What we learned today, Thursday 5 December
With that, we will wrap up the blog for the afternoon. Stay cool and dry out there – depending on what part of the country you’re reading in.
Here were today’s major developments:
A flight from Adelaide to Fiji appears to have made an emergency landing in New Caledonia after an issue mid-flight.
Joe Rogan’s podcast is the most popular in the world on Spotify. And his podcast is also the most popular among listeners in Australia, the streaming company’s wrapped data shows.
The Labor minister Katy Gallagher claimed she is the underdog in her ACT Senate race against David Pocock. Pocock said he did not accept the territory had “only ever been in a marginal seat contest” and doubted her characterisation. Meanwhile, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said it was possible Labor would lose the next federal election after only one term in government.
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, made an impassioned defence of his conduct as he faces a referral to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog over his involvement in the government’s plan to sell a racecourse in western Sydney.
The Victorian deputy premier and education minister, Ben Carroll, announced $92m in funding for more school swimming lessons after an increase in drownings last summer.
And the Greens announced a new election policy for a federal expansion of pill testing, involving the creation of a new drug testing agency.
Updated
Adelaide to Fiji flight makes unscheduled landing in Noumea
A flight from Adelaide to Fiji appears to have made an emergency landing in New Caledonia after an issue mid-flight.
Fiji Airways flight 960 departed Adelaide at about 1.45pm on Thursday bound for Nadi in Fiji, but its flight path changed as it was passing over New Caledonia, where it began circling.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 squawked 7700 – which indicates an emergency onboard the aircraft – and began descending in altitude.
The flight appears to have performed an emergency landing at Noumea airport, the capital of New Caledonia.
It is unclear what forced the captain to declare an emergency.
Fiji Airways and Noumea airport have been contacted for comment.
Updated
Adelaide to Fiji flight declares emergency
A flight from Adelaide to Nadi in Fiji has declared an emergency.
Fiji Airways flight FJ960 left Adelaide on Thursday afternoon at about 1.45pm local time, but as it was flying over New Caledonia its flight path changed and began circling.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 squawked 7700 – which indicates an emergency onboard the aircraft – and began descending in altitude.
Guardian Australia has contacted Fiji Airways for clarification.
Updated
WA premier hopes Australian woman sentenced in Japan gets home ‘sooner rather than later’
The jailing of an Australian grandmother in Japan is a “kick in the guts” says the Western Australia premier, Roger Cook, who hopesthe convicted drug smuggler is brought home “sooner rather than later”.
Donna Nelson, 58, from Perth, was sentenced on Wednesday to six years for trafficking methamphetamine into Tokyo in January 2023. Her legal team has indicated it plans to appeal, noting that the two years she’s already served will count toward her overall sentence.
Cook said his heart went out to Nelson and her family, but the Japanese justice system had to be respected.
That must come as a huge kick in the guts to that family and I know Donna and her family would be hurting today,” he told reporters on Thursday.
She’s been found guilty of a crime and she’s been sentenced and now she has avenues of appeal. In due course, I hope we may see a situation where Donna Nelson is brought home sooner rather than later.
Japanese officials found about 2kg of methamphetamine in a false bottom in a suitcase she was carrying as checked luggage and the court accepted her testimony that she was tricked as part of an online romance scam.
Nelson told the court she was carrying the case for a man she met online in 2020, who said he was the Nigerian owner of a fashion business, but she did not know that drugs were hidden inside it.
She was supposed to meet him in Japan but he did not turn up, prosecutors said, with the court finding that he paid for Nelson’s travel to Japan and asked her to collect dress samples from an acquaintance during a stopover in Laos.
She was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to $A10,000 on top of her sentence after being found guilty of breaking drug and customs laws, in the Chiba district court.
– AAP.
Updated
Legal Aid office in Gosford shut after explosion and 'small fire'
Legal Aid NSW has confirmed its Gosford office has been temporarily shut down and staff evacuated after an explosion that caused a small fire in its reception area this afternoon.
In a statement, it said NSW Fire and Rescue extinguished the fire and no staff or clients had been injured.
As we reported earlier, NSW Police have confirmed an investigation is under way into a fire burning at two office buildings on Donnison street.
Updated
Man’s body found inside car in Sydney’s west
The body of a man has been found inside a car in Sydney’s west, NSW Police have confirmed.
At about 10am today, emergency services were called to Park Road, Rydalmere, after reports of a concern for welfare.
Upon arrival, officers found a man’s body inside a vehicle in a car park. The man is yet to be formally identified, NSW Police said.
A crime scene has been established, and police are investigating the incident. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Updated
National body to head clean-up of ‘forever chemicals’
Residents in communities affected by toxic “forever chemicals” have been promised a consistent approach to tackle the problem under a national coordinating body.
The federal government has handed down its response to a review of contamination from per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) near three defence bases.
The review had called for stronger action to address pollution from the chemicals, which don’t break down.
As part of the process, the government agreed to create a national coordinating body that will be in charge of management responses to PFAS contamination at the Williamtown air force base in NSW, the Army Aviation Centre Oakey in Queensland and the Tindal air force base in the Northern Territory.
Many landowners living near the defence bases have been affected by toxic firefighting foam, which contains PFAS chemicals. The coordinating body will be overseen by federal and state ministers.
The defence personnel minister, Matt Keogh, said a nationally consistent approach was needed to tackle PFAS. He said the body would also help provide communities affected by PFAS with information on efforts to address contamination.
– AAP.
Updated
Aviation strikes could cause havoc with Christmas travel plans
Australians could be hit with pre-Christmas travel chaos, as more than 1,000 aviation workers across multiple major airlines look likely to strike next week.
Ground handlers who perform so-called under-the-wing duties, such as ramp and cargo operations and baggage handling for third party company Dnata, have voted to strike for 24 hours next Wednesday, as negotiations for better pay and conditions stall.
Qantas and foreign airlines, such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines, who outsource their ground handling operations in Australia rely on Dnata. The strikes will disrupt the smooth operation of flights in the lead up to Christmas holidays. The strikes will coincide with other industrial action affecting Qantas network pilots insome states.
The Dnata ground handling strikes can still be averted if a breakthrough is reached in emergency bargaining on Friday. However, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) said the company appears unlikely to make any further concessions.
Michael Kaine, TWU national secretary, said the responsibility to improve pay and conditions for outsourced baggage handlers lies as much with the airlines which rely on them as it does with Dnata.
Dnata workers have been forced to the point of taking strike action because we have a broken aviation industry. They’re struggling to stay in aviation with low pay, overuse of part-time jobs and not enough guaranteed hours, as well as poor rostering and ongoing payroll issues that prevent decent work-life balance.
