What we learned: Friday, 28 February
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Thanks for joining us, and Happy Mardi Gras! I’m off to put a rainbow tutu on my lab.
Here are today’s big developments:
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is urging travellers to leave K’gari, Inskip and Cooloola coastal camping areas amid Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The cyclone is expected to stay offshore for the next few days but severe weather is still forecast due to its proximity to the coast.
The US president, Donald Trump, needed to be reminded what the Aukus deal was when asked a question about it during a meeting with the British prime minister in the Oval Office.
The New South Wales coroner has directed police to investigate the death of a two-year-old boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches in September last year.
AAP is reporting that Taiwan’s representative to Australia has urged closer intelligence sharing and cooperation, after concerns about China’s intention in sending warships near Australia. China’s ambassador to Australia says the country has nothing to apologise for, after warships conducted unannounced live-fire drills in the Tasman sea, which led to dozens of flight diversions.
The Victorian health department has warned of a measles outbreak in the state, after two people were infected in Melbourne.
Updated
Jacqui Lambie says most Australians don’t trust Chinese Communist party
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie says “most Australians do not trust the Chinese Communist party” after its execution of live fire drills off Australia’s coast.
Appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Lambie said China had been doing these exercises for “many, many years”.
They come down here, they cry wolf, they want the attention, they get the attention and then they say they are mates with us. Most Australians do not trust the Chinese Communist party; they never have; nothing will change in that area.
This is what they do. They come down here, beat their chest and say, here we are, we’re still here and we say, yes, whatever. For people down here in Australia, this is normal but it is disgraceful behaviour by China. This is what they do.
Updated
Hastie: Naval ships a ‘signal’ from China of its military strength and ‘gunboat diplomacy’
Hastie was also asked about China’s naval ships operating in waters close to Australia over the past fortnight.
He said it was not “fairly obvious” they would circumnavigate the Australian continent.
They are apparently 500km off Adelaide, just outside our exclusive economic zone, and I think it is a reasonable assumption to assume they will continue and then track north up our west Coast … At what distance, we do not know, but certainly this is China’s signal to the rest of the world, but particularly to Australia, they have a blue water navy … and they are doing it with three ships that pack a lot of punch. That is why this has been such an important development in our national security.
Asked if China was “threatening us”, Hastie said the superpower was demonstrating its military strength.
They are undergoing the biggest peacetime military buildup since 1945. They have a blue water navy now and they want us to know they have sea power. They can project deep into our waters and that is effectively why I call this gunboat diplomacy.
It is not normal to conduct a live-fire exercise without notice in the waters of your trading partners, and disrupting the commercial flight path … This was designed to send a strong signal to Australia of military strength.
On defence spending under a Coalition government, Hastie said “we’re going to have to invest further and that is the commitment from the Coalition”. But he didn’t confirm a figure, adding “we will announce our policy and costings in due course”.
Updated
Opposition’s Hastie says Albanese should have visited US to meet with Trump
The shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie, says Donald Trump has “a lot on his mind” in response to the US president seemingly questioning what Aukus is.
Appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Hastie was asked if Australians should be worried about the fact “we have invested billions in a deal with the Americans that the president cannot actually remember”.
He said Trump had “a lot on his mind” and was the “busiest person in the world”.
But I think there is an absence of leadership from the Labor government. The Albanese government has not been advocating well into this new Trump Administration and Aukus should be front and centre of the president’s mind and so we have seen a failure of leadership from Anthony Albanese and his defence minister, Richard Marles.
Asked how, exactly, Labor wasn’t advocating for Aukus, when a phone conversation between Albanese and Trump appeared to have been positive, he said the PM should have visited the US.
We are a believer in the house call and right now President Trump is resetting relationships in Europe. We have seen that with Nato partners and I think at the heart of Aukus is a deepening of our relationship with the United States.
Updated
Victoria police accept $450m pay deal after ‘protracted’ and industrial dispute
Victorian police have voted to accept a new $450m pay deal, after a bitter industrial dispute that dragged on for more than 18 months.
The pay dispute culminated with the sacking of the state’s former chief police commissioner, Shane Patton, earlier this month.
The Police Association says 76% of members backed the new enterprise bargaining agreement.
In a statement, the association says it is pleased members will receive the pay increases after a “protracted and challenging industrial dispute”.
The finalisation of this industrial dispute is just the first step in a raft of improvements that desperately need to occur quickly to support our frontline, so that it can continue to protect and support the community.
Updated
If you want to know more about Australia’s climate pollution - and why it isn’t coming down at the pace sometimes suggested - here is an explanation from last year:
Australian climate pollution barely falling because of higher transport and electricity emissions, new data shows
Australia’s climate pollution is flatlining, having dropped only 0.5% over the 12 months to September, according to new government data.
The latest quarterly greenhouse gas inventory says emissions were down 2.2m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent compared with the previous year. Total emissions were 434.9m tonnes.
There was less pollution from stationary energy (onsite burning of fossil fuels in manufacturing, mining, and commercial and residential buildings). There was also less pollution from industrial processes because of changes in technology in the chemicals and metals sectors, and from agriculture due to lower crop production.
But emissions from transport rose because people were flying more. Domestic aviation emissions were the highest on record, while large cars and trucks burned more diesel.
And, extraordinarily, pollution from electricity generation also rose. This sector had been falling fast as solar and wind energy displaced coal and gas. But that trend has stopped as investment in renewable energy has slowed.
Officials blamed the increase in electricity emissions in the latest data on a decrease in hydroelectricity generation.
Electricity emissions are expected to start falling again because of a recent wave of renewable energy investment commitments underpinned by a federal Labor underwriting program – assuming they go ahead.
But that may take a while to take effect.
Preliminary data suggests pollution may have increased by 0.3% in the year to December.
Expect to hear more about that, and what it means, in the period ahead.
Updated
Niaa funding of $18.4m allocated to Central Australian Aboriginal Congress for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Also in Indigenous Affairs estimates, Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle raised questions about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (Fasd) and the allocation of $18.4m to the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress for Fasd diagnostic assessments.
The funding was allocated to the congress by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (Niaa) over four years and funded under the A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia plan.
Senator Liddle said that according to a 2023-24 congress report on the child and youth assessment and therapeutic service, only 95 children in Alice Springs and surrounding communities had undergone a multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment for Fasd during that time.
Who is managing Congress’s performance because that equates to less than two children a week being assessed for Fasd by Congress in a whole year.
How was it determined that Congress should get $18m for, I think, eight communities … when the largest cohort of children with Fasd, one of the highest in the world, is actually in the Kimberley?
Department of Health and Aged Care assistant secretary Ben Mudaliar said he didn’t have the figures in front of him to confirm how many children had been treated as a result of the increase of investment in the program.
Update: A spokesperson for the minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, later told Guardian Australia that from 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2024, there were 114 assessments.
This blog post was updated on 28 February 2025 to correct the name of the report discussed by Senator Liddle – an earlier versionnamed it as the congress report on child and youth assessment treatment service.
Updated
Greens senator queries grocery price caps and rolling blackouts in remote First Nations communities
During this morning’s Indigenous Affairs estimates, Greens senator Dorinda Cox asked about the 76 stores in remote communities that would be receiving a price cap on 30 essential food items and the time frame for the scheme.
