What we learned today, Friday 24 May
We are wrapping up the blog for tonight. Here’s what made the news:
Keith Davis, an Australian passenger who was onboard the Singapore Airlines flight that hit extreme turbulence this week, has said his wife sustained a severe spinal injury. Singapore Airlines soon after apologised to injured Australians.
A Queensland court has delivered a historic judgment that social media company X is bound by the state’s vilification laws.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has said two additional flights will bring stranded Australians home from New Caledonia today, due to the worsening security situation there.
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said the state was seeing more than 400 cases of influenza a day.
Rental bidding has officially been outlawed in Queensland and price rises will only occur annually after major reforms were passed in the state.
Stolen generations survivors and their families gathered to hear Victoria’s police chief apologise for the role the force played in removing children from their communities over many decades.
Protesters at two Australian universities are packing up their pro-Palestine encampments, citing a shift by the institutions on demands to publicly disclose ties with weapons makers.
The Queensland government has rejected a carbon capture storage project in southern Queensland on the basis that it could cause “irreversible long-term change to groundwater quality”.
A man has faced court today on charges as part of an investigation into the Wakeley riots last month, becoming the 22nd person charged in relation to the riots.
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People’s Commission into housing crisis hears of ‘abusive’ rent prices and ‘scapegoated’ migrants
This afternoon the People’s Commission into the housing crisis heard from migrants and international students who said they are struggling to make minimum wage and living in small, poorly maintained accommodation.
Raf Ramos is a migrant who travelled to study in Sydney and now works in the not-for-profit health space. He lives in a 12 sq m apartment in Camperdown and said he found it “horrific” that migrants were being blamed for the housing crisis.
I find so appalling … the narrative that migrants and international students – which, if I may say so, have brought on a rich diversity and knowledge and skills to this country – are now being scapegoated as the cause for the housing crisis.
International students … have brought in about $36.4 billion to this economy in the last year.
Another woman, Valentina Olivares, says she used to pay more than $200 a week for a shared room in Sydney. She now has her own room but is paying more than 50% of her income to live in a share house.
The amount we are paying is abusive. Because it is so expensive.
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PM tells western Sydney event he hasn’t ‘forgotten what it means to struggle’
The prime minister spoke at an event in western Sydney to mark two years in the job earlier today, where he told a packed audience he hasn’t “forgotten what it means to struggle”.
At an event held by the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, Albanese rattled off some of his previously announced budget measures, before reflecting on his tenure.
And despite criticisms from social welfare groups for what they see as a lack of economic support for the nation’s most vulnerable, the Labor leader said he understood what it meant to struggle.
I understand Australians are doing it tough right now – and I haven’t forgotten what it’s like to struggle and strive.
To worry about your family’s economic security, to wonder if you’ll get the opportunity to pursue your aspirations.
That understanding drives our government.
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Coroner urges mandating real-time prescription monitoring after 16-year-old who saw 70 doctors in a year died from overdose
GPs should be required by law to follow real-time prescription monitoring to ensure their patients are not “doctor shopping” for medication, a coroner has recommended.
A 16-year-old Victorian boy, known as LI, died from a drug overdose after obtaining pain medication from 70 doctors in the year before his death.
Coroner Ingrid Giles was tasked with investigating the cause and circumstances surrounding his 2019 death during a four-day inquest in March.
He obtained 60 opioid tablets the day before he died after going to three different doctors and three different pharmacies, the court was told.
On the evening of 28 January 2019, LI died from a drug overdose in his own bed and his grandmother found his body the next morning.
In the year before his death, the teen had visited 70 different doctors and managed to obtain 64 prescriptions from 31 practitioners. The 16-year-old was also admitted to hospital several times between 2015 and 2019 for drug issues and self-harm, including swallowing batteries and needles.
In findings released on Friday, Giles said she was satisfied that while LI intended to ingest the medications, it was likely an impulsive act rather than a suicide attempt.
But she found the doctors who prescribed him with opioids, on a one-off or short-term basis, had missed an important opportunity to intervene in his “doctor-shopping” cycle.
“It was a cycle that ended in LI’s death,” Giles said in her report.
The SafeScript system, a central database that allows a doctor to see a patient’s current prescriptions, was first introduced in Victoria in October 2018 but only became more widely used in April 2019.
The coroner found if the system was as available at the time of LI’s death as it is today, there could have been a different outcome for the 16-year-old.
“The GPs who saw LI would have had crucial information pointing to LI’s drug-seeking behaviours, and he would likely have been refused access to certain of the highly addictive medications that he was prescribed,” she said.
The coroner made a recommendation to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to consider making doctors’ compliance with real-time prescription monitoring a national standard.
Giles also recommended Victoria’s Department of Health develop additional strategies to improve its oversight and compliance role in checking SafeScript.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. The Opioid Treatment Line is at 1800 642 428 or call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.
– via AAP
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Australian fashion label Dion Lee goes into voluntary administration
Fashion label Dion Lee has entered voluntary administration for its Australian operations, in a major blow to a brand that has dressed celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, the Duchess of Sussex and Troye Sivan.
The move came after the Australian retail chain Cue announced it had withdrawn its investment in the designer apparel.
The Australian arm of Dion Lee has been placed under the administration of Antony Resnick of the insolvency firm dVT Group as it evaluates the future of the business and looks to attract new investors.
The unisex brand, founded in 2009 by Sydney-based designer Dion Lee, has six stores in Australia, one in the United States and is sold in 160 outlets globally.
“The Dion Lee brand is one of a handful of Australian fashion labels that has been able to break into international markets in recent years and there is no doubt as to the high creative regard in which it is held,” Resnick said in a statement on Friday.
“However, until we progress our administration process it is too early to comment in any detail on its current financial position other than to say our intention at this time is to operate the brand as a going concern.”
You can read more at our story below:
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Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you for the rest of the day’s news.
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Folks, I’m going to hand you over to Mostafa Rachwani now, who’ll take you through the rest of the afternoon.
PM declares former PM Morrison’s book in gift register
The former prime minister Scott Morrison was apparently feeling in a charitable mood toward the man who unseated him from the top job: he gave Anthony Albanese a copy of his newly released book.
Albanese declared a copy of the new tome, Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness, on his parliamentary register of interests yesterday. The book was received “from Scott Morrison”, Albanese’s register declares.
