What we learned, Friday 14 March
And that’s where we’ll wrap up today, and this working week of live news. Here’s what we learned:
Anthony Albanese says a “spiced up” new version of the Buy Australian campaign is on the way, in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs,
Kevin Rudd, Australia’s ambassador to the US, said he would continue fighting for tariff exemptions for Australian goods
Peter Dutton said he was concerned the US will impose more tariffs on Australian goods, but he doesn’t think Australia should retaliate.
Coalition MP Kevin Hogan said Australia should use critical minerals access as a ‘leverage point’ with Trump on tariffs
Former opposition leader Bill Shorten says Donald Trump is leading the free world “as if it’s a reality TV show” and his administration’s tariff regime won’t “help anyone”.
The New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley, has defended the Minns government’s controversial hate speech laws, amid mounting calls for an inquiry into the NSW government’s response to the caravan “con-job” and related incidents.
A parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches hospital, which the NSW health minister promised would take place after the death of two-year-old Joe Massa at the hospital’s emergency ward in September, was announced.
Police are investigating after human remains were found at a Sydney home.
The Queensland government plans to indefinitely delay implementing human rights laws passed under the previous parliament.
The number of NBN services affected across Queensland and New South Wales due to Cyclone Alfred has been reduced to approximately 24,000.
High to extreme fire danger conditions will sweep across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales over the weekend.
Thanks so much for your company.
Updated
Muslim groups criticise Chris Minns’ response to Dural caravan plot
The Alliance of Australian Muslims (AAM) and the Australian National Imams Council (Anic) have criticised the NSW premier, Chris Minns, for his response to the spate of arson and graffiti attacks which culminated with an explosives-laden caravan being found on Sydney’s outskirts.
The AAM and Anic said Minns’ response, which included referring to the incidents as “terrorism”, left Australian Muslims “exposed to suggestions” that they may have been involved, and increased Islamophobia in the community.
This week, federal and NSW police said the caravan “con job” and 14 other antisemitic incidents across the city over the past few months were orchestrated by organised crime figures for their benefit, and were not driven by antisemitic ideology.
The AAM and Anic statement read:
It is now apparent that not only was the event not linked to terrorism, but the Premier was made aware of this at an early stage. Despite this, the NSW Premier and his Government pushed to hurriedly pass significant laws that provide protection only to some Australians based on race.
Most concerningly, the labelling of the incident as terrorism caused alarm and panic in the community and also received widespread media coverage. In turn, it left many people across the State feeling vulnerable and unsafe. The Premier’s response to the incident also left the Australian Muslim community exposed to suggestions that an Australian Arab or Australian Muslim may have been involved.
The statement continued:
In short, the Premier’s characterisation of, and response to, the incident caused panic and fear, increased Islamophobia and had the effect of undermining social cohesion in our society.
The statement follows mounting calls for an inquiry into whether Minns and his police minister misled MPs and the public before controversial hate speech and religious worship bills were rushed through state parliament on the back of the incidents. You can read more about those here:
Updated
Lismore art gallery reinstalling art works as flood waters recede
When the severe weather of Cyclone Alfred began to threaten NSW northern rivers towns, Lismore Regional Gallery uninstalled and evacuated its art works to protect them against damage from flooding and other weather hazards.
The gallery announced this afternoon that it will remain closed for this weekend, but with the receding flood waters, its team has been working to carefully reinstall the exhibitions and equipment.
The gallery hopes to reopen next Friday 21 March, at the latest.
Updated
Major delays across Sydney rail network amid urgent repairs
Major delays on Sydney’s train network will continue into afternoon peak time after urgent signal repairs at Ashfield earlier today.
Transport NSW has advised that “significant service gaps” are being experienced on the following lines:
T1 North Shore & Western Line
T2 Inner West & Leppington Line
T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line
T9 Northern Line, Blue Mountains Line, Central Coast & Newcastle Line.
Buses will continue to replace some trains between Hornsby and Berowra on the T1 North Shore Line and Campbelltown and Macarthur on the T8 Airport & South Line, Transport NSW said in a statement this afternoon.
Due to “an operational issue” at Lidcombe, buses are also replacing trains between Olympic Park and Lidcombe on the T7 Olympic Park Line.
Transport for NSW advised passengers to consider alternative transport options and allow plenty of extra travel time.
Updated
Police investigating after human remains found at Sydney home
Human remains have been found in a home in Sydney’s north-west, NSW police said in a statement.
Officers attended a residence on Gleness Place, Glenorie, at 11.35am today as part of inquiries into a missing man.
On arrival they found “what is believed to be human remains”, the statement said.
Two men and a woman were arrested nearby a short time later, and are assisting police with inquiries.
The incident is being treated as suspicious, a crime scene has been established and investigations involving the homicide squad are under way.
