What we learned today, Tuesday 26 September
We will wrap up the blog here on one of the biggest news days in a while. Here’s the recap:
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, announced his resignation as premier and from parliament effective 5pm on Wednesday, after nine years in the job, saying it is time.
Labor caucus will decide his replacement on Wednesday. Andrews’ deputy, Jacinta Allan, is currently the favourite to replace him.
His supporters and detractors have both said that his legacy will be marked by the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, while supporters say his legacy will be the infrastructure spend in the state including level crossing removals.
The opposition leader, John Pesutto, said Andrews is going as things in the state are falling apart.
No campaigner Warren Mundine claimed the Uluru statement from the heart amounted to a declaration of war against modern Australia. Yes campaigners criticised the comments, with Yes23 campaign director, Dean Parkin saying the statement is a declaration of aspiration and hope.
The commission investigating the Tasmanian government’s response to child sexual abuse in institutions released its report and found the response was too often inadequate.
The Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff said institutional child sexual abuse has caused “enormous harm to many, many Tasmanians”. He thanked victim survivors for their strength and courage in speaking to the commission, in hopes the abuse and injustice they suffered “never happens again”.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says an Australian Public Service Commission investigation into the home affairs secretary, Michael Pezzullo, over leaked texts between the secretary and a Liberal powerbroker will be urgent.
New South Wales has agreed to a 60-day per year cap on short-term rentals in Byron Bay on the north coast of the state, down from 180 days, amid housing shortages.
We will be back with you again tomorrow as the new premier of Victoria is decided. Until then, enjoy your evening.
Updated
Here’s the video of the Dan Andrews press conference where he announced his resignation as the premier of Victoria.
Qantas pilots to take industrial action
Qantas pilots who fly for regional carrier Qantas Link, fly in fly out (Fifo) routes and other charter services have voted to take industrial action as they negotiate a new pay deal, amid complaints of an “inflexible wages policy instituted” by former CEO Alan Joyce.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (Afap), which represents pilots employed by Eastern Australia Airlines, Sunstate Airlines and Network Aviation – subsidiaries of Qantas Group based in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia respectively – said its members overwhelmingly voted approve the taking of a range of legally protected industrial action that include a number of “work bans and, potentially, work stoppages”.
Afap pilots for the subsidiaries operate Qantas Link services that also fly to Victoria and South Australia, as well as internally in the states they are based in. Union membership among the three subsidiaries is above 85%.
The Guardian understands many pilots at the Qantas subsidiaries are on base award rates, earning what entry level pilots could expect despite greater performance expectations.
AFAP senior industrial officer Chris Aikens said:
Network pilots are paid significantly lower than pilots at comparable airlines. The Afap has been genuinely negotiating and trying to reach an agreement with Qantas management but the company remains unwilling to revisit its inflexible wages policy instituted under the former CEO.
APS commissioner releases statement on referral of Pezzullo
The Australian Public Service commissioner, Gordon de Brouwer, has issued the following statement about the referral by the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, about the text messages released between the home affairs secretary, Michael Pezzullo, and a Liberal powerbroker:
The Australian Public Service commissioner received a referral from minister for home affairs, the Hon Clare O’Neil MP, after concerns were raised about secretary of the department of home affairs, Mr Michael Pezzullo AO. The Australian Public Service commission takes these referrals seriously.
Mr Pezzullo has stood aside while an investigation is being conducted. Ms Stephanie Foster PSM will act as the secretary of the Department of Home Affairs during this period.
The commissioner has appointed Ms Lynelle Briggs AO to lead an independent inquiry into the concerns.
The commissioner holds powers under sections 41(2)(m) and 41A to undertake inquiries into alleged breaches of the code of conduct by agency heads. Under the Public Service Act, the commissioner can delegate these powers to a former senior official.
It is not appropriate to provide further commentary that pre-empts any processes.
Updated
Bushfire summit simulated potential disaster scenarios
On Wednesday, the summit’s attendees wargamed a number of scenarios that put the system to the test this summer.
One scenario included bushfires concurrently occurring in Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania while heat waves hit South Australia and Western Australia. Another tested responses to a scenario where a cyclone impacts an area directly after bushfires and heatwaves.
Moon said agencies would now go back and try to fix any gaps found during the testing.
Importantly, this summit is about connections. And it’s important because we’ve got all these different sectors in the room with our emergency management professionals.
Updated
National bushfire summit concludes
The national bushfire preparedness summit has wrapped up this afternoon after two full days in Canberra.
More than 200 emergency management and response leaders and first-responders from governments, industry, community and the not-for-profit sector gathered to share notes and plan for the upcoming bushfire season.
The Bureau of Meteorology declared this month that the country, and in particular the eastern states, will experience a hot and dry summer, heightening the chance of severe bushfires.
But the emergency management minister, Murray Watt, kicked off the summit on Monday, saying Australia is “much better prepared for this coming season than we were heading into [2019-20’s] black summer”.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Tuesday thanked firefighting and disaster response agencies for their work in “preparing Australia for the very worst”. Meanwhile, the director general of the National Emergency Management Agency, Brendan Moon, told Guardian Australia on Tuesday morning:
Significantly, the 2019 black summer bushfires were an important trigger for us in terms of how we needed to evolve our arrangements.
Every year, we get taught new lessons about how we can evolve our system to better handle those threats, better support our communities and also keeping them safe.
Updated
Victoria health department warns of measles exposure site in South Bank
The Victorian health department has said there has been a new case of the measles identified in the state.
The case was recorded in an overseas returned traveller, and the one exposure site is at Woolworths Melbourne Square in South Bank on 20 September between 5pm and 7pm.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Clare Looker, said:
We recommend that people who were at the exposure site monitor for symptoms and seek medical attention if they become unwell.
Recent Victorian cases of measles have been identified in people who are not fully immunised against measles and who have travelled overseas or been in contact with returned overseas travellers. Measles is rare in Australia, thanks to widespread vaccination rates.
People who are planning to travel overseas should ensure they have received appropriate vaccinations, including [the] MMR vaccine if they don’t have a history of two previous MMR vaccinations.
Updated
NSW Health is warning high-dose MDMA ecstasy tablets are currently in circulation that contain four times the average dose of other tablets in recent circulation.
NSW Health is warning the public of a high-dose MDMA tablet (ecstasy), found to contain more than four times the average dose of other MDMA tablets in recent circulation. The tablet is pink-orange in colour and a square shape, with a ‘GUCCI’ logo and wording imprinted on it. pic.twitter.com/Ptosd0Wjnt
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 26, 2023
Multiple health groups call on Victorian government to open supervised injecting room in Melbourne CBD after overdoses
Health leaders have penned an open letter pleading for the urgent opening of a supervised injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD after “countless” overdoses, AAP reports.
In the letter addressed to Daniel Andrews and published before he announced his resignation as premier on Tuesday, the leaders called on him to deliver on his 2020 promise to establish Victoria’s second overdose prevention service.
The plan for the CBD-based room remains in limbo after a Salvation Army hub on Bourke Street was flagged as a potential site in July.
“Since your announcement more than three years ago, unsafe injecting continues on the streets of Melbourne and drug harms in the City of Melbourne have worsened,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by leaders of organisations including the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the not-for-profit Cohealth.
“In the last three years, more than 40 people have lost their lives to drug overdoses in the CBD, and countless others have suffered non-fatal overdoses in city streets,” the letter said. “There have been more than a thousand heroin-related ambulance callouts in the CBD.”
Updated
As Elias flagged, here’s the line up for the Qatar hearing tomorrow from the chair of the committee, Nationals senator Briget McKenzie.
Hearing program for Wednesday 27th September 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/aJSzrHccZT
— Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie (@senbmckenzie) September 26, 2023
United Australia’s ‘X’ how-to-vote referendum case goes to the federal court
The Australian Electoral Commission could have days to change its how-to-vote material for the voice referendum as an appeal over how votes marked with an “X” or a cross are counted comes before the federal court.
United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet and the party’s chairman, mining magnate Clive Palmer, have gone to the federal court seeking to have ballot papers marked with a cross counted as a vote against the proposed alteration to the constitution. Last week, their case against the AEC was dismissed.
On Tuesday, Babet and Palmer appealed the decision, with the matter briefly coming before the federal court. A full court hearing in front of a panel of three judges has been scheduled for 9 October.
Representing the AEC, barrister Brendan Lim asked for the court to deliver its judgment by the 11th, three days before the referendum will be held. Lim mentioned “practical issues” the commission would face if the appeal was successful.
The AEC has already distributed advice telling people to make their vote count by writing in English either “yes” or “no” in the box on the ballot paper.
- AAP
Updated
Archer: yes polls dropping but people ‘really not engaged at all with the question’ yet
Liberal MP Bridget Archer, who supports the yes voice campaign, tells ABC’s Afternoon briefing that although the polls are showing support for the yes side dropping, it’s still hard to tell how it will go because a lot of people aren’t engaged on it yet.
She said:
Obviously we have polling that shows that support across the country for the voice has been falling, but here on the ground there is some positivity as well. And I think there are still quite a lot of people surprisingly who are really not engaged at all with the question and [are] really just starting to realise that they will have to go out [in] a couple of weeks and vote on something.
Archer says whether or not the yes or no side gets up, there will be work to do.
If it is a yes, there is a whole range of processes that will be set in place for the legislation to actually establish the voice and the model and I would hope that of course people would participate in that. In fact … literally our jobs as parliamentarians is to engage with that process.
So I certainly would be encouraging that, but likewise, I would be encouraging that if the referendum answer is no, that there is a lot of work still to be done. I think that we can’t turn our back on the situation we have and we still need to turn our minds then to: how do we address the issues that we all agree exist in terms of disadvantage for our First Nations people?
Updated
Airline representatives to appear before Qatar Airways decision inquiry
Qantas and Qatar Airways representatives will appear before a Senate inquiry hearing on Wednesday as the committee examines the Albanese government’s decision to reject the Qatari carrier’s request to almost double its flights into Australia.
Former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairs Allan Fels and Rod Sims are also scheduled to give evidence to the committee on Wednesday.
It is not yet clear which individuals from Qantas or Qatar Airways will appear. Committee members had previously hoped the Qantas CEO, Vanessa Hudson, and board chair, Richard Goyder, would appear. Former CEO Alan Joyce had been asked to appear, but his legal representatives told the committee he will be overseas and unavailable to appear either in person or online.
Wednesday’s Canberra hearing of the senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of Qatar Airways’ request – was set to be the final time the committee would hear evidence before reporting its findings on 9 October.
