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

Police allegedly pepper-sprayed 13-year-old at Sydney rally, legal observers say – as it happened

Hezbollah AFL Peter Dutton Peta Credlin Melbourne Kevin Rudd Tony Abbott Australia Penny Wong United States
Protesters wave flags and chant
Protesters gather to mourn the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a rally in Sydney on Sunday. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

What we learned, Monday 30 September

As we draw to the end of our live news stream this Monday, here’s a look at what’s been keeping us busy:

That’s all for now. Thank you for joining us – we’ll be back bright and early tomorrow.

Updated

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network said it is “dismayed” by the attention politicians and the media is giving to a “handful of flags” at the weekend’s Palestine and Lebanon solidarity protests, “rather than confronting Israel’s expansion of violence across the region.”

APAN president Nasser Mashni said:

This obsession with flags serves as a convenient distraction, allowing our leaders to continue to ignore the massacre of the people of Lebanon and Palestine, and other Arabs, and sidestep the urgent conversations about our complicity in genocide.

‘Proper regulations’ needed to protect telco customers during crises, Hanson-Young says

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says “proper regulations” are needed to protect telco customers in the event of crises.

Speaking with the ABC about the Optus outage last November, she said “millions of Australians, thousands and thousands of small businesses” were failed that day.

We need to make sure there’s some proper regulations about communicating where there’s a crisis. We’re asking for … requirements for telecommunication companies to share roaming ability, so if a big telco goes down, actually it’s not the consumer or the user, the member of the public, that’s left in the lurch.

Transitioning between providers was possible, she said, but required regulation, direction “and some proper rules put in place”.

Unrelatedly, she said she did not see any Hezbollah support at a pro-Palestinian protest in Adelaide over the weekend.

“It was a very peaceful event. But it was a very sombre event,” she said.

Referring to Hezbollah support seen at protests in Melbourne and Sydney over the weekend, she said distractions from well-meaning events expressing community “heartache” over the Middle East were “always frustrating”.

From what I saw in Adelaide, people just want peace. They want peace and they want our government to be stronger in bringing that about.

Updated

‘Results are clear’: Sydney’s queer community does not want police to march in Mardi Gras parade

Sydney’s queer community does not want the police to participate in the Mardi Gras parade, according to a report released today.

Pride in Protest said that after putting pressure on Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, its organisers agreed to seek direction from the queer community earlier this year on whether the NSW police should be allowed to participate.

Mardi Gras organisers ran a series of town hall meetings in August and September, with the results showing a majority of participants not wanting the police to participate in the Mardi Gras Parade, Pride in Protest said.

The Mardi Gras board will now put a motion to Mardi Gras members at the 2024 AGM in December to disallow a police float in the annual parade, Pride in Protest said.

Luc Velez, Pride in Protest member and Mardi Gras board director said:

The qualitative and quantitative results of the consultation are clear – our community doesn’t want the police to march.

The community town halls heard story after story about how queer people feel unsafe around police. People spoke about police using slurs, of them not taking sexual assault victim-survivors seriously because they were queer, and of police deliberately misgendering and deadnaming people in custody.

Read more below:

Updated

Driver fined after going more than 50km over speed limit in roadworks zone

A Tasmanian driver has been handed a $1,161.50 infringement notice and had his vehicle seized after being caught speeding at 96km/h in a 40km/h roadworks zone.

The 42-year-old man from Newstead also faces a four-month disqualification from driving after police stopped the Nissan X-Trail he was driving on the East Tamar Highway at Long Reach this afternoon.

Tasmania police inspector Aleena Crack said:

By targeting motorists travelling through roadworks we’re making sure the employees at those work sites get to go about their jobs in a safe environment.

In many cases, speeding in these sorts of areas is due to driver inattention.

Updated

Australia third-biggest market for child exploitation material from the Philippines

Australia is one of the biggest markets for child exploitation material from the Philippines, with experts pushing for the government to legislate a social media duty of care to protect children from growing harm.

Data from the Philippines anti-money laundering council tracing the financial origin of money paid to view child exploitation material or live streams of children being abused, placed Australia behind only the United States and United Kingdom.

That backs an Australian Institute of Criminology study from 2020 which found 256 Australians had spent $1.3m over 13 years to access child abuse material from the Philippines.

The Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society has spent the day hearing about the dangers of social media, and the need for regulations to protect children, in particular, from danger.

That included the sexual exploitation of children, including on live streams.

International Justice Mission Australia CEO, David Braga, said social media platforms remained the “easiest platform people can get access to” and more needed to be done to force the social media companies to take action.

“It’s the right time to take this action,” he said.

There may be other places that we then have to act again in future, but right now, people are being harmed today, easily, through these platforms. That has to stop.

