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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Stephanie Convery and Emily Wind (earlier)

Senator reveals why text messages with barrister deleted – as it happened

Australia Chris Luxon Police Victoria Paul Goldsmith Chris Hipkins Tony Burke National New Zealand
Bruce Lehrmann and Steven Whybrow leave the ACT supreme court in Canberra in October 2022
Bruce Lehrmann and his then lawyer, Steven Whybrow, leave the ACT supreme court in Canberra in October 2022. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

What we learned; Thursday 8 August

And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s a snapshot of the day’s news:

Thanks so much for your company today. We’ll be back bright and early tomorrow. See you then.

Updated

Melbourne homeowner fights council order to remove fake grass

A homeowner in Melbourne’s west is fighting a council order to replace his property’s synthetic grass with a natural lawn, saying he has a “busy lifestyle” and wants a “low maintenance” front yard.

Maribyrnong city council in February ordered Fadhullah Yusof, a West Footscray resident, to rip up the artificial grass in his front yard and replace it with real lawn, saying it was a breach of the site’s planning permit.

The council says it prohibits synthetic grass in publicly visible areas of development, due to it containing petrochemicals and lacking biodiversity compared with real plants.

But Yusof said he had been unaware he had breached council’s regulations because he had never received anything in writing, prior to February, about the ban.

Read the full story here:

Updated

Relocation of Waterloo public housing residents delayed by at least a year

Residents of Sydney’s Waterloo South public housing estate will have their relocation delayed by at least a year while they wait for the controversial sale of the high-rise towers to proceed.

The NSW housing minister, Rose Jackson, has broken the news to tenants in a note published online this afternoon, which is expected to be distributed later tonight.

In the memo, Jackson told tenants:

Relocations were initially planned to start mid-2024, however there are still further steps in the process before relocations can begin.

For this reason, the notification letters are likely to be sent to tenants by the beginning of 2025, with information on relocations.

Tenants will be given at least 6 months’ notice before needing to move … All tenants have a right to return to the Waterloo estate once the redevelopment is complete.

The Minns Labor government pledged last year that people affected by the sale would be rehoused nearby and that the project would result in a mix of social, affordable and private housing.

The government has been criticised for proceeding with the sale and is pushing forward with plans to sell more land to developers for housing, despite promising to end privatisation and freeze the sale of all social housing assets.

Read more about this issue here:

Updated

Linda Reynolds deleted some text messages with Bruce Lehmann’s barrister during routine ‘cyber hygiene’, defamation trial hears

Linda Reynolds is back in the witness stand in Perth in her defamation case against Brittany Higgins.

Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, is showing Reynolds and the court text messages between Reynolds and Bruce Lehrmann’s then barrister, Steven Whybrow, in the lead up to the criminal trial in ACT in 2022.

Reynolds said she met with both the prosecution’s lawyer, Shane Drumgold, and Whybrow in person on one occasion each.

Reynolds and Whybrow texted each other on occasion over the months after their meeting in about July 2022, leading up to the trial in October, according to the document shown in court.

Whybrow texted the senator in August 2022 asking Reynolds about staff working in her office at the time that he was interested in talking to.

Reynolds then responded with the names of some of her staff members.

Whybrow then responded: “we going to follow that all up. Shits going to get real soon”.

Reynolds said she interpreted Whybrow was referring to the trial in a “crude” way.

In the following month, September 2022, Whybrow asked Reynolds how to contact another staffer in her office in preparation for his defence.

Reynolds responded with the former staffer’s contact numbers the following day.

Whybrow thanked the senator, and added: “hope you traveling ok Hang in there…karma comes to those that wait”.

Reynolds responded a minute later: “All good my end [prayer emoji]”.

Reynolds said the prayer emoji used was a “thank you” emoji and she was responding to Whybrow’s wishes for her feeling okay.

Reynolds admitted she deleted many of these text messages during routine “cyber hygiene”.

Updated

High court declines to hear case against Tanya Plibersek

A community environment group has lost its application to have the high court clarify whether the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, should assess the potential climate damage caused by two proposed coal projects.

The Environment Council of Central Queensland had sought special leave in Australia’s highest court to appeal against the federal court’s dismissal of what is known as the Living Wonders case.

The council alleged Plibersek failed to protect the environment from harm caused by the climate crisis when she decided two proposed thermal coalmine expansions could move to the next stage of the assessment process.

Represented by lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia, the council argued in the federal court that Plibersek was legally required to protect the environment – including koalas and the Great Barrier Reef – from the climate harm the projects would cause.

The high court on Thursday declined to hear the case.

Christine Carlisle, president of the council, said:

For two years now, our community group has been in an epic legal battle to compel Australia’s environment minister to do her job of protecting our environment from the climate damage of coal and gas.

Sadly, this court decision means our environment minister can choose to greenlight the 38 new coal projects on her desk, without scrutinising their climate risk. But she can also choose not to.

Environmental Justice Australia senior specialist lawyer Retta Berryman said:

This loss is a setback, but as federal court chief justice Mortimer noted in her decision on court costs: ‘the environment cannot speak for itself; someone must speak for it.’

Public interest litigation like this is vital for a healthy democracy. Communities have the right to challenge the lawfulness of government decisions – especially when these decisions have such far-ranging impacts as fossil fuel approvals in an era of rapidly accelerating climate change.

Updated

Pat Anderson lashes PM for walking away from makaratta

Co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue, which led to the Uluru statement from the heart, Pat Anderson, has again lashed the prime minister for appearing to walk away from the promise to fulfil the makarrata commitment and create and Indigenous truth-telling commission.

Anderson gave a speech to the National Allyship Summit earlier today and said Anthony Albanese’s apparent distancing from the rest of the Uluru statement requests, after the failure of the voice referendum, was a “familiar feeling” for Indigenous people.

Anderson said Albanese’s comments on Sunday that “what we have proposed is makarrata just being the idea of coming together” and that it “might take different forms as it evolves” weren’t promising. The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, has urged people to be patient and said the government was not moving away from its commitment to the Uluru statement.

Anderson responded in her speech:

We shall see. What I can say is that I’m certainly getting a sense of deja vu. That familiar feeling when retail politics and short-termism start to motivate the abandonment of a key Indigenous reform. I worry that we will see the Makarrata baby thrown out with the referendum bathwater.

I hope I’m wrong. But we have seen that politicians can be fair-weather friends. And when I see that, it makes me all the more grateful for our steadfast allies.

Anderson said the challenge for those allies moving forward would be in “resurfac[ing] the spirit of the Uluru Statement from the Heart” after it was lost in the political debate during the voice referendum, and for people to understand its intentions.

She said:

It has never been about us and them.

The Statement was about charting a path forward, one where we all belong in – and to – our own country.

Updated

South-eastern Australia’s gas supply risk remains as key storage site depletes

The risk to local gas supplies in Australia’s south-east continues largely because of reduced output from Victoria’s Longford production site that draws from the Bass Strait gas fields.

According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, Victoria’s Iona storage facility has about 9.56 petajoules of gas, or 39% of capacity. It dropped 6.3PJ in June and 3.9PJ in July (“within expectations”).

The deep slide in June prompted Aemo to issue a “threat notice”, warning that supplies to industry (but not residents) might have to be interrupted if storage levels fell too low.

It said:

The supply risk remains due to the high gas generation demand and continued Iona inventory depletion …

The threat notice applies until the end of September. Aemo continues to assess if the threat will be ended before this.

EnergyQuest’s Rick Wilkinson said Iona’s storage level dropped as low as 9.3PJ on 21 July 2022, triggering an intervention. The site’s current level is a low for the year, and now below recent years at this point of winter:

Wilkinson said the problem isn’t demand, though it has been cold of late. Demand is actually down 7% so far this winter, compared with last year.

However “supply from Longford is well down at only 58% of 2022 levels, and 83% of 2023 for the production year to 7 August”, he said.

Will Victoria (and other southern states) avoid a disruption?

Wilkinson said:

For the last 5 years the average storage low was on 27 August. So, [we’re] not out of the woods yet.

(Note: local gas supplies might be short but eastern Australia has adequate reserves. The ACCC expects about 71% of the region’s gas will be exported in 2025.)

Updated

Continuing from the previous post:

Joe Biden’s letter to the US congress also mentions that Australia, the US and the UK have agreed on “a non-legally binding Understanding” surrounding the Aukus deal which “reflects the governments’ intended approach to certain articles of the Agreement and provides additional related political commitments”.

The US president says he has “determined that Australia and the United Kingdom, by participating with the United States pursuant to international arrangements, are making substantial and material contributions to our mutual defense and security”.

He writes:

I have considered the views and recommendations of the interested departments and agencies and have determined that the performance of the Agreement will promote, and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defense and security.

Further, I have approved the program outlined in the Agreement and have determined that such program will promote, and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defense and security.