Workers are saying ‘enough is enough’; it’s time for decent standards to keep people in the industry and attract more workers into the future. Dnata should join that push to lift up the industry instead of joining the race to the bottom, but the responsibility lies as much with Qantas here to rebuild the jobs it destroyed and pay its fair share.
Updated
Police issue description of man seen near Gosford fire that they want to talk to
We have more details on the fire that erupted in Gosford, this afternoon.
NSW Police have confirmed an investigation is under way into a fire burning at two office buildings on Donnison street.
At about 2.20pm, emergency services were called to the office building after reports of several explosions.
The building was evacuated, and no injuries have been reported. As we reported earlier, one woman, a 54-year-old employee, was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for smoke inhalation.
A short time later, police were called to a separate office building on Donnison Street after reports of another fire. At the scene, police were told that a man had entered the building before allegedly lighting a fire and fleeing the scene.
Police from Brisbane Water Police District specialist resources are investigating the incident.
Donnison Street remains closed in several sections near Dane Drive, Mann Street and Baker Street. Motorists and the community have been asked to avoid the area.
Police want to speak to a man seen in the area at the time of the incident. He’s described as being in his 60s, of short stature, with a chubby build, and wearing an all-black face covering, a black T-shirt, dark pants and shoes and a dark cap.
Guardian Australia understands one of offices involved buildings involved in the incident was a legal office. The ABC also has offices in the building, but wasn’t targeted.
Updated
New stadium best option for 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, consultancy says
A new Olympic stadium stacks up as the best option for the 2032 Games despite the previous state government spiking the idea.
Global consultancy firm Arcadis – which consults on other Olympic venue plans – has analysed the Victoria Park stadium option for Brisbane 2032 and will submit its findings to a 100-day review committee that is finalising the venue plan.
The analysis looked at a proposal by architecture firm Archipelago, which said Victoria Park could be transformed into a $6bn precinct, featuring a $2.6bn stadium, the Brisbane Arena and an 18,000-seat aquatics centre.
Arcadis Games and Legacy lead, Paul Allan, said Victoria Park could become the Olympics precinct to rival other states and globally and could be completed on time and within budget.
We just wanted to try and say ‘Please make sure that this is on your shopping list of projects and from a firm who has done this elsewhere in the world, it seems to stack up’.
Victoria Park was first proposed by the former lord mayor Graham Quirk’s 60-day review earlier this year as a $3.4bn centrepiece for the 2032 event.
But the Labor government ignored the recommendation, opting to upgrade ageing facilities such as the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre, the Gabba and Suncorp Stadium.
The Olympics minister, Tim Mander, said the government would probably listen to whatever recommendations the review panel makes. The report from the review will be handed down in 2025.
- AAP.
Updated
Greens accuse NSW’s environment agency of failing to explain mystery beach debris
The NSW Greens have accused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of failing to assure the public that Sydney’s beaches are safe to use after the discovery of more mystery “balls” on the shoreline.
Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment, Sue Higginson, said the EPA had yet to explain the source of the human waste causing the “ball-shaped debris”, and couldn’t assure the public Sydney’s beaches were safe to use because of it.
If our waste system is leaking sewage into the environment and on to our beaches, this should be a priority issue to resolve.
As the summer holidays approach and families prepare to be at the beaches, we need to know if human waste is leaking into our waterways and the EPA is responsible for communicating that clearly to the public.
It is not clear to me that the EPA has acted with clarity around this issue. From the initial reports that this sewage byproduct was tarballs, and now having no clearer advice to the public than ‘watch out and report’, what is clear is that the EPA and [the] government are clearly not in control of environmental pollution and regulation in this state.
The EPA said today it had finalised testing on the black balls that washed up in the eastern suburbs in October – and could confirm earlier results that indicated their origin was “likely a source that releases mixed waste”.
Updated
Katy Gallagher no underdog, says her Senate rival
David Pocock has shared his doubts about his ACT Senate rival’s claims she is the underdog at the next federal election.
Earlier today, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, expressed doubts about her chances of winning pole position in the battle for the territory’s two Senate spots at the next election.
Gallagher said Canberra had always been a “marginal seat contest” and she believed Pocock, a first-term senator, would be elected first, leaving the Labor frontbencher in a battle against the Liberals, Greens and other candidates for the second spot.
Gallagher, who is also a former ACT chief minister, said also that Pocock’s last campaign raised $2m and she expected the independent senator to do that again.
We won’t have that money. We don’t. In my time in politics, I’ve never seen that sort of money in Canberra, and so I’m going to have to campaign on my record and my commitment to this town.
Pocock said he didn’t accept the ACT had “only ever been in a marginal seat contest” and doubted her characterisation of being the underdog.
I don’t accept that Senator Gallagher has ‘only ever been in a marginal seat contest’ – before the last election there had never been a change in Senate composition in the ACT. The ACT has historically been one of the safest seats in the country; our community made the ACT marginal for the first time ever in 2022.
I won’t take anything for granted and will always be accountable to our community. I have worked hard and will continue to do so to represent and get results for a community I love.
Gallagher was a long-serving chief minister and [now] federal cabinet minister – I would never describe her as an underdog; I think that sells short the role she’s played in ACT politics over many years.
Pocock has been urging the Albanese government to change election rules to increase the number of senators in the ACT and NT. Under the current rules, territory senators serve for three years, compared to six years in the states. Territories also only have two Senate spots each while states are given 12 seats.
Updated
Emergency operation in Gosford on NSW central coast after a building catches fire
Turning to the Central Coast, and an emergency operation is under way in Gosford after a fire in a Donnison Street building.
Shortly before 2.30pm, NSW Ambulance arrived on the scene where they treated one patient – a woman in her 50s – for smoke inhalation. She had yet to be transferred to hospital and was being monitored.
Crews remain on the scene, and the public is being urged to avoid the area.
NSW Police confirmed a police operation was under way, with more details to come throughout the afternoon.
Updated
WA youth detention centre culture racist and toxic, senior public servant tells inquest
The institutional racism and toxic culture at a troubled youth detention centre was so severe a consultant was afraid to raise it for fear of losing his job, an Indigenous teen’s inquest has been told.
Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in Unit 18, a youth wing of the high-security adult facility Casuarina Prison, in the early hours of 12 October 2023.
The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died a week later, causing outrage and grief in the community.
Unit 18 was established in July 2022 after riots and damage to cells at Western Australia’s main youth detention centre, Banksia Hill.
