What we learned: Thursday, 20 February
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Thanks for reading. Here were the biggest developments of the day:
The prime minister has announced $2.4bn for the Whyalla steelworks. He told the workforce he knew that it had “been a difficult time”.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has issued a rare rebuke of Donald Trump after the US president labelled the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a “dictator”. The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said we “cannot assume we can rely on America” under Trump.
Australia will “watch every move” of three Chinese warships which have been detected off the country’s east coast, the defence minister has said.
Tasmanian authorities have begun euthanising false killer whales that beached on the state’s remote north-west coast.
The home affairs department will return to its former “super portfolio” status under a Coalition government, the shadow home affairs minister has promised.
And Google and Meta do not meet the requirements to partner with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the organisation has said, after the two tech companies ended their official involvement and ditched diversity obligations in the US.
Updated
Victorian government urged to add protections for protesting to anti-vilification laws
Human rights and legal groups have urged the Victorian government to add a “public interest” defence to its anti-vilification legislation.
The Human Rights Law Centre and Federation of Community Legal Centres both issued statements on Thursday afternoon as the Victorian government continued negotiations with the Greens after an attempt to gain the Coalition’s support failed.
The government had removed the “political purpose” defence that was opposed by the Coalition and Jewish community groups in an effort to shore up support. But the Coalition has now raised concerns about the civil element of the bill, forcing the government to turn to the crossbench to negotiate.
As those negotiations continued on Thursday, the two groups said the government’s removal of the defence without any replacement was concerning.
They urged the government to add a new safeguard to protect “legitimate public protest and freedom of political communication”.
The federation said this type of defence has “clear legal precedent” and would safeguard Victorians’ right to protest.
Their chief executive, Louisa Gibbs, said:
Community legal centres have a long history of supporting local community activists standing up to injustice by leading protest movements to achieve justice and human rights. Laws that infringe on rights to protest have far-reaching implications for our democracy and particularly for people in our society who face the greatest structural barriers to justice.
Sarah Schwartz, legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said:
It represents a positive step that anti-vilification laws will now protect everyone from hate, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or ethnicity. Any exceptions to these laws for the purpose of religious teaching should be extremely limited, otherwise these laws risk being selectively applied, and undermining principles of equality and non-discrimination.
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Adelaide may be having driest summer in 33 years
Adelaide could be facing its driest summer in 33 years, Weatherzone reports.
The meteorology service notes Adelaide has received a total of 21.2mm of rain to date this summer, with just 6.6mm falling this year – about a third of the long-term summer average.
If no significant rain falls between now and the end of February, it would be the driest summer since 1991/92, when 17mm of rain was recorded.
Adelaide’s driest summer on record was 1905/06, when a mere 4mm of rain fell in three months.
Weatherzone:
As despairing locals will tell you, the current dry summer is a continuation of a prolonged dry spell which has now lasted for more than a year.
In 2024, Adelaide had just 346.6mm compared to the long-term average of 526mm. That was just under two-thirds of the annual average.
The early signs for next week are that Adelaide will again be sunny and warm with top temps in the 30s, while another change later in the week will again deliver minimal moisture. And that’ll just about wrap it up for a very dry summer, which ends next Friday.
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H7N8 avian influenza discovered on third poultry farm in Victoria
Agriculture Victoria has confirmed H7N8 high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) on a third poultry farm in Euroa. This new detection is in close proximity to the two other infected properties.
Victoria’s acting chief veterinary officer, Dr Cameron Bell, said given the close proximity of these properties, this new detection is not unexpected, and that Agriculture Victoria staff are on the ground working closely with industry to contain and eradicate the virus.
Control orders have been in place since H7 was first detected on a poultry farm on 8 February, restricting the movement of poultry, poultry products, equipment, and vehicles on or off properties in designated zones around the infected properties to prevent disease spread. H7 was found on a second farm on 13 February.
Bell said:
If you are in the control or restricted areas, you cannot move birds, products (including eggs and manure) or equipment into, out of, or within the area without permit. This includes selling or giving away eggs from your poultry – these must not leave your property.
With the confirmation of H7N8 on a third property, a housing requirement remains in place for properties with 50 or more poultry in the restricted area. This includes Euroa and extends approximately 5km from the affected properties in all directions.
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Pivoting back to Trump, Turnbull says other world leaders are ‘scared’ of the US president
Turnbull continues in his critique of Trump, describing him as “transactional” and “totally focused on American self-interest”.
Trump and Turnbull had a famously frosty relationship when the US president was last in office. He described his first exchange with Australia’s former prime minister as “his worst call so far”. Turnbull later wrote in his memoir that “you don’t suck up to bullies”.
We cannot assume that America has any altruistic regard for Australia … we have got to be prepared to stand up for ourselves. I stood up to Trump, I stood up to Obama, for that matter, less colourfully or notoriously, but the reality is our leaders have got to stand up for Australia and we’ve got to have the ability to defend ourselves.
Pointing to concern from leaders about undermining their alliance with the US by going too hard on Trump, Turnbull says it’s not a question of the alliance.
They are scared of Trump, they are scared he will impose tariffs. So, in other words, they doing exactly what a bully wants you to do, which is knuckle under. It’s just timidity and fear. That’s all. The reality is the alliance is different because the United States has changed, not us. So we have got to be able to appeal to American self-interest, but at the end of the day we have to be able to defend ourselves.
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Aukus arrangements ‘not fit for purpose any longer’, says Turnbull
Turnbull criticises the former Morrison government’s Aukus submarine deal, backed in by Albanese, describing it as a “massive mistake” that sacrificed Australia’s sovereignty and made us more reliant on the United States.
The timing was exquisitely bad, because we are now more reliant on America than ever [before] at a time when America is less reliable than ever … We’ve got to ask ourselves, are our current arrangements working? And I would say they are not fit for purpose any longer.
We have to spend more money on our own defence … we have to focus on our own sovereignty and defending ourselves and not just assuming we will always be part of some coalition with the Americans. We cannot rely on the new America in the way we have in the past.
He says it’s unlikely we will even get the promised submarines, due in the late 2030s, in the first place.
We know that it is most unlikely that we will ever get any American submarines because their navy will not be able to spare them. They will put the interests of their own Navy first. We know that the British submarine industrial base is shambolic … we know that Britain is going to have to focus on Europe.
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Turnbull warns Australia ‘cannot assume we can rely on America’
Turnbull says Trump is “in the business” of breaking the international rules-based order that has broadly been in place since the conclusion of the second world war. That means we “cannot assume we can rely on America” as Australia has done in the past.
Look at the way he has sought to bully Denmark or Canada or other countries. So the big question is what does Australia do about it? Well, obviously, firstly our leaders should say, regarding his recent statements, that they are wrong and … stand up for Ukraine.
But Trump would say, what are you going to do about it, Australia? I don’t see any Australian troops on the battlefield in Ukraine. I mean, the Australian government isn’t even prepared to have its embassy based in Kyiv, so we don’t have a lot of bragging rights or influence there.
Asked if our leaders have gone far enough in their condemnation of Trump’s comments, Turnbull says “you can go as far as you like” but the vast majority of the world should be saying he was not only wrong factually, but wrong morally.
He appears to be at the point of facilitating a victory for Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. Now, just contemplate that. It is mind-blowing … we have to recognise the world has changed, America has changed. And we cannot assume that we can rely on America in the way we have in the past.
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Trump ‘running Vladimir Putin’s lines’, says Turnbull
The former prime minister Malcom Turnbull is appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing now after Donald Trump’s extraordinary remarks on Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including falsely calling him a “dictator without elections”.
Turnbull went viral in the United States for warning about Trumps admiration for Vladimir Putin prior to their election.
He says now in office, Trump is “running Vladimir Putin’s lines”.
We have the shocking, appalling, but, regrettably, somewhat predictable and predicted situation where the president of the United States is siding with a dictator – a murderous dictator who has invaded a sovereign democracy, Ukraine, and siding with the invader, not Ukraine.