Accordingly, I have approved the Agreement, authorized its execution, and urge that the Congress give it favorable consideration.

Comment is being sought from the Australian government.

Aukus countries reach new agreement on nuclear material

Australia, the US and the UK have reached a new agreement to cover the transfer of nuclear material to Australia under the Aukus pact.

The US president, Joe Biden, wrote to congress yesterday to transmit the text of the agreement “for cooperation related to naval nuclear propulsion”.

The agreement doesn’t come out of the blue: in November 2021, the Aukus countries signed an agreement “for the exchange of naval nuclear propulsion information” to enable the three countries to work out “the optimal pathway” for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

That earlier agreement entered into force in February 2022 and “remains in force until 31 December 2025, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement”, as Biden’s letter pointed out. It was always expected that a more detailed agreement would cover the next phase of the submarine project.

Biden’s letter says the new agreement would permit the continued communication and exchange of sensitive information “and would also expand on the cooperation between the governments by enabling the transfer of naval nuclear propulsion plants of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, including component parts and spare parts thereof, and other related equipment”.

The letter adds:

The Agreement also enables the sale of special nuclear material contained in complete, welded power units, and other material as needed for such naval nuclear propulsion plants.

Equipment transferred in accordance with the Agreement could include equipment needed for the research, development, or design of naval nuclear propulsion plants, including their manufacture, operation, maintenance, regulation, and disposal, and could also include training, services, and program support associated with such equipment.

The Agreement includes conditions and guarantees required by the act; promotes the Aukus partners’ goal of setting the highest nonproliferation standard; protects controlled and classified United States information; prevents further dissemination of information, material, or equipment beyond the jurisdiction of the Parties without United States agreement; and protects United States intellectual property.

Updated

Calls for government to reform super death-benefit laws

Following the previous post (and via AAP), the Super Members Council, Association of Super Funds of Australia and Women in Super have urged the federal government to reform superannuation death-benefit laws so a perpetrator of family violence cannot profit from their abuse.

Under existing laws, an abuser can receive a partner’s death benefit unless they are the direct cause of that person’s death – even if their offending indirectly contributed to a victim’s cause of death.

Super Members Council chief executive, Misha Schubert, said an abuser receiving their victim’s super death benefit was an extension of the abuse:

Perpetrators should not profit from their crimes. It’s time to close this legal loophole to protect victims of family violence and financial abuse.

The superannuation bodies have proposed expanding current forfeiture rules to exclude those responsible for domestic or family violence-related crimes.

State and federal governments have rolled out a range of measures in an attempt to stem the violence after a spike in shocking domestic killings.

Almost $1bn in commonwealth funds has been allocated to a program that will provide $5,000 payments to people fleeing domestic violence, while NSW recently rolled out a $230m emergency funding package.

Updated

Almost one-third of homicides classed as domestic violence

Nearly one-third of homicides over a period of more than two decades have been classed as domestic violence-related incidents in a major review that highlights the extent of the growing scourge.

The major NSW report also found more than half of those killings involved attacks on current or former partners as governments grapple with how best to combat the problem, AAP reports.

Its release on Thursday comes as three powerful superannuation bodies called for legal changes to stop domestic violence perpetrators profiting from their abuse.

The NSW domestic violence death review, led by state coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, analysed 550 homicides that occurred after a history of domestic violence between 2000 and 2022.

From that cohort, the review found two-thirds of women were killed at the point of separation or after their relationship ended.

Three-quarters of deaths that came after a break-up involved a history of stalking by a man before the homicide.

NSW women’s safety commissioner, Hannah Tonkin, said at the heart of the report were the families of victims who had been killed at the hands of their abusers:

These are lives cut short, families destroyed and children left behind to deal with unimaginable trauma.

NSW women’s minister, Jodie Harrison, said the landmark report made for “really sobering reading” and it was a stark reminder of the need to keep families safe.

She told state parliament:

We need to take genuine prevention action, we need to take early intervention action.

We need to make crisis responses and we need to provide healing and recovery for those sectors.

• In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.

Updated

Activists picket Woodside chief speech after EPA finding

Environmental groups have picketed an event featuring a keynote speech by Woodside Energy’s chief executive, Meg O’Neill, today.

The protest comes in the wake of the Environmental Protection Agency finding the fossil fuel company’s offshore gas export development was “unacceptable” due to its impact on marine life at Scott Reef.

That finding follows scientists raising concerns that extraction at the Browse basin, about 300km off the Kimberley coast, could damage a coral reef ecosystem that is home to more than 1,500 species, many unique to the area. They identified risks to migrating whale species, the possible sinking of a beach used for nesting by endangered turtles and the potential of an oil spill in a pristine environment.

O’Neill was giving a speech at an Australian Institute of Company Directors awards event today.

The picket follows another demonstration on Tuesday at WA’s state parliament. Demonstrators are calling for the WA government to heed the EPA’s findings and prevent the development from going ahead.

You can read more about the EPA’s findings here:

Updated

Parliament ‘never the place to litigate’ criminal or civil matters: Reynolds

The defamation trial in Perth against Brittany Higgins has adjourned for a lunch break.

Shortly before the pause, Linda Reynolds was under cross-examination on the witness stand by Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC.

Young had asked why the Liberal senator chose to “litigate” against Higgins’ personal injury settlement through the media rather than the parliament where she is offered parliamentary privilege.

Reynolds responded “that’s not how I operate”, adding “parliament was never the place to litigate” criminal or civil matters.

Young then asked why she chose to do so through the media to The Australian columnist Janet Albrechtsen.

Reynolds said she wanted the public to know about the settlement process she had been denied access to, claiming it was “corrupt conduct”.

We’ll update you shortly once the hearing resumes at 2pm Perth time or 4pm AEST.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Stephanie Convery is here to bring you the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care!

South Australian Liberal leader quits

Embattled South Australian Liberal leader David Speirs has quit the top job after facing weeks of speculation over his future, AAP reports.

Speirs said now was the “right time to depart from the role and give the next leader the best possible opportunity to succeed” at the 2026 state election.

This has not been an easy decision, however I believe it is in my best interests and that of my family.

I have used the mid-winter break to reflect on my priorities and to speak with family and friends at length about my future. Ultimately, I want to spend more quality time with them and the demands of the role as leader makes this difficult.

Speculation over his future as leader has mounted in recent weeks, and in July he dared any plotters to “come on and challenge me”. The Liberals have served just one term in office in SA in the past two decades – under former premier Steven Marshall – with Labor otherwise reigning supreme.

The Advertiser reported that deputy leader, John Gardner, was positioned as the likely replacement. The party was believed to be trying to avoid a ballot to install Gardner, a senior figure in the party’s moderate faction.

Speirs became the party leader in April 2022, replacing Marshall after Peter Malinauskas led Labor to a landslide victory.

Updated

Man arrested for allegedly assaulting children at Alice Springs school

A 46-year-old man has been arrested over alleged aggravated assaults on six children at a school in Alice Springs.

On 20 June, Northern Territory police received reports of historic physical assaults on children at the school, believed to have occurred on multiple separate occasions in 2023.

The six children were aged between eight and 13 at the time of the alleged assaults, and police will allege the man was an employee of the school at the time.

The man was arrested this morning and is expected to be charged later today. Investigations are ongoing.

Updated

More than 2,500 Australians apply for foreign defence work approvals

More than 2,500 Australians have applied for permission to work for foreign militaries or government bodies under new laws designed to protect Australian military secrets.

The Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets Act passed parliament in March and the offences that can apply for breaches took effect yesterday.

The legislation was sparked, in part, by allegations that highly skilled former Australian defence force personnel may have been approached to provide military training to China.

Under these laws, certain former members of the Australian defence force and former defence public servants must obtain authorisation from the government if they intend to work for a foreign military, foreign government or foreign government entity.

It also covers any Australian who seeks to provide training regarding military techniques, techniques and procedures, and weapons. There are some exemptions, such as working for the other Fives Eyes countries: Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States.

Newly released figures show the Department of Defence has already received more than 2,500 foreign work authorisation requests. Of these, almost 500 requests have already been granted.

Government sources say the largest number of requests shows that the majority of former Defence employees are “doing the right thing”. Defence has set up a dedicated team to handle the applications.

The government has indicated that individuals who are already working for a foreign military or government and who submitted an application prior to 7 August can continue to perform that work until the outcome of their foreign work authorisation has been finalised.

A spokesperson for the defence minister, Richard Marles, said the reforms would “provide greater confidence to our key security partners, including under our Aukus arrangements”. The spokesperson said the importance of protecting Australia’s secrets and sensitive information “cannot be overstated”.

Updated

UNE economics lecturer says ‘degree may not survive’ amid waning interest

Continuing from our last post: Michele Bullock studied economics at University of New England in Armidale. Economics lecturer David Hadley said interest in the subject was waning to the point “our degree may not survive”, and asked what might be done to stir up interest.

