What we learned today, Friday 25 August
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s what we learned today:
Australia’s electoral body has come out swinging against critics who say counting ticks as a yes response in the upcoming referendum on the voice will undermine its fairness and impartiality.
Australia’s $528m icebreaking research vessel is significantly wider than initially designed and lacks the turning ability to safely pass underneath Hobart’s Tasman Bridge and refuel on the other side.
A man is in a critical condition after a shark attack on Friday morning in Port Macquarie.
The Catholic church’s bid to block a legal ruling that would allow the father of a choirboy allegedly sexually abused by Cardinal George Pell to sue for damages has been knocked down at the first hurdle.
A dramatic overhaul of the nation’s family laws, which puts more focus on a child’s best interests than on shared parental responsibility, is set to go ahead.
The Queensland government’s steadfast defence of new laws allowing children to be held in police watch houses continues to draw harsh criticism from the opposition, the Greens and Katter’s Australian party.
Thanks for sticking with us today. We will be back with you tomorrow morning.
Updated
Green light for nuclear ships, submarines in Tas port
A Tasmanian port has been given the green light to host nuclear-powered vessels after being verified by the national safety agency, AAP reports.
A quarterly report by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency said staff completed work at the Hobart port to ensure it could host such vessels and respond in an emergency.
Staff also travelled to Western Australia for a visit by two US nuclear submarines.
Arpansa said it is helping oversee arrangements “to ensure the Australian public and the environment is safe during visits from nuclear-powered vessels”.
American and British nuclear submarines will begin more frequent rotations and visits through Australian ports as part of the alliance known as Aukus.
Dave Sweeney, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, said on an “economic self-interest level” there was a strong case for Tasmania to shun nuclear submarines:
It is known for its food, tourism and clean air, art and cultures – none of these are helped by elevated radioactive risk.
Updated
Mass killing of giant spiny crayfish discovered in Blue Mountains
More than 1,000 giant spiny crayfish have been found dead in a creek in the Blue Mountains as authorities investigate a likely pollution incident.
The dead crayfish were discovered by a tour guide on Wednesday in a tributary of Hazelbrook Creek near Horseshoe Falls, just outside the small mountain town of Hazelbrook.
The Environmental Protection Authority is leading the investigation along with officers from Blue Mountains city council. Crayfish carcasses have been taken to an EPA laboratory in Lidcombe where they are being tested with a view to identifying the pollutant.
The Blue Mountains mayor, Mark Greenhill, said in a statement:
Council is working closely with the EPA on this matter.
Council advises against contact with the water in the creek, or the affected crayfish, until the cause of the deaths can be determined. This applies to humans and pets.
The investigation has narrowed the possible pollution source to a small area within the Horseshoe Falls catchment.
Giant spiny crayfish are native to Australia and are very vulnerable to pesticides, runoff and habitat destruction. It is illegal to trap them in Blue Mountains swamps or waterways.
Updated
Overworked NT firefighters bracing for ‘catastrophic’ weekend
Some Northern Territory firefighters are poised to work 36-hour shifts this weekend as the territory braces for its worst fire season in years, AAP reports.
Heavy and abnormal rains during El Niño events have resulted in extraordinary fuel loads this year as the territory enters an unusually hot and dry fire season, Shenagh Gamble from the Bureau of Meteorology said on Friday:
This week we did issue our first catastrophic fire weather warning for the Northern-Barkly region and that is actually the first catastrophic fire danger warning that we’ve had in a couple of years.
Having issued that in August this year, it does indicate the fire season for us is really only just getting started.
Updated
Pokie operator fined for not limiting time and losses
Victoria’s gambling regulator said Australia’s largest operator of poker machines has been fined $550,000 for operating 220 machines without mandatory pre-commitment technology.
The technology, which limits how long people can gamble for and how much they can spend, is mandatory on all pokies in Victoria.
The regulator’s chief executive, Annette Kimmitt, welcomed a court decision in its favour against the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group:
This outcome demonstrates the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission’s commitment to pursuing those operators who opportunistically or deliberately contravene their obligations to protect the community from gambling harm.
Gambling providers need to pay close attention to their obligations because the consequences for getting it wrong can be significant.
Government again raises Cheng Lei with Chinese officials
The assistant trade minister, Tim Ayres, has told the ABC he raised the detainment of Australian journalist Cheng Lei with Chinese counterparts in India.
The former business anchor for the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN) has been detained for more than three years over national security-related accusations, which she and the Australian government reject.
To mark the three year anniversary earlier this month, Lei wrote a “love letter” to Australia, saying she longs for the sunlight, the outdoors and her family. She said she misses “the black humour of Melbourne weather, the tropical theatrics of Queensland and the never-ending blue skies of Western Australia”.
What we saw just a few weeks ago in terms of the position that the Australian Cheng Lei is in, is heartbreaking. This Australian should be reunited with her children. It’s one of a number of consular cases that are raised regularly and directly.
Ayres was not willing to say how his advocacy was received.
It is not, I think, helpful to go into detail about the response.
