What we learned; Thursday 1 February
Here are the main stories from the day:
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has signalled that resuming Australia’s funding to a key UN agency delivering aid to Gaza is the only realistic route “if we are serious about trying to ensure that fewer children are starving”;
New Zealand and Australia agree to strengthen defence ties;
Independent senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie express IR bill concerns;
Victorian health department to investigate allegations a regional hospital used staff, family to pose as patients during a ministerial visit; and
The release of political donations data which showed millions of dollars pouring into the major political parties has renewed calls for reform.
We will see you back here for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Here’s the story on news we brought you earlier that the foreign minister, Penny Wong, has signalled that resuming Australia’s funding to a key UN agency delivering aid to Gaza is the only realistic route “if we are serious about trying to ensure that fewer children are starving”.
In a curious turn of events, the federal court now says it will NOT be showing the first hearing of the Moira Deeming v John Pesutto defamation case on its YouTube channel tomorrow, as we told you earlier.
NSW police investigate shark bite image breach
NSW police are investigating how an image of shark-attack victim Lauren O’Neill’s injuries were leaked from inside the hospital.
St Vincent’s Hospital released a statement this morning which said it had “become aware of photos in the public domain that appear to have been taken in the Emergency Department and are related to those of a patient injury”.
The hospital said it “takes patient privacy obligations extremely seriously” and was investigating the issue as a matter of priority.
“We have engaged with the patient and we have sincerely apologised for any part St Vincent’s played in the photos being taken,” the statement said.
NSW police said it was “aware of a photo that was distributed and are conducting inquiries”.
Guardian Australia understands NSW Health will be releasing a statement shortly.
Updated
People not going to the doctor because of the cost, Senate committee hears
In the cost of living Senate committee, the CEO of Consumers Health Forum of Australia, Elizabeth Deveny, said people are delaying or not going to the doctor when they need it because it has become too expensive.
She said ABS statistics showed 70% of people who needed a GP put it off last year, one in 10 did not see a specialist and one in five delayed seeing mental health treatment.
Deveny said:
The survey showed that 26% of people within the most disadvantaged areas of Australia could not afford to see their dentist; 3.2% of people said they delayed going to hospital because of the cost.
And while that might not seem like much, it’s actually doubled over the last couple of months, where it was previously 1.8% of people.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president, Nicole Higgins, said people are presenting later and presenting to the emergency department, which is contributing to the ramping.
We’re also seeing now the health effects of poverty on Australia, as people are making choices around how they spend their dollars, and they delay care.
When people can’t afford health care, especially those with chronic conditions, what happens is they miss out, they get sicker, and the healthcare system continues to be put under more and more strain.
Updated
Plibersek urged to reject Queensland coalmine
The Greens are urging the federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to reject a Queensland coalmine which would clear hundreds of hectares of endangered koala habitat.
The Queensland government approved the Vulcan South coalmine in the Bowen Basin earlier this month without requiring an environmental impact statement.
Vitrinite would mine 1.95m tonnes of coal each year under the proposal and have permission to clear 770 hectares of koala habitat.
But the project still needs minister Plibersek’s approval to go ahead.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young labelled the project a “koala killer” and “climate cooker.”
Minister Plibersek must block it and commit to fixing Australia’s broken environment laws to stop the extinction and climate crisis.
Labor must choose koalas over coal and reject this mega mine. It will not only cook our climate but fuel the extinction crisis and the survival of endangered wildlife.”
Plibersek is unable to legally comment on decisions before her.
Updated
Covid inquiry hears from charity founded for those impacted by vaccination
The inquiry is now hearing from Coverse, a charity set up for Australians who’ve been harmed by or lost a loved one to Covid vaccines.
Rachel O’Reilly, the charity’s co-founder, said Coverse has existed since 2022 because neither the federal nor state governments are providing adequate supports for citizens affected by the government-approved drug.
Reilly says she and her co-founder Dr Rado Faletič have taken many vaccines throughout their lives with no issues.
In her opening statement, O’Reilly said:
There was no infrastructure set up to support Australians suffering from Covid vaccine reactions and there still is not. The people who we represent are dealing with life-changing injuries and institutional and social ostracisation that we would argue is comparable to the earliest days of the AIDS pandemic.”
O’Reilly said the people suffering Covid vaccine harm got vaccinated at the request of Australian governments to protect communities. She said their reactions are rarely mild or self resolving and can involve cardiac, neurological, immunological, cognitive and other disabilities, and can appear suddenly or develop gradually.
Out of 22,000 reports of adverse effects as a result of Covid-19 vaccination, the government pharmacovigilance data shows that fewer than 1% of cases have had a claim approved by the government’s compensation scheme, O’Reilly said.
“The adverse events report for Covid vaccines constitute almost a quarter of all drug reactions report published by the TGA since 1971, yet our cases did not raise any safety signals.”
The AusVaxSafety program conducts surveillance for vaccine injuries or side-effects in the Australian population.
Updated
Wong signals government wants to resume funding UN aid agency in Gaza
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has given a strong signal that Australia wants to resume funding to a key UN agency delivering aid to Gaza, as she suggested it was the only realistic route “if we are serious about trying to ensure that fewer children are starving”.
Speaking after a meeting with New Zealand ministers in Melbourne, Wong did not give a timeframe for reinstating funding to UNRWA, but played down the idea of channelling the funds through another organisation.
More than 10 donor countries – including Australia, the US and the UK – suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel provided the agency with information alleging that as many as 12 of the agency’s staff were involved in the 7 October attacks. Australia paused plans to provide $6m to UNRWA.
Asked about the matter, Wong said:
Can I start by reminding people why successive Australian governments, since 1951, have funded this organisation and it is because the only organisation which delivers the sort of assistance and substantive support into the occupied Palestinian territories within the international system. So that is the reality.
Can I also remind people what is happening in Gaza at the moment? We have reports from the UN that 400,000 Palestinians in Gaza are actually starving and a million are at risk of starvation. An estimated 1.7 million people in Gaza are internally displaced, and there are increasingly few safe places for Palestinians to go.
More than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering within UNRWA facilities – and 3,000 of the workers [for UNRWA] are working on the humanitarian response in the most trying of conditions. That is the context in which Australia and Australians provide humanitarian assistance to UNRWA.
Now, we have made clear that these are deeply concerning allegations. We have made clear they need to be thoroughly investigated and those responsible need to be held to account, and I have directed, this week, Australia’s humanitarian coordinator to lead urgent work coordinating with like-minded partners, as well as UNRWA, on these and other matters.I think it is important that we remember why it is that previous governments have funded this organisation, but also the scale of the humanitarian crisis and the absence of any alternatives, if we are serious about trying to ensure that fewer children are starving. That is what we are faced with.
For more on this issue, see our earlier story about Australia’s talks with key allies with a view to finding a way to resume funding:
Updated
David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie express IR bill concerns
The Senate employment committee has reported back on Labor’s closing loopholes bill. Last year the same-job, same-pay provisions passed parliament after a deal with senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock but the sections relating to casuals, road transport and the gig economy were removed to be dealt with in 2024.
The report, tabled on Thursday, reveals the pair have concerns about the remaining provisions.
Lambie’s dissenting report said she is concerned the bill “will have significant economic consequences for businesses and employers”.
Lambie said:
It has the capacity to contribute to cost of living pressures, harm businesses by increasing red tape, create confusion and complexity, discourage innovation, create barriers for employers seeking to hire staff, and drive-up costs ...
The proposed changes to the casual workforce, workplace delegates’ rights, and right of entry for union representatives are especially concerning. The JLN maintains significant concern for small businesses and owner drivers in the transport industry should this bill pass in its current form.”
Pocock seemed a bit more open-minded, in his “additional comments” (not dissenting), offering a series of amendments, the most important of which trims back the scope of gig economy provisions.
He said:
The employee-like aspect of these reforms, as drafted, go far beyond the scope of capturing the gig platform courier drivers and would impact sectors like personal and aged-care providers. It is important that the reforms only capture those they intend to. For this reason [the bill] should be amended to require that the person satisfies two or more characteristics in order to be an employee-like worker and should include a general carve out for building and construction contractors (who are not intended to be caught by the changes).”
