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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Rafqa Touma and Emily Wind (earlier)

Penny Wong and Palestinian PM discuss recognition of statehood – as it happened

Australia Rafah Penny Wong Jim Chalmers Israel
Foreign minister Penny Wong
Penny Wong has discussed the issue of recognition of Palestine and the push for a ceasefire in calls with the Palestinian prime minister and a minister from the United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPA

Summary

That is all for today folks, thank you for joining us on the blog. Here is a wrap up:

See you tomorrow!

Updated

Senate inquiry recommends supermarkets face break-up threat

A Senate inquiry has recommended that major supermarkets be forcibly broken up if they engage in anti-competitive behaviour in a move designed to empower shoppers and suppliers against Australia’s dominant food retailers.

The inquiry’s final report, released today, has also recommended that legislative changes are made to prohibit food retailers from charging excessive prices, otherwise known as price gouging.

The recommendations come against a backdrop of relentless price rises for basic goods, but robust profits for those which sell them, including major chains Coles and Woolworths.

The Senate committee has made 14 recommendations, which includes measures designed to: address food wastage; provide additional resources and powers to the competition regulator; and improve unit price labelling.

It also wants to address confusing promotions and discounts.

Read the full story here:

Pocock says lobbying system ‘fatally flawed’

David Pocock said the committee was shown the system was “fatally flawed” and provided with solutions but still failed to offer improvements.

The independent senator has called for an expanded definition to include in-house lobbyists, increased penalties beyond a three-month suspension, the details of sponsored pass holders to be published and for ministerial diaries to be published on a monthly basis.

Pocock said:

The professionalisation of lobbying in this country into what is now a multi-billion dollar industry requires improved regulation, and the time to make those changes is now.

Meanwhile the Greens also expressed disappointment that a recommendation to force the publication of ministerial diaries was not be adopted.

The Greens senator and committee member, Larissa Waters, suggested the “cooling off” period for former ministers and staffers who become lobbyists be increased from 18 months to five years.

It’s time to restore trust in our democracy by increasing transparency, shining a light on who is meeting who, and stopping the revolving door giving donors, former politicians and industry mates lucrative perks.

Updated

Pocock criticises major parties over failing to reform lobbying system

Independent ACT senator David Pocock has slammed the major parties for failing to offer up reforms to overhaul Australia’s “weak and ineffective” lobbying system, accusing them of “kicking the can down the road”.

The spotlight has been on which lobbyists can access politicians in Parliament House unaccompanied – and without being formally registered as a lobbyist with the federal government – after a push from independents and the Greens.

The number of “orange” sponsored pass holders in Parliament – many of whom are lobbyists who can enter the building unaccompanied – has soared to more than 2,000 with around three-quarters of those having been issued since July 2022.

Meanwhile, a register of third-party lobbyists who are required to abide by a code of conduct contains the details of 346 lobbyist companies, including 695 registered lobbyists who represent 2,374 clients.

The Liberal-majority report, chaired by Tasmanian Liberal senator Richard Colbeck, supported a review into the lobbyist code of conduct with the view to expanding who is covered by it but did not back other calls, including the publishing of ministerial diaries, revealing the identities of sponsored pass holders and the politicians who sponsored them.

Both major parties backed bringing back the unescorted day pass for occasional visitors but Labor senators, led by Louise Pratt, said it needed to be weighed up against security risks and other concerns.

Labor’s additional comments said:

“The building is large, and escorts often take unnecessary time at the expense of other parliamentary business. Labor senators note that the removal of the day pass does indeed impact the ability of people to participate in the parliament and the many and varied democratic processes within.”

Updated

Five Rwandan unauthorised maritime arrivals on Saibai Island, Torres Strait

Guardian Australia has confirmed that five men categorised as unauthorised maritime arrivals have been located by the Australian Border Force (ABF) on Saibai Island in the Torres Strait.

The group are believed to be Rwandan citizens who entered Papua New Guinea legally, then travelled to Saibai Island, which lies 4km from the PNG mainland.

An ABF spokesperson said:

The ABF does not comment on operational matters. ABF has well established operational processes to manage irregular movements of people in the Torres Strait.

Guardian Australia understands that movements in the Torres Strait are not considered part of Operation Sovereign Borders because they are dealt with instead by an agreement with the PNG government to return people to PNG.

However, it is not clear whether a group of people who are not citizens of PNG will be treated in that way, and ABF declined to comment. The group are undergoing medical checks.

Updated

Penny Wong and Palestinian PM discuss recognition of statehood and push for ceasefire

The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has discussed the issue of recognition of Palestine and the push for a ceasefire in calls with the Palestinian prime minister and a minister from the United Arab Emirates.

It is understood Wong had a phone call last night with Mohammad Mustafa, the relatively new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (which is dominated by Fatah, a rival to Hamas, and exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli occupied West Bank).

Wong also had a phone call last night with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, the UAE foreign affairs minister.

Sources said that in both calls, the discussion focused on the conflict in the Middle East, including Rafah, the release of hostages, and the prospects for a ceasefire agreement.

The discussions also covered the issue of Palestinian recognition, in line with signals from Wong last month that the issue was being considered by the international community. Australia is understood to be “engaging closely” with its partners, particularly in light of the UN general assembly vote scheduled for 10 May.

Wong also met this afternoon with the UAE minister of state for international cooperation and special envoy to Australia, Reem Al Hashimy, who is in Adelaide.

For more on the looming UN vote on giving Palestine full member status, see this analysis piece:

Updated

NSW opposition leader adds voice to condolence motion

The New South Wales opposition leader, Mark Speakman, says the Bondi junction stabbing attack was a “reminder of the fragility of life” that left the state “in shock and disbelief”.

Speakman has continued this afternoon’s condolence motions in NSW parliament in memory of the victims of the tragedy, as some of their family members watched on. He said:

No words can adequately express the depth of our sorrow or alleviate the pain of such devastating loss.

As we mourn the loss of precious life, we also reflect on the fragility of human existence and the importance of cherishing each moment we’re given.

The Coogee MP, Dr Marjorie O’Neill, and Vaucluse MP, Kellie Sloane, also addressed parliament to commemorate the victims and thank the first responders who helped them.

BRA on reconciling poor growth and tight jobs market

Asked how the bank can “reconcile exceptionally poor growth, but an exceptionally tight jobs market”, the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, answered:

Yes, consumption is very low … There’s two components to that. Some people are cutting back on consumption and some are cutting back to save, and some are cutting back simply because they just don’t have money. And that’s having an impact.

What’s going on in the labour market is a very interesting question, and I don’t really have a full answer for you.

What I can say is a few things. The first is that a lot of the jobs are being created in education and health, and these are not cyclical things … They’re essential services, in effect, so there’s a lot of employment going on there.

Some of the areas where employment isn’t growing as strongly and in fact may be declining are areas in hospitality and retail where in fact you are observing the impacts of demand. So I would say you are observing some of it.

Bullock added that about 18 months ago “businesses couldn’t hire enough people, they just couldn’t find people,” and they are “only just getting on top of that”. She adds that “hoarding labour” practices may also be going on.

It’s worth remembering too, not only is the unemployment rate really, really low by historical standards, the participation rate is at historical high levels. So it’s not a United States situation where a lot of people have dropped out of the labour force. They’re still there. So I think it’s probably a combination of a number of factors that’s keeping the employment market strong.

Updated

‘Interest rates hurt, but that’s the tool I’ve got’: Bullock

Asked “what do you say to people who were expecting and budgeting for a rate cut by the end of the year?,” the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, says she doesn’t believe she gave that impression:

You would understand why I’m very cautious about suggesting any particular rate increases or decreases for that reason.

I would say to people who are struggling that I understand they are struggling. Part of the reason they are struggling is not just interest rates, though. It’s inflation.

The best thing that I can do for them is to try and get inflation back down so that they don’t have to worry about the prices of their everyday things continuing to go up. That’s the best thing I can do for them. I understand the interest rates hurt, but that’s the tool I’ve got and that’s the best thing I can do for them.

