What we learned today, Friday 31 January
We are closing the live blog for this evening, but here’s what made the news today:
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission was notified of more than 1.7m incidents of unauthorised restrictive practices used against people with disability last financial year.
The health minister, Mark Butler, announced a review of the Australian standards of care and treatment guidelines for trans and gender diverse children and adolescents. He also said Queensland should not run its own review while the federal review was ongoing.
The main public sector union lashed the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, after he foreshadowed the axing of culture, diversity and inclusion advisers as part of wider cuts to the commonwealth bureaucracy.
Eight Western Australian police officers were found not to have performed their duty in relation to interactions with the family of Perth murderer Mark Bombara, a report has found.
Aussie shares hit a record high amid expectations of an interest rate cut when the RBA meets in February.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson called for round-the-clock police patrols of Jewish schools in the wake of antisemitic attacks.
Vaping rates for people between 15 and 29 dropped from 15% to 10.8% between 2023 and 2024, following the ban on vapes.
More than 5,000 Australians could be victims of romance scammers allegedly using popular online dating apps to trick victims into a fake online relationship before deceiving them into transferring funds, the AFP has said.
Music festival Groovin the Moo announced it would not run this year, for the second year in a row.
Until next time, enjoy your evening.
Updated
Federal election threats are local, AEC warns
“Sovereign citizens, conspiracy theorists and keyboard warriors” are among the domestic threats being monitored ahead of the upcoming federal election, the electoral authority has warned.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), deep into its preparations for the yet-to-be announced polling day, said the mis- and disinformation threats to the 2025 federal election were coming from within the country, rather than from overseas actors.
“We’re doing this to ourselves … which is one of the sort of sad things about how this thing’s playing out,” the AEC’s acting electoral commissioner, Jeff Pope, told a media briefing in Canberra on Friday.
We’re seeing sovereign citizens and conspiracy theorists and keyboard warriors, who don’t want to reveal their identity. They do want to stir the pot and cause problems.
Updated
Continued from previous post
The findings of the investigation is that officers did not correctly assess the risk, and the available powers were not exercised properly, WA police commissioner Col Blanch said.
A correct risk assessment would have provided sufficient grounds to issue a police order to Mark Bombara, and that power would have been extended to seizing lawful firearms.
The second finding was insufficient action was taken by police to explore whether Bombara was a fit and proper person to hold a firearms licence based on medical grounds.
The third is that insufficient action was taken by police to identify and investigate alleged firearm offences, which included a report of an unsecure firearm.
Blanch said there were 18 recommendations in the report on how to improve police response, including giving police limited discretion in seizing firearms when family violence is reported, better communication between agencies, a 24/7 family violence coordinator, and a data platform to flag firearms licence holders with health issues that may impact their ability to hold a licence.
Updated
WA police officers found not to have performed duty ahead of Perth murders
Eight Western Australian police officers were found not to have performed their duty in relation to interactions with the family of Perth murderer Mark Bombara, a report has found.
In May last year, 63-year-old Bombara shot Jenny Petelczyc, 59, and her daughter Gretl Petelczyc, 18, at their Floreat home, where his ex-wife was believed to have been staying, before taking his own life.
The killer’s daughter, Ariel Bombara, had said she spoke with police on three separate occasions between 30 March and 2 April to “raise the alarm” about her father, including his access to guns.
The WA police commissioner, Col Blanch, said on Friday the investigation found eight police officers “were found to have not performed their duty in accordance with policy or procedures to varying degrees of seriousness” and internal disciplinary action had been finalised for all eight officers.
The WA corruption and crime commissioner, the state coroner and the WA ombudsman had each been provided a copy of the investigation to continue their oversight into the incident, he said.
Continued in next post.
Updated
Fuel excise should be ditched for national road-use charge, car dealers say
More motorists should be charged for driving on Australian roads, automotive groups argue, and fuel excise should be ditched in favour of a more equitable tax scheme.
The Australian Automotive Dealers Association joined the call for the government to introduce a national road-user charge for motorists in its pre-budget submission released on Friday.
Some electric vehicle proponents also support a change, although they warn any tax should consider the weight of vehicles, including trucks, utes and large SUVs, to encourage motorists to buy smaller, low-emission models.
The automotive dealers’ group urged the government to introduce a road-user charge in a submission that also called for greater trade protections for franchises, purchase incentives for electric cars, and an extension to fringe-benefit tax exemptions for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
A consistent national system would be needed to ensure all motorists paid to maintain roads, association chief executive James Voortman said.
Modernising Australia’s taxation scheme will bring our system in line with current market dynamics and encourage the uptake of safer, cleaner and more efficient vehicles.
The association proposed “an effective and equitable national road-user charging system” that would apply to all vehicle types and a full review of vehicle taxes.
The charge should avoid discouraging the uptake of electric and hybrid vehicles, the submission said, and ensure all drivers paid for what they used.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Museum planned for Bali bombing site
A peace park museum will be built on the site of the Bali bombings where 88 Australians were among more than 200 people killed in the terror attack.
The Badung regency government purchased the land where the former Sari Club stood when it was attacked on 12 October 2002.
The buy has been welcomed by family members who lost loved ones in the bombings.
“We’re excited by this purchase, which is the culmination of decades of work by our association to keep the site earmarked for such a development,” Bali Memorial Association spokesperson Keith Pearce said.
The association has been pushing for a peace park to have the terrorist attack properly acknowledged and remembered.
A delegation travelled to the regency to meet with officials in March 2024 and the government expressed support for the initiative after attempts to privately purchase the Sari Club side ceased, the association said.
A formal announcement about the intended development plan is expected on 6 February.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Victoria shifts budget date over federal poll
The Victorian government has changed the date of its budget due to the federal election.
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, a Victorian government spokesperson said:
With a federal election due to be held in the first half of 2025, we will finalise our budget after we know the outcome.
