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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Daisy Dumas and Emily Wind (earlier)

Rio Tinto praised for ‘breaking ranks’ to back revamp of environment laws – as it happened

Penny Wong Peter Dutton Australia Sydney Anthony Albanese Lebanon Council Hamas Oil
Rio Tinto iron ore train in transit in the Pilbara Region
Rio Tinto issued a statement on Tuesday saying it was committed to decarbonising its operations and ‘contributing to nature positive outcomes globally’. Photograph: Krystle Wright/The Guardian

What we learned today, Wednesday 16 October

We’re going to wind down our live coverage for the day. Here’s what has been keeping us busy this Wednesday:

As ever, it’s been a pleasure. See you again bright and early tomorrow.

Updated

Rio Tinto praised for backing revamp of Australia’s environment laws

Environment organisations have praised Rio Tinto after the mining company said it backed a revamp of the national environment laws and acknowledged the urgency of “finding solutions to nature loss and the impact of climate change”.

Rio issued a statement on Tuesday that said it was committed to decarbonising its operations and “contributing to nature positive outcomes globally”.

It said it supported reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to deliver better outcomes for environmentally and culturally significant places and “more efficient and effective approvals processes” for developments.

It said that meant the introduction of strong national environmental standards to establish clear assessment criteria for developments and changes that led to transparent disclosure of companies’ climate emissions.

Conservation groups said the statement was a marked contrast to the public campaigning against strengthening environment laws by some in the mining and resources sector.

Kelly O’Shanassy, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, said it was significant that Rio had “broken ranks” given “the mining industry’s role in derailing the process through the parliament”.

The Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation’s executive director, Lyndon Schneiders, said it showed support for strengthened nature positive laws was growing. It had also been backed by large renewable energy companies and the Australian Industry Group, he said.

The Albanese government has struggled to win support for legislation to create a national EPA – Environment Protection Australia – in parliament, in part because it has delayed promised broader legislative reform indefinitely.

Updated

Over to the concerning news that one in five women in Australia have experienced stalking, with women most likely to be stalked by a man they know, according to new results from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Two million women in the country (20% of the adult female population), and 650,000 men (6.8%), have experienced stalking since the age of 15, according to new results from the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey, released today.

Read Guardian Australia’s Kate Lyons’ coverage of the survey, below.

The latest national weather forecast has just landed, courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology:

Continuing with Community Health First’s report on the state of the sector in Victoria, Anna Robinson, the collective’s chair, said:

Community health services save the Victorian Government tens of millions of dollars each year by preventing avoidable hospital presentations and other healthcare costs. One program alone is estimated to have saved the health budget between $8-13 dollars for every one dollar invested in the past year and could be expanded to realise even more savings into the future.

But lack of investment is driving long waiting lists for services and Victorians may soon struggle to get the support they need in a timely manner.

Funding from the State Government for the Community Health Program has not increased for over a decade, despite record population growth and escalating health concerns, and 500,000 potentially avoidable emergency department presentations every year in Victoria.

A 10% funding boost is urgently needed to ensure the burden on our hospitals doesn’t increase further, and that all Victorians can access a healthcare system that focuses on keeping them healthy, no matter who they are or where they live.

Victoria’s community health sector calls for funding boost as demand grows

Demand for community health services in Victoria has grown by more than 20% over the last two years to reach more than 608,000 people in the state, despite no new investment in the sector, a new report warns.

Community Health First, a collective of Victoria’s 24 registered independent community health services, has this afternoon launched its 2023-24 Impact Report on the state of the sector, which also includes a Client Sentiment Survey.

More than 91.2% of clients reported that their local community health service helps to keep them healthy and well and 84.9% agreed it makes it easier for them to access the support they need. However, clients wanted to see more investment in affordable healthcare close to home with 94% of clients agreeing this should be a focus of government investment.

More than 58% of clients reported that the help they receive reduced their frequency of hospital visits. The report found one community health program alone (the innovate Pathways program) is estimated to have saved the state’s health budget between $4.8m and $7.3m in the past year, from a modest investment of $500,000, through reducing hospitals stays and emergency department presentations.

Updated

Bank branches and ATM numbers fall again

The number of bank-operated ATMs fell by more than 200 over the past year, according to regulatory data released today, continuing a trend that has seen numbers cut by 60% since 2017.

The reduction has left an increasing number of people unable to easily access free withdrawals, with many of the vacant spots now filled by third party-owned machines that typically charge about $3 a withdrawal.

Some banks have negotiated fee waivers with the third-party operators, such as Armaguard’s atmx network.

There were 5,476 bank-operated ATMs at 30 June, according to data from the prudential regulator, down from 13,814 in 2017.

The number of bank branches across the country fell by 230 over the past year, which included closures in remote areas.

Canstar’s data insights director, Sally Tindall, says that while the pace of branch closures outside major cities had slowed, those who rely on them to do their day-to-day banking “won’t exactly be chalking this up as a win”.

“Bank branches are continuing to disappear as banking and payments increasingly go digital,” Tindall says.

A branch or ATM closure in a shopping centre where there are alternatives nearby is very different to a branch closure in outback Australia that forces people into the car, in some cases for hours, to get to and from their new nearest branch.

Updated

Thunderstorm warning for parts of NSW

Tomorrow is looking very unsettled for parts of New South Wales, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for the state’s inland, as well as a broader warning for large parts of the country over the next two days:

Up in the Top End, severe weather of a different kind is expected:

Updated

Solar is the energy star while nuclear is flatlining, IEA’s annual report says

Here’s a bit more on that International Energy Agency world energy outlook report.

Over the years, the IEA has famously underestimated how quickly renewable energy would increase, particularly for solar. This year’s report noted installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity rose 40 times and wind six-fold between 2010 and 2023, led by China.

Over that time, bioenergy capacity rose 2.5 times and hydropower 1.4-fold. Nuclear energy capacity, by contrast, “has been broadly stable over the period”. In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for 60% of global electricity supply, the least in half a century, while nuclear reactors supplied 9%, half as much as 30 years earlier.

With the federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton, backing nuclear energy (so far, without costings) as the way forward for Australia, where does that energy source fit into the mix?

The IEA notes that China accounts for almost half the increase in nuclear generation by 2050 (taking the net-zero scenario). There may also be advances in those small modular reactors since China, Russia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, UK and US are all investing to bring them to the market.

Whether these reactors will be available to Australia in time – and at competitive costs – to fill the gap as coal plants exit remains a big question.

Updated

Woman who killed baby daughter tried to kidnap young girl nearly two decades later

A woman who unintentionally killed her baby daughter by placing her in a scalding hot bath faces a return to jail after trying to kidnap a young girl nearly two decades later.

A judge has called for more evidence about the woman’s mental health and history of violent offending after noting she later downplayed the tragedy involving her own child, describing it as “one mistake”, AAP reports.

In the latest incident, the woman approached the nine-year-old girl and her grandmother while they were sitting at a bus stop in Sydney’s south-west in December 2022, grabbing the girl by the arm and attempting to pull her away.

The grandmother, who was assaulted during the incident, fought the woman off before the latter fled into a nearby unit complex.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to attempting to take a child, common assault and resisting arrest.

During a sentence hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre district court on Wednesday, Judge David Wilson raised concerns about the woman’s risk to the community if she were to be released.

The woman has a history of schizophrenia and has previously been hospitalised for drug-induced psychosis, the court was told.

Wilson raised issue with the now 49-year-old’s response to the death of her daughter in October 2003, over which she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in jail.

The woman placed her daughter in the scalding hot bath which left her with serious burns to about 75% of her body.

Wilson adjourned Wednesday’s sentence hearing to organise further evidence about the woman’s ongoing mental health and facts regarding her criminal history.

Updated

Birmingham criticises ‘disrespectful and inappropriate’ pro-Palestinian protesters

Back to Simon Birmingham’s interview with the ABC this afternoon.

When asked about what the host, Greg Jennett, called the “severe heckling” of the foreign minister, Penny Wong, during a public address at the University of Tasmania last night, the shadow foreign minister said the action by pro-Palestinian protesters was “rude, disrespectful and inappropriate”.

Of course there is a right to protest and there is a long history in Australian politics of people calling out, the odd interjection, the odd heckle but, of course, this was a continuous degree of disruption and was disrespectful and it does not matter what the political leanings – whether Labor or Liberal or somebody else – it is appropriate in those circumstances the speaker be allowed to be heard and ultimately get through their speech.

He said the “Greens and others” had “a tendency to want to take protests too far” and were “disrespecting” the forums that support proper debate.

Updated

Half a million older Australians at risk in housing crisis, study finds

More than half a million Australians aged 55 or over are neither poor enough to qualify for effective and accessible housing assistance nor wealthy enough to secure housing independently as they age, a new report from Swinburne has revealed.

