What we learned; Monday 10 June
And that’s a wrap. Here’s what we were talking about today:
Senator Jacqui Lambie has little time for Daniel Andrews’ King’s birthday honour, saying politicians being awarded for doing their job was “beyond” her.
The federal government has unveiled its national anti-vaping advertising campaign.
Queensland’s budget week is under way, with the premier, Steven Miles, touting a cost-of-living budget.
Labor minister Anne Aly will attend an international conference “on the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, on behalf of the foreign minister, Penny Wong.
The US consulate in Sydney was vandalised with a sledgehammer – an act that NSW premier Chris Minns said was “reprehensible”.
A statue of King George V in Melbourne was found vandalised on the King’s birthday holiday.
And supermarkets have responded to avian influenza by limiting the number of eggs shoppers can buy.
Thank you for joining us.
Updated
Tim Ayres says Coalition’s nuclear policy ‘too silly for words’
Labor senator Tim Ayres has branded the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy “too silly for words”.
Speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, he said the Liberal party and the National party were being led by “crass base politics” and “can’t see beyond their own internal politics.”
That’s why we’ve ended up with this too-silly-for-words nuclear proposition. It’s an economic cul-de-sac for Australia. Bad idea … Projects not measured in millions of dollars of cost, but tens of billions of dollars worth of cost. Projects that spin out not for a few years, but for decades.
This is nonsense. They know it. And they’ll be judged for what is a not-serious energy policy.
Updated
Michael McCormack says Costello did the ‘right thing’ by stepping aside from Nine board position
The Nationals MP – and former newspaper editor – Michael McCormack says that the outgoing chair of Nine, Peter Costello, has “done the right thing” by resigning from the media company’s board.
“He’s done the right thing. He’s stepped aside,” the shadow minister for international development told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing.
Journos can always ask you tough questions. I’ve been on both sides of the coin. I’ve asked the tough questions. I’ve indeed been thrown out physically from a meeting room. I’ve also been asked the tough questions. You have to treat journalists with respect. Public places are their workplace.
“Channel Nine has been producing news, they’ve got a lot of good journalists and have had for decades. They’ll recover from this,” he said.
Updated
Queensland revs up for budget week
It might be a public holiday in most of the country, but politicians in the sunshine state are busier than ever.
This is day one of budget week. It’s treasurer Cameron Dick’s fifth budget, and with an election in October, it could be his most important.
In a press conference held after cabinet endorsed his plan, Dick said “tomorrow in the budget, we will be focusing on the thing that matters the most to Queenslanders, and that’s cost of living relief”.
For the last month, the government has been announcing and spruiking a series of handouts including a $1,000 energy rebate, 50-cent public transport fares and 20% off car registration.
The premier, Steven Miles, stood in front of three pull up banners advertising the cost of living measures while denying the budget was written with an eye to election day. He said more announcements were coming.
“There’ll be plenty new for us to discuss tomorrow, but what you’ve already seen is just how determined we are for this budget to deliver what matters for Queenslanders, and I think it’s generated a level of interest that is not often seen for a budget,” he said.
The number of people who stopped me at the footy the other night to talk to me about 50 cent fares just tells me that where we’re addressing the things that Queenslanders want us to do.
The focus of this budget is delivering for Queenslanders now and for the future. And I’ve always said that come October, Queenslanders will judge us for how we govern.
Updated
'No update' on anti-discrimination reforms: Steven Miles
Queensland’s premier said there is “no update” on the state’s planned anti-discrimination reforms.
My colleague Ben Smee reported this morning that they were considering watering down reforms designed to ban discrimination in religious schools.
“Is there any update on the anti-discrimination changes in relation to Citipointe?” the premier, Steven Miles, was asked a press conference this afternoon.
“No, not at this stage,” he said.
Updated
For a little light relief this afternoon, you could do worse than whiling away a few moments on daredevil Donn Delson’s captivating aerial images:
Updated
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has weighed in on her predecessor Daniel Andrews’ King’s Birthday honours gong.
Warmest congratulations to @DanielAndrewsMP on his AC.
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) June 10, 2024
I saw up close his energy for reform - in his words, his determination “to get shit done”.
Because of that determination, big state-shaping projects are underway - and thousands of Victorians are in work.
Then there’s the quieter, no less impactful reforms.
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) June 10, 2024
Things like voluntary assisted dying, nation-leading action on family violence and making sure LGBTIQ+ kids grow up knowing - who they are is good enough.
‘Incompetent but serious’: Queensland armed robber pleads guilty
Over to Queensland now, where the son of a pro-gun political party’s founder has been jailed for a spree of “incompetent but serious” attempted armed robbery offences and a ram-raid.