It changed the date of the budget from 6 May to 20 May.
Updated
Festival association urges government to boost live music funding
The Australian Festival Association has expressed disappointment that the Groovin the Moo festival has been cancelled for the second year in a row.
AFA managing director Olly Arkins said:
It’s disappointing to see that Groovin the Moo, one of Australia’s longest-running touring festivals, will not be going ahead in 2025.
Regional festivals like Groovin the Moo play a vital role in connecting audiences with live music outside of major cities, providing opportunities for artists, local businesses and festival workers. But like many events across the country, the rising costs of production and ongoing challenges in the industry have made it increasingly difficult to operate.
This cancellation highlights the urgent need for the federal government to extend Revive Live funding to ensure festivals of all sizes can continue to thrive. Festivals are essential to Australia’s cultural and economic landscape, and we look forward to seeing Groovin the Moo return in the future.
Updated
Hospital manager in email gaffe
A local health district in New South Wales has apologised after an administrator accidentally sent an email to junior doctors calling them a “workforce of clinical marshmellows [sic]”.
The email, seen by Guardian Australia, was sent by a medical administration manager at a hospital who appears to be complaining about a doctor’s response to a rostering issue.
The misfired message starts:
Seriously!
I wonder if any of them realise that they are a doctor and that this is what happens. Oh that’s right … I forgot. Life style before career.
God help us in the future. We are going to have a workforce of clinical marshmellows!
Updated
Climate lawyers say funding case win will lead to greater transparency
A landmark case is expected to give taxpayers greater transparency on how federal agencies spend their money, climate lawyers say.
Human rights and environment organisation Jubilee Australia on Friday announced the “successful conclusion” of legal action against the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) and its board of directors.
A federal court action filed in July 2023 alleged the facility and another federal body, Export Finance Australia, failed to comply with legal obligations to report on the environmental impacts of projects they funded.
It was a first attempt to force compliance with environmental laws requiring government agencies to report annually on the impact of their activities on the environment – including communities and people – and what steps, if any, they were taking to minimise harm.
The case marks a “step change” in reporting by Australian government entities, Jubilee’s director of climate justice Suhailah Ali told AAP.
Prior to the legal action, NAIF’s environmental reporting was limited to basic operational activities, such as no personal bins and encouraging staff to limit printing, she said.
The reporting had since expanded to include the environmental impacts of the projects it funds, Ali said.
NAIF has a history of financing fossil fuel projects, including coal and fracking ventures such as the Olive Downs coking coal project, that may not have proceeded without government-backed loans, according to Jubilee.
She said:
It now reports on climate change and other environmental impacts, which is an important step towards transparency and climate accountability.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Butler says Queensland puberty blocker review not ‘appropriate’
Following from a previous post ... health minister Mark Butler has spoken to reporters in Adelaide on a review into health guidelines for trans and gender diverse children and adolescents.
The week, the Queensland health minister, Tim Nicholls, announced a ban on puberty blockers for all new patients of the state’s only gender clinic, at the Royal Brisbane hospital, and for other patients in the public health system, until the government considers the outcome of an independent review into the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors experiencing gender dysphoria.
Butler says he doesn’t think it’s “appropriate” for Queensland to undertake that review, and it should be left to the commonwealth.
I’ve indicated to minister [Tim] Nicholls that I don’t think it would be appropriate for Queensland to continue with their stated intention to undertake an evidence review in this area of care. These issues should be nationally consistent, and in my view should be driven by the preeminent authority, which is the NHMRC [national health and medical research council]...
It is certainly best practice to ensure that state governments and private services are operating in accordance with national and consistent clinical guidelines that are issued, or at least approved, by the nation’s preeminent authority in this area.
Updated
Public sector union pans Dutton for urging DEI role cuts
The main public sector union has lashed the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, after he foreshadowed the axing of culture, diversity and inclusion advisers as part of wider cuts to the commonwealth bureaucracy.
In a speech to the Liberal party-aligned Menzies Research Centre on Friday, Dutton said the positions, and other roles like change managers and internal communications specialists, “do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians”.
They’re certainly not frontline service delivery roles that can make a difference to people’s lives.
Dutton used the speech to again reference the hiring of 36,000 public servants under Labor as an example of wasteful spending, as he promised a future Coalition government would “scale back” the federal bureaucracy in a “responsible way”.
The Commonwealth and Public Sector Union said Dutton’s criticism of diversity and inclusion positions was straight from the playbook of the US president, Donald Trump, who has declared war on so-called DEI programs since returning to White House.
The union’s national secretary, Melissa Donnelly, said Dutton’s comments demonstrated a “lack of understanding of modern workplaces”.
Having staff with lived experience of disability, for example, means the NDIA has a deeper understanding of how to improve and more effectively target disability services to Australians.
Having staff with lived experience of disability, for example, means the NDIA has a deeper understanding of how to improve and more effectively target disability services to Australians.
Updated
Thanks for joining us on the blog today. Handing over now to Josh Taylor, who will take you through the afternoon’s news.
Updated
Woman accused of harassing call to Sydney synagogue
A woman has been charged after allegedly making a harassing call to a Sydney synagogue last month.
Officers received a report of an alleged harassing call made to a synagogue on Castlereagh Street about 4.45pm on Tuesday 31 December, NSW police said in a statement.
Police arrested a 61-year-old woman at a home in Hyland Park on the mid-north coast following an investigation. She was charged with “one count of use carriage service to menace/harass/offend”.
She was refused bail to appear before Kempsey local court today.
Updated
Nick Greiner part of $275k donation to refugee sponsorship scheme
Former NSW premier Nick Greiner and US philanthropist Ed Shapiro have donated $275,000 towards community sponsorship of refugees to Australia.
