What we learned; Wednesday 28 August
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap today’s headlines:
Watt criticises imagery and Greens appearance at union rallies
Sea World defends procedures after ride-goers trapped midair
Adam Bandt defends Greens’ proposed 40% tax on ‘excessive profits’ of big business
Today is officially the hottest August day in Sydney in seven years
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow. Until then, stay safe.
Updated
Earlier today Greens leader Adam Bandt defended a proposed 40% tax on ‘“excessive profits” of big businesses, coal and mining companies.
We have the video here:
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Man dies after tree falls on car in Victoria
A man has died and a woman has been airlifted to hospital after a tree fell on their vehicle at Gellibrand this afternoon.
Emergency services have been on the scene, trying to free the pair near Berrys Road in Gellibrand since about 1.30pm today.
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In Edmondson Park, 20 fire trucks and 80 firefighters have been working to contain the blaze.
The fire has now been downgraded to a Watch and Act. We have some pictures coming for you soon.
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Minns criticises Plibersek’s decision to block goldmine waste dam to protect Aboriginal heritage
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has told an estimates hearing he believes Tanya Plibersek made an error when she decided to protect the headwaters of the Belubula River from a waste dam for a proposed goldmine in New South Wales.
Plibersek has faced criticism after she issued a partial section 10 declaration to protect Aboriginal heritage from being destroyed by a tailings dam for the proposed McPhillamys gold project near Blayney in New South Wales.
Minns was asked by the NSW opposition leader of the upper house, Damien Tudehope: “In your view, Tanya Plibersek using that power – was she was in error?”
Minns responded: “Yes … I mean, this was all ventilated on radio yesterday.”
But in the often fiery exchange with Tudehope, Minns said he had no plans to contact federal government senators to ask them to support a federal Senate motion to disallow the decision. Minns reiterated he was focused on working with the developer, Regis Resources, to consider whether an alternative location could be found for the tailings dam.
I’m not going to pick up the phone to senators. It’s a matter for the commonwealth government. We’re doing everything we can in the areas that we’re responsible to see if we can get a handle, to see if we can get an alternative view.
Plibersek has hit back at “misinformation” about her decision, emphasising that she had not knocked back the goldmine itself.
The First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance released a statement that “applauded” the section 10 declaration and said “protecting the heritage of the oldest continuous culture on earth takes more than words, it takes action”.
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Woolworths says shoppers paying less for groceries now compared with a year ago
From AAP:
Woolworths shoppers are paying less for their groceries, the supermarket giant says, as it comes into more criticism over profits during a cost-of-living crisis.
This is despite the company announcing a 93.3% plunge in statutory profit to $108m for 2023-24, after its $1.7bn operating profit was hit by $1.6bn in writedowns against its New Zealand stores and drinks group Endeavour.
A trolley of food from Woolworths filled with 32 items a customer might typically buy cost $146.15 at 30 June, 1% less than it did a year ago, the company says.
Woolworths’ food prices fell 0.6% in the June quarter and 0.2% in the March quarter, the company announced on Wednesday, with meat and fruit and vegetables dipping the most.
The huge profits announced by the chain and rival Coles ($1.1bn) sparked calls from welfare and farmer groups for them to be reined in.
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From AAP:
Australian workers are still missing out on billions in unpaid super each year, with the average affected worker left $30,000 worse off at retirement.
Affecting nearly one in four workers - particularly younger people, women in low-paid industries, and newly arrived workers - the Super Members Council says it remains a systemic issue.
The analysis of tax office data underscored a need for tougher compliance and legislative reform, council chief executive Misha Schubert said, including payday super.
The federal government has committed to paying super at the same time as wages and salaries - rather than every quarter, as rules dictate at the moment - from mid-2026.
New Victorian laws could make it a crime for bikies to enter government worksites
From AAP:
Bikies and organised crime gangs could face criminal charges for entering government worksites and wearing their club’s insignia, under new Victorian laws after the CFMEU scandal.
The Criminal Organisations Control Amendment bill was introduced to Victorian parliament on Wednesday by the state Labor government.
The legislation was fast-tracked after allegations emerged in July of bikies infiltrating the CFMEU and organised crime links within the construction sector.
Under the changes, the attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, said members of organised crime gangs would be banned from entering state government worksites.
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Police give update on trapped driver and passenger in Gellibrand
Police have put out a statement relating to the tree that has fallen on the vehicle in Victoria:
Emergency services are responding after a tree fell on a vehicle in Gellibrand this afternoon.
It’s believed the vehicle was travelling along Main Road near Berrys Road around 1.30pm when the tree fell on the car, trapping both occupants. Both the driver and passenger remain trapped in the vehicle at this stage.
We will provide an update when further information is available.
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Emergency fire warning for Edmonson Park
NSW RFS have put out an emergency fire warning for Edmonson Park area:
If you are in the Talarna Hill Drive to Jardine Drive area, you are in danger. It is now too late to leave. Seek shelter now inside a solid structure such as a house.
EMERGENCY WARNING: Camden Valley Way Fire, Horningsea Park
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) August 28, 2024
A fire is burning in the vicinity of Horningsea Park, burning in an easterly direction towards Edmondson Park. If you are in Talarna Hill Drive to Jardine Drive area Seek shelter now. https://t.co/g9vMlEeiML pic.twitter.com/oKmZYNRt22
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SES says two trapped within vehicle at Gellibrand
The SES says it has received 1,000 requests for help across Victoria in the past 25 hours:
And of those 1,000 requests for assistance, 800 of them have related to trees that have come down. The balance is related to damage to buildings.
We also have a rescue situation that is under way right at the moment at Gellibrand in the Otways, where a very large tree has come down on a vehicle and has trapped two occupants in that vehicle.
Emergency services are currently on scene and attempting to remove the tree before attempting to extricate those two people that are significantly trapped within the vehicle.
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Victorians warned winter gales 'are going to continue'
Authorities have said Wilsons Prom in Victoria has recorded 135km/h winds, followed by 113km/h at Mount Gellibrand and 107km/h in and around the Melbourne area.
This afternoon, with those winds increasing, we’ve also seen 94km/h at Avalon and 93 at Essendon around Port Phillip, where it’s quite exposed, those bayside peninsula suburbs we’re getting as much as 100km/h there.
These winter gales are going to continue. We’ll see another front weather system move across Victoria during the early hours of Friday. Fortunately not quite as strong.
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Authorities give update on Victorian weather
Authorities in Melbourne are giving an update on the windy weather overnight in the state:
In terms of last night, certainly was a wild, woolly night, quite mild conditions. We saw wind gusts as much of 128km/h at Mount Buller.
We saw wind gusts down near Cape Otway of 124km/hour and also down at Portland, 107km/h through the Melbourne area.
[There were] lots of gusts in and around that 90km/h mark across Melbourne and southern Victoria overnight.
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Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Cait Kelly will be here to guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care!
NSW Health warns of high-dose MDMA tablets circulating the state
NSW Health has issued a warning around high-dose MDMA (ecstasy) tablets circulating the state, with a higher dose than is usually expected.
It said the red irregular-shaped tablets have an imprint of the “anarchy” symbol on each side.
The medical director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, Dr Darren Roberts, said consuming high doses of MDMA has been linked to cases of serious illness and death in the state.
MDMA can cause severe agitation, raised body temperature, seizures or fits, irregular heart rhythm and death. Other risks include taking MDMA in combination with other stimulants, such as amphetamines or cocaine.
The amount of MDMA in a tablet or capsule can vary significantly, even within the same batch. The health risks from MDMA are greatly increased if high amounts (including multiple doses) are consumed over a short period.
Hot environments, such as at music festivals, increase the risk of harm from MDMA. Taking a break from dancing, seeking shade and drinking water are important measures to reduce the risk of overheating.