Updated
NSW man charged over alleged holiday rental scam
A man has been charged for allegedly running a holiday rental scam after NSW police searched a property on the state’s mid north coast on Thursday.
Police began to investigate on Monday after being told 31 people had allegedly lost more than $500,000 in a holiday rental scam, they said in a statement this afternoon.
A 51-year-old man was arrested after officers executed a search warrant in Anna Bay, north of Newcastle, yesterday. He was charged with 31 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one count of contravening an AVO.
Updated
Researchers accuse US of ‘blatant foreign interference’ in Australian universities
The Trump administration has been accused of “blatant foreign interference” in Australia’s universities after researchers who receive US funding were asked to confirm they aligned with American interests, including only recognising two genders.
The questionnaire, sent to university researchers over the past fortnight, seeks a response within 48 hours to more than 30 questions to support “program determinations”, according to a copy of the questionnaire seen by Guardian Australia.
The questions relate to the priorities of the Trump government, including whether the organisation receives funding from China, whether there are DEI elements, and whether the project is taking “appropriate measures” to defend against “gender ideology” in line with Trump’s executive order on gender.
The questionnaires were distributed by various federal agencies on behalf of an executive memo from the office of the president, requiring them to identify all funding was consistent with “policies and requirements”.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Extreme fire conditions across south-eastern Australia
Extreme fire danger conditions will sweep across South Australia on Saturday, and Victoria and New South Wales will also battle high fire danger as the heatwave in the south-east peaks over the weekend.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said on Friday afternoon that those extreme fire dangers will trigger fire weather warnings as we go into tomorrow, and will promote “very, very dangerous conditions for any fires that are ongoing in the landscape, or any fresh fires that do develop”.
The danger is expected to ease in SA and Victoria on Sunday but increase across parts of eastern New South Wales.
Saturday temperatures in the south-east are going to be tough: Adelaide can expect 39C, 36C in Melbourne, and 32C in Sydney (though Sydney will hit 36C on Sunday).
Saturday evening through to Sunday morning is likely to be very windy, especially for Tasmania, but also possibly parts of southern Victoria and south-east South Australia.
Severe Weather Update: Heat and elevated fire dangers for SE Aus ahead of a weekend cold front
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 14, 2025
Video current: 12:00 pm AEDT 14 March 2025.
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/ZcrG7vcHlH
Updated
Thanks for joining me on the blog today. My colleague, Stephanie Convery, will take you through the rest of the day’s news. I hope you have a great weekend.
Prime minister not a fan of Married At First Sight
Triple M also asked Albanese if he had any questions for contestants on the controversial Channel Nine show Married At First Sight, some of whom were also at the radio station that day.
Albanese replied “no I don’t”, saying he never “voluntarily” watched the reality show, but that his partner, Jodie Haydon, enjoys it.
He said:
I think what you’ve got to do, though, I do think you’ve got to watch it all the way through to get the characters and the way that it changes and the plots. I was concerned, I did watch the episode where the guy, you know, engaged in behaviour that’s pretty unacceptable.
Despite saying he had no questions for the contestants, Albanese later posted a selfie with two of them on his Instagram page.
Updated
Anthony Albanese hints at Buy Australian campaign
Anthony Albanese says a “spiced up” new version of the Buy Australian campaign is on the way, in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs, recommending people buy locally made chocolates, whiskey and honey instead of American products.
In an interview with Perth’s Triple M radio, the prime minister rubbished suggestions that Australia should engage in reciprocal tariffs on the US – calling the idea “economic self-harm”, despite his former cabinet minister Bill Shorten advocating that idea this morning.
Albanese said:
Because that would hurt consumers here. But what we will do is continue to put forward our case.
Asked what Australia should do instead, the PM said people should buy local products:
We have great products and as part of the budget in a couple of weeks’ time, you’ll see a spiced up Made in Australia plan. We want to make more things here.
Albanese suggested Haigh’s chocolates, “Australian whiskey rather than bourbon and stuff that’s made in the US”, and Australian honey – “it’s better than the syrup and stuff that comes out of the US anyway”.
Updated
Sydney local health district psychiatry trainees raised concerns about supervision
The chair of the estimates, Greens MLC Dr Amanda Cohn, asks about the impacts of the resignations and transfer of staff specialist psychiatrists into VMO roles or locum roles, on junior doctors who are training to become specialist psychiatrists:
What work have you done to ensure that their training can actually continue and that they’re safely supervised?
NSW Health chief psychiatrist, Dr Murray Wright, said the provision of supervision for junior doctors is being maintained as part of safe care.
Cohn asks:
In areas where staff specialists psychiatrists who are primarily responsible for supervision of a registrar have resigned – they’re left or been re-engaged as a VMO or a locum, so they’re now on a, for example, a part-time arrangement or an ad hoc arrangement.
