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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Elias Visontay and Emily Wind (earlier)

Hanson-Young labels Dutton’s voice campaigning ‘sinister’ – as it happened

Australia Martin Farrer Google Meta
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young speaks at a Redfern rally in support of the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young speaks at a Redfern rally in support of the Indigenous voice to parliament. Photograph: Pete Dovgan/Speed Media/Shutterstock

What we learned today, Tuesday 3 October

With that, we’ll wrap up our live coverage of the day’s news.

Here’s a summary of the main news developments:

Thanks for reading, have a pleasant evening.

Updated

NSW Kearsley fire alert level downgraded from ‘emergency’ to ‘watch and act’

In some positive news on the firefront, the blaze at Kearsley in New South Wales has been downgraded from “emergency” to “watch and act”.

Firefighters remain on scene and will work over the coming hours to contain the fire, the Rural Fire Service said. Residents are advised to monitor conditions and stay up-to-date.

Updated

Rural Fire Service imagery from the bushfire at Coolagolite in the Bega Valley of New South Wales, which is set to be blown east towards to the town of Bermagui around midnight.

Updated

Emergency warnings issued as wind direction around Coolagolite fire shifts to the east

The town of Bermagui on the New South Wales south coast is bracing for worsening fire conditions as a blaze in Coolagolite in the Bega valley is expected to be blown towards the beachside town later tonight.

The Rural Fire Service has issued an emergency warning for the areas around the fire – including Bermagui, Cuttagee and Barragga Bay – urging residents that it is too late to leave and to seek shelter.

Gordon Patterson, the president of the Bermagui Area chamber of commerce, said “winds have been horrific”, turning what began as a grass fire into a region-wide emergency warning.

Patterson said people in the area have evacuated down to beaches – either to the headland at Bermagui but in some instances, whichever stretches of coast they could reach.

Patterson told ABC News that evacuees were waiting for midnight as winds blowing the fire eastwards threaten the area. “We’re just sitting and waiting,” he said.

Patterson also criticised the state of communications infrastructure. He said that phone coverage had collapsed on Tuesday – something which had also occurred when the area was devastated by the 2020 black summer bushfires.

He complained at a lack of backup communications services for the area, noting residents were unable to communicate with those in neighbouring towns to coordinate their evacuation.

Updated

Greens senator blames Peter Dutton for ‘divisive’ referendum debate

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has suggested opposition leader Peter Dutton is to blame for falling support for the Voice and the divisiveness of the debate about the referendum.

Hanson-Young, speaking to the ABC’s Greg Jennett, said she believed she and her Greens colleagues had been “campaigning hard” for the voice, and that the positive shift in support for the yes vote seen in Tuesday’s Guardian Essential poll – while still trailing the no side – has given her heart.

Hanson-Young then said:

When you ask who there is to blame, I put the blame squarely at the feet of Peter Dutton and Pauline Hanson, but Peter Dutton in particular, he made this referendum divisive the day he said he was going to campaign no.

He did that not because it was the right thing or the wrong thing to do. He did it for his own personal political gain. That’s all he’s done. He’s been divisive. It’s sinister, and he hopes that this will give him a bit longer to hang on as leader of the opposition. His own personal political objective above unifying the country. That’s who’s made it divisive.

Hanson Young, when asked which states she believed would deliver yes vote majorities, said “it is going to be tight everywhere because the no campaign have run a divisive sinister, a campaign based on mistruth and division”.

“It is a hard ask, but I am hopeful that Australians are seeing through this sinister approach,” she said.

Updated

Total fire bans in place across parts of NSW on Wednesday

In New South Wales, there will be total fire bans in place tomorrow for the Northern Slopes, North Western, and Greater Hunter.

“With hot, dry and windy conditions, extreme & high fire danger ratings are forecast across the state,” the Rural Fire Service said.

Meanwhile, the RFS this afternoon has issued multiple emergency warnings including for a fire at Kearsley as well as in the Bega Valley.

Updated

Former Queensland deputy Jackie Trad wins case to keep corruption watchdog report secret

The former Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad has won a bid to keep a report secret after the state’s corruption watchdog admitted it had no power to release the information.

Judge Martin Burns dismissed the supreme court case on Tuesday and ordered the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) to pay Trad’s legal costs.

Trad had brought legal action against the CCC in May 2021 in an attempt to suppress a report that included allegations that she intervened in the recruitment of a senior public servant in 2019.

Peter Dunning, a lawyer for the CCC, conceded on Tuesday the corruption watchdog had no authority to release the report after a high court ruling in favour of the ex-public trustee Peter Carne. Dunning said:

[After the Carne decision and without legislative change], we have no power to do such a report. And therefore, we accept that it is no longer a controversy.

I think it’s appropriate that those documents remain sealed.

Carne was investigated after an anonymous corruption allegation in 2018 but the CCC report was never published. The CCC had criticised the high court decision to keep the Carne report suppressed, claiming the move was “clearly not in the public interest”.

Updated

Jim Chalmers: ‘the last thing Australians needed today was another interest rate rise’

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has welcomed the Reserve Bank’s decision to hold the cash rate at 4.1%. Chalmers, speaking from Hobart, said:

This is a really welcome outcome for a lot of Australia … The last thing Australians needed today was another interest rate rise.

We want to see people being able to service their mortgage and being able to provide for their loved ones.

Chalmers acknowledged that inflation will be “higher than we like for longer than we like”.

“Australians are doing it tough,” he said.

Updated

Victoria SES volunteers have responded to 250 calls for help

Tim Wiebusch, the Victoria State Emergency Service’s chief officer of operations, says volunteers have responded to 250 calls for help, largely across eastern metropolitan Melbourne and bayside areas.

He says flooding will likely commence on Wednesday afternoon in the Gippsland region and continue into the weekend.

Wiebusch says flooding in eastern areas of the state will likely cause localised road closures and some small communities could become isolated for 12-24 hours.

So we are asking those communities to go and download your local flood guide now and understand what that might mean for you.

He urges people not to attempt to drive through waters caused by flash flooding.

Updated

Cause of Briagolong bushfire remains unknown: CFA

Hefferman is responding to reports some private burns have ignited fires but says the cause of the Briagolong bushfire remains unknown:

There is no maliciousness in this. These are people who are preparing their property for the summer season.

Hefferman says the cleanup from the Gippsland fires could take weeks. He says he expects the Briagolong bushfire will “significantly” decrease in the coming days:

The rain will fall. It will dry out again. We need to ensure we have good containment lines ... it will take a number of days to really lock that one away.

Updated

Jason Heffernan, CFA chief officer, says the rain is welcome on the firegrounds (area where the firefighting operation is taking place):

These three days have been very challenging fire conditions in the state of Victoria.

Hefferman says the Briagolong fire is estimated to be 17,500 hectares but rain is expected to ease conditions.

Updated

BoM warns fire and floods expected in parts of Victoria

Victoria’s emergency management authorities are giving an update on the bushfire in the Gippsland region.

Firefighters are battling the fire in Victoria’s east that has almost tripled in size overnight but are hoping a cool change will provide a reprieve.

Christie Johnson, a Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist, says a cold front is moving across the state:

Those strong winds are continuing over the east of the state and there continues to be a damaging wind warning over parts off the east.

Johnson says rainfall between 30-60mm is expected in Victoria’s east and heavy rainfall in the region could lead to flash flooding. She says a low-pressure system will develop on Wednesday and heavy rainfall will continue.

Authorities expect weather conditions will settle from Friday and into the weekend.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today! I’ll leave you in the capable hands of my colleague Elias Visontay, who will guide you through the afternoon news.

Wet weather forecast for Melbourne until the end of the week

Meanwhile in Melbourne, even more wet weather is expected into the afternoon:

The showers looks set to continue, with a 95% chance of rain tomorrow, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Showers look likely to persist until the end of the week, however a maximum rainfall of just 2mm is forecast for Friday (compared to 40mm today).

Updated

RBA signals further tightening of monetary policy ‘may be required’ after rates held at 4.1%

Every month, along with its decision, the RBA publishes its reasons in a statement from the governor.

This is the first statement from Michele Bullock, and the first statement from someone other than Dr Phil Lowe since rates started increasing back in May.

There has not been too much deviation in the language – the bank, under Bullock’s stewardship, is still focused on returning to the inflation target band (of between 2 and 3%) as a “priority”.

