What we learned today, Monday 29 January
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. These were today’s main stories:
The Australian government wants to resume its funding to the UN agency for Palestinians, but only if it receives assurances of further “protections” about where that money goes, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says.
Albanese’s comments came after Palestinian diplomats wrote to the foreign minister, Penny Wong, urging the Australian government to reinstate funding to the agency, UNRWA, which provides key services to the people of Gaza.
Student visa application approvals have hit a historic low, new government data reveals, following the federal government’s migration reforms which aimed to crack down on malpractice in the sector.
Albanese has shaken off the frosty reception he received at the Australian Open men’s final, describing it as an Australian tradition as Jacqui Lambie questioned the country’s “values”.
Duck hunting won’t be banned in Victoria, the government has announced in response to an inquiry.
An Australian company has bought dessert brand Sara Lee, which went into administration last year.
We will see you back here for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Albanese speaks on Palestine response
On Triple J, Anthony Albanese went on to talk up the increased funding from the federal government to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, saying his administration was also assisting other agencies.
“We believe this is very important that the humanitarian assistance gets to the people who need it, when they need it, and we know they need it now,” the PM said.
He went on to reference the investigation into UNRWA, saying: “We are very conscious of the pressures which are on, but the investigation that will take place quickly, we want to see these issues sorted out, but it is appropriate that a pause take place given the revelations which have appeared in recent days.”
The Hack host, Dave Marchese, read out a text from a Triple J listener, who asked if Albanese’s position regarding Palestine and Israel had changed, and claiming he wasn’t as “vocal” as he had been earlier in his career.
Albanese responded: “We have been very vocal.
“We have voted for a humanitarian ceasefire in the United Nations, we have supported a two-state solution, we reversed the decision of the former government to move the Australian embassy and to change the designation of the capital of Israel. We provided additional funding for humanitarian support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Updated
Palestinian funding could resume with 'protections', Albanese says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the Australian government wants to resume its funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, but wants assurance of further “protections” about where that money goes.
Australia joined allies in pausing funding to UNRWA after Israel provided the agency with information alleging that as many as 12 of its staff were involved in Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel.
Speaking on Triple J’s Hack program tonight, Albanese said: “We want the funding to resume but there’s a pause on while this investigation takes place. The foreign minister [Penny Wong] is talking with the United Nations.”
Albanese went on to say: “We want to make sure that protections are put in place to ensure that the money that Australia is giving goes to the right purpose.”
Albanese said it was “unfortunate”, saying “UNRWA do good work overwhelmingly, but this is of real concern”.
Updated
Neo-Nazi rallies in Sydney a publicity stunt to boost their profile, experts say
Extremism researchers say neo-Nazi gatherings over three days in Sydney were a propaganda stunt and an attempt to bolster the group’s presence in New South Wales.
A masked group, dressed in black and carrying flags and a banner that read “Australia for the white man”, boarded a train in Artarmon on Friday but were stopped at North Sydney station by police and prevented from travelling into the city.
The group attempted to meet on Saturday around a public hall in Turramurra which had been booked for “a combined casual 30th birthday party and belated Australia Day weekend get-together” and “a family friendly event”. About 30 black-clad men who had gathered in an Artarmon reserve on Sunday were also moved on by police.
You can read more on that story here:
Sara Lee kept in Australian hands
An Australian company has brought dessert brand Sara Lee, which went into administration last year.
Klark and Brooke Quinn, who also own confectionary company Darrell Lea, reportedly said in a statement:
We are a small Aussie family that shared in the tradition of having Sara Lee Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice-cream every Sunday night at the dinner table and could not be more proud to put the Aussie made and owned stamp on the Sara Lee brand.
The beloved dessert brand had appointed FTI Consulting to either sell or restructure the business in October. At the time, the administrators said the company had about 200 employees.
The business was established in Lisarow, NSW and has been selling confectionary to Australians since 1971.
Updated
Also on duck hunting in Victoria, the minister, Steve Dimopoulos, says he cannot tell “Victorians how to live their lives”.
He says the changes will make the practice “more safe, more responsible and more sustainable”.
He stresses that the government has accepted seven out of the report’s eight recommendations.
Updated
Duck hunting won't be banned in Victoria, government says in response to inquiry
Victoria’s outdoor recreation minister, Steve Dimopoulos, is holding a press conference to announce the state government’s response to an inquiry into recreational duck hunting.
A parliamentary inquiry in August called for the practice to be banned across all Victorian public and private land from 2024.
Speaking to reporters, Dimopoulos says native duck hunting will continue in Victoria. But there will be changes such as mandatory training for hunters.
This was about listening to Victorians … we accept hunting is a legitimate activity that many thousands of Victorians enjoy.
There was a diversity of views in the community and there was a diversity of views within the government.
The changes will apply from 2025. This year’s season will run for eight weeks from 10 April.
Recreational duck hunting has long been banned in Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, but is still legal in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
Updated
Also on Palestinian aid as per our separate post below, the Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, had said on Saturday that she was “deeply concerned” by the allegations about UNRWA staff and would “temporarily pause disbursement” of $6m in humanitarian funding for the agency that she had announced in mid-January.
The general delegation of Palestine said the allegations related to 12 UNRWA employees, but the agency had a total of 30,000 employees, including 13,000 in the Gaza Strip:
If UNRWA collapses or is forced to suspend its humanitarian response, there is not one other organisation capable of filling the Agency’s role as the primary provider of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Earlier, Anne Aly, the minister for early childhood education, told ABC Radio National the allegations were serious, “which is why not just Australia but a number of countries have taken that step” of suspending funding.
But Aly said she would like to see “a resolution as quickly as possible so we can get that aid back into where it’s needed in Gaza and Palestine”.
The Zionist Federation of Australia’s president, Jeremy Leibler, welcomed the pause but said “the problems with UNRWA go far deeper than a handful of its staff participating in the 7 October massacres”.
For more on this story:
Palestinian diplomats urge Australia to reinstate funding
Palestinian diplomats in Canberra have written to the foreign minister, Penny Wong, urging the Australian government to reinstate funding to a key UN agency providing services to the people of Gaza.