Is it your view that it’s sufficient for registrars to be supervised by a different person each shift or each week, and how are you actually ensuring that they have a long term relationship with a senior staff member?
Wright went on to say that VMOs were still able to provide supervision: “psychiatrists who … have returned as a VMO to help support our system, there should be no disruption in the continuity of supervision.”
Wright acknowledges:
There were concerns raised in Sydney LHD a couple of weeks ago, and the service general manager sat down with representatives of trainees and went through what the concerns were and dealt with them one by one. That’s the response – it’s at a local level.
Cohn tries to press Wright about details about how the concerns were resolved. Wright responds: “my understanding is they dealt with them to the satisfaction of everybody.”
In response to Cohn’s question, Jackson said “of course” she was concerned about trainee psychiatrists, as well as staff specialists leaving the state.
Updated
Psychiatrists take up visiting medical officer roles as they await commission decision
Following on from our last post:
Deputy opposition leader in the NSW legislative council, Sarah Mitchell, then asked Jackson if there were any new numbers from the past month she could provide since the premier provided figures to the lower house, indicating 52 psychiatrists had resignations finalised by 10 February.
Jackson said there was a 443 headcount of psychiatrists funded by New South Wales Health to work across the district:
At its peak, we had received 206 indications of an intention to resign. We now have 62 resignations processed and finalised.
We have 38 resignations withdrawn. We have 72 staff who’ve agreed to transition to VMO [visiting medical officer] roles. They are people that continue to provide care in the public system, yes, in a different contractual arrangement with NSW Health, but nonetheless, in terms of a head count of people who are providing care in the public system, VMOs are playing that role.
And we have 109 resignations deferred.
Asked about how much higher the pay is for a VMO, Jackson says:
When we engage someone as a VMO, that is done at a district by district level, and the conditions and the wages of those VMOs vary district by district.
To say ‘what is the cost of employing VMOs across NSW health districts’, and then present that figure as though that cost is associated with this current industrial campaign – that would be inaccurate because, for example, Far West [local health district] previously was entirely VMO based psychiatry.
Pearce says:
We have made these arrangements on a temporary basis, which is why there is a large number of our staff specialist psychiatrists who’ve deferred their resignations. A number of those people have taken up the VMO option whilst they await the outcome of the industrial relations commission [IRC] process.
The hearing at the IRC begin on Monday.
Updated
NSW Coalition accuses mental health minister of being unprepared for budget estimates
The NSW mental health minister, Rose Jackson, has been accused by the state opposition of coming to budget estimates unprepared, as she’s unable to say how many psychiatrists are now employed full-time in the state.
NSW budget estimates are taking place today across Jackson’s portfolio including mental health and northern NSW after the session last week was postponed due to the minister’s responsibilities amid ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Liberal MLC Natasha Maclaren-Jones asked Jackson how many full-time staff specialist psychiatrists held permanent positions in the state at the end of December compared to how many are employed now, weeks after the mass resignations of the specialist doctors began.
While neither Jackson nor the NSW Health secretary, Susan Pearce, gave any current numbers, Jackson said she is “constantly being updated on … do we have enough people in the system, whether they are self specialists, whether they’re [visiting medical officers], or whether they are locums.”
Maclaren-Jones said:
Do you think it’s acceptable that you come to budget estimates and you’re not fully prepared?
I would expect that you would know how many full-time specialist positions are currently, either today or yesterday, when you were last updated and coming to budget estimates, I would expect that you would have that information.
Updated
NSW SES formally concludes response to Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) says it has today formally concluded its response to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred today after its volunteers responded to 7,650 incidents over the last 15 days.
The SES has now handed over the management of the disaster to the NSW Reconstruction Authority as the cleanup and recovery continues.
During the response to Tropical Cyclone Alfred, NSW SES says it:
Received 13,969 calls for assistance.
Responded to 7650 incidents.
Completed 90 flood rescues.
Issued 1142 warning products.
Deployed 3300 SES volunteers to assist communities.
Coordinated the deployment and operations of 621 emergency service partner personnel.
Completed 70 resupply missions to isolated communities.
Undertook more than 2500 damage assessments.
The NSW SES Commissioner, Mike Wassing, said:
This has been an incredibly challenging event for many communities, and I want to sincerely thank our NSW SES volunteers for their unwavering dedication and commitment in responding to this crisis.
Our volunteers, alongside partner agencies, emergency services, and community groups, worked around the clock to conduct flood rescues, respond to calls for assistance and provide critical support where it was needed most. Their efforts have been truly remarkable.
Updated
24,000 NBN services remain affected after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
The number of NBN services affected across Queensland and New South Wales due to severe weather caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has been reduced to approximately 24,000, the agency that manages the national broadband network says.
The NBN Co says 23,000 services in south-east Queensland and 1,000 in northern NSW remain affected.