Updated
Electoral commission says it will ‘always look to put the facts out there’
The Australian Electoral Commission’s Evan Ekin-Smyth has told the ABC’s Stephanie Borys that it is determined to counter misinformation about the referendum process.
Some no campaigners, including the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, have questioned the rule to allow some ticks in addition to a “yes” or “no” on referendum ballot papers and suggesting – without evidence – that the process is “rigged”.
Here’s Ekin-Smyth:
Trust in the voting system is critical but it’s natural that people are passionate about the electoral system, about the referendum process, and that’s absolutely fine. That passion comes out when people are debating the topic, which is great, and that’s nothing to do with the AEC.
When it comes to the process, we’ll always look to put the facts out there about how that process works, how the AEC administers the vote and electoral integrity is at the centre of everything that we do.
If you track back five to 10 years ago, certainly in online channels and social media particularly, we are seeing a little bit of incorrect information. Sometimes it appears deliberate, sometimes it doesn’t, about the electoral process and the referendum process.
Updated
Coalition pushes for watchdog probe on international flights
The Coalition has urged the federal government to ask the consumer watchdog to investigate international airline competition and pricing.
The Albanese government has in recent weeks defended its decision to reject a request from Qatar airlines to fly an additional 21 services into Australia’s major airports, beyond the 28 flights a week it currently operates under existing bilateral air rights.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has defended the decision made by his cabinet colleague and transport minister, Catherine King, as being weighed up “in the national interest”.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, who is the shadow transport minister, is critical of that decision and says the matter should be investigated by the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission.
Here’s part of the statement she issued a few moments ago:
The Government has the opportunity to make some immediate decisions that will put downward pressure on airfares, and improve reliability and competitiveness.
The Government’s decision to block Qatar from flying extra flights into Australia makes little sense, particularly when we’ve seen the cost of international flights in some cases treble in the last couple of years.
So far, we have had four different explanations as to why the Albanese Government blocked more competition into the airline industry, and none of them stack up.
Minister Catherine King has variously claimed it was a human rights issue, a decision to protect local jobs, and that she wanted to help Qantas afford to buy new planes.
They’ve even said keeping Qatar out of Australian airspace would help reduce carbon emissions.
Updated
Patrols with Philippines in South China Sea to begin ‘soon’
The Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, has said joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea should begin “soon”.
Marles was addressing the media in the Philippines at a joint press conference with the secretary of national defence, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, who said the two countries believed that “if one of our countries’ security is violated, then regional security suffers”.
A reporter asked for an update on the announcement earlier this year that both countries were pursuing joint patrols in the South China Sea – and when that might begin.
Marles replied:
The answer to the final part of the question is soon. We are working closely together – doing joint sails is something that we’ve been keen to pursue now for some time. And our two defence forces have been working closely together about how to make that happen and to do that in the most effective way.
We’re really pleased with the progress of those discussions and we expect that the first of those joint patrols will happen in the not-too-distant future.
Marles continued to enunciate his view of regional security – specifically the need for Australia to play a more active role alongside partners:
Ultimately for both of us [Australia and the Philippines], our security lies in a secure region where the rules-based order is maintained and has primacy. The defence of Australia doesn’t really mean a lot if we do not see ourselves living within a secure region.
That’s another way of saying it’s too narrow a view for the Australian defence force to be focused solely on defending the Australian continent against a direct military invasion.
Updated
Investment in science research drops: ABS
Overall national investment in research and development in Australia has fallen, according to new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
National investment in science and research fell from 1.8% of GDP in 2019-20 to 1.68% in 2021-22, the figures show.
Gross expenditure on research and development by the government and higher education, business and private non-profit sectors totalled an estimated $38.75bn in 2021-22.
Prof Chennupati Jagadish, president of the Australian Academy of Science, said Australia urgently needed to develop a decadal plan to boost investment in research and development. He said in statement:
If investment in R&D continues to decline by 0.1% of GDP per year, in five years’ time Australia will be among the lowest of OECD countries.
Conversely, if Australia increased investment in R&D by 0.1% of GDP each year, we would reach the OECD average in 10 years if the average stayed the same …
Australia has one of the world’s least differentiated economies. We remain vulnerable when our prosperity relies on such a narrow range of industries. It is imperative we improve Australia’s economic complexity, which can be driven by a more strategic focus on science and research—the fuel for innovation and industry growth.
Updated
Queensland to kickstart organic waste collection with purchase of 1m household bins
The Queensland government is buying residents more than a million bins in a bid to kickstart council organic waste collection.
Just 17% of Queenslanders who have a general curbside service have an organics bin, compared with 92% with a recycling bin.
The deputy premier, Steven Miles, said the state government would spend $151m to slash the cost of rolling out food and garden organic waste collection services.
The announcement will expand bin services for more than 3.25 million people in the state’s south-east corner, stretching as far as Noosa. Here’s more from Miles, who is also local government minister:
Currently, most garden and food waste ends up in landfill, where it emits methane gas and leaves significant organic resources wasted.
