What we learned, Thursday 13 March
That’s where we’ll wrap it up this evening. Here’s a rundown of some of the main events today:
The trade minister, Don Farrell, said the US had done itself “great harm” by imposing tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, including from Australia.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the federal budget on 25 March will include extra support for a “buy Australian” campaign as a result.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said retaliatory tariffs on the US would not be “in the interest of the Australian economy or Australian workers”.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, responded to reports of discontent among Coalition MPs.
Leonardo DiCaprio drew the world’s attention to the government’s decision to allow the mining company South32 to clear native forest in WA for bauxite mining. Albanese brushed aside the criticism.
NSW premier Chris Minns said he will not repeal controversial hate speech laws in the wake of revelations a number of antisemitic attacks were not hate crimes but a plot by organised crime figures to distract police and influence prosecutions.
The nation’s energy regulator says Australians should expect to see their power bills get more expensive over the coming year.
The AFP have conducted raids on properties in Melbourne today, reportedly in connection with alleged criminal and corrupt conduct in the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union.
A man has been arrested and charged after allegedly making a bomb threat to an Islamic school in south-western Sydney.
Islamophobic incidents – including physical attacks, verbal harassment, people being spat on and rape threats – have doubled in the past two years, new research showed.
Home affairs minister Tony Burke is reviewing the visa of an American influencer visiting Australia who stole a baby wombat from its distressed mother and uploaded the footage to social media.
Naplan tests were hit with a technical issue, causing a temporary delay for some Australian students this morning.
Nine Entertainment has formally appointed its former finance and strategy chief Matt Stanton as CEO.
The federal government announced a $1bn investment in a “missing link” rail connection in western Sydney.
The family of the surfer presumed taken by a shark off the coast of Western Australia has paid tribute to a “beloved partner, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend”.
Thanks so much for your company today. We’ll be back here tomorrow (Friday!) bringing you all the news of the day. Look after yourselves till then.
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Albanese says American influencer who took baby wombat from its mother should try it with a croc
Albanese was also asked about Sam Jones, the American hunting influencer who took a wombat joey from its mother and filmed both the joey and parent’s distress.
Asked if he thought the influencer was “welcome in Australia”, Albanese suggested she try taking a baby crocodile from its parent instead:
Well, I’ve got to say, I’ve seen that footage of a baby wombat being taken from its mum. Now, wombats are amazing creatures. I did a walk not long ago around Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. And you come across these amazing creatures. They’re not kangaroos. They don’t run fast. They are gentle, lovely creatures.
To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage. And, you know, I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals. Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there. Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother. See how you go there.
(This is not the point, but wombats are not always gentle – absolutely do not get in the way of an angry or scared wombat, even very small ones can barrel at you with a significant amount of force!)
There’s more on the influencer’s video and the public backlash here:
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PM dismisses criticism from Leonardo DiCaprio over bauxite mine approval in SA
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has dismissed criticism from actor Leonardo DiCaprio for the government’s decision to allow the mining company South32 to clear native forest in WA’s jarrah forests for bauxite mining.
Asking in a press conference this afternoon if he was a fan of DiCaprio, Albanese said:
Oh, depends on the movie, mate.
Asked about the criticism from DiCaprio on the bauxite mine, Albanese said:
If Leonardo DiCaprio knows where a bauxite mine is in Western Australia, I’d be very surprised.
Asked if DiCaprio had a point, Albanese said:
I haven’t seen, I don’t follow Leonardo DiCaprio. He is of Italian heritage and that’s to his benefit.
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Faruqi tells PM Muslim Australians feeling ‘let down’ by Labor’s ‘one-sided approach to racism’
The Greens senator and deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, has written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, after the release of the Islamophobia report showing Muslim women are overwhelmingly the targets of rising Islamophobia in Australia.
Faruqi described Muslim Australians as feeling “let down” by the Labor government and its “one-sided approach to racism”, particularly in the context of the Israel-Gaza war. Faruqi wrote:
I am disturbed by the lack of urgency from your government to address anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism.
The Christchurch mosque massacre on 15 March 2019, when an Australian far-right white supremacist murdered 51 Muslims, changed our lives in this country forever. The sixth anniversary of this terrorist incident approaches at a time when Islamophobia is rife.
It is 2025 and mosques are threatened with violence, racist graffiti is rampant and physical and verbal Islamophobic assaults continue. At the same time, people are losing their jobs, they are being silenced and demonised for expressing an opinion against Israel’s genocide.
This is the time to combat Islamophobia as the emergency it is, not attack those bearing the brunt of this searing hatred.
Faruqi called on the Labor government to fully fund the implementation of the National Anti-Racism Framework in its forthcoming pre-election budget.
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What’s a dog act? An explainer for non-Australians
If you were following this here blog yesterday, you might have seen that Ed Husic, the federal minister for industry, called Trump imposing tariffs on Australia “a dog act”.
If you’re unfamiliar with the meaning of this Australianism, my colleague Caitlin Cassidy has explained it here, to the previously blissfully unaware Julia Hollingsworth – and to you.
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Taylor avoids blaming Trump for tariffs and says real question is how Labor will fix the problem
Taylor claimed that the Coalition was able to “work through it” with Trump and the United States when they were in power because they had “a very close relationship”, “showed respect for [the US] throughout” and “recognised where they were coming from”.
Pressed by the interviewer on whether the tariff imposition is actually the fault – or decision, or responsibility – ultimately of Donald Trump, rather than the Australian government, Taylor brushed off the suggestion to come back to his line about how the Labor government should be doing more.
Taylor said:
Of course, it is not a good thing. We have been very clear about that, we want free trade, we want access to market and I have been clear in many interviews that we do not agree with this US administration on trade.
The real question here is: how are you going to get in and fix the problem?