This significant gap in Australia’s housing system has been deemed the “missing middle”: a group that is supposed to be enjoying retirement but is instead struggling to access safe, affordable housing.

About 60% of the cohort are living in private rentals where they face barriers to making needed modifications, such as installing handrails to support them. They are also receiving commonwealth rent assistance and lack sufficient superannuation, so are struggling financially in the private market.

About 25% are living in mortgaged homes, which exposes older purchasers living on fixed incomes to mortgage stress.

The executive officer at the Housing for the Aged Action Group (which funded the research), Fiona York, said:

Every day, we hear from older people who fall into this gap – and we find it very difficult to assist them. Precarious housing is leaving large numbers of older people vulnerable to a housing crisis, yet they remain completely absent from any targeted policy solutions.

A diversity of solutions is needed. The research raises further questions about what can be done to intervene early to prevent homelessness for the half a million older people currently at risk.

Updated

Israel should heed US calls on Gaza humanitarian aid, Coalition says

Simon Birmingham, the shadow foreign affairs minister, says Israel should “heed” the US’s calls to allow additional humanitarian aid to be sent into Gaza or face a possible suspension of military aid by mid-November.

Speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, he said:

Nobody could quibble or doubt the commitment the US has shown to supporting Israel and its legitimate fight to remove the terrorist threats of Hamas and Hezbollah from its doorstep, and indeed the Coalition has been rock solid in our position there.

The US [is] equally providing practical support for Israel’s defence, notably against missile strikes from Iran … The humanitarian situation in Gaza is real and clearly US intelligence and analysis is far deeper than what I would have available to me, and given the strength of messages that US administration is giving to Israel, I think they are messages that should be heeded, should be enacted upon and it is critical to see that humanitarian assistance flow into Gaza in accordance with those requests.

Updated

Human remains found in Victorian bushland in search for Jake Bradford

Police in regional Victoria have located suspected human remains as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Jake Bradford.

In a statement, Victoria police said the remains were yet to be formally identified and were found in remote bushland in the town of Dollar on Tuesday morning.

Detectives travelled to the site this morning and a postmortem would be carried out on the remains.

Bradford, 21, from Rosebud, was reported missing by his mother on 29 January 2023.

Investigators believe he was last seen when he became involved in an altercation in the Dollar area on or about 24 January 2023.

In March 2023, a 25-year-old Korumburra man was charged with murder and was remanded to appear at the supreme court of Victoria in February.

Det Acting Supt Mark Burnett from the force’s serious crime division said:

Our heartfelt thoughts are with Jake’s family and friends today, on what would have been Jake’s 23rd birthday. The past eighteen months have been an incredibly difficult time for them and their grief remains as raw as ever.

The investigative efforts by the Missing Persons Squad have been tireless in pursuing every avenue of enquiry so we could provide answers to Jake’s family.

We know this has been an incredibly traumatic time for them. We hope that this will bring the closure they need and Jake can finally be laid to rest.

Updated

Australia falling short on humanitarian aid, Save the Children chief says

The chief executive of Save the Children Australia, Mat Tinkler, has responded to the new humanitarian policy released by Penny Wong overnight. Tinkler said in a statement:

As the Federal Government has outlined in this new policy, a number of factors including the climate crisis, rising inequality and more wars have pushed a record number of people to flee their homes and become dependent on humanitarian support.

But even as the number of people in need skyrockets, we’re seeing aid budgets slashed around the world and increased attacks on humanitarian workers, making it more difficult and dangerous for humanitarian organisations to respond.

Australia’s commitment to champion the protection of aid workers is very welcome news, with last year the deadliest on record for aid workers, and this year on track to be even deadlier with the vast majority killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

We also welcome the government’s plan to position Australia better to respond to sudden onset crises, especially as climate disasters and escalating wars can lead to major humanitarian crises, sometimes overnight.

What is really missing in this policy is a serious financial investment in humanitarian aid.

The current $150m allocated annually to the Humanitarian Emergency Fund is simply not enough. Without an increase, Australia will continue to fall short in providing its fair share.

Updated

Greyhound racing motion passes Victoria’s upper house

A push by Animal Justice party MP Georgie Purcell to force the greyhound racing industry to report how many dogs are killed off track and the reasons for their deaths has just passed Victoria’s upper house.

The motion, which also introduces a 10-day reporting period for all deaths that result from an injury sustained while racing, training or in trial, passed with the support of Labor, the Greens, the two Legalise Cannabis MPs and Libertarian MP David Limbrick.

A breakdown of all rehoming, including dogs exported overseas and interstate, as well as any use of prohibited substances, will also need to be included in each Greyhound Racing Victoria annual report.

It comes after Guardian Australia earlier this week reported animal activists were concerned young healthy dogs were being unnecessarily put down.

Purcell on Wednesday said:

I rewrote my speech late last night after yet another greyhound was killed on a Victorian track. I have no idea how many others were killed this week just hours or days after their races, because until now the industry was not obliged to disclose these deaths. If against all sense someone somehow supports greyhound racing, then I would expect they believe there is nothing to fear in Greyhound Racing Victoria telling the truth. For those of us who know this industry is brutal and corrupt to the core, this call for accountability and transparency has been a long time coming.

Updated

Gordons Bay second Sydney beach to be closed due to black ball debris

Mysterious black, ball-shaped debris has made its way to Gordons Bay - which is now the second beach to be closed after the debris was spotted on Coogee beach last night.

Randwick council tweeted on Wednesday afternoon:

Gordons Bay Beach is closed after more mysterious, sphere-shaped debris were found washed up. Council is working closely with the @NSW_EPA to develop a clean-up methodology and safe disposal process for the debris.

Lifeguards discovered golf ball-sized debris on the sand at Coogee beach on Tuesday afternoon. The beach was closed, with yellow barricades, orange flags and council signage reading “work in progress” on Wednesday morning.

Updated

Coal exports will last into the 2040s, NSW treasurer Mookhey says

New South Wales accounts for about a third of the Australian economy – and is its most economically diverse state, or so state treasurer Daniel Mookhey told the Citi investors conference in Sydney this afternoon.

A sizeable chunk of the state’s budget and economy still comes from coal, and Mookhey sees that feature continuing for a while. (From this July, coal royalties rose 2.6 percentage points, adding an extra $2.7bn over four years – although Queensland raked in much more.)

Royalties, most of which come from coal, are projected to be about $3.8bn this fiscal year, about 30% more than in 2023-24.

We asked Mookhey when he thought coal would stop being a source of revenue for the state and a net sink (once you factor in the cost of helping communities transition out of the black stuff), and he told the gathering:

The last estimate I heard from the planning system was there was an expectation that NSW would continue to be exporting coal until the 2040s.

The state is banking on royalties from other mining - such as for copper, lithium and gold – to make up for a lower collection from fossil fuels, Mookhey said.

World coal production was a whopping 6.278bn tonnes in 2023, according to the latest World Energy Outlook, published today by the International Energy Agency. That amount will fall by about 30% on current trends by 2035, or 72% if we were to pursue a net zero goal by mid-century.

The path we take globally will have a big impact on how much we heat our planet – and the coffers of NSW (among others in Australia).

Updated

Crisafulli signals repeal of donations ban and end to compulsory preferential voting

The Queensland opposition leader, David Crisafulli, has given a strong indication he would repeal laws banning donations from property developers, and scrap compulsory preferential voting.

While Crisafulli said that repealing the donations ban was not a “day one” priority of a future LNP government, he described the rules as “fundamentally and philosophically an electoral financial gerrymander”.

Guardian Australia revealed at the outset of the campaign that companies linked to property developers have given more than $500,000 to Queensland’s large political parties, and that experts had warned the laws were “failing”.

Queensland has compulsory preferential voting - a system that arguably favours Labor, which benefits from Greens preferences in many south-east Queensland seats.

Crisafulli said the system was “an unholy alliance between the Greens and the Labor party” and that he would bring back an optional preference system.

Updated

Thanks for your company on the blog today – handing over to Daisy Dumas, who will take you through the rest of our rolling coverage.

More from Michael Outram at the National Press Club

Speaking generally, Outram said that “there are some times operationally if we make a mistake then one side of politics can weaponise that against the other”. He added:

I’m not pointing at either side here, it’s a fact of life. So for us, we try and [not] allow ourselves to get drawn into narrative. We keep our head down and focus on the job. That the best thing we can do - is professionally deliver operationally against the mission and not get caught up in the narrative and the perception around crises. We don’t want to do that, we want to concentrate on what we do at the border.

I hope that answers your question, but the primary answer is no, I don’t feel I have been used or weaponised in that way.