The donors are offering grants of $5,000 for up to 55 local groups around Australia to sponsor a refugee family to come to Australia under the community refugee integration and settlement pilot (Crisp) program.
The seed funding will be used by local groups to welcome and support refugee newcomers through the government-backed Crisp in the first half of this year.
“When I first heard about Crisp, I thought this is such a common-sense approach and something I’d like to support,” Greiner said.
I’m looking forward to meeting some of the local groups who put their hands up and see how I can join with them to help newcomer families in practical ways.
Australia’s Crisp is modelled on Canada’s long-running private sponsorship of refugees program, which has run uninterrupted for more than 40 years and resettled more than 325,000 refugees in that country, in addition to refugees resettled by the Canadian government. Australia’s pilot program – which is not additional to the government-sponsored resettlement – has enjoyed bipartisan support, and community support from across Australia.
Since its launch in mid-2022, the Crisp has seen more than 120 local groups in all Australian states and territories support the arrival of more than 530 individual refugees, mostly in family groups.
“It’s been wonderful to see how the Crisp program has engaged everyday Australians who volunteer to help connect newly arrived refugee households with community groups, providing local knowledge and practical support,” the assistant minister for citizenship and multicultural affairs, Julian Hill, said.
These generous donations are invaluable, particularly as the world is witnessing the highest levels of forcible displacement on record.
Lisa Button, chief executive of Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia, a national non-profit organisation that delivers the Crisp program, said philanthropic support for the program was welcomed.
This will really assist local groups inclined to be involved in this successful, community-led approach.
Updated
Trans and gender diverse children’s care guidelines to be reviewed
The health minister, Mark Butler, has announced a review of the Australian standards of care and treatment guidelines for trans and gender diverse children and adolescents.
The National Health and Medical Research Council will undertake the review and develop new national guidelines, with interim advice on the use of puberty blockers to be given in the middle of next year.
Butler says the council will develop the guidelines alongside an expert committee that includes lived experience.
States and territories are responsible for providing and administering services for gender diverse and trans young people.
It comes after the health minister of Queensland this week announced a ban on puberty blockers for all new patients of the state’s only gender clinic at the Royal Brisbane hospital.
Updated
Queensland flash-flooding warning as intense showers forecast
Dangerous flash flooding and significant rain will hit north-east Queensland from this evening into the weekend, with thunderstorms across the stretch of coast between Cooktown and Mackay becoming more severe this afternoon.
The risk of heavy rainfall will become focused on the stretch of coast extending from Cairns down to Bowen, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.
A severe weather warning in this area flags potential six-hourly rainfall totals of 180mm.
“That’s an incredible amount of rain to fall in such a short space of time,” Bradbury said.
Rates of rain would increase into the weekend, with areas between Innisfail and Ayr potentially seeing intense rainfall “which could lead to life-threatening flash flooding”, Bradbury said.
That’s more than water just moving over roads and footpaths, possibly coming into your home. That is flooding that occurs very quickly and can pose a sudden and significant risk to your life and personal safety.
Riverine flooding would be increasingly likely over the weekend. Minor flood warnings were in place for the Mulgrave, Tully, Murray and Don rivers. Flood watch areas might also upgrade to moderate or major flooding, Bradbury said.
We could see these riverine flooding impacts continue well into next week.
We are also likely to see damage to your property, your personal property, as well as crops and vegetation as that water moves across our coastline.
Updated
Groovin the Moo cancelled for second year running
Music festival Groovin the Moo has announced it will not run this year, for the second year in a row, as the industry continues to struggle.
In a post on Instagram, the festival organisers said:
Groovin the Moo won’t be happening in 2025, while we work on finding the most sustainable model for Australia’s most loved regional touring festival.
We will really miss seeing the smiling faces of all our beloved Moo Crew – and that means YOU!
The regional festival was also cancelled in 2024.
The announcement came just days after Splendour in the Grass organisers said their own northern NSW music festival would not be running for the second year in a row.
Updated
Victoria fires threaten Indigenous rock art
Fire crews are racing to protect Victoria’s richest concentration of Indigenous rock art as they tackle a series of out-of-control blazes ahead of an expected heatwave.
Bushfires continue to burn out of control at the Grampians national park in Victoria’s west after about 10,000 lightning strikes hit the ground in the state, following hot conditions on Monday.
Firefighters are working to contain the blazes and prevent impacts on the national park that is home to about 200 Indigenous rock art sites, State Control Centre spokeswoman Reegan Key said on Friday.
The park contains “the richest concentration of rock art in Victoria” which was among 500 Indigenous cultural sites in the area, she said.
With three major fires now in the Grampians national park in the last month, we want to recognise the anxiety and impact these fires are having on the community themselves, but also the traditional owners of this country.
Watch and act warnings are in place on Friday for residents of Wartool, Zumsteins, Brimpaen, Mooralla, Woohlpooer, Big Cord, Strachans, Victoria Valley, Glenisla, Hynes, the eastern side of Rocklands and the Little Desert national park.
People along other parts of the park’s western flank have been told to monitor conditions.
A fire continues to burn at the Little Desert national park north-west of the Grampians blaze after claiming one home near the town of Dimboola, a second home further west and an event centre.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Amanda Meade’s Weekly Beast on all the news in the media sector is up now.
Police alert 5,000 Australians potentially targeted by overseas romance scam
More than 5,000 Australians could be victims of romance scammers allegedly using popular online dating apps to trick victims into a fake online relationship before deceiving them into transferring funds, a joint statement between the AFP, National Anti-Scam Centre, Philippines Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission and National Bureau of Investigation said.
Australian authorities texted the potential victims – who are mostly men over 35 – today, urging them to not send money to people they have met online, and provided steps to take if they have already sent money.
An investigation by Philippines authorities into a scam compound operating in central Manila uncovered more than 300 computer towers, 1,000 mobile phones and thousands of sim cards in November last year. Evidence gathered was shared with international law enforcement partners to help identify potential victims.
