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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy (now) and Cait Kelly (earlier)

PM says he ‘wants to keep economy open’ – as it happened

Labor Australia Julie Collins Anthony Albanese Coles
Sydney woman wearing mask
Australia recorded 66 Covid deaths on Friday as politicians from all sides of politics urged the Albanese government to reinstate pandemic leave payments and free rapid tests for concession card holders. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

What we learned: Friday, 15 July

We’ve made it through another week, just in time for a healthy burst of frost, blizzards and damaging winds. Enjoy your weekends, we’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning with all the latest.

Here were today’s major developments.

  • The AMA has called for paid pandemic leave for casual workers with Covid to be reinstated ahead of the national cabinet meeting on Monday. Its president, Omar Khorshid, said now wasn’t the time to end mandatory isolation as an alternative to ceasing the $750 payments.
  • Calls are also growing across the parliament for the Labor government to reinstate the leave, with the Coalition, Greens and crossbench all urging prime minister Anthony Albanese to change tack. New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, said he would “absolutely” push for the payments to be reinstated on Monday.
  • It comes as Victoria’s daily Covid update said there’d been an 83% increase in hospitalisation in Covid hospitalisations in the state in the past three weeks ahead of an expected third wave of the virus. There were 66 Covid deaths reported on Friday across the nation.
  • In other news, Murray Watt announced a $14m funding package to help combat foot and mouth disease in Indonesia and stop it getting into Australia today, after returning from Jakarta. It will also stop lumpy-skin disease entering the nation.
  • And Perrottet said he didn’t know about a note signed by his predecessor Gladys Berejiklian confirming a public servant had been hired for a plum New York City trade role 10 months before John Barilaro landed the position.

Updated

Western Sydney nurses to stage walkout due to “chronic understaffing”

At 7.30am Monday, NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) members at Westmead and Blacktown hospitals will stage a simultaneous walkout in their own time, citing understaffing across western Sydney emergency departments.

The union said they would be supported by nursing staff from ICU, operating theatres and general wards and emergency department nurses from both western Sydney hospitals as the night shift concludes:

With the recent influx of influenza cases and Covid-19 presentations on the rise, overcrowding in emergency department waiting rooms is rife, and nurses are concerned suspected Covid-19 patients are waiting long periods for treatment, alongside non-Covid-19 patients.

It comes following fine increases announced by the state government in response to months of industrial disputes.

Updated

Winds of up to 100km/h expected for parts of Victoria

In Victoria, damaging wind gusts around 100 km/h are “likely” over the alpine ranges and its southern-facing slopes on Saturday afternoon, with gusts of up to 90 km/h possible over the Otways, central Victorian ranges and northern Melbourne suburbs from Saturday morning.

From the bureau:

A high pressure system is moving slowly eastwards across the Tasman Sea. This system will combine with an approaching cold front over western Victoria to strengthen the pressure gradient and north to northwesterly winds across elevated areas during Saturday and Sunday.

Winds are expected to ease below warning thresholds from the west during Sunday morning, and throughout by late Sunday evening.

Locations which may be affected include Ballarat, Bacchus Marsh, Mt Baw Baw, Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Omeo.

Updated

‘Damaging winds’ expected for parts of NSW

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning “damaging winds” will develop across the New South Wales alps over the weekend, spreading to the eastern ranges by Sunday amid the cold front crossing parts of the state.

From the bureau:

A high pressure system is moving slowly eastwards across the Tasman Sea. This system will combine with a cold front approaching Victoria to strengthen the west to northwesterly winds over elevated areas from late Saturday afternoon.

Damaging winds, averaging 80 to 90 km/h are possible over Alpine areas of the Snowy Mountains district above 1900 metres from late Saturday afternoon. Damaging winds, averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts in excess of 90 km/h are possible over elevated areas of the ACT, South Coast, Illawarra, and Central Tablelands from late Saturday evening into Sunday morning.

Winds are expected to strengthen overnight into Sunday morning, before slowly easing to below severe thresholds during Sunday afternoon and evening.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service recommends that back country travel be postponed until conditions improve.

Updated

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet’s promise to light up the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Brisbane colours on the instance of New South Wales losing in the State of Origin has come good.

PM wants to 'keep the economy open'

Prime minister Anthony Albanese says he wants to “keep the economy open”, after a Covid briefing from the nation’s top health bureaucrats.

Shortly after touching down in Sydney from Fiji, the PM was brought up to speed on the virus situation by chief medical officer Paul Kelly and health department secretary Brendan Murphy. After being briefed on the current numbers and the predicted cases over the winter wave – which health minister Mark Butler this week said could number in the “millions” – Albanese talked up Australia’s response to new vaccines and Covid drugs.

The past week has seen more than double the number of Australians stepping up to get their booster shots and a rapid rise in the use of antivirals, he said in a statement.

We know the Covid pandemic is not over and people should continue to act in accordance with the health advice.

A growing number of state and territory leaders are calling for the federal government to reinstate the pandemic leave disaster payment at Monday’s national cabinet meeting. Albanese on Friday afternoon gave no indication that decision would change, but said the government “will continue to address issues based upon the health advice that we have received”.

We want to keep the economy open and the key to that is limiting the health impact on Australians.

News.com.au reported that NSW premier Dominic Perrottet would call for debate at national cabinet over the seven-day isolation rule, potentially with a view to reducing that period. Perrottet’s office has been contacted for comment.

Updated

Albanese to discuss staff cuts with crossbench MPs

The prime minister Anthony Albanese will meet crossbench MPs to discuss cuts to their staffing allocation on 25 July, just days before parliament resumes.