To Malcolm Turnbull’s credit, at the time, different context, he worked out how to stop the problem in that context. It is now to [this] government to solve the problem in this context and they failed and are looking for people to blame and that is not the right way to go about it.
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Angus Taylor says Australia must act with allies to ‘stop global trade war’ in face of Trump tariffs
The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, has said Australia needs to act with its allies outside of the United States to “stop [a] global trade war” and protect the national economy.
Speaking to the ABC a little earlier about the impact of the US tariffs, Taylor said:
What is very clear is that we did get an exemption when we were in government and this government has failed. We saw the treasurer go off to the US Washington, DC, make a big deal of it and got photo ops, talked to all the bigwigs, and came back empty-handed.
The truth is that the government now has to get on, work with like-minded colleagues, work with our friends in Canada and other countries around the world, to do everything we can to stop global trade war because right now we are not prepared. We are not in the position we need to be, economically, to be able to cope with another shock.
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Reports of AFP raids in relation to construction industry
There are reports that the Australian Federal Police have conducted raids on properties in the Melbourne suburbs of Northcote and Templestowe Lower today, in connection with alleged criminal and corrupt conduct in the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU).
In a statement, an AFP spokesperson said:
The AFP is executing search warrants in Northcote and Templestowe Lower, Victoria, today (13 March, 2025).
The search warrants are part of the AFP’s response to allegations of corruption in the Victorian building industry.
There is no threat to public safety.
Further comment will be made at an appropriate time.
Here’s some background to the allegations against the union:
The CFMEU has been approached for comment.
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Naplan tests hit by 'technical issue'
Naplan tests have been hit with a technical issue, causing a temporary delay for some Australian students this morning.
A spokesperson for Acara, which manages the tests, said it was “aware of an incident that affected the Naplan test platform earlier this morning”.
The spokesperson said:
Action has been taken to address the technical issue and schools have been advised and are able to continue testing.
The delay, which lasted for about 30 minutes, was fixed on Thursday morning and testing was able to resume. Investigations were continuing into how many schools were affected.
A spokesperson for the NSW Education Standards Authority, which was affected by the issue, said it was providing detailed advice to all schools:
Schools who paused testing can restart today, or can choose to postpone until tomorrow. Teachers are able to provide students with extra time to allow for any disruptions to their tests.
Naplan testing kicked off on Wednesday and will run until 24 March.
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NSW police employee charged after alleged breath-test reading of 0.166
A NSW police employee was charged with drink-driving overnight after returning a breath-test with an alleged reading of 0.166.
In a statement issued today, NSW police said the staff member, who is attached to a specialist command, is not a sworn employee (that is, an officer). The 51-year-old woman was stopped in Kellyville on Wednesday night “due to the manner of driving”.
She undertook a roadside breath test which allegedly returned a positive result, and was then taken to Castle Hill police station for a breath analysis.
She has been charged and is due to appear in Parramatta local court on 3 April 2025. Her licence has been suspended and her employment status is under review.
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Trans, non-binary and gender diverse people are experiencing poorer mental health, new research shows
Trans, non-binary and gender diverse people are experiencing poorer mental health in Australia than the broader population, with the crisis only worsening, says new research from the University of Melbourne.
Published this week in BMJ Mental Health, the research tracks the mental health of respondents of all gender identities between 2001 and 2022, the first nationally representative study of its size and scale.
Using the Mental Health Inventory subscale, which scores mental health of an individual between a worst score of 0 and a best possible score of 100, the research found that between 2001 and 2010, TGD Australians registered 5 to 7 points lower than the general population.
Between 2011 and 2022, this difference increased, with TGD Australians registering scores 8 to 13 points worse than cisgender respondents.
Karinna Saxby from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne said:
Trans, non-binary or gender-diverse people are dealing not only with the psychological distress of gender dysphoria, but are also more likely to face social stigma, discrimination, violence and human rights challenges.
These findings show that there is a desperate need for immediate policy action to support the mental health of trans, non-binary and genderdiverse people, as well as the building of better health data structures to help us understand how we can address the gap.
Mayor says man arrested for alleged threat against Islamic school is unemployed and ‘prolific on social media’
The mayor of Canterbury Bankstown says he believes the man arrested and charged for allegedly making a bomb threat to an Islamic school in south-western Sydney to be unemployed and a prolific social media user.
Bilal El-Hayek said in a statement this afternoon:
I would like to thank the police for dealing with this matter as a priority and for keeping me informed along the way.
I understand the man charged is unemployed, living outside our area and is prolific on social media.
I also understand police have contacted the school’s principal and also given them certain assurances.
The man, a 53-year-old from Bradbury, allegedly posted the word “kaboom” followed by three bomb emojis below a social media post by El-Hayek about the opening of the new Al-Faisal College campus in Lakemba.
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On the ACOSS research, the organisation’s CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie, says:
It’s a complete travesty that in one of the world’s wealthiest nations people are getting sick, skipping meals and delaying medical appointments because they can’t afford to cool and power their homes.
Climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and intense, with more deaths related to heat than all other natural disasters combined. We urgently need to help people improve the thermal performance of housing, electrify and access rooftop solar and home batteries, with the most help going to low-income and First Nations housing.
The government must also deliver permanent cost of living relief by raising the rate of JobSeeker and related payment, and the remote area allowance, so people on low incomes can afford their energy bills and be lifted out of poverty.
People skipping meals to pay energy bills, ACOSS research reveals
People experiencing financial and social disadvantage are skipping meals to pay their energy bills as nine in ten struggle to keep their homes cool in summer new research by ACOSS has revealed.
A survey of 1,011 people across Australia found almost two thirds (64%) of people surveyed are struggling to pay their energy bills, going without essentials to cover the costs.
More than nine in ten people surveyed (92%) reported negative impacts of their home getting too hot, with 14% seeking medical attention in the last year because of the heat.