Organic resources can be processed into high-value compost, mulch and soil products that can be used for a range of things, like tree planting, soil improvement, and revegetation projects.
Updated
More varroa mite hive infestations found in NSW
An emergency order barring the movement of beehives is in place after varroa mites were found in the New South Wales Riverina and Sunraysia regions, where pollination is crucial for the almond industry, AAP reports.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has detected the bee parasite in hives at Euroley in the Riverina and Euston in Sunraysia, prompting the biosecurity order.
A 10km eradication zone and a 25km surveillance zone are in place, meaning hives cannot be moved into, within or out of those affected areas.
Bees and their hives in the eradication zones will be destroyed.
The DPI chief plant protection officer, Shane Hetherington, said the department had traced the new infestations to the Kempsey region in NSW, where the mites had recently been detected.
The new detection at Euston has clear links to an infested premises in the Kempsey area, which we’ve been able to track through the movement declaration process.
We are continuing investigations into the link for the Euroley hives, although they have also travelled from the Kempsey region.
Tracing and testing hives moved from the Kempsey region remains NSW DPI top priority, to ensure we can get in front of any further spread.
Updated
Boy, 12, charged after school stabbing in Adelaide
A 12-year-old boy has been arrested after a stabbing incident at a school in Adelaide caused it to go into lockdown.
The victim, a 12-year-old girl, was taken to hospital with cuts to her torso, although authorities believe her injuries are not considered life threatening.
Police and ambulance services were called to the school about 9am after reports a student had stabbed another student at the school.
In a statement, South Australia police stressed that the situation was contained and that “there is no further risk to any other student at the school”:
[The victim] was taken to the Women’s and Children’s hospital for treatment however her injuries are not considered life threatening.”
The ABC has reported that the school’s principal told parents in a letter that the school would provide counselling and support to families and staff:
Our priority at the moment is supporting the students involved and those who witnessed the incident.
I am in the process of coordinating counsellors to further support the students today, over the course of the weekend and on Monday.
The suspect was arrested and charged with assault causing harm. He was bailed to appear in the Elizabeth youth court on 13 October.
Updated
The statement from the defence minister, Richard Marles, and the Philippine secretary of national defence, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the Philippines.
Earlier this month, the Philippines accused China’s coast guard of firing water cannon at its vessels in the disputed South China Sea, in a move it called “illegal” and “dangerous”.
According to a report at the time, the Philippine coast guard said its vessels had been carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for Filipino military personnel stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands when the incident happened.
The joint statement stressed the importance of countries being able to “exercise their sovereignty consistent with international law”.
Today’s statement also said:
We agreed on the importance of all states operating safely and professionally, while respecting and adhering to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and we reaffirmed our strong support of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award.
That is a reference to a 2016 ruling that backed the Philippines regarding China’s claims in the South China Sea. Beijing has never accepted that ruling.
The two ministers also “reaffirmed our support to elevate our relationship to a Strategic Partnership”.
They said they would hold their inaugural formal defence ministers’ meeting in Australia next year.
Updated
Australia and Philippines to expand defence collaboration
Australia and the Philippines are planning joint patrols in the South China Sea and will also expand some of its other defence activities.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, confirmed the plans after meeting with his counterpart in the Philippines today.
Marles and the Philippine secretary of national defence, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, issued a joint statement declaring that the two countries were “close partners and friends”.
It said Australia and the Philippines shared “a firm commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous region where all countries are free to exercise their sovereignty consistent with international law”. The statement said:
Defence continues to make a significant contribution to our partnership. Under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Program, we are working to broaden the scope of our cooperation and the complexity of our activities.
This intent is epitomised by Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2023. Today at [Zambales], we observed joint amphibious activities which showed how far we have come to draw our militaries even closer together. Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2023 in the Philippines was supported by the United States Marine Corps, which demonstrated the value of partners working together to achieve mutual objectives.
Here’s the precise form of words used in the statement about joint patrols:
We recommitted to planning bilateral joint patrols in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea and other areas of mutual interest. We committed to expanding some of our bilateral activities in the future to include other countries committed to sustaining peace and security in our region.
Updated
‘This isn’t some Albanese plot’: Green says referendum rules haven’t changed
There are certain times in life that you turn to the ABC election analyst, Antony Green, for context and detail. Today is one of those times.
This morning Coalition figures, including the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, and his deputy, Sussan Ley, raised concerns about ticks being counted as a yes vote in the upcoming voice referendum.
The ballot paper will provide formal voting instructions, asking Australia to clearly write either “yes” or “no” but the AEC has said legal advice says a clear tick will be counted while a cross will not.
Here’s what Ley told Channel Seven earlier today:
So, quite simply, what would people think? A tick is yes, a cross is no. I actually would expect Jason [Clare] and his team to be writing similarly to the AEC to actually ask for the rules to be fair.
And here’s Green’s take on the ABC a few moments ago:
These rules have been there for 40 years. This was raised in 1988 at the referendum and it was raised in 1999. This isn’t some Anthony Albanese plot. These are the same rules John Howard had in 1999, so it’s been there for 40 years.
