What we learned, Sunday 11 August
And that’s where we’ll leave you today. Here’s a snapshot of the day’s news:
Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has condemned the deaths of more than 80 civilians after an Israeli missile strike on a school in Gaza City overnight.
Anthony Albanese was in South Australia this morning to announce that a consortium will take responsibility for a major road project in Adelaide.
The prime minister commended Rachael “Raygun” Gunn for competing in the breaking competition at the Olympics this week, after she was targeted with online vitriol for her performance.
Asio director general, Mike Burgess, says the federal government raised the terror threat to probable because people were becoming radicalised more quickly by a range of ideologies thinking “violence is the answer”.
Burgess confirmed Iran as one of “at least three or four” countries involved in foreign interference in Australia’s diaspora communities.
A platform to screen newborns for multiple genetic conditions will receive $5.5m in federal funding for a 12-month pilot.
A 14-year-old girl has been charged with murder after police investigations of an alleged stabbing at Point Vernon on Saturday.
The hospitalisation rate of Queensland children under five with the flu has doubled in the last week.
Thanks so much for your company today. You’ll have Amy Remeikis back in the hot seat tomorrow for Politics Live. See you then.
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Albanese: ‘Raygun had a crack, good on her’
The prime minister has commended Rachael “Raygun” Gunn for competing in the breaking competition at the Olympics this week after she was targeted with online vitriol for her performance.
Anthony Albanese said in a press conference this morning that Gunn’s participation was “in the Australian tradition of people having a go”:
The Olympics is about people participating in sport – that’s a good thing. And Raygun had a crack, good on her, and a big shout-out to her. That is in the Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country and that’s a good thing.
One of the things that I hope happens as a result of our magnificent performance of these athletes, the best performance in any Olympics ever, is that these young people watching … they’re watching like other young people and thinking, “You know what? Brisbane 2032 – I could have a go there”.
It was important to get people off their phones and into sport, Albanese said:
Doesn’t matter what people are doing, it’s a good thing that they’re participating in sport. It’s good for their physical health, but also so important for their mental health as well. And I think that is the message of the Olympic spirit.
The Australian athletes will arrive back in Sydney at 7am on Wednesday, with the PM waiting to welcome them.
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Adelaide man wins City2Surf in Sydney
Some 90,000 runners hit the pavement this morning in the annual City2Surf in Sydney. The 14km run starts in the Sydney CBD and heads out toward the coast, ending at Bondi Beach.
This year a 24-year-old Adelaide man crossed the finish line first in his first time competing in the event.
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Asio names ‘three or four’ countries involved in foreign interference
Australia’s spy boss, Mike Burgess, has confirmed Iran as one of “at least three or four” countries involved in foreign interference in Australia’s diaspora communities.
Speaking on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, the director general of security in charge of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said he could think of “at least three or four [countries] that are we’ve actually actively found involved in foreign interference in Australia and diaspora communities”:
Some of them would surprise you, and some of them are also our friends.
Foreign interference and espionage were key security concerns for the national intelligence and security agency, with a range of countries, including Iran, caught attempting to threaten and intimidate diaspora communities.
Iran was able to be identified publicly because the federal minister had already done so, Burgess said.
Read more on this story here:
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Pilot program to screen babies for genetic conditions
A platform to screen newborns for multiple genetic conditions will receive $5.5m in federal funding for a 12-month pilot, assistant minister for health and aged care Ged Kearney has announced.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales will establish the platform and aim to screen 60,000 newborns in Queensland for 24 genetic conditions, including biotinidase deficiency, haemophilia, cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy and severe combined immunodeficiency.
The grant comes from the federal government’s medical research future fund national critical research infrastructure initiative.
Assoc Prof Natalie Taylor from UNSW said:
Key research activities will involve working with healthcare, policy, program, and community stakeholders to make decisions together about new conditions to screen for, and to design care pathways that are adequately resourced for those new conditions.
We aim to take a considered approach to implementation of this new technology that improves care for newborns now and futureproofs the health system for the continuous evolution of newborn bloodspot screening scientific advances.