The AFP-led joint policing cybercrime collaboration centre identified more than 5,000 Australian-based phone numbers linked to messages found on an end-to-end encryption platform on the devices. The statement continued:
It is alleged the scammers, using popular online dating apps, tricked victims into a fake online romantic relationship, before convincing them to purchase legitimate cryptocurrency. They would request a minimum first investment between AUD $300 - $800 dollars, before encouraging the victim to invest more money.
The suspected scammer would then deceive the victim into transferring funds from the legitimate crypto exchange account into the scammer’s account.
The fraudsters posed as either a Filipino female working in Australia or a local female resident in the Philippines.
More than 250 suspects have been arrested by Philippine law enforcement authorities under the investigation so far.
The AFP commander of cybercrime operations, Graeme Marshall, said:
When it comes to romance scams, our message to the public is simple: protect your heart and your wallet. If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
Updated
Weight loss drugs, Trump and conflicts shape agriculture outlook
The use of weight loss drugs could change what Australians eat, with the agriculture industry eyeing a possible decrease in food consumption.
Uptake of drugs like Ozempic, which suppress the appetite and make users feel full more quickly, have been listed among trends and drivers that may affect Australia’s agriculture sector in 2025.
The Rabobank annual outlook said:
While it is unlikely to be a game changer in 2025 for Australian food and agri products, the impact of reduced food consumption by individuals taking these medications should not be overlooked.
People using the drugs have swapped processed and calorie-dense foods for fresh and protein-rich produce and yoghurt, according to US studies highlighted in the report.
Agriculture is broadly set to fare well, though US president Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on imports were expected to keep markets volatile. Trump campaigned for the presidency on introducing tariffs of between 10% and 20% on products from other countries, along with 60% on goods from China.
He has since ordered US federal agencies undertake a review of various trade issues by 1 April. The US is a key destination for Australian beef, creating some uncertainty for producers and exporters.
The conflict in the Middle East and rerouting of ships away from the Red Sea due to piracy were also behind continued market volatility, along with the war in Ukraine.
Despite the geopolitical tensions and drought conditions in parts of South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria, agribusinesses were generally set to do well.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Moderate Liberals losing sway as hard right looms large in Senate fight
The Liberal party’s moderate wing is set to lose more influence in federal parliament with an Alex Antic-backed candidate tipped to take the Senate seat once held by Simon Birmingham.
Birmingham, who was elected in 2007 and resigned on Tuesday, led the federal party’s moderate faction and was one of the few remaining senior Liberals in the faction after losses in the 2022 federal election, including inner city MPs Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson.
With the backing of the hard-right Antic faction, Leah Blyth, the party’s state president, is most likely to take Birmingham’s former seat in the upper house after the vote takes place on Friday evening, Liberal sources told Guardian Australia under the condition of anonymity, due to party rules.
Blyth will be challenged by moderate candidate Sam Hooper, a lawyer and former staffer for the now state opposition leader, Vincent Tarzia, as well as the unaligned Adelaide city councillor Henry Davis.
Liberal sources said Blyth would likely emerge the clear winner with Antic’s backing but suggested Hooper could win over some of the remaining moderate and centrist delegates in the state.
Read the full story from Sarah Basford Canales and Dan Jervis-Bardy here:
Updated
Rights commission ponders discrimination complaint against Dutton
The Australian Human Rights Commission is considering a complaint that alleges Peter Dutton discriminated against Palestinians and Muslims in public comments after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and during the subsequent war in Gaza.
The complaint, coordinated by the law firm Birchgrove Legal, includes allegations that “Palestinian-Australian, Arab-Australian and Muslim-Australian complainants” reported feeling “dehumanised … and humiliated as an ‘Other’ who does not and should not matter to Australia” as a result of some of the Liberal leader’s public commentary.
The complaint also alleges that “as a national political leader” some of Dutton’s commentary has “created an environment of permissibility not only for hatred and racism directed at Palestinian-Australian, Arab-Australian and Muslim-Australian complainants but also other Australians who express solidarity with Palestinians, leading to many reports of feeling intimidated not to attend rallies in support of Palestinians and not to express support”.
Read the full story:
Updated
Youth vaping rates plummet after law reforms
Data shows vape use among young Australians has significantly reduced, meaning new laws are working, the federal health minister says.
At a press conference in Adelaide, Mark Butler cited data from the independent South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute which found 2024 vaping rates among 15- to 29-year-olds reduced by about a third compared with 2023, going from above 15% to 10.8%.
Vaping rates among the 30-to-59 age group also dropped by about half, from 6.7% to 3.6%, while overall, vaping rates for people aged 15 and above were reduced by more than a third.
Butler said suspensions relating to vaping at South Australian schools had dropped by 50%, with 388 suspensions in the first term of 2023 compared with 186 in 2024.
He said these South Australian figures were in line with the latest research from the Cancer Council’s Generation Vape study, which also showed the number of young people aged 14 to 17 who vape is in decline.
This data showed the largest proportion of “never-vapers” since the Generation Vape study began in 2022, with 85% of people aged 14 to 17 reporting they had never vaped.
Butler said:
These latest data shows the Albanese government’s vaping reforms are working to prevent a new generation from becoming addicted to nicotine.
Updated
Following on from the last post: Economist Lenora Risse told the committee mandating gender equality targets would raise the salience of gender equality as an issue in the minds of employers and create a prompt for action and accountability.
“Requirements are a way to embed gender equality awareness and actions into an organisation’s internal processes and structures,” Risse said.
This contributes to gender equality policies and aspirations for progress becoming a normalised part of Australian workplaces, rather than an exceptional feature of only some organisations or a variable factor where effort and interest wavers with time.