The act was reviewed earlier this year and added a provision to make Y and N count, but nothing else was raised at the time.
As far as I understand, the instances of people using ticks and crosses is virtually nil. Because everything says yes or no.
And for the record, the Australian Electoral Commission says it “completely and utterly rejects” the notion it is undermining the impartiality and fairness of the referendum. In a statement, the AEC said some of the commentary raising concerns about this issue was “factually incorrect”.
Less than 1% of votes lodged in the 1999 referendum on becoming a republic were deemed informal.
Updated
Teenagers in custody after stabbing at Gold Coast shopping mall
A security guard at a Westfield shopping centre on the Gold Coast was stabbed multiple times this morning, according to Queensland police.
Detective Acting Insp Mark Proctor has told local media that one of the alleged offenders is believed to have assaulted the man with meat cleaver.
In a statement, Queensland police said the 57-year-old man, who has not been named, was transported to the Gold Coast hospital in a serious but stable condition.
According to the statement, those involved in the alleged assault fled the scene in a stolen black Holden Trax, which was later intercepted by officers.
Police said four teenagers were assisting police with investigations. They include a 19-year-old man, a 17-year-old boy, and two girls aged 16 and 13.
A crime scene has been declared at the shopping centre.
Updated
Australia must enshrine a federal human rights act, advocates say
Australia, as the only liberal democracy in the world that does not have a charter of rights, needs to urgently enshrine a federal human rights act, an inquiry has heard.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights today discussed the need for Australia to legislate to ensure human rights violations and abuses are stamped out, AAP reports.
Several refugee and asylum seeker rights advocates said without such an act, Australia remains an outlier on the international stage.
Here’s what Refugee Legal’s Dr Adrienne Anderson told the committee:
We know the consequences of not having a federal human rights act. It’s not a hypothetical question or an unknown.
Australia’s inadequate protection of human rights has enabled ... over three decades of indefinitely detaining children and women, men and families, seeking our protection.
The practice of indefinite detention has been foundational to normalising a rights-violating culture in this country.
Updated
That’s all from me this morning! Handing the blog over now to Henry Belot who will keep you updated into the evening.
Updated
New child detention laws described as Queensland’s ‘darkest hours’
The Queensland government’s steadfast defence of new laws allowing children to be held in police watch houses continues to draw harsh criticism from the opposition, the Greens and Katter’s Australian party, AAP reports.
“We witnessed perhaps the darkest 24 hours in Queensland parliament in a long, long time,” the opposition leader, David Crisafulli, said of the amendments.
Queenslanders weren’t listened to, and the entire parliamentary process was used as a doormat by the state government.
No one wins when that happens.
The Queensland Human Rights Council, the Queensland Law Society and the Queensland Council of Social Service have joined advocates in criticising the changes.
Updated
Australian Electoral Commission rejects claims it is undermining fairness of voice referendum
The Australian Electoral Commission has released a statement in response to claims by no campaigners it is acting unfairly by allowing some ticks to be counted as a yes vote in the upcoming Voice referendum.
The AEC said it “completely and utterly rejects” the notion it is undermining the impartiality and fairness of the referendum.
The ballot paper will provide formal voting instructions, asking Australia to clearly write either “yes” or “no” but the AEC has said legal advice says a clear tick will be counted while a cross will not.
Less than 1% of votes lodged in the 1999 referendum on becoming a republic were deemed informal.
The AEC’s statement said:
There has been intense commentary online and in mainstream media regarding what will and will not be a formal vote for the 2023 referendum; specifically around whether or not a ‘tick’ or a ‘cross’ will be able to be counted. Much of that commentary is factually incorrect and ignores: the law surrounding ‘savings provisions’, the longstanding legal advice regarding the use of ticks and crosses, and the decades-long and multi-referendum history of the application of that law and advice.
This morning Coalition figures, including the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, and his deputy, Sussan Ley, queried why the decision appeared one-sided.
Ley told Seven’s Sunrise:
So, quite simply, what would people think? A tick is yes, a cross is no. I actually would expect Jason [Clare] and his team to be writing similarly to the AEC to actually ask for the rules to be fair. And, everybody, if I walk up and down the streets of Griffith in the Riverina where I am, and I asked that question, people would simply say ‘yeah, a tick is yes, a cross is no’. So, I think there’s time to get it right - but we do have to get it right.
Former Labor treasurer Wayne Swan said the AEC’s decision was based on laws that were 30 years old, calling the opposition’s claims “complete rubbish” and adding he was “disgusted by their behaviour”.
Updated
Julia Gillard to call for greater access to early childhood education
Julia Gillard will call for expanded access to quality childhood education and development in an annual lecture to be delivered at the University of South Australia.
The former prime minister was appointed a visiting honorary professorship at the university in 2013.
Speaking on Tuesday, Gillard will discuss her role as commissioner of the state’s royal commission into early childhood education and care.
The $2.45m commission was established last October to assess how to deliver on the state government’s commitment to give three-year-old children access to preschool from 2026.
The interim report recommended the universal entitlement of three-year=olds to 15 hours of preschool per week, as is in place for four-year-olds.