Over the weekend, 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 its staff were involved in Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the General Delegation of Palestine said the letter appealed to Wong to reverse the “deeply disappointing and regrettable decision to pause disbursement of recent funding to UNRWA, which will have dire implications for over 5.9 million Palestinian refugees across the region and especially in the Gaza Strip, where over 2 million desperate, besieged, and starving people are dependent on UNRWA’s humanitarian work for their very survival”.
The delegation said in the statement:
This decision amounts to collective punishment of millions of Palestinian people. It is particularly alarming given the context of the 26 January ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which included the order that “Israel must take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.
Updated
Children with disabilities are ‘struggling now more than ever’, autism expert says
A leading autism researcher who has been appointed to join the national board overseeing school funding arrangements says Australian children with disabilities are “struggling now more than ever” and urgent reforms are needed.
Prof Andrew Whitehouse, the head of the autism research team at the Telethon Kids Institute and the University of Western Australia, says tackling the growing rates of students with additional needs will be on the agenda this year.
“It’s beyond time to take a serious look at how we can support schools to support kids and their families to thrive,” Whitehouse told Guardian Australia.
You can read more on that story here:
Updated
A two-year-old boy has died after being struck by a piece of sport equipment at a sports oval on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
You can read more on that story here:
Student visa application approvals at historic low after Labor crackdown
Student visa application approvals have hit a historic low, new government data reveals, following the federal government’s migration reforms which aimed to crack down on malpractice in the sector.
Some 82.5% of higher education visas were approved in the six months to December, recently published data shows, a drop from 87.5% in 2022-23 and 96% in 2021-22.
In the independent sector, the drop was even more stark, falling seven percentage points from 91.2% to 84.7% in the same period.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) application approvals also reached a record low, sitting at 70.1% compared with 77% in 2022-23. Postgraduate approval rates remained relatively steady, at 97.3%.
Prior to 2022, application approvals for higher education study were well above 90% dating back to 2005.
In total, there were 132,000 higher education visa applications lodged in the last six months of 2023, with just 98,200 granted. Some 33,800 visas were granted in the VET sector out of 65,470 applications.
The latest student visa report, published by the Department of Home Affairs last June, found the top five countries for student visa lodgements were India (109,676), China (95,561), Nepal (47,332), Colombia (31,566) and the Philippines (30,279).
Updated
AEC urges enrolment update ahead of crucial Victorian byelection
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is calling on Dunkley voters to check their enrolment details ahead of the upcoming byelection in the Victorian electorate.
The byelection will be held on 2 March. It was triggered by the death of MP Peta Murphy, who held the seat centred on the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston.
Natasha Scandrett, the AEC state manager for Victoria, said residents who recently turned 18 or are new to the area must ensure they are enrolled correctly before 8pm on 5 February.
As we reported earlier, the writ for the byelection was issued this morning.
Updated
Thank you Emily, who always seems to blog with the Wind in her sails. Onwards!
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. I’ll leave you with Nino Bucci, who will see you through the rest of today’s news. Take care!
Origin Energy to plug in big battery alongside gas
Origin Energy plans to build a big battery alongside the largest gas-fired power station in Victoria, near an existing high-voltage transmission line, AAP reports.
Located in the state’s south-west renewable energy zone, the $400m battery will capture cheap solar power during the day and dispatch renewable energy back into the national electricity grid during peak demand.
Avoiding transmission delays, the battery will be built beside a gas-fired power plant on land Origin already owns and will connect to the 500 kilovolt transmission line that runs adjacent to the site.
The 300 megawatt/650 MWh Mortlake big battery will help to maintain reliable power for customers, Origin said.
There will be no change to the operation of the Mortlake “peaker” plant, which is powered by gas from the Otway Basin and fires up at short notice to cover times of high demand.
Adding system strength and reliability, the battery project will use “gridstack” energy storage technology and artificial intelligence-driven performance management software from global energy company Fluence.
Updated
The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, has met with the Timor-Leste prime minister, Xanana Gusmão, today, and announced $35m in funding for the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste – the country’s national police service:
Following my meeting with Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão today, I announced an additional $35 million to support the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) reinforcing Australia’s long-standing support to strengthen Timor-Leste’s national police service. pic.twitter.com/s4ABbOsIbd
— Pat Conroy MP (@PatConroy1) January 29, 2024
Updated
People should ‘ring around’ to find GPs who bulk bill, health minister says
The health minister, Mark Butler, says Australians should “ring around” doctors in their area to find GPs that are offering bulk billing, as concerns continue over medical clinics winding back subsidised visits – and whether the government’s extra incentives are having a big enough impact.
Butler was speaking in Canberra today, to announce a special commemorative edition of the Medicare card would be released this year for the system’s 40th anniversary. (We had all the details on this just below.) But talking up the legacy of the health insurance scheme obviously led to questions about whether enough doctors were actually still offering fully bulk-billed appointments.
Butler says the tripling of bulk-billing incentives, announced in last year’s budget, is a “very strong incentive” and that the government is receiving “anecdotal feedback … that there has been a significant return to bulk billing”. The government is collecting data about bulk-billing stats, and Butler says some of that will be released.
Asked if the system will be a “name and shame”, Butler says no, but adds that people could do their own research:
We want patients to know, if one practice in their area has changed their behaviour around bulk billing and another hasn’t, it’s entirely your right to vote with your feet … People can ring around and ask ‘are you bulk billing a consultant for my kid who’s 14? Are you bulk billing me, I’m a concession card holder?’
We want an active community discussion about this. This is a big investment on behalf of taxpayers made in the budget last year.
Butler goes on to say the government will be keeping a “close eye on gap fees and general practice charging behaviour”.
We want to see a response from general practice to the very significant investment on behalf of taxpayers.
Updated
‘A little piece of history in your wallet’: special Medicare cards commemorate 40th anniversary
This Thursday will mark 40 years since Medicare services started, and the government is releasing a special-edition card to honour the occasion.
People who get a new or replacement card from 1 February until 31 December will be sent a commemorative 40th anniversary edition.
Digital cards in Medicare online accounts, the Medicare Express Plus app and the myGov app will automatically update to the 40-year anniversary design from 9 February.
The health minister, Mark Butler, says:
The celebration acknowledges Medicare is the foundation of our health system, ensuring all Australians have equitable access to health care when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.