Updated

Bullock on importance of healthy employment market

The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, hopes Australia’s economy “doesn’t have to stomach further tightening”:

We know that interest rates impact different sectors of the economy and different households differently. And what we are really trying to do is slow things enough to bring inflation down without tipping the economy into recession. That’s what we’re trying to do.

The reason that’s important is because as people, when they have jobs, are able to meet their needs, they’re able to pay for their groceries, they’re able to meet their mortgage repayments. So the worse the employment market becomes, the harder it is for people to meet those. You add an inflation challenge on the top of that, and it’s really hard. So that’s what we’re aiming to do. I hope that we don’t have to raise interest rates again.

Updated

‘Watchful on the upside’: Bullock on future rate hike

Asked whether the balance of probabilities has shifted from the need for a cut this year to the need for a hike, RBA governor Michele Bullock says:

Back in the last meeting, we thought that things were reasonably balanced. I think we still think they’re reasonably balanced with perhaps a little bit of a signal that we need to be very watchful on the upside. So I wouldn’t think about it in terms of balance of probabilities. I don’t ever think we said there was a balance of probabilities it would go down last time.

I think I’ve been fairly careful to say when if we’re being neutral, we’re not ruling out an up or a down, and we’re not ruling them in or out. So I don’t think it’s shifted the balance of probabilities dramatically.

Updated

‘If we have to, we will’: RBA on raising interest rates

Asked whether the RBA board is more concerned about inflation than it was six weeks ago, governor Michele Bullock says:

It’s true that the data towards the end of last year, [and] early this year, led everyone to sort of think, ‘Oh, it’s OK now.’

I think we’ve always felt that it was a bit too soon to declare victory. And I think the numbers in recent weeks have demonstrated that for us, we don’t we think policy is restrictive. We don’t think we necessarily have to tighten again, but we can’t rule it out. If we have to, we will. If we really think that inflation is going to be persistent and significantly above our forecasts, we will tighten again.

But the board made the judgment at the meeting that the right stance at the moment is to stay where we are, continue to observe what’s going on in the economy, be data driven and as I said, we might have to raise, we might not.

Updated

‘We are not ruling anything in or out’: RBA

Guardian Australia’s economics correspondent Peter Hannam is asking the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, whether the bank is maintaining a neutral bias.

Bullock says “we are not ruling anything in or out”:

In the past, when we’ve had statements, we’ve said we may increase interest rates. We haven’t put that explicitly back in.

But I think if you read the statement, you will see that the board is signalling that they are very alert to the fact that it might be a little bit higher, and they’re remaining vigilant on that.

We’re not ruling anything in or out because things are uncertain. But … the recent data [has] indicated to us, we need to be a little bit alert and vigilant on this.

Updated

Inflation at ‘front of mind’ for government: Bullock

“What is being said” by government points to inflation being front of mind for the upcoming budget, RBA governor Michele Bullock says:

The federal treasurer Jim Chalmers, he says publicly and he says to me in private that he does have inflation in his mind while he is thinking about the budget …

Budgets are very difficult, they are big balancing acts for governments. They’ve got lots of things on their plate. And I think they are all conscious that they want to help us beat inflation.

The signs, at least by what’s being said, are to me that inflation is at front of mind.

Updated

RBA ‘very conscious’ of people ‘doing it tough’

The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, says the bank is conscious of households “who are really struggling to make ends meet”:

These people don’t have a lot of extra savings. They might be working a second job, cutting back on discretionary items or making difficult decisions, such as putting off medical appointments. These people are doing it very tough, and the board and I are very conscious of that.

One of the outcomes of this is that consumption, household consumption is very weak. And you can see that in the retail figures from last week. Growth is very subdued, even though population growth is strong. We also know the housing market is very tight, and anyone who is trying to get a rental property can tell you just how challenging that is at the moment.

As I’ve said before, bringing inflation down, we want to keep employment growing. This is the difficult path that we are trying to navigate right now. We believe that rates are at the right level to achieve this, but there are risks and at this stage the board is not ruling anything in or out. We must get inflation back to the target band, low and stable … That’s the best thing we can do for all Australians.

Updated

Prepare for 'bumpy' path to lower inflation: Michele Bullock

Australians “should all be prepared” for a “bumpy” path to lower inflation, the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, says:

I’ve said before that we have made progress here, and we’re not going to jeopardise that. The rise in interest rates that has been required to bring down inflation has been painful for many people. Inflation is, though, as I’ve said before, is bad for everyone and we have to see the job through.

We believe we have rates at the right level to return inflation to the target range next year. But as we said in the past, getting inflation back to target will take time, and I think the path will likely continue to be bumpy and we should all be prepared for that.

Updated

The Reserve Bank of Australia governor, Michele Bullock, says “we must continue to be vigilant about the continued risk of high inflation”, speaking live to the media.

Keep an eye on the live blog for rolling updates from the bank’s press conference to come.

Updated

Minns leads tributes to Bondi junction stabbing victims

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has paid tribute to the victims of last month’s Bondi junction stabbing attack.

Leading a condolence motion in state parliament a short time ago, Minns condemned killer Joel Cauchi’s stabbing rampage as “an unforgivable act of violence”.

Addressing the families and friends of the victims, Minns said he recognised their grief.

Today as a parliament, we send you our solidarity, and whatever small comfort we can offer. We also send you our love.

All six of the victims … had something in common. They were hopeful, optimistic people, raising kids, planning their wedding day, savouring young love, or starting new careers.

What happened in Bondi was unforgivable. Nothing can excuse it, or explain it. We can’t contextualise it. It was an attack at the end of the day on innocent people, on life as it was being lived.

Updated

RBA hawks to pull in their talons for a bit

The RBA said it remains “vigilant to upside risks” from inflation but most economists won’t see that as adding a “tightening bias” to its monetary policy stance.

Investors had been tipping a 40% chance of a rate rise by September but that bet has now been pared to 16% (so my Reuters colleagues in the RBA lockup tell us).

Some economists will be wondering if they put too much weight on the March CPI numbers. The RBA seems to have taken them in its stride.

What’s interesting from the accompanying RBA statement on monetary policy is the important role government demand is playing in keeping the economy from stalling. That might give the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, more reason to think he doesn’t need to deliver any “scorched-earth austerity” as he said on Monday.

Meanwhile, you can follow on with our article here:

Updated

University of Sydney’s union could become first to endorse academic boycott of Israel

The University of Sydney’s union could become the first branch in Australia to endorse the institutional academic boycott of Israel, with a vote to go ahead amongst members on Thursday.

The motion, to be raised at a National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) branch meeting, will call on the university to cut ties with Israeli academic institutions and to stop all weapons-related research.

It comes as a pro-Gaza encampment at the University of Sydney, led by members of Students for Palestine, approaches its second week.

Sydney University’s branch president of the NTEU and historical supporter of Palestine, Nick Riemer, said as union members in a university, there weren’t often situations where academics could meaningfully intervene in global affairs.

This is an exception: Palestinian unions and university workers have appealed to us, their international colleagues in higher education, to take a stand. To that end, we will be debating this motion at our meeting on May 9.

Updated

Thanks to Emily Wind for rolling today’s live blog!

I’ll be taking you through the afternoon’s breaking news. If there is anything you don’t want the blog to miss, shoot it my way to @At_Raf_ on X.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Rafqa Touma will be here to guide you through the rest of today’s rolling coverage. Take care.

High court to deliver ASF17 ruling on Friday

The high court will deliver its judgment in the ASF17 case at 10am on Friday.

The case concerns whether the government must release people from immigration detention who can’t be deported, even if their non-cooperation is partly to blame.

This could trigger the release of more than 170 people in detention.

Victorian treasurer’s budget speech interrupted by protesters

Tim Pallas, the Victorian treasurer, has been interrupted by protesters during his budget speech in parliament.

In footage from parliament you can hear protesters shouting from the public gallery. The house was paused and parliamentarians left the chamber while the gallery was cleared.

It is unclear what the protesters were shouting. Sky News reported that a group of about 20 protestors have been banned from the parliament for at least seven days.

Updated

RBA holds back on hawkish comments – for now

Many – including your correspondent – anticipated tougher language in the RBA’s statement. But as far as we can see, the key words are basically unchanged. It said:

Recent information indicates that inflation continues to moderate, but is declining more slowly than expected.