So, it is mind-blowing, but that is the world we live in. Trump is not an aberration. When he got elected the first time a lot of people felt it was a fluke, the Republican party, many of them, perhaps most of them were very ambivalent about it. This time, he is in total command of the Republican party and he won that election … so this is the new world. The new world of disorder.
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BoM issues strong wind warnings for parts of Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has released tomorrow’s national weather forecast, with a “settled end to the working week” across much of the nation.
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are in for a warm day after a string of cool weather as a high pressure system builds in the south-east, reaching 31 in Melbourne and 36 in Mildura.
As the pressure system pushes south-easterly winds along the east coast, showers are expected for large parts of New South Wales and Queensland.
A strong wind warning is current between Noosa and Cooktown.
The BoM is also keeping an eye on two tropical lows in northern Australia, which could develop into tropical cyclones over the weekend. Neither pose an immediate threat to Australia.
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Cash reward leads to arrest in Coffs Harbour murder investigation
A man has been charged with murdering a beloved father of five with a metal pole after a $500,000 reward triggered a breakthrough in the case just a day later, AAP reports.
Mark Andrew Nolan faced court for the first time on Thursday, accused of killing Duncan Campbell, who was last seen at Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales north coast on 4 February 2024.
Authorities announced a $500,000 reward for information to help solve the murder on Tuesday.
By early Wednesday afternoon, police had received tip-offs from the public and had a man in handcuffs.
Nolan appeared at Coffs Harbour local court on Thursday and did not apply for bail. He will remain behind bars until at least April, when he will be back in court.
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Victoria’s acting police chief commissioner sets sights on strengthening state bail laws
Bail laws will be a major focus for Victoria’s new top cop as the state faces a continued battle with youth crime, AAP reports.
The acting police chief commissioner, Rick Nugent, fronted the media on Thursday after Shane Patton quit days earlier after a damning no-confidence vote.
“It’s clear bail laws need to be strengthened,” Nugent told reporters.
I have met with (the Victorian police minister, Anthony Carbines) yesterday, who confirmed they are undertaking a review and will make some changes to bail laws to better support community safety in this state.
We also have an organisational review under way … the proposal is nearly finalised, which will be presented to me to then consider before we look at approving that and any implementation on any changes.
Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, ordered a fresh review of Victoria’s bail laws earlier in February, saying it was “clear to me that we need to go further.”
These changes would follow statistics in December revealing crimes by children aged 10 to 17 have reached their highest levels in Victoria since 2009.
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Caitlin Cassidy will take you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care.
Hot conditions to return to south-east this weekend after mild weather
The Bureau of Meteorology says hot, dry and windy conditions will return to south-east Australia at the weekend, after a mild week.
Extreme fire dangers are forecast in parts of South Australia and Victoria.
After a mild week across south-east #Australia, hot dry and windy conditions will return across the weekend before a cool change on Sunday.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) February 20, 2025
#ExtremeFireDangers are forecast in parts of #SA and #Vic.
Latest: https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ pic.twitter.com/0ihk6NOaIl
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About 120 bus trips cut in Brisbane bus strike: union
Queensland’s Rail Tram and Bus Union claims at least 120 Brisbane “bus trips” were cut as a result of industrial action this morning.
Hundreds of members walked off the job early on Thursday, striking as part of EBA negotiations.
The Brisbane lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, claimed on 4BC radio that “the vast majority” of services turned up, with 80% of bus journeys going ahead. But in a statement, the union claims the action forced the council to cut between 120 and 150 “bus trips” with another 200 routes “affected by the knock-on effect”.
We are under instructions from our members to further escalate our actions if a deal is not reached this week.
Negotiations are expected to continue today with both sides saying they’re hopeful of a swift resolution to the dispute.
The industrial action only affected buses in the Brisbane city council area, not other services in south-east Queensland.
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Refugee Council welcomes integration and settlement pilot being made permanent
The Refugee Council of Australia welcomes the government’s decision to make the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot permanent, which will offer 200 community sponsored places to refugees to Australia from mid 2026, but warns the government against them taking away from existing government supported places.
The council said:
The Refugee Council calls on the government to ensure any places granted through private sponsorship are additional to the humanitarian program and do not take places away from government supported places.
If the community is willing to step in and fundraise to bring people here and help them settle, these places must add to global protection, not supplant refugee resettlement places the government was already planning to fund.
We know from community feedback that more Australians will be motivated to become involved in community sponsorship if their financial and practical contributions add to Australia’s collective support of people who have been forcibly displaced by persecution and conflict.
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Queensland’s health minister defends ban on puberty blockers
The Queensland health minister has defended the government’s decision to ban the prescription of puberty blockers in public hospitals last month.
Greens MP Michael Berkman used question time to ask Tim Nicholls if he would lift the ban in light of opposition by AMA Queensland, “countless medical experts and community leaders and thousands of ordinary people”.
Nicholls expanded on previous explanations for the ban, which was announced last month. He said he’d been made aware of “unauthorised paediatric gender services delivered – supposedly – by the Cairns Sexual Health Clinic … which were unauthorised and were not countenanced by the health services executive”
They had been progressing since at least 2016.
The exact details of the allegations about the Cairns clinic remain unknown. Nicholls claimed there had been “a series of events … that potentially harm children” in Cairns. The local hospital and health service has denied that any patient was harmed.
Nicholls also declared the use of puberty blockers and other treatments for children were “medically contested all around the world”.
“Rubbish” interjected Labor MP Grace Grace. Nicholls responded that the UK Labour government had implemented a similar ban.
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Meta and Google opt out of Sydney Mardi Gras amid move away from DEI in US
Google and Meta do not meet the requirements to partner with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the organisation has said, after the two tech giants ended their official involvement and ditched diversity obligations in the US.
At the 47th annual Mardi Gras parade up Oxford Street next Saturday, a notable absence will be the two tech firms, previously event sponsors.
When Sydney hosted the biannual World Pride global event in 2023, Meta sent a float to the parade. It was a media partner for last year’s Mardi Gras; Google was a supporting partner.
The two companies have this year curtailed their spending on Mardi Gras, Guardian Australia has confirmed, and are not sponsoring the event in any capacity. You can read the full story below:
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Aussie shares plunge to five-week low on weak earnings
The local share market is on track for its fourth straight day of losses – and its worst one of the current losing streak – on the biggest day of earnings season.
AAP reports that the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index at lunchtime was down 130.3 points, or 1.55%, to a five-week low of 8,288.9 while the broader All Ordinaries had dropped 130.8 points, or 1.5%, to 8,568.3.
The big four banks were all well in the red, with Westpac, NAB and ANZ all down by between 3.3 and 3.8% after all three released earnings this week. CBA was doing a bit better, down just 1.1%.
In the heavyweight mining sector, Rio Tinto had fallen 3% after reporting a 27% drop in free cashflow in 2024, to $US5.5bn. BHP was down 2.3% and Fortescue had dropped 6.9% after posting a $US1.5bn half-year net profit – down 54% from a year ago.
Wesfarmers was up 3% to $78.91 as the Kmart and Bunnings owner announced its half-year profit was up 2.9% to $1.5bn.
Telstra was up 5.4% to a year-and-a-half high of $4.13. Super Retail Group was down 13.3% to $14.03 after the Rebel and Supercheap Auto owner posted a $130m first-half profit, down 9% from a year ago.
The Australian dollar was buying 63.38 US cents, from 63.69 US cents at 5pm AEDT yesterday.
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Conservation foundation welcomes national green iron investment fund
The Australian Conservation Foundation has welcomed the announcement of a national green iron investment fund, as well as joint federal and South Australian investment in the transition of Whyalla steelworks to green methods of steel production.
The climate policy adviser, Annika Reynolds, said iron and steel production are important to many Australian communities and one of the nation’s largest exports, but “the steel supply chain is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and escalating climate change.”
In 2023, Australia exported 892m tonnes of iron ore to be smelted in coal-fired blast furnaces in other countries, producing more than a billion tonnes of climate pollution.