Cleveland’s inquest today heard from respected veteran senior public servant Tim Marney, who was contracted to implement a therapeutic care model at Banksia Hill in the months before Cleveland died.
He told Coroner Philip Urquhart the racism and toxicity he observed was so serious he dared not raise it for fear of alienating the facility’s management and inhibiting his ability to make change.
Asked why he didn’t raise the issue of racism immediately, Marney said his primary focus at the time was the safety and wellbeing of detainees.
He said the facility’s low staffing levels were his main priority because they were causing detainees to be locked in their cells for unacceptably long periods.
The inquest continues.
– AAP.
Updated
No relief from severe hot weather for parts of NSW, South Australia and Western Australia until next week
Three states remain under heatwave warnings as “hot and unsettled conditions” remain in the centre and south-east of Australia.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued the severe warnings for parts of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, where conditions are expected to peak over the coming days before easing early next week.
Temperatures from the high 20s to mid 30s were forecast to hit Batemans Bay and Bega on the NSW South Coast, with overnight minimum temperatures in the high teens to low 20s.
The Kimberley, North Interior and South Interior districts in WA are forecast to reach maximum temperatures in the low to mid 40s, extending to the Pilbara next week.
In South Australia’s north west pastoral district, overnight minimum temperatures were expected to reach the high 20s, with maximum temperatures in excess of 40 degrees.
Severe heatwave conditions are expected to peak before the weekend, then ease from the south with a cooler change developing late Friday and extending throughout the warning area over the weekend.
Updated
Sydney NYE: nine tonnes of fireworks to be fired from eight floating platforms, 80 new harbour positions
Plans for Sydney’s New Year’s Eve have been released, with fireworks to be launched from 80 new positions on the western side of the Harbour Bridge.
Lord mayor Clover Moore unveiled the schedule this morning, which features fireworks for children at 9pm and midnight for adults.
Moore:
As one of the first cities in the world to ring in the new year, we set the benchmark with a spectacle that reflects what our beautiful city is all about. With 26,500 lights and nine tonnes of fireworks to be fired off eight floating platforms and from 80 new positions on the western side of the bridge, we’ll be lighting up 7km of Sydney Harbour, from Cockatoo Island to Point Piper and beyond.
At 7.30pm, three Tribal Warrior vessels will set sail west of the headland and travel around Circular Quay, to the Opera House where a traditional smoking ceremony will take place with smouldering native plants on board each vessel.
At 8.30pm, Yvonne Weldon AM will present a Welcome to Country, which will be followed by a performance of an original song, Country’s Calling, led by producer, rapper and ARIA award winner, Nooky.
Then, for eight minutes until 9pm, fireworks will light up Sydney Harbour in a “celebration of sky, land and sea”, with projections on the bridge pylons illustrating Barangaroo and her female warriors’ connection to water and fishing in the harbour.
Updated
This sunburnt country – Australian summers increasingly likely to feature fires and floods
Bushfires one day, floods the next. The likelihood of back-to-back severe weather events during Australian summers is increasing in a warming climate.
The black summer bushfires of 2019-2020 caused widespread destruction that was followed by downpours and flooding over the next two years, complicating the response and recovery efforts.
Such double destruction isn’t likely to be a one-off. The Climate Council is warning that there is a growing risk that different parts of Australia may face more than one disaster at the same time or in quick succession, with cascading severe weather events a real possibilitythis summer.
“We call it climate whiplash,” a former commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW, Greg Mullins, said during a media briefing today.
We go from heatwaves and fires to floods and storms.
Above-average temperatures are predicted forthis summer in many parts of Australia, based on the Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range forecasts.
This summer will also likely be wetter than normal – especially in December – with a greater chance of unusually high rainfall in parts of Australia’s east and northwest.
But a wet start to summer does not rule out bushfires, with patches of the country, particularly grasslands in western Victoria, eastern South Australia and parts of New South Wales already facing a high risk of fires.
– AAP.
Updated
A mighty thanks to my fellow Cait-based namesake, Catie McLeod.
I’ll be with you until stumps.
I’m signing off for the day. My colleague, Caitlin Cassidy, will take you through the rest of the day’s news. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great afternoon.
Updated
Federal government to fund customer advocacy ahead of new NBN pricing framework
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) will be able to provide a voice for customers on how much they’re paying for the NBN in the next pricing determination by the competition regulator, after a $2.5m grant provided by the federal government.
The consumer group will be tasked with advocating for consumers as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sets out the next framework for pricing and NBN expenditure and standards to run from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2029.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said:
This additional funding to ACCAN will help ensure Australian consumers are getting access to quality broadband at the best prices. Ensuring that consumer voices are heard and integrated in the development of NBN regulatory proposals is key to providing all Australians with high-quality, reliable and affordable broadband.
NBN’s most recent wholesale pricing overhaul led to some retail providers increasing the prices for lower-speed plans while lowering the higher prices for higher speed plans, leading to criticism of the impact of the changes during a cost-of-living crisis.
The ACCAN CEO, Carol Bennett, said the organisation would advocate for consumers when the next round of pricing was determined.
We look forward to ensuring that consumers receive high-quality, affordable and reliable services through the NBN for decades to come.
NBN’s pricing proposal is due by 2 July 2025, with a final decision by the ACCC expected by 30 June 2026.
Updated
RACP says Qld’s ‘punitive’ criminal justice reforms ‘target’ vulnerable children
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) has described the Queensland government’s criminal justice reforms as “punitive” and says they will target vulnerable children.
The RACP – a professional body that represents physicians and paediatricians across Australia and New Zealand – has called on the state’s Liberal National party government to reconsider the new laws.
The premier, David Crisafulli, introduced the party’s headline-making “Making Queensland Safer” bill last week.
It is the first item on Crisafulli’s legislative agenda since the LNP won the Queensland election in October, ending three consecutive terms of Labor government.
The legislation implements the government’s “adult crime, adult time” election commitment by dramatically increasing maximum sentences for youth crimes.
The RACP has released a statement today cautioning against the legislation.
In it, Prof Nitin Kapur, the president of the RACP’s child health division, said he was concerned the bill would “significantly worsen health outcomes across Queensland”.
He said:
It is likely to worsen the overrepresentation of First Nations children in detention, deepening psychological, social, and cultural harm, and perpetuating trauma and disconnection from their communities.
We are keen to work with the Queensland government to address the challenges our children face today but are extremely concerned that the government’s approach will set back developmental and social outcomes for vulnerable members of a generation of children.