Still, “[t]o date, medium-term inflation expectations have been consistent with the inflation target and it is important that this remains the case”, it said.

The absence of more hawkish wording sent the Australian dollar down to 66.1 US cents, from about 66.3 US cents prior to the statement. Stocks added to their gains, rising to 1% for the day compared with 0.8% just before 2.30pm AEST.

We’ll get to hear more from the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, shortly but their stance is not as tough as many anticipated. In short, yes, inflation is higher than expected but growth in the economy is weaker than forecast – so they balance out.

Updated

Coalition recommends extensive amendments to deportation bill

The Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs committee has reported back on Labor’s controversial deportation bill.

The bill contains mandatory minimum sentences of one year in prison for a non-citizen refusing to cooperate with their deportation, as well as ministerial powers to blacklist whole countries from new visa applications if they refuse to accept involuntary removals.

It’s fair to say the committee is completely split. Labor senators said that the minister should “consider community impacts” when blacklisting countries, but otherwise pass the bill. The Greens in a dissenting report said the bill should be rejected in full.

As expected, the Coalition has recommended a slate of amendments. These include:

  • Specifying those who have cases on foot can’t be given a direction to cooperate with deportation

  • Prior to giving a removal pathway direction in relation to any child, the minister must conduct an assessment of whether the direction is in the best interests

  • The minister should be required to tell parliament every time they have issued a removal pathway direction

  • The power to declare a country as a removal concern country be redrafted to require the minister to consider a set of factors which must be considered prior to making a designation

  • Any declaration of a country as a removal concern country should be subject to sunsetting after three years

  • Expanding the definition of family for the exemptions to the prohibition on applying for visas

Senator David Pocock also issued a dissenting report, calling for a new process to review people whose protection claims were assessed by the fast-track process.

Updated

Reserve Bank leaves interest rates unchanged

The Reserve Bank has – to the relief of many borrowers – just announced it will leave its key interest rate unchanged for a fourth board meeting in a row at 4.35%

The result was widely expected, with only Capital Economics predicting the RBA would hike rates today.

Attention will now focus on whether the language of the RBA and its governor, Michele Bullock, has changed. Many analysts expect a “tightening bias”, implying the next move by the central bank is more likely to be a rate rise rather than a cut.

Stay tuned for more shortly.

Updated

Labor to invest $50m in Canberra light rail and bike path

The federal government will spend more than $50m on Canberra’s light rail and bike paths, but won’t commit to extra spending on a new stadium for the national capital.

The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, said the federal government would give the ACT government $50m to help plan the extension of Canberra’s light rail project across Lake Burley Griffin to Woden in the south.

The federal government has not committed to evenly split the southern line’s costs with the ACT government, as it did for the belated city centre to lake line extension at a cost of more than $300m.

The government has also promised to deliver Canberra some of the benefits from its new $100m fund for active transport and bike paths, after ACT senator David Pocock slammed the commonwealth for giving Canberra “a disproportionately low amount of federal government investment” in the past.

Pocock yesterday said the recommendations from a Labor-led parliamentary inquiry into Canberra’s development were “too broad to be practically useful” and risked repeating the ACT missing out on $10bn in federal funding under the Morrison government.

The inquiry’s report, released yesterday, recommended building a new stadium in Canberra’s north, separate from a new convention centre in the CBD. Pocock has called for a new combined stadium and convention centre in the middle of the city since the 2022 election campaign.

The government has not committed to funding stadium upgrades but Gallagher foreshadowed “further investments for the ACT” in next week’s budget. She told reporters yesterday:

The ACT government’s lobbying pretty strongly on a whole range of fronts, not just [the] stadium but transport, national facilities.

Updated

Parachute drills resume after soldier tragedy

Defence has resumed parachute training two months after the accidental death of a special forces soldier during a drill, AAP reports.

Lance corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, the son of former Labor defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, died in March after he was injured in a parachuting incident at the Richmond RAAF base.

The Australian defence force paused all parachute training and operations after his death.

Special forces group commander Marcus Fogarty has said several types of parachute used by the military had been cleared after the accident, except the military javelin parachute that was used in the fatal jump.

The incident is being investigated by four separate inquiries including the NSW coroner and the inspector general of the ADF. Fogarty said:

We must let the investigations run their course and present their findings. Defence is co-operating fully with these investigations.

All military training involves inherent risk, however we do everything we can to mitigate this risk and keep our people safe, while delivering the required capability.

Updated

Detectives appealing for information following Coffs Harbour beach stabbing

Detectives are appealing for information after the alleged murder of a man as he exited the surf on a NSW beach last week.

Last Thursday morning, emergency services were called to Ocean Parade in Coffs Harbour after reports a man had been stabbed. The 21-year-old was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital, where he later died.

Detectives are now appealing to identify a man riding a bicycle in the area at the time of the incident.

They are also appealing for witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage, in the vicinity of the Coffs Harbour Surf Club and the Orlando Street area at the time of the incident.

Updated

Peak union body says Victorian budget ‘very difficult for casual workers’

The head of Victoria’s peak union body says it is disappointed the state budget has ended the Covid-era sick pay guarantee for casual workers.

The state budget, handed down today, says the trial scheme – which provided sick pay for casual and contract workers – will end next financial year.

Luke Hilakari, secretary of Victorian Trades Hall Council, says the trial ensured casual workers were not forced to decide between not being paid and going to work while unwell:

This is a very difficult budget for casual workers.

Juanita Pope, the chief executive of the Victorian council of social services, described the budget as “steady and modest” and welcomed the one-off $400 payment for public school students.

Updated

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomes state budget

Victoria’s peak business body has backed the state budget, saying it will help reset the private sector’s relationship with the government.

The Allan government has handed down the state budget which delays key infrastructure projects as it aims to rein in increasing debt but also includes some cost-of-living relief measures.

Paul Guerra, the chief executive of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says he welcomes the fact the government has not imposed new taxes on businesses. He says it signals a reset in the relationship between the state government and the state’s private sector:

In all, a no-frills budget for business. But it’s one that we welcome.

Guerra says he hopes the budget’s cost-of-living measures like a one-off $400 payment will flow towards businesses.

Updated

Victorian state budget 2024 winners and losers

As details emerge around the Victorian budget, you can read this piece from our state reporters and this explainer below, outlining the winners and losers:

Updated

Scott Morrison claims China ‘wants to rule the world’

The former prime minister Scott Morrison claims China “wants to rule the world” and called Vladimir Putin “the most chilling person I’ve met” in a radio interview with Kyle and Jackie O today.

The recently retired MP is out on a PR blitz for his new book. Joining the radio shock jock duo this morning, Morrison referred to the incident where Australian authorities accused a Chinese jet of dropping flares dangerously close to a navy helicopter off the coast of South Korea:

[The Chinese government] want to be the dominant powerful force in our part of the world, invade Taiwan and take it over, and rule the world or their part of it with their regime which denies people liberty.

That’s something Australians will never accept.

He went on to talk about various world leaders. He called the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, “the most chilling person I’ve met, just a cold sort of guy”, Boris Johnson “the funnest guy I’ve met, a good bloke”, and said “I got on well with Donald Trump”.

“He understood the Australia-US relationship was important,” Morrison said of Trump, saying the former US president was “amazingly friendly toward me”. Morrison recounted a moment, when visiting Trump, that the then-president read out a poem written by Morrison’s distant aunt during a toast.

“He pays attention to detail in relationships,” Morrison said, adding that he didn’t believe a second Trump presidency would be the end of the Australia-US relationship.

Plugging his book, Morrison says Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, is hosting his book launch at the Australian embassy in the US next week. The book will be launched by former American secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, the former PM said.

Updated

Youth minister says deradicalisation programs for ‘majority’ of young people

The youth minister, Anne Aly, says de-radicalisation programs work for the “majority” of young people.

Speaking to ABC RN earlier this morning, Aly said deradicalisation programs work differently for different people and there is no “one size fits all” – it is depending on their individual needs.