Braga said social media companies could use AI technology to block material before it was shown from the broadcasting end, as well as blocking it from reaching the receiver (he used the example of existing technology known as Harm Block).

“We’re talking about some of the most sophisticated technology companies on the planet,” he said.

It shouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for them to also put in place these types of controls and increasingly improve it, using the AI capability to increase the level of precision around detection and blocking it.

Braga said putting a legal duty of care on social media companies (and tech companies which create devices) would move the companies to ensure their products protected children from harm.

We would love to see that legal duty of care and increased penalties. And if you combine that with what I’ve already mentioned about the fact that the technology exists, they can do this.

Updated

NSW police allegedly pepper-spray child at Palestine-Lebanon rally

NSW police allegedly pepper-sprayed a 13-year-old child and two others after officers attempted to pull a Hezbollah flag off a protester at the Palestine-Lebanon rally in Sydney, according to legal observers.

Legal observers at the rally on Sunday said police deployed pepper spray “indiscriminately” on the crowd after the protester did not surrender the flag.

Waving a Hezbollah flag at a protest did not necessarily meet the threshold for arrest, according to the Australian federal police.

“The mere public display of a prohibited symbol on its own does not meet the threshold of a commonwealth offence,” a spokesperson said, adding that the symbol must also be displayed alongside conduct considered to insult or intimate people to be considered an offence.

The spokesperson said police have the power to direct a person to remove a prohibited symbol from public display, but they do not have the power to remove the prohibited symbol from public display themselves. However, a person can be charged for failing to comply with police officers’ directions to follow an order to remove a symbol.

A number of people at the Sunday rally were holding pictures of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before the rally.

The flag is considered a prohibited symbol given Australia has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organisation. A protester who spoke to Guardian Australia on condition of anonymity said the flag is viewed by some as a symbol of the liberation of southern Lebanon from the occupation of Israel.

A volunteer medic who attended to the 13-year-old after they were allegedly pepper-sprayed said “the child is OK, but was definitely shaken by police violence”.

“We strongly discourage the use of pepper spray by police … during protest as it’s far too easy to cause harm to attendees or bystanders,” the medic said.

Adam al-Hayek, a member of Legal Observers NSW (LONSW), said:

The use of OC spray at yesterday’s protest was not only harmful to children and other protesters, but was also unreasonable and without lawful justification.

This pattern of unnecessary and unwarranted weapon use is reckless and a risk to public safety. Dangerous weapons have no place at protests.

Guardian Australia contacted NSW police for comment.

Updated

BoM model still downplays La Niña prospect but outlook looks relatively wet

Whether a La Niña will form later this year in the Pacific has been a contentious matter for much of the year. Judging by the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest model run, conditions don’t point to one forming this year:

To be sure, BoM has been an outlier for a while, with the US counterparts NOAA still rating the chance of a La Niña forming by November as almost a three-in-four chance (though they do have a lower bar to clear).

BoM will release its fortnightly climate drivers update tomorrow, and we’ll see how those other models compare. (It’s likely the agency will retain its “La Niña Watch” status.)

Meanwhile, in the Indian Ocean, BoM sees conditions tilting towards the negative dipole phase (measuring relative sea surface temperatures in that basin’s west and east), which usually means wetter than usual conditions for much of Australia.

As our esteemed colleague Graham Readfearn recently reported in this article, climate change – particularly hotter seas almost everywhere – makes it harder to link, say, La Niñas with wetter than typical weather for eastern Australia.

That’s why BoM prefers people heed its seasonal outlooks instead. The October-January period looks like being unusually damp, La Niña or not.

That beach umbrella, in other words, may end up being dual use this summer.

Updated

Middle East conflict inflaming tensions in Australian communities

Staying with finance minister Katy Gallagher’s conversation with Greg Jennett on Afternoon Briefing in which the finance minister said that the escalation of conflict in the Middle East had raised tensions within Australia – and that the opposition was adding to community divides.

“Things are obviously very tense in the Middle East at the moment. And we’re a large multicultural community here in Australia, with large populations of people who come from those countries or have family who live there … I think you can see that rising tension here that we’ve been seeing really for the past year, since the conflict started from October 7 onwards,” she said.

I think the job for government is to continue to work on calls for unity and calm. We’re a successful multicultural nation for a reason. And, you know, we don’t need division … It’s no surprise we’ve seen Peter Dutton out again today, stoking it with calls around visa status, he’s all about stoking division and raising tensions and I guess from our point of view we want to calm tensions down.

Updated

Coalition running ‘scare campaign’ over negative gearing, Gallagher says

When asked about the Albanese government’s stance on negative gearing, Katy Gallagher told the ABC that she didn’t know what the opposition was “on about” in its mounting of what she called a “scare campaign”.