However on Tuesday afternoon, as the committee visits Brisbane, it announced an additional fifth hearing day has been added to its agenda. The fifth day will take place on Thursday, also in Canberra, with the program yet to be determined.
Updated
More reactions to Dan Andrews resignation
Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling says on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing he is sure outgoing Victorian premier Dan Andrews would be happy to have his say before a Covid inquiry, and people should “go easy on the witch-hunt.”
I think all those Victorians out there, whether you like Daniel Andrews or not, he is a bloke who cracked on and got things done and I think you will be more than prepared to have his say so we get all those lessons learned.
Liberal senator Anne Ruston says Andrews’ reign went on too long.
It gives a great opportunity with him gone that we can reset the political platform in Victoria and give Victorians a real choice.
We have seen over recent times and pretty devastating decisions by the Victorian government, nothing was more devastating than Melbourne being the most [locked down] city in the entire pandemic.
It’s time to start again and hopefully Victoria will reap the rewards of the benefit of Dan Andrews no longer being the premier of Victoria, because his lack of transparency and lack of accountability for his decisions has been a hallmark of his government.
Updated
Yes23 campaign director on Mundine: Uluru statement from the heart a declaration of ‘aspiration and hope’
Yes23 campaign director, Dean Parkin, is on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing to respond to No campaigner Warren Mundine’s Press Club speech on the voice to Parliament.
He says Mundine’s claim that the Uluru statement from the heart is a declaration of war is “quite incomprehensible”, and suggests Mundine has not read the statement.
The statement was one of aspiration and hope and unifying the country and bring it together and doing something practical for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through our voice to Parliament which is what the referendum is all about.
On the claim from Mundine that there is no door in Canberra that is not wide open to Indigenous Australians, Parkin says Mundine is in “a very privileged position” with a parliamentary pass into the halls of power, but says that isn’t available to many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
He adds that there is no one single body to represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people directly chosen by them.
Updated
Victorian Greens thank Dan Andrews on ‘big steps forward’ despite ‘ideological differences’
The Victorian Greens have thanked Daniel Andrews for his service as premier.
Samantha Ratnam, leader of the Victorian Greens, says the party look forward to working with the state’s new premier to tackle the big issues facing the state:
These include climate change and the dangerous summer conditions we are about to head into, the housing crisis that is driving record levels of homelessness, and the cost-of-living pressures bearing down on people.
While we have had ideological differences at times, there have been some big steps forward for Victoria that we have been glad to support and work together on.
Updated
Victorian deputy premier puts hand up for top job
Victorian deputy premier, Jacinta Allan, has confirmed she will nominate to replace Daniel Andrews as Labor and state leader.
Andrews on Tuesday announced his resignation as Victorian premier after almost nine years leading the state. He will officially step down from politics at 5pm on Wednesday. The state’s Labor caucus will meet on Wednesday afternoon to elect a new leader.
Allan, who has been widely expected to succeed Andrews, confirmed on Twitter she would run for premier.
Congratulations Premier. An unparalleled legacy that has changed our state forever & for the better.
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) September 26, 2023
Thank you for your leadership & your friendship.
I will be putting myself forward to lead our party & continue the extraordinary work of our Labor government.
Updated
Simon Birmingham warns of China’s influence in the region
The shadow foreign minister told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that the Albanese government is being “mugged by reality of the circumstances” with China’s relationship with countries in our region.
Now, we are a situation where Timor-Leste, one of our nearest neighbours, is signing the agreement with China, we are equally seeing further advances in the relationship between Solomon and China and sadly the Solomon Islands parameter start not attending the White House summit being held in the last couple of days. Other challenges with security agreements with Papua New Guinea or Vanuatu demonstrating the challenges are very real.
He says Labor engaged in “hyperpartisan politics” on this issue prior to the election, and he won’t seek to do the same now.
Updated
Simon Birmingham looks to 2026 Victorian election
Liberal senator on ABC Afternoon Briefing wishes outgoing Victorian premier Dan Andrews well in leaving, but says he is leaving “at a time where this year in particular it seems as if things have been going from bad to worse for the Victorian government.”
While there may be a change of leader, the person who replaces Dan Andrews will have been there as the deck mounted, the problems mounted, the Commonwealth Games were put on and cancelled and all those challenges that have been mounting up and I would expect that the problems that is increasingly facing will present a very sharp contrast in choice for Victorians when they get around to the next election, regardless of who may be leading the party.
Updated
Bill Shorten on Daniel Andrews’ legacy
The government services minister tells ABC’s Afternoon Briefing that outgoing Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is a “tough leader for tough times”.
He says Andrews’ two biggest legacies are his leadership through the Covid pandemic, and his work on infrastructure in the state – most notably the level crossing removals.
Asked whether the Covid legacy was good or bad – whether all the closures were worth it, Shorten says he will leave it up to individual Victorians to decide, but Andrews took decisions to help the hospital system cope with a one in 100 year pandemic.
He said of Andrews and former WA premier Mark McGowan:
The premiers stepped up in a way which I don’t think could have been foreseen in the past few decades of Australian state and federal politics.
Asked how he would measure Victoria as being the most progressive state, he lists the royal commission into mental health, as well as rebuilding schools and hospitals.
Updated
Joyce dodges Qatar Airways senate inquiry
Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will not appear before a senate inquiry into the Albanese government’s decision to reject Qatar Airways’ request to almost double its flights into Australia.
Bridget McKenzie, the opposition transport spokeswoman and chair of the senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of Qatar Airways’ request amid speculation about the influence of Qantas in the decision – announced on Tuesday afternoon that Joyce would be unavailable.
While the committee had determined to legally summons witnesses to appear, McKenzie said that Joyce’s legal representatives had informed the committee that Joyce will not be available “due to personal obligations while overseas”.
McKenzie said there was “no indication Mr Joyce will be available before” 9 October, when the committee – hastily organised to deliver “short sharp” findings – will deliver its report. She said the committee has determined to summons Joyce upon his return to Australia.
The committee can compel witnesses within Australia to appear, but has “no enforceable powers while overseas”, McKenzie said. Additionally, witnesses giving evidence online while overseas would not have the protection of parliamentary privilege.
Updated
Some more tributes to outgoing Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.
Congratulations and farewell to Daniel Andrews. Your tireless contributions to our great state have been tremendous.
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) September 26, 2023
3218 days as Premier is no small achievement, and I wish you all the very best for the future. Thanks for your service to the people of Victoria. pic.twitter.com/79OXQohI1V
.@DanielAndrewsMP has been a strong, principled, progressive, and determined leader.
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) September 26, 2023
At every turn, he has put Victoria first. A legacy to be proud of.
I wouldn’t call this one a tribute from the former Labor minister who was expelled from the party who then was elected as Democratic Labour MP Adem Somyurek.
Elton John - I'm Still Standing https://t.co/CZwRbtPoU6 via @YouTube
— The Hon Adem Somyurek MP (@AdemSomyurek) September 26, 2023
Updated
Australia Qatar Business Council head tells senate Qatar is owed an apology
Transport minister Catherine King should apologise to the Qatari government and its national airline over her refusal for rejecting Qatar Airways’ request to almost double its flights to Australia, a Gulf business advocate has said.
Simon Harrison, chair of the Australia Qatar Business Council, speaking to the senate committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of Qatar Airways’ request – also accused the Albanese government of seizing on Qatari human rights issues as a justification, while ignoring similar issues with China and its airlines.
On Tuesday, Harrison said King’s recent linking of the decision to refuse additional flights to Australia with a 2020 incident where Australian women were invasively examined at Doha airport without consent “is not in the wider Australian national interest”.
Harrison said King’s raising of the incident “conflates alleged actions of rogue actors to an endemic risk” to Australians. Harrison added:
The minister’s insistence that there was no one factor in her decision has accentuated the importance of that one factor, as no other factors were proffered.
If the minister was concerned for the safety of Australian women travelling on Qatar Airways during (the 2022 World Cup) what was the most widely marketed event in recent times she should have spoken out at that time and alerted Australians who were considering flying with Qatar Airways as to what she saw as a risk to their potential safety or human rights.
Harrison said that regardless of King’s intent in raising the Doha airport incident, “she deserves to give apologies to the Qataris”. He said that if the Australian government is now linking alleged human rights issues with commercial and national considerations, “then the approach would logically have to be consistently applied to, for example, China.”
Updated
Pesutto says Andrews resigned because ‘the truth caught up with him’
Pesutto touches on the state’s cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, saying Victorians will pay the price of the government’s decision. He says Andrews’ legacy will include “trashing” Victoria’s reputation on the global stage:
Daniel Andrews went to the last election, promising Commonwealth Games here in Victoria, with a particular focus on regional Victoria. We now know that the Commonwealth Games promise was always just a hoax.
Updated
Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, says in a press conference that Daniel Andrews’ legacy is a broken state.
Andrews on Tuesday announced he would resign as premier after almost nine years leading Victoria.
Pesutto said he wished the premier well but accused the premier of burdening the state with record debt:
Daniel Andrews legacy on taxes is that he leaves a state whose people pay the highest taxes in the country - more than any other state.
Sydney Peace Foundation defends Uluru statement
Just circling back on Warren Mundine’s Press Club speech, one of the more incendiary remarks was describing the Uluru statement from the heart as a “a symbolic declaration of war against modern Australia.” Unsurprisingly, that’s gotten a strong pushback and rebuttal from its supporters.
The Sydney Peace Foundation made a pointed show of support for the Uluru statement, in the middle of Mundine’s speech. The Uluru statement won the Sydney Peace Prize in 2022.
“We could not be prouder that [the Uluru Dialogue] is our most recent #SydneyPeacePrize winner - Australia’s only international prize for peace,” it tweeted.
“For too long only the most powerful voices have been heard and heard again, like that of the man currently speaking [at the Press Club].”
“The Statement is a humble, beautiful offering of peace.”
In a further statement online, the Peace Foundation wrote:
The Voice brings Australia into line with international human rights law which recognises the right of Indigenous people to participate in decision-making processes on issues that affect them. This is a fundamental right for Indigenous people across the globe who have suffered displacement and discrimination. People and nations have gone to war over these needs. The Voice allows Australia to move forward with a modest, humble offering of Peace.
Updated
Greens claim widespread wage theft across universities
Wage theft in the university sector is “systemic” the Greens have alleged generally, after legal action was announced against another tertiary institution.
On Tuesday, the Fair Work Ombudsman confirmed it was taking the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to court over alleged non-compliance with workplace laws. UNSW later confirmed it has so far repaid $11m to staff since the Ombudsman’s investigation began.