Jamie Ronald Madden pleaded guilty on Monday in Brisbane District Court to eight charges including attempted armed robbery with an imitation firearm, two attempted robberies and attempted break-in, reports AAP.
The 33-year-old son of Love Australia or Leave Party founder Kim Vuga also pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving while escaping police.
Madden’s sentencing was part-heard in February before being adjourned to obtain a psychological report.
Crown prosecutor Blake Crook said at the time that Madden was on parole for a seven-year sentence and had been ordered to return to custody just prior to the start of his offending on April 14, 2023.
“(Madden) engaged in a very serious crime spree over the course of four days,” Mr Crook said.
Madden broke into a premises at Southport on the Gold Coast to get the keys to a vehicle and the next day at 6am entered two shops at Deception Bay, north of Brisbane, and attempted to rob three people of their car keys.
“He said he was on the run from police and threatened to shoot each of them,” Mr Cook said.
Madden was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, to be served cumulatively with his prior seven-year sentence as he had offended while on parole.
He will be eligible for parole in April 2025.
Updated
Melbourne King George V statue vandalised
On this King’s Birthday public holiday, a statue of King George V has been beheaded and covered in red paint in the latest attack on colonial monuments in Victoria.
Police were called to the King George V statue in Melbourne’s Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue just after 9am on Monday, reports AAP.
Victoria, and most other states in Australia, held a public holiday on Monday to observe King Charles’s birthday.
“It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument,” a police spokesman said in a statement.
Other statues have been the target of vandals this year, including a statue of Captain James Cook that was cut at the ankles before it toppled in Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne on February 27.
Another Captain Cook statue at St Kilda’s Jacka Boulevard was also sawn off at the ankles the day before Australia Day.
That same day, a statue of Queen Victoria at Queen Victoria Gardens near the city was covered in red paint and graffiti.
A second monument to Captain Cook at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy was found broken and covered in graffiti over the Australia Day long weekend.
Updated
Severe weather warnings issued for parts of Tasmania and Victoria
It’ll be a windy evening and start to Tuesday for much of Tasmania and parts of Victoria, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing severe weather warnings for both states.
Damaging winds will affect Victoria’s elevated areas including the Otway, Macedon, Central, Northeast and Gippsland ranges overnight and into tomorrow morning, warns the state’s emergency service.
Severe weather in the form of damaging winds is expected to impact elevated areas including the Otway, Macedon, Central, Northeast and Gippsland ranges overnight and into tomorrow morning. Remember to call 132 500 if you require SES assistance, or 000 in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/96fPDVQQrm
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) June 10, 2024
Updated
Thanks, Rafqa Touma, and hello. I’ll be bringing you the news for the remainder of this King’s Birthday holiday.
That is all from me today! Handing over now to my lovely colleague Daisy Dumas to take you through the afternoon’s news.
Bill Shorten congratulates Colleen Taylor on King’s birthday honour
The Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten, has congratulated former public servant Colleen Taylor for being awarded an OAM.
“As a frontline worker in the compliance area for Centrelink, Taylor displayed decency, ethics and compassion when attending the Robodebt Royal Commission to provide exemplary evidence in December 2022,” as put in a statement from Shorten’s office.
The statement continues:
Taylor, a true hero, called out the inaccuracies of the Robodebt scheme to her superiors in 2016, explaining the harm this would cause to the Department of Human Services’ most vulnerable customers. When her pleas would not be heard, Ms Taylor persevered, even at the risk of her own job security and promotion, contacting senior executives in the belief they were being misled.
Shorten commended Taylor’s dedication to the truth:
Ms Taylor, a compassionate, humble and model public servant, put her job on the line because it was the right thing to do. Ms Taylor fully deserves the recognition of a King’s Birthday honour in acknowledgement of her integrity and bravery”, Minister Shorten said.
You can read Taylor’s story, from Luke Henriques-Gomes, here:
Updated
New Israel Fund Australia joins calls for Israel-Gaza ceasefire
Further to the previous post, the New Israel Fund Australia has added its voice to calls for the ceasefire deal to be adopted by Israel and Hamas.
NIF Australia, which campaigns for equality, democracy and pluralism” in Israel, issued a statement saying that it was “overjoyed at the news that 245 days after their capture, four hostages have been returned home”. But NIF Australia also said the Israeli rescue operation had resulted in too many deaths:
We, like so many in the Jewish community, have been desperately awaiting the return of the hostages … and, for this reason, we reiterate our calls from last week for all parties to accept the current proposal for a permanent ceasefire and the return of the hostages. There can be no lasting joy in this period of war. We desperately wish for Israel-Palestine to be safe and secure and the only way to ensure that, is a ceasefire deal that brings the hostages home.
