What we learned, Tuesday 11 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s the short version of what happened today:
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, accused Labor’s Tony Burke of seeking “political opportunity” out of the caravan hoax.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, defended calling the caravan hoax “terrorism”.
Malcolm Turnbull said Australia should be “free to speak the truth” about Donald Trump as the Albanese government attempted to secure an 11th-hour exemption to steel and aluminium tariffs.
WA Labor MP Patrick Gorman said Turnbull’s interventions on the US and Trump were “immature” and he was just “looking for some headlines”.
The federal government is facing renewed pressure to substantially increase jobseeker payments as research showed recipients are at a higher risk of suicide and poor health.
The Victorian government announced it will lease the sites of public housing towers to a private consortium, which the Greens have slammed as undermining housing for the most vulnerable.
The NSW arts minister, John Graham, was grilled in state budget estimates over a $30,000 party involving a live “sashimi performance” on a large yellowfin tuna.
The Australian share market plummeted in early trading, shedding more than $A56bn after US markets tanked overnight on recession fears.
High-profile former corporate tycoon Ron Brierley was allegedly caught with child abuse material three years after he was let out of prison on a successful appeal.
Search efforts resumed for a missing surfer in Western Australia, after reports of a shark sighting and a surfer in distress yesterday afternoon.
And the Queensland city of Ipswich appears to have avoided more severe flooding by mere centimetres as Brisbane and Lismore residents returned to inspect damage after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Thanks so much for your company today. We’ll be back with you bright and early tomorrow for all of Wednesday’s news. Look after yourselves until then.
Updated
Linda Reynolds urges Nato to make decision on sending troops to Ukraine
The former defence minister, Linda Reynolds, has urged Nato countries, including Italy, Germany and France, to make a decision on whether to base troops in Ukraine ahead of a key meeting in Paris.
It comes as the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has said he will consider any proposals to send Australian peacekeepers to the war-torn region as part of a “coalition of the willing” designed by European leaders.
Australia will be represented by Air Vice-Marshal Di Turton at a meeting of defence force chiefs in Paris in the coming hours. A defence spokesperson said:
Australia continues to stand with Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s unprovoked illegal and immoral aggression.
The Russian ambassador to Australia, Alexey Pavlovsky, warned Australia not to send any troops to Ukraine, flagging it would “entail grave consequences”. He said in a statement first provided to the Sydney Morning Herald:
Once again, western boots on the ground are unacceptable for Russia, and we will not remain passive observers.
Reynolds, who co-chairs the Parliamentary Friends of Ukraine, said the war in Ukraine in “closer to home than ever” and she remained committed to supporting the country’s efforts to defend its democracy.
Asked whether she supported a proposal to send Australian troops to ensure peace in Ukraine, the retiring Western Australian senator said:
Nato nations must step up their efforts and lead the charge in defending their Ukrainian neighbours. With Italy, Germany and France making no decision yet to base troops in Ukraine, these countries must first commit to defending Ukraine.
A defence spokesperson said:
Australia continues to stand with Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and immoral aggression.
Updated
MP Patrick Gorman says Turnbull’s Trump comments were ‘immature’
Western Australian MP and assistant minister to the prime minister, Patrick Gorman, has suggested Malcolm Turnbull’s comments on the United States and Trump over the last couple of days were “immature” and that the former Liberal prime minister was just “looking for some headlines”.
Here’s some of the background to the back-and-forth:
Speaking to journalists in WA today, Gorman said the former PM’s comments were immaterial to Australia’s current trade negotiations with the US:
Malcolm Turnbull can choose to do as he wishes. I don’t think that when it comes to former prime ministers putting themselves into the media like that, I don’t think it makes a huge difference. I think the United States system recognises that they’re dealing with the Albanese Labor government.
Malcolm Turnbull can go and do the commentary from the sidelines that he chooses. We’re focused on Australian jobs and Australian industry and getting the best deal for Australia.
When it comes to negotiating with the US government, we’ll do that in a mature, respectful way. If others are choosing to do it in an immature way, that’s something for them to justify. If Peter Dutton thinks that this is helpful, he can let his former colleague keep jumping into the media. If Peter Dutton thinks it’s unhelpful, maybe he could pick up the phone to Malcolm Turnbull and have a word.
Asked if Turnbull was right, and that Australia should stand up for itself more against Trump, Gorman said:
Oh, I wouldn’t use language like that. When it comes to an elected official of any of our trading or security partners, least of which the United States, I don’t think that’s appropriate or helpful language. What we do is stand up for Australian jobs. We stand up for Australian industry. We stand up for Australia’s national interest. That’s what we do. Malcolm Turnbull, I think, is just looking for some headlines.
Updated
Victoria’s community housing chief applauds government’s public housing plan
The Victorian government’s housing announcement we mentioned earlier comes as the government awaits an outcome in class action court proceedings against the redevelopment of the towers.
The class action was brought on by Inner Melbourne Community Legal on behalf of about 1,000 residents of the three towers, with the firm alleging the government failed to properly consider the human rights of residents when it decided to redevelop the towers.
IMCL described the announcement as “disrespectful” to residents:
It is extremely disappointing to hear that there is no commitment to build publicly owned and managed housing in place of the towers. This means our clients can’t return to their estates as public housing residents, as many of them wanted to do.
Meanwhile, Community Housing Industry Association Victoria chief executive Sarah Toohey applauded the plan. She said in a statement:
During the worst housing crisis in living memory, every dollar the government invests to turn it around must maximise the number of homes created. When the government teams up with not-for-profit community housing providers, taxpayers get more bang for their buck. Not-for-profit community housing organisations consistently build quality affordable homes at lower costs than government projects can achieve. More community housing partnerships mean more Victorians housed with the same public investment.
She said under the government’s plan for North Melbourne, there would be a doubling of the number of “social homes”.
Updated
BoM forecasts showers to ease in Queensland and NSW, but risk of thunderstorms
A look at tomorrow’s weather: the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting showers to continue to ease across south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, but there is the risk of thunderstorms across inland areas and flooding is continuing across some rivers.
Showers and storms will be more widespread across southern inland and central parts of Queensland with the possibility of severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall as well as damaging winds. Brisbane can expect a top of 28C and a shower or two, but it will be hot across the west.
In NSW, showers for much of the east and the northeast of the state and possible severe thunderstorms in the far west. It will be very warm across western NSW at 27C and a possible shower in Sydney.
Victoria will be hot and unsettled with showers developing in the morning about central districts, but they’ll become more widespread into the afternoon with possible damaging winds and heavy rainfall, including in some suburbs around Melbourne. It will be 33C in the state capital and hot across the state’s west.
In Tasmania, showers and thunderstorms will develop in the west and extend across the rest of the state into the afternoon, but temperatures reaching the low to mid 20s.
South Australia will have a mostly sunny day with light winds, and temperatures at about 31C in Adelaide, but in the north they’ll reach up into the low 40s.
It will also be quite unsettled across Western Australia, with a cold front pushing through with showers and storms across inland parts of the state. Hot conditions continue in Central Australia and in the tropical north, the usual wet season showers and thunderstorms.
You can watch the full forecast here:
National Weather Forecast: Unsettled for eastern Aus and WA, warm to hot elsewhere
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 11, 2025
Video current as of 3:00pm AEDT 11 March 2025.
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/xldvfG8pGg
Updated
Dutton on divestment confusion: ‘We will divest if that is what’s required’
Let’s return briefly to Peter Dutton’s press conference, where another of the Coalition’s policy offerings got even more confusing and unclear.
While most of that media appearance was focused on the Dural caravan explosives, a question toward the end – on the Coalition’s policy of forced divestiture – again seemed to expose real divisions inside the Liberal party on exactly how that would work.