So what are they looking at? Services price inflation – which has been “surprisingly persistent overseas and the same could occur in Australia” (that is the price increases in services).

And while there are signs that “many households [are] experiencing a painful squeeze on their finances”, others “are benefiting from rising housing prices, substantial savings buffers and higher interest income” (Who could that be? Spoiler – the data [in the aggregate] tells us it is the over 65s – boomers).

The bank has an eye on China and its economy as well.

All of that means “some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target in a reasonable timeframe”.

What is further tightening of monetary policy? Interest rate increases are still on the cards. But it will depend on the data, the governor says, and “the evolving assessment of risks”.

Among those risks, are the risk that the brakes are put on too hard and Australia enters a recession. So the board will be watching the global economy, trends in household spending, and the outlook for inflation and the labour market.

In short:

The board remains resolute in its determination to return inflation to target and will do what is necessary to achieve that outcome.

Updated

Emergency fire warnings issued for areas along NSW south coast

Emergency fire warnings have been issued for parts of the Bega Valley on New South Wales’ south coast, as well as Abernethy near Cessnock.

The NSW Rural Fire Service said communities in the Bermagui, Cuttagee and Baragga Bay areas along the south coast are in danger due to a large bushfire and it is now too late to leave:

Seek shelter now inside a solid structure such as a house.

The fire is moving in an easterly direction under strong westerly winds, the RFS said, and is likely to impact on homes and properties in the areas of Bermagui, Cuttagee and Baragga Bay. Embers will be blown long distances ahead of the main fire front starting spot fires. Firefighters and aircraft are working in the area.

Meanwhile, an emergency warning has also been issued for the Abernethy area, near Cessnock, due to an out-of-control bushfire near Kearsley.

The fire is burning in a southerly direction and is likely to impact homes and properties in Abernethy. It is too late for people in this area to leave, with Abernethy residents urged to seek shelter inside a solid structure such as a house.

Updated

Cash rate holds at 4.1%

The RBA has held interest rates for the fourth month in a row.

In what was Michele Bullock’s first board meeting as governor, the RBA board decided to keep the interest rate steady at 4.1%.

Anthony Albanese opens federal cabinet meeting in Tasmania

Anthony Albanese speaks to the media in Tasmania
Anthony Albanese at a TasTafe campus in Hobart earlier today. Photograph: Ethan James/AAP

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been out and about in Tasmania, talking Tafe, healthcare and, of course, the voice – and the state is also the location of the federal government cabinet meeting. Cabinet meetings outside Canberra aren’t new – but it is also a way of saying “look! We don’t just govern from the Canberra bubble – we get out to all sorts of places!”.

As part of letting people know that the seat of power can sit anywhere in Australia, leaders, when holding federal cabinet meetings outside of Canberra, also like to open up the start of the meeting to the media. Usually these things are very hush hush (you may be familiar with the phrases “we don’t discuss what happens in cabinet” or “cabinet confidentiality”) but when the start of the meeting is opened up, you know that the prime minister is talking to you (while looking at his ministers).

Part of what Albanese wanted to say today, along with how great Tasmania is and also the need to keep campaigning for a yes vote, was this little interaction he had with a woman and her friends during a meet and greet walk.

... we ran into a hens gathering of about twenty-five, they were quite surprised to see the prime minister walking past Salamanca Place, but we had a chat with the bride-to-be and many of her friends, and indeed, she did invite me to the wedding.

I probably won’t be attending, but she had a cardboard cutout of her future husband there, so he was a part of the exercise as well. But Tasmanians are very welcoming people.

Will we see “meet the prime minister” on future bachelorette bingo cards? Stranger things have happened.

Updated

Peter Dutton: referendum is a ‘mistake’ and Albanese should be ‘man enough’ to ‘take responsibility’

Speaking about the voice to parliament referendum, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, argued there would be improvements for Indigenous communities such as Alice Springs if the Coalition is successful at the next election and he becomes prime minister and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price becomes the minister for Indigenous Australians.

[Price] has a practical knowledge, understanding and an ability to apply that skilled knowledge to the benefit of Indigenous Australians.

She’s not interested in capital-city talks and academic … pontificating over how money should be spent, she wants to help people in Indigenous communities.

Dutton also argued the referendum has been a “mistake” and that the prime minister needs to “be man enough” to “take responsibility” for this.

The problem is that people like Anthony Albanese and Linda Burney, they haven’t been able to deliver for Indigenous Australians and they’ve embarked our country on a path to division … the prime minister was told on numerous occasions not to take the country down this path but he made a deliberate decision to do so, and he should be man enough to stand up and take responsibility for the mistakes he’s made.

Our own Katharine Murphy has some thoughts on division, below:

Updated

Dutton says yes campaign purple signs are ‘clearly against the advice of the AEC’

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, just spoke to the media from Perth, alongside no campaigner Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Senator Michaelia Cash.

He was asked about signage placed by the Yes23 campaign at at least one pre-polling station, using a similar purple to that of the Australian Electoral Commission’s brand.

As we reported earlier, the AEC warned this could “potentially mislead voters”. Yes23 has complied with a request not to place signage in proximity of AEC voting centre signs.

Speaking to the media, Dutton said:

It’s inappropriate, they’ve advised against it, and I hope that the yes campaign takes note of that.

…I hope the yes campaign heeds the advice of the [AEC] because what they’ve done is clearly against the advice of the AEC …

Updated

RBA rates decision due at 2:30PM DST

A reminder that the RBA board is due to hand down its first rates decision with Michele Bullock as governor this afternoon at 2.30pm (Sydney DST).

Most economists are in agreement that there will be no changes to the rate (currently at 4.10%) – but that is for this month. And there is always room for surprises.

Jonathan Barrett took the temperature on where economists saw rates going in the near term – you can read that here.

At this point, economists think there may be a reprieve on rate rises until at least November, when the RBA gets the next round of quarterly inflation data. That of course is historic, but the board uses that – as well as international trends – to try and predict where Australia is heading and how much of a brake it needs to apply, if any.

We’ll let you know the decision as soon as it’s released.

Updated

Sydney breaks 3 October heat record, reaching 35.7C at Observatory Hill

Sydney appears to have broken its 3 October temperature record as the city faces yet another hot day.

Observatory Hill reached 35.7C at 1.43pm this afternoon, marking the city’s hottest 3 October.

The temperature may creep even higher as the afternoon continues – we will keep an eye on it.

This beats the previous temperature record, set in both 2007 and 2008, when Observatory Hill recorded 34.8C.

Throughout the past five years, the hottest 3 October temperature recorded was 29.3C.

An extreme fire danger rating was in place for the Greater Sydney region today, as well as a total fire ban.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the forecast for the rest of today shows Sydney reaching a top of 33C, with sun protection recommended until 3.50pm.

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun in Sydney
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun in Sydney. Photograph: Brent Lewin/AAP

Updated

Galah might be next to go … vote for Australian bird of the year!

Now that the National Press Club has wrapped up, it’s time for a very important afternoon reminder – don’t forget to cast your vote in our Australian bird of the year poll!

Sadly the Australian raven has been knocked out of the rankings, and the galah looks likely to be the next big name to go.

Meanwhile, the laughing kookaburra has issued this PSA to win your votes – will they be successful?

Updated

Students with disabilities should be ‘supported and welcomed’ into vocational programs, O’Connor says

Finally, Brendan O’Connor was asked about rates of enrolment and attainment of students with disabilities in vocational education and training (Vet).

The latest data shows 4% of Vet program enrolments are from students with a disability, a steady decline since 2018.

O’Connor says “we need to make sure that they feel that they’re being supported and welcomed”.

My main point is ... the labour market is very tight ... we have to do a lot of things, including skilled migration. But the other opportunity of a tight labour market is making sure that people who have hitherto been locked out of the labour market are given access.

I’ve spoken to a number of employers who ... are now more amenable to employing particular cohorts of people that they perhaps hitherto had not contemplated. So this is an opportunity to give people a chance who haven’t been given chances. I think that’s not just a social good, but in the circumstances that we can find an economic imperative and that includes people with disability.

Updated

Northern Territory Indigenous elders back yes vote in new online videos

Indigenous elders across the Northern Territory have backed the voice referendum, in new videos shared online by the Yes23 campaign.