The operation that returned the hostages led to too many tragic deaths, and we know that the longer this war goes on, the more lives will be lost unnecessarily. The only period since October 7 where there was a dramatic halt in the number of civilian casualties and there were more than 100 hostages returned was during the month of November when the first ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was struck.
We must work to achieve another ceasefire deal, so that all remaining hostages are returned home and no further lives are lost unnecessarily.
Updated
Australia renews call for Gaza ceasefire after death toll from hostage release operation mounts
The Australian government has responded cautiously to reports from the Gaza health ministry that more than 270 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 injured in the Israeli operation to rescue four hostages.
A spokesperson for the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said:
We want to see all hostages released, civilians protected, and parties agree to the ceasefire proposal presented by President Biden.
This echoes the comments from Anthony Albanese earlier today reiterating support for the US president’s ceasefire proposal. The prime minister had said there had been “too much loss of life, both Israelis and Palestinians”. Albanese had condemned Hamas for taking hostages “and keeping them in captivity close to where there are so many Palestinian civilians”.
In contrast, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, called Saturday’s events a “massacre”, while the UN’s aid chief described in graphic detail scenes of “shredded bodies on the ground”.
The Israeli military has said its forces came under attack during a complex operation, and “under 100 people were killed”; a spokesperson said he did not know how many were civilians.
Injuries after paraglider crashed into Victorian paddock
A paraglider has crashed into a paddock, injuring its two occupants.
Emergency services were called to the crash near Elphinstone, in Central Victoria, just after 11am on Monday.
Victoria police said a 70-year-old Chadstone man and 69-year-old Toorak woman both suffered non-life threatening injuries in the crash.
One was flown to the Alfred hospital and the other was taken by ambulance to Bendigo Health, Ambulance Victoria said.
Police say the cause of the crash is not yet known and have called on anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Vandalism at US consulate in Sydney ‘reprehensible’, Chris Minns says
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has condemned the vandalism of the US consulate in Sydney overnight as “reprehensible”.
NSW police said earlier today that the consulate in North Sydney had been damaged with a sledgehammer and grafittied with inverted red triangles, a symbol used by some pro-Palestinian activists.
Police are appealing to the public for additional information after reviewing CCTV footage they said showed a person outside the building carrying what appeared to be a small sledgehammer, wearing a dark coloured hoodie with their face obscured.
Nine small holes had been smashed into the windows at the front of the building, police said.
Addressing the incident at a press conference this morning, Minns said:
Even if there’s disagreement about events taking place overseas, no one wants to see violence or malicious damage in NSW.
I think it’s reprehensible. It’s an indication of a kind of coarsening of the public debate that no one needs in Australia.
This kind of behaviour will be investigated and punished by NSW police.
Updated
No need to stock up on eggs, Victorian minister says
More from Victorian minister, Natalie Hutchins, who this morning said there was no need for consumers to panic despite Coles limiting how many eggs its customers can buy around the country due to an avian influenza outbreak in Victoria.
She said authorities were working with the five farms where the H7N3 strain of bird flu had been detected in the state’s south-west. She said:
It’s a real challenge that there’s been a fifth farm identified with the avian flu, and I know Ag Vic is working really hard directly with those farmers, but we don’t anticipate that there’s going to be an egg shortage. We don’t think the eggs are being affected but we do know that retailers are making decisions about putting limits in place of how many you can buy, very similar to during Covid with toilet paper. Sometimes when there’s discussions around shortages, it promotes people’s thinking that they need to stock up. They don’t need to stock up. There are still some very good supplies. We are the third biggest supplier around the nation as a state, and we’ll continue to work with our farmers to make sure that the pipeline of product is protected as much as possible during this really difficult time.
Updated
‘Pretty sure Jeff Kennett has one,’ says minister after Kennett criticises honour for Daniel Andrews
The King’s birthday honours are not without some contention this year. Victorian minister Natalie Hutchins was this morning asked about the decision to award the former premier, Daniel Andrews, with the honour. There has been some vocal reaction from Andrews critics, including the former premier Jeff Kennett, who wrote in the Herald Sun that it “reeks of political interference”. Hutchins denied this was the case, telling reporters:
The Victorian government doesn’t determine these awards. These are national awards. But I think it’s well deserved. I think he had gone way beyond the remit of his day to day job during the Covid pandemic. And I congratulate him and also my former colleague Simon Crean in getting his award as well. [I was] very proud of seeing that.
Asked about Kennett’s comments, Hutchins said:
Pretty sure Jeff Kennett has one of these awards, if not that award. I’m not sure which one he got, but I do remember the same public outcry when he got his award. And that’s just the nature of politics. People that did vote for him want him to get it, those that didn’t didn’t want him to get it, that’s just the nature of what happens when politicians get these sorts of awards.