In Morrison’s valedictory speech to parliament, he promised to “forgive” any disputes from his time in politics. Perhaps the book was something of a peace offering to Albanese.
Morrison has been in the US on a publicity tour to launch the book, including an event at the Australian embassy in Washington DC hosted by another former political sparring partner, US ambassador Kevin Rudd. Morrison also spent time with television’s Dr Phil, according to his posts on social media, as well as the former US president Donald Trump.
Elsewhere in Albanese’s latest round of gift disclosures, he declares receiving another book, written by News Corp’s Warren Brown, who he trekked the Kokoda track with last month; a CareFlight model plane from CareFlight; and tickets to Nick Cave’s Sydney concert from the musician himself.
Other recent updates to the disclosure log saw Labor’s Queensland MP Shayne Neumann declare tickets and hospitality for himself and six staff to a Brisbane Broncos NRL game, worth $700, from Suncorp Insurance; Labor’s Canberra MP David Smith disclosing two tickets to a Brumbies rugby game last month; and the sports minister, Anika Wells, declaring two tickets to the LIV Golf tournament in South Australia, from the SA tourism commission.
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One-fifth of questions on notice to government not answered
A fortnight of Senate estimates hearings will kick off from next Tuesday, and it’s a wonderful time of year for government accountability nerds.
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, for four weeks of the year, federal bureaucrats from each government department and agency are hauled into Parliament House’s committee rooms and questioned over how they spend their budgets, among other things, by senators.
If an official doesn’t know the answer, or needs further clarification, they can take the question “on notice” to answer at a later date. Those questions on notice, or QONs, are placed in a register on the parliamentary website, and answers filter in over the weeks and months.
But often, QONs are answered very late or not at all. And there’s no real penalty beyond a public naming and shaming.
So, in the spirit of accountability, we took a squiz at just how many QONs were still overdue from the last Senate estimates hearings three months ago in February.
After crunching the numbers, there were 9,217 questions on notice recorded in February’s Senate estimates. Of those, 7,260 were answered, 1,954 are overdue and 3 remain unanswered but aren’t considered “overdue”. Overall, that means one in five questions on notice still haven’t been answered in three months.
So who is the worst offender? According to our calculations, the answer is the education portfolio. It received 439 questions on notice last hearing and it has only answered nine of those – or about 2%. Someone hasn’t been doing their homework on time.
Following behind education is the defence portfolio – a repeat offender in slow responses to questions on notice. The portfolio was lobbed 1,209 questions on notice in a single day and has answered 650 of them so far. That means 46% remain unanswered.
Rounding out the worst offenders list, the third slowest responder is the health and aged care portfolio, which received 1,353 questions on notice in February and has answered 786, leaving about 42% unanswered.
Let’s hope some of these responses come through before the next hearings in November.
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Car crashes into haberdashery store in Lake Macquarie
A car has crashed into a local business in Swansea, in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW, narrowly missing two people.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews responded to the incident at a shopping centre just after 9.30am, at the rear of the Pacific Highway property.
FRNSW said the driver appeared to have lost control of the Ford in the shopping centre car park, with the vehicle ploughing through the wall of the haberdashery shop – a local, family-owned business for more than 55 years.
Two people inside the store narrowly escaped harm. A video of the aftermath shows wool, buttons and other craft supplies strewn around the car.
The owner was at the rear of the shop when she heard the impact and told firefighters that had the crash happened 20 minutes later, her business would have been busy hosting a regular craft group.
Firefighters from the nearby Swansea fire station helped cut the power supply, assess the structural integrity of the building and clear the site of debris. They also helped extract the car from the ruins.
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Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. Stephanie Convery will be here to take you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care, and enjoy your weekend!
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‘Bad things do happen’ in war, says Coalition senator
The Coalition’s assistant foreign affairs spokesperson, Claire Chandler, has said “bad things do happen” in wartime, during questioning about whether Israel could have done more to protect Palestinian civilians.
During an interview on Sky News a short time ago, Chandler condemned Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel and criticised the international criminal court prosecutor’s pursuit of arrest warrants for two Israeli leaders in addition to three Hamas leaders. The Coalition has suggested that Australia should consider walking away from the ICC if the pre-trial chamber approves the warrants for the arrest of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and defence minister, Yoav Gallant, over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity – allegations they deny.
Chandler was asked by Sky News whether there were any aspects of Israel’s conduct of the war where she believed there could have been a greater emphasis on protecting civilians. The Tasmanian senator replied:
Oh, look, I don’t think anyone in Australia or around the world looks at any conflict, particularly modern conflict as it occurs globally now, and thinks that any single actor has behaved as perfectly as they possibly could.
Indeed I think that’s a very idealistic position to take unfortunately, because, like you say, in conflict situations bad things do happen.
But what has been lost in the way the ICC has handled these warrants recently is the fact that, like I say, Israel has a right to defend itself because of what happened in October last year.
The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan KC, said in a statement announcing his application for arrest warrants:
Israel, like all States, has a right to take action to defend its population. That right, however, does not absolve Israel or any State of its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law.
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Acma releases statement on court action against Optus over 2022 cyberattack
Yesterday in the blog, we reported the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) had taken Optus to court over the 2022 cyber-attack. The regulator had not disclosed on what grounds, but it has now put out a statement on the matter.
Acma said it was an alleged failure to protect the confidentiality of its customers’ personal information under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act.
The ACMA has filed proceedings in the Federal Court against Optus Mobile Pty Ltd (Optus). We allege that during a data breach which occurred between 17 to 20 September 2022, Optus failed to protect the confidentiality of its customers’ personal information from unauthorised interference or unauthorised access as required under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth).
That is generally the act that is associated with the law enforcement powers to obtain customer records for investigations that was controversially updated in 2015 to require the telcos to retain customer data for two years for that purpose. Think the George Brandis metadata interview.
Optus said yesterday it planned on fighting the case.
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Numerous pro-Palestine demonstrations to be held at docks across Australia tomorrow
Pro-Palestine rallies will be held simultaneously at docks across the country tomorrow, with trade unions and solidarity groups calling for “an end to the genocide taking place in Gaza”.
The demonstrations will kick off around midday tomorrow in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin and Perth, local time. They will have three key demands:
For all shipping companies operating in Australian ports to declare any trade or cargo with Israel.
Impose an arms embargo and trade sanctions on the state of Israel.