Border force chief on election day boat arrival announcement: ‘I don’t feel I have been used’

Let’s return briefly to the National Press Club speech delivered by the soon-to-retire commissioner of the Australian Border Force, Michael Outram.

He was asked by AAP about the former Morrison government’s directive to release information about a boat arrival on election day, and whether he felt his agency had been “used for political gain”. Here’s a quick recap of that issue:

Outram replied:

No. We act without fear or favour. I think I am fortunate to be leaving this job with my head held high and a reputation for integrity. As public servants of course we serve the government of the day and the minister of the day and there are boundaries – everything we do has got to be within the law. It has got to be lawful and ethical. So no, I’ve never been asked to do anything unlawful or unethical or something I shouldn’t do by a government.

What I would say though is that if you look at the issues we deal with, look around the world with migration in western democracies, migration is a contested issue in our countries.

More to come in a moment.

Extreme fire danger for parts of Western Australia

Hot, dry and windy conditions are bringing an extreme fire danger to parts of Western Australia today, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Extreme fire danger is forecast for Burrup, the Ashburton and Exmouth Gulf coasts, North Goldfields and the West Interior.

Financial regulations ‘punishing’ first homebuyers

Financial regulations are making it harder for borrowers to access mortgages, giving people who already have sufficient wealth an advantage, a parliamentary committee has heard.

As AAP reports, in order to protect the financial system from a GFC-style crash, lenders are required to carry excess capital – while borrowers must meet a 3% serviceability buffer to ensure they would still be able to make payments if interest rates rise unexpectedly.

Housing Industry Association chief economist Tim Reardon said:

Public servants, who are inherently risk-averse, who have a career in assessing risk, identifying it and mitigating it, have continued a cycle of increasing regulation without demonstrated benefit in terms of access to housing supply. This has led to first homebuyers, in particular, bearing a very high cost.

As banks have been required to hold more collateral for every dollar they lend out to a first homebuyer, they inevitably pass on that cost. Reardon said “we’ve now arrived at a situation where banks aren’t competing with each other to pursue first homebuyers.”

They are competing for investors, and investors therefore get a far more competitive interest rate than first homebuyers or owner-occupiers.

So that inherent inequity we have in our system, where those that are renting incur a disproportionately high cost from the shortage of supply, is made worse by these restrictions. And we are increasingly lending to those that already own a home and punishing those that do not.

The last government-assisted flight from Lebanon arrived last night

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said 3,121, Australians and their immediate family members were assisted in returning. Last night’s flight had 200 on board.

The government is grateful for the support of the commercial airlines and partner countries, including Cyprus for its generous facilitation. And I thank the hard-working [Dfat] teams working in Beirut, Cyprus and Canberra who worked around the clock to coordinate departures.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology has released a severe weather update, with a widespread thunderstorm risk for southern parts of the country:

Two dozen pro-Palestine protesters gather at University of Melbourne’s south lawn

Protesters have gathered at the University of Melbourne’s south lawn to hold a rally in opposition to proposed disciplinary action over a student sit-in.

Last week, University of Melbourne students, staff and alumni occupied the office of a Jewish academic to call for the institution to cut its ties with Israeli universities.

The university’s council is meeting today as part of its regular cycle of duties. Guardian Australia understands there were no specific items or resolutions about the sit-in.

Police are present on campus as a precautionary measure and all actions are peaceful.

Updated

Albanese again questioned on purchase of $4.3m central coast home

Taking questions from reporters, Anthony Albanese was again asked about his purchase of a $4.3m beachfront property on the central coast of NSW.

Asked to respond to reports that senior Labor figures had been baffled by the purchase ahead of the election, the PM responded:

What I am focused on is delivering more houses for Australians. Yesterday I was in Queensland [where] we announced 1100 new homes for Queenslanders. The other thing we have done is we have got legislation in the Senate that I’m sure Andrew Wilkie, because he is a person of good judgement most of the time, supported our Help to Buy legislation, as did crossbenchers. This is about helping 40,000 Australians into their own home and I cannot understand why the Liberals, Nationals or the Greens do not vote for it.

Wilkie, the Independent federal MP for Clark in Tasmania, was also at the press conference.

Albanese was asked if there is an alternative plan for the Help to Buy scheme, but he responded: “Our plan is to get them to vote for it”.

Prime minister in Tasmania to announce boost to Antarctic program

Anthony Albanese and the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, have been speaking to reporters in Hobart on the bolstering of Australia’s Antarctic program.

As we reported this morning (see earlier post), the Labor government will contribute $188m over four years to construct a new Macquarie Wharf 6 in the Port of Hobart – which will be home to Australia’s icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, for the next 30 years.

Speaking to reporters, Albanese said funding would be included in Myefo, and the budget next March, and “the funding will be available over four years”.

Plibersek added:

This is a really good deal for Tasmanian taxpayers and for commonwealth taxpayers. We did think the initial proposal from TasPorts was too expensive, not good value at that time. We have come to an arrangement with TasPorts that I am very excited about.

We will be having a state-of-the-art facility to house the state-of-the-art vessel, making a huge contribution to the economy in Hobart, meaning the future of the Antarctic is a secure for Hobart.

Updated

Miles and Crisafulli going head to head in leaders debate

In Queensland today, Steven Miles and David Crisafulli are facing off in what will be their penultimate meeting before election day.

With a new poll showing the LNP has a commanding lead, the Labor premier and LNP opposition leader will ask each other questions before the floor is opened to Queensland parliamentary press gallery journalists.

The leaders are expected to be scrutinised on key issues, including abortion laws, youth crime and housing.

Queensland goes to the polls on 26 October.

Updated

Teachers reports of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment ‘rife’, academics say

Prof Steven Roberts and Dr Stephanie Wescott – from the School of Education, Culture and Society at Monash University – have responded to news that Victoria will rollout respectful relationships resources across the state to tackle toxic masculinity.

This includes teaching students to be less like male influencer Andrew Tate, as Caitlin Cassidy reported earlier.

In a statement, the academics said:

The Victorian government’s revised respectful relationships resources respond to widespread and disturbing accounts of a rise in gender-based violence in Victorian schools.

Teachers report that sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment are rife. The influence of Andrew Tate and similar figures on boys’ behaviour and attitudes towards girls and women has been profound. These resources are very much needed.

We hope to see school-related gender-based violence continue to be a priority area for the state government, ensuring adequate support and backing for schools to implement and deliver this program with confidence.

Woman dies after being hit by tram earlier this month

A woman has died in hospital after being hit by a tram in Melbourne earlier this month.

It’s believed the woman was hit by a tram on St Kilda Road, between Inkerman and Carlisle streets, around 8am on 5 October.

The 58-year-old Richmond woman has died in hospital, Victoria police confirmed today.

The Transit Safety Division is investigating the circumstances and will prepare a report for the coroner.

CBA chair says ethical principles will govern AI use

Commonwealth Bank executives are talking up the potential of artificial intelligence and defending the bank’s record on gender pay equality, AAP reports.

CBA chairman Paul O’Malley told shareholders at the bank’s annual general meeting in Adelaide today that AI was a “really important topic” and the bank had already developed six principles to govern its use of the technology.

Those principles include that AI be powered by renewable energy and only use water in the context of Australia’s water governance, it needs to be fair, transparent and respectful of the privacy of CBA’s customers and employees and be safe, reliable and accountable.

Chief executive Matt Comyn said CBA was using AI to improve customer experiences and guard against scams but reports that the bank was rolling out AI in call centres was a little misrepresented.

In particular, it’s fair to say that whilst there is certainly potential with AI, it will take some time before we’ll be sufficiently confident that we can control all the risks to be able to safely manage that at scale.

O’Malley also disputed a question from Jason Hall, the local executive secretary of the Finance Sector Union, who said that CBA had one of the worst corporate gender pay gaps in corporate Australia at almost 30%.

O’Malley said CBA was absolutely committed to gender equality and ensuring that in like-for-like jobs there was gender equality, pointing out that CBA’s board was 44% female, as was 40% of its group executives.

So there’s a structural issue there that we need to work through.

Wong on the heckling: ‘I understand people are upset, horrified, distressed’

Penny Wong went on ABC Radio Tasmania today and was asked about the heckling from pro-Palestine advocates during her speech at the University of Tasmania the previous night.

The radio host read a question from a listener who said:

Can you ask Penny Wong when she’s going to call for a ceasefire and stand up against the genocide?

Wong replied that she had called for a ceasefire “months ago” and “this is the problem with this debate … there’s a lot of disinformation that’s going around”. She said:

You know, people – one person said yesterday, “When are you going to stop bombing Lebanon?” I said, we’ve called for a ceasefire in Lebanon.