Given the Coalition opposes the bill, Labor would need to pass it with the Greens, and either David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe or the Jacqui Lambie Network.
Updated
New Zealand to be briefed on Aukus developments, Marles says
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, says working together in the Pacific is “core business” for Australia and New Zealand.
Marles also announced further talks on the potential for NZ to participate in Aukus “pillar 2” – this is the part of the security partnership that relates to advanced technology, not nuclear-powered submarines which fall under “pillar 1”.
Marles said:
We have agreed to send a team to New Zealand very shortly to brief New Zealand on developments in relation to Aukus and particularly Aukus pillar 2.
Updated
New Zealand and Australia agree to strengthen defence ties
Richard Marles says Australian and New Zealand governments had agreed to an even closer alignment of their defence operations so that they are “seamless”. He said:
We have committed to working much more closely together in terms of defence operations to give effect to deterrence. We have agreed to work much more closely together in terms of building interoperability and interchangeability between our two defence forces – in other words, we are committed to constructing two defence forces which are seamless in the way in which we are operating. We bring much greater effect when we work together than we do when we work on our own. I think there is a huge step forward that has been taken today in terms of building that seamlessness.
Updated
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, and minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, are in Melbourne and will hold a joint press conference with the New Zealand deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, and minister for defence, Judith Collins, any minute now.
Updated
Deeming-Pesutto defamation case in federal court tomorrow
The federal court has just let us know that the first hearing in the Moira Deeming v John Pesutto defamation case will be shown on its YouTube channel tomorrow morning. Here’s what we wrote about that case between the Victorian MP and the state opposition leader in December:
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, you’ll have Nino Bucci with you for the rest of this afternoon. Take care!
Social isolation a factor when implementing public health measures, inquiry told
To what extent should governments consider that social isolation can be a trigger for suicidal ideation when they are making decisions about measures like lockdowns?
The question was part of the balance in the decisions that were made during the pandemic, the director of policy and government relations at Suicide Prevention Australia, Christopher Stone, has told the Covid-19 inquiry.
There is a necessity sometimes to implement measures which increase social isolation, Stone said, but there is also the need for other responses to mitigate the suicide risk, like increased supports.
But those supports need to be continued due to the lag effect (see previous post), he said.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Updated
‘Only now starting to see effects of Covid on suicide’, Suicide Prevention Australia says
The Covid-19 inquiry is now hearing evidence from Suicide Prevention Australia.
The director of policy and government relations, Christopher Stone, said there are deep concerns around the risk of suicide being impacted by Covid, with evidence that pandemics increase suicide risk due to factors like social isolation, employment uncertainty and financial stress.
The evidence is there is a time lag of those impacts of around 2-3 years. We’re only really now starting to see what the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are on suicide.
The latest national cause-of-death data for 2022 shows an increase in suicide deaths for the first time since 2019, Stone said.
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts asked Stone what is known about government responses to Covid causing a higher suicide rate, particularly due to measures like vaccine mandates leading to job loss.
Stone said job loss is associated with the increase in the risk of suicide, but that government action can also prevent it. When Roberts asks Stone to share any examples of individuals affected by government policy, Stone said:
It’s very problematic in any individual circumstance to say ‘this is the factor that absolutely caused it’.
Suicide is complex human behaviour and in any particular case there will be a range of factors.
Stone said bereavement is also a big factor associated with increased suicide risk, meaning there could be increased risk if disease is not controlled.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Updated
Flood watch issued for Gulf of Carpentaria
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch for parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria, as ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is set to across the region, bringing heavy rain.
⚠️ Flood Watch for parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria, including Settlement Creek, Nicholson River, Leichhardt River, Norman River and Gilbert River. Localised flooding, including flash flooding, is likely. Likely disruption to transport routes and isolation of some communities. pic.twitter.com/u3jZO6ty7x
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 1, 2024
The catchments included in the warning are Settlement Creek, Nicholson River, Leichhardt River, Norman River and Gilbert River.
The Bureau says minor to major flooding is possible from late in the week into the weekend and next week, as floodwaters extend slowly through these large catchments.
Flooding is likely to result in disruption to transport routes and isolation of some communities, the Bureau added.
Updated
Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite has joined those paying tribute to Michael Egan, NSW’s longest-serving treasurer who has passed away aged 75.
Writing on X, Thistlethwaite said:
Shocked to hear of the passing of former NSW Treasurer Michael Egan. Upfront, witty, humorous [and] damn good at his job, reducing budget deficits [and] providing the foundation for one of the best Labor governments our nation has had. RIP
Shocked to hear of the passing of former NSW Treasurer Michael Egan. Upfront, witty, humorous & damn good at his job, reducing budget deficits & providing the foundation for one of the best Labor governments our nation has had. RIP
— Matt Thistlethwaite (@MThistlethwaite) February 1, 2024
Updated
Victorian opposition calls for independent inquiry into fake hospital patients
The Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, is calling for a judicial inquiry into allegations staff and family members at a regional hospital posed as patients during a visit from the health minister.
Colac Area Health is under investigation by the health department after allegations 10 people, who were not unwell, were inside the hospital’s urgent care clinic during Mary-Anne Thomas’s visit in August 2023.
Thomas has denied her office had any involvement but Pesutto says he doesn’t believe her. He told reporters:
My argument, and the interest of all Victorians, is that there’d be a truly independent inquiry so we know exactly what happened. I’m not prepared, given the pattern of misrepresentation cover ups ... to take the Allan Labor government at its word. Let’s have a truly independent inquiry to find out what happened and whether it is happening elsewhere across our health system.
Pesutto said “a retired judge” should lead an investigation – not the health department:
Someone who’s not dependent on the government and someone who can be put in a position where they can reveal the truth about what happened here.
Updated
Transport for NSW urges drivers to ‘consider alternatives’ after peak-hour delays
Earlier this morning, there were reports of bumper-to-bumper traffic and delays in Sydney due to the Rozelle interchange, with traffic increasing as school returned.
In a statement, a Transport for NSW spokesperson acknowledged queueing in the Drummoyne area heading towards the city during today’s peak.
Transport operators will review and adjust the management of the road network as more people return to work and school next week.
The spokesperson also noted there was “localised queueing eastbound from The Crescent overpass merge”, but said there was no significant delays.
Transport for NSW is urging motorists in the inner west to “consider using alternatives in times of increased congestion”, including Parramatta Road or taking the bus.
Buses using Victoria Road and the City West Link were running on or close to time throughout this morning.
The spokesperson said it will take up to six months for traffic to settle following the opening of the Rozelle interchange, acknowledging “significant delays in the first two weeks of its operation”.
Transport for NSW says it will “continue to monitor the return to regular traffic flows on the Rozelle Interchange following the holiday period”.
Updated
‘Vast majority’ of nurses and midwives supported vaccine mandates, Covid-19 inquiry told
Back to the special commission of inquiry into Covid-19, which is holding hearings today:
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has asked the inquiry about the “thousands of nurses stood down in Queensland for refusing to get the vaccine”.
The federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Annie Butler, told Roberts she did not have an exact figure but it would have been in the hundreds, not thousands.
Many thousands more were pro the mandate because they see that and regard that as the number-one line of defence … helping protect themselves and their patients.
On balance the vast majority of our members were very strongly in favour of vaccination mandates.
LNP senator Gerard Rennick also enquired about autoimmune issues from the vaccine. Both Butler and Prof Mark Morgan from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners defended the medically proven benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Speaking to the breakdown in trust which occurred during the pandemic, Butler said many nurses and midwives were spat on and abused by patients due to misinformation fuelled by social media.
Updated
Dreyfus meets US counterpart after ‘landmark agreement’ on law enforcement cooperation
While visiting the US, attorney general Mark Dreyfus has met with his US counterpart Merrick Garland, and Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd.