The minister for government services and the NDIS, Bill Shorten, said:
If you’ve been putting off updating who’s on your Medicare card, it’s a great opportunity to do so – and get a little piece of history in your wallet.
If you aren’t due for a replacement card but want a commemorative card you can use the digital edition, for secure and convenient access on the go.
Updated
South-east Queensland at near record air saturation level, BoM says
The precipitable water value in south-east Queensland – measuring how much water is in the air – is approaching record levels.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the latest Brisbane airport weather balloon shows a precipitable water value of 70.88mm, just below the record of 70.9mm in March 2017.
🧵The latest Brisbane Airport weather balloon shows just how saturated the atmosphere is around SEQ. The precipitable water value (a measure of how much water is in the air) is 70.8mm this morning, just below the record of 70.9mm in March 2017. pic.twitter.com/gFdNviUHLk
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) January 29, 2024
The BoM says this means if the state gets showers or thunderstorms, lots of moisture is available and can produce heavy or locally intense rainfall.
This will be a risk over the next two days, the BoM says, warning people in the area to remain up to date with warnings.
Updated
Powercor charged over alleged power line safety breaches
Energy Safe Victoria has laid charges against major electricity distributor company Powercor, alleging it failed to clear trees below its power lines.
Eight charges have been laid. This follows an investigation into a fire that threatened homes and destroyed property west of Melbourne.
The fire began under power lines at Glenmore in February 2023. It threatened homes and destroyed sheds, fences and farming equipment while burning across 185 hectares of land.
A statement from Energy Safe Victoria reads:
It is alleged Powercor did not meet its general duty to maintain and operate its network safely to minimise risk to people and property and minimise bushfire danger.
It is further alleged the company failed to comply with its Bushfire Mitigation Plan (BMP) that sets out how it will mitigate the risk of fire arising from the supply network.
The matter is listed for mention at the Bacchus Marsh magistrates court on 28 February.
Updated
'It's a bit of tradition': PM shakes off being booed at the tennis
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has shaken off the frosty reception he received at the Australian Open men’s final.
Last night, Albanese was met with a booing crowd at the tennis. Much like the treasurer, Jim Chalmers – who earlier said it’s a “well-worn Australian tradition at sporting events for that to happen” – Albanese told Fox FM:
It’s a bit of tradition in Australian sport, isn’t it?
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, also argued that booing is a “great Australian tradition” at sporting events. He told the Today show:
I’ve been to many sporting events over the years and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a prime minister or a politician get a cheer.
I’m sure there [was] people sitting in their seats who [were] quietly cheering. But it’s a great Australian tradition to boo a politician at a sporting event.
Updated
Albanese consulting with King Charles on Australia’s next governor general
The prime minister says he is consulting with King Charles as to who the next governor general of Australia will be, once David Hurley’s term ends on 1 July.
Speaking to Sky News, Anthony Albanese was asked about the possibility of the Indigenous leader Tom Calma or Labor minister Linda Burney replacing Hurley, and becoming Australia’s first Indigenous governor general.
Albanese said he was consulting with the king as part of the proper process, and said:
I’m not going to go through ... options because then you get into will it be a man, will it be a woman, who will it be.
We’ll consult with the palace, which is what our constitution requires.
Updated
NSW police stopped neo-Nazis from ‘disturbing the peace’ and recruiting, minister says
Just earlier, the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, was speaking to the media following the gathering of neo-Nazis in Sydney at the weekend.
Police broke up a white supremacist demonstration in a Sydney park yesterday, the third straight day public safety powers were used to disrupt the group over the weekend. Earlier today, the premier, Chris Minns, signalled that the Nazi salute would be explicitly banned in the state.
(You can read that earlier in the blog here).
Speaking this afternoon, Catley said police responded “swiftly, with action” on the weekend when 60-odd men from the group were on a train, “dressed … in a clearly intimidating way”.
[Police] made sure that when they were collected together on that train travelling, that they weren’t able to go into the city to disturb the peace or whatever it is that they wanted to do. We know that they have been violent, so that did not occur …
Catley said the group “may well be recruiting”, but because police acted “they were not able to achieve their goal”.
The truth is that they may well be recruiting, but the reality is that the police’s swift action ensured that they were not able to achieve their goal, and that was to spread their toxicity, to go into the city and to disrupt.
Updated
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service has thanked the interstate crews who have been on the ground assisting people amid ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
A big THANK YOU to interstate crews who have been on the ground helping local crews over the past week as ex-TC Kirrily crossed the coast.
— Qld Fire & Emergency (@QldFES) January 29, 2024
📷 @FRNSW crews in Winton pic.twitter.com/rr2Q22laje
The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, has shared a photo from Timor-Leste, where he is visiting this week:
Obrigadu to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation for your warm, traditional welcome in Timor-Leste.
— Pat Conroy MP (@PatConroy1) January 29, 2024
I look forward to meeting with members of the Timor-Leste Government and discussing shared priorities with Australia. pic.twitter.com/NS7CpdwyG4
Conroy will visit the capital, Dili, and meet with the prime minister, Xanana Gusmão, and other senior government ministers. He said in a statement:
Timor-Leste and Australia enjoy a strong partnership and close friendship, underpinned by deep historical and cultural links. Australia remains Timor-Leste’s largest development and security partner.
Conroy is also due to visit Nauru this week, where he will participate in the country’s Independence Day celebrations and meet with the president, David Adeang, foreign minister, Lionel Aingimea, and cabinet ministers.
Updated
Bookstore apologises after owner’s comments on ‘woke agenda’ content
Victoria’s oldest independent bookshop has apologised after its owner called for more picture books with “just white kids on the cover” and claimed that the chain would stop stocking “woke agenda” content that divided people.
Susanne Horman, the owner of the Robinsons Bookshop chain, posted a series of tweets in December in which she called for a “substantial shift” in Australian publishing, arguing the focus should be in line with public opinion, requests for books and “for what is good”.
You can read more of that story here:
Updated
Bring ‘full force of the law’ against neo-Nazis, says Spender
The independent Wentworth MP, Allegra Spender, says the “full force of the law” should be brought against the group of neo-Nazis who attempted to hold a rally in a public park over the weekend.
Writing on X, Spender said that neo-Nazism has “no place in Australia”.
