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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Emily Wind and Rafqa Touma (earlier)

Minister orders briefing on $33m grant – as it happened

AFL Kerry OBrien Australia United States Thomas Mayo Dan Himbrechts Martin Farrer Rafqa Touma Sydney Advance Australia
PwC Australia used $33m in federal government funding to develop a digital mental health platform.
PwC Australia used $33m in federal government funding to develop a digital mental health platform. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

What we learned today, Thursday 20 July

Thanks for joining us on the blog today! That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage – here’s what made the headlines:

  • The Gold Coast has offered to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria cancelled. The mayor, Tom Tate, said he is confident the city has the facilities and accommodation to host the games if the federal government provides support via a “re-provision” of funds.

  • The federal government has already declined to provide funding for the Games, and the Queensland government previously ruled out hosting, saying its focus is on the upcoming 2032 Olympics.

  • Senior Department of Defence official Kathryn Campbell has been suspended without pay in the wake of the royal commission report into robodebt.

  • The unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in June and 32,600 jobs were added to the economy, according to the latest ABS figures.

  • The minister for employment, Tony Burke, said Australia is “millimetres shy of half a million new jobs since this government came to office”, highlighting that 54% of the growth is full-time positions for women.

  • Co-author of the voice to parliament handbook Kerry O’Brien said the conduct of the official no campaign has been an “open invitation to racists”.

  • Guardian Australia has annotated and factchecked the official yes and no campaign pamphlets. You can read the yes essay here, and the no essay here.

  • Meanwhile, the Blak Sovereign Movement published its own essay advocating a no vote on the referendum, writing the voice debate “is a waste of your time and energy”.

  • Former Labor leader and unionist Simon Crean was farewelled at a state funeral in Melbourne, with political figures from both major parties honouring him.

  • Two people were killed and six injured by a gunman in Auckland, hours before the Women’s World Cup was due to start in the city. We brought you the latest on a separate liveblog here.

Enjoy your evening and as always, we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Updated

It was a chilly morning across NSW today, with many locations plunged well into the negatives overnight.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology records were broken in Scone, Merriwa, Moss Vale and Bombala:

Meanwhile, parts of Victoria have been issued a frost warning for tomorrow:

‘Closed tenders are anti-competitive’: unions add to criticism of $33m grant to PwC backed company

The Community and Public Sector Union – which represents the bulk of the federal public servants – has also raised concerns about the $33m grant given to a PwC linked startup without an open, competitive process.

Here’s the union’s assistant national secretary, Michael Tull:

Closed tenders are anti-competitive and a corruption risk. We need improved government procurement rules that only provide for closed tenders in exceptional circumstances and where those circumstances are publicly detailed.

Tull and the CPSU have long been critical of public sector work being outsourced to consultants. Those concerns have been amplified after the scandal at PwC involving the misuse of confidential tax policy information.

Updated

Shadow education minister Sarah Henderson has called for Victorian premier Daniel Andrews to resign for cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Appearing on Sky News tonight, she accused Andrews of misleading and betraying regional communities and affecting the state’s international reputation:

Daniel Andrews should resign over this … he should absolutely resign.

… He has trashed our international reputation.

… We have some of the best facilities in the world and he has entered into a very serious agreement …

It is very very serious and he needs to go.

Senator Nita Green said it’s been the “privilege of a lifetime” to co-chair Parliamentary Friends of Football during the past four years.

As the Women’s World Cup kicks off, Green said:

It’s been a long road for the players, coaches and all the staff involved from the day the bid was launched to game day today.

The Matildas are an inspiration to women all over the country. I can’t wait to cheer them on tonight.

Take a second to catch up on today’s biggest headlines with the Afternoon Update, courtesy of Antoun Issa:

Greens to investigate $33m grant to PwC-backed startup as minister orders briefing

The Greens have vowed to use parliamentary process to find out more about the Coalition government’s decision to award $33m of taxpayer funds to a PwC-backed startup without a competitive process.

As Guardian Australia reported earlier on Thursday, the federal Department of Health and Aged Care entered a funding agreement with Innowell Pty Ltd in June 2017 for a series of collaborative research trials known as Project Synergy. Innowell Pty Ltd was established in February 2017, Asic documents show, with one of the largest shareholders being PwC.

The funding was to be used to develop a digital mental health platform. The government then decided not to use the platform, due to health workers finding it an administrative burden. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, is now seeking a briefing from his department on the grant.

Greens senator Barbara Pocock, who is leading a senate inquiry into consultants along with Labor’s Deborah O’Neill, has raised serious concerns about the grant.

We’ve been told that it was a decision of the previous government not to go to open tender and to directly fund this company without a competitive process. I’d say there would be many suppliers in that market who would have jumped at the chance to bid for a contract such as this, so the question is why weren’t they given that opportunity?

… We’ll be asking questions when parliament resumes about precisely what went on and who was responsible. I’m sounding like a broken record here but I’ll say it again, we need accountability and transparency in government, particularly when dealing with private sector suppliers and particularly when dealing with the Big 4 consultants.

Updated

Shorten ‘after a scalp in Stuart Robert’, Liberal MP says

Liberal MP Angie Bell also speaks to the ABC on robodebt:

Certainly people should be held accountable for their actions, but Luke [Gosling] says on the one hand that it’s OK for the Victorian government, for example, to break a promise, and on the other hand it isn’t OK for governments to make mistakes, so which one is it in terms of how we deal with these very big issues?

(This is in reference to Victoria’s decision to cancel the Commonwealth Games).

Bell continues, accusing NDIS minister Bill Shorten of “politicising” the issue:

Robodebt had terrible consequences on very many Australians and the former Coalition government has apologised, the current opposition has apologised for what has happened to many families. We have made those payments to those families that happened two years ago, and I think that Australians realise that Bill Shorten was simply after a scalp in Stuart Robert.

He politicised the whole thing. I’m not sure how much work he has done on the NDIS in the 12 months he has been in the portfolio because every single question time that I have been seated in all he has talked about is Stuart Robert and robodebt.

Updated

Labor MP Luke Gosling tells the ABC there is “no doubt” the royal commission on robodebt was needed:

As a local federal member here in Darwin, I had many people come in to my office who were just in tears about debts they were told that they had and they didn’t, in fact, have them.

It’s a sad indictment on the former government, frankly, but also on some public servants who were part of this scheme and perpetuated it. And the alleged actions of some public servants and some federal politicians during the time of robodebt, there needs to be some accountability.

Liberal MP Angie Bell is appearing on the ABC and is asked about the Gold Coast’s offer to host the Commonwealth Games.

She said she’s been on the phone to mayor Tom Tate and his deputy mayor this afternoon:

He has one small hurdle, which I will say is the Queensland premier, to get over. But certainly the Gold Coast delivered a fantastic Commonwealth Games last time … let’s not rule it out.

Bell is asked what the federal funding component was, and if it is “a bit hypothetical”:

In terms of what the Gold Coast mayor is looking at, it was about the ratepayers not having to pay for that. He said to me it was operational funding that he’d be looking for from the federal government, but of course the Queensland premier will have to be part of that conversation and the last I heard she had ruled it out.

Updated

Police investigating after baby suffered ‘serious head injuries’

Queensland detectives are investigating after a two-and-a-half month old baby was taken to hospital with serious head injuries last month.

In a statement, Queensland Police said the infant, from Marsden, was presented at Logan hospital on 18 June with “serious head injuries”.

Preliminary investigations indicate the injuries may have been inflicted in the days leading up to 18 June.

Detectives from the Logan district child protection and investigation unit are seeking public assistance with their investigation, urging anyone with information to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Updated

Agriculture minister Murray Watt is speaking to the ABC from the Torres Strait Islands, where he is currently visiting.

He reflects on conversations he’s had with community leaders about the Indigenous voice referendum:

… For anyone who has spent time here you’d be aware that Torres Strait Islander culture is very different to mainland Aboriginal culture, and there’s a lot of different history that needs to be recognised as well.

I have taken the opportunity while I’ve been up here … to ask them about their views on the voice, what they’re thinking about, what they want to know more about.

Like much of the country, people are interested in hearing a bit more about it but there’s certainly some strong enthusiasm from the Torres Strait Islanders that I have met with for having a more direct way of having a say over government decisions which, of course, is what the voice is really about.

