That's it for today, thanks for reading
Here are the main stories on Friday, 6 September:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announces a $4.7bn package to address gender-based violence after a meeting of the national cabinet. He said that a “nationally coordinated approach is required to address this national crisis”;
The ALP president and former treasurer, Wayne Swan, says the Reserve Bank of Australia is ‘putting economic dogma over rational decision-making’ and ‘punching itself in the face’ with its approach to interest rates;
The federal government will pay up to $202m compensation to thousands of Indigenous workers whose wages were stolen while working in the Northern Territory last century;
A Senate committee has been told that a proposed foreign student cap would ‘gut’ the private education sector;
The new NT chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, defends the use of spit hoods to “protect frontline workers”;
Victoria police say they are considering further action on allegations of criminal links within the CFMEU after a senior union official was charged with alleged threats to kill an Indigenous labour-hire owner; and
Bruce Lehrmann has been given extra time to refile the grounds of his appeal against his defamation trial loss to Network Ten and presenter Lisa Wilkinson, after he missed court-set deadlines.
Thanks for reading this week, and enjoy your weekend.
Prof Michael Salter, an expert in child sexual exploitation and gendered violence, says today’s announcement of $4.7bn to address gender-based violence is an “ambitious new plan”.
Labor’s Future Made plan could already be history
A multi-billion-dollar manufacturing push for more work in renewable energy and critical minerals faces an uncertain future getting off the ground, AAP report.
The federal government’s signature Future Made in Australia plan would inject more than $22bn over the next decade to boost sovereign capability in emerging industries and safeguard national resources.
While a government-led inquiry on Friday recommended laws setting up the scheme be passed by parliament, the Coalition and Greens have come out against the proposal.
In a report into the laws, Liberal senators Andrew Bragg and Dean Smith warned the proposal would lead to increased influence of unions in manufacturing sectors, and urged the plan be blocked.
Labor would need the support of either the Coalition or the Greens to get the manufacturing plan through the Senate.
The Greens said the shape of the economy was unclear under the manufacturing strategy.
The full report is here.
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Greens to launch Wills campaign
The Greens will launch their campaign for Wills on Saturday, with leader Adam Bandt saying his candidate would become one of the most powerful MPs in the country if she won the seat from Labor at the next election.
Bandt is expected to tell the crowd at the campaign launch in Coburg, in Melbourne’s north, that the new electoral redistribution has also made the seat “a lot more Green”.
Wills is held by Peter Khalil on a margin of 8.6%, but that has been cut to below 5%, on some estimates, following the redistribution, which was confirmed earlier this week.
Bandt is expected to say at the launch:
Everyone who lives in Wills has a choice. An ineffective and powerless backbencher … [or] Samantha Ratnam. And if she gets in, your strong progressive Wills member will be one of the most powerful MPs in the country.
Samantha Ratnam is one of the most incredible, effective and inspirational Greens in this party’s history.
Ratnam, a former MP in the Victorian upper house, is expected to say:
Young people are being asked to inherit a planet with a climate and environment that’s breaking down. They are saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt before they even begin their adult lives. Owning a home is a distant dream and renting too often a nightmare. A visit to the dentist is too expensive and too many can’t afford the food they need.
This is why I decided to put my hand up to run in Wills. Nothing changes if nothing changes and it is time for change here in Wills.
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NSW government pledge to make prisons safer in wake of guard rape case
The New South Wales government has announced it will invest $30m to introduce significant reforms to the state’s prisons to make them safer for inmates and staff.
The funding announcement comes as the state government begins responding to the recommendations from a special inquiry into former prison guard and convicted rapist Wayne Astill.
The inquiry, led by former high court justice Peter McClellan, found multiple failings in the management and culture at the Dillwynia women’s prison, where Astill worked as a guard, and across the Corrective Services NSW system.
Among the reforms announced this afternoon by the Minns Labor government are an advocacy service for female inmates to raise concerns, the installation of hundreds of new CCTV cameras, and new staff misconduct procedures.
The government has also promised to change the law to reduce the barriers to prosecuting corrections staff engaged in inappropriate relationships with inmates.
In a statement, the corrections minister, Anoulack Chanthivong, said:
Our thoughts are with the victims of Wayne Astill’s horrific crimes. We again thank the inmates, staff and advocates who spoke up, including to provide the special commission with evidence.
We should accept nothing less than a corrections system that is built on integrity, transparency, safety and respect for both staff and inmates.
These are significant changes and we’ll need to work closely with staff, the union and advocates to get them right.
The government says it has accepted all of the recommendations from the Astill inquiry in full or in principle.
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Police announce reward for information in WA ‘bush doof’ rape case
The WA police have announced a $250,000 reward for information about a horrific rape at a “bush doof” more than two years ago.
A 31-year-old woman was attending the event at Cable Beach on 29 May 2022 when she left a crowd of about 200 people and walked into the sand dunes.
She was approached by an unknown man who struck her to the head multiple times before sexually assaulting her, police said in a statement. The victim sustained serious facial injuries as a result of the assault.
Special crime detective senior Sgt Luke Fowler said:
This was a random and vicious attack on a young woman, and she continues to live with the aftermath of the incident every day.
Someone in the community knows something. This amount of money has the potential to change someone’s life, and at the same time, help police and the victim get some much-needed answers.
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Senate committee told foreign student cap would ‘gut’ private education sector
The independent education sector is projecting thousands of job losses and the closure of campuses as a result of the federal government’s proposed student cap, a Senate inquiry has heard, while some public universities face international student reductions of more than half.
Holmes Institute CEO Stephen Nagle told the inquiry Labor’s proposed bill would “gut” the private sector, comparing it to a “Soviet-style” intervention. He said as a result of the seemingly “random” cap, some of his campuses would be forced to close, while around 100 jobs would be lost.
Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Christopher Riley said the institution was facing a 55% reduction in commencements in 2025, despite just 17% of the institution being composed of international students.
Deputy chief executive of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, Felix Pirie, said the federal government had made decisions “on the fly” and “without adequate consultation or advice” to tertiary education institutions - a claim echoed by a number of universities who appeared before the inquiry.
He said some independent providers had been given caps of zero for seemingly little reason, while others would be forced to halt enrolments by as high as 80%.
Beyond being poorly drafted insofar as it appears to contain some technical flaws, concerns remain that it will have an adverse impact on independent skills training and higher education providers. The end result will be job losses of hardworking Australians in the thousands.
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International student cap plan slammed at Senate committee hearing
The federal government has been universally canned for its plan to cap international student enrolments at 270,000, with a Senate committee into the bill hearing the sector was not adequately consulted and faced extensive economic and job cuts in coming months.
Shadow minister for education, Senator Sarah Henderson, told the inquiry the federal government had “deceptively” revealed the details of the cap the day after the most recent hearing, showing “contempt” for the process.
Greens spokesperson for higher education Senator Mehreen Faruqi was also vehement in her criticism of the proposed national planning level, suggesting she had received feedback she wouldn’t repeat that started with the word “cluster” and labelled it a “migration policy designed as an education bill”.
Asked to comment on suggestions from the education minister, Jason Clare, that regional Australia would be winners as a result of the changes, Regional Universities Network CEO Alec Webb replied “winning has never felt so much like losing”.
Western Sydney University vice-chancellor professor George Williams similarly said he was “frankly shocked” by the details of the cap, which would significantly hamper his institution’s international enrolments despite having a large nursing cohort and ample accommodation.
The formula is deeply flawed, deeply random and arbitrary. It will have perverse unintended consequences … and cause great damage.
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Uber’s $81m tax bill wiped as it doesn’t ‘pay’ drivers, court finds
Millions of dollars worth of payroll taxes levelled at Uber have been wiped out after a court found passengers, and not the rideshare giant, paid drivers for their services, AAP report.
The San Francisco-based company’s local subsidiary, Uber Australia, appealed to overturn six payroll tax assessments made by the NSW chief commissioner of state revenue for the years 2015 to 2020 totalling more than $81.5m.
Uber argued its transport services were provided directly by drivers to riders and existed under contracts between those parties, which were agreed to when users sign up to its app.
But in a decision with potential ramifications for taxes levied on other peer-to-peer services, NSW supreme court justice David Hammerschlag on Friday ruled that Uber did not pay drivers a wage and dismissed the assessments and interest sought by state officials.
Uber acted as a “payment-collection agent”, distributing money paid by riders to drivers that could not be considered a wage, he found.
“It is not Uber who pays the driver,” Justice Hammerschlag said in his ruling.
“The rider does that. What Uber pays the driver is in relation to the payment Uber has received, not in relation to the work itself.”
Lawyers for the chief commissioner accepted drivers provided a transport service for riders, but they argued drivers also did the same for Uber.