In its opening pages, Gillard wrote:
There are around 20,000 children born every year in South Australia; and each year preschool age children move to our state. Each of these children is born with their own unique genetic inheritance into a family with its own dynamics and its dreams for their child’s future. Each child has the right to grow, learn and thrive.
A final report is expected in late August, to inform the state how to improve and expand education and care services.
Updated
Australia’s icebreaker ‘significantly’ larger than initially designed, leading to bridge farce
Tasmania’s port authority has revealed Australia’s $528m icebreaking research vessel, RSV Nuyina, is much wider than initially designed, which is one reason why it cannot safely pass underneath the Tasman bridge.
As Guardian Australia revealed on Thursday, the ship has been denied permission to pass under the bridge to access a refuelling station just on the other side. It must now travel hundreds of kilometres to another port on the other side of the state, costing more money and generating more emissions.
Tasmania’s harbour master, Mick Wall, told ABC Hobart the RSV Nuyina had the largest “windage area” of any vessel that had applied for permission to pass underneath the bridge. He said while the rules had not changed, Nuyina’s dimensions had:
“It [is] outside the minimum limits for safe transit at the bridge.
The initial design width was about 25.6m when it was delivered. It’s now currently at 35.1m. So it’s a significant increase in the beam.
And obviously, as you’d understand, putting a moving vessel through the concrete upright on the main navigation span of the Tasman bridge is not something which you don’t just attempt and have a crack at and see how you go.
Tasmania’s port authority takes safety extremely seriously given a tragedy in 1975, when 12 people died after a cargo ship crashed into the bridge, causing part of the structure to collapse.
Wall also told the ABC the Nuyina can safely pass underneath the bridge from the southern side, but cannot safely travel back. That is due to the ship needing to complete a turn before passing through the concrete beams on one side.
Given the size of the ship and its surface area, there is little room for error. Here’s how Wall put it:
The risk is always a loss of control ... The vessel has a significant amount of drift and side slip. The vessel is perfectly suited for straight line work, perfectly suited for ice operations. It is a very powerful ship. But when you put that vessel into a dynamic turn, it slides.
Updated
Auditor general finds cybersecurity being poorly managed
A report says the federal government is continuing to poorly manage its cybersecurity, AAP reports.
The auditor general, Grant Hehir, said in his 2022/23 annual report there are “ongoing deficiencies in cybersecurity environments and poor governance over entity cybersecurity risks”.
Although cybersecurity risks are becoming more widely understood and managed by entities, there remain critical shortcomings in key areas.A key risk was the way in which user access was removed when public servants left their roles.
Fifty-three of 144 departments and agencies assessed had no policy for user access removal or defining the timeframe in which access should be removed following a user leaving.
A total of 119 agencies did not have an effective control or activity to monitor access or activity in their systems after user cessation.
But when the auditor asked agencies to self-assess, 80% said they were “fully effective” in handling the issue.
Updated
Experts investigate type of shark in Port Macquarie attack
Surf Life Saving NSW have put out a statement on the man bitten by a shark in Port Macquarie.
The man in his 40s sustained serious injuries to his leg and foot from a shark bite while in the water at Watonga Rocks, about 10am this morning, according to the statement.
Signage has been put up at the location by the Australian Lifeguard Service supervisor, warning people to stay out of the water.
It’s unsure the type of shark involved at this stage. Experts from the Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) are investigating.
Updated
Man bitten by shark at Port Macquarie
A man in his 40s has been transported to Port Macquarie base hospital after being bitten by a shark and sustaining injuries to his upper and lower leg at Lighthouse Beach.
Lighthouse Beach is now closed for at least 24 hours “due to a shark incident,” Port Macquarie Hastings ALS Lifeguards have posted on Facebook.
A Surf Life Saving NSW drone will be operating to try and determine the size and species of the shark involved, the post said.
More to come.
Updated
Donald Trump’s mugshot has been released by the Fulton county sheriff’s office today.
Follow live updates on the former US president’s surrender at Fulton jail over election charges here:
Australia backs Japan on release of treated Fukushima water
The Australian government has backed the release of treated water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, while calling for continued reassurance to be provided to countries across the region.
The Japanese government yesterday began the first phase of water releases into the Pacific Ocean, prompting China to ban all seafood imports from Japan. Fukushima fishing communities and Pacific island countries have also expressed unease.
While on-site technology is being used to remove most harmful substances, it is unable to filter out tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nuclear power plant operator Tepco said the first batch of discharged water would contain about 190 becquerels of tritium per litre – well below the World Health Organization drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels per litre.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement:
Australia, like other countries in our region, is committed to the ongoing protection of the Blue Pacific. We welcome Japan’s transparency and international engagement including with Pacific island countries and expect this to continue.
Australia has confidence in the process that has led to the decision by Japan to release the treated water.
Dfat said Australia supported the “critical role” of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Japan’s plans for managing the release, noting its findings in early July that the release would be consistent with internationally accepted safety standards that ensure the protection of people and the environment:
Australia has full confidence in the IAEA’s independent, impartial, and science-based technical advice. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency issued advice on 11 July 2023 supporting the IAEA’s assessment that the proposed discharge will not adversely impact people or the environment.