There had been talk the government might soften the cuts by adding more staff for crossbench senators.

MP Zali Steggall is not impressed the cut has not yet been reversed:

This fact that this staffing situation has still not been resolved two months out from the election, this is causing a great deal of stress in my office with the decision leading to the likely termination of the employment of parliamentary staff and the need to restructure the electorate office and terminate certain roles, impacting the community of Warringah.

We are about to resume parliament and the government are also planning to present a hefty legislative agenda whilst independent MPs are under-resourced and a significant number of new MPs will be unable to speak on bills until they are given the opportunity to do their first speeches. There is little evidence of the new respectful way of doing politics that is claimed by the PM.

Federal Member for Warringah Zali Steggall speaks during the Fuel Security Summit in Sydney, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) NO ARCHIVING
Unresolved staffing issue ‘causing a great deal of stress’, Zali Steggall says. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

A 22-year-old woman who went missing after going hiking alone near Halls Gap in Victoria yesterday has been found.

“We are pleased to advise a missing hiker in the Halls Gap area has been located safe and well this afternoon around 5pm,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

Updated

Goats come to aid of Melbourne skinks

If you missed the great news, a tribe of grazing goats has arrived in Melbourne’s Royal Park to regenerate the habitat of the white’s skink, a type of lizard.

The goats will feast on the park’s weeds, creating an “optimal environment” for the lizards, and reducing the need for herbicides.

White’s skinks have been occupying an area of Royal Park for more than 20 years and are one of the only surviving populations in central Melbourne.

The reptiles prefer rocky habitats and complex vegetation with open areas to soak in sunlight, creating burrows to avoid predators, hibernate and reproduce. Weeds have reduced the quality of their habitat, with exotic grasses smothering their basking sites.

Goats will be gradually introduced to seven fenced-off plots in the park over the coming weeks, before being removed in early spring.

Acting lord mayor Nicholas Reece:

We’re not kidding about our important ecological systems – the scale of this project is enough to make a white’s skink blush.

Updated

AMA want paid pandemic leave payments for casual workers reinstated

The Australian Medial Association president Omar Khorshid just appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing calling for the reinstating of paid pandemic leave payments for casual workers with Covid ahead of Monday’s national cabinet meeting.

He said as predicted by epidemiologists, cases were continuing to surge as the virus mutated, resulting in greater hospitalisations.

We are seeing the impact of these very large numbers right across the community but most importantly, from a health point of view, on our health workforce. The last thing you need when you have such huge numbers of cases around is for the government to pull its supports for people to do the right thing, and this pandemic payment is an example of something that helps the most vulnerable workers.

Khorshid said now wasn’t the time to end mandatory isolation, which remained the advice of the chief health officer.

That would probably cause an unacceptable impact on our community and in particular, on our health system.

We were actually caught a little by surprise by the decisions of the government, having experienced, I guess, a number of expiry dates passing through the pandemic. What we’ve seen generally is the government have extended the measures we continue to need because the pandemic is still here and are still affected us. Now people are legally required to isolate for seven days if they’ve been infected with Covid and that means they also need the support from government to be able to do it. The decisions to really make sense to us and that’s why we were quite surprised by what happened.

AMA president Omar Khorshid.
AMA president Omar Khorshid. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Updated

Victoria sees 83% increase in Covid hospital admissions in past three weeks

Victoria’s daily Covid update says there’s been an 83% increase in hospitalisation in the state of people with Covid in the past three weeks ahead of an expected third wave of the virus.

The Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, which are now dominant along the east coast of Australia, are expected to continue to cause increases in new cases, reinfections and hospital admissions – with an 83% increase in the number of Victorians in hospital with Covid-19 over the last three weeks.

The rate of BA.4/BA.5 in clinical genomic surveillance and metropolitan and regional wastewater catchments continues to rise significantly. BA.4/BA.5 have become the dominant strains in clinical genomic samples, rising to 70% in the two weeks prior to 8 July. The BA.4/BA.5 sub-lineages were first identified in Victorian wastewater catchments in April and have since risen from under 5% in late May to an average of 66% across all catchments by 4 July.

Signage is seen on an ambulance in Melbourne. Covid hospital admissions are up 83% in Victoria in the past three weeks.
Signage is seen on an ambulance in Melbourne. Covid hospital admissions are up 83% in Victoria in the past three weeks. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

Updated

Watts: 43% emissions target not ‘plucked out of thin air’

Watts is asked about the push among some Pacific leaders for greater climate action of nations including Australia. If Pacific leaders were to demand targets higher than 43%, where would that leave Australia?

He says the government “made it clear” the 43% target it brought to the last election wasn’t “plucked out of thin air”.

It was a figure that we landed on because we knew that that is what we could deliver with the policies that we committed to at the last election, that the Australian public endorsed. We’ve also been clear it is not a cap, it is a floor on our ambition, it is what we know we can deliver the current policies and that’s we told our partners and our Pacific partner forum friends.

If we are more successful and achieve greater reductions, that’s fantastic. What we’ve committed to is the way to get to the 43%.

Updated

Watts: ‘many ideas’ to be discussed at national cabinet

Watts is asked whether, instead of reinstating the $750 paid pandemic leave payment to casual workers, another option may be realised - like bringing Australia in line with the UK by removing or downgrading Covid-19 isolation requirements.

He says “many ideas” will be discussed at national cabinet on Monday.