We joined with the United States and all members of the G7 to call for a ceasefire in Lebanon over a week ago. In fact, that’s what Peter Dutton has been criticising the government for. I called, the prime minister called, and we voted for a ceasefire [in Gaza] months ago. We’ve said there should be a ceasefire in Gaza.

Asked whether she had been frustrated to be heckled at the speech last night, Wong told the ABC:

I think it was probably the 10th interruption, I was a bit frustrated I couldn’t finish a sentence. Look, I understand the depth of feeling this issue generates. I understand people are upset, horrified, distressed by what they are seeing. What I’d say is what I said there – I don’t think we gain anything by shouting each other down. And I don’t think we gain anything by being disrespectful to one another …

This is a hard issue for Australians, and what I’d say is, we should try and deal with it respectfully.

Updated

Potential oil slick spotted off coast of Coogee after mysterious debris washes ashore

Pictures have come in of a potential oil slick spotted off the coast of Coogee in Sydney this morning, after hundreds of “mysterious black, ball-shaped debris” washed up along the beach last night.

Council workers on jetskis spotted the potential oil slick this morning, after lifeguards discovered the golf ball-sized debris on the sand yesterday afternoon at the popular eastern suburbs beach.

Updated

Man charged for allegedly making Nazi salute at football game

NSW police have charged a man after allegedly making a Nazi salute during a football game earlier this year.

In April, detectives began an investigation after reports a man had allegedly performed a Nazi salute towards a group of people at a football game in a Moore Park stadium.

A 36-year-old man was arrested at Surry Hills Police Station on Monday, and charged with make a gesture in a public place that is a Nazi salute.

The man was granted strict conditional bail to appear before Downing Centre Local Court on 28 November.

Westpac and St George says online services restored

Earlier, we reported Westpac and St George customers were having problems with online services for the third day in a row (see post).

We contacted Westpac and St George for more information – including the cause of the problem, and if there are plans for customer compensation – and they responded:

In recent days Westpac customers may have experienced issues logging into their mobile or online banking. We’re sorry for the disruption. We know how important it is to have access to online banking.

Our teams have been working around the clock and services are restored. We’ll continue to actively monitor the situation. Thank you for your patience. Customers do not need to take any action.

Updated

Border force commissioner addressing National Press Club in Canberra

Michael Outram will retire as commissioner on 9 November, with the former head of Defence Intelligence, Gavan Reynolds, to take on the role.

Speaking in Canberra, Outram said the cost of living crisis across many countries “illustrates just how quickly disruptions can cascade through our hyper-connected world.”

It has to be acknowledged that many international borders are perceived, at least, to be in a state of perpetual crisis. The truth is that many of the contemporary challenges to our sovereignty, which can and does drive those perceptions, are unlikely to diminish in the decades ahead, including the displacement of people through conflict or climate change … But a state of perpetual crisis is really exhausting for our officers to sustain, and their margin for error become unrealistically narrow.

The commissioner said that if our border is viewed as a strategic and economic asset “which balances the forces of globalisation and sovereignty”, then, like any asset, “its depreciation should be of serious concern”.

Failing to invest in it in the coming years will cost us much more in the long run. So is Australia’s border equipped to handle the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead?

With the projected 70% increase in cargo volumes and 50% increase in passenger numbers over the next decade, with one in five jobs being related to trade … it’s pretty hard to argue that we can afford to have anything otherwise.

Updated

Victorian students to learn to be less like Andrew Tate

Victorian students will learn how to be less like male influencer Andrew Tate under a suite of resources responding to toxic masculinity.

The respectful relationships resources, being rolled out to schools across the state, teach children how to recognise hate speech and coercive control online, countering the influence of “Andrew Tate-types” by navigating consent, sextortion, pornography and gender-based bullying.

Victoria’s public schools and more than 370 independent and Catholic schools have so far signed up to the program. The resources were developed by education experts professor Helen Cahill and associate professor Debbie Ollis in consultation with teachers, students and parents.

It follows similar moves internationally. In England, teachers are being advised by the government to help develop positive male influencers amid concerns over a rise in sexism and misogyny linked to the social media influencer.

Parliamentary secretary for men’s behaviour change, Tim Richardson, said young people should feel safe online.

These resources play an important part in delivering behavioural change across Victoria and combatting toxic influences like Andrew Tate.

Updated

Marles announces a plan for WA’s Henderson shipyard

The defence minister, Richard Marles, is in Western Australia to announce plans to turn the Henderson shipyard into a “consolidated commonwealth-owned defence precinct”.

That means land that is now primarily owned by the WA government will become federal government-owned land.

The government’s press release says this precinct will “underpin tens of billions of dollars of investment in defence capabilities in the West over the next two decades and support in the order of 10,000 well-paid, high-skilled local jobs”.

But in terms of the actual announcement today, the funding is relatively small and is focused on a feasibility study:

The Albanese government will make an initial investment of $127m over three years to progress planning, consultations, preliminary design and feasibility studies as well as enabling works for the Defence Precinct at Henderson.

This work will inform future decisions on delivery options and models for the Defence Precinct at Henderson.

The government says the precinct “will support the build of new landing craft for the Australian Army and new general purpose frigates for the Navy announced by the Albanese government, with requisite large vessel infrastructure to form part of the Precinct”.

The site will also be “the home of depot-level maintenance and contingency docking for Australia’s future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines” under the Aukus plans.

Anthony Albanese, said in a statement that the plans were “a gamechanger for WA industry”.

Updated

Liberal MP defends party’s decision not to allow conscience vote on equality bill

New South Wales Liberal MP Alister Henskens has defended his party’s decision not to allow MPs a conscience vote on legislation designed to improve the rights and protections of LGBTQ+ people.

Henskens, the shadow attorney general, addressed the media alongside faith leaders and women’s rights activists earlier this morning at NSW parliament, where they outlined their opposition to Sydney MP Alex Greenwich’s equality bill. Henskens said:

Labor doesn’t have a conscience vote either, and we didn’t have a conscience vote on conversion therapy. These are not matters which are automatically conscience votes at all. And the party room decided by an overwhelming majority that we would not have a conscience vote

Henskens claimed conscience votes were “very rare”.

The Liberals do not require their members to vote as a bloc, as Labor does, but MPs usually vote together according to party policy. And although the Liberals didn’t have a conscience vote on the bill outlawing conversion practices, they did unanimously support it.

The NSW Liberals voted with their conscience on the introduction of Voluntary Assisted Dying and the decriminalisation of abortion, two of the biggest social issues to come before the state parliament in recent years.

Birth rate continuing to decline

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that Australia’s birth rate is continuing to decline.

In 2023 there were 286,998 births registered in Australia, with a total fertility rate of 1.50 babies per woman.

ABS head of demography statistics, Beidar Cho, said the record-low fertility rate is “because there were fewer births in most states and territories”.

Western Australia had the highest total fertility rate at 1.57 babies per woman, while the ACT had the lowest, at 1.31. Only Tasmania saw an increase since 2022, growing from 1.49 to 1.51 babies per woman.

The total fertility rate has slowly dropped from 1.86 in 1993. The decline is most prominent among women aged 15 to 19, the ABS said, while the age-specific fertility rate of women aged 40 to 44 years has almost doubled in thirty years. Cho said:

The long-term decline in fertility of younger mums as well as the continued increase in fertility of older mums reflects a shift towards later child-bearing. Together, this has resulted in a rise in median age of mothers to 31.9 years, and a fall in Australia’s total fertility rate.

Updated

Origin Energy defends complex switch to renewables, gas

Origin Energy is pumped on gas being a key part of the energy transition, AAP reports, as shareholders have been warned of a “messy” transition.

Chair Scott Perkins has told shareholders at the annual general meeting in Sydney that the company “continue[s] to have really strong medium- to long-term conviction that LNG will play an important role in the energy transition.”

Shareholders were also warned of a “messy” transition to renewables that would not involve Origin investment in green hydrogen.

Higher earnings from energy markets and gas may be driving higher dividends but transmission and renewable generation projects have been hamstrung by delays in approval and construction, Perkins said.

He said the transition needed to accelerate even further to allow the exit of coal and meet emissions targets set by governments, supported by regulatory certainty.

He also defended the recent decision to walk away from costly green hydrogen and focus on wind, solar and batteries.

Mother tells of dying trans son’s wish

Staying with developments at the New South Wales parliament, mother Heike Fabig has spoken alongside Greenwich and Labor ministers about the experience of her transgender son Bodhi Boele.

Boele died of a degenerative condition and asked his mother to ensure that his death certificate reflected him as a male, even though his birth certificate could not be changed and showed him as a female.