Australia welcomes the IAEA’s commitment to provide ongoing monitoring and periodic review during the discharge, including maintaining an on-site presence at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This will provide reassurance to the region.
Updated
Victoria police have confirmed they are investigating the incident that saw Ringwood MP, Will Fowles, dumped from the Labor party.
In a statement on Friday morning, police said:
Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad are investigating following a report of an incident in the Melbourne CBD.
Police were initially notified of the matter by the state government and a formal investigation has now commenced.
Given the sensitive nature of this incident and now that it is subject to active investigation, we will not be providing any further commentary on the matter.”
Police said unless there is an outcome or significant update, they will not be providing media with further information.
Earlier this month, the premier, Daniel Andrews, said it was no longer acceptable for the Ringwood MP to remain in the parliamentary party after his office referred Fowles to the police over the alleged assault.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Fowles said the allegation of assault was “not true.”
“I was shocked and distressed to learn last night that an allegation of assault has been made against me,” he said.
Fowles said the details of the allegation, which he denies, had not been put to him by the premier’s office.
It is not true. There was no assault.
He said he expected his resignation from the parliamentary Labor party would be temporary and vowed to cooperate with any process of enquiries.
Varroa mites prompt emergency beehive biosecurity order in NSW’s Riverina and Sunraysia regions
Varroa mites have been found in NSW’s Riverina and Sunraysia regions, posing a threat to the almond industry and prompting an emergency biosecurity order barring the movement of beehives, AAP reports.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries detected the bee parasite in hives at Euroley in the Riverina and Euston in Sunraysia. A 10km eradication zone and a 25km surveillance zone is in place – hives cannot be moved into, within or out of those areas.
DPI’s chief plant protection officer, Shane Hetherington, said before the detection many beekeepers had moved hives for both almond and canola pollination.
The new detection at Euston has clear links to an infested premises in the Kempsey area, which we’ve been able to track through the movement declaration process.
We are continuing investigations into the link for the Euroley hives, although they have also travelled from the Kempsey region. Tracing and testing hives moved from the Kempsey region remains NSW DPI top priority, to ensure we can get in front of any further spread.
The new detections bring the total number of infested premises in NSW to 215.
Crop Pollination of Australia’s president, Steve Fuller, said the outbreaks could have a big impact on the industry.
This is our greatest fear. You’re looking at tens of thousands of hives in those areas doing [the] almond population at the moment.
Updated
Chalmers says Qantas will not need to pay back money received during Covid after posting massive profits
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has quashed suggestions that Qantas should pay back money it received from the government after the airline posted record profits, AAP reports.
Yesterday, Qantas reported an underlying profit of $2.47bn for the past financial year – a big jump compared to an almost $2bn loss the year before.
In the wake of the results, pressure is growing for them to pay back some of the money received from the government at the height of the Covid-19 crisis ($2.7bn from taxpayers during the pandemic, including $900m from the jobkeeper program).
But Chalmers said the profits from Qantas showed the tourism industry was making a strong recovery post-Covid. He told ABC Radio this morning:
When those funds were provided by the previous government, there wasn’t an understanding or an agreement that they would be repaid in some form.
What [the profits] reflect is the fact the Australian tourism industry is making a big contribution to our economy and that’s a good thing. It’s a big employer in our economy.
Updated
Thousands of emperor penguin chicks across four colonies in Antarctica are believed to have died because of record-low sea ice levels that caused a “catastrophic breeding failure” in late 2022.
Analysis of satellite images showed the break-up of usually stable sea ice and the disappearance of the colonies at a time when chicks had not yet grown their waterproof feathers.
You can read the full story from Graham Readfearn here:
Send us your questions on the Indigenous voice to parliament
An upcoming episode of Guardian Australia’s The Voice Ask Me Anything podcast series will feature prominent Indigenous yes and no campaigners.
In the news:
Liberal MPs have condemned “abhorrent” and “revolting” commentary about Indigenous people aired at no campaign leader Warren Mundine’s Conservative Political Action Conference.
Senator Lidia Thorpe has called on the government to call off the referendum, saying it had caused only harm and division.
The voice referendum date is set to be announced in South Australia next Wednesday.
Do you have a question for them about the voice or the latest news updates? Please email your questions to voicequestions@theguardian.com
Updated
Queensland government defends overriding Human Rights Act because children in watch houses are ‘a danger to the community’
The Queensland government has rejected criticism over new laws allowing children to be held in police watch houses, AAP reports. Under the changes, children can be held in watch houses with no human rights law recourse.
The deputy premier, Steven Miles, said amendments to the youth justice laws were difficult but ultimately essential to ensure community safety.
He told ABC Radio:
In this case, we had a court finding that said that young people could no longer be held in watch houses.
We were advised by the solicitor general that if we didn’t make these changes immediately, the young people in watch houses would need to be released to the community. They were in watch houses because police believe they’re a danger to the community.