For charges to be withdrawn against the Maritime Union Australia and activists advocating for a ceasefire.
Paul Keating, branch secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia – who was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest at Port Botany in March – said:
How much civilian death will it take for the Albanese government to take action? The international criminal court is seeking the arrest of the Israeli prime minister for war crimes, and yet our own government still wants to sell him weapons? If our government won’t take action we will.
To the Palestinian people I say this: you are not alone. The working class of Sydney is right beside you, and we will be until there is peace and freedom in Palestine.
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Origin Energy a winner from Eraring extension, coalminers not so much
There’s still a couple of loose ends around yesterday’s announcement of the NSW government’s pact with Origin Energy to extend its giant coal-fired power station at Eraring for at least another two years. (We wrote this news piece and an analysis.)
One is what’s going to happen to the 1,000-odd Centennial Coal miners who now supply the 2,880-megawatt plant.
Anyway, Thai-owned Centennial said it was “more important than ever to ensure that there is a secure and guaranteed long-term supply of high-quality coal for the duration of this agreement to keep the lights on and save 1,000 jobs”.
As things stand, Origin has been getting most of its coal lately from other suppliers even though Centennial’s Myuna and Mandalong mines are within cooee of Eraring (especially Myuna).
The word is that there’s a big price difference between what Centennial can supply and they are now down to about a 20% share of the black rocks Eraring combusts. In other words, the company will need to close quite a price gap to win back its main customer. (In Myuna’s case, there is no other customer.)
Centennial says it’s in talks with Origin and the state government. The former confirms negotiations, however, we’re yet to confirm the government has any role.
The energy minister, Penny Sharpe, said yesterday the government wasn’t planning to intervene to save the 1,000-odd jobs claimed to be at risk. So what might the talks be about? We’ve approached the government for a clarification.
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Businessman jailed over ‘breathtaking’ NDIS fraud
A businessman who conned international investors into handing over tens of millions of dollars as part of a National Disability Insurance Scheme charade will spend at least eight years in prison, AAP reports.
Demetrios “James” Charisiou, 63, duped two Korean-based firms into giving his company, LBA Capital, $394,740,000 in credit under the guise of investing the money into NDIS-supported properties in Melbourne.
None of the properties was purchased and most of the money sat in an account.
The 2019 ruse was sophisticated and complex, with Charisiou faking documents to get the money, Justice John Champion told the supreme court today.
Charisiou also met with representatives from the companies – JB Asset Management and KB Securities – when they flew out to Melbourne, the judge said.
As a successful businessman with an inflated sense of ego, backing out of the NDIS deal with the investors was not an attractive prospect for Charisiou, Justice Champion said. The judge told Charisiou:
To your own folly, you have lost much that underpinned your way of life. The scale of your fraudulent activity was breathtaking, however must be kept in perspective.
About $38m of the almost $395m was the subject of charges against Charisiou, who pleaded guilty to two counts of using false documents and two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Justice Champion said while Charisiou was unlikely to reoffend, there was a risk he remained driven by his ego and “illusions of grandiosity”.
The judge sentenced Charisiou to 12 years’ jail, with a non-parole period of eight years. The 63-year-old has already spent more than 190 days behind bars.
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AMA president asked about approach of Nationals and Greens to vaping reform
Taking questions from reporters, AMA president Steve Robson was asked about the position of both the Nationals and Greens to the vaping reforms. He responded:
I was shocked that the Nationals would support some sort of vaping excise as a money raising venture. [David] Littleproud does not get it. He doesn’t understand the health risks of this, and we’re really disappointed that this is a position that he and the National party would consider taking. Even if you look at it economically, any money that’s raised from an excise will be dwarfed by the health costs of dealing with the harms of vaping in the future.
And what about the Greens position on the issue, he is asked. Robson replied:
We’re speaking with the Greens at the moment, and we hope that the Greens will also understand why this is so important. We think that the Greens are a party who put the future of the next generation at the heart of their policy, and this clearly is something they should support if they really, truly do put the health and wellbeing of children and the next generation as a priority.
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Health and educational bodies urge support for vaping reform
Peak health and educational bodies have held a joint press conference today, urging politicians to support vaping reforms that are currently before the parliament.
Steve Robson, president of the Australian Medical Association, said vaping is “quite possibly one of the greatest public health challenges that we’re facing at the moment” with “enormous negative consequences for children”.
After years and years of fruitful work in reducing rates of smoking, we’re now seeing nicotine use through vapes go through the roof. We have a window of opportunity to help protect the next generation of Australians, and we urge all parliamentarians to join us and put aside considerations of funding from tobacco lobbies and business interests who seek to profit from vaping, and we’re urging you to put the wellbeing of the next generation of Australian children first.
President of the Australian Education Union, Correna Haythorpe, echoed these sentiments and said vaping is causing increased, widespread disruption in schools.
… not only from its illicit use by students and on the school grounds or in bathroom facilities, but to the level of disengagement that students are having who are vaping in their classroom every day.
Representatives from the Australian Council of State School Organisations, Catholic School Parents Australia and Australian Parents Council also backed the call.
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Further charges laid as part of Wakeley riots investigation
A man will face court today, becoming the 22nd person charged as part of an investigation into the Wakeley riots last month.
Police believe about 2,000 people descended on a church in Sydney’s Wakeley, smashing police vehicles and injuring a number of officers, following the alleged stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, which was live-streamed
As part of the ongoing investigation into the riots, officers executed a search warrant at an address in Wakeley on Wednesday.
Following further inquiries, an 18-year-old man attended Fairfield police station today and was arrested, charged with rioting and destroying/damaging property during public disorder.
He was refused bail to appear at Fairfield local court today.
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Queensland rejects Glencore carbon capture storage project
The Queensland government has rejected a carbon capture storage project in southern Queensland on the basis that it could cause “irreversible long-term change to groundwater quality”.
Swiss mining company Glencore had proposed to inject 330,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power station into an aquifer deep underground to trial carbon capture storage technology. The proposal drew fierce criticism from farming and environmental groups based on the risk it posed to the Great Artesian Basin.
The government’s decision “makes it clear that other carbon capture storage projects will not be viable in the Great Artesian Basin”, a spokesperson from the Queensland environment department said.
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Rex steps up challenge to Qantas and Virgin with Perth-Melbourne flights
Rex Airlines has announced it will launch flights linking Perth with Melbourne, in what will be its first interstate service connecting the east and west coasts of Australia.