Changes included in the equality bill will mean that people can change their gender on birth certificates without undergoing major surgery, bringing NSW in line with the rest of the country.

In response to comments by opposition attorney general spokesperson Alister Henskens about how changes to rules governing birth certificates would affect the lives of women and children, Fabig said:

When you register a child’s birth, you tick a box. No one checks their genitals. When you become an adult and you buy things like houses … you sometimes have to show your paperwork. That’s where it becomes important that the birth certificate is correct … I don’t know about you, but I have never had to show my birth certificate going to a toilet.

Updated

Alex Greenwich sees ‘rightwing trend’ in NSW Coalition opposing trans equality bill

New South Wales independent MP Alex Greenwich has raised concerns about a “right-wing trend” in the state coalition after it was announced that the Liberal party would not allow a conscience vote on legislation designed to increase rights for LGBTQ+ people.

Labor has formally adopted a position to support Greenwich’s equality bill.

Speaking at the parliament alongside senior Labor figures, Greenwich accused the Coalition of politicising trans issues and moving to the right:

I am concerned that we are seeing a right-wing trend developing within the Coalition and I think it’s important to note that this will be a new precedent for the coalition. No other leader of the coalition has denied a conscious vote in decades on LGBT issues.

Earlier on Wednesday, opposition attorney general spokesperson Alister Henskens told 2GB he was worried about “people with a male body in women’s spaces” and the implications for women and girls.

Greenwich said Henskens needed to “stop his obsession with trans people’s private lives”.

It is deeply distressing that the shadow attorney general seeks to monster trans people, seeks to assume that trans people are there to somehow assault or impact the rest of the community.

Updated

Urgent need: aged care providers’ grim reality

A majority of aged care providers are seriously concerned about how Australia will handle a rapidly ageing population, AAP reports.

The Aged and Community Care Providers Association’s state of the sector survey released today shows seven out of 10 providers worry about the nation’s readiness for an ageing population.

97% of survey respondents were concerned about increasing costs, with half of residential providers reporting they were losing money. The margins of home care providers declined to $1.80 a client a day in the first half of 2023/24, down from about $3.20 in 2022/23.

More than 90% of providers nominated government funding as a concern with respondents noting problems were worse in regional and rural areas or “thin” markets. One in five smaller providers were not confident in their ability to maintain services in the next 12 months.

Workforce shortages and ability to meet care minutes requirements were also major concerns.

Association chief executive Tom Symondson said the survey revealed realities of the sector, and “comes amidst a backdrop of financial, workforce and reform challenges – all of significant magnitude.”

The demand for aged care is also growing, highlighting the urgent need to create a system that delivers high quality care now and into the future.

Despite concerns, 51% of respondents believed aged care reforms were pointing the sector in the right direction.

Updated

Almost 8,000 people in NSW have advanced breast cancer

About 7,850 women and 50 men are living with stage four breast cancer, new research from Cancer Institute NSW reveals.

While the number of initial breast cancer diagnoses are available through state and territory registries, it’s the first time the exact number of people who develop advanced breast cancer has been determined.

NSW health minister Ryan Park, who today opened a BreastScreen NSW Clinic at the Royal hospital for Women in Randwick, said the data would “lift the veil of uncertainty experienced by thousands of people in our community”.

Prof Tracey O’Brien, NSW chief cancer officer and CEO of the NSW Cancer Institute, said the data was “more than a number”, but about “giving a voice, options and hope to people living with and beyond cancer”.

The figure was determined by linking cancer incidence and mortality data with state and federal datasets, with the exact methodology to be released shortly.

Updated

Wong's speech last night interrupted by pro-Palestinian advocates

Let’s return to the speech Penny Wong gave at the University of Tasmania last night. Here on the blog earlier, we brought you some of the quotes from the foreign affairs minister’s speech, including her comments that the suffering across the Middle East “must end” and reiterating calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

The ABC has broadcast footage of Wong’s speech being interrupted by pro-Palestine advocates. The footage shows that Wong initially responded by saying:

I don’t actually believe, and I’ve never believed, that we gain anything by shouting each other down.

In the ABC clip, a person can be heard shouting:

What we need right now is leaders that have the backbone that are willing to do something that isn’t just talk.

Another person can be heard interjecting:

You’ve had chances at a national and international level to change what is happening in Lebanon, in Palestine … there’s blood on your hands.

Wong walked away from the podium temporarily. A moderator came to the microphone saying he was “asking both of you please to leave the venue”.

This morning, Wong tweeted that Australia “condemns the killing of innocent civilians by Israel in recent operations in Gaza” and that the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza was “unacceptable”.

Victorian tourism minister rubbishes mayoral candidate’s proposal to bring ABBA Voyage to Melbourne

The Victorian minister for tourism and major events, Steve Dimopoulos, has taken a swipe at a lord mayor hopeful’s pitch to bring ABBA Voyage to Melbourne.

Candidate Arron Wood told the Herald Sun he would invest $10m to help bring ABBA’s 3D virtual concert to Docklands, if elected Melbourne Lord Mayor.

But Dimopoulous has rubbished the proposal, telling reporters outside parliament:

Lord Mayor candidates are running around asking Melburnians to ‘take a chance on them’ but really they should stop promising things they can’t deliver. As the major events capital of this country, we’re always looking for major events to add tourism and jobs right through the Victorian economy. I think we’ve got a pretty good strike rate.

Dimopoulos is reportedly negotiating to lure the show to Melbourne, but was tight-lipped about the discussions:

What makes us successful is we actually keep confidences. We have the responsibility that Arron Wood, both in council and the business community, don’t have and I’m not going to go and break those confidences.

Earlier, treasurer Tim Pallas said he would be open to “money money money” from the council:

Can I suggest to you that if the City of Melbourne wants to give me $10m it would be gratefully received.

Bowen says Coalition plan to boost support for fossil fuel energy makes ‘no sense’

A Coalition commitment to boost support for fossil fuel energy has been criticised by the climate change minister, Chris Bowen as making “no sense” and being a plan to hand windfall gains to the owners of existing gas-fired power plants.

Opposition climate change and energy minister, Ted O’Brien, yesterday said that gas was “here to stay” and that a Dutton government would include it in the capacity investment scheme. Labor is using the scheme to underwrite construction of 32 gigawatts of new renewable energy and storage capacity by 2030.

O’Brien said the Coalition would include annual auctions to underwrite “new and existing gas capacity”. He did not explain why the scheme would underwrite capacity already connected to the grid, or how much additional greenhouse gas would be released as a result.

Bowen told the ABC’s AM:

The capacity investment scheme is about bringing new energy supply, which is about what we so desperately need, not providing windfall gains to people who are already there. Secondly, gas is much more expensive to bring on than renewables. So how’s it going to win auctions unless [O’Brien] puts his finger on the scales and pushes it towards gas?

Bowen said peaking gas plants had a role to play to back up renewable energy, but did not need Commonwealth support.

O’Brien has been asked for his response.

Share your experience with Australia’s housing affordability crisis

Guardian Australia is asking both renters and owners to share their stories about how the housing crisis has affected their living arrangements, relationships and general wellbeing.

This comes as rents have been increasing at alarming levels, potential buyers are being priced out of the housing market, and homelessness levels are rising – while debates about which polices could fix the crisis continue.

You can share you experience with us below:

Laneway festival sells out Sydney and Melbourne events for 2025

Laneway festival says its 2025 events in both Sydney and Melbourne have entirely sold out, across all ticket types. In a post to social media, Laneway wrote:

We’re honestly in shock sharing the news that Laneway Festival in Sydney and Melbourne have entirely sold out across all ticket types.

We know many people will have missed out on securing tickets, the number of sign ups far exceeded the ticket availability for both shows. Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth all go on sale today at 10am local time – we recommend getting in quickly.

British pop star Charli xcx is headlining the festival, which also features rock band Skegss, British singer Beabadoobee, US singer-songwriters Clairo and Remi Wolf, the Scottish DJ Barry Can’t Swim and Northern Irish electronic duo Bicep.

The 2025 festival begins in Auckland on 6 February, before heading to Brisbane (8 February), Sydney (9 February), Melbourne (14 February), Adelaide (15 February) and Perth (16 February).

News of the sold-out events is welcome for Australia’s embattled music festival industry, following the cancellation of both Groovin the Moo and Splendour in the Grass this year. “Unexpected events” were to blame for the Splendour decision, while Groovin the Moo cancelled all six dates because of insufficient ticket sales.

Updated

Severe storms possible across ‘most inland areas’ of NSW today

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting thunderstorms across the ranges, inland and far north-east NSW today.

It said severe storms are possible across “most inland areas”, with the risk of damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain.