National Indigenous Australians Agency (Niaa) group manager Bridgette Bellenger said she did not have the selected stores information available and that the subsidy scheme was due to start on 1 July this year.
Senator Cox also raised concerns that communities across Northern Australia, particularly in the Northern Territory, were dealing with rolling blackouts and energy failures, with some communities experiencing blackouts, on average, twice a week, or being disconnected from power.
Are we happy that people are being disconnected twice a week? There’s no point in capping groceries if you’ve got no fridge to put them in.
Where else in the country is this allowed to happen? If it happened in inner-city Melbourne people would be screaming down the phone and in every media outlet in this country.
Niaa chief executive Julie-Ann Guivarra said the questions should be put to the Department of Infrastructure and also the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Updated
Tropical Cyclone Alfred expected to create large swells, dangerous surf, this weekend
Coastal communities from central Queensland south to the New South Wales border are being urged to brace for “dangerous coastal conditions” and “possible flooding” as Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred moves closer to the mainland as a Category 3.
Queensland Police said there was increasing confidence the cyclone would stay offshore for the next few days but severe weather was still expected due to its proximity to the coast.
It flagged coastal erosion, large and powerful swells and hazardous surf with high tides over the weekend and early next week.
The tropical cyclone is expected to turn south-west towards the Queensland coast on Saturday, before tracking south east on Sunday.
The watch area extends from Seventeen Seventy to the New South Wales-Queensland border.
State disaster coordinator, deputy commissioner Shane Chelepy, said people should avoid swimming and surfing at beaches along watch zones, or walking near surf-exposed areas, to avoid being caught in dangerous conditions.
Now is not the time to be complacent, as we starting to feel these powerful impacts from the cyclone tracking closer to the mainland.
Updated
NSW police to conduct ‘high-visibility’ operation at Wollongong music festival
New South Wales police will be conducting a “high-visibility operation” tomorrow for the Yours and Owls music festival in Wollongong, with local officers to be assisted by drug detection dogs and other specialist commands on Flagstaff Hill and the South Beach foreshore.
It will be the first festival in NSW to participate in a state pill testing trial – while illicit drug use remains illegal.
Wollongong Police district detective acting superintendent Glen Broadhead said he was expecting more than 10,000 people to attend the event.
We are urging festival goers to look out for each other. Police will be targeting antisocial behaviour and alcohol fuelled violence and any behaviour that puts yourself or others at risk will not be tolerated.
Prohibited drugs are illegal and potentially life-threatening, especially when combined with alcohol. We urge anyone who feels unwell or needs medical assistance to attend one of the medical tents on-site.
Updated
Many thanks to my fellow Catie/Caity. I’ll be with you until stumps.
Thanks for joining me on the blog. I’ll now hand over to my colleague, Caitlin Cassidy, who will take you through the rest of the day’s news. Have a great weekend.
NSW coroner directs police to investigate two-year-old boy’s death after hospital presentation
The New South Wales coroner has directed police to investigate the death of a two-year-old boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches in September last year.
Police said they had yesterday launched an investigation into the death of the child at Sydney’s Children’s hospital in Randwick.
Joe Massa was a month away from celebrating his second birthday when his mother, Elouise, took him to Northern Beaches hospital’s emergency department at 7am on 14 September 2024.
His mother, Elouise, has claimed the hospital appeared to ignore Joe’s increasing heart rate, limpness, rash and loss of consciousness, for more than three hours.
Joe was transported to Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick where he later died.
The Northern Beaches hospital’s emergency department is operated by the private hospital provider Healthscope in a public-private partnership (PPP).
Police said the death was not reported to them at the time.
After Joe’s parents publicly called for an investigation into their son’s death, police said they had reported the death retrospectively to the NSW coroner and launched their investigation.
Police will prepare a brief for the coroner.
Updated
Brisbane bus strike cancelled after union and council strike deal
This afternoon’s planned bus strike has been cancelled, after the Brisbane city council and the drivers’ union struck a deal.
Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Tom Brown said the union had suspended the industrial action until after members had reviewed their latest offer.
The two-hour strike was scheduled for 4pm, during afternoon peak hour, and was widely expected to cause transport chaos.
Brown said:
Our members won’t be happy till they get their money.
It’s $5,000 on the base this year plus backpay; big bucks for bus drivers.
Brisbane city council offered a 7.35% two-year pay deal on Thursday night, with backpay backdated to 8 October.
The deputy mayor, Fiona Cunningham, said:
The wage agreement we have reached ensures Council staff will receive a pay rise well above inflation but well below the outlandish initial claims by unions.
We strongly believe, if current legislation allowed us to directly ballot our staff, this agreement would have been finalised months ago and residents would not have been inconvenienced by union strike action.
Updated
Well-known academic and Palestinian advocate responds to suspension of research grant
Randa Abdel-Fattah says the suspension of her research grant is a “test” about the extent to which public institutions are “willing to safeguard university independence”.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the prominent academic and Palestinian advocate had her $870,000 grant suspended by the Australian Research Council (ARC) following a review that raised concerns about the management of public funds.
It is now up to Macquarie University, where she is undertaking her research project, to provide evidence that the grant has been managed appropriately.
Abdel-Fattah said Macquarie University and the ARC were “answerable to the Australian public”.
She said:
The virulent anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia I am being subjected to does not just impact me as an individual.
My case is a test about the extent to which public institutions are willing to safeguard university independence and the very foundations of intellectual inquiry.
It’s about the integrity of our higher education system, and the right of academics to work free from censorship, political interference and repression.
Speaking to Senate estimates on Thursday evening, the chair of the ARC, Prof Peter Shergold, said Abdel-Fattah’s case was “not an issue about freedom of speech … it’s about the acquittal of public funds”.
You can read more here:
Updated
Hi, thanks for reading the blog so far. I’ll be with you until later this afternoon.
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. Catie McLeod will be here to take you through the rest of today’s news. Take care, and enjoy your weekend.
Updated
Campers urged to leave K’gari because of Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is urging travellers to leave K’gari, Inskip and Cooloola coastal camping areas amid Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
In a statement, QPWS said it wasn’t accepting camping bookings in these areas, and refunds would be available for those who already booked.
While the tropical cyclone has not made landfall, QPWS said “K’gari and Inskip have experienced significant coastal erosion due to worsening weather conditions”.
Increased rainfall and strong gale force winds are expected to impact the region over the weekend.
The safety of campers in our national parks is our top priority and we will visit re-opening camping bookings when it is safe to do so. We urge those leaving camping areas to drive safely, stay off the dunes and follow the instructions of QPWS rangers and emergency services.
Updated
Firefighting efforts continue along Tasmanian west coast
Firefighting efforts are continuing along Tasmania’s west coast, where a series of fires has burned about 98,500 hectares across 1,259kms.
Incident controller Steven Richardson said there were more than 62 firefighters, 52 incident management personnel, 14 aircraft and three machines fighting the fires, from multiple agencies.
The main fires of concern are Yellowband Plains, Pieman River, Mt Donaldson and Canning Peak fires.
There are now seven bushfire advice warnings in place across the west coast and while no communities are currently at risk of impact from these fires, we’re urging the community to remain vigilant and monitor local conditions, stay up to date with warnings and conditions, review your bushfire plan, stay aware of your surroundings.