Kennett was indeed granted a Companion of the Order of Australia on Australia Day in 2005 for “service to the Victorian Parliament and the introduction of initiatives for economic and social benefit, to business and commerce, and to the community in the development of the arts, sport and mental health awareness strategies”.
Updated
New Queensland community safety law could apply to environmental protesters
Environmental protesters could be caught up in legislation designed to allow the Queensland government to prevent youth criminals posting footage of hooning or home invasions, a parliamentary committee has heard.
The new community safety bill allows an authorised officer to require a social media site to remove video of a crime from the service. It also makes publishing the footage an offence.
LNP MP Mark Boothman posed a series of hypothetical scenarios to police witnesses to ask whether others could find themselves breaking the new act.
He asked whether Lock the Gate protestors illegally refusing access to a coal seam gas firm would be captured.
There was a lawful direction that a company could access their property. They’ve locked their gates. They’re doing everything they can to obstruct that person. Could that person then place it on social media glorifying their own activities?
Police strategic policy and legislation manager Jamie Impson said it would depend on the exact circumstances, but if the behaviour was unlawful in a way prohibited by the legislation, that would be eligible.
For instance, if they committed unlawful trespass that would be captured, he said.
“Because even people like Bob Brown when they come to the Franklin River, he would have been [in trouble] if there was internet back then,” Boothman said.
Police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said there had been a great effort to avoid capturing people outside the intended youth criminal targets, particularly neighbourhood watch groups.
Updated
Project is ‘some time away’, Natalie Hutchins says
Continuing on Victorian minister Natalie Hutchins, who was then asked whether the plan would be put on the backburner, given the government planned to pour billions into another underground railway project - the Suburban Rail Loop. She replied:
Not to my knowledge. No, but obviously it’s got to be funded in terms of construction in many years to come. But there’s a lot of work to be done before then. We always, as a part of our state planning, look at the best kind of pathways for where a train station could go and those links could go in to advance the development there. This is part of that process.
Asked whether it was “decades away”, Hutchins wouldn’t put a timeline on the plan:
It’s safe to say it is some time away but these things are reactive and responsive in terms of need, responding to how quick the growth is in the area.
Updated
Melbourne Metro 2 ‘very likely’ to go ahead, minister says
Victorian government minister Natalie Hutchins held a press conference earlier this morning to spruik $1.3m in grants to support women entering the energy and manufacturing industries.
She was asked about the Department of Transport and Planning endorsing a plan for an underground train station to be built next to Marvel Stadium in Docklands and two more in Fishermans Bend.
Dubbed “Melbourne Metro 2”, the plan would connect the urban renewal area to the Werribee line, which services the western suburbs.
Asked whether it was likely the project would go ahead, Hutchins replied:
It’s very likely. But when is the question I guess that most people want to know. It’s obviously got to be supported in future budgets but the really important thing is making sure that we have the land set aside and the plans in place to be able to support that into the future. There’s a whole population out there that wants to know that there’s going to be train stations available and networks available before they purchase in that area. And we know it could hold up to about 80,000 residential places but also it’s a major precinct for business as well. And I know that there are a lot of industries that are asking questions around, if we invest in Fisherman’s Bend, will there be the support to get our workers in and out? This is giving a bit of that certainty by making sure that we’ve got those plans out.
Updated
Queensland’s new night-life boss ‘crucial’ to live music economy
A night-life boss is set to oversee Queensland’s after-dark economy in a welcome boost for live music following the closure of venues and festivals.
In a move that has already reaped success in NSW, a Night Life Economy Commissioner will be appointed to work with businesses, live music venues and entertainment precincts across Queensland.
“I know small businesses are doing it tough and none more so than arts businesses and live music venues, which are the lifeblood of precincts and communities across the state,” the premier Steven Miles said on Monday.
The move comes as the state’s night-life venues struggle to stay afloat amid cost of living pressures including high rents and less consumer spending.
The most recent victim is Brisbane icon The Zoo which is set to close its doors next month after 32 years due to rising operational costs and decreasing returns.
Music festivals are also feeling the pinch with the Caloundra music festival cancelling their 2024 event after 17 years following the likes of Groovin the Moo, which took in regional areas including the Sunshine Coast.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Jacqui Lambie: ‘Why they continue to give politicians awards is beyond me’
Back to former Victoria premier Dan Andrews being awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia – senator Jacqui Lambie says politicians being awarded for the job “we get paid to do” is “beyond me”.
Speaking on Today Online this morning, she said:
A lot of people out there … do great things, but don’t have a lot of money, and they’re doing great things around their own community. Why they continue to give politicians awards is beyond me. Really gets up my nose. I have to be honest with you, we get paid to do the job for you. We shouldn’t be getting awards on top of it. Full stop.
Updated
US consulate in Sydney vandalised
The US consulate in Sydney has been vandalised with a sledgehammer, New South Wales police say, after it was painted with a symbol used by some pro-Palestinian activists.