The committee recommended the bill include full guidelines on what the Workplace Gender Equality Agency would accept as a “reasonable excuse” for non-compliance.
But in a dissenting report, the Coalition argued the proposed laws would place “onerous financial implications on businesses that we rely on”.
“This legislation will affect over 1650 of Australia’s largest companies by potentially precluding them from supplying goods or services to the commonwealth government at or above $80,000 in critical areas including agriculture forestry and fishing, construction, education and training, manufacturing and mining,” the dissenting report said.
The provisions in this bill significantly undermine businesses and risk important procurement required for critical areas like national security.
The Coalition’s report also argued the laws provided “excessive ministerial powers” and were “government overreach”.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Gender equality targets on horizon for employers
New laws requiring employers to commit to achieve or make progress on gender equality targets could be passed when federal parliament returns for its first sitting week of the year.
But the government will have to work with the Greens and crossbench to pass the laws after the coalition labelled the proposal “government overreach”.
Under the proposal, employers with 500 or more employees would be required to pick three targets which could include gender composition of the workforce, equal remuneration between women and men and consultation with employees on issues concerning gender equality in the workplace.
Employers would then have a three-year period to achieve or improve on those targets.
The failure to either set a target or make progress towards it could result in an employer being publicly named, and impact their eligibility for government procurement and ability to be considered for funding and grants.
A parliamentary committee has published its final report on the proposed laws, with five recommendations from committee members.
– Australian Associated Press
More to come in the next post.
Updated
Investigation into suspicious death on NSW south coast under way
An investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 50-year-old man found in his home yesterday.
Officers were called to the home in Quickmatch Street, Nowra, about 11am yesterday when the body was found in the house by a neighbour, NSW police said in a statement.
A crime scene was established and examined by specialist police, and a canvass of the area was conducted.
Strike Force Ballidu has been established and detectives are investigating the incident with assistance from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
Updated
Senator Sarah Henderson calls for around-the-clock police patrols of Jewish schools
The shadow minister for education, Senator Sarah Henderson, has labelled an antisemitic graffiti attack on Mount Sinai College in Maroubra on Thursday “domestic terrorism” and urged for around-the-clock NSW police patrols of Jewish schools.
In a statement on Friday, Henderson condemned the attack, labelling it “part of an escalating campaign of violence targeting the Jewish community which can only be described as domestic terrorism”.
I reiterate that every child attending a childcare centre, school or university in this country deserves to be safe. I support the call by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies for around-the-clock NSW police patrols of Jewish pre-schools and schools in Sydney until the current threat to the community has subsided.
After speaking with a representative of Mt Sinai College, I have made representations to the secretary of the federal Department of Education seeking immediate counselling and other support for the school.”
Henderson also linked the incident to universities, accusing campuses of promoting “anti-Jewish hate and incitement”.
Updated
Aussie shares hit record high as rate-cut hopes grow
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Thursday finished up 46.7 points, or 0.55%, to 8,493.7 – just 1.5 points from its best-ever finish set on 3 December.
In early afternoon trading the index climbed as high as 8,515.7, beating by 1.2 points its previous intraday high on 3 December.
At 8,553.3 as of 11am today, the index is now higher than it has ever been.
Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said the market was gaining because of the follow-through from Wednesday’s lower-than-expected inflation readout, a Federal Reserve rates decision and earnings from a trio of the “magnificent seven” tech companies.
Early Thursday morning the Fed kept interest rates in the US on hold, as widely expected, with chair Jerome Powell signalling the central bank might leave interest rates where they are for a while given the strength of the economy.
This led Comerica economists to revise their expectations for US rate cuts, forecasting one this year rather than two.
Closer to home, all of the big four banks predict the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates in February, after NAB on Thursday revised its call after the cooler-than-expected fourth-quarter inflation figures.
“We still expect the cutting phase to be gradual,” NAB’s economics team wrote.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Grampians national park fires rage
A total of 18,000 ha of the Grampians national park are on fire, with two fires burning at Victoria Valley and Wallaby Rock.
Forest Fire Management Victoria and Country Fire Authority firefighters “continue to work extremely hard” in an effort to contain the fires before high temperatures expected across the state over the weekend and into next week, the CFA said in a statement this morning.
About 700 personnel are “working tirelessly” on the Grampians fires, and aircraft and burning out operations are being used in an effort to contain them.
Smoke will be visible across large parts of western Victoria due to these fires, as well as the Little Desert national park fire, CFA said. They urge residents to monitor changing conditions.
The national park is partially closed but Halls Gap and a number of nearby walking tracks are open.
Yarram Gap Road fire is under control and has burnt over 76,00 ha.
Updated
Climate scientists mock NZ’s 1% emissions target
New Zealand’s climate credentials have taken a massive hit, with the release of a new emissions target of just 1% – within hours of a new mining strategy that grants coal a special status and aims to double exports.
Last night, NZ announced a fresh climate pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 51-55% of 2005 levels by 2035.
Parties to the Paris agreement – the landmark climate pact which aims to keep global warming to a livable 1.5% – are required to release their 2035 emissions goals this year.
Given NZ already had a goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030, the government’s 2030-2035 target effectively amounts to a single per cent.
“Wow! That sure is ambitious!,” Massey University Prof Emeritus Ralph Sims said.
Other climate scientists, modellers and academics labelled the goal “extremely weak”, “disappointing” and likely to damage NZ’s international relations.
“This will provoke anger from Pacific nations and frustration from trading partners who will argue we are not doing our fair share,” University of Canterbury’s Prof Bronwyn Hayward said.
The climate minister, Simon Watts, said the target was both “ambitious and achievable”.
Our climate strategy focuses on strengthening New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme, supporting innovative technologies to reduce agricultural emissions, and accelerating the transition to a cleaner, electrified economy – ensuring we meet our climate targets while driving economic growth.
NZ’s new goal falls well behind other countries’ ambitions.
