That's it for today, thanks for reading
Here are the main stories on Friday, 24 January:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, addressed the National Press Club in his first major speech for the year, setting out Labor’s re-election bid;
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, spoke to reporters in Adelaide, teeing off at suggestions his tax breaks for business lunches policy would include golf;
Airline disruptions flagged as 1,000 ground workers walk off the job;
The anti-fracking group Lock the Gate Alliance has launched a legal challenge to a Northern Territory government decision to approve another gas exploration project in the Beetaloo basin;
Twenty statues of former Australian prime ministers are vandalised in Ballarat, with Victorian police investigating;
Today Show presenter Alex Cullen will leave the network after allegedly accepting a $50,000 cash prize in return for comments he made on air; and
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Police investigating after a Captain Cook statue was vandalised in the Sydney suburb of Randwick.
Enjoy the rest of your evening and have a great weekend.
Twiggy’s Fortescue joins international group pushing for Fossil Fuel Treaty
Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s energy and mining group Fortescue has become the first major industrial firm to join a push for a fossil fuel treaty to end the expansion of oil, coal and gas.
Forrest, an iron ore mining billionaire who is increasingly outspoken on climate change, joined the treaty initiative’s founder, Canadian environmentalist Tzeporah Berman, to make the announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The initiative has the backing of 16 governments, many from low-lying Pacific nations, alongside the World Health Organisation, the European Parliament and thousands of scientists, civil society groups and more than 850 elected officials from 85 countries.
Forrest has been pushing for companies and governments to adopt “real zero” targets for greenhouse emissions, rather than “net zero” targets. Forrest said:
While fossil fuel companies bury their heads in the sand as while hellish wildfires cause unimaginable damage to Los Angeles, Fortescue and the growing bloc of countries seeking to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty understand the need for real action to combat climate change.
Negotiating a Fossil Fuel Treaty presents a unique opportunity to help realise Real Zero at a global scale through meaningful government and corporate action. I call on other heavy emitters to endorse the treaty proposal and commit to a future beyond fossil fuels.
Yesterday Forrest was pictured at a Davos event sitting alongside former US vice president Al Gore and former US secretary of state and climate change ambassador John Kerry.
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Greens push for Indigenous truth and justice commission
The Greens want to bring their bill for a federal truth and justice commission for Indigenous people back to parliament when it resumes next month, saying the reform would create a more “beautiful and inclusive society”.
Hours after Anthony Albanese said his government didn’t have plans for another referendum and shied away from further moves on Indigenous constitutional recognition, following the failure of the voice referendum, Greens’ spokesperson on First Nations Dorinda Cox said her party wanted more changes. She said in a statement:
The Greens have a bill for a federal truth and justice commission before parliament that could pass when we return to parliament. This bill is supported by key stakeholders and members of our communities.
If Labor was serious about First Nations justice and implementing the Uluru statement from the heart in full, as they promised, they would back our bill.
The Uluru statement set out an agenda of voice, truth and treaty, including a Makarrata commission to oversee truth and treaty processes. The Greens’ bill would act in a similar way. Cox said:
This is why the Greens are calling for support for a federal truth and justice commission. It is vital for our collective healing journey. This can be a new chapter for the healing of our nation and charting a positive, inclusive future for all
We are an amazing culturally diverse and vibrant nation of many people from so many backgrounds, but as Australians we are connected to the oldest living cultures in the world.
The time is now, your voice as an ally is powerful. As we head rapidly towards the 2025 election year, it’s so important we build a beautiful inclusive society grounded in truth and justice. The time is now to move this nation forward, not backwards.
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Here’s our story on the Ballarat statue vandalism:
Police release images of people at Ballarat’s Botanic Gardens on night of alleged vandalism
Victorian police have released the images of people they wish to speak to about a vandalism attack on statues of prime ministers in Ballarat’s Botanic Gardens.
Police said that investigators were seeking to identify four occupants of a silver twin cab ute with a white canopy which attended the southern gardens on Wendouree Parade at 1.23am on Thursday.
Police said the ute and four occupants left at 1.47am.
The estimated damage is about $140,000, with all 20 of the statues vandalised.
Statutes of Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating had their heads removed.
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The always excellent Weekly Beast is ready to be devoured:
Here’s a clip from Anthony Albanese’s address to the National Press Club earlier today:
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, Nino Bucci will take you through the rest of our rolling coverage. Take care, and enjoy your weekend!
Brisbane airport says no delays amid ground workers strike
Earlier today, the Transport Workers Union flagged potential delays at airports across the country as ground workers went on strike.
Brisbane Airport has just confirmed there were no delays as a result of the industrial action this morning.
Olympic cyclist’s guilty plea in wife death-crash case
Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has formally pleaded guilty to a charge linked to the crash that caused the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins.
AAP reports that Dennis, 34, was arrested after Hoskins, 32, was struck by his vehicle in front of their home at Medindie in Adelaide’s inner north on December 30, 2023.
Hoskins suffered serious injuries in the crash and paramedics took her to Royal Adelaide hospital where she died.
At a guilty plea arraignment in the SA district court today, prosecutor Stephanie Moore said while no victim-impact statements would be tendered to the court at the appearance, “I can indicate there will be some forthcoming”.
However, we still need to ascertain the wishes of the people providing those statements, who will read them and if they will be read aloud to the court.
In December 2024, Dennis appeared in Adelaide magistrates court to answer charges of dangerous driving causing death and an aggravated charge of driving without due care. But prosecutors dropped those charges and replaced them with one aggravated count of creating likelihood of harm.
Judge Ian Press today adjourned the matter until 14 April, when sentencing submissions and victim-impact statements will be heard.
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Public viewing of corpse flower 'Putricia' to end at midnight as she approaches collapse
All throughout the day, fans have continued to flock to Sydney’s Botanic Gardens to catch a glimpse of “Putricia” the corpse flower.
After she began blooming yesterday afternoon, dedicated fans lined up in droves to see her, with the gardens remaining open until midnight and experiencing wait times of over three hours.
The gardens reopened at 8am this morning. The Botanic Gardens said that since she opened yesterday, there had been 10,000 visitors.
Since viewing was opened to the public last Friday, more than 20,000 have visited to catch a glimpse.
They said Putricia has begun drooping and would be “fully collapsed at some point tonight”. They would remain open until midnight tonight, when the viewing will come to an end.
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ATP boss backs Melbourne for Australian Open long haul
If the ATP has any say in it, the Australian Open is staying put in Melbourne forever as the season-opening grand slam once again boasts record crowds and bumper TV ratings.
AAP reports that the Open could conceivably come under threat from the likes of cashed-up China or Saudi Arabia – which is perhaps why the Victorian government and Tennis Australia moved to extend hosting rights of the billion-dollar extravaganza until 2046 during the global pandemic.
And if ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has his way, the Australian Open is “absolutely” never going anywhere else:
Here, the park is fantastic. The infrastructure is amazing. You have the city of Melbourne just a few miles away and the people are just great. This is a tennis country. There’s a great history here and it’s amazing.
Together with Paris, London and New York, we have four great infrastructures and cities for grand slams. I see no reason why we should change that.”
The 2025 Open drew 941,635 fans through the gates over the first 12 days of the so-called “Happy Slam”.
With three days remaining, the tournament is on track to surpass last year’s all-time record of 1,020,763 spectators flooding to Melbourne Park and its huge precinct that stretches almost to Federation Square.
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Storms to redevelop across parts of eastern Australia
The Bureau of Meteorology has provided a severe weather update, as storms as set to hit parts of eastern Australia:
Severe Weather Update: More severe storms for eastern Australia.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 24, 2025
Video current: 12:00pm AEDT 24 January 2025.
Latest forecasts and warnings: https://t.co/4W35o8iFmh or the BOM Weather app. pic.twitter.com/3bQIvX8qKo
Second man charged over alleged targeting of Newtown synagogue
A second man has been charged after allegedly trying to set a Newtown synagogue on fire in Sydney’s inner west earlier this month.