Police were called to the consulate on Miller St in North Sydney about 3am this morning after they received a report someone had smashed nine small holes in the windows at the front of the building.
The windows had also been painted with inverted red triangles, a controversial symbol that has been used in videos by Hamas’ military wing to identify Israeli military targets, but has also been adopted in global protests intended as a general symbol of support for the Palestinian cause.
Police are appealing to the public for additional information after reviewing CCTV footage they said showed a person outside the building carrying what appeared to be a small sledgehammer, wearing a dark coloured hoodie with their face obscured.
Police were unable to say whether the person seen carrying the sledgehammer outside the building had also painted the graffiti.
The incident came after the Israel Defence Forces freed four Israeli hostages in Gaza over the weekend, eight months after they were captured by Hamas militants.
Palestinian authorities have said at least 210 Palestinians were killed and about 400 wounded in Israeli strikes in al-Nuseirat, where the hostages were being held.
Updated
Analysis: Albanese on front foot over Coalition’s climate policy
Let’s take a moment for quick analysis. In his opening remarks, Anthony Albanese mentioned a range of seats that went to so-called teal MPs:
Peter Dutton has moved to the right since the 2022 election resulted in not just a majority Labor government but seats which historically have held past Liberal leaders - seats like Kooyong, Higgins, Wentworth, Warringah, North Sydney, Curtin, all going to non-Liberal hands. When you look at Sydney harbour, there’s not a seat where the Liberals touch the water. That says a lot about the way that they have abandoned any sensible policy.
Most of these seats went to independent candidates promising strong action on climate change. Higgins went to Labor.
Albanese’s mention of these seats is a nod to the view that Peter Dutton will struggle to win back these seats with a policy to backslide on climate action.
It’s notable that Albanese has gone on the front foot today with an attack on Dutton’s talk of walking away from the government’s 2030 emissions reduction target, evidently feeling it’s an area of vulnerability for the Coalition in the run-up to the next federal election.
Updated
Albanese all but confirms Li Qiang visit
Anthony Albanese all but confirms reports that the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, will visit Canberra soon (reports have said next week):
The potential visit of the Chinese premier will be confirmed in the usual way. They’re confirmed with statements which are simultaneously released in Canberra and Beijing. That will occur, but certainly I have said that I welcome the re-engagement that is occurring with China. It’s a good thing. We want to cooperate where we can, we’ll disagree where we must, but we’ll engage in the national interest. And we have an annual bilateral leaders’ meeting. Last year, I held that in Beijing. This year, it’s due to be held here in Canberra.
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Albanese defends Daniel Andrews receiving King’s birthday honour
The prime minister has defended former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews being awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia in the King’s birthday honours list.
This comes after Jeff Kennett, Victorian premier from 1992 to 1999, opined that rewarding Andrews “devalues” the award “beyond recognition” in the Herald Sun this morning.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese says:
I welcome everyone who received honours, and congratulate all of them.
The processes are there, independent, at arm’s length from government. Both Daniel Andrews and Mark McGowan were very successful, from the people who matter to their respective states, in Victoria and Western Australia.
I note as well people like Glenn McGrath receiving an award is a good thing. Sam Mostyn will take up very soon, on July 1 at commemorations that will be held here in the Senate, of course … I think she will be an outstanding governor general. And I think that Simon Crean as well - I was pleased to see him receive an award … his farewell and his loss, I know, was particularly felt by Carol and other members of his family but was felt by the Labor family as well.
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Albanese ‘very confident’ Australia can meet 2030 emissions target
Asked whether he is “clear-eyed about the fact we might not meet the targets in that medium term”, prime minister Anthony Albanese says “we are on track”.
He says stepping away from 2030 emissions targets would be “catastrophic” for Australia’s relations in the region – particularly when Australia is seeking to maintain its influence in the Pacific:
We will produce information every single year, and new policies will be added. As I said, we’re on track for 42% last December, and since then we’ve had significant new policies announced that will further enhance the opportunity. We’ve had record numbers of solar panels put on roofs in the last couple of years. We have businesses coming to see me, through that door, businesses like Rio Tinto and others that are transforming the way that they engage in advanced manufacturing. So I’m very confident not only that we can get there but, importantly, that we must get there.
There’s also consequences for our relationship in the region. We speak about strategic competition. The idea that I would go to - or a future Australian prime minister would go to - a Pacific Island Forum meeting and say, “Sorry, guys, I know that Tuvalu and Kiribati are under threat, their very existence but, you know, we’re stepping back because Matt Canavan and a few people tell us we should” would be catastrophic for Australia’s relations in the region and the world.