The Bureau of Meteorology has advised there will be a slight increase in wind speeds across the region today.
Updated
Mardi Gras a freedom cry against threats to rights, organisers say
In a sobering message before tomorrow’s annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, organisers warn freedoms are fragile for sexual minorities around the world.
As AAP reports, Mardi Gras board co-chair Brandon Bear says:
The global stage at the moment is now frightening, erasure of our communities is happening – there is no doubt about that.
Now, more than ever, we have to galvanise, we have to support our trans family, we have to work to stamp out racism in our communities, we have to show up. If we lose focus, we lose our rights.
The message comes a month after US president Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders targeting transgender people, and in Australia, Queensland’s new LNP government put a pause on patients under 18 accessing gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers, while a review is carried out.
Kathy Pavlich, the Mardi Gras board’s other co-chair, emphasised that queer rights had historically been gained through protest and other means.
For all of our history, we have taken to the streets, to the courtrooms, to the legislative chambers and, of course, to the dancefloors, to ensure the freedoms we have and we enjoy … Now [there is] the need for us to rally behind our trans folks to ensure their rights. No one is free until we are all free to be.
Updated
Rewiring Australia welcomes solar for apartment residents initiative in NSW
Rewiring Australia has welcomed the solar for apartment residents incentive, outlined earlier today by the PM in conjunction with the NSW government.
CEO of the non-profit group, Francis Vierboom, said apartment residents had long faced barriers to accessing solar, and this policy would change that.
With around 20% of NSW households living in apartments, it is vital they too can benefit from lower bills and clean energy provided by solar.
Rewiring Australia is calling for further measures to bring bills down for units, including for all new builds to be fitted with all-electrical appliances. Vierboom added:
The government should also set up an online information hub to help apartments upgrade to efficient electric appliances to make the most of their solar power.
As Krishani Dhanji reported earlier, despite today’s announcement, the policy was first unveiled in January 2024 and a similar incentive already exists in Victoria.
Updated
Taiwan urges closer intelligence sharing and cooperation with Australia
AAP is reporting that Taiwan’s representative to Australia has urged closer intelligence sharing and cooperation, after concerns about China’s intention in sending warships near Australia.
It had learned first-hand China’s intentions and capabilities from years of provocative incursions and Taipei was willing to collaborate with like-minded countries that wanted to protect the status quo, Douglas Hsu said.
Taiwan had a database of Chinese military actions and could share intelligence including the intention of some exercises and the messages they’re designed to send out, Hsu said.
They’re doing military drills in the region without pre-notice, I think that’s not the right way to do that. My point is, we need to learn from those lessons, China always wants to make a new bargaining chip by creating a new normal.
The ship was likely gathering intelligence but China also employed grey-zone tactics to push the boundaries and rewrite international rules, he said. He pointed to creeping incursions by Chinese forces during military drills over the “median line” between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait.
Australia’s voice in the international community was “definitely important” when it comes to calling out provocations, the envoy said.
Updated
Update on Tropical Cyclone Alfred
In more weather news, the Bureau of Meteorology has also provided an update on Tropical Cyclone Alfred, off the coast of Queensland.
Severe Weather Update: Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred brings hazards to Queensland coast this weekend.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 28, 2025
Video current: 11:00am AEST 28 February 2025.
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/knq71mIBiD
Heatwave warnings across three states for weekend, into next week
Heatwave warnings are in place across Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory as we move into the weekend.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, parts of WA are forecast to be in the low to mid 40Cs, with severe heatwave conditions expected to increase over the weekend and into next week.
Kiwirrkurra is set to reach a top of 46C on Sunday, while Paraburdoo is forecast to reach a top of 45C every day from tomorrow until at least next Thursday.
In Queensland, severe temperatures are also expected to develop around Mount Isa and Birdsville over the weekend and intensify during the week.
The former is expected to reach 43C on Monday and Tuesday, while the latter could reach 46C from today until Sunday.
In the Northern Territory, conditions are also expected to worsen into the new week. Timber Creek has a forecast maximum of 44C on Monday and Tuesday, while Wulungurru could reach 45C on Sunday.
⚠️Severe #Heatwave Warning for: Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, North Interior and South Interior Districts
— Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) February 28, 2025
Locations likely to be impacted include #Denham, #Kiwirrkurra, #Paraburdoo and #Warburton
Warning: https://t.co/IHMcXDPrFU
Stay safe in a heatwave: https://t.co/M36e56Ilse pic.twitter.com/kmn57IZPbN
Updated
NSW solar package was first announced in January last year
Just going back to that solar package in NSW: for some clarity, it was announced in January 2024, but today it’s been opened for applications.
It’s part of a broader $206m scheme announced last year, to upgrade energy systems in social housing as well as to help install rooftop solar on apartments or “solar gardens” for apartments that cannot install systems on their premises.
It is now open for applications that will close by 1 December or whenever the funds are dispensed.
It follows a similar program between the commonwealth and the Victorian government which opened its applications last year. There, the commonwealth has funded rebates for solar installation of up to $2,800 per apartment or up to $140,000 per property for up to 10,000 homes.
One expert told Guardian Australia:
Sigh … looks like the recycling and the circular economy now include government announcements!
Updated
Victoria to introduce minimum standards for open space close to urban homes
Victoria will introduce minimum stands for open space close to homes in urban areas.
The proposal is included in the Allan government’s 30-year blueprint to guide the state’s population growth, unveiled this morning.
Under the “Plan for Victoria”, the government has pledged to introduce minimum standards into planning schemes to specify the types of open space that should be close to homes in established urban areas.
The government says planning of canopy trees will also be a consideration in planning permits for new, residential, commercial and industrial development.
The Victorian government has previously set a long-term target of 30% canopy cover for the public realm.
Updated
Conroy says Chinese ships under ‘unprecedented’ naval surveillance
Speaking earlier today, the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said the Chinese flotilla has been subject to an “unprecedented” level of naval surveillance. He said:
[It is] the subject of the highest level of surveillance that you’ve ever seen from the Australian Defence Force for crews in international waters near Australia.
He also took aim at the opposition for “ramp[ing] up the rhetoric”.
We had a similar Chinese sailing near Australian waters in 2022 off the west coast of WA, and the last government subjected that crew to nowhere near the level of surveillance that we’ve had with this current flotilla.
Updated
Hanson-Young says Chinese ships example of why Australia needs independent foreign policy from US
Sarah Hanson-Young also weighed in on the Chinese ships that have been the topic of much scrutiny this week, and said “we shouldn’t be surprised [they] have been collecting intelligence”.
I mean, this isn’t a P&O cruise, this is a navy of another country – of course they’re collecting intelligence. We should not be surprised. But it [does] point to why we need better monitoring and better relationships with our region.
She argued this is an example of why Australia needs to “get out of this obsession with just following the US on everything”.
Now, with Donald Trump at the helm, Australia is at more risk than ever before with a guy who leads the United States who doesn’t even understand or know or care about the Aukus deal, and yet Australia has put all of our eggs in that basket.
It is time for an independent foreign policy for Australia that works with our neighbours, that works collaboratively with the people who are in our best interests in our region, and to make sure we have the independence – and not just being told what to do by Donald Trump, a bloke in the White House who doesn’t even seem to know where Australia is.