I will not preempt that. I will not be in the room so Anthony Albanese as prime minister has made it clear he wants to bring Australians together, solve problems collaboratively and I’m sure that is the spirit that that meeting will engage in.

Updated

Assistant foreign minister addresses ending pandemic leave payments

Assistant foreign minister Tim Watts is up now on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing. He is asked to put on his “local MP hat” to respond to the suspension of pandemic leave payments.

Q: Are you or your office aware of hardship that is emerging for people who have had to isolate with no pay for seven days?

I cannot say it’s something that my office has been contacted about recently and we should say that the situation with the pandemic has evolved significantly during the course of these payments.

The original isolation requirements were quite extensive both with the timeframe and number of people they applied to and since then, the situation has evolved significantly. As the prime minister suggested earlier, this was a program designed to end by the previous government ... and we are confronting a situation with $1tn of Liberal party debt.

Updated

Tasmania to implement patient travel assistance scheme review recommendations

In Tasmania, premier Jeremy Rockliff has confirmed the state government will implement all 35 recommendations into an independent review informing the Patient Travel Assistance Scheme (PTAS).

PTAS offers financial assistance to Tasmanian residents required to travel to access specialised medical services. Following the review, concession card holders will be able to travel for free.

Updated

Below-zero temperatures forecast for parts of Gippsland

Frosts with temperatures down to -1C are forecast for tomorrow morning in parts of Gippsland’s north-east, west, south and east.

BoM:

Temperatures at ground level can be many degrees lower than those recorded by standard weather stations, especially in calm conditions with very clear skies.

If you have a dog in parts of Gippsland, and you’d like to take it for a walk, get it some little boots.

Updated

NT prison officers to strike next week amid ongoing wage dispute

Northern Territory prison officers will walk off the job next week in their ongoing calls for an end to a four-year wage freeze, AAP reports.

The United Workers Union says Monday’s action follows a similar walkout in May amid demands for a fair wage increase.

NT secretary Erina Early said the industrial action would continue to escalate until the government returned to the negotiating table with a reasonable offer.

Wage negotiations started in mid-2021 with workers demanding a three or more per cent annual pay rise to keep pace with cost-of-living increases.

Early:

Corrections continue to be at crisis levels with overcrowding, lack of staff, an inadequate budget. Correctional officers are suffering and we need to ensure they are properly remunerated for the risk they deal with on a daily basis.

I urge the government to consider the long-term impacts of their four-year wage freeze.

The pay freeze for more than 20,000 public servants was introduced in November 2020 in a bid to save more than $400m amid ongoing Territory government deficits and climbing debt levels.

It was accepted by 57% of employees.

In May this year, dozens of prison guards in both Alice Springs and Darwin walked off the job also calling for an end to the freeze and as well as protesting the alleged under-resourcing of the sector.

Updated

Search for missing hiker in the Grampians continues

In Victoria, police and emergency services are continuing the search for a 22-year-old woman who went missing in the Grampians national park overnight.

The hiker set off alone in the Mount Rosea area near Halls Gap at about noon, before getting lost.

Updated

That’s a lot of tractors.

Cait #2 ready for action. I’ll be with you for the rest of this fine Friday.

With that, I am going to pass you onto the better, brighter Cait. Caitlin Cassidy will take you through the rest of the day.

Updated

Victorian couple sues government over vaccinate mandates

From AAP:

A Victorian couple have brought legal action against the state and federal governments claiming their constitutional rights and freedoms were violated by the vaccinated economy mandate.

Between October 2021 and April this year, workers and patrons were required to show proof of double vaccination against Covid-19 to continue to participate in the Victorian economy.

Eric and Tracey Wilson, who are self-representing, want the federal court to decide whether their rights were violated by the mandate.

They claim the vaccinated economy was “aided by coercion”, and labelled government statements that double vaccination would lead to zero or lower hospital admissions as “pure fiction”.

The whole basis of the vaccinated economy was fanciful.

It is more about the economy than the wellbeing of Victorians.

The Wilsons argued the mandate had violated their freedom under the Australian constitution, the Magna Carta and the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

“The whole scheme is unconstitutional,” Wilson said.

Lawyers for both levels of government rejected all of the Wilsons’ claims and argued the case should not be heard by the court.

Updated

Police execute search warrants as part of national crackdown on GST fraud

Police have executed search warrants as part of a major national operation to crack down on GST fraud, AAP has reported.

The warrants this week in relation to five suspected offenders in Sydney followed raids against 19 people last month in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, SA, WA, and Queensland as part of Operation Protego.

The Australian Tax Office-led serious financial crime task force has taken various forms of action in relation to 40,000 people suspected of being involved in GST fraud.

ATO deputy commissioner and task force chief Will Day said the agency had zero tolerance for fraud and was pursuing people suspected of inventing fake businesses to claim false refunds.

We know who has lodged a BAS and who has created a fake business.

If you think you won’t be caught, think again. As we continue to take action against those involved, your name could be next on our list, and you could face severe consequences, including jail.

As part of Operation Protego, the task force is also progressively sharing information relating to all individuals identified as participating in this fraud, with the details of around 29,000 individuals provided to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission so far.

Updated

I know no one wanted to think about the phallic logo design ever again, but my colleague Tory Shepherd has this really solid story about how a senior public servant – known only as ‘the women’s champion’ – missed the um, alternative messaging.

Updated

Missing hiker in the Grampians national park

A 22-year-old hiker has gone missing in the Grampians after calling her mother at 8pm on Thursday to say she was lost.