Earlier this year, the National Tertiary Education Union made a conservative estimate that university staff across Australia had suffered $107.8m worth of underpayments in recent years. Two separate court cases remain ongoing with the University of Melbourne.
Greens spokesperson for education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, said it wasn’t surprising another university faced court for alleged non-compliance.
The systemic nature of wage theft across universities is crystal clear and casualised staff endure the worst of it.
…the corporate university has been built to serve management, not staff and students. Decisive action is needed right now. The federal government has a clear role in mandating universities set publicly-available targets for increasing secure work and reducing casualisation.
More broadly, we need a big injection of public funding for our universities, and to overhaul university governance.
Updated
Victorian opposition leader says Andrews is resigning due to 'things falling apart'
Victorian opposition leader, John Pesutto, says Daniel Andrews is resigning because “things are falling apart” in the state.
Andrews announced on Tuesday afternoon he would step down as Victorian leader after almost nine years in office.
Speaking to 3AW radio, Pesutto said Andrews was stepping down because “things have become so bad.”
Whether it’s debt, whether it’s interest, whether it’s taxes going through the roof to plug the budget blackhole. Whether it’s the Commonwealth Games debacle that saw at least $600m torched for no good reason – which could all have been avoided had the government just done its job.
Pesutto is due to speak to the media at 3.30pm.
Former Victorian Labor minister Lisa Neville is on ABC speaking about the resignation of Daniel Andrews as premier.
Her advice to Andrews is to take some time with his family and learn how to relax. She praises his legacy, noting that going through the Covid years, every piece of advice or decision was scrutinised, and says the pace of the Covid years was one of the reasons she left politics.
She said Andrews wanted to see Victoria go into recovery:
He felt a very strong obligation to continue to work for Victoria to take us through a recovery process after Covid. And I think he’s done that very well.
Asked whether she would like to see another female premier, Neville says she is friends with Jacinta Allan but it’s ultimately a decision for caucus.
I must say I just think [Allan] would be an outstanding leader as would some of the other names that have come up but I think it probably is that time to have female premier again.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has described outgoing Victorian premier Daniel Andrews as a giant leaving the state on top.
Wishing @DanielAndrewsMP all the best for his future and thank you for the last 9 years. pic.twitter.com/If8ZLcfUIW
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) September 26, 2023
Thanks for joining me on the blog today! What a big few hours it’s been – I’m off to grab a coffee. I’ll hand you over to my colleague Josh Taylor who will see you through the rest of today’s news.
Speaking with ABC News, Professor Megan Davis said that research is indicating Australians are “not liking the to and fro” of the voice debate, with the yes campaign being asked to respond to claims Davis says are “inflammatory”.
This is pretty baseline Trumpian misinformation, I think it really tips over into the line of unacceptable political communication.
Davis was asked to respond to specific comments Warren Mundine made during his speech around native title. She replied:
It is not accurate and is difficult for me to respond because I’m being asked to respond to Trumpian misinformation…
To say a voice to parliament is … racial segregation is Trumpian misinformation of the greatest magnitude, it is also really offensive and hurtful to the men and women of our communities and many who participated in the dialogues [who] actually grew up in those racially segregated missions and reserves.
Professor Megan Davis, an architect of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, has responded to Warren Mundine’s Press Club speech earlier today.
She told ABC News she found the speech “really disappointing and really inflammatory.”
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was an expression of peace and love to the Australian people, it is about belonging and unifying the nation and I find it really repugnant the notion it could be associated at all with the language of the declaration of war.
She said she was disappointed to see “inflammatory” comments made three weeks before the referendum day, when “we are asking Australians to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.”
Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly has praised Daniel Andrews for his commitment to an Indigenous treaty.
Andrews on Tuesday announced his resignation from parliament after almost nine years as state leader, ending months of speculation about his political future.
Co-chair of the assembly, Rueben Berg, said Andrews has always understood the importance of listening to First Peoples.
Our mob will always remember and appreciate the willingness of his government to embark with us on the shared journey to treaty in Victoria.
Co-chair Ngarra Murray said the assembly looked forward to making a treaty a reality with the state’s new premier.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has repaid $11m to staff since the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) launched a review into alleged non-compliance with workplace laws.
In a statement, UNSW confirmed it had been progressing repayments to a “significant number of impacted current and former staff” and had so far repaid around $11 million, including interest and superannuation.
The review is ongoing.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) welcomed the legal action and the Ombudsman’s priorities of universities as a specific focus.
The court action concerns 66 casual staff from the UNSW Business School, alleging UNSW breached the Fair Work Act between 2017 and 2022 by failing to pay staff wages at least monthly for all hours worked and failed to keep proper records.
NTEU national president Dr Alison Barnes said “sheer number” of wage theft legal proceedings against public universities was “damning evidence” the governance model was “completely broken”.
Earlier this year, the union made a conservative estimate that staff across Australia had suffered $107.8m worth of underpayments in recent years.
NTEU UNSW branch president Richard Vickery said staff were dealing with soaring workloads after job cuts in 2021.
As we’ve seen at so many universities around Australia, casual staff are on the receiving end of what the Ombudsman alleges are serious contraventions of workplace law.
Andrews a leader of ‘vision and ambition’, says PM
Anthony Albanese says Daniel Andrews’ achievements include TAFE and early education reform, investments in public transport and infrastructure and the government’s recent housing statement.
He said Andrews’ leadership had been “tested by some of the toughest times”:
In the relentless pressure of a once-in-a-generation pandemic, Dan never shirked the hard decisions. He fronted up, he stood up and he did everything in his power to keep Victorians safe.
As prime minister, it was a pleasure for me to work alongside an old friend – and a leader of such vision and ambition. It made a huge difference to sit at the national cabinet table with someone who believed so deeply in the power of government to change lives for the better.
Updated
Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to Daniel Andrews
In a statement, the prime minister describes Andrews as a person of “deep conviction, great compassion and fierce determination”:
He brought all those qualities to his time as premier of Victoria.
Dan has always been a builder, and in education, health, infrastructure and housing he has built an extraordinary legacy that will endure for generations.
Updated
Former Victorian Labor premier, Steve Bracks, says Daniel Andrews has served the state “extremely well.”
Andrews announced his resignation at a snap press conference, saying he would step down as state leader from 5pm on Wednesday. Andrews said he was resigning because he did not want to come to resent the job.
Speaking to the ABC, Bracks - who led Victoria from 1999 to 2007 - said he had anticipated Andrews would step down in his third term:
After a while this job gets to you and I know exactly what he is going through.
He is right when he says once you start thinking about life after politics is the time you have to go.
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BCG executives decline to reveal salaries, drawing rebuke from senators
Boston Consulting Group’s managing partner in Australia and New Zealand, Grant McCabe, has declined to tell a Senate inquiry how much he is paid.
Greens senator Barbara Pocock said she believed her question was fair and in the public interest given the amount of taxpayer money the firm received from the public sector, which she said was $50m last year.
Here’s McCabe’s response:
As we indicated in our response to questions on notice, as a private company, we consider that information to be private and confidential.
Labor senator Deborah O’Neill disagreed with that assessment and noted around 15% of BCG’s turnover came from government clients:
I think the response that we are not in a position to supply that is not appropriate [as] 15% of your income is coming from Australian taxpayers now. That changes things.
If you don’t want to talk to the Australian public about what’s going on and how much you get paid to do what you do, then maybe you need to think about whether you do business with the Australian government at all.
BCG has taken on notice the senators’ request for de-identified information about how much senior executives are paid.
Daniel Andrews’ press conference concludes
He walks off, joined by his family, to warm applause.
Just to recap if you’re only now joining the blog:
Andrews has announced he is resigning as Victorian premier and member for Mulgrave today, effective 5pm tomorrow.
He said serving as premier has been the “honour and privilege” of his life.
Andrews made his decision during the last few days, wanting to resign before he grew to resent the job.
A caucus meeting will be held at 12:00pm tomorrow to determine the new Victorian Labor leader and premier.
The Andrews Labor government was elected in 2014, with the premier leading his party to a third term in November 2022.
Earlier this year, he became Labor’s longest-serving premier in the state.
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Andrews is asked to give a final message to Victorians:
Thank you so much. Doing this job has been the honour and privilege of my life and I have worked hard every day, not wasting a moment, to deliver our positive plans to put people first, to do what matters, and I will always be profoundly grateful for the honour and privilege of leading this very special place.
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Daniel Andrews is asked if he will continue to cooperate with the Covid-19 inquiry that has been called by the federal government:
I am a very cooperative sort of person.
And any other inquiries?
To the extent I can be helpful, on any of those matters, of course. Just like anyone else I will be a private citizen.
Key event
PM ‘shocked’ by Andrews’ resignation but wishes outgoing Victorian premier well
Andrews said he has spoken with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, about this decision, who was “shocked” but wished him well.
I thanked him for the fact that finally at last we have a prime minister who might be from Sydney, but is not just for Sydney. He knows where Victoria is, he knows how to build things [and] how to get things done.
He has been a dear friend of mine for nearly three decades, and I said to him, thank you, thank you for the partnership…
Updated
So the question is now, who will be the next Victorian premier?
Daniel Andrews said a caucus meeting will be held at 12:00pm tomorrow:
I am not here to speculate on who that might be and to give you my form guide or anything like that. That will be determined by the colleagues. It is a matter for the colleagues and I am deeply respectful of that process.
Daniel Andrews said he came to the decision to resign “fairly recently”.
[I was] very keen to get housing statement done but I knew as we got to the final stages of that, that it would perhaps be the last big reform that I did.
Ultimately once those thoughts of what it will be like after, what life would be like after this role start to creep in, you’ve got really important choice to make. You either [go] on and ultimately, I think, potentially resent the job and you never want to do that.
This is such a great honour and privilege … you never want to finish up in a situation where you are not enjoying the work, [or] are resentful of the fact that you are doing this and not doing something else.
Andrews said he is not at the point where he resents his job, but he is “determined” to never get there, which is why he made this decision.
As for what’s next? He wants some time off to spend with his wife Cath and their children, play golf and read a big pile of books he has accumulated.
I am going to go through what would be a fairly challenging adjustment. I think where I go from every minute of every day being played out for me and spending literally every waking moment thinking about the challenges our state faces… I am worse than a workaholic.
After thanking a number of people, Daniel Andrews turns to his family and constituents of Mulgrave:
To my family, to my mother and father, to my sister, I could not ask for more.
Cath, she is my best friend and none of this was remotely possible without her support, her guidance and her love.
… To the people of Mulgrave, [you are] my constituent and my neighbours… I hope that I have proven worthy of your support in the hard work that I have done over more than two decades as your voice in the state parliament. It is the best electorate in the state and I cannot thank the families of Mulgrave enough.