NSW police allege on 11 January, two people graffitied the building and fence with offensive symbols, while also attempting to set it on fire.
Police earlier this week arrested and charged a 33-year-old man over the incident, who remains before the court.
Yesterday, police arrested a 37-year-old man in Darling Harbour. He was assessed by paramedics after being shot with a Taser.
He was taken to hospital, and today returned to Day Street police station where he has been charged with destroying property and knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public.
He has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta local court tomorrow.
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Aussie shares rise as Trump calls for cuts in rates
Australian shares are on track for their fourth day of gains this week, AAP reports, after US president Donald Trump demanded cuts in interest rates and the price of oil.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index at midday was up 32.5 points, or 0.39%, to 8,411.2, while the broader All Ordinaries had gained 28.8 points, or 0.33%, to 8,657.9.
For the week the ASX was on track for a 1.2% rise, its third straight week of gains and its best weekly performance so far this year.
Overnight, Trump made a blustering online address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, calling on Saudi Arabia and the Opec oil producer cartel to cut the cost of oil to choke off revenue to Russia and stop its war against Ukraine. Despite Trump’s pressure, the Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged at its first policy meeting of 2025 next week.
Nine of the ASX’s 11 sectors were higher at midday, all except materials/mining and energy. The consumer discretionary sector was the biggest gainer, rising 1.7% as Wesfarmers grew 3% to a more than one-month high of $US74.48.
All of the big four banks were higher, with CBA and NAB up 0.6% and Westpac and ANZ up 0.3%. The energy sector was down 1% amid the drop in oil prices, with Woodside falling 1.4%, Santos dipping 0.4% and Ampol retreating 1%.
The Australian dollar meanwhile had moved back above 63 US cents for the first time since mid-December.
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PM wraps up National Press Club appearance with final question
Taking a final question, a reporter asked what Anthony Albanese’s biggest regret is from the past two and a half years.
The prime minister joked if you look at the media every morning, “I don’t feel the need to give myself a character assessment on a daily basis because I receive it, in some ways, very predictably everyday.”
Albanese said what his government does every day is “our best” because “no government’s perfect”, before listing a number of achievements the government has made. He continued:
I’m happy to stand in support of the record that we have – but also to say that that’s not enough. That’s not how you win a second term. You win a second term through also [outlining] what’s the offer for the second term?
He then listed a number of measures the government has announced, and concluded:
These are the things that drive me to make a difference each and every day. Not [through] self-analysis – I get enough of that from you fine people, and that will continue, and that’s your job. I respect all of that. My job is to get on with building a better Australia. That’s what I intend to do.
PM says Australia ‘obviously’ won’t be withdrawing from Paris agreement
On Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and the ramifications for Australia and the Indo-Pacific, Anthony Albanese said this wasn’t a surprise and “we obviously will not be doing that”.
He said Australia intends to “seize” the challenge and opportunity of climate change:
We’ll await what the implications are for the United States based upon what they do domestically. But if you’re talking about jobs – there’s a lot of jobs involved in the transition to net zero.
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Albanese on Australia’s plans for AI
A reporter asked about Donald Trump’s move to spend US$500m to build data centres across the US, and an order for an AI action plan.
What does means for Australia in terms of competing on AI, and building our own capability?
Anthony Albanese said science and industry minister Ed Husic was working in this area to ensure Australia can “take advantage of the opportunities that will arise from it, whilst understanding some of the risks that are there as well.”
He said Australia needs more energy, and there were “significant investments from companies like Microsoft here in Australia.” The PM lashed the Coalition’s nuclear costings, which rely on Australia having 40% less energy than what Aemo says will be required.
The other things that these data centres will look for, because they’re global industries, is their carbon footprint. So I’ve been looking for opportunities for green energy, in particular. And that is a significant advantage that we have …
I’ve been a part of discussions with significant corporate interests about investing here because of the opportunities here with green energy, the advantage that we have – comparative advantage – in our legal security, our political stability, and where we’re located in the world as well.
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PM says there will be no referendum on any issues if he wins second term
Our own Josh Butler asked the prime minister about the Indigenous voice referendum – which was unsuccessful, but the question of constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians remains unresolved. He asked:
Peter Dutton obviously at some point spoke about symbolic recognition in the campaign. My question is to you – what now? Obviously, maybe Australians don’t have an appetite for another referendum any time soon. But would you – your future government, or another government – set up some sort of a process like the referendum council to chart a course for what is next on this thorny issue?
The prime minister said “we respect the outcome of the referendum” and outlined a number of measures the government had made towards closing the gap.
But he added, “we will not be holding a referendum in our second term on any issues”.
Referendums are hard to win in this country. And we’ve seen that all it takes is opposition … If people have an opportunity, as an opposition, to just say ‘no’, then they do. So, I’m focused on practical outcomes and making a difference. That’ll be my focus next term.
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PM denies Labor is leaving working-class communities behind
A reporter asked if Labor is taking its voter base for granted, after historically being the party for the vulnerable – but leaving working-class communities and the LGBT community feeling left behind through “the census debacle, cuts to immigration [and] attempts to reign in the NDIS”.
Anthony Albanese responded “not at all” and said Labor was “acting in a way which is certainly in the national interest, and to make sure that people aren’t left behind”.
He said what would undermine the NDIS was it “being unsustainable” and “people ripping off the system”.
[We’re working on] reducing growth, not cutting it – reducing growth to 8% annual. That’s hardly an objective which undermines the system. We want a system that has integrity, that has sustainability, because unless it has that, it will be undermined in the future.
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Albanese defends record as reporter outlines ‘mistakes’
A reporter from the Australian newspaper said Anthony Albanese had previously promised to own up to mistakes, and outlined what the reporter views as mistakes – the government’s response to antisemitism, its promise to reduce energy bills by $275, and proceeding with the voice referendum.
The reporter asked, will you own up to getting these issues wrong? Or acknowledge that mistakes were made?
The PM said he rejected the assertion, and noted Scott Morrison had also promised Indigenous recognition in the constitution.
And indeed, the Australian, your publication, had a proud history of campaigning and publishing people like Noel Pearson over a long period of time, advocating for Indigenous recognition in our constitution, in our nation’s birth certificate.
On energy, he noted the global energy crisis that occurred after the $275 reduction promise was made. On antisemitism, the PM outlined a range of measures the federal government had taken – including strengthening legislation about hate symbols and outlawing Nazi symbols for the first time ever.
The other thing that we have done – at each and every opportunity – is to look for social cohesion. Not to look for difference. Not to look for division. And not to look to make partisan points, but to act in a way that’s responsible, that lowers the temperature of debate …
Updated
PM open to three debates with Peter Dutton in lead-up to election
David Crowe, former director of the NPC, said an open invitation stands for Peter Dutton to front the club. He asked Anthony Albanese if he would commit to having three debates at the National Press Club, in the lead up to the election?
The PM deferred to his campaign director Paul Erikssen, and said he is responsible for negotiations.
I certainly think that this an appropriate venue for a national debate here, because what it does is it allows journalists from across the spectrum, as we’ve had here today, from the full spectrum of diversity of media, to be able to ask questions …
I’ll leave it up to Paul Erikssen to finalise that. But certainly, I would applaud his diligence and skills if that is the outcome!
The PM later joked, “I’ll even offer to give Peter Dutton a lift down from Parliament House in case he can’t find it!”
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PM tells Dutton to ‘just chill out’ on Australia Day fight
Q: Do you support calls to boycott pubs and businesses who don’t support Australia Day, and should businesses impose public holiday surcharges?
Anthony Albanese replied that sometimes “Peter Dutton every year has a fight with an imaginary friend over something that most Australians are just getting on with” – being Australia Day.
And one of the things that Australia Day celebrates is the fact that we’re not a Soviet-style command system. You know, like just chill out! Get on with life.