The hiker set off alone in the Mount Rosea area near Halls Gap at about noon, before getting lost.

ABC news is reporting that her mother then called emergency services around 10pm.

The police air wing and state emergency services are currently scouring the area for her.

Updated

Hey Sydney, just shout out if you need to borrow a few puffer jackets – we are well stocked down here.

Updated

Prof Adrian Esterman with a silver lining here. It’s like, maybe we should all just be, I don’t know, wearing masks?

Updated

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prolonging global economic disruptions, Chalmers says

The Australian government has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as prolonging the economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, AAP has reported.

Addressing finance ministers from across the world, treasurer Jim Chalmers said Russia’s actions have not only had a human cost but also increased global uncertainty.

The treasurer is attending the two-day G20 finance ministers and central bank governors summit in Bali alongside Reserve Bank of Australia head Philip Lowe.

Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers and RBA head Philip Lowe attend the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Bali on Friday, 15 July 2022.
Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers and RBA head Philip Lowe attend the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Bali on Friday, 15 July 2022. Photograph: Made Nagi/AP

It is Russia’s invasion that has undermined energy and food security, and not the sanctions, and so Russia must take full responsibility for this.

The global economic situation has deteriorated and we are entering a difficult, if not dangerous, phase with costs and consequences for all of us.

This is the sobering reality that we confront.

But in the midst of energy shortages, it was also an opportunity for the world to take up clean power sources, Chalmers said.

By increasing uncertainty around energy security, Russia’s war on Ukraine has also reinforced the urgency of seeking cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy – an area which my government can now show a renewed commitment to.

Updated

Queensland senator on airport biosecurity measures amid foot-and-mouth disease threat

Queensland senator and minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry Murray Watt has returned from Jakarta. At the airport, he has posted a thread testing the biosecurity measures in place to prevent the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak from entering Australia.

He posted to social media:

Didn’t take long, but it’s an important process for ANYONE who has been on farm overseas, near livestock or is carrying meat/dairy products. We owe it to each other, especially to our farm communities, to do the right thing. If you don’t, you face big fines/visa cancellation.

This isn’t all we’re doing and we will continue imposing any new border measure that works, while also helping our overseas friends manage outbreak. We’ve also started targeted operations on randomly selected flights, where 100% of passengers face full screening.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has been critical of the government’s response:

Updated

The NSW SES is warning the state will be in for a frosty one as a cold front moves in. I don’t think I’ve ever looked as chic as these dogs do in the cold.

Updated

SA will push Labor to extend pandemic leave payments

South Australia will support a push for the federal government to continue pandemic leave payments, AAP is reporting.

Acting premier Susan Close says the state government will take that position to Monday’s national cabinet meeting.

Premier Peter Malinauskas is on leave, but will break from his holiday to take part in the cabinet discussions.

“We are expecting an interesting and lively discussion as the pandemic reaches yet another difficult phase,” Close said on Friday.

We would support an extension of the pandemic leave.

Close said SA also expected some discussion about the continued free supply of rapid antigen tests to concession card holders, which the federal government will cease at the end of July.

Updated

Growing calls for Labor to reinstate paid pandemic leave

Calls are growing across the parliament for the Labor government to reinstate paid pandemic leave for people infected with Covid, with the Coalition, Greens and crossbench all urging prime minister Anthony Albanese to change tack.

Albanese has landed back in Australia, after returning from the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji, and will receive a Covid briefing from chief medical officer Paul Kelly this afternoon. Before departing Fiji, the PM again dug in behind his decision not to extend the pandemic payments, but opened the door to possible changes by noting “we’ll give consideration to all of these issues” at national cabinet on Monday.

Independent MP Sophie Scamps, an emergency department doctor and GP, called for the pandemic payment to be extended, and also suggested face mask mandates could help stem the tide of new cases.

She told Guardian Australia:

The pandemic support payment period should be extended so that people aren’t turning up to work sick and spreading the virus to fellow staff. We don’t want to see a repeat of the initial Omicron phase where so many businesses had to close due to staff shortages.

We know that wearing a mask, particularly indoors, is highly effective at reducing Covid transmission. However, we also know that enough people are unlikely to wear masks indoors unless it is mandated. It is a simple measure that could save hundreds of lives and prevent our hospitals and front-line health workers being completely overwhelmed and burnt out.

Another independent, Monique Ryan – a paediatric neurologist – tweeted: “Free RATs and extension of pandemic leave pay are vital to protect our most vulnerable.”

Coalition senator David Van tweeted his belief that Albanese “needs to stick to his word”, sharing a screenshot of a post from the PM in January saying “rapid tests should be free and available”.

Van said:

Labor has ended free RATs and Covid payments despite calls from major medical bodies to extend the instalments. The government can’t have it both ways – are they supporting Australians or not?

Social services minister Amanda Rishworth yesterday said the government had “no money” to extend the pandemic leave payments.

Greens senator Nick McKim responded: “Every time Labor says it can’t afford to do something please remember that the stage three tax cuts, which overwhelmingly benefit high income earners, will cost over $200bn in the first eight years.”

Another Greens senator, Mehreen Faruqi, called the decision to end pandemic leave payments and concessional access to RATs are “irresponsible” and called on the government to “urgently reverse these decisions”.

Updated

Perrottet 'not aware' Jenny West was offered NY trade role by Berejiklian

The NSW premier says he didn’t know about a note signed by his predecessor Gladys Berejiklian confirming a public servant had been hired for a plum New York City trade role 10 months before John Barilaro landed the position, AAP has reported.