People march to celebrate both Mabo Day and Zenadth cultural festival on Thursday Island, Torres Strait.
People march to celebrate both Mabo Day and Zenadth cultural festival on Thursday Island, Torres Strait. Photograph: Tyr Liang/AAP

Updated

Assistant minister for employment Andrew Leigh spoke to the ABC about the role of factions in party politics.

One of only two politicians federally not part of a faction, he’s given a speech calling on Labor to rethink the role of factions, arguing they “stifle debate and quash ideas”.

… I enjoy having my only loyalty being to the party itself.

Whether this decision has come at a cost for his career progression is for “others to judge”, he said.

I’m not anti-faction … [but] we should leave space in the party for people who don’t want to join a faction, just as we have space for people who do want to join a faction.

Leigh said over the recent decades there has been a decrease in the number of unaligned members in the federal caucus. He also said the decline of the “centre left” has meant a move away from three factions in the Hawke era, to two large factions now:

I think as we’re looking to attract young progressive activists, it is really important that the Labor party is able to say ‘just be Labor’. If you join the Labor party and you don’t want to be in a faction, you won’t be a second-class citizen.

Updated

Health minister seeks briefing on allocation of $33m to PwC-backed startup

The health minister, Mark Butler, has asked the Department of Health and Aged Care for a brief on the allocation of $33m of taxpayer funding towards a PwC-backed startup.

As Guardian Australia reported earlier on Thursday, the federal Department of Health and Aged Care entered a funding agreement with Innowell Pty Ltd in June 2017 for a series of collaborative research trials known as Project Synergy. Innowell Pty Ltd was established in February 2017, Asic documents show, with one of the largest shareholders being PwC.

The funding was to be used to develop a digital mental health platform. The government then decided not to use the platform, due to health workers finding it an administrative burden.

Policy experts and transparency watchdogs have raised alarm about the grant and called on the federal government to explain why the money was not allocated through an open and competitive process to ensure value for money.

Guardian Australia put multiple questions to both the department of health and the minister’s office asking for any documents that explain how the funding decision was made by the former government, who made the decision, and why the funding was not allocated through a competitive tender process.

On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for minister Butler’s office responded to the list of questions with one line, saying:

The Minister has asked the Department of Health and Aged Care for a brief on the matter.

Updated

NSW police speak on ‘unusual’ pursuit through Sydney’s west

Earlier, Supt Adam Whyte spoke to the media about the police pursuit through Sydney’s west this morning, in which a man and a woman were subsequently arrested.

Whyte said that apart from the pursuit, the woman was being investigated for a separate break and enter, stealing and fraud offences. He said the man had two outstanding warrants in relation to property-related offences and in relation to an aggravated robbery.

Whyte said:

Our proactive crime team here in Liverpool are exceptional … the efforts they have done have been outstanding.

Whyte described today’s pursuit as “unusual” and said different police agencies worked together appropriately to arrest the individuals involved.

The system has worked as it should, the vehicle was monitored from a distance and safely.

He said that despite the alleged reckless nature of their driving, the pursuit was able to be brought to an end.

When questioned on the fact there were no other injuries in relation to the pursuit, Whyte said the timing was “very beneficial” with the “number of users on the road”.

If the vehicle was determined to be stolen, charges would be laid accordingly, he said.

I’d like to thank all the officers for their work today, especially PolAir.

Updated

Rockliff to reshuffle Tasmanian cabinet amid stadium pressure

be Tasmania’s premier is dropping the key health portfolio and will shuffle ministerial roles in his minority government after months of political turbulence, AAP reports.

Jeremy Rockliff conceded the Liberal state government had been “knocked off course” by the departure of two MPs to the crossbench over contentious stadium plans.

The government plunged into minority on 12 May when Lara Alexander and John Tucker quit the party to become independents. They flagged concerns around transparency over a proposed $715m Hobart waterfront stadium, a condition of the AFL granting Tasmania a licence for a team.

During a speech in Hobart today, Rockliff said he would hand over the health portfolio in coming days and announce “small changes” to the roles of cabinet MPs.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff in the Tasmanian parliament.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff in the Tasmanian parliament. Photograph: Rob Blakers/AAP

He said there would be no new MPs in cabinet, and reiterated that he would not call an early election.

My government will not be defined by one issue, and two individuals.

Rockliff said he had “no personal beef” with Alexander and Tucker, who have guaranteed the government their votes of supply and confidence in parliament.

Labor opposition MP Dean Winter said the government “reset” was an admission it had got things wrong.

Updated

Aaaaaaand the Barbie memes continue:

Heat disrupts cancer tests for rural Australians

Hot weather could disrupt vital cancer screening for 1 million rural Australians, prompting calls for better public health education in country communities, AAP reports.

The national bowel cancer screening program delivers home tests to Australians aged over 50, but the kits are not sent out when regions experience average heat above 30.5C.

The hot-zone policy prevents deterioration of samples, but also means people in some rural and remote areas have a shorter window in the cooler months to self-test.

A bowel cancer home test kit
A bowel cancer home test kit. Photograph: Cancer Council

A study by the Daffodil Centre, a cancer research organisation, for the first time calculated 1.02 million eligible Australians are affected by the policy, often in areas with higher levels of disadvantage and already low testing rates.

But targeted interventions like education campaigns ahead of cool weather and direct assistance from health workers could reduce mortality rates.

The study’s lead Joachim Worthington said:

The hope is that when there’s planning around campaigns or government restructuring screening that they’re not applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

It’s mostly just ensuring that whenever planning is made about the screening program ... rural areas aren’t left behind.

Updated

Well wishes are flowing for the Matildas as they prepare to kick off their World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland tonight.

The NSW RFS labelled them “the best in the world”.

Labor MP Libby Coker tweeted support, saying the country was behind them:

And Liberal MP Keith Wolahan said that although he was born in Ireland, tonight his “heart will be beating” for the Matildas.

Updated

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie was also in attendance at Simon Crean’s state funeral today. She tweeted:

A wonderful state service today [at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne] celebrating the life of Simon Crean.

He genuinely loved the regions and despite being on different sides of politics was a great source of wisdom during my time as [Minister] for Agriculture.

Rest in Peace.

Updated

More on Simon Crean’s state funeral, via AAP:

Crean has been remembered as a “beloved son of the Labor party” at a heartfelt service.

The 74-year-old was laid to rest at a state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne today. He died suddenly after exercising in Berlin in June.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese spoke at the service and said:

Simon embodies so much of what truly matters at the heart of the labour movement, that spirit of working together and standing up for each other.

Anthony Albanese embraces Carole Crean, Simon Crean’s widow, at the state funeral
Anthony Albanese embraces Carole Crean, Simon Crean’s widow, at the state funeral. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Crean’s brother, David Crean, recounted his treasured memories and moments spent with his sibling, with whom he shared a special bond.

Trade unionist Bill Kelty, who served alongside Crean as secretary of the ACTU, lauded his friend’s achievements in improving pay and conditions for workers:

Simon’s DNA is in every one of those policies.

Crean’s widow, Carole, said his “incredible” self-belief “gave him the strength to fight for what he believed in”.

His daughter Sarah spoke about the close relationship she had with her father and the support he provided her:

Dad was my mentor in life and what an honour it was to have such a good teacher.

Acting opposition leader Sussan Ley paid her respects on behalf of the Coalition.

Updated

Crean a ‘lion of the Labor party’, Shorten says

NDIS minister and former Labor leader Bill Shorten has penned a tribute to fellow former Labor leader Simon Crean, who was farewelled at a state funeral in Melbourne today.

Shorten described Crean as a “lion of the Labor party and the union movement” and said he served the party with distinction:

He was a fine trade unionist and fierce defender of the worker.

A compassionate and dedicated politician, Simon represented his community in the seat of Hotham for 23 years and was a minister in the Hawke, Keating and Gillard governments.

He rose to the rank of opposition leader, a role he carried out with his trademark integrity and courage – best illustrated by the stand he took against Australia’s involvement in the second Gulf War in Iraq.

Simon was a good man and friend.