To recap: last week we saw Peter Dutton and his shadow treasurer, Angus Taylor, at complete odds over whether the Coalition’s proposed divestiture powers would extend to the insurance industry. Three weeks ago, Dutton said they would; this week Taylor claimed “we’ve been clear” that they would not. We unpacked that all here:
Now, since we published that piece on Saturday, deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley and shadow finance minister Jane Hume made it crystal clear that it would NOT extend to insurance. Don’t take our word for it, here is what Ley said yesterday:
We do not propose divestiture with respect to insurance companies, and we’ve made that clear.
Confused? Understandable. Clear? As mud. So it was over to Dutton, at his press conference, where he was asked about the seeming total contradictions in him saying the powers would extend to insurance while other senior members of his team said they wouldn’t.
Dutton’s response:
Our policy, and I will state it very clearly, is if the advice to our government is that there is a concentration of power or market share vested in the big insurance companies in this country, and that concentration of market share has led to businesses and families not being able to get insurance cover, or indeed has led to people paying astronomical prices for their premiums, and therefore market failure, my government will act and we will divest if that is what’s required to get competition into the marketplace.
Long answer, but that boils down to “we will divest if that is what is required”.
He was further asked, in a cheeky question: “Will you let Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley know?”
Dutton doubled down further, indeed claiming: “I have looked at what they have said and I think there is a consistency there as well.”
Make up your own mind about that.
Updated
Greens accuse Victorian Labor of ‘washing their hands of public housing’
Further to the previous post, the ground lease model has been used by the Victorian government in the past and has been criticised by those who want social housing to remain state owned and operated.
Following Shing’s announcement on Tuesday, the Victorian Greens issued a statement in which they said community housing was more expensive than public housing, with residents in the former not provided with the same rights.
Their statement read:
Public housing tenants have rent capped at 25% of household income and rights to a lifelong lease, whereas community housing tenants have to renew every three years, and can pay upward of 30% of their income. “Affordable” housing has no strict definition and has been found to be leased at higher than market rent even in some government managed properties.
The Greens accused the government of a “total retreat from public housing”. Their housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri, said in a statement:
This announcement confirms our fears that Labor is washing their hands of public housing in Victoria. Labor is hand-balling people’s lives and the housing crisis to a private consortium.
We’re in a housing crisis where we should be building more public housing on public land, but instead Labor’s handing over our public land and demolishing the public housing we already have.
Updated
Victoria to lease public housing sites to private consortium
The Victorian government has announced it will lease the sites of public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne to a private consortium that will handle the redevelopment and management for the next four decades.
The housing minister, Harriet Shing, on Tuesday announced the government will be using its “ground lease model” to redevelop three towers in the precinct, which are among the first of the state’s 44 highrises slated for demolition.
Under the model, the government leases the land to a private consortium to build, operate and maintain housing for 40 years, after which it is returned to public ownership.
Shing’s media release read:
This means that the land remains owned by the government.
She said the Flemington development will be managed by a private consortium, dubbed “Building Communities”, while the government was calling for expressions of interest for the North Melbourne development.
She said the plan will deliver 400 “social homes” and up to 300 affordable homes – which are leased to low- to middle-income earners at below median market rent – in Flemington.
Shing said:
We are continuing our work in partnership with not-for-profit housing providers to build hundreds of social and affordable homes in the communities where people want to live. Increasing the volume of new social housing on these sites by 39% will give more Victorians the modern, energy efficient, accessible, safe and secure homes they deserve.
Updated
Broadcaster’s lawyer concerned about ‘anti-Jones crusade’
Alan Jones’s lawyer has told the court in his committal hearing today he is concerned about an “anti-Jones crusade” while arguing that Sydney Morning Herald journalist Kate McClymont should not have a dual role as a reporter of his client’s case and as a witness.
Jones has been charged with 35 historical sexual assault offences allegedly committed in various places in New South Wales, including Newtown, the Sydney CBD, Fitzroy Falls, Alexandria and Tamworth. He has denied all the allegations and indicated he will plead not guilty to all charges.
Jones was excused from Tuesday’s committal hearing, but his lawyer Bryan Wrench told the court that he had now received the brief of evidence and was aware that “the journalist who broke this story” had given a witness statement.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Ron Brierley faces charges of possessing child abuse material
A high-profile former corporate raider has been allegedly caught with child abuse material three years after he was let out of prison on a successful appeal.
One-time corporate high flyer and multimillionaire Ron Brierley, 87, was granted bail on Tuesday on three charges of possessing the illegal material.
He was released on the condition that he wouldn’t have access to any internet-connected devices without approved supervision. His case returns to Sydney’s Waverley local court later in March.
Brierley was jailed in October 2021 after he pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing child abuse material found on devices in his luggage at Sydney airport and at his Point Piper home.
He was released on appeal in February 2022 when a court ruled his conditions of custody, together with his physical and mental ill health, were significantly worse than contemplated when he was sentenced.
The court revised his 14-month sentence to 10 months, with a non-parole period of four months.
Brierley once chaired one of Australia’s most valuable public companies, was a board member of the Sydney Cricket Ground trust and was knighted in 1988 in his native New Zealand.
He gave up his knighthood when the New Zealand government moved to strip it away following the laying of the previous child abuse material charges.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Here’s a little recap on what the Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, said was the “best briefing we’ve had as a state for a little while”.
Updated
‘Tunagate’ exchange in full
Earlier, we brought you the news that the NSW arts minister, John Graham, had been forced to defend the Powerhouse “sashimi performance” – a chef making sashimi from a large yellowfin tuna on site at a $30,000 party at the museum – in state budget estimates. Here’s that exchange in full:
Updated
Dutton’s claim about Palestinians not being checked debunked
Returning to some of those comments Peter Dutton made earlier: he attacked Tony Burke for allowing Palestinians into the country who are escaping Gaza in fear for their lives, repeating some version of the following claim at least three times:
[Burke] is the home affairs minister that allowed 3,000 people in from Gaza without security checks and our country is less safe as a result of that.
This claim shouldn’t go unchallenged as it’s simply not true. Mike Burgess, the director general of security agency Asio, himself debunked it last August when the Coalition first made those claims. Burgess said:
The critical point is: there are security checks. There are criteria by which people are referred to my service for review and when they are, we deal with that effectively.
Guardian reporter Kate Lyons also spoke to Rasha Abbas, director of Palestine Australia Relief and Action, at the time, who said:
Everyone who exits Gaza is checked by Israel. Your name has to appear on an approved list by Israel for you to exit … Then they have to be approved by Egypt, and Egypt is known to have high security, and then they have to go through the checks in Australia. They actually have been checked by three countries. This whole concept of them being unchecked is so false. Israel would not let anyone who is remotely connected with Hamas exit Gaza.
There’s more here, if you’d like a refresher:
Updated
Thank you for joining me on the blog today. Handing over now to Stephanie Convery, who will keep you updated with the afternoon’s breaking news.
Dutton accuses Albanese of not being able to negotiate with Trump
Dutton was asked about Malcolm Turnbull’s recent criticisms, saying leaders should “not give in to bullies” after he was lashed by Donald Trump in a late-night social media post.
The opposition leader used it as an opportunity to instead criticise Albanese:
In relation to the tariffs, it is important for the prime minister to pick the phone up and speak to the president. It is important for Jim Chalmers to pick the phone up and speak to his counterpart.
This is an incredibly important issue for our country [and] a priority for me is to make sure that we protect Australian jobs and Australian industry. We need a steel manufacturing and aluminium manufacturing industry in this country. We cannot build these buildings, the windows and the doors and much of what we see in the built environment in this country relies on steel and aluminium, and we don’t need a 25% tariff being applied, but it is up to the prime minister.
Malcolm Turnbull was able to negotiate with President Trump during the first presidency to see Australia avoid the application of those tariffs. Mr Albanese has not been able to do that.