The debates over which company has thongs in it! Last year, you know, it was boycotting Woolworths, Australia’s largest employer. Did I support that? No, I didn’t support that. I support Australia Day. I’ll be celebrating Australia Day.
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PM responds to accusations he is ‘weak leader’
Peter Dutton has labelled Anthony Albanese a weak leader – how does he respond to this? And does he need to be tougher in a second term?
The prime minister said weakness is “not having the guts to come to the National Press Club” and holding just one press conference for the Canberra press gallery in six months’ time, at 1.45pm before the 2pm Question Time.
Weakness is just saying no to everything before you even see the detail. What’s tough is coming here, fronting up, as I did last year, saying that we have changed our mind on tax cuts. Fessing up. It wasn’t what we said we’d do, but it of the right thing to do. And you’ll recall your reports at the time were not glowing of that decision, with respect! …
We’ll continue to make difficult decisions in the national interest, even if at times, there’s a personal cost to it, because I’m determined to lead a government that changes the country for the better.
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‘The only coalition sits on the other side’: PM says he is aiming for majority government
The PM was asked if he would lead a minority government, if that’s what the Australian people deliver?
Anthony Albanese said Labor wouldn’t be entering into any coalitions – and that “the only coalition that exists is [between] the Liberal party and the National party.”
And quite often, it’s the Liberal party, National party and the Greens when it comes to the Senate, combining to block and delay in what I call the no-alition.
He said his government intends to be a majority government:
That’s what we’re working towards. I’ve said it before at the last election, and indealed, in 2013 when I became deputy prime minister, we refused to do arrangements – we just continued to govern on the floor of the parliament.
I’m someone who, though, has always given respect across the board. My door is open to Liberals, Nationals, to a range of people. If crossbenchers want to see me, I think that that is important as well. But as far as agreements are done, the only coalition sits on the other side.
Updated
Albanese defends choice to send Wong to Auschwitz commemoration event
Anthony Albanese was asked about a petition online with 10,000 signatures, asking him to prevent foreign minister Penny Wong from attending a commemoration event held in Auschwitz next week.
What do you say to members of the Australian Jewish community who do not believe she is the best person to represent Australia on that trip next week?
The PM said Wong is someone who “understands racism and discrimination”, and it was appropriate for her to represent Australia – together with attorney general Mark Dreyfus and antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal.
Penny Wong is our foreign minister. She has stood up against antisemitism at each and every opportunity and will always continue to do so. She’s someone for whom a core belief in the dignity of every human being is just a part of her character, as much as any person I have met in my entire life.
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PM weighs in on Australia Day polling
Anthony Albanese was asked about polling showing that support for Australia Day on 26 January are increasing, and whether this is linked to the failure of the voice referendum?
The PM said he “firmly” believes Australia Day is “a celebration of while we are the best country on earth … how do we ensure that we’re even better in the future?”
The Australia Day awards tomorrow night are an inspiration every year. And the citizenship ceremony – seeing the joy on people pledging their allegiance to our country – is something that lifts me up every year.
Albanese said the other focus of Australia Day is recognising “the fact that we are the continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, and what a privilege it is”.
He acknowledged the date is a “hurtful day, a difficult day, for many First Nations people”.
But it’s one in which we can celebrate what we are today – whether it be our great history going back 65,000 years, or whether it is the arrival of Europeans here or whether it be the great multicultural nation we’ve built, particularly since the end of the Second World War.
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PM says his government will support superannuation
A reporter asked if there would be any more changes to superannuation – and if so, will people know before the election?
Anthony Albanese said he expects there would be changes to super under a Coalition government, referencing a decision to allow people to reach into their super and “in many cases reduce it to zero” – leading to impacts on their retirement and “on the national economy as well”.
[If the Coalition] were in government, I would expect changes to superannuation which undermine it. If we’re in government, we’ll continue to be supporters of superannuation because of what it does for retirement incomes, but what it also presents as a national asset to present in the national interest.
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This decade will determine if Australia is successful up to 2050: PM
Asked about falling popularity in the polls, Anthony Albanese was asked why his likability in the past hasn’t translated to him as prime minister?
He said he would “leave the commentating to others,” but added:
What I can say is that every single day, I’ve been focused on leading a government that implements the values that I’ve had my whole life. Making sure that people aren’t left behind.
The PM said his life was “one of aspiration”, that “people can make a better life for themselves.”
I really think that this decade will determine what Australia looks like and how successful we are up to 2050. We need to get it right now or else we’ll fall behind while the rest of the world moves past us.
PM to outline economic policies ‘in coming weeks and months’
Taking questions, the prime minister was asked by Laura Tingle whether Labor can realistically go to another term without some sort of tax reform, to achieve all the things it would like to see done for the Australian people?
Anthony Albanese responded that Labor had managed to deliver two budget surpluses, “the first time that’s happened in 20 years”, and did so by ensuring “our fiscal policy was responsible by making difficult decisions”.
We will, of course, continue to examine responsible economic management. We’ve been through Myefo [mid-year economic and fiscal outlook] and we’re going through budget preparations now as we speak …
Over the coming weeks and months, obviously, we’ll outline a range of policies that we will take to the election. Ours will be costed …
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Albanese wraps up speech with a dig at Dutton for not fronting NPC
Wrapping up his speech, Anthony Albanese said the reason opposition leader Peter Dutton had not fronted the National Press Club is because “he doesn’t like questions [and] he doesn’t have any real answers”.
He’s obsessed with talking Australia down to try and build himself up. But this is not a time for wrecking, for cutting, for thinking small, aiming low, and looking back. This is a time for building, for looking after people and looking to the future.
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‘Consequence’ of next election ‘immediate’, PM says
Anthony Albanese said the “consequence” of the outcome of the next election would be “immediate”.
He said the Coalition wants to take Australia back – “back to keeping wages low, back to Australia being isolated on the world stage and adrift in the Pacific, back to women’s economic equality being treated as a curiosity, not as a priority, back to chaos and internal conflict”.
That’s why this year’s election, your choice has never been more clear. And the consequences of your choice – for your job, your wage, your child’s education, your healthcare, and your environment – have never been more immediate.
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Election a choice between ‘two fundamentally different approaches and vastly different agendas’: PM
Making an election pitch, the prime minister said the upcoming federal election would be a choice between “two fundamentally different approaches and vastly different agendas”.
This year’s election is not a matter of competing plans striving for the same outcome. It’s not two roads that ultimately lead to the same destination. This election is a choice between two fundamentally different approaches and vastly different agendas.
Anthony Albanese continued, saying Labor and the Coalition had “two completely different visions for our nation, for our economy, for our people, and our place in the world.”
It’s a choice between Labor’s plan to help Australians under pressure, and reward their hard work, against the Liberals’ promise to cut what is helping and abandon people who are hurting.
It’s a choice between our determination and optimism, or their fear and negativity. It’s Labor’s belief in the opportunities this decade holds, and our plans for Australians to seize them, against the Liberals’ view that Australia can’t compete and we shouldn’t try.
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PM says Dutton making ‘cuts to everything else’ to play for nuclear policy
On energy, Anthony Albanese said the Coalition wanted to ‘rip’ money out of Medicare, childcare and TAFE, all for “seven nuclear reactors that won’t be ready until some time in the 2040s.”
He said the Coalition’s plan “costs way too much, takes way too long, and will push up power bills while dragging down economic growth.”
That’s based on the Liberals’ own numbers – modelling they commissioned [that] forecasts the Australian economy using 40% less energy in the future.
They’re banking on the closure of heavy industry and manufacturing. They’re counting on mass job losses. Just like when they drove the car industry out of Australia.
Nuclear power means lower wages in a smaller economy with less energy that costs more. That’s the choice Liberals have made. And it means the choice facing Australians is crystal clear. There is Labor, strengthening Medicare, investing in education, building Australia’s future. Or, there is Peter Dutton, his nuclear reactors and cuts to everything else to pay for them.