Bullock said she had visited Armidale Secondary College this morning, where there were 20 students in years 11 and 12 studying economics, only two of them female.

“We are doing our bit by trying to get around to schools to support teachers in teaching economics in schools, which hopefully will have a flow on impact for universities,” she said, adding, “diversity is absolutely key to having a good economic debate”.

Updated

RBA doesn’t see interest rates coming down quickly: Bullock

A takeaway from the RBA governor, Michele Bullock’s talk in Armidale NSW today is to downplay the prospect of any early interest rate cut, as we noted in this article.

In a wide-ranging Q&A session after her speech, Bullock made the point that the central bank can’t ignore the recent market volatility “completely” but at this stage, “we don’t see interest rates coming down quickly”.

That said, if there were “traumatic changes in circumstances” – such an interruption to trade or other such events – the RBA “wouldn’t hesitate” to take the right steps, including cutting the cash rate.

Asked about the effects of migration on inflation, Bullock said it had probably been a “net wash”. Yes, migrants spent more money in the economy – including for housing – but they also added to supply.

On the question of whether the government could use section 11 of the RBA Act to reverse an RBA rate hike if they didn’t like it, she said:

My feeling is if it did happen, I think it would have an impact on what people see as an independent central bank but I don’t actually think we’re in any danger of that happening.

Updated

Court shown more emails between Reynolds and Albrechtsen

The WA supreme court has been shown further emails between Linda Reynolds and the Australian columnist, Janet Albrechtsen.

Reynolds is under cross-examination by Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, and is being asked about communications between the Liberal senator and the columnist.

Reynolds forwarded a number of emails with document attachments to Albrechtsen in January and February 2023, including the senator’s statement to the AFP and advice she and her former chief of staff, Fiona Brown, received from the finance department.

Reynolds wrote to Albrechtsen in February 2023:

From my perspective, this is important to ensure that it does not compromise my ongoing legal fight or compromise my settlement with BH [Brittany Higgins] - my lawyers are understandably very nervous about my trust in you.

Another email sent to Reynolds about Higgins’ husband, David Sharaz, losing his job was forwarded to Albrechtsen. Young asserted Reynolds forwarded these emails to Albrechtsen to denigrate Higgins and Sharaz in mainstream media. Reynolds responded “absolutely not”.

Reynolds denied it was about Higgins, saying it was instead “about the truth”.

“It wasn’t my truth, it was the truth,” Reynolds said as to why she leaked finance advice given to her in March 2019 about Higgins to Albrechtsen.

The hearing continues.

Updated

Government ‘walking away from makarrata’: Aboriginal health expert

Dr Summer May Finlay, an expert in Aboriginal health and a keynote speaker at today’s Allyship Summit, believes the government is walking away from makarrata, or a truth-telling commission.

Speaking to ABC TV just earlier, she said:

I think it is really clear that this government is walking away from makarrata, in the spirit of it as outlined in the Uluru statement [from the heart] and that was what was raised today … I think that this government needs to really think about its commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and put action behind that, which would be a genuine, national truth-telling summit approach.

Updated

NSW ICAC warns local election candidates against ‘weaponising’ commission

The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption has warned candidates in the upcoming local government elections against “weaponising” it in their campaigns.

This would involve directing allegations of corruption against political rivals, potentially accompanied by public statements the matter had been referred to Icac, a statement said.

The chief commissioner, John Hatzistergos, said the weaponisation of Icac for political advantage, whether it be via a referral or another mean, would be “inappropriate.”

Doing so, irrespective of whether there is a reasonable basis for such allegations, may cause political damage, and such allegations should not be used as a weapon to level at a political rival.

This type of conduct, particularly when undertaken during an election campaign, leaves the Commission with little time to adequately assess and then investigate the allegation. It may also jeopardise the Commission’s investigation opportunities, where evidence may be destroyed.

If it becomes clear that Icac’s functions are being weaponised it may have to clarify the status of its involvement in the matter, the statement said, despite it typically refraining from confirming or denying active investigations.

Updated

Reynolds accuses attorney general of acting ‘corruptly’, court hears

Giving evidence in court, Linda Reynolds has accused the attorney general, Mark Drefyus, of acting “corruptly” by denying the former defence minister the ability to defend any claims made against her by her former staffer Brittany Higgins.

Reynolds is under cross-examination by Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, about why she leaked confidential letters relating to Higgins’ personal injury claim to The Australian newspaper. Reynolds is suing Higgins in the WA supreme court for defamation.

Reynolds insists her intention in leaking the letters was to expose the process she deemed unfair and against basic legal principles.

Reynolds said she was pleased to see the article published in The Australian claiming the senator had been “muzzled” in civil claim.

The Liberal senator alleged Dreyfus had “corruptly manipulated the law to muzzle me”. Reynolds said she believed the process was an example of “corrupt conduct” under the Albanese government, leading her to referring the process to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The hearing continues.

Updated

Two Australia Post staff uninjured after scaffolding incident in Sydney

Australia Post has confirmed two of its staff members were involved in an accident in Sydney’s CBD this morning, after scaffolding fell on top of a postal van.

In a statement, a spokesperson said both staff members were uninjured:

Thankfully both team members were uninjured and are safe and well, and we will continue to provide support. We are working with the relevant authorities to assist in their investigation.

Updated

Proposed LGBTQ+ rights bill for NSW won’t be debated until October, NSWCCL says

The NSW Council for Civil Liberties has accused the state government of unreasonably delaying the proposed equality bill.

First announced in 2022, the independent MP Alex Greenwich proposed the bill to remove a swathe of laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. It would seek to reduce faith-based discrimination in schools, and remove the current requirement for a person to have a surgical procedure to update the sex on their birth certificate, among other measures.

This morning, an extension motion was moved and the NSWCCL says the bill now won’t be considered until October. Past president of the council, Josh Pallas, said in a statement:

[The] equality legislation has been years in the making. New South Wales is falling further behind other states and territories when it comes to LGBTQI+ rights. This additional delay is cruel and unacceptable …

This delay is a further slap in the face to the LGBTQI+ community, especially in light of the NSW government’s recent ‘apology’ to people who faced conviction and discrimination under successive laws criminalising homosexual acts.

I was at the apology, and it was clear that the LGBTQI+ community expects stronger action from this government. Today’s actions by the government speak volumes.

Updated

Reynolds outlines decision to leak confidential letters to Albrechtsen

Continuing with Linda Reynolds’ defence of why she chose to leak confidential letters to a columnist at the Australian:

Brittany Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, asked why Reynolds chose to leak documents to Janet Albrechtsen – a journalist Young said was less favourable in her coverage of Higgins – over other journalists.

Young asked Reynolds why she did not choose Samantha Maiden, the political editor for news.com.au who broke the story about Higgins’ alleged rape.

Reynolds said she did not choose Maiden because she had been “harassing my office on a regular basis” and “monstering” her staff. Reynolds said lawyers wrote a cease and desist letter to the journalist, who had been “horrific” to staff.

The hearing continues.

Updated

'I was incredibly angry': Reynolds tells court of why she leaked letters to columnist

Linda Reynolds has been asked about sending confidential letters relating to Brittany Higgins’ injury claim by email to a columnist at The Australian.

When asked why she used her personal email address, Reynolds told the court she “saw no difference”.

Reynolds, who is suing Higgins for defamation, is back on the witness stand for cross-examination. She is being questioned about why she leaked the documents marked “confidential” and “legal professional privilege” to the media.

Higgins’ lawyer, Rachael Young SC, asked Reynolds if she sent the email on her personal email address to avoid the communications being more easily discoverable.

“Not at all,” Reynolds responded.

Young asked why she wanted to send the documents to a columnist at the Australian, Janet Albrechtsen.

“I was incredibly angry,” Reynolds said, adding she wanted the public to know the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, was “stitching me up”.

Reynolds said she chose Albrechtsen because she had “respect for her professionalism and her even-handedness”.

I believe she was fair and balanced.

Updated

Palestine group condemns reports Australia has joined boycott of Nagasaki bombing commemoration

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network has condemned reports that Australia may have joined a diplomatic boycott of a Nagasaki nuclear bombing commemoration because of the exclusion of the Israeli ambassador.

Guardian Australia has sought comment from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade seeking confirmation.

The news wire Agence France-Presse reports that Nagasaki’s mayor said last week that Israel’s ambassador Gilad Cohen was not invited to tomorrow’s event in the southern Japanese city because of the risk of possible protests over the Gaza conflict.

A US embassy spokesperson said the US ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, would not attend “after the mayor of Nagasaki politicised the event by not inviting the Israeli ambassador”, while the British embassy took a similar stance. AFP said media reports had indicated Australia, Italy, Canada and the European Union would follow suit.