Pallbearers at Simon Crean’s state funeral in Melbourne
Pallbearers at Simon Crean’s state funeral in Melbourne. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Updated

Fifa addresses WWC ticket activation concerns

There has been some murmurs online of issues with tickets remaining unactivated in the lead-up to the opening matches of the Women’s World Cup.

Tickets still have not been “activated” yet, with some ticket holders taking to Twitter, worrying their experience at tonight’s match may be affected.

But a representative of Fifa told Guardian Australia that this was all going “according to plan” and that tickets would be activated 2-3 hours before kickoff.

In Sydney, the Matildas are due to kick off their World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland at 8pm, so tickets should activate between 5 and 6pm.

The representative said:

When gates open, that is when the barcode will appear on the app, and when tickets will be activated.

Exactly as planned and exactly as it should be.

Updated

Tony Burke was asked if the jobs figures were hampering the fight against inflation. He said:

The Reserve Bank has particular rules that they need to work too. I will leave it to them to be able to explain that and deal with that.

As far as the government is concerned, we want people to have jobs. We want people to be in work. And we also want, where people previously wanted more shifts and couldn’t find them, now increasingly people who want full-time work are able to find it.

That isn’t to say there aren’t people out there who want to work and are still finding it hard, because of other barriers there in the workforce, barriers that might be there because of disability, barriers to the workforce that might be there for a range of factors. And the government is still working to try to make sure that we can get a better deal for those individuals as well.

Updated

Minister for finance and women Katy Gallagher announces full-time employment for women in Australia is now the highest it has been since 1994 – hitting 57.9% last month.

Updated

Burke hails growth of new jobs

Labor MP and minister for employment Tony Burke just gave a press conference to speak on the new jobs figures:

We are now millimetres shy of half a million new jobs since this government came to office.

The official figure, now that we’ve have 13 months of data, is 498,300 new jobs.

And what is extraordinary of that nearly half a million new jobs in the time that we have been in office is that 85% of them have been full-time jobs … Added to that, female full-time jobs alone are 54% of the growth in jobs.

… We are now seeing that change the lives of people, being able to get full-time work in Australia where that is what they want and that is what they require for their lives.

Updated

This is Lake Hillier in Western Australia, known for its bright pink colour.

Scientists believe its pigment comes from the presence of dunaliella salina, an unicellular algae that is red/pink in colour.

The rest of us believe it is next-level Barbie movie marketing.

Updated

More from Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate’s press conference:

He said there would be “no impasse” on Gold Coast ratepayers to pick up the cost, and that the Gold Coast was “not willing to pick up the cost that Victoria is believed to have blown”.

Cr Tate said he had put calls in to various places, including Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

I rang and I haven’t had a return call.

He said his motivation for putting his hand up was because of the athletes:

They have trained relentlessly. It’s their journey towards the Paris Olympics … the Paralympians and the Olympians themselves would want all these games to hone their skill.

As we noted earlier, the federal government has already declined to provide funding for the Commonwealth Games, and the Queensland government also previously ruled out hosting the Games, saying its focus is on the coming 2032 Olympics.

Updated

Gold Coast mayor says ‘I know it can be done’

Guardian Australia has obtained a copy of Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate’s earlier press conference where he announced the city had put its hand up to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

During the press conference, Cr Tate said the Gold Coast was “games ready”:

The facilities and the legacy facilities that we’ve had here [have been] maintained to the highest level.

… Under the condition that the federal government give us the green light on federal funding, I would absolutely put up our hand and say the Gold Coast can accommodate. I’ll need the Queensland government’s support but we’ll have all the boxes ticked for them to say yes easily.

… I’ve got more facts than most because I was host of the 2018 Games. I know the budget and I know it can be done.

The premier of Victoria’s lemon, the Gold Coast can turn that into lemonade because that’s how we roll.

Tom Tate
Tom Tate: ‘The Gold Coast can accommodate.’ Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Tate is calling on the federal government to re-provision the money allocated for the 2026 Games in Victoria to the Gold Coast “because they’re going to spend the money there anyway”.

Re-provision that and we can make it work.

Updated

New snake species identified

In case you missed it yesterday – a new species of snake has been identified by a team of researchers from the University of Adelaide, the South Australian Museum and the Western Australian Museum.

The desert whip snake is the newest of 15 species of whip snake found in arid habitats and outback towns across the country.

A yellow-faced whip snake in Queensland
A yellow-faced whip snake in Queensland. Photograph: LS Sandiford/Alamy

Dr James Nankivell, a DNA researcher and first author of the study, said:

Unlike other species of whip snake, the desert whip snake has a blueish body with a copper head and tail. It also doesn’t have as much black on its scales as its closest relative.

These subtle but consistent differences in external appearance and genetic evidence have led to us identifying this new species of whip snake.

Nankivell said the desert whip snake’s mildly venomous bite was painful but unlikely to cause humans any serious harm.

Our country is home to more species of reptile than anywhere else in the world and there are still even more species just waiting to be discovered.

Updated

More on the Blak Sovereign Movement’s own version of a no essay on the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum:

The movement’s essay describes the voice as “something that pretends to be a great change, but provides none”, claiming it is “nothing but cheap window dressing to constitutional recognition”.

Instead, the essay calls for “recognition of sovereignty and truth-telling”, as well as calling on the government to implement all recommendations from the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody and the Bringing them Home report:

Do not be bullied by the Yes campaign and do not be intimidated by the racists. Do not let yourself be emotionally blackmailed. There are many good reasons to say No.

If the only voices you are hearing or amplifying are the ‘progressive Yes’ or ‘the conservative/racist No’, it shows you are failing to engage with the diverse spectrum of grassroots Blak voices across the country. We may not be on the front page but we are most definitely still here.

Updated

Blak Sovereign Movement releases own version of no essay on voice referendum

Senator Lidia Thorpe and the Blak Sovereign Movement have blasted both the yes and no campaigns for the Indigenous voice, but are still calling for voters to defeat the referendum later this year.

The Victorian independent’s office has released a statement on behalf of the Blak Sovereign Movement, which is advocating for people to vote no on the referendum over their belief that the voice would not go far enough in advancing the interests of Indigenous Australians.

Lidia Thorpe gestures as she talks
Lidia Thorpe advocates a so-called ‘progressive no’ vote. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Thorpe was locked out of contributing to the no side’s essay in the referendum pamphlet, which was written by the Coalition and featured mostly conservative talking points. Thorpe, instead, is advocating a so-called “progressive no” vote, and the Blak Sovereign Movement has released its own version of a no essay.

The essay said:

We understand that many well-meaning folk are hurting as a result of being coerced by the Yes campaign, or are afraid to vote No due to the racism of the conservative No campaign.

The Voice debate is not just a waste of resources, it is a waste of your time and energy.

Updated

Telstra to cut nearly 500 jobs

Telstra is cutting almost 500 roles as the telecommunications company works to streamline operations under new CEO Vicki Brady, AAP reports.

The changes would involve a net reduction of around 472 jobs, a spokesman said in a statement on Thursday.

Decisions like this are always difficult. We know and feel the personal impact on our people and their families.

The spokesman said the job cuts addressed impacts from exiting legacy products and services as well as gaining efficiencies from digitisation, automation and new technology.

They are critical for us to remain competitive and achieve our customer ambitions.

There would be no reductions to Telstra consumer teams that served customers in store, over the phone or at home.

Telstra is cutting almost 500 jobs
Telstra is axing almost 500 jobs. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Updated

Some further commentary from Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate, via 9 News Queensland:

Cr Tate has reportedly offered for the Gold Coast to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria cancelled.

He said:

The premier of Victoria’s lemon, the Gold Coast can turn that into a lemonade because that’s how we roll.

9 News Queensland reported Cr Tate called Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to discuss but hasn’t “had a return call” yet.

It’s worth noting the Queensland government has ruled out hosting the Games, saying its focus is on the upcoming 2032 Olympics.

The Guardian has put a call in to Cr Tate’s office.

Updated

Crean a ‘great Australian’ who served with integrity, says PM

Anthony Albanese has taken to social media to honour former Labor leader Simon Crean, who was farewelled with a state funeral in Melbourne today.

The prime minister said:

Today we gather in Melbourne to honour Simon Crean. A great Australian who served his country and his community with humility and compassion, integrity and intellect.