Rudd shared a photo of the meeting to social media:
Excellent to have 🇦🇺 Attorney-General @MarkDreyfusKCMP here in DC, and right off the bat meeting with his 🇺🇸 counterpart, Attorney-General Merrick Garland. Announcing big steps for our nations to work together on international law enforcement. Joint Statement below. pic.twitter.com/pZHo9aGvaY
— Kevin Rudd AC (@AmboRudd) January 31, 2024
In case you missed it, a “landmark agreement” was signed between the two attorneys general this week, boosting international cooperation when it comes to addressing serious crime, such as terrorism and child sexual abuse.
According to a statement, the agreement will help tackle serious criminal activity when the information law enforcement needs is held by overseas providers.
We had all the details in yesterday’s blog here.
Updated
National health agency needed to coordinate decisions, Covid-19 inquiry hears
A national health agency is needed to coordinate health decisions across states, a Senate inquiry into Covid-19 has heard this afternoon.
The federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Annie Butler, has told the inquiry:
The experience of Covid was an X-ray of the entire health and aged care system. It showed all the fractures, revealed the tiny breaks and even the cracks.
Butler said it especially starkly revealed the many health inequalities.
In order to be prepared for future pandemics, sufficient public funding for health services is needed, including rebuilding Medicare in order to address the changing healthcare needs of Australians, Butler said.
Both Butler and the representative of the peak body for general practitioners, Prof Mark Morgan, agreed that a central body for coordination of health decisions across the states would help Australia better respond to future national health challenges.
This post was amended on 1 February 2024 to clarify that Butler was speaking at a Senate inquiry, not a separate commission of inquiry into Covid-19.
Updated
Myanmar sanctions welcome but ‘missed opportunity’ to go further, Birmingham says
The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, has welcomed the additional sanctions placed on Myanmar by the government, but said they don’t go far enough to align Australia with its international counterparts.
As announced by the foreign minister, Penny Wong, Australia has imposed additional targeted sanctions on five entities linked to the Myanmar military regime, on the third anniversary of the military coup.
(You can read more on this earlier in the blog here).
Responding to this, Birmingham wrote on X:
This [third] anniversary of the brutal military coup in Myanmar, we reaffirm our support for people of [Myanmar] in their continuing struggle for democracy & freedom. The coup has inflicted an enormous toll, especially on women, children, religious minorities [and] peaceful protestors.
Additional sanctions by [Wong] today upon the Myanmar military regime are welcome but fail to bring [Australia] in line with counterparts like US, UK [and] Canada. This is a regrettable missed opportunity to target sources of funds, arms, equipment [and] jet fuel as allies have done.
The Coalition calls for an immediate end to violence [and] a return to a democratic pathway. We urge the Albanese Government to take swift [and] appropriate action against the military junta [and] those who support it.
Updated
Perth’s east set to bake, maximum of 45C forecast
Residents in Perth are preparing for another day of scorching temperatures with some eastern suburbs expected to climb into the mid-40s amid heatwave conditions across much of Western Australia, AAP reports.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast Midland and Ellenbrook to reach 45C today with Kalamunda and Armadale predicted to hit 44C and 43C respectively, and Perth forecast to reach a maximum of 41C.
By 10am local time, Perth airport had climbed to 40.2C, the city 38.4C and Pearce in the city’s north-east recording 41.9C.
Temperatures reached 44C in some parts of Perth yesterday, well above the forecast 39C, with tomorrow also expected to bring hot conditions before cooler weather over the weekend.
The heatwave is covering most of WA, with Northam tomorrow forecast to reach 44C, Geraldton 43C and Kalgoorlie 40C.
In the north, Marble Bar is expecting 46C, Paraburdoo 45C and Roebourne 42C.
Much of #WA, including #Perth, is sweltering through a heatwave. Daytime temperatures reaching the low forties, oppressive overnight minimums. Cool change this weekend in the southwest.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) January 31, 2024
Stay cool and hydrated. Temperature forecasts: https://t.co/JCrrl1oIib pic.twitter.com/yLGPfVaRON
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Queensland increases funding for homelessness services by $390m
Queensland will boost funding to homelessness services across the state by 20% as part of a housing plan soon to be delivered by the state government.
Around 90 organisations are expected to benefit from $390m in additional funding for the next 18 months.
It comes after the premier, Steven Miles, said the cabinet had endorsed five pillars of the “Homes for Queensland” plan. He said these include “building homes faster, supporting renters, helping people into home ownership, delivering social homes and boosting public housing and ending homelessness”.
No one should be sleeping on the streets in a tent or in their car. Least of all families or Queensland children.
That’s why the first part of the government’s Homes for Queensland plan aims to deal with this complex issue.
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NSW Teachers Federation backs Minns’ call for full federal public school funding
New South Wales teachers have backed the actions of the state government in working to secure full funding for its public schools from the Commonwealth government.
Yesterday, a “landmark” deal between the Commonwealth and Western Australia to co-fund public school improvements was rejected by all other states. You can read all the background on this below:
According to the NSW Teachers Federation, the premier, Chris Minns, said at a press conference this morning:
We need the Commonwealth Government to up their contributions to public school funding … when it comes to agreements between the state and the Commonwealth, the full Gonski amount from the Commonwealth government needs to be supplied and the reason for that is they have deeper pockets.
The union’s president, Henry Rajendra, agrees the Commonwealth has the financial firepower to fully fund public schools:
It is simply unconscionable that children in public schools are missing out while private schools, which receive substantial public funding, splurge on unnecessary vanity projects such as equestrian centres and Olympic pools.
Premier Minns and [education minister Prue] Car are taking a strong stand for public education. We applaud them for doing so and urge them to maintain the pressure.
Updated
No jail for ex-premier’s cop son over false evidence
The police officer son of ex-NSW premier and federal senator Kristina Keneally has slumped over in relief after being spared jail for a false statement that led to an activist’s wrongful imprisonment, AAP reports.
Daniel Keneally was sentenced to a 15-month intensive correction order in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court today after earlier being convicted of fabricating evidence.
The intensive correction order was imposed despite prosecutors urging magistrate Rodney Brender to instead order full-time imprisonment.
The 35-year-old was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and pay a $2,000 fine.
Keneally wrote a statement containing numerous falsehoods relating to a phone call from Luke Brett Moore to Newtown police station in February 2021.
The statement, including false claims Moore threatened to kill a police officer, resulted in the activist being arrested and held in custody for three weeks.
You can read the full background on this below:
Updated
Flash flooding, damaging winds predicted for QLD Gulf country
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is continuing to wreak havoc in Queensland, moving across to the north-west and bringing intense rainfall to the Gulf country.
In a post to X, the Queensland fire and emergency service said 24-hour rainfall totals between 100mm and 200mm are predicted, causing a high chance of flash flooding and damaging 90km/h winds on the coastal fringe from this afternoon.
The [Bureau of Meteorology] has issued a severe weather warning for areas that are likely to see the heaviest rain.
The warning includes Mornington Island, Normanton, Doomadgee, Burketown, Karumba and Augustus Downs Station.
⛈️ Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily ⛈️ is making its way north-west across the state, bringing heavy and intense rainfall to the Gulf Country.
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) February 1, 2024
With predicted 24-hourly totals between 100mm and 200mm, there is a high chance of dangerous flash flooding and damaging 90km/h winds on the… pic.twitter.com/r1fvvZumU3
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Some solid Gen Z content for your Thursday afternoon, courtesy of the ABS:
🤡 #genzemailsignoffs pic.twitter.com/0ISPpwGdiz
— Australian Bureau of Statistics (@ABSStats) February 1, 2024
Three-year-old rescued from Hello Kitty claw machine in Brisbane
An adventurous three-year-old has been rescued from a claw machine in a Queensland shopping centre after crawling up the prize dispenser in search of toys.
Police posted a video of the carefree child, named Ethan, surrounded by a mountain of Hello Kitty plushies as officers pondered how to get him out.
Officers responded to reports the child was trapped in the claw machine at Capalaba Park shopping centre at 7.15pm on Sunday.
But when they arrived, Ethan, who was wearing a Power Rangers shirt, appeared unfazed and in no rush to be rescued.