Our policy is clear. [Jim Chalmers] said that today. It’s around supply. It is focused 100% on supply.

How do we build more houses, how do we get more properties available for renting, more affordable and social housing, and our help to buy scheme, [get] more people out of renting into home ownership?

That is the problem in the economy at the moment. In housing. It’s around supply of it. And you know, that’s 100% of our focus. So I don’t know what the opposition is going on about. You know, trying to run a scare campaign, essentially, around our policy which is focused on supply.

Updated

Over to Afternoon Briefing, where back-to-back budget surpluses are on the agenda.

A big contribution, the ABC’s Greg Jennett said, was $10bn in underspends. He asked finance minister Katy Gallagher how much of that would slide to the next year.

“Some of it will be moved into the next year. And we were clear about that today,” she said.

But really, the story behind the two surpluses is the work over two years. We found $80bn worth of savings in our three budgets handed down.

We have returned revenue to the budget when revenue is coming in, and all of those things matter to the numbers that we delivered today … Yes, there’s some movement of funding around. And some will go into this financial year. But the two surpluses is a story of our responsible economic management.

Updated

NAB brings forward its expectation of when the Reserve Bank will start rate cuts

Confidence that the Reserve Bank may soon be cutting interest rates seems to be spreading (even if RBA governor Michele Bullock likes to downplay hopes lest they fan a pickup in inflation).

NAB, one of the big four banks, today brought forward the timing when they think the central bank will begin easing monetary policy to February. (They had been the most pessimistic, reckoning the RBA would wait until May. NAB is now in line with ANZ and Westpac while the upbeat economists at CBA have pencilled in December – just two RBA meets away.)

“[T]he balance of risks has likely shifted sufficiently for the RBA to feel comfortable cutting a little sooner than we earlier expected,” NAB said. “It remains our view that RBA cuts will be later and shallower than many peer central banks.”

The US Federal Reserve slashed its key interest rate by 50 basis points a couple of weeks ago, joining counterparts in New Zealand, the UK and the European Central Bank in lowering rates in recent months.

One reason for the relative slowness in Australia is that inflation didn’t rise as much here as in many other regions, and the RBA has been trying to retain job gains in the local economy since the start of the Covid pandemic.

September quarter inflation figures, due out on 30 October, will probably determine when the RBA actually starts cutting interest rates. Its next board meeting follows a few days later, wrapping up on 5 November (with US presidential elections later that day, Australia time, potentially making redundant any number of predictions on interest rates or anything else).

Updated

Gender pay gap in focus of feminised workforce review

Disability workers, early childhood educators and health staff could be in line for a pay rise to narrow the gender pay gap, which is sitting at 11.5%, AAP reports.

But any move to lift the wages in highly feminised industries would have to be gradually phased in to manage workforce and economic risks, the federal government says.

The Fair Work Commission is reviewing undervalued award wages in industries with a high female workforce such as health, social work, pharmacies, disability and early childhood care.

Any decision to increase award wages would have “broader implications” for workplaces and the economy, the federal government said in its submission to the commission.

While the submission did not say how much the government would want wages to rise, an “orderly transition” would be needed.

“Any wage increases arising from the gender-based undervaluation identified by the commission should be implemented in a measured and responsible manner that manages workforce, fiscal and macroeconomic risks,” the submission said.

“If the commission concludes that pay increases are warranted, the commonwealth is likely to support a staged or phased process for implementation, particularly for any significant increases.”

Updated

Paltry funding for looming bird flu threat, say experts

Thank you, as ever, Emily Wind. Let’s get on with the remainder of the day’s news.

The federal government is accused of throwing “small change” at the looming bird flu threat after its own threatened species commissioner warned it could be Australia’s worst ecological disaster, AAP reports.

Fiona Fraser has painted a confronting picture about what the nation can expect when the virus that’s devastated wildlife overseas arrives.

She says there’ll be no avoiding mass deaths from H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza, which could arrive any day with migratory birds from the north and the south.

The consequences could be grave for imperilled species including endangered Australian sea lions and Tasmanian devils, with Fraser warning it could be worse than the devastating black summer fires.

Bird flu has decimated both bird and mammal species. South America has suffered extraordinary losses of marine mammals including sea lions, dolphins and otters.

Over the weekend, the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said planning was under way for a bird flu meeting involving environment ministers from around Australia.

Plibersek did not answer AAP’s questions about when and where the meeting would be held but said it would be soon.

Updated

Thanks for joining me on today’s blog! I’ll handover to Daisy Dumas, who will be with you for the remainder of the evening. Take care.

Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Byron Bay and surrounds

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