy Tuesday – Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duty. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off!
As always, you can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or via email, emily.wind@theguardian.com, with any thoughts, questions or feedback.
Let’s get started.
Finally, Mike Burgess was asked about foreign interference and espionage, where he revealed that Asio has caught Iranians “surveilling individuals” in Australia.
Burgess said Asio was concerned that Iran was a “country who is capable of dealing with threats to their country as they see them, including through surveillance or potentially worse”.
Asked what “potentially worse” looks like, Burgess said it included potential assassinations:
Up to and including lethal operations, as in killing someone.
Asked if that meant assassinations, Burgess said “yes”.
We keep an open investigation but, of course, I would not disclose what we know because obviously it may stop us from doing our job well.
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More from Mike Burgess on the ABC last night
Burgess was asked about the war in Gaza and its influence on the decision to raise the threat level, saying that it did not have a direct impact on the decision.
He said the war had an “indirect impact” on threat levels, saying it had created its own “weather system” that drives “strong emotions and strong reactions”:
We did not raise the threat level in direct response to the conflict in Gaza. But of course, it has an indirect impact.
It has driven protests, it has driven division, and those protests are getting very emotional and there has been spontaneous violence. It becomes a bit of its own weather system and the wrong thing happens and it fires up the wrong things and is driving strong emotions and strong reactions and again, that’s our concern.
He added that politicians have an “exceptional role” in diffusing tensions, pointing to a statement he released in October that called for political leaders to be “careful” in how they speak on the issue.
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Asio chief details decision to increase terror threat level
Asio boss Mike Burgess was on ABC’s 7.30 Report last night, where he discussed the increased threat of terrorism, after his agency raised the risk level to probable yesterday.
Burgess said the decision to raise the threat level was after a series of violent incidents in Australia reflected “what we are seeing in society”. He said of the eight incidents that contributed to the decision, there was an “equal mix” of religious motivation, nationalism, racism and in one case a “mixed ideology that goes to the left and right”.
This is the new thing, people will go to violence with no warning and will not be known to us with little or no planning in the cases of some of these I’ve talked about. They are symptomatic of what we are seeing in society: increased temperature, violence is more permissible and a range of ideologies. Minors are also in the mix, youth are particularly vulnerable, driven by social media.
Less than half of the examples were religiously motivated, he said, adding that Sunni Islamic extremism was not much a driver to the raised threat level. He also said neo-nazism was a “big portion of the mix” which has “long been a thing in this country”.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be running through some of our top stories and looking out for what’s coming up later today.
Our top story this morning is a new Guardian investigation. A 15-year-old boy was charged with murder and spent almost a year in custody after Victoria police used a process described by a judge as “corrupted” to gather identification evidence against him. The case then collapsed during a pre-trial hearing in which the judge said she was “incredulous” that the prosecution was pushing ahead with it despite flaws in the evidence used to identify the boy as the murderer.
Victoria police have denied the investigation into the alleged murder of 17-year-old Aguer Akech was improperly conducted. Read the full story here.
Shares in New York and London have fallen heavily amid a global stock market rout triggered by fears of a recession in the US, where Wall Street suffered its worst day in nearly two years.
It points to more potential losses when the ASX opens later today. Australia’s share market had its worst day yesterday since the onset of the pandemic as fears of a US recession prompted investors to exit their positions, erasing more than $100bn in value from local stocks. It’s expected to shed 2.6% when trading opens and some pundits think that makes it more likely that the Reserve Bank will cut rates when it completes its monetary policy meeting at 2.30pm. We’ll have more on this over the morning.
Australia’s spy chief, Mike Burgess, has been explaining why the country’s terror threat was increased yesterday from “possible” to “probable”. Burgess was on the ABC last night to outline how eight attacks or disruptions that involved alleged terrorism had been investigated in the past four months fuelled by a volatile and unpredictable mix of issues such as the war in Gaza amplified by divisive social media. More coming up.
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