We were faced with a very difficult situation – legal advice that said the only way we could keep the community safe was if we immediately addressed the technicality the court had found.
So that’s what we did.
Updated
Liberals say ticks and crosses debate is about fair process, but Labor says matter was settled decades ago
Some more on the ticks and crosses debate, courtesy of AAP. The deputy leader of the Liberal party, Sussan Ley, said the greater number of Australians from non-English backgrounds should mean ticks and crosses should be used.
This is the modern era and we have a lot more Australians who don’t speak English and we want everyone to vote at this referendum. People would simply say a tick is ‘yes’, a cross is ‘no’. So I think there’s time to get it right.
And opposition leader Peter Dutton said a cross on a ballot paper should be able to count.
Normally the approach of the AEC is that if somebody’s intent is clear, then they acknowledge that as a vote. But what we’re seeing here is quite a departure from that.
Australians want to see a free vote, [a] fair vote, in a democratic society. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, the question is whether or not it’s a fair process.
But the education minister, Jason Clare, said rules on referendum voting had not changed since one was last held 24 years ago.
Sussan’s trying to make the argument that what a tick and a cross means now is different to what it meant in the 1990s or the 1980s. It’s just the weakest, laziest argument I’ve ever heard.
You can read the full story from Josh Butler here:
Updated
Wayne Swan ‘disgusted’ by no campaign claims on crosses in voice referendum
Australian Labor party president – and former deputy PM – Wayne Swan has attempted to set straight the debate around the electoral commission urging voice referendum voters to write “yes” or “no” on their voting ballot, as crosses may not be counted.
On the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, saying such a ruling shows favouritism for the yes campaign, Swan told the Today show:
That is complete rubbish. The ruling from the electoral commission is 30 years old; it is what applied in the last set of referendums in the late 80s … This is just the no case out there using the electoral system to try to discredit the voice. And in doing so, doing what many other right wing parties around the world are doing, discrediting basic electoral arrangements. It is appalling. I’m disgusted by their behaviour.
Updated
Labor to introduce bill preventing employers from discriminating against victims of family and domestic violence
The workplace relations minister, Tony Burke, gave the Kingsley Laffer Memorial Lecture at the University of Sydney last night during which announced that Labor will introduce a bill next month to amend the Fair Work Act to protect victims and survivors against workplace discrimination.
The proposed changes will prohibit employers from taking adverse action against employees because they have been subjected to family and domestic violence by making it a “protected attribute” under the Act.
The Albanese government last year legislated providing 10 days paid family and domestic violence for all national system employees, including casuals.
Approximately 20% of the adult population have reported experiencing physical and/or sexual family and domestic violence since the age of 15. Around two-thirds of these victim-survivors are in paid work. Burke said:
Violence doesn’t discriminate and neither should the law.
That’s why these proposed changes are so important – ensuring that workers are not penalised in any way if they disclose that they have been subjected to family and domestic violence.
Because of the government’s reforms last year employees in Australia will also have access to ten days of paid family and domestic violence leave, a work entitlement that will save lives. This change too will save lives.
It’s Equal Pay Day
Good morning from Canberra – and happy Equal Pay Day!
And why is this random Friday in August Equal Pay Day you may ask? Well because today is the 56th day of the financial year – and for a woman to earn the same salary as a man in this country, she will have to work an extra 56 days (on average) a year. And this is the lowest it’s ever been. Which is cold comfort given there is a cost of living crisis.
The Greens senator Larissa Waters says there is an easy fix:
The easiest way to close the gender pay gap is to pay women more. The government could legislate for above average wage increases over 10 years in women-dominated industries, which would provide a much-needed boost to women’s economic security and ensure we can attract and retain staff in these critical sectors.
One of the reasons the government has pushed for higher minimum wages is because of how many women work in minimum wage jobs. It’s also passed legislation which will require Australia’s top companies to publish their gender pay gap data, with the aim transparency might shame some companies into addressing it.
Updated
Profit lifts at Wesfarmers as shoppers head to Kmart
Perth-based conglomerate Wesfarmers has recorded a 4.8% lift in full year net profit to $2.47bn, helped by strong sales at its budget department store chain Kmart.
Revenue at the Kmart division, which also includes the smaller Target chain, increased 16.5% during 2022-23 as shoppers searched for cheaper products amid rising living costs.
“Many customers are becoming more value conscious and trading down to lower-priced retailers and products,” Wesfarmers’s managing director, Rob Scott, said.
Revenue flowing from Officeworks increased by almost 6%, while Wesfarmers’ Bunnings hardware chain recorded a modest 4.4% revenue increase as shoppers hesitated to buy more home improvement items.
Wesfarmers recently expanded into lithium mining and processing to take advantage of the growing use of the metal in batteries. Earnings are expected to start flowing from the lithium division next year.