As Andrews wraps up his speech and reporter questions begins, he received a warm round of applause.
Daniel Andrews said it will be for others to judge his time in parliament and his many years of leadership.
However, I leave knowing that the housing statement, one of the most profound shakeups in one of the most important policy areas, will guarantee that Victorians across the state have somewhere to call home.
After all what could be more important than that?
Andrews begins listing a long number of people he wishes to thank, beginning with his team, his two premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby, and the three deputies that have served under him.
Andrews ‘came from the country, to do good’
Reflecting on his time as premier, Andrews said it was not an easy job but that is “not a complaint, that is just a fact”.
It requires 100% from you and your family. That of course, is time-limited and now is the time to step away.
Andrews said the job of premier has “consumed” and “defined” him.
To a certain extent every waking [hour] is about the work. And that takes a toll. To have been premier for nine years and the leader of my party for 13 years is a greater set of opportunities that I ever thought be afforded to me. I came from the country with only really an aspiration, to do good.
Updated
Premier says the job has been the ‘honour and privilege’ of his life
The premier is announcing his retirement at a snap press conference at state parliament, ending prolonged media speculation about his future.
Speaking to reporters, Daniel Andrews said serving as premier has been the “honour and privilege” of his life.
The Andrews Labor government was elected into power in 2014, with the premier leading his party to a third term in November 2022.
Earlier this year, he became Labor’s longest-serving premier in the state.
Updated
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announces retirement
He said he will be visiting government house today to hand in his resignation as premier and member for Mulgrave, effective 5pm tomorrow.
When it is time, it is time.
Recently in talking to my kids and Cath, thoughts of what life will be like after this job has started to creep in. I have always known that the moment that happens it is time to go and to give this privilege, this amazing responsibility to someone else.
Updated
Daniel Andrews is expected to announce his retirement as the Victorian premier, after nearly nine years in office, Labor sources say.
The premier has called a snap press conference outside parliament, with his wife and ministers.
Two senior Labor sources say Andrews will announce his retirement at the event, due to begin at 1.30pm.
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Qantas a ‘wannabe luxury consumer brand’, union says
Michael Kaine, the head of the Transport Workers Union, has told senators Qantas had been “reduced really to a wannabe luxury consumer brand” and that reforms were needed to prevent the country from being held hostage to a “corporate dictatorship”.
The union head delivered his scathing assessment of the national carrier at a Senate hearing in Brisbane.
Earlier this month, the high court ruled the carrier had illegally outsourced 1,700 ground handler jobs at 10 airports in November 2020.
Asked by committee chair, Bridget McKenzie, what he thought about the federal government’s decision to block additional flights from Qatar Airways into Australia, Kaine said it was a “symptom of a much bigger issue”.
We’re not going to fix the serious issues, you know, in aviation by flooding it with competition necessarily and we’re not going to fix it by leaving the status quo, which has caused us... that effectively has a domestic monopoly [in Qantas] and a massive chunk of the international market. And it’s used that market power to decimate jobs.
Updated
Daniel Andrews to address media unexpectedly
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has announced a snap press conference at 1.30pm.
The presser was announced with about 40 minutes notice, which is very uncommon for the premier’s office.
I’ve spoken to several Labor MPs who say caucus is meeting later today, which is uncommon during September as parliament is not sitting.
We’ll bring you more when we have it.
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Mundine said he is advocating for four things:
First, accountability on where funding is going. Second is education, with Mundine claiming there is “no disparity for Indigenous Australians who are educated at the same level as other Australians.”
So, if you want a simple idea to close the gap, it’s getting all Indigenous children to school.
Thirdly, he wants to encouraging economic participation, saying there would be “no gap” if every Indigenous adult went to work.
And fourth, Mundine wants to see “social change” which he said means “confronting some hard truths”.
People need to stop turning a blind eye to the violence, abuse, coercive control and destructive behaviour that goes on in some Indigenous communities.
… If we, as a nation, are sincere about closing the gap, we need to deal with what I call the enthusiasm gap. Lots of well-intended people are enthusiastic about the symbolism of the shiny new thing - the voice. But when it comes to doing the challenging work on specific areas of need, their enthusiasm wanes. That’s human nature, I suppose. And it is a truism that applies beyond Indigenous concerns.
But if we really want to better the lives of our most disadvantaged Australians, we have no choice but to stay engaged for the long haul. Accountability, education, economic participation, social change - these are not complicated ideas. But they require political will to happen.
Updated
‘Most Indigenous Australians are doing fine’
Mundine said that if the purpose of the voice is to end disadvantage, he doesn’t think it should be in the constitution as this is permanent.
That says Indigenous Australians will always live in poverty. That we’ll always need help. That we are destined for permanent disadvantage. This’s exactly what people thought in the 1800s when they set up the protection regimes, when they set up segregation.
The fact is - most Indigenous Australians are doing fine. They go to school, go to work, run businesses and take care of their families. And, they aren’t in prison. They don’t need a special voice. It’s wrong to tell young people growing up in these families that they are disadvantaged because they are Indigenous. It’s wrong to tell them, as I have heard many times during this campaign, that they are more likely to go to prison than to university because it’s just not true.
Mundine believes a focus is needed on Indigenous Australians living in remote communities “or are trapped in intergenerational dependency, or both”.
The biggest lie of all is that the no campaign, people like Senator [Jacinta] Price and Senator [Kerrynne] Little and myself, have no plan or even don’t want to improve Indigenous opportunities. I don’t believe anyone in this country wants to see any Indigenous Australians continue to struggle. Certainly not us. We have devoted most of our adult lives to advocating for and supporting Indigenous people in need.
Updated
Mundine claims that the yes campaign is “built on a pack of lies”
The yes campaign is out ... there every day accusing the no campaign of lying, but the yes campaign is built on a pack of lies.
One lie is that Indigenous people don’t currently have a voice. That people aren’t listened to in making laws and policies. It’s the opposite. Indigenous Australians have many voices. Hundreds of Indigenous organisations are immersed in policy making affecting Indigenous Australians.
He argued that “every agency and bureaucracy” has Indigenous advisory bodies or other formal consultation processes:
Nothing happens on Aboriginal land without consultation with Traditional Owners through native title and land right legislation.
There are more Indigenous parliamentarians today than ever before, including the minister for Indigenous Australians (Linda Burney). And there’s no door in Canberra that isn’t wide open for Indigenous Australians who want their voice heard.
Updated
‘My father couldn’t have a drink in a pub after cricket with his mates’
Mundine shared stories about his family and childhood during his speech, detailing his experiences growing up in poverty and segregation:
We were controlled by government protection boards whose segregations were put in place in the 1800s by well-meaning people who thought Aboriginals couldn’t take care of themselves. These bureaucratic segregation systems controlled every aspect of our lives. My father couldn’t have a drink in a pub after cricket with his mates. His wages were taken by the government, and he was paid an Aboriginal allowance. Aboriginals in New South Wales were subject to a 5:00pm curfew. My dad was arrested for breaking curfew coming home after working late. Authorities could walk into our homes without notice.
…These protection regimes kept us down and held us back from a full Australian life. They were abolished after the 1967 referendum when Australians overwhelmingly voted to remove racial segregation from the Constitution. For everyone to be equal under the law.
Mundine claims the Albanese government now wants to put “racial segregation back into our Constitution” through the voice – a claim which has been debunked.
As per our no pamphlet fact check:
All Australians have the right to make representations to parliament, which is guaranteed by the freedom of political communication implied in our constitution. The First Nations voice is simply a permanent one which also addresses systemic and structural disadvantage faced by First Nations peoples since colonisation.
Updated
Warren Mundine criticises Uluru statement
Warren Mundine criticised the Uluru Statement from the Heart and argued it “couldn’t be further from the idea of reconciliation”.
It sees Indigenous Australians as trapped in victimhood and oppression. Not free or able to make their own decisions. Self determination is an unrealised aspiration. This is a lie. It includes a self proclaimed history of Indigenous Australia, called Our Story, written to shame Australians about their non-Indigenous ancestors and Australia’s founding.
No nation has had a perfect beginning. Most have had bloody and brutal beginnings founded in invasion, conquest, revolution or war. I don’t judge a nation by the worst of its history, but how it seeks to become its better self. And by that measure, I judge Australia well.
It’s worth linking back to our fact checks on claims made by the no campaign. This includes information on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which is one page in length:
Updated
Warren Mundine addresses National Press Club
Prominent no campaigner Warren Mundine has just begun speaking at the National Press Club.
He said next month’s referendum is “one of the most important in Australia’s history”, and is advocating for a no vote throughout his speech.
He said the theme of his speech came from his Catholic faith, and that to him, reconciliation is about “absolution … from past sins” and comes in two parts – sorry and forgiveness,
In this country, we talk a lot about sorry. But we never talk about the forgiveness part. I said - it’s not enough that Australia says sorry. Indigenous people also need to forgive Australia as a nation.
Many Aboriginals feel angry about past wrongdoings, but these events cannot be undone. So, as Aboriginals, we have a choice, to continue to feel aggrieved, or to draw a line in history and not be captive to that past. Always remember - never forget the history. Learn from it, but move forward.
Updated
First female appointed as vice chancellor of ANU
Professor Genevieve Bell has been announced as the next vice chancellor of the Australian National University, the first woman to hold the prestigious position.
The education minister, Jason Clare, has welcomed her appointment as the 13th head of Australia’s national institution. She follows professor Brian Schmidt, who has held the role since 2016.
Clare:
Distinguished professor Bell trained as a cultural anthropologist, with a PhD from Stanford University. In 2021 she founded the School of Cybernetics within the ANU College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics, positioning cybernetics as a vital tool to help navigate major societal transformations.
Distinguished Professor Bell is an eminent Australian and will lead ANU with distinction.
The government also thanks Professor Brian Schmidt AO for his leadership at the ANU and significant contribution to Australian education over a long period and looks forward to that continuing.
She will take up her new role next year.
Updated
One of the major issues that the inquiry into the Tasmanian government’s response to child sexual abuse in institutions found was that often children are “too often undervalued, dismissed, or disrespected.
The report states:
We saw many examples of disclosures of abuse made by children and young people being brushed off or not believed. While we give examples across our report of children’s perspectives being treated as unreliable, it was particularly pronounced for children seen as ‘bad’ or untrustworthy, such as those in detention, who are experiencing mental health problems, live with disability or have difficult behaviours. Children in out of home care, who often lack access to trusted and supportive adults, were often overlooked and ignored. In the case of Ashley Youth Detention Centre, we saw the extreme end point of failing to respect the rights of children, with detainees experiencing human rights violations and being harmed and abused in a systematic way.