Decarbonising Australia’s existing iron and steel production facilities, while developing new green steel projects, is critical for Australia to establish itself in the net zero global economy and make a significant contribution to reducing our climate pollution.
If Australia decarbonised our iron and steel production and retained more of our iron ore onshore to smelt it here before exporting it as green steel, it could cut global emissions by as much as 4%.
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Greens want Victorian government to make further changes to VAD
Continuing from our last post: Sarah Mansfield wants the Victorian government to consider further changes to VAD, including:
The removal of a time-based prognosis.
Making access to assessments easier.
Further obligations for health services which refuse to provide voluntary assisted dying services.
The inclusion of a three-year legislative review written into the act, so that further changes can be made as needed.
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Victorian Greens welcome voluntary assisted dying reform
The Greens health spokesperson, Sarah Mansfield, has welcomed the Victorian government’s commitment to reform its voluntary assisted dying laws. In a statement, she said:
I am really pleased to see that the Victorian government has listened to patients, families and clinicians who have long been calling for fairer and more compassionate Voluntary Assisted Dying laws.
Many didn’t think this day would come. Currently, people who should be able to access VAD can’t do so because so-called ‘safeguards’ are actually restrictive barriers. We are committed to working with the government to make these proposed changes a reality. While we think they could be strengthened even further, this is a huge step forward.
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More than $2m worth of allegedly illegal tobacco products discovered at Penrith tobacconist
Two men have been charged after the discovery of more than $2m worth of allegedly illegal tobacco products in New South Wales.
Strike force detectives executed a search warrant at a tobacconist in Penrith where they allegedly located $2,174,464 worth of illegal tobacco products.
The items seized included 15,562 vapes, 1,058,600 cigarettes and 198kg of tobacco.
On Tuesday, two men – aged 27 and 28 – were arrested at Parramatta police station and charged with recklessly conveying/possessing tobacco products and dealing with the proceeds of crime over $100,000. The older man was also charged with breach of bail.
Both were granted conditional bail and appeared in Parramatta local court the same day.
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Greens urge ‘environmental outcome’ from Whyalla steelworks intervention
The Greens have backed the federal and South Australian governments’ intervention in the Whyalla steelworks but say it’s “vital” the investment still achieves environmental outcomes.
In a joint statement from Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator Barbara Pocock, Robert Simms MLC and Tammy Franks MLC, the Greens say they understand the need to defer the state government’s green hydrogen plan, given much of this project is predicated on the ongoing viability of the steelworks.
In the longer term we need a sustainable green steel industry plan for the future. One that assures the supply of steel to so many significant infrastructure and construction projects across our country.
A government equity stake in Whyalla will protect the national interest and give us a seat at the decision making table about the future of this essential capability. With the right industry policy and investment we can deepen our manufacture of products like wind turbine towers that we currently import in large numbers from China. We can reduce our supply chain risks.
Investing in the Whyalla steelworks to protect an essential national industry, save jobs and transition to green steel is a no-brainer for federal and state governments. But this needs to be done in ways that protect our national interests into the long term, and build a secure and sustainable value chain for steel manufacturing in Australia.
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Pilot program supporting refugees in Australia made permanent
A pilot program supporting the settlement of refugees in Australia has just been made permanent.
The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot program, which has been piloted over the last three years, operates on a community sponsorship model. It originally launched under the Morrison government in 2022, and continued under Albanese. The federal government says the program will now be made a permanent part of Australia’s humanitarian migration program.
The Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia CEO, Lisa Button, said this was “wonderful news” from the commonwealth government.
The pilot matched volunteer community groups with refugees to Australia through the government’s humanitarian migration program, to assist with things from temporary housing, enrolling in school and registering for Medicare to navigating public transport or buying a phone. It has assisted about 550 newcomers in Australia since its launch, according to a CRSA media release.
Available data suggests that newcomers are finding their feet quickly, and are achieving in fields of education, work, English proficiency and securing long term housing. Community members involved commonly report that ‘sponsoring’ through this program is one of the most meaningful and rewarding things they’ve ever done.
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Third assessment requirement for neurodiverse patients a barrier in regional Victoria, MP says
Continuing from our last post: Emma Vulin said the requirement for third assessments for patients with neurodegenerative conditions, which the government is planning to remove, was a barrier for people in regional Victoria.
Vulin said she had some “better days” and “tough days” battling her condition but it offered a new perspective to her work:
My perspective on life did change in a big way since my diagnosis, and I have stepped up, to try to be strong and to advocate for things like accessibility here at parliament and speak up for people that are living with disability. It’s quite special for me to be able to have a say in and work in this government that’s doing things for Victorians.
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Victorian minister with motor neurone disease speaks about VAD changes
Returning to the Victorian health minister Mary-Anne Thomas’s press conference at parliament earlier, where she announced plans to change the state’s voluntary assisted dying legislation to make it easier for terminally ill people to access this.
She was joined by the Pakenham MP, Emma Vulin, who announced her motor neurone disease diagnosis in April last year. Vulin said she never thought she would have to consider VAD but now is:
For people like me that have been diagnosed with a terminal diagnosis, it’s important that we ensure that people have accessible options. We have to remember it is an option, it’s a choice, and this is definitely something that I will be considering during my journey, and it’s good to know that I’ll have to see two doctors, not three any more, to get what I need moving forward.
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Tasmanian authorities begin euthanising stranded whales
Tasmanian authorities have begun euthanising false killer whales that beached on the state’s remote north-west coast.
Yesterday, authorities responded to a mass stranding of 157 animals near Arthur River. Challenging conditions and the site’s inaccessibility hampered rescue efforts, and the decision was made to euthanise surviving animals after failed attempts at refloating them.
Giving an update today, Brendon Clark, a liaison officer at the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, said euthanasia was a last resort conducted for animal welfare reasons, adding:
The conditions that the team faced yesterday in attempts to refloat the whales proved very challenging and, in fact, dangerous to our staff … forecasts over the forthcoming days shows no likelihood of improvement in weather conditions, and so those challenging conditions trying to refloat animals into that exposed ocean will remain constant …
The team started euthanising animals yesterday afternoon, with 27 animals processed on site this morning. There still remains 38 animals alive, which means the natural process ran its course last night and we lost 25 additional animals overnight.
It is expected that the euthanasia process will conclude today, and then we will look at our options relating to carcass disposal.
The false killer whale, despite its common name, is a highly sociable species of dolphin. The animals form large pods that can predispose them to mass strandings.
Clark added as part of standard procedure, postmortem investigations “including full necropsies” would be performed on a number of animals “to help try to gain additional information as to why these types of events may be occurring”.
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Unions welcome $2.4bn support package for Whyalla
The Australian Workers’ Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, Electrical Trades Union and Maritime Union of Australia have released a joint statement welcoming the $2.4bn package for Whyalla steelworks.
In a statement, they said this provides “long overdue certainty to workers and a community that have dealt with disruption and doubt for far too long”.
The unions said they would work closely with Whyalla management and the South Australian government to ensure that operations continue smoothly at the steelworks in the coming weeks and months.
The unions also welcomed the announcement of a national billion-dollar Green Iron Investment Fund, to “provide important support for all Australian steelmakers to manage the shift to new production methods and maximise the benefits of the transition”.
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ME Bank passes on RBA rate cut ‘in full’ to customers
ME Bank has announced it will be passing on the full rate cut from the Reserve Bank to its customers. In an email, it said the 0.25% rate cut would be passed on to variable home loans “in full” from 8 March.
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Specifics of defence treaty with PNG to come, Marles says
Just circling back to Richard Marles’ press conference in Brisbane earlier, alongside his PNG counterpart.
The defence minister said the “exact dimensions” of the defence treaty to be negotiated with PNG is “something that we need to work through”.
But the principle here is we want to walk down a pathway of a much greater interoperability, but towards a point of integration.
We really are working together as a team. That is the [basis] of the agreement that we will seek to negotiate and the specifics of what that then means, in terms of increased engagement in our respective countries, will be negotiated as we go forward.