In response, Uber argued that its system existed only as a marketplace through which drivers and riders could identify and “contract” with one another.
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Here’s a video of the announcement earlier today out of national cabinet, confirming a $4.7bn package to address gender-based violence.
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NSW greyhound racing board await sacking call
The board governing greyhound racing in New South Wales is still yet to hear whether it will be sacked after the minister responsible threatened to sack them in June for failing to notify him of widespread animal welfare complaints.
The racing minister, David Harris, in late June threatened to sack the board of peak body Greyhound Racing NSW, demanding they show cause for issues including failing to notify him of alleged mistreatment of dogs.
The board is yet to hear Harris’ final decision due to legal requirements in the show cause process. Harris on Friday told budget estimates the delays had left him “a little bit frustrated”:
The board has responded. The department has given me the necessary advice. I have now made a decision, but I have to take that to cabinet, which I understand will be next week or the week after.
Harris also revealed he suggested the GRNSW board make its chief executive, Robert Macaulay, stand aside while complaints about a rehoming facility were investigated in early June, but the board refused. Macaulay resigned as chief executive in July after the allegations prompting Harris’ threat to the board became public.
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Some more support form the sector for the announcements coming out of national cabinet today.
. @AusGov’s $4.7 billion funding package to tackle domestic & family violence is a vital step. Children & young people are victim-survivors in their own right. We look forward to seeing gov work with the sector to ensure better protection and access to child-centric services. https://t.co/hAjSf2DLgv
— UNICEF Australia (@unicefaustralia) September 6, 2024
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today – and this week! I’ll hand over to Nino Bucci, who will guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage into this evening. Take care, and enjoy your weekend.
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Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service says it has been ‘left behind’ by national cabinet package
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service says it will not be possible for every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person to access culturally safe legal services due to the “shoddy decision” by the government to leave its services “severely underfunded”.
In a statement following the release of today’s national cabinet package, VALS called on the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, to “fully fund Aboriginal Legal Services across the country so that they can meet the demand of the communities they serve”.
VALS said it was particularly concerned that under the new National Legal Assistance Partnership, there is no new funding to meet increased demand, no detail on the implications of a new funding stream, and that VALS “might be worse off” due to changes in how funding is provided to different jurisdictions.
It said funding for indexation and wage parity “will not even allow us to maintain our current level of services”. Nerita Waight, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, said:
This announcement is not representative of a government that says it believes in Aboriginal justice … It stings worse because … Albanese has spent so many years claiming to be a champion for Aboriginal people, and he has failed us at every turn …
This is just a rollover of the stingy deal the former federal government implemented which was a cut from the agreement before that… This will mean that services like Balit Ngulu, our dedicated legal service for Aboriginal children, and our regional offices are at risk of cutbacks and closure …
There is plenty of time for the federal Labor government to fix their mistake before the new agreement is implemented and before the next election. We know that there is an increasing number of Australians that want governments to invest in Aboriginal communities and they are willing to change their vote accordingly.
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Greyhounds US adoption scheme has recommenced despite two more dogs dying
A controversial scheme sending retired racing greyhounds to the US has recommenced despite the death of two more dogs in transit, a New South Wales parliamentary committee has heard.
The program, run by industry peak body Greyhound Racing NSW, was paused by Qantas in June after animal welfare advocates raised concerns over the deaths of two dogs in transit.
An additional two greyhounds, called Alby and Katana, also died in the program in June before it was suspended, Animal Justice party MP Emma Hurst told NSW budget estimates today. Hurst referred to one dog “being left on the tarmac for six hours and boiling to death”. In a statement, Greyhound Racing NSW said the two greyhounds arrived at the gate at 4.12pm and were “received in the terminal” by approximately 5.30pm.
GRNSW had since recommenced sending dogs to the US, according to the racing minister, David Harris, who said:
There are standards for the transport of animals on aircraft, and as long as that’s adhered to, then that’s the rules.
Guardian Australia understands Qantas is not participating in the recommenced program and has not lifted its pause.
Harris said he would not intervene in the program before the government’s inquiry into allegations of issues in the greyhound industry handed down its findings in December.
The minister said he was not personally aware of the deaths until they were raised at budget estimates but subsequently confirmed his office has been notified.
In a statement outside estimates, Hurst reiterated her demand for the end of the rehoming program:
This entire program needs to be stopped immediately before more dogs die.
This blog post was amended on 6 September 2024 to include a statement from Greyhound Racing NSW disputing the length of time the dogs were on the tarmac.
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Here is what we know so far about $4.7bn national cabinet package
Following on from today’s national cabinet, here is what we know so far on the $4.7bn package to address the domestic violence crisis, thanks to our political reporter Sarah Basford Canales:
Dodo hit with $825k fine for late customer payments
Energy retailer Dodo has been ordered to fork out more than $825,000 for breaching Victorian energy rules on late payments to almost 1000 customers, AAP reports.
Between May 2022 and February 2024, the Essential Services Commission found Dodo failed to credit 1325 guaranteed service-level payments to customers within required time frames. This resulted in late payments to 978 customers that totalled more than $130,000.
Of the total $825,472 in penalties, the energy retailer was penalised $750,026 for its failure to make payments to customers within the required time frames. It fronted up another $75,446 for its alleged failure to self-report breaches to the commission.
Essential Services Commission chair Gerard Brody said time frames for retailers aim to protect customers from the inconvenience of guaranteed service levels not being met.
It was unacceptable for Dodo Power & Gas to delay making guaranteed service level payments to customers. Particularly given current cost-of-living pressures faced by Victorian consumers and because these payments can help to reduce customer bills and arrears.
A spokesperson for Vocus, the telco giant which owns Dodo, said the company had co-operated with the Essential Services Commission.
‘Shameful’ theft of Indigenous pay finally to be repaid
The federal government will pay up to $202m in compensation to thousands of Indigenous workers whose wages were stolen while working in the Northern Territory last century, AAP reports.
The payout is part of the settlement of a class action on behalf of workers and their families who were subject to commonwealth wage control legislation between 1933 to 1971.
Lead applicant in the NT case, Minnie McDonald, remembers working on stations from a young age and said the class action was about all the people who never got paid.
We had nothing and had to live on bush tucker and a bit of bread. A lot of those people we worked with are gone now.
The Indigenous Australians minister, Malarndirri McCarthy, said she hoped the settlement would bring closure to First Nations people who were impacted by the wage control legislation.
The NT historical wages class action concerns a deeply regrettable and shameful chapter in Australian history.
The government has also agreed to contribute to legal costs and administration. The settlement is subject to approval by the federal court and eligible workers and their families will need to register to receive compensation.
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Professor says national cabinet package ‘lacking clarity’ behind some proposed measures
Professor Kyllie Cripps, chief investigator of the Australian Research Council Centre for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, has responded to today’s national cabinet package.
She said today’s announcement “appears to be very heavily carceral-focused” and that there is a “significant lack of clarity behind some of the measures proposed”.
Prof Cripps said in a statement:
[The announcement] states, ‘it will include a focus on nationally coordinated approaches to support prevention activities through frontline services’. But it leaves a significant question unanswered as to its commitment and support of primary prevention activities primarily delivered by Our Watch.
It also omits the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry recommendations on the importance of cultural awareness training for police, as well as the issue of system accountability for when systems fail Indigenous women, contributing to their deaths or disappearances…
If we are not responding to the evidence that tells us that we need to address the drivers including the dire situation with housing, economic disadvantage, cultural unsafety of institutions meant to support women in these situations, and other related issues that entrap women in these situations, we miss opportunities for meaningful and sustained change.
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Albanese defends RBA following comments from former treasurer
Continuing from our last post: Anthony Albanese defended the Reserve Bank at a press conference earlier today, following criticism from former treasurer Wayne Swan.
The prime minister said he “respect[s]” the work the RBA is doing, but noted the role of the government was separate:
They are in charge of monetary policy, we are in charge of fiscal policy. We have been busy making sure that we put that downward pressure on inflation while we design our cost relief [for] people under pressure in a way that contributes to that downward pressure on inflation …
As the Reserve Bank governor has said, we have the same objective of lowering inflation. The government has a different responsibility. We have a responsibility to our constituents and to the people around Australia … [to help] people who are under cost-of-living pressure [and] need support. That is what we have been doing, but doing it in a way that is consistent with the fight against inflation.
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Wayne Swan claims RBA ‘putting economic dogma over rational decision-making’ with interest rates
In an interview with Nine this morning, ALP president and former treasurer Wayne Swan accused the Reserve Bank of “punching itself in the face” and “putting economic dogma over rational economic decision making”.
Hammering households, hammering mums and dads with higher rates, causing a collapse in spending and driving the economy backwards, doesn’t necessarily deal with the principal pushes when it comes to higher inflation.