As child health experts, we have repeatedly warned that detaining children does not address the main causes of antisocial behaviour.
Kapur urged the Queensland government to work with child health experts to develop reforms that “truly serve our community”.
You can read more about the controversial bill here:
Updated
Experts left ‘furious’ at close of NSW government drug summit
Leading experts in drug reform have been left “furious” as the New South Wales government’s drug summit comes to a close with the health minister having ruled out the possibility of decriminalisation.
The Greens spokesperson for drug law reform, Cate Faehrmann, said it was “profoundly disappointing” that halfway through the summit the government wouldn’t consider what the vast majority of people attending say is the number one thing that needs to happen.
At a press conference convened by the Greens with experts and advocates, this afternoon, Faehrmann said the people in the drug reform space hoping for change had been left “furious” at “what seems to be a box ticking exercise”.
Dr Annie Madden, the executive director of Harm Reduction Australia, said experts and advocates had come to the summit in good faith but had been left “angry and devastated” by the minister’s ruling out decriminalisation when the summit was barely under way.
Madden said after having come back from breakout room sessions at the summit where initial recommendations were floated, “the room was in revolt”. Many people felt that the wording was inappropriate and inaccurate, being so vague it risked progress being set back.
“It feels like the government came in not wanting to listen.”
Madden said experts and the community were ready for change, but politicians were not.
Faehrmann said even if the government took decriminalisation to the next election it shouldn’t have to go to voters because this drug summit was the mandate it needed for reform.
Updated
People advised to avoid Sydney’s Silver Beach until ball-shaped debris cleaned up
Sydney’s Sutherland Shire council has responded after ball-shaped debris washed up on a beach in its local area, after a similar pollution incident on another Sydney beach.
A spokesperson for the council said it was working with the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority after the balls were found along the eastern end of Silver Beach at Kurnell.
They said:
Beachgoers are strongly advised not to enter the beach until the clean-up is complete.
While the spread of debris is limited to the [parts of] Botany Bay facing Silver Beach at present, council will continue to monitor other local beaches to ensure this debris is not affecting other areas of our coastline.
In October, seven Sydney beaches including Bondi were closed after dark balls of debris washed ashore.
Environment authorities initially said they believed the balls had come from an oil spill, but testing later revealed they were made of products such as motor oil, hair, food waste, animal matter and wastewater bacteria.
You can read more here:
Updated
Katy Gallagher claims underdog status in Senate race against David Pocock
Katy Gallagher was also asked about her future as a senator.
Unlike the states, territory senators are up for election every three years, instead of six. That means, for the ACT, both David Pocock and Gallagher will go head-to-head for the two ACT Senate seats next year.
In the 2022 federal election, Gallagher took first place in the Senate race while Pocock, a former Wallabies captain, knocked Liberal junior minister, Zed Seselja, out of the upper house in a surprise upset. Seselja gained more primary votes but Pocock won more overall votes thanks to preference flows.
But Gallagher says she isn’t so sure that will happen again.
Despite being Albanese’s go-to henchwoman in the Senate, the former ACT chief minister considers herself the underdog to Pocock.
Gallagher said:
Well, my time in politics, I’ve only ever been in a marginal seat contest, and the Senate race in the ACT is a marginal seat contest now.
And I think, personally, I think David Pocock will be elected first and then … it’s the race between Labor for the second seat. I think that’s how it will play out and so that means we’ve got to put a lot of effort in.
The Labor frontbencher said Pocock raised almost $2m for his campaign last federal election and she expected the independent senator to do so again.
She said:
Again, we won’t have that money. We don’t. In my time in politics, I’ve never seen that sort of money in Canberra, and so I’m going to have to campaign on my record and my commitment to this town.
Updated
Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher says cuts to public service would result in more failures like Robodebt
The public service minister, Katy Gallagher, says she has “no doubts” the Coalition’s proposed cuts to the federal bureaucracy would again lead to system failures, such as the illegal robodebt scheme.
At a press conference after a speech to Canberra’s top mandarins about reforms across the government workforce, the ACT senator said the opposition’s suggestion it would slash 36,000 jobs across the public service would be disastrous for Australians.
As we mentioned earlier, the number of public servants employed under the Albanese government has grown substantially since May 2022.
There are about 26,000 – or 16.4% – more roles now than there were three years ago.
While the number of permanent staff has increased, Labor says there has also been a decrease in the use of private sector contractors and consultants as a result.
The opposition has warned it will look at trimming the increase in staff to save the budget billions of dollars.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said the “first thing” a Coalition government would do in government would be to “sack” 36,000 bureaucrats in Canberra.
At a Minerals Council conference in September, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, queried whether the extra workforce was needed.
In response, Gallagher said earlier today:
There’s no doubt that the lack of independence and the control of executive government had a lot to do with how long robodebt went on for.
It was a thirst for savings to run a fiscal strategy that actually caused, in some instances, the death of innocent Australians. I mean, it is the most extraordinary public administration failure, and I would hope we never go back there.
I think the APS is less likely to go as far back as that. But if you cut 20% of the APS’s resourcing, there will be failures of systems. I have no doubt about it.
Asked whether she was running a scare campaign in Canberra to win ACT votes, Gallagher responded:
I think it would probably be negligent on me not to raise it, and I don’t know how you talk about public sector reform and looking at what you do next when there is this big shadow of a threat to cut 36,000 jobs from the public service.
So I tried to navigate that. It’s not scare-mongering at all. It’s simply saying the facts.
Updated
Ball-shaped debris being cleaned up on Sydney’s Silver Beach at Kurnell
Sydney beaches have been graced with yet more ball-shaped debris, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has confirmed.
The EPA was alerted by a member of the public to the balls at the eastern end of Silver Beach at Kurnell, in the Sutherland Shire on Tuesday. Council immediately placed signs at the beach warning of contamination, and it is handling the cleanup.
The debris varies in size, shape and colour with some rounded and golf-ball size while larger ones are more irregular in shape. They range in colour from whitish or pale through green, grey and black.
Samples will be tested and compared with balls found in the past two months, which were identified as ‘fatbergs’, and attributed to a source that releases mixed waste.
The EPA said this incident was much smaller than the balls that plagued Sydney’s eastern suburbs in October, with fewer found and over a smaller area. Further debris has not been found on nearby beaches, however a small number were discovered on Botany Bay at Dolls Point Beach, which have been cleaned up.
Updated
Former X-Factor contestant has murder charge withdrawn
A former X-Factor contestant who had been accused of killing a baby girl has had a murder charge against him withdrawn.