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Queensland surgery numbers released
Most Queenslanders needing elective surgery are getting their operations done on time but the number of patients remains stubbornly high, new figures show.
The latest state health data released today shows almost 38,000 elective surgeries were carried out in the three months ended in June, AAP reports.
More than 75% of patients were treated within the clinically recommended timeframe, which is 30 days for the most serious cases, three months for semi-urgent cases and a year for non-urgent cases.
Health minister, Shannon Fentiman, told reporters:
Queenslanders are getting their surgery done faster here than anywhere else in the country.
The median wait time across surgery categories was 40 days in the final quarter of the 2023-24 financial year.
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Meares speaks up for Australian breakdancer
After Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s breakdancing performance at the Olympics became the target of much social media commentary, Australia’s Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares expressed her disappointment and her support for Gunn as an athlete.
Watch the press conference there:
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Man dies in Dunolly house fire
A man has died in a house fire in the Victorian town of Dunolly overnight.
Victoria police say they are investigating after emergency services were called to the residence about 10.50pm by reports of a fire at a residential premises.
After the fire was extinguished, a 68-year-old man was found dead inside the building.
A crime scene has been established and investigations are ongoing into the cause of the fire, which is not believed to be suspicious at this stage.
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PM announces major Adelaide road project
Anthony Albanese was in South Australia this morning to announce that a consortium will take responsibility for a major road project in Adelaide.
The works will allow a “nonstop trip” from the north to the south of the city, the premier, Peter Malinauskas, said, and will complete the 78km freeway network between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.
Part of the project, from the River Torrens to Darlington (called the T2D Project), will probably be finished earlier than the 2031 deadline.
The consortium comprises the companies John Holland, Bouygues Construction, Arcadis Australia, Jacobs and Ventia. Main construction works are expected to start in 2025.
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Man dies in hospital after Sydney house fire
A man who was taken to hospital in a critical condition after a house fire in western Sydney this week has died, NSW police say.
The 71-year-old was taken to Nepean hospital early on Tuesday after a fire at a residence in Kingswood, which police believe was deliberately lit. He died last night.
A 63-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday and, after being treated in hospital, was charged with damaging property by fire with intent to injure, damaging property by fire, and reckless grievous bodily harm.
He was refused bail and appeared at Penrith local court on Wednesday. The matter remains before the courts.
Police will prepare a report on the death of the 71-year-old for the coroner.
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Sydney police appeal for help in search for man
NSW police are asking for public assistance in the search for a man who was heard yelling for help from the Georges River last night.
Emergency services were called about 10.50pm to Carinya Road, Picnic Point, after reports a man was heard calling for help.
Bankstown police area command began a search with aerial and marine support. An unoccupied boat and a black sedan were found in the area a short time later.
Police said today they were concerned for the man’s welfare, urging anyone with information or who may have seen a black Mercedes sedan in the area to call Bankstown police or Crime Stoppers.
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PM wants to be remembered as ‘someone who delivered a strong economy’
Part of the strategy of the Prime Minister’s Office for pushing out the government’s message has been to broaden the outlets the prime minister speaks to. This obviously isn’t new – every PMO tries to broaden the reach of the message, but this PMO has focused on younger audiences (including the Daily Aus and the Squizz) as well as podcasts, which could reach an audience not usually engaged in politics.
Scott Morrison did this a little bit – Anthony Albanese has stepped it up.
You’ll often find the PM speaking about all sorts of things on FM radio stations (don’t get us started) but, when it comes to specific policies the government wants people to pay attention to, it is podcasts all the way.
Which is how the PM came to speak to the Women’s Agenda podcast this week. The topics? The early childhood educator pay rise, the cost of living and whether we are headed for an early election.
Albanese was also asked about what legacy he wanted to leave (you may remember when Morrison was asked this, he said he didn’t think about his legacy, because he was always moving forward).
The PM said he wanted his legacy to be “someone who delivered a strong economy”:
Because you need a strong economy with jobs and opportunity in order to do the social and environmental reforms that are needed …
On the bigger picture on how we transform Australia into being a stronger economy and being a fairer society. In being one that left a legacy for future generations enacting on climate change. And someone who believed in equity and promoted it throughout government policy.