Aly, who has worked as an expert in counter-extremism and deradicalisation, said the core approach has to be about “re-engaging” a young person with their families, friends and old hobbies, and away from online echo-chambers, for example.

It really is about navigating them through this period in their life, which for many will not go on to mean that they go on to commit a violent act, but navigating them through this period in their life and setting them on a path away from violence.

Aly said deradicalisation programs are always being reviewed, but said they work and she has seen this first-hand.

The fact is that where [these programs] don’t work, that’s unfortunately when we hear about them. Most of your listeners will go about their everyday [lives not knowing] these programs existed, and so we don’t know that they’re even there and we only ever see them where they don’t work. But for the vast majority, they do work.

Updated

Child protection workers say without additional staff ‘the system will collapse’

Child protection caseworkers will walk off the job and protest outside community services centres across NSW tomorrow.

The Public Service Association cited child safety concerns amid chronic staff shortages and exhaustion among the workforce.

Union general secretary Stewart Little said child protection workers are “concerned that by exposing vulnerable children to a broken system they may suffer even more harm”.

The union is calling for the premier, Chris Minns, to “immediately” onboard 500 additional child protection caseworkers to address an “attraction and retention crisis”, because otherwise “the system will collapse”. Little added:

To be fair the current NSW government didn’t create this mess but it’s up to them to fix it.

Child protection caseworkers are passionate about their work, and they want the people of NSW to know no urgent child protection responses will be impacted during their protest, and that skeleton staffing will be maintained at all times during this protest.

But they feel they have to do something as management just aren’t listening to their concerns.

Updated

Apparent human bones discovered at Toowoomba park

Queensland police have declared a crime scene after apparent human bones were discovered in a Toowoomba park yesterday.

Police were notified about the discovery at a park in Middle Ridge around 3pm yesterday afternoon by a member of the public.

Investigations are underway into the circumstances and identification of the bones, which are believed to be human. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

Walking and cycling paths to get $100m budget boost

Walking and cycling paths will get a $100m boost in the upcoming federal budget, AAP reports, in the biggest national active transport investment in more than a decade.

The transport minister, Catherine King, announced the investment today, with the government to create an Active Transport Fund for infrastructure in urban and regional areas.

The investment, which is expected to be available from July 2025, comes 15 years after a $40m package for bikeways was introduced in the wake of the global financial crisis.

It also comes weeks after the Labor government revealed plans to introduce car emission limits to encourage more manufacturers to import low-emission vehicles and cut transport pollution.

King said the $100m investment would fund bicycle and walking paths around Australia, and would also pay for upgrades to existing infrastructure. Guidelines for the fund will be created after talks with state and territory governments.

Updated

Men jailed for child abuse committed ‘some of the most evil crimes imaginable’: AFP commander

Continuing from our last post: the two NSW men’s “criminal behaviour” has been called “perhaps the most disturbing representation of what child sex offenders are capable of” by AFP Cmdr Kate Ferry, as put in a NSW police media release.

The pair were arrested in June 2020, after AFP eastern command child protection operations and NSW police child abuse and sex crimes squad investigators executed search warrants on NSW’s mid-north coast.

Ferry said the pursuit of anyone producing and sharing child abuse material was “relentless”:

Operation Arkstone began as a result of one small piece of information. What the AFP and its domestic and international law enforcement partners uncovered in the weeks and months that followed was truly some of the worst offending we have ever seen.

The criminal behaviour of these two men is perhaps the most disturbing representation of what child sex offenders are capable of, being the systemic sexual abuse of children over many years, across geographical locations and by people who have been entrusted with so much responsibility.

Some of those arrested during Operation Arkstone were meant to keep our children safe. Instead, they used their position to commit some of the most evil crimes imaginable.

Updated

Two NSW men jailed for child abuse offences

Two men, one of whom is a former childcare worker, have been sentenced to a combined 63 years’ jail for a series of child abuse offences, according to a NSW police media release.

The NSW men, 30 and 25 years old, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a combined 354 child abuse offences, involving 30 child victims. They were sentenced today at Downing Centre district court.

The 30-year-old man was convicted of 248 offences, including 30 offences of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years of age, and was sentenced to 37 years with a non-parole period of 26 years.

The 25-year-old man was convicted of 106 offences, including 31 offences of sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years of age. He was sentenced to 26 years, with a non-parole period of 16 years and nine months.

The pair were arrested in the AFP-led Operation Arkstone, which launched in 2020 after a tip-off from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

The investigation “dismantled a domestic online network of child sex offenders abusing and exploiting children, including the recording of the horrific crimes to share with others,” the media release said.

As a result, 25 people across Australia were charged with 1,350 offences, and at least 56 child victims were identified and removed from harm.

More to come.

Updated

‘Vibrancy’ reforms on the table for later dining hours in NSW

Fresh “vibrancy guidelines” will be introduced in NSW to make it easier for restaurants and bars that are a reasonable distance from homes to trade later into the night, AAP reports.

The changes come after a handful of residents successfully blocked a restaurant at Sydney’s exclusive Palm Beach from opening in the evening, despite their homes being separated from the venue by a golf course.

Northern Beaches council in March rejected an application from a newly opened restaurant, The Joey, to open past 4pm after residents living more than 500 metres away complained about potential noise from the licensed premises.

“It really has left people scratching their heads,” the state’s night-time economy minister, John Graham, told ABC Radio.

They’re having to turn people away.

A planned change in legislation, which has been approved by cabinet but is yet to be introduced to state parliament, will apply to bars and restaurants on land 500m or more away from a residential property.

Councils will have to consider a set of “vibrancy guidelines” when assessing certain applications to extend operating hours in those cases.

The guidelines will be developed alongside the state’s 24-hour economy commissioner, Michael Rodrigues, after consultation with councils, stakeholders and the wider community.

These guidelines will really spell out some of the factors that councils should take into account to look after neighbours, but also make sure they’ve got vibrant places.

Updated

Dreyfus grilled on ministerial delegate’s decision to remove ankle bracelet of community detainee

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, was earlier today grilled on the controversial decision of a delegate of immigration minister, Andrew Giles, to remove the ankle bracelet from Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, on the advice of the community protection board.

Doukoshkan was arrested in April along with two other men over the alleged assault of Ninette Simons and her husband, Philip, 76, and for allegedly stealing $200,000 worth of jewellery. Dreyfus told ABC RN:

This matter is before the courts … Our thoughts go to the victim of what is obviously a distressing and terrible attack. But I’m not going to comment on a matter where someone has been charged, I’m not going to go to the detail, and that’s where it sits.

Dreyfus said the purpose of the board is “so that independent expertise can be brought to bear on the sometimes difficult decisions of what are appropriate conditions on someone who is in the community”.

Asked if the board is independent, after Clare O’Neil contradicted the prime minister on that point, Dreyfus replied:

I’m not sure exactly why this distinction matters. I’m trying to describe the function of this community protection board which is to assist in making the difficult decisions about what conditions should be placed on someone who is in the community. It’s the same as the kinds of decisions that are made by parole boards at the state level when deciding on conditions to be placed on someone who has been released from detention.

Dreyfus refused to clarify who is responsible for decisions to take ankle bracelets off, replying: “The legislation speaks for itself and anyone can go and read the legislation can see the way in which this community protection board operates.” The answer is the minister or the minister’s delegate (in the case of Doukoshkan).

Updated

Yarra Valley grammar spreadsheet reported to Victorian police

Victorian police have confirmed they have received a report in relation to the Yarra Valley Grammar spreadsheet incident.

Police said in a statement that they would assess the incident to “determine if it’s a matter for police”.

The recent matter involving students from Yarra Valley Grammar has been reported to police. Investigators will assess the information to determine if it’s a matter for police.

Updated

Two students expelled from Yarra Valley grammar for involvement in spreadsheet

Two students from Yarra Valley grammar school have been expelled over a spreadsheet compiled by a group of boys ranking their female classmates, which the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, labelled as “disgraceful” and “disgusting”.

The spreadsheet reportedly ranked girls from top to bottom as “wifeys”, “cuties”, “mid”, “object”, “get out” and lastly “unrapable”.

In a letter, the principal, Mark Merry, said an investigation into the matter has been “complex and time consuming” and could not be rushed.