In a statement released earlier today, the agency has said recovery efforts are progressing well, and it is working through complex recoveries in areas where the network has suffered damage.
The agency has encouraged customers who may still be experiencing outages to check the NBN network outages page and with their retail provider for specific information regarding their service.
If no outage is detected, customers are recommended to restart their NBN equipment, including the connection box and wifi router.
NBN Co says it has announced up to $7m in cyclone relief funding for retail service providers, which can then be used to provide financial support to those whose broadband services have been affected.
Updated
NSW attorney-general defends hate speech laws
The New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley, has defended the Minns government’s controversial hate speech laws.
The new laws criminalise certain activities outside places of worship, give police new powers in regard to protests in or near places of worship, and increase penalties for certain acts of racial hatred.
Daley has done an interview with ABC News this afternoon after the Sydney Morning Herald reported concerns from crossbench MPs who questioned whether the laws had been rushed through parliament under “false pretences”.
Their concerns come following revelations that a caravan filled with explosives in Dural in Sydney’s north and other antisemitic attacks across Sydney’s east were fabricated set-ups by organised crime.
Daley has stood by the laws, saying:
What behaviour that’s prohibited by these bills do the opponents of these bills want to see? Do they think there should be more hate speech?
Do they think it’s OK to threaten and vilify people because they are Jewish?
I don’t, and I never will, and I’m not changing my mind.
Updated
Second death from Japanese encephalitis this year recorded in NSW
A second person has died from Japanese encephalitis in New South Wales this year, NSW Health has confirmed.
The man in his 70s had earlier been reported to have acquired the disease while holidaying in the Murrumbidgee region, and was receiving care for it in hospital. He died on 6 March.
He is the second person to have died from the mosquito-borne virus in NSW this year, and the fourth since it was first detected in the state in 2022.
Another probable case of Japanese encephalitis – the fifth this season – has also been identified in a man in his 20s in northern NSW, who is considered most likely to have acquired the infection when travelling between Moree Plains, Tamworth and Gunnedah shires. He has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home.
Japanese encephalitis is spread by mosquitoes and can infect animals and humans, but cannot be transmitted between humans. In some cases it can cause severe neurological illness, with headache, convulsions, reduced consciousness and death. There is no specific treatment.
NSW Health executive Dr Jeremy McAnulty emphasised the importance of vaccination and taking steps to prevent mosquito bites as protection against the disease:
People need to take mosquito borne infections seriously, especially as people start the clean-up from recent floods in an environment where mosquitoes thrive.
Standing water, like that left after mass rainfall and floods, makes for ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This increases people’s risk of being bitten, especially if they’re working outdoors.
Vaccines for Japanese encephalitis are available through GPs and pharmacists for anyone who lives or works in some inland LGAs or high-risk occupations, and some people may be able to access it for free.
Updated
Health Services Union welcomes inquiry into Northern Beaches hospital
The Health Services Union has welcomed the announcement of a parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches hospital, saying the investigation is long overdue.
As we reported earlier, the NSW health minister promised the inquiry after the death of two-year-old Joe Massa at the hospital’s emergency ward in September.
In a statement this morning the HSU secretary, Gerard Hayes, said the union had repeatedly raised “serious concerns” about the hospital’s operations since it opened in 2018.
Hayes said the effects of the “profit-driven” public-private partnership model needed to be examined as part of the inquiry. The union had documented “numerous concerning practices” at the hospital, he said, including critical understaffing, low staff morale, charging of certain fees that had been abolished in public hospitals, and failure to properly implement patient safety protocols.
Hayes said:
We have consistently seen evidence that Northern Beaches Hospital prioritises commercial interests over patient care. From renting out maternity wards to film crews while mothers struggle with understaffed services, to charging grieving families unnecessary fees to release their loved ones’ bodies – these practices reveal a disturbing pattern.
While other hospitals across NSW are struggling with bed block, Northern Beaches Hospital has entire wards sitting empty or being used as film sets. This is a slap in the face to the patients who funded this facility through their taxes.
The HSU has grave concerns about a healthcare model that generates income by renting out its wards and equipment while patients wait for care …
The union is calling for the inquiry to carefully examine the financial incentives built into the public-private partnership agreement with Healthscope and whether these incentives conflict with the delivery of quality public healthcare.
Updated
Mike Cannon-Brookes says he ‘can appreciate double-take’ on Atlassian’s Formula One sponsorship
On his company’s Formula One sponsorship, Cannon-Brookes says he understands why people would be taken aback.
In the LinkedIn post, he says:
I can appreciate the double-take on Atlassian’s F1 sponsorship because … cars = fuel.