A beloved son of the Australian Labor party, a devoted husband to Carole, a dear friend. May he rest in peace.

Updated

Two in critical condition with meningococcal in SA

Two unrelated cases of meningococcal have been notified in South Australia.

A 36-year-old male and a 13-year-old female from metropolitan Adelaide have both been admitted to hospital in a critical condition. Sixteen close contacts have been directed to receive clearance antibiotics.

There have been 15 cases of meningococcal disease reported in South Australia this year, compared with seven cases reported at the same time last year.

Updated

Andrew Bragg pursues papers from treasurer

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has been busy in the regulatory space since the Coalition lost government, with the NSW senator spending his time looking into whether Australia’s regulatory bodies are up to scratch.

Bragg is chair of the economics references committee in the Senate, which is part way through an inquiry into the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) “capacity and capability” to “undertake proportionate investigation and enforcement action arising from reports of alleged misconduct” to the committee.

So – does Asic have the resources and capability to do its job.

As part of that the committee wanted the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, to produce documents to the Senate. Chalmers, it seems, has not done that. So Bragg will now call on the senator who represents Chalmers in the Senate – finance minister Katy Gallagher – to make a statement explaining why the documents the committee wanted were handed over.

Bragg has reported to the parliament:

The treasurer was ordered to provide the documents to the committee by midday 18 July 2023. In the event of non-compliance, the minister representing the treasurer is required to attend the Senate on Wednesday 2 August 2023 at the conclusion of motions to take note of answers, to provide an explanation of the failure to comply with the orders.

On 18 July 2023 the committee received no response from the treasurer. The committee has considered this and confirms that the orders have not been complied with.

Updated

Gold Coast offers to host 2026 Commonwealth Games

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has announced the Gold Coast has offered to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Victoria cancelled, 9News Gold Coast is reporting.

Tate reportedly said the Gold Coast had sufficient infrastructure and housing in place but would need operation funding from the federal government:

The federal government has already declined to provide funding for the Commonwealth Games, and the Queensland government has also ruled out hosting the Games, saying its focus is on the upcoming 2032 Olympics.

Updated

Canberra imposes fresh sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion

Australia has imposed targeted sanctions on 35 entities in Russia’s defence, technology and energy sections, and 10 individuals, including Russian ministers and senior officials, and senior military personnel in Belarus.

In a joint statement from foreign minister Penny Wong and assistant foreign minister Tim Watts, they said the action was taken in coordination with international partners to have maximum impact on those playing a role “in directly or indirectly supporting Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine”.

Australia has already taken action to impose costs on Russia and has sanctioned more than 1,100 individuals and entities supporting the invasion.

Wong said:

Today’s sanctions underline Australia’s commitment to working with partners to maintain pressure on Russia and those supporting its illegal and immoral war.

Watts said:

Australia again calls on Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukrainian territory and for Belarus to stop supporting Russia’s senseless war.

Updated

Flu prevalence declines across NSW in line with school holidays

Flu activity remains moderate to high across New South Wales but has declined during the past two weeks due to the school holidays, NSW Health says.

Its latest surveillance survey for the week ending 15 July shows that Covid activity continues to decline and RSV activity remains stable.

It said 6,187 people were diagnosed with the flu during the reporting period, a decrease of 14% on the previous week. The decline was greatest among the 5-16-year-old age group.

Hospital presentations for flu-like symptoms were also down.

Updated

Two arrested after pursuit across Sydney’s west

Two people have been arrested following a police pursuit through Sydney’s west this morning, NSW police have confirmed.

Officers were patrolling the Revesby area around 9.30am when they detected an allegedly stolen vehicle travelling along the Hume Highway.

A police pursuit was initiated when the Hyundai Sonata sedan failed to stop as directed.

The pursuit, however, was terminated a short time later due to safety concerns. PolAir continued monitoring the vehicle before it crashed at North Rocks just after 11am.

The male driver and a female passenger were arrested at the scene before being taken into Ryde police station.

Sky News broadcast the final minutes of the chase through suburban roads. The vehicle was shown veering into oncoming traffic and at one intersection crossed into moving traffic.

NSW police said inquiries were continuing.

Updated

NSW’s jobless rate sinks below 3%, driving national tally lower

New South Wales, which accounts for about a third of the Australian economy, continues to be a jobs-creating machine.

Last month, the jobless rate sank to just 2.9% (cue: politicians claiming the record low) in June from 3% in May. Queensland was another mover, with the unemployment rate last month sinking to 3.6% from 3.9% in the previous month.

Victoria, now sans any Commonwealth Games to look forward to, was unchanged at 3.7%.

No matter how you cut it, the economy is still motoring along well enough for employers to keep wanting to add jobs. Can we start to anticipate a “goldilocks” outcome where the economy avoids a recession and the unemployment rate doesn’t tick up beyond 4%? (We hinted at this outcome here.)

A small retreat in the participation rate last month from a record 66.9% in May helped nudge the jobless rate lower. Hours worked, though, picked up to 1.947bn, underscoring how tight the jobs market remains.

Bjorn Jarvis, ABS’s head of labour statistics, notes the economy has now added 1m jobs since the pandemic began. Let that sink in.

Monthly hours worked increased by 0.3% in June, another sign of the strength of demand for workers. Jarvis said:

Over the past 12 months, hours worked increased 4.7%, outpacing the 3% increase in employment.

Follow on at home here:

Updated

Bob Brown to fight criminal charge over anti-logging protest

Veteran environmentalist Bob Brown will fight a criminal charge stemming from a protest against the logging of land claimed to be home to a critically endangered parrot, AAP reports.

Brown appeared in Hobart magistrates court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to trespassing on 8 November 2022.

It alleged the former federal Greens leader remained on land at Royal George in Tasmania’s east. He said outside court:

We have one of the most critically endangered creatures on the planet in the swift parrot, on the verge of extinction, and they’re cutting down the trees they’re nesting in.

We’re proud to have defended the swift parrot.

Two other protesters, Kristy Alger and Karen Weldrick, also entered pleas of not guilty to trespassing charges relating to the same protest.

Bob Brown, centre, alongside Kristy Alger, left, and Karen Weldrick outside court in Hobart on Thursday
Bob Brown, centre, alongside Kristy Alger, left, and Karen Weldrick outside court in Hobart on Thursday. Photograph: Ethan James/AAP

Brown will return to court on 7 September ahead of an expected two-day hearing at a date to be determined. He said:

We believe we were wrongly arrested in our forests, protecting our wildlife.

Brown’s lawyer Roland Browne hit out at an eight-week adjournment in the case, saying the prosecution had more than enough time to complete the file.

It is estimated there may be as few as 750 swift parrots in the wild, with a declining population trend.

Brown’s court appearance comes after an activist from his foundation was jailed last week for three months after breaching a suspended prison term during separate anti-logging and mining protests.

Updated

Social media managers are definitely embracing the fun this Thursday morning.

First, we have Victorian police on Twitter lamenting the endless Euro pictures flooding our feeds:

And then we have the NSW SES capitalising on the Barbie movie hype, announcing that Barbie has joined as their latest recruit, #OrangeIsTheNewPink:

It’s almost enough to make me want to re-download the Twitter app on my phone. Almost.

Updated

A third of Australians plan to change or cancel health cover

A new survey has shown that nearly one-third of Australians with a health insurance plan to switch or ditch their current plan amid the cost of living crisis.

Conducted by Finder, the survey looked at 1,080 Australians (577 with private health cover) and revealed that 31% of people plan to change or cancel their health cover – equating to roughly 3.3 million Aussies.

Twenty-six per cent plan to renew but might switch policies for a better deal, while 5% plan to cancel entirely.

Health insurance costs are under scrutiny
Health insurance costs are under scrutiny. Photograph: Alan Porritt/AAP

Tim Bennett, health insurance expert at Finder, said:

Aussies have been hit with everything from skyrocketing energy bills to rising petrol prices and food bills and in many cases insurance is the first non-essential to be cut.

We may start to see higher rates of underinsurance over the coming months as many simply won’t be able to afford the policies they need.

Those in the most vulnerable positions are at risk of ignoring health concerns for fear of a medical bill they can’t afford.