First Nations people and renters were particularly impacted, with 88% of First Nations respondents struggling to afford their bills, followed by renters (76%), income support recipients (75%) and people with a disability or chronic health condition (72%).
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Thanks so much for your work so far today, Catie McLeod! I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be taking you through the rest of this afternoon’s news.
Man arrested and charged after making alleged bomb threat to Islamic school
A man has been arrested and charged after allegedly making a bomb threat to an Islamic school in south-western Sydney.
The man allegedly posted Islamophobic comments under a TikTok video posted by Bankstown mayor, Bilal El-Hayek, after the mayor visited Al-Faisal College in Lakemba last month.
The man is alleged to have written “kaboom” followed by three bomb emojis.
NSW police confirmed a 53-year-old man from Bradbury was this morning arrested and taken to Campbelltown police station where he was charged with stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm and use carriage service to menace/harass/offend.
Officers attached to Bankstown police area command had been investigating since 5 March after El-Hakem reported the comment to police.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear at Bankstown court on 27 March.
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Cyclone NBN outages down to 49,000
The number of NBN outages due to severe weather from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred have reduced significantly to about 49,000, the agency that manages the network says.
NBN CO says that across south-east Queensland, the number of services impacted has decreased to about 44,000.
Across northern NSW the number of services impacted has remained stable at 5,000, the agency says.
The agency says that in NSW, a major power outage in Terranora is affecting about 3,000 services, but a technician is expected onsite soon to restore power and resolve the issue.
In Queensland, NBN Co says it has identified damage to nodes at 13 sites: Nambour, Gatton, Labrador, Scarborough, Wilson, Landsborough, Burleigh Heads, Paradise Point, Buderim, Surfers Paradise, Karana Downs, Bargara and Gaven, with spare parts and repairs being organised.
NBN Co has staff located at:
Providence Hall, 1449 Beechmont Road, Lower Beechmont – 8am-5pm
Mount Glorious Community Hall, 1874 Mt Glorious Road, Mount Glorious – 10am-5pm
Mount Tamborine Presbyterian Church, 34 Main Street, Mount Tamborine – 10:30am-2:30pm
Where possible, people in affected areas are encouraged to check the NBN network outages page and with their retail provider for specific information regarding their service.
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American influencer who stole a baby wombat reportedly has visa under review
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is reportedly reviewing the visa of an American influencer visiting Australia who stole a baby wombat from its distressed mother and uploaded the footage to social media.
As we brought you earlier, influencer Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter” and goes by the username @samstrays_somewhere, posted a video to Instagram showing Jones holding a baby wombat while laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat.
The video also shows the baby wombat hissing in distress. Jones then returns the wombat to the bush.
Sky News reported that Burke had provided the network with a statement confirming Jones’ visa was under review.
According to Sky, the statement said:
The department is now working through the conditions on her visa and determining whether immigration law has been breached.
Either way, given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers.
I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual. I don’t expect she will return.
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Fewer than 20% of Islamophobia victims want to report the incident
Dr Susan Carland, a co-author of the fifth Islamophobia in Australia report, says less than a fifth of victims of hate towards Muslims wanted to report the incident to the police.
The report, launched today, found there were 2.5 times more in-person Islamophobic incidents from 1 January 2023 to the end of November 2024 than the previous reporting period. Women were the victims of three quarters of the incidents.
Speaking at the report’s launch in Sydney this afternoon, Carland told the audience:
But what’s also concerning is that less than 20% of people who reported to us wanted to report to the police,” Carland told the audience at the report’s launch in Sydney this afternoon.
When we asked them, ‘Why don’t you want to report to the police?’ for example, the most common response was they saw it as pointless. ‘What’s the point? The police don’t care, and they’re not going to do anything anyway.’
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Palmer on talking to media: ‘More exciting than playing lawn bowls’
Asked by a journalist if running election campaigns was his “golf” or his “hobby”, Palmer said:
This is my golf. At 70, I could join many Australians and play lawn bowls. I find this more exciting, talking to you, than playing lawn bowls.
I’m devoted, because I also have an investment in Australia.
I’ve got four children. I think this is a good place, and it’s worth fighting for, and that’s just my view. You’ve got the freedom to agree [or] disagree.
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Palmer says he had two aims last election: to elect politicians and criticise Covid vaccine
Palmer has defended his mammoth campaign spending as successful despite only electing one senator elected at the 2022 election.
His former United Australia party spent $123m in total in the 2021-22 financial year. Despite this, it secured just one Senate spot.
At the press club today, Palmer claimed that he had “two purposes” at the time – electing politicians and criticising the Covid-19 vaccinations.
He said:
We spent that money because we had two purposes – one, to elect people to parliament; and secondly, to criticise the vaccine in this country.
There are 25 million Australians, roughly a few more, but five and a half million of them haven’t taken the vaccine.
So on that side, we say that campaign was very, very successful. And it doesn’t mean that you expect to win, it does prove the point that money, per se, doesn’t win elections.
Palmer failed to mention that many of these Australians are children who would not have got vaccinated for the virus.
97% of the eligible Australian population aged 12+ have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
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Factchecking Clive Palmer on gender and the WHO
In Clive Palmer’s address to the National Press Club today, he brought up the issue of gender – or more specifically, called into question the existence and rights of trans people.
It looks more and more like Trumpet of Patriots intends to target trans people right throughout the coming election campaign, especially if its latest advertising campaign is anything to go by.
So I want to draw your attention to this claim, as I expect we’ll hear it again:
Palmer said:
Our policy is to recognise that there are two genders, a man and a woman; male and female. If you go on the website for the World Health Organization, you’ll find they recognise that. We all should recognise that too, and put away debates that are very, very on the periphery …
Does the World Health Organization really only recognise two genders and deny the existence (and by implication rights) of trans people?