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Home affairs ‘super portfolio’ to return under Coalition, Paterson pledges
The home affairs department will return to its former “super portfolio” status under a Coalition government, the shadow home affairs minister has promised.
James Paterson told 2GB today a 2022 change under the Albanese government to decentralise the US homeland security-style department lobbied for by Peter Dutton while minister had “seriously hampered our national security policy and operations apparatus”, describing it as an “unwise backward step”.
In 2017, under a Turnbull government, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian federal police were put under the home affairs department, placing immigration, law enforcement and national security agencies under the same minister – who was then Dutton.
The move was heavily criticised by Labor in opposition and even some in the then Coalition government, including the former attorney general George Brandis. After Labor won government in 2022, Anthony Albanese moved to return Asio and the AFP to the attorney general’s department.
After a grim national security outlook outlined by the Asio chief, Mike Burgess, last night, Paterson said a Coalition government would return the department to its former structure:
We think it’s critically important that all of our law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies at the commonwealth level work together under one roof, reporting to one minister and have very clear expectations made to them about what we expect them to focus on and to prioritise so that we can get on top of this domestic antisemitic terror crisis that we have and all the other security and community safety crises that we’ve seen on this government’s watch.
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PM says Australia monitoring Chinese warships off coast of Sydney
Taking a final question on the Chinese warships off the coast of Sydney, Anthony Albanese says they are “complying with international law”.
But as we do, we are monitoring the situation and observing what is going on, as you would expect.
You can read more on this below:
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Albanese says Australia continues to stand with Ukraine after Trump labels Zelenskyy ‘a dictator’
Moving to international news, Anthony Albanese is also asked about Donald Trump’s attack on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on social media, labelling him a “dictator”.
Albanese gave a general response on Australia’s position on Ukraine:
I speak for Australia’s interests and Australia stands with Ukraine in their struggle, which is a struggle not just for their own national sovereignty, but it is a struggle to stand up for the international rule of law.
As we brought you earlier, Peter Dutton was more pointed in his response, saying Trump had “got it wrong”.
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Albanese says lesson from pandemic is need to be more resilient
Anthony Albanese is also asked if there is a market for Australian steel, given tariffs and global pressures, and responds “you bet there is”.
There is market right here.
He says the steelwork is “in our national interest”.
The idea that Australia would just be vulnerable for the shocks that can occur – a pandemic, international conflict, trade issues.
We live in an uncertain world, Australia needs to be more resilient. That’s one of the lessons of the pandemic. It’s one my government has learned, and it’s one that is to the core of what our values are.
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Albanese on potential for nationalisation and job security
Back at the press conference, the prime minister is asked whether the federal government would allow nationalisation of the Whyalla steelworks?
Anthony Albanese says this is an “extraordinary opportunity” for buyers, with the “best quality magnetite”, “an extraordinary port facility and a future that the world is looking at”.
Asked if he can guarantee no job losses at Whyalla, the PM says “we will see jobs created, not lost”.
And asked what happens if Labor doesn’t win the next election, Albanese hits back and says “we’re confident we’re going to do that”.
My government’s a government that has policies that support blue-collar workers, that support jobs and Australia’s national interests.
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Specifics of $2.4bn funding for Whyalla outlined
A press release from the federal and South Australian governments has outlined the $2.4bn support package for Whyalla steelworks as follows:
Immediate on-the-ground support: $100m
Creditor assistance payments ($50m)
Infrastructure upgrades ($32.6m)
Jobs matching and skills hub ($6m)
Stabilising the steelworks: $384m
The state and federal governments are co-investing $384m to fund the Whyalla steelworks’ operations during administration. This funding will ensure workers and contractors will have ongoing work at the steelworks and will continue to be paid.
Investing in the steelworks’ future: $1.9bn
The state and federal governments will work with a new owner to invest in the upgrades and new infrastructure which will be vital to ensuring the steelworks has a sustainable, long-term future.
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SA premier denies Whyalla steelworks package a 'bailout' for Sanjeev Gupta
Peter Malinauskas says there is “no bailout of GFG”, when asked about the cost to taxpayers. He tells reporters:
There is no bailout here of GFG, their debts aren’t going anywhere … [Mr Gupta] will have to deal with that process through administration.
What we’re going to do is support the businesses on the ground who have done nothing wrong and don’t owe anything to anyone … The good thing about these creditors is, while they haven’t been getting paid [from] Mr Gupta they have continued to pay their workers. They have continued to pay their vendors, and that’s what’s kept this town running …
We’re not supporting Mr Gupta. We’re not bailing out Mr Gupta. His debts are his debts to be accounted for. No one’s bailing him out, far from it.
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South Australian premier addresses reporters at Whyalla
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, says he could not have done what he did yesterday – placing Whyalla into administration – unless he knew the support package was coming today.
Speaking to reporters, he says it is important to ensure Australia is a country “making things, not just exporting more product”.
The premier says the $2.4bn package is “absolutely critical to allow us to make the intervention to get the steelworks out of the hands of GFG”.
No amount of gratitude I express really does justice to how important this was to our state and the people that work here.
Malinauskas says the package will “see the state government pay all of the debts owed by GFG to creditors on the ground here in South Australia, up to $5m, in exchange of them handing over their rights to a dividend through the administration process”.
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Albanese gives further detail on Whyalla support package
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is now addressing the media in Whyalla after meeting with steelworkers.
Addressing the workforce directly just earlier, he announced the federal and South Australian governments would invest $2.4bn to keep the steelworks running.
Speaking now, he described the steelworks as “the heart of this area in Whyalla”, with “arteries spread[ing] out right around the country” through jobs, infrastructure projects and defence.
This $2.4bn plan, consisting of $500m to deal with administration and keep the steelworks going – keep people being paid – but importantly as well, investment in the future. And we have of course a very bright future here indeed.
He said up to $500m would be allocated from the $1bn Green Iron investment fund for Whyalla, with “in excess of $500m … available for other projects as well”.
Because we know that there’s a great deal of interest in the transition that will occur that will set us up for the very long term future. But our priority which is immediate is securing the jobs right here in Whyalla.
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Unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in January
Australia’s unemployment rate edged up to 4.1% in January, AAP reports, but a higher-than-expected rise in jobs shows the labour market is still running hot.
Over the month, 44,000 jobs were added to the economy, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That was above consensus predictions of a 20,000-strong jobs boost.
The 0.1 percentage point gain in unemployment came after an identical rise in December, but the jobless rate remains historically low and below the 4.2% figure recorded in July.
The participation rate rose to a new record high of 67.3%, said the bureau’s head of labour statistics, Bjorn Jarvis. Some of the increase in unemployment reflected more people than usual with jobs in January who were waiting to start or return to work.
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Dutton says Trump 'got it wrong' in making social media attack on Zelenskyy
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has issued a rare rebuke of Donald Trump after he labelled the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a “dictator” and warned “he better move fast or he is not going to have a country left”.
Speaking on 2GB this morning, Dutton said Trump “got it wrong” in a social media attack on Zelenskyy that widens the rift between the new US administration and Ukraine.
Australia should stand strong and proud with the people of Ukraine. It’s a democracy, and this is a fight for civilisation. Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator, and we shouldn’t be giving him an inch.
I think President Trump has got it wrong in relation to some of the public commentary that I’ve seen him make in relation to President Zelenskyy and the situation in the Ukraine. And I think very careful thought needs to be given about the next steps, because if we make Europe less safe, or we provide some sort of support to Putin, deliberately or inadvertently, that is, that is a terrible, terrible outcome.
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PNG defence minister on negotiations towards new defence treaty
Billy Joseph, the PNG’s defence minister, has also been speaking to reporters, welcoming negotiations on a new defence treaty.
It is the first time in our history [that] my country that a treaty has been signed between another foreign country, and it is fitting that the country is Australia – because we got independence from Australia and at the same time we are very close to each other.