In what is the latest stage of Rex’s growth from an operator of small regional turboprop planes before the pandemic to flying jets between capital cities, the airline will commence Boeing 737 flights between Melbourne and Perth five days a week.
By launching the route, Rex will attempt to lure passengers away from the Qantas Group, including budget carrier Jetstar, and Virgin Australia who hold an almost 90% market share in Australian aviation and are dominant on routes between Perth and eastern capitals.
The flights are on sale today, beginning at $299 each way, with services beginning from 28 June.
The new service will add close to 90,000 seats per year to the Melbourne-Perth route, according to Rex general manager of network strategy Warrick Lodge, who said the added competition will bring down prices for travellers. Lodge said:
When more airlines compete on a particular route, consumers benefit and our record in the domestic markets speaks for itself – Rex delivers terrific value for money.
Students pack up after university disclosure commitment
Protesters at two Australian universities are packing up their pro-Palestine encampments, AAP reports, citing a shift by the institutions on demands to publicly disclose ties with weapons makers.
Students at the University of Melbourne issued a call to supporters today to help clean up the camp and collect any donated items from the South Lawn and Arts West building, which they have occupied since 15 May.
Student protesters announced on Wednesday the two camps would be dismantled when the university agreed to publicly disclose its partnerships with weapons manufacturers.
While the university has yet to disclose ties with specific companies, it updated the research transparency section on its website.
The university said it was committed to “additional disclosure of its research grant arrangements” relating to research projects and funding. It confirmed further updates about research ties would be announced on the university’s website progressively, starting in June.
Meanwhile, demonstrators at Curtin University in Western Australia claimed victory and disbanded their encampment yesterday after signing an agreement with the vice-chancellor.
Protesters had camped on university grounds for 23 days before the university agreed to their demands on Tuesday. The Curtin Student Guild said:
Disclosure has been achieved as a direct result of the commitment of the encampment and the Curtin community to fight for the people in Gaza.
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‘I never thought we’d get this apology,’ says stolen generations survivor
Aunty Eva Jo Edwards, a survivor of the stolen generations and a proud Boonwurrung, Mutti Mutti and Yorta Yorta woman, has been delivering an emotional speech following the formal apology from Victorian police.
She says:
To chief commissioner Shane Patton, I’d like to acknowledge that, after 170 years of policing, your leadership in apologising for the Victoria police’s role in the removal of Aboriginal children, such a ... I guess sometimes I’m lost for words but, you know, I as a survivor and everyone that’s sitting in this room, how it’s impacted – it’s great to be alive.
I never thought we’d get an apology from our government, didn’t ever think that we’d get this apology, so I guess we’re still here for us that are survivors and, to those that we’ve lost on the way – your children are here and your grandchildren are here, and I think that’s wonderful too.
We know police are still going to be involved in these removals, but it’s how do we as a community, both Victoria Police and our communities, come together now in a healing process of what is going to be in the best interest for us.
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Plaque to stolen generations: ‘While we cannot change history, we must learn from it so these harms are never repeated again’
A plaque, presented in recognition of the apology, reads:
This plaque is dedicated to the survivors of the stolen generations and their families. Victoria Police acknowledges the extraordinary resilience, diversity, strength and cultural survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the face of historical harms and the legacy that persists to this day. Victoria Police is deeply sorry, and apologises to survivors for the stolen generations and their families for the role Victoria Police played in the forcible removal of Aboriginal children from their families, culture and community and country. While we cannot change history, we must learn from it so these harms are never repeated again.
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‘We may sadly never know exact number of children separated from families through actions involving Victoria police,’ Patton says
Continuing to deliver the apology in Melbourne, Shane Patton says “we may sadly never know the exact number of Aboriginal children separated from their families through actions involving Victoria Police.”
As chief commissioner, Patton says he is committed to work with the Aboriginal community to “continue to enhance change and build trust and confidence”.
He concludes the apology, stating:
I want to conclude today’s apology by saying to every stolen generations survivor, their families, and the entire Aboriginal community – for the harm caused through Victoria Police’s actions, I am truly sorry.
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Shane Patton describes how Victoria Police had power to remove ‘neglected’ Aboriginal children
Patton describes how Victoria Police was one of several agencies that had the power to remove Aboriginal children, deemed to be “neglected”, from their families between 1864 to 1992.
The responsibility for determining when a child was neglected or unprotected was shared across several agencies, including Victoria Police. I cannot begin to imagine the profound distress that the forcible separation of children from their families would have caused and that continues to be felt …
Each removal of a child affected a great number of Aboriginal people, inflicting hurt and sorrow across generations. I’m sorry that survivors of the stolen generations were disproportionately affected by recording practices which meant that forcibly removed children were often treated as if they had a criminal record. Such unjust practices cast a false shadow over their character throughout their lives. When Aboriginal people were brave enough to try to access police records to be reunified with family, police were often unwilling or unable to help. I’m sorry that this so often further deepened the trauma, rather than providing healing or connection.
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Victoria police 'formally and unreservedly' apologise for role in stolen generations
Shane Patton is now delivering his apology to stolen generations survivors and their families on behalf of Victoria police:
This apology is long overdue. As chief commissioner, and on behalf of Victoria Police, I am here with you today to formally and unreservedly apologise to survivors of the stolen generations and their families for the role of Victoria Police that we played in the forcible removal of the Aboriginal children from their families, culture and country.
I am sorry for the profound distress caused and the trauma experienced by so many Aboriginal families. When I reference Aboriginal families, I’m referring to children who were removed, their siblings, their parents and their extended families. I also acknowledge the impact to the children of those who were removed and generations that come after.
For over a hundred years, whether on our own initiative or in assisting other agencies or organisations, Victoria Police contributed to the stolen generations by enforcing policies and laws.
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‘Solely acknowledging past harms is not enough’, chief commissioner of Victorian police says
Shane Patton says he has had direct conversations with stolen generations survivors and the “realisation of the impact on them had a particularly profound impact on me”.
Solely acknowledging past harms is not enough. Victoria Police is fully committed to continuing to implement changes and reforms to address ongoing systemic injustices for Aboriginal people. While we cannot change history, we can accept the harsh truth of it and learn from it, so these harms are never repeated.