Aunty Bilawara Lee, Central Land Council delegate Rene Kulitja, and former Central Land Council president Sammy Wilson have fronted new pleas to back the voice.

Lee said:

I’ve seen so much history in my lifetime. Now is the next sensible step in the recovery and recompense to Aboriginal people for all that was done to them.

How do we keep our kids at school? How do we stop our communities suffering the scourge of domestic violence, suicide, mental health? Unless they talk to us, they’re never going to get it right.

I’ve had so many people say to me, ‘you’re an elder why don’t you fix this problem?’ Okay give me a seat at the table. Let me have my say. Let me bring our suggested solutions to these major issues.

Both the yes and no campaign say they have polling and research saying voters want to hear from Indigenous Australians before they make up their mind on the ballot. Both campaigns are bringing Indigenous people to the forefront of their campaign material in the final days. Yes23 points to published polling saying above 80% of Indigenous Australians back the voice.

Sitting on the ground in the Northern Territory, framed by shots of Uluru, Kulitja says:

We’re not going to take anything away. We don’t want to take anything belonging to anyone else.

Wilson, also in the red dirt, tells the video:

We need partners. Come and talk with us and take it on. Sometimes what we say doesn’t reach the right ears.

Updated

Get ‘rid of bottom feeders, dodgy providers’ to clean up vocational sector, O’Connor says

Conversation at the National Press Club returns to reforms announced today to clean up rorts in vocational education and training.

Asked how concerned Brendan O’Connor is that courses “aren’t real or aren’t up to scratch”, he acknowledges “we need to get rid of the bottom feeders”.

We cannot have substandard training providers, who were there ... for other purposes, mainly allowing people to get access to the labor market.

Now we have to make sure that students overseas get access to the labor market, just like Australian students get access ... but we need to get rid of the bottom feeders, dodgy providers who are not there for the genuine purpose of educating and training people.

Asked how many of these “dodgy operators” would get shut down, he cautions: “I would say probably more than a dozen, but under a hundred”.

The series of the combinations of things we’ve been announcing, I think we’ll remedy some of these problems, but we’ll have to monitor it and if we need to take more action, we will be prepared to.

Updated

‘Permanent skilled migration’ could help deal with nation’s skills crisis, O’Connor says

Back to the press club, where Brendan O’Connor is being asked about the skills crisis he spoke about during his address.

Q: How much does immigration really need to do the heavy lifting?

He says immigration plays a “massive role” but it isn’t a binary choice, and Australia could benefit from more permanent skilled migration.

You need to supply skills to our economy, our labor market, through skilled migration ... but I never see it as one option or the other. And I think that we need to have a very knowledgeable, skilled workforce of our own. And we need to rely on skilled migration where we need to do so.

I think we’ve also probably relied too heavily on temporary skilled migration. If these skills are in such demand as they are often globally, we need to attract people and we need to offer them permanent skilled migration in many instances.

Updated

Second watch and act warning: Kearsley, near Cessnock, NSW

A second watch and act warning has been issued in New South Wales, this time for Kearsley, near Cessnock.

The NSW RFS has warned of an out-of-control bushfire near Kearsley, 5km south-east of Cessnock.

It is burning in an easterly direction towards Lake Road and Kearsley Road. People in these areas are urged to prepare now and check and follow their bushfire survival plan.

The RFS reminds:

Leaving early is your safest option.

Updated

First-year apprentice’s low wages need addressing to ‘increase likelihood of completion,’ O’Connor says

Turning to the cost-of-living crisis, Brendan O’Connor is asked whether the low wages of apprentices in their first year on the job need to be addressed.

A reminder, in the higher education sector, placements mandatory for courses like nursing, teaching and social work are fully unpaid.

He agrees completion rates for apprenticeships are “way too low”, sitting at about 55%.

It’s been a problem. It’s been around for some time, and we want to change that ... we have to be fiscally responsible to taxpayers. To fund every form of training where the employer is benefiting from the apprentice, but we need to target the support so it increases the likelihood of completion.

The idea of just front-end loading support for apprentices for example is wrong.

Updated

Man accused of stealing and crashing police van

A man has been arrested after allegedly stealing and crashing a police van north of Brisbane, AAP reports.

Police said officers were responding to reports of an armed man at Narangba after 3am on Tuesday when they confronted the 37-year-old.

He then allegedly drove off in the police van before crashing along nearby Anzac Avenue at Mango Hill and fleeing on foot.

He was arrested nearby and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries where he is under police guard.

Tafe and universities to ‘collaborate more effectively,’ O’Connor says

Brendan O’Connor is asked whether he is advocating for a scenario where Tafe is working alongside the university sector in a more formal setting, including being located on the same premises or sharing qualifications.

He says there is “already collaboration” between the two sectors but there is also frequently competition.

Although the work has been done, it is patchy and frankly too slow ... it’s also to disabuse people of the notion that somehow one is a lot higher and one is a bit lower.

He says skills and knowledge are “two sides of the same coin” and “plenty of jobs” require both.

We really need to lift this accelerator, because we do need to have a composite of skills and knowledge that can happen if we make sure the tertiary sectors collaborate more effectively.

Updated

Minister for training closes speech with $37.8m to nation’s skills regulator

Brendan O’Connor concludes his speech touting further measures announced today enforcing compliance in the vocational training sector.

It includes a $37.8m boost to the regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (Asqa), including the establishment of an integrity unit to identify and address potentially unlawful behaviour and a tip line for whistleblowers.

Not only do we need to lift the standards of behaviour ... we need to make sure that quality is there for those students.

He is now taking questions.

Updated

Unions ‘locked out’ of consultation on relevant skills and training needed, O’Connor says

O’Connor says cooperation between states and territories on education “hasn’t always been evident”, pointing to the upcoming national skills reform agreement to be handed down late this year.

Frankly, the Coalition government failed to land one national skills agreement in their nine years in government.

They just gave up or couldn’t do it. Apathy and hubris meant they thought it wasn’t worth the effort. So when we came to office, we found that there were no agreements, not with state or territory governments, not even with one state or territory government.

He says unions, too, have been “locked out” for too long, and deserve greater consultation going forward.

We know that you get better policy outcomes when those who are affected by those policies have a seat at the table to ensure skills and training is relevant and enduring.

Updated

Major overhaul needed to bridge gap between vocational and university education, O’Connor says

Speaking at the press club, Brendan O’Connor says the federal government’s agenda “cannot be achieved” without a major overhaul of Australia’s education system.

He points to a vision of engaging academic experts to design and deliver training, and bridging the gap between vocational and university education.

What this is about is giving workers the depth and breadth of skills they need to meet future challenges ... let me be very clear. Our nation’s economic, social and environmental agenda - the Albanese government’s agenda - cannot be achieved without a major systemic change to the way we educate and try to help people.

He says the risk of not doing so is a future skills crisis that could have “very real and profound” consequences for the future of national wellbeing.

Updated

Crews to contain Flinders Island fire with waterbombing

TasAlert has just issued the latest on the Flinders Island blaze (we brought you more on this earlier):

Crews are today working on constructing containment lines behind properties at Leeka, and will utilise waterbombing aircraft to slow the forward progression of the fire.

A bushfire emergency warning message has been issues for Leeka, West End Road and Palana Road.

The fire is impacting the Leeka community, with firefighters working to protect property.

No property has been lost, however West End Road is without power as ten power poles are down.

Updated

Vocational education needs to be held in same esteem as universities, O’Connor says

And back to the National Press Club:

Brendan O’Connor says if Australia will meet the national challenges it is facing, vocational education and training (Vet) needs to be held in the same esteem as a university pathway.

For many decades, we have been understandably focused on the shift to a knowledge economy. In much discussion and debate this has resulted in competition between Vet and university - between the hand and the head - between doing and thinking, as if hands and heads are somehow disconnected.

He points to countries like Switzerland and Germany, where vocational training is frequently employed as a pathway to university-level qualifications.

We need to increase collaboration between the two tertiary sectors ... and it must accelerate.

Updated

Victorian Emergency Services issues flood watch warnings

Victorian Emergency Services has issued flood watch warnings as moderate to heavy rainfalls are forecast to develop over the state’s eastern ranges during Tuesday into Wednesday.