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Teenager unharmed after e-bike he was riding to school caught fire
A teenager has escaped unharmed after an e-bike he was riding to school burst into flames in Sydney.
Fire and Rescue NSW said one of its firefighters was driving to work when they stopped to protect the 15-year-old, who was riding an e-bike to school at Alexandria in the inner city, just after 8am.
Hazmat team leader David Jordan was travelling along Botany Road at the same time and saw a large plume of smoke.
At first, I thought it was a building fire, the smoke was so thick, so I turned the corner and pulled over to assess the situation.
He reportedly saw the e-bike on fire, with flames spitting from its battery as the overheated cells went into “thermal runaway”.
The teenager said he was riding along when he suddenly felt the heat from the battery pack burning his legs, but the fire was extinguished and he continued on to school, unharmed.
The faulty battery array has been confirmed by FRNSW as the cause of the blaze, it said in a statement. The new e-bike was bought less than two months ago from a Sydney retail store.
ALEXANDRIA | ***VISION ALERT*** Firefighter responds to dangerous e-bike fire on his way to work. A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighter, driving to work, has stopped to protect a teenager during a e-bike fire this morning at Alexandria in in... https://t.co/3nAGrGAZgC
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) August 28, 2024
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Speed limit reduced on West Gate Bridge amid gusty winds
The speed on Melbourne’s West Gate bridge has been reduced to 60km/h due to the gusty winds lashing southern parts of the country, including Victoria.
VicTraffic said in an alert:
Please obey overhead lane signals, and drive with caution. Ensure your load is secured before departing, and watch out for debris blowing on the roadway.
The speed limit was temporarily reduced to 60km/h earlier this morning, and to 40km/h around midday.
Chalmers on CFMEU protests: ‘we expect blowback when we put a union into administration’
Jim Chalmers was also asked about the CFMEU protests across the country yesterday.
Is he was concerned that other unions could support the CFMEU and it could hurt Labor’s chances at the election? Chalmers responded: “We don’t see it in those terms.
People have a right to protest and we expect there to be blowback when we put a union into administration, as we have, but we’re not taking a backward step when it comes to cleaning up the CFMEU and that is because we want the CFMEU to go back to its primary purpose, which is representing workers in the construction sector and keeping them safe.
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Treasurer responds to latest inflation numbers
As Luca Ittimani reports, inflation has fallen to its lowest level since March at 3.5%, pulled down by a 5% annual cut to electricity prices as billions of dollars in government rebates kicked in.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, spoke to the media about the numbers earlier and said:
What we have seen in these numbers today is welcome and encouraging progress in the fight against inflation, but because we know that people are still doing it tough we maintain a focus on rolling out this cost-of-living relief, and we can see from this data today that our policies are helping.
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Circling back to the PMs press conference in Tonga
Anthony Albanese was asked whether the new Pacific policing initiative – which will include a training and coordination hub in Brisbane – could truly be called Pacific-led. The prime minister was also asked whether any Melanesian nations had raised concerns at the Pacific Islands Forum talks today (given comments made last night by Vanuatu’s prime minister and the Melanesian regional subgrouping questioning whose strategic interests were being served). Albanese replied:
No, it was very positive today, and everyone who spoke in the plenary session spoke in favour of the agreement … because this is something that has come not [by] Australia coming up with an idea and then seeking to get everyone on board. This is something that has come from the Pacific itself. Australia is in a position to provide some leadership.
Albanese said each nation in the Pacific would decide whether and how to participate and whether and when to request support from new multi-nation police units.
Asked whether the arrangement would mean no Pacific nation had to turn to China for their security needs, Albanese said:
This is about the Pacific family looking after Pacific security. This isn’t about any other country.
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The Bureau of Meteorology published this severe weather update earlier this afternoon, looking at the damaging winds which are continuing across the south-east.
Severe Weather Update: Damaging wind continues across the south-east on Wednesday, then Western Australia on Thursday.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 28, 2024
Video current: 12pm AEST Wednesday 28 August 2024
Know your weather. Know your risk. Latest: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/SonyRaZA2Z
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Adam Bandt says Labor cannot be trusted on election promises
Just circling back to the National Press Club, where we asked the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, about the Labor bill to appoint administrators to the CFMEU, and if it was such a bad bill, had the leaders of the union movement let members down by not opposing it?
We got a long-winded answer side-stepping the question about the Australian Council of Trade Unions to instead argue that Labor and the Coalition have let Australians down on issues including the NDIS and protection of LGBTIQ students. Bandt said:
We now also see Labor saying they won’t legislate to give protections to the LBGTIQ community unless Peter Dutton agrees.
On the one hand Labor says he’s the most divisive person ever and on the other hand they’re saying ‘we’re not going to legislate unless Peter Dutton gives it the tick’, right? And what we’re seeing at the moment as a result of that … what that position from Labor means is this – you cannot believe a single thing Labor takes to the election because it now has an asterisk next to it. Every election policy from Labor will only be implemented if Peter Dutton agrees.
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Albanese: what happens in the Pacific matters to Australia
Anthony Albanese, speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, has implicitly – but very delicately – pushed back at criticism he has faced in some quarters for his overseas travel schedule. The prime minister stressed that his government was pursuing the national interest while abroad at such events:
I have made it a personal priority for Australia to take a seat at the table at PIF, engaging consistently and deliberately, because being part of the conversation means that Australia gets to shape the solutions in our national interest and in the interests of our region.
This is a clear illustration of the commitment that my government has to be a trusted partner in the Pacific, to secure our region and build a stronger Pacific to help face our shared challenges and achieve our shared goals.
What happens in the Pacific matters in Australia, because Australia is part of the Pacific family, and today that family is even closer than it’s ever been before.
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Albanese repeats veto Tuvalu’s other security deals
Let’s return to the press conference Anthony Albanese held here in Tonga earlier today. He was joined by the prime minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, to mark the entry into force of the climate and security agreement between Australia and Tuvalu that was signed nearly a year ago. Albanese said:
It is indeed a great day together to celebrate the Falepili Union coming into force … Today we have exchanged diplomatic notes with prime minister Feleti Teo to confirm the treaty’s entry into force.
Our historic partnership is called the Falepili Union, reflecting our commitment to the values of good neighbourliness, care and mutual respect – and today we demonstrate our determination to honour that commitment. This is the Pacific way – we are genuinely looking out for each other’s interests with great respect for each other and a commitment to putting our people first.
Albanese announced that part of the agreement – the special mobility pathway – would open in 2025. Albanese explained that this would gave up to 280 people from Tuvalu every year the choice to come to Australia to visit, live, work or study. He also pointed to the security commitments:
Australia is committed to respond when Tuvalu calls for assistance responding to a major natural disaster or a health pandemic or military aggression, and Australia and Tuvalu will mutually consider and agree any third party engagement in Tuvalu’s security and defence-related matters.
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Adam Bandt: in event of a hung parliament ‘cabinet spots not our priority’
Q: In the event of a hung parliament, would you consider demanding a cabinet spot?
Adam Bandt responded:
Cabinet spots is not our priority. We want to get things done for people and [are] more interested in making change for people, rather than being bound as part of a Labor cabinet to back more coal and gas mines.
After a few more questions, Bandt’s NPC appearance wrapped up.
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Bandt questioned on prospects of hung parliament
A reporter has asked Adam Bandt about the prospects of a hung parliament after the next election, and what lessons the Greens learned from the last time it was in that situation in 2010.
Bandt:
We have learned that when you have more voices in parliament, and more views represented, you get better outcomes that make people’s lives better … The question is, we’re prepared to work with them. Are they prepared to work with us?