Nevertheless, Ethan followed police and his parents’ instructions, crawling through the toys to get out of the way and covering his eyes as officers shattered the glass to free him.
Ethan was then returned safely to his family, with an officer joking “you won a prize, which one do you want?”
A spokesperson for the Retail First Group said it was the first time such an incident had occurred at one of their 21 shopping centres in south-east Queensland.
The spokesperson said the child wasn’t in the machine for long, with security, police and emergency services all attending quickly.
Obviously, they smashed the glass, so that machine has been removed.
We are in discussions with the vendor of the claw machines just to look at measures that we can put in place to avoid this happening in the future.
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Victorian health department to investigate claims hospital used staff, family to pose as patients
The Victorian health department is investigating allegations staff and family members at a regional hospital posed as patients during a ministerial visit.
The Colac Herald was first to report allegations that Colac Area Health staged a full emergency department during a visit from the health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, in August 2023.
The health department confirmed to Guardian Australia it was aware of the complaint and was investigating. It said in a statement:
We’re working closely with Colac Area Health on the matter and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
Thomas was asked about the allegations during a press conference in Daylesford this morning and told reporters:
If these allegations prove to be true this is a very significant breach of trust that has been perpetrated by some in the health service, and I certainly would take a very dim view of any employees or others who have been involved in this.
She recalled that the emergency ward was busy during her visit but she had “no reason to be suspicious”. Thomas also ruled out any involvement from her office:
This has nothing whatsoever to do with my office and if anyone is suggesting that I take great offence.
I don’t need anyone to tell me that our hospitals are under pressure. I visit health services all the time. I see what’s happening on the ground.
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Dwelling approvals slid in December, with units sagging by a quarter, ABS says
The cost of housing has been rising sharply, with rents still clocking up annual increases around 7.3% and purchase prices at or near records in much of the country.
Despite those soaring costs, we haven’t seen much of an uptick in supply. The latest ABS figures on dwelling approvals point to future supply sinking in fact.
Last month, total dwellings approved fell 9.5% to 13,085, compared with the 0.5% expected by economists. (November approvals were also revised lower to a 0.3% increase versus a 1.6% gain in the first data pass.)
The trends are no friends for those hoping for an uptick in new housing approvals. (Source: @ABSStats ) pic.twitter.com/rnM42q0enW
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 1, 2024
Daniel Rossi, ABS’s head of construction statistics, said:
Approvals for private sector dwellings excluding houses drove the December decline, falling 25.3%.
In 2023, there were 59,174 private other dwellings approved, compared to 73,041 in 2022. This reflects a 19% annual fall.
Approvals in less volatile, private sector houses, fell 0.5% in December.
The prospect of falling borrowing costs later this year as inflation ebbs (see yesterday’s report) might encourage more business activity, including in the stretched housing market. Can’t come soon enough.
Two men charged with arson over Burgertory shop fire
Two men are facing arson charges over a burger shop fire in Melbourne, AAP reports.
The Caulfield shop of the Burgertory chain was destroyed by fire on 10 November 2023.
Police arrested two men yesterday before charging a 25-year-old man from Preston with arson, robbery, car theft and other offences today.
The man also faces charges over the alleged arson of a tobacco store fire in Bendigo on Monday which resulted in more than $4m worth of damage. According to police, the tobacco store fire is not related to the ongoing battle over illicit tobacco that has seen more than 30 shops firebombed.
He will appear in the Melbourne magistrates’ court today.
Police have also charged a second 27-year-old St Albans man with arson and car theft. He was released on bail pending his case at the Melbourne magistrates’ court on Friday.
Victoria police inspector Scott Dwyer said the Caulfield incident was not a hate crime. He said in a statement:
It wasn’t motivated by prejudice or politics.
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Police investigate suspicious tobacco store fire in Victoria
Detectives are investigating a suspicious fire at a tobacco store in Bakery Hill, in the Victorian town of Ballarat this morning.
Victorian police are treating the fire as a targeted attack, and say they are looking at any possible links to other recent fires.
The incident occurred at a store on Little Bridge Street just before 4am today, police said in a statement.
Nobody was inside the building at the time, however the store sustained significant damage.
A burnt-out car was located on Boundary Road in Brown Hill just before 4am. Detectives are investigating whether it is linked to the tobacco store fire.
😡 😡
— 3AW Melbourne (@3AW693) January 31, 2024
Another day, another tobacco shop fire.
This time at the Ballarat Smoke Station on Little Bridge Street. pic.twitter.com/8rwX4e9y0k
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Calls for reform after release of political donations data
The release of political donations data this morning showing the millions poured into the major political parties has renewed calls for major reform.
The Albanese government pledged to introduce spending and donation caps and truth in political advertising laws, as revealed by Guardian Australia after the 2022 election and confirmed by a parliamentary inquiry that reported in July.
The special minister of state, Don Farrell, confirmed in October he was still in discussions with all political parties to “try and get some consensus” about increasing transparency and accountability into the federal electoral system.
But the release of annual political returns this morning has prompted integrity champions to again push for change ahead of the next federal election, which is expected by mid-2025.
Bill Browne, the Australia Institute’s democracy and accountability program director, said the release highlighted a lack of transparency and integrity in Australian politics.
We are learning today whether businesses made political donations 18 months ago. These lags and other loopholes make it difficult to see how politicians and political parties are being funded – and by whom…
Greens senator, Larissa Waters, who has previously warned the government against doing a “dirty deal” with the opposition against improved transparency, said there was still zero detail on how the Albanese government will deliver on its election promises.
Different government, same political donors running the show. Democracy is still for sale ... The Greens have been campaigning for decades to clean up our democracy. It’s time for Labor to come to the table and work with us to ensure politicians work in the public interest, not the interest of their donor mates.
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Wet January across much of Australia but longer view more mixed
As many a holiday maker can attest, January was quite wet in many parts of Australia.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s map of rainfall shows above-average rainfall was more typical than not last month.
A relatively damp January for most of Australia… pic.twitter.com/zNou3f1WfF
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) January 31, 2024
Over the past year, though, it’s clear that recent damper months haven’t made up for some significant rainfall deficits, compared with average conditions:
Over the past year, it's a drier tale, especially in parts of the west and east (and much of Tasmania). Source: @Bom_au ) pic.twitter.com/AMk8XjVpES
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) February 1, 2024
There’s a bit of a debate about whether the bureau got it wrong in its calls about an El Niño and, in particular, its impacts for rainfall. There’s also chatter about whether we might be back in La Niña conditions later this year.
In case you missed it, we had a look at those issues here yesterday:
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Data reveals billionaire Anthony Pratt donated $1m to Labor party
Let’s go back to this morning’s donations data for a moment, as we continue to sift through some of the top donors for the post-election year.
The Cormack Foundation, a Liberal-aligned funding body, was among the top donors with its donations to the party totalling $3.5m.
Anthony Pratt, an Australian billionaire who recently made headlines for alleged conversations with Donald Trump, donated a $1m sum to Labor through his company, Pratt Holdings. Interestingly, he did not do the same for the Liberal party, as he has in previous years.
The top donor for the Greens was from the David Walsh Estate, who offered two sums totalling $437,000.
Beyond the political parties, significant third parties also recorded raking in big sums.
Advance Australia, the conservative lobby group who played a key role in the no campaign during the voice referendum, doubled its receipts to $5.2m year on year.
Its biggest donor was a Perth-based company, Hadley Holdings, who handed over more than $1m to the group.
According to Advance’s Australia’s declaration, $4.5m was spent on electoral expenditure over the financial year, which included the months leading up to the referendum.
Teal-funding group, Climate 200, also reported receiving a total of $4.7m for 2022-23, spending $1.1m on electoral expenditure.
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Senate committee hears of impact of tax cuts on poorer sectors
Panellists at the Senate committee on the cost of living crisis have been discussing how the stage-three tax cuts may impact struggling families.
Scott Brown, from research and policy at Queensland Council of Social Service said:
We do welcome the statutory tax cuts, although just highlighting that it doesn’t really impact a lot of people on the lowest of incomes who are accessing income support payments.