I’m very, very disappointed in what the Reserve Bank is doing at the moment … the drivers of inflation in this country are not … going to come down with hammering mums and dads with higher rates.
He argued that government spending wasn’t causing this, and said “they are also in surplus two years in a row”.
There are inflationary pressures in the economy and they are not being caused by government spending.
Anthony Albanese responded to Swan’s comments during a press conference earlier today, we’ll bring you what he said in a moment.
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The Bureau of Meteorology says that damaging winds, high fire dangers and renewed flooding is possible today as another strong cold front crosses south-east Australia:
Damaging winds, high fire dangers, and renewed flooding are possible today as another strong cold front crosses south-east Australia.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) September 6, 2024
For the latest forecasts and warnings, visit our website https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/G6Aj5y0u7D
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Dutton vows to reverse decision on McPhillamys goldmine if elected
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has said if elected he will reverse a decision by the government to keep McPhillamys goldmine in NSW’s Central West open.
As Lisa Cox reports, the project is a proposed open-cut gold mining operation near Blayney, about 30km south of Orange. The developer has been planning the mine for several years, but environment minister Tanya Plibersek issued a rare partial section 10 declaration last month that prevents the tailings dam being built in this location.
Plibersek recently said that Australian governments had done a bad job of protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage and “the Juukan Gorge tragedy was an extreme example of that”.
Labor, Liberals, Nationals, everyone in the parliament said we can’t allow things like that to happen again. If we truly believe that we can’t allow the destruction of Aboriginal heritage in that way, then occasionally decisions like this have to be taken.
In a post to X this afternoon, Dutton stated his intention to reverse the decision and argued Labor had done this for “political reasons” to try and “win over Greens voters in inner-city seats”.
For all the details on the proposed project, you can read more from Lisa below:
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Greens spokesperson for women responds to national cabinet package
Greens senator and spokesperson for women, Larissa Waters, has also responded to the government’s package to address gender-based violence.
She said any funding for frontline workers was welcome, but “today’s announcement still leaves frontline services underfunded, with one in four women who seek help at risk of being turned away”.
Money on paper is no guarantee that services will actually receive the money – previous federal funding under the Plan has disappeared into state government administration with no transparency on where it ends up – and services say they aren’t getting it.
Waters said it was “disappointing” that national cabinet “kicked the can down the road” on alcohol sales, and that there is still “prevarication” from Labor on regulating gambling ads.
But she welcomed funding to “establish national standards for men’s behaviour change, something we’ve long called for”.
At the end of the day, this is about priorities. If Labor funded just one less nuclear submarine they would have more than the amount required to fully fund frontline family, domestic and sexual violence services.
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Family violence organisation to continue to ‘advocate for our full ask to be realised’
First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence has welcomed today’s funding announcement to address gender-based violence, arising from the national cabinet meeting. In a statement, the organisation said the sector “now awaits the finer details” of the package.
CEO Kerry Staines said the organisation would “continue to advocate for our full ask to be realised”.
We have provided the government a comprehensive plan of what resources are required to meet current demand and what is required to expand our specialised programs into new geographical areas where they are spread thin or non-existent.
Sustainable and long-term funding is crucial to ensuring we can walk alongside our families when they reach out for support; for us to increase education and prevention programs and help the healing journey begin for those who have suffered; work to increase staff retention and alleviate huge caseloads; support staff with a better work life balance; and ultimately assist in attracting more specialist DFSV workers to our sector across the country, particularly in rural, remote, and very remote locations where our services are spread thin or non-existent.
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Sydney Opera House event with Elle Macpherson postponed until next year
An event at the Sydney Opera House with Elle Macpherson, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed until early 2025.
A statement from entertainment company TEG Dainty said:
Elle has exciting projects in early ‘25 and the decision has been made to coincide the live events with that timing, which means the schedule will change accordingly.
The new date and schedule are currently being finalised and we will be back in contact with further information as soon as possible. All tickets will remain valid for the new date.
This comes as the supermodel said she was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago and although she had a lumpectomy, she had decided not to follow standard medical advice.
As Melissa Davey and Natasha May report, a leading breast cancer surgeon claims many media reports that she treated breast cancer with alternative therapies have left out crucial information, risking people being misinformed. You can read the full story below:
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As we reported earlier on the blog, New South Wales police have charged three men over the alleged theft of 27 handguns from the Lithgow museum.
Kerry Guerin, secretary of the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, says the alleged theft from the regional museum has been “devastating”.
Police are still searching for more than a dozen guns. Here’s more on this from our video team:
Greens senator urges treasurer to ‘directly intervene’ to make RBA bring rates down
Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim has called for the treasurer to “directly intervene” and make the Reserve Bank bring interest rates down. In a post to X, McKim wrote:
The RBA is deliberately risking a recession, and Labor is letting it happen. Jim Chalmers is making noise about rates, but he could directly intervene to bring them down and he’s choosing not to.
In fact, instead of using his power to stop the RBA, Chalmers is actually trying to water down his ability to intervene. He’s happy to let the RBA send Australians to the wall.
Labor could introduce a super-profits tax to ease inflation, but they’d rather protect their corporate mates and let big business make out like bandits. It’s reckless and morally indefensible.
Earlier this year, the treasurer accepted all the recommendations of last year’s RBA review board, including removing the government’s reserve powers to intervene and overrule the central bank if judged necessary.
However as the ABC reports, last month Chalmers said he would no longer push ahead with this – but will try to restrict the circumstances in which it can be used to “rare instances”, following discussions with the opposition.
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Full Stop Australia says it is crucial government funding goes to sexual violence services
Full Stop Australia – an organisation supporting those impacted by sexual, domestic or family violence – has welcomed the measures announced following today’s national cabinet.
However, CEO Karen Bevan said it is critical that part of today’s announced funding flows through to sexual violence services:
Whilst the specific details of the funding have not been made available, it is unclear whether sexual violence frontline services will receive a much-needed funding boost. With national sexual assault reports at a 31-year high, it is critical that part of the today’s funding announcement flow through to sexual violence services.
Funding shortfalls mean that services struggle to provide support to every victim-survivor. This barrier to accessing fair and timely justice or specialist support can be solved by government providing adequate funding where it is needed.
Full Stop Australia is encouraging the government to “go much further and continue additional investments in the frontline, until service demand is met.” It also urged all levels of government to ensure the 500 frontline positions are filled, with many remaining vacant.
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Investors lead pickup in new home loans while rental growth eases
The latest lending figures from the ABS point to a jump in new housing loans in July, with investors leading the way.
The value of loans rose 3.9% for the month to $30.6bn, well higher than the 1% economists had been expecting. Investors continue to pour into the market, taking out 5.4% more loans. Their $11.7bn borrowings were up a hefty 35.4% from a year earlier (or about 10 times the inflation rate).
Owner-occupiers borrowed 2.9% (or 21.4% more than a year earlier), while first home buyers barely lifted their borrowing (up 0.8%). Still, the latter was up almost a fifth from a year ago.
Some of the prompt to take up home loans has come from renters desperate to shield themselves from rent hikes. As it happens, national rents have been flatlining for two months, CoreLogic said today, “demonstrating the weakest rental market conditions since the early phases of the pandemic”.
Sydneysiders have seen rents decline over the three months to August, and were also down in Canberra and Hobart and basically flat in Brisbane.
Perth and Adelaide, though, were still posting annual increases of 11.6% and 8.4%, respectively, while Melbourne’s were up 7%.
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Full Story podcast – Jess Hill on what it will take to stop men killing women
The rate of women killed by an intimate partner in Australia is on the rise prompting the government to announce a further $4.7bn for gender-based violence and frontline legal services.
Journalist and panellist on the government’s rapid review into prevention Jess Hill spoke to Full Story’s Nour Haydar back in April this year about how Australia needs to move beyond platitudes, failed policies and the major paradigm shift that governments and society still need to make.
Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts:
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Dutton’s Coalition are the true extremists: Bob Brown
Former Greens leader Bob Brown has weighed in on John Howard’s comments that the Greens are extremists that the major parties should preference last.
Brown said in a statement that it was, in fact, the Coalition who were extremists:
All parties, including Labor, should put the Dutton Coalition last because they’re extremists. They have got extreme positions on foreign policy, extreme positions on economic policy, extreme positions on social policy. Who knows what some of their environmental views are. They’re so extreme.
Not only do I call on Labor to put the Coalition last but I will really dump on any Greens division that tries to do some preference deal in an individual seat with the Dutton Coalition. You have got to put them last. We have to make sure it’s a young-people-friendly government.
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NSW Council of Civil Liberties backs bill for Truth and Justice Commission
The NSW Council of Civil Liberties says it supports the establishment of a truth and justice commission, with a proposed bill currently before parliament.