Updated

NSW EPA working with Randwick council to investigate mysterious balls at Coogee beach

The NSW environment minister, Penny Shape, has confirmed the Environmental Protection Authority is working with the Randwick council to investigate the source and risk presented by “mysterious black, ball-shaped debris” found on Coogee beach yesterday.

Lifeguards discovered the golf-ball-sized balls washing up on the beach on Tuesday afternoon. Sharpe said forensic scientists were working to identify exactly what the balls were, the source of the contamination and the risks it presented.

Speaking at NSW parliament today, Sharpe said:

The advice is that people shouldn’t be swimming and Coogee is closed. Other beaches are fine, but we hope to get to the bottom of what is a pretty unusual situation as quickly as possible.

Updated

Westpac and St George banks experiencing online issues for third day

Customers who bank with Westpac and St George are experiencing online issues for the third day in a row.

Both banks posted on X today they are aware of further issues impacting customers’ ability to access online and mobile banking.

Our teams are currently working to fix the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience and will continue to share updates here.

The banks first reported the issue with online services on Monday.

One X user wrote that this stopped them from getting Oasis tickets, one said they couldn’t pay a bill, and another said that overseas customers couldn’t top up their travel card to avoid fees.

Updated

Penny Wong condemns killing of civilians by Israel in Gaza, says humanitarian situation ‘unacceptable’

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says Australia “condemns the killing of innocent civilians by Israel in recent operations in Gaza”.

In a post to X, Wong said the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza is “unacceptable”.

Israel must allow essential supplies to flow. I have asked Australia’s officials to convey our concerns directly to Israel.

We also support all efforts by our partner countries to ensure humanitarian assistance gets to those in need. Palestinian civilians cannot pay the price for defeating Hamas.

We repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, protection of civilians and increased humanitarian access. Parties must agree to the plan put forward by the US and endorsed by the United Nations security council. Delays are costing lives.

Updated

Bureau of Meteorology testing cyclone and tsunami warning systems

The Bureau of Meteorology says it will be testing its tropical cyclone and tsunami warning systems today.

The tests will occur from 10am to 6pm AEDT, marked “TEST” and appear for short periods of time on the bureau’s website and weather app, it said.

Updated

Queensland attorney general reflects on career, role of social media ahead of retirement from politics

Earlier this morning, Queensland’s attorney general, Yvette D’Ath, spoke to ABC RN ahead of the state election on 26 October – which she won’t be contesting.

On her decision to retire after seven election and almost 17 years, she said:

I always hoped that I’d have enough self-awareness to know when it was time for me to step back and hand over to someone else … It’s been a tough few years, really tough few years, especially this term with the portfolios I’ve had. And I decided it’s time that I get to be a little bit selfish and put myself first and find a bit of balance in my life.

D’Ath was the state health minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, and received death threats during that time. She said it was “difficult” but easy to put aside “as white noise, when you just had such critical decisions that had to be made every day”.

Politics is getting tougher … Those people are still following me [on social media], they’re still saying nasty things. But, you know, that’s politics nowadays, sadly, but I actually think it’s beyond politics …

The number of people who use social media to just say toxic about complete strangers is really worrying. While we’re trying to teach our kids how to behave online, there’s a whole lot of adults out there setting up pretty bad example.

D’Ath fears this will have an effect on whether people choose to enter politics:

People keep talking to me about Covid and health but as attorney general, the stuff that has come across my desk every day, you know, is horrifying. It’s distressing, and it’s something that you know, I’m glad most people never, ever get to experience.

Updated

Sydney using filtered water from kidney dialysis machines to clean streets

Clean and filtered water from kidney dialysis machines at the Royal Prince Alfred hospital are being used to clean Sydney’s streets.

According to a statement from the City of Sydney, around 50 dialysis machines, used for up to 14 hours a day, require ultrapure water – and about 500 litres of ultrapure water is needed each time a patient undergoes dialysis.

Reverse osmosis generates the ultrapure water, and during this process excess runoff is collected and stored in two on-site tanks. The council says it can save up to 1.5m litres of water each year by using the stored runoff in street cleaning.

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, said this was “increasingly important as the climate crisis lengthens periods of drought”.

We are also reducing emissions and travel time for our trucks, which don’t have to return to depots in Alexandria or Ultimo to refill after cleaning the streets.

Updated

Nedd Brockmann completes 1,000-mile charity run

Ultramarathon runner Nedd Brockmann has completed his 1,000 mile (1,609.3km) charity run at Sydney’s Olympic Park.

He had aimed to complete the distance in 10 days, but finished in 12.5 days – spurred on by donations for Australians experiencing homelessness, which reached up to $2.6m.

He shared a video of the feat on Instagram, and wrote:

12 days 13 hours 16 minutes and 45 seconds. Average 128 kilometres a day. 2.6 million raised for Aussies experiencing homelessness and counting. Please enjoy the video while I enjoy putting my feet up.

Brockmann’s attempt has been streamed on TikTok Live. The record for the fastest time to cover 1,000 miles stands at 10 days, 10 hours, 30 minutes and 36 seconds, set in 1988.

Brockmann had said earlier this year he hoped to raise $10m for homelessness. He made headlines in 2022 when he ran from Cottesloe to Bondi in 46.5 days, as part of an epic 3,800km charity run.

His support team leader, James Ward, said Brockmann had been “in pain every day of this challenge”, but “so long as the donations keep coming in, he thinks all the pain is worthwhile”. You can read more about his journey on the track below:

Updated

Melbourne, south-east Queensland lead way for new jobs figures

Parts of Victoria and Queensland are leading the charge for new jobs being created, AAP reports.

Analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics labour data show Melbourne and south-east Queensland had the greatest increase in employment in the year to August.

The statistical area of West Melbourne had the largest growth in the 12-month period at 5.5%, followed by inner Melbourne at 5.4%. Ipswich, west of Brisbane, was next on the list, growing by 5.2%, followed by Queensland’s Logan-Beaudesert region at 5.2% and the Gold Coast at 5%.

Sydney’s northern beaches and Sutherland Shire had the lowest unemployment rates for the same year to August, coming in at 2.3% and 2.4% respectively. The areas had an unemployment rate nearly two percentage lower than the national figure of 4.1% for August.

Warrnambool in Victoria, inner Perth and Sydney’s eastern suburbs rounded out the top five for the lowest unemployment rate, all at 2.7%.

Updated

Man charged with 76 child sexual assault offences

A man has been arrested and charged with almost 80 historical child sexual assault offences, AAP reports.

The 54-year-old man is accused of sexually abusing multiple children in the Coffs Harbour area on the NSW mid-north coast between 1998 and 2008.

Detectives received a tip-off in November 2023 and established Strike Force Durrumbul to investigate.

Police arrested the man at Goulburn police station yesterday morning. He was charged with 76 historical child sex and physical violence offences, which police will allege occurred against eight children.

He was refused bail to appear before Goulburn local court today.

Updated

'Amorous couple' caused flood in Melbourne's city loop

Victoria’s minister for transport infrastructure, Danny Pearson, says an “amorous couple in a stairwell” caused a flood event in the City Loop last week.

Pearson said there was extensive flooding at both Melbourne Central and Flagstaff stations late on Thursday night. When Metro reviewed the footage they discovered a couple had dislodged a sprinkler. He said:

I’m advised that there was a flood event that impacted both Melbourne Central station and Flagstaff station. Initial reports were that there was an act of vandalism, I’ve been advised that Metro have reviewed the CCTV footage, and it would appear that an amorous couple in a stairwell dislodged a sprinkler.

He said police were investigating the incident, which occurred “very late at night”.

RBA paper finds inflation expectations are heading in the right direction

The Reserve Bank is less concerned about what’s in the rear mirror but what’s coming when it sets interest rates, much like stock prices are based on anticipated future profits.

To that end, a team of RBA researchers has been looking at inflation expectations as a guide to whether the 13 interest rate rises since May 2022 have done enough in restraining price increases.

Details of their paper are being presented this morning by Sarah Hunter, the RBA’s chief economist, at Citi investment gathering in Sydney.

The good news is that punters’ short-term views on inflation “appear to be converging towards long-term expectations”, and that there’s “no evidence” they are “more persistent than normal”, Hunter said.

(The paper goes into some interesting analysis about divergent trends in how wage and price rises are interpreted, and how petrol prices may have an outsized impact on inflation sentiment. More on that in a later post.)

As it happens, markets have lately become less confident about how soon the RBA will start paring its key interest rate. There’s only about a 12% chance of a cut at the bank’s next board meeting (4-5 November) and about a one-in-chance of a reduction in December.

Even next February is only a 60% chance, or so the ASX rates tracker tells us.