I’ve had conversations with the FIA, and am impressed with their plans to get to net zero.They’ve shown consistent commitment (the 2026 cars are 50% electric, 50% combustion engine, and running on sustainable fuel). Atlassian Williams Racing is even further along (see their Sustainability Report). Their drive to net zero mirrors Atlassian’s own journey.
Every climate journey is about setting a target, having a plan, reporting publicly and demonstrating meaningful progress.
F1 can set a global example for sustainability in sports – and I believe it will.
Updated
Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes defends purchasing a private jet
The Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, a leading campaigner for action to address the climate crisis, has defended his decision to sponsor the Formula One and buy a private jet.
Cannon-Brookes has written a LinkedIn post to explain his reasoning, after the Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window column published a story revealing the billionaire had picked up a Bombardier 7500.
In the LinkedIn post, Cannon-Brookes says this of buying a jet:
I’m not denying I have a deep internal conflict on this.
There’s a couple of reasons I’ve purchased a plane. Personal security is the primary reason (an unfortunate reality of my world), but also so I can run a global business from Australia, and still be a constantly present dad.
So, this is a hard, continual trade-off I’ve decided to make.
Although private aviation is far from a big contributor to global emissions, it is a carbon-intensive way to travel. Aviation is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise due to the distance of flights and the energy density of fuel.
It probably comes as no surprise, I have an extremely rigorous carbon regime for all my flying – including using direct air capture and sustainable fuels for the carbon and contrails, to far exceed my flight footprint.
Updated
Queensland to indefinitely delay implementing anti-discrimination legislation
The Queensland government plans to indefinitely delay implementing human rights laws passed under the previous parliament.
The Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act, which amended the Anti-Discrimination Act and passed over LNP opposition last September, is due to take effect in July.
Among other reforms, the bill introduces a positive duty on private businesses to eliminate workplace discrimination, and extends protection against discrimination to the homeless and to people suffering domestic and family violence.
The attorney-general, Deb Frecklington, told parliament on Friday morning she would introduce legislation to delay the bill from being enforced until further notice.
She said the legislation could create “unnecessary burden on organisations and institutions” and might create “very serious unintended and unwanted consequences”, and had been rushed by the previous government.
Frecklington said her department was “particularly concerned” about a section in the legislation protecting people with a criminal record.
She said:
Of key concern is whether the new attribute will undermine several high risk discretionary decisions, including decisions relating to weapons licensing, police protection notices and security provider licensing.
Reforming discrimination law is difficult and complex process that attracts significant stakeholder interests, which is why it shouldn’t have been rushed through by the former Labor government.
Sparked by a scandal around transgender students at a Brisbane Christian school, the Queensland Human Rights Commission conducted a years-long review of the state’s anti-discrimination act, developing draft legislation which was released for consultation last February.
You can read more here:
Updated
Dutton worried that US could apply more tariffs but doesn’t support reciprocal Australian action
Dutton says he is concerned the US will impose more tariffs on other Australian goods, but he doesn’t think we should retaliate.
Asked by a journalist if he agreed with the idea of reciprocal tariffs, Dutton said:
No, I don’t. I’ve made that clear.
I am concerned about a second round [of tariffs], and I think there are some worrying signs at the moment.
If the government doesn’t get its skates on, we’re going to have further tariffs applied to Australia.
Updated
Dutton criticises Albanese government’s handling of tariff negotiations
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has criticised the Albanese government’s approach to dealing with the Trump administration’s tariff regime.
Dutton has been speaking to reporters on the New South Wales Central Coast, where he said the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, could have negotiated a better deal for Australians.
Dutton, who is in campaign mode before the federal election, sought to paint the US’ imposition of 25% tariffs on Australian aluminium and steel imports as a failure by Labor.
When Trump first introduced a tariff on aluminium imports in 2018, the then-Coalition government led by Malcolm Turnbull negotiated an exemption after agreeing to limit exports to the US.
Dutton pointed to this at the press conference, saying:
We actually rolled our sleeves up. We negotiated with the Trump administration, and we got an exemption.
This prime minister can’t even get a phone call. And I don’t agree with what President Trump has done at all.
I think it’s not in our country’s best interests, and it’s not in the US long term best interests either. And I believe very strongly the prime minister could have got a better deal for Australia, but didn’t.
Updated
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred causes heavy beach erosion at Surfers Paradise
Speaking of Surfers Paradise, we’ve got some photos of beach erosion caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, last weekend. The wild weather washed huge amounts of sand from the famous coastline.
Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast was also badly affected by erosion, as you can see here in this photo from Monday:
Updated
Here’s some video footage of the Surfers Paradise hotel fire we brought you news of earlier. Fire crews had extinguished the pool deck fire by about 2.20am and put out the roof fire by about 2.40am, with guests allowed to return to their rooms at about 3am.