Albanese lashes Coalition for ‘opposing every single measure’ over past three years
Anthony Albanese said that over the past three years, the Liberals and Nationals have “opposed every single measure we have delivered to help people under pressure.”
Peter Dutton sneers at them as ‘sugar hits’. The Liberals talk about waste. This is the party that gave billions of dollars in Jobkeeper payments to companies that were making record profits … They opposed two years of energy-bill relief for families and small business. And they promised to fight our tax cuts for every Australian before they even saw them.
Now, after all this, the Liberals want every taxpayer to pick up the bill for long business lunches, trips to the movies, golf days and karaoke nights. And they don’t even have the decency to tell taxpayers how much this will cost them.
(Earlier, Peter Dutton told reporters the policy wouldn’t include golf, despite earlier reports.)
At the NPC, Albanese said the Liberals were “prescribing a lethal dose of cuts to all the help that we have provided families with their cost of living”.
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School funding arrangements reached with SA and Victoria, PM says
The prime minister said he has secured new schools’ funding agreements with both South Australia and Victoria.
Anthony Albanese said they join the ACT, NT, Tasmania and WA, 14 years since the Gonski report outlining the National Schooling Resource Standard, which as a nation, Australia had “never reached … for public schools”.
Six of the states and territories are now signed up to better and fairer schools to meet the standards in education that Australian children deserve. And I do want to take this opportunity to thank premier [Peter] Malinauskas and premier [Jacinta] Allan for their cooperation. I also want to thank premier [David] Crisafulli and premier [Chris] Minns for their constructive engagement. And it will be ongoing …
This will mean more money than ever for public schools – but it’s not a blank cheque. Our new funding is for real reform, and it will deliver real results.
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Albanese says difference between Labor and opposition ‘night and day’
Continuing, Anthony Albanese said the contrast between “us and our opponents is night and day”.
We’re strengthening Medicare. The Liberals want to cut it. We’re growing wages. They want to cut them back and keep them low. We’re looking after people’s jobs. The Liberals say we should sacrifice them. We’re building new energy to bring bills down now. Their nuclear fantasy means pressing the pause button for 20 years, then funding the most expensive form of new energy on the planet. We’re backing a future made in Australia. The Liberals are happy to send jobs offshore, like they did with the car industry.
They dismissed our plan to put nurses back into aged care and lift the pay of those who deliver dignity to our older Australians. And while we are investing in education, they oppose it at every turn. The Liberals say reducing student debt by 20% is unfair. Their deputy leader says that 600,000 Australians who’ve been given a chance to learn new skills through free TAFE don’t value that opportunity because they didn’t pay for it. They mocked the 15% pay rise we’re delivering for early educators, and they stand against our plans to build new childcare centres and make childcare more affordable for families.
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Albanese says Labor made choice to get inflation down ‘without treating people as expendable’
Anthony Albanese has been outlining the government’s economic progress since taking office, saying that “cleaning up the mess the Liberals and [Nationals] left behind will be more than three years’ work in ordinary times, let alone during the global storm that we have faced”.
He said that in Australia, inflation peaked lower and later than most countries, and it is back to the RBA’s target band for the first time since 2021.
Inflation is down. Wages are up. And 1.1m new jobs have been created. Under our government, Australia has maintained a faster rate of employment growth than any G7 nation, bar none …
This is because, from the outset, we made a conscious choice to get inflation down, without treating people as expendable. And it was a choice. Our opponents made it clear they would have made a different one.
Albanese said the Coalition said “loudly and often” that “we should have cut everything”.
Frozen investment. Turned our backs on people, and turned the whole place off at the wall. But that’s not the Australian way, and it’s certainly not the Australian Labor way.
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Albanese outlines cash boost for tradie apprentices
Announcing the cash boost for apprentice tradies, Anthony Albanese said the next generation of tradies – “the people we’re counting on to build the new homes we need” – are under “significant financial pressure”.
Right now, a first-year carpentry apprentice earns about two-thirds of the minimum wage. Some apprentices earn even less. That’s before you buy things like tools, safety gear, clothing and boots. Many apprentices have said they could earn more stacking shelves at the supermarket and too many leave training because they simply can’t afford to stay.
The PM said Labor would raise the allowance paid to apprentices living away from home. And for occupations essential for residential construction – like bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters – Labor would provide eligible apprentices up to $10,000 through the new program.
Five payments of $2,000 each on top of their wages.
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Prime minister addressing National Press Club
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has begun addressing the National Press Club in Canberra.
In his speech, the PM will outline the $626m plan for apprentice tradies to get an extra $10,000 from a re-elected Labor government, as he tries to encourage more young people into construction to help build the 1.2m homes he promised by 2030.
As Josh Butler reports, this is Albanese’s first major speech for the year and will set out Labor’s re-election bid. You can read more details on this below:
Albanese began by talking about the importance of infrastructure:
Infrastructure matters to me because I’ve seen the difference that it can make to people – to communities, to our regions, to our economy, to our national way of life. However, I know that building Australia’s future is about more than homes and roads and ports and broadband. More than bricks and mortar. Building Australia’s future is about all of us – every one of us, in every part of our country.
Albanese to speak at National Press Club shortly
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is due to speak at the National Press Club in Canberra at 12.30pm AEDT today – in about 15 minutes.
We’ll bring you all the highlights from his speech, and the subsequent questions from reporters, here on the blog.
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Severe thunderstorms possible across parts of Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast severe thunderstorms for Wide Bay Burnett and southern inland Capricornia today.
It said severe storms were also possible at the Gold Coast, and broadly between Kingaroy and Moranbah.
TODAY's storm FORECAST
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) January 24, 2025
🔴 Severe storms likely: inland Wide Bay Burnett & sthn inland Capricornia.
🟡 Severe storms possible: Gold Coast & broadly between Kingaroy & Moranbah.
Main hazards: DAMAGING WIND, LARGE HAIL & HEAVY RAIN.
🟢 Storms possible.https://t.co/xhhEZNgX0v pic.twitter.com/84sg0cqcHA
Meanwhile thunderstorms, possibly severe, could occur in north-east NSW as well.
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Police say it is unclear why statues of Rudd and Keating were targeted in Ballarat
Victoria police suspect a group of four offenders worked together to vandalise 20 statues of former prime ministers in Ballarat’s botanical gardens earlier this week.
Snr Sgt Brad Hall spoke to media in the city this morning.
He said the offenders could face charges of theft and criminal damage, after the statues were graffitied and the heads were removed from statues of prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating. Hall said:
This isn’t just an act of vandalism or graffiti, this is an attack against the Ballarat community.
The Ballarat Botanical Gardens are a much-loved community location for everybody
Hall said it appeared the damage was similar to another attack on the statues several years ago.
He said police had no sense why the statues of Rudd and Keating had the heads removed, or the motivation for the entire attack.
Police were working through CCTV footage and other evidence, he said, and wished to speak to the occupants of a white ute that was seen in the area early on Thursday morning, about the same time as the attack.
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Seventeen-year-old fighting for life after shooting in Collingwood
Victoria police are holding a press conference about the shooting of two teenagers in inner Melbourne early this morning.
The pair have been hospitalised, with a 17-year-old fighting for his life and another seriously injured.
Det Supt Jason Kelly, in the anti-gangs division, said police responded to shots being fired at about 12.30am:
They located a large crowd of people, potentially up to 50 people, who were in attendance, mostly young people who appeared to have been involved in an earlier incident about one hour earlier in the public housing estate on Hoddle Street in Collingwood.
Kelly said police believed a brawl had taken place. He said police were treating it as a targeted attack.
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Cases of cryptosporidiosis in Victoria above the five-year average, health department says
The Victorian Department of Health says there have been 87 cases of parasitic infection cryptosporidiosis – or “crypto” – so far this year.
While cases typically increase in the warmer months, it said current figures are above the five-year average.
The department is urging Victorians not to swim in public swimming pools for at least two weeks if they have had diarrhoea, as cases increase.