Does pushing extend to threatening to withdraw confidence and supply? Bandt responded:
If we find ourselves in a shared power parliament, I think Labor is going to have to learn to play well with others. At the moment, you’re seeing the approach Labor would rather work with the Liberals than with third voices across parliament. I think it’s them that will have to shift.
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Today is officially the hottest August day in Sydney in seven years
It has hit 28.1C in Sydney – surpassing the day’s forecast – so it’s officially the hottest August day in Sydney in at least the last seven years.
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Bandt on proposed international student cap: ‘you’re pulling out a revenue stream without replacing it with something else’
Back at the press club, Adam Bandt took a question on the government’s proposed international student cap for next year.
Bandt said he is worried about how this may affect universities and local economies “because Labor doesn’t have a plan to come in and support universities in another way.”
This will have flow-on effects to non-international students, to local students as well, because you’re pulling out a revenue stream from universities without replacing it with something else, all because Peter Dutton has started a debate about migration and you think this is an easy shot.
Bandt argued that “we could have free education in this country if we make the big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share of tax”.
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More on proposed goldmine in NSW
Here’s some more on discussions about the proposed McPhillamys goldmine near Blayney in NSW.
The NSW natural resources minister, Courtney Houssos, met yesterday with Jim Beyer, the chief executive of Regis Resources, the mine’s developer. Houssos released this statement:
We discussed the important role that metals mining plays in NSW as a leading regional employer, particularly in the state’s central west. Metals mines across the central west employ thousands of people and are important contributors to the global supply chain for clean energy products like solar panels, EV batteries and wind turbines.
The NSW government welcomed the Independent Planning Commission’s decision in March 2023 to grant consent to the McPhillamys project. Given the project had been through rigorous environmental and heritage approvals by the IPC, the NSW government had expected the project to go ahead.
The NSW government remains disappointed at the federal government’s decision to issue a ‘section 10’ declaration, considering the IPC considered tangible and intangible local Aboriginal heritage concerns in granting the development consent. Protecting heritage and progressing key mining projects should not be a zero-sum proposition.
We discussed the complexities of finding an acceptable alternative tailings dam site that meet all parties’ requirements, including for Aboriginal heritage, environmental impact and project viability.
I was pleased to hear from Mr Beyer that Regis Resources would continue to look at options for the mine to proceed.
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Aboriginal heritage group welcomes Plibersek decision on waste dam for proposed goldmine
Just breaking out of the National Press Club for a moment:
The First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance has backed environment and water minister Tanya Plibersek’s decision to protect the headwaters of the Belubula River from a waste dam for a proposed goldmine in New South Wales.
Plibersek has faced criticism after she issued a partial section 10 declaration to protect Aboriginal heritage from being destroyed by the tailings dam for the proposed McPhillamys gold project near Blayney in New South Wales.
The alliance’s chair Leon Yeatman said:
Protecting the heritage of the oldest continuous culture on Earth takes more than words, it takes action. We applaud the government for having the courage to act to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.
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Adam Bandt questioned on CFMEU
Our own Paul Karp has asked Adam Bandt about Labor’s legislation to appoint administrators to the CFMEU. The question was:
Do you think that union members around the country were let down by the leadership of the trade union movement on that issue? Secondly, do you want to respond to Murray Watt’s criticism of Max Chandler-Mather for attending the rally in Brisbane?
(You can read those comments from Watt earlier in the blog here).
Bandt responded that “working people around the country have been let down by Labor and Liberal”. He was pushed to respond about the CFMEU, and said:
As to Murray Watt’s point, I make the point that even Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers – and I suspect Murray Watt – all said that this gathering was legitimate. That they expected it, that people had a right to go there and make their voices heard …
On that point about the signs, that sign – the one that you referred to – is offensive and I understand that Max Chandler-Mather has also put out a statement saying the sign was offensive and not a sign that we did or shared or anything like that. It’s a sign someone had at a rally, but it was offensive.
Bandt is referring to a placard at the CFMEU rally in Brisbane yesterday which depicted the prime minister as Hitler.
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Adam Bandt: ‘We support the rights of self-determination for Palestinians and Israelis under international law equally’
At the press club, a reporter from the Australian asked Adam Bandt to clarify the Greens position on a sovereign Israeli state, and his thoughts on the “from the river to the sea” chant, “given that that infers for some the destruction of Israel?”.
Bandt responded that “our position has been crystal clear”.
We support the rights of self-determination for Palestinians and Israelis under international law equally. Both Palestinians and Israelis should have the equal right to live in peace and security and for it to be a lasting peace. But this principle of international law and basic humanity that we believe in goes further.
We have now seen some of the world’s highest legal bodies say that the crime of apartheid is being committed … In previous instances historically, when that has happened, the whole world has mobilised to say apartheid is wrong, it is a crime and we need to do things about it …
What we’re saying very, very clearly is that no one has the right to commit apartheid or genocide. And what we support is supporting the Palestinians and Israelis to come to that just and lasting solution that’s based on their rights of self-determination in accordance with international law, because for too long it’s been denied. What we’re saying is simply that right that … is accorded by law to one side, Palestinians should have that right as well.
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Lockdown of major Queensland hospital lifted
The lockdown of a major Queensland hospital has been lifted after reports of an armed man on the loose proved unfounded.
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said officers were called to the Logan hospital at about 11.20am following reports of an armed person and that “access to the hospital was restricted”.
Rumours of a man with a gun spread quickly on social media but the QPS spokesperson said that “following a thorough search of the area and the building, no threat was detected”.
We have spoken to the man and no further action was taken by police.
The lockdown was lifted at about 12.45am. A witness on social media reported that police had identified an “artefact” under the man’s blanket but that it was not a firearm.
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Adam Bandt defends Greens’ proposed 40% tax on ‘excessive profits’ of big business
Circling back to the National Press Club, the Greens leader Adam Bandt has been taking questions from reporters.
He has been speaking about the Greens’ proposed 40% tax on “excessive profits” of big businesses, coal and mining companies, and said:
Every time that you talk about making the big corporations pay a bit more, they always squeal and say we’ll go somewhere else. People are still going to need supermarkets here, minerals and resources will stay here. They’ll need banks. We’re saying a bit more tax when you’re making obscene profits …
We have designed this to ensure there’s still continued investment. We’re just saying when you make these huge profits, do what other countries do and give a bit of it back to the public because that’s who you’re making the money off.
Bandt said that “other countries do this” and “they’re much better off as a result”.
When a nurse pays more tax than a multinational, something is deeply wrong. We can’t keep defending a system where nearly two in three gas corporations pay no tax.
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Australian federal police walk off job for two hours
Australian federal police officers are currently walking off the job for two hours, from 1pm to 3pm AEST, amid a breakdown in pay negotiations.
The Australian Federal Police Association said the largest contingent to walk out was at AFP headquarters in Canberra.
In a statement, AFPA president Alex Caruna said:
Yesterday AFP officers walked off the job in airports around the country. We were not able to draw media attention to this action for security reasons, but we know it was disruptive and costly.
AFP officers will not take any industrial action that will put anyone in danger, but we are prepared to be disruptive in our fight for a reasonable deal. Today’s walkout is just another warning shot.
We are prepared to continue our campaign of industrial action until attorney general Mark Dreyfus decides to offer a deal that won’t result in mass flight.
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Hottest August day in seven years forecast for Sydney
The Sydney heat is climbing closer to the forecast high of 28C for today – which would make it the hottest August day recorded in at least the past seven years.
The city hit 27.5C at 12.30pm today, matching last year’s highest August temperature of 27.5C on 30 August.
Last year’s record was the hottest August day since 28.3C in 2015. Before that, it hit 29.2C in August in 2012. The all-time hottest August temperature was recorded in 1995 at 31.3C.
For context, the city’s average August temperature is 17.9C.