The president of APAN, Nasser Mashni, said in a statement:

Australia’s decision to boycott this solemn memorial for the victims of the Nagasaki bombing, in protest at the exclusion of Israel – a state whose ministers have called for the nuclear bombing of Gaza – is an act of moral bankruptcy.

In taking this decision, Australia is choosing to side with a genocidal regime, which is, at this very moment executing – in broad daylight – policies of mass killing, manufactured starvation, apartheid and institutionalised torture against Palestinians.

Australia must meet its legal obligations and act to prevent genocide and apartheid, and this must include taking tangible measures to cut ties with and apply pressure to see Israel immediately abide by international law.

In November, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disciplined a junior member of his cabinet who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza. Netanyahu’s office said Israel was “operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents”.

The minister, Amihai Eliyahu, defended his remark, insisting that it was “clear to anyone who is sensible that the nuclear remark was metaphorical” but adding that “a strong and disproportionate response to terrorism is definitely required”.

Updated

Family of Jack Karlson release statement: ‘He will be sorely missed’

The family of Jack Karlson have remembered him as someone who “walked a full and colourful path”, living by his motto to keep on laughing.

Karlson, who immortalised the phrase “this is democracy manifest” while starring in what has been described as the pre-eminent Australian meme, has died aged 82.

His family has released a statement, following his death on Wednesday:

It is a with heavy hearts that we confirm Jack passed away on Wednesday, surrounded by family. He walked a full and colourful path and despite the troubles thrown at him, he lived by his motto - to keep on laughing.

Jack leaves daughter Heidi, his son Erik his nieces Kim, Kelly and Kerry and nephew Karl, grandchildren Terri-Lace and Nec and many grand nieces and nephews behind, along with countless others whose lives he touched. He will be sorely missed.

Karlson’s niece, Kim Edwards, said he spent the last few weeks of his like in hospital – and money collected from a GoFundMe will not go towards his funeral.

He had a few attempts to escape and pulled his cords out a couple of times and asked us many time to sneak in his pipe. He was battling many ailments but what got him in the end was SIRS … As a final send off we gave Uncle a last taste of red wine through his drip just before it was removed.

Updated

RBA ‘will not hesitate’ to raise interest rates again: Michele Bullock

The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, said the central bank won’t hesitate to lift interest rates again to reduce “persistently high inflation” while acknowledging “I know this is not what people want to hear”.

In a speech today in the northern NSW town of Armidale, Bullock also talked up the need for more investment in renewable energy zones, noting these would account for half of electricity generation in coming decades.

“All communities” including farmers would also need to prepare for “increasing volatility in our weather patterns and rising temperatures over time”, she said.

You can read more on this below:

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Qantas pauses non-stop Perth-London flights due to Iran-Israel tensions

Qantas has paused its non-stop flights from Perth to London and rerouted the alternative route to avoid airspace over the Middle East as the region braces for an Iranian attack on Israel.

Qantas today confirmed that for the second time this year it has had to pause the QF9 route due to hostilities between Iran and Israel, after it took the same precaution in April. From this evening, the airline’s Perth to London flights will instead operate via a stop in Singapore to refuel, with the code QF209.

The roughly 17-and-a-half hour flight to London’s Heathrow airport – the only non-stop regularly scheduled commercial flights between Australia and the United Kingdom – are only achievable on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a route that skirts Iranian airspace. A Qantas spokesperson said:

We’re making adjustments to some of our flight paths due to the situation in parts of the Middle East as a precaution. We’ll contact customers directly if there’s any change to their booking.

The return leg, from London to Perth, will continue as a non-stop service. The same aircraft, a Boeing 787-9, can fly to a modified path to avoid flying near Iranian airspace without requiring a refuelling stop. This is because fuel burn and flight times are slightly reduced when flying eastwards due to jetstreams.

Qantas’ precaution follows a raft of other global airlines pausing or rerouting flights near Lebanese, Israeli and Iranian airspace in recent days in anticipation of a flare up in tensions, after Tehran and Hezbollah vowed a response to a raft of recent assassinations.

PM questioned on news bargaining code and tech companies: ‘They should do the right thing’

At his press conference in Sydney earlier this morning, Anthony Albanese was also asked about the government’s plans for the news media bargaining code.

Introduced under the former Coalition government, the code aims to ensure that social media companies pay Australian news organisations fair remuneration for their content.

The Albanese government is considering whether to “designate” Instagram and Facebook owner Meta under the media code, after the tech giant announced earlier this year it would not renew commercial deals with Australian news media companies worth millions of dollars.

Asked this morning whether the government would follow through with this or whether it would introduce a levy social media companies had to pay for traditional news content, Albanese said:

We’re looking at those issues, and we think that social media companies have a social obligation as well, and that they shouldn’t be able to essentially harvest the work of news organisations that pay their journalists to do work that should be valued, and that’s important.

We continue to argue that they should do the right thing, and the government is examining and working with the sector to make sure that that happens.

Albanese said the government would “make a decision at an appropriate time” but it had “made it very clear to Meta and others what our very strong view is”.

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Day five of Reynolds-Higgins defamation trial begins

And we’ve kicked off in Perth for day five of the defamation trial by Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins.

Reynolds returns to the witness stand to face cross-examination by Higgins’ defence team.

We’ll provide you with updates shortly.

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How Australia achieved its greatest ever Olympic medal haul

Wild and wonderful, Australia experienced a Wednesday to remember in Paris, snaring four gold medals and two bronze in the greatest single-day haul in the country’s rich Olympic history. The podium bonanza pushed Australia past its previous record of 17 golds at an Olympic Games – set in Athens 2004 and equalled in Tokyo three years ago – with four days of competition still to go.

Read more about how Australia achieved its golden Games here:

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Day five of hearings in Reynolds-Higgins defamation trial

Day five of hearings in the defamation trial by Linda Reynolds against her former staffer, Brittany Higgins, will begin shortly.

So far, we’ve heard only from Reynolds herself this week. The Liberal senator told her account of events following the alleged rape of Higgins in March 2019 and the subsequent public reporting of it in February 2021. Cross-examination of her evidence began yesterday.

Just a reminder this is the start of an almost five-week trial. We’re expecting to hear from other witnesses in the following weeks, including former prime minister Scott Morrison next Tuesday.

Higgins herself will give evidence later this month. For the moment, she’s expected to start on 26 August.

We’ll update you when the hearing kicks off shortly.

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Dutton describes 15% wage increase for childcare workers as ‘one-off sugar hit’

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking to the media from Darwin.

He is asked about the government’s 15% wage increase for childcare workers, which the shadow treasurer Angus Taylor was reluctant to immediately support this morning.

Dutton argues that real wages have gone backwards under Labor:

You can’t get a benefit as a worker if you are being given some money in one hand from Labor, but … the banks are just taking that much and more because your mortgage rates are gone up and they have increased again this month.

He described the 15% wage increase as a “one-off sugar hit” and said Labor needs to say whether or not it would be permanent.

Dutton said “there is no future provision for the continuation of that payment”, but asked if the Coalition would support the policy, he said:

We need to consider the fiscal circumstances at the time.

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Education minister says government won't cap international enrolments at 40% of students

The education minister, Jason Clare, has said media reports that the federal government will seek to cap international student enrolments at 40% are incorrect.

Speaking at a press conference with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in Sydney earlier this morning, Clare said:

That’s not right. I’ve seen those reports. That’s not what we’re intending to do. I’d make the general point that international education is an incredibly important national asset for us.

Clare introduced a bill to parliament in May that would give him powers to set a maximum number of new international student enrolments for courses and providers.

The Australian Financial Review reported earlier this week that universities and colleges will be limited to enrolling a maximum of 40% of their students from overseas, with the cap likely to be in place from 1 January next year.

Clare told reporters:

What we’re doing here is making sure we protect the integrity of the system – and that’s important – but also protecting the social licence for the system to continue to operate.

I’ll have more to say about the levels that we will set, using the legislation that’s in the parliament, in the next few weeks.

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Driver uninjured after scaffolding falls on van in Sydney CBD

Just circling back to an earlier post we did, about road closures in the Sydney CBD:

New South Wales police have confirmed it was scaffolding that fell from a building, landing on top of a van. The incident occurred earlier this morning on Pitt Street.

According to police, a man in his 50s, who was inside the van, was assessed by paramedics but did not require treatment.

Road closures remain in place between Pitt Street and Bathurst Street.

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Police seize eight stolen ‘kill cars’ in western Sydney

Organised crime squad detectives with NSW police claim they have thwarted future murders and shootings by seizing eight stolen “kill cars” in Fairfield yesterday.

Detectives launched an investigation into unexplained wealth across Sydney in February this year and yesterday, officers executed a search warrant at a Fairfield East business and seized eight stolen vehicles.

This included a Hyundai hatchback and a Mercedes utility, police said, along with 15 stolen number plates attached to the cars with velcro tape as well as jerry cans inside the vehicles.