Minor to moderate flooding is expected in the following areas:

  • Ovens and King Rivers

  • Kiewa River

  • Upper Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers

  • South Gippsland Rivers

  • Seven and Castle Creeks

  • Broken River

  • Latrobe River

  • Thomson River

  • Bunyip River

  • Dandenong Creek

  • Macalister River

  • Yarra River to Coldstream

  • Avon River

  • Mitchell River

  • Tambo River

  • Snowy River and Bemm

  • Cann and Genoa Rivers.

Residents in the affected areas are urged to stay informed.

Updated

Federal government inherited worst skills shortages nation has seen, O’Connor says

Brendan O’Connor says the federal government inherited one of the worst skills shortages the nation has ever experienced and a “decade of dysfunction” on Commonwealth schools policy was not going to address the shortfall.

We’re determined to produce the reforms required ... skilled migration will play a very significant role.

O’Connor points to the upcoming five year national schools agreement, due to be released by the end of 2023, which he says will “embed true collaboration in the interests of regional and national prosperity”.

Updated

Vocational education and training sector has suffered from ‘neglect and policy missteps,’ minister for skills says

Minister for skills and training Brendan O’Connor is currently addressing the National Press Club following the release of the federal government’s Employment White Paper.

If you missed it, O’Connor will announce the establishment of an integrity unit within the regulator to identify and address threats to Australia’s vocational education and training (Vet).

O’Connor tells the Press Club the policies of successive government have “cast Tafe community providers and the Vet sector adrift” from its purpose of national prosperity.

The Vet sector has endured underfunding, deregulation, loose rules of Vet market entry, a lack of national cohesion and an obsession for competition at the expense of collaboration.

He says the sector has performed “admirably” in light of “neglect and policy missteps” but it can improve.

More must be done to stop substandard and dodgy Vet providers.

Australia’s minister for skills and training, Brendan O’Connor
Australia’s minister for skills and training, Brendan O’Connor, is set to announce the establishment of an integrity unit to regulate and address threats to Australia’s Vet. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Lake Macquarie bushfire updated to watch and act status

A bushfire in Lake Macquarie in New South Wales has been upgraded to a watch and act status.

The bushfire is burning in the Watagans National Park, 11km northwest of Morisset.

It is burning north of Bangalow Road, moving in a southeasterly direction towards Mount Nellinda Road.

Residents in the area of Mount Nellinda Road, north Cooranbong, are being urged by the NSW RFS to prepare now.

The fire is eight hectares in size and is being controlled. Mount Faulk Road is closed to traffic.

Updated

‘The voice is a simple idea’: Ken Wyatt backs yes movement

Former Coalition MP Ken Wyatt has again urged Australians to back a yes vote in the voice referendum, saying “Canberra politicians don’t have all the answers”.

The most recent Indigenous Australians minister, a yes supporter, has appeared in a yes campaign ad. “We have to do something different,” Wyatt says in the ad.

Wyatt continues:

The voice is a simple idea. It’s about government listening to Indigenous people about how to get better outcomes in housing, employment, health and education.

Nothing will change until we listen and understand what really works in their communities.

The ad is likely to run strongly in the final fortnight of the campaign, ahead of the 14 October voting day.

Updated

Flinders Island residents issued further watch and act warnings

Residents of Tasmania’s Flinders Island have been issued further bushfire watch and act warnings.

The communities of West End Road and Boat Harbour Road are being urged to monitor conditions as an out-of-control bushfire burns near Leeka and Pine Scrub.

Authorities say the fire is travelling towards West End Road and the communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka are under threat.

Tasmania Fire Service and Parks and Wildlife Service is on scene and residents are being warned that smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.

Updated

SA’s SES responds to 300 requests for help overnight

South Australia’s SES responded to over 300 requests for help last night after wild weather left tens of thousands of homes without power.

On Monday night, severe winds and about 44,000 lightning strikes caused havoc for emergency services across the Adelaide metropolitan region, with power outages affecting over 32,000 customers.

Updated

Australian Open to become 15-day event to minimise late-night finishes

The Australian Open will extend its schedule in 2024 to become a 15-day event for the first time in an attempt to reduce the number of late-night finishes.

Players and fans have long called for limits to the late finishing times, with Andy Murray this year playing a six-hour match against Thanasi Kokkinakis that finished after 4am.

Australian Open director, Craig Tilley, said the tournament organisers had listened to feedback and were “excited to deliver a solution to minimise late finishes while continuing to provide a fair and equitable schedule on the stadium courts”.

He said:

The additional day will achieve this, benefiting scheduling for fans and players alike. The first round will now be played over three days instead of two.

The day session at Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena will feature a minimum of two matches, down from three, to limit the potential of late finishes. The schedule will stay the same for night sessions – a minimum of two matches – and for John Cain Arena.

The tournament will now start on a Sunday, running from 14 to 28 January, with tickets going on sale next week on 12 October.

Updated

How to vote early, where to vote and understanding the vote

As the prime minister just mentioned, early voting opened yesterday for the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, to be held on October 14.

To find out how to vote early, and where you can vote, head to the Australian Electoral Commission’s website.

All of our coverage of the referendum can be read here, and you can read (or watch) our voice explainers below:

Updated

Final stretch of voice campaign comes down to conversations between each other, PM says

The prime minister reiterated what he has been saying over the past week – that the final stretch of the voice campaign will come down to conversations between people.

Albanese:

I believe that if we can have enough conversations over the next two weeks, and voting of course started yesterday, then Australian’s when they look at this will say yeah, that’s the fair thing to do, there’s nothing to lose here, there’s no downside, only upside.

Updated

PM tells Tasmanians to focus on voice question and that misinformation is ‘absurd’

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking to the media from Hobart, Tasmania, about the upcoming Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.

He pointed to today’s Essential poll – showing an uplift in yes vote – as a positive.

As a plea to voters, he encouraged them to cut through the noise and “look at what the question is before the Australian people” when they cast their ballot.

He labelled some of the misinformation out there as “just absurd”.

I think that is countered by the goodwill we see overwhelmingly from the yes campaign, the patient [and] extraordinary leadership from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves … who have spent a lifetime just asking for a fair go, asking for a crack.

Updated

Pill testing not a ‘silver bullet’ to stopping deaths at festivals, Minns says

Circling back to New South Wales premier Chris Minns, who was asked about his position on pill testing and festival safety following the deaths of two young men after attending a festival in Sydney over the weekend.

The premier would not rule out ever legalising pill testing but said it was not a “silver bullet” and it would not stop deaths at festivals.

He said:

Everybody is thinking of those families who are going through a terrible set of circumstances.

In relation to pill testing, there’s no silver bullet here.

I need to make sure that when decisions are made about festival safety, which is our primary concern ... it’s done with the full information on the table and we’ll learn from other jurisdictions as well.

He also responded to a plea made by Jen Ross-King on Monday after her 19-year-old daughter, Alex Ross-King, died from an MDMA overdose at Fomo festival in 2019.

He said:

She’s gone through hell and I completely understand her perspective. If I thought that this was a silver bullet that would solve deaths at festivals, of course, I would take it.

Updated

Seacombe, Loch Sport residents urged to ‘take shelter immediately’ from fires

The communities of Seacombe and Loch Sport are being urged to take shelter now as the nearby bushfire not yet under control and continues to spread.

The Loch Sport bushfire started within the Gippsland coastal park, but it has crossed Longford-Loch Sport road and is moving towards the south-east.

VicEmergency warns the fire is threatening homes and lives:

If you have not already left, the time to safely evacuate has now passed.

Take shelter indoors immediately. It is now too dangerous to leave.

This follows a similar warning an hour ago for the communities of Briagolong and surrounds.

Updated

NSW premier reminds residents to prepare for ‘possible evacuation’ amid fires

The premier, Chris Minns, has warned New South Wales residents to be prepared for fires as the state swelters through another hot day.

Speaking to reporters in Berkely Vale on the Central Coast, he said:

There are currently 83 fires burning in NSW. Eight are uncontained ... It’s very important that the people of NSW follow advice, go on to the website, listen to local radio and understand what precautions are in place and ensure that you’ve got a fire management plan, not just for your own property but for possible evacuation.

He said today would be “very hot”.