This follows a record 2,349 crypto cases in 2024, which was a 233% increase on the previous year.
Crypto can cause watery diarrhoea and stomach cramps for several weeks, the department said, and those with a weakened immune system are at risk of prolonged illness.
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Measles alert for Sydney airport
NSW Health says a person who was infectious with measles was on an international flight into Sydney, and a domestic flight to the Gold Coast.
It is urging people who attended the following locations to watch for the development of symptoms:
Jetstar flight JQ4 from Honolulu arriving at Sydney international airport at 4.29pm Friday 17 January
Qantas flight QF596 from Sydney to Gold Coast which departed Sydney T3 at 9.03pm Friday 17 January
Sydney international airport from 4.30pm to 6.30pm Friday 17 January
Bus from Sydney international to Sydney domestic airport T3 between 5.30pm to 6.30pm Friday 17 January
Sydney domestic airport T3 from 6.30pm to 9.00pm Friday 17 January
While these locations pose no ongoing risks, people who were on the flights or transiting between the terminals at those times should be on the lookout for symptoms, NSW Health said.
It comes after NSW Health yesterday issued a measles alert for western Sydney.
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Dutton ‘confident’ Coalition can form majority government
Peter Dutton also continued his argument that a vote for Labor was a vote for the Greens, telling reporters in Adelaide:
[For Anthony Albanese to say] he is not going to rule with the Greens in power, it’s complete garbage. And the prime minister should be exposed for that.
Dutton also took aim at the teal independents and said they would “only ever support a Labor government”.
Monique Ryan would never support a Liberal government, so [if] you vote for Monique Ryan, [you’ll] get Anthony Albanese and Adam Bandt. That is the reality.
Dutton said he was “confident” the Coalition could form a majority government at the next election.
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Coalition FTB policy won’t extend to golf, Dutton says
Peter Dutton says the Coalition’s FTB policy wouldn’t extend to golf.
Taking questions around the taxpayer-funded lunches for bosses, the opposition leader took aim at the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, as “the Darrell Eastlake of Australian politics, everything is so over-the-top and so exaggerated”.
And why? Because he doesn’t have a good story to tell, and when he says that this is going to extend to playing golf and the rest of it, it’s not. It’s designed to provide support for a small business with a turnover of less than $10m to come down to a local pub, a local cafe, a local restaurant, and spend money on that cafe, for it to be tax deductible and not fringe benefits. Fringe benefits won’t be applied.
It was widely reported across media at the time that the policy would include golf.
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Dutton questioned on Paris climate agreement and 2035 targets
Asked about the Paris climate agreement after the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said Australia should follow Trump and withdraw, Peter Dutton responded:
I have made comments in relation to these matters yesterday, and we have been specific in relation to our targets around net zero by 2050. There is legislative requirements in the parliament at the moment.
He also said Anthony Albanese should release modelling in relation to 2035 targets:
In opposition, we don’t have any of that … We don’t have the resources of treasury and the central agencies otherwise to be informed in relation to some of the economic settings that the PM has before him.
Dutton yesterday criticised Labor for not setting a 2035 target, despite having ruled out announcing a 2030 or 2035 target of his own before the election. You can read more from Dan Jervis-Bardy below:
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Dutton condemns vandalism of statues of former PMs
Peter Dutton also condemned the vandalism of statues of former prime ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd in Ballarat.
He said Australia should have “great respect for our former prime ministers, regardless of if they are Liberal or Labor”.
They lead the country at different times and we should be respectful of our history, and we should be very respectful of those who have led our country. I would absolutely condemn the actions and as I say, this represents 0.1% of Australia.
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Dutton claims children being ‘indoctrinated’ and calls for Australia to ‘re-establish sense of pride’
Asked about polling showing that support for changing the date of Australia Day is “starting to lose steam”, Peter Dutton said Australia needs to “re-establish our sense of pride”:
We don’t have the patriotism of the United States, but we need to be more proud of who we are. We have university lecturers and some teachers who are telling children they should be ashamed of the history and who we are as a country. It is complete nonsense.
Parents have had enough of it. They want their children to be educated, not indoctrinated, and like all of us, they want a country where we can celebrate the wonderful achievements that we have, the peace and freedom and the ability to speak your mind, to do it freely and fairly and responsibly and according to the law.
Earlier today, the deputy PM Richard Marles said public opinion on 26 January would wax-and-wane from year to year.
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Dutton says vandalism of Captain Cook statue ‘an outrage’
Taking questions, Peter Dutton responded to reports that the Captain Cook statue in Randwick, in Sydney’s east, had been vandalised overnight and called this “an outrage.”
0.1% of the population who would commit such an act [are] un-Australian, and they deserve the condemnation of 99.9% of Australians who are good people and celebrate who we are as a country.
We have a heritage and a history, like every other nation. And there are blemishes, there are elements of our history that you wish you could change if you lived in the 19th century, but we don’t – we live in the 21st century. And in 2025, we should be proud of who we are, proud of the country that we’ve created, and we should be proud to celebrate on our national day.
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Dutton addressing reporters in Adelaide
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is speaking to reporters in Adelaide, touting his taxpayer funded lunches for bosses policy.
He’s been speaking at a local cafe, and said cafes, pubs, restaurants and clubs were the “lifeblood of the local economy”.
This is an opportunity for the local real estate agent or the local builder or the local accountant or whatever it might be to come down to a business like this, to entertain their clients, to try and build up their own businesses … [and] spend money on their staff in a cafe like this, make a tax deductible and take them out of the jungle of the fringe benefits tax.
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Health Services Union calling for targeted funding for aged care and disability apprentices
The Health Services Union has called on the federal government to provide targeted funding for 10,000 new aged care and disability support apprentices.
National secretary Lloyd Williams said an independent review of apprenticeship incentives shows that despite massive workforce shortages, “a lack of funding is preventing disability and aged care apprenticeships from taking off”.
He welcomed the prime minister’s announcement today regarding tradie apprentices, and said this was “exactly why we need similar targeted incentives for aged care and disability support”:
Without targeted funding, Australia risks inflaming the workforce crisis in aged care and disability which would have dire consequences in those critical sectors. With an ageing population and growing NDIS, Australians’ access to quality care and support is at risk.
The HSU stands ready to work with the government to address Australia’s urgent skills needs in aged care and disability.
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Courts staff taking industrial action could affect trials
Court hearings and trials could be disrupted in Western Australia when hundreds of court security and custodial officers walk off the job over a wage dispute.
As AAP reports, Ventia-employed workers are set to strike for eight hours today, with a rally planned in front of a supreme court building in Perth.
The Transport Workers Union, which represents the workers, says the action will prevent prisoners from being transported to courts and disrupt court operations, causing delays in hearings and trials.
The state premier, Roger Cook, said the government would work with the union and he hoped the strike would not affect the court operations.
Union state secretary Tim Dawson said there had been “endless delays and broken promises” and the government had failed to deliver on its promise to commit funding for “safe wages”.
Staff at Ventia are understood to be paid up to 24% less than those of their competitors, even though they do the same job. The union wants a commitment to provide equivalent wages for staff.
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Restoring statue ‘big effort and expense’, councillor says
Randwick city councillor Dr Carolyn Martin spoke with 2GB’s Ben Fordham about the vandalism of Randwick’s Captain Cook statue, which she described as an “absolute mess.”
Speaking on the program earlier this morning, Martin said she noticed the vandalism on her way home. She spotted a step ladder nearby, and said there was red paint “splattered” all over the statue and “they’ve knocked his hand off and also part of his face and nose”.
I’m here with a council worker that looked after it last time when it was damaged, and just to restore it is such a big effort and expense. But that aside, it’s just we’re all just horrified and out of interest.
She said Randwick council ratepayers would have to pick up the bill for the repairs.
On 15 February last year, the statue was vandalised “with part of the sandstone damaged and the statue partially covered with red paint”. Repair works were expected to be completed the following month.