The council said the bill represents “a crucial step towards implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart – a document NSWCCL endorses in full”, calling on parliament to pass the bill. Its president, Lydia Shelley, said the bill “at its heart” is about human rights and “First Nations people have the right to self-determination and the ability to control their futures”:
Australia must do more to address our deplorable record on Closing the Gap. Despite years of pledges to improve outcomes for First Nations Peoples in health, education, and socioeconomic opportunities, progress has been slow, and many targets remain unmet.
The Commission’s work will help uncover the root causes of these systemic failures and highlight the lasting impacts of colonisation on First Nations communities.
Opposing the establishment of a Truth and Justice commission flies in the face of our obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). We must implement some form of structured consultation with First Nations communities to comply with our responsibilities under the UNDRIP and human rights law more generally.
The truth and justice commission is a critical first step in this process, reinforcing the right of First Nations peoples to be heard and to influence decisions that affect their lives.
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Half of NSW clubs that signed up to cashless gambling trial have pulled out
Half the clubs that signed up for the cashless gaming trial run by the New South Wales government pulled out because they found it too expensive or complicated to implement the necessary technology.
Only 14 clubs are still participating in the cashless gambling trial, down from the 28 that signed on when the government announced the trial at the end of 2023.
The NSW gaming minister, David Harris, has told a budget estimates committee that the venues had left the program due to cost and tech:
Once people worked out the cost and the technology involved and the age of machines and a whole lot of things, it wasn’t appropriate.
Harris said venues had run into difficulty installing the app-based trial system and ensuring old poker machines could interact with different smartphones and softwares.
The number of poker machines involved in the trial has fallen by nearly half to only 2,388 machines, down from the 4,500 machines initially announced. That figure is also well below the 3,000 machines that the head of the government’s trial panel, Michael Foggo, said should be involved to enable “proper research analysis”.
Trial researchers had still gathered data on the viability of cashless gaming by considering which club had not signed up and the program was on track to report back in November, Harris said.
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The main takeaways from today's national cabinet
Here is what we learned from today’s national cabinet, held in WA:
Anthony Albanese announced $4.7bn in funding to address gender-based violence, as part of a new agreement between the commonwealth and the states and territories.
The commonwealth will invest $3.9bn over five years for frontline legal services.
It will also contribute $351m towards a new five-year national partnership agreement on family, domestic and sexual violence responses from July next year – to be matched by the states and territories.
The PM said a “nationally coordinated approach is required to address this national crisis.”
National cabinet focused on four key areas: supporting frontline services, stopping violence from escalating, more support for children and young people, and the impacts of alcohol on violence.
In terms of the impact of alcohol on violence, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the leaders had agreed to come back to national cabinet on this because “everybody is at different stages.”
Albanese highlighted a number of areas the government had acted in regards to gambling reform, and said it was “working through” its position. He did not comment on a full advertising ban.
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Independent Schools Australia accuses AEU of seeking to ‘fuel division’ between sectors with report
Independent Schools Australia (ISA) has accused the Australian Education Union (AEU) of seeking to “fuel division” between sectors after it released a report indicating the majority of private schools received more school funding than their counterparts in the public sector.
The report, released today, found more than half of Australian private schools were receiving more combined government funding per student than public schools of a similar size, location and with similar student needs.
ISA’s CEO, Graham, Catt said the dataset used by the union, drawn from Acara, was inaccurate for direct funding comparisons due to the “difference in funding and operating models”.
Every independent school teacher, every leader, every parent wants to see all schools fully and fairly funded. They shouldn’t be the subject of attacks like this that deliberately seek to fuel division. Instead, we should be united across all sectors to ensure that every Australian child gets the best education possible.
Elsewhere, the Greens backed the AEU report, with the party’s spokesperson on primary and secondary education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, labelling the system “deeply broken, inequitable and damaging”:
Every day this year, the federal Government will give $51m to private schools. Every day. Who can look a public school parent in the eye and say that’s a fair system?
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Questioning has now wrapped up, following the national cabinet meeting.
PM says media and parents have roles in fighting toxic masculinity
The PM was asked about “anti-feminist” and toxic masculinity ideals growing online amongst men. Responding, he seemed to reference Andrew Tate:
I don’t want to give him a free ad but there is one person in particular. It was quite horrific and the figures I was briefed on week, of how many Australians have seen a prominent European advocate for what is misogynistic behaviour.
It is something that we are very conscious of, it is something that government alone can’t do, it is something that parents are concerned about, something the media have a responsibility for, a role to play as well in not giving prominence to some of those issues as well…
It’s not just an individual. Of course we know that this is a scourge and it is one of the things that the eSafety commissioner is very conscious of.
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Albanese highlights anti-gambling moves but does not comment on full ad ban
Our own Paul Karp asked whether any of the premiers raised the rapid review’s call for a total ban on gambling advertising during today’s national cabinet. Anthony Albanese said the government is “working through” its position on gambling.
At the commonwealth level with regard to gambling, as you would be aware, there has been a range of measures that my government has undertaken in our first two years … including the registration of people being able to register and therefore be barred from participation, the changes that we have done in terms of advertising already, the messages that are at the bottom there – changing it from just gambling responsibility to more coherent messages that make it clear that if you do gamble you will lose …
Karp asked if the premiers were fans of a total ban, but the PM moved on to the next question.
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PM flags potential focus on social media on normalising objectionable behaviour
The prime minister was asked about the spread of misogyny in schools, and how great this concern is? Anthony Albanese responded:
It is, and we discussed both informally and formally the impact of social media. I think there will be some things happening soon in that area as well that we discussed, that states and territories have undertaken.
We think that needs to be very much a focus and certainly in the work that both the commonwealth is doing- the last meeting for example we identified pornography and violent videos and the impact it was having on normalising objectionable behaviour as a minimum but horrific crime at an extreme. That is something that we will continue to work through. I know our security agencies are continuing to do that.
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Albanese: funding provides certainty to frontline organisations
Q: What do you say to organisations that do not have the funds right now to help women that are having to turn families away?
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, responded:
We are providing that certainty going forward. We are providing the funding as part of the five-year agreement that will commence next financial year, and what those legal services will benefit from is the certainty of knowing what is coming as they go forward.
As the PM fielded questions from reporters, he said he was “deliberately going to women [reporters] before men” as the questions roll in.
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A reporter asked about the impact of alcohol on domestic violence rates, and a recommendation from the rapid review that there be restrictions on the delivery of alcohol.
The leaders were asked if they would implement this?
The NSW premier Chris Minns said:
We have all agreed as for this communique to review our alcohol laws and come back to the National Cabinet.
Everybody is at different stages, somehow responsible service of alcohol provisions in place … and some have restrictions on opening hours and trading hours, days of the week, so we are all the different places.
But I think that review will see what works in other jurisdictions and like a good federation, we will steal what works and apply it to our own area.
Circling back to the national cabinet press conference
Just a moment ago, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said NSW had higher rates of domestic violence than Victoria and there could be things to learn from the state. Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, was then asked to suggest what programs are working in the state that could be applied across other jurisdictions.
She said the state held a royal commission into the matter in 2016 which identified the government had to “drive … not system change, but how to build a system”:
Because particularly for women and children experiencing family violence, there was not a system there [that] wrapped [its] arms around women and children and kept them as the centre of the system of focus but also held the perpetrator in view as well.
She said that what has driven outcomes – although “there is still a long way to go” – is data sharing:
All these agencies say that data about the woman and her circumstances [is important]… but also too, the other big change Victoria has been the focus on prevention. We’ve got to do more to stop the violence before it starts …
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Police say Setka’s presence at construction sites not an offence
Victoria Police say the appearance of the former Victorian construction union leader John Setka at two taxpayer-funded projects in Melbourne did not constitute an offence because he was never asked to leave the site by an authorised person.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, yesterday confirmed Setka had spoken to workers at a Metro Tunnel project site earlier that morning. It came less than 24 hours after he appeared at another government project – the Footscray hospital redevelopment. She said the director general of the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority had referred the matter to police.
In a statement, a police spokesperson said its assessment found no offence had occurred:
For there to be a trespass offence, a person must be asked to leave by someone in charge of the site or who has authority at the site. The person then has to refuse to leave within a reasonable time.
There is no evidence that this occurred on Wednesday or Thursday, therefore there has been no trespass offence committed.
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Victoria police considering further action on allegations against CFMEU
Victoria police say they are considering further action on allegations of criminal links within the CFMEU after a senior union official was charged with alleged threats to kill an Indigenous labour-hire owner.
In a statement, police said they assessed 20 allegations and eight were deemed within the remit of Victoria Police. It comes after the Age in July published allegations of criminal links within the union.