Updated
Police have left the scene of an all-night mental health-related operation in Stanmore in Sydney’s inner west.
Residents of Cambridge Street said around six ambulances, police and fire vehicles had been stationed in the street since about 1am on Tuesday.
Valeria Alvarez left her home at 6.10am and said the road was blocked by police cars. One resident told her he had been warned to stay away from the area and was “afraid of being shot.”
Another local resident said she had heard vehicles and seen flashing blue lights on the street throughout the night. The operation had ended by 10.45am.
NSW Police suggested the cause was mental health-related and confirmed the operation was carried out by Inner West Police with assistance from special resources.
Commission finds Tasmanian government's response to child sexual abuse in institutions often inadequate
The report from the inquiry into Tasmanian government’s response to institutional child sexual abuse starts out putting into context what they heard.
Who was looking after me?
This was a question we heard from more than one victim-survivor of child sexual abuse. Sometimes it was simply a statement, but in many instances it was a genuine question, reflecting a deep feeling of bewilderment that we came to share. How can child sexual abuse have been allowed to happen in some of Tasmania’s most important institutions? How could children have continued to face known risks of sexual abuse and victim-survivors been ignored, blamed, denied justice and silenced?
Among the conclusions reached, on the question whether the Tasmanian government’s response to allegations and incidents of child sexual abuse in institutions between 2000 and the 2020s has been adequate, the commission says “too often, no.”.
While we saw pockets of good practice, this was often a result of the initiative and good judgment of individuals rather than something encouraged and enforced by a broader system. More commonly, institutions did not recognise child sexual abuse for what it was and failed to act decisively to manage risks and investigate complaints. Sometimes this was due to a lack of guidance and direction on how to manage incidents well but, also, due to ignorance, inertia and a desire to protect reputational interests. Too often, institutions did not effectively manage active risks to children and young people or extend adequate care when they disclosed abuse.
The report says while there had been some changes during the inquiry, there is continued concern about children in out of home care, youth detention, and Aboriginal children in institutions.
On the question on whether the Tasmanian government has the right systems in place to effectively address the risks and respond to incidents of child sexual abuse in institutions in the future, the commission says: “not often enough”. Noting some leaders in the state service had resisted constructive criticism and lacked the curiosity and initiative to ensure children’s safety was prioritised.
Birmingham says odds stacked against Pezzullo
Most Coalition politicians asked about the fate of the home affairs department secretary, Michael Pezzullo, have offered very few criticisms of his leaked texts, pointing to the independent inquiry now underway.
One exception was the shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham, who told Sky News:
Look, he deserves the right to have a proper process. But clearly, I think the odds are probably stacked against him in terms of the concerns that are being weighed. However, I respect that process and let’s see how that runs through. He’s obviously stood aside while that is considered.
Birmingham is a senior moderate, and much of the vitriol in the Pezzullo texts was directed at members of his faction: George Brandis, Marise Payne, and Julie Bishop. Pezzullo reportedly advised Scott Briggs the Coalition needs a “right winger” in the home affairs ministry.
Perhaps this observation from Birmingham is a bit more shade from the mods, after Brandis argued yesterday his position is untenable.
Updated
Rockliff said the inquiry found Tasmanian government institutions are “generally safe for children and young people” but that more can be done to improve their safety.
The commission also found that the response to allegations and incidents of child sexual abuse in Tasmania have been “too often, inadequate”.
Rockliff:
Too often, institutions did not effectively manage active risks to children and young people or extend adequate care where they disclosed abuse.
The commission also found there is not always a culture that encourages feedback, reporting, monitoring and reflection when responding to incidents of child sexual abuse or that empowers children and young people to have a voice.
Rockliff said the Tasmanian government will use the commissions recommendations to “strengthen the protective framework to safeguard our children into the future”.
We will approach this task with commitment, and with compassion. We will need to undertake this change together through a child-safe approach where all children and young people have bright lives and positive futures because they are known, safe, well, and learning.
Our government is absolutely committed to undertaking this change in a manner that involves and empowers children, young people and adults who have experienced child sexual abuse to truly influence the decisions that affect them.
I am here as Premier, as I know we all are, for our children, for the generations of Tasmanians to come. Collectively, we must be bold. And brave, as we implement much-[needed] change. To tick a box against the recommendations is not enough. I want Tasmania to be nation-leading when it comes to keeping children and young people [safe].
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff continued:
One matter the commission identified is that children and young people are too often undervalued, dismissed and disrespected in our society, and this has contributed to disclosures of abuse being brushed off or not believed.
To the children of Tasmania, who are the future of this state, this report must strengthen the resolve of us all in this parliament to consider your needs and listen to your voices, as we work hard to build a positive future.
More generally, we will empower our children and young people by implementing a best practice child sexual abuse prevention curriculum in schools and educate children and enable them to identify abusive behaviours, and to ensure they have the confidence to tell someone when they don’t feel safe.
We also must remove barriers to [sharing] information which have made it easier for evil to hide in the shadows.
Child sexual abuse report finds allegations of abuse made against 24 individuals, Rockliff says
Rockliff said the commission referred more than 100 people to authorities during its inquiry and the report outlines allegations of abuse made against 24 individuals.
… These allegations [extend] from serious criminal allegations, to disciplinary matters such as the serious breaches of the code of legal conduct.
For legal and privacy reasons, we’re not able to release detailed [information] at this stage but I want to ensure the public that our law enforcement, regulatory and other agencies are aware of each and every one of these persons that have been identified to date.
The Tasmanian premier said a number of people referred to in the report have already been charged and convicted.
Updated
Premier recommits to recommendations from inquiry into Tasmanian government’s response to institutional child sexual abuse
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff reiterated the apology the state parliament gave in November last year to victim survivors of child sexual abuse in Tasmanian government institutions.
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implement every one of the commission’s 191 recommendations.
As a Parliament, we must share that commitment to work together to make the changes to protect children in the state that endure for all time. Our actions must give meaning to this report and they must reflect the hope that I have, even on this dark day, for a better future for Tasmania’s children and a better future for our state.
He thanked the commission and their staff for their work over almost two and a half years, examining a period from 2000 to 2020 to “find, examine and expose the failings” that have caused and contributed to “appalling” abuse of children in Tasmanian institutions.
You have shown us how the voices of children and young people were [routinely] ignored. You have demonstrated how a culture of silence and silos that allowed child sexual abuse to persist and pervade and you have made it clear the efforts of successive governments, our laws and our funding, simply were not good enough. The truth is powerful. Now we know where we have failed and what we must do.
Updated
Tasmanian government releases inquiry report on 'enormous harm' caused by institutional child sexual abuse
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff is currently speaking in state parliament to deliver the commission of inquiry report into the Tasmanian government’s responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings.
Responding to the findings of the inquiry, Rockliff said institutional child sexual abuse has caused “enormous harm to many, many Tasmanians”. He thanked victim survivors for their strength and courage in speaking to the commission, in hopes the abuse and injustice they suffered “never happens again”.
Victim survivors have been abused by the very people who are supposed to care for them. And they were failed by the system that is meant to protect them. It is time for change. It is time to reflect on some of our most painful moments in Tasmania’s history, and to build a culture in our institutions that will ensure it is never repeated.
The commission calls upon us to deal with the deep failings in our systems and institutions which have persisted over many decades. It calls upon us to confront the many instances where our institutions were entrusted with the task of caring for our children and young people, and failed in that responsibility. It calls upon our Tasmanian community to actively engage in compassionate listening and learning with profound empathy and genuine care. Most importantly, it calls upon all of us to take responsibility for tackling the deep and insidious causes of child sexual abuse in our community and for safeguarding and the innocence of wellbeing of our children for generations to come.
Updated
Warren Mundine to address National Press Club today
No campaigner against the Indigenous voice to parliament, Warren Mundine, is set to address the National Press Club today.
As AAP reports, new polling showing support has dropped dramatically for the voice has bolstered Mundine’s message ahead of his speech.
(We brought you the latest polling information earlier on the blog here).
Mundine has argued the voice is divisive and will not adequately represent regional and remote First Nations people.
However, he has separated from the attack lines of fellow Indigenous no campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, arguing that voting against an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution would help progress treaties, something he supports.
Mundine has also advocated for changing Australia Day.
Updated
Theatre company alleged of discriminating against actor who claimed sexual harassment by Craig McLachlan wants case dismissed
A theatrical company facing allegations it discriminated against an actor who made well-publicised sexual harassment complaints about another star will try to have the case dismissed, AAP reports.
Christie Whelan Browne has brought a lawsuit against Oldfield Entertainment alleging victimisation after she complained of harassment by Craig McLachlan, her cast-mate in a 2014 production of the Rocky Horror Show.
The lawsuit centres around alleged discrimination experienced during the show and in Oldfield’s responses to her complaints from 2017 onwards.
The Federal Court lawsuit has been filed against the theatrical company and does not seek relief from McLachlan.
He was acquitted of alleged sexual assault in December 2020 and dropped defamation action against media outlets and Whelan Browne in 2022, citing a need to protect his own mental health.
Oldfield Entertainment’s barrister Bronwyn Byrnes told a Federal Court hearing on Friday the company had been disadvantaged in responding to the lawsuit.
The whereabouts of some people named in the lawsuit was no longer known as they had finished working at the company and could not be directed to participate in the proceedings.
Their memories would also have “diminished significantly”, Byrnes said.
She foreshadowed an application to summarily dismiss or permanently stay the proceedings, saying the respondents were significantly prejudiced by a delay of more than eight years.
Mediation is planned for late November to potentially avoid a trial.
The case returns to court in December.
Updated
Some photos from the United Firefighters Union rally in Melbourne:
Victorian firefighters on the march as pay dispute deepens
About 1500 firefighters clad in yellow jackets and sunglasses have shut down parts of Melbourne’s CBD amid a bitter dispute between their union and the Victorian government, AAP reports.
The protest is believed to be the largest by the United Firefighters Union, with workers bussed in from across the state.
Cries of “shame” and “union power” rang out as speakers blasted stalled negotiations over a new enterprise agreement the union claims has been “ripped up” and puts safety at risk.
The union’s Victorian branch secretary Peter Marshall said firefighters had been negotiating with Fire Rescue Victoria for two years across 76 meetings and reached agreement on all but two matters but the organisation and government then “reneged”.
The points of disagreement are pay and allowances and the union wants fair work to arbitrate.