Updated
Dutton accuses Burke of seeking 'political opportunity' out of caravan hoax
Peter Dutton continued his defence, saying Tony Burke should be “condemned” for finding “political opportunity” in an issue of national security:
We requested a briefing on the 22 January. We requested everything about a week later. At no time during those briefings or my discussions with the director general of Asio, including on 18 February, was there any mention of a hoax. The thought that we didn’t request a briefing is a complete and utter nonsense and there is a home own goal here by Tony Burke. I think the prime minister needs to answer questions about when he was advised of this being a hoax and the premier of NSW.
I know that NSW police advised at one point that the caravan and the explosives that were found in the caravan had the potential to make a 40 metre blast … So I think Tony Burke is trying to find political opportunity out of a national security issue and should stand condemned.
Updated
Dutton: Burke ‘parading’ in front of Labor colleagues by criticising him
Peter Dutton has dismissed comments made by Tony Burke earlier today saying the opposition leader played into the hands of organised crime by not getting briefed by police before making multiple public statements about a sequence of apparently antisemitic attacks.
Dutton responded by insinuating Burke is “parading” in front of Labor colleagues in case the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, no longer leads the party.
What is obvious is that the home affairs minister has been caught out lying today.
I think what is happening today is this beauty parade between Jim Chalmers and Tony Burke because they anticipate Anthony Albanese will not be the leader of the Labor party for much longer at all and I think what they are both doing at this moment is trying to parade in front of their colleagues and, frankly, I think it is an appalling show by Tony Burke.
He went on to attack Burke for allowing 3,000 Palestinians from Gaza into Australia.
Updated
Dutton urges people to holiday on the Gold Coast
The opposition leader and a Queensland MP, Peter Dutton, has urged travellers to consider the Gold Coast as a holiday destination, citing the impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred on businesses and their employers.
Dutton is addressing the media live:
One of the most important messages out of today is, if you think about booking a holiday for Easter, then look to one of these regions, including the Gold Coast, that’s been affected by the cyclone and make sure you book the holiday today. If you can get on to one of the websites, for Virgin or Qantas or whoever it might be, there will be packages available.
One of the concerns I think at the moment here is to move into the next phase in people either cancel their accommodation or decide to go somewhere else. And for this community, particularly with the number of small businesses impacted, and right across south-east Queensland it’s the case as well, that will be devastating for them. Devastating for the employees in those businesses. For a tourism city like the Gold Coast it’s important people hear the message that the Gold Coast is really open for business again.
Updated
Consumer confidence surges on back of interest rate cut
The Reserve Bank’s first rate cut since 2020 has delivered a welcome boost to the economic outlook, but Australian consumers are still more pessimistic than optimistic.
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer confidence survey posted a strong 4% gain in March, up to a three-year high of 95.9.
Slowing inflation and good news on interest rates drove the bounce in sentiment following a slowdown in recovery over the Christmas-New Year period, Westpac’s head of Australian macro-forecasting, Matthew Hassan, said.
“The RBA’s decision to cut interest rates in February and a further easing in cost-of-living pressures have provided a clear lift,” Hassan said.
The survey detail shows a broad-based improvement with a notable rise in confidence around the labour market outlook.
Mortgage holders recorded the largest jump in confidence, while the outlook also improved for people planning to buy a home.
Expectations of the time it takes to buy a dwelling eased, although expectations that house prices would rise also grew.
It came as the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the value of Australian homes rose to a fresh record high, although the rate of growth was slowing.
The value of Australia’s 11.3 million residential dwellings rose 0.2% to $11 trillion in the December quarter, despite a short slowdown in the housing market.
“The relatively flat growth for the December quarter was the result of net additions to stock offsetting a slight fall in property prices,” the ABS head of finance statistics, Mish Tan, said.
“Annually, growth slowed to 4.4 % from 8.1% in December quarter 2023.”
Another 4% improvement in April would bring the Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index back to 100, which would denote an equal amount of optimists as pessimists.
But concerns still persist, most notably in the form of unsettling news from overseas.
“While it is not the most pressing concern, the US tariff war and deteriorating relations with some of its allies is clearly unsettling,” Hassan said.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
‘I would be dead’: woman makes fateful call amid storm
When power was finally restored to her storm-hit home, Renata Brunton opted not to return straight away. The decision may have saved her life.
Soon afterwards a giant tree landed on her bedroom, destroying her family’s Gold Coast home in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“I am just glad I wasn’t there because I would be dead right now,” Brunton told AAP.
She had earlier been at the Tugun residence as wild weather hit the area, causing widespread blackouts and damage.
Her husband had taken her two sons, aged seven and 10, to another location, which still had power.
She later joined them, then got a call from a neighbour telling her electricity had been restored.
“I actually thought about going back home but the weather wasn’t too good,” Brunton said.
About 20 minutes later she got another call from the neighbour, with devastating news.
“I was told about the tree and I got upset straight away but thought we might be able to fix the roof,” Brunton said.
But the next day we went to the house and the tree had hit the bedroom and the whole roof came down.
The whole thing was gone. Rain was already leaking all through the house – the whole structure was affected.
Brunton was thankful she was not around when the tree struck but did not have time to count her blessings. She is more concerned about finding somewhere for her family to live.
“We lost our home. We don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have family here, I am from Brazil,” Brunton said.
We had lived there for 11 years. I never thought I would have to go through something like this. It’s devastating.
The family are sweating on body corporate insurance but in the meantime are relying on the kindness of others.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by a friend, raising more than $9,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
‘Best’ cyclone briefing ‘for a little while’ – Crisafulli
Queensland’s premier, David Crisafulli, gave what he acknowledged as the “best briefing” of cyclone news “we’ve had as a state for a little while” earlier today.
After days of looming threats from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, “the rainfall is easing, rivers are receding and the threat of heavy rainfall is disappearing”, he said. More than 100,000 homes and businesses remain without power, which Crisafulli admits is “significant”.
“I am determined to flick the switch from response to recovery,” he says.
Watch the video here:
Updated
NSW police lay 14 charges in relation to alleged antisemitic attacks
We brought you news yesterday of Strike Force Pearl conducting 11 search warrants and arresting 14 people as part of its investigations into alleged antisemitic attacks across Sydney.
NSW police have now laid 14 charges with 65 offences, outlining their details in a media release today. Those include:
Police will allege a 31-year-old man was involved in the preparation and staging of motor vehicles, and provisioning them with equipment necessary for the commission of the offences. He is charged with knowingly directing activities of a criminal group, five counts of accessory before the fact to malicious damage in company, damage property in company use fire, two counts of destroy property in company use fire, and break and enter in company destroy property
Police will allege an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were involved in providing vehicles used during the arson attack on a childcare centre in Maroubra on 21 January 2025, where police estimate the $3.4m worth of damage was sustained. They are both charged with participating in a criminal group, “contribute criminal activity”
Police have charged a 37-year-old man with additional offences of accessory before the fact to damaging property by means of fire or explore, over his involvement in the arson attack on a childcare centre at Maroubra, police say
Police will allege a 33-year-old man spray-painted graffiti on motor vehicles and properties at King Lane, Randwick, and See Lane, Kingsford, on Sunday 2 February 2025. His charges include two counts of intentionally damaging property in company, larceny and driving while disqualified
Police will allege a 25-year-old and 23-year-old man man spray-painted graffiti on motor vehicles and properties at Henry Street, Queens Park, on Saturday 11 January 2025. They are both charged with participating in a criminal group, damaging property, intend criminal activity of group and being carried in conveyance. The younger man’s charges also include driving conveyance taken without consent of the owner
Police will allege a 40-year-old man spray-painted graffiti at a school in Maroubra, a shopping centre at Eastgardens and a home at Eastlakes. His charges include driving a motor vehicle during disqualification period, taking and driving conveyance without consent of owner, and participating in a criminal group “contribute criminal”
Police will allege a 34-year-old man directed the commission of the arson attacks at Bondi Beach, and charged him with knowingly directing activities of a criminal group, accessory before the fact to destroy property in company use fire and accessory before the fact to damage property by fire/explosion
Police will allege a 41-year-old man broke into a business on Curlewis Street on Sunday 20 October 2024 before setting the premises alight. He was charged with an additional offence of destroy/ damage property intend criminal activity of group
Updated
‘Feast or famine’: farmers count the cost of heavy rain
Heavy rain has dealt vegetable farmers another “kick in the guts” after successive floods and storms, but growers are determined to sow their winter crops.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain across the Lockyer Valley in south-east Queensland from Sunday, inundating the towns of Laidley and Grantham.