Updated
Hanson-Young lashes Aukus deal after Trump’s blunder
The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has taken aim at Donald Trump for his Aukus blunder overnight, when he asked a reporter “What does that mean?” when asked about the submarine deal.
Both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have played down his comment, with the PM telling reporters “there are a lot of acronyms in this business”.
Speaking to reporters in Adelaide, Hanson-Young said Trump had “admit[ted] that he, he doesn’t even know what Aukus is”.
Aukus was a bad deal for Australia from the beginning … [Trump] doesn’t care about it, he can’t be bothered. The illusion that South Australia was going to get jobs from this project has been exposed.
Donald Trump has belled the cat. These jobs are not coming. They were never going to be coming. We’ve been led down the garden path again.
The Greens senator said the “billions and billions of dollars that Australia is spending on this deal is bad for our nation’s budget”.
It’s bad for public services and it’s bad for Australia’s national security.
Updated
Overseas school student numbers back to pre-Covid levels
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says overseas school student numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels.
According to new data, there were 26,068 full-fee paying overseas students enrolled in Australian schools in 2024 – an increase of 23.4% (or 4,944 students) from 2023. Mell Plumb, the ABS’ head of education statistics, said:
2024 was the second year in a row of year-on-year growth in the number of full-fee paying overseas students in Australian schools since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ABS said the pandemic years saw a drop of 41.9% from 26,593 full-fee paying overseas school students in 2019 to 15,461 in 2022.
Across the country the highest percentage of year-on-year growth was in Tasmania (up 39.9%, or 93 students), followed by the ACT (28%, 198 students) and Victoria (27.5%, 2,042 students) between 2023 to 2024.
Read this week’s Weekly Beast
It’s Friday afternoon, which only means one thing – it’s time to read the latest Weekly Beast from Amanda Meade:
Victorian government unveils regional growth boundaries
Regional growth boundaries will be established in the Victorian cities of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo to curb outward urban sprawl.
The Victorian government announced the proposed reform today, as part of the unveiling of its new 30-year blueprint to guide the state’s population growth.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, said regional city boundaries will help encourage more homes to be built in the centre of these hubs.
The government will develop the boundaries in partnership with councils.
Number of hospital beds for older Australians lowest on record
The number of hospital beds for older Australians is the lowest on record according to the 2025 public hospital report card released today by the Australian Medical Association.
The report card covers the 2023–24 financial year – the most recent data available. The AMA president, Dr Danielle McMullen, said:
While the total number of public hospital beds available has increased, when we consider the ageing population, the number of available beds per 1,000 Australians aged over 65 is stagnant at 14.3 – the lowest on record.
The report card shows emergency department (ED) and planned surgery waiting times have also remained at some of the worst levels on record.
The report card shows just 55% of emergency department presentations across Australia were completed within the target of four hours, marking the eighth consecutive annual fall in performance for this metric.
A third of all ED patients triaged as “emergency” (category two, which includes those presenting with chest pain, severe respiratory distress or acute stroke) were not seen within the recommended 10-minute time frame, up from a quarter five years earlier.
The proportion of category two planned surgery patients (including heart operations) undergoing surgery within 90 days was at 71% in 2023–24 – a 6% improvement from the previous financial year but still a significant drop from 83% five years ago. McMullen said:
It’s encouraging to see there have been some short-term improvements when we compare this report with the last one but there is still a very long way to go to reverse the long-term trends.
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Bowen open to debating O’Brien on energy policy
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has said he is “so up” to having a debate with the shadow climate change minister, Ted O’Brien.
Taking a question from reporters, he said “you won’t have to ask me twice”.
I will certainly be hopeful of a debate with Mr O’Brien at the National Press Club because he has a lot of questions to answer about his fantasy nuclear policy.
The PM later joked that people should “get some popcorn shares” ahead of the debate:
[A] Chris Bowen versus Ted O’Brien energy debate is something I’ll be sitting down and having some popcorn on, watching, because this fantasy that Ted O’Brien is on, the Coalition’s policy, will devastate our energy policy and essentially is a handbrake on what is actually happening in the real world … It’s a disaster for Australia and it will be one of the key issues in the next campaign.
With that, the press conference wrapped up.
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Albanese says international relations requires ‘clear, considered responses’
Anthony Albanese has continued to field questions about the Chinese ships and defended his government’s approach to international relations:
What our international relations require is clear, considered responses. What my government does in dealing with international relations is clear, is considered, it is based upon information – not based upon what might happen or what might not have happened, but based upon that. That is how you move forward, that is what is in our national interest to do so and that is what I do.
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PM says Australia has made clear to China more notice should have been given for firing exercises
Anthony Albanese is now taking questions about the Chinese flotilla which has been sailing around Australia.
He said the latest information from the ADF is that the vessels are currently 593km south-west of Adelaide, “just outside, near the border of our exclusive economic zone”.
They are being shadowed by the Anzac frigate, HMAS Stuart, [and] these Chinese vessels have been monitored and shadowed by Australian or New Zealand the entire time they have been off the coast.
The PM reiterated his stance on China that “we will cooperate where we can, we will disagree where we must” and said in this instance “we have disagreed with China re the notice that was given”.
We believe it was appropriate to have been given more notice and we made that clear last Friday … We acknowledge as well that it is within international law, you cannot selectively support international law. The Chinese actions are within that but we’ve made a very clear that we expect more notice to have been given and we have protested and made our position clear that more notice should have been given.
Updated
PM on Trump’s Aukus remark: ‘there’s a lot of acronyms in this business’
The prime minister is now taking questions from reporters.
Asked about Donald Trump’s “What does that mean?” remark in response to a question about Aukus, Anthony Albanese – like Dutton and Watt – didn’t seem too fazed:
There’s a lot of acronyms in this business and, you know, we all get thrown them from time to time. Donald Trump went on [and spoke] about the really important and positive relationship with Australia. That is consistent with the discussions that I’ve had with President Trump that included, of course, talking about Aukus, which we spoke about during our discussions.
Updated
Bowen outlines details of apartment solar initiative
The energy and climate change minister, Chris Bowen, is providing more information about the $25m solar for residents initiative just announced by the PM.
He said a third of Australian households had swapped to solar, “the highest rate in the world”.
But we know for apartments it is chaos and only 3% have made that switch. So the Albanese and Minns governments want to help people … make that transition quicker and easier in the future from today onwards.
Bowen said the government would pay half the cost of installation as part of the program.
We now have 46% of our electricity across the country being produced by renewables. It was 33% when we came in office. That is good progress. We are more than halfway to 82% but all this is on the ballot paper in the not-too-distant future.
Updated
Albanese takes aim at Coalition’s nuclear plan
Addressing reporters, Anthony Albanese is taking aim at the Coalition’s stance on renewable energy and addressing climate change.
He noted comments from the former NSW state cabinet minister Andrew Constance, who reportedly told a town hall meeting on Monday that the Coalition would take Australia’s 2035 Paris climate target “off the table” if it wins the upcoming federal poll.
The prime minister, speaking just now, said:
He has backed off that and backflipped about four times on various positions that he has held over the years. The truth is that Australians know that the Coalition are not fair dinkum. They know that they are a political movement that have a plan for nuclear energy sometime in the 2040’s that will cost $600bn, that somehow will overcome the state and territory as well as the commonwealth legislation barring nuclear energy, even though … there is no leader or opposition leader anywhere in the country that is backing Peter Dutton’s nuclear plant.