Regulator warns consultancy payment structures may be rewarding unethical behaviour
The tax agent regulator has warned the payment structures of big consultancy firms may be encouraging partners and staff to behave unethically in the pursuit of profit.
Labor senator Deborah O’Neill has drawn a senate inquiry’s attention to a submission from the Tax Practitioners Board, which helped expose how PwC used confidential government information about future tax changes to assist their private sector clients.
Here’s the passage:
One example, which requires careful consideration by tax practitioners, involves remuneration which is performance based or contingent upon tax savings. Such arrangements raise an inference that the tax practitioner’s financial and professional obligations may conflict, in perception if not in reality, with other obligations to their client, their ethical or legal responsibilities. For example, some tax advisers who design tax schemes, involving avoidance or evasion, may seek consideration based on a percentage of the ‘tax saving’.
O’Neill has asked the TPB’s chair, Peter de Cure, whether these payments are corrupting the profession. Here’s his response to the senate inquiry:
Potentially. I think it’s a question about ethical behaviour. It is not impossible to work on a contingency basis ethically. But there is a clear incentive, a monetary incentive, to push the envelope.
I have seen very ethical jobs done on a contingency basis. There’s been a lot of work in the research and development space in particular, where I think it would be fair to conclude that it has incentivised the wrong sort of behaviour.
Updated
Fire and Rescue NSW has released a video of the aftermath of the factory fire in Canterbury early this morning:
CANTERBURY | FRNSW continues to extinguish a warehouse fire on Canterbury Rd. The fibro/asbestos roof has been damaged. FFs continue to wet the area to contain any particles. FRNSW is working with the EPA, Public Works, Local Council and building occupants to render the site safe pic.twitter.com/ZdkmzFa449
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) September 26, 2023
Crews remain on scene as to douse materials that continue to smoulder. Investigators will examine when and how the fire started.
UNSW ‘deeply regrets’ underpayments uncovered by Fair Work Ombudsman
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) says it “deeply regrets” underpayments uncovered by the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and is designating “significant resources” to improving pay systems.
Following the announcement earlier this morning that the Ombudsman had launched legal proceedings against the university, a UNSW Sydney spokesperson released a statement apologising to all staff affected:
NSW Sydney has received a notice of legal proceedings against the university by the FWO related to casual academic staff record keeping. UNSW is carefully reviewing the specific allegations and will respond to the FWO through appropriate legal channels.
The spokesperson said it was in the process of addressing “a number” of staff underpayments and had engaged with the Ombudsman to do so.
The university deeply regrets the underpayments that have occurred and sincerely apologises to everyone who has been affected. We have and will continue to dedicate significant resources to improve pay-related systems and processes to deliver ongoing and long-term improvements for all staff. This includes extensive training and education programs to clearly outline pay and record-keeping obligations.
Updated
‘Always more that we can do to prepare’: PM to address disaster preparedness summit in Canberra
Wrapping up the press conference, Albanese comments on the bushfire season ahead, saying we have a “real challenge ahead” and there is “always more that we can do to prepare”.
I think the challenges are enormous.
And it is, I think, beyond doubt that there’s always more that we can do to prepare. Which is why we’re having this summit.
I’ll be travelling directly to Canberra from this and addressing the summit.
Climate change is real and the extent of natural disasters are now more intense and more frequent.
Albanese is referencing a disaster preparedness summit in Canberra this week, which is bringing together about 200 or 300 leaders from the fire authorities, community services and private sector to discuss preparedness for bushfires and other natural disasters.
Albanese pointed to the impacts of climate change on people and the environment, but also the economy:
We have spent billions of dollars on natural disaster support from floods here in South Australia, in Victoria, in New South Wales.
We have a real challenge ahead of us with the summer that is coming. That’s why my government is having this summit to bring together different authorities to make sure that we do what we can to prepare.
Updated
Inquiry into leaked Michael Pezzullo texts 'an urgent matter', PM says
Q: How important is it to get this Mike Pezzullo mess sorted out quickly?
Anthony Albanese:
We have responded, I think, very quickly to the reports. Mr Pezzullo has agreed to step aside. We will have the inquiry that’s that’s been established through the Public Service Commissioner who’s appointed Lynelle Briggs to conduct the inquiry, and we will not respond to the detail before that inquiry. But I see it as an urgent matter.
Q: Can he survive as home affairs secretary after this?
Albanese:
You have an independent inquiry so that you hear from the inquiry, not so that you pre-empt it. That’s what we’re doing. My government is an orderly government that sets up structures that are appropriate and then responds to it.
Updated
PM points to misinformation behind yes vote polls plummeting
Moving back to the voice, Albanese is asked if he can detail why the yes vote is failing in the polls?
He said that misinformation has been rife during the campaign, in response to what is a “clear” question put to Australians:
What has occurred during this campaign is a lot of information being put out there - including by some who know that it is not true - they know that the voice won’t be sitting down with the board at the Reserve Bank determining interest rates, or the head of defence deciding where Australia’s bases will be. They know that it won’t be about future taxes, or people won’t lose their homes because of that.
I’ve seen stuff saying that all private ownership would disappear, that it is about the United Nations taking control of Australia … and that’s before you get to some of the quite unsavoury comments that are being made, or claims that are being made.
… This is a generous request. It is clear, a non-binding advisory committee that won’t fund programs, that won’t have the right of veto over parliament or over legislation. It’s very clear what is being forward and that is why so many groups … have looked at this and said this is the right thing to do which is why they’re advocating a yes vote.
Updated
Albanese is asked if it’s time for Richard Goyder to resign as chairman of Qantas?
What we know is that Qantas has a lot of work to do to repair the damage that has been done to its reputation, both in terms of workers and in terms of customers.
Albanese is asked whether he has spoken to Warren Mundine about his opposition to the Indigenous voice:
Uh, no.
PM maintains majority of states need to vote yes for referendum to pass
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is asked if the government could legislate an Indigenous voice to parliament if the yes vote wins on a national level, but doesn’t win a majority of states.
Note: for a referendum to pass in Australia, a majority of people nationally need to vote yes, but also a majority of people in a majority of states (at least four out of six).
He said:
We have a referendum system in our constitution where you need a majority support in a majority of states. That is what we’re campaigning for, thats what I hope occurs, that’s what every state premier is saying they will vote for.
Across the political spectrum … you have multiple former state premiers all saying they will vote yes as well.
This is a simple proposition. It’s a proposition to recognise First Nations people in our Constitution. And secondly, to have a non-binding advisory group so that we can listen to their views about matters that affect them so that we can get better results. That is the question that is before the Australian people.
I sincerely hope that the Australian people vote Yes, but we will respect the outcome.
Updated
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said the urgent care clinics will be “exceptionally valuable to our system writ large”.
I’m very grateful for the fact that we have a federal government that acknowledges the fact that our public hospital system around the country is under extraordinary pressure - including here in South Australia.
PM announces South Australia’s five new medicare urgent care clinics
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking from Adelaide where the sites of four of South Australia’s five medicare urgent care clinics have been finalised.
The first is due to start operating from next month, with all five in operation by the end of this year.
Albanese said the government committed to rolling out 50 of the urgent care clinics and has upped it to 58, to be rolled out this year:
Making sure that people can get the care that they need when they need it in an appropriate way that is timely, that takes pressure off the public hospital system, but also makes sure that when people have an urgent care need that it’s not acute or life threatening, they can come here.
Albanese announced the following clinics:
Marion Domain medical and dental centre will become the Marion Medicare urgent care clinic
Old Port Road medical and dental centre will become the Western Medicare urgent care clinic
Elizabeth medical and dental centre will become the Elizabeth Medicare urgent care clinic
Mount Gambier family health will become the Mount Gambier Medicare urgent care clinic
Updated
Firefighters managing asbestos risk at factory fire on Canterbury Road
Fire and Rescue NSW has provided another update on the factory fire in Canterbury, in Sydney’s south-west.
It says teams are working to manage an asbestos risk after the fire engulfed the factory overnight, which saw more than 70 firefighters deployed in the early hours of this morning.
Crews tried to enter the building but were forced to retreat due to dangerous conditions when battling the blaze. Three ladder trucks were then used to reach above and limit the potential spread of the fire to an adjoining petrol station and two neighbouring homes.
It took more than three hours to bring the fire under control. Crews remain at the scene to douse materials that continue to smoulder.
The roof is also believed to contain asbestos.
Currently, the roof is still wet from firefighting operations, which is helping to suppress any particles disturbed by the incident.
FRNSW will work with the Canterbury Bankstown council, the EPA and public works to make sure the area is safe.
Experts will also examine when and how the fire started.
CANTERBURY | Asbestos risk being managed after fire engulfs whitegoods factory - VIDEO. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) today is working to manage an asbestos risk after fire engulfed a factory at Canterbury, in Sydney's south-west, overnight.
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) September 25, 2023
More... https://t.co/BptbGzn5S5
Updated
Tax agent regulator launches ‘preliminary investigations’ into more PwC partners
The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) has told a senate inquiry that it has launched preliminary investigations into the conduct of multiple partners at accounting firm PwC, beyond the nine partners that have already exited the firm.
The partners were not named and the senate inquiry was not told what allegations the regulator is investigating. The TPB launches preliminary investigations to gather evidence before deciding whether formal proceedings are appropriate.
The TPB has also told the senate inquiry that it expects to see a copy of the firm’s internal investigation, led by former Telstra chief executive Ziggy Switkowski, tomorrow.
The TPB’s chair, Peter de Cure, said he expects to receive the full report, which will detail how many partners and staff at PwC were aware that confidential government information about tax changes was being used to assist its private sector partners.
Peter de Cure has told the senate inquiry that the TPB is satisfied with PwC’s cooperation with their inquiries to date.
Updated
UNSW could pay penalties of up to $666,000 per offence for alleged breaching of record-keeping and wages
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has become the latest tertiary institution to face legal action over alleged non-compliance with workplace laws.
On Tuesday, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) announced it was seeking penalties of up to $666,000 per offence against UNSW for multiple alleged serious contraventions.
The litigation focuses on a sample of 66 allegedly affected casual academics at UNSW’s business school. It alleges UNSW breached laws related to record keeping, pay slips and the frequency of wage payments.
The investigation began in 2020 after UNSW self-reported and covers a period of more than four years from 2017 to 2022.
The FWO alleges record keeping practices were so inadequate they made it difficult to identify whether employees had been underpaid.
It alleges UNSW failed to keep records of hours, rates of pay and entitlements to casual academic employees, failed to lawfully include required information in pay slips and failed to pay staff wages at least monthly for all hours worked, including often unlawfully paying certain parts of entitlements up to months after work was performed.