Farmers near Laidley Creek, which peaked above a minor flood level of 5 metres, were in “for a hell of a ride”, the Lockyer Valley Growers Association president, Michael Sippel, said.
The rain gouged paddocks that were ready for planting, leaving farmers to spend coming weeks levelling out their top soil and sowing on other parts of their properties.
“It’s sad, but we’re pretty well-versed in this now,” Sippel said.
Since 2011, we’re just getting disaster after disaster. The climate is definitely changing ... It’s feast or famine and it never used to be like that.
The Lockyer Valley is a fertile growing region for vegetables, such as lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins and potatoes. The rain may delay planting of winter crops for some weeks, but vegetable prices shouldn’t be affected, Sippel said. Growers were instead increasingly concerned about the surging costs of farming and losses from wild weather.
“It’s a real kick in the guts they don’t need,” Sippel said.
The cost to farm now is exorbitant, you can’t have a loss. And if you do have a loss, it doesn’t cost you $10,000 anymore – it’s $100,000 or it’s a million.
Sippel called for government disaster assistance to kick in quickly to help with planting and extra labour costs.
– Australian Associated Press
Updated
Search continues for WA surfer believed to have been bitten by shark
Search efforts have resumed this morning for a missing surfer in Western Australia, following reports of a shark sighting and a surfer in distress yesterday afternoon.
A surfboard with bite marks was found floating in the ocean shortly after.
The reported shark bite incident was being investigated at Wharton Beach in the Duke of Orleans Bay area, about 60km east of Esperance, the state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said yesterday.
Police confirmed that at 12.10pm on Monday there was a report of a “possible surfer in distress”.
It is believed the surfer was the victim of a serious shark bite incident.
A shark was sighted in the area a short time prior, and beachgoers left the water.
Authorities declared the beach closed just after 2pm on Monday, which will be reviewed after 24 hours, as police, Marine Rescue WA and SES personnel continue to search the coastline.
There have been three fatal shark attacks in the region since 2017.
Updated
Government urged to raise jobseeker after ‘disturbing’ findings
The federal government is facing renewed pressure to substantially increase the jobseeker allowance rate as “disturbing” new research reveals recipients are at a higher risk of suicide and poor health.
The government has published the latest report from the committee that provides advice on the adequacy of welfare payments ahead of the federal budget on 25 March.
For the third report in a row, the economic inclusion advisory committee has called for a significant increase to the jobseeker rate as its main recommendation.
The base rate of jobseeker is $778 per fortnight but will rise on 20 March after the latest round of indexation.
The committee’s case for an increase was supported by two new independent studies: one examining the economic benefits of lifting the rate and another measuring the payment against basic “budget standards” – the amount of money a family needs for an acceptable standard of living.
The economic analysis from consultants Mandala found increasing jobseeker to 90% of the aged pension would decrease spending on government services by almost $72m.
The second report, led by the University of New South Wales, uncovered “disturbing facts” about the “severe” hardship experienced by people on income support.
It found that recipients were far more likely to die by suicide than other Australians, with 6,000 deaths recorded between 2011 and 2021.
People on the payment were 14 times more likely to go without a substantial meal at least once a day, according to the report, which also found that less than half were in “good health”.
The committee report said:
The findings taken together provide compelling evidence that raising the jobseeker payment would improve the lives of Australians in poverty and produce significant health and productivity benefits, with positive flow-on effects for our national finances and economy. Adequate jobseeker payments are therefore vital to Australia’s future wellbeing.
The committee acknowledged the government had adopted other recommendations from past reports, including raising commonwealth rent assistance and abolishing the activity test for child care.
In a statement responding to the report, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, were non-committal about accepting the recommendations.
We thank the committee for its report and we take its work seriously.
We will always do what we can for people where it is responsible and affordable, and weighed up against other priorities and fiscal challenges.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14
Updated
Many beaches still dangerous – Sharpe
Penny Sharpe has urged people to be sensible around the beaches, as many of them are still dangerous because of coastal erosion and other hazards.
Sharpe said:
Mayors and councils are doing a great job on this, giving us as much information as possible. Really it is about how do we make it safe so there is some safe access.
We are asking everyone to be sensible. It might be tempting to take your boogie board and go down the sand dunes [but] it’s quite unsafe.
We had an old whale carcass emerge out of the sea in Ballina, a new shipwreck no one knew was there, and a lot of dangerous items that are emerging.
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Blood and plasma donations needed in cyclone-hit areas
The Australian Red Cross is calling for blood and plasma donations in the wake of Alfred, after donation centres were shut down over the past week in cyclone-affected areas, resulting in a shortage of national supply.
Centres are starting to open up again in affected areas and the Red Cross is urging anyone who is able to safely access a donation centre and able to offer a donation, to do so.
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Power supply restored to all critical infrastructure – Essential Energy
A representative from Essential Energy (I missed his name, my apologies) says they have restored power supply to all critical infrastructure, including water treatment plants, sewerage plants and the main mobile telecommunications hubs.
He says to customers who have private electric assets that have been damaged by the storms, the company will be repairing those at its own cost and waiving some other charges, so customers don’t need to engage private contractors at this time.
Here’s the full quote:
We are doing whatever we can as an organisation to support the communities we serve, for example, meter reading in these affected areas. If customers have private assets that have been damaged in the storms, we will be repairing those at our own costs so customers don’t need to try and engage a private electrician in what’s a pretty difficult time.
We’ll also be waiving the daily standing charge for electricity for the period which customers are offered supply.
We’ll be covering the cost of disconnection reconnection for any customers that need to disconnect their premises for safety and if you need any further details about any of those support payments that Essential Energy is able to provide, please encourage you to head to our website.
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All NSW emergency warnings lowered to ‘watch and act’
The NSW SES acting superintendent, Stuart Fisher, has taken the mic at this sunny press conference (blessed sun!).
All emergency warnings in the state have been reduced to “watch and act” to advice level, Fisher said.
He continued:
For those returning with caution, we ask you [to] be vigilant. We may have fallen branches from trees, live power that needs to be looked at. We are working through that and hopefully over the next day or two we will reduce some of those warnings even more.
SES volunteers have attended to more than 5,700 jobs since the weather event began, Fisher said.
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NSW energy minister pleads with people not to ‘fix your power yourself’ in cyclone-hit areas
The NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, has been speaking to the media about power reconnection in the state’s flooded areas in the wake of Alfred.
There are about 7,200 homes and businesses still without power, Sharpe said, but Essential Energy has approximately 100 workers out trying to reconnect everything.
Sharpe said:
The message I had from those workers today very much is please do not try to rig up your own power source now that it is off. It is very dangerous for yourself. It is also dangerous for the workers coming through to reconnect the lines.
We ask for people to be patient. They are working to those jobs as quickly as they can. But, really, please do not try to fix your power yourself. Be really careful. It is extremely dangerous and if you need to report a line down, call Essential Energy – they will send someone out to fix it as quickly as possible.
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Minns: ‘That obviously would have tipped the hand of NSW police’
The NSW premier was asked what the “public benefit” was in describing a caravan found laden with explosives as terrorism.