You can read more on today’s weather here:
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Circling back to the closing ceremony for defence and veteran suicide inquiry
One of the commissioners tasked with overseeing the royal commission, Dr Peggy Brown, has become emotional as she reflected on what she has heard over the past three years.
Brown spoke of the courage of those the commission heard from, the obstacles they had to overcome and the honour at being asked to hear their stories. Brown said one of the main lessons of the commission was “to listen to the voices” of those who were telling their stories.
We are stronger when we embrace their truth and allow ourselves to be informed by it, no longer attempting to diminish it or hide from it.
Brown said the support the commission received ensured truths could come to the surface. She said in closing:
It will be three years, two months and one day when we hand up our general report. What comes next? Three, two, one – go.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
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Bandt says Greens will run its biggest-ever campaign in bid for new lower house seats
Adam Bandt said that every election, the major parties’ share of the vote declines, and that confidence in shared-power parliaments is growing.
At the last election, we saw more Greens and independents elected to the lower house. There’s now a record number of members of parliament who aren’t from one of the major parties. This is a good thing.
But despite that, the political class still doesn’t get it. They have mistaken a lack of interest in their own political project – self-serving major-party politics – as being evidence of lack of engagement in politics full stop.
He said that the Greens held the balance of power in the Senate and would be running the biggest campaign in their history for lower house seats.
There are at least five new seats across the country where we believe we are in with a strong chance. In one of them, if only 300 people change their vote, the Greens could win the seat.
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Back at the press club, and Greens leader Adam Bandt is making the pitch for Medicare to include dental care.
It’s far more important that everyone in this country has access to dental care than it is that big corporations are able to make billions of dollars of profits they send offshore tax free.
Labor likes to take credit for Medicare but after 40 years, they still haven’t put the money where your mouth is by expanding Medicare to include dental care. We’re not going to stop pushing them until they do.
Camera eye on falcons atop Melbourne skyscraper
Just jumping away from the National Press Club for a moment:
The cameras that made the peregrine falcons a social media phenomenon are rolling again for a new breeding season, capturing a new female falcon incubating an egg atop Melbourne’s Collins Street skyscraper.
There are high hopes for this season after last year’s eggs were unable to hatch after the female stopped incubating, likely due to a territorial dispute.
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The Greens leader said people were “losing confidence in the political class”, telling the National Press Club:
The political class keeps saying that tackling these important issues that we all face isn’t their job. Whether it’s cost of living, the climate or the housing crisis, people want government to step up and deal with the structural issues which affect us all. People want outcomes that will make their life better and they deserve it.
Labor might want to blame the problem on things that they pretend are outside their control, and the Liberals might want to try and blame things they find threatening – like immigration – but people see through it. It’s clear that it’s corporate profit that’s winning the day.
Bandt said that “people want the politicians to get off their arse and act”, and began outlining the Greens “Robin Hood” economic strategy. (We had all the details on this earlier in the blog, here.)
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Bandt likens big gas corporations to ‘parasitic leeches’
Moving to taxation, Adam Bandt argued that “big corporations treat paying tax like a discretionary item”. He described big gas corporations as “parasitic leeches” that “suck out gas, profits and leaving nothing but dangerous pollution and a degraded host”.
Sending revenue offshore and paying little if any tax, the gas corporations take our gas and leave very few benefits while destroying our climate and our environment…
How do they get away with it? They pay off politicians from Liberal and Labor with massive donations, undermining politics. The way the gas corporations operate, it seems like no one in this country is even shocked any more … No one is shocked to see Labor trample the rights of First Nations communities to push ahead with the Beetaloo Basin, just as no-one seems shocked when we see the PM posing in a Rio Tinto mining shirt. But it’s a slap in the face to [people] struggling to keep their head above water.
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Greens leader compares Albanese photo op to Scott Morrison
At the National Press Club, Greens leader Adam Bandt is taking aim at both major parties over the cost-of-living crisis.
Labor and the Liberals will not tackle the role problems that we all face. Instead, they’re refusing to act, tinkering around the edges, handing out a few hundred dollars here and there. Politics needs to do more than that … We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result.
Bandt argued that Labor had “lost themselves” and said:
People tell us that it’s harder and harder to tell Liberal and Labor apart. While people are being ripped off by the big supermarkets, the prime minister was just a few weeks ago posing for photos in a Coles high-visibility vest. It’s a level of disconnection with the realities that everyday people are facing that echoes Scott Morrison.
Not only have Labor refused to take on the big corporations and billionaires, they can’t even bring themselves to point out the role that big corporations have played in causing the cost-of-living crisis.
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Australia-Tuvalu climate and security deal ratified
The prime ministers of Australia and Tuvalu have met in Tonga and are about to announce that a landmark climate and security agreement has been ratified today.
Anthony Albanese will soon hold a press conference with the prime minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, to mark the entry into force of the Falepili Union – named after the Tuvaluan term for close neighbours who have a duty to care for and protect each other.
The agreement was a surprise announcement at the previous Pacific Islands Forum (Pif) summit in the Cook Islands late last year. Tuvalu is a nation of nine low-lying islands in the central Pacific, about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, and is especially vulnerable to the climate crisis.
The agreement includes plans for a special visa scheme for Tuvaluan citizens to live, work and study in Australia. Up to 280 such visas could be issued each year.
Australia has also pledged to act on requests from its partner to respond to major natural disasters, pandemics or “military aggression against Tuvalu”.
In return for this security guarantee, Tuvalu will be required to “mutually agree with Australia” if it wants to strike a deal with any other country on security and defence-related matters, an arrangement that has been widely characterised as an Australian veto on future security deals with China.
Albanese struck the agreement with Teo’s predecessor, Kausea Natano, who went on to lose his seat at the election early this year. While there were some doubts about whether the deal would survive the change of government (and some concerns were raised about sovereignty), Tuvalu ultimately agreed to proceed after receiving some assurances about how it would be implemented.
We’ll bring you more from the press conference in Tonga soon.
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Bandt presents ‘package of Robin Hood reforms’ to press club
The leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, has just begun speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra.
He is announcing the party will take a “package of Robin Hood reforms” to the next election, as flagged by Paul Karp earlier in the blog.
You can have a read of the main details here, but we’ll bring you the highlights from his speech – and the questions from reporters in around half an hour.
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Police appeal for footage after boiling coffee thrown on baby in Brisbane
Police have asked anyone in the Hanlon Park area in Brisbane with dashcam or security footage to help them search for the man who allegedly threw boiling coffee on a baby boy.
It is believed the man was unknown to the family, who he approached before allegedly attacking the child and fleeing the scene.
Speaking to reporters shortly before, Det Insp Paul Dalton says it’s believed the alleged attack was unprovoked:
What I will say, from speaking to witnesses, is the actual act of pouring liquid on to the child, we believe and will allege was a deliberate act.
We have a very high police presence in the area for today and into the near future.
Rest assured, we will work around the clock until we solve this matter.
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Yesterday, Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather spoke at a CFMEU rally in Brisbane, accusing the Labor government of “attacking” the CFMEU “on untested allegations”.
We now have the full video here:
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Here’s the full story from Rafqa Touma on the weather in New South Wales today and the fire risk for parts of Sydney and the Illawarra:
Sydney’s temperatures shot “way up above the averages for August”, senior BoM meteorologist Angus Hines said. The city’s average August temperature was 17.9C.
The temperature in Sydney reached 26.9C just earlier at 11.40am Aest, and has been steadily rising all morning.
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Sea World defends procedures after ride-goers trapped midair
Thrill seekers have been stuck midair on rides at a popular Queensland theme park twice in a week, AAP reports, but the operator says ride stoppages are standard procedure and quelled concerns about a broader systems issue.