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If Australia walked away from the Paris accord it would be associated with Iran, Libya and Yemen, Albanese says
Asked if he is worried that the “climate consensus” could fail with a potential “pushback from the right” in governments around the world, Albanese says “it is only Iran, Libya, Yemen” that Australia should not want to associate with by walking away from 2030 emissions targets.
He says:
Well elections are, of course, a matter for the people in the respective jurisdiction.
And we’ve seen results of those elections come through in places like Indonesia and India, in our own region, and I look forward to welcoming the president-elect here soon of Indonesia.
When you look at the Paris accord, though, as I said, this is where the world has signed up to. It’s only Iran, Libya, Yemen that Australia should not want to be associated with. Peter Dutton apparently thinks that’s OK.
Updated
Peter Dutton ‘worse than Scott Morrison on climate change’, Albanese says
Albanese:
You can’t shape the future if you’re afraid of it, and Peter Dutton is afraid of the future, and he’s incapable of leading Australia towards the future that we need.
Peter Dutton is worse than Scott Morrison on climate change. He is all negativity and no plan.
And what we’ve seen now for two years under Peter Dutton is a reluctance to announce any policies. We’ve seen three, now, budget replies without a single costing. And now he and the Coalition are exposed for what that means.
If you have a budget reply without any media releases, without any costings, without any serious policies, then you can’t be taken seriously as the alternative
Updated
Peter Dutton ‘has never believed in taking action on climate change’, Albanese says
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking live in Canberra.
He says Peter Dutton “has never believed in taking action on climate change,” after the opposition leader said he would abandon Australia’s 2030 emission targets if elected.
Albanese says:
[Dutton’s] decision to abandon the 2030 target means him walking away from the Paris accord.
The Coalition have been a mess. For 10 years, they had 22 policies and didn’t land one. We’ve had one policy, we landed it. A 2030 target of 43%. Net zero by 2050. Both of them legislated.
Updated
More than half Australians oppose allowing schools to sack gay teachers, polling shows
More than half of Australians oppose laws allowing faith-based schools to legally sack or refuse to hire teachers on the basis of sexuality and gender identity, as the proposed changes to discrimination and religious discrimination law once again reach a political deadlock.
The new data comes as a Brisbane religious school, Citipointe Christian College, issued an expression of regret on Sunday after it released an enrolment contract in 2022 that included a “statement of faith” implying that transgender students would only be recognised by their “biological sex”, and described homosexual acts as “immoral” and “offensive to God”.
Read the full story here:
Sydney council ordered to pay back pork-barrelling grants
A suburban Sydney council will need to repay millions of dollars it controversially received from a grants fund awarded to almost entirely Coalition electorates under the former New South Wales government.
Hornsby Shire Council, in the city’s north, was awarded $40 million to build a park under the Stronger Communities fund set up in 2017 to support councils that were forced to merge.
But the council never amalgamated and an inquiry would later reveal 96 per cent of grants went to coalition or marginal electorates in the lead up to the 2019 NSW election.
On Monday, the NSW Labor government ordered the council to repay $36m in unspent funds, describing the scheme as “egregious” pork barrelling.
“There have been significant delays in the delivery of the project and limited progress has been demonstrated, with most of the grant money yet to be spent,” a statement read.
A request from the council for an extension of time to utilise the unspent funds has been refused.
A separate request for an extension to use a $50 million grant to turn a quarry into parkland has been approved after construction was found to have significantly progressed.
– via AAP
Updated
NSW premier says Vivid crowd management 'not good enough'
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, said the crowd management at Vivid festival over the weekend was “not good and not good enough” after attendees feared a crowd crush while leaving a drone show at the festival on Saturday night.
Speaking on Nine this morning, Minns said lessons had been learned and that Sunday had been a smoother and safer experience.
He said:
We’ve learned from the mistakes of that first drone show. The second night, the subsequent night, went better, according to NSW police.
They did a big walk through in the morning, worked out what went wrong, road closures were put in place at an earlier point in the day and we also made sure that some of the crowd barricades weren’t put in the same spots. Last night went better.
He said he hoped families would be able to enjoy the final drone show “and we do a better job of crowd management”.
Updated
Brisbane Christian school issues apology two years after gender contracts
A Pentecostal Christian school has expressed regret for introducing a controversial student gender and sexuality contract two years ago.
Brisbane’s Citipointe Christian College in Carindale said it now recognised all members of the school community deserved to feel safe and respected following a contract that stipulated it would only enrol students on the basis of the gender that corresponds to their biological sex.
It also said homosexuality was “sinful”, like bestiality, incest and pedophilia in the January 2022 decision.
The school eventually withdrew the contracts and principal Brian Mulheran stood aside.
“It is acknowledged that the issuance of the enrolment contract, coupled with a request for the prompt execution and return, caused distress and concern to some students and parents,” the school said in a statement on Sunday.