We cannot just keep these old coal-fired stations going until the 2040s, so that means an energy shortage. Peter Dutton’s so-called plan is not one that is good for energy, it is not one that is good for households, it is not one that is good for the environment.
Updated
PM announces $25m 'solar for residents' initiative with NSW government
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is addressing reporters in Sydney.
He has announced a $25m solar for residents initiative to be fully funded by the commonwealth government but rolled out with the NSW government.
This will provide co-funding to owners, corporations and strata managers to install shared rooftop solar systems.
[It’s estimated] that this could save residents up to $600 a year on their power bills – so good for residents, cost of living, good for reducing our emissions, good for the environment. A win-win situation.
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Fatal NSW crash raised in budget estimates amid discussion of youth crime
AAP reports that after the fatal crash in NSW overnight (see previous post), the state opposition has questioned the government over growing community concerns about youth crime.
The state attorney general, Michael Daley, told a budget estimates hearing he did not know the circumstances of the youth involved in the “horrendous event”.
I just want to extend my sympathies, both to the young person who passed away and to his friends and family.
Liberal MP Susan Carter pressed Daley for what he was doing to “protect these teenagers from themselves and … the community from the outbreak of this youth crime”.
Youth crime is now having fatal consequences.
Daley said the issue was hugely complex and there were no quick fixes:
Simply making bail laws tougher won’t fix it. Simply making penalties tougher won’t fix it.
The state government introduced controversial youth bail law changes in 2014, which made it harder for 14 to 18-year-olds to be released on serious charges while out on bail for similar offences.
Updated
Teenager dies after pursuit and crash in NSW
A teenager has died after a pursuit and crash in Bourke, in north-west New South Wales, overnight.
NSW police officers responded to an alleged robbery at a Narromine service station about 11.15pm last night, where four teenagers left the scene in an allegedly stolen vehicle.
Just after midnight, the vehicle was located 15km east of Nyngan on the Mitchell Highway and police initiated a pursuit, which was terminated a short time later. At 12.45am a pursuit was reinitiated in Coolabah and police deployed two sets of road spikes on Mitchell Highway, Coolabah, and Sydney Road, Bourke.
Police said the vehicle continued through Bourke before crashing and rolling about 1.30am. Officers immediately rendered assistance to the four occupants, police said.
A 17-year-old boy, who is believed to have been an occupant in the vehicle, died at scene. Three other boys were treated by paramedics at the scene before they were taken to Bourke hospital.
A 13-year-old boy remains in a serious condition, while a 16-year-old boy is in a stable condition. A 14-year-old was airlifted to Sydney Children’s Hospital in a serious condition.
A crime scene has been established and a critical incident investigation team will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. This will also be subject to an independent review.
Updated
Star Entertainment seeks liquidity lifeline
Star Entertainment has told the ASX it expects to receive “one or more” liquidity proposals today, as pressure mounts on the embattled casino operator.
The casino company failed to lodge its financial accounts this morning, as scheduled, and then entered into a trading halt shortly before the ASX opened. This signalled to the market there may be a problem with its ability to stay solvent.
It confirmed in a note to the stock exchange late morning that it is “continuing to explore possible liquidity solutions that might materially increase the group’s financial liquidity position”. Star said:
As noted in the company’s recent ASX announcements, there remains material uncertainty as to the group’s ability to continue as a going concern.
White Island volcano eruption: criminal convictions for island owners thrown out
The owners of an island volcano in New Zealand where 22 tourists – including 14 Australians – and local guides died in an eruption had their criminal conviction for failing to keep visitors safe thrown out by a judge today.
You can read the full story on this below:
More details as Star announces temporary pause in trading
Star, which operates casinos in Brisbane, Sydney and Gold Coast, has been on the brink of collapse for weeks amid declining revenues, licensing headaches and major operational disruptions.
As we just flagged, the ASX said in a statement that trading in Star shares would be temporarily paused pending a further announcement.
The failure to lodge its financial accounts, as scheduled, could indicate the financial position of the casino operator has deteriorated further. Star employs about 8,000 people, although its casinos would likely still operate in the event of an administration.
Star was contacted for comment.
Updated
Star announces temporary pause in trading
Star Entertainment has announced a temporary pause in trading “pending a further announcement”, according to a statement on the ASX. It said:
Trading in securities of the entity will be temporarily paused pending a further announcement.
Updated
Save the Children urges Australia to commit to maintain foreign aid contributions
The chief executive of Save the Children Australia says the nation must stand against a “growing trend of slashing foreign aid”.
In a statement, Mat Tinkler said Australia should maintain its funding as a matter of national security:
The cut in foreign assistance globally is a dark and difficult moment for a world already struggling to meet the growing needs of children facing conflict, poverty, hunger and climate disasters. It comes at a time when children’s needs have never been greater. This withdrawal of support will have a direct and deadly impact on some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
Tinkler said there must be a “bipartisan agreement” that Australia’s foreign aid contribution is protected, with the nation currently allocating 0.19% of its gross national income to foreign aid – 19c for every hundred dollars.
Backing foreign aid isn’t just altruism – it’s a strategic move to protect our own national security. When world leaders talk about wanting to maintain a rules-based order, they should be reminded that foreign aid is fundamental to ensuring long-term prosperity and therefore security.
All of us at Save the Children are devastated by the moves by a number of governments to cut aid while others are also reducing their commitment to international collaboration. But we will not give up on children.
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Queensland fire department warns of heightened fire danger
The Queensland fire department has warned of dry conditions across the state, particularly in grasslands, leading to heightened fire danger.
In a post to X, the department wrote:
While [Tropical Cyclone] Alfred continues to lurk off the Queensland coast, we can’t turn our attention away from other risks. Some areas of the state are experiencing dry conditions, which has resulted in some fire activity, particularly in grasslands. Heightened fire danger is expected over the coming days, so it’s important if you’re planning to conduct any permitted burns you check local conditions prior to lighting up.
While TC Alfred continues to lurk off the Queensland coast, we can’t turn our attention away from other risks. Some areas of the state are experiencing dry conditions which has resulted in some fire activity, particularly in grasslands. Heightened fire danger is expected over the… pic.twitter.com/yiouPnoYR5
— Queensland Fire Department (@QldFireDept) February 27, 2025
Updated
Council advises music festival not to go ahead amid fears of gastro outbreak
A Victorian council is advising the organisers of this year’s Esoteric Music Festival to cancel the event, amid fears of a gastro outbreak.
At least 260 festival goers reported gastroenteritis symptoms after attending last year’s event, with the Shigella bacteria detected in a number of those ill.
In a statement today, the Buloke shire council said its officers had recommended the refusal of a planning permit for the festival, set to be held on 6-11 March, based on “significant health and safety concerns”.
The council said festival organisers applied for a new 10-year permit last September, and the council made two requests for more information in October and December.
A satisfactory response to these requests was not received which delayed the required referrals and public notice to occur. Despite these delays, ticket sales for the 2025 festival have continued without the necessary approvals and permits in place.
The council’s chief executive, Wayne O’Toole, said:
We understand the impact this decision will have on the event organisers, patrons and the local community, and acknowledge their disappointment but we are also committed to ensuring any event within the shire is safe and compliant.