Police are considering further action on allegations, including intimidation of a developer. A spokesperson said police had referred the other 12 allegations to agencies including the Australian Federal Police and Fair Work Commission.
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PM clarifies funding for legal services
The PM was asked about the funding for legal services, and asked if it was specifically for specialist women’s legal services or would it be given to community legal services more broadly? Anthony Albanese said it includes funding for three things:
… three things on top of where the previous agreement was. One is indexation and a higher rate of indexation, the second is dealing with pay parity and then on top of that, an additional $500m as well which will be particularly for women needing those legal services, that will be managed through the states and territories [who] will have oversight in the way these things work. They are in the best position to determine where the funding needs are …
The PM said there would be increased funding for specialist women’s services but “what we did not do today was identify there will be this dollar going to this legal service in this suburb.”
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NSW premier says state aiming to adopt Victorian initiatives on lowering domestic violence rates
Questioned on bail laws, and whether reform is needed in this area to prevent gender-based violence, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, spoke:
We have changed the law in NSW so those charged with serious domestic violence offences have the reverse presumptions in relation to bail and remand. We are also pursuing electronic monitoring for those that are at a high risk of offending to keep particularly women safe in the community…
It is not limited reform at the state level and we have been trying to steal as many good initiatives as we possibly can from states like Victoria, where the prevalence of domestic violence is lower than in New South Wales. We recognise the numbers are not good in our state and that change needs to happen.
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PM says new deal provides funding for 500 additional frontline family violence workers
Anthony Albanese is now taking questions from reporters.
He was asked about comments from the minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, that the states needed to do more to get frontline family violence workers.
This follows backlash to those comments from the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, who told reporters yesterday:
The fact of the matter is in the current labour market, you cannot just magic these workers up and those comments yesterday from Amanda were pretty unhelpful. We are in the process of in good faith [negotiating] an agreement with the prime minister [so] to have another minister out there gratuitously attacking the states has not helped.
Speaking just now, the PM said “we are working constructively with the states and territories.”
We have provided funding for 500 additional frontline workers and I know that every single premier and chief minister is committed to delivering that.
Miles told reporters the comments were “unhelpful” but “we’ve been able to secure a really valuable deal today.”
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PM says $3.9bn to be invested in frontline legal services
The PM said the federal government will invest $3.9bn over five years in support for frontline legal assistance services to be delivered through a new partnership agreement with the states and territories.
Importantly, it will ensure as well that there is an uplift in pay parity for people working in community legal centres, which has been one of the issues that has been outstanding that will be addressed through this new agreement.
He said the commonwealth will also contribute $351m towards a new five-year national partnership agreement on family, domestic and sexual violence responses from July next year.
That funding will be matched by the states and territories.
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Albanese says ‘nationally coordinated approach’ necessary to tackle ‘national crisis’ of gender-based violence
Anthony Albanese said that a “nationally coordinated approach is required to address this national crisis.”
We must act to ensure women are safe. These horrific and disturbing deaths and vile violence must be prevented.
The PM said today’s national cabinet discussed how change under the national plan to address gender-based violence can be accelerated. He said:
We focused on action in four areas: supporting the critical work of frontline services, turning our eyes on perpetrators to stop violence from escalating, providing more support for children and young people who have experienced violence and tackling the impacts of alcohol on violence.
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Prime minister announces further $4.7bn to address gender-based violence
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to reporters after today’s national cabinet meeting.
He said the Australian leaders came together to take steps towards “what is our shared commitment to end violence against women and children”, with today’s national cabinet being the second convened to deal with this issue, following another in May.
He is announcing that a further $4.7bn has been established for gender-based violence and frontline legal services, for new agreements between the Commonwealth and the states and territories.
This is on top of the already record funding that the commonwealth has committed for women’s safety and the work that states and territories are doing as well.
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Nurses’ pay row escalates with thousands to strike in NSW next Tuesday
A pay dispute between NSW nurses and the state government will ramp up when thousands of union members walk off the job at public hospitals in a daylong strike, AAP reports.
The stop-work action by nurses and midwives on Tuesday is expected to affect elective surgery and cause delays for some patients, while support for life-saving care will be maintained.
The action is part of a NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association push for a 15% one-year pay hike for members, a demand the premier, Chris Minns, has said is unaffordable. All NSW public sector workers, including nurses, have been offered a three-year 10.5% pay increase factoring in a mandatory rise in superannuation payments.
The union’s general secretary, Shaye Candish, said public-sector nurses and midwives would strike for 12.5 hours starting at 7am. Major rallies would also be held in Kogarah, Corrimal, Newcastle, Parramatta, Coffs Harbour, Bathurst, Gosford and Albury, adding:
Nurses and midwives do not take industrial action lightly and continue advocating for better pay and staffing to ensure all communities receive the safe clinical care they deserve.
The state’s health minister, Ryan Park, said pay negotiations were continuing and he would always work with the union in good faith. He also said contingencies would be put in place to minimise disruption to patient care.
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Disaster recovery funding for Tasmanians as thousands hit by power outages and floods
All 29 local government areas in Tasmania have been affected by the recent wild weather, the emergency management minister Jenny McAllister says.
In a post to X, she said the federal and state governments were working together to support communities affected by the ongoing storms and flooding, with thousands of Tasmanians impacted by power outages and flood damage.
The jointly-funded disaster recovery funding arrangements have been activated, allowing a suite of grants to be made available for those affected by flood waters or who have become isolated, or who are in need of food, water and essentials. McAllister said:
It has been an incredibly difficult time and I want to acknowledge the brave work of first responders and everyday Tasmanians.
The Australian government stands ready to provide further support as recovery needs become clear, and will continue to work hand in glove with the Tasmanian government as the damage is assessed.
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Circling back to the Lehrmann defamation case
Ten’s lawyer Tim Senior said he was “very concerned” that things Zali Burrows had said in the hearing were going to “hijack and disrupt” appeals proceedings, adding they had received “no explanation” as to why the appellant had not filed necessary orders or what further time was required.
There’s so much uncertainty involved I don’t really know what to say … what we are told is Ms Burrows is intending to prepare amendments for appeal … at some later date, when funds are available … we’re concerned about the impact of this timetable … we don’t know why Mr Lehrmann has delayed after so much time.
Burrows replied that she hadn’t sought to “not file anything at all” and was seeking to have the matter “still moving forward”.
We have filed our application in respect of a stay enforcement, we were anticipating respondents file evidence in reply … I say they haven’t been compliant with the orders in respect of their application of any evidence.
Justice Wendy Abraham replied her understanding was Network 10 had already filed an affidavit and an application.
One assumes because they didn’t file any further evidence in chief that’s the evidence in chief.
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College of GPs labels move to widen scope of what pharmacies in NSW can do as politically motivated
The Royal Australian College of GPs says the move to widen the scope of what pharmacies can treat in New South Wales is “politically driven and risks the health of people across the state”.
As we brought you earlier via AAP, pharmacists in NSW may soon treat more minor health conditions including ear infections, nausea and acne as the state government grapples with a shortage of GPs.
In a statement, the RACGP NSW chair, Dr Rebekah Hoffman, labelled the move as reckless, and said:
This is politically driven policy and it has potentially devastating consequences for people across NSW due to the risks of incorrect treatment and serious illnesses being missed.
What health minister Ryan Park clearly doesn’t understand is patients come in with symptoms, not a diagnosis. Diagnosis is complex and requires years of training – GPs train for over 10 years. You can’t squeeze this training into a short course for pharmacists and expect good health outcomes.
If you get a diagnosis wrong, the consequences can be devastating. There are significant risks of serious and even life-threatening illnesses being missed with the conditions the NSW government wants to allow pharmacists to treat.
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Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case returns to the federal court
Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case has returned to the federal court as the ex-Liberal staffer seeks to overturn his defamation suit loss to Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson.
At the second case management hearing this morning, Justice Wendy Abraham said Lehrmann was in breach of two orders for failing to provide applications of evidence before their due date.
She gave both parties until 4pm on 19 September to file and serve any evidence, notices of appeal or written submissions in respect to the costs and stay applications.
At this stage I don’t propose to make any costs order, I’ll reserve that issue. If there is any risk that the timetable will not be met the matters should be brought on before that’s going to happen as opposed to waiting for the breach to occur.
Lehrmann did not appear in court, and was instead represented by criminal solicitor Zali Burrows, who he retained at the 11th hour, according to court documents released in July.
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Albanese addresses national cabinet on need to address gender-based violence
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has addressed Australia’s leaders as today’s national cabinet meeting kicks off.
He said that ending gender-based violence was a priority for the commonwealth and for every single jurisdiction.