I think that my values are strong.
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Parliament to focus on cost of living
The big focus of the Albanese government as parliament returns will be cost of living – and trying to imprint on voters what the government has done to address it.
The Coalition will, of course, be making the opposite argument.
But so far both sides of politics are doing their best not to be seen to be criticising the RBA governor, Michele Bullock.
At her last press conference Bullock said the central bank board was not considering interest rate cuts for some time.
Labor senator Murray Watt, who has been receiving a bit more media attention since his elevation to workplace minister in the last ministry reshuffle, was walking the line when he spoke to Sky News this morning:
I’m not going to give a personal assessment of Michele Bullock in her role. Obviously she and Jim Chalmers work very closely together, in particular, along with other members of the government, but I think the comments that she has made demonstrate that we do need to be careful in our economic management.
Watt maintained the standard government line that it was about “getting the balance right”. Expect to hear that line quite a bit over the next two weeks.
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Wong condemns missile strike on Gaza school that killed 80 overnight
Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has condemned the deaths of more than 80 civilians after an Israeli missile strike on a school in Gaza City overnight.
Wong said in a post on X this morning:
Innocent Palestinians cannot continue to pay the price of defeating Hamas.
Australia condemns the deaths of civilians from Israel’s strike on Al-Tabeen School.
Israel must comply with international humanitarian law.
We again call for an immediate ceasefire.
Innocent Palestinians cannot continue to pay the price of defeating Hamas.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) August 11, 2024
Australia condemns the deaths of civilians from Israel’s strike on Al-Tabeen School.
Israel must comply with international humanitarian law.
We again call for an immediate ceasefire.
The bombing of Tabeen school, where about 6,000 displaced people were sheltering, occurred when many people were preparing for dawn prayers.
As it stands, the Tabeen school death toll is one of the largest from a single strike during 10 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
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Arson suspected after fire in Sydney overnight
Police are investigating a house fire in south-western Sydney overnight that they believe was deliberately lit.
Emergency services were called to the property in Canley Heights at about 2.40am this morning by reports of a fire at a house undergoing renovation, NSW police said.
The building was unoccupied at the time and there were no reports of injuries. Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the blaze and police established a crime scene.
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Gambling ad bill to be debated in parliament this week
Hello from Canberra! It is the Sunday before the first sitting week in five weeks so, as you can imagine, the media releases are beginning to roll in with what everyone wants the parliament to focus on.
Top of the list is the coming gambling ad legislation. As Paul Karp confirmed during the week, the government is shying away from the total ban over (phased over three years) that late Labor MP Peta Murphy recommended after the inquiry she led.
Instead, the government is leaning towards caps and timed bans:
That has prompted an alliance of former prime ministers and state premiers, MPs and civic leaders, from unions to sports to faith and academia, to come together to urge the government to go further. The Alliance for Gambling Reform has brought together more than 60 prominent Australians, including former prime ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull, Lucy Turnbull, former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet, and former Victorian premiers Jeff Kennett and Steve Bracks, asking both major parties to commit to banning all gambling advertising within three years.
The letter says:
Our children are also being targeted by the tsunami of gambling ads that assault our screens, especially around coverage of our major sporting codes. It is ensnaring a whole new generation of gamblers …
Gambling advertising in Australia is out of control with one million gambling ads being aired on free-to-air television and radio in just one year.
Federal independent MPs – Andrew Wilkie, Rebekha Sharkie, Dr Monique Ryan, Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Zali Steggall, Zoe Daniel, Kate Chaney, Dai Le, Dr Helen Haines – independent senator David Pocock, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and former federal Labor minister Robert Tickner have also signed the letter.
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Child hospitalisation rate for flu doubles in Queensland
The hospitalisation rate of Queensland children under five with the flu has doubled in the last week, the Queensland government says.
With the flu season not expected to peak until the end of the month, the state’s health minister, Shannon Fentiman, is urging Queensland parents to get themselves and their kids vaccinated.
On Saturday there were 364 people hospitalised with influenza, with numbers continuing to climb compared with about the same time last week, when 318 hospitalisations were recorded.