We regret any distress or concern which was caused to students, parents and guardians of students or prospective students of the college.
The controversial matter was referred by parents and former students to the Human Rights Commission over discrimination concerns.
An agreement between the school and parents was made following settlement discussions.
- Australian Associated Press
Read more from Ben Smee here:
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Coles limiting egg purchases everywhere except WA
Here is more on Coles’s egg limits:
Coles has introduced national limits on egg purchases due to a growing bird flu outbreak in Victoria.
The highly pathogenic H7N3 strain of bird flu has been detected on five farms in the state’s southwest, with more than half a million chickens euthanised in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.
The supermarket giant’s customers in every state and territory can now only buy a maximum of two egg cartons, with the exception of Western Australia.
Coles says the limit is temporary but has not revealed how long it is expected to last. A spokesperson said:
We are working closely with all of our suppliers to ensure eggs remain available for our customers and we are providing support to the industry in responding to the Avian Flu cases in Victoria.
Woolworths does not have any limits on egg purchases and no other national stores have publicised limits.
- via AAP
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Push to reignite Uluru tourism after downturn
Tourism operators at one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks are pushing to bring visitors back to the region after years of downturn since the pandemic.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park in the Northern Territory hosted 164,678 tourists in the first nine months of 2023, compared to more than 300,000 in 2017, according to Parks Australia.
Matthew Cameron-Smith, chief executive of Voyages, the area’s main accommodation provider, said the wait continues for international tourism to fully return.
“Part of that is that the Japanese market hasn’t bounced back,” he said. “But the US and UK markets are doing exceptionally well. About 25% of our visitors now are international, when it should be 50%.”
Cameron-Smith said foreign tourists typically made up half of the region’s visitors before the pandemic. More than 400,000 people visited Uluru in 2019, with many spurred on by the impending closure of Uluru’s climb that October.
This figure plummeted to less than 100,000 in 2020 with the park closed for several months and state and international borders impacted for almost two years.
Re-starting again takes a lot more than it does to stop. It’s hard to start again.
Virgin Australia, in partnership with the NT government, has now become the latest carrier to ferry tourists from capital cities to the red centre.
The flights will inject more than 62,000 seats per year to the region and run to and from Brisbane three times and Melbourne four times per week from Thursday 6 June.
- via AAP
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Man accused of assaulting another man with scissors and golf club in Sydney
A man in his 60s will face court today after another man was allegedly assaulted with a pair of scissors and a golf club in western Sydney, according to NSW police.
About 4.30pm yesterday, emergency services attended Rawson Road, Guildford, after a 46-year-old man flagged down a passing motorist who called triple zero.
Paramedics treated the man at the scene for injuries “consistent with an assault,” NSW police said. He was taken to Westmead hospital in a stable condition.
A short time later, officers arrested a 61-year-old man outside a residential housing complex along the same road. He was taken to Granville police station.
The men are known to each other, police say.
Officers established a crime scene at a unit inside the complex, which is the residence of the older man, and police will allege that the men entered the unit about 7pm on Saturday.
An argument allegedly developed between the two at the unit. The younger man was allegedly assaulted with a number of items including a pair of scissors and a golf club. It will be further alleged he was prevented from leaving the premises before he was able to flee.
The older man has been charged with aggravated sex assault, inflict actual bodily harm on victim, and “take etc person intend commit serious indictable offence”. He has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta local court today.
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(Continued from previous post)
About half of the older Australians surveyed said they would be happy to help out their children if they could still stay in the family home, Ben Hillier said.
He said 90% of intergenerational wealth is passed on as an inheritance and – as a result of Australia’s ageing population – more often than not to the over 50s.
“Not when you need it,” Hillier explains.
Ideally you want to help your kids when they’re raising their own small children, when they’re getting into the housing market ... not when they’re pre-retirees themselves.
The intergenerational wealth transfer that’s happening is not that useful.
But there are obstacles and disincentives to passing on wealth, even if older Australians were prepared to do so, he says.
If they were to sell the family home and downsize, older Australians will face stamp duty and transaction costs, as well as the loss of lifestyle.
If they stay put but release equity from the home, they will also face disincentives – any equity that gets released counts against them in the aged pension means-testing; and there are also penalties when gifting large sums of money to their children.
Government legislation should be overhauled to allow a freer transfer of wealth from older Australians to younger generations, Hillier said.
- via AAP
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Most boomers won’t give up retirement lifestyle to help kids, research shows
Baby boomers can see younger Australians are struggling financially and want to help where they can, but they are not willing to do so at the expense of their retirement lifestyle, new research shows.
Four in five Australians over 65 think their children are facing harder times than they experienced at the same age and a corresponding three in four believe passing on their wealth is important, according to new research by AMP.