“I wasn’t in a position to hold a press conference and say, ‘By the way, the circumstances have changed’. That obviously would have tipped the hand of NSW police and delicate investigations,” Chris Minns said.
Watch here:
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NSW arts minister forced to defend museum’s yellowfin ‘sashimi performance’
The NSW arts minister, John Graham, has been grilled in state budget estimates over a $30,000 party involving a live “sashimi performance” on a large yellowfin tuna.
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party MP Mark Banasiak asked Graham why the Powerhouse had splashed out on the Christmas party treat, when the museum’s finances and visitation records were “in the toilet”.
The $30,000 figure was originally reported by the Sydney Morning Herald from an FOI document, and Graham did not dispute it in estimates.
Banasiak cited a 33% decline in visitation over five years at the museum, which saw 67% fewer visitors than the Art Gallery of NSW, and 90% fewer visitors than Museums Victoria, while the museum was recording an 86% increase in operating costs and a 211% increase in exhibition costs.
“What are we rewarding when the metrics are, frankly, in the toilet?” Banasiak asked.
When I put it to you [earlier], if this was a private business, what would you do, you said you would shut it and fix the problem. But instead of fixing the problem, we’re celebrating those results by spending $30,000 on a sashimi performance.
“Well, we have shut the Powerhouse,” said Graham, referring to the $300m renovation the government is undertaking at the Ultimo museum, which is expected to remain closed until 2027.
We’re hopeful of brighter days ahead. That will require the investment that the government is making ... Ultimately, Ultimo has got to reconnect with the community that loves the Powerhouse so much.
Banasiak questioned how the community might view what he referred to as “Tunagate”.
They’re asking Treasury for additional funds to complete this revitalisation process, and then they’re indulging in these sorts of events where the common people who would love to go and see the Powerhouse museum aren’t going to have yellowfin tuna on their plate. They’re probably never going to see a yellowfin tuna in their lifetime, because the majority of that fish actually goes overseas to the export market. It is completely out of step with the common people that they’re supposed to be trying to engage with.
Graham said it was his understanding that the $5,000 tuna component of the seafood-themed Christmas party was paid for personally by the museum’s chief executive, Lisa Havilah.
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$180 personal hardship grants for cyclone-hit Queensland areas
Personal hardship grants have been activated for Redlands, Gold Coast, Logan, Moreton Bay, as well as targeted areas in the Fraser Coast, Queensland MP Ann Leahy says:
That $180 enables people to be able to replace food and also get clothing, also essential medicines.
Six recovery hubs are also opening across south-east Queensland in the Gold Coast, Logan and Redlands, to assist with recovery.
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Half of Queensland schools reopen as 118,000 properties remain without power, says premier
There are 118,000 properties still without power from the 450,000 outages due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Crisafulli says.
That is a significant amount. That is 118,000 homes, businesses, people who are not able to get back on their feet, and it is a lot of people without the ability to go about normal life. I am pleased to say that the efforts of Energex, they are working around the clock and, I think, most people have acknowledged how difficult the situation has been, and we have seen that in the last 24 hours.
Crisafulli says 360 state schools have reopened today:
More than half of Queensland kids are back at school today. With that comes the ability for their parents to be able to try to get back to life as normal. With that the ability for a nurse to go to the hospital, which then means someone can have an elective surgery … so [they] can go to the supermarket and stack shelves, and be paid and provide for their family and another person can go and get the goods and services they desperately need.
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Crisafulli provides Alfred’s rain figures to show ‘magnitude of the deluge’
As the weather threat eases, Crisafulli looks back at last week’s rainfall totals “to give a scale of the magnitude of the deluge that came in the wake of the cyclone”.
There was 1,146mm of rain at Springbrook, 835mm at Tallebudgera, 592mm at North Stradbroke, 522mm at Redlands, 513mm at Brisbane City, 475mm at Coolangatta, 352mm at Nambor, and 313mm at Ipswich.
Updated
Queensland weather threat reduces as rivers recede and rain eases
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, is giving “the best briefing we’ve had as a state for a little while” (he’s happy about the news he has to deliver, not praising his own performance).
Days after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred made landfall, Crisafulli says rainfall is easing, rivers are receding, and the threat of heavy rainfall is disappearing.
The Logan river peaked above the major flood level at 10.72 metres on Monday and is expected to continue to fall. Albert river exceeded major flood level at 6.02 metres. It is easing. The Bremer River peaked near the major flood level overnight at 11.47 metres. It is also easing.
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$56bn wiped off ASX after US markets plummet amid recession fear
Here is more on Australian shares plummeting amid US recession concerns, courtesy of Australian Associated Press:
The Australian share market plummeted in early trading, shedding more than $A56bn after US markets tanked overnight on recession fears.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 was shed more than 100 points, or about 1.26%, to 7862.2, after jumping off a cliff at the start of today’s session.
The All Ordinaries index was down about 1.4%, or 114.5 points, to 8077.2 points.
The US president Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs have fanned investor uncertainty at a time when the growth outlook of the world’s largest economy is being questioned.
On Sunday, Trump could not say if his protectionist policies could lead the US into a recession, sending shockwaves through global markets.
China’s retaliatory tariffs on select US imports are set to take effect by Monday.
At the same time, the US Congress is scrambling to agree to a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
On Wall Street, the S&P500 lost 155.21 points, or 2.69%, to end at 5,614.99 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 726.01 points, or 3.99%, to 17,470.21. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 890.63 points, or 2.08%, to 41,911.09.
The tech sell-off affected the so-called “magnificent seven” stocks of Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google owner Alphabet, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla was down 2.7%.
They have a combined valuation of more than $A29tn, more than any economy other than the US and China, and have played a huge part in growth in US markets in recent years.
All 11 Australian sectors on the local bourse were in the red, led by IT stocks which fell by 4.8%.
Consumer discretionary stocks were down more than 2%, while financials, materials, industrials and real estate stocks were all down more than 1% just an hour into the trading day.
The Australian dollar was buying 62.81 US cents, down from 63.16 on Monday afternoon.
Updated
Woman arrested with ‘snake down her pants’ in Melbourne
Victoria police found a python during an arrest in Strathmore last week.
During the arrest of a 34-year-old woman for allegedly damaging property, she claimed “she had a snake down her pants”, police said.
When officers searched the woman, they indeed found a small python.
“Her slithery co-offender was safely put into a box” and the woman was charged with criminal damage and trespass, police said.
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Sunshine peeks through Brisbane’s gloomy skies as city starts comeback
Brisbane woke up this morning to patches of sunshine bursting through an overcast sky. As the rain eases, many people are desperate to get back to normal.
Runners jog the banks of a chalky brown river, and a kayaker can even be seen slicing through piles of debris in the brown snake.
Here are some photos of the city in the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
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New Order gig going ahead in Brisbane tonight
Organisers for New Order’s Australian tour say the UK band’s gig on Brisbane river will go ahead tonight, angering some ticketholders as the city remains in recovery mode after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
On Monday night, TEG Live informed concertgoers that the event would go ahead at Brisbane’s Riverstage tonight. The venue is located on the banks of the Brisbane river.
“Please follow the advice of your local area’s Emergency Alerts, and make sure you exercise the usual levels of caution for travel during inclement weather,” TEG Live said in a post shared on Facebook.
Public transport and car parks are still widely non-functional in Brisbane. Brisbane city council said limited bus services were operating on Tuesday morning “subject to road and weather conditions”. CityCat and KittyKat ferries were suspended until further notice “due to severe weather”.
Commuters should consult Translink for the latest information before using public transport, the council said.
New Order ticketholders voiced their frustration on social media, with many calling for refunds due to flooded roads, power outages and a lack of transportation options into and around Brisbane.
TEG Live and Brisbane city council have been asked to comment.
The storm continues to cause havoc across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Updated
ASX stocks plummet amid US recession fears
The Australian share market has seen a 1.5% drop in less than an hour since opening at 10am today.