No, of course not. Their info page on gender explains quite clearly that gender is socially constructed, is different from biological sex, and that as a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.
It also recognises gender diversity as one of the key factors in inequity in healthcare:
Rigid gender norms also negatively affect people with diverse gender identities, who often face violence, stigma and discrimination as a result, including in healthcare settings. Consequently, they are at higher risk of HIV and mental health problems, including suicide.
The WHO has also been consulting for the last few years on guidelines for the health of trans and gender diverse people, describing this project as follows:
The guideline under development aims to address specific health challenges that negatively impact the rights of trans and gender diverse adults to access quality health services, undermining their quality of life and life expectancy …
This new guideline will focus on 5 areas: provision of gender-affirming care, including hormones relating to adults; health worker education on and training for the provision of gender-inclusive care; provision of health care for trans and gender diverse people who have suffered interpersonal violence, based on their needs; health policies that support gender-inclusive care; and legal recognition of self-determined gender identity for adults.
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Clive Palmer addresses National Press Club
Clive Palmer, heading up a newly named (but similarly colour-schemed to his previous) political party, Trumpet of Patriots, is giving an address to the National Press Club.
We’ll bring you the interesting tidbits as it goes along, but here’s a little snippet of his preamble, where he speaks about the party’s alleged growth:
We’ve got now over 20,000 members across Australia, and thousands of people are joining every day because they’ve had enough of the boring politicians that don’t answer questions. They’ve had enough of seeing their income decline lower and lower every week. They’ve had enough of their children being harassed at schools, and they want change.
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Wong criticises American influencer for ‘dreadful’ baby wombat video
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has criticised an American influencer visiting Australia who stole a baby wombat from its distressed mother and uploaded the footage to social media.
Posted to Instagram by influencer Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter” and goes by the username @samstrays_somewhere, the video showed Jones holding a baby wombat while laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat. The video also shows the baby wombat hissing in distress. Jones then returns the wombat to the bush.
Wong told Seven’s Sunrise program this morning:
It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it? I will leave those sorts of questions [about whether the influencer should be deported] to [Home Affairs minister] Tony Burke and to the authorities, but, really, leave the wombat alone.
… I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, leave the baby wombat alone. Leave it with its mum.
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Research suggests Islamophobic incidents in Australia have doubled
Islamophobic incidents – including physical attacks, verbal harassment, people being spat on and rape threats – have more than doubled in the past two years, with girls and women bearing the brunt of hatred towards Muslims in Australia, new research shows.
The fifth Islamophobia in Australia report details 309 in-person incidents between January 2023 and December 2024 – a more than 2.5-fold increase from the previous reporting period. Verified online incidents more than tripled to 366.
Girls and women accounted for three-quarters of all incidents and were a third more likely to be physically attacked than boys and men.
Dr Nora Amath, the executive director of the Islamophobia Register, said:
It’s really become a gendered Islamophobia. The majority of victims are Muslim women and the majority of perpetrators are male. It’s very obvious and really concerning.
Read the full story here:
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Further the previous post, the Antipoverty Centre spokesperson and jobseeker recipient, Jay Coonan, said:
Today’s news about price hikes for electricity is devastating for people on low incomes, most of whom are unable to access options such as rooftop solar to reduce our bills.
Tens of thousands of welfare recipients, who are already using as little energy as they can, are struggling with huge energy debts and cannot get ahead.
Suggesting that people can “switch to better plans” to deal with the burden of rising energy costs shows that Minister Chris Bowen is out of touch with the daily reality for people in poverty.
You can’t just shop around for a better deal when you are trapped in debt.
Price gouging energy companies must be reined in to relieve pressure for everyone, but first the government must take urgent action to wipe energy debts so people are not locked out of accessing cheaper plans.
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Antipoverty Centre responds to AER draft determination by calling for wiping of energy debt
The Antipoverty Centre is repeating its call for the government to wipe energy debt for 332,000 customers as the Australian Energy Regulator announces price hikes of 5-10% due to begin in July 2025.
The centre’s activists joined the Stop the Bill Shock campaign in December, calling on energy companies to provide relief to customers, but retailers have failed to act.
Statistics from the December 2024 Australian Energy Regulator annual markets report show:
131,746 people with an energy debt were in a hardship program (an increase of 37.8% on 2023, which was a 30% increase on 2022 figures) with the average debt amounting to $1,687.
52.3% of all people in a hardship program have a concession, generally meaning they receive an income support payment from Centrelink.
41.9% of people on a hardship plan have higher electricity costs in each billing period than the amount they are able to repay as part of their plan. This is an increase of 64% on the previous year.
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Dutton blames Labor energy policy for AER’s anticipated price increase
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has criticised the Albanese government’s record on energy policy.
Dutton held a press conference a short time ago after the Australian Energy Regulator released its default market offer draft determination, showing energy prices for households and businesses are expected to rise.
With the federal election imminent, Dutton has used the information to attack Labor.
He said:
We find out today that because of Anthony Albanese’s energy policy your electricity bill is going to go up by 9%, that is another 9%, that is not a $275 cut, which is what the prime minister promised you before the last election.
I believe that there is a much better way, a much better path for our country. We have to have a balanced and sensible energy system and if we do that we can bring downward pressure on energy prices
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Nine formally appoints Matt Stanton as CEO
Australia’s biggest locally owned media company, Nine Entertainment, has formally appointed its former finance and strategy chief Matt Stanton as CEO.
The broadcaster and publisher undertook a global search for a new leader after Mike Sneesby stepped down in September following a tumultuous year for the company, during which allegations of predatory behaviour and bullying in newsrooms were aired.
Nine chair, Catherine West, said Stanton, who has been acting CEO for six months, had reset Nine’s operating model and refreshed the executive team.