Roseberry Youth Services coordinator Fabian Webber said the tax cuts would have a positive impact, especially for middle-income people.
I think it will definitely have a positive impact. So for Roseberry, one of the services that we have is [a place] where people can come have a shower, wash their clothes, get a food parcel, toiletry packs, personal hygiene items.
We’ve seen a 45% increase in presentations to the beginning of last year over the year before and a significant rise in … middle-income people. So I think that those those tax cuts should have a positive impact, especially in that cohort.
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Surge in families seeking help to pay school expenses
Returning to the Senate committee on the cost of living crisis:
Roseberry is a not-for-profit that runs a program offering families school supplies every year. Their Youth Services coordinator Fabian Webber told the committee they’ve seen a spike in dual-income families accessing services.
The demand for our back to school program has definitely increased significantly the past couple of years. We had an extra 100 families this year, coming to the service over last year.
Once upon a time, it was the same cohort of people. Now we’re seeing a mix of everybody - [like] dual-income families who still can’t afford getting their kids back to school. So definitely an increase in numbers and definitely a change in the cohort.
He says families are looking for help with everything, such as books, rulers and pens, to get their kids ready for the school year.
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Firefighters investigate cause of major fire in Maitland
Firefighters are investigating what caused a major fire overnight at a therapy business in Maitland, in the NSW Hunter Valley.
According to a statement from Fire and Rescue NSW, more than 30 firefighters from eight trucks responded to the emergency just before 4.30am this morning, where they were forced to cut their way into the property.
It took two hours to extinguish the fire, which was prevented from spreading into adjoining businesses in the industrial complex.
The building and its contents, including four cars, have suffered significant damage, however no injuries were reported and there were no evacuations.
FRNSW expert investigators will sift through the debris, using an Ignitable Liquid Detection dog, to determine the cause of the fire.
MAITLAND | Fire Investigators determining cause of therapy business blaze. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is investigating what sparked a major blaze overnight at a therapy business at Maitland, in the state's lower Hunter.
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) February 1, 2024
More than 30 firefight... https://t.co/mAsMe1pbzk
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A severe weather warning for damaging winds has been issued for southern and central parts of Tasmania.
The BoM said from this afternoon, damaging wind gusts of around 100km/h are likely to develop across the southwest and central west, extended to Hobart, before moving to the Tasman Peninsula later this evening.
Gusts in excess of 110 km/h are possible over the higher peaks of the southwest, and Western Tiers.
Winds are expected to ease below warning levels by Friday afternoon.
Locations which may be affected include Strathgordon, New Norfolk, Tarraleah, Geeveston, Dover and Huonville.
Severe Weather Warning-DAMAGING WINDS in South East, Central Plateau, Western, Upper Derwent Valley, NW Coast, Central North & Midlands Forecast Districts. Locations include Strathgordon, New Norfolk, Tarraleah, Geeveston, Dover and Huonville. More info: https://t.co/o0HWHLUUtA. pic.twitter.com/uartTKygf3
— TasALERT (@tasalert) February 1, 2024
Taking you back to the Senate committee on the cost of living crisis:
Head of Inclusion at Brotherhood of St Laurence, Daniel Cotty, told the committee that the organisation is experiencing “very high demand” for their programs, as families struggle to cover school supplies, excursions and save for big education expenses like laptops.
The organisation runs SavePlus, the back-to-school program, where participants save and at the end of the program ANZ matches what they have put away.
Cotty said:
So a typical year for the program’s SavePlus was around 12,000 inquiries. And we’re on we’re on track to 18,000 this year.
We’re currently funded up to June 30, 2025. We hoping to expand the program from the current 3,360 participants per year to 5,200 participants per year.
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Clive Palmer’s mining company tops list of political donors
Clive Palmer’s mining company, Mineralogy, has once again topped the list of political donors, funnelling $7.1m into his one-senator party, the United Australia party, in the year following the federal election.
Annual political returns, released by the Australian Electoral Commission today, show Palmer gave 10 donations to the minor political party over the course of the year totalling $7.1m. The United Australia Party, who has one elected member in the senate, then spent $2.5m during the 2022-23 financial year.
The major parties reported receiving a total of $345m in donations and other receipts - which includes fees to attend the party’s business forums, and public funding from the AEC among other payments.
Labor recorded a major increase in its donations and receipts for 2022-23 over the previous year, receiving a total of almost $220m. Much of the $100m increase on the previous year’s sum is due to its ACT branch reporting it raked in $136.5m – an increase of almost 100 times on its previous years.
Guardian Australia contacted ACT Labor to inquire about the figure and was told it was a typographical error and an amendment to reduce the final figure to $1.3m would be submitted shortly.
Meanwhile, the Liberal party declared it received $112.7m while its junior partner, the Nationals, recieved $13.6m.
The Greens recorded $25.6m for the year, an increase of $3m on the federal election year.
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The stormy weather is continuing in northern Queensland today, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and damaging wind.
The risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding may increase tonight between Townsville and Innisfail, the BoM warned.
⛈️ Today's forecast: severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall possible in northern #Qld, intense rainfall & damaging wind gusts also a risk in the northwest. Heavy rainfall/flash flooding risk may increase tonight between Townsville & Innisfail. Warnings: https://t.co/vNDnIN917t pic.twitter.com/vnGJTZh65L
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) January 31, 2024
Queensland premier urges Reserve Bank to lower interest rates immediately
Queensland premier Steven Miles has called on the Reserve Bank to “start cutting interest rates now” to take the pressure off households.
In a post to X, the premier said:
Queenslanders shouldn’t have to wait.
And there’s no rule the banks can’t cut their rates first. Many of them lifted their rates before the RBA.
They’re making record profits while Queensland families are struggling. It’s about time they cut their rates to leave families with more money for food.
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Education costs causing poverty, Senate committee hears
Good Shepherd Australia’s Karen Denham has told a Senate committee on the cost of living crisis that education costs are sending families into poverty.
This is a reflection of cost shifting in public schooling to parents and families.
When I grew up, you went to school and there were class sets. I had free university education, [I was] part of that lucky cohort.
Now all the costs have been shifted to parents which is creating inequality and poverty, unnecessary poverty …
Textbooks cost $100. Each laptop costs you know, $1,000, $2,000 each.
Parents have been put in this position to find resources that could be easily funded by schools in terms of class sets and adopting those costs.
She said there is an uptick in people accessing no-interest loans to pay for school expenses.
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Treasurer Jim Chalmers has expressed his condolences to Michael Egan’s family:
Very sad news. Michael was such wonderful company and a generous and valued source of advice and encouragement. Grateful for the opportunities I had to speak with him from time to time. Thinking of his loved ones.
Egan was the longest-serving treasurer of NSW. Premier Chris Minns announced his passing this morning.
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PM holds the line on tax cuts
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to the media from Umina Beach in NSW.
He is asked whether the government is open to negotiating with the Greens on raising jobseeker and including dental in Medicare if they need the support for passing stage-three tax cut changes?
Albanese was asked this question earlier today, and gave a similar response:
We will put this plan forward on its merits.
People in the House of Representatives and the Senate can determine their view as to whether they want to provide increased support to low- and middle-income earners or not.
We will always look at budget measures, but what we will not be doing is trading across different issues. We are focused on this, this stands on its merits.
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Tributes flow for former NSW treasurer Michael Egan
Tributes are flowing following news that NSW’s longest-serving treasurer, Michael Egan, has died.
The state premier Chris Minns said that “nothing can really put into words the sheer impact [Egan] has had on NSW”.
He wrote in a statement:
While Labor to his bootstraps and not one to ‘altercate in undertones,’ Michael cherished our democratic institutions and always acted to ensure they deserved the public’s trust.
Impatient with theorists and purists, he excelled at producing economic and social reforms through the messy compromise of politics.
He drove changes to make NSW ports, energy, rail and water more competitive, reducing prices for households and businesses, improving living standards and creating jobs.