There are too many stories, tragically, almost no week goes past without there being a tragedy, which is something that then flows on to intergenerational issues as well. We know this is a issue not just for government to solve but for the whole of society as well, and we need to change culture, we need to change behaviour.
But we have a responsibility to act … Today, we are working through a range of solutions of how we support critical frontline services, how we target perpetrators to stop violence from escalating, how we break the cycle of violence with a stronger focus on children and younger people who experienced trauma, and how we also make sure we provide legal services – which we know can be a barrier to people escaping.
The PM concluded that “we will keep working until violence against women and children is something of the past”:
We know that it will not be achieved immediately, but we know that we can make a difference today and that is a responsibility that we have with the different positions that we hold.
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Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew reveals cancer diagnosis
Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer.
She was visibly emotional while making the announcement live on-air this morning, and said it was “a shock to say and hard to say.” Bartholomew was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in July and said this can be treated with a daily tablet.
If I can take care of myself I will be completely, absolutely fine. I feel very, very lucky.
The presenter said she wanted to share this news because “many of you have been in similar situations or much, much worse and came out the other side stronger and more resilient, and that’s exactly what I plan to do”.
Secondly, the reason I’m telling you is because after I turned 40 I made the decision to prioritise my health. I got a skin check after [fellow host Natalie Barr] had her scare. I had a mammogram after I had a few lumps. That came back all clear. I even had an eye check, that’s fine. But my doctor sent me to get routine blood tests at the same time. One of those tests came back with some levels out of whack.
Please, particularly for mums who always take care of everyone else, please take care of yourself too and just check-in with your doctor.
Bartholomew said she is “beyond grateful I found it, and beyond grateful it’s the best-case scenario”.
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NT chief ministers defence of spithoods comes amid calls for nationwide ban
Earlier, we brought you comments from the new Northern Territory chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, defending the use of spit hoods. You can read those comments here.
This comes after New South Wales became the second state to outlaw the use of the restraint devices in February, and advocates have been calling for a nationwide ban.
The Ban Spit Hoods Coalition – which works to end the use of the fabric device which is placed over people’s heads in custodial settings – said spit hoods were an unacceptable threat to human life and dignity and that all states and territories should follow the lead of NSW and South Australia, with the latter state the first to ban its use in 2021.
You can read that full story from Jordyn Beazley below:
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NSW police charge three men after alleged theft of handguns from museum
New South Wales police have charged three men over the alleged theft of 27 handguns from the Lithgow museum.
Police were called to the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum about 3.30am on 25 August, and were told three people had allegedly broken in and stolen a number of firearms before leaving in a silver Toyota Landcruiser.
About 5.25am the same day police found the Landcruiser on fire at Bathurst, which was believed to have been stolen from Nowra two days prior. Detectives were told the handguns – which are worth more than $200,000 – could be made operational.
Detectives yesterday executed multiple search warrants in Vincentia, Nowra, Darby Falls and Sanctuary Point. During the searches police allegedly located 13 of the 27 firearms.
Police also allegedly found a shortened shotgun, a BMW X5, seven NSW vehicle registration plates, shotgun ammunition, $3,500 cash, electronic devices and small amounts of methamphetamine and cannabis.
Detectives arrested three men – two men, aged 46 and 27, at a South Nowra service station, and one 41-year-old man at a Sanctuary Point home – before taking them all to Nowra Police Station.
The 46- and 27-year-old men were charged with two counts of aggravated breaking and entering to commit a serious indictable offence. The 41-year-old man was given the same charge, plus participating in a criminal group activity and stealing a motor vehicle.
They were all refused bail to appear before Nowra Local Court today.
Det Supt John Watson said there are still 14 firearms outstanding and police believe “these firearms may have been sold to members of the public who aren’t aware they are stolen.”
Jason Clare questioned on funding package for family violence services before national cabinet
Circling back to education minister Jason Clare’s interview on Sunrise earlier this morning, alongside the deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley. We had more on this earlier in the blog, here and here.
The pair were asked about today’s national cabinet, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is set to propose a “substantial package” to fund frontline services for Australians fleeing family and domestic violence. You can read more on this below:
Clare said that of the 58 women killed this year by men, this doesn’t include “the hundreds of women that have had to flee for their lives … or the thousands of women who are still at home too terrified or unable to leave”.
This meeting today will look at things like frontline services and support and what extra help you can provide for those refuges and legal services as well. But it’s bigger than that … this is a societal issue. There’s a role for parents here, there’s a role for schools and teachers. And, most importantly, there’s a role for blokes here. Because this is men killing women. And there’s an important role in how we raise our boys and what we teach our boys about respecting women.
Ley said the opposition would go through the details of the plan when announced later today and “work constructively with the government”. She added that she was concerned by reports the money wouldn’t begin flowing until 1 July 2025.
The other thing I’m concerned about – and I do raise this a lot – is the 500 frontline domestic violence case workers that were promised at the election have not been delivered. We need them too.
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NSW pharmacists may soon treat more minor health conditions
Pharmacists in NSW may soon treat more minor health conditions including ear infections, nausea and acne as the state government grapples with a shortage of GPs, AAP reports.
The state health minister, Ryan Park, said the expanded scope of practice for local chemists could come into force by 2026, after an evaluation of a trial program.
The move is aimed at helping to deal with a shortage of GPs in NSW, part of a national problem forecast to record a shortfall of 1,900 GPs across Australia by 2028.
Under the flagged changes, NSW pharmacists would be able to treat middle ear infections, minor wounds, nausea and vomiting and some gastro-oesophageal problems. They would also be empowered to treat mild to moderate acne and mild acute musculoskeletal pain, the government says.
Park said the plan aimed to alleviate pressure on GPs, given people were “often waiting days or even weeks before they can find an appointment”.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW branch president, David Heffernan, said the change would mean patients were not forced to go to hospital “for a simple ear infection, just because their GP can’t see them”.
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Shorten acknowledges political gaffes but defends lettuce small-talk incident
The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, has been making the rounds this morning, after his announcement yesterday that he would retire from politics in February.
He appeared on ABC RN earlier and was asked about the one gaffe he regrets – and listed many:
Never eat a sausage sandwich at an election barbecue polling booth. Never dance in Polynesia with the wife of the president – you’ve just got to have moves and I don’t have moves. Also never chew your upper lip in parliament, because that will be at the moment that parliamentary photographer photographs you.
Shorten also said that Parliament House photographers used to have a saying, “Bill’s gone full wifi”, for when he was deep in though and his forehead crinkled, resembling the wifi symbol.
Host Patricia Karvelas asked about *that* lettuce incident, but Shorten said he was going to defend himself there:
You know there’s 70+ different types of lettuce … as the old saying goes, and first they laugh at you. I do the shopping in the family, I just happen to know there’s different types of lettuce.
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Fire response ramps up in Queensland after stark spring warning
Queensland is readying for worse-than-usual bushfire conditions in coming months with significant resources already hitting the ground, AAP reports.
The state’s fire response has ramped up with the aerial fleet arriving in Bundaberg and Townsville just days into spring. The RFS Queensland chief officer, Ben Millington, said:
We are already starting to see fire activity and we are keeping a close eye on conditions.
A 10,000-litre large air tanker will be based in Bundaberg over spring and summer to be deployed to coastal and inland areas. Bundaberg will also be the base for a Eurocopter and a water-bombing Blackhawk to support the state’s firefighting service and volunteers.
Two Bell 214B helicopters, two AirTractor AT-802 fixed-wing bombers, two air attack supervision platforms and a specialist intelligence-gathering light helicopter are on standby at Townsville airport.
Queensland has now contracted an aerial fleet of 13 aircraft with a total water-bombing capacity of more than 32,000 litres. There are also 150 aircraft on-call if the state needs them.
It follows the stark seasonal bushfire outlook for spring which found the unseasonal rainfall in Queensland over recent months had increased fuel loads and fire risks:
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AFP issues warning amid online trend of ‘sadistic sextortion’
The Australian Federal Police has issued a warning to parents and guardians amid a concerning online trend, where young victims are being coerced into producing extreme sexual and violent content over the internet.
“Sadistic sextortion” is a rising online crime that involves extreme groups targeting children as young as twelve years old on social media and messaging platforms, the AFP said, coercing them to self-produce explicit material to gain acceptance into these extreme online communities.
In some cases the offenders are the same age as the victims being targeted, the AFP said. After coercing the victim to produce an image or video the offender will share the content with other members in the group, who attempt to extort the victim by threatening to share the content with their family or friends unless they produce more.
The offender may demand content that continues to escalate in its seriousness including specific live sex acts, animal cruelty, serious self-harm, and live online suicide.
Western Australian police commenced an investigation into reports of an alleged serious sadistic sextortion offender in the state, 14, accused of targeting victims around the world in 2022.