Updated
Matildas captain Sam Kerr recovering well from surgery, nearing return to Chelsea
Matildas captain Sam Kerr is recovering well but no date has yet been set for her return to action after being named in Chelsea’s Champions League squad, AAP reports.
Kerr hasn’t played since a knee reconstruction in January last year and Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor is tempering expectations of the striker’s return.
Chelsea’s next Champions League fixture is against Manchester City on 20 March and Bompastor says it’s “difficult to predict” when the Australian ace will make her comeback.
Speaking to reporters in London, Bompastor said:
She is progressing really well in her rehab but I just want her to feel like the main focus for her will be to work really hard, be the best version of herself.
If we have positive news and she can bring into the team her experience but also her competencies, it will be great.
I just want her to focus, step by step, but the main thing for me is to make sure she works hard and she just comes back in the squad.
I just want to make it clear, I think it is not really fair to expect from a player who has been injured for now 15 months … to be the hero in the team.
Updated
Bill Shorten suggests retaliation against Trump administration’s tariffs
Former opposition leader Bill Shorten says Donald Trump is leading the free world “as if it’s a reality TV show” and his administration’s tariff regime won’t “help anyone”.
Shorten, now the vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra, was on Seven’s Sunrise earlier this morning where he said the tariffs were “unjustified”.
Like ordinary civilians, which I am these days, it’s like drinking from a fire hose watching Donald Trump lead the free world as if it’s a reality TV show.
The prime minister has correctly said – and I think Peter Dutton has agreed with him – these tariffs are unjustified.
We don’t dump our material in America. We pay first-world wages. So our aluminium and steel industry – and I used to be their union leader – doesn’t deserve this treatment from our ally.
Shorten also suggested Australia should consider retaliatory measures if the US refused to budge, saying:
Tariffs don’t help anyone, but if President Trump thinks he can push other countries around, sooner or later you have to push back.
At the end of the day, if they keep putting tariffs on all of our goods, then we’ve got to reciprocate dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff.
This is not the argument that Australia wants to be in, but I’m confident this government, and I think all reasonable Australians, will say at a certain point, “You push us, we push you”.
Updated
To lighten your Friday morning, James Colley has made a video featuring the best bits of the pre-election campaign so far.
You can watch it here:
Updated
Inquiry will also look at previous scrutiny of Northern Beaches hospital operations
The inquiry will also consider how the findings and recommendations of the last parliamentary inquiry into the Northern Beaches hospital in 2019, which looked at its operation and management, have been implemented.
Park said the inquiry was a commitment he made to Joe Massa’s parents “to undertake the necessary reviews to understand how they and their son have been let down, as well as to learn what changes need to be made to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again”.
I am grateful to the Massas for their generosity in time and spirit in working with us to honour Joe’s memory.
The chair of the committee holding the inquiry, Jason Yat-Sen Li, said they would announce the opening of submissions as well as hearing dates in due course.
Updated
Parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches hospital announced
The parliamentary inquiry into Northern Beaches hospital, which the NSW health minister promised would take place after the death of two-year-old Joe Massa at the hospital’s emergency ward in September, has been announced.
The NSW Health minister, Ryan Park, confirmed this morning the state parliament’s Public Accounts Committee will conduct the inquiry into the safety and quality of health services provided by Northern Beaches hospital.
The chair of the committee, Jason Yat-Sen Li, said “I am determined to get this inquiry under way as quickly as possible, but I also want to get it right.
The scope of the inquiry will stretch back to the hospital’s start as a privately operated facility in October 2018, and will consider incidents at the hospital, including those that are the subject of serious adverse event reviews, how the hospital responded, and the extent to which it implemented changes prompted by those incidents.
The inquiry will look at how the hospital supports patient and carer escalation, including the REACH protocol that allows relatives and carers to trigger an independent review of a patient’s treatment – an initiative Park acknowledged was “insufficiently accessible” in the case of Joe Massa.
It will also examine the adequacy of systems and processes designed to prevent adverse events, as well as staff standards and capabilities.
Updated
Scott Morrison weighs in on Trump’s actions relating to Ukraine war
Former prime minister Scott Morrison says he doesn’t believe a Trump presidency will alter US intelligence sharing relationships with its allies, including Australia.
In an interview with Times Radio, Morrison has weighed in on the Trump administration’s potential effect on the Five Eyes partnership given his position on the war in Ukraine.
After more than three years of war after Russia invaded its smaller neighbour, Trump has outlined a ceasefire deal, which the Kremlin has yet to agree to.
Morrison said it was a “misread” to interpret this as Trump being prepared to “go it alone”.
I think what the president is trying to do here is end a war that has reached a stalemate.
For the last three years we have been engaged in this at terrible cost to everybody involved – most significantly, the people of Ukraine.
Morrison said he didn’t think Trump put the Five Eyes intelligence sharing arrangement between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US in jeopardy.