NSW premier Chris Minns
NSW premier Chris Minns has warned residents to prepare for bushfires during another hot day in the state. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

Gippsland local returns home to find off-grid property undamaged after fires

Gippsland local Tim Dakin, who evacuated from his off-grid home, has spoken of bunkering down in his kombi van overnight as fires burned through the Victorian region.

Returning to his property this morning, he found his house undamaged, with only a few fallen branches on the ground.

Safe, with his dog Roxy and his house intact, he has “a big smile on his face”.

The map below shows the area impacted by fire (black shaded-part), and where Dakin is (binoculars).

Bushfire map showing areas affected by fire in Briagolong, Victoria.
Bushfire map showing areas affected by fire in Briagolong, Victoria. Photograph: CFA

Updated

Lightning storm leaves tens of thousands without power in South Australia

And now for some more wild weather, this time out of South Australia, thanks to AAP:

Tens of thousands of homes are without power in South Australia after a wild lightning storm felled trees and power lines overnight.

More than 32,000 customers were impacted after about 44,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the state in the three hours to 11pm on Monday.

Severe winds, including gusts up to 106km/h at Noarlunga, also caused havoc for emergency services, with the majority of incidents reported in the Adelaide metropolitan region.

There were still 74 outages affecting 23,471 customers across the state as of 9.30am Adelaide time.

SA Power Networks said in a statement on Tuesday morning:

Our crews are out working hard to restore power after last night’s severe weather.

Fresh crews will be out this morning joining those who have been working overnight to restore power following last night’s spectacular but damaging thunderstorm.

A 20-year-old man was lucky to escape uninjured after crashing his car into a fallen tree and power lines brought down by the storm at Morphett Vale.

Updated

Nationals calling upcoming fire season ‘catastrophic’ is ‘unhelpful’, Symes says

Jaclyn Symes also called the Nationals “unhelpful” for describing the upcoming fire season as “catastrophic”. She said that is not the advice she has received:

That doesn’t mean we won’t have catastrophic days. We have been out there saying that the areas of concern are the areas that weren’t wet over winter - that is much of the parts of Gippsland and in the Mallee.

In relation to the rest of the state, the spring outlook identified that there is a lot of moisture in the ground … That outlook may change and as I get the information for summer, but to be out there saying that it’d be catastrophic is probably unhelpful.

Symes said people should prepare for the worst, but the advice from the bureau and from experts is that “the scenes that we saw in the northern hemisphere is unlikely to be revisited here this season”.

Updated

Too soon to say whether rain will help ease fires, Symes says

Jaclyn Symes says the fires in Gippsland may ease given the rain forecast, but it is too soon to say.

In Gippsland, for example, they are fighting those fires now, as this rain passes through the state and hits those areas – if there’s not lightning strikes that start more fires – and the fires are put out, the rain may actually give them a couple of weeks reprieve.

But it is extremely dynamic. We don’t know where the water will fall unfortunately, which is also the challenge for responding to flooding. So just in case [we are] setting up SES incident control centers in the north and the east of the state to respond to if there’s flooding as a result of where the rain lands.

Updated

Victorian emergency services minister says fires were expected after ‘extremely dry winter’

Victoria’s emergency services minister, Jaclyn Symes, says the fires in the Gippsland region have been challenging but expected, given the dry winter:

What was experienced over the weekend and overnight is challenging. It’s a dynamic situation. But it is the exact area that we have been saying for several weeks is the most high risk in the state of Victoria. An extremely dry winter means that an early fire season has an impact on the driest parts of the state, and that’s what we’re seeing right now.

She denied there needed to be more resources on the ground or money put into controlling the blaze, pointing to the approximately 650 firefighters currently responding to both fires.

That is an enormous amount of people and I thank them for those efforts. The weather is very dynamic [and] very challenging. We are seeing fires at the moment picked up due to winds last night. But we also have flood warnings out. We have opened the ICC in Benalla and in Bairnsdale in relation to the SES response and we will continue to support our hard working firefighters on the ground tackling those fires at the moment.

But things are changing rapidly this week. It is an early start to the fire season [and] it’s clashing up against the spring weather which brings rain wind and unfortunately flooding events.

Symes also denied claims by the Nationals that more burns would have prevented the fires in Gippsland:

The experts determine when and where it’s safe to do burn offs.

… As we have heard from our fire officials, much of the fire started over this weekend [was] more likely in relation to private [burns].

Updated

New Victorian cabinet arrives at parliament after Allan’s reshuffle

Plenty of ministers are arriving at Victorian parliament this morning with new portfolios after premier Jacinta Allan’s cabinet reshuffle yesterday.

Harriet Shing says she’s thrilled to add housing to her responsibilities:

I’ve never shied away from a challenge and opportunity, so I’m really honoured to be taking on this portfolio. It’s been consistently raised as one of the number one, if not the number one issue, not only in the middle of Melbourne but also across regional Victoria.

Colin Brooks, who lost housing to Shing, takes on Development Victoria and precincts. He denies it’s a demotion:

If you think of the Ardern precinct, Fishermen’s Bend, Sunshine, East Werribee, these are big precincts with the expectation we’re going to deliver around 150,000 homes. It’s a big step up in terms of the numbers of housing to be delivered as opposed to my previous role. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in.

Danny Pearson – who takes on the premier’s major infrastructure portfolio – was very enthusiastic:

The premier rang me and asked me to do the job, and given how hard she’s worked and given how much she’s put into this role, I was thrilled that she asked me to, and I can’t wait to get started. It’s just going to be so much fun.

He denies the job is a poisoned chalice, due to the lengthy delays and cost over runs of some of the state’s project:

I think this is awesome. I mean, $100bn worth investment across 190 projects right across our great state. This is incredible. It’s amazing. It’s going to really touch every Victorians lives in a really profound way and these projects are going to last for generations to come. So from my perspective, I’m thrilled and delighted that the premier has asked me to do this job. I’m gonna give it my all, I’ll throw everything at this.

Pearson says he is committed to ensuring projects are delivered “on time and on budget”.

Updated

Too late to leave for some communities of Briagolong, VicEmergency warns

Victorian communities of Briagolong and surrounds are being urged to take shelter now.

The latest advice from VicEmergency warns the following communities to take shelter from bushfire, as it is too late to leave the area safely:

  • Briagolong

  • Cobbannah

  • Culloden

  • Moornapa

  • Woolenook.

This comes amid the out-of-control fire in Gippsland, which is covering an area of roughly 17,000 hectares after starting at Duffy Road.

As we brought you earlier, the fire covered around 5,000 hectares last night, meaning it has more than tripled in size overnight.

Victorian country fire authority chief officer, Jason Heffernan, told ABC News Breakfast it has been “absolutely challenging” for the roughly 650 firefighters working to battle the fire front and subsequent spot fires.

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‘We’ve been preparing for this’: Murray Watt says high-risk weather season has begun

The minister for emergency management, Murray Watt, says the government will work with state and territory governments to respond to emergency weather situations as they arise.

This comes as bushfire and flood warnings are in place across the country today, with fire crews battling out-of-control fires in multiple states and other communities bracing for flash flooding.

Watt said the high-risk weather season was under way in Australia and “we’ve been preparing for this”.

He tweeted this morning:

The high-risk weather season is underway in Australia, with bushfire and flood warnings in parts of the country. We’ve been preparing for this, and are working very closely with State and Territory Governments to ensure we can respond and recover to situations as they arise.

Updated

Communities in Gippsland told to leave before bushfire conditions become too dangerous

Back to the Briagolong fire in Gippsland, Victoria:

VicEmergency is warning the following communities to leave before conditions become too dangerous:

  • Fernbank

  • Glenaladale

  • Iguana Creek

  • Lindenow South

  • Perry Bridge

  • Stockdale

  • Stratford

  • Walpa

  • Woodglen

  • and surrounding areas.

The bushfire at Duffy Road, Briagolong is not yet under control. It is travelling in a south-easterly direction and is threatening homes and lives.

VicEmergency warns:

Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous.

Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.

Emergency relief centres are open at the Gippsland regional sporting complex at 116 Cabins Road, Sale, and the Locknow Oval at 64 Great Alpine Road.

Updated

Pine Scrub and Leeka residents issued watch and act message over bushfire

The Tasmanian communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka have been issued a watch and act message amid changing conditions of the Flinders Island fire.

The bushfire, near West End Road, remains out of control, with residents of Pine Scrub and Leeka urged to monitor conditions as they change.