Entering politics in October 1978, Egan served in the Legislative Assembly for more than five years as member for Cronulla and in the Legislative Council for more than 18 years.
He was the longest-serving treasurer in NSW history – for nearly a decade between 3 April 1995 and 21 January 2005.
Minns said:
Our thoughts are with Michael’s loved ones at this difficult time. Michael will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
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Woman’s alleged street stabber arrested by witnesses
Witnesses to a Sydney stabbing that left a woman seriously wounded pounced on the alleged offender and performed a citizen’s arrest, AAP reports.
The woman, 47, was arguing with a 21-year-old man in Randwick yesterday afternoon when he allegedly stabbed her several times in the head and upper body with a paint scraper.
He then took off but was apprehended by members of the public in an adjacent street, police said.
The woman was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The man was also taken to hospital, under police guard, before being taken to Maroubra police station where he was charged.
He is due to face Waverley local court today on a charge of domestic violence wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
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Sydney's Powerhouse Museum to close for three years for refurbishment
NSW arts minister John Graham says that the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo will close on 5 February for heritage revitalisation that will take up to three years to complete before the museum reopens.
The Guardian understands the building has significant problems that must be urgently addressed – including a leak in the roof and large cracks in several walls – putting the museum’s collection at risk.
The state government committed $250m for the revitalisation works on 2 September last year. A statement from Graham reads:
To put it bluntly, the current Ultimo building is not up to the standard of a world-class museum that NSW wants it to be. A museum requires temperature control, and a dust- and pest-free environment to ensure the safety of the objects on display and in collection.
The government is taking the action we promised to ensure the future of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo meets the expectations of its audiences and communities now and for future generations.
Graham said that 100 staff and exhibition workshop facilities will remain in Ultimo while the works are complete. 56 staff will relocate to Castle Hill and 80 staff will go to Parramatta.
The museum is expected to reopen in 2027.
This comes as workers with the Public Services Association are staging a protest today.
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Australians skipping meals as rising grocery prices bite
Australians are buying less fruit and vegetables, and one-third of shoppers are skipping meals due to rising grocery prices, according to a new survey.
The survey of 4771 respondents, conducted by the Greens, comes amid intensifying scrutiny on supermarket pricing policies, with the major chains now subject to government inquiries and a new probe by the competition regulator.
The Greens-led Senate inquiry, designed to investigate the effect of market concentration on food prices and pattern of major chains’ pricing decisions, is due to start holding public hearings early in the year.
The survey found that almost half of respondents have made significant adjustments to their household budgets because of increased grocery prices.
In response to higher prices, 56.3% of respondents said they are buying less fruit and vegetables, and 32.8% report skipping meals.
Senator Nick McKim, the Greens’ competition policy spokesperson, said that “behind these figures lie real human stories of distress and hardship”.
People are being forced to compromise on their health and wellbeing while supermarket corporations are raking in billions in profit.
The country’s major grocery retailers have consistently defended their pricing decisions by attributing rising prices to inflationary cost pressures.
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Minister initiates strategy to tackle gendered violence against First Nations people
Social services minister Amanda Rishworth has appointed a steering group to help develop a standalone national plan to address gendered violence against First Nations people.
Speaking to ABC RN earlier this morning, Rishworth said there are a number of areas the government is investing in as part of a long-term plan to tackle gendered violence, which includes prevention, early intervention, acute response and healing and recovery.
She said the need to address gendered violence is “absolutely” more acute among First Nations communities.
Aboriginal women and children are disproportionately impacted by family and domestic violence. They’re more likely to go to hospital, they’re more likely to get most severe injury. But it also needs to be recognised that some of the drivers are quite unique. We need to look at things like discrimination, marginalisation. Some of those key drivers that are not faced by non-Indigenous women are contributing to this and we’ve got to acknowledge that and address it.
Rishworth was also asked if the government plans on investing more money to address the wait times that sexual violence services are facing. She said the government is working with the states and territories on this:
We recently held a roundtable looking at how women that have experienced sexual violence actually get more access to justice as well. So, there’s some structural issues that we need to address and also funding, but it’s something that has been elevated and we are focused on.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14
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PSA urges NSW government to ‘come clean’ on Powerhouse Museum plans
Members of the Public Service Association will stage a protest today, urging the NSW government to “come clean” and confirm whether it is breaking a key election promise to keep the original Powerhouse Museum.
The PSA said in a statement it has learned the government plans to “quietly” close the Powerhouse Museum this Sunday, despite not releasing any plan to refurbish the site or redeploy staff to other roles.
Powerhouse Museum workers will stop work and rally out the front of the museum today, unless they receive a refurbishment plan and change of management plan outlining their immediate working future by close of business today.
PSA general secretary Stewart Little said:
[Premier] Chris Minns repeatedly promised to save and refurbish the iconic Powerhouse Museum site before the election. Now we see the plan was apparently to close the museum and leave the whole thing a mystery …
There are priceless artefacts at the Powerhouse that can’t be safely transported. If the Powerhouse site is not preserved as a museum they will be permanently lost to the people of New South Wales.
The premier made an election promise just last year to preserve and refurbish the site and we intend to hold him to that.
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Turning to the war in Gaza, Bob Carr argued that western nations need to “insist that Israel recommit to a two-state solution”.
… The way of enforcing it is for the west to simply recognise Palestinian statehood – even a demilitarised Palestinian state on the ‘67 border... I think the fact that Lord Cameron, the British foreign secretary has also reportedly endorsed this, confirms that.
I just gently remind our prime minister, that recognition of Palestine is the policy of his own party adopted at five national ALP conferences beginning, I might say with some pride, with a motion I moved … on the floor of the New South Wales conference in 2014.
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Still speaking on ABC RN, Bob Carr was asked about the role of Aukus in any discussions about Australia leveraging its position to promote peace between the US and China.
Host Patricia Karvelas:
The trilateral security partnership clearly positions Australia closer to the United States. How does Australia play the role that you’re suggesting, and maintain that?
Carr:
That’s a challenging question. I don’t see it as profound, because I’m just as sceptical about whether Aukus is going to emerge in anything like the form it’s presented.
I would say to a Chinese diplomat, who might raise Aukus with me: Well, you have nuclear submarines?
Speaking about Aukus broadly, Carr labelled it a “very delicate proposition”.
I think the prospect of America deciding the president after the next president, that they can take ships out of their own line of battle, and take boats out of their own line of battle, and give them to Australia is again, a very delicate proposition.
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Bob Carr reiterates need for collaboration between China and US
Yesterday, 50 prominent Australians urged the Albanese government to step up diplomatic efforts to reduce the risk of being dragged into a war between the US and China.
One of the signatories was former NSW premier and foreign minister Bob Carr, who spoke to ABC RN earlier this morning about the issue. He was asked whether China has the “appetite” for this?
Carr responded that you would need to ask both China and the US:
I think Australia’s role in partnership … is to plant the notion of greater collaboration and less adversarial talk in the relationship.
Taiwan being the most challenging diplomatic question here provides a perfect opportunity of diplomatic language, diplomatic positioning being an alternative to a descent into conflict and argument that could give rise to war … I can’t find any Australian who sees a war over Taiwan as being remotely in our interest.
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Images of shark-attack victim's injuries leaked from Sydney hospital
St Vincent’s hospital in Sydney says it is investigating how an image of shark-attack victim Lauren O’Neill’s injuries were leaked from inside the hospital.
In a statement, a spokesperson for St Vincent’s said it had “become aware of photos in the public domain” of a patient’s injury, appearing to be taken from within the emergency department.
St Vincent’s takes patient privacy obligations extremely seriously and is investigating this issue as a matter of priority.
We have engaged with the patient and we have sincerely apologised for any part St Vincent’s played in the photos being taken.
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360,000 more bulk billed visits to the GP in two months, Butler says
The number of free visits to the GP has increased by 360,000 in the first two months since the tripling the bulk billing incentive came into effect, according to the health minister, Mark Butler.