Updated
Findings from report on how DV impacts women’s employment
Continuing from our last post, here are some of the key findings from the report:
Domestic violence affects women’s long-term earnings, with significant declines in full-time employment often lasting at least five years
For young women, domestic violence reduces rates of full-time employment by 9.1%
Domestic violence leads to a stark 9.7% reduction in university degree attainment
Victim-survivors report significantly higher rates of financial distress, with 44% unable to meet household expenses and 28% seeking financial assistance from family or friends, compared with just 7% of women who have not experienced violence
In 2021–22, women who experienced partner violence or abuse in the past five years had a 5.3% lower employment rate compared with those who had not. For women who recently experienced economic abuse, the gap was even greater at 9.4%
Nearly 35% of women who were working when they experienced domestic violence took time off work, with an average of 31 days off after the abuse.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732.
Updated
Report demonstrates how domestic violence impacts women’s employment
A new report reveals how domestic violence impedes women’s employment, often forcing them out of the workforce altogether.
The report also states that, in many cases, these women work fewer hours, for less pay, than employed women who have not experienced domestic violence.
The “employment gap” can be as large as 9.4%, the report states, noting that 72% of women who have endured economic abuse in the past five years are in employment compared with 81.4% of women who have not been subject to such abuse.
The research was led by feminist and journalist Dr Anne Summers, professor of domestic and family violence at the University of Technology Sydney, with support from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
It found that altogether 60% of women who currently endure domestic violence are in employment. A statement on the report said:
Many of these women face continuous pressure from their partners to quit their job or to at least reduce their hours. Such pressure is worse from former partners, with the 2021-2022 Personal Safety Survey showing that 451,000 women had a previous partner who controlled or tried to control them from working or earning money.
The report also found an “education gap”, showing that by the time young women are 27 there is a nearly 15% difference in the rates of university degree attainment between victim-survivors and other women.
Updated
Woman charged over allegedly laundering $7m through fraudulent mortgages
A woman has been charged for allegedly laundering nearly $7m through fraudulent mortgages on behalf of an organised crime network.
NSW police said that, since 2020, detectives identified the woman had applied for and was granted up to 10 home loans at various banks using fraudulent documentation which inflated her income.
Seven mortgaged properties were the subject of the investigation to the value of $6,910,050, police said, with the woman allegedly laundering funds on behalf of an organised crime network through the mortgage repayments.
Officers believe most of the funds were derived through the illegal tobacco trade.
Yesterday, detectives arrested a 36-year-old woman in Berala, who was taken to Auburn police station and charged with 20 offences, including dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and dealing with the proceeds of a crime.
She was refused bail to appear in Burwood local court today.
Police also executed three search warrants in Berala and Auburn and allegedly located and seized $2.5m worth of tobacco cigarettes, $28,000 worth of loose-leaf tobacco, $104,465 cash, and a Mercedes GLC300 worth $110,000.
At the Auburn residence, police allegedly located an illegal gambling den and unlicensed tattoo parlour linked to the organised crime network.
Updated
Malinauskas says Sheargold remarks about Matildas ‘bizarre’
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, was also on ABC News Breakfast this morning, where he was asked about comments Marty Sheargold made on the radio about the Matildas, and endometriosis being a made-up condition.
He has since parted ways with Triple M:
Malinauskas labelled the remarks “bizarre”, particularly when you “look at the explosion in female participation in sport around the country”.
I think the best thing that … has happened to women’s sport in this country in a while was, of course, the World Cup and what the Matildas did. My son – we had the Matildas here in Adelaide last year and the Socceroos – and in the lead-up to those events, my son was more excited about going to the Matildas than he was to the Socceroos, because of the extraordinary excitement that they generated.
I think that was a transformative moment. I wouldn’t take these remarks and focus on them too much because I don’t think that’s where the rest of the community is at.
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Equality Australia says ‘the fight is not over yet’ before Mardi Gras parade
Teddy Cook from Equality Australia says the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights isn’t over, before tomorrow’s Mardi Gras parade.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Cook said he has marched for 20 years and “the fight is not over yet”. Asked about what is occurring overseas in terms of queer rights, he said:
We’re seeing an interesting and I think temporary experience that is telling me that there are people in power who are a bit afraid of what trans people offer. The freedom that we represent can feel very, very scary sometimes, particularly if you’ve been taught your whole life what it means so much to be a man and what it means so much to be a woman.
Trans people like me offer an idea of what it means to be self-determined and what it means to have agency in our lives … I think when those sorts of discussions start to happen, it’s good to remember that it’s probably a distraction, given that trans people are 1% of the population.
In Australia, Cook said there has been “really tangible improvements in the lived experience of trans people” – but also pointed to “really regressive policy change happening” in Queensland:
Queensland has done some really wild, totally out of best practice policy changes to ban gender-affirming care for young people, which is very, very worrying for me, and it gives me pause to worry about those kids up there on the wait list – there’s about 500 of them … Some have been on a waiting list for years.
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China's ambassador to Australia says country has nothing to apologise for after live-fire drills
China’s ambassador to Australia says the country has nothing to apologise for, after warships conducted unannounced live-fire drills in the Tasman sea, which led to dozens of flight diversions.
For all the background on this, you can have a read below:
Speaking on ABC AM, ambassador Xiao Qian signalled Beijing would regularly send more warships to this region.
We in China, we look at Australia as our partner. There’s no reason for us to pose threat to Australia … In my view, their notice is appropriate. I don’t see there’s any reason why the Chinese side should feel sorry about that, or even to think about to apologise for that.
As a major power in this region, as a country that has so many things to look after, it is normal for China to send their vessels to different parts of the region to conduct various kinds of activities.
Updated
Victoria warns of local measles outbreak
The Victorian health department has warned of a measles outbreak in the state, after two people acquired their infection in Melbourne.
In a statement yesterday, the department said these cases had “no history of overseas travel or known contact with other cases of measles.”
This means there is now local transmission of measles in the community.
The people were infectious at multiple locations around Melbourne and the Bendigo area, and you can view a list of exposure sites here. Anyone who visited these sites during the listed times should monitor for symptoms, the department said.
This news comes as the US is dealing with a significant measles outbreak:
Tropical Cyclone Alfred likely to remain offshore but could still impact coast, bureau says
The Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which has been tracking through the Coral Sea well off the shore of Queensland this week, is likely to remain offshore.
The bureau said the tropical cyclone is forecast to continue moving south through the Coal Sea today as a category 4 system, and “while it may move closer to the coast on Saturday it is forecast to move south-east on Sunday away from the coast”.
Regardless of the track Alfred takes, coastal impacts for southern Queensland and north-east NSW are likely … Alfred has a high chance of remaining a tropical cyclone in the southern Coral Sea through much of next week.
🌀 Severe Tropical #CycloneAlfred has intensified further and is now a severe cat 4 system.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 27, 2025
There is high confidence #CycloneAlfred will remain well offshore from the #Qld coast into the weekend. It may near the southern #Qld coast next week.
Latest: https://t.co/4KFWWiahr3 pic.twitter.com/YnhqViEK8p
Updated
Industry bailout steels Labor but poll pain persists
AAP is reporting that a majority of voters have backed the federal government’s $2.4bn rescue package for a troubled major steelworks.