Recent rainfall has decreased fire activity, but residents still need to actively monitor conditions, according to TasAlert. Burning embers may threaten homes while the fire remains active, plus smoke and ash can make it difficult to see and breathe.

Earlier, residents of Pine Scrub and Leeka were urged to leave amid the out of control fire.

The Tasmania Fire Service and Parks and Wildlife Service remain on scene, and conditions are expected to be changeable.

Updated

Forests vital to Melbourne water supply in a ‘dire state’, new study says

Victoria’s mountain ash forests, vital to Melbourne’s water supply, are suffering “extensive degradation” and “significant biodiversity loss” according to a new study.

Joint research from the Australian National University and World Wide Fund for Nature outlines the “dire state” of mountain ash forests in Victoria’s central highlands.

Lead author and biodiversity councillor Prof David Lindenmayer said immediate action to protect and restore the forests is warranted – including listing it as a threatened ecological community under the commonwealth EPBC.

There is only 1.6% of the Central Highlands ash forest remaining as old growth forest. This also highlights the importance of intervening early to reduce the risks of ecological community collapse.

Thousands of species worldwide are at risk of extinction, but the vulnerability of ecological communities is less understood. In Australia around 100 communities have been acknowledged as threatened – however, this is likely an underestimation due to the lack of robust long-term data.

Analysing data from long-term monitoring and research studies in the mountain ash forests, the study finds that the structure, composition, and key ecological processes underpinning the integrity of the mountain ash ecological community have been drastically altered over the past century.

The report says the mountain ash community is eligible for endangered or critically endangered status, meeting four of the six criteria.

Updated

Photos of out of control blaze in Gippsland shared by Meerlieu RFS

The Meerlieu rural fire brigade in Victoria has shared some photos on social media of the out of control fire in the Gippsland region.

The Meerlieu brigade said it was called to a fire at Hollands Landing last night but this was a false alarm, with the fire burning across the strait near Loch Sport.

Bushfires near Loch Sport in Gippsland, Victoria.
Bushfires near Loch Sport in Gippsland, Victoria. Photograph: Meerlieu Rural Fire Brigade
Bushfires near Loch Sport in Gippsland, Victoria.
Country Fire Authority crew look on at the blaze near Loch Sport. Photograph: Meerlieu Rural Fire Brigade
Bushfires near Loch Sport in Gippsland, Victoria.

That bushfire remains out of control, according to the latest advice, and is threatening homes and lives. The time to evacuate safely has passed, with people in Seacombe and Loch Sport warned to take shelter indoors immediately.

Updated

RFS on alert with 82 fires burning as NSW hit by hot, gusty conditions

In New South Wales there are currently 82 fires burning across the state, with 16 not yet contained.

The RFS is warning of hot, dry and windy conditions today with extreme and high fire danger ratings.

There are total fire bans in place across eight local government areas today, including the Greater Sydney region, and extreme fire danger ratings in five LGAs.

Updated

Bill to limit pokies hours on the agenda for Allan’s first day of parliament as premier

Jacinta Allan is being asked what the plans are for her first day in the premier’s chair at Victorian parliament. She points to a bill being introduced this morning that will limit the opening hours of pokies machines.

Under the legislation, which will come into effect by mid-2024 if passed, all gaming machine areas in all venues (except Crown Casino) will be forced to shut between 4am and 10am.

Allan says:

We’ve seen too much predatory behaviour in some circumstances that have driven some of that gambling harm that we see in our community, and so requiring venues to close for a period of time puts a handbrake on the activity and it gives people the opportunity to stop and think about what they’re engaging in.

Asked why the laws provide the exception for Crown, Allan says:

Crown is a very different venue to some of those suburban venues. It’s also a very big venue. It has its own regulatory framework that, following recent inquiries, there’s a significant amount of work going on there.

Updated

Man charged over death of woman, 67, after house fire

A man has been charged over the death of a woman, whose body was found by fire crews at a home in Sydney’s southwest, AAP reports.

About 7pm on Sunday, emergency services were called to a home in Bankstown after reports of a small fire.

Firefighters put out a blaze at the rear of the home before finding a 67-year-old woman with significant head injuries inside.

Police officers were confronted by a 31-year-old man, allegedly armed with a knife, at the home before deploying a Taser and arresting him.

The man, who was known to the woman, was taken to Bankstown Police Station, before being transferred to hospital for assessment.

He was later returned to Bankstown Police Station, where he was charged with murder (DV), torture, beating and causing death of an animal, damage destroying property by fire, breach of bail and contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic).

Police will allege in court that the man stabbed the woman before killing her cat and setting fire to the property.

The woman, who is yet to be formally identified, was declared dead at the scene.

The man was refused bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday.

Jacinta Allan thanks emergency services for response to fires

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is now providing an update on the state’s bushfire situation. She says it’s been a challenging night in Gippsland as wind picked up:

I really want to thank our emergency services team who’ve worked hard through the night and also the local community for getting in there and responding in the way that Victorians respond in times of emergency, supporting each other.

She says an emergency relief centre has been set up in Sale:

The relief centre does not just provide a secure place of shelter. It’s also a place where all the services and supports that are needed in times like this are gathered together in one place.

I don’t have any updates at the moment in terms of the estimate of the asset loss because the teams are getting in there and doing that work right now. But we will be able to provide further updates on that over the course of the day.

Updated

Victorian property developers keen to take up fast-tracking in exchange for affordable housing

More than 100 developers have expressed an interest in taking up the Victorian government’s offer to fast-track their projects in exchange for including an affordable housing component.

The premier, Jacinta Allan, is speaking at a not-for-profit housing project in Brunswick. She says since the government announced its housing statement a fortnight ago, there’s been a “terrific response from the property industry” to its development facilitation program:

We’ve already had more than 100 different developers with different projects come to us and say we want to be part of this.

The program will see planning applications for developments valued at over $50m in Melbourne and $15m in regional Victoria will be assessed by the government’s development facilitation program rather than by local councils, provided they include at least 10% affordable housing.

Updated

Victorian country fire authority chief officer Jason Heffernan spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning and said yesterday had been an “absolutely challenging day for firefighters on the ground” in Gippsland, who continue to battle out of control blazes today.

He said firefighters are battling spot fires ahead of the main fire front, which is covering an area of around 17,000 hectares, burning in both private and public land.

Firefighters are doing their best to try and contain that fire, but it is very challenging.

On Monday the fire was covering around 5000 hectares, meaning it has more than tripled in size overnight.

Winds of up to 80km/h are making this extremely challenging, he said.

We expect these winds to continue in the area for quite some time until a frontal system moves its way through. We will see some precipitation, before a second system moves through…

My thanks to the community [for] heeding warnings yesterday, and my thanks to all the firefighters on the ground.

Heffernan said around 650 firefighters were currently working to battle blaze, as at 7.30am local time, with strike teams moved in to assist around 3am.

The next couple of hours will remain very challenging for firefighters.

Updated

AEC warns yes campaign signs could 'potentially mislead voters'

The Australian Electoral Commission has become aware of signage from the Yes23 campaign that uses a similar shade of purple to its own “longstanding” branding, warning it could “potentially mislead voters”.

In a statement last night, the AEC said the Yes23 campaign’s signage was outside at least one early voting centre for the Indigenous voice referendum, in close proximity to the AEC’s “voting centre” signage.

It featured the legislatively required authorisation statement, but also used white writing against a purple background in a similar shade to the AEC’s “longstanding branding”.

This combination of using purple and white colours in proximity to AEC signage could mislead a voter about the source of the signage, and by extension, the source of the message on the signage.

Accordingly, when we were alerted to this signage the AEC requested the Yes23 campaign to rectify the situation by ensuring their signs are not placed in the proximity of AEC voting centre signs. The Yes23 campaign has agreed to comply with this request.

The AEC has urged campaigners in the past not to use the purple and white colours in a way that could be misleading, but noted it has no legal authority to prevent people from using particular colours.

The AEC also does not have the legal authority – except in very limited circumstances - to prevent people from campaigning outside six metres from the entrance to a polling place.

While AEC officers cannot remove signage that could be misleading regarding the source of the message, we expect our request to the authoriser of the signage to be complied with.