The extremist events in NSW over the weekend were appalling. We need to stand up to extremism and bring the full force of the law against these people.
Our multiculturalism is our strength, and we must protect it.
Neo-Nazism has no place in Australia.
— Allegra Spender (@spenderallegra) January 29, 2024
The extremist events in NSW over the weekend were appalling. We need to stand up to extremism and bring the full force of the law against these people.
Our multiculturalism is our strength, and we must protect it.
Updated
Greens call on NSW to regulate to stop asbestos-contaminated products being sold as clean soil
The NSW Greens say the Minns government must make sure the right system of regulation is in place “to stop asbestos and lead contaminated products from being sold as clean soil”.
It follows Guardian Australia’s story today that revealed the state’s environment regulator knew for more than a decade that producers of soil fill products made from construction and demolition waste were breaching regulations meant to limit the spread of contaminants in the environment:
Recovered fines are made from the residue left in skip bins after all other large recyclable material has been removed. They are processed into soil fill that can be used in construction and landscaping projects in NSW.
The NSW Greens environment spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said:
There are 700,000 tonnes of recovered fines that are reused in NSW every year, and we now know that about half of them would not be able to pass compliance checks if they were subject to them.
The [Environment Protection Authority] has known that these contaminated products have been returning to the environment and communities for years, but political failure and a lack of resources has meant that they couldn’t intervene.
Higginson said it was “gut wrenching” that childcare centres and other high-risk areas may have been exposed to contaminants despite the EPA trying to toughen the regulations under the previous government.
The EPA walked away from proposed changes in 2022 after pushback from the waste and construction industries and negative media coverage.
Higginson said:
The EPA needs to be fully resourced to address this statewide issue and the government must ensure that there is a suitable regulatory environment to stop asbestos and lead contaminated products from being sold as clean soil.
Updated
‘Hung out to dry’: government apologises to public servants after criticism over ship unable to pass under bridge
The federal government has defended public servants after its $528m icebreaking research vessel was denied permission to pass underneath Hobart’s Tasman bridge.
In August last year, the 160-metre-long RSV Nuyina was denied permission due to safety concerns about its “directional stability”. The port authority has previously alleged the ship was 10 metres wider than initially planned.
Sean Sullivan, the deputy secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said staff at the Australian Antarctic Division had been unfairly blamed for the decision. Sullivan said public servants had been diligently working with the port authority for many years.
We started consultation with the harbour master back in 2013-14. It was ongoing and it became monthly during 2018 while the ship was being built. The harbour master had all the plans. We had conditional approval from the former harbourmaster with respect to passage under the bridge.
What has been in the public domain has been perceived by people as [AAD staff] being incompetent, but that is as far from the truth as possible. They did an amazing job.
Sullivan also apologised to public servants for not publicly defending them “as much as I probably should have” once port authority’s decision became public.
I think they genuinely felt that they were hung out to dry and, again, it probably comes back to an apology for me [as] I haven’t been seen to support them as much as I probably should have.
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting severe storms over north-east New South Wales today, mainly inland near the border with Queensland.
It says a severe thunderstorm warning is already current, with a risk of intense rain.
Today's #thunderstorm forecast has been issued. Severe #thunderstorms are expected over northeast #NSW, mainly inland near the #QLD border, for the risk of locally heavy to intense (or very heavy) #rainfall. A #SevereThunderstormWarning is already current: https://t.co/12TH4mk2lq pic.twitter.com/UjEwElzlsq
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 28, 2024
Updated
Man charged with murder after woman found dead in Queensland home
A 43-year-old man has been charged with murder after a woman’s body was found north of Brisbane, AAP reports.
Police said the 30-year-old dead woman was discovered in an Owanyilla home after the man went to the Maryborough police station on Sunday evening.
Police say the man and woman knew each other.
The man has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in Maryborough magistrates court on Monday.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14
Updated
Bullying and harassment still too high among Antarctic division, senate inquiry told
The head of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has raised concerns about the “cultural safety” of staff and high rates of bullying and harassment.
Last year, an independent review identified “significant cultural problems” within the division and instances of bullying, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and a culture of fear that stopped people speaking out.
At a Senate inquiry this morning, the AAD’s leader, Emma Campbell, said recent internal staff surveys revealed there was still a lot of improvements to be made:
I will say [...] cultural safety continues to be a concern. Bullying and harassment continues to be at levels that are higher than anyone would like.
An inquiry into the Antarctic division has been told that its staff made 110 referrals to the government’s ethics and professional standards body for investigation. Around 40 of those referrals related to bullying and harassment allegations.
Sean Sullivan, the deputy secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said his team was determined to change the culture.
The feedback from my staff in the division is that we are making progress, but it’s hard. It’s hard work. We are not shirking it. We are in it for the long haul.
Updated
New social media campaign aims to change young Australians’ attitude to tanning
If you’ve been to the beach this summer you’ll know the plethora of sun tents lining the sandbanks are largely the province of families, but many young Australians continue to work on their tans.
The one in three young people who believe it’s fine to suntan is the reason the government is kickstarting a $7.3m campaign across social media to change the attitudes of 18–30 year-olds.
More than 50 digital content creators, including melanoma survivor and Olympic swimmer Sam Short, will be spreading sun safe messaging as part of the end the trend campaign across platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Spotify and YouTube.
The health minister, Mark Butler, said:
Young people can think they’re bulletproof and that’s certainly the case when it comes to skin cancer. They think it won’t happen to them, but the sad fact is – it can.
We’re partnering with people they’ll listen to so we can help normalise sun protection and keep younger Australians safe from skin cancer.
The rollout comes as melanoma researchers Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer were named 2024 Australians of the Year, pledging to use their platform to urge Australians to be sun safe and stop glamourising tanning.
Updated
Climate change department apologises to scientists at inquiry in Antarctic funding
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has apologised to Australian scientists who were offended by comments he made during a parliamentary inquiry into the funding of Antarctic research in October.
During the October hearing, the department’s deputy secretary, Sean Sullivan, talked about the difficulty of managing “the dissatisfaction of those scientists whose projects weren’t being progressed”. The comments were made in the context of budget pressure leading to some science projects being delayed or cancelled.
Today, Sullivan sought to clarify those comments at a senate inquiry into funding:
I made a statement at one point that there was dissatisfaction among scientists whose projects were unable to be supported based on our logistical capacity.