The latest YouGov poll, provided to AAP, found 62% of those surveyed support the steelworks deal and public ownership of the plant announced last week, including 61% of people who intend to vote Liberal at the upcoming election.
But a cut in interest rates that bolstered the fortunes of mortgage holders has failed to translate to an uptick in the political fortunes of the government, the polling shows.
The poll showed the Coalition maintaining a 51% to 49% lead over Labor on a two-party preferred basis. The Coalition’s primary vote stands at 37% compared with the government’s 28%, while the Greens are on 14% and independents on 10%.
The poll showed Anthony Albanese had a net satisfaction of minus 12, with 40% satisfied compared with 52% dissatisfaction.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, had a net satisfaction of minus two, with 44% satisfied and 46% dissatisfied. But Albanese held a narrow lead as preferred prime minister, leading 42% to 40% over the Liberal leader.
The YouGov poll also revealed voters have not flocked to Clive Palmer’s new political venture Trumpet of Patriots – with just 1% of voters indicating they would give it their primary vote.
The poll of 1,501 people was conducted between 21 and 27 February, which had a margin of error of 3.3%.
Updated
Hrdlicka says Virgin pilot’s response to China’s live-fire exercise ‘business as usual’
On the Today show, Jayne Hrdlicka was also asked about the revelation it was a Virgin Australia pilot who first learned about China’s live-firing exercises, before authorities.
Asked how she was responding to this, the Virgin Airlines chief executive said this was a “business as usual thing for our team”.
Our pilots are very well trained. They’re very well skilled in navigating anything unusual – and this was definitely unusual … They picked up the radio communication on the airwave from the Chinese warship, so they knew as the Chinese warship was warning everybody in the airspace and they quickly reacted, let our services know. Let us know.
We changed our airspace rules and we quickly reacted. So that was, you know, business as usual for us. And we’re really proud of the team because they did exactly what they were supposed to.
Updated
Virgin Airlines CEO touts deal with Qatar
The Virgin Airlines chief executive, Jayne Hrdlicka, was up on the Today show earlier to discuss the Virgin-Qatar deal, which was signed off this week.
You can read an analysis on the deal Elias Visontay and Jonathan Barrett below:
She said fares would be less than $2,000 for a round-trip to Europe and that about 60 Virgin staff are completing secondments with Qatar.
Hrdlicka was also on ABC News Breakfast, where she touted the deal:
This is a partnership with the world’s best airline and one of its largest, and that means for Virgin Australia, while we’re big in Australia, we’re small in the grand scheme of global aviation. This means we get to access Qatar Airways’ scale. So not only do we get access to their international network and the opportunity to start flying long haul, but we get to engage in partnership with them to do things like procurement together with our big supply chain partners, engine manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers – all of our parts, working together with airports.
Updated
Watt says government is ‘working very hard’ to fix IT issues in mutual obligations system
Continuing to make the breakfast rounds this morning, the employment minister, Murray Watt, also spoke with ABC RN, where he was asked about reports that welfare payments have being wrongfully suspended amid IT issues with the mutual obligations scheme.
Watt said this was “this is something that we’ve been working on for several months now”, pointing the finger at the Coalition and saying they had introduced this and the government was trying to fix it.
It does have problems with it. We’ve been working very hard to fix it.
Watt said there had been a “number of different IT bugs in the system” that have “resulted, unfortunately, in some jobseekers having payments not made in the way that they should be”.
We’ve done everything we can to try to remediate those payments but what we’re also trying to do is to fix the system. People shouldn’t be having this kind of thing happen to them, based on a government system.
We’re determined to try to fix it. We’ve got reviews under way in terms of the IT bugs but also my department, which is responsible for this system. When it became clear that there was some legal uncertainty about the cancellation of people’s payments, they immediately paused those cancellations.
You know, I think we all accept that the community owes it to jobseekers to support them with income, and jobseekers owe it to the community to seek work, but we don’t need to have a punitive system like we had under the Coalition and that’s what we’re seeking to change.
Updated
Senate estimates probes new definition of antisemitism adopted by universities
In Senate estimates yesterday, Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi questioned the education department over the adoption by Australia’s universities of a new definition of antisemitism, which closely aligns with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
The definition agreed to by universities notes that criticism of Israel is not in itself antisemitic but can be, including “when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel”.
Asked by Faruqi if the education department was concerned that by adopting the definition, “freedom of speech and academic freedom and critique of Israel and anti-racist research will be stifled”, deputy secretary Ben Rimmer said there was “nothing in what we’ve seen that gives us cause for concern”.
Universities have agreed that it is helpful for them to have a working definition of antisemitism as they increase their efforts to tackle antisemitism on campus ... that seems like a very reasonable objective.
Asked if universities had a working definition as a collective on Islamophobia, Rimmer said they didn’t, but many universities had a working definition against racism that called out Islamophobia.
For more on the new antisemitism definition, read our explainer:
Dutton says ‘not everyone gets the acronyms’ amid Trump Aukus comment
Taking a final question, Peter Dutton was also asked about Donald Trump’s “What does that mean?” response to a question about Aukus.
Dutton, like Murray Watt, wasn’t too fazed:
Not everyone gets the acronyms, and all the rest of it, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the president strongly supports the alliance between our three countries and strongly supports Aukus.
He stated that previously and the submarine deal, which we negotiated when we were in government, when I was defence minister, will underpin the national security of our country for the next century. And it’s an important relationship.
Dutton says purchase of properties ‘aspirational’
After more back and forth, Peter Dutton again argued the prime minister is “in a desperate position” and “knows that he’s about to lose his leadership to Jim Chalmers or Tony Burke”.
Moving to his property purchases, the host asked about Dutton’s criticism to changes of family trusts and negative gearing – is that because he’s on the market for a 27th property?
Dutton responded that he’s “invested according to the laws and I’ve paid taxes according to the law”.
I’ve claimed deductions according to the law, and I’ve been aspirational in my life. I didn’t start with money. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth. And I worked hard after school until I started university, and I was fortunate enough to buy a house when I was 20 years of age.
Unfortunately, tragically, under this government, young 20-year-olds and 25-year-olds [and] now 30-year-olds have lost the dream of home ownership. I want to restore it … I’ve worked full-time without, frankly, any absence out of the workforce whatsoever, and my wife’s worked hard.
Updated
Dutton again questioned on share purchases
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, was also up on the Today show this morning, where he was again asked about his purchase of bank shares during the GFC and before a bank bailout – the topic of much discussion this week.
Dutton said the accusations were a “sign of a desperate government” and accused Labor of “smearing and throwing mud”.
The host said back “as if you don’t do the exact same thing”, which Dutton rejected:
Well, no, no, we don’t actually. I made no comment in relation to Copacabana and the prime minister renting out his rental properties. I didn’t make any judgment in relation to that whatsoever. It’s a private matter for the prime minister.
The host also referenced a report in the Australian Financial Review, claiming shadow ministers at the time heard whispers of the deal – was he among those in the know?
No … If the prime minister wants to make that claim, he should make it himself … I’ve been honest and transparent in every transaction I’ve done. If I was doing some sort of dodgy share deal, I wouldn’t put it up in lights on my parliamentary register.
Updated
Safety net for laid off fashion group workers
Workers out of a job after the collapse of fashion retailer Mosiac Group will be guaranteed their entitlements after the federal government fast-tracked access to its worker safety net scheme.