As climate journalist Marc Daalder noted in NZ media outlet Newsroom, the UK promised to cut by 81%, Switzerland by 65% and Brazil by 59%.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
PM says he wants perpetrators of antisemitism ‘locked up’
The prime minister was asked to respond to people in the Jewish community “still worried about a rise in antisemitism”. He responded:
I say that my heart goes out to you and we are doing all that we can. I just had a previous question about the increased security that is being offered. But I say this as well – and that’s why I won’t undermine investigations and play politics with it – I want perpetrators of antisemitism to be hunted down and to be locked up. That’s what I want.
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Albanese sells housing policy in Melbourne
Anthony Albanese was speaking to media from Melbourne about the Housing Australia Future Fund a short while ago.
He said Clare O’Neil will later announce “contracts that have been issued for 800 social and affordable homes, that is right throughout the country”.
“We want more homeowners, we want more people to have access to affordable rentals, we want to make sure as well that there’s more social housing available in Australia, and we want to make sure that the workforce is there to build those homes,” he said.
We got a $32bn Homes for Australia Plan but we need to make sure we have the skilled workforce to be able to build the homes and the apartments for people. What we have with this scheme is just that – an incentive.
And … Clare O’Neil will be up later today, announcing the contracts that have been issued for 800 social and affordable homes, that is right throughout the country.
So we have incentive there, whether it be for home ownership to our Help To Buy scheme, whether it’s social housing, accelerated Housing Australia Future Fund for social or affordable homes to be built, or whether it be our Build To Rent Scheme, the legislation which was passed just in December by the Senate after a long delay of disruption from those on the Coalition and Greens party benches, we finally got that legislation through. That will lead to increased Build To Rent properties.
Updated
More on the ‘huge’ amount of rain to hit already-soaked northern Australia
A cyclone threat remains for north Queensland from the weather systems lying off Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria, which have brought torrential rain in recent days.
Another two tropical lows are lying off Western Australia’s north coast, one with the potential to form a cyclone by Sunday, as reported earlier in the blog.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury warned it will be a very wet end to the week for the north tropical coast stretching up to Cape York and over to the Gulf country.
The area between Mackay and Cairns is expected to be hit today by severe thunderstorms with locally heavy falls.
“These areas have already seen a huge amount of rain so far this week, and additional rainfall is likely to lead to further flash flooding, inundation of roads, leading to lengthy detours, as well as damage to some property and vegetation,” Bradbury said.
Rain is expected to ramp up between Cairns and Bowen from tonight with the risk of life-threatening flash flooding and damaging winds.
“This risk will continue into the weekend with high rainfall amounts of several 100mm, likely on a daily basis,” Bradbury said.
It follows up to 150mm of rain falling around Bowen, Mackay and the Daintree coast in the 24 hours to this morning, with some areas recording even heavier downpours.
“It was certainly a wet 24 hours, but not quite as wet as what we saw earlier in the week,” Bradbury said.
Upper Finch Hatton – inland from Mackay – received 181mm while Diwan on the Daintree coast received 179mm in the last 24 hours.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Historic gold rush towns added to tentative world heritage list
Towns transformed by Australia’s gold rush are a step closer to getting the coveted world heritage status.
The discovery of gold at Ballarat in 1851 sparked Victoria’s gold rush, enticing more than 6,000 miners from across the globe to make their way to the area every week.
From hard-rock open-cut mines at Castlemaine to the Victorian era buildings of Bendigo, the region is considered the most extensive and best surviving gold rush landscape in the world.
Those goldfields were added to Australia’s world heritage tentative list today. The region already welcomes millions of tourists each year and the World Heritage listing is expected to boost tourism even further.
Six key areas have been included in the tentative list submission, including: the Bendigo historic landscape, Castlemaine goldfields and historic townships, with the possibility more could be added.
If successful, it would join the Budj Bim cultural landscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park and the Sydney Opera House.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Why is a union saying state governments should bail out Star casinos?
Following on from that last post: the casino operator Star has been on a downward financial trajectory ever since the fallout from a money-laundering scandal in 2021, steering high rollers away from the casino’s tables.
The share price of Star, which has casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, hit an all-time low of 10.5c on 10 January, recovering marginally to 12c since.
It sold an events complex inside its Sydney casino to Foundation Theatre on Wednesday for $60m, with the group’s chief executive, Steve McCann, indicating the group would continue to “work on a number of other potential non-core asset transactions”.
While the Queensland and NSW governments have said they will look to support Star’s workers, both have said they will not bail the company out.
Jones urged those governments – along with their federal counterpart – to change their tune and prevent “an economic crisis in our major cities”.
“Casino workers should not bear the brunt of management’s failures, nor should the thousands of adjacent businesses and workers who depend on these venues remaining operational,” he said.
We are encouraged by the NSW government’s engagement in discussions to date and have written to the Queensland premier inviting him to join discussions to save the 5,000 jobs in Queensland.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Wider economy would be hurt from Star collapse: union
Calls continue for a cash-strapped casino to be handed a government lifeline, with fears its demise will cost thousands of jobs and hit the wider economy.
Fresh from an $8m loss in the three months to 31 December and with minimal cash in the bank, the future of the Star Entertainment Group hangs in the balance with 9,000 workers at risk.
A powerful union says the casino group’s collapse would have widespread economic consequences, with suppliers to also feel the pain.
“Over 300 food and beverage suppliers, including local farmers and producers, depend on Star’s operations … industrial laundry services processing tonnes of linen for hotels and restaurants would see their business vanish overnight,” United Workers Union’s casinos director, Andrew Jones, said.
The state governments need to consider the cost of inaction … supporting Star now could prevent the loss of thousands of jobs and the decimation of night-time economies that took decades to build.
– Australian Associated Press
More to come in the next post.