Health insurance is one of the most stressful expenses for 14% of Australians who have it, according to Finder’s consumer sentiment tracker.

Updated

The yes and no pamphlets, annotated and fact-checked

The pamphlets written by politicians and published by the Australian Electoral Commission on the upcoming Indigenous voice to parliament referendum have put the official case for a yes and a no vote.

They were not independently fact-checked before publication, so Guardian Australia has added notes to the full essays to help you make better sense of them.

You can read the annotated and fact-checked yes pamphlet here:

And the annotated and fact-checked no pamphlet here:

Updated

Many thanks Rafqa for taking us through the morning! I’ll be with you for the rest of today’s news.

Thanks for joining me on the blog this morning. Time for Emily Wind to take the wheel!

Queensland opens race for billions in government contracts ahead of Olympics

Queensland businesses will bid to “buy Queensland” as they compete for up to $180bn worth of government contracts in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic Games.

The “Q2032” plan launched on Thursday invites businesses with a local workforce to apply for contracts ahead of the Games. First nations- and women-led businesses, along with companies with low-emissions plans, will be looked upon favourably.

Speaking to reporters in Brisbane on Thursday, the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said she would be travelling the “length and breadth” of the state to ensure small and regional businesses also took up these opportunities.

Palaszczuk
Palaszczuk: ‘All Queensland can benefit.’ Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Palaszczuk said:

This is a blueprint for 1000s of businesses across Queensland to get their share of work through a whole range of areas.

This could involve things such as flag sports equipment, cabling, catering, costs, food, laundry services … and seats. There are billions of dollars of opportunities out there for businesses, all Queensland can benefit.

Updated

Economy defies rate rises, adds more jobs than expected in June

Australia’s unemployment rate dropped back to its half-century low of 3.5% in June as the economy defied the Reserve Bank’s rate hikes to add more jobs.

Last month, the economy added a net 32,600 jobs in seasonally adjusted terms, or more than twice the 15,000 expected by economists.

After a revision to May’s jobless, also put at 3.5%, the unchanged tally also beat economists’ expectations of a 3.6% reading.

The Australian dollar jumped a quarter of a US cent to US68.25c in the immediate aftermath of the release. That implies investors reckon there’s an increased chance the RBA will lift its interest rate again in August.

Updated

Lawyers tell inquiry of concerns over secrecy laws

The Human Rights Law Centre and the Law Council of Australia have both raised serious concerns about the operation of secrecy laws designed to protect sensitive information during court proceedings.

HRLC senior lawyer Kieran Pender has told an inquiry the laws “significantly undermined open justice”.

He said the law currently made no mention of open justice, either as an objective or a consideration to which the court could have regard.

Among other things, he recommended that an independent advocate be appointed where the NSI Act is used to ensure someone is in court arguing for open justice.

[The open justice advocate] addresses an all-too-real vice in these cases where secrecy otherwise suits the interests of all of the parties.

The Law Council of Australia said the way the NSI Act was operating represented an “unacceptable restriction on the right to a fair trial, and to a public hearing and the principle of open justice”.

The inquiry has already heard submissions about the huge practical hurdles faced by lawyers working on cases where the NSI Act is invoked. Among other things, the law allows the government to effectively dictate which lawyers can act for defendants by imposing a security clearance requirement.

Lloyd Babb SC, the chair of the law council’s national security law working group and the Northern Territory’s top prosecutor, said the law was at odds with Australia’s international obligations.

Without significant amendments, these provisions permit an unjustified interference to a person’s legal right to a legal representative of his or her choosing. This is a critical facet of the rule of law and it is protected by Australia’s obligations under international human rights law.

Updated

June unemployment rate falls

June jobless rate eases to 3.5% from 3.6%, matching half-century lows.

Updated

Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong throws her support behind the Matildas as the Fifa Women’s World Cup kicks off tonight.

June jobs data could be telling for RBA’s interest rate stance

We’ll shortly get the June labour market numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with a strong showing likely to lift expectations of another rate rise by the Reserve Bank.

As it stands, investors have settled on the view that there’s only one more 25 basis-point increase in the works, and probably not at the RBA’s 1 August meeting:

Now labour numbers can be sliced and diced various ways. The drop in the jobless rate in May to 3.6% was a surprise – but the nearly 76,000 extra jobs created was an even bigger one.

For June, market consensus is that the jobless rate will remain at 3.6% with a net 15,000 jobs added. Hours worked will be another thing to watch.

Anyway, watch out for the data dump at 11.30AEST.

Updated

Liddell’s closure nudged power prices higher but trend is a friend

Eastern Australia’s wholesale power prices increased in the June quarter, although they remained well below the level reached during the energy crisis a year earlier, the Australian Energy Regulator says.

New South Wales posted the highest spot pricing with an average of $148 a megawatt-hour, up from just over $100/MWh during the first three months of the year. During last winter’s energy squeeze, prices averaged about $320/MWh.

For the June quarter, Queensland and South Australia’s wholesale prices averaged about $140/MWh, Victoria’s just under $100, while Tasmania’s were cheapest at $65.

Despite AGL Energy giving the market more than seven years’ notice it was closing its Liddell coal-fired power plant in the Hunter Valley, its final demise still resulted in an uptick in prices for the quarter.

The outlook, though, is a bit more promising with wholesales prices coming down (though it won’t affect our bills for a while yet):

A generally mild winter – today being one exception across most of the south-east – has kept energy demand restrained. Read more about the market here:

Updated

Kate Chaney calls for public sector reform

Independent MP Kate Chaney says the suspension of Kathryn Campbell “is a start” but public sector reform must follow as a priority.

“After being ‘responsible for a department that had established, implemented and maintained an unlawful program’, suspension of Kathryn Campbell is a start,” Chaney tweeted.

But the cultural issue goes much deeper than individuals. Public sector reform must be a priority of this govt.

Updated

Police apprehend driver after western Sydney car chase

Police have apprehended a driver after a car chase through Sydney’s west that was broadcast live on Sky News.

Police swarmed the vehicle, a white Camry sedan, and handcuffed one person. The car came to crashing halt after an earlier collision.

Sky News, which carried the final minutes of the chase through suburban roads, said the pursuit had begun 30 minutes earlier.

The car drove from Bankstown through the Hills District and crashed into a traffic island in north Parramatta, Sky said.

The vehicle was shown veering into on-coming traffic and at one intersection crossed into moving traffic.

Updated

An independent watchdog is contemplating telling the government to greatly reduce the scope of national security information that is covered by secrecy laws after “extraordinary” evidence this week.

The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Grant Donaldson is currently probing secrecy laws designed to protect sensitive information during court proceedings, most notably in the prosecutions of Bernard Collaery, Witness K, David McBride, and Witness J. Intelligence agencies believe the law – known as the National Security Information Act (NSI Act) – is necessary to prevent sensitive material being exploited by foreign spies, who see court cases as a way to obtain information about Australia’s intelligence sources, methods, capabilities, and priorities.

But Donaldson said this morning that the evidence of Commonwealth prosecutors on Wednesday shocked him by revealing the breadth of material that was affected by the secrecy laws in cases where the NSI Act was invoked.

When the scales fell from my eyes in relation to this, some views that I had developed I’m rather thinking about reviewing, I must say, quite significantly. Because if the view is taken that in a criminal matter in which the NSI act is invoked, every single document that is held by the Crown and every single document that is held by a defendant – because on the definition as articulated by the DPP it relates to national security, because you’re in a trial where the act has been invoked – that seems to me to be just an extraordinary proposition. And if that’s where we are, then I think what is going to have to happen is a very significant narrowing of the scope of the definition of national security information.

Here is a look at last night’s forum on the Voice in Sydney, where minister for Indigneous Australians Linda Burney joined Indigenous lawyer Noel Pearson to discuss “why a vote for yes is a vote for unity and hope”.

You can read more on Burney’s comments at the forum from Ben Doherty’s reporting here:

BHP acknowledges deaths after setting iron ore record

BHP Group has recorded its highest ever annual iron ore production, while flagging challenges ahead due to volatile economic conditions.

The world’s biggest listed miner also acknowledged the deaths of two workers during the financial year and pledged to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries at its operations.