The owner of brands including Noni B, Millers, Rivers, Crossroads, Katies and Autograph went into voluntary administration in October, owing creditors almost $250m. All 666 stores are expected to shutter in mid-April after receivers failed to find a buyer for the chains.
The federal government is moving to protect about 2800 workers, allowing them to access the commonwealth’s Fair Entitlements Guarantee before the company is liquidated.
Eligible workers are able to claim up to 13 weeks of unpaid wages, unpaid annual leave and long service leave, payment in lieu of notice (up to five weeks), and redundancy pay (up to four weeks per full year of service) under the scheme.
The employment minister, Murray Watt, said the government was fast-tracking access to the scheme in recognition of the “stressful, drawn-out” process surrounding Mosaic Group’s collapse.
Staff are largely women, many balancing part-time employment with care responsibilities, and highly reliant on their pay, so we want to ensure they have as much certainty as possible around their finances going forward.
Watt on China’s live-fire drills – ‘they should have given us more notice’
Sticking with defence matters, Murray Watt was also asked about who knew what, when, in relation to the Chinese warships off the coast of Australia and the live firing exercises.
Watt said the defence minister, Richard Marles, had already stepped through the series of events as to what happened.
The most important thing is that we are not happy that China did not give advance warning of its live-fire drills and all of the appropriate representations have been made to China complaining about that. That’s really the issue here.
We’ve been working very closely with Air Services Australia and the airlines to try to provide information for people but the bottom line is that China should have given us more notice. And I think we were right to make those representations to them.
Updated
Minister not ‘too fazed’ on Trump’s Aukus slip-up
Let’s just circle back to that “What does that mean?” comment from Donald Trump on the Aukus deal.
The employment minister, Murray Watt, was asked about this on the Today show but said he wasn’t “too fazed”:
Obviously, President Trump has got a lot on his plate and lots to remember. And you’ll see that very quickly he was able to make the point about the strength of the relationship between Australia and the US.
We’ve already seen both the secretary of state and secretary for defence in the US talk about President Trump’s support for the Aukus arrangements, so that’s what really matters, rather than whether someone remembers an acronym in the middle of a meeting.
Updated
159 jobseekers convicted for debt that may have been incorrectly calculated
Last night in Senate estimates, Services Australia said 159 people have been convicted for debts that were calculated with income apportionment.
Income apportionment was the complex system used by Services Australia when it could not determine whether payslips that were relied on to calculate welfare debts aligned with the fortnightly income reporting periods, such as when a payslip did not show hours or days worked.
The legality of income apportionment has been questioned for years and is about to be the subject of a federal court case.
The deputy chief executive officer for payments and integrity in Services Australia, Chris Birrer, said:
So the 159 people … who had income apportionment use as part of their administrative debt and were under extended court orders at that point time, in late 2023, they’ve been convicted by a court and were under court orders.
Birrer said the department had contacted the 159 people who had been convicted:
We worked with the common director of public prosecutions … who then wrote to each of the convicted individuals or their legal representatives to inform them about what we knew about income apportionment at that point in time, and that there was legal uncertainty.
Only one person out of 159 of those convicted has asked Services Australia to recalculate the debt, Services Australia said.
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'What does that mean?' Trump questioned on Aukus deal
The US president, Donald Trump, needed to be reminded what the Aukus deal was when asked a question about it during a meeting with the British prime minister in the Oval Office.
As broadcast by CNN, a reporter can be heard asking Trump if he would be discussing Aukus with Keir Starmer. Trump responded:
What does that mean?
The reporter then prompted him, reminding him it is “Aukus – the Australia-US defence alliance”.
Trump then said “we will be discussing that” and, pointing to Starmer beside him, said:
We’ve had another great relationship, and you have too, with Australia. We’ve had a very good relationship with Australia.
You can watch the full exchange below:
Updated
Good morning
Hello, and welcome back to the Australia news live blog this Friday – I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
If you have any questions, tips or feedback, you can get in touch via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s get started.
Greens call for scalps over dumping of biennale artists
Creative Australia’s chief executive should be sacked and its board spilled with a comprehensive review of the funding body, the Greens say.
As AAP reports, the party’s arts election policy released today states the dumping of Australia’s Venice Biennale entrants threatens artistic freedom of expression, brought Creative Australia into disrepute and left the nation’s creative workers in crisis.
Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino had been invited to the prestigious biennale but their invitation was quickly revoked once Sabsabi’s early artworks featuring the September 11 terror attacks on the United States came to light.
The Creative Australia chief executive, Adrian Collette, acknowledged its selection process for the biennale had fallen short and would be subject to an external review, but said the board was compelled to exercise its judgment given the circumstances. Collette told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday:
As public debate intensified and scrutiny was applied to some of the artist’s prior works it became very quickly evident to the board that the organisation was confronting significant risks to its future mission.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the “ongoing scandal” at Creative Australia is a “reminder that freedom of artistic expression must be defended with vigilance”.
Updated
Greens unveil arts policy
The Greens are today launching their policy package for the arts, which includes a capital works fund, an artists in residence program and investment in telling Australian stories.
Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens’ spokesperson for the arts, said the sector was “in turmoil” as a result of the Creative Australia and Venice Biennale saga, years of underfunding and broken promises, and festival and event cancellations.
The key policies include to pilot a living wage program for up to 10,000 artists and legislate a $250 minimum performance fees for musicians and live performers at publicly funded events.
It would also channel $2bn into the sustainability and future of the arts over a decade, including support for festivals, live performance, youth arts and arts administration.
Hanson-Young said:
The Greens plan will ensure more artists are paid, more venues stay open and more audiences enjoy world-class work. Artists need funding for their work, freedom of artistic expression and protection from political interference.
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Former ADF chief warns nuclear power plants could be war targets
Australian nuclear reactors could become a target of war if the federal Coalition was to go ahead with plans to build them, AAP reports.
The Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, a group of former defence leaders, has warned that the plan to build seven small nuclear reactors across five states on the sites of coal-fired stations could leave Australia vulnerable to missile warfare and sabotage.
One of its members, former ADF chief Chris Barrie, said modern warfare was increasingly being fought using missiles and unmanned aerial systems.
Every nuclear power facility is a potential dirty bomb because rupture of containment facilities can cause devastating damage. With the proposed power stations all located within a 100km of the coast, they are a clear and accessible target.
Former defence department director of preparedness and mobilisation Cheryl Durrant cited the Ukraine-Russia war where both sides have prioritised targeting their opponents’ energy systems.
Australia would be no different.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the best of the overnight stories, and then it will be Emily Wind to take you through to the weekend.
Our lead story this morning is a report into the third-party groups campaigning to reduce “Green and teal growth” at the federal election. Third-party groups are preparing federal election campaigns that include accusations that the Greens and teal independents threaten “Australia’s economic and social stability”, and also focus in part on their views on the Israel-Gaza war. More to come.
Creative Australia’s chief executive should be sacked and its board spilled with a comprehensive review of the funding body, the Greens have said. The party, which releases its arts election policy today, said the creative sector was in turmoil after the biennale fiasco, job cuts and festival cancellations. More coming up.
And a group of senior defence experts have warned that proposed nuclear power plants in Australia could be targets in case of war. More on that too soon.