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Victorian police chief begins apology to stolen generations survivors
Chief commissioner of the Victorian police, Shane Patton, is delivering an apology to stolen generations survivors and their families in Melbourne.
As we flagged earlier, Patton’s apology is part of a series of reforms stemming from the force’s response to Victoria’s truth-telling inquiry, the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
Beginning the apology, he says:
Victoria Police is deeply committed to a genuine truth telling process, enabling Victorians to reckon with the causes of injustice and create an opportunity to heal and bring meaningful and positive change. A shared commitment to truth telling is a critical step towards building a fairer relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Victoria.
As part of that process, it’s vital for Victoria Police to face up to, and accept responsibility, for the widespread harm caused to Aboriginal people by the role police played in forcibly removing children from their families and the deep impact this had on severing their connection to family, community, country, language, culture and identity. I am deeply sorry for the harm which this has caused, and the harm which continues to be felt now.
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Opposition welcomes Labor designating Houthis as terrorists
Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson has welcomed the government’s move to list Ansar Allah – also known as the Houthis – as a terrorist organisation.
In a post to X, Paterson questioned why this “took so long” and wrote:
The opposition first called on them to do so on 9 January and the Biden administration did so on 17 Jan[uary].
The government made the announcement yesterday, with a statement from attorney general Mark Dreyfus reading:
Ansar Allah’s violent attacks in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding region have killed civilians, taken hostages and severely disrupted navigational rights and freedoms in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, undermining maritime security and global prosperity.
The government’s decision to list Ansar Allah follows advice from Australia’s security agencies that Ansar Allah is directly or indirectly engaged in the preparing, planning, assisting in or fostering of terrorist attacks.
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Two extra flights for stranded Australians in New Caledonia
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says two additional flights will bring stranded Australians home from New Caledonia today, due to the worsening security situation there.
In a post to X, she said passengers were being prioritised based on need.
We will ensure there are further flights and we’re arranging travel for Australians outside of Noumea.
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Venues body forges on for Brisbane 2032 Games
The independent body responsible for overseeing and delivering the upgraded venues for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics has been enshrined in law, AAP reports.
The Games Venue and Legacy Delivery Authority is a statutory body that will deliver the new and upgraded venues for the event at arms-length from the government.
It will have control over its own funds, operational independence and work within a flexible structure, the state government said.
State premier Steven Miles said in a statement:
Queensland now has the best possible framework in place for our continued delivery of government activities to support the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The new body has first been tasked with the rollout of upgrading the venues and establishing a Games co-ordination plan within 12 months and a transport plan within 18 months.
An interim CEO will be appointed shortly and seven independent directors are expected to be heading the board by September.
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Blue-green algae warning for Victorian lake
A blue-green algae alert has been issued for Lake Bolac in Victoria.
High levels of blue-green algae have been detected in the lake, according to the alert, with algal bloom expected to remain until there is significant rainfall to flush the lake.
Warning signs have been installed at the lake and people are urged to avoid direct contact with affected water.
This includes no swimming or using water for cooking, drinking, washing, or showering – boiling the water will not make it safe.
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Battery bonus for NSW solar homes
New South Wales households with rooftop solar will get access to subsidised batteries under a state government plan it says will save as much as $2,400 on up-front costs, AAP reports.
The incentives could also help cut energy bills for more than 1m households with solar panels and would bolster the reliability of the state grid, the government said.
The state’s energy minister, Penny Sharpe, said the incentives for household batteries were part of efforts to boost state power-grid reliability.
More than 1 million NSW households have solar panels on their roofs and adding a battery will see them benefit around the clock, not just when the sun is shining.
For homes and businesses wanting to install solar, the incentive would be factored into quotes for a new solar and battery system installation, the government said.
There would also be a $250 to $400 incentive for connecting a battery to a virtual power plant – technology that aggregates thousands of home batteries to help stabilise power supply.
The incentives will be available from November and the rollout will take place via approved suppliers once they are accredited.
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Victoria police to apologise to stolen generations
Stolen generations survivors and their families will gather to hear Victoria’s police chief apologise for the role the force played in removing children from their communities over many decades, AAP reports.
Shane Patton, the chief commissioner, will deliver a formal apology in Melbourne this morning.
He will acknowledge the role of police in the removal of tens of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families from the beginning of the 20th century until 1969, via formal government policy.
It’s part of a series of reforms stemming from the force’s response to Victoria’s truth-telling inquiry, the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
The force has committed to carrying out 79 reforms by the end of 2025, including improved processes for Aboriginal people dealing with police.
Patton’s apology comes a year after he made a series of mea culpas to the inquiry about police’s treatment of Indigenous people since the force was handed powers to remove “neglected” children in 1864.
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Hugh de Kretser appointed new head of rights watchdog
The Australian Human Rights Commission has appointed Hugh de Kretser as the new president, to begin his five-year term on 30 July.
de Kretser will succeed Emeritus Prof Rosalind Croucher, who will depart at the end of July following a seven-year term.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, announced the appointment of de Kretser today after an open merit selection process. Croucher said:
For over 20 years [de Kretser] has been a dedicated and effective advocate for positive change for people and communities whose human rights are at risk.
I look forward to handing the baton to Mr de Kretser as he takes the commission into its next phase in its critical role of protecting and promoting human rights in Australia.
de Kretser is currently CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. Prior to that he was the executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre and executive officer of the Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres.
de Kretser has served as a commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and a director of the Sentencing Advisory Council.
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Queensland bans rent bidding
Rental bidding has officially been outlawed in Queensland and price rises will only occur annually after major reforms were passed in the state.
Andrew Messenger reported earlier this week that Queensland’s Labor government would move to ban all forms of rent bidding, as part of a package of reforms for renters. You can read all the details around this below:
The state’s housing minister, Meaghan Scanlon, has said in a statement:
These reforms are about making renting fairer, safer and easier. It means renters won’t have to bid more than advertised to secure a rental, that they’ll have their privacy protected and a new code of conduct will stamp out unprofessional practices.
The changes come after Brisbane became Australia’s third most expensive city, with a 0.9% rental vacancy rate in the March quarter.
– with AAP
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Singapore Airlines apologises to injured Australians
A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the airline had apologised to Keith Davis and his wife, and was making arrangements for their family members to travel to Bangkok to be with them.