In an operational review released on Thursday, BHP said its Western Australian ore production results were helped by productivity gains in its supply chain, rail network and unloading facilities.

BHP chief executive Mike Henry said:

Competitiveness will be ever more important as we enter the new financial year and at a time when there are new challenges and opportunities to resource development and global economic volatility.

BHP and rivals Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals are grappling with a faltering pandemic recovery in China, the major buyer of Australian iron ore.

BHP has forecast an increase in iron ore production this financial year of up to 294m tonnes, up from 285.3m tonnes last year.

Updated

Margaret Kelly served with eviction notice

The last remaining resident of the Barak Beacon public housing estate in Port Melbourne has been given an eviction notice.

Margaret Kelly, 68, has been living in the estate for 25 years and has been fighting to keep her home since the redevelopment was announced.

The eviction notice is the result of VCAT proceedings launched against by the Victorian Labor Government, which is in the process of demolishing the estate.

Margaret Kelly in her home holding her dog.
Margaret Kelly has lived in Barak Beacon for 25 years. Photograph: Penny Stephens/PENNY STEPHENS

The government plans to lease the land to a company that will build new dwellings there, with a mix of social, affordable and market rental homes.

The redevelopment will achieve a minimum 10% increase in social housing and provide more housing options for people on low and medium incomes, the government has said.

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam:

In the midst of a housing crisis, evicting public housing residents and demolishing public homes when no contracts for reconstruction have been awarded is criminal.

Margaret will now be forced to leave her home of 25 years because this Government is utterly addicted to privatisation, and refuses to keep public land in public hands.

If other estates are anything to go by, Barak Beacon will be flattened and no homes will be rebuilt for years like we saw at Walker Estate in Northcote, where the site has laid vacant for five years.

Guardian Australia’s inequality reporter Stephanie Convery has covered Kelly’s fight to stay in her home along the way. You can read more here:

Updated

Bruce Highway open again

After yesterday’s seven vehicle crash, Qld police have confirmed one lane of the Bruce Highway at Bajool in Rockhampton is now open.

Updated

‘We don’t make apologies for making the right decision’, Victorian minister says

Asked if the 2026 Victorian Commonwealth Games cancellation would damage Victoria’s reputation on the global stage, Dan Andrews’ government frontbencher Colin Brooks says the state government was acting in the “best interests” of the state:

We don’t make apologies for making the right decisions for the Victorian people … I’m sorry that people will be disappointed, I’m sorry that athletes will be disappointed.

Updated

Minister first heard of games axing at cabinet meeting

Andrews government frontbencher Colin Brooks is holding a press conference where he is being questioned about the state’s cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The Andrews government on Tuesday announced the games would not go ahead in Victoria, citing a significant cost blowout from $2.6bn to $6-$7bn.

Brooks, the state’s housing minister, says he first heard of the $6-$7bn cost blowout figure at a cabinet meeting on Monday that endorsed the cancellation.

Updated

Six years to save for a deposit for a home in Sydney and Melbourne

First-home buyers face house prices three times higher than previous generations, while only earning 1.6 times the income, according to new research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).

Professor Stephen Whelan of the School of Economics University of Sydney:

Our research certainly shows that over the last 30 years, ownership rates for households at age 30 to 34 have declined substantially; from 65% of people born in the mid to late 1950s being homeowners by age 30­ to 34, to only 45% of people born in the mid to late 1980s

Almost a third fewer first-home buyers are achieving home ownership than in previous decades, with the research showing younger generations are less likely ‘to catch up’.

After 10 years the ownership rate ‘gap’ when comparing the 1950s cohort to the 1980s cohort (at age 40 to 44) has closed by less than half, and after 20 years (at age 50 to 54), the ownership rate is only around 75% of the 1950s group.

Australian bank notes in a wallet.
One-third fewer first home buyers are achieving home ownership than in previous decades. Photograph: Zoonar GmbH/Alamy

There are fears among policymakers that Australia may see large falls in living standards and increases in poverty among people who have retired but are still renting.

One of the key constraints younger people are facing in wanting to buy a home today is the need to save enough to be able to pay a deposit or downpayment.

If we measure housing affordability by the time required to save for a deposit for a ‘typical’ dwelling for an ‘average’ household, we see that in markets such as Sydney and Melbourne, it now takes over six years.

Updated

PM dodges questions on whether discussions about commonwealth funding were held

BeAs he’s on Melbourne radio, Anthony Albanese spends much of this ABC interview being asked about the Victorian government decision to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

In particular, why there was no commonwealth funding announced for the games, in the last budget.

The prime minister says the games hadn’t been held yet and there are “a couple of budgets between now and 2026”.

Albanese would not go into any detail about whether there had been discussions about commonwealth funding, despite being pressed several times, other than to say the federal and state governments have discussions about a lot of things, all the time.

The opening ceremony at the 2022 commonwealth games in Birmingham.
The opening ceremony at the 2022 commonwealth games in Birmingham. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

On the issue of whether Daniel Andrews should apologise to the athletes who had been preparing for the games, Albanese says that is a matter for the premier.

Albanese says the federal government was advised shortly before the public announcement of the decision to scrap the games.

“We were advised just prior to the announcement,” he said.

It’s a decision of the Victorian government. I certainly think that for the athletes, it’s a very difficult decision for them who would have been looking forward to participating in the Commonwealth Games at our home games, as they did in Melbourne in 2006. And, as they did, more recently on the Gold Coast, but this was a decision made by the Victorian government.

Updated

Voice no campaign 'an open invitation to the racists in our nation': Kerry O'Brien

Speaking about the no campaign Kerry O’Brien told Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast today:

I think the way this campaign has been conducted has been an open invitation to the racists in our nation to come out of the woodwork and vent. And now with social media, they’re able to do that without having to look you in the eye as they do it. They can do it anonymously. They can do it in a cowardly way.

And when I heard Peter Dutton accusing the Prime Minister of re racializing Australia, it was the pot calling the kettle black. The truth is that it is precisely that kind of terminology that has been, I think, a part of the process of inviting the racists amongst us to come out and be heard.

On the official referendum pamphlet he said:

There is a web of fabrication that is reflected in the No campaign, but it is reflected in this pamphlet, and it doesn’t surprise me … they talk about it would somehow elevate Indigenous Australians to a position of greater privilege.

The solicitor general of Australia, along with a raft of high court judges, senior pre-eminent constitutional academics and so on, all of whom are saying essentially the same thing: that this voice does not represent risk to the constitution, to the court system, to the system of executive government.

Today Guardian Australia launched The voice AMA, our new podcast series taking your questions on the voice.

Kerry O’Brien was joined by Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam and Queensland Young Australian of the Year Saibai Koedal (crocodile) woman Talei Elu.

Updated

Albanese on radio rounds

Anthony Albanese is doing the ABC radio rounds this morning – now speaking to ABC radio Melbourne.

He is of course asked about Kathryn Campbell and how long the suspension will be for, and says much the same thing he said to NSW listeners:

One of the things the royal commission was about was making sure we get proper processes so we don’t have the sort of governance arrangements whether it be some of the actions of the public service, but more particularly as well, the actions of government ministers.

Updated

Albanese refuses to detail Kathryn Campbell’s suspension

On ABC Melbourne, Anthony Albanese was asked who made the decision to suspend Kathryn Campbell.

Albanese said the decision was made “by the department of the prime minister and cabinet, and appropriate bodies”.

He said:

It’s not appropriate given the potential legal matters involved to go through all of the detail there. Certainly there has been an appropriate response from my department, and from the public service to the royal commission findings.

Asked how long the suspension is for and whether it will result in a full dismissal, Albanese said he won’t go into the details because “individuals do have rights as well, we’ll go through appropriate processes”. Albanese said the findings of the royal commission were “more damning than anyone was expecting”.

Copies of the robodebt royal commission report.
Anthony Albanese said royal commission findings were more damning than expected. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Campbell has not responded to media requests for comment after the royal commission report, but at the hearings Campbell defended her handling of the matter and said she had assumed the scheme was lawful despite earlier advice raising serious questions.

During questioning at the royal commission, Campbell said:

I have never been in a department that sought to mislead. And I have never been involved in an operation that has sought to mislead the government.