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Randwick City Council confirms vandalism of Captain Cook statue
Randwick City Council has confirmed a statue of Captain Cook has been damaged overnight.
It said in a statement the sandstone hand was “completely removed and the statue partially covered in red paint”.
Council had cleaned and restored the statue after a similar incident last February. Randwick mayor Dylan Parker said in a statement:
Randwick City Council condemns this act of vandalism of the heritage Captain Cook statue. Vandalism has no place in public discussion.
Vandalism is an illegal act that does a disservice to progressing your cause, a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation.
Council staff are currently actioning plans to clean and restore the statue.
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Police investigating after Captain Cook statue vandalised in Randwick
NSW police are investigating the vandalism of a statue in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The Daily Telegraph reported images of the Captain Cook statue at Randwick covered in red paint and with its hand knocked off, ahead of Australia Day this weekend.
Police said a number of items were seized at the location and a crime scene had been established, to be forensically examined by specialist police.
Police are working with Randwick Council to assist with the removal of the graffiti.
We have contacted Randwick city council for more information, and will bring you the latest as soon as we can.
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Two teenagers allegedly shot in Collingwood overnight
Victorian police are investigating after two teenage boys were allegedly shot early this morning.
Emergency services were called to Collingwood this morning where two boys were found with gunshot wounds, about 1am.
A 17-year-old boy was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, and a 15-year-old boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Police understand a large group of people were fighting on Hoddle Street prior to the shooting. Police said in a statement:
Detectives believe the incident was a targeted attack and are working to establish the exact circumstances. Police are continuing to patrol the area for public reassurance.
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Ballarat Botanic Gardens Foundation ‘deeply saddened’ over vandalism
Just circling back to our earlier post, that the statues of former prime ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd were vandalised at the Ballarat Botanic Gardens.
The Ballarat Botanical Gardens Foundation has issued a statement on the vandalism, in a post to social media:
Like many members of the Ballarat community, we are deeply saddened to hear of the vandalism of Prime Ministers Avenue today.
The avenue is a source of pride for the local community and has been a site of national significance since it was opened by the Governor of Victoria in 1940.
Our thoughts are with the Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and staff as we know they value appreciate and love the gardens.
This blatant violation of this vital part of their story and heritage is a severe blow to not only the community but to all who work and care for the gardens.
Total fire ban in place for parts of NSW
The NSW Rural Fire Service says a total fire ban is in place for the Northern Slopes area today amid hot and dry conditions.
Tamworth and Inverell are both forecast to reach a top of 36C today.
A heatwave warning is in place for parts of the state, with temperatures creeping into the low 40s over the Northwest Slopes and Plains. The Bureau of Meteorology said:
Severe heatwave conditions over the north-east are expected to ease to low intensity for the next few days before intensifying again from later in the weekend.
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Today Show presenter Alex Cullen to leave network
Today Show presenter Alex Cullen will leave the network after allegedly accepting a $50,000 cash prize in return for comments he made on air.
The news was broken by Today host Karl Stefanovic on this morning:
As most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week. There has been widespread reporting on the circumstances surrounding this, what I can say is that last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network.
Wong meets with UN secretary general overnight
Overnight the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, met with UN secretary general António Guterres. Sharing a photo to X, Wong said:
[Guterres] and I discussed today the need to maintain the protections that are inherent in the UN Charter and codified in the Geneva Conventions. I reiterated Australia’s support for UN reform, so the system better serves us all.
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres and I discussed today the need to maintain the protections that are inherent in the UN Charter and codified in the Geneva Conventions.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) January 23, 2025
I reiterated Australia’s support for UN reform, so the system better serves us all. pic.twitter.com/RPf1VRxywK
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Statues of former prime ministers among those vandalised at Ballarat Botanic Gardens
Police are investigating after a large number of statues were vandalised at the Ballarat Botanic Gardens earlier yesterday morning.
This includes statues of former prime ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd, the Courier Mail reported.
In a statement, police said 20 statues were damaged at the gardens in Lake Wendouree sometime between 2m and 5am yesterday morning.
The heads of two statues have been removed and stolen. The name plates of the remaining statues have been covered in spray paint.
Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
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Sydney airport statement on TWU ground worker strike action
Sticking with the ground worker strikes, and a spokesperson with Sydney airport has provided a brief statement:
We are ready to support our airline partners in mitigating the impact on their operations and encourage passengers traveling today to stay alert for messages from their airlines.
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Dnata releases statement amid ground workers strike across Australian airports
Dnata, the aviation services company that hires ground workers, says it is “deeply disappointed” the Transport Workers Union has withdrawn from an in-principle agreement reached in December.
In a statement released this morning amid industrial action, a spokesperson said:
This agreement, negotiated in good faith with Michael Kaine, the national secretary of TWU and other senior union officials, was finalised a week before Christmas to prevent planned stoppages that could have disrupted travel for people heading to their loved ones.
The agreement provided a 11% pay increase over 2 years, including an immediate 8.5% pay increase for the majority of employees, alongside improvements to terms and conditions.
Dnata said it was “extremely concerning that the union is now pushing for demands that are far higher than what was previously agreed upon” – with claims for an 11% immediate increase and further 6% increase in six months “entirely out of step with our financial outlook and the economic realities we face”.
Such demands are neither realistic nor sustainable, and contradict the principles of constructive and balanced bargaining. Implementing them would threaten the sustainability of our operations and put nearly 5,000 jobs at risk.
While we remain committed to achieving a fair outcome that supports our employees, we will not jeopardise the stability of our business and operations.
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TWU provides more detail on why ground workers are striking
The national secretary of the Transport Workers Union, Michael Kaine, just spoke with ABC News Breakfast about the ground workers strike today – as flagged earlier.
He said ground workers are the ones who “make sure that the belly of the plane is properly packed, weighed correctly so the pilot can sign off”, as well as dealing with baggage.
They’ve been negotiating for over a year now, and still, the company is holding out on a decent arrangement …
Kaine said the jobs used to be full-time permanent directly employed by the airlines, but “Alan Joyce changed all of that”.
He outsourced all of the work, split it up amongst multiple companies. Pitted them in competition with each other and the result is that terms and conditions now are at rock bottom … So they’re asking for better terms and conditions, better job security.
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Two men charged over alleged assault of off-duty police officers in Newtown
Two men have been charged with the alleged assault of two off-duty police officers in Sydney’s inner west.
Police said the officers, both 25-year-old male constables, had been walking along Enmore Road in Newtown after attending a concert when they approached three unknown men in their 20s who were arguing. A police spokesperson alleged:
The two off-duty officers were assaulted with one of them knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked to the head.
Police said they were called to the scene at about 11pm and found a “25-year-old man unconscious on the roadway”.
An off-duty nurse performed CPR on the off-duty officer until paramedics arrived and took him to Royal Prince Alfred hospital, where he remained in a serious but stable condition.
Police arrested two men, aged 18 and 20, at a home in Mascot about 3.20pm. They were taken to Mascot police station.
The 20-year-old was charged with causing grievous bodily harm, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The 18-year-old was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and larceny.
They were refused bail to appear at Downing Centre local court today. Police said inquiries to locate the third man are ongoing.
Brisbane Airport says it is ‘business as usual for vast majority’ amid industrial action
A very small number of flights could experience baggage delays at Brisbane Airport today amid industrial action.
As we flagged earlier, the Transport Workers Union said about 1,000 ground workers hired by aviation services company Dnata were walking off the job today.
A spokesperson from Brisbane airport said in a statement:
75,000 people will travel through Brisbane Airport today and it will be business as usual for the vast majority.
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Australian police commissioners to meet weekly to discuss intelligence, following spate of antisemitic attacks
The NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, spoke with ABC RN this morning about the recent spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney.
She was asked about news from the AFP it was investigating potential foreign influence in the attacks – does NSW police have any further information on this theory?
Catley said NSW police would “follow every line of inquiry that they believe is pertinent to making arrests in relation to these antisemitic attacks”.