He said:
You don’t go into all of these particular events as a collective; everybody has their own capabilities, and there are ways that that is shared between all of us.
But how individual parties share what they have access to with third parties outside the agreement is a matter for them.
Updated
Thousands of people in Qld remain without power after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
Thousands of households remain without power in south-east Queensland nearly a week after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred made landfall.
Energex, the Queensland government-owned electricity company that distributes power to 1.5m homes and businesses across the region, says 17,101 customers were still without power as of 7am, this morning.
A massive clean-up operation is under way after severe weather associated with Alfred hit the state.
You can read more about that here:
Updated
Coalition’s Hogan: Aukus funding could be tariff bargaining chip
Hogan says Australia could use also its funding for the Aukus security partnership to negotiate US tariffs.
We have the $800m Aukus cheque that [defence minister] Richard Marles just went over and threw on the table as part of the deal with Aukus.
Hogan’s comments come after Australia made its first $800m (US $500m) payment under the Aukus defence agreement, under which it will acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Reuters reported that the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said president Donald Trump supports the trilateral security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK.
Under the pact, Australia will pay the US $4.78bn to boost the capacity of the US submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s.
Britain and Australia intend to later build a new Aukus-class submarine as part of the agreement.
You can read more here:
Updated
Coalition MP says Australia should use critical minerals access as ‘leverage point’ with Trump on tariffs
Kevin Hogan says Australia should use more of its “leverage points” to negotiate an exemption from the Trump administration’s trade tariffs.
The Coalition MP has been speaking on ABC Radio National Breakfast, a few days after the US announced it would reject Australia’s plea to be exempt from 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
He points to Australia’s critical minerals supply as an example of something Australia could use as a bargaining tool, saying:
We have some great critical minerals that are very important to them, especially some that they can’t access.
We actually believe we have more leverage points with America now [than] a few years ago.
Hogan says the Coalition believes it is “very important” that the negotiations be done “leader to leader” and he says the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, should go to the US to speak to Donald Trump.
He said:
That’s how Trump … operates. And it’s very disappointing that our leader hasn’t found the will to go over and do that.
A strong leader would make sure that they got that meeting.
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Opposition energy spokesperson O’Brien spruiks Coalition’s gas policy
The opposition’s energy spokesperson, Ted O’Brien, has talked up the importance of gas to ensure electricity supply “in the short-term”.
O’Brien has been interviewed on ABC News Breakfast, after the energy regulator’s announcement yesterday that it was expecting power bills for residential customers to increase by between 2.5% and 8.9% – depending on the region – compared with last year.
Asked what the Coalition would do in the short-term to bring down power bills, O’Brien said:
In the short-term, the priority has to be gas.
Gas can be expensive but when it comes to electricity, you don’t need a lot of gas, you just need it in the right volumes at the right time, at the right place and at the right price.
The Coalition’s approach is we need to pour more gas into the market.
O’Brien pointed to the Coalition’s policy of increasing domestic gas production for domestic supply.
He said:
The Coalition believes we need to use Australian gas for Australians first, that has to be the priority.
The only way you get prices down to have cheap, clean and consistent energy in this country is a balanced energy mix: renewables, gas and, as coal retires, nuclear.
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Guests evacuated after Surfers Paradise hotel catches on fire
Guests at a hotel in Surfers Paradise were evacuated overnight after the building caught fire.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Fire Department said six crews responded to reports of a fire at the Hilton Hotel Surfers Paradise at about 1.50am.
A fire had started on the roof, with falling embers starting another fire on the pool deck, the spokesperson said.
Fire crews had extinguished the pool deck fire by about 2.20am and put out the roof fire by about 2.40am, with guests allowed to return to their rooms at about 3am.
The spokesperson said the fire was “relatively small” and they could not say what caused it.
There were no reports of any injuries, the spokesperson said.
Hilton Hotel Surfers Paradise catches fire on the Gold Coast requiring the evacuation of up to 186 rooms in the middle of the night with dozens and dozens of emergency workers on site. #fire#hiltonfire#NewsUpdate #news #hiltonsurfersparadisefire#newspoll #goldcoastconnect… pic.twitter.com/FQnhf8cbfQ
— Gold Coast Connect (@goldcoastconect) March 13, 2025
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Hello, I’ll be taking you through today’s news until this afternoon. I hope you have a good morning.
Coalition policies gets the Full Story treatment
Staying with the Coalition and politics, today’s Newsroom edition of the Full Story podcast looks at this very issue.
Reged Ahmad talks to Guardian Australia’s editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor, head of newsroom Mike Ticher and national news editor Jo Tovey about whether Peter Dutton’s missteps and the Coalition’s policy problems will start to add up in the minds of voters.