Mitchell David Callaway, 39, was arrested and charged with a single count of murder in June 2023 after a five-year police investigation. He did not formally plead.
On 23 July 2018, a nine-month-old girl was found unresponsive in a home at Binnaway, south of Coonabarabran in central-west NSW. Paramedics took the baby to Coonabarabran hospital, where she died a short time later.
Callaway was arrested at a home at Bowraville in the mid north coast hinterland after police executed a warrant at Binnaway the month before.
But the prosecutors formally withdrew the charge at Dubbo Local court on today, nearly 18 months after the court proceedings were launched.
Callaway had previously been granted bail and did not appear at the court in person.
The singer competed and came seventh in series three of X-Factor Australia in 2011. His season was won by then-teen star Reece Mastin.
– AAP.
Updated
Nationals’ David Littleproud: Coalition’s nuclear costings ‘imminent’
The leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, has flagged costings for the Coalition’s nuclear power policy are “imminent” and will be announced “very soon”, while falling short of nailing down a date.
Speaking on Sky News today, Littleproud was asked if there would be a “sneak peek” of the costings for the plan for seven nuclear power plants. A report released in September and dismissed by the opposition, estimated the plan would add $665 a year to an average power bill.
Littleproud:
We will be announcing this very soon; it’s imminent in terms of the costings. But what we wanted to do is … gain social licence in the communities in which we determine where these nuclear power plants will go.
And that’s what we’ve gained, and we’ve been able to go into those communities, educate them and let them understand about the opportunities and the transition that nearly 80% of them that work in a coal fired power station can transition across into a nuclear power plant.
The costings will be out very soon as well as our total grid showing and demonstrating that we’re not going down an all-renewables approach … I think that if we’re given a mandate after the next federal election, there will be a very powerful mandate for everyone to work collectively to get on with the job and get started immediately.
Updated
Liberal senator Simon Birmingham joins ANZ South Australia
The Liberal senator, Simon Birmingham, has been appointed the head of Asia Pacific engagement and chair of ANZ South Australia after his resignation from parliament last week.
In a statement released today, ANZ said Birmingham would be working closely with the chief executive officer, Shayne Elliott, to “expand and strengthen” ANZ’s trade relationships and capital flows across the region.
Elliot:
Birmingham has had a distinguished career as a senator for South Australia and Australian cabinet minister … his significant experience and knowledge of trade, investment and the economies and governments of the Asia Pacific will help ANZ and our customers to create opportunities across the region.
Birmingham’s knowledge of and commitment to his home state will allow us to deepen our support for our South Australian customers and the state’s economy. His understanding of many of the state’s key industries – such as agriculture, tourism, defence, and education – will help drive opportunities for our South Australian customers, including those exporting to the world.
Birmingham said ANZ had “long played a strong role” in promoting trade and capital flows through the Asia Pacific.
I look forward to working closely with ANZ’s customers and the bank’s leadership, both at home and across the Asia Pacific region.
Birmingham will join ANZ in February next year.
Updated
International report shows growing inequality in Australian education system
An international report about the performance of year 4 and 8 students across mathematics and science points to growing inequalities in our education system, the Australian Education Union (Aeu) says.
The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) results, released yesterday, were Australia’s best for year 4 students, while stagnating for year 8 students and showing an increase in very low performers.
It also highlighted large performance gaps between socioeconomically disadvantaged students, regional students, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their peers.
Aeu federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said with public schools teaching 80% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the results underlined the urgent need for full funding of the system.
The results from Timss 2023 should signal a wake-up call for the Albanese government about the urgent need to fully fund our public schools. While we are pleased to see some improvements in year 4, the stagnation in year 8, particularly among our most disadvantaged students, is deeply concerning.
Without increased investment in our public schools, the gap between students from low and high SES backgrounds, as well as between Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students, will only continue to grow.
The education minister remains in a standoff with New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria over who will front an ongoing 5% gap in public school funding. Jason Clare has proposed the Commonwealth increase its share from 20% to 22.5%, while the states and the Aeu pushing the federal government to lift its funding to 25%.
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Chalmers rejects criticism of government’s economic management by opposition and its ‘sycophants and suck-ups’
The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has again defended the Albanese Labor government’s handling of the economy.
Speaking to journalists at the opening of a mental health centre in his outer Brisbane seat of Rankin, Chalmers rejected Peter Dutton’s allegation that “wasteful spending” by the government had driven the economy almost to a standstill.
Chalmers dismissed the criticism from the opposition and people he described as its “sycophants and suck-ups” in the wake of yesterday’s national accounts figures.
He suggested the Coalition favoured “radical austerity” which would send Australia into recession, saying:
We get a lot of free advice from our political opponents and from their sycophants and suck ups that we should have some kind of slash and burn budget with radical austerity. That’s a recipe for recession.
Chalmers would not commit about making more spending cuts in the upcoming mid-year budget update or the full budget scheduled for March next year.
But he said:
In the best case, every budget contains some reprioritising of spending, trying to make the most of that spending, and trying to make sure that it’s directed to the most productive purposes.
Chalmers also rejected calls from eight teal crossbenchers to change the definition of a small business from one employing up to 15 staff to one employing up to 25.
He said the Fair Work Ombudsman was reviewing the definition of a small business and was due to report by mid next year, so the government would await those recommendations before considering any changes.
Chalmers returned fire on Dutton’s attack, calling the Coalition’s as-yet-uncosted plans to build nuclear reactors as “nuclear madness” and “economic insanity”.
Updated
Victorian deputy premier says $92m funding will ensure free swimming lessons for next few years
Just going back to the Victorian deputy premier Ben Carroll’s press conference from earlier, where he announced more government funding for swimming lessons.
Carrol said Swimming in Schools program has been going since 2017:
We’ve had a partnership going with Life Saving Victoria since about 2017 where we actually embedded it in the curriculum for our primary school students.
When we made it embedded in the curriculum, we invested at about $131m to be exact, and then just shy of $75m in the last budget. But [today’s announcement of $92m] ensures that we’re embedding long-term funding over the next four years to continue the swimming lessons for free for our primary school students.
The latest funding is from the 2024/25 budget, handed down in May. But Carroll says today’s announcement is timely:
Sadly, drownings are up, and this is a timely reminder, as we enter into summer, the importance of water safety, particularly for children. You know, 20 seconds is all it takes for a child to drown.
So to everyone, whether it’s at the beach this summer, whether it’s at the family swimming pool or gathering – people sometimes start consuming alcohol around pools and water – it’s so important to have water safety front of mind as we head into summer.