Det Supt Peter Faux believes the stolen vehicles were primed for serious criminal activities including murders and shootings.

Detectives will allege these vehicles were primed for shootings and other serious offences. These are not the standard high-performance kill cars we normally seize. These cars are meant to hide in our community and allow criminals to avoid the consequences of their evil intent.

Detectives will continue to target the use of these kill cars across Sydney and aim to conduct further raids in the near future.

Faux said police were investigating who is responsible for stealing and staging the cars, and expects arrests to follow.

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Angus McDonald wins Archibald people's choice for Marcia Langton portrait

The seven-time Archibald finalist Angus McDonald has won this year’s Archibald prize people’s choice award for his portrait of the Aboriginal writer and academic Marcia Langton.

McDonald is the fifth artist to have won the people’s choice award more than once, since the prize was first awarded in 1988. McDonald said he was overjoyed and emotional to receive the news that he had won:

I am so thrilled that the public voted my work as their favourite. It’s a privilege to be able to share Marcia’s inspirational story with a wider audience through this painting.

Receiving the award is a special honour to me, but equally, it’s as much a strong vote of respect and admiration for Marcia Langton and acknowledges the profound part she has played in the struggle for Indigenous recognition and reconciliation in this country for over 50 years.

Born in Sydney in 1961, McDonald is an award-winning artist and documentary film-maker. He has been selected as an Archibald finalist in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2024.

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Tasmanian senator says more needed to address issues ‘crushing’ childcare sector

Independent Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell says Labor needs to “work harder” to address the issues facing childcare educators.

In a post to X, she noted that the 15% wage increase was “great” but suggested more is needed:

As a young single mum, I went back to work weeks after my son was born. I couldn’t have done that without childcare and the amazing educators who looked after my son.

Any early childcare educator will tell you this pay increase has been a long time coming. I have friends who chose to work at Woolies instead of childcare because the pay was better.

Childcare policy has more problems right now than a Dan Brown novel has plot twists. Red tape and shortage of workers are top of the list for centres. A pay increase is great, but Labor needs to work harder to address the issues that are crushing our childcare educators.

Victorian premier announces extra $1.5bn for hospitals

Jacinta Allan and Mary-Anne Thomas said the additional $1.5bn funding is what “hospitals told us they needed, and this is what we’ve delivered – because Labor will always be on the side of our hospitals”.

Allan said:

As the sister of a nurse, and the mum of a daughter who has relied on the life-saving care of our hospitals – my priority will always be patients and their families. We will always support our hospitals – because that’s what Labor does.

Thomas added that “Victoria’s health system is one of the best in the world” and said the reforms would “keep us on track to deliver even better patient care through a reformed health system that is better integrated and connected, at the same time protecting the local services we know Victorians trust and rely on.”

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Victoria to establish Hospitals Victoria, a new agency within health department

Jacinta Allan and Mary-Anne Thomas said the government would establish a new agency within the health department – Hospitals Victoria – with a new CEO, Siva Sivarajah, who reports directly to the health minister.

The agency will be “fully focused on supporting hospitals to deliver frontline care” and will “help hospitals collaborate”.

Hospitals Victoria would also help hospitals all move on to the same payroll and IT system. A connected electronic medical record system will also be rolled out across all hospitals, some of which the government says are still paper based and “outdated” and “inefficient”:

Not only will it reduce delays and duplication, it’ll mean a patient’s records move with them – regardless of the hospital they’re being treated at.

The 11 recommended local health networks will also be established, with a formal relationship with a major tertiary, a women’s and a children’s hospital. They will also share functions like payroll and IT. It remains unclear how this will work if hospitals don’t voluntarily choose to merge.

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Victoria won’t forcibly merge its health services, premier says

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, have held their press conference – which we flagged earlier.

In their media release, the pair said they would not accept the expert advisory committee’s recommendation to forcibly merge the hospitals but will accept the remaining 26:

The Labor government will deliver a number of key reforms in response to these recommendations. It will not, however, accept the recommendation to forcibly amalgamate Victoria’s health services.

We believe that locals know their community’s health needs best and – together with their health service leaders – their voices must be listened to in the delivery of local healthcare. Forcing change risks being disruptive, impacting patient care. Instead, health services will be supported to reduce non-clinical duplication and double-up, while at the same time promoting stronger partnerships between our hospitals.

This achieves the report’s ambition of a more integrated and efficient health system, without disrupting the local services we know Victorian families trust and rely on.

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PM fields questions on makarrata commission

Anthony Albanese also asked about criticism that the government has walked away from an election promise to establish makarrata, or a truth-telling commission, after he suggested that consulting Indigenous organisations to address disadvantage and boost economic development fits the definition of makarrata.

Speaking to reporters, the PM said makarrata was “simply a Yolngu word for coming together after struggle”.

Post the referendum we will continue to work through with Indigenous Australians [on] a whole range of issues, but … my speech [at Garma] was represented as a significant initiative to look at economic development and empowerment for Indigenous Australians. That is really important that we give Indigenous Australians the best opportunity in life and that they have the same opportunity as other Australians, so we are working through those issues.

Albanese noted criticism from the Coalition but argued “not a single member of the coalition, or of any other political party for that matter, attended the Garma festival”.

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Albanese says NZ PM is a friend but ‘sometimes we need interpreters’

Anthony Albanese has responded to comments from the New Zealand PM, Chris Luxon, who defended the removal of Māori language from an official invitation to Tony Burke from Aotearoa’s cultural minister, Paul Goldsmith.

Albanese told reporters in Sydney:

Christopher Luxon is a friend of mine, but I often think that while we both speak English, sometimes we need interpreters.

It’s the Kiwi accent. From time to time, things can be missed between us, that was the case with [former NZ prime ministers] Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern before him.

We are great friends. Sometimes we do speak a different language.

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NSW Greens MP calls for facilities and companies with contaminated products to be named

Continuing from our last post:

Sue Higginson is also calling for the regulator or the NSW government to name the facilities and companies that were found in the latest inspections to have contaminated products in their stockpiles.

The NSW Greens MP says she will be calling for documents and asking questions of the government.

Higginson says the “failure of this industry has massive consequences for our community and the environment” and it was “difficult to see how this issue has been allowed to carry on for so long”.

The decision to not disclose the facilities and companies that have failed to prevent contamination in their products is not in the public interest and means that councils, retailers and members of the community cannot take steps to protect themselves from buying products that might still be dangerous.

I welcome the announcement of a firm regulatory response and the ordered disposal of 600 tonnes of potentially contaminated soil material is a positive step, but it has come too late and too slow for people and entities that use these materials in playgrounds, health facilities and in suburban backyards.

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Greens blast NSW EPA for taking so long to crack down on recycled soil

The New South Wales Greens upper house MP Sue Higginson has blasted the state’s environment watchdog for taking more than a decade to crack down on recycling facilities producing cheap landscaping soils from construction and demolition waste.

It follows this Guardian Australia exclusive revealing a compliance blitz by the Environment Protection Authority had found seven out of 13 facilities producing the products – known as recovered fines – had asbestos in their stockpiles.

Six of the facilities had recovered fines that contained glass and chemicals above the legal limits and pH levels outside the acceptable range.

Higginson said:

This issue was identified in 2013 and 2019, and the EPA was investigating further non-compliance in 2023 and earlier this year – so why has it taken till August for action to be taken?

These recycled materials are being distributed to sensitive areas in the community, and are being sold directly to backyard gardeners from retail stores too. Considering how widespread this asbestos contaminated material is being spread, it’s hard to fathom why action hasn’t been taken sooner.

Today’s announcement by the EPA’s chief executive Tony Chappel that the regulator is considering “significant changes” to the rules that govern the products follows a 15-month Guardian Australia investigation that revealed the watchdog had failed to act on problems it had known about in the sector for more than a decade.

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Albanese criticises Coalition for not backing 15% wage increase for childcare workers

The prime minister has noted shadow treasurer Angus Taylor’s reluctance to immediately support the 15% wage increase for childcare workers.

We had more on this earlier in the blog, here and here.

Speaking to the media just now, Anthony Albanese recalled an instance in 2022, when then prime minister Scott Morrison labelled him a “loose unit” for supporting a 5.1% increase for minimum wage workers, a rise of just $1 for workers on $20.33 an hour.

Albanese told reporters a moment ago:

That was seen as a mistake, as loose, by the then Coalition. They’ve learned nothing. They don’t value the work that working people do. They speak about cost of living but won’t provide any support for any cost-of-living measures – be it increase in wages, energy price relief plan, cheaper childcare, fee-free Tafe. They oppose all of it, and what we need to do is to make sure we have that short-term support, while we are putting that downward pressure on inflation …

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Jason Clare: ‘This isn’t about changing nappies – this is about changing lives’

The education minister, Jason Clare, was next to speak about the wage increase and noted the importance of early educators:

The US president makes a point that if a child goes to preschool they are 50% more likely to go to college or university, so that isn’t about changing nappies, this is about changing lives, and that’s what our early educators do.