Dominic Perrottet says he was not aware former deputy secretary at Investment NSW Jenny West had been appointed the state’s senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas in August last year.

Jenny West at the inquiry into the appointment of John Barilaro as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas on Monday.
Jenny West at the inquiry into the appointment of John Barilaro as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas on Monday. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

The offer to West was rescinded the following month, and after a second job search former deputy premier John Barilaro was appointed in June this year.

Barilaro withdrew from $500,000-a-year position two weeks after his appointment amid public scrutiny. He insists proper processes were followed.

The premier says he was told no successful applicant had been found for the role, and he was not aware of the document signed by Berejiklian.

I’m not aware of receiving that brief.

The document, signed by then premier on August 12 and attached to a text message sent to West, says “a successful candidate for senior trade and investment commissioner (STIC) Americas has been appointed”.

The advice I’ve received from the department is that no suitable candidate was found in the first selection process.

Updated

National Covid summary: 66 deaths reported

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from around Australia today, as the country records at least 66 deaths from Covid-19:

ACT

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 1,208
  • In hospital: 135 (with 4 people in ICU)

NSW

  • Deaths: 14
  • Cases: 12,228
  • In hospital: 2,027 (with 60 people in ICU)

Northern Territory

  • Deaths: 0
  • Cases: 494
  • In hospital: 52 (with 1 person in ICU)

Queensland

  • Deaths: 20
  • Cases: 6,336
  • In hospital: 907 (with 14 people in ICU)

South Australia

  • Deaths: 6
  • Cases: 4,453
  • In hospital: 266 (with 8 people in ICU)

Tasmania

  • Deaths: 1
  • Cases: 1,727
  • In hospital: 133 (with 6 people in ICU)

Victoria

  • Deaths: 17
  • Cases: 10,584
  • In hospital: 749 (with 35 people in ICU)

Western Australia

  • Deaths: 8
  • Cases: 6,458
  • In hospital: 333 (with 16 people in ICU)

The weekly beast: press watchdog wades again into tabloids’ unfair reporting of trans issues

The press watchdog has found the Daily Telegraph failed to ensure a story about transgender players in a volleyball competition was fair and balanced.

It was a familiar story to anyone who keeps an eye on the reporting of trans issues. Since 2019 there have been 12 adjudications about trans issues at various Australian publications, all but one which were found to be either inaccurate, offensive and harmful or both.

Updated

Almost 80 greyhounds killed on Australian racetracks in first half of 2022, report says

There have been 78 greyhounds killed and more than 5,000 injured on Australian racetracks in the first half of 2022, a report from the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG) has revealed.

Analysing stewards’ reports of every race meeting, the group found on average, one greyhound died on a racetrack every 2.3 days, while 5,091 have been injured this year – an average of 28 dogs every day.

Greyhound racing in Healesville, Melbourne, 19 April 2020.
Greyhound racing in Healesville, Melbourne, 19 April 2020. Photograph: EPA

Kylie Field, director, CPG said:

Australian racetracks are inherently unsafe for greyhounds and cause immense suffering on a daily basis. Three-quarters of fatal incidents occur where the tracks curve, but the racing industry shows no interest in transferring racing to safer straight tracks.

Eighty percent of deaths were euthanasia for leg injuries, even though leg injuries are usually treatable. This shows just how cruel the racing industry is.

Away from the tracks, an emerging crisis in rehoming greyhounds is the result of the industry breeding six times more dogs than it can rehome after racing. Other welfare problems include unnecessary euthanasia, over-racing, lack of reporting and transparency, and no whole-of-life tracking.

State governments must stop supporting this cruel industry with millions of taxpayers’ dollars.

Updated

Facing Monsters is not for the faint-hearted. The film is 100 minutes of these death-defying waves, in beautiful high definition.

Updated

Drunk and drugged driver who killed four children has jail term reduced

From AAP:

A drunk and drugged driver who killed four children walking along a Sydney footpath to buy ice-creams has had his jail term slashed.

Samuel William Davidson was driving erratically and speeding when he struck Veronique Sakr, 11, and her cousins, Sienna Abdallah, eight, and her siblings Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13.

The 31-year-old ploughed into them after his ute mounted a kerb at Oatlands, in Sydney’s northwest on February 1, 2020.

He was jailed in April 2021 for 28 years with a non-parole period of 21 years.

But on Friday in a majority decision, the NSW court of criminal appeal concluded the term was manifestly excessive.

Davidson was resentenced to a term of 20 years with a non-parole period of 15 years.

The professional truck driver pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the children he killed and also pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the injuries caused to three other children.

One boy has suffered permanent brain damage.

Danny and Leila Abdallah, parents of three of the children who were killed, have previously said they had forgiven the driver.

Updated

Afterglow of Tongan volcano eruption leaves Antarctica bathed in colour

OK, these photos are actually stunning – and unedited!

Antarctica is experiencing stunning pink and red skyscapes like those recently seen in New Zealand, thanks to the afterglow effect from the Tongan volcano
Antarctica is experiencing stunning skyscapes like those recently seen in New Zealand, thanks to the afterglow effect from the Tongan volcano. Scientists in Antarctica have captured breath-taking photos of the skies, including these mesmerising shots taken by Antarctica New Zealand science technician Stuart Shaw. Photograph: Stuart Shaw/Fly On The Wall Images

Read more about what’s causing these otherworldly skies over Antarctica here:

Updated

NSW announces 439 early childhood education scholarships totalling $11m

Over 400 NSW aspiring early childhood teachers will be incentivised to finish their studies with a cash injection from the government, AAP reports.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced on Friday that 439 early childhood educators are set to receive scholarships totalling almost $11m, in order to stay in the stretched sector.