Updated

Parliament doesn’t sit until after the referendum (the next sitting day is October 16) which doesn’t leave a lot of opportunities for gallery journalists to question either the prime minister Anthony Albanese or opposition leader Peter Dutton.

It is one of the conundrums for the press gallery –being based in parliament house has its advantages, but when parliament is not sitting, we rely on colleagues or local media organisations asking the questions for us.

Which got us thinking – when was the last time the gallery was able to question Dutton? We covered a bit of this in the new end of parliament sitting column, House party but having a look at the opposition leader’s website and it doesn’t seem like he has held a press conference in Canberra for just over two months.

On 15 June, Dutton gave a statement on former Liberal senator David Van but didn’t take questions. According to his website, that was his first time in front of the press gallery since 5 April – when he announced the Liberal party’s decision to oppose the voice.

There has been about nine weeks of sitting since then. Albanese has held 11 Canberra press conferences since 15 June. That is not to say that Dutton is fronting the media –he is –but it tends to be away from Canberra. He is a regular on Sydney radio 2GB, Sky and the Nine network’s Today show, and he holds doorstops in areas he has travelled to.

But so far, he has shunned the Canberra gallery. Even during the voice campaign. We’ll keep you updated.

Heavy rain and damaging winds to hit Victoria later today

As we flagged earlier, damaging winds are developing through central and eastern Victoria this morning and heavy rain is forecast on the north-eastern ranges from this afternoon.

This comes as fire crews work to battle multiple blazes in the Gippsland region.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is forecast to develop over the north-east ranges from this afternoon.

Six-hourly rainfall totals between 50 and 70mm are possible, with 24-hour totals of 90 to 150mm.

This threat is likely to persist into Wednesday morning.

Locations which may be affected include Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne, Bacchus Marsh, Morwell and Moe.

Updated

Skills and training minister says he hopes Greens will not hold up super tax changes for maternity leave issue

Circling back to Brendan O’Connor’s interview on ABC RN:

The skills and training minister was asked whether the government would agree to a demand from the Greens to pay super on maternity leave in exchange for passing tax changes.

As Amy Remeikis brought us earlier, the tax changes were first announced in February and propose reducing the tax concessions for people with more than $3m in their superannuation accounts from 15% to 30%.

O’Connor said he would be surprised if the Greens would not support the bill. He also said an expansion of maternity leave is “an aspiration of ours” and “something that’s worthy of consideration”.

But in this instance, this is a commitment we made prior to the election [and] something we believe should be passed. We would hope the Greens would not hold up a very good measure … just [to push for] another measure.

Updated

Fire crews continue to battle Flinders Island blazes

Tasmanian fire crews are continuing to battle the Flinders Island fire, with an emergency warning reinstated for the Pine Scrub and Leeka communities.

TFS deputy regional chief Steve Richardson said that while the fire had originally been downgraded overnight, strong winds this morning had fuelled the fire near West End Road.

Richardson said that additional crews from TFS and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service had arrived on the island overnight, with five waterbombing aircraft also in the area:

The Pine Scrub and Leeka townships are expected to be at severe risk, and residents are encouraged to leave immediately if safe.

If you have left the area, do not return, as crews are expecting volatile conditions throughout the day.

The town hall in Whitemark is on standby as an Evacuation Centre if the need arises.

Richardson said it is imperative people keep up-to-date with information to keep safe.

If you don’t live near West End Road, communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka, stay away.

If driving in the area, people are urged to do so with caution as there is potential for low visibility due to smoke.

Updated

International students being given ‘false hope’ for permanent residency, Grattan report says

The Grattan Institute says the government is offering “false hope” to international students that they’ll be able to obtain permanent residency in Australia following their graduation.

The institute has released its latest report, “Graduates in limbo: international student visa pathways after graduation”, which found that while many international students were able to extend their time in Australia with temporary visas, they struggled to pursue their chosen careers.

The report found only half managed to find full-time employment, while the majority found work in low-skilled jobs and earned less than $53,000 a year. Less than one-third of temporary graduate visa-holders transitioned to permanent residency when their visa expired, which was down from two-thirds in 2014.

The report also found one in three graduates returned for further study in cheaper vocational courses to try to stay in Australia longer. It argued the government’s policy was “moving in the wrong direction” by allowing students to stay longer after their graduation and “will result in the number of temporary graduate visa-holders in Australia almost doubling to about 370,000 by 2030”.

Grattan Institute policy director Brendan Coates said that would leave “even more graduates stuck in visa limbo” and created a situation with no winners.

It erodes public trust in our migration program.

It hurts the long-term prospects of those graduates who do stay permanently. It’s unfair to those graduates who invest years in Australia with little prospect of securing permanent residency. And it adds to population pressures in areas like housing.

The institute recommends reforming the visa system to scrap visa extensions unless a graduate earns at least $70,000 a year, as well as the introduction of a “exceptionally talented graduate” permanent visa for “the most talented international students immediately upon graduation”.

The institute believes that employers should be able to sponsor graduates for temporary (if they earn at least $70,000) or permanent visas (if they earn over $85,000) and that the government needs to do more to change employers views about new graduates.

Updated

Lucky escape for three men after drive-by shooting

Three men are lucky to be alive after a drive-by shooting in a western Sydney suburb, AAP reports.

Police responded to reports of gunshots in Guildford about 4.15am on Tuesday. Officers at the scene were told several shots were fired into a parked car. The three men inside the vehicle escaped uninjured.

Police established a crime scene and are investigating. Anyone with information has been urged to contact CrimeStoppers.

Updated

Skills minister says providers in VET sector ‘overwhelmingly’ do an ‘excellent job’ as integrity unit to be announced

The minister for skills and training, Brendan O’Connor, is speaking to ABC RN about the government’s $37.8m “compliance blitz” to crack down on unlawful behaviour in Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector:

O’Connor is due to speak at the national press club today and will announce the establishment of an integrity unit within the regulator to identify and address threats to VET.

The minister told ABC RN it is “not necessary” to look at all 4,000 providers the sector individually because “overwhelmingly” they do an “excellent job”, which is why they are announcing the integrity unit:

That’s really important because our sector is critical for supplying the skills for … our labour market but it’s also of course, a remarkable export industry [with] overseas students acquiring skills [and] returning home with those skills.

If we don’t have that level of integrity … that’s going to be a bad thing all around.

As for the powers an integrity unit would have?

We will make sure we can suspend or compel a provider to act in a certain manner or indeed ultimately expel that provider … and that will also send a message to others contemplating acting in the same way.

I want to make very clear, overwhelmingly, education and training providers do a very good job. But we need to make sure we have a strong reputation as a sector.

Updated

Chalmers to release draft legislation for super tax changes

The treasurer Jim Chalmers will release the draft legislation for the planned superannuation tax concessions today – but there is no need to rush your response.

It still won’t be introduced into the parliament until 2025 – after the next election.

The changes, announced in February, propose reducing the tax concessions on for people with more than $3m in their superannuation accounts from 15% to 30%.

The Albanese government went to the election on a promise of no changes to superannuation or tax.

So this advanced warning comes complete with a chance for people to vote on it. To keep the ball rolling in the reform arena, Chalmers is releasing the draft legislation today, complete with some updated figures on exactly how many of us will be affected.

There are 28 people in Australia who have superannuation balances of over $100m –up from 17 in 2019-20 (as of 2020-21).

The number of people with balances above $50m increased from 78 to 107 over the same time period. Most of us though, have less than $200,000 in our superannuation accounts, with the average super balance coming in at $170,000.

The proposed super tax concession changes will apply to just 0.5% of people with superannuation. For the rest of us, there is no change unless the balance nudges above $3m. From there, earnings above $3m are taxed at the higher concessional rate of 30%, as opposed to 15%. It’s not retrospective either –it only applies to earnings from 2025-26 onwards. And also relies on the Albanese government winning a second term.

Chalmers says its a modest measure that makes sense:

Everyone will continue to receive super tax breaks under this change – they will just be slightly less generous for the small number of people with super balances of more than $3 million.

Today’s release is an exposure draft –a first draft of legislation released ahead of being introduced into the parliament – which means by the time 2025 rolls around and its introduced into the parliament, it could look different again.

Updated

Residents of Pine Scrub and Leeka in Tasmania urged to leave amid out of control fire

A bushfire emergency warning has been issued to the Tasmanian communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka.