Singapore Airlines apologises to Mr Keith Davis and his wife and is providing them with the necessary support and assistance they need during this difficult time ... We remain committed to supporting all passengers and crew members who were onboard SQ321, as well as their family members and loved ones.
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Watch: Australian man Keith Davis in hospital following Singapore Airlines flight
Throughout the morning we’ve brought you some interviews with Australian man Keith Davis, who is in a Bangkok hospital with his wife after the deadly Singapore Airlines flight SQ321.
Here is a video of him speaking inside the hospital:
Since the video was recorded, Davis has told Australian media that the CEO of Singapore Airlines met with him in a “a really great and positive step”. You can scroll back through the blog to read more from Davis.
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Melbourne collector set to be charged over alleged theft of $60k worth of vinyl
A Melbourne music collector has been accused of stealing more than $60,000 worth of vinyl records, AAP reports.
The 33-year-old North Melbourne man visited CBD electronic stores at least 13 times over the past four months and made off with a handful of LP records, police alleged.
Unique or popular LPs can sell for hundreds of dollars and often appreciate in value over time, especially when unopened or in mint condition.
Police allege that they identified the man through CCTV footage at a store on La Trobe Street on Wednesday.
More than 400 records were allegedly seized in a subsequent raid on a North Melbourne home, along with a small amount of heroin and marijuana.
The man is expected to be charged on summons, with investigators still investigating whether record thefts in nearby suburbs are linked.
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More details on NSW flu surge
Just circling back to earlier news that NSW is now seeing 400 flu cases a day:
NSW health minister Ryan Park’s office has confirmed that in comparison, last week the state was seeing 280 cases a day.
The state’s latest surveillance report for Covid-19 and influenza, issued yesterday, said:
Even though admissions from emergency departments for influenza remain low, test positivity, which is a key indicator of activity, has increased to 7.3%. It is likely that there will be a substantial increase in influenza over the next few weeks. Measures of RSV continue to show a high level of activity, although there has been some decline in the youngest children and test positivity has started to decline.
The data also shows that influenza-like presentations at emergency departments usually start to rise steeply in late May and early June, meaning this is the time to get the flu jab.
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Birmingham suggests opposition may double down on calls to cut ICC ties if warrants go ahead
The shadow foreign affairs minister, Simon Birmingham, says Australia’s future engagement with the international criminal court (ICC) should hinge on whether it decides to grant arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier this week, the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu, and Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and three senior Hamas officials for the atrocities committed during the group’s 7 October attack.
While the Australian government’s official stance has been to respect the ICC’s independence before making an official statement, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has called the announcement to target Israel’s leadership “anti-semitic”, urged the Labor government to pressure the ICC into reversing the decision and suggested cutting ties with the international tribunal.
Birmingham indicated to Sky News this morning the opposition may double down on calls to cut ties with the ICC if it goes ahead with granting the arrest warrants.
Now there is obviously another stage to go before we get to the point where proceedings move into territory that will be deeply, deeply concerning. And we obviously reject the type of moral equivalence the ICC has sought to draw already. But let’s see what this next stage does bring in terms of decisions that may or may not have to be made about our future engagement with the ICC.
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Man accused of importing cocaine on flight to Melbourne
A Spanish-Bolivian dual national has been charged with allegedly importing about 4kg of cocaine onboard a flight to Melbourne, hidden inside their luggage.
The man, 56, faced Melbourne magistrates court on Tuesday, charged with possessing and importing a border-controlled drug – cocaine. He was remanded in custody and is expected to reappear in court on 13 August.
According to a joint statement from the Australian federal police and Border Force, the man landed at Melbourne international airport on Monday after arriving from Doha, Qatar.
ABF officers allegedly discovered about 4kg of a substance – which later tested positive as cocaine – concealed in the lining of two suitcases. The matter was referred to the AFP and the man was arrested in the terminal.
The cocaine has an estimated street value of $1.3m and had the potential to equate to 20,000 individual street deals, the joint statement said.
The man was charged with one count of importing a border-controlled drug, namely cocaine, in a commercial quantity, and one count of possessing a border-controlled drug, unlawfully imported, namely cocaine, in a commercial quantity.
The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment.
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More than 400 NSW flu cases recorded daily
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said the state was seeing more than 400 cases of influenza a day.
He has urged people to ensure they’re up to date on their flu vaccination, saying:
We’re seeing over 400 cases of influenza a day. It means that winter is certainly upon us and it means that we all need to take those necessary precautions, including – importantly – going and getting our flu vaccination and making sure we’re up to date.
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Australian Border Force patrols burning illegal fishing boats
Illegal fishing vessels entering Australian waters are being destroyed in an effort to protect marine life from poaching, AAP reports.
Dozens of Indonesian fishing boats have been set alight by Australian Border Force (ABF) patrols in recent weeks, the Operation Sovereign Borders commander, Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, said.
More than 200 boats were seized, 48 sunk and 1,000 fishermen apprehended in two operations in Australia’s north, he told Seven News.
Border Force has teamed up with the Indonesian navy to tackle the problem.
Cabinet minister Jason Clare warned against the practice, telling Sunrise today:
Illegal fishing is a serious thing. Anyone coming into our backyard and stealing things out of your backyard is serious.
The only way to stop it is to burn their boats, send a message that if you do this, you will lose the most valuable thing you have got: your boat.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley backed the operations and said she was “very concerned about illegal fishing”. Ley also raised concerns about the boats being used by people smugglers.
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‘Horrifying’: Australian describes experience aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321
Keith Davis recounted the traumatic experience he had onboard the Singapore Airlines flight earlier this week.
Davis said it was not accurate to label the incident “a spot of turbulence” because in an “absolute instant [they were] on the ceiling”.
We’re talking literally seconds – there’s no announcement, we did not see any indication at all, we just fell into a huge hole and we’re free-falling.
[We went] straight up into the ceiling, I went headfirst. We were in the middle section so I was dead centre and I went up through all the vents and masks and things.
Unfortunately for Kerry she hit the luggage doors and instead of landing back into the seat area, she fell flat straight into the aisle and from that moment, she didn’t move. That’s where she remained for the rest of the flight. It was really horrifying.
Davis recounted checking to see that she was breathing and could communicate:
It was pretty horrifying but there was so much else going on and unfortunately the gentleman who passed away was immediately in front of us [and] the young gentleman who was sitting next to me [was] applying CPR instantly.