“Early learning professionals are invaluable and we need more of them, which is why we are making a record investment in the early childhood education workforce,” Perrottet said.

“This investment of almost $11 million in delivering 439 scholarships will support our commitment to address workforce supply issues and build a sustainable pipeline of early childhood teachers for tomorrow”.

This means that each teacher will receive up to a $25,000 scholarship that also has an Aboriginal Early Childhood Education component.

Updated

State funeral for football great Neil Kerley to be held at Adelaide Oval on 25 July

From AAP:

A state funeral for Australian Football Hall of Fame member Neil Kerley will be as much a celebration of his life as a time to mourn his passing, acting South Australian premier, Susan Close says.

Close announced on Friday that the service would be held at Adelaide Oval on 25 July.

There will be no limit on the number of people allowed to attend, up to the oval’s capacity, with the ceremony to be live-streamed as well.

Full details of the event are still being finalised, with many AFL identities expected to attend.

“This will be an opportunity to hear from family and friends and celebrate what the man brought to South Australia, to our community and particularly to our great sport of Aussie rules,” the acting premier said.

Close said Kerley’s family was grateful to be able to share their farewell with all of the people who loved and respected him.

Updated

NSW premier says he will push for extended pandemic leave pay at national cabinet meeting

New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, says he will “absolutely” push for pandemic leave payments to be reinstated at a national cabinet meeting on Monday.

Amid growing pressure on the Albanese government to reinstate the $750 payment for casual workers force to isolate due to Covid-19, Perrottet said he believed it was “unfair” for the government not to provide financial support when they were forced to miss work because of the virus.

While he conceded the cost of the pandemic was placing pressure on both state and commonwealth budgets, Perrottet said rising case numbers during winter and the continued isolation rules for positive cases meant policies should be “tailored to the circumstances”.

During a press conference this morning, Perrottet said:

I’m very open to doing everything we can at the state level to support our people through this next phase of the pandemic.

I think it is unfair, [when] the state imposes public health orders on people to restrict their liberty and their capacity to work, for the government to not provide financial support.

Updated

NSW authorities contradict Splendour organisers’ claims about under-18s rule

Splendour chaos continues – with Kelly Burke bringing this story about the organisers of Byron Bay’s 2022 Splendour in the Grass music festival knowing ticket holders under the age of 18 would have to be accompanied by an adult almost a month ago, despite telling the public they were only informed last week.

Updated

Uber knew it launched illegally in Australia, then leaned on governments to change the law

By January 2015, Uber’s business in Australia was booming: Sydney had become its seventh and Melbourne its eighth biggest “unprotected” market – one where the company’s operations were not yet lawful and revenue was at risk – according to a presentation given to executives.

Updated

PM resists growing pressure to extend pandemic leave payments

Earlier, Paul Karp hit up the blog with news that Anthony Albanese has continued to dig in against calls to extend pandemic leave payments – despite some of his own MPs breaking ranks.

He’s got the full story here:

Updated

Why Australia’s unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1974

It’s been almost 50 years since Australia had an unemployment rate lower than this, yet wages aren’t growing.

Professor of economics at the University of Melbourne Jeff Borland talks us through what’s going on, and why your hip pocket isn’t getting any deeper.

Updated

Safety warning after 40-tonne fungicide spill in Melbourne’s north-west

A safety warning remains in place for residents in Melbourne’s north-west after a large truck carrying chemical fungicide rolled over, AAP is reporting.

The B-double crashed into a barrier on the Western Ring Road and rolled into a Tullamarine embankment at about 2am on Friday, spilling 40 tonnes of fungicide onto the freeway.

The driver, a 41-year-old Mernda man, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Fire crews and the Environment Protection Authority will spend most of Friday clearing the freeway.

“We are trying to do our best to manage the incident but also keep those roads open,” assistant chief fire officer Craig Brownlie told the ABC on Friday.

“It’s a process of picking up the materials that have been spilt but also any of the dirt that the product may have gone into.”

A hazardous fumes warning remains in place for residents in surrounding suburbs, while motorists are asked to avoid the area.

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Agriculture minister announces $14m package to combat foot-and-mouth disease threat

Murray Watt has just announced a $14m funding package to help combat foot and mouth in Indonesia and stop it getting into Australia.

He said this will also stop lumpy-skin disease coming into Australia.

So, of that $14 million package, we are dedicating $5 million in immediate support to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea, and that will cover a range of things - some of which I announced while I was in Indonesia yesterday.

It will provide technical support to strengthen laboratory capacity, diagnostic testing and a range of other things. It will provide technical assistance to support on-ground control officers and efforts in Indonesia, and it will provide epidemiological support to model the likely spread of the disease within Indonesia and the region.

He says standing side by side with Indonesia is important as they manage the outbreak. Domestically, the funding will cover:

In addition to that $5 million, I’m also really pleased to announce today an additional $9 million in Australian government funding to ensure that Australia is adequately protected from, and prepared for, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease.

That $9m will provide 18 new additional biosecurity officers for Australian airports and mail centres, he said.

Because while there is a lot of attention on the travelling public coming back from Indonesia, the advice that I have received is that the highest-risk way of foot-and-mouth disease coming back in our country is actually through animal products, meat products and dairy products, being brought in, whether by postage or freight or any other means.