Guardian Australia has previously reported that economists are warning that the risk of the US economy entering recession this year is rising as Donald Trump’s chaotic approach to tariffs continues to hit markets.
Shares on Wall Street fell sharply yesterday as investors bet the president’s unpredictable tariff trade war and handling of the economy would hit growth amid a recent plunge in business and consumer confidence.
Read more from Richard Partington, Guardian economics correspondent:
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Wealthiest 10% own two thirds of investment property: ACOSS
Here is more from the Australian Council of Social Service study.
ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said:
Australia’s absurdly generous tax breaks are supercharging the housing crisis and rising inequality in our society.
As long as our tax system encourages speculative investment in housing, the housing affordability crisis won’t be solved just by building more homes.
Independent modelling indicates that halving the capital gains tax discount and curbing negative gearing would reduce home prices by up to 4%, similar to the impact of the government’s target to build an additional 1.2 million homes over five years.
Politicians claim that ‘mum and dad’ investors are the ones benefiting from these concessions - but our analysis shows that the wealthiest 10% own two thirds of investment property.
These tax breaks disproportionately benefit the well-off in our society while millions struggle to pay the rent, let alone save a deposit to buy their first home.
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Affordable energy group wants answers after US climate official questioned Coalition’s nuclear plan
Australians for Affordable Energy (AFAE) is calling for answers after Guardian Australia reported Jonathan Pershing, a longtime senior US climate official, questioned the cost and timeframe of building seven nuclear reactors in Australia.
Pershing said “very, very few people” internationally were building new nuclear power plants and, in most cases, the combination of solar and batteries provided “higher reliability than gas”.
AFAE spokesperson Jo Dodds – who survived a bushfire, inspiring her campaign on climate issues – said:
Australians have one main concern: dropping the price of their power bills. Important questions remain unanswered about how much nuclear will cost and when it will actually deliver power, and now new questions have now emerged.
Jonathan Pershing is an expert and, as he notes in the US, the high cost of building new nuclear facilities has led to nuclear energy declining as a share of the overall energy mix. Across the globe, the evidence shows us the cheapest option for reliable power is a combination of solar and batteries.
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Dutton dismisses Turnbull’s comments on Trump’s leadership
Peter Dutton was asked on Sunrise this morning whether Malcolm Turnbull has jeopardised negotiations with the US after the former prime minister suggested the US president’s chaotic leadership would benefit Beijing.
Obviously, the priority is to make sure the government can get a deal here because it does impact on Australian jobs and Australian industry, and we want to make sure that we can provide every support, particularly in the difficult period at the moment where, like a lot of businesses, the centre is doing it tough.
I don’t agree with what he said. It is not for tit-for-tat but how [we will] preserve Australian jobs. That is in the hands of the prime minister. The prime minister has responsibility, as Malcolm Turnbull did when he was prime minister, to negotiate with the then Trump administration for an exemption to tariffs.
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Wealthiest households receive 82% of $16bn capital gains tax discount: ACOSS
The top 10% of households by income receive more than 82% of the $16bn capital gains tax discount and nearly 39% of all tax deductions for rental properties, a new report from the Australian Council of Social Service has revealed.
Since the capital gains discount was introduced in 1999, the median home price has doubled from four to eight times the median income.
The proportion of income needed to meet mortgage payments has risen from 27% in 2001 to 49% in 2024, and renters now spend an average of 33% of their income on rent, up from 26% in 2006.
The time required for a median-income household to save a 20% home deposit for a median-value dwelling has increased from around eight years in 2004 to nearly 11 years in 2024.
And, from 1991 to 2023, the annual number of social housing lettings for people with low incomes declined from 52,000 to 32,000, a reduction of more than 58% when population growth is taken into account.
More to come.
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Minns defends describing caravan plot as ‘terrorism’
In his press conference a short while ago, NSW premier Chris Minns was asked what the “public benefit” was in describing a caravan found laden with explosives as terrorism at the time.
The reporter asked: “Police said that, almost immediately, they realised the Dural caravan was not a possible mass casualty event. Obviously, for the purposes of investigating, law enforcement had to treat the threat at its highest. But what was the public benefit in your decision to describe this as terrorism at that time?”
Minns responded:
We had to be very clear about - once it was revealed in the newspapers - what the threat was, to take it incredibly seriously. I think, reasonable people would assume that NSW oolice and the NSW government would say, ‘We want you to investigate this as if it was the worst possible potential exposure to the public.’
Secondly … we saw instances of firebombings, the destruction and burning down of a childcare centre that was adjacent to a synagogue, as well as - police will allege in court - the potential or attempted burning down of synagogues in New South Wales.
So, based on all that information, the attacks that happened prior to and after the discovery of the caravan, it would have been negligent not to take this incredibly seriously.
Obviously, as the information came to light, as the inquiry and investigation continued, changes to the inquiry and the motivation of those who are responsible came to light, and were obviously told to to me. But I wasn’t in a position to hold a press conference and say, ‘By the way, the circumstances have changed.’ That obviously would have tipped the hand of NSW police and delicate investigations.
Updated
Community legal centres join calls for immediate suspension of mutual obligation penalties
Community Legal Centres Australia, Economic Justice Australia and their member community legal centres and peak bodies across the country are calling for the immediate suspension of Centrelink’s targeted compliance framework.
Last week, we reported that senate estimates heard IT failures meant more than $1.2m had to be repaid to jobseekers, and officials did not have ‘full confidence’ in the system's legality.
Tim Leach, Community Legal Centres Australia CEO, said in a statement:
Community legal centres across the country have long expressed concern that mutual obligations and the Targeted Compliance Framework entrench, compound and punish poverty and disadvantage.
Our centres support and represent thousands of people who rely on social security payments. We see the stress and financial precarity caused by unfair payment suspensions and risk of financial penalties every day.
A key lesson of the Robodebt scandal is that the government must proactively ensure the legality and safety of programs it administers. Evidence and admissions that the Targeted Compliance Framework may be unlawful and is putting people at risk of harm warrant its immediate suspension.
More here:
Updated
Video: ‘Fake terrorism plot’ designed to create fear, say police
Federal police say a caravan with explosives found in Sydney earlier this year was “never going to cause a mass casualty event” and was a “fake terrorism plot”.
The federal police deputy commissioner, Krissy Barrett, told reporters investigators now believed the caravan incident was concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal benefit.
Watch the video here:
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Emergency teams conduct rapid damage assessments in cyclone-affected NSW regions
There are 50 multiagency teams conducting rapid damage assessments in the aftermath of evacuation warnings in NSW regions affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Jihad Dib, NSW minister for emergency services, spoke a short while ago:
Fifty multiagency teams up and down the coast … are doing rapid assessments of damage to all of the places where we did have different warnings in place. What that means is the teams are made up from volunteers and members of all the different agencies and they literally go from place to place to place making sure that it’s safe to return home.
There are no more emergency warnings that are in place at the moment for evacuation.
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NSW will demolish flood-prone houses it reclaimed in Lismore after squatters put emergency workers in danger, says Minns
Minns said the NSW government and Reconstruction Authority will work to demolish properties previously reclaimed by the state government in Lismore’s flood-prone areas due to squatters “still in danger”:
I want to speak a little bit now, about our concern when it comes to squatters in the Northern Rivers moving into properties that have been reclaimed by the New South Wales government. The government has spent $900 million of taxpayer funds to remove people from very flood-prone areas of the Lismore region. These are flood-prone, low-lying areas where the household elected to move out, to move to higher ground, and the house would effectively be condemned so as that the community could be safe and that we could reduce the exposure of affected communities and families in the event of a natural disaster.