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Australian woman injured on Singapore Airlines flight could be medically evacuated in ‘weeks’
Keith Davis, an Australian man injured on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence earlier this week, just spoke with ABC News Breakfast from Bangkok hospital.
Davis spoke to the Today Show earlier and explained that his wife, Kerry, was in intensive care with a severe spinal injury.
Speaking to the ABC, Davis said they were hopeful she would be ready to fly “in weeks” for a medical evacuation to Australia:
Coordination has happened now with Singapore Airlines, it’s been a bit of a sea change [since] yesterday afternoon, they’ve come on board … I met with the CEO from Singapore Airlines yesterday and that was a really great and positive step and they’ve just reaffirmed their commitment to us and support whilst we’re here at the hospital and the ongoing in terms of getting back to Australia.
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David Marr to replace Phillip Adams as host of Late Night Live after three decades
Veteran journalist, author and broadcaster David Marr will replace Phillip Adams as the host of Radio National’s Late Night Live when Adams leaves the role after 33 years next month.
Adams, who turns 85 in July, is retiring early due to poor health.
Marr, a former Guardian Australia contributor, is a Walkley Award-winning writer who has edited the National Times. The 76-year-old is a former host of Media Watch and was an investigative journalist at Four Corners. He said:
I’m honoured and terrified. It’s going to be a ball.
You can read the full story below:
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Queensland court finds Elon Musk's X bound by state's vilification laws
A Queensland court has delivered a historic judgement that social media company X is bound by the state’s vilification laws.
The landmark ruling from the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) this week found the court has jurisdiction over Twitter Australia Holdings Pty Limited and X Corp.
It comes after the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (Aman) accused the companies of failing to take action against accounts that incite hatred on the platform.
Aman argued that as a publisher, X was responsible for content posted by a far-right account that has been cited in the manifesto of the extremist who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.
The network said that despite multiple requests, X refused to delete the account and replies to its posts that “vilify” Muslims. These included comments such as “Ramadan means killing infidels” and claims that the Qur’an should be referred to as the “terrorist handbook”.
A spokesperson for Aman said the decision would have a positive significance for many communities affected by hate speech.
This is the first such legal victory against a social media company under Australian vilification laws, which will have consequences for all social media companies operating in Australia.
Protections in Australia do apply to social media companies, and hate speech is governed by clear standards, not corporate discretion.
Now that jurisdiction is established, QCAT will later make a finding of whether the content is considered hate speech or vilification under the state’s laws.
Twitter has the legal right to appeal against the court’s initial decision.
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‘A lot more work to do to keep women safe’ – Gallagher
ABC News Breakfast host Bridget Brennan asked specifically about rates of violence in the Northern Territory, which has “one of the highest homicide rates in the world” but only gets “around 2% of the federal [funding] pie”.
Katy Gallagher said this was “absolutely” something she was aware of, responding:
In different parts of the territory there is a lot more resources going into community-led responses to violence. There’s big work under way in Alice [Springs], for example, with the community, and we’ve been getting a bit of pushback on it [such as] ‘you announce money, and is it going and is it helping?’ Part of the work we’ve been trying to do is make sure we work with the community about what works for them.
There’s more to do. We’ve got a First Nations action plan that sits under the national plan, developed with First Nations communities. And we’ve got to recognise that what works in one part of Australia might not work in another part. More and more we’re learning that specialised responses for First Nations communities is really important. There’s a lot of work going into that but again, I’m not going to pretend that there isn’t a lot more work to do to make sure that women and girls are safe right across the country.
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Katy Gallagher on combating domestic violence and Labor’s 10-year plan
The minister for women, Katy Gallagher, was asked about measures to tackle violence against women, including the government’s 10-year plan, while on ABC News Breakfast.
She was asked whether she can understand people’s “anger … frustration [and] exasperation about things not changing and changing quickly”. Gallagher responded:
I feel that and I think every member of the government feels that too.
The thing about the national plan which is kind of new is that it’s bringing together all of the governments under the same plan with the same priorities and it’s being informed by two years of consultations, and led by victim survivors about what they think will help …
I think people find it difficult to make a practical link from a national plan to what is actually happening on the ground, but it means that all the governments of Australia are pulling in the same direction, set the same priorities and make the investments under that framework…
But, again, you know, it’s so frustrating that we continue to see levels of violence that we see in the community [and] more and more. We’ve got to focus on … the early intervention before things get to a crisis level – and that’s not just for women, that’s for men and boys as well.
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Taiwan interested in critical-minerals trade with Australia
Taiwan’s representative to Australia, Douglas Hsu, spoke to ABC RN just earlier about China’s military drills around Taiwan and trading with Australia.
Overnight, foreign minister Penny Wong labelled the drills as “deeply worrying” amid rising tensions in the South China Sea region. You can read more on this earlier in the blog.
Hsu was asked about Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, and how trade relations with Australia may develop under his office. Hsu said:
We will continue to show our interest in engaging with Australia on the trade front. I think in the past few months, especially on critical minerals, I had a few opportunities to travel to West Australia and Northern Territory to talk with the businessman in the critical minerals industries.
I found that well, first of all, I was very surprised or impressed by the scale of Australia’s mining industry, and we’ll definitely look forward to bringing more Taiwanese business to work even more closely with Australian partners.
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Family violence support gets NSW funding boost
Frontline domestic violence services in New South Wales have welcomed a critical funding boost, AAP reports.
Nearly $48m will go to early intervention initiatives, specialist services and pilot projects in federal government cash.
Some $16m of that will be spent on early intervention, with Fams, the state’s peak body for the sector, praising the government’s “proactive and integrated” approach to tackling family violence.
Acting chief executive Lauren Stracey said addressing things before they reached crisis-point was crucial in stopping problems from spiralling out of control.
It’s really about ensuring services can do early work that can stop children from experiencing harm, helping kids before they get to crisis point and intervening early to break that cycle of violence and abuse.
Seeking to address the 36,072 incidents of domestic violence-related assault experienced in NSW last year, $26m will go to response, recovery and healing initiatives.
The state’s domestic violence prevention minister, Jodie Harrison, said:
Our government is committed to seeing dramatic improvements in the rates of domestic, family and sexual violence, and what we need to focus on is delivering appropriate and effective, whole-of-community services for victim-survivors.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). Lifeline 13 11 14
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Dutton continues nuclear push on breakfast TV
Opposition leader Peter Dutton made his regular Today Show appearance alongside NDIS minister Bill Shorten earlier this morning, continuing to advocate for nuclear energy.