It will also provide funding for the new detector dogs – that I’ve previously announced – that will go into Cairns and Darwin airports, and that will be happening very soon.

It will also pay for the appointment of a Northern Australia coordinator to manage the urgent development and delivery of effective surveillance and preparedness strategies across North Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, he said.

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‘We need the travelling public to take this seriously’, says Murray Watt on FMD

Watt said people need to take this seriously – and that biosecurity is a shared responsibility.

In addition to the federal government, that’s not enough. We need the state governments and territory governments to play their role in making sure that they’re prepared if we do see an outbreak come to Australia.

And I’ve had a number of productive conversations with state and territory ministers about that. But, most importantly, we need the travelling public to take this seriously. If foot-and-mouth disease gets into our country, it will be a devastating blow for our agriculture industry, particularly our livestock industry.

There have been estimates in the order of an $80 billion hit to the national economy if this disease gets in our country, so we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our farmers, and we owe it to all Australians to take this disease seriously.

Updated

Watt says the government is now risk profiling everyone coming from Indonesia.

If any of those passengers match the risk profile, as I did in this mock trial, then those passengers are screened and go through what I went through - which is being questioned, having shoes cleaned, having luggage examined, having detector dogs -and, of course, if anyone does comeback in the country and declare that they have had contact with a farm or livestock, or have got grains or meat products or any of the usual things that you have to declare, then those passengers are screened as well.

Updated

Murray Watt outlines new biosecurity measures to keep foot-and-mouth disease at bay

Watt said:

I have returned from a quick but productive visit to Indonesia over the last couple of days for some high-level talks with ministers in the Indonesian government, particularly around how Australia can help Indonesia, our close neighbours and our close friends, with their foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

He said he had just been through the biosecurity process when he got off the plane, and is confident Australia is doing everything it can to stop the outbreak reaching Australia.

Just to tell you my experience, so that people have some idea of what we are now doing as a result of the outbreak, particularly getting to Bali last week.

Pretty much as soon as the outbreak reached Bali, we imposed a number of new measures at Australian airports to protect our country from this outbreak coming back in.

And as I say, I have experienced those measures this morning. So, when our flight landed, not only did we receive the usual biosecurity message that people receive on any inbound flight from overseas, but we were played a specific message about the risk of foot-and-mouth disease and what the travelling public can do to contain it.

Watt said he then was handed a flyer about the outbreak when he got off the plane and was treated as a high-risk passenger.

But what that meant is that even though I hadn’t declared anything, because I didn’t have anything to declare, because my profile had been assessed as a risk, then I was asked a series of questions about where I had been in Indonesia, where I had been on a farm, whether I had had any contact with livestock. And even though I said no, because I didn’t, my shoes were taken away and cleaned, my bag was examined, detector dogs came and sniffed me, my luggage, all those kind of things.

Updated

Labor Senator Murray Watt is now talking about foot and mouth. He has just come back from Indonesia.

Updated

Vic records 10,584 new cases and 17 deaths

Victoria has recorded 10,584 new Covid cases and 17 deaths in the past 24 hours.

There are 749 people in hospital and of those 35 are in ICU and 8 are ventilated.

NSW records 12,228 new cases and 14 lives lost

NSW has recorded 12,228 new cases and 14 deaths in the past 24 hours.

There are 2,027 people in hospital and of those, 60 are in ICU.

Updated

What is foot-and-mouth disease and what happens if it enters Australia?

Lots of chatter about foot and mouth disease this week – but what exactly is it? Will it affect the supply of meat and milk in Australia? And how is it carried?

Gabrielle Chan has you covered:

Updated

Jobseeker forced to travel 60km to keep payments under new welfare program

A man living in regional Victoria has been told to attend job agency appointments more than 60km away under the federal government’s new $1.5bn-a-year Workforce Australia program.

Joel Ribergaard, 30, who lives in Orbost, in the Gippsland region, had previously been connected to a Jobactive job agency in the town of more than 3,000 people. But there was no Workforce Australia provider in Orbost, where about 440 people were on the jobseeker payment, according to government data.

Text messages show Ribergaard was booked for an appointment at 12.45pm on Wednesday with the Salvation Army Employment Plus in Lakes Entrance, more than 60km away from his home in Orbost.

“I neither drive nor have my own transport,” he said. “They [buses] only come through here once in a blue moon and then it takes way longer to get to there by bus.”

Updated

NSW to extend free rapid tests for vulnerable communities

Vulnerable communities across NSW can now access 10 free rapid antigen tests over three months, with the state expanding its concession program as Covid-19 cases surge, the AAP has reported.

The government will provide free RATs to vulnerable communities by expanding its existing program to include those accessing tests through the federal government’s Concessional Access Program which is due to finish at the end of the month.

Vulnerable communities include people with disability and their carers, homelessness services, social housing tenants, multicultural groups as well as children and young people in out-of-home care.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, said his government is committed to leaving no one behind through winter.

We are making sure those people who need it most get the help they need to help keep themselves and the community safe through winter by stepping in and providing free rapid antigen tests.

Free RATs will be on the agenda when national cabinet meets on Monday for a briefing on the latest medical advice and pandemic response.

This week the federal government announced vulnerable Australians will lose access to free rapid antigen tests by the end of this month.

Leaders could also challenge the PM on a decision to end pandemic leave payments.

Updated

Assistant treasurer highlights states and territories’ ‘healthier budgets’ for pandemic leave

Not all ministers are digging in as hard against pandemic leave. Some, such as the assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, sound more open to the idea, but want to “work with the states and territories”, ie get them to pay for more of it.