Updated

Kathryn Campbell has not commented publicly on the royal commission report

Kathryn Campbell has not responded to media requests for comment after the royal commission report, but at the hearings Campbell defended her handling of the matter and said she had assumed the scheme was lawful despite earlier advice raising serious questions.

During questioning at the royal commission, Campbell said:

I have never been in a department that sought to mislead. And I have never been involved in an operation that has sought to mislead the government.

Updated

Anthony Albanese confirms Campbell suspension

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was asked about the suspension of Kathryn Campbell on ABC Radio.

Albanese said:

I’m not going to comment on individual cases in detail about the future because there are processes in place. But I certainly have been advised that that is the case. And I think that that action – of course most people who have a look at the human tragedy caused by robodebt and the findings of the royal commission are very clear, about failings by the Morrison government and indeed before, going back to when [Scott] Morrison was the minister and indeed the bureaucracy as well, and it’s appropriate that there be a response to that.

Morrison has said he “completely” rejects adverse findings, claiming they were “wrong, unsubstantiated and contradicted by clear documentary evidence presented to the commission”.

As the cabinet minister who brought the robodebt proposal to cabinet, Morrison said he had “acted in good faith and on clear and deliberate department advice that no legislation was required to introduce the scheme”.

Melbourne’s most unsafe roads

RACV’s inaugural My Melbourne Road survey has named the city’s top ten most unsafe roads and intersections.

Among them are Sydney Road in Brunswick and Coburg, Dandenong Road in Windsor, Prahran and Caulfield, and North Road in McKinnon, Oakleagh and Clayton.

The spot where Moonee Valley’s Mount Alexander Road meets with Keilor Road received most responses for safety concerns in both the intersection and road categories.

Intersection safety was the area of greatest concern raised, followed by unsafe behaviours of other drivers like speeding and erratic driving, RACV head of policy James Williams said.

Notably, four of the roads and intersections with the most number of safety concerns identified pedestrian or cyclist related issues as a primary concern.

Updated

Federal Labor snubbed NSW Liberals’ plan to end logging in native forests

It’s a case of what might have been, with Liberals in the former Perrottet government in New South Wales putting together a multi-pronged effort to end native forest logging prior to last March’s election.

There were several strings to this bow but in particular the plan sought to generate carbon credits from reining-in the loss-making industry that would be used to compensate loggers and their communities (and pay for additions to the national park estate), as we report here this morning:

There were several hurdles to this plan, not least the NSW Nationals who were not supportive. Another though, came from the Albanese government.

A letter seeking changes to how carbon credits can be generated was sent by then environment minister James Griffin and energy minister (and treasurer) Matt Kean to their federal counterparts in December last year. However, neither Tanya Plibersek nor Chris Bowen bothered to reply, we understand.

The election of the Minns Labor government in March has left a big question mark. It’s not Labor policy to end native logging in state forests but given the depletion of the timber reserve (and all our precious critters therein) and the prospect of another bad bushfire season ahead, the issue is not going to disappear.

Who knows, elements of the Liberal plan might even get picked up by Labor. It won’t be easy for the opposition to reject their own scheme after all.

BOM says weather will be just perfect for Matildas match

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts clear skies and dry conditions at the Accor Stadium in Sydney for the Matildas’ first match of the Fifa Womens World Cup.

Updated

Kathryn Campbell suspended after robodebt inquiry findings

Senior Department of Defence official Kathryn Campbell has been suspended without pay in the wake of the royal commission report into robodebt.

Guardian Australia has confirmed that Campbell was suspended without pay, effective Monday 10 July – three days after the royal commission report was tabled.

The Canberra Times was the first to report the suspension.

The royal commission report tabled in parliament said Campbell, a former head of the Department of Human Services, had been “responsible for a department that had established, implemented and maintained an unlawful program”.

Kathryn Campbell
Kathryn Campbell was suspended without pay three days after the royal commission report was tabled. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

But Campbell “did nothing of substance” when exposed to information that brought to light the illegality of income averaging, the report said, and “failed to act” when presented with opportunities to obtain legal advice.

The Department of Defence has previously declined to comment on Campbell’s future as a senior adviser on Aukus projects. But when the royal commission report was released, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said:

Agency heads are of course empowered to take immediate action, pending further investigations, and I am very confident that they will.

Campbell has not responded to media requests for comment after the royal commission report, but at the hearings Campbell defended her handling of the matter and said she had assumed the scheme was lawful despite earlier advice raising serious questions.

During questioning at the royal commission, Campbell said:

I have never been in a department that sought to mislead. And I have never been involved in an operation that has sought to mislead the government.

Updated

Buy now and pay later used to pay for food and petrol as cost of living bites

More people are being forced to use buy now pay later services to pay for basics such as food and petrol, as the cost of living and inflation continue to rise, AAP reports.

The survey conducted by Financial Counselling Australia found more than 80% of counsellors said clients were using buy now pay later for general retail.

A total of 71% said clients were using buy now pay later for food, and 41% said they were using it for petrol. Almost one-third said clients were using the services for utility bills.

Fruit and vegetables displayed.
A survey finds 80% of financial counsellors say clients are using the buy now and pay later service for general retail. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

And 93% said more clients were using buy now pay later in general.

Financial Counselling Australia chief executive Fiona Guthrie said she was concerned with the findings.

BNPL was never intended as a way to pay for everyday living expenses.

But the ease of accessing BNPL loans, combined with mounting cost-of-living pressures, has meant more people are resorting to it just to get by.

Updated

Alice Springs alcohol restrictions extended

Northern Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles says the government is extending takeaway alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs.

Alcohol-related emergency department presentations at Alice Springs ospital have reduced by a third, alcohol related assaults have decreased, and domestic violence has halved since restrictions were introduced, according to evidence pointed to in a government statement.

NT chief minister Natasha Fyles.
NT chief minister Natasha Fyles says the government is listening. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Fyles said:

Alcohol-related harm is one of the Territory’s biggest social challenges.

From risk-based licensing to the Banned Drinkers Register, from the minimum floor price to our Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors, and with record funding for alcohol treatment services and domestic, family and sexual violence, we continue to do more than any previous government to tackle this problem. But we know we’ve still got more work to do.

Our police officers, our hospital staff and our social sector, who work in Alice have been loud and clear – they are all telling us that these restrictions need to stay in place. We are listening to them.

I know that some retailers may not like this approach. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s the right decision. It has to be done. And I thank retailers and other businesses for continuing to work with us.

Updated

Matildas official jersey sales running hot

Updated

Will PNG field a team in the NRL?

Minister for defence industry, international development and the Pacific Pat Conroy has hinted at potentially introducing a Papua New Guinea team into the NRL.

“So many Australians and Papua New Guineans are passionate about rugby league,” he Tweets. “Good to talk with Prime Minister James Marape and Papua New Guinea Bid Chairman Wapu Sonk about getting a talented PNG team into the NRL.”

“Such potential support to bring us even closer together.”

Updated

Simon Crean will be laid to rest today

Good morning from Canberra where it is still below freezing.

The state funeral for former Labor leader Simon Crean will be held in Melbourne today. The prime minister will be there obviously, along with Labor MPs past and present.

That’s happening from 11am.

Updated

Sold out crowd to watch Matildas tonight

Support is pouring in for Australia’s Matildas ahead of their match against Ireland opening Fifa’s Womens World Cup tonight.

Updated

Sydney police shoot man dead in Glebe

Police say a knife-wielding man has been shot dead by police in Sydney, AAP reports.

The officers were called to a home in inner-western Glebe just before midnight over concerns for a man’s welfare.

When police arrived they were confronted by a 43-year-old man armed with a knife.

One officer discharged a Taser before another officer shot the man who was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

A critical incident team from the State Crime Command’s omicide quad will investigate.

The investigation will be subject to an independent review and oversight by the Coroner and the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

Updated

For more updates on the fatal shooting in Auckland this morning, follow along with Helen Sullivan here:

NZ shooting was in construction site

New Zealand Police said the serious incident in Auckland’s CBD involving a gunman unfolded after receiving reports of a person discharging a firearm inside a building under construction on lower Queen Street at around 7:22am.

Police responded and cordoned off the area, and the Police Eagle helicopter was deployed.