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Minns says fact ATC must vote on racecourse sale means it was not pushed through without process
But Minns has said the Rosehill racecourse can’t be sold unless the members of the Australian Turf Club vote in favour of it, even if the government wants the sale to go through.
At the same press conference, he said:
Anyone that suggests that this has been run and done, rubber-stamped, pushed through by the NSW government without any consideration or due process – I mean you would have to willfully ignore the fact that the 20,000 members of the ATC have to vote on it.
Updated
Minns insists racecourse should be sold to power new housing ‘gamechanger’
Minns has insisted he wants to forge ahead with the proposal to sell the Rosehill racecourse and turn it into housing.
At his press conference this morning, Minns said:
We think this would be a gamechanger for Sydney. I’m not walking away from this proposal.
Yes, there are many hurdles for it to jump through but it is too crucial when it comes to new housing for young people in this expensive city to walk away from today.
In December, the New South Wales government announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Turf Club (ATC) after being approached about turning the Rosehill Gardens racecourse into up to 25,000 homes and a school, with an accompanying metro station.
The plan was for the ATC retain ownership of the site until it was developed and a horse facility would be built at Horsley Park for the up to 400 animals that would need to be relocated, as well as developing Warwick Farm racecourse into a “new world-class track”.
The ATC reportedly proposed to sell the racecourse for up to $5bn.
The land is only thought to be worth up to $2bn at present, but Guardian Australia understands the ATC believes it will be worth up to $23bn once a metro station is built on it.
The proposal – which was controversial among some members of the horse racing community – has been scrutinised by a parliamentary committee which is due to hand down its report tomorrow.
This morning, Minns told reporters:
I would say if anyone has a proposal to build new housing for Sydney and NSW and they want to approach the NSW government, please do so.
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Chris Minns defends conduct after reports of possible Icac referral
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has made an impassioned defence of his conduct as he faces a referral to the state’s corruption watchdog over his involvement in the government’s plan to sell a racecourse in western Sydney.
A parliamentary inquiry into the government’s proposal to sell the Rosehill racecourse in Sydney’s west and turn it into tens of thousands of homes will deliver its report on Friday.
It has been reported in the media that the inquiry’s report will recommend that Minns be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac).
The decision reportedly concerns Minns’ relationship with Steve McMahon, the head of government relations at the Australian Turf Club, which owns the Rosehill site.
The premier responded to those reports last night with a statement in which he said it was “disgraceful to politicise the Icac with unsubstantiated rumours”.
Minns doubled down at a press conference earlier this morning, where he was asked by journalists about those reports and whether he should face a potential referral to the corruption watchdog.
The premier said:
You have all been witnesses to the parliamentary inquiry. If there was a shred of information that had been collected by that inquiry, it would have been discovered before today.
The reason it hasn’t been and the reason this committee, in a politicised way, have reverted to the Icac, is precisely because they don’t have those facts, all that evidence.
Updated
Victorian government announces $92m for more school swimming lessons
The Victorian deputy premier and education minister, Ben Carroll, is holding a press conference in Melbourne to announce $92m in funding for more school swimming lessons after an increase in drownings last summer.
He says the funding would allow for an extra 900,000 lessons in four years as part of the Swimming in Schools program, which helps students develop lifelong skills in swimming and water safety to reduce their risk of drowning and injury.
The government says it funds the lessons at every state and Catholic primary school as well as students of all ages in government specialist schools and English language schools, due to higher risks these students can face around water.
Carroll’s announcement coincided with Water Safety Week and came a day after Life Saving Victoria reported a “substantial increase” in young people drowning over the past year.
Their 2023-24 report found the largest increase in drownings across Victoria in the past year was recorded among 15 to 24-year-olds with 10 deaths, which is double the average drowning rate for the past decade.
On top of this, 25 to 44-year-olds recorded 17 deaths, the highest number of any age group and the highest tally for this group in 20 years.
Multicultural communities across Victoria also had the highest number of drownings since records began, with 21 deaths.
Updated
Nearly $900,000 worth of cryptocurrency seized, fifth man charged in relation to alleged dark net drug vendor
New South Wales police say they have seized nearly $900,000 worth of cryptocurrency and charged a fifth man as part of an investigation into alleged dark net vendors.
Police will allege in court the man, 34, laundered nearly $1.25m on behalf of what they allege was one of the largest drug vendors on the dark net.
Detectives from the cybercrime squad have been investigating an alleged criminal group using the dark net, a part of the internet that cannot be accessed through conventional search engines.
Police have alleged the group sold more than $80m worth of prohibited drugs in the past six years.
Earlier this year, police charged four other men in relation to the group, who remain before the courts.
The fifth man was arrested early yesterday morning after police said they used a warrant to search a property in Canley Heights in western Sydney.
Police said they seized $894,697 worth of cryptocurrencies, $7,000 in cash, a luxury watch worth $65,000, seven mobile phones, three computers and “cryptocurrency related paraphernalia”.
The man was arrested and taken to Fairfield police station, police said.
He was charged with knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime, dishonestly obtaining financial advantage etc by deception and two counts of dealing with property proceeds of crime worth more than $100,000.
He was refused bail and appeared before Fairfield local court yesterday.
Investigations under Strike Force Carieville continue.
Updated
NSW health minister says ‘we don’t need judging and moralising’ in opening address to anti-drugs summit
Before Howard’s speech, the NSW health minister, Ryan Park, delivered the opening address, acknowledging Howard’s “enormous piece of work that has helped inform this summit, and I know will help chart our drug and alcohol policy going forward”.
Park told the summit that as a parent when it comes to drugs “you see an issue at every corner” but that the young people who spoke at the summit yesterday “don’t always see that through a frame of problem and problematic behavior.”
He thanked them for challenging him:
I wanted my own views to be challenged.
Park acknowledged experts’ calls for the need for compassion. Park said: “we don’t need judging and moralising, what we need is support.”
While the dial has moved on stigma around mental health challenges, he said “if we’re all honest with one another, we haven’t done the same in relation to drug use”.
Updated
Former special commissioner urges NSW government to take drug decriminalisation policy to next election
A former special commissioner has told the New South Wales government’s drug summit he is galled “we are being asked to revisit the same issues yet again when the work has already been done”.
Prof Dan Howard, the commissioner of the 2020 special commission of inquiry into the drug “ice”, told the audience this week’s summit could be a pivotal moment in drug and alcohol policy history. However, he acknowledged:
It galls me that we are being asked to revisit the same issues yet again when the work has already been done.