People were stuck mid-air on the Vortex attraction, a 15-metre-high spinning ride, at Sea World on the Gold Coast for more than 90 minutes yesterday. The ride will remain closed today so Sea World’s engineering team can conduct diagnostic testing of its systems.
Sea World said the “standard” ride stoppage was caused by a sensor communication fault. It is the second incident in less than a week. The theme park said the two incidents were “completely unrelated” and the stoppages were a normal part of attraction operation procedures globally.
Sea World said faults on rides that caused a stoppage could normally be cleared by using a computer system to bring passengers back to the ground. But in some cases, the ride had to be lowered manually.
Sea World said emergency services occasionally had to be called in to help with the rescue in case the manual process to return passengers did not work. Sea World reiterated all rides received daily, weekly and monthly inspections and maintenance to alleviate concerns.
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Inflation falls as power rebates kick in
Inflation has fallen to 3.5% in the year to July, pulled down by a 5% cut to electricity prices as billions of dollars in government rebates kicked in.
That compared with the 3.8% pace recorded for the month of June, and the 3.4% rate expected for July by economists.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported slower increases in petrol costs, rising by only 4.0% compared to 6.6% in the year to June, helped bring travel costs and inflation down towards the Reserve Bank’s target of 3% overall.
• This post has been updated from an earlier version which incorrectly said the figure was the lowest since 2021.
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July inflation data about to be released
Inflation data for July will be released in a few minutes. Economists are expecting a pretty significant fall in consumer prices from June’s 3.8% down to 3.4% or lower.
A fall would probably have been driven by lower electricity costs, which were forecast to be cheaper by a third by the end of September thanks to billions of dollars of government subsidies.
But a fall wouldn’t come as a surprise to the Reserve Bank, which is expecting a slide by December to 3.0% for inflation and 3.5% for the more reliable trimmed mean measure. Even with those forecasts, the RBA says it won’t be cutting interest rates this year – so a fall shouldn’t raise hopes of relief for mortgage holders.
Rising rents and construction costs are also believed to have countered the benefits of lower energy prices, limiting the extent to which inflation eased last month.
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A closer look at the weather warnings amid today’s heavy winds
As we flagged earlier, there are severe weather warnings in place right across southern parts of the country amid strong winds today.
In New South Wales, a cold front is forecast to move eastward across southern and central parts later this afternoon and evening, with winds turning westerly in its wake.
Very windy conditions across the Alps, central and southern ranges, the Sydney and Illawarra coast as well as northern parts of the south coast. Damaging gusts exceeding 90km/h are expected for areas within the Severe Weather Warning. For updates https://t.co/HaQrNPzBsh. pic.twitter.com/mb8mGrPExp
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) August 28, 2024
In Victoria, a vigorous westerly airstream with an embedded front will continue to affect Victoria today, easing tonight as the cold front moves off the coast and over the Tasman Sea.
⚠️Severe Weather Warning continues for much of the State including #Melbourne. Winds will ease later today before strengthening again late Thursday into Friday as another cold front moves through. Stay up to date: https://t.co/HLs2UYFQyQ⚠️#melbweather #melbourneweather pic.twitter.com/Svedp78YtL
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) August 28, 2024
And in Tasmania, a series of fronts embedded in a vigorous westerly airstream will continue to affect the state today, with a brief easing expected during Thursday.
.@BOM_Tas has issued a Severe Weather Warning for Damaging Winds for people in King Island, Furneaux Islands, Western and parts of South East, North East, North West Coast, Central North and Central Plateau Forecast Districts. For more information go to https://t.co/IuOhuMgIqJ pic.twitter.com/Oah58N6I5t
— TasALERT (@tasalert) August 28, 2024
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Closing ceremony for veteran suicides inquiry begins
The closing ceremony for the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide has begun.
The ceremony is to acknowledge the trauma and stories of every veteran and their families who gave evidence, and what they have went through in getting there.
The commission was established in 2021 after a long fight by veterans’ families, particularly Julie-Ann Finney, who lost her 38-year-old son David to suicide.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
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Indigenous ancestors returning home from New Zealand
First Nations ancestors will return to their communities and countries, AAP reports, after a repatriation ceremony in New Zealand.
Five ancestors are returning to Australia from the Auckland War Memorial Museum and one from the University of Auckland.
Representatives from the Dambeemangaddee community of Collier Bay in Western Australia travelled to New Zealand for a ceremony at the Auckland War Memorial Museum to mark the return and will accompany their ancestor home.
Dambeemangaddee community member Gary Umbagai said:
Within our cultural beliefs as Wanjina-Wunggurr people, we recognise that the spirit of our ancestors is embedded in their bones. Our people’s bones should be in their Country, not somewhere else; that is not right.
We are pleased to see our ancestor being returned and we know that the spirit of that person will be happy to be home, after such a long time away in a strange place.
At the request of the Wamba Wemba community, one ancestor was returned under stewardship of the federal government. The government will provide care for another four ancestors until they can be returned to their respective communities.
Indigenous affairs minister Malarndirri McCarthy commended the work of those involved in the repatriation.
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When Anthony Albanese fronted the media in Tonga just a few minutes ago, he was joined by the prime ministers of Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea and the president of Palau as he announced an agreement on the Pacific policing initiative.
Without directly mentioning China, Albanese said it was a case of the Pacific working together to make the security of the entire region “much stronger”, with security “looked after by ourselves”.
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‘Nothing about Greens’ economic policy is realistic’ – Marles
Richard Marles was also asked about the Greens’ new “Robin Hood” reform proposal, to be outlined at the National Press Club in a few hours’ time. Paul Karp had all the details on this earlier in the blog, here.
Marles argued there was “nothing about Greens’ economic policy which is realistic”.
Economic policy is far from the Greens’ strong suit. They [have] the luxury as a party that has never governed, and never will, to say whatever they like.
I make this point – the Labor party is not about doing deals with the Greens. We are focused on winning a majority at the next election in our own right and doing [what] we can manage the economy for all Australians.
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Marles says CFMEU rallies haven’t changed government’s position
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has been speaking to reporters in Sydney and is taking questions around the CFMEU following yesterday’s rallies across the country.
The demonstrations happened yesterday, but nothing changes the fundamental proposition of the government, and I might say the broader union movement, that there is no place within the union movement for corruption, for criminality and thuggery. And indeed construction workers deserve to have a union which is free of that.
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Australia to provide substantial long-term support for Pacific policing initiative
The prime minister said Australia would provide substantial long-term support to “ensure that this initiative succeeds and delivers on the aspirations for our region.”
This is a great outcome and it was very positive, the response from the many leaders who spoke in support of this initiative today to make sure that this endorsement means it can go forward.
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Pacific policing initiative to include training hub in Brisbane
Anthony Albanese said there were three pillars to the Pacific policing initiative.
First, regional police training centres of excellence to be located in up to four Pacific countries “to undertake specialist police training and support”.
Second, a police support group comprising a “trained pool of officers from multiple Pacific countries, ready to deploy in response to requests for assistance to major events or to provide support in times of crisis”.
And third, the policing development and coordination hub, to be hosted in Brisbane for training and deployment preparation.
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PM says he has secured backing for Pacific policing plan
Anthony Albanese is speaking to the media from Tonga and has confirmed the endorsement of the Pacific policing initiative.
The prime minister said:
It was a major objective that we had from this Pacific Island Forum meeting. This demonstrates how Pacific leaders are working together to shape the future that we wanted to see.
The first task of an international leader is to look after the security and safety of our residents and that is what this is about. Making sure that by working together, the security of the entire region will be much stronger and will be looked after by ourselves.
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Australia appears to secure support for Pacific policing initiative
Australia appears to have overcome concerns from some Pacific nations to secure backing for a Pacific policing initiative.