I’ve had direct feedback both from staff and through our reform council, that a number of scientists were hurt by that statement, And for that, I apologise.
Australian dog of the year announced
Everyone hold onto your seats, because the most-anticipated awards for 2024 have finally been announced… the 2024 Australian dog of the year!
Held annually by online portal Puppy Tales, the dog of the year and people’s choice awards recognise canine companions that represent the essence of the Australian dog – “love, courage, inspiration, assistance and fur-iendship”.
This year’s Australian dog of the year is none other than 12-year-old therapy dog Kali. The German shepherd has worked as a therapy dog for nearly 11 years, supporting staff and patients at the ambulance bay of Latrobe regional hospital – and helping people during the 2020 bushfires in East Gippsland.
Meanwhile, the people’s choice award went to 13-year-old rescue Heidi, an Australian cattle dog x koolie from Victoria. She was a constant companion to owner Cathy James’ dad when he came home from hospital for palliative care:
Heidi was unbelievable, not leaving dad’s side in his last days. She plopped herself beside him and did not move, even when she got whacked by dad’s hand (by accident). His hands would stop and rest on her. She calmed him. It was during Covid [lockdown] and nobody could visit. Heidi was dad’s constant companion and attended his funeral.
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Politicians react to PM's reception at Australian Open men's final
At his press conference earlier this morning, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said we shouldn’t “read too much into” the reception Anthony Albanese received at the tennis last night.
Asked about booing the prime minister received from the crowd at the Australian Open men’s final, Chalmers shook it off and said this was an Australian tradition:
I think it’s a well-worn Australian tradition at sporting events for that to happen, and I don’t think we should read too much into it.
The Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie seemed to have a stronger reaction to the booing, however, telling Nine:
Where are our values? Honestly, what are they booing him for?
Because well, we’ve got a heap of rich people over there watching the tennis finals and they’ve had a bit of their tax taken off them to pay it forward, to give to those who are less fortunate. For God’s sake, I don’t have a problem with that.
(She is referencing Albanese’s proposed changes to the stage-three tax cuts here).
Updated
BoM warns flash flooding possible in parts of Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting severe storms, intense rain and potential flash flooding for the southern and central interior of Queensland today:
⛈️QLD Storm Forecast for today Mon 29/1. Severe storms with heavy to locally intense rain and dangerous flash flooding are likely in the southern & central interior. Severe storms with heavy rain possible in SEQ and remaining parts of central & southern QLD. pic.twitter.com/MGQesffxHq
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) January 28, 2024
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Clarence Valley and RFS thanks aerial firefighters and fire crews after Sandon River fire contained
The Clarence Valley community has written a thank-you message to pilots and aerial crews working to combat the Sandon River fire.
The NSW Rural Fire Service thanked them in a post to X, as well as the crews who gave up their long weekend to fight the blaze:
How cute is this! A giant thank you message was written on the beach for the pilots and aerial crews working on the Sandon River Fire. We'd like to say a huge thank you to all of the #RFS members and aircrew who gave up their long weekend to protect communities around the state. pic.twitter.com/LjkCcm1pTj
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 28, 2024
According to the RFS the fire is now contained, having burnt more than 4,010 hectares near Minnie Water, Diggers Camp to the north of Wooli township, and south of Sandon.
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Lidia Thorpe says Labor backdown on duck hunting ban ‘not the actions of an ally’
Independent Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has taken direct aim at premier Jacinta Allan, following reports the state government plans to shoot down a ban on duck hunting.
Writing on X, Thorpe said that Tuk – the musk duck – is the totem and mother of the Gunaikurnai people, and the decision not to ban shooting “will mean [the] ongoing slaughter of native waterbirds and our totems”.
Protecting native species and totems means banning duck hunting altogether.
Allan talks a big game on Treaty, and likes to say she listens to First Peoples, but at the same time is giving the green light for the continued destruction of our totems and Country.
These are not the actions of an ally.
Tuk, the musk duck, is the totem and mother of Gunaikurnai people.
— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) January 28, 2024
Premier Allan’s gutless decision not to ban duck shooting in Victoria will mean ongoing slaughter of native waterbirds and our totems.
Protecting native species and totems means banning duck hunting altogether
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Writs issued for Dunkley byelection
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick, this morning issued the writ for the Dunkley byelection.
The byelection will be held on 2 March. It was triggered by the death of MP Peta Murphy, who held the seat centred on the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston.
Today at 9.00am I issued the writ for the election of a Member of the House of Representatives for the electoral division of Dunkley in Victoria.
— Milton Dick (@MiltonDickMP) January 28, 2024
The date of polling will be Saturday 2 March 2024. @AusElectoralCom pic.twitter.com/4MURwkAkNA
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Heatwave conditions leading to increased ambulance callouts, study finds
New research from Griffith University has found more ambulance callouts will be likely as Australia swelters through a long, hot summer and heatwave conditions.
Lead author and senior research assistant Mehak Oberai said heatwaves are known as silent killers and have been the cause of death for more people in Australia than any other natural disaster.
Not only does this lead to increased mortality, but also leads to an increase in morbidity with added pressure on the healthcare system.
We found a statistically significant increase in the likelihood of ambulance callouts for all causes by 10 per cent.
Dr Aaron Bach said the new research is proof of the need to establish holistic heat health awareness campaigns that encompass individuals, the community and the healthcare system.
As these searingly hot days continue across the country, we’ll see a further rise in the likelihood of ambulance callouts which will shine a spotlight on the real burden that heatwaves place on our already stressed health system.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, used a systematic review and meta-analysis to gauge the number of ambulance callouts in Australia due to heatwaves.
Greens-comissioned poll finds half of all parents think private schools should not get government funding
Seven in 10 parents think government funding should be stripped from private schools whilst the public system is underfunded, new survey data suggests, and half of parents think private schools should receive no government support at all.
The Lonergan Research poll, commissioned by the Greens, surveyed 1,005 Australian parents of public and private school children.
It also found three in five, including 48% of private school parents, believed the Australian school system was designed to benefit wealthier families.
Three quarters, including 54% of private school parents, said private schools receiving government funding shouldn’t be able to pick and choose which students they accepted.