Howard acknowledged people with lived experience have continued to tell their stories at his special commission as well as at the week-long forum in 1999 that was the impetus for Australia’s first supervised injecting room and which this summit was modelled on.
How many times must we listen to what these courageous people are telling us before we act? To fail them is an abuse of their courage and trust.
His speech was met with multiple instances of the audience breaking out in applause.
Howard highlighted the support of the peak evidence based bodies of physicians, the law council and researcher for action to decriminalise drug use and encourage a health based approach.
He ended it by urging the government that after the co-chairs of the summit release their report, “bite the bullet” and go the next election with a policy of decriminalisation.
“You have a mandate now.”
Updated
Peter Dutton calls for offshore wind project in NSW to be scrapped
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, appeared in Port Stephens, NSW this morning calling for a local offshore wind project not to proceed.
The Hunter coastline was declared a potential area for offshore wind by the government in mid-2023. After public consultation, the zone was reduced in size and one company, Novocastrian Wind Pty Ltd, was offered a preliminarily feasibility licence to develop the project.
If elected, Dutton said his government will rescind the Port Stephens offshore wind zone and talked up his party’s nuclear power policy.
“It’s in this community’s best interest that this project does not proceed,” Dutton claimed.
He said he had spoken to locals who raised issues with the consultation process and possible environmental impact. Asked if he would cancel other offshore projects, Dutton said:
What’s important to do in relation to offshore wind is to look at each of the projects.
We’ll look at the individual community and what the net impact, whether it’s positive or negative, into our energy system.
What the Coalition is about is delivering lower-cost electricity and gas to consumers and small businesses.
Dutton appeared alongside the shadow climate change and energy minister, Ted O’Brien, and Laurence Antcliff, the Liberal party candidate for Paterson, which includes part of Port Stephens. The seat is held by Labor MP Meryl Swanson.
Updated
Detectives investigating four separate incidents of children being approached by drivers in white vans in Melbourne
Victoria police detectives are investigating four separate incidents in Melbourne in the last month of children being approached by drivers in white vans.
Police have said they believe the incidents are not linked.
On Tuesday morning, a 10-year-old boy walked away after he was approached by a man driving a white van on Landscape Dr in the eastern suburb of Boronia, police said.
Police said that, a day earlier, a 15-year-old girl was approached by a man driving a white van while she was walking along Saxon St in Doncaster, also in Melbourne’s east.
The man asked the girl to get in the van, police said, after which she ran away to a nearby shopping centre.
On the evening of 27 November, another teenage girl was approached by a man driving a white van on Spring St in Tullamarine, in the city’s north, police said.
Police said the man asked the 14-year-old to get inside the van and she ran away to a nearby park.
On 18 November, an 11-year-old boy was walking along Halley Street in Blackburn when he was approached by a man driving a white van, police said.
Police said the man told the boy his mother had asked him to give him a lift home and that he drove away after the child declined his offer.
The investigations into each of the incidents are ongoing, and police have asked anyone with any information to contact CrimeStoppers.
Updated
The Joe Rogan Experience again ranked the No 1 podcast in Australia
US podcaster Joe Rogan’s podcast is the most popular in the world on Spotify. And his podcast was the most popular among listeners in Australia and globally, the streaming company’s wrapped data shows.
This was the fifth year in a row the Joe Rogan Experience has been the world’s most streamed podcast on Spotify. But Rogan has been in the Australian headlines over the last couple of weeks for a different reason.
Late last month, the ABC chair Kim Williams sparked a furious response from Rogan fans for comments he made about the controversial podcaster at the National Press Club in Canberra.
At the press club, ABC reporter Jane Norman asked Williams about Rogan’s influence. Williams said he wasn’t a fan and that:
People like Mr Rogan prey on people’s vulnerabilities: they prey on fear, they prey on anxiety, they prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society.
They entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part of social narrative – I personally find it deeply repulsive.
At the time, Rogan responded on X: “LOL WUT.”
Elon Musk, the owner of X, said at the time: “From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda.” (A reference to Soviet-state run media during communist rule)
Updated
T-Swift most streamed album in Australia on Spotify as Wiggles take local crown
Now for what the rest of us are listening to.
Spotify has released its Wrapped data for the year, which shows the most popular music, podcasts and audiobooks in Australia based on the number of streams.
Pop queen Taylor Swift has taken out the top spot as Australia’s most streamed artist for a second year in a row, off the back of her Eras tour.
Swift’s Tortured Poets Department was the most-streamed album in Australia. This was followed by Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’Sweet and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.
American singer and songwriter Benson Boone has made his debut on the list and had the number one song with Beautiful Things, which he released early in the year.
The Wiggles were announced as Australia’s most-streamed local artists, followed by The Kid LAROI.
The 2013 indie rock classic Riptide by Australian singer Vance Joy is still going strong, taking out the number one place for Australia’s most-streamed local artist song.
It was followed by producer CYRIL’s Stumblin’ In, a rework of the classic song sung by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro.
Updated
Albanese’s Spotify wrapped shows all-Aussie bands
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has released what he says is his Spotify wrapped playlist for the year.
In a post on X, Albanese shared a screenshot of his most played songs on the streaming platform this year.
What’s on your Spotify Wrapped? pic.twitter.com/8YOdAvgUgg
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 4, 2024
What he says were his top picks were all by Australian artists, with local bands Hockey Dad, Lime Cordiale and King Stingray in the mix.
His favourite song of the year, at least according to Spotify, was the indie rock ballad Australia by Melbourne musician G-Flip.
The prime minister’s second-most played song was Letting Go by Angie McMahon, who is also from Melbourne.
Updated
Labor’s Katy Gallagher to give speech defending public service
Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher wears many hats but this morning, she will deliver a speech about the state of the public service – one of her portfolios – amid the Coalition’s proposed slash-and-burn of the bureaucracy.
The ACT senator and key lieutenant of prime minister Anthony Albanese will tell top mandarins this morning a battle over the Australian public service will be “front and centre” of the next federal election contest.
Gallagher’s annual speech on APS reform in Canberra on Thursday morning will depict the choice Labor says Australians, and particularly Canberrans where a large number of public servants work, will have at the polls: a well-resourced and capable public service with Labor or thousands of job cuts under a Dutton government.
The minister will say:
At a time when Australians are facing real cost of living pressures, these cuts would mean longer wait times for critical payments and reduced support for those who need it most.
It’s the same old, lazy playbook – cut jobs, outsource work and watch as policy capability collapses as Australians pay the price with a public service unable to deliver on their behalf.
The number of public servants has risen to more than 185,000 as of June, an 8.9% increase on the previous year, the latest state of the service report from the Australian Public Service Commission showed in November.