Appearing on the Today Show on the 40th anniversary of Medicare, Butler said:
When we came to government, the bulk billing rate, particularly for visits to the doctor that are so important, was in free fall. And this was a really critical issue we needed to address. That’s why tripling the bulk billing incentive - the money GPs receive if they bulk bill pensioners, concession card holders and kids - tripling. That was a centrepiece of our budget last year. Our first job obviously was to stop that slide. It was in freefall. It was accelerating. GPs were saying bulk billing could become a thing of the past if something wasn’t done.
And data we’ve had since the budget shows that we’ve managed to stop that slide. But over the last couple of months, from the time that money really started to hit general practices, pleasingly we’ve seen a turnaround as well. 360,000 additional free visits to the doctor in November and December alone - just two months. But really pleasingly, a big increase in some areas where bulk billing was a real problem. So in Tasmania, an increase of almost 6%, regional communities got the biggest bang for that buck, which I’m really pleased about. We want to see more, but we’ve succeeded in stopping the slide, I think, and in the first two months of the new funding we’ve started to see a turnaround.
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New amateur sport guidelines include three week time-out on concussions
New concussion guidelines to help protect Australia’s grass-roots athletes have been introduced, AAP reports.
The guidelines, announced today by sports and medical officials, include a return-to-sport protocol aimed at ensuring a minimum three-week break between a concussion and the resumption of competitive contact or collision sport.
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), in partnership with Sports Medicine Australia (SMA), launched its Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement 2024 today, alongside the Australian Concussion Guidelines for Youth and Community Sport.
The guidelines have used the most up-to-date, evidence-based information on concussion for athletes, parents, teachers, coaches and healthcare practitioners.
Sports Medicine Australia CEO Jamie Crain said:
With concussion being a major issue in sport, it is imperative that all athletes, not just those competing at an elite level who have immediate access to team doctors, get the care and attention they need.
Federal health minister Mark Butler told Channel Nine the new guidelines would add peace of mind for parents and others overseeing community sport.
I used to ride the boundary watching my son play footy. By the time they’re in their early teens now, they are big units and they hit hard.
Every now and then you’d see a kid knocked out and it was a real worry for not just the parents but for the whole group around the boundaries.
In addition to the 21 day ‘time-out’ following a concussion, the minister highlighted the introduction of concussion officers to “make sure that the kids or the adults in community sport are being followed up by ... medical experts”.
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GPs welcome national increase in bulk-billing
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says that boosting patients’ Medicare subsidies “gets results”, and has welcomed new data showing a 2.1% increase in bulk-billing nationally.
President Dr Nicole Higgins said the RACGP called for the tripling of bulk-billing incentives to help at-risk Australians who “are being squeezed from all sides with the cost-of-living crisis”.
Last year’s budget was the first step to strengthen Medicare. There is still a long way to go to repair the decades of cuts and neglect.
Reflecting on Medicare on its 40th anniversary, Dr Higgins said after all the cuts and underfunding, the gap between patients’ rebates and the full cost of patient care has “grown too wide”.
This is why our hospitals are under pressure, because when people can’t afford the care they need, they get sicker, and it ends up costing governments and taxpayers much more.
I look forward to continuing to work with the government on further health reforms and strengthening Medicare to better meet the needs of patients today, and in the future.
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Summer charging queues down despite rise in EV sales
Dire predictions about lengthy waits at electric car charging stations have failed to materialise these summer holidays, experts say, even though the use of public chargers more than doubled across Australia, AAP reports.
Representatives from two of the country’s biggest providers, Chargefox and Evie Networks, told AAP electric cars experienced their “biggest week ever” for public charging this holiday season, and use across the period soared by 150%
But Electric Vehicle Council energy and infrastructure head Ross De Rango said the success should not lead businesses or governments to become complacent as battery-powered cars continued to grow in popularity.
The news came after sales of electric cars more than doubled in Australia during 2023, and after some drivers suffered 90-minute charging delays during the 2023 summer holiday break.
Evie Networks chief executive Chris Mills said the company had doubled its number of charging sites from 100 to 200 to meet growing demand.
Other charging networks had also stepped up to meet demand on high-traffic holiday routes, Mr Mills said. There were still some queues to charge cars in less built-up areas, such as Grafton in NSW, but wait times were nowhere near as long this year.
The etiquette of charging is better now. People are much more thoughtful than they were last year about getting off the charging station when they hit 80%.
Chargefox marketing head Rob Asselman said the rollout of charging station would need to continue in regional and rural areas to support holiday demand, and both federal and state governments should get involved.
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Tripling of incentive has arrested decline in bulk-billing, AMA president says
President of the Australian Medical Association, Steve Robson, says the tripling of a bulk-billing incentive for doctors last year has “stopped [a] sharp decline” of bulk-billing.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Robson said bulk-billing was in “very sharp decline around the country and things were reaching crisis point” last year. Since the new incentives were released last year, there has been an uptick in bulk-billing, he said, but added:
We know that for decades, successive governments have neglected Medicare and it really has fallen into disrepair. It’s going to take a lot of work, a big commitment, and it’s going to take investment to bring Medicare back to where we think it should be and make healthcare accessible and affordable for all Australians.
Robson argued that general practice has been “neglected”, with young people not wanting to take up the profession.
We’re hoping that these incentives will make that an attractive career path again, we’ll have more GPs training, and that will ease pressure on the system and allow Australians to get the care they need.
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Wrapping up the interview, Anthony Albanese is asked about a meeting between Australian officials and the UN secretary general, following the suspension of funding to UNRWA for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Albanese said he wouldn’t be “pre-empting those meetings”.
We take the allegations … very seriously. UNRWA is the only United Nations body with the mandate to provide relief and services to Palestinians in the region. It is providing essential services in Gaza directly to those who need it. And this issue needs to be resolved.
Q: Has the UN been able to satisfy Australian concerns around the involvement of staff in the October 7 attacks so that you can resume funding?
Albanese:
[We will] consider these issues after the conversation, rather than … on RN…
We’ll take considered advice. We want to ensure that every dollar that Australia contributes, as the other contributors like the US and Canada, goes to helping people on the ground who really need it.
For all the background on this, you can read more from Daniel Hurst below:
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Albanese said he has had discussions with US secretary of state Antony Blinken and US president Joe Biden about conflict in the Middle East, and says it is “clear” we need a political solution.
He reaffirmed his government’s position on working towards a two-state solution:
It has been my long term view … that Israel has a right to exist within secure borders, and that Palestinian people need justice and need their own state as well. The two-state solution is something that the international community must play a constructive and positive role in.
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The prime minister is asked how he would deal with demands from the Greens they will consider supporting the government’s tax package if jobseeker payments are increased?
Anthony Albanese pointed to a $40 a fortnight increase to payments at the last budget and said his government’s tax package “stands on its merits”.
And at the end of the day, the minor parties, as well as the Coalition, are going to have to decide [if] our package better than [any alternative] package.
Albanese added:
… the legislation will be introduced next week, and people will have to make a decision of whether they want every Australian to get a tax cut, or 13.6 million of them, not just some.
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Q: Do you expect the RBA to start cutting interest rates?
Prime minister Anthony Albanese did not answer directly, saying the RBA makes independent decisions, but he did say:
Of course we’d like to see cuts to interest rates, I’d like to see any measure that takes pressure off low- and middle-income earners, particularly people in middle Australia who have had to deal with inflation [and] have had to deal with the interest rate increases.
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PM welcomes drop in inflation
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to ABC RN, and says news that the inflation rate has plunged to a two-year low of 4.1% is “welcoming, encouraging progress”.
… We know that people are still under pressure and we need to not be complacent about it. We need to continue to work as we have with our three point plan, having the surplus, making sure we deal with cost of living pressures without putting pressure on inflation, and dealing with … supply-chain issues as well.
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Thinktank calls for greater transparency around political donations
Thinktank the Australia Institute is calling for real-time disclosures of political donations, arguing that flaws in the current system mean some donations take more than 18 months to be disclosed – if at all.
This comes as the Australian Electoral Commission prepares to publish the donations made in the past financial year today, as part of a mass data dump.