Updated
Man dies after boat capsizes in NSW
A man has died in a boating incident in the north of NSW.
Emergency services were called to Head Road, Urunga, following reports a boat had capsized around 4:30pm yesterday. Officers, water police, surf rescue and Ambulance NSW were involved in the response.
The body of a man believed to be in his 50s was found on sand just south of the Bellinger River boardwalk, NSW police said in a statement. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, and the man died at the scene.
An aluminium boat has been recovered and seized for examination.
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Asteroid triggers global defence plan amid chance of collision with Earth in 2032
A 100 metre-wide asteroid has triggered global planetary defence procedures for the first time after telescope observations revealed it has a chance of colliding with Earth in 2032.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 was spotted by an automated telescope in Chile on 27 December last year but has since risen to the top of impact risk lists maintained by the US and European space agencies.
Based on measurements gathered so far, the asteroid has a 1.3% chance of smashing into Earth on 22 December 2032, or put another way, a nearly 99% probability of barrelling past without incident.
“Most likely this one will pass by harmlessly,” said Colin Snodgrass, a professor of planetary astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. “It just deserves a little more attention with telescopes until we can confirm that. The longer we follow its orbit, the more accurate our future predictions of its trajectory become.”
Read the full story:
Heavy rain activates flood watches across Queensland
The system is set to inflict more damage on the north with heavy rain likely between Cairns and Townsville through to the weekend.
“That could easily be 500mm for isolated locations on top of the rain that they’ve already received earlier this week,” Hines said. He predicted it would cause more flooding and road closures, potential power network stress and crop damage for an already saturated region.
Up to 939mm of rain over seven days was recorded at Mount Sophia and 905mm at Clyde Road, both near Cairns, with more than 600mm at other locations. Flood watches have been activated for rivers from Cairns to Townsville.
The low in the Gulf of Carpentaria has a chance of becoming a tropical cyclone from Sunday. It is forecast to cross the Queensland coast over the weekend, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding between Townsville and Cairns.
The low expected in the Coral Sea has a “moderate” chance of forming a cyclone by Sunday.
Only one of the two systems off WA’s north-west coast are expected to intensify by the weekend but it was not expected to directly affect coastal or island communities, the bureau said.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Cyclone threat looms in northern Australia as drenched region braces for yet more rain
North Queensland is on cyclone watch with three tropical lows given a chance of developing in the coming days, bringing heavy rain that has flooded roads and homes.
Systems lie off Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria, with another set to intensify in the Coral Sea near Vanuatu.
Remarkably, another two tropical lows lie off Western Australia’s north coast, with one potentially forming a cyclone by Sunday.
It has ensured a wet week for north Queensland with no relief in sight.
“There are not one, not two but three tropical low pressure areas in the vicinity of north Queensland through Friday and the weekend,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines said.
The low off Cairns is set to move north today after ensuring rain had lashed the region for days. The cyclone risk it poses has been downgraded, though, with a “low” chance of intensifying.
– Australian Associated Press
More to come in the next blog post.
Updated
Report says over 1.7m incidents of unauthorised restrictive practices were used against people with disability from 2023-24
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission was notified of more than 1.7m incidents of unauthorised restrictive practices used against people with disability last financial year, according to a new report.
The productivity commission’s annual report on government services, released this morning, also showed that of the 26,368 other reportable incidents of which the quality and safeguards commission was notified, nearly half (45%) were instances of abuse and neglect.
Unauthorised restrictive practices include seclusion, or chemical, physical, mechanical or environmental restraint.
The 2023-24 figure of 1,732,298 reported incidents represents an increase from 2022‑23, when there were 1,608,913 notifications of the use of unauthorised restrictive practices. Both represent a huge increase on five years ago.
The rate of reported incidents is noticeably higher in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, with Tasmania reporting unauthorised restrictive practices at a rate of 37.5 incidents for every 1,000 NDIS participants, almost double that of NSW, where the rate was 16.7 incidents for every 1,000 participants.
Complaints to the quality and safeguards commission have also increased, from 17,553 complaints in 2022-23 to 29,054 in the last financial year, a rate of 43.9 total complaints per 1,000 active NDIS participants, up from 28.8.
“Choice and control” is a central tenet of the NDIS and also an indicator by which the program’s success is measured. Nationally, at 30 June 2024, just 53% of NDIS participants reported that they got to choose who supports them, a slight uptick from 2019 (48%), while 42% of families and carers of NDIS participants reported that they feel in control when selecting services – a figure that has not changed over time.
Updated
Thank you Martin Farrer for starting off the blog this morning. I’ll be updating you with the day’s news from here.
World’s Greatest Shave launches today, aiming to help fight ‘silent killer’ of blood cancer
Blood cancer has been dubbed Australia’s silent killer after a shocking rise in cases prompted calls for more prevention and early detection research, Australian Associated Press reports.
The disease claims the lives of 16 Australians every day.
The Leukaemia Foundation is asking Australians to make a difference by digging deep for their annual fundraiser, the World’s Greatest Shave.
One in 12 people are set to be diagnosed with blood cancer in their lifetime, almost 10% of the national population. The incidence of the disease in Australia had increased by 79% in the past 20 years.
About 140,000 families are currently facing a blood cancer battle.
The foundation’s head of research, Bill Stavreski, said we don’t know what causes blood cancers. “Without these key answers, unfortunately, it will continue to impact Australians of all walks of life and all ages and we urgently need help to save Australian lives,” he said.
The foundation’s national research program has funded about 365 blood cancer research grants since 2000. It has called on Australians to help raise vital funds by taking part in its annual World’s Greatest Shave campaign, launching around the nation today.
Updated
Further to Sarah’s post on the electoral reform issue, Labor is on track to pass the centrepiece of its Future Made in Australia plan when parliament resumes next week.