Under the current funding agreement, extended until the end of 2024, 98% of public schools are funded below the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) - the baseline agreed to by governments to provide a decent education.
The Greens’ spokesperson on education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, said the results showed the system was “rigged” in favour of private schools:
Under Labor and the Coalition, elite private schools have for decades been subsidised with billions of dollars of government largesse, while the public system – which is responsible for educating more than 80% of our most disadvantaged kids – has languished.
The new national school reform agreement and bilateral deals are being negotiated right now. With Labor in power federally and in every mainland state and territory they have absolutely no excuse not to deliver 100% of the SRS to every public school by January 2025.
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RSCPA calls on Victorian government to listen to duck hunting inquiry and implement ban
The RSPCA is calling on the Victorian government to reverse its decision not to ban duck hunting in the state, as has been reported today.
RSPCA Victoria’s CEO, Dr Liz Walker, said the recent parliamentary inquiry recommended native bird hunting cease based on extensive evidence and a “record number of submissions from the public”.
She noted that other states like Queensland, NSW and Western Australia all banned it up to three decades ago.
Dr Walker:
Instead of sanctioning the injury, pain, suffering, distress of our native birds, the government should have listened to the inquiry and [the] millions of Victorians who also want to see it banned.
This decision simply leaves us asking when it comes to duck and quail hunting, why is Victoria different?
We urge the government to hear the millions of Victorians who have made clear their support for a duck hunting ban in Victoria and to reverse this decision.
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Animal justice party says Victorian Labor will ‘see the worst of me’ after duck hunting ban ‘betrayal’
Victorian Animal Justice party MP Georgie Purcell says she is “absolutely furious” the Allan government plans to shoot down a ban on recreational duck hunting, labelling it the “ultimate betrayal”.
As we brought you just earlier via AAP, the ban is set to be shot down by the Victorian government despite it being recommended by a Labor-led parliamentary inquiry.
Speaking to 3AW, Purcell said the decision was “completely gutless” and that the government was going against the word of its own chair, Labor MP Ryan Batchelor.
We know that there’s been a lot of internal dissent within the Labor party for quite some time now about duck shooting, but there’s just a handful of senior people at the top who are making captain’s calls and going against parliamentary inquiries, their own members and even their own ministers.
Purcell said she holds a key vote in the state’s upper house and intends to use it:
The whole time I’ve been elected I’ve worked proactively and pragmatically with the government, acting in good faith that they will do the right thing [and] will listen to the evidence, the science and the overwhelming community support for ban on duck shooting.
I am planning on reneging on that relationship now. This is the ultimate betrayal not just to me but to the community and, most importantly, to ducks. I think they’ve shown the absolute worst of politicians, this government, and now they’ll see the worst of me.
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Chalmers stands by changes to stage-three tax cuts
Speaking on the stage-three tax cut changes announced last week, the treasurer said the “political argey bargey” does not matter, but what does matter is the “tangible benefits for middle Australia”. Jim Chalmers:
Everyone gets a tax cut, but there’s a bigger tax cut for more people to help with the cost of living and that’s what matters here.
He addressed the debate around bracket creep (the term for the extra tax take as wage rises see people ‘creep’ into higher tax brackets), saying:
By dropping two rates, and by lifting two thresholds, we are giving everyone a tax cut, we’re delivering $359bn worth of tax relief, and we’re returning bracket creep where we can do the most good, which is middle Australia.
And so, obviously our political opponents will stumble around, looking for excuses to oppose bigger tax cuts for more people to help with the cost of living. Our job is to get to the right outcome and that’s what we’ve done here.
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Chalmers announces further appointments to future fund board
Jim Chalmers said that Greg Combet will begin his tenure as future fund chair “around the middle of the year”. In the interim, the government has appointed Mary Reemst as acting chair, beginning 4 February.
The government has also appointed Nicola Wakefield-Evans and Rosemary Vilgan as part-time members of the board for five-year terms.
Chalmers said this will increase the representation of women on the future fund, and “continue the government’s really strong track record of appointing women to senior roles in Australia’s most important economic and financial institutions”.
Rosemary has a strong background in investment and a broad range of experience in executive and non-executive roles. Rosemary will begin on the board in February. Nicola has extensive experience in capital markets, corporate finance, the energy sector and corporate law. And she’ll begin on the board in March. So, these are some really important appointments.
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Greg Combet announced as new chair of the future fund
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is giving a press conference in Canberra, and has just announced Greg Combet as chair of the future fund board of guardians on a five-year term.
Combet is a former Labor minister and current chair of the net zero economy agency. Chalmers said:
Greg Combet has extensive experience in investment and superannuation, as well as government and the climate and energy transformation in particular.
Greg Combet is a person of extraordinary breadth and depth and character and experience. He is the perfect appointment to take the future fund into the future. We are very pleased, [finance minister] Katy Gallagher and I, to make this appointment today after it went through the cabinet last week.
Peter Costello was the last future fund chair.
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Minns open to regulatory change after Guardian investigation reveals EPA knowledge of contaminants
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, is open to changing the laws and regulations governing the recycling of construction waste after the Guardian revealed the state’s environmental regulator has known about widespread compliance failures for more than a decade.
Internal documents from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) revealed it has known for more than a 10 years that producers of soil fill made from construction and demolition waste were failing to comply with rules to limit the spread of contaminants such as lead and asbestos into the community.
Asked about the report on ABC radio this morning, the premier said:
The recycling of construction material I think was done with the best of intentions, which was to reuse existing material in the fast growing infrastructure needs of the state but we’ve got to make sure we get it right.
There is a pathway through it and that does rely on a strict regulatory and investigation process. If there’s law changes, or potential regulatory changes that we need to explore, then we’ll look at it closely.
The premier said he would be briefed later today by the EPA “about how the law is being implemented” and about the separate Rozelle Parklands asbestos investigation.
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Status report on power outages in Queensland after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily
Checking back in with the power outages in Queensland, associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily.
According to Ergon Energy there are currently 5,252 customers without power in regional Queensland. Majority of these are in Townsville, where 4,616 are without power.
Ergon released a restoration plan over the weekend. It said 90% of power was expected to be restored by last night, and 100% by Tuesday evening, subject to weather, access and safety conditions for crews.