Ombudsman Anna Booth alleged some of the contraventions were committed knowingly, with a number of staff in the business school aware action needed to be taken to address record-keeping practices as early as March 2018.
It is completely unacceptable for an employer’s record-keeping practices to be so poor that they prevent us from assessing what hours its employees have worked and whether it has paid its employees their full lawful entitlements.
The action against UNSW is the latest in a string of enforcements against universities, including two ongoing court actions against the University of Melbourne.
Booth said universities needed to place a “much higher priority” on investing in governance, human resources and payroll functions to ensure they complied with workplace laws.
A directions hearing is listed in the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 26 October.
Updated
‘Odds are stacked’ against Pezzullo keeping position after leaked texts, Birmingham says
The odds of sidelined home affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo returning to the role after the controversy surrounding leaked text messages are stacked against him, a Liberal senator says.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said it was unlikely Pezzullo would return to the position.
He told Sky News:
He deserves the right to have a proper process, but clearly, I think, the odds are stacked against in terms of the concerns that are being weighed.
I respect that process and let’s see how that runs through, he’s obviously stood aside while that is considered.
- from AAP
Updated
Police investigate alleged aggravated home invasion in south-east Melbourne
Victorian detectives are investigating after a teenager was stabbed during an alleged home invasion last night.
Officers were called to a residential property in Hallam following reports that unknown offenders had broken into the home, armed with poles and a machete, confronting the resident about 10.45pm.
A 16-year-old boy sustained stab wounds to his leg and back and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Six other boys – two aged 16, two aged 15, one 13 and one 12 – were also inside at the time, but were not injured.
The offenders fled the scene, last spotted heading in an unknown direction of travel.
Police say at this stage of the investigation, the incident appears to be targeted. Any witnesses or people with information are urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Updated
Open letter calls for Victorian premier’s 2020 promise of more supervised injection rooms after recent ‘countless’ overdoses
Health leaders are pleading with Victoria’s premier to urgently set up a supervised injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD after “countless” overdoses, AAP is reporting.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, the leaders from organisations including the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and not-for-profit Cohealth called on Daniel Andrews to deliver on his 2020 promise to set up the state’s second overdose prevention service.
The plan for the CBD-based injecting room remains in limbo after a Salvation Army hub on Bourke Street was raised as a potential site in July this year.
In the letter, leaders said overdose prevention was “basic healthcare” and the evidence was clear it saved lives:
A new service in the CBD will be an important legacy of your government.
However, it has now been three years since you announced your policy, and too many people are no longer with us.
We urge you to honour your government’s policy and urgently establish an overdose prevention service in the Melbourne CBD.
Updated
King Charles’ face to be on Aussie coins by end of year
The Australian mint is due to start producing coins with King Charles on it before the end of this year, but an exact date still hasn’t been announced.
The minister for competition, charities, treasury and employment, Andrew Leigh, spoke to ABC Canberra this morning. He said while a particular date hasn’t been set, coins with the King’s face will start being produced before the end of this year.
There’s a range of things we need to get right; the Mint’s dies need to be appropriately tested, each of the dies need to sustain some 200,000 to 300,000 coin printings, so all of that testing process is in place. You can be confident that it will take place before the end of the year, and we’ll have a big announcement on that.
Leigh said the change doesn’t carry a major cost, because the Mint updates its dies regularly:
They’ll run their dies with the Queen’s effigies on them to the end of their natural life, and then they’ll just substitute in dies with the King’s effigy, and so they’re familiar with doing this.
He added there were “half a dozen” different effigies of Queen Elizabeth II during the course of her reign.
… So to change an effigy isn’t as big a thing as you might imagine. But of course, you know, it’s seismic when suddenly you’ve got a different Monarch on the coin facing the opposite direction.
Updated
Qatari government calls out Qantas for ‘blocking Qatar Airways’ growth in Australia’
The Qatari government has hit out at Qantas and its partner Emirates for lobbying against Qatar Airways’ move to almost double its services to Australia that was rejected by the Albanese government.
The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority’s (QCAA), in its submission to the senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up largely to examine the rejection of the extra capacity – claimed the Qatari national airline is subjected to stricter competition requirements compared with other Gulf carriers, some of whom are not utilising their full capacity allowances.
The QCAA said:
The media allegations and negative lobbying against Qatar Airways do not reflect the strong relationship that Qatar Airways has developed with Australia, in particular in terms of connectivity, our support to the further development of tourism and trade; as well as the airline’s response during Covid-19.
Qantas has no reason for making such negative statements, except for the benefit of their commercial relationship with Emirates. Unfortunately, it is evident that both airlines are interested in blocking Qatar Airways’ growth in Australia.
Updated
Qatar tried to meet with Australian government about blocked flights, inquiry hears
Qatar requested urgent consultation sessions with the Australian government over its decision to block its national airline from almost doubling flights, but the Albanese government is yet to schedule the meetings.
The request was revealed in the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority’s (QCAA) submission to the senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up largely to examine the rejection of the extra capacity. While the Qatari airline or government are not yet confirmed to address the inquiry, the submission is the first public communication it has issued to the Australian government over the saga.
In the submission, the QCAA, which lodged the request for an extra 28 weekly services to major Australian airports, claimed that “no other carrier in the (Gulf Cooperation Council) region is subject to such strict conditions and requirements regarding fair competition in Australia”.
The QCAA said:
Despite [this] we have reached such an aspirational fair competition clause that safeguards operations, [but] still Qatar Airways has not been granted further frequencies”
The QCAA added “in light of the recent decision made by the Department on 14 July 2023 to reject” its request, on 16 August it “officially requested consultations …to better understand the reasons for their decision and to work together with the Department to build a road map for future enhancements of traffic rights”.
On 25 August 2023, the Department informed us that our request for consultations was under consideration and indicated that they would respond as soon as possible. We sincerely hope that the Department will agree to schedule consultations as a matter of urgency and priority.
Updated
NSW approves 60-day short-term holiday rental cap in Byron Bay amid housing stress
The state government has endorsed a tightening of restrictions on short-stay accomodation in the Byron Shire Council to help alleviate serious housing pressures in the north NSW coastal town.
Non-hosted, short term rentals in the shire will be capped at 60 days per year, down from 180, after the government endorsed a proposal from the council.
Some precincts in Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads with high tourism appeal were identified by the council to operate without a cap, allowing for year-round use.
Byron Shire’s housing pressures are different to other locations across the state, with the percentage of short term rentals exceeding that of similar destinations. An increase in short term rentals coincided with population growth and limited new housing completions, resulting in very tight supply and high prices.
Minister for planning and public spaces Paul Scully said the government has been aware of housing supply and affordability issues in the region for “many years”.
This shortage of housing largely affects key workers and permanent residents.
These changes to short term rental accommodation only addresses part of Byron’s housing supply and affordability issues, and it was important for me to clearly understand Council’s plans to deliver more housing through other mechanisms, before making a decision on the proposal.
… In the current housing crisis, it’s important every available means to boost housing stock for the community is utilised, including a shift from non-hosted [short term rentals] to long term rentals.
Updated
Test trains run through Melbourne’s new Metro tunnel
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has posted a video to social media, touring Melbourne’s new Metro tunnel.
Test trains are now running at full speed through the tunnel, the video says, and the five new stations are beginning to take shape:
Victorian-made trains, in a Victorian-made tunnel.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) September 25, 2023
It doesn't get better than that. pic.twitter.com/wl238bgNRC
Meanwhile, a few metres above the tunnell, 1500 firefighters from across the state are to rally outside state parliament saying the government has stabbed them in the back on a new enterprise bargain.
As AAP reports, the United Firefighters Union had been negotiating with Fire Rescue Victoria for two years over 76 meetings and reached agreement on all but two matters, but the organisation and government then “reneged”.
The points of disagreement are pay and allowances.
Updated
Qantas inquiry: ‘We obviously want to hear from former CEO’, McKenzie says
Bridget McKenzie was asked to confirm whether Qantas has accepted the invitation to appear before the airline inquiry, in particular, former CEO Alan Joyce.
The program for tomorrow hasn’t been formally adopted by the committee, but I can confirm that the Qantas chair and CEO were invited and have not refused.
So read that what you will, but I can’t pre-empt the decision of the committee itself.
Q: Has Joyce refused, or is the invitation still out there?
McKenzie:
We obviously want to hear from the former CEO, we believe he can help answer a lot of questions particularly about his personal and political relationship with the prime minister which we know has been very, very strong and may, in part, have led to the reason the government refused to let Qatar Airways in.
Updated
Mike Pezzullo has questions ‘to address through inquiry’, McKenzie says
Bridget McKenzie was also asked about Mike Pezzullo, and whether she believes his position is untenable given yesterday’s revelations.
McKenzie said she has worked with Pezzullo, and described him as a “patriot”.
I know that everything that he does, no matter who he’s working for – whether he’s working for the former leader of the Labor party Kim Beazley or the now current minister – is focused on our national security. But obviously this is subject to an inquiry and rightfully so. And so I’m not going to pre-empt that.
She was pressed about comments Pezzullo allegedly made about Marise Payne as “ineffectual”, and Julie Bishop:
I think they’re absolutely questions Mr Pezzullo has to address through the inquiry.
Q: If you were a minister, would you be able to work again under those circumstances?
The prime minister has set up an inquiry into this very powerful secretary and I’m not going to offer my opinions on that, that would be, I think, unwise and unprofessional.
Updated
Pilots calling for Qantas chairman to resign is ‘matter for shareholders’, Bridget McKenzie says
Earlier, national senator Bridget McKenzie spoke to ABC News Breakfast about the airline industry inquiry, which is back in action today (we had more details on this here).
McKenzie responded to calls from pilots who say they want to work with Vanessa Hudson on a “renewal”, but they don’t think this can happen with chairman Richard Goyder still on the board.
McKenzie:
Obviously the end result for Richard Goyder at the board of Qantas will be a matter for Qantas shareholders.
To the pilots’ point, Qantas as a corporate citizen has not covered itself in glory in recent past … On any marker, they are not behaving as we’d expect a corporate citizen in this country and that’s something the shareholders have to deal with.
If this is what Qantas does and is being at the moment, why is the federal government continuing to run a protection racket for Qantas, and not just the Qatar Airways decision but they explicitly ruled aviation out of their competition inquiry and a whole raft of other singular decisions, which means Qantas market share – which is excessive – is being protected every which way by the Albanese Government.
They’re the sort of questions that we’re going through in this inquiry.
Updated
Research predicts no vote to win voice referendum
New research from Roy Morgan predicts that a no vote will win the upcoming Indigenous voice to parliament referendum on October 14.