He said the move was “really important with the geopolitics and all the different contests that are going on.”
We have consciously made a decision to choose who should be our friends in the security concern. And we have many friends … but with Australia … we are tied to the hips, we are very close.
Australia to ‘enhance’ strategic agreement with PNG, says Marles
The defence minister and deputy PM, Richard Marles, is speaking to reporters alongside his Papua New Guinea counterpart Billy Joseph.
As we flagged earlier, Australia and PNG are announcing negotiations will begin on a new defence treaty between the two nations.
Marles said this would “help our two defence forces work more closely together”.
This will enable our two defence forces to walk down a pathway of increasing integration and increasing interoperability.
He said there is a Status of Forces agreements between the two countries that dates back to 1977, and the new agreement would “very much enhance the effect of that”.
Now, we live in a world which is increasingly strategically complex. It is increasingly important that we work with our closest friends, but in this case, we’re working with family – that is very much we see our relationship with Papua New Guinea.
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Victorian government to lift gag clause on practitioners for voluntary assisted dying
At the press conference, Mary-Anne Thomas confirmed government is going to lift the gag clause on practitioners.
She said removing this would “keep us in step with other states and ensure that this important end-of-life care choice can be discussed between people who have a life limiting condition and their medical practitioners.”
She said the state government would also look to expand the prognosis period from six months to 12 months “for all conditions” – particularly for those “suffering from a neurodegenerative disease like MND, we will remove the requirement for there to be a third medical opinion.”
There are other changes that we propose, including reducing the time between the first request and second request to access voluntary assisted dying from nine days to five days, because we’ve heard that this can limit people’s access to die free of pain. So this is a significant day. We will now commence targeted consultation with stakeholders.
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Victorian health minister holds press conference after VAD review released
The Victorian health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, and Pakenham MP, Emma Vulin, are holding a press conference after the release of a review into voluntary assisted dying (VAD).
The government has previously flagged making changes to the scheme to bring it into line with other states.
Thomas said the state was “at the forefront”, being the first to implement voluntary assisted dying.
Since then, other states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory have now implemented voluntary assisted dying regime into their states. So the opportunity now presents itself for us to learn from those states who have taken the experiences that they’ve seen here in Victoria and built upon it.
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Palmer party gets Latin wrong in new logo
It looks like Clive Palmer’s new Trumpet of Patriots party has technically got its Latin wrong.
The party logo – a golden lion blowing into a trumpet against the backdrop of the Australia flag – is framed by a ribbon showing the Latin words “honor omnia”, which the logo translates beneath as “honour above all”.
We have consulted professor of Latin Paul Roche, from the University of Sydney, who says “honor omnia” are actually the two separate Latin words for “honour” and “everything”.
“One way of saying ‘honour above all’ would be ‘honor ante omnia’,” Roche corrects.
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Zoe Daniel responds to Nacc findings
Continuing from our last post: Zoe Daniel has welcomed the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s findings following its investigation into a complaint made about a former staffer.
The independent Goldstein MP said the Nacc’s time and resources shouldn’t be wasted by “vexatious or politically motivated referral” and she strongly encouraged the Nacc to call those out.
Nacc dismisses complaint over Zoe Daniel staffer
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nacc) has finalised its investigation into allegations that a former staffer for Goldstein MP, Zoe Daniel, had inappropriately lobbied a journalist from the Australian Financial Review (AFR) against publishing an article about her key donor.
The complaint, referred to the Nacc by former Liberal MP Jason Falinski, alleged a staffer for Daniel had called the outlet to request the removal of Climate 200 convener, Simon Holmes à Court, from a covert power list it planned to publish.
Holmes à Court’s fundraising body helped Daniel along with a number of independents clinch electoral success at the last federal election, including from Falinski’s former seat in Sydney’s northern beaches. Daniel denied any involvement in October 2024, describing a characterisation that her donor held a position of male power over the independent female crossbenchers as a “sexist trope”.
The Nacc has today said it had ruled out any corrupt conduct after its investigation found the staffer had stopped being a Commonwealth-funded staffer the week prior, on 5 August 2024, and was instead a temporary part-time consultant employed by Daniel’s private not-for-profit company by the time of the approach to AFR a week later.
The Nacc also found Daniel did not ask her employee to make the request, and was unaware it had been made. The Nacc said in a statement:
It should be noted that the consultant disputes the accuracy of the AFR report of the substance of their representations, but it is unnecessary for present purposes to resolve that dispute as the outcome is the same, whichever version is correct.
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PM announces $2.4bn for Whyalla steelworks
The prime minister told the workforce he knows “it’s been a difficult time for you.”
What we have done is to combine dollar for dollar on administration, to make sure that while the transition is going to make sure that the steelworks keep operating, you keep being paid, the people who are owed debts – some of those small businesses here in Whyalla – get paid.
In addition, the two governments would invest $2.4bn to “make sure that this transition occurs”, he said.
We regard that as an investment in our nation, we don’t regard it as a cost. Because when you invest in the nation, you get a return.
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Albanese promises Whyalla workers ‘you will have a job, your kids will have a job’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to the workforce at Whyalla steelworks in South Australia. Speaking with a handheld microphone, he said:
Our greatest resource is the people I see before me today – it is our workforce, our skilled workforce with the capacity that we have.
And that’s why, when the premier of South Australia and I have been discussing this for a while – together with our respective cabinets of how we make sure that we give you certainty – that we say, not only will you have a job, your kids will have a job in the future right here in Whyalla.
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Former Queensland prisons minister jailed for corruption to get parliamentary tribute
A former Queensland prisons minister, who was later jailed for misappropriating funds, will get an official valedictory in parliament today.
Geoff Muntz won the seat of Whitsunday in 1980, representing the National party, before losing office in 1989. He spent six years in cabinet under premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, serving in a variety of ministries including welfare services, tourism, national parks and sport, and corrective services, administration services and valuation.
Muntz was one of six members of cabinet charged with offences after the collapse of the government in the aftermath of the Fitzgerald inquiry. The transport minister Don Lane was jailed for corruption, and Bjelkie-Petersen was unsuccessfully charged with perjury.
In 1991 Muntz was sentenced to 12 months behind bars for misappropriating $4,891.83 of ministerial expenses. Police commissioner Terry Lewis was also jailed and de-knighted for corruption, and “minister for everything” Russ Hinze never saw court on multiple corruption charges, dying of bowel cancer.
The parliament will hear a condolence motion for the former MP in parliament this morning. A spokesperson for the office of the speaker, Pat Weir, said:
Condolence motions are moved as a mark of respect following the death of a member or former member of parliament. The speaker does not have a role in approving who condolence motions are provided for. They are provided for all current of former members on their passing.
Muntz died in August last year.
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More details on Chinese warships off coast of Sydney
Earlier, we reported that Australia would “watch every move” of three Chinese warships which have been detected 150 nautical miles off Sydney.
Here’s the full story with more details, from Ben Doherty:
On-street share bike parking bay opened in Sydney, in first for NSW
The City of Sydney has opened the state’s first on-street share bike parking bay in Haymarket.
In a statement, it said this would help reduce clutter on the streets while supporting an increasingly popular mode of transport.
The parking bay can accommodate up to 14 bikes and is located near Paddy’s markets on Ultimo Road, close to public transport. The lord mayor, Clover Moore, said:
Share bikes have the potential to play an important role in our transport mix, but we know the way they’re currently parked can cause clutter and frustration and pose a safety risk for people walking.
Dedicated parking bays for share bikes shows how this active and practical way of getting around can work for everybody.
Moore said the council is continuing to call on the NSW government to regulate share bikes across metropolitan Sydney “to provide consistency for all councils.” She wants to see a cap on the number of operators, and a limit on the number of bikes deployed.
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More than 80% of children aged 8-12 using social media despite minimum age requirement
A new report from the eSafety commissioner stated more than 80% of children aged between eight and 12 are accessing social media, despite the current minimum age requirement being 13.