Certainly the arrests that have been made thus far … [are] before the court [and] we don’t want to prejudice those particular cases. And if it came to light that that was the case, then the NSW police would tell us.
But in terms of intelligence, right across the country, NSW police and other jurisdictions for that matter, work hand in glove with the AFP and with our other intelligence agencies, and they share information.
She said police commissioners have agreed to week meetly to “share information that they gather in any given week”.
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‘I don’t get why we’re trying to politicise the issue of opposing antisemitism’, Marles says
Peter Dutton and Richard Marles also had a back-and-forth on whether or not the government has been slow to respond to antisemitism, after a spate of attacks in Sydney.
Marles said that Dutton was “part of a government which said that Australians have a right to be bigots” and now, “it is that which underpins all form of bigotry and antisemitism in this country”.
It was Peter who was part of that government for nine years in which nothing happened. I don’t get why we’re trying to politicise the issue of opposing antisemitism.
I get that Peter is opposed to it. We are opposed to it. This is a moment, actually, where governments and oppositions need to come together and stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism, rather than try and score political points on it.
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Dutton and Marles trade barbs on housing
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has signalled the Coalition may support Labor’s apprentice payment policy. Speaking on the Today Show earlier, he said:
We support a program that’s going to get more apprentices into the system. But we’ve got a housing crisis that Labor’s created, and … of the [1.2m homes], close to zero have been built.
They’ve promised 1.2m. It just hasn’t happened, and that’s why people are feeling the crunch. They can’t rent a house, they can’t buy a house, and people are right to be angry.
The deputy PM, Richard Marles, was also on the program, and said “Peter can sit on the sidelines carping, but at the end of the day, he has done nothing to support new people into the industry, nor has he supported anything to see more housing approvals, to work with the states and local government to get that.”
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Wayne Swan says part of Australia Day is ‘tolerance and recognising Indigenous history’
ALP national president Wayne Swan has also weighed in on Australia Day, while speaking on the Today Show.
He said Australia Day citizenship ceremonies are one of the things he misses most about being an MP, and the day was about “celebrating what makes our country great and the values that underpin that”.
There’s always going to be a debate about the day, and some people will want to call it Invasion Day. I don’t think that’s the road we should go down, but we should recognise there is a debate.
We’ve only honoured Australia Day on this day since 1994. [In] 1994 it became [an] official holiday, so there’s not some long tradition about this. The most important thing to do is to come together and celebrate what makes the country great. And that includes tolerance [and] that includes recognising Indigenous history.
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Marles says public opinion on 26 January as Australia Day would ‘wax and wane from year to year’
Richard Marles was asked about polling in the Nine newspapers showing rising support for Australia Day – why does he think that is?
The deputy PM said poll numbers would “come and go”.
Obviously, we need to be sensitive to the history of Australia Day, but this is the day on which we celebrate our nation and our nation is very much worth celebrating, and I look forward to Australia Day …
You’ll see the numbers wax and wane from year-to-year. At the end of the day, ours is a country worth celebrating. This is the day that we do it and that’s what I’m going to do on Monday.
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Marles says American leadership ‘so important’ to ensure ‘global rules-based order’
Richard Marles was also asked how Australia would respond if the US moved to acquire Greenland through force – would that put substantial strain on our military ties?
Marles said he didn’t want to get into hypotheticals, and responded:
What we want to see, and what I’m sure we will see, is ongoing American leadership in the world. American leadership has been so important in terms of ensuring that the global rules-based order, which has been built up in large part with American leadership since the end of the second world war, that the global rules-based order is maintained, and that matters to Australia because as an island trading nation, we are deeply engaged … it matters very much to our national interest.
And so, seeing an ongoing American leadership in respect of this is really important. And I’m sure that that is what we’re going to see under the Trump administration.
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Marles weighs in on US defence lead pick
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier where he discussed the latest on the Aukus deal.
Specifically, the US president Donald Trump’s pick to appoint former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defence lead. Is he is the right person for the job, and to work with Australia on the Aukus deal?
Marles said he looks forward to meeting Hegseth and “obviously, we’re waiting for the processes in America to play out”:
But I fully expect that Pete Hegseth will be endorsed and nominated as the secretary of defence. And when that occurs, we will look forward to having an early engagement with Pete Hegseth.
We are very keen to be working with the Trump administration on all the issues that occur within the alliance. Defence is a key part of that. And as you said, Aukus is very central to all of that …
I look forward to being able to talk that over at the earliest opportunity with Pete Hegseth.
Updated
Airline disruptions flagged as 1,000 ground workers walk off the job
The Transport Workers Union is flagging airport disruptions as ground workers hired by aviation services company Dnata prepare to walk off the job.
The national secretary of the Transport Workers Union, Michael Kaine, told the Today Show “there will be disruptions”.
Industrial action is always a last resort. You don’t get 1,000 workers taking industrial action unless something is seriously wrong, and there’s something seriously wrong at Dnata.
It’s a year now since these workers have been negotiating for their agreement. They are owed improvements in their pay and conditions from June last year, and they’ve said enough is enough …
There’ll be disruptions at Sydney airport, at Melbourne airport, at Brisbane airport and there’ll be flight delays.
We’ll keep an eye on this throughout the day and bring you the latest updates here on the blog.
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People queue to see corpse flower ‘Putricia’ from 5am
As we mentioned earlier, Sydney Botanic Garden’s will reopen from 8am this morning for people to catch a glimpse of corpse flower “Putricia”, who began blooming yesterday afternoon.
But it seems her fans began lining up much (much) earlier this morning. The Today Show spoke with two women, Caitlin and Paige, who had been turned away last night and decided to line up again this morning at 5am:
We got here around 8.30[pm] and we were turned away. So that’s why we’re here bright and early to try and see this flower.
The two girls first met as they were being turned away from last night’s queue, and coincidentally ran into each other in line this morning. Paige said:
For me it was actually my birthday yesterday, and for it to bloom on my birthday just feels like it’s a bit special. And it’s meant to be symbolic of rebirth. So I thought I’d just come and soak up some of the flower’s energy, I guess.
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Clare says Dutton’s push to legislate 26 January as Australia Day ‘same fake fight we have every year’
Circling back to the education minister, Jason Clare, who had been speaking on Sunrise earlier.
He was asked about Peter Dutton’s key proposal to keep Australia Day on 26 January, and if Labor would follow suit. But Clare said “the date’s not changing” and “we have the same fake fight every year”.
This is just another distraction from Dutton to conceal this stinker of a policy. There is a smelly flower in Sydney today, [but] the real stinker here is this idea that taxpayers should pay for their boss’s lunch, and [he] still won’t tell us how much it’s going to cost.
The host said that Dutton wanted to put 26 January as Australia Day into law – would Labor? Clare said it was already in employment law:
That’s what I’m saying. It is a fake fight to distract from the mess of Peter Dutton’s crazy policies.
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Lock the Gate launches legal challenge to NT government gas approval
The anti-fracking group Lock the Gate Alliance has launched a legal challenge to a Northern Territory government decision to approve another gas exploration project in the Beetaloo basin.
The case in the territory’s civil and administrative tribunal is challenging the merits of the government’s approval of the environment management plan for Empire Energy’s “Larrimah” exploration project.
The alliance, represented by Johnson Legal, will argue the project would pose a major risk to ground and surface water.
The project, located west of Larrimah, would involve the drilling of up to six exploratory wells. Larrimah is located about 80km from the renowned Bitter Springs thermal pools near Mataranka.
Lock the Gate Darwin spokesperson Pete Callender said they believe “the impacts and risks of the project to water resources are likely to be far greater than predicted by the NT government”.
The case is scheduled for a directions hearing in Darwin today. A CLP government spokesperson said:
Our robust regulation of the onshore petroleum industry is informed by the best available science. As the project is before the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, it would be premature to make any further comment on the matter.