Anthony Albanese is about to speak in Tonga. We’ll bring you more details soon.
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Man pours hot liquid on baby in Brisbane park
Police are appealing for help to identify a man who poured hot liquid on a baby at a park in Brisbane, AAP reports.
The nine-month-old boy was with his family at Hanlon Park, Stones Corner, at midday on Tuesday when the incident unfolded.
Police said a man approached the family and poured the hot liquid on the baby. Emergency services were called and the boy was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Child protection and investigation detectives have launched an investigation into the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
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NSW emergency service responds to 93 incidents since midnight amid strong winds
The chief superintendent of the New South Wales SES, Dallas Burns, is speaking with ABC TV about the wild, windy weather in Wollongong:
We’re anticipating gusts over 110km/h [around the Illawarra] … but strong winds across the Hunter, through the central tablelands, through to most likely Friday.
Burns said the SES was expecting to see a “significant increase in operational activity” with trees coming down, branches damaged and power lines affected. He said the SES had responded to 93 incidents since midnight.
The majority for trees down, branches down. No significant infrastructure damage. But for those residents impacted, it’s significant for those people.
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Fortescue steadies iron ore, ‘realistic’ on hydrogen
Australian mining giant Fortescue Ltd has reported steady iron ore production as it slows the pace of its push into green hydrogen, AAP reports.
The iron ore and energy group has posted a 3% rise in underlying net profit to $US5.68bn for the year to 30 June as higher iron ore prices offset inflationary pressures.
Fortescue reported full-year shipments largely unchanged at 191.6m tonnes from operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a second-half record of 97m tonnes.
One of the world’s largest iron ore companies, revenue for Fortescue rose 8% to $US18.22bn and cash on hand was $US4.9bn.
The group’s $US6.2bn decarbonisation plan includes the deployment of an additional two to three gigawatt of renewable energy generation and battery storage, in addition to electric haul trucks and green locomotives.
By meeting the future market for green metal, Fortescue plans to become one of the world’s largest consumers of green hydrogen. But the energy CEO, Mark Hutchison, said “we are realistic about the pace of the current global energy transition” and “financial discipline always comes first”:
We will never make investments that are not economically viable.
The executive chairman, Andrew Forrest, said the group remained “resolutely committed” to meeting its real zero target by 2030.
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Woolworths full-year profit plunges 93% to $103m
Woolworths made just $108m in profit in 2023-24, down 93.3% from $1.7bn the year before, after $1.6bn in writedowns hurt its bottom line.
As AAP reports, excluding the impairments the supermarket giant made $1.7bn in net profit for the 53 weeks to 30 June, down 0.6% from the year before on a normalised basis.
Woolworths in January recorded a NZ$1.6bn (A$1.5bn) non-cash impairment against the NZ$2.3bn (A$2.1bn) in goodwill on its balance sheets stemming from its 2005 acquisition of Foodland New Zealand.
It also record a $209m loss on its 9.1% stake in alcohol retailer Endeavour Group after changing how it accounts for that investment.
Woolworths recorded $67.9bn in sales for 2023-24, up 3.7% from the previous year after adjusting for the fact that it was slightly shorter.
The group’s chief executive, Brad Banducci, said the inflation in its food business and Big W moderated significantly in the second half, with supermarket food prices dropping 0.2% in the third quarter and 0.6% in the fourth.
Woolworths declared a 40 cent per share special dividend and a final dividend of 57 cents, down one cent from last year. For the full year Woolworths will pay out $1.44 in dividends, up 38.5% from 2022/23.
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Plan to expand bus services for Brisbane 2032 Olympics
The Brisbane bus metro will be expanded through the city to provide “permanent and legacy” public transport ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, AAP reports.
The service will be stretched to northern suburbs including the airport and Carseldine and southern suburbs like Springwood under a proposal by south-east Queensland mayors and the state government.
The plan will also extend the service to Olympic venues including the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre at Chandler in the eastern suburbs and to the athletes’ village at north shore Hamilton.
The $1.55bn high-capacity and high-frequency metro service will begin operating in October across 18 stations from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in the north, through the city and south to Eight Mile Plains.
Brisbane’s lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, told ABC radio this morning:
Why not make a permanent legacy rather than a temporary service? If we don’t do something like Brisbane Metro, then there’ll be a temporary service put in place for the Olympics and it’ll be taken away after. That’s not a good outcome.
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Profits fall sharply at Nine amid advertising downturn
Nine Entertainment has recorded a steep 31% slide in annual net profit to $134.9m, as weaker economic and advertising conditions hit the broadcaster and publisher.
The media company, which has been offering redundancies in its newspaper division to cut costs, was dragged lower by falling revenues in its television and publishing arms, down 9% and 3% respectively.
This was partly offset by a bump in income via its controlling interest in real estate listings portal Domain Group and subscription streaming service Stan.
Nine chair Catherine West said the new financial year had started on a positive note with the broadcast of the Paris Olympics, which has lifted audience numbers.
The 2023-24 trading period, marked by high inflation, has proven difficult for publishers and broadcasters around the world, due to subdued demand from advertisers and subscribers.
Free-to-air networks are also grappling with changing viewing habits due to the rise of streaming services, some of which are free or offer cheap subscription rates supported by advertising.
The net profit result was weighed down by various inventory write downs and restructuring costs. When these are stripped out of the figures, the result was down 22% rather than 31%.
Nine announced a final dividend of 4.5 cents a share, taking the full year to 8.5 cents, down more than 20% from a year ago.
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Strong winds slow road speed limits in Victoria
The speed limit was reduced to 60km/h over the West Gate bridge in Melbourne earlier this morning amid strong winds.
VicTraffic is urging motorists to obey any overhead lane signals and ensure loads are well secured.
Speed reduced to 60km/h over the West Gate bridge to high winds. Please obey the overhead lane signals and ensure your load is well secured. https://t.co/iMlqX3Af3Z #VicTraffic
— VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) August 27, 2024
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Sophie Scamp joins criticism over LGBTQ+ questions excluded on census
Independent MP for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps, has also criticised the government’s move to exclude questions on sexuality and gender diversity from the census.
In a post to X, Scamps wrote:
It makes no sense to dump the new LGBTQ+ [questions] from the census.
From a [doctors] perspective, without comprehensive data, policymakers [and] service planners are flying blind [and] many in the community will remain invisible.
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Cap on international students to ‘maintain social licence around international education’: Gallagher
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, was on ABC News Breakfast earlier to discuss the government’s plan to cap international student numbers from next year.
Asked about criticism the plan would hurt Australia’s reputation internationally, Gallagher responded, “I don’t think it should.”
These numbers [take] it back to the pre-pandemic level. There would be large populations of international students welcomed in this country across universities and vocational education and training, so I don’t think that’s the case at all.
Gallagher said part of the reason the government had taken this step was to “maintain the social licence around international education”. She was asked to clarify:
With the large numbers of students that we’ve seen arriving into Australia … particularly post-pandemic, [it] has placed pressure certainly on our migration planning levels, but also on universities as well.
I think having this number provides certainty to universities and ensures that they are able to plan and meet the responsibilities they have, but also ensures that all universities get a fair share – so some of those regional universities as well – and I think that will allow a better outcome for everybody.
So it keeps this important role of international education, but allows us more sustainable planning and certainty going forward.
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Sydney forecast to reach new August heat record
Sydney is forecast to reach a new heat record for August today.
The highest August temperature ever recorded at Observatory Hill was 27.5C, on August 30 last year.
Today, Sydney is forecast to reach a maximum of 28C. We’ll keep an eye on this as the weather continues to warm up today.
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Over on our US Open live blog, Alex de Minaur is three hours into his first round match and after dropping a set, is fighting hard for the win. Follow along with Daniel Harris below:
Spender focused on criticising Coalition policies, not personalities
Allegra Spender was also asked about comments made by the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, against the opposition leader Peter Dutton.