What we are announcing today is two things: a 15% pay rise for our early educators, but also keeping prices down for parents. Because in order for centres to get the 15% pay rise for their workers, we are capping fees and no more than 4.4% families.

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PM says it is ‘no accident' that feminised industries such as childcare are most underpaid

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to the media from Sydney about the 15% wage increase announced for childcare workers.

He said it was “no accident that feminised industries like childcare and aged care, social work, other industries, which are dominated by women, were the most underpaid”.

That’s because these workers here know that if they take industrial action, it has a devastating impact – like our nurses and other sectors that have been dominated by women. The care sector needs to be valued, and that’s why it needs government and the Fair Work Commission to take that into account. This is good for these workers. Importantly, it is good for our children as well.

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More on the report into Victoria’s health services system

The report also recommended each network had a “formal relationship with a major tertiary, a women’s and a children’s hospital”.

The report said Victoria had more independent health services “than any other Australian state, in fact it is more than the rest of Australia has combined”:

While other Australian health departments work with a maximum of 16 networks to ensure the right health care is delivered at the right time and in the right place, our department has 76 individual services – more than the rest of the nation put together.

Victoria’s health services system does not make the best use of our vital healthcare resources due to duplication of activities across the 76 services and a lack of scale efficiencies. This reduces the resources available for direct patient care.

Victoria set to announce $1.5bn in hospital funding and merger of some health services

We’re expecting the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, to hold a press conference any minute about their decision to provide hospitals with an additional $1.5bn in funding.

The duo are also expected to outline plans to merge some of the state’s health services, though yesterday the government confirmed there would be no forced amalgamations.

Ahead of the press conference, the government released the final report of an expert advisory committee set up to investigate the design and governance of Victoria’s health services system. The committee, led by the former Labor MP Bob Cameron, has recommended the state’s 76 independently governed health services in Victoria merge into 11 “location health service networks”.

Five of these networks would be located in regional Victoria: Barwon South West, Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Hume, Gippsland. The remainder would be in metropolitan Melbourne: West Metro, Parkville, North Metro, East Metro, South Metro, Bayside.

The report said each network would be a “single entity” with a “new, skills-based board with membership that reflects the diversity of its region” and a newly recruited chief executive officer but its “pre-existing site identities and brands” should remain the same.

It said staff would work under a single employer and could be deployed “across sites in accordance with community need”. Financial management, corporate governance and back office staff would be combined for each network.

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Man who shot to fame after ‘succulent Chinese meal’ arrest dies aged 82

The man who immortalised the phrase “this is democracy manifest” while starring in what has been described as the preeminent Australian meme, Jack Karlson, has died aged 82.

Karlson – although there are debates as to whether this was his real name or one of many aliases – was a serial prison escapee and small-time crook who shot to fame in 2009 after a news clip of his arrest at a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane’s seedy Fortitude Valley in 1991 was uploaded onto the internet.

“What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?” Karlson theatrically boomed as his bear-like frame resisted a string of police officers.

Chris Reason, the Channel 7 journalist who reported Karlson’s arrest 33 years ago, paid tribute to Karlson on social media site X, tweeting that “Mr Democracy Manifest has died”.

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ASX edges lower in response to Wall Street jitters

Australian shares opened slightly lower this morning after a case of jitters hit Wall Street late in the American trading session marked by concerns over consumer spending.

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX200 was at 7,684 in the opening minutes of trading, down 0.2%.

Global share markets have experienced extreme volatility since late last week, after several pieces of economic data, including jobs and payroll data, raised questions over the health of the US economy.

There have been lingering concerns that cost-of-living pressures will eventually depress spending to such an extent that economies around the world, including Australia, will plunge into recession.

In the US, shares of the San Francisco-based Airbnb fell more than 13% overnight after the homestays company warned it was “seeing shorter booking lead times globally and some signs of slowing demand from U.S. guests”.

The major US indices had started strongly in the American session, before suffering another round of selling coming into the close.

Many listed Australian companies will report their annual earnings over the coming weeks, providing an insight into whether rising living costs are weighing on corporate profits.

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Man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy ordered to return to court on 14 November

Continuing on from our previous post: Moya O’Brien, Patrick Stephenson’s lawyer, tells the court she met with her client during the week and there were no additional custody matters.

Magistrate Mark Stratmann orders Stephenson to reappear in the Ballarat magistrates court on 14 November.

Stratmann says no application for bail has been made.

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Road closure in Sydney CBD after crane loses its load

The roads are closed between Pitt Street and Bathurst Street in the Sydney CBD after a crane lost its load.

A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said crews were there “as a precaution” and it was not believed there were any injuries.

Live Traffic NSW warns of heavy traffic conditions, telling motorists to use Kent Street instead.

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Man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy faces court

The Victorian man accused of murdering Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy is appearing in the Ballarat magistrates court.

Patrick Stephenson, 23, is appearing via video link from custody, wearing a white shirt.

Both parties are seeking an adjournment of 12 weeks due to an extensive brief that includes CCTV footage, the court has heard.

The court hearing comes more than six months after Murphy, 51, was last seen when she left her Ballarat East home to go for a run on 4 February.

In March, police charged Stephenson, from the nearby town Scotsburn, with the murder of Murphy, a mother of three. They alleged he killed her in a “deliberate attack” on the day she disappeared in the Mount Clear area, about 7km from her home.

*This post has been updated to correct Stephenson’s age.

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Parenting group hails 15% wage rise for childcare workers as ‘historic’

The parenting advocacy group The Parenthood, which is working to highlight the flow-on effects of poor childcare access, has welcomed a 15% wage increase for early childhood educators as “historic”.

CEO Georgie Dent said in a statement the move was good news for both educators and parents struggling with the cost of living:

This has been decades in the making and is a victory for every early childhood educator and teacher – past, present and aspiring, as well as children and families.

It is also momentous for gender equity as it directly addresses the chronic undervaluing of a highly feminised workforce, and bolsters a critical enabler of women’s workforce participation.

Dent said the pay rise would help stem the loss of early educators who are leaving in record numbers, because they cannot afford to cover their own cost of living.

Record staff vacancies in early education have been felt particularly keenly in regional, rural and remote areas with early learning services either closing altogether or reducing numbers.

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Qantas review finds 'considerable harm' to brand under Joyce term

A self-launched review into the governance of Qantas over the period that led to legal scandals and the trashing of its brand has found there was “considerable harm” caused to the company under the leadership of the former CEO Alan Joyce.

In the governance report released today as the Qantas board announced it would dock Joyce’s pay packet in the 2022-23 financial year by $9.26m and other senior executives by 33%, the airline acknowledged the magnitude of what went wrong.

The events that damaged Qantas and its reputation and caused considerable harm to relationships with customers, employees and other stakeholders were due to a number of factors.

It noted the financial hit from legal action from the consumer watchdog – related to selling tickets to thousands of flights it had already cancelled in its internal system – had led to a settlement costing Qantas $100m in penalties and $20m in compensation costs. Additionally, the airline is bracing to incur significant costs – some have estimated in excess of $100m – in compensation for ground handlers it was found to have illegally dismissed during the pandemic.

The review found that a “top down” culture at Qantas meant other leaders felt they couldn’t “speak up” to challenge Joyce over controversial decisions.

There was too much deference to a long-tenured CEO who had endured and overcome multiple past operational and financial crises.

This included the company’s tendency, under Joyce, to “often had an adversarial approach to engagement with key stakeholders and external communications”. The review also found that the Qantas board “was financially, commercially and strategically oriented”, and recommended in the future this focus “should be complemented by enhanced focus on non-financial issues, employees, customers and all stakeholders”.

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Greens say government’s child care pay announcement doesn’t go far enough

The government’s big announcement this morning is a 15% increase over two years for early childhood educators, funded by the government.

The pay boost means an average educator receiving the award wage will receive an extra $103 a week from December this year, which will increase to $155 a week by December next year, with the $3.6bn package being phased in over two years.

To be eligible for the money, which has to be entirely given to staff, through a pay rise, child care centre operators have to commit to not increasing their fees above 4.4% over the next 12 months, from today.

Greens early childhood education spokesperson Steph Hodgins-May says the increase doesn’t go far enough; the Greens want the government to commit to the union’s original request of a 25% increase.

This is a workforce in crisis. For too long, educators have been underpaid and as a result are leaving the industry in droves.

Labor must commit to going that step further and paying our educators what they’ve been calling for and what they deserve, for doing the most important work imaginable – educating and caring for our kids.

Tony Burke aware of the word ‘Aotearoa’ since 1980s thanks to Split Enz song

New Zealand’s prime minister, Chris Luxon, might need to scrub up on his knowledge of his country’s musical impact on Australia in the 1980s if his latest comments are anything to go by.