Since the Albanese government was elected in May 2022, the bureaucracy has grown by around 26,000 places, or 16.4%.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has flagged potential job cuts in Canberra if he is victorious at the next federal election.
Gallagher is expected to tell the audience made up largely of bureaucrats she won’t go down “without a fight”.
“I’m not going to sit by and allow a lazy and fraudulent promise to cut the public service by 20% without a fight to present the alternative view. A strong, independent APS is worth fighting for.”
You can read more of our coverage here:
Updated
Chalmers concedes ‘possibility’ of Labor losing next election
Chalmers has said it is possible Labor will lose the next federal election after only one term in government.
During his interview with ABC’s RN Breakfast, the host, Patricia Karvelas, asked Chalmers if he conceded there was a “very real risk” Labor would not be re-elected. Chalmers replied:
Of course, that’s a possibility. You know, we take, we take no outcome of any election for granted.
Chalmers has also said he plans to hand down a fourth federal budget as treasurer in March, before the next election.
The treasurer said he would want Anthony Albanese to serve another full term as prime minister if Labor is re-elected, even if it doesn’t win enough seats to retain a majority government. Chalmers said:
One of the things that we’ve shown a capacity to do is regenerate under the same leader.
My expectation and my hope is, if we do win the election next year, that Anthony Albanese serves the full term and runs again, that’s what I would expect to happen.
Karvelas pressed Chalmers on this, asking him: “what’s wrong with change?” He responded:
Well, I think we’ve one of the things that we’ll be taking to the Australian people is a sense of stability, a sense that we’ve got an economic plan.
We’re rolling that out in difficult times, we’re helping people where we can, and that’s a tribute to Anthony’s leadership
Chalmers’ interview comes the day after an Australian National University study found just 38% of voters have confidence in the federal government, a level approaching the lows before Scott Morrison was voted out of office in May 2022.
Nevertheless, the study – based on a survey of 3,622 respondents between 15 and 25 October – found the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had “significantly higher” favourability than Peter Dutton leading into the 2025 election.
Updated
Chalmers offers no comment on possibility of interest rate cut in December
Chalmers wouldn’t be drawn on whether Australia’s weak GDP growth means the Reserve Bank (RBA) will reduce interest rates when its board next meets on 10 December.
He said:
Well, I would say about that, that the Reserve Bank, when it meets, will weigh up all of this data, as they usually do.
They’ll come to a decision independently. They’ll do that with me, without me pre-empting [it].
The RBA’s latest forecasts had GDP expanding at an annual pace of 1.5% by the end of 2024 and the national accounts released yesterday suggest that estimate will have to be revised lower.
Over the twelve months to the September quarter this year, Australia’s headline inflation rate rose by 2.8%, which was the lowest in more than three years and within the RBA’s target range of 2-3%.
However, underlying inflation, which stripped out goods that were more volatile in price, remained at 3.5%.
At its November meeting, the RBA left the cash rate – which guides interest rates set by banks – unchanged for an eighth meeting in a row, at 4.35%.
Updated
Chalmers acknowledges economy ‘very weak’
The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says he acknowledges the Australian economy is “very weak”.
Chalmers is being interviewed on ABC Radio National Breakfast the day after data was released showing the economy grew at a weaker-than-expected pace in the September quarter despite extra government spending.
He said:
I do acknowledge that the economy is very weak and people are under a lot of pressure.
And if you look at those quite difficult set of figures that were released yesterday, there were some encouraging elements.
When you look at the national accounts, you can see that wages are growing, inflation is coming down, and the tax cuts are playing a helpful and meaningful role as well.
Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.3% in the July-September months, the fastest in a year and the 12th quarter in a row of growth, the Australian Bureau of Statistics national accounts figures released on Wednesday showed.
As my colleague Peter Hannam reported yesterday, gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.3% in the July-September months, compared with the 0.5% rate expected by economists – and the annual growth of 0.8% is the weakest since the end of 2020.
Updated
Greens election policy calls for federal drug testing agency
The Greens’s new election policy for a federal expansion of pill testing would involve the creation of a new drug testing agency.
The agency, housed within the federal Department of Health and Aged Care, would coordinate and run drug testing sites in capital cities and regional hubs as well as providing free testing services at Australian music festivals.
Under the policy, the Greens say they would also provide additional funding to the department to coordinate data collection, analysis and communication of results of the drug tests.
The drug testing sites would be rolled out over the next 5 years starting with 10 drug testing sites in capital cities in 2026-27, and later expanding to ultimately encompass 18 drug testing sites in capital cities and 4 in regional hubs from 2028-29 onwards.
The party’s spokesperson for health and mental health, Senator Jordon Steele-John, said:
At the moment the biggest danger facing young people using drugs at festivals isn’t the substance itself but a failure of government policy that doesn’t allow people to be able to check what is in that drug and access education and medical services when needed.
We have a system designed to criminalise and stigmatise people who take drugs in our community which has led to tragic outcomes. It is time we listen to the community and the experts and implement commonsense approaches to minimise harm and risk.
The Greens’ announcement comes as the NSW Labor government prepares for the second day of its two-day drug summit in Sydney, where it is canvassing potential reforms including pill testing.
The summit hasn’t finished, but the NSW government has already ruled out decriminalising the personal possession of drugs, leading to criticism from experts and health groups.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Catie McLeod and I will be hosting the blog this morning. Here are our top overnight stories.
Australia is still far from catching up to the levels of migration expected before the pandemic, a new study from the Australian National University has shown, contrary to claims of record-high migration.
Before Covid, net migration was projected to hit about 300,000 by 2025. But the study, led by the migration hub’s director, Alan Gamlen, found net overseas migration may still be 82,000 people short of that number.
The New South Wales Greens’ environment spokesperson, Sue Higginson, has called on state Labor to step in and block Idemitsu’s plan to expand its Boggabri coal project, saying if the project is granted approval, it will result in an additional 62m tonnes of coal being dug up and burned in Australia and overseas.
Higginson says the federal Labor government is refusing to consider the effects on climate change from coal mining.
As we reported yesterday, the federal government has declined to review the Boggabri mine as well as BHP Mitsubishi’s Caval Ridge coal project in central Queensland and Jellinbah Group’s Lake Vermont coal project in Queensland for their potential climate impacts.
The decision means the three mines will remain under assessment for potential approval.
And the Greens have announced a new election policy for a federal expansion of pill testing, involving the creation of a new drug testing agency. I’ll have more on this announcement for you shortly.