All those guesses, though, will be revisited on 30 October when we get September quarter inflation numbers. Actuals, rather than expectations, will then hold sway for a day at least.

PM is not distracted by house purchase, Chalmers says

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, insists the prime minister is fully focused on easing the cost-of-living burden on Australians and not distracted by personal matters, after it was revealed he had bought a $4.3m waterfront property on the NSW Central Coast.

Chalmers told Ballarat radio 3BA this morning:

I work as closely if not more closely than anyone with the PM – with Anthony [Albanese] – and I’ve seen for myself, you know, his total focus is on how we roll out this cost-of-living help.

I want to assure your listeners and anyone who checks out our interview, I see how focused he is on cost of living, on housing for more Australians, because those are the main issues that are putting pressure on people right now.

Chalmers said both he and the prime minister understood why there was so much public focus on the house purchase. He said he wasn’t about to give Albanese “free advice or, kind of, second guess” his decisions.

The assurance that I can give your listeners and the country beyond is, you know, he is extremely focused on all of the things that we’re doing to try and ease some of these cost-of-living pressures that people are confronting. That’s his focus.

Updated

Today’s weather forecast around Australia

Here’s a look at the national forecasts across Australia’s capital cities, from the Bureau of Meteorology:

Updated

NSW opposition will not support equality bill

The New South Wales opposition will not support legislation designed to improve the rights and protections of LGBTI people, including allowing transgender people to change the gender on their birth certificates without undergoing major surgery.

The parliamentary Liberal party formed the position yesterday after considering independent MP Alex Greenwich’s amended equality bill, after the premier, Chris Minns, gave it his support over the weekend.

Opposition attorney general spokesperson Alister Henskens told 2GB this morning that the party had decided the bill went “too far, too fast”. He said the party was particularly worried about the changes to birth certificates:

We’re concerned that there will be people with a male body in women’s spaces and we think that this raises issues with regard to the comfort and safety of women and girls.

He insisted the party was “not against trans people” but that there were a “broad range of people in the community who are against this”.

Liberal MP Felicity Wilson will cross the floor to support the bill alongside Labor.

Henskens said she would not be punished for taking that position.

Updated

Littleproud says Coalition nuclear costings will be released before Christmas

David Littleproud was also asked when the costings of the Coalition’s nuclear plan would be released.

He said it would be released “well before Christmas”. Asked to be specific, he responded:

Well, Christmas is only a couple of months away, so it’s not far off. And what we want to do was respect those seven communities we picked and made sure we had social licence and they understood our proposal.

Nationals leader weighs in on PM property purchase

The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has also weighed in on the prime ministers $4.3m property purchase, while speaking with ABC News Breakfast.

He said Anthony Albanese has “every right to buy a house [and] set himself up for his retirement”.

I hope that through popular demand that in six months he gets to use it, because he will be retired by the Australian people.

Littleproud said that he could not afford to buy a $4.3m home and that “most politicians, at the end of the politics, can’t afford that, in terms of the salary we have”.

But the prime minister has made smart decisions and he shouldn’t be brought down for that.

The host noted that Littleproud has “a couple of houses” and his wife “has a few”. He responded:

If we have sensible migration policies, we give hope to young people they can work hard, as I did, and was able to buy a home with my wife and buy a rental property. That has someone in it. That’s the sort of stuff that we do want to see.

Updated

Liberal senator says PM’s $4.3m property purchase ‘tone deaf’ during housing crisis

Sticking with the prime minister’s $4.3m waterfront property purchase: his decision was debated on Sunrise earlier this morning, with the housing minister, Clare O’Neil, defending the decision:

He is the prime minister but he is also a human being who is about to embark on a new marriage. He is entitled to purchase property. I’m interested to hear what [Liberal senator] Jane [Hume] thinks, but I don’t think the Liberals will disagree with that.

Hume, who was also on the program, did disagree with O’Neil, in fact. She described the decision as “tone deaf” and said:

I have a problem with the timing and this is tone deaf during a housing crisis. Clare as the housing minister is the one being sent out to clean up this mess. She is right in saying everybody has a right to a personal life, no doubt about that.

The prime minister has every right to make plans for his retirement but I think there is plenty of Australians and probably some of his colleagues that would like to see it happen sooner rather than later.

Updated

Albanese didn’t consult colleagues on property purchase ‘nor should he have’: Bowen

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, did not alert his cabinet colleagues that he intended to buy a $4.3m waterfront property on the NSW Central Coast “and nor should he have”, according to the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen.

Bowen has defended Albanese’s decision to purchase the clifftop home at Copacabana, saying he is entitled to “plan a property portfolio”. He told ABC RN:

Every Australian is entitled to buy and sell property now. Anthony cops it when he sells a property. He cops it when he provides a rent holiday to his tenants. He cops it when he buys a property. I think most average Australians say, ‘Fair enough. This is what aspiration is about.’ Most average Australians say, ‘Well, we all buy and sell properties.’ We should be judged on our policies.

Bowen confirmed Albanese did not discuss the matter with him or other cabinet colleagues. He said he doesn’t speak to the prime minister about his finances either.

He didn’t, and nor should he have … His life circumstances have changed, he is getting married, which is a wonderful thing. He is perfectly entitled to plan a property portfolio. That’s what he’s doing. And most Australians, average Australians, will say, ‘Fair enough. Good on the bloke. Leave him alone.’

Bowen said if Albanese had asked his view, he would have said: “Mate, you do what you think is necessary for your family.”

Updated

PM’s decision to buy Central Coast home ‘a private matter’, Jones says

Stephen Jones was also asked about the prime minister’s decision to purchase a $4.3m clifftop home on the NSW Central Coast.

Asked whether this was a “bad look”, Jones told ABC RN that “those are private matters”.

[He] and his fiancee getting married next year, they’ve sold a couple of properties and are intending to buy a new one. That’s a private matter.

Jones said he doesn’t “know all the circumstances behind all of this” and is focused on delivering on the government’s housing policy:

Our work that we’re doing [with] the states and territories around removing all the obstacles to getting more houses built, this is the stuff that’s going to shift the dial. This is the stuff that’s going to make a difference to ordinary Australians [in] getting a roof over their head and dealing with housing affordability.

These are the policy challenges, and frankly, the other stuff – however much of my grab a headline – is not going to move the issue of housing affordability one iota.

Updated

Assistant treasurer says government to outlaw dynamic pricing

The assistant treasurer and minister for financial services, Stephen Jones, says the government will crack down on “new unfair trading regimes”, including dynamic pricing.

This follows a Four Corners investigation on Monday night that scrutinised the Australian arm of live entertainment behemoth Live Nation, alleging monopolistic behaviour and “maximising profits at the expense of both consumers and artists”.

Jones told ABC RN just earlier:

We’ll look at [outlawing] dynamic pricing, but also other sorts of … subscription traps, everything from streaming accounts to gym membership – which you’ve got a big front door and a really small back door if you want to get out of them …

Drip pricing is another one – one where you think you’re buying a service, it’s got an advertised price, and halfway through the process, the price goes up because they’re adding in other unavoidable fees and charges that should have been alerted to people in the advertising. All unfair, all sharp, all ripping Australians off and adding to the cost-of-living burden on ordinary Australian households.

Asked why the government didn’t observe this was happening prior to the Four Corners investigation, Jones said the government has been looking into this for “around 12 months”.

Updated

Stormy conditions expected until end of week as multiple weather systems merge

Senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury from the Bureau of Meteorology spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier about all the stormy weather across the south-east over the past few days.

She described what is actually occurring in the atmosphere to be causing this:

It’s what we call a complex weather system, which is what happens when a lot of systems work together to make this environment for thunderstorms. We’ve got a high pressure system sitting over south-eastern parts of the country.

Now, winds move anticlockwise around a high, which means for much of NSW and Victoria, those winds are coming from the north-east, pulling down warm, humid, moist air from areas further north and directing it across the eastern states. And that humidity and that warmth is really giving fuel and energy to those thunderstorms.

A cold front is expected to move across the west coast today, But ahead of that, warm, dry and windy conditions will push through WA, increasing the risk of fires around the Pilbara and the Goldfields.

Storms will continue in the east today and tomorrow, Bradbury said, with the new system moving in from the west and merging with it – meaning storms will continue until the end of the week.

We expect extensive thunderstorms through much of South Australia as well tomorrow and then, by Friday, that storm risk is going to push once again back through NSW and Victoria.

Updated

Queensland leaders to lock horns again in election debate

After their deputies traded blows, the Queensland premier and opposition leader are set to face off again ahead of the state election, AAP reports.

As they near the campaign’s halfway mark, the premier, Steven Miles, and the Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, will today lock horns in the second leadership debate in Brisbane.

It will be one of the main campaign events ahead of the 26 October poll.