West said:
Matt was clearly the best credentialed leader to maintain the momentum on our strategic or cultural transformation.
He has done an outstanding job as acting CEO.
Stanton said:
It’s an honour and a privilege to lead the talented and dedicated team at Nine. Nine is a great Australian company that plays a vital role in the national conversation.”
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Trade minister downplays impact of US tariffs on Australian economy
The trade minister, Don Farrell, says the US has done itself “great harm” by imposing tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, including from Australia.
Farrell held a press conference in Adelaide a short time ago, where he downplayed the impact the 25% tariffs would have on the Australian economy.
He said:
Our total trade with the United States, two way trade, is about $100bn, so less than one-third of what we do with China.
And that, strangely enough, is overwhelmingly in America’s favour. We buy $70bn with a products from America, sell them $30bn,
OK, bad news from America, but we have a whole lot of other countries around the world where we want to sell our wonderful food and wine and we will continue to do that.
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Minns says NSW will not scrap new hate speech laws after antisemitic attacks revelations
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said he will not repeal controversial hate speech laws in the wake of revelations a number of antisemitic attacks were not hate crimes but a plot by organised crime figures to distract police and influence prosecutions.
Minns said:
I want to make clear the NSW government will not be repealing hate speech laws passed in parliament last month.
Our laws criminalised intentionally and publicly inciting hatred towards another person, or group, based on race.
They send a clear message: the people of NSW stand together against inciting racial hatred in our great multicultural state.
While the caravan was part of a criminal conspiracy – and not the plot of a terrorist organisation – it was still appalling racial hatred.
It targeted the Jewish community. It targeted a racial group to instil terror in our state.
It comes after the police minister, Yasmin Catley, refused to answer questions in a budget estimates hearing as to when she knew the caravan plot was not a terror event, and if that was before legislation designed to stem antisemitism was rushed through parliament.
The NSW police deputy commissioner, David Hudson, told the same hearing that the government was briefed that both the possibility of the incident being a terror threat or a criminal plot were being investigated.
Hudson said he told Catley on 7 March, ahead of a public announcement on 10 March, that it was a criminal plot.
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Dutton responds to reported internal criticism from Coalition MPs
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has responded to reports of discontent among Coalition MPs.
The Australian reported Coalition MPs are pushing Dutton to unveil big policies in his upcoming budget reply speech and are concerned the opposition needs a more compelling economic agenda.
The newspaper quoted several unnamed MPs who expressed concerns over what they saw as a lack of policy from the Coalition ahead of the upcoming federal election, due to be held by May.
Dutton was asked about the report on 2GB Radio earlier this morning, where he said the Liberal party had “put itself forward as a credible alternative” to Labor.
Dutton said.
There’s always free advice, plenty of it going around, and most of it contradictory.
The opposition leader rejected the notion the Coalition didn’t have any policies, citing examples including cutting immigration and building nuclear power plants.
Asked specifically whether the Coalition was planning to unveil a policy of tax cuts, he said:
We are not going to fuel inflation, so we’ll make the decision that is right for our country at the time, knowing how much money we have in the bank and whether we want to pay down debt or whether we want to put money into tax cuts or provide support through other policy.
We’ll announce that in due course, but we have been working day and night on policy over the last two and a half years.
Any suggestion that we haven’t got policy out there, as I just pointed out, is a complete nonsense.
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Brisbane lord mayor announces crackdown on people living in city’s parks
Brisbane lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, has announced the council will move on every homeless person in the city living in parks “within 24 hours”.
The crackdown comes in the aftermath of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, when hundreds of homeless people sheltered in temporary evacuation centres that have since closed.
Schrinner said the crackdown came as a reaction to changes by the City of Moreton Bay to ban homelessness and reports that “people who are homeless by choice” are planning to “pour into Brisbane”.
He said:
I’ve asked our officers to work with police and state housing agencies to ensure anyone living in a park who has refused accommodation is moved on within 24 hours.
We’ll also remove unused empty tents to prevent the creation of more dangerous encampments.
Brisbane is Australia’s second-most expensive city and is facing a historic housing crisis.
Rental vacancy is now at a near-record low, in part due to council planning approvals being at record lows.
The state planning minister, Jarrod Bleijie, yesterday announced he would review a state-level planning law after lobbying by local government to allow them to approve even fewer development applications.
You can read more here:
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PM wants western Sydney rail connection ‘completed before 2040’
The prime minister was on ABC Radio Sydney earlier this morning, talking about the rail investment.
Albanese said the money would go towards purchasing land to build the rail corridor, as well as planning, and he wanted the project to be completed before 2040.
He said:
What I would like to see is for the railway line once it gets to Bradfield to continue the [work to] continue on to Leppington, and then continue on to link into MacArthur.
But we’ll have those discussions.
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Federal government announces $1bn investment for western Sydney rail connection
The federal government has announced a $1bn investment in a “missing link” rail connection in western Sydney.
The Leppington to Bradfield connection will join the new western Sydney international airport to Sydney’s south-west.
Previously in the works, the Albanese government says the project was shelved under the then-Coalition government in 2014.
The government says the new corridors will pave the way for Metro or Sydney Trains network extensions that would give passengers and workers at Sydney’s new airport rail access to Sydney’s south-west, and onwards to the Sydney CBD.
In a statement announcing the funding, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said:
Back in 2014, as shadow minister for transport, I said we needed rail as well as road in order for this airport to work.
We don’t want residents of Sydney’s south west to have to rely on buses to get to the airport. We want them to have fast, frequent rail access, and our investment today will help deliver that.
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More from that AAP story: the prime minister has also rejected suggestions Australia pull out of the Aukus nuclear submarine agreement, which could save taxpayers up to $368bn, insisting it’s a “good deal for Australia”.
Meanwhile, a union secretary representing workers from Australia’s largest steel manufacturer and supplier says Australia needs to bolster its domestic industry.