However, this figure is largely skewed by children accessing YouTube, either by watching while logged out, or using a parent or carer’s account. When YouTube is excluded, the figure is closer to 44%.
TikTok and Snapchat are second and third behind YouTube (68%) on 31% and 19%, respectively.
TikTok said in a statement the report raises questions about the government’s decision to exclude YouTube from the under-16s ban, to come into effect at the end of this year. A spokesperson said:
This report again shines a spotlight on the government’s decision to give an exclusive carve out to the most popular social media platform for young Australians from the under-16 ban. Australian parents and guardians have a right to know what evidence, if any, supports the government’s decision, so they can have confidence their children are safe on any exempted platforms.
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North Korea criticises US over Aukus nuclear submarine deal
Reuters is reporting that North Korean state media has criticised the United States for its nuclear submarine deal with Australia under Aukus, calling it a “threat to regional peace.”
Commentary carried by KCNA said Washington should be wary of consequences for what it said were nuclear alliances, naming Aukus and the trilateral cooperation it has with South Korea and Japan.
Australia just made its first $800m (US$500m) payment to the US under the Aukus nuclear submarine deal. Under the pact, Australia will pay the United States $4.78bn (US$3bn) to boost the capacity of the US submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s.
It also argued the US sees North Korea as an obstacle to its establishment of hegemony in the region and said nuclear states will not sit idly by, referring to itself.
North Korea has been criticising the trilateral military cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the US and has called the relationship “the Asian version of Nato”.
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Clive Palmer claims thousands joined his Trumpet of Patriots party on first day
Billionaire Clive Palmer was up on the Today Show earlier, after yesterday launching a rebranded Trumpet of Patriots party to contest the upcoming election.
This came a week after he lost a high court bid to re-register the United Australia party ahead of the poll.
Palmer said that preferences would be decided by the party, and that 10,000 new members had joined up yesterday. He said:
Australians do want policies of Donald Trump, common sense policies, and I think you’ll see a big change. We don’t plan on having our preferences distributed. We plan to win seats.
You can read analysis on Palmer’s new political venture from Dan Jervis-Bardy below:
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Up to $2bn in support flagged for Whyalla in support package ahead of announcement
AAP is reporting that as much as $2bn in funding will be poured into the Whyalla steelworks as part of a rescue package, in a bid to save thousands of jobs.
As we flagged earlier, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, will visit the city today and announce a support package, one day after the crisis-hit GFG Alliance was ousted and the steelworks was placed into administration.
The Advertiser splashed on its front page today that taxpayers would “bail out Whyalla to the tune of more than $2bn”.
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Minns hopes to 'lower the rhetoric' as negotiations continue with rail unions
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has been speaking with reporters this morning, after the Fair Work Commission ordered rail union work stoppages be suspended until 1 July.
He said this was an “important decision” that “gives us all an opportunity to land a deal”, and moving forward the state government would look at “lowering the rhetoric”.
It was very important for the NSW government and myself to explain to the travelling public why we were in the [Fair Work] Commission, why we had rejected the union’s demands and why we needed relief from the commission.
But now the job of lowering the rhetoric, getting around the table and landing a deal is hugely important. And I’m not going to, because there’s no need at the moment to be, offering a running commentary about negotiations.
Ultimately, when the deal is done, we’ll present it to the people of NSW. But … I think the government’s earned the right to say that the public should have confidence that we will protect the taxpayer and the travelling public in any negotiations.
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Abbott suggests Australia joins other nations in Ukraine defence
James Paterson was also asked about those comments from Donald Trump, who escalated his attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy and called the Ukrainian president “a dictator”.
Paterson said it wasn’t his place to comment on US foreign policy, but on what Australia should be doing, he said:
We have a very strong interest in Ukraine’s successful defence. The principles that Ukraine and its allies are fighting for are ones we share … I think we should continue to stand with Ukraine, and support President Zelenskyy.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott suggested on Sky News that Australia should join with the UK and other like-minded nations in developing some sort of coalition to protect the freedom of Ukraine.
Paterson said he wasn’t aware of any formal request from the government on a proposal like that, and the most direct means for Australia to support Ukraine was through “military aid and assistance”.
We’re a long way away from Ukraine and we have our own neighbourhood which is troubled. I don’t think the deployment of Australian troops is on the cards.
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Shadow home affairs minister suggests ‘shortlist of obvious candidates’ behind plot to harm Australian activist
The shadow home affairs minister, James Paterson, was up on ABC News Breakfast earlier, responding to Asio boss Mike Burgess’s annual threat assessment speech last night.
He described it as a “very sobering and bleak assessment” by Burgess, noting many Australians would be “startled this morning” by news at least three countries have plotted to harm Australians abroad and on home soil.
Paterson said it wasn’t “his place” to “disclose something that the Asio has not, which is the nation states behind it”, but said “there is a shortlist of obvious candidates”.
I assure you the specific targets in these instances will be aware they were the targets, they would have been debriefed by Asio and the federal police as part of the investigation and would have been warned to take steps to protect themselves.
He said that “targeted diaspora communities have an understanding of what’s happening to them too”.
It’s a question about foreign policy, really, whether you openly disclose which nation states are involved in this … It’s a very serious disclosure, can’t be made lightly and must be done with the support of government.
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Two men charged after prominent Jewish leader’s former home targeted last month
Two men have been charged after a prominent Jewish leader had his former home in Sydney vandalised, with four cars damaged and two set alight, and one graffitied with the words “Fuck Jews”.
The Dover Heights home once owned by Alex Ryvchin – the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry – was splashed with red paint on 17 January.
Yesterday, NSW police said detectives yesterday arrested and charged a man with accessory before the fact to damaging the property.
The 37-year-old man, and a 33-year-old man, have also been charged with accessory before the fact to damaging property in company, and participating in a criminal group, after five vehicles and two houses were vandalised with offensive graffiti on 11 January in Queens Park.
Detectives yesterday arrested the men at a correctional facility, where they were taken to Riverstone police station and charged. The men have been remanded in custody to appear in Downing Centre local court on 3 April.
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Brisbane bus drivers strike for two hours
Brisbane’s bus drivers have walked off the job for two hours this morning, as a result of a dispute over pay.
The action took place from about 4am until 6am and only affected routes in the Brisbane city council bus system, not other councils in south-east Queensland. Council estimated that about 436 routes would be affected earlier this week.
The lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, told 4BC radio that about 80% of bus journeys went ahead this morning despite the industrial action.
The vast majority [of buses] turned up, and the people of Brisbane appreciate that.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union hopes for a pay rise of about 4.5%, compared with a council offer of 3.5%, in the first year and 3.75% and 3.25% in the second. Schrinner said:
This has to be paid for by ratepayers so we have to be responsible. We’ll keep talking, we’ll do that in good faith.
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Scope of review into Victorian public sector
Here’s the scope of Helen Silver’s review into the Victorian public sector, via the government’s media release:
Identify overlaps, inefficiencies, functions and programs within the VPS that can be streamlined or eliminated.
Provide recommendations to improve processes, and make sure all VPS departments and programs work efficiently provide recommendations to reduce the VPS back towards its pre-pandemic share of employment – including an examination of the appropriate levels of executives.
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Symes hopes to accept ‘all’ recommendations from review to address budget problems
Jaclyn Symes said she would receive interim recommendations in April, to be reflected in her first budget in May. A final report will be delivered to government by the end of June.
Pre-empting any of the questions, I will make that report public.
Integrity agencies will not be included in the review, nor the department that runs the parliament. But ministerial offices will be examined.
Symes said she has also prepared for some pushback from stakeholders, and “some of these decisions will be difficult.”
There will be stakeholders that are attracted to programs that have existed for some time. It is up to government to look at those recommendations and really determine whether they are in the best interests of Victorian families in a cost of living crisis.
I do not shy away [from the fact] that some of those will be difficult and some people won’t like some of the recommendations, and therefore, as I said, there’ll be hard decisions for government to make. But I’m determined that this work can’t be for nothing.