Early damage assessments found that around 518 powerlines were down and 129 impacted distribution feeders, caused by strong winds and debris during the cyclone and subsequent storms.
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Victorian duck hunting ban set to be shot down
A ban on recreational duck hunting is set to be shot down by the Victorian government despite it being recommended by a Labor-led parliamentary inquiry, AAP reports.
In August, a Labor-chaired parliamentary inquiry called for recreational duck hunting to be banned across all Victorian public and private land from 2024.
But the state government is expected to reject the recommendation when the premier, Jacinta Allan, and ministers meet today to thrash out a response.
Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, who was on the nine-member select committee, warned there would be repercussions. She wrote on X:
If the rumour the government is ignoring their own recommendation to ban duck shooting is true, they will not get the same version of me when parliament returns.
A disgraceful mockery of the process the community had faith in. It’s no wonder people don’t trust politicians.
Taxpayer funds are used to monitor bird populations and hunting compliance, but the report said policing was almost an impossible task because game reserves are vast and dispersed.
Despite there being no definitive evidence on wounding rates, the committee said thousands of birds were wounded each year and described it as an “unacceptable animal welfare outcome”.
The inquiry was chaired by Ryan Batchelor, one of three Labor MPs on the committee, and more than 10,000 submissions were made, a record for the state.
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Former NZ PM calls funding suspension of UNRWA ‘catastrophic’
The former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark has labelled the decision of ten countries, including Australia, to suspend humanitarian funding to Gaza as “catastrophic”.
Clark, who is also a former administrator of the UN development program, said that if UNRWA is “crippled financially” this has “devastating impacts for the families living in Gaza”, because it is the largest deliverer of services – including emergency relief – on the ground.
Asked if she was concerned about the allegations against those accused Clark said that she was, but noted the UN has “acted very very quickly to deal with this”.
That’s why the suspension of aid by Australia, US and others seems a very, very harsh collective punishment of the Gazan people … we’re talking about allegations against 12 people out of 13,000. So that’s why I think the response of suspending aid has been completely disproportionate.
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Nazi salute to be explicitly outlawed in NSW
The Nazi salute will be explicitly outlawed in NSW after white supremacists mounted a series of demonstrations in Sydney, AAP reports.
Police broke up a neo-Nazi demonstration on Sydney’s north shore yesterday, the third straight day public safety powers were used to disrupt the group over the Australia Day weekend.
The premier, Chris Minns, credited police for a great job but flagged the law may need to be strengthened. While the Nazi salute is explicitly banned in Victoria, it is more grey in NSW, where all Nazi symbolism is outlawed. He told Seven’s Sunrise this morning:
Explicitly the swastika is illegal in NSW, there’s a question as to whether a Nazi salute is as well.
I want to make it clear though that (salute) is not acceptable in NSW and if the current laws don’t cover it, we’ll move legislation to make it illegal.
With about half of the 61 masked men who gathered on Friday coming from Victoria, the premier warned his state had the power to unmask people. He told Nine’s Today:
Police have the right to take off your balaclava and to expose you and your identity so that everyone you know, your family and friends, your employer, your co-workers will know that you’re a racist.
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BoM issues severe thunderstorm warning over northern NSW
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of northern New South Wales, with localised heavy rainfall possible:
Severe thunderstorm warning is current in parts of northern NSW for localised HEAVY RAINFALL. Latest warning https://t.co/tYiUXby2yr pic.twitter.com/cSMktBwCtJ
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 28, 2024
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Paterson calls for ‘swift and decisive action’ against neo-Nazi groups
Over the weekend, NSW premier Chris Minns doubled down on his push to tighten anti-vilification laws after a group of neo-Nazis attempted to hold another rally in a public park.
You can read the full details below:
Speaking to ABC RN, James Paterson said images of these gatherings are disturbing at any time but are “particularly disturbing in the current geopolitical climate” and “strikes even more fear” into the Jewish community who are “already suffering”.
I’d like to see swift and decisive action taken against these neo-Nazi groups who have no place in Australia.
Paterson said the gathering of this group demonstrates that anti-semitism has “reared its ugly head in the most dramatic fashion possible”.
I never thought we would see [something like this] in such a demonstrable way in a pluralistic country like Australia.
It’s the reason why the federal parliament, before Christmas, went to the extraordinary step of passing laws to ban Nazi symbols being publicly displayed, to ban the Nazi salute. And it’s critically important that those laws are rigorously enforced so that people understand there are consequences for this action.
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Paterson calls ICJ ruling ‘interim orders’ to preserve status quo and opposition does not believe Israel is committing genocide
ABC RN host Patricia Karvelas:
…the [International Court of Justice] ruling [against Israel] said that there could be a plausible case that genocide is occurring. Does that worry you?
Liberal senator James Paterson:
Well, the ICJ has made interim orders which effectively seek to preserve the status quo while the longer and more ongoing case is resolved, which might take a number of years as previous ICJ cases have.
The opposition has clearly stated, as has the United States and Canada and the United Kingdom – other like-minded partners around the world – that we do not believe that Israel has committed genocide, and we do not believe that South Africa’s application to the ICJ is appropriate…
Israel is not conducting a genocide. They are conducting a defensive war against a terrorist organisation which was about to wipe them off the map and killed the most Jews [in a] single day since the end of the Holocaust.
It is a defensible and appropriate military strategy to seek to remove that threat. No democracy would tolerate that existential threat on its borders in perpetuity.
At least 26,422 Palestinians have been killed and 65,087 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said on Sunday. You can read more on our Middle East liveblog here.
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James Paterson welcomes UNRWA funding pause
Liberal senator James Paterson was on ABC RN just earlier, responding to news that Australia had paused its humanitarian funding to the UNRWA.
He welcomed the move and said it was “unconscionable that even $1 of Australian taxpayers money could potentially be going to [Hamas’] benefit”. Host Patricia Karvelas noted that the UNRWA has already taken action against those accused, and asked:
So isn’t that the way you deal with it, rather than collectively punishing the entire organisation?
Paterson argued that the UNRWA had not responded adequately to previous allegations in the past which does not give him confidence the current investigation will be “sufficient”. He said:
In my view there’s a genuine humanitarian need in Gaza … and it is appropriate for [Australia] to make contributions, but we have to be absolutely rigorous in ensuring that Australian taxpayer dollars does not end up funding a terrorist organisation, particularly not one which is continuing to wage war on Israel and has vowed to repeat the atrocities of 7 October again and again.