The US president’s reasoning in imposing the steel tariffs is more than just financial, South Coast Labour Council secretary, Arthur Rorris, argues.
Rorris told AAP:
The principle motivation for Trump is not just to make money from Australian steel imports, the principle motivation is to steal our industry.
He knows that steel is such a foundational industry and if he moves on that and other companies and industries around the world, he increases and consolidates his power and weakens that of his competitors.
Rorris’s union covers workers from BlueScope’s Port Kembla steelworks in the Illawarra.
“We have more than enough of a market here to use every last ounce of steel made at our steelworks,” he said.
Australia sends about $800m worth of steel to the US each year, representing 0.2% of all exports to its ally.
The union secretary said the tariffs meant Australia had to back its domestic steelmaking industry further to counteract the moves from the Trump administration.
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Australians urged to buy local as US tariffs unfold
Australians will be incentivised to buy locally made products, after hefty US tariffs were imposed on some of its metals exports, AAP reports
After failing to secure an exemption, Australia – alongside every US trading partner – was slapped with 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium sent to the US on Wednesday.
In some countries, such as Canada, there is anecdotal evidence citizens are boycotting American goods in response to this and other US policy shifts.
Asked if Australians should do the same, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the budget – to be delivered on 25 March – will include extra support for a “buy Australian” campaign.
He told ABC Radio this morning:
I would urge Australians, if they’re in a local shop, to look to buy Australian.
That’s the one way that consumers can assist to create jobs here and to support our local industries.
The tariffs were “very disappointing”, the prime minister reiterated, but the government will continue to try to negotiate an exemption with the US.
He again noted it took months for Australia to be granted a carve-out on similar tariffs imposed during Donald Trump’s, first term.
But time may be running out amid expectations Trump could impose tariffs on other products and sectors, ramping up the prospect of a global trade war.
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Women appear in court on manslaughter charges over home birth
Two women have appeared in court charged with manslaughter after a home birth at a property north-west of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales police say.
Police said emergency services were called to a home at Karangi on 11 September 2022 after they allege a baby was unresponsive after a home birth.
NSW Ambulance paramedics attended and treated a newborn boy at the scene before he was airlifted to Coffs Habour Base hospital, where he later died, police said.
Police said they arrested a 41-year-old woman at Crescent Head and a 51-year-old woman at Dorrigo after an investigation by detectives from the Coffs/Clarence police district.
They were taken to Coffs Harbour and Kempsey police stations where they were each charged with manslaughter, police said.
Police said the women were granted bail before appearing in Coffs Harbour local court yesterday, where the matter was adjourned to 13 May.
Police have said they will allege in court that the younger woman was an unregistered midwife at the time of the birth, while the older woman held no medical qualifications and had been practising unregistered home-birth midwifery.
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Energy minister responds to regulators ‘mixed’ draft default market offer
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, has responded to the draft determinations by the Australian Energy Regulator and Victorian Essential Services Commission.
Bowen called the news “mixed” but says, overall, power bills “remain too high”.
Bowen said:
While today’s news is mixed it does show energy retailers are responding to competition – with energy plans that are 25% cheaper than the DMO it’s worth shopping around.
It’s clear energy bills for Australians remain too high, and we’re providing help for people doing it tough as we deliver longer term reform.
We also know 80% of households aren’t on the cheapest energy plan they could be, which is why we’re making it easier for households to find and switch to better plans.
The federal government is encouraging households to check they are on the best deal available, saying data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission shows about 80% of households could be paying less on a different deal.
Bowen says it is important to note that, while the DMO is the benchmark for standard offers from retailers, the AER has recorded falls in the median market offers.
The most competitive market offers are now between 19% and 25% lower than the DMO, the minister says.
Bowen says in 2024 Australia produced more renewable electricity than ever before, with a record 46% of the electricity in the grid renewable in the last quarter of 2024.
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Victorian energy customers on state’s default offer can also expect power bills to go up
Victoria’s Essential Services Commission has released a separate draft decision for power prices over the coming year.
For residential customers on the Victorian default offer – which is set by the commission rather than energy companies – annual prices would drop by $19 in some distribution zones but increase by up to $68 in others, compared to 2024–25.
The average across the state’s five zones is a $12 increase on last year, which the commission says is less than 1%.
The commission says the main factors influencing the proposed price change for residential customers are higher electricity network costs, which are partially offset by lower wholesale and environmental costs.
For small businesses on a Victorian default offer annual prices would increase across the five distribution zones by between $77 and $128, compared to 2024–25.
The average across the five zones is a $103 increase on last year, which the commission says is 3%.
The commission says the main factors influencing the proposed price change for small business customers are higher wholesale and network costs but also lower environmental costs.
Consultation on the draft decision, which includes a public forum, runs until 11 April 2025, with the commission’s final decision due by 24 May 2025.
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AER explains ‘high price events’ affecting power prices
The regulator says wholesale market and network costs, the two largest components of DMO prices, have gone up by 2% to 12% for the majority of customers.
The AER says:
Average wholesale market spot prices increased across 2024, impacted by factors such as high demand, coal generator and network outages, and low solar and wind output that drove high price events across DMO regions.
These high price events have also affected the price of wholesale electricity contracts for 2025–26.
Network costs increased for most customers, although some customer types in South Australia and south-east Queensland have seen network costs decrease, the AER says.
The AER says multiple and varying factors have contributed to rising network costs in each region, including inflation and interest rates leading to a higher rate of return.
Retail costs are a smaller component of DMO prices than wholesale and networks costs, but these have also increased due to growing costs reported by retailers, the AER says.