As a result of these investigations, yesterday I formed the view that the position of two students at Yarra has become untenable and as a consequence they will not be returning to the School. Others, who have played a lesser role in this matter have been subject to further disciplinary action.

Merry said the school is “characterised by respectful relationships most of the time” but “clearly … more work needs to be done” to ensure everyone feels “valued and respected here at school”.

Whilst we conduct regular sessions on respectful relationships and model care and respect in all that we do; this has not been enough. We will be reviewing all of our programmes to ensure that the dignity of all is respected. This needs to be a learning moment for all of us.

The principal said it would be “missing the point” to label the incident as a “Yarra problem” alone, because “sexism and misogyny are ever present in our society and it is the responsibility of all of us … to stand up and make it clear that it is not acceptable anywhere”.

Updated

A glimpse at the case for a rate rise by the Reserve Bank today – or soon

Of those calling for one or more interest rate rises by the RBA, only one – Capital Markets – has been bold enough to nominate today for the cycle of pain (for borrowers) to resume.

Abhijit Surya, a Capital Markets economist, told me that “since the [RBA board] meeting in mid-March, there have been a slew of upside surprises in the data, and we just think it will be too much for the bank to just look past all of that”.

At the end of the day, if its job is to bring inflation down – and if it’s said that that’s its main priority – there’s still a good case for it to hike rather than just signal it has a ‘hawkish bias’.

Capital reckons the RBA will able to start cutting rates by the first quarter of 2025 – if it acts now.

Central to the “rate hike callers” is the ongoing strength of the labour market. The labour market can be a bit volatile but it’s hard to look past the 100,000-plus full-time jobs created in the first three months of 2024 alone. Slightly annoyingly for all, we only get the March quarter wage price index figures from the ABS on 15 May – a day after the federal budget – to know if the 4.2% annual pace for 2023 is rising or falling.

Data out yesterday from the ANZ and Indeed, meanwhile, showed the jobs market continues to be pretty buoyant. Ads picked up modestly and remain well above pre-Covid levels.

That’s something else for the RBA board to mull over ahead of its 2.30pm AEST decision today. Don’t let your eyes stray from this blog, but return by then if you have to.

Updated

A glimpse at the case against a rate rise by the Reserve Bank today

That March inflation result revved up the punditry (although it was the first upside CPI surprise in six months, as we noted here).

In the “don’t panic case” are economists such as Stephen Koukoulas, a former economic adviser to Labor PM Julia Gillard. “The economy is still weak and weakening,” he told me this week, pointing to March retail sales that are growing at a record-slow pace (outside the Covid pandemic).

He’s still confident that there will be “more likely than not a couple of rate cuts” this year, and no rate rise before that.

Koukoulas notes the RBA’s February forecasts (we get the updated predictions today) had public demand slowing from 4% growth in 2023 to an annual pace of 2.2% by June and 1.1% by December. (Guess we’ll see what the RBA thinks of next week’s federal budget and a possible spending spree in Queensland ahead of an October election that Labor seems on track to lose.)

Meanwhile, the ANZ/Roy Morgan’s weekly survey finds consumer sentiment still very weak. More noteworthy, perhaps, is the drop in inflation expectations – just what the RBA wants to see. Perhaps all this self-flagellation over a possible rate rise will do the job without a hike.

Updated

Shadow treasurer labels $3bn Hecs and Help debt wipe ‘Band-Aid on bullet wound’

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor says the government’s move to wipe $3bn from Hecs and Help debts through indexation changes is a “Band-Aid” solution.

Speaking to 2CC Breakfast radio, Taylor argued there was no benefit for future students under the changes and by wiping the debt, the government is admitting “prices have gone up faster than wages”.

The truth of the matter is that the purchasing power of people’s pay packets, the purchasing power in their bank accounts, has gone down under this government. And that has caused enormous pain, not just to students, but to everyone. To pensioners, to hardworking families with a mortgage, and the result of that is that Australians are just struggling to make ends meet.

You can’t put a Band-Aid on this bullet wound. You’ve got to go to the source of the problem and deal with it. And that means a government that lives within its means, that makes sure we’ve got those competitive, productive workplaces that can drive real wages upwards, that can deliver prosperity – restore the prosperity that has been lost since Labor has come to power. But there’s absolutely no sign this government is going down that path.

Updated

Erin Patterson elects to have case ‘fast-tracked’ to Victorian supreme court trial

Erin Patterson’s court hearing has ended, with her case adjourned until 23 May, when she will appear in the Victorian supreme court for the first time.

It was expected that magistrate Tim Walsh, who was hearing her case, would have to decide today whether to move the matter to the Melbourne magistrates court, because of issues with availability in Morwell, or to delay a committal hearing until early next year.

But the court heard Patterson had instead elected to “fast-track” her matter to trial, meaning she will instead skip a committal hearing.

Updated

PM concerned about ‘loss of innocent life’ amid reports of Israeli ground offensive into Rafah

Anthony Albanese also responded to reports of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into Rafah. He said the government does not support “the intervention into Rafah” and is concerned about the humanitarian impact.

Palestinians were told to move south in Gaza towards Rafah. The concern which is there is for a loss of innocent life, and we’ve made our position clear, as has the United States, as have all of our partners – Five Eyes partners, such as Canada and New Zealand as well.

We want there to be a sustainable ceasefire … The hostages should be released immediately and unconditionally. That should occur. There is no role for Hamas to play in the future of Gaza but we also very clearly support a two-state solution, along with our like-minded countries.

Updated

Albanese: Australia has used all ‘avenues of communication’ regarding flare incident involving China

Anthony Albanese has again responded to reports of a flare incident overnight involving China. He said:

We have made very strong representations at every level to China about this incident, which we regard as unprofessional and unacceptable. Australian Defence Force personnel were going about their job – their job in international waters but also in international skies – to support the United Nations in the sanctions that they have against the North Korean regime.

That is part of Australia being good global citizens, and Australian Defence Force personnel should not be at risk whilst they’re doing that. So, we have a very clear position there. We do have communications with China. That includes visits, and the Chinese premier will be here in June. We will make our position clear as well in discussions, as we do.

Albanese said dialogue with China had “broken down over a period of time” and is very important to maintain:

Dialogue is important – it’s always, always important to have avenues of communication – and that’s why we’ve used all of those avenues of communication to make our position on this incident very clear.

Taking another question, the PM said he could not comment on any motivation regarding the incident.

Updated

RBA rate rise today would be a big surprise – might they do it?

The Reserve Bank board is in the midst of its two-day meeting to decide what to do with interest rates.

All but one of the economists surveyed by Bloomberg reckon the central bank’s nine-member board will leave its key rate unchanged at 4.35% for a fourth meeting in a row.

That’s despite the March quarter inflation rate coming in slightly higher than expected. The board’s previous meeting in mid-March didn’t consider a case for another rate hike (nor a cut) but they will probably at least weigh up a 14th rate rise in the current cycle this time.

Depending on the language – both within the immediate statement at 2.30pm AEST and then governor Michele Bullock’s media conference starting an hour later – we can probably expect to see a bit of a warning. Unless inflation returns to its desired pace of retreat, we’ll have to hike again, Bullock may well say.

Going into today’s announcement, though, markets reckoned the chance of a rate rise today was 10% or lower. By the ASX’s rates tracker, there’s about a 1:4 chance of an increase by the end of 2024 – rather than the multiple cuts many borrowers were hoping for.

We haven’t heard a peep from Bullock since that previous 17-18 March meeting presser, so it might annoy more than a few people if the board hiked today without a bit of a warning. Then again, it’s what the board did in May 2022, right in the middle of a federal election campaign – much to the dismay of the then PM, Scott Morrison.

Updated

Erin Patterson will plead not guilty to all charges, court has heard

Erin Patterson, the woman accused of murdering and attempting to murder her relatives by serving them a meal laced with deadly mushrooms, has fronted the Latrobe Valley magistrates court.

Patterson is expected to find out during the brief hearing whether her case will continue in this court in Morwell, or if it will be transferred to Melbourne.

Her lawyers submitted during a hearing last month that Patterson, 49, wished for the committal hearing to be held in Morwell.