The argument Dutton has been pushing lately is that nuclear energy would use existing transmission infrastructure, rather than requiring new powerlines:
When the energy is generated, you can distribute that on the existing poles and wires. Under the prime minister’s proposal, they’ve got to roll out 28,000km of new poles and wires.
But Shorten said this figure was not accurate.
Peter said it will require 26- to 28,000km [of new poles and wires]… It’s about 4,000km [and] it’s going to cost 10% of the 1.2tr that Peter said… The truth of the matter is that if we were going to have nuclear power, that was a conversation for the 1960s, not the 2020s.
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Australian passenger on Singapore Airlines flight says wife has severe spinal injury
Australian man Keith Davis, who was onboard the Singapore Airlines flight that hit extreme turbulence this week, has spoken to the Today Show live from his hospital bed in Bangkok.
Talking just earlier, Davis said he looked “a lot worse” than he was, with “pretty superficial lacerations and a hell of a lot of swelling and bruising”. But his wife was in a much worse condition.
She’s had a severe spinal injury … and she has no sensation from her waist down…
You just don’t expect this. We’ve had a fantastic holiday in the UK [and] we’re, you know, one more flight away, nearly home. And this comes along. I mean, these things happen. But who expects this?
Davis said the aim was to get his wife into a stable enough condition so she was fit to fly for a medical evacuation.
She’s been conscious all the way through, which is a blessing. She’s never lost consciousness, you know, she doesn’t have a brain injury [and] she’s got all of her wits about her. She’s strong and we just want to get home.
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Charges laid after alleged stabbing in Marrickville
A man will appear in court today after being charged following an alleged stabbing at Marrickville yesterday.
We reported all the details earlier in the blog.
A 22-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Newtown police station, and has since been charged with two counts of cause wounding/grievous bodily harm to person with intent to murder.
He will appear before Newtown local court today.
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Two in hospital after alleged Marrickville stabbing
Two people have been rushed to hospital after an alleged stabbing in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville.
NSW police and ambulance services responded to reports of a stabbing on Sydenham Road at 5.50pm yesterday.
Paramedics treated a 25-year-old man with multiple injuries to his face, neck, head and hand, and he was transported to to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Early reports from NSW ambulance said the man was in a critical condition, but a later statement from NSW police said he was stable.
A 55-year-old woman in a serious condition with a stab wound to her throat was also treated by paramedics at the scene, before being transported to hospital.
A 22-year-old man was arrested at the scene of the incident and taken to Newtown police station, where he was assisting police with inquiries, a spokesperson for NSW police said.
All three people are known to each other, the spokesperson said.
Police have established a crime scene, with reports that multiple properties in the vicinity of Marrickville primary school have been cordoned off.
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Good morning
And happy Friday – welcome back to the Australia live news blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll bring you our rolling coverage today.
As always, you can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email, emily.wind@theguardian.com, to share any thoughts or questions.
Let’s go!
China’s military drills around Taiwan ‘deeply worrying’, Dfat says
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) has described China’s military drills around Taiwan as “deeply worrying” amid rising tensions in the South China Sea region.
Dozens of Chinese fighter jets loaded with live missiles carried out mock strikes against Taiwanese targets, China’s military confirmed yesterday, on the first day of surprise military drills announced as “punishment” after Taiwan inaugurated its new president.
A spokesperson for the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said last night that a peaceful resolution was needed to resolve the tensions. The statement said:
As the foreign minister noted in a recent speech, large-scale Chinese military operations in the Taiwan Strait are deeply worrying.
The risk of an accident, and potential escalation, is growing. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in all of our interests.
Australia’s longstanding and bipartisan position is to oppose unilateral changes to the status quo. We call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion.
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Three Australians remain in intensive care after Singapore Airlines flight
Three Australians remained in intensive care in a Bangkok hospital overnight being treated for serious injuries from the Singapore Airlines flight that hit extreme turbulence earlier this week.
They were among 20 in total, whose injuries included skull, brain and spinal injuries, the head of the hospital said.
The hospital director told reporters:
We have never treated people with these kinds of injuries caused by turbulence.
Seventeen surgeries have already been performed – nine spinal surgeries and eight for other injuries. All passengers in the ICU were in a stable condition, but it was too early to say if some of the more serious cases might suffer permanent paralysis.
In a statement on Facebook, the airline said the Singapore Airlines CEO, Goh Choon Phong, had been in Bangkok meeting the affected passengers, crew, their family members and loved ones “to personally offer his support and to understand their concerns”.
The wellbeing of our passengers and crew members remains our priority. I have given them my personal assurance that we will take care of them during this difficult time.
Read more here:
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of the top stories this morning to get your teeth into before Emily Wind takes control.
Working at the limits of fatigue, back-to-back 11- or 12-hour days and a roster system “not fit for purpose”. These are some of the complaints made by Virgin Australia pilots who say working practices pose a “clear, present and increasing safety risk”. They have alleged fatigue is widespread in their ranks and raised safety concerns about a roster system some claim is working them “to the limits”. As they fight the private equity-owned airline over a proposal to strip pilots of six days off a year, Guardian Australia has obtained correspondence from the senior staff pleading for action.
After several days of being called “weak” by Peter Dutton, it seems that Anthony Albanese has had enough, accusing the opposition leader of fuelling division and saying that Dutton’s tactics of trying to wreck every government initiative is a sign of his weakness. Albanese also laid into the Coalition’s plans to build nuclear power stations, calling their approach to policy “shallow and shambolic”.
Bird flu has been detected at a second Victorian farm as authorities remain on high alert for further outbreaks. The case of Avian influenza (H7N3) was confirmed at a property in Terang, 200km south-west of Melbourne, yesterday. The site is linked to the Meredith egg farm, 130km away, where a mass culling of 400,000 chickens is taking place after a number of poultry died from the same virus. Another case of an unrelated strain has been detected in Western Australia.
And in Bangkok, the Singapore Airlines CEO has visited passengers and crew of flight SQ321, which hit severe turbulence this week. As of last night 46 passengers and two crew members were still in hospital. They included three Australians in intensive care. Some of the more seriously injured people would need spinal surgery, the hospital said. More coming up.
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