Fentiman said of serious concern was the increase in hospitalisations of children under five, which has more than doubled from 13 last week to 28.
Fewer than 15% of Queensland children admitted to hospital with influenza have been vaccinated. The Queensland government has made flu vaccinations free.
Fentiman said:
This doubling of hospitalisations is concerning for our smallest Queenslanders and I am asking parents across the state, please vaccinate yourself and your kids.
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Teen girl charged with murder after alleged Queensland stabbing
A 14-year-old girl has been charged with murder after police investigations of an alleged stabbing at Point Vernon on Saturday.
Emergency services were called to Corser Street about 9pm after reports a 24-year-old Point Vernon man had sustained a stab wound.
He was transported to Hervey Bay hospital but died from his injuries upon arrival, Queensland police said.
The force said a 14-year-old girl had been taken into custody nearby and had been charged with one count of murder. She is expected to appear before Hervey Bay children’s court tomorrow.
It is understood the girl and the man are known to each other.
Police urged anyone with information that could assist with their investigations to come forward.
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Job provider accused of pushing to falsify time sheets
One of the country’s biggest job providers is accused of pressuring a jobseeker to sign a false description of her employment status, an alleged deception that would have triggered a publicly funded payment to the company.
The Victorian woman, who did not want to be named, claims the employment service provider APM asked her to sign paperwork confirming she had worked four weeks when she had actually spent months on sick leave. APM has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Read the full story by Cait Kelly here:
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Asio urges ‘whole-of-society approach’ to addressing violent extremism
Asio’s director general has told ABC’s Insiders that addressing the threat of violent extremism in Australia requires a “whole-of-society approach”.
Mike Burgess says Asio and law enforcement agencies would review their caseloads “where we have assessed people to have a hateful violent ideology, but think they won’t conduct an act of terror”.
More broadly, he says, the issue is one that requires focus from individuals, communities and governments:
The media has to be careful about their headlines. It can inflame. Politicians have to be careful about their robust political debate – and I’m not suggesting that’s not appropriate. It’s got to continue.
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Terror threat level raised due to ‘more people thinking violence is the answer'
Asio director general Mike Burgess says the federal government raised the terror threat to probable because people were becoming radicalised more quickly by a range of ideologies and because more people were thinking “violence is the answer”.
Appearing on the ABC’s Insiders, Burgess said:
Religiously motivated is still the dominant force but not the only one.
The reason why we raised the threat level this time is because we’re seeing more ideologies, more people being radicalised quickly, and more people thinking violence is the answer.
Burgess said he was extremely concerned by violent rioting in the UK.
Could we see that at the scale that we’re seeing in the UK? Probably not.
The drivers, though, driving that activity in the United Kingdom are similar to the drivers that have resulted us in raising the national threat level here in Australia.
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Navy to boost capability after long-range missile test
Australia’s navy has hit a significant milestone in boosting the lethal nature of its national defence strategy after a long-range missile test.
HMAS Sydney successfully fired a Standard Missile 6 during Exercise Pacific Dragon 2024, which was held near Hawaii.
It was the second test on the cruiser in less than a month after the vessel fired a Naval Strike Missile during Exercise RIMPAC 2024, the world’s largest international maritime exercise, in July.
The missiles, which are being acquired from the US, will improve the navy’s long-range capability once rolled out to its surface combatant fleet.
The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said the test was another step towards strengthening the Australian defence force’s “lethality”":
The ability to deter an adversary from extended ranges and to deter attempts to project power against Australia is a core part of the National Defence Strategy.
The federal government’s $50.3bn national defence strategy announced in April laid down plans to transform the defence force in coming years.
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Good morning
It’s Lisa Cox here to take you through Sunday.
AAP is reporting that Australia’s navy has hit a significant milestone in boosting the lethal nature of its national defence strategy after a long-range missile test.
An investigation is ongoing after a man was shot by police outside a Queensland hospital after allegedly confronting them with a knife.
And we are expecting to hear from Anthony Albanese and the Asio director general, Mike Burgess, this morning. Let’s get started.
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