This, coupled with the high threshold before a donation must be disclosed, makes it difficult for voters, journalists and the community to “hold politicians and political parties to account for the donations they accept”, the Australia Institute argues.
Bill Browne, director of the Australia Institute’s democracy and accountability program, said:
With parliament resuming next week, this is a wake-up call that 2024 is the last chance for meaningful democratic reform ahead of the 2025 election …
Australians should go to the next election with strict political donation disclosure laws, truth in political advertising laws in force and information about who’s meeting ministers made public as a matter of course.
The Australia Institute is proposing that the donation disclosure threshold be lowered, real-time disclosures are introduced, the definition of “gift” is amended to ensure it meets expectations of transparency, and ministerial diaries are made public.
Updated
Drowning deaths up 24% from the same time last summer
Royal Life Saving (RLS) is predicting that this summer will be one of the worst summers for drownings, with more than 100 fatalities possible before the end of February.
At the end of January, 72 people had drowned across Australia since 1 December, up 24% from the same time last summer and 4% on the five-year average.
This follows the deadly Christmas holiday period, where 25 drowning deaths were recorded between 24 December and 2 January.
24 of these occurred in NSW, 19 in Victoria and 16 in Queensland – up by 60% in the sunshine state compared to the same time last year.
People aged 45-54 made up 22% of all summer drowning deaths. 13 children aged below 17 have drowned this summer.
RLS chief executive officer Justin Scarr said:
If the current trend continues, and with four weeks to go, we forecast the summer drowning toll could exceed 100 drowning deaths by the end of February.
People are being warned to stay vigilant around the water and remember “drowning can happen when least expected, even to people who are strong swimmers”.
Updated
Australia imposes financial sanctions on Myanmar entities
Australia has imposed additional targeted sanctions on five entities linked to the Myanmar military regime.
This comes on the third anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar.
In a statement from the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, she said the sanctions are “designed to limit the regime’s access to the funds and materiel that enable it to continue to commit atrocities against its own people”.
The financial sanctions target two banks, Myanma Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank, and three entities that supply jet fuel to the Myanmar military, Asia Sun Group, Asia Sun Trading Co Ltd, and Cargo Link Petroleum Logistics Co Ltd.
These sanctions are a response to the regime’s ongoing repression of the people of Myanmar, escalating violence, and the continuing deterioration of the political, humanitarian and security situation.
They send a clear message of Australia’s deep concern for the regime’s ongoing actions, and its continued disregard for international efforts, particularly those of ASEAN, to seek a resolution to the crisis.
Wong said Australia will continue to “closely monitor the regime’s actions” and keep the targeted sanctions toward Myanmar “under review”.
We will continue to use every lever at our disposal to press the regime for the cessation of violence, the release of those unjustly detained, unimpeded humanitarian access, and a return to the path of democracy.
Updated
Good morning
And happy Thursday. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on our liveblog today.
See something that needs attention? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get into it.
Georgie Purcell vows to 'keep fighting'
Georgie Purcell, the Victorian MP whose image was manipulated this week, writes for us today about the strain caused by the affair but how she intends to keep fighting animal rights and women, and vows “to continue calling out injustice as long as it exists”.
She writes about how she entered politics with no illusions about how difficult it would be to navigate a world in which she lacked experience. But as she was trying to oppose duck shooting in Victoria she found herself in the middle of even bigger story:
Monday marked a new low. Against a backdrop of shooter bravado, and woven between endless messages from men vowing to kill more ducks “for me”, a mainstream TV news channel betrayed not just me, but all women …
I can deal with this personally. While it is tiring, I won’t stop talking about my experiences, because it reflects what women face broadly, especially young women. If men won’t stand up in news rooms, parliaments or offices around the country, then I must, even on my worst days.
Read her full article here:
Australia and New Zealand to meet for Aukus talks
Australian and New Zealand defence and foreign ministers meet in Melbourne for the first time as a foursome today at the inaugural Anzmin meeting.
Defence minister Richard Marles and foreign affairs minister Penny Wong will host counterparts Judith Collins and Winston Peters for a day of talks centred on enhancing security.
On the agenda are regional concerns in the Pacific, the broader Indo-Pacific, and the growing crisis in the Middle East. Marles said:
As our region is being reshaped, Australia and New Zealand are committed to ensuring our alliance evolves in line with our strategic circumstances, is responsive and fit-for-purpose, and that we listen and work with our Pacific partners.
Aukus – Australia’s pact with the United States and the United Kingdom to obtain nuclear-powered submarines – is also on the agenda, as New Zealand wants in.
The new right-leaning New Zealand government has made plain its desire to join pillar two of the Aukus agreement, which centres on advanced technology sharing, including AI and cyber warfare, and military interoperability.
Since taking office in November, Chris Luxon’s government has moved quickly to position New Zealand alongside traditional allies in Canberra and Washington DC, both through speeches and action.
Last month New Zealand responded to a US request to deploy defence personnel to a regional mission to counter Houthi attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea.
Electoral Commission to publish political donations
The Australian Electoral Commission will publish donations made in the past financial year today, AAP reports.
Parties and individuals are required annually to disclose donations of more than $15,000 under current rules.
Multiple integrity advocates including the Centre for Public Integrity and Australia Institute think tanks have called for reforms to address record-high election spending and donor transparency.
Analysis by the centre in 2023 found election spending had increased by almost 85% in the past two decades.
In 2022, the most recent election year, spending reached a record high of almost $440 million and the top five individual donors contributed 70% of all donations.
Australia Institute director Bill Browne said the AEC’s annual release highlighted the lack of transparency and integrity in Australian politics.
“We are learning today whether businesses made political donations 18 months ago,” he said.
Updated
Bulk billing rate rises 2.1 percentage points
The national bulk billing rate has risen by 2.1 percentage points since November with about 360,000 extra trips to the doctor recorded, the federal government says.
The fresh data comes as Medicare enters its 40th year in operation.
Doctors around Australia began receiving triple the rebate to bulk bill concession card holders and children under 16 for most standard consultations on 1 November.
The incentive rose from $6.85 to $20.65 in metro areas, while in very remote areas, it increased from $13.15 to $39.65.
In the two months since its increase, 360,000 additional trips were recorded across the country with regional and rural Australians making up 202,000 of them.
Health minister Mark Butler said:
This is a win all round – for patients, doctors and the health system – and it is helping make Medicare stronger than it has ever been since Labor introduced it 40 years ago.
But it’s not all good news for the state of bulk billing in Australia.
This month fresh data showed that fewer than one in four Australian general practices provided bulk billing to all patients and more than 500 clinics had switched to private billing in the past year.
The report by online healthcare directory Cleanbill said the rate of bulk billing nationally had dropped by more than 11%, from 34.7% in 2023 to 23.6% in 2024.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome again to our daily news blog. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the best of the overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind steps up.
Jim Chalmers fires the latest salvo in the government’s war of words over its tax reforms today by saying the Coalition would “smash the budget” by almost $40bn if it tried to restore the cuts for higher earners. The treasurer is publishing Treasury data showing that restoring the full stage-three tax cuts for higher earners while keeping Labor’s relief for low- and middle-income earners would cost $38.9bn more over four years.
Treasury figures also form the basis for another of our top stories today showing how tax relief for landlords continues to balloon. The annual summary of tax expenditures shows concessions for superannuation cost the federal budget almost $50bn a year. Topping the list was concessions for super contributions, which cost the budget $28.55bn, up almost 23% from the previous year. Help for landlords, meanwhile, mostly in the form of negative gearing, cost the budget $27bn – up from $17bn three years ago. The huge number is likely to spark anger among tenants who, as the latest figures show today, saw rents increase by 0.8% in January – the biggest monthly rise since April.
Forty years ago today a “little green card” changed the lives of many Australians by offering universal health insurance services. As Medicare marks its 40th anniversary today, health experts say it’s a time to reflect on whether it is meeting all its goals. More reaction coming up, including new data showing the national bulk billing rate has risen by 2.1 percentage points since November.
And today’s the day the Australian Electoral Commission publishes the donations made in the past financial year – we’ll let you know who’s bankrolling our political scene.