The recommendations will come to government and I want to be in a position to accept all if I can … because it’s needed to address the budget recurrent problem that we have. I haven’t shied away from that. This is what the purpose of the review is all about.
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Up to 3,000 public sector jobs will be cut, Victorian treasurer says
Jacinta Allan and Jaclyn Symes have been taking questions, with Symes confirming about 5-6% of jobs will be cut in the public sector.
What we have asked Helen [Silver] to look at is resizing the [Victorian public service] to the share of employment that existed pre-pandemic … That’s a funky way of saying on the raw figures, between 2,000 to 3,000 VPS jobs would be expected to go.
I have also had additional conversations with the [Community and Public Sector Union] in relation to any of the ramifications of those decisions. But again, this is a process of collaboration, discussion. There will be some difficult decisions to make, but they are important decisions.
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Victorian government announces review into public sector
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and state treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, are holding a press conference to announce a review into the public sector.
Allan said the review will be led by Helen Silver and will focus on “waste, inefficiency and duplication”.
This independent review is ensuring a laser-focus on every dollar of expenditure in the Victorian government’s budget, like households are focusing on every dollar that they spend, so too is the Victorian government.
The premier repeatedly said the review will not affect frontline services. She said her government will continue to invest in and support “frontline services” – such as teachers, nurses, police, crime and child protection.
Symes, who became treasurer in late December, said she has formed the view the budget “really needs a refresh”.
This is about ensuring that our frontline services are protected, the critical services of government that Victorians rely on are supported and promoted, whilst identifying duplication, inefficiencies, overlap, and indeed, maybe some of those programs that have been around for say 20 years, that are just not meeting the needs of the Victorian community.
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Telstra hikes dividend and announces $750m share buy-back
Telstra is raising its dividend and will spend up to $750m buying back its shares, AAP reports, after the telecommunications firm grew its first-half profit by 7.1%.
Telstra has said it made $1.1bn in net profit in the first half, after a strong performance from its mobile business with 119,000 net new customers.
Its revenue for the six months to 31 December was up 1.5% to $11.6bn, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation climbing 6% to $4.2bn. Chief executive, Vicki Brady, said:
These are a strong set of results, delivering a fourth consecutive year of first-half underlying growth, reflecting momentum across our business, strong cost control and disciplined capital management.
Telstra announced a 9.5 cent per share fully franked interim dividend, up 5.6% from a year ago. The company will begin buying back its shares on 12 March.
It will also spend another $800m over the next four years upgrading its mobile network in partnership with Ericsson, to optimise network management with “self-detection and self-healing properties”.
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Malinauskas says SA government has spoken to BlueScope about potentially buying Whyalla
Peter Malinauskas said the state government had spoken with BlueScope steel, “among other companies”, about the possibility of buying the Whyalla steelworks.
But he said it “wouldn’t be appropriate to go into the all the discrete detail of the discussions we’ve had with steel manufacturers.”
BlueScope is a really good Australian company, it’s publicly listed, it’s well managed, it’s finances are sound. So I would love to see BlueScope participate in an exercise to examine whether or not they want to purchase the steelworks, but that’ll be a matter for them.
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Malinauskas says SA government feeling ‘confident’ in yesterday’s legislation
The South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas also spoke with ABC RN earlier this morning after yesterday’s Whyalla announcement.
He was asked if the legislation that was pushed through yesterday could be legally challenged? The premier said the government received “legal advice from some of the smartest minds we have in the nation” and were feeling confident:
We live in a country where the law prevails and that affords individuals and entities rights, and they’re entitled to pursue them as they see fit.
But needless to say, the events that transpired in Parliament didn’t take place without the South Australian government getting access to the best advice in the country, including legal advice from some of the smartest minds we have in the nation in that particular field of law, and we’re rather confident.
SA premier says he ‘won’t apologise’ for making sure state government had everything lined up before acting on Whyalla
The South Australian premier was asked if his government should have moved faster on Whyalla, given so many people have lost quite a lot of money in this process?
Peter Malinauskas said that when state government’s take this sort of action, “you want to do it with caution and a degree of thoughtfulness.”
So I make no apologies about making sure we got everything lined up before we act[ed].
But more than that, although there’s been wide reporting globally particularly in the financial press about the state of GFG and its struggles, here in Whyalla, the workers have been getting paid. Creditors have had quarters and they have been paid. There have been challenges of late payments but still getting paid. All that started to change late last year, that’s what invited the government intervention and hence what we saw in mid-February.
Malinauskas on amount of debt owed to state government and creditors
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has been making the media rounds this morning, and spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier about the Whyalla steelworks’ administration.
He was tight-lipped on the announcement the prime minister will make today, but said the state and federal governments had been “working closely together now for some time to be able to arrive at this point”.
Asked how much GFG Alliance owes the government and creditors, Malinauskas said there was “a degree of transparency now that is going to be allowed to take place that wasn’t true this time yesterday” in terms of GFG’s financial situations.
The numbers that have been bandied around publicly is over $300m worth of creditors that aren’t being funded by GFG, and we have no reason to believe that number is in any way too small. But let’s wait and see what the administrators find out about the full picture of the size of that debt.
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‘Extraordinary’ opposition gag attempt was ‘wrong’, Dreyfus says
Continuing to speak on ABC RN, Mark Dreyfus said it was “it was an extraordinary thing to gag” in the parliament.
The gag is used very rarely. To seek to gag the attorney general of the Commonwealth when I’m talking about the subject as serious as this – and a subject as personal and as close to me as this – was wrong.
Asked how difficult it is to juggle being attorney general with also being a member of the Jewish community, he responded he is proud of his role – but it is personal.
I hope that I’m managing to balance those difficulties, but it is personal. We must never forget the Holocaust and I’ll keep saying that.
I’ve really just come back from the … 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a place where my great-grandmother died, was murdered by the Nazis. And it is very personal, but so it is for every member of the Jewish community.
Dreyfus said he believes Australians “stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism and stand with the Jewish community in wanting to remember the Holocaust and wanting to say ‘never again’.”
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Dreyfus say opposition MPs privately apologised for gag move in antisemitism debate
The federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, spoke with ABC RN earlier, after the opposition last week attempted to gag him in parliament while talking about antisemitism.
As Krishani Dhanji reported at the time, Liberal MP Michael Sukkar moved that Dreyfus no longer be heard in his response to a question on antisemitism.
Tony Burke, the leader of the house, had his jaw drop open in legitimate-looking shock, while next to him Richard Marles also looked dumbfounded.
Dreyfus, who is Jewish, had spoken in his answer about standing in the debris of a firebombed synagogue in Melbourne and visiting Israel.
Speaking this morning, the attorney general said an “extraordinary number” of opposition politicians had reached out to him.
They saw that what happened in parliament was a mistake, and they’ve apologised to me for it.
He didn’t name those who had apologised, but said Sukkar had not.
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Marles rejects Trump’s accusation Zelenskyy is a ‘dictator’
Richard Marles was asked about Donald Trump’s escalated attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the US president called the Ukrainian leader “a dictator” who had “better move fast” or he “won’t have a country left”.
Asked if he thinks Zelenskyy is a dictator, Marles said “no”, but said “I’m also not about to engage in a running commentary of President Trump’s remarks.”
We obviously, and I think the world obviously, welcomes any efforts to bring about peace. The war in Ukraine has seen a very significant loss of life over what’s coming up to three years.
Having said that, it can’t be peace on any terms – and to be clear, I don’t think America is saying that either. It is really important that we are empowering Ukraine in this process. And we’ve said from the outset, and we continue to say, that this conflict can only be resolved on Ukraine’s terms.
The aggressor here is Russia. They were the ones who illegally crossed into Ukraine, who invaded Ukraine. That is why we are supporting Ukraine. We see that what’s at stake here.
The host notes that Trump is not “saying any of that”, and Marles repeats that he won’t give “a running commentary on what President Trump is saying.”