The research shows that 44% of Australians say they would vote no if the referendum was held today, up 8% points from May.
39% say they would vote yes, down 7% points since May, and a further 17% are undecided.
Victoria and Tasmania are the only states with more people saying they will vote yes, and a majority of ALP and Greens voters support the voice. The majorities of LNP, One Nation and other party voters are against, and Independent voters remain split, the data shows.
Meanwhile, a majority of men are against the voice, while a plurality of women support it.
CEO Michele Levine said this is the first time in a Roy Morgan survey that more electors have indicated a no vote rather than yes regarding the referendum.
However, a still sizeable 17% of electors – around one-in-six – still say they are ‘Undecided’.
On these results the referendum proposal is set to fail with past experience showing the vast majority of undecided voters eventually deciding to vote ‘No’.
Levine pointed to the marriage equality plebiscite in 2017 as an example of this.
If the trends from the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey are repeated at next month’s referendum the proposal is set to be rejected both at a national level and in the key states the proposal needs to win to stand a chance of being successful.
The Roy Morgan online survey was conducted with an Australia-wide cross-section of 1,511 Australian electors aged over 18 from Monday 18 September to 24 Sunday September.
Updated
Whitepaper a ‘missed opportunity’ to lower rate of unemployment, shadow treasurer says
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor just spoke to ABC RN about the employment whitepaper which was released yesterday.
He said that the whitepaper was a “missed opportunity” to bring the Nairu down – which is the non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment.
Essentially, this is about achieving a low rate of unemployment without fuelling excessive increases in wages growth and inflation.
Taylor said:
[We need to] ensure we’ve got policies that give us the combination of low inflation and unemployment and knocking down roadblocks …
Taylor was asked whether he supports the idea that unemployment needs to get down to 4.5%, and said he was “not going to get into forecasting”.
You can bring it (Nairu) down over time … the key to that is having good workplace relations [and] laws and most important, knocking down roadblocks.
Updated
Canterbury Road fire: firetrucks wetting down area
Supt Adam Dewberry with Fire and Rescue NSW has just provided us with an update on the factory fire on Canterbury Road in Sydney’s south-west.
The fire broke out early this morning at a large factory in Canterbury that produces white goods.
He said that the blaze is just smouldering now, with three firetrucks on scene to wet down the area.
Crews have now moved into the recovery and investigation phase, with EPA and public works (among other agencies) due to come on scene today and begin investigations.
In particular, there is a wall that needs to be assessed as there are fears it will fall down. Plans also need to be made for a fibro-asbestos roof. Dewberry assured it is okay at the moment, as it has been wet down.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the fire. However, the local petrol station and another nearby business have closed today as firefighting crews have parked their vehicles there.
Updated
Some renters use 41% of income to afford roof over heads, real estate analytics firm finds
Real estate analytics firm Suburbtrends says its latest rental pain index for September shows a “disturbing reality” facing renters across the country, with climbing rents and plummeting vacancy rates “deteriorating” people’s quality of life.
Kent Lardner of Suburbtrends said suburbs like Christie Downs in SA and Ashcroft/Busby/Miller in NSW are experiencing rental increases of 10%, while renters allocate 41% of their income to afford a roof over their heads.
Rothwell/Kippa-Ring in Queensland and Bass Hill/Georges Hall in NSW have seen “unprecedented” rental increases of 15% and 17% respectively, he added.
Vacancy rates under 1% in most of these suburbs show the immense strain on housing availability. When you’re allocating nearly half your income on rent … the financial stress becomes unbearable.
Among the top 25 suburbs facing rental pain, many show rental affordability percentages exceeding 35%, a threshold Lardner says is “generally considered unsustainable”.
Our index is more than just numbers; it’s a call to action. Policymakers and stakeholders need to acknowledge this growing crisis.
The relentless climb in rent and plummeting vacancy rates are not just statistics but indicators of a quality of life that is rapidly deteriorating for Australian renters.
Suburbtrends' rental pain index compiles data on rental increases, affordability and vacancy rates, scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 signifying the worst conditions for renters.
Updated
Large factory fire on Canterbury Road, Sydney
Firefighters with Fire and Rescue NSW are currently fighting a large factory fire in Sydney’s south-west.
Multiple crews and an aerial appliance are in attendance to battle the blaze on Canterbury Road, and FRNSW says traffic is heavy in the area.
CANTERBURY | #FRNSW Canterbury Rd, fire in a large factory which produces white goods. Firefighting is continuing with multiple crews and an aerial appliance, traffic is heavy in the area.@CB_Express
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) September 25, 2023
7News is reporting that the fire broke out around 2.30am this morning, with more than 70 firefighters on the scene.
We will bring you the latest on this as we hear more.
Updated
Many thanks to Martin Farrer for kicking things off this morning! I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you on the blog today.
If you see something that needs attention on the blog, you can send me an email at emily.wind.casual@theguardian.com.
With that, let’s get started.
Female doctors expose 'boys' club culture' in Australian hospitals
Female doctors who have experienced sexual assault have spoken of work conditions they felt made them more vulnerable to harm from senior colleagues, according to a researcher who has unearthed a “boys’ club culture” in Australian hospitals.
“[They described] the enforced closeness that can occur in long sessions in operating theatres,” said Dr Louise Stone, an associate professor at the Australian National University, with one telling her that she was assaulted while stitching a patient during an operation.
Read the full story here:
Brisbane's grand final fever mounts as Lachie Neale wins Brownlow
Fans of Brisbane Lions and Broncos are scrambling all sorts of transport to ensure they get themselves to Melbourne and Sydney respectively for this weekend’s grand finals.
Prices for hotels are mounting in both cities as fans have to travel down from Queensland for the showpiece events at the MCG and the Olympic stadium.
For the Brisbane Lions, the build-up has begun auspiciously after their midfielder Lachie Neale won the Brownlow Medal last night, claiming the league’s greatest individual honour for a second time. Not bad for the kid from Kybybolite who was 58th pick in the draft.
Qantas chairman faces calls to resign amid inquiry
Returning to the airline industry, pilots have joined a chorus of anger against Qantas as scrutiny continues of the airline’s role in a government decision to reject extra Qatar Airways flights, AAP reports.
Qantas chairman Richard Goyder is facing calls to resign in an unprecedented intervention after weeks of bad press.
The Australian and International Pilots Association has called for him to step down, the first time in its history, and has written to the airline’s CEO Vanessa Hudson about its decision.
The association’s president Tony Lucas blasted Mr Goyder for overseeing “one of the most damaging periods in Qantas’ history”.
“(It) included the illegal sacking of 1700 workers, allegations of illegally marketing cancelled flights and a terribly managed return to operations after COVID-19,” he said.
The morale of Qantas pilots has never been lower, we have totally lost confidence in Goyder and his board.
Mr Goyder’s $100,000 pay rise to $750,000 “while staff are expected to accept a two-year wage freeze” was also in the association’s sights.
“This is a galling and tone-deaf decision,” Mr Lucas said.
For our great national carrier to flourish, it needs leadership from a board that understands the value of its employees, respects its customers and can win back the trust of a nation.
Updated
Airline industry inquiry back in action
Today is the third day of hearings into the competitiveness of Australia’s airline industry.
While there was a lot of initial publicity about the inquiry following a tense few days in Parliament when transport minister Catherine King was repeatedly bombarded with questions about her relationship with Qantas and if it informed her decision to reject granting Qatar Airways additional flights, we haven’t quite gotten the bombshell revelations that might have been hoped for.
Tuesday’s hearing is also the second last so the clock is ticking down for officials from Qantas, Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways to appear.
We’ve also not heard from the relevant federal department officials either, though it could all still come to a head at the Wednesday hearing held in Canberra.
But onto today’s show.
Like the previous two hearings, the finalised program has not been published until the last minute.
At today’s Brisbane hearing, we are expecting to hear from the Productivity Commission, Melbourne Airport and a number of Queensland airports.
Officials from the Transport Workers Union and Australian Services Union are also understood to be fronting senators.
Qatar Airways isn’t on the list but the Australia Qatar Business Council and Turkish Airways - the first international airline to appear - are expected to attend.
While Wednesday’s program has still not been announced, we do know Rex Airlines is expected to appear thanks to the clue it left in its submission.
So fasten your seatbelts, and put up your tray tables, this plane is about to take off.
Chalmers warns on cost of climate change
The impacts of climate change could cost the country about $1.8bn in GDP in today’s dollars within three decades if further action isn’t taken.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers in a speech to the national drought forum in Rockhampton today will reveal the latest modelling from Treasury on the impacts.
It comes as leaders from emergency management, response and recovery agencies and organisations converge in Canberra for the second day of Australia’s first national disaster preparedness summit ahead of a dry summer.
Chalmers will say major weather events, such as the black summer bushfires and October 2022 floods, cost the economy around $1.5bn each and that, without further action, could cost even more down the line.
And the latest projections also show the significant impact that climate change could have on our regions. If further action isn’t taken, Australian crop yields could be 4% lower by 2063 – costing us about $1.8bn in GDP in today’s dollars.
The treasurer will point to the 433% increase in commonwealth funding given to the disaster recovery funding arrangements, which has jumped from $335m in 2017-18 to $2.5bn in 2022-23.
The pressure of a changing climate and more frequent natural disasters is constant, cascading, and cumulative.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of our top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes the controls.
Advocates for 33 Australian women and children held for four years in desperate conditions in a Syrian detention camp have challenged the federal government to prove it cannot bring them home, or “bring their bodies to the court” in Australia. In filings before the federal court, Save the Children Australia is representing 12 Australian women and their 21 children – the partners and children of killed or jailed Islamic State fighters.
A world-first discovery from Australian researchers unlocks the potential for the development of better vaccines and therapies against influenza viruses. They show that “killer T cells”, which help fight the virus, are replaced by less effective cells as we age, meaning treatments can be tailored to different age groups . It comes as separate research published today reveals that an antiviral drug used to treat patients with Covid-19 may be fuelling the evolution of new variants.
Joe Biden has offered $US40bn ($A62bn) in economic aid to Pacific islands at a White House meeting with leaders from the region aimed at bolstering US engagement in the face of growing Chinese presence. Leaders were given the star treatment in Washington as the president also announced formal US recognition of two new island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue, at the start of the Pacific Islands Forum – two days of meetings with leaders from the group’s 18 members. The Australian embassy is hosting a barbecue for them to conclude the day’s activities.
And back home the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will today reveal the coming cost of climate change that we can already put a figure on, and the inquiry into the nation’s airline industry continues as Qantas chairman Richard Goyder faces calls for his resignation.