The committal hearing is where the evidence against Patterson will be tested for the first time.

She faces three charges of murder and five counts of attempted murder. The court has heard that Patterson will plead not guilty to all charges.

The hearing continues.

Albanese says $519.1m for drought resilience will be in budget

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to the media from Rockhampton in Queensland, where he is attending Beef Week.

He has announced that $519.1m from the Future Drought Fund will be allocated for resilience in next week’s budget, and said:

We held a forum last year that had input from the sector [on], ‘how can we improve the way that the fund operates?’ We know that the fund is important when events occur to be able to assist with recovery. But what we also know is that the science tells us when it comes to climate change there will be more extreme weather events, and they’ll be more intense – whether it be floods, whether it be drought, or whether it be cyclones.

So what we need to do, wherever possible, where it’s appropriate, is to invest in advance to build resilience to work with the farm sector to make sure that spending a dollar today can save not just $5 or $6 down the track, but can also minimise the grief that farmers feel when they go through a drought situation.

Albanese said the “record” funding would be included in the budget next week.

Updated

Chalmers hints at further welfare and housing measures

Circling back to the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, at his earlier press conference, where he also addressed the advice of the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee for a timetable to increase jobseeker. Chalmers said:

We have done more from that first report than I think is broadly acknowledged and there will be additional steps in this budget which are conscious of the recommendations of that important, well regarded, well-informed committee has put to us.

We take it seriously, but we can’t afford to do every recommendation put to us … We need to be a bit cognisant of the budget situation and what we can afford. We don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver.

Asked about housing, Chalmers acknowledged that Australia doesn’t have “enough homes” and the pipeline is “not what we need it to be” – which is why national cabinet agreed to a target of building 1.2m new homes.

Chalmers accepted that “rent is a big part of the inflation challenge” and confirmed there will be “new initiatives for housing” in the budget.

Updated

Mexico ‘deeply regrets’ death of Australian brothers

The foreign minister of Mexico has offered her condolences to the parents of Perth siblings Callum and Jake Robinson.

Three people have been arrested on charges of kidnapping after three bodies were found in an area of northern Mexico where the two Australian brothers, and an American friend, went missing.

Mexico’s foreign minister, Alicia Barcena, offered condolences to the men’s parents and her office said it “expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims in the face of this tragic event and deeply regrets the outcome of the events”.

– with AAP

Updated

Alleged e-scooter hit and run in Melbourne following AFL match

Victorian police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was allegedly hit by an e-scooter after an AFL match last Friday in Melbourne.

After the match, the 81-year-old woman was confronted by a man on an e-scooter around 11pm, police allege. The man told her to move off the footpath but the woman walked around him, explaining the footpath is not for vehicles.

The woman was then struck from behind by the e-scooter, causing her to fall and lose consciousness.

Police said the e-scooter rider did not stop and was chased by passersby, last seen heading west from the Swan Street Bridge.

The alleged victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries where she is still recovering from the incident.

Police have released CCTV footage and hope to identify the man and speak with him regarding the incident. He appears to have very fair skin with a stocky build, average height, straight blond/brown hair, and grey/blue eyes. He was wearing thick lensed glasses causing his eyes to appear magnified and a red jacket in shiny, waterproof material.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Updated

‘Substantial geopolitical uncertainty a defining influence on budget’: treasurer

Jim Chalmers said that “substantial geopolitical uncertainty” was a “defining influence” on the upcoming budget.

Taking questions from reporters, he said:

Obviously tensions in the Middle East, the ongoing war in Ukraine, combined with uncertainty around the world – this is a really key influence on the way that we’ve come at this budget. This is one of the reasons why we’re getting the budget in much better nick in terms of debt, why we’re investing in the future, why we’re trying to ease the pressures that people are under now, because there’s a lot of uncertainty.

When I was at the G20 and IMF meetings in Washington DC last month, the key part of those discussions was about the geopolitics and what that means for our economy. And so clearly – whether it’s volatility in oil prices because of the Middle East, whether it’s the way that the war in Ukraine and Russian aggression in Ukraine has busted up a lot of supply chains that the world relies on, or whether it’s issues closer to home – it is a really key concern that we have tried to grapple with as a government, a cabinet, and an expenditure review committee as we put the finishing touches on the budget.

Asked about an alleged flare incident involving China yesterday, Chalmers said:

We’ve expressed our concerns to the Chinese government. What we saw here was a very dangerous manoeuvre, unsafe and unprofessional, as the prime minister and defence minister have said.

Updated

Chalmers outlines where $152bn budget boost has come from

Taking questions, Jim Chalmers is asked how much of the $152bn budget boost is due to increased revenue – from things like corporate and income tax – and how much is due to policy decisions?

He attributed it to “responsible economic management” and a number of factors, including:

… A combination of banking such a huge proportion of upward revisions to revenue. It is about the $50bn in savings that we’ve found in the budget. It’s about the spending restraint that we’ve shown in the budget. It’s about the labour market being more resilient than people may have anticipated. The combination of all of those things means that we’ve been able to get debt down substantially.

Updated

Jim Chalmers spruiks $152bn boost to budget

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to the media about the upcoming budget – due in one week’s time.

He’s speaking about a boost to the budget, with gross debt now projected to be $152bn lower in 2023-24 compared with the Coalition’s last budget – down from $1.056tn to $904bn. Paul Karp had all the details around this earlier in the blog here.

Chalmers told reporters:

That means gross debt for 2023-24 will be $152bn lower than it was going to be under the Coalition. To put that in context, that is roughly what we expect to spend on a combination of health and defence this year. By being much more responsible with the budget than our predecessors, we will save Australians about $80bn in debt interest over the course of the next decade. And it also means that gross debt will peak almost 10 percentage points lower as well, compared with the pre-election fiscal outlook. These are some of the dividends of our responsible economic management, and you’ll see that in the budget a week from today.

Updated

Emergency relief providers calling for increase to jobseeker

Seven of Australia’s largest food and emergency relief providers have called on the government to accept the overwhelming evidence of hardship in Australia and urgently increase the rate of jobseeker and other working-age payments.

Last month the largest providers of food and emergency relief jointly wrote to the treasurer and members of the expenditure review committee to highlight the evidence and research each organisation has collected that it says demonstrates an acute need in the community for an increase to working-age payments.

The organisations, including Anglicare, FoodBank, Nourishing our Country, The Salvation Army, Second Bite, St Vincent de Paul Society and Uniting Care Australia, said the need for increased income support is undeniable.

Brianna Casey, Foodbank CEO, said:

We know that 3.7 million households struggled to put food on the table in the last 12 months. We are seeing an increasing number of households with two adults in full time employment needing food relief, the fact that we’re seeing people in full time employment needing food relief gives an insight into just how difficult it is for those on the lowest incomes.

Urgent action is needed from the federal government to increase the rate of these payments in the upcoming budget.

Police release images of nine more people in relation to Wakeley riot

The NSW police have released the images for nine more people they believe can assist with an ongoing investigation into the Wakeley riot last month, which occurred following the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in a church.

To date, 14 men have been charged over their alleged involvement in the riot, and all remain before the courts.

Strike Force Dribs commander, supt Andrew Evans, said while there were a large number of people allegedly involved in the riot, these particular individuals are being “targeted by detectives due to the hostile and aggressive nature of their [alleged] actions”, a statement said.

The images released today include eight men and a woman:

  • Person P: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, slim build, with short dark hair. Shown wearing light coloured clothing, dark coloured shoes and carrying a black bag across his body.

  • Person U: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, with long dark brown hair tied in a bun and a dark coloured beard. Shown wearing a light-coloured shirt.

  • Person V: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, solid build, with a dark coloured beard. Shown wearing a grey hooded jumper, black cap, black shorts and white shoes.

  • Person Z: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance and muscular build. Shown wearing a black singlet, shorts, cap and shoes.

  • Person AH: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, solid build, with a dark coloured beard. Shown wearing a grey t-shirt.

  • Person AN: a woman of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, medium build, with blonde hair. Shown wearing a singlet top and shorts, with a shirt tied around her waist and a dark coloured cap.