I wasn’t aware that we were currently in court trying to execute eviction notices on some members of those communities when Tropical Cyclone Alfred emerged in the last week. This is a completely unacceptable set of circumstances. It’s not tolerable to have so many people located in flood-prone land, still in danger, and have SES personnel, volunteers, have to go and check on those households, check on those communities, to keep them safe. We bought those houses so that we could keep communities safe so that no-one would live there. And to have squatters move in off the back of that is completely unacceptable. So, I’ve made a decision in conjunction with the Reconstruction Authority that we’re going to demolish those houses.
Updated
Minns announces personal hardship grants for cyclone-affected areas in NSW
NSW premier Chris Minns has announced a personal hardship grant worth $180 for individuals and up to $900 for families for residents who had to evacuate or had their electricity cut for 48 hours amid ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Minns, joined by other authorities, is speaking live:
The New South Wales government, in conjunction with the Commonwealth government, has also announced a funding package of emergency financial assistance of $180 for individuals up to $900 for families who need to cover essential costs such as food, clothing, medicines emergency accommodation over the past week.
The personal hardship assistance grants is for those individual, and it’s aimed to help them get back on their feet and recover. It will apply to communities that were subject to an evacuation order or had their electricity cut off for a period of 48 hours.
Updated
'We won’t be intimidated' from supporting peace in Ukraine, Wong's spokeperson tells Russia after warning
A spokesperson for the foreign minister, Penny Wong, has responded to the Russian Embassy warning of “grave consequences” should Australia deploy troops to Ukraine as part of an international peacekeeping operation.
In a statement, first provided to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Russian embassy in Australia said joining the coalition “would entail grave consequences” for Australia:
Russia has repeatedly made it clear that foreign military presence in Ukraine is totally unacceptable. Therefore, the idea of deploying Western military contingents in Ukraine under the guise of peacekeepers is meant to undermine peace efforts. Canberra remains firmly on the side of war along with those in Europe who are betting on continuing and escalating the conflict despite encouraging shifts towards peace negotiations.
For Australia, joining the so-called coalition of the willing would entail grave consequences. Once again, western boots on the ground are unacceptable for Russia, and we will not remain passive observers.
Wong’s spokesperson reiterated that if Australia receives a request to support a peacekeeping mission, “we’ll consider it”:
Australia has a proud tradition of supporting peace through eighty years of contributions to international peacekeeping missions.
Such a mission does not yet exist in Ukraine, where Russia continues its brutal and unjustified war.
Australia has said that if we receive a request to support a peacekeeping mission, we’ll consider it.
Our message to Russia is: end your illegal invasion of Ukraine. We won’t be intimidated from working towards a just peace for the people of Ukraine.
Read more from Henry Belot here:
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Australia shouldn’t ‘muzzle ourselves’ over fear of offending Trump’s ‘huge ego’, says Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull says Australia should be “free to speak the truth” about Donald Trump, rubbishing suggestions it was unwise to criticise the US president as the Albanese government attempts to secure an 11th-hour exemption to steel and aluminium tariffs.
The former Liberal prime minister clashed with ABC RN Breakfast host Sally Sara on Tuesday morning as he defended speaking out against Trump in the latest clash between the pair.
Trump had described Turnbull as a “weak and ineffective leader” who never understood China in a social media post that appeared to be in response to an interview Turnbull conducted with Bloomberg, in which he suggested the US president’s chaotic leadership would benefit Beijing.
After doubling down on his comments in an interview with ABC 7.30 on Monday night, Sara asked Turnbull if it was “reckless” to criticise Trump as the tariff threat hangs over Australia.
In response, Turnbull said:
Are you suggesting that we should engage in self-censorship in Australia for fear of offending the huge ego of Donald Trump?
Is that really the state that we’ve got to? Surely we should be free to speak the truth. Or are we going to muzzle ourselves for fear of offending Mr Trump?”
Turnbull said despite the best efforts of Anthony Albanese and Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, the prospects of the government securing a carve out to the tariffs were “very, very low”.
Updated
Alfred’s economic impact will be ‘significant’, says Crisafulli
The Queensland premier’s earlier update on ABC News Breakfast continued:
We have to do beach restoration on the coast. We have to make sure, in the north of the state, that we get our agricultural producers back on their feet.
The challenges that Mother Nature can throw at you are vast, but you have to respond. And you have to then make sure that, as you recover, you do it in a way that can build a little bit more resilience into your infrastructure and that people can just go about their lives.
Updated
Alfred recovery a ‘big task’, Crisafulli says
The SES had 3,500 jobs in 24 hours on Sunday – “the most ever recorded,” the Queensland premier says.
One thousand SES volunteers are on the ground today, with another 100 flying in from interstate. Meanwhile, 2,000 Energex and Ergon staff are also working to recover power.
This is going to be a big task. And at the other end of the state, we’re still picking up the pieces from the flood in north and far north Queensland a month ago. I’s big effort.
Updated
118,000 Queensland homes without power as river levels ease, says premier
While Queensland river levels are easing, the region is still working to recover 118,000 homes without power after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Premier David Crisafulli gave an update on ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning:
Rivers are starting to come off the major levels and starting to fall down. Those that did reach the emergency alerts are in the process of being withdrawn. So, we do wake to good news. But … there’s still a lot of people who’ve got damaged homes. There’s still 118,000 homes without power. And we’ve got a state that’s got a lot of work to do.
We will make sure that we move from response to recovery, and we move there quickly. We have to make sure that every single person is given the opportunity to get life back to normal, and that work is certainly underway.
Across south-east QLD and northern NSW, 125,000 homes were without power at 6am.
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Discovery of fake terror plot doesn’t undo Jewish community’s fear, says Burke
Burke says the discovery of the plot does not undo fear felt by the Jewish community. He said on ABC Radio National:
If there’s a chance of graffiti or of firebombing or whatever threat there might [be] to cause fear coming from organised crime, or coming from people who are motivated by antisemitism and hatred, then an individual will receive it the same way … It’ll take a bit of processing, but it doesn’t undo the the fear and the concern that people have.
Updated
Muslim community faced suspicion and blame due to fake caravan terror plot, says Burke
Burke says the “fake” caravan plot saw suspicion and blame of the Muslim community become “well and truly part of the public narrative”.
The home affairs minister and member for Watson was speaking on ABC Radio National a short while ago:
I don’t think there’s any doubt whatsoever, and the Australian Federal Police referred to this in this statement yesterday, about communities receiving blame … You only have to look at the combination of what was said on radio at the time, what was said on social media, the blaming and the suspicion of the Muslim community throughout those attacks is something that was well and truly part of the public narrative.
Because of my role in social cohesion, and obviously also because of the part of Sydney that I represent, I know exactly the backlash that the community was receiving.
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Organised crime ‘may as well have written Peter Dutton’s words’ on fake terror plot, says Burke
Tony Burke says the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, played into the hands of organised crime by not getting briefed by police before making multiple public statements about a sequence of apparently antisemitic attacks.
“The script that Peter Dutton was running was exactly what organised crime wanted the narrative to be,” the home affairs minister says.
Burke was speaking on ABC Radio National a short while ago after federal police yesterday revealed a caravan with explosives found in Sydney earlier this year was a “fake terrorism plot”.
He was continuing his attack on Dutton that began yesterday, after the police revealed the plot, when he said Dutton had been “conned”.
This morning Burke said:
The view of the police, as they made public yesterday, developed. [But] Peter Dutton continued along this line while the government was saying, get a briefing, while the government was reminding him, and reminding him publicly, that he had not yet taken a briefing.
The script that Peter Dutton was running was exactly what organised crime wanted the narrative to be. They may as well have written Peter Dutton’s words for him. That is the definition of recklessness.
To simply take a briefing and to listen to the advice that ASIO had given publicly about lowering the temperature would have resulted in very different behaviour, and behaviour that did not suit the narrative of organised crime.
One day in the parliament, he made the assertion that we were dealing with a planned mass casualty attack four times in less than an hour … [but] the investigation [had discovered this] was entirely untrue, and we continued to remind him that he had not yet sought a briefing.