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Energy regulator chair concedes it is a ‘challenging time’ for those affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The chair of the Australian Energy Regulator, Clare Savage, says the agency acknowledges it is a “challenging time” for consumers, particularly those affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
In a statement, Savage said:
This is a very difficult time for many communities across northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland who have been or remain without power following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The AER says it will be working with retailers to “ensure they are focused on the need to support affected customers”.
Savage also acknowledged cost-of-living pressures, saying:
We know that cost-of-living pressures are front of mind for many households and small businesses.
We’ve seen cost pressures across nearly every component of the DMO, and we have given careful scrutiny to every element of the DMO cost stack to ensure prices are a reasonable reflection of the costs of a retailer to supply electricity.
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Household power bills expected to rise over coming year, regulator says
Australians should expect to see their power bills go up in price over the coming year, the nation’s energy regulator says.
The Australian Energy Regulator has today its draft default market offer (DMO) for 2025-26, setting a guide for electricity prices in New South Wales, South Australia and south-east Queensland.
The regulator says cost increases “across nearly all components of the DMO” have resulted in prices for residential customers increasing between 2.5% and 8.9% – depending on the region – compared with last year.
Small business customers could see rises between 4.2% and 8.2%, the regulator says.
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NSW SES responds to more than 7,500 incidents after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) says it has received more than 14,000 calls and responded to more than 7,500 incidents after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
In the past 24 hours, the NSW SES says it responded to 158 incidents, including one flood rescue involving a car driving into flood waters.
All emergency warnings have been downgraded, with 32 watch and act or advice level warnings in place from Crescent Head to the Queensland border.
The SES says while emergency warnings have been downgraded and many people are returning home, some communities from the west of Port Macquarie, through to the upper and lower Clarence and into the northern rivers remain isolated by flooded roads.
The overall number of isolated properties is changing as flood water recedes. The SES says:
Over the last 24 hours, isolations have occurred at Palmers Island, Palmers Road, Cedar Creek, Mulquimneys Rd Fiddler’s Creek, Stokers Siding, Commissioners Creek, Dum Dum and Dunbible, Billinudgel and the Pocket and parts of Lower Kangaroo and Middle Creek.
The SES says it has received more than 75 requests for resupply, with boats and helicopters dropping essential food, water and medical supplies to the isolated communities.
The SES says it is 50 multi-agency crews as they assess the damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred across the northern rivers region of NSW.
More than 2,200 rapid damage assessments have been completed in the Tweed and Coffs areas, Lismore, Bellingen, Cassino, Arrawarra and Grafton regions.
Those who need urgent medical, food or water supplies can contact the NSW SES on 132 500.
For the most up-to-date information, people should download the hazards near me app or visit the NSW SES website.
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US commerce secretary defends tariff regime, singles out Australia for criticism
The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, has criticised Australia, accusing it of subsidising cheap aluminium exports, as he defended the Trump administration’s tariff regime.
As we have reported, the Trump administration rejected Australia’s plea for an exemption from its decision to impose 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminium.
Speaking to Fox Business today (yesterday in the US), Lutnick said:
You’ve got dumpers in the rest of the world. Japan dumps steel, China dumps steel. What that means is, they make it, they over-produce, and they sell it dirt cheap … to drive our guys out of business.
The president is here to protect American workers. He’s here to protect American industry. We’re going to stop that nonsense and bring steel [production] here.
We’re not going to stand for China dumping, Japan dumping, Australia does a lot of aluminium at below cost. I mean, this has got to end, and the president is on it, and he’s protecting America.
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Jacinta Allan defends new bail laws
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has defended her government’s decision to implement what she says are the “toughest bail laws in the country”.
Allan was on ABC News Breakfast a short time ago speaking about her announcement yesterday that her government would reintroduce the offence of committing an indictable crime while on bail.
Allan said her government had listened to the community even though she expected to see more people on remand as a result.
She was asked if the government had spoken to the family of Veronica Nelson – an Aboriginal woman who died while remanded in custody – who had condemned the government’s plan.
Allan said:
Through the attorney general, there has been contact made with Veronica Nelson’s family.
What happened through the circumstances around [her] death was an absolute tragedy.
And that’s why the safeguards, in response to the [coronial investigation] that were put in place in 2023 will remain in place.
The focus here is on the serious and worst offenders who are causing such concern and trauma in the community.
You can read more about how Nelson’s family have responded to the new laws here:
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Richard Marles says tariffs ‘an act of self-harm for US’
Marles says the tariffs are “really disappointing”.
Asked if he agreed with industry minister Ed Husic’s characterisation of the tariffs as a “dog act”, Marles said:
Well it’s a really disappointing. There’s no doubt about that.
It’s disappointing because it is an act of self-harm for the US, but it’s also disappointing in the context of our relationship with the US.
We’ve had a free-trade agreement with the US, which has been in place for a very long time now, and it’s been a great benefit to both countries.
We are two very close partners and friends. We are allies in a security sense but we are partners and friends economically.
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Deputy PM says retaliatory tariffs on US not in Australia’s interests
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, says retaliatory tariffs on the US would not be “in the interest of the Australian economy or Australian workers”.
Marles is speaking on ABC Radio National, where he is being asked about the Trump administration’s decision to reject Australia’s plea for an exemption from tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
The Trump administration has imposed taxes on imports from important trading partners, including tariffs of 25% on all imported steel and aluminium which came into effect yesterday.
In response, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on nearly $30bn worth of American imports.
Asked if Australia would do anything similar, Marles said:
In terms of doing retaliatory tariffs, that would not be in the interests of the Australian economy, of Australian workers.
So we’re not about to do anything which is an act of self-harm. And really this is ultimately the point here – I mean, tariffs are an act of self-harm.
This is not going to do the American economy any good, and we’re not about to engage in harming the Australian economy.
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Good morning. I’m taking over the blog from Martin Farrer and will be with you until this afternoon.