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NTEU backs Labor’s move to seek parliamentary inquiry into university governance
The National Tertiary Education Union has strongly backed Labor senator Tony Sheldon’s announcement today to seek a parliamentary inquiry into university governance.
Sheldon, chair of the Senate Education and Employment Committee, said the probe would cover wage theft, insecure work, transparency and high vice-chancellor salaries.
The NTEU has been campaigning for a federal parliamentary inquiry after growing concern over ongoing wage theft in the sector, which it estimates at $265m nationally, and consultant fees totalling $734m. National president Dr Alison Barnes said:
For too long, vice-chancellors and senior executives have escaped any real accountability for some of the terrible decisions that have damaged our public universities. An inquiry would be a golden opportunity to get to the bottom of what’s allowing the wage theft epidemic, rampant casualisation and a raft of other serious problems to flourish in our sector.
This is the path to lasting reform that will ensure staff can deliver the world-class teaching and research our students and community deserve.
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Clare touts apprentice policy as Ley flags potential Coalition support
The education minister, Jason Clare, spoke with Sunrise earlier to tout Labor’s plan to apprenticeship payments, and said:
If they are living away from home, there is extra money to help pay the rent. It’s a good policy. Compare to that crazy policy that Peter Dutton announced to make taxpayers pay for boss’s lunches. Insane.
Deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, was also on the program and said the Coalition would look at the policy – but she thinks “we can support it because Labor’s cost-of-living crisis has hit tradies and apprentices particularly hard”.
It’s so tough to be an apprentice now. You just can’t afford your basic cost of living. But just remember in the time it’s taken Labor to announce this policy, we’ve lost over 80,000 apprentices and trainees from the skills and training pipeline. The number of women starting in trades and training has halved. We’ve lost 26% of our construction trade apprentices … So, [it] is really tough out there right now.
After some back and forth, Ley was asked to clarify the Coalition’s position and whether it would support the policy, and said:
We are likely to.
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Master Builders Association responds to Labor cash boost plan for apprentice tradies
As Josh Butler reported earlier, apprentice tradies stand to get an extra $10,000 from a re-elected Labor government as Anthony Albanese tries to encourage more young people into construction to help build the 1.2m homes he promised by 2030.
The Master Builders Association has responded to the news, with CEO Denita Wawn saying the revised staggering of payments is something it “has long called for, so there is a financial incentive for apprentices to complete their training”:
Around 50% of all apprentices do not complete their training – the new staged payments approach will hopefully see the rate of completions increase.
Builders would like to see this payment expanded to other areas of the building and construction industry that are also facing chronic shortages and crying out for more apprentices. Without roads, rail, sewerage and water we can’t build more homes for Aussies.
Wawn said she was “disappointed” the high costs of hiring and training apprentices “has not been recognised as yet”, adding:
Master Builders continues to call for a robust incentive system that supports employers and minimises the risk with taking on an apprentice who may or may not complete their training.
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Thousands queue to catch glimpse of Sydney's resident corpse flower ‘Putricia’
Sydney’s Botanic Garden’s remained open until midnight last night, as thousands queued to catch a glimpse (and a whiff) of corpse flower “Putricia”, as she began blooming.
But the crowd was so big, the garden’s had to cut people off at 8.15pm – with a three-and-a-half hour-long wait, and those at the end not expected to make it to the front of the queue until midnight.
Among those in the queue was singer Gillian Welch, who went to see Putricia before her first Opera House gig.
Putricia began blooming early afternoon yesterday, with corpse flowers only expected to bloom for 24-48 hours. You can already see, on the livestream below, that her tip has started to droop in the last 20 minutes:
The gardens will be reopening from 8am this morning, for those still hoping to catch a glimpse of this Sydney celebrity.
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Good morning
And happy Friday – Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Thanks, as always, to Martin for kicking things off for us. I’ll be taking you through our live coverage for most of today.
You can reach out with any tips, feedback or questions via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s go.
Warning of waterfall dangers after teen deaths
The tragic deaths of two teenagers at a popular waterfall show the dangers of the slippery rocks and turbulent water, experts have told AAP.
Honor Ward, 17, fell off a waterfall and failed to resurface at Wappa Falls on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon. Her friend Beau Liddell, 17, jumped into the water to save her but also failed to resurface.
As the community mourns the deaths, James Cook University professor of public health Richard Franklin says the tragic deaths serve to warn others of the hidden dangers of waterfalls.
Figures by Royal Life Saving Australia from 2022-23 reveal there were 76 deaths at rivers or waterfalls versus 75 at beaches across Australia. The agency also estimates that about 5% of drownings in inland water sources took place at waterfalls or swimming holes over the ten years to 2021.
Prof Franklin said popular swimming locations often come with potentially fatal hazards from slippery rocks, unexpected currents and turbulent water.
Waterfalls can be particularly dangerous when water cascades to carve out a deep pool, known as a plunge pool, which can have turbulence and currents that pull in and trap swimmers, he said.
He urged waterfall swimmers to check for dangers before taking the plunge.
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Restrictions lifted as avian flu outbreak eradicated
All restrictions on poultry and egg producers have been lifted as authorities declare a regional avian influenza outbreak eradicated, AAP reports.
The Hawkesbury outbreak was one the most significant in NSW with more than 320,000 animals destroyed since June 2024 to curb the spread of the potentially devastating disease.
The strain was found at two commercial poultry farms and four other premises but no new cases have been found since July 2024.
From today, restrictions on the movement of birds, objects and other equipment will end and designated emergency zones will be scrapped.
It was not connected to an earlier outbreak in Victoria, which led to about 1m birds being destroyed.
Cases detected in Australia are different to the H5N1 strain that has devastated animal populations overseas.
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Labor senator to seek inquiry into university governance
The Labor senator Tony Sheldon will seek the support of a Senate committee to establish an inquiry into university governance today. He said it should “urgently examine” issues in the embattled sector including wage theft, widespread casualisation and the hefty pay packets of vice-chancellors.
Sheldon, who chairs the Senate education and employment committee, said the move came in light of “continued governance scandals in the higher education sector”.
An independent inquiry has been consistently lobbied for by the National Tertiary Education Union, and complements the establishment of an independent expert council to advise education ministers on governance matters.
Sheldon said the inquiry would tackle a wage theft figure approaching $400m, noncompliance with workplace laws, expenditure on external consultants and concern around vice-chancellor renumeration and conflicts of interest.
He will seek to establish the inquiry prior to the upcoming parliamentary sitting fortnight, with a view to holding public hearings with vice-chancellors and other key stakeholders shortly after the parliament rises.
University vice-chancellors have questions to answer about the extraordinary range of governance issues that have arisen on their watch.
There’s no other job in Australia where you can be paid so exorbitantly while performing so badly, with seemingly no consequences or accountability for the impact on university staff and students. It’s clear the Liberals’ and Nationals’ governance framework is failing, which is why the Albanese government is taking swift action to rein in [the] sector.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Emily Wind to guide you through to the long weekend.
Anthony Albanese will be hoping to get on the front foot policy-wise again today when he announces a new initiative to bolster the construction industry at the National Press Club in Canberra. The prime minister’s plan is to give apprentice tradies an extra $10,000 from a re-elected Labor government in order to encourage more young people to go into the building industry and therefore help meet his home-building targets of 1.2m homes by 2030. We’ll have more of his speech when he makes it at 12.30pm.
New South Wales health officials are braced for more psychiatrists to resign today as the doctors’ pay dispute continues. The health minister, Rose Jackson, said yesterday that 43 psychiatrists had quit so far and more were expected in the “coming days”, while 99 doctors had delayed their resignations. More than 60 mental health beds in public hospitals are temporarily closing in New South Wales as some hospitals are being given directives to limit psychiatric assessments because of the mass resignations. More coming up.
University executives have been put on notice over wage theft, spending and conflict-of-interest concerns as the federal government attempts to launch a probe. Labor senator Tony Sheldon is seeking the support of a Senate committee to establish an inquiry into university governance after a spate of scandals within the sector. More details coming up.