Residents are being urged to leave immediately if it is safe to do so, as a bushfire near West End Road burns out of control.

The fire is travelling towards the communities of Pine Scrub and Leeka, the Tasmanian fire service warns.

Burning embers may threaten your home before the main fire arrives.

Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.

Tasmania Fire Service and Parks and Wildlife Service are on scene. Conditions are expected to worsen.

Updated

PM expresses sympathy for Jeremy Rockliff as Tasmanian government in crisis

The prime minister was also asked about the Tasmanian government teetering on the edge of collapse after attorney general, Elise Archer, resigned last week.

Anthony Albanese told ABC RN he had sympathy for premier Jeremy Rockliff.

I was leader of the government in a house that had 70 votes out of 150. Premier Rockliff has 10 out of 25 at this point in time, and it certainly is a messy situation.

I obviously am a Labor loyalist, I’m a good friend with [Tasmanian Labor leader] Rebecca [White] and I had a meeting with her yesterday. But I have a good relationship with Premier Rockliff.

I’ll work with whoever the premier or chief minister is in a constructive way [for] our joint interests.

Updated

Voice referendum ‘certainly winnable’, PM says

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to ABC RN this morning about the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.

He said the latest poll showing that the yes vote is gaining ground is promising, as the referendum date approaches.

Albanese said these final weeks of the campaign will be about having conversations with people:

[The referendum is] certainly winnable.

We have over 50,000 volunteers out there talking with people [at] the door … when they go to vote.

There are people having conversations with their parents and grandparents, their neighbours, their workmates about what this is about. And we have, I think, another couple days in which to have those conversations, and they’re important because this is a very gracious request.

Updated

Total fire bans for eight NSW regions today

Across to New South Wales, where there are eight total fire bans in place across the state today.

Extreme fire danger ratings are in place for five local government areas.

These total fire bans are in place for the Greater Sydney region, Greater Hunter, Central Ranges, Northern Slopes, North Western, Upper Central West Plains, Lower Central West Plains and the Far South Coast.

Extreme fire danger ratings are in place for the Greater Sydney region, Greater Hunter, Far South Coast, North Western and Upper Central West Plains LGAs.

Updated

Fires still burning in Gippsland region with some residents told it is too late to leave

There are still a number of active fires in Victoria’s Gippsland region, after fire crews worked into the night fighting three out of control blazes.

People in Stockdale, Iguana Creek and Glenaladale between Princes Highway and Beverleys Road are being told to leave immediately, due to an out of control fire at Duffy Road in Briagolong.

This was issued just before 6am this morning, with firefighters unable to stop the fire. It is now moving towards the Princes Highway.

VicEmergency warns:

Leaving immediately is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous.

Emergency services may not be able to help you if you decide to stay.

Residents of Briagolong North are also being warned of the Duffy Road fire, told that it is too late to leave the area safely and residents must take shelter now.

Meanwhile, a bushfire 4.2km southwest of Loch Sport remains out of control. It started near Lakeside Track within the Gippsland coastal park, before crossing Longford-Lock Sport Road and moving towards the south-east.

The fire is threatening homes and lives, and the time to safely evacuate has now passed. People in Seacombe and Loch Sport are warned:

Take shelter indoors immediately. It is now too dangerous to leave.

Updated

Good morning, and thank you to Martin Farrer for kicking things off on the blog this morning!

I’m Emily Wind and I’ll bring you our rolling news coverage today. If you see something that needs attention on the blog, you can email me at emily.wind.casual@theguardian.com.

With that, let’s get started.

Rates unlikely to change at RBA meeting today

Interest rates are unlikely to budge at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s October meeting today – but a final hike before the end of the year remains on the table, AAP reports.

Australia’s central bank has left the official cash rate unchanged at 4.1% for the past three months.

Tuesday afternoon’s meeting will be the first under the leadership of the new governor, Michele Bullock.

Four percentage points of tightening have been delivered since April last year.

A surge in inflation forced the central bank to start hiking interest rates, but the pace of price growth has since been moderating, giving the RBA space to stay on the sidelines.

An uptick in the August consumer price index, particularly strength across services and core measures, has injected some complexity into the inflation battle.

Thirty of 32 economists surveyed by Reuters expect the central bank to stay on hold at the October meeting, with a slender majority then expecting one more hike before the end of the year to take the cash rate to 4.35%.

Economic teams at the big four banks are all tipping a hold in October and NAB is the only bank expecting one more 25 basis point lift in this cycle.

For more in-depth analysis, read Jonathan Barrett’s story from yesterday:

Updated

Doctors unite to back Indigenous voice to parliament

Doctors who have spent years treating Indigenous health problems have united in support of a yes vote in the upcoming referendum on a voice to parliament.

The group, called “Doctors for Yes”, say it took barely a week for Dr Adam Steinberg and a handful of his colleagues to get more than 1,000 doctors and student doctors to sign on to support a change they believe is the best chance of improving Indigenous health.

“Many of us have worked in remote Indigenous communities for years, we’ve treated these terrible health problems and we know they are so intractable. It’s a no-brainer for anyone who is serious about tackling them to vote yes in the referendum,” Steinberg said.

“A few of us set up this group because we want to highlight what a valuable chance this referendum is to do something simple and practical that we know will actually make a real, long-term improvement to Indigenous health.

Dr Catherine Pendrey, a GP who worked for more than five years in remote communities across the Northern Territory, said a voice to parliament would create a structured way of listening to Indigenous communities about their problems which was fundamental to improving health.

“When you listen to Indigenous voices, hear their perspectives on what their problems are, then you can design policies that respond to their needs and improve health standards,” she said.

Updated

Firefighters up against challenging conditions in Gippsland region with floods to follow

Fire crews were battling challenging conditions as they fought three out of control fires in Victoria’s Gippsland region overnight – and as floods loom, AAP reports.

The biggest fire front was 5,000 hectares in difficult terrain north of Maffra in the Briagolong, Culloden, Moornapa and Stockdale regions.

Country Fire Authority chief officer, Jason Heffernan, said yesterday the next 24 hours would be interesting with wild winds associated with a cold front set to make conditions more difficult.

Heavy rain predicted for later in the week should provide much-needed relief but would only pause the fire risk in the Gippsland area after a very warm and dry start to the season.

“At the moment we’ve got a fire situation affecting families in East Gippsland, and then not 24 hours later an emergency rain event affecting those same communities.”

A senior meteorologist, Christine Johnson, said a cold front would bring damaging wind gusts to fire-affected areas from 4pm Monday to the early hours of Tuesday morning – the most damaging before 6am.

A different low-pressure system would dump heavy rainfall and spark flash flooding from Wednesday.

Victoria State Emergency Service chief officer operations, Tim Wiebusch, said Bairnsdale to the NSW border would be the hardest hit by heavy rains, with moderate flooding expected for the Mitchell, Tambo, Snowy and Genoa rivers.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. My name’s Martin Farrer and I’ve got some overnight stories for you before my colleague Emily Wind has the pleasure of taking you through the day.

Fire crews have been battling out-of-control fires in Victoria’s Gippsland region – and there are fears the same areas could soon face flash flooding. We’ll have more on this soon.

In the morning’s headlines, our own investigation has exposed a shocking increase in the number of young people developing gambling problems, revealing not only long-term impacts on mental health but a strong link to people taking their own lives as well. Our top story is part of a series of stories about this worrying issue.

People who intend to vote no on 14 October outnumber those planning to vote yes, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll, although the survey shows the first positive shift towards yes in several months. Peter Dutton’s attempts to create division has played a part in the shift, but our political editor Katharine Murphy writes today that such negative tactics may not help him win power. Voting is now open for all Australians after the public holidays in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and ACT yesterday.

Google and other digital powerbrokers must take efforts to contain online misinformation seriously, Google will tell a parliamentary inquiry today as a Senate committee examines the influence of international digital platforms. It will also hear from Amazon and Apple at a hearing in Canberra, and comes as mining billionaire Andrew Forrest faces a summons from Facebook’s parent company Meta in the latest instalment of his legal battle with the digital platform. He accuses Meta of failing to shut down scam cryptocurrency ads on the platform that used his image without permission.

And Andrew Messenger reports about how fringe “sovereign citizen” activists are putting native title claims at risk.

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