Check it out here:
Updated
Some Coalition MPs worrying about opposition’s election policy offering
Some Coalition MPs are concerned that they will start the federal election campaign without a proper policy to sell to households feeling the pinch from the cost-of-living crisis.
Yesterday, Peter Dutton again played down the prospect of income tax cuts and today we are reporting on a new issue where he might come under pressure himself, namely his plan to crack down on working from home.
He has been quite outspoken about making federal staff work from the office and the Coalition launched the policy last week.
But some think it may not be properly “thought through” because working from home is popular with a lot of voters, and appeals especially to working professional women of the type the Coalition has to win back in teal seats.
Read our full story here:
Updated
We're up against a deep, ideological, strategic US view, says Rudd
On the ABC last night, Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd said he would continue fighting for tariff exemptions for Australian goods despite what appears to be an uphill battle in Washington.
Optimism about winning a carve out seems to be fading, with Rudd admitting negotiations have been difficult and pointing out that America’s historical trade surplus with Australia had not cut any ice.
Rudd said:
We’re up against a deep, ideological, strategic view of this Trump administration. These are deep-seated, fundamental changes in this different America, which every one of the 36 countries who negotiated tariff exemptions on steel and aluminium last time round, back in 2017, have had to contend with this time round.
Rudd also revealed that he had asked Anthony Albanese to make a second call to Trump this week but “by the time the decision was taken, late Tuesday, we had not been able to secure that time”.
I think it stands to reason we should question whether, in fact, even this request for a late telephone call would have necessarily made a material difference.
Read more:
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High temperatures expected in south-eastern Australia
Much of south-east Australia is in for a hot weekend as temperatures head into the 30s in Sydney. Coastal suburbs will see about 31C on the guage while it could be up to 35C in the west.
It will be especially hot in the southern region of New South Wales where it is expected to be about 37C in Wagga Wagga.
Melbourne will be milder, at about 27C but rural Victoria could see high 30s north of the ranges, according to Angus Hines of the Bureau of Meteorology.
South Australia will also be very hot for this time of year with 35C in Adelaide.
The BoM released its long-range forecast for April through to June overnight and predicts that we can expect warmer than average days and some unusually high daytime temperatures across the country.
The same goes for night-time temperatures with warmer than average readings “very likely” and an “increased chance” of unusually high overnight temperatures.
Rainfall-wise, levels are expected to be within the typical range for the period across most of eastern, central and southern Australia, and above average across parts of the north.
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States brace for hearing new GST carve-up plan
State and territory leaders sweating on their take of the GST will finally learn their fate as the new carve-up is revealed in the lead-up to the federal election, reports Australian Associated Press.
The commonwealth grants commission will hand down recommendations to the treasurer Jim Chalmers on Friday about how to distribute the tax revenue for the 2025-26 financial year.
The independent authority has adopted a new way of assessing how much each jurisdiction gets as the method is reviewed every five years, but the verdict in 2025 comes with the added attention of a federal election on the horizon.
The carve-up frequently comes under fiery criticism from state and territory leaders.
Labor leaders in the two most populous states got stuck into a war of words with each other in 2024 when the NSW premier, Chris Minns, described Victoria as a “welfare state”.
Former Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas returned fire, claiming Minns did not understand the GST system.
It’s also a major talking point in resource-heavy Western Australia, which benefited from a boost in 2018 under the Coalition.
Anthony Albanese vowed not to change the arrangement in the west and in February 2024 even signed the promise on the arm of a journalist while visiting Perth.
NSW and Victoria have been pushing for a per-capita distribution while Queensland’s former deputy premier Cameron Dick hit out at the commission’s decision to examine how coal royalty revenue is calculated.
States and territories rely on GST for funding for financial support to fund major expenditure including health, education, infrastructure and housing.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Catie McLeod will be at the controls.
Kevin Rudd has vowed to keep fighting for exemptions from US tariffs, but told 7.30 last night that he and his “team Australia” has already “thrown everything” at talks with the Trump administration. Australia’s ambassador to the US told the ABC that the talks with the White House commerce team had been “tough”. Farmers fear they could be next in line for trade levies on Australia’s $6.2bn in meat exports, while Trump is slapping a 200% levy on European wine.
We have heard grumbling this week from Coalition insiders unhappy about what they see as an inadequate economic policy offering going into the federal election. Today we’re reporting that some in the Liberal and National camp fear that Peter Dutton’s vow to crack down on working from home policy is not “fully thought through” and could hamper the drive to win back teal seats.
Much of south-east Australia will experience very warm weather over the weekend with some inland parts of Victoria and NSW approaching 40C. The Bureau of Meteorology’s long-term forecast suggests the country is in for spells of “unusually” warm weather in the months to June.
The annual carve-up of GST revenue between the states is a pretty dry subject, but arouses much passion among premiers keen to balance their budgets (or assign blame for red ink). More on this soon.