But despite wanting to help, seven in ten surveyed said they were reluctant to compromise their retirement lifestyle to do so.
“There’s a widely held perception that older people think younger people have it better than they did. You know, ‘kids these days’,” said AMP’s director of retirement Ben Hillier.
The research is challenging that, he said.
But you have this bipolar situation where while they do believe they’re struggling and they do want to help them, they’re not comfortable to do so at the expense of their own lifestyles.
- via AAP
More to come in the next post.
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Federal government unveils national anti-vaping advertising campaign
The government will today launch a new $63.4m ‘Give Up For Good’ campaign targeting smokers and vapers, younger and older.
The federal government says the campaign is historic: the first time that it has advertised to the public about the risks and harms of vaping, the first time in nearly 10 years that it has produced a national smoking campaign, and the first time that TikTok will be used in an Australian government campaign.
The campaign includes four separate but complementary streams of advertising targeting key audiences:
Young people who vape: ‘Why Are We Still Doing This?’
Adults who vape: ‘Vaping. Are You Really Choosing Anymore?’
Adults who smoke: ‘Choose Your Hard’
First Nations adults who smoke - ‘Keep At Quitting’
The advertising will run until December 2024 and is part of a multi-year investment, with future phases of advertising planned.
The expanded support services will include:
funding to expand and ensure nationally equitable access to Quitline services;
development of an online cessation hub that is now live at quit.org.au;
redevelopment of the My QuitBuddy app to provide new features and support;
dedicated resources to support parents and carers; and
updated clinical guidance for health practitioners.
Quit director Rachael Andersen said:
We’re here to help all Australians quitting smoking or vaping. Our new digital hub will evolve to meet the needs of young people, those most targeted by the insidious Big Tobacco industry, intent on hooking a new generation of customers on nicotine.
Health minister Mark Butler said:
The Albanese Government has been closing every one of the loopholes left by the former government’s failed vaping policies, including closing the border to non-therapeutic vapes and introducing world leading legislation to prevent the commercial possession, sale, supply and manufacture.
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Anne Aly to represent Australia at Gaza humanitarian conference
The Labor minister Anne Aly will attend an international conference convened by Egypt, Jordan and the UN “on the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, on behalf of the foreign minister, Penny Wong.
Aly, the minister for early childhood education and the minister for youth, will travel to Amman in Jordan for the conference, which is due to be held tomorrow.
In a statement, Wong and Aly’s offices restate the Australian government’s call “that Israel must comply with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice, including to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale”.
Aly said the “humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic”:
Over one million Palestinians are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and around 1.7 million people have been displaced, many several times over. Humanitarian access remains grossly inadequate.
And Wong urged that “this war must end”:
The human suffering in Gaza is unacceptable. Australia has been part of the international push for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to reach Gazans in desperate need, and for hostages to be released. Australia’s participation in this conference is part of that international effort.
Dr Anne Aly and her family are among many in the Australian community who have lived experience and understanding of the long and devastating conflict in the Middle East.
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Coles introduces egg limits as bird flu spreads in Victoria
Coles is limiting how many eggs customers can buy after a deadly strain of bird flu was found at a fifth farm in Victoria.
The Coles online store notifies customers of the egg limit:
Due to supply issues, we have introduced a temporary limit of 2 items per transaction on eggs.
The limit comes days after an avian influenza strain, H7N3, was detected at a Lethbridge farm owned by Farm Pride in south-west Victoria, sparking a safety alert for all bird owners including farmers and households with chickens.
Hundreds of thousands of hens have been culled amid the outbreak. Read more here:
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Good morning
And welcome back to another week of the live blog. To start us off this morning, a few top stories:
The federal government will today launch a new $63.4m “Give Up For Good” advertising campaign targeting smokers and vapers. The government says it is the first time it has advertised to the public about the risks and harms of vaping, and the first time in nearly 10 years that it has produced a national anti-smoking campaign.
Emergency services will begin assessing damage to river towns near Sydney as floods recede and residents return home, AAP reports. Residents of Pitt Town Bottoms, Camden and Ellis Lane were allowed to return yesterday morning, but the New South Wales State Emergency Service is urging people to remain wary around the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment.
The Queensland attorney general, Yvette D’Ath, is pushing to water down draft reforms to the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act, amid concern Labor does not want to be drawn into “a fight with the churches” before the state election. A heated debate is expected before state cabinet on Monday, where Guardian Australia understands D’Ath will bring a new proposal.
And new data shows a quarter of all matters before local courts in NSW last year were related to domestic violence, as community legal services warn of a critical lack in funding to help victim-survivors seek justice.
Let’s get the blog rolling – if you see anything you don’t want us to miss, shoot it my way @At_Raf_ on X.
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