In a speech on Monday, Chalmers described Dutton as “the most divisive leader of a major political party in Australia’s modern history – and not by accident, by choice.”
Asked if she agreed with these sentiments, Spender responded:
I’m trying to focus on policies, not on personalities, and I think that’s what most of the community is seeking.
On Coalition policy, Spender said she was concerned the Coalition was spreading misinformation about the climate, “increasing mistrust of immigrants” and that the National party was driving an “anti-business agenda.”
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Spender says she is lobbying government to reverse census decision
Allegra Spender said she wrote to the minister responsible – Andrew Leigh – yesterday, and would be writing to the PM as well to reconsider.
As for calls for Anthony Albanese to be excluded from walking in the annual Mardi Gras parade, Spender said this was up for the LGBTQ+ community.
My focus at the moment is really about getting the government to reverse this decision … that’s really what the community is seeking right now.
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Allegra Spender ‘absolutely flabbergastered’ government stopping ‘sensible progress’ on LGBTQ+ questions on census
The Independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender is speaking with ABC RN about the government’s decision to dump new topics on sexuality and gender diversity from the next census.
She said it was important to include questions on gender diversity and sexuality in the census because “data informs public policy”, and the importance of “reflect[ing] the true diversity of this country”.
Spender said she was “absolutely flabbergasted” the government had stopped this “sensible progress”.
In terms of data informing public policy, she mentioned the mpox outbreak and said having this census data may be able to help inform decision on attaining vaccines.
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Climate groups and unions criticise opposition’s proposed $100bn cuts
A group of energy groups and unions have criticised the Coalition’s proposal to make $100bn in cuts, accusing them of gutting social services “all to fund their expensive nuclear fantasy”.
The groups – including the ACTU, AQU, Smart Energy Council, Climate Council, Greenpeace, Australian Conservation Foundation and the ETU – said in a statement:
The radical proposal would slash everything from housing and public transport to renewable energy and manufacturing jobs in an attempt to find the $100bn they’d need to bankroll their unpopular nuclear scheme – a scheme that would drive up energy bills in the short, medium, and long-term.
By attacking both bedrock social programs and the renewable energy already providing 40% of Australia’s electricity, the Coalition would undercut Australia’s economic prosperity, undermine investor certainty and make life harder for Australians already doing it tough.
The groups compared opposition leader Peter Dutton’s attacks on the Future Made in Australia plan as a “rehash” of Donald Trump’s arguments against the US Inflation Reduction Act:
Contrary to their ‘sky-is-falling’ rhetoric, however, US inflation has decreased substantially since the US passed its signature clean industry policy. Meanwhile, the policy has crowded in private investment equivalent to six times the support it provides, driven the creation of 210 new clean projects, created 400,000 new jobs and added $155bn to the US GDP annually.
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Universities say international student caps will result in decisions that are not ‘palatable’ or ‘pleasant’
Vicki Thomson, the chief executive of the Group of Eight, was also up on ABC RN this morning to speak about the proposed cap to international student enrolments for next year.
The Group of Eight is made up of the University of Melbourne, ANU, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Adelaide, Monash and UNSW.
Thomson said that the exact numbers were still being examined, but it’s estimated that the cut to those universities would be around 22,000 less students next year, or 30%.
We will have to go out to these students potentially and say sorry, this offer we gave you [we can no longer] commit to…
There are some serious discussions and decisions that our institutions will have to make [and] none of them will be palatable [or] pleasant.
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Watt says CFMEU decisions won’t neccessarily reflect in lessened support from Labor base
Q: Do you expect that the decision you’ve made in relation to the CFMEU and administration will lead to real ramifications for Labor’s election campaign?
Murray Watt responded:
I don’t necessarily think so … I don’t think it necessarily has to reflect … in fewer volunteers or … support for the party from our blue-collar base.
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Watt criticises imagery and Greens appearance at union rallies
Murray Watt said he was “disturbed” by some of the imagery at the Brisbane CFMEU rally yesterday, including a placard depicting the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, as Hitler.
I don’t think that reflects well on the CFMEU construction division, and again, it confirms the kind of culture that has developed under its current leadership, which, through the administration process, has been removed.
Watt was also critical of Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather for appearing on the stage in Brisbane at the rally.
When you share a stage with a group, you make a choice, and you’re endorsing the culture and behaviour of that organisation.
Chandler-Mather appeared on ABC’s 7.30 and said he was “proud to stand alongside the tens of thousands of construction workers because they deserve a voice in this country”. You can read more of his comments earlier in the blog here.
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Watt claims ‘members supportive of what we’re doing’ in wake of CFMEU rallies
Murray Watt, the minister for workplace relations, just spoke with ABC RN following widespread CFMEU rallies across the country yesterday.
Asked if he was surprised by the turnout, Watt said that “everyone understands that when you decide to take action against the CFMEU construction division, there’s going to be a response, and that’s what we saw yesterday.”
The vast majority of the people attending those rallies were CFMEU members. But the reality is that it doesn’t change the fact that the construction division of the CFMEU is now in administration as a first step towards cleaning up the union, ridding it of the [alleged] organised crime elements that unfortunately have penetrated it, and returning it to being a union that focuses on the best interests of its members, rather than getting caught up in all sorts of other activities.
He was also asked about three or four legal challenges brewing, funded by five unions, as flagged at rallies yesterday. Watt said, “we’ll wait to see whether that materialises or not”.
We drafted the legislation in a way to give it the best chance of withstanding legal challenge. We have absolutely expected that the CFMEU and potentially other unions would seek to challenge the legislation. But again, I think the point needs to be made that while there are there is some support for the CFMEU within the union, members are supportive of what we’re doing.
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More than 500 requests for assistance overnight in Victoria amid strong winds
Jumping back to the weather situation in Victoria: the SES’s chief operations officer, Tim Wiebusch, spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier to provide an update. He said there were more than 500 requests for assistance overnight after damaging winds, with 400 of these regarding trees coming down on cars.
We’ve had a house damaged in Glen Waverley … the back of the house that’s collapsed as a result of a large tree coming down. Fortunately no injuries there.
We are expecting as the winds cross the state, and they’ll re-intensify across Melbourne, we’ll see more damage as the winds move across the state.
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NSW RFS issues fire warning amid strong winds
Here is the full warning from the NSW Rural Fire Service on the moderate fire danger forecast across parts of the state today:
With strong winds expected [today], moderate fire danger is forecast across parts of the state, with the Greater Sydney and Illawarra/Shoalhaven areas forecast to reach high.
Over the past several days, [RFS] crews have responded to a number of escaped private burns around NSW. With windy conditions expected, we are asking landholders to hold off from conducting any burning and to monitor any recent burns to ensure they are completely extinguished, particularly those areas with high fire danger.
Despite the recent rains, the warmer weather is beginning to dry out the bush and grasslands, making them increasingly fire prone. It’s important you and your family are prepared and know what you’ll do if threatened by fire.
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High fire danger in Sydney and Illawarra today
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is warning of a high fire danger risk in the Greater Sydney and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions today. A high fire danger rating means people should be ready to act.
This comes as the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds west and south of Sydney, from Lithgow down to the Victorian border, and up to Adaminaby.
Damaging winds averaging 60 to 70km/h, with peak gusts of around 100km/h, are likely in parts of the Blue Mountains and far western Sydney, easing by late evening.
In the Illawarra, damaging winds averaging 70 to 80km/h with peak gusts of around 110km/h are likely, also easing by early evening.
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Tasmanians urged to drive with caution amid strong winds
Tasmania Police have issued an alert within the last half hour warning motorists to drive with caution today following strong winds overnight.