AAP reports Luxon defended the removal of the Māori language, known as te reo Māori, from an official invitation to Tony Burke from Aotearoa’s cultural minister, Paul Goldsmith.

You can read more here, but Luxon defended Goldsmith’s instruction to officials to remove the greeting tena koe (meaning hello), the signoff nāku noa, na (which became yours sincerely) and the Māori name for New Zealand, Aotearoa.

Goldsmith said he didn’t think Burke would understand what Aotearoa meant and thought, “Let’s just keep it simple”.

Responding to questions from the NZ opposition about it in question time, Luxon joked that “in my dealings with Australians it always pays to be incredibly simple”. Burke, though, said he has known the word since he was 13.

I learned the word in 1982 thanks to Split Enz including a reference in the lyrics to Six Months in a Leaky Boat.

The Split Enz hit peaked at No 2 in the Australian charts that year, and ended 1982 as the 18th biggest song overall. The group referenced their homeland in the third stanza:

Aotearoa, rugged individual, glisten like a pearl, at the bottom of the world.

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Qantas board docks $9m from Alan Joyce's pay

The Qantas board has decided to cut the final pay packet of the former CEO Alan Joyce by $9.26m, after a tumultuous final year in charge of the carrier that included a string of legal scandals that led to his early exit.

Calls to hold Joyce accountable for the damage to the Qantas brand had been mounting since last year, when his final $21.4m in total earnings for the 2022-23 year were revealed.

However, the board withheld $10.5m pending the potential for it to determine clawback provisions in light of concerns with his performance.

The Qantas board has released a statement announcing its decision to dock him 100% of shares held on the Long Term Incentive Plan from 2021-23, valued at $8.36m.

The board has also decided on a 33% reduction to his short term incentive, valued at about $900,000. That includes a previously announced 20% reduction.

Other executives leading Qantas during the same time will also take a 33% reduction to their paypackets.

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No plans to change Queensland’s public service WFH policy

There will be no changes to public servant hybrid work arrangements in Queensland, AAP reports, with contrasting views between premier Steven Miles and his New South Wales counterpart.

Miles has flagged the Queensland government has no impetus to change current flexible working arrangements for the public sector. It follows comments from the NSW premier, Chris Minns, who said a return to office and face-to-face work was a “long time coming”, four-years after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Queensland – the most decentralised state in the nation – will not adopt the same route, with Miles backing flexibility in public service work.

We don’t have any plans at this stage to change the current arrangements.

I understand New South Wales is in a somewhat different position to Queensland. Our economy continues to be strong, our CBD has come back more strongly and, of course, as of this week, we’re starting to see public transport usage closer to those pre-Covid levels.

Those arrangements are generally based on negotiations in each workplace and based on the needs of each workplace.

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Workplace relations minister says HSU leader Diana Asmar should stand down

The workplace relations minister, Murray Watt, was on ABC RN just earlier and said legislation to force the administration process of the CFMEU – if it formally objects – is “very close to being ready.”

If we do have to introduce legislation next week, I would obviously be expecting the support of the Coalition, the Greens and all the cross bench, because this is something that people have been saying they want action on, and we now have an opportunity to do that.

Watt said that when the legislation is ready, he would be willing to brief Michaelia Cash, or whoever the opposition would like him to, before legislation is introduced.

The Health Services Union has also called for its Victorian leader Diana Asmar to stand aside, facing claims her branch spent more than $3m of members’ money on “ghost” services. Asmar denies the claims.

Watt said it “would be the right thing to do” for her to stand down, saying:

The whole way I’m approaching both of these issues, the CFMEU and the HSU, this is not about taking down unions. This is about taking down people who are letting down their members and the union movement overall.

Female NSW police officer charged with domestic violence offences

A female New South Wales police officer has been charged with alleged domestic violence offences.

In July, officers in the northern region started an investigation into alleged domestic violence offences that occurred earlier this year, NSW police said in a statement last night.

A 40-year-old woman was issued a court attendance notice yesterday for eight counts of common assault (DV), two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV) and destroying or damaging property (DV).

She is due to face Byron Bay local court on 8 October. The officer has been suspended with pay, the statement said.

New battery crackdown in NSW after 50 blazes this year

E-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards will have to meet new product standards in NSW to halt a rising number of dangerous blazes, AAP reports.

Lithium-ion battery-related fires, including those caused by low-quality batteries in e-mobility devices, are the fastest-growing type of fires in NSW, with one every four days this year, the state government says.

In one blaze north of Sydney, two people died after a battery exploded in March.

Meanwhile, a coroner in July found a Queensland man died from burns to most of his body after a lithium-ion battery fire erupted in an e-scooter connected to an incompatible charger in 2022.

The NSW fair trading minister, Anoulack Chanthivong, said today:

We’re acting ahead of other jurisdictions because unregulated products are posing a huge risk to property and, in some cases, lives.

Under the new regime beginning in February 2025, products sold in NSW will need to meet a set of internationally accepted product standards and be appropriately tested and certified before they enter the market. New testing, certification and labelling requirements will be introduced in a staged process.

Updated

National Allyship Summit to take place in Wollongong today

The first ever National Allyship Summit will take place in Wollongong today, mapping the next steps for the future of the Uluru statement from the heart.

Led by the Fred Hollows Foundation, ANTAR and Oxfam, and backed by a coalition of more than 300 member organisations, the Allies for Uluru aims to champion action that supports the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, articulated in the Uluru statement.

Allies for Uluru have partnered with the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre at the University of Wollongong, with the summit aiming to foster meaningful dialogue, build relationships, and inspire action towards justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In a statement earlier this week, the ANTAR national director, Blake Cansdale, said: “We say to our allies, stay the course and keep walking with us towards truth and justice.”

Uluru dialogue co-chair Pat Anderson said: “I am grateful for the support of the allies at this summit, both pre and post referendum.”

The need for First Nations recognition and representation was urgent on 14 October and is still urgent now. By working together, I hope we will be able to resurface the spirit of belonging and generosity that sits at the heart of the Uluru statement and chart a path forward to a better future for all Australians. Looking forward to yarning on the 8th.

Updated

Prime minister receives community note on X for cost of living post

Anthony Albanese has received a community note on X for a post attempting to highlight the government’s cost of living measures.

The post featured a CD cover mock-up titled “So helpful: Cost of living relief – Winter 2024” in reference to the 2000s album series, “So Fresh”.

It listed a number of cost of living measures the government has announced, including paid prac for students, increased rent assistance, cheaper medicine, paid parental leave “… and so much more!”

But, as the community note mentioned, many of the policies do not full come into effect until much later than winter 2024. The community note reads:

Paid prac for students doesn’t start until July 2025. More paid parental leave will be phased in by 2026. Only $75 of the $300 power bill relief will be paid by winter 2024.

Updated

Taylor asked to outline areas opposition would propose funding cuts

Host Patricia Karvelas has been questioning Angus Taylor on what the opposition would chose to cut public spending on. He responded:

The key here is not slash and burn. The key here is to make sure your economy grows faster than your spending. That is the fiscal strategy.

He wouldn’t give specifics on where cuts could be expected under the opposition, despite multiple questions from Karvelas, suggesting that spending needed to be pared back on “multiple fronts.”

Taylor did state “we don’t need corporate welfare initiatives” and spoke against the addition of 36,000 Canberra-based public servants – seemingly referencing Labor’s Future Made in Australia plan.

Would the opposition look to cut back money on infrastructure spending? Taylor responded:

Well, I’m not going to announce all of our policies now on your program. We’ll do that in good time in the lead-up to the election.

Updated

Taylor declines to immediately support 15% childcare pay rise

The shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, has been speaking with ABC RN after news the government will fund a 15% pay rise for childcare workers.

Asked if he supported the move, he said the opposition would work its way through the specifics and responded:

We want to see higher real wages for all Australians right now, and we know the primary way to achieve that is to beat inflation … And if we’ve got a situation with real wages going backwards – which it has been the case for Australians since Labor came to power – then we’re not getting the outcome …

The principle of higher real wages for all Australians is one we will always support, but you can’t achieve that if prices continue to go up at the rate they have been.

Updated

Australia achieves best result for a single Olympic day with six-medal haul

Wednesday will go down as one of the greatest days in Australia’s Olympics history, as Matt Wearn, Keegan Palmer, the men’s track cycling pursuit team and Nina Kennedy all won gold.

The six-medal haul (including two bronze) was easily Australia’s best for a single Olympic day – and it took the team to a total of 18 gold medals, 12 silvers and 11 bronze, a total of 41 and the best return in the country’s history.

Catch all the details of what you missed overnight below, from our sports editor, Mike Hytner, in Paris:

Updated

The prime minister was asked about criticism that increased public spending is fuelling inflation.