  • Person AO: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, solid build, with a dark beard and a star tattoo on his right arm. Shown wearing a light-coloured shirt with dark writing on the back, shorts and a cap.

  • Person BC: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, solid build, with dark hair and a beard. Shown wearing a t-shirt with a motif on the front left-hand side.

  • Person BN: a man of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, muscular build, dark hair and a beard, with a black bandage on his right arm. Shown wearing black pants and a black shoulder bag and white sneakers.

Banks report spike in ‘past due’ loans as cost pressures mount

Homeowners are increasingly falling behind on their mortgages, with the value of past due loans held at ANZ rising 22% over the past year to $14bn, the bank reported today.

The deteriorating position of many households, which was also evident in results released yesterday by Westpac, show how a period of elevated interest rates and high living costs is pressuring borrowers.

There was a significant increase in the value of loans now 60-89 days behind in repayments, up 63% in the 12 months to March, driven by home loans. Once a borrower falls more than 90 days behind, they are at significant risk of default.

The weakness is masked by strong headline figures, with ANZ reporting a $3.55bn cash profit for the six-month period to March, a historically robust figure. The result was down 7% from last year’s very strong figures which were supercharged by a period of rapid interest rate rises.

The big bank also announced a $2bn share buyback, which is used to distribute excess capital to investors. It also declared an interim dividend of 83 cents per share, partially franked.

ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott said today he expected the domestic and international economic environment to remain challenging.

The Australian and New Zealand economies are likely to remain subdued, while geopolitical tensions, electoral uncertainty and the introduction of interventionist trade and industry policies will continue internationally.

The Reserve Bank will announce today whether it will shift the cash rate from its current level of 4.35%.

Updated

Australians warned of cold callers urging superannuation switch

The financial services watchdog is warning consumers to be wary after a review identified cold-callers using high-pressure sales tactics to bait people into switching from their superannuation products, AAP reports.

The cold callers had referral arrangements with a small subset of financial advisers who typically recommend consumers switch to super products at high advice fees, some engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct.

Operators often targeted workers aged between 25 and 50 with super balanced of at least $50,000 – details bought from third-party data brokers who scrape information from publicly-available information.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has already observed large volumes of super funds flowing into high-risk property managed investment schemes in regulated super funds or self-managed ones.

Commissioner Alan Kirkland called on financial advisers and super trustees to do more to weed out “unscrupulous actors”.

These cold-calling operators are pressuring consumers in critical retirement-saving years to move their funds into potentially inappropriate products and putting them at risk of having their super balances eroded by high fees.

As part of a new consumer awareness campaign, people are encouraged to “just hang up” on cold callers and “just scroll past” clickbait advertisements on social media.

Updated

Anthony Albanese expects public response from China regarding alleged flare incident

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says he has made the “appropriate diplomatic representations” regarding an alleged flare incident with China overnight.

Last night the Australian government accused a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares close to an Australian helicopter in international waters, with an Australian pilot having to take evasive action. You can read the full story below:

Speaking on the Today Show, the PM was asked whether he had called Chinese president Xi Jinping directly? He responded:

We’ve made the appropriate diplomatic representations, as you’d expect. We regard this as unprofessional and that it is unacceptable … We’ve made it very clear … through all of our channels, at all measures at our disposal …

[When] we speak out when events like this occur, it’s important that we make clear our position – which has been done at the diplomatic levels, at government to government, but also defence to defence, as well… [We made the issue] public in order to be able to speak out very clearly and unequivocally that this behaviour is unacceptable.

Albanese said China had not responded publicly but he “expect[s] that they will do so”.

I think the Australian public would expect some form of explanation about how this could occur …

Updated

Victorian government announces $400 bonus for students in state budget

The Victorian government has officially announced its $400 bonus for children across the state, as we flagged earlier.

In a statement, the Allan government said the $287m School Saving Bonus would provide $400 for every child at government schools, and eligible concession card holders at non-government schools.

The one-off payments will be delivered via schools to about 700,000 students to help with uniforms, camps, excursions and sporting events. The bonus will apply for each child, but can be spent per family – so a family with three schoolchildren would receive $1,200 to spend.

The bonus will be delivered during term four this year, the government confirmed, stating:

We’ll work closely with the department of education on how to make the process easiest for families – support will be provided in two ways: a credit towards the cost of participating in activities in school, and vouchers for parents to help with purchasing school uniforms.

Updated

RBA to announce official cash rate call for May today

Monthly mortgage repayments are unlikely to change after the Reserve Bank of Australia’s May interest rate meeting despite signs of lingering price pressures, AAP reports.

The board will announce its official cash rate call for May today, alongside a refreshed set of economic forecasts.

Heading into the two-day meeting, analysts were broadly in agreement the central bank would be leaving interest rates at 4.35% – where they have been since November last year. Yet after stronger domestic and overseas inflation data, a shadow RBA board of economists at the Australian National University said they were less confident in their recommendation to hold interest rates steady:

The persistence of inflation, especially in the United States, and the consequent need for monetary policy to be tighter for longer than expected, is of immediate relevance to the RBA.

Economists were also expecting updates to near-term forecasts and changed posturing around future interest rate moves. Some have suggested a central bank board warning of more hikes may be needed after softening its stance at the meeting before.

For more, you can read this explainer from Peter Hannam below:

Updated

Attorney general on funding for women’s legal services

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, is speaking to ABC RN about what measures the government will be implementing to tackle violence against women.

He responded to reports from Women’s Legal Services Australia, who said about 52,000 women were turned away from their services last year. Dreyfus said a review has been done of the current five-year legal assistance partnership between the states and commonwealth, which expires mid-next year.

I’m right now considering that review. I’ll have more to say about it soon.

Asked to give more detail, Dreyfus said he was “not going to pre-empt the budget [or] discussions that are ongoing right now … about what the future shape of access to justice looks like in Australia”.

We’ve had years and years of chronic underfunding under the former government. I’ve made some small improvements since we’ve come to office, but it is about major change that’s needed in the sector and that involves discussions between the commonwealth and the states – those are ongoing. I’ve had a review done, we’ll be releasing that review in coming months.

Updated

Dutton urges PM to ‘pick the phone up’ to Xi directly after alleged flare incident

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, says the prime minister needs to “pick the phone up” and speak directly to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, after the Australian government accused a Chinese fighter jet of dropping flares close to an Australian helicopter in international waters.

The defence minister, Richard Marles, yesterday branded the incident as “unacceptable” and said the Australian pilot had to take evasive action to avoid the flares. You can read all the details below:

Speaking on the Today Show, Dutton said:

I think the prime minister needs to pick the phone up, frankly, and speak to the Chinese president … and express our deep concern, because at some stage, there’s going to be a miscalculation and an Australian defence force member is going to lose their life.

And that is a tragic circumstance that has to be avoided at all costs, but there will be a miscalculation by somebody who’s flying that jet or somebody who’s on the deck of a Chinese naval ship, something will happen.

And that’s what not just Australia is worried about – the Philippines, Japan, obviously, the United States, many other countries in the region who are very worried about these acts that continue to be provocative and are completely and utterly unnecessary.

Updated

$400 bonus for Victorian students in state budget

The Herald Sun has reported that the Victorian state budget will include a new $400 bonus for roughly 700,000 students across the state.

The $287m “School Savings Bonus” will provide one-off payments for every child at a government school and eligible concession card holders at other schools, it reports, with schools to administer the payments later this year.

The Herald Sun reported premier Jacinta Allan as saying:

We’re delivering a Budget that’s helping Victorian families – and the School Saving Bonus sits at the heart of our plan to ease cost-of-living pressures for families right across the state.

We won’t let any child miss out on the things that make Victorian education great, so we’re giving families the flexibility to use the School Saving Bonus on the things they need – from sports to camps, excursions and uniforms.

Updated

Climate council calls for government to publish vehicle data

The Climate Council is calling on the federal government to publish its own statistics on vehicles imported into Australia, to provide greater transparency when the much-anticipated New Vehicle Efficiency Standard comes into effect.