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Marles says Australians should have “confidence” in Asio after chief revealing attempts to harm Australians abroad
Circling back to Richard Marles’s interview on Sky News earlier.
The defence minister was asked about a speech from the Asio boss, Mike Burgess, last night, who revealed at least three countries have plotted to harm Australians abroad and on home soil, including a planned assassination to silence a human rights activist:
Asked if Australians were vulnerable to attacks, Marles said he wouldn’t use this word, and Australians should have a “sense of confidence about Asio and the other security agencies that we have to meet the threat that we face.”
The fundamental fact is that we live in the most challenging, and in many respects, the most threatening strategic circumstances that we’ve faced since the end of the second world war. You can look around the world to see how complex it is, and in many respects, how volatile it is – and we’re not immune from that.
Asked if he is worried about the years ahead, Marles responded “I’m not sanguine, that’s for sure”.
We live in a very complex and, in many respects, threatening environment, and we need to be making sure that we are prepared for that.
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Adam Bandt on Greens’ proposed Centrelink boost
Announcing the plan (see previous post), Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt said:
Finishing school and working out what’s next is a pivotal time for young people, but with rents, education fees and the cost of living all rising, many of them are finding completing further study is not a path they can afford.
Starting out your adult life shouldn’t be this hard. Labor should be doing much more to support young people to get established in the field or industry they want to pursue.
In a minority government, the Greens will keep [Peter] Dutton out and get Labor to act on cost of living by making sure more young people can access youth allowance and are supported to get the education they need to be able to do what they want to do.
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Greens propose $7bn Centrelink payments boost for young people
Last night the Greens proposed a plan for changes to Centrelink that would give 200,000 more young people access to jobseeker, youth allowance or increased payments to support them in further studies.
The election commitment would lower the jobseeker eligibility age from 22 to 18 and eliminate the youth allowance parental income test for young people living away from home.
The changes would increase the average youth allowance payment for existing recipients by $4,700 a year and make 68,000 young people who are locked out of the payment newly eligible.
A further 76,000 youth allowance recipients would also become eligible for the higher jobseeker payment, putting an average of $4,900 extra into their pockets in 2025-26.
The party says the plan will cost $7.2bn over the forward estimates.
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Liberal senator seeks to blame renewable energy for Whyalla steelworks issues
As Jonathan Barrett reported yesterday, there are a number of factors that led to the Whyalla steelworks being placed under administration.
It was beset by problems, including underinvestment, as well as a series of shutdowns of its coal-fired blast furnace. Timelines for upgrades have consistently blown out, and many financial problems are linked to the 2021 collapse of primary financier Greensill Capital.
But on the Today show earlier this morning, WA Liberal senator Michaelia Cash blamed the plant’s problems on … renewable energy. She said:
How did they end up in this position? How did manufacturing end up going to the wall in Australia? … It is the cost of energy. Labor’s renewables-only pipe dream has pushed the cost of energy up in Australia, and you’ve just got businesses – including manufacturers – now going to the wall.
Labor’s energy policy is not renewables only, including gas as a component “to 2050 and beyond”.
The host put to Cash that the plant was “badly run,” but she continued:
Mr Albanese, I think, needs to actually take a bit of responsibility here and say the renewables only pipe dream is destroying manufacturing and businesses.
Again, Labor’s policy is not “renewables only”.
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SA premier on Whyalla steelworks administration: ‘you can’t do it on a whim’
Peter Malinauskas was also asked about why the government did not intervene after Greensill Capital, the primary financier of the plant’s owner, Sanjeev Gupta, collapsed in 2021. He said:
You cannot take the sort of action that the South Australian government has undertaken today lightly. You can’t do it on a whim. You can’t do it just because there’s a media storm. You’ve got to do it because you have the evidence and justification to do it.
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Malinauskas on decision to place Whyalla under administration
The premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas spoke on the ABC’s 7.30 last night about the government’s move to save the Whyalla steelworks.
He said if the plant was allowed to continue on its current trajectory, it would have compromised “the ability to make steel in this country” which would put us at risk.
People need to appreciate that the steel that is made in Whyalla is all of the domestic long-steel-making capability that we have for the entirety of the nation.
Whether it be Optus Stadium in Perth or the Cross River Rail in Brisbane or whether it be the Western Sydney airport terminal, it’s all coming from Whyalla. If we lose it as a country that’s more than a problem, that’s a big sovereign risk.
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Albanese to visit Whyalla as steelworks package announced
The prime minister will announce an industry support package while visiting Whyalla steelworks today, AAP reports, after it was placed in administration by the South Australian government.
Anthony Albanese and the SA premier, Peter Malinauskas, will today visit Whyalla to announce the package, described by the premier as “one of the most comprehensive industry support packages that this nation has ever seen”.
It is not yet known what role the federal government will play in the support package, but Albanese and the industry minister, Ed Husic, will be in Whyalla.
Husic is due on ABC News Breakfast later this morning – we’ll bring you the latest here on the blog.
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Australia and PNG go 'next level' through new defence deal
Australia and Papua New Guinea are set to announce negotiations will begin on a new defence treaty between the two nations, AAP reports, in a rebuke of Beijing’s expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, will host his PNG counterpart Billy Joseph in Brisbane today, where they are expected to confirm the nations are entering into discussions for a bilateral agreement.
This would create a framework for the two militaries to step up their cooperation across security areas. The PNG government last year reaffirmed Australia should be its security partner of choice, and that it wasn’t considering a policing deal with China.
Beijing approached Port Moresby last year with a policing deal after an outbreak of deadly tribal violence which the nation struggled to get under control. A policing deal signed between Beijing and Solomon Islands alarmed Australia and the US, with concerns it opened the door to a potential Chinese naval base in the region.
Marles thanked Joseph for his ambition in expanding the defence relationship, which would be taken to the “next level”.
Practically, a treaty would make it easier for Australia and PNG to support each other’s security, and contribute to the collective security of the region.
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Marles says Chinese warships abiding by international law but presence is ‘unusual’
The defence minister, Richard Marles, has been speaking with Sky News this morning, where he was asked about those Chinese warships (see previous post).
He said “we are keeping close watch on them” and would “watch every move”.
We will assess everything we have seen to make a proper assessment of exactly what they were trying to achieve through this mission.
Marles said the ships are “not doing anything that is contrary to international law” from what has been surveilled so far.
From the moment that they came close to Australia, they have been abiding by international law. But there is no doubt that this is not unprecedented, but an unusual event.
Just as they have a right to be in international waters, which is what they are doing, we have a right to be prudent, to make sure that we are surveilling them, which is what we are doing … Early on here, I instructed that we needed to have assets, our own frigates and air assets, making sure that we are watching every move that they take.
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Defence monitoring Chinese warships off NSW coast
The Australian Defence Force says it is monitoring Chinese warships off Australia’s east coast.
In a statement, it said this includes the “People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser named Zunyi and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu”, which “continue to operate to the east of Australia”.
The Financial Times has reported that the vessels were “within 150 nautical miles of Sydney”.
Defence routinely monitors all maritime traffic in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone and maritime approaches.
Australia respects the rights of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace, under international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In a previous statement on the vessels, Defence said it would “continue to monitor the activities of the task group … with a combination of capabilities, including air and maritime assets.”
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Welcome
Good morning, and welcome back to the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
The Australian Defence Force says it is monitoring Chinese warships off the east coast of Australia. In a statement, it said three vessels “continue to operate to the east of Australia”. The Financial Times has reported that the vessels are “within 150 nautical miles of Sydney”.
As AAP reports, Australia and Papua New Guinea are expected to announce they are entering into discussions for a bilateral agreement. The defence minister, Richard Marles, will host his PNG counterpart, with the agreement create a framework for the two militaries to step up their cooperation across security areas.
Overnight, the Greens announced proposed changes to Centrelink that would give 200,000 more young people access to jobseeker, youth allowance or increased payments to support them in further studies. Cait Kelly will bring us all the details on this in a moment.
You can get in touch with any thoughts, tips or feedback via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s get started.