Anthony Albanese pointed to two budget surpluses and said this, plus cost-of-living measures, are applying downward pressure:

Fee-free Tafe, cheaper childcare, energy price relief – all of these measures are aimed at making sure we look after people but do so in a way that’s designed to see inflation continuing to moderate, which is what we want to make sure happens.

Updated

15% pay rise for early education workers to ensure stable workforce: PM

Anthony Albanese was also asked about an offer being put forward for childcare centres and workers – set to receive a 15% pay increase funded by the government, if centres agree to limit fee increases.

Asked what this would achieve, the PM said:

What this will do is deliver a 15% wage increase. 10% in December – over $100 in their pocket, as well as a further 5% increase on 1 December the following year, in 2025.

This is a two-year commitment … They deserve decent wages and conditions, and the Productivity Commission inquiry has shown that, unless we do something about wages in this sector, we won’t have a workforce.

Updated

PM to welcome Olympic athletes home to Australia next week

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking with ABC News Breakfast. First up, he congratulated the Australian athletes bringing home gold medals at the Paris Olympics:

[It’s] the best-ever performance by an Australian team at an Olympic Games, and all Australians are so proud of our team … Parliament is sitting next week, so I’ll be flying up pretty early [on Wednesday] – either that or late the night before – and welcoming them home.

They deserve absolutely every accolade that we can give them because it is uplifting. At a time when there’s so much conflict and turmoil and bad news in the world, what they have given Australians is a great deal of pleasure and pride.

Australia ‘sleepwalking into big corporate economy’, ombudsman says

Australia is “sleepwalking” into an economy dominated by big players, warns an ombudsman calling for tax discounts and other policies to advance small business.

As AAP reports, small firms are still a major employer and sizeable contributor to the nation’s economic activity, but Australian small business and family enterprise ombudsman Bruce Billson says their prominence is slipping.

In 2006, small firms contributed 40% of gross domestic product and employed 53% of those with a private-sector job. Now, small firms contribute 33% to GDP and make up 42% of the private workforce. Billson said:

This is a worrying trajectory. We are sleepwalking into a ‘big corporate’ economy.

Challenges brought on by the pandemic recovery have further weakened the small business sector, with small outfits particularly vulnerable to inflationary pressures and higher interest rates.

Small businesses had been doing it tough in the Covid-19 recovery, Billson said.

If you believe, as I do, that small and family businesses are the ‘engine room of the economy’, we have lost a cylinder in a four-cylinder engine in the aftermath of Covid.

Updated

Some Australians remain living with ex-partner because of affordability concerns

A survey by comparison site Finder has found some Australians are continuing to live with an ex-partner because of affordability concerns.

A survey of 1,049 respondents found that one in five – or 17% – had remained living with an ex because of the cost of living. Four per cent were currently living with an ex, while 13% had lived with an ex in the past but had since parted ways.

Gen Z (those aged 12 to 27) were the most likely to share a home with an ex-partner due to cash flow worries, with 37% saying they had done so. This is compared with 11% of Gen X (44 to 59-year-olds) and 5% of baby boomers (60-69).

Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said facing the housing market as a single person is daunting:

Thousands of Australians decide to separate but remain living together for a prolonged period because they can’t afford to go their separate ways … [It’s] incredibly difficult to find suitable accommodation in some parts of Australia right now so staying together under one roof might be the most realistic option in the short term.

Updated

Good morning

And happy Thursday – thanks to Martin for kicking things off! I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you for most of today on the blog.

As always, you can reach out via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email, emily.wind@theguardian.com, with any thoughts or story tips.

Let’s get started.

More on the Victoria disclosure case, as mentioned in our previous post:

In relation to issues about disclosure in the case exposed by Guardian Australia, a spokesperson for Victoria’s Office of Public Prosecutions said that these obligations were shared with investigators and prosecutors, and that generally “the role each party plays in assessing whether all relevant material has been disclosed will depend on who has possession of the information”.

But Liberty Victoria said it appeared clear that more needed to be done to ensure compliance with these obligations, given the state’s anti-corruption commission had also recently urged the force to improve its practices. Its president, Michelle Bennett, said:

Victoria police should learn from the criticisms it has received in respect of its disclosure obligations, rather than repeat its mistakes.

The ongoing disclosure issues are familiar to those practising in criminal law and the example reported in the Guardian will not come as any surprise to them.

In Liberty Victoria’s view, it is time that the government introduce legislation for there to be serious consequences for police officers and prosecutors who fail to disclose relevant evidence.

Updated

Calls for disclosure laws after case exposed by Guardian Australia

Liberty Victoria says failures in the proper disclosure of evidence by Victoria police that were uncovered by Guardian Australia show the state government should introduce laws to protect against similar injustices.

In a statement, the civil and human rights organisation said it was deeply concerned by Guardian Australia’s reporting regarding the botched police investigation into the murder of Aguer Akech.

Guardian Australia found that flaws in the case led to a 15-year-old boy spending a year in custody before the murder charge against him was dropped.

The Liberty Victoria president, Michelle Bennett, said:

Liberty Victoria is deeply concerned by recent reports in the Guardian of a 15-year-old child being charged with murder and remanded in custody for almost a year on the basis of fundamentally flawed evidence in circumstances where police had failed to disclose relevant and exculpatory evidence.

The case highlights ongoing issues of Victoria police failing to properly abide by its duty of disclosure. Disclosure is of fundamental importance in every case, however it is gravely worrying that Victoria police failed to abide by their obligations in circumstances where a child was being held in custody as a result of, in Justice Hollingworth’s words, a “corrupted process”.

These reports raise many questions about the standards that we as a community should expect and demand from criminal investigations and prosecutions. Disclosure of all evidence – regardless of whether it assists the prosecution or not – is a fundamental and basic right of every member of our community who is investigated or prosecuted for a criminal offence.

Victoria police said in relation to disclosure in the case that it treated these matters with the “utmost importance” and ensured all employees complied with their legal obligations.

We also acknowledge that this can be a time-consuming process during any investigation. In relation to this matter, advice was sought on a number of occasions from the [Victorian government solicitor’s office] and a significant amount of time was required to undertake redaction of a large amount of material.

Updated

New Zealand PM Chris Luxon takes swipe at Australians

New Zealand’s prime minister says “in my dealings with Australians it always pays to be incredibly simple”.

As AAP reports, the quip by the National party leader, Chris Luxon, came in response to questioning from the Labour opposition leader, Chris Hipkins, over the government’s use of the Māori language, known as te reo Māori.

This week, broadcasters TVNZ revealed the culture minister, Paul Goldsmith, instructed officials to remove several te reo expressions from an invitation to Matariki, the annual celebrations of the Māori New Year. The invitation was bound for Tony Burke, Australia’s multicultural affairs minister.

The Māori words included the greeting “tena koe” (meaning hello), the sign-off “naku noa, na” (which became “yours sincerely”), and the removal of the widely accepted Māori name for New Zealand: Aotearoa.

Te reo is an official language of New Zealand, along with sign language and the de facto English, and increasingly spoken by Māori after decades of decline – in part due to hostile government policies.

Luxon’s right-leaning coalition has reduced its use in government since taking office last November. Goldsmith said he didn’t think Burke would know what Aotearoa meant:

It’s hardly the scandal of the century. I just didn’t think it needed a lot of te reo in it … I thought, let’s just keep it simple.

In parliament yesterday, Hipkins included Goldsmith’s letter in a line of questioning to Luxon around ministerial standards. Luxon:

Well, I would just say to that member, we value te reo in this government. The correspondence was being directed to an Australian minister overseas and what I’d say to you in my dealings with Australians, it always pays to be incredibly simple and clear and use English.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind takes over.

Our top story this morning is that the New South Wales environment watchdog has vowed to crack down on the waste industry after tests found asbestos at seven of 13 facilities producing or handling cheap landscaping products. A Guardian Australia investigation revealed earlier this year that similar tests in 2013 and 2019 found potentially contaminated products had been distributed across the state. More coming up.

A Guardian investigation this week into Victoria police’s mishandling of the murder of 17-year-old Aguer Akech has prompted calls for the state government to introduce laws to protect against similar injustices. Liberty Victoria said this morning it was “gravely worrying that Victoria police failed to abide by their obligations in circumstances where a child was being held in custody as a result of, in Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth’s words, a “corrupted process”. More coming up.

Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef are now the hottest in at least 400 years and are an “existential threat” to the planet’s unique natural wonder, according to a report in Nature. Scientists analysed long-lived corals in and around the reef that keep a record of temperature hidden in their skeleton and matched them to modern observations. The “existential threat” to the reef from the climate crisis was “now realised”, the scientists wrote, and without ambitious and rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions “we will likely be witness to the demise of one of the Earth’s natural wonders”.

And New Zealand’s prime minister has made a quip in parliament about the intelligence of Australians that didn’t go so well. The National party leader, Chris Luxon, said “in my dealings with Australians it always pays to be incredibly simple”. More on that soon.

Updated

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