The offender moved through the building, continuing to discharge his firearm. On the upper levels of the building, the offender stayed inside an elevator shaft where police staff said they attempted to engage.

“Further shots were fired from the male and he was located deceased a short time later,” the police said. “Details around what has exactly occurred are still emerging and police will continue to provide updates around injuries and the circumstances.”

The incident comes on the eve of the Fifa World Cup, where Australia’s Matildas are up against Ireland on the opening night.

Updated

NZ shooter and two others dead in Auckland, police say

New Zealand Police have confirmed the offender who opened fire in Auckland’s CBD is deceased. They have also confirmed the death of two people, and multiple injuries.

The incident that unfolded at a building under construction this morning has been contained, police say.

Updated

Auckland in lockdown

Here are more visuals of cordoned off streets guarded by armed police in Auckland’s CBD, on the eve of the Fifa World Cup’s opening in New Zealand.

Updated

US players safe

US Soccer has confirmed their players in New Zealand for the Fifa World Cup are “accounted for and safe” amid a shooting in Auckland’s CBD this morning.

They are proceeding with their daily schedule.

Updated

New Zealand PM to address media shortly

New Zealand’s prime minister Chris Hipkins is set to address media at 10:15am New Zealand time about the shooting in Aukland this morning.

The New Zealand Police said the situation was contained to a building under construction in lower Queen Street about an hour ago.

Updated

Reports of gunman on streets of Auckland

Here are visuals of scenes unfolding in Auckland’s CBD, where streets are cordoned off amid reports of an active gunman.

Two people have been confirmed injured in an attack this morning, just hours before the Fifa Women’s World Cup opening match, where Australia’s Matildas are set to compete against Ireland.

Updated

Opposition says Commonwealth Games not forced on Victoria

Opposition leader John Pesutto says premier Daniel Andrews is misleading Victoria about the 2026 Commonwealth Games being forced onto the state.

“The Commonwealth games were hunted for by the Andrews government,” he says on 7’s Sunrise program this morning.

I regret to say to the Victorian people and the Australian people that he is pretending the games were forced on Victoria.

They went hunting for it in 2021. There was no business case to back it up. They locked Victorians into something it now turns out we could never afford and the reason we are not running the games ultimately is because we are broke down here under the Andrews government.

Updated

Police shut down Auckland CBD streets amid reports of gunman

Police have cordoned off several streets in Auckland’s CBD as they respond to a serious unfolding incident involving a reported gunman.

St John Ambulance have confirmed two injured people in an attack this morning.

Local outlet Newshub reports a police officer is among the hurt.

Read the full story here:

HIV could be eliminated in Australia

A bit of good news this morning, courtesy of AAP: Australia is on the brink of eliminating HIV.

There has been a steady decline in rates of HIV recorded over the past decade, pointing us in the direction of eliminating the disease.

Australia has recorded a steady 46% fall in rates of HIV over the past decade and could be on track to virtually eliminate the insidious disease.

555 cases were recorded in 2022, compared to a total of 1037 in 2013, figures released by the Kirby Institute today show.

Australia’s rate of decline is in line with other leading countries in northern Europe, and ahead of rates in the US and Canada.

Professor Sharon Lewin.
Professor Sharon Lewin says Australia is poised to be one of the first countries to eliminate HIV. Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

A “virtual” elimination does not mean zero new cases of HIV – but an absence of sustained endemic community transmission.

Sharon Lewin, the International AIDS Society president and director of the Peter Doherty Institute, said Australia has maintained a progressive approach to HIV since the very beginning of the pandemic in the early 1980s.

Australia is poised to be one of the first, if not the first, countries to achieve virtual elimination of HIV.

Gay and bisexual men still make up the majority of HIV diagnoses but now represent a smaller portion, accounting for 57% of new cases last year compared with 79% in 2013.

Andrew Grulich, who heads the Kirby Institute’s HIV epidemiology and prevention program, said the group could be virtually HIV-free within the next three to five years.

Updated

Electricity prices increase

The Australian Energy Regulator’s new wholesale markets report found average spot prices in the national electricity market increased from April to June, compared to the preceding quarter, AAP reports.

The onset of winter, the seasonal decline in solar generation, and reduced cheap coal capacity offered in Queensland and NSW has driven the higher demand.

Looking at higher wholesale costs of electricity – the exit of the Liddell power station in April contributed to higher wholesale prices, but was partly offset by new solar, wind and battery capacity.

Wind output reached record levels in June.

Power lines in Canberra.
Prices increased from April to June compared to the previous period. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

East coast gas spot market prices averaged $14.50 per gigajoule – mostly due to supply constraints at the Longford gas plant, and transportation constraints on the Moomba to Sydney pipeline during a period of high Victorian demand.

The Iona gas storage facility in Victoria finished the quarter at a record high level of capacity – the regulator said this is critical to managing extra demand.

The regulator was pleased to see prices remain well below the highs of the second quarter of 2022 as states face the remaining winter months.

“The second quarter of 2022 was an extremely challenging time for the sector,” AER board member Justin Oliver said.

We’re pleased the factors that drove the high prices at that time weren’t present to nearly the same extent this year.

We have seen far fewer coal generator outages and more coal capacity offered into the market than the same period last year.

The report warned higher-than-expected summer temperatures and lower-than -average rainfall will likely to contribute to higher prices in the first half of next year.

Updated

Thanks Martin Farrer for kicking off the blog this morning.

I’m Rafqa Touma, taking the blog for the day. If you see anything you don’t want us to miss, let me know on Twitter or Threads.

To the news!

Start voice conversations with friends and family, Mayo urges

Last week Guardian Australia revealed that Advance Australia was paying for social media advertising that claims the voice proposal was either too much or not enough, depending on the demographic targeted.

O’Brien has co-authored a handbook on the voice with referendum working group member Thomas Mayo.

Thomas Mayo.
Thomas Mayo urges Australians to initiate conversations with family and friends about why they will vote yes. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Mayo urged attendees at the Sydney campaign event to start conversations with friends and family about why they were voting ‘yes’.

“I want you to do that in a respectful way, in a way that will listen to their views so that you can put the best position back to them about why they should support it,” the Kaurareg Aboriginal, Kalkalgal and Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man said.

He said he believed “a great majority” of Indigenous people would vote for change in the referendum, due in the last quarter of 2023.

Updated

Kerry O'Brien attacks no campaign 'lies'

Australians will be asked later this year whether they support an Indigenous advisory body being enshrined in the constitution.

“I see lies being told and not properly challenged,” O’Brien said on Wednesday night, AAP reports.

“I ask myself if there is a strength to the ‘no’ campaign against this referendum, why do the people substantially behind that campaign feel the need to lie?

“What does that tell us about the authenticity of what is motivating them?

“These are questions that I believe should be dealt with in a transparent and strong way by media and I have not seen it.”

O’Brien did not name individuals but called out the actions of the conservative political lobby Advance Australia.

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ll be bringing you some of the best overnight stories before Rafqa Touma slips into the hot seat.

Australia may lose its only chance for indigenous constitutional recognition if the referendum on the oice is defeated later this year, the minister for indigenous Australians has told a yes rally in Sydney. “If we miss this moment, we may never get it again,” Linda Burney told a packed Sydney own hall on Wednesday night. Veteran journalist Kerry O’Brien took aim at unnamed no campaigners, saying they were telling lies.

We’ve also got the first of a new series of podcasts on the voice with our Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam, journalist Kerry O’Brien, and Queensland Young Australian of the Year Talei Elu answering all your questions.

An Australian-led research team has uncovered the first genetic link to strong immunity against Covid-19, which may help to explain why some people never develop any symptoms of the illness. A person who carries one copy of the protective HLA-B15 gene is twice as likely to remain asymptomatic after infection with the Sars CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, while someone who carries two copies of the gene is eight times more likely to have no symptoms, the research, published in the journal Nature, found.

The AFL should consider following the lead of American football in “severely limiting full contact practices” to “dramatically reduce the risk” of players developing neurodegenerative disease, a US expert has told the first hearing of the inquest into the death of the late AFL player, Shane Tuck. The hearing in Melbourne last night heard that the NFL achieved an estimated reduction of more than 60% in head impacts.

Updated

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