Police seized the offender’s phone and later allegedly identified child abuse material and videos of animal cruelty. They were charged and received a juvenile caution in relation to the matter.
The AFP said offenders were not motivated by money “but were instead focused on obtaining status or notoriety within the group”. The AFP has provided advice to parents and guardians online, which you can read more about here.
NT chief minister defends use of spit hoods to protect frontline workers
The incoming Northern Territory chief minister was also asked about her position to reintroduce spit hoods – a practice that Amnesty International has labelled as torture.
Host Patricia Karvelas asked, how do you reflect on that? Lia Finocchiaro said that “you need to put yourself in the shoes of the frontline worker”.
So what we’ve said is that modern spit guards should be able to be used by police and corrections officers for young people.
Now this is a highly regulated practice, but when someone is spat on with blood and phlegm, they then can contract communicable diseases. They can’t go home to their families in the way they normally would have.
Now we have a crime crisis in the Territory, and our frontline workers are being insulted at extraordinary level. So the use of modern spit guards in this highly regulated environment provides an additional layer of protection for those people who’ve done the wrong thing and continue to make choices about dangerous and disgusting, degrading behaviour of spitting on frontline workers.
She was pressed on horrifying images of spit hoods being used in the past.
Finocchiaro said: “If you don’t spit, you don’t get a spit guard.”
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Finocchiaro discusses moves to refer parents to income management when child offends
Lia Finocchiaro was asked to expand on that point, about “hold[ing] parents accountable”, and said:
There’s a number of ways. We have family responsibility agreements that need to be strengthened. There’s also opportunity for the Territory to refer parents to further income management with the commonwealth, and they are discussions I’ve had with my federal counterpart in the Northern Territory.
So there are a number of ways to make sure parents are being brought in and that we’re providing that important wrap around. Because, if a 10-year-old child is engaging with the law, something’s gone on in that child’s life, probably for a very long time, and probably at home.
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New NT chief minister defends move to lower age of criminal responsibility to 10
Sticking with the Northern Territory, and the incoming chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, spoke with ABC RN just earlier and fielded some questions about her approach to crime.
She was asked about her move to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to 10 from 12 – while most jurisdictions are working to lift their age of criminal responsibility.
When asked if she thinks a 10-year-old child should be dealt with in the same way as an adult, Finocchiaro responded “no, absolutely not” but said:
Lowering the age to 10 allows us to make sure that young people who are falling into a life of crime can be diverted into a better pathway. Now, if we raise the age, there can be no sort of legal response, which means you can’t then make sure that young people are engaged in boot camps, for example, or programs to turn their life around.
It also means you can’t hold parents accountable. So we’re much more focused on accountability for the young person and the family, and around delivering meaningful consequences that give that young person an opportunity to have a better future going forward.
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Candidate set to become first Green in NT parliament says she is looking at ‘evidence-based solutions’
The Greens candidate for Nightcliff in the Northern Territory, Kat McNamara, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier.
McNamara is set to win the seat from former chief minister Natasha Fyles, which would mean the Greens would win their first ever seat in the NT parliament.
McNamara said it has been “an incredible time and an incredible campaign”. She said the local community has been concerned about safety and crime, but also the environment.
The decision by the former chief minister to greenlight fracking left a lot of people feeling betrayed. I have spoken to so many people who have told me that that was a really turning point for them, people who described themselves as rusted-on Labor voters said they were going to vote for Greens for the first [time].
For issues like this, we know that we are looking at evidence-based solutions. So things like locking up children, putting 10-year-olds in prison, not only is it wrong but it doesn’t work. And we want to make our community safer with evidence-based solutions. That’s what we heard from the community.
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Deputy opposition leader lays blame on government for rising interest rates
The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, was also on Sunrise alongside Jason Clare and weighed in on the topic:
The treasurer has targeted the Reserve Bank, I’m not going to do that. I simply make this point: In the UK, interest rates are being cut. In Canada, in New Zealand, they’re on their way down in the US. So what’s different here? Why is this not happening here?
It is the government’s mismanagement of the economy. Australians are not going to get those years back. [I’ve] got some advice for Jim Chalmers: put down the megaphone and pick up the mirror. Because taking responsibility is so important right now for the Australians that we know are really anxious, really worried, looking at those monthly bank statements and just not knowing how they’re going to meet their commitments. It is important that we have an economic plan and that’s not present. That’s not anywhere in sight from where I’m sitting.
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Minister says banks need to play role in helping people pay mortgage
The education minister, Jason Clare, was on Sunrise earlier this morning.
He was asked to respond to comments from the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, yesterday that some owner-occupiers “may ultimately make the difficult decision to sell their homes” where income is not keeping up with essential spending and their mortgage repayments.
Clare said that “I don’t want anyone to have to sell their home”:
It is easy to say, ‘Look, people might have to sell their home’, but not if it’s you. Not if it is your life savings, not if it is your life work to save for a deposit, buy a home. That’s why we’ve got to get inflation down and if we get inflation down [we will] make it easier for the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates.
Inflation has dropped from about 8.4% down to 3.5%, but there’s more work to do there. Tax cuts are important and wage rises, that helps people to pay the bills and pay the mortgage. There’s a role here for the banks as well. Banks play an important role when their customers are struggling to pay the mortgage to provide them with the support and flexibility to pay their mortgage.
If you have a mortgage from the bank and [are] struggling to make repayment, then the banks should – and do – reach out to you and say, ‘Can we change your repayment plan to support you?’ That’s always happened, certainly happened during the pandemic.
Clare said he was not putting the blame on banks but in addition to the role of government and the RBA to bring inflation down, “there’s a role for the banks as well”.
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Dutton says Shorten ‘last adult in room of Albanese cabinet’
Peter Dutton has given some high praise to Bill Shorten after his retirement announcement yesterday, telling the Today show:
I know that he contributed significantly, particularly when he was opposition leader, to national security debates, which are ultimately the most important thing that we can do for our country. And he’s been somebody that who – when you shake his hand or you have a conversation – you do a deal, he honours it.
He’s given an enormous amount to the union movement, and he is as big a figure as Bob Hawke was in the union movement.
And he’s done a lot for his party, I think he’s grown a part of the party. The party’s sort of grown apart from Bill a bit, which he won’t comment on. I think he’s sort of the last adult in the room of that Albanese cabinet, and I think they will dearly miss him when he goes, but his family will get him back. And I think … we don’t agree on politics, but I respect Bill very much.
Shorten thanked Dutton for the “generous” words but said he didn’t agree with the last bit of “politicking” and that the Albanese cabinet is “full of people who just want the best interests of Australia”.
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Shorten looking forward to ‘less travel and less trolling’
Bill Shorten also made his regular appearance on the Today Show, alongside the opposition leader, Peter Dutton.
Shorten said that, in retiring from politics, he is looking forward to “a little less travel and … perhaps a little less trolling.”
I keep a bit of a rough count of the nights away when you’re a politician at a senior level. It’s been about 130 days each year where I’ve just been away at night. So that’s longer than six years away, that’s longer than World War II.
And the other thing I’m not going to miss … [is] all those cowardly keyboard warriors who write crap about you. I can read it, it doesn’t change my mind at all, but when your family’s got to read stuff, at least, maybe, you know, that’ll give my family at least a little bit of relief from having to put up with the slings and arrows because your family are conscripts to your career and your aspirations. So I’m looking forward to a little less travel and, you know, perhaps a little less trolling.
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Shorten says ‘there was a lot of disunity’ when Rudd and Gillard were toppled
Bill Shorten was asked a question he was asked at yesterday’s press conference – whether he had any regrets in his role of toppling Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
He repeated yesterday’s answer by quoting Frank Sinatra – “regrets, I’ve got a few” – but added:
I think that political parties need unity. You’re describing a time where there was a lot of disunity. One of the things that I’m proudest of – which doesn’t necessarily get put up in lights – is that, after 2013, we united the Labor party. And sure, we came close in 2016, we came close again in 2019, Anthony [Albanese] finally sealed the deal with the electorate in 2022. But none of that can happen unless the party is united. And I – yeah, I think that that is a good thing.
No regrets at all? Shorten said “I might have a few” but to list them would “make it all about me”.
At the end of the day, it’s never about the politician. It’s about what you can do with the opportunities that you get. And I never lose sight that we’re only here because people vote for us.
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Bill Shorten says he is ‘at peace’ with two unsuccessful tilts for PM
The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, who announced his retirement from politics yesterday, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning.
Shorten is set to retire from politics in February and take up the position of vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra.
Shorten was asked whether he is “at peace” with the fact he was unsuccessful on two occasions to become prime minister. He responded:
Not winning the election was incredibly disappointing. But what’s ironic is not many people get a chance to try for their dream, and I now see a government in place, I’m really happy with that. And you learn from defeat as well as victory, so I am at peace with it. I understand the mistakes I made. I also understand some of the external factors I couldn’t control.