The council, which has been a vocal proponent of the scheme aimed at disincentivising the use of high-polluting cars and hastening the importation of cleaner vehicles, said the commonwealth should publish the data because the current publisher of the data, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) was opposed to the government’s proposed standard. Additionally, the FCAI charges for access to the data.

Through the consultation phase on the vehicle efficiency standard, the FCAI had called for the scheme to be watered down, a position that led to Tesla and Polestar quitting the group in protest. The council said in a statement:

With this industry group having fanatically opposed the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, these foxes cannot continue guarding the henhouse when the standard comes into effect.

Dr Jennifer Rayner, Climate Council head of policy and advocacy, said:

We want manufacturers to do the right thing and bring in a better range of low and zero emissions cars for Aussies to buy. So we need to know if they keep selling their same old gas guzzlers that are fueling the climate crisis and driving up petrol bills.

The only way for Aussies to keep an eye on what happens with the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard is for the government to publicly release the data it will be collecting through the scheme. We can’t rely on the industry peak body to be upfront and transparent when they threw everything they had into stopping the standard going ahead in the first place.

The federal government will be collecting high-quality data on what cars manufacturers are bringing to Australia and how much pollution every one of them produces. The legislation governing this scheme must ensure this information is reported and released publicly.

The FCAI was contacted for comment.

Half of Australians live with chronic disease but don’t have enough support: AMA

One in two Australians live with a chronic disease, but the peak body for doctors says there is not enough support for managing them – with more investment needed in coordinated multidisciplinary care led by GPs.

Chronic conditions are long lasting conditions with persisting side effects such as arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, mental health conditions and osteoporosis.

As the government prepares a new national strategic framework for chronic conditions, the president of the Australian Medical Association, Prof Steve Robson, says it “must become a priority for all governments in Australia”.

Focusing on management and prevention will benefit patients and the healthcare budget, Robson said:

Chronic conditions are placing an enormous strain on the healthcare system through increased costs and potentially preventable hospital admissions.

In its submission, the AMA is calling for improved arrangements to support GP-led multidisciplinary care.

The submission also highlights the need to address the underlying social determinants of health in contributing to chronic disease as rates of chronic conditions are far higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples, those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, people in rural and remote areas and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Updated

Good morning

And happy Tuesday – thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the live blog today.

Have any thoughts, questions or tips? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s get started.

Intelligence agency defends response to apparent targeting of Australian parliamentarians

The Australian Signals Directorate has defended its response to the apparent targeting of Australian parliamentarians by China-linked hackers in 2021, saying the attempts were unsuccessful.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China said yesterday that at least six of its Australian members – Liberal politicians James Paterson, Claire Chandler, Alex Antic and Tim Wilson and Labor MPs David Smith and Daniel Mulino – had been targeted by the China-controlled hacking group APT31.

In a post on X yesterday, the parliamentarians said APT31 had “sent a large number of pixel tracking emails to the parliamentary emails of Australian MPs and Senators from a domain masquerading as a news outlet”. The parliamentarians complained that they had not been alerted by Australian security agencies at the time.

A spokesperson for ASD said in a response last night that it “briefs key stakeholders and high office holders on cyber and security matters regularly and as appropriate”.

The spokesperson said Australian security agencies “were advised in 2021 of attempts by malicious actors to spear phish members of the Australian parliament” – a term for the use of highly targeted malicious emails.

The agencies “took appropriate operational action at the time to confirm that the spear phishing was unsuccessful”, the spokesperson said.

Updated

Victoria budget to be handed down

The Victorian treasurer, Tim Pallas, will today hand down his 10th budget, which will show the state’s debt is expected to stabilise in the near future.

Guardian Australia understands the budget will see Victoria’s net debt to GSP (gross state product) ratio fall for the first time since 2017.

It is unclear when in the forward estimates this will occur but the 2022-23 budget update, released in December, showed Victoria’s net debt was set to hit $135.5bn by the end of June and will continue to grow to $177.8bn by 2026-27 – or 25% of the state’s economy.

This figure is something Pallas has been keen to bring down as part of his four-step fiscal plan to pay back the state’s debt, which he says a significant amount was accumulated during the pandemic. The final step is “stabilising debt levels”.

The budget will also forecast operating cash surpluses across the forward estimates, reaching $6.1bn in 2027-28.

Unlike previous years, there have been no major pre-budgets announcements unveiled by the government this year, apart from a $95m statewide plan to tackle drug overdoses, after it backflipped on establishing a supervised drug injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD.

The premier, Jacinta Allan, yesterday said her first budget had been “challenging to put together”, citing “pressures” including interest rate rises, inflation and workforce shortages.

These are challenges that we can’t ignore. We simply can’t put our head in the sand and ignore these circumstances as we have been putting this budget together.

It’s why the budget will be firmly focused on Victorian families – as Labor government budgets always are – but we’ll also make the sensible and disciplined decisions that respond to those challenges.

Updated

Chalmers spruiks budget's $152bn boost

The Albanese government has said next Tuesday’s budget will reveal that gross debt is now projected to be $152bn lower in 2023-24 compared with the Coalition’s last budget, down from $1.056tn to $904bn.

Due to lower debt, the government estimates it will save around $80bn in interest costs over the decade to 2032-33, even with an increase in borrowing costs.

Gross debt as a share of GDP is now expected to peak at 35.2%, down from 44.9% in the pre-election fiscal update.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said:

Our government will pay down $152bn worth of Liberal debt this year and save around $80bn on interest payments over the next decade. Debt will peak significantly lower than was projected at the time of the election thanks to our responsible economic management.

These are some of the dividends of our responsible economic management. We’re getting the budget back in better nick, cleaning up the mess we inherited from the Liberals and aiming for the first back-to-back surplus in almost two decades.

Updated

Australian government ‘gravely concerned’ by prospect of Israeli ground offensive into Rafah

The Australian government has said it is “gravely concerned by the prospect of a major Israeli ground offensive into Rafah” following the issuing of evacuation orders in parts of Gaza’s southernmost city.

A spokesperson for the Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said in a statement issued last night:

More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has sought shelter in Rafah, from the fighting elsewhere.

Australia, the G7 and so many countries have called on the Netanyahu government to change course. The foreign minister has made clear Australia’s view that Israel should not go down this path.

The language is similar to what the Australian government has been saying since February, when Wong warned of “deep” concerns about a Rafah ground offensive and urged Israel to “listen to its friends”. In March, Wong said Israel would continue to lose support from the international community unless it “changes its course”.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and here are some of the top overnight lines you need to know about before Emily Wind takes up the strain.

Hopes that a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war could avert a full-scale Israeli assault on Rafah are in the balance this morning after a night of knife-edge diplomacy and threats. The Australian government has said it is “gravely concerned by the prospect of a major Israeli ground offensive into Rafah” following the issuing of evacuation orders in parts of Gaza’s southernmost city. It’s a tough test for the Albanese government which may soon have to decide where it officially stands on Palestinian statehood when the UN votes on the issue at the end of the week. More coming up.

Voters have indicated strong backing for government intervention to counter online harm, including enforcing age verification for pornography, gambling and social media, according to our latest Essential poll. It found majority support for a range reforms to improve online safety including: making it illegal to post sexualised “deepfake” images (80% support); enforcing age verifications for pornography and gambling sites (79%); enforcing age verification for social media (76%); and increasing the “capacity for law enforcement to scrutinise online behaviour” (75%).

The Albanese government has said next Tuesday’s budget will reveal that gross debt is now projected to be $152bn lower in 2023-24 compared with the Coalition’s last budget, down from $1.056tn to $904bn. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the improvement was down to the government’s good management of the economy and that Labor was getting the budget into “better nick”.

There are still stern economic tests for the government, however, none more so than the cost of living. All eyes will be on the Reserve Bank’s statement about interest rates at 2.30pm in the hope of at least some signs of lower borrowing costs. More coming up.

An extensive study into the economics of the professional performing and visual artists and writers reveals today that women working in the sector outnumber men two to one. The ratio in the literary world is even more pronounced in favour of women with 83% of authors being women, according to the work by Creative Australia. However, the sting in the tail is that despite the numerical difference, the numbers still don’t add up to equal pay with women earning 19% less than their male colleagues.

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