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Nuclear energy like ‘building a Blockbuster video’ store in the age of Netflix, says Kean
Matt Kean, former NSW minister for energy, likened building nuclear power plants in 2025 to opening a Blockbuster store “when Netflix is already here” on Q+A last night.
He was responding to policy strategist Parnell Palme McGuinness, who was urging a start to nuclear “right away” for “prosperity long-term”.
Kean said:
We’re not starting 20 years ago, we’re talking about today, and people talking about building nuclear today are the same people that are … arguing that we should be building a Blockbuster video complex when Netflix is already here.
There’s new technology which looks like wind, solar and storage … We need more energy, I agree with you, energy to the system grows our economy and under the frontier modelling it will have 40% less energy than alternative and that will mean a massive hit to our economy. Under the frontier economics modelling, there’s a $300m smaller economy for Australia, that’s the reality.
Updated
Good morning blog readers – this is Rafqa Touma, and I’ll be taking you through the day’s live news updates. Thank you to Martin Farrer for getting us rolling this morning.
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125,000 properties without power days after cyclone
More than 125,000 properties are in the dark as crews work to restore power across QLD and NSW in Alfred’s aftermath.
At 6am, there were 118,319 outages in South East Queensland, according to Energex – 4444,000 in Gold Coast, 20,000 in Redland, 15,000 in Brisbane, 15,000 in Moreton Bay and 12,000 in Logan.
There were more than 7,500 properties without power in NSW, mainly in the Northern Rivers region, according to an Essential Energy update this morning.
Updated
‘Not give into bullies’: Turnbull doubles down on Trump
Malcolm Turnbull has doubled down on his criticism of Donald Trump, saying that it was “ludicrous” for world leaders to “become just a conga line of sycophants” in the hope the US president would not place tariffs on their economies.
Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 program last night, the former prime minister said world leaders should “not give in to bullies” after Trump lashed him in a late-night social media post. The US president was responding after Turnbull said his “chaotic” policies played into China’s hands.
Here’s our full story:
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How Brisbanites are responding to Cyclone Alfred
Our team of reporters have been busy talking to people and finding stories in the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred.
After some of the wettest weather the city has ever seen, Brisbanites are feeling Covid flashbacks and cabin fever as they cope with being unable to go outside.
There was a different sort of problem for Amber Butler whose partner had to drive her to hospital through the height of the storm to give birth.
And when the storm forced a wildlife hospital to close, a koala recovering from abdominal surgery bunked up with a possum in Mallory Wilson’s house in Nerang.
Shark attack fears after surfer missing off WA coast
Emergency services are scouring waters for a missing surfer feared taken by a shark after a surfboard with bite marks was recovered off a remote southern beach, Australian Associated Press reports.
The “reported shark bite incident” was being investigated at Wharton beach in the Duke of Orleans Bay area, about 60km east of Esperance, the state’s primary industries department said on Monday.
Police said that at 12.10pm, there was a report of a “possible surfer in distress”.
“A surfboard with evidence of bite marks has been recovered from the water ... but no surfer has been sighted,” police said in a statement.
“It is believed the surfer was the victim of a serious shark bite incident.
“A shark was sighted in the area a short time prior, and beachgoers left the water.”
Police, Marine Rescue WA, and SES personnel were searching the coastline for the missing surfer.
Ipswich avoids more severe flooding as Brisbane and Lismore residents return to inspect damage
The city of Ipswich west of Brisbane appears to have avoided more severe flooding overnight by mere centimetres – the Bremer River peaking just below the major flood level.
Some parts of the Ipswich CBD were inundated and some homes underwater, but residents had been narrowly watching the Bremer, which peaked at 11.49m, just shy of the major flood level of 11.7m.
Some of the focus in Queensland today will switch to the west, including the Lockyer Valley, which was particularly badly hit in 2011.
The town of Laidley was inundated and flood sirens were sounded in Grantham. The warnings are a legacy of the 2011 event that swallowed the town.
In places like Brisbane and Lismore, locals are returning to inspect flood damage.
But there are still active warnings that the threat might not be over. More rainfall and thunderstorms associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred are expected in flood-hit areas on Tuesday.
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Richard Scolyer reveals brain cancer has returned
Former Australian of the year Richard Scolyer has revealed his brain cancer has returned and surgery to remove it was unsuccessful.
Scolyer was diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer in 2023 and it was treated with pioneering immunotherapy based on his own research.
In a post on Instagram on Tuesday evening Scolyer said “unfortunately there is a larger volume of quickly growing brain cancer (glioblastoma) in my left brain”.
“The prognosis is poor.”
Some of the tumour was removed last week but “some of it couldn’t because of its site”, he wrote.
He said the immunotherapy and other cancer treatment he received “may have made a difference in my brain tumour and survival”, but more work was needed in a clinical trial to prove this.
“Either way I am proud [of the work],” he said. “I hope [it] will make a difference for others.”
Scolyer told the Sydney Morning Herald the medical prognosis was that he has “months, not years” to live.
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More on that competition report:
One area examined by the taskforce was non‑compete clauses, which can be written into employment contracts to prevent or restrict an employee from joining a competitor or starting their own rival business.
These clauses have been used to unreasonably prevent workers moving to more desirable jobs in industries such as childcare and the broader care sector.
Workers affected by non-compete clauses experienced a 4% lower wage relative to comparable workers without non-competes, Andrew Leigh is due to say in his speech today.
“Recent Productivity Commission modelling suggests reforming non-competes could permanently lift Australia’s productivity and GDP, by allowing workers to move more easily to higher value jobs, and by facilitating firm entry and expansion,” he will say.
The taskforce, which was set up in 2023, also examined the aviation sector, finding competition had helped to “bring down prices, improve service, and give Australians more choices in the skies”.
“Because when competition works, consumers win.”
The federal government has also announced it will contribute $1.2m to jointly launch the social enterprise loan fund alongside other investors.
The fund intends to provide capital for social enterprises, especially those providing employment opportunities for people facing barriers to work.
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Competition change could boost household finances, Leigh to argue
Household budgets would be bolstered and cost-of-living pressures would ease under proposed changes to the nation’s competition policy, the federal government says, Australian Associated Press reports.
The assistant treasurer, Andrew Leigh, will today reveal the findings of a government taskforce in a speech to the Economic Society of Australia in Perth later this morning.
Leigh will argue a revitalised national competition policy could result in an ongoing boost to GDP of up to $45bn, according to Productivity Commission modelling – an increase of up to $5,000 a year for every household.
The commission also estimated proposed changes would lower prices by an estimated 0.7% to 1.5% in the long run, he said.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Rafqa Touma with the main action.
In sad news that broke yesterday, former Australian of the year Richard Scolyer has revealed his brain cancer has recurred and his “prognosis is poor”. More on this soon.
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have both cancelled fundraising events with donors amid heightened sensitivity about political campaigning in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. We reported exclusively last night that the prime minister had decided to postpone a dinner with 10 wealthy donors in Sydney because of fears he could be accused of insensitivity in the same way Labor attacked Dutton for attending a plush event with pubs tycoon Justin Hemmes. But the Coalition leader then cancelled another event.
Thousands of homes are still without power, schools remain shut and the threat of further flooding remains in Queensland. We will have the latest from the areas hit by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Plus, our political correspondent writes that while the storm may have blown Albanese’s election plans off course, his high-profile response could help him win back voters.
There’s been another sharp selloff on Wall Street overnight on fears that Donald Trump’s economic policies could lead to a recession in the US. The benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.4% to its lowest point since September, while the tech-focused Nasdaq has slumped by 2%. The ASX is on track to open down 0.81% later this morning as a result so a government plan to improve household finances being outlined by Andrew Leigh this morning is well timed. More coming up.
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