Family pay tribute to missing surfer
The family of the surfer presumed taken by a shark off the coast of Western Australia has issued a statement paying tribute to a “beloved partner, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend”.
Police believe Steve Payne was attacked by a shark on Monday while surfing at Wharton beach, east of Esperance.
Payne, 37, originally from New Zealand but resident in Australia, “was one of the best”, his family said, and “was smart, kind, funny, laid back and very practical”.
He loved his partner deeply, the family said, “cherished his family, thought the world of his best mates, and was devoted to his dog”.
Payne, his partner and their dog, Poppy, were five weeks into a six-month caravan trip around the western half of Australia when the attack happened. Just a week before his death he had surfed “one of the best waves of his life, sharing the wave with a dolphin”.
Payne’s remains have not been found but drone footage taken in the area showed a shark and a cloud of blood in the water. The search for Payne has been called off.
The family said:
Steve would not support a shark cull or any attempt to kill the shark responsible. He and his partner spent a lot of time in the ocean together, had enjoyed many dives with sharks and knew the risks.
Read more here:
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Global competition threat to universities, report warns
Australia’s universities are being threatened by global competition from Asia and the Middle East, the QS World University Rankings by Subject has found.
This year, 38 Australian universities earned nearly 1,000 ranked entries across 60 disciplines, an increase of 5% on 2024. It had 13 entries in the world’s top 10 across eight subjects – four fewer than last year, reflecting “intensifying global competition”.
The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney each ranked among the world’s top 100 in 52 of 55 subject areas, followed by the University of Queensland, with 50 subjects ranked.
But 65% of Australia’s ranked entries declined in employer reputation scores, based on feedback from hiring managers. The decline was most prevalent in arts and humanities subjects.
QS’s chief executive, Jessica Turner, said for years Australia had “outperformed expectations” despite its geographic remoteness and smaller population.
However, the landscape is shifting. Emerging markets, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, are investing heavily in higher education, rapidly improving their institutions’ global standing.
Ben Sowter, QS senior vice-president, said cuts to arts and humanities in Australia could have “profound long term consequences”.
If Australian institutions continue to deprioritise these subjects, they risk not only diminishing their global standing but also weakening their ability to produce graduates who can navigate complex, interconnected challenges.
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Victoria to become first jurisdiction to ban machetes
Victoria will become the first jurisdiction in Australia to ban machetes after police seized a record number of knives from the state’s streets in 2024. It follows similar reform in the United Kingdom, which took 18 months to pass. The state government is confident it will pass the ban in six.
Under the legislation, machetes will be listed as a prohibited weapon without an exemption, to take effect from 1 September 2025 with an amnesty period of two months. Offenders will risk two years in prison or a fine of more than $47,000 for being caught in possession of a machete.
Police will also have expanded knife search powers to declare a location a designated area to randomly search for weapons for up to six months.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, will call on major retailers to immediately stop placing stock orders for machetes and write to the federal government about action on imports at the border – and a national ban.
She said there was “zero reason” for people to be carrying machetes without a reason, adding it built on the toughest bail laws in the nation, announced on Wednesday.
We’ll always give police what they need to keep Victorians safe – we’ll build on the extra powers we’ve already given them and help members search for more knives.
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DiCaprio speaks up for Western Australia forest
Leonardo DiCaprio has drawn the world’s attention to the government’s decision to allow the mining company South32 to clear native forest in WA’s jarrah forests for bauxite mining.
The actor claimed the operation at Boddington could threaten the critically endangered woylie (or brush-tailed bettong) and that the government was prioritising “mining development over environmental protection”.
He posted on Instagram that:
The mining company @south_32 is set to clear 9,600 acres of this old growth forest, which is home to threatened species like the Critically Endangered Woylie. This operation will destroy critical habitat for over 8,000 species, 80% of which are found nowhere else on Earth. While native forest logging was banned in Western Australia in 2024, clearance of native forests for mining is still allowed due to separate government policies that prioritize mining development over environmental protection.
DiCaprio is the co-founder of the group Earth Alliance, which funds online activism on environmental issues.
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Australia doesn't respond well to bullying, Wong warns Russia
Australians will not respond well to “bullying behaviour” from Russia, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has warned.
Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday evening, Wong was asked about threats from the Russian government of “serious consequences” for Australia if troops were to join a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
She said it was the “sensible thing” to ensure the global rules-based order was maintained.
I don’t think Australians respond very well to that kind of bullying behaviour from anybody, and certainly not from Russia … we would consider any request and that is the sensible thing to do.
We have an interest in the UN charter not being undermined by a permanent member of the security council. These are rules which keep us all safe, and we have to continue to work to defend them. We continue to advocate, alongside so many others in the international community and in Europe for a just and enduring peace, a fair resolve for Ukraine.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Catie McLeod with the main action.
Our own analysis of parliamentary records shows that Peter Dutton billed taxpayers for flights to Sydney on the days of three NRL grand finals, a rugby tournament and a Matildas World Cup game. Last night, the Coalition was again forced to clarify its policy on breaking up the big insurance companies, with Dutton now saying “certainly something has failed” in the market.
Victoria will become the first jurisdiction in Australia to ban machetes after police seized a record number of knives from the state’s streets in 2024. It follows similar reform in the United Kingdom, which took 18 months to pass. The state government is confident it will pass the ban in six. It comes amid public concern about crime with the state government promising Australia’s toughest bail laws. More details coming up.
The family of a surfer fatally mauled by a shark has paid tribute to him as authorities suspended the search for his remains. Steven Payne, 37, was attacked at a remote beach about noon on Monday at Wharton Beach, east of Esperance in Western Australia. A large search failed to find his remains and WA police yesterday said it had been suspended “pending any new information being received”.
Plus: Leonardo DiCaprio has spoken out against mining in WA, and Penny Wong has a message for Russia. More on those stories coming up.