He argued the Albanese government should pause its funding until UNRWA is “able to provide satisfactory answers on whether or not its employees were involved in [the 7 October] attacks.”
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Former UNRWA spokesperson says funding pause ‘disproportionate and punitive’
A former chief spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has said it was “disproportionate and punitive” for countries – including Australia – to pause their humanitarian funding for Gaza.
Australia is one of 10 donor countries that have withdrawn funding from the UN agency. In a statement over the weekend, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Australia would pause its funding while an investigation is underway into several employees accused of taking part in Hamas’ 7 October attacks in Israel.
You can read more about this below:
Speaking to ABC Breakfast earlier, the former chief spokesperson for the UNRWA, Chris Gunness, said the move to pause funding will have an “appalling impact” on children, the elderly, sick, dying and wounded.
And for what? UNRWA has already suspended the 12 workers thought to have been involved in this. We haven’t got the full report yet… Let’s ask the Australian government - what is the suspension of aid meant to achieve, given that has already happened? And what does UNRWA have to do to get the aid reinstated?
Australia had promised $6m to UNRWA as part of a broader humanitarian package.
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David Pocock calls on Labor to stop approving fossil fuel projects that pose ‘existential threat’ to Pacific neighbours
As Daniel Hurst reports, the independent senator David Pocock has said the Australian government is failing to listen to its “Pacific family” and must stop approving new fossil fuel projects that fuel “an existential threat for those nations”.
In a new podcast to be released today, the ACT senator has also described the “really sobering” experiencing of entering parliament and “seeing the influence of the fossil fuel industry” up close:
It’s been really frustrating to see Australian politicians talk about the Pacific family and then not listen to Pacific Island nation leaders when it comes to bold climate action. I really think that we need to step up as a country.
You can read all the details on this below:
Independent MP Sophie Scamps responded to his comments this morning on X, writing that she agreed:
It’s disingenuous to say we’re part of the Pacific Family - but then pursue a massive expansion of the gas industry for export, something which threatens the existence of our Pacific neighbours.
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You can catch up on all the biggest headlines from overnight with today’s Morning Mail:
Margot Robbie recognised by Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
Margot Robbie may have missed out on an Oscar but the Barbie star has received recognition from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA).
Robbie will receive the 2024 AACTA trailblazer award for her work as an actor and producer in February as part of the AACTA festival.
The discretionary award, which is determined by the Australian Film Institute board, acknowledges the substantial contribution of a figure within Australian film. Robbie’s work was recognised for its efforts to challenge industry norms and to improve gender representation in film.
In addition to her lead role in Barbie, an international hit that grossed over $1.4bn worldwide, Robbie’s body of work includes a breakout role as Naomi Lapaglia in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, her portrayal of figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya and Harley Quinn in DC’s The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey.
Her production company, LuckyChap, was also involved in the development of I, Tonya, Birds of Prey and Promising Young Woman. Robbie said she was “truly honoured” and grateful for the recognition, and to receive the award in her hometown on the Gold Coast:
Australia has always been my grounding force, and to receive this recognition here is incredibly special. I believe in the power of storytelling and the impact it can have on shaping culture and inspiring others.
This award is a testament to the incredible talent and dedication of everyone involved in the film community, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
Previous recipients include Chris Hemsworth, Rose Byrne, Simon Baker and Isla Fisher.
Queensland cops a soaking as ex-cyclone leaves its mark
Crews have been working overnight to restore electricity for Queenslanders left without power after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily lashed the state.
According to Ergon Energy, there are currently 4,952 without power across regional Queensland due to unplanned outages. About 66,000 customers experienced a power outage at the peak of the event.
Parts of the state remain at risk of heavy rain and flooding as Kirrily moves slowly across the state’s northern interior over the next few days, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Central and southern Queensland will be more at risk of flash flooding early this week as well as parts of northern NSW as the low moves down the coast. By Wednesday it is predicted the low will travel north, relieving southern residents and slowing rainfall.
Heavy rain fell over the weekend in the Lockyer valley west of Brisbane, the Central Highlands and north-west Queensland, with the bureau issuing flood warnings for numerous rivers.
The top totals were recorded at Glenora Road (243mm) and Mount Berryman (234mm).
- with AAP
Universities Australia calls for fee-free Tafe program to be extended to uni places
Universities Australia has released its pre-budget submission in which it calls on the government to extend its fee-free Tafe program to university places.
The five-year national skills agreement with states and territories includes $493m of federal money for 180,000 fee-free Tafe places in courses where there are workforce shortages.
Universities Australia wants the federal government to match that investment to create free university places for disadvantaged students from January 2025 in areas of critical skills need to drive enrolments.
It argues that projections from the national skills commission show the university system will need to support 1.8 million commonwealth-supported students in 2050, up from 900,000 now, to meet Australia’s skills needs in a future where half of all new jobs will require a degree.
Universities Australia’s acting chief executive, Renee Hindmarsh, said:
Fee-free Tafe is a worthy endeavour that should be replicated for universities considering the nation’s need for university graduates is increasing.
Education is one of our most valuable assets in preparing Australia for future skills challenges, and meeting those challenges is essential to driving our economic growth and prosperity. We need to be doing more now to ensure we have the university graduates we need tomorrow.
Universities Australia also wants the government to increase the number of Commonwealth-supported places. Labor increased the number of places by 20,000, but has not returned to a fully demand-driven system.
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Good morning
And happy Monday. Welcome back to a new week on the Australia news liveblog. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll bring you our rolling coverage today.
Here’s what is making news this morning: Universities Australia has released its pre-budget submission, calling on the government to extend its fee-free Tafe program to university places from January 2025, in areas of critical skills need to drive enrolments.
As AAP reports, crews have been working overnight to restore electricity for Queenslanders left without power after ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily lashed the state. According to Ergon Energy, there are currently 4,952 without power in regional Queensland due to unplanned outages.
And although she might have missed out on an Oscar for Barbie, Margot Robbie has received recognition from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.
See something that needs attention on the blog? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
With that, let’s get started.