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eSafety commissioner advised against travel to US following X backlash
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, was advised against travel to the United States amid threats she received for doing her job.
Speaking to ABC RN earlier, Inman Grant detailed how she was targeted and trolled after using her powers as eSafety commissioner to take action against the social media platform X.
Inman Grant described her experience as “harrowing”, and described a “playbook that has been used to try and silence me as a public official with very gendered abuse”.
I mean, you don’t see men getting rape threats or comments about their appearance, their age, their traditional goals in the same sort of weaponisation of their children, family against them.
A subset of the “tens of thousands” of tweets Inman Grant received in the aftermath of Elon Must tweeting about her were examined, and 83% of them were either negative, hateful or threatening in some way.
Inman Grant said there were some “credible death threats” and said she was advised against travel to the US:
I had a trip that I was meant to do to the United States, where a lot of the vitriol stemmed from, and, you know, I was advised by security that I shouldn’t go on that trip because I couldn’t be protected, just because of the way that people could use guns.
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Michele O’Neil said this isn’t about “expecting everyone to have the same opinion all of the time” but continued:
We’re a diverse movement, and people have strong opinions, but it is at its core about who we are and what we stand for. And we don’t walk away when things get tough, we face up to them. And angry individuals lashing out and blaming everyone except themselves doesn’t get us through this.
We need to stay steady on what is in the interest of working people and what’s in the interest of working people is good, clean, strong, effective unions with leaders who see their job as representing workers and their members, not acting in their own self-interest.
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ACTU president fields questions after CEPU votes to break from it
The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Michele O’Neil, was speaking with ABC RN earlier, after the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union voted to break from it over its support for forcing the CFMEU into administration.
The CEPU has also said it wants to establish a blue-collar rival to the ACTU. Asked if she tried to talk the CEPU out of this, O’Neil responded:
No … I think that it’s important that we realise that the union movement – the vast bulk of unions – want to stay part of the united union movement, and have made that really clear.
Is she in talks with other unions who are threatening to do the same, host Patricia Karvelas asked? O’Neil said:
What I’m saying, Patricia, is we’re talking to all of our unions all of the time … I haven’t had any other unions threaten to quit.
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Damaging winds forecast for large parts of Victoria as front crosses state
A severe weather warning is in place for damaging winds across large swathes of Victoria today.
The strong winds are increasing ahead of a cold front, which is expected to cross the state from the west today, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
For the central and Gippsland districts, including the outer suburbs of Melbourne, strong winds averaging 50-60km/h with damaging gusts around 90-100km/h are possible this morning over inland parts, possibly extending to parts of the Gippsland coast and Strzelecki ranges after sunrise.
High based shower activity may produce sudden damaging wind gusts at any time, the bureau said.
Winds should ease from the west from late morning with the passage of the front, which will move into NSW from the evening.
A 100km/h wind gust was recorded at Mount Hotham at 1.46am, and a 98km/h gust at Mount Buller at 3.32am.
Severe Weather Warning for damaging winds, expanding and increasing from this morning.
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) September 5, 2024
For people in East Gippsland, West and South Gippsland and parts of Central, South West, North Central, North East and Wimmera Forecast Districts.
Stay informed: https://t.co/T05ONtx8bB pic.twitter.com/2W1uzC8c2N
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Good morning
And happy Friday. I’m Emily Wind, here to take you through our rolling coverage today. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off!
As always, you can get in touch with any questions or tips via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
More on Bill Shorten as attention turns to who will succeed him in the seat of Maribyrnong.
Guardian Australia understands that Jo Briskey, the UWU’s national political coordinator, is likely to be the left faction candidate for the north-west Melbourne seat to be vacated when Shorten retires in February.
Shorten’s replacement as Labor candidate will be chosen by the national executive next week, along with a candidate for Gorton, to be vacated by former skills minister Brendan O’Connor.
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“His work has made our government better and our nation stronger,” Anthony Albanese said of Bill Shorten as the former Labor leader announced he was quitting politics yesterday.
They were generous words for someone who was never a close ally, writes our political editor, but summed up a man who pioneered the NDIS but fell short in his biggest fight: trying to become prime minister.
Read Karen Middleton’s full piece here:
Plus, Amy Remeikis talks to those who knew him best and worked with him to judge his legacy for Australian politics.
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Jason Clare urges states to sign up to next National School Reform Agreement
The education minister has warned there is “a lot at stake” in the coming months as time dwindles for a number of states to sign up to his proposed funding deal.
This week, the Western Australian government signed up to the next National School Reform Agreement, following the Northern Territory. The proposal increases the commonwealth funding share to public schools from 20% to 22.5%, and double for the NT due to additional need.
Speaking to the NSW Secondary Deputy Principals’ Association’s state conference in Sydney, Jason Clare will say he wants to do the “same sort of deal” with the rest of the country as WA.
And I’ve got $16bn dollars to do it … It’s also not a blank cheque. This funding is going to be tied to the sort of things to help turn around the current decline in students finishing high school. And it won’t happen unless state governments chip in money too.
We can do a deal this year that can lock in extra funding for our public schools and protect it from a future Liberal government ripping it out. If we don’t, and there is a change of government next year, the states that don’t sign up will have to fill the gap themselves. Peter Dutton’s team have made this clear … so there is a lot at stake.
Remaining governments have until the end of September to take up the commonwealth’s proposal, or roll over the current agreement for another year. As the weeks tick over, Clare has showed little indication he will cave in to their demand for the commonwealth to ramp up their contribution to 25%.
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Report reveals private school funding advantage
The majority of private schools receive more school funding than their counterparts in the public sector, a new report reveals, as pressure builds on the federal government to ramp up its economic contribution.
The Australian Education Union (Aeu) report, released today, comes on the same day commonwealth, state and territory leaders gather for national cabinet. On the agenda are stalled negotiations on public school funding, with states including Victoria and New South Wales lobbying the commonwealth to lift its overall contribution to 25%, representing a 5% jump.
The report shows more than half of Australian private schools are receiving more combined government funding per student than public schools of a similar size, location, and with similar student needs. In 2022, 56% of private schools received more funding than their counterparts, compared with just 45% in 2013.
The Australian Education Union federal president, Correna Haythorpe, said funding gaps were as large as $7,282 per student.
This unfair private school funding advantage translates into a school resourcing and staffing advantage and has fuelled a private school capital works boom, while at the same time denying public schools the recurrent funding needed to attract and retain teachers and to address the high level of student needs in the classroom.
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Put the Greens last because they’re extremists, John Howard says
Former prime minister John Howard has labelled the Greens extremist and said the “mob” of voters can see through the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, trying to distance himself from the RBA.
Speaking at a Liberal party fundraiser, in part for the federal seat of Sturt in South Australia, where Liberal moderate James Stevens faces a strong Greens challenge, Howard called on the major parties to put them last. He told the Australian:
Both the major parties should put the Greens last because they’re extremists. They have got extreme positions on foreign policy, extreme positions on economic policy, extreme positions on social policy. Who knows what some of their social views are. They’re so extreme.
Not only do I call on Labor to put the Greens last but I will really dump on any Liberal division that tries to do some preference deal in an individual seat with the Greens. You have got to put them last. We have to make sure it’s a majority government.
In the speech he gave beforehand, Howard attacked the Albanese government, saying the PM and Chalmers were “completely out of their depth” running the economy.
He said “mass public expenditure has kept inflation high” and he attacked the government’s criticisms about the rate cuts:
It’s pathetic. It looks so transparently political. The mob, the public, see through those games.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top overnight stories before Emily Wind takes you through your Friday.
Anthony Albanese is taking a multimillion-dollar package of measures to national cabinet today to address the domestic violence crisis. The package responds to recommendations of the rapid review of prevention approaches, which called for a “significant funding uplift” in certain frontline areas. We also have news of how the criminal justice system in one state appears to punish victims of DV.
Bill Shorten’s resignation has sparked a fierce battle to replace him in the seat of Maribyrnong. It is likely to pit the United Workers Union’s Jo Briskey against a right-faction candidate, with the Australian Workers’ Union insisting the electorate is an AWU seat. Guardian Australia understands that Briskey, the UWU’s national political coordinator, is likely to be the left faction candidate.
Shorten never quite made it to the top of the tree but one man who did, John Howard, has some harsh words for the Greens, labelling them extremist in an interview with the Australian. The former Liberal prime minister says the other parties should preference them last. More coming up.
And, as Jason Clare pushes for more states to sign up to his proposed school funding deal, a new report reveals the gap in funding between the public and private sectors. More on that, too, soon.