Police said the wild weather may have caused debris on the roads. The community alert reads:
Motorists are urged to drive with caution today as strong winds overnight may have caused unexpected debris on the roads.
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Severe wind warning for large parts of Victoria
Speaking of wild weather, the Victorian State Emergency Service has issued a severe weather warning for parts of the state, with damaging winds expected to continue.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a strong cold front is expected to track eastward over the remainder of the state this morning and this afternoon, “producing a vigorous westerly airstream in its wake”:
Conditions are expected to ease later this evening as the cold front moves off the coast and into the Tasman Sea.
For lower elevation areas, including Melbourne, damaging winds with peak gusts around 100km/h are likely to continue until this evening over coastal areas of the south-west and all elevated parts of the warning area, “particularly with squally showers,” the SES said.
One social media user wrote on Facebook from Moe, in the Gippsland region, that “it’s so windy [here] our roof and windows are shaking.” Someone in Bairnsdale described the weather as “absolutely dreadful”, while another user in Briagolong said it was so windy a tree fell and just missed their car overnight.
This Advice - Severe Weather is for southern parts of Victoria including Alpine areas.
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) August 27, 2024
Stay informed and be aware of potential hazards caused by the severe weather.
More details at: https://t.co/OccrWoLKPs pic.twitter.com/cSFlyClYSk
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Thousands remain without power following wild weather in the south
There are thousands of power outages across southern parts of the country after severe thunderstorms and damaging winds swept through yesterday.
According to Ausnet in Victoria, there are around 4,600 customers without power. Powercor is reporting another 967 customers who are impacted.
In Tasmania, there are more than 4,000 without power, according to TasNetworks.
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What Labor’s loss in the NT means for Australian politics
The Northern Territory election delivered an unmitigated disaster for Labor over the weekend, with the Country Liberal party sweeping to power on a promise to be tough on crime.
In our Full Story podcast today, Tamsin Rose speaks to Guardian Australia political editor Karen Middleton and Queensland state correspondent Ben Smee on how politicians from all sides are reading the results.
Max Chandler-Mather defends CFMEU support after rallies
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather has defended his decision to stand on a stage at a demonstration in support of the controversial Construction, Forestry, Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) yesterday, calling the laws introduced last week allowing the government to put the union into administration “the most draconian anti-worker laws this country has seen”.
Speaking on ABC’s 7:30 last night, the Queensland MP said he was “proud to stand alongside the tens of thousands of construction workers because they deserve a voice in this country”.
Last month, Channel Nine and its mastheads published allegations of criminal links within the construction branch of the CFMEU.
“The Greens strongly oppose any misogyny, intimidation or thuggery and any allegations of wrongdoing,” said Chandler-Mather, but he added that those are allegations against individuals that should be prosecuted through the courts.
What we oppose is ... a government riding roughshod over procedural fairness and natural justice and seizing control of a union, giving them the power to sack workers and officials who haven’t even been alleged to have done anything wrong and permanently ban them from working for a union without going through a fair trial or giving them the presumption of innocence.
Updated
Good morning
And happy Wednesday – thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage on today’s blog.
As always, you can reach out via X, @emilywindwrites, or email, emily.wind@theguardian.com, with any tips or questions.
Let’s get started.
Government announces $386m disaster preparation fund
The federal government has announced $386m funding for projects meant to better prepare Australia for extreme weather-related disasters. The money, from the previously announced natural disaster-ready fund, has been promised for 164 projects that include restoring degraded coastlines, upgrading levees, improving warning systems, building cyclone shelters and providing mental health training.
The emergency management minister, Jenny McAllister, said half the country’s local government areas had suffered at least one natural disaster since 2022 and the funded projects would help communities prepare for what lay ahead.
We know that our climate is changing, and Australians can expect to experience more intense and more frequent natural disasters.
Examples include a cyclone shelter that can hold up to 1,800 people at Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory, an expansion of a flood warning system in Victoria’s Seymour catchment and cultural burning to help reduce bushfire risk on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
Greens leader to announce 'Robin Hood reform' package
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, has announced the party will take a “package of Robin Hood reforms” to the next election.
The first plank of the policy is a 40% tax on “excessive profits” of big businesses, coal and mining companies, and closing loopholes in the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT).
Bandt will unveil the policy at the National Press Club today along with some of the spending measures to be paid for by the new tax, which is similar to the super profits tax proposed before the last election.
The Greens have released Parliamentary Budget Office costings that suggests these three related reforms can raise $514bn over a decade by:
Applying a 40% tax on profits earned on turnover after the first $100m, which would hit the big four banks, Coles and Woolworths, Wesfarmers, Telstra, JB Hi-Fi and Ampol. This is projected to raise $296bn over a decade.
Changes to the PRRT to reduce expenditure eligible for deductions; adding a 10% royalty on offshore projects; and including four exempt projects into the PRRT. Projected to raise $111bn.
A 40% tax on the super profits of mining projects, excluding some new industries such as lithium or nickel mining. ($107bn)
In excerpts of Bandt’s speech, seen by Guardian Australia, the Greens leader said:
The last time the country tried to seriously tax the excess profits of the mining industry, these companies poured millions of dollars into advertising, forcing Labor to sack their own democratically elected Prime Minister. That doesn’t mean it was the wrong thing to do, that is exactly why it needs to be done.
We can’t have the mining industry determining who is and who isn’t running the country and who the country is run for. If Labor hadn’t capitulated so spectacularly, the country would have had an extra $35 billion in revenue between 2012 to 2020. This money could have built homes, fixed teeth or kept people out of poverty...
Big corporations across the economy have squeezed hundreds of billions of dollars out of the public since the end of the pandemic - too much of it tax free. Because just one of the things we could do through a Robin Hood style big corporations tax is to put dental into Medicare, for everybody, because your teeth should be included as basic healthcare.
PM to meet Pacific Island leaders today
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will meet Pacific leaders in Tonga today, with plans for a regional police training centre in Brisbane expected to be high on the agenda.
The Pacific Islands Forum is the region’s most important annual political gathering. The meeting is happening at a time of increased concern about the climate crisis and intensifying geopolitical rivalries (chiefly between China and the US).
When he landed in Tonga last night, Albanese said:
We’re part of the Pacific family and over the next couple of days we’ll be talking about our common interests, how we work together to combat climate change [and] for economic development and for peace and security in our region.
The meeting is expected to discuss plans for a Pacific policing initiative, including a centre in Brisbane to help train officers from across the region.
The Australian minister for the Pacific, Pat Conroy, is also attending the event and has sought to emphasise that the proposal is “firmly Pacific-led”.
Conroy said he “would reject any accusation, any claim that this is something that Australia is driving”. He said Pacific countries had previously expressed a view that any gaps in security in the region be filled from within the Pacific.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you the best of the overnight and breaking news before Emily Wind assumes the controls.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, will today give a speech at the National Press Club in which he has promised to announce a “package of Robin Hood reforms” to take to the next election. The first plank of the policy is a 40% tax on “excessive profits” of big businesses, coal and mining companies and closing loopholes in the petroleum resource rent tax. It comes as the Greens threw their support behind the CFMEU construction union in its fight against legislative administration. More on both these lines coming up.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is in Tonga today for the Pacific Islands Summit and is expected to announce a trailblazing treaty – the Falepili Union – with Tuvalu. Albanese and the Tuvalu prime minister, Feleti Teo, will hold a press conference later today to mark the occasion. More coming up.
Crossbench MPs have heaped scorn on the Albanese government after its decision to exclude topics on gender, sexual orientation and variations of sex characteristics in the next census. They are seeking an urgent explanation from the government about why it dumped new topics on sexuality and gender diversity from the next census – a decision that left the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras “deeply concerned and disappointed”.