The premier will face off with Crisafulli in the second debate at the Brisbane Convention Centre this afternoon. They will give opening statements and exchange questions before being peppered by the media in front of a packed audience.

The final debate will be held on 22 October, days before election day.

Updated

Boost for Australian Antarctic program in Tasmania

The Albanese government will contribute $188m over four years to construct a new Macquarie Wharf 6 in the Port of Hobart, securing the long-term future of the Australian Antarctic Program.

As part of a new agreement between the federal and Tasmanian government, the port will be home to Australia’s icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, for the next 30 years – with construction to begin next year.

A joint statement said RSV Nuyina is the “main lifeline” to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations, and it is “essential that it’s able to dock in Hobart”.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement this ensures “Tasmania will remain Australia’s gateway to Antarctica, as it should be”.

The premier, Jeremy Rockliff, said as part of the agreement, the state government would also deliver “appropriate refuelling infrastructure for the Nuyina and other vessels coming into Hobart”.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said the Antarctic and Southern Ocean sector employs nearly 1,000 people in Tasmania and contributes more than $183m each year to the Tasmanian economy.

Updated

Virtually no rentals affordable for essential workers, Anglicare Australia data shows

Only 2.2% of available rentals are affordable for an ambulance worker, and just 0.9% for an early childhood educator or construction worker, according to new data from Anglicare Australia.

The data, released as part of Anti-Poverty Week, provides a snapshot of 45,115 rental listings and found:

  • 696 rentals (1.5%) were affordable for an aged care worker

  • 629 rentals (1.4%) were affordable for a nurse

  • 398 rentals (0.9%) were affordable for an early childhood educator

  • 389 rentals (0.9%) were affordable for a construction worker

  • 352 rentals (0.8%) were affordable for a hospitality worker.

Anglicare’s executive director, Kasy Chambers, said it “should be a national scandal” that “so few of our essential workers can afford to keep a roof over their head”.

Virtually no part of Australia is affordable for aged care workers, early childhood educators, cleaners, nurses and many other essential workers we rely on. It’s no wonder so many critical industries are facing worker shortages.

It’s been clear for years now that the private rental market is failing people on low incomes. Now it’s clear that it’s also failing our key workers – including those who work full-time.

Anglicare is calling on the government to boost social housing and make it an option for more Australians, she said, as well as tax reform “to put people in need of homes, not investors, at the centre of our system”.

Taxpayers should not be funding investors to push up the cost of homes. Momentum is building to change this system once and for all. These results are dire, but they are also an opportunity for change. It has never been more important for governments to take bold action and ensure everyone has a home.

Updated

Good morning

And happy Tuesday – Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off.

If you have any tips, feedback or questions, you can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s get started.

Full Story podcast discusses the Marles-Tarnawsky dispute

One of the Albanese government’s most senior female advisers claims she has been barred from her office and effectively sacked. Richard Marles’ chief of staff, Jo Tarnawsky, alleges in a 45-minute phone call on 30 April after she raised a complaint about other staff behaviour, her employer told her to find another job – and further alleges that was not fair.

In today’s Full Story podcast, political editor Karen Middleton speaks to Reged Ahmad about why Tarnawsky decided to share her story and what this all means for parliament’s already maligned workplace culture.

ANU asks staff to forgo a pay rise

The Australian National University is on a collision course with staff after asking them to forgo an agreed pay rise. The union says the move will do nothing to stave off a potential 638 job cuts and only reveals the chancellery’s “complete mismanagement and delusion”.

The vice chancellor of ANU, Prof Genevieve Bell, sent an email to all university staff yesterday which asked them to give up a planned 2.5% pay rise in December.

Last week the ANU Council gave directions to the chancellery to reduce the university’s recurring cost base by $250m by the end of 2025, including $100m in staff expenditure.

Read the full story here:

Updated

Wong takes aim at Dutton for not backing Middle East ceasefire

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said the suffering across the Middle East “must end” as she also took aim at the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for being unable to “bring himself to back a ceasefire”.

In a speech at the University of Tasmania last night where she released Australia’s new humanitarian policy, Wong repeated the government’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

She also reaffirmed “our call for a diplomatic solution, de-escalation and ceasefire in Lebanon” so that civilians on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border could return to their homes.

Sharpening a domestic political message, Wong said Dutton was wrong to accuse the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of being at odds with Australia’s allies for supporting a ceasefire in Lebanon. She said:

Now Mr Dutton has realised it is he who is at odds with the international community – but he still can’t bring himself to back a ceasefire.

I can’t recall a single time over the past year that Mr Dutton has called for the protection of civilians, or for the upholding of international law.

He never utters a word of concern for innocent Palestinians and Lebanese civilians.

Wong also accused the Greens of being “just as absolutist” in its positions on the conflict.

Last Tuesday, Dutton told parliament the Coalition would not support the government’s motion marking the first anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attacks, in part because it included calls for de-escalation and ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.

Dutton told parliament that “none of us support the loss of civilian life” but he blamed Hamas for “using people as human shields”.

Penny Wong outline's government’s new humanitarian policy

Penny Wong has released the government’s new humanitarian policy, accompanied by an announcement of $9m in humanitarian relief to respond to high levels of food insecurity in Yemen.

The foreign affairs minister noted conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and the Middle East and the increase in the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance.

She said the policy outlined “the role Australia will play at a time when need is outstripping the world’s capacity to respond and disregard for international humanitarian law is increasing”. Wong said:

First, we will build readiness and preparedness, anticipating shocks before they occur and working with our partners to lessen their impact.
As part of this priority, I announce Australia is providing $5m to the new Asia-Pacific Regional Humanitarian Fund to pre-position for the next emergency.

Second, we will respond to crises and disasters, delivering support that meets the needs of crisis-affected populations and protects the most vulnerable, both immediately and over the longer term ...

And third, we will reinforce the international humanitarian system, working to take practical and actionable steps to strengthen adherence to international humanitarian law...

We act globally, but our focus remains our region. We offer genuine partnerships, based on respect, listening and learning from each other.

Updated

Sydney’s Coogee beach closed after 'mysterious black ball-shaped debris' washes up

The origins of “mysterious, black, ball-shaped debris” washed up along the length of Sydney’s Coogee beach are being investigated after the unknown material has closed down the popular eastern suburbs beach.

Lifeguards discovered the debris yesterday afternoon. Randwick council said they may be “tar balls” which are formed when oil comes into contact with debris and water, usually as a result of oil spills or seepage.

However, they won’t be able to confirm what they are until tests are complete. The incident has been reported to the Environmental Protection Authority and Beachwatch NSW.

Randwick council posted to social media last night:

Coogee Beach is closed until further notice after council lifeguards this afternoon discovered mysterious, black, ball-shaped debris washed along the length of the beach.

Council is investigating the origin and composition of the material, which has the appearance of dark spheres.

At this stage it is unknown what the material is, however, they may be ‘tar balls’ which are formed when oil comes in to contact with debris and water, typically the result of oil spills or seepage.

Council is currently arranging for the material to be safely removed from Coogee Beach and is inspecting other nearby beaches. At this stage, only Coogee Beach is known to be affected.

Beach goers are advised to avoid Coogee Beach until further notice and not touch the material, while the clean-up and investigations continue.

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of our best overnight stories before Emily Wind joins you.

Our top story this morning is a warning from universities for students not to fall for the “manipulative” recruitment tactics of the Shincheonji church – a Korean religious sect that former members describe as a cult, and which is increasingly active on Australian campuses. Several universities have recently warned students to be wary of the “secretive” and “manipulative” recruitment tactics used by members of the church on campus.

Anthony Albanese and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will announce plans today to ban unfair trading practices under Australian consumer law, the latest consumer-focused competition and pricing changes proposed by the government and badged as cost-of-living relief. The “dynamic pricing” of concert tickets will be banned as the federal government cracks down on “dodgy” trading practices and tackles hidden fees and subscription “traps” for online shopping, gym memberships and airline tickets.

Penny Wong has said the suffering across the Middle East “must end” as she also took aim at the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for being unable to “bring himself to back a ceasefire”. Speaking in Tasmania last night, the foreign affairs minister also reaffirmed “our call for a diplomatic solution, de-escalation and ceasefire in Lebanon” so that civilians on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border could return to their homes. It comes as the government’s new temporary humanitarian visa pathway for Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Gaza were welcomed by advocates but they warned the three-year option to stay is not good enough for those who have no home to return to. More coming up.

People are being urged to avoid an eastern Sydney beach after it became dotted with mysterious ball-shaped debris. Randwick council said lifeguards at Coogee beach found the unexplained globules on Tuesday afternoon and announced the beach would be closed until further notice.

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