Read more here:
Advocates urge politicians to support Labor’s electoral reform laws
Transparency advocates are urging federal politicians to support the Albanese government’s proposed electoral reform changes, warning public trust could be further eroded without it.
Labor’s plan, one of its key election promises in 2022, would impose a $90m cap for a federal political campaign, $800,000 for an individual electorate and separate caps for each state and territory based on their size.
It would also introduce donation caps of $20,000 per independent candidate or per state division for a political party and lower the donation disclosure threshold from $16,300 to $1,000.
“Real-time” disclosures will require parties to declare donations every month during the term, every week during an election campaign and every day in the week before and after election day.
However, the bill remains stalled in the Senate until a deal is struck between Labor and the opposition or the crossbenchers.
Transparency International Australia wrote to key leaders in both houses – including senators Don Farrell, Michaelia Cash and Jane Hume – on Thursday, imploring them to support lowering the donation disclosure threshold and introducing real-time disclosures when Parliament resumes next week.
The group’s chief executive officer, Clancy Moore, said the changes were crucial first steps to ensuring public trust in elections.
Australians deserve to know who is funding their politicians and shaping public policy behind closed doors. Without transparency, we risk further eroding public trust in our democracy.
Alleged ‘Pam the Bird’ vandal charged in Melbourne
Victorian police have charged a man over a series of “Pam the Bird” images graffitied on city landmarks.
The 21-year-old man from Yarraville was arrested on 30 January, police said in a statement. He faces more than 50 charges including criminal damage, burglary, shop theft and theft of a motor vehicle.
Police allege he scaled and defaced the heritage listed Flinders Street railway station clock tower on 10 July 2024.
They allege he is also responsible for graffiti across the rail network, the “Cheese Stick” column on CityLink, a television station building in Docklands, concrete silos on Mercer Street in Geelong and a hotel in South Wharf.
Along with a 39-year-old man from Abbotsford, also changed with graffiti offences, he was remanded to appear at Melbourne magistrates court today.
Updated
Frydenberg accuses Albanese of failing to stem rise in antisemitism
Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has accused Anthony Albanese of failing to set red lines not to be crossed after antisemitic attacks began ramping up in Australia, Australian Associated Press reports.
The former Liberal party deputy leader said the discovery of a caravan containing explosives and addresses of Jewish targets was just the latest in a long list of incidents that have left the Jewish community less safe.
“The Jewish community – and it’s about only 116,000 strong – is very scared. People are afraid to send their kids to school. People are afraid now to gather at places of worship,” he told the ABC’s 7.30 Report last night.
Frydenberg, who is Jewish, said he was personally “cautious and extra vigilant” after receiving “very serious threats” that he had referred to federal police.
He said antisemitism had gained a foothold in Australia and from the beginning the prime minister “should have set red lines that were not to be crossed” to make sure culprits were arrested, convicted and punished.
“Because of the absence of action those who hate and those who harm have been emboldened.”
Frydenberg said he backed a coalition call for minimum mandatory sentences for those who commit terror attacks.
Rabbi Zalman Goldstein, who heads the Maroubra synagogue in eastern Sydney, said his congregation was feeling defiant amid a rising tide of antisemitism and would not allow fear to take hold.
“The Jewish community is saddened to see this happening in Australia, and at the same time, the community is very strong and resilient – we don’t get deterred or intimidated by bullies,” he told AAP.
“Our strength comes from thousands of years of Jewish perseverance and survival. We’ve been through a lot.
“We’re not going to allow fear to take hold.”
Updated
Greens announce $8.1bn plan for 50c public transport fares
The Greens will announce an $8.1bn plan to make all public transport fees across the country just 50 cents a ride as part of a suite of “Robin Hood” policies designed to alleviate the cost of living crisis.
On Friday, the leader, Adam Bandt, will reveal the plan in Melbourne ahead of the state byelection in Prahran next weekend in a bid to put pressure on the major parties to adopt more ambitious cost of living policies at the federal election.
Under the proposal, costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, the federal government would pay states and territories $8.1bn over the next four years to fully fund public transport costs and allow them to charge a flat rate of 50 cents per trip. An additional $250m would be given to assist the states and territories to adopt a “smart ticketing” system allowing travellers to use their phone, credit or debit cards.
Bandt said:
We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result. This election will be the most important in a generation. By electing more Greens we can keep Peter Dutton out and get Labor to act on the cost-of-living crisis.
The 50c fares have been adopted in Queensland after trials began in August. The Crisafulli LNP government agreed to keep the cut-price fares in place after being elected.
The Greens claim the policy, if adopted federally, could save households thousands of dollars a year. Bandt said electing a minority Labor government, supported by the Greens, could make the plan a reality.
Greens pressure got 50c fares in Queensland, and now we want it for everyone. The major parties can’t say it’s impossible, because it’s happening right now in Queensland.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Rafqa Touma to wrap up the week.
The former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has accused Anthony Albanese of failing to set red lines that could not be crossed as antisemitism attacks began ramping up in Australia. The former MP said the prime minister’s failure to act had “emboldened” people to hate. It comes as the investigation into the explosives found in a caravan in Dural along with a list of Jewish targets continues. More coming up.
While one in five women over the age of 15 has been sexually assaulted in their lifetime, almost 90% will not report to police. Of those who do make a report, only a quarter will see their perpetrator charged. These are the statistics behind our latest investigation, Broken Justice, looking at how the legal system fails rape victims. Coming ahead of a report by the law reform commission to be tabled in parliament next week, we also hear from a survivor who explains why the system seems stacked against women who seek justice.
Transparency advocates are urging federal politicians to support the Albanese government’s proposed electoral reform changes, warning public trust could be further eroded without it. With the federal parliament preparing to resume for a fortnight next week, the legislation is in doubt.
More coming up – as well as some details on the Greens’ new policy for national 50c public transport fares.