Updated
Chalmers 'concerned' about Chinese economic situation
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says Australia is exposed to concerning developments in the Chinese economy. He told ABC RN this morning:
I think a lot of economists around the world are concerned about the Chinese economy right now. And … I share that concern. What we’re seeing in China right now is a very different combination of challenges compared with the most of the rest of the world. Their economy is slowing quite considerably. They’ve actually got deflation. They’ve got a weak retail sector. There are particular concerns about the property sector. There’s some uncertainty around the way that their debt is set up, particularly their local government debt. And their exports have been a bit weaker. So all of those things together paint a pretty concerning picture about China.
We’re not quite hostage to developments in the Chinese economy, but we are very exposed to them.
Updated
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has responded to the shadow finance minister Jane Hume’s push for the government to reign in spending on ABC Radio this morning. He said “of course” there has to be more heavy lifting:
The substantive point that I’m making is that we’ve already shown it.
Finding $40bn of savings … more than in the last coalition budget … we are serious about that, we are reining in spending where we can, we are reprioritising spending, we’re showing spending restraint.
We’ve got these meaningful tax changes and the consequence of that, or the benefit of our responsible economic management is, over the course of the intergenerational report we will save almost half a trillion dollars in interest on our debt and because of the welcome progress we’ve been able to make on the budget already.
Updated
Minister for defence industry says government serious about missile-making plans
The minister for defence industry, Pat Conroy, says the government is serious about the push to manufacture missiles in Australia. Speaking to a defence industry event last night, Conroy pushed back at doubters, telling the Hunter Defence conference gala dinner:
Long-range strike and other guided weapons are fundamental to the ADF’s ability to hold an adversary at risk in Australia’s northern approaches. With $4.1bn over the forward estimates, there is real money and certainty for business to invest.
We will be making missiles in two years’ time. That’s an incredibly ambitious goal, but we are confident we can get there.
We’re currently working with industry, including Defence’s strategic partners, Lockheed Martin Australia and Raytheon Australia, to develop detailed and costed plans for domestic manufacture of guided weapons and explosive ordnance.
Government will consider these plans early next year. Some have asked whether this is another review. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Next year, the government will deliver a fully costed and detailed plan on how we will build critical guided weapons in Australia. We have already committed to manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System missiles (GMLRS) … Our intent is to manufacture a limited number of GMLRS missiles by 2025, moving to a higher rate of production from 2026.
Conroy also spoke about Aukus, saying it was “not just about building Australian submarines” but also about “providing maintenance to visiting and rotational US and UK submarines”.
Very minor quake in Victoria
Five people reported feeling an earthquake in Victoria at 6:20am this morning to Victoria’s SES. A magnitude 2.7 earthquake took place on the borders of Melbourne, near Bacchus Marsh – which, in the scheme of things, is tiny. (A magnitude 5.9 from 2021 is Victoria’s highest recorded; bearing in mind the magnitude scale is logarithmic, anything below a 3 on the scale is generally seen as non-remarkable.)
A magnitude 2.7 earthquake has been recorded near Bacchus Marsh, Victoria at 6:20am with five felt reports. No injuries or damage to infrastructure has been recorded at this time.
— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) August 24, 2023
For more information, visit: https://t.co/BfEDYftW36 pic.twitter.com/HSK2cYGdRv
Updated
Rents set to rise further as vacancy rates shrink in most cities
Vacancy rates fell further in July by 0.04 percentage points to 1.43% on average across Australia, reports data group PropTrack. Capital cities posted a similar trend and level.
Both city and national markets now have about half as many vacant properties as a share of the market as prior to the Covid pandemic in March 2020.
Hobart posted the biggest narrowing for July at 0.13ppt among capitals, while Sydney and Perth’s markets both saw vacancy rates sink 0.9ppt. The Western Australian capital had the nation’s lowest vacancy rate, at 0.94%, slightly worse than Adelaide’s 0.96% – the only two centres reported to have fewer than one in 100 rental properties vacant.
Melbourne and Canberra, meanwhile, have seen markets shift the most in the past year among cities. The Victorian capital’s rental vacancies were unchanged at 1.41% compared with last month, though that’s 0.82pp worse than 12 months ago.
The national capital’s 2.12% vacancy rate was a nation-leading high, doubling in the past year. (Do rent controls play a role there?)
Anne Flaherty, an economist with PropTrack, said the wash-up from the latest numbers is that the cost of renting is set to increase further in the months ahead. “[P]ressure is unlikely to ease any time soon for tenants”, she said.
Good morning
And welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Rafqa Touma and I’ll be with you on the blog for the next few hours. Let’s kick off this Friday with the morning’s headlines.
Vacancy rates fell even further in July to 1.43% on average across Australia, with capital cities posting a similar trend and level. Both city and national markets now have about half as many vacant properties as a share of the market as prior to the Covid pandemic in March 2020. There is more on this from our very own Peter Hannam to come.
And the minister for defence industry, Pat Conroy, says the government is serious about the push to manufacture missiles in Australia. Speaking to a defence industry event last night, Conroy pushed back at doubters, saying Australia will be making missiles in two years’ time. Dan Hurst will brings us more detail.
If you see anything you don’t want the blog to miss, let me know @At_Raf on Twitter.
Let the day begin!