Jones told ABC News Breakfast:

We want to work with all the state and territory leaders to ensure that we can provide all the available support to Australian workers and businesses who are doing it tough.

But we’ve got a very pressing economic reality facing us, and that is we’ve inherited a debt approaching $1.4 trillion. By this time next year, the interest payments on that debt alone is going to be costing us more than we spend on Medicare.

So, we can’t keep adding to it ... So, we’ll have a respectful conversation with the territory and state leaders. We’re gonna try and solve the issues that are pressing upon Australian workers and businesses, but we’ve got some real economic realities facing us.

It might seem easy to people to suggest that we just write another cheque, but every new cheque that we are writing today has to be paid for, and it’s being paid for on pressure in other areas of the Budget.

Jones said Anthony Albanese will be “looking for solutions” and noted that many of the states and territories calling for pandemic leave payments to be extended “have actually got less debt and healthier balance sheets and healthier budgets – some of them are approaching a surplus, something that the commonwealth won’t be doing any time in the next couple of years”.

But, look, this is not a time for argy-bargy, this is a time for cooperation, for us to get together with other state and territory leaders and find a solution. Because at the end of the day, we’re all trying to do our best by Australian workers and Australian businesses, many of whom are doing it really tough.

Updated

Albanese says ‘good employers’ are providing Covid leave

Anthony Albanese has again dug in against calls to extend Covid support payments to allow casual workers to self-isolate, promising to consider the issue but again highlighting the cost.


Albanese told reporters in Fiji:

We’ll give consideration to all of these issues. But we inherited these decisions, but we also inherited a trillion dollars of debt. And that’s something that was not our responsibility. There was enormous waste there in the budget. Had, for example, the government not given literally tens of billions of dollars to companies that were increasing their profits, there would have been more space in the budget to make the decisions that we would want to make.

Albanese also tried a new argument on for size, that “a range of companies who are good employers are providing those systems [of leave]”. “The idea that no one is getting any sick leave at the moment, it’s just not the case,” he said.

It’s a classic straw man – nobody has said that sick leave evaporated overnight, just that some workers don’t get it, and if they had support payments instead they could stay home and prevent the spread of covid.

Albanese said:

Good employers are recognising that people are continuing to work from home whilst they have Covid and are receiving, therefore, payments through that. What’s happening over a period of time, is that the economy and the way that we work is adjusting to the circumstances which are there.

Good employers let you work from home with Covid. Good grief!

Updated

Large fungicide spill in Melbourne’s north-west after truck rolls over

A safety warning has been issued to residents in Melbourne’s north-west after a large truck carrying chemical fungicide rolled over.

The warning has been issued to residents in Airport West, Gladstone Park, Gowanbrae, Strathmore Heights and Tullamarine – with residents there being asked to stay inside.

The b-double crashed into a barrier on the Western Ring Road in Tullamarine at about 2am on Friday, spilling a large amount of fungicide onto the freeway.

The driver of the truck, a man in his 40s, was taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries.

Fire crews will spend most of Friday clearing the freeway.

Motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Updated

Pacific Islands Forum: leaders welcome Australia’s renewed commitment on climate

When former PM Scott Morrison met with Pacific Islanders in 2019 the meeting went for 12 hours and one leader broke down in tears because of Australia’s position on climate change.

The vibe was very different this time around. Kate Lyons has the story for you:

Updated

Housing ministers to meet over development of national plan

Federal, state and territory ministers for housing will meet today for the first time in five years, with new federal minister, Julie Collins, promising “close collaboration” with her counterparts on the Labor government’s housing agenda.

The Albanese government took several housing policies to the May election, including a $10bn future fund to build 30,000 social housing properties, the “help to buy” scheme where the government stumps a financial stake in a property purchase, and new plans for homelessness and regional first home buyers.

“This meeting reflects the Albanese government’s commitment to bring new national leadership to help address Australia’s housing challenges. Safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians,” Collins said ahead of the meeting.

“For too long the federal government has not provided leadership on housing issues. My priority will be working closely with state and territory governments, along with other key housing stakeholders, to address the challenges we face.”

The new National Housing and Homelessness Plan will be a key topic of discussion, with Collins saying it was the central “roadmap” to boost housing supply and availability.

“Housing ministers will continue to meet regularly as the development of this new plan is progressed,” her office said.

Updated

Good morning

Good morning everyone! This is Cait Kelly – I will be bringing you the news across the morning. Here is what is making the headlines so far:

Federal, state and territory ministers for housing will meet today for the first time in five years to discuss the housing crisis – I will have more from Josh Butler on this in a minute.

Anthony Albanese has ended the Pacific leaders forum with an announcement that the government will implement a better pathway to citizenship for Pacific migrants.

Labor’s pledge will see a ballot run each year, with 3,000 places for citizens from the Pacific and East Timor.

Albanese has also pledged to make the controversial seasonal worker programs more attractive, allowing families to travel together, effectively loaning workers their airfare costs, and tackling mistreatment.

Pacific leaders welcomed Australia’s “renewed commitment” on climate change – with the meeting wrapping up in record time – my colleague Kate Lyons has the full story, so I will bring you that in a minute.

Albanese will fly home today.

And Coles has increased the cost of its branded milk by 25c – the biggest price hike since the supermarket introduced the $1 milk.

Coles says “increases in sourcing, transportation and packaging costs, including a substantial rise in farmgate prices paid to dairy farmers” have caused the price rise.

With that, let’s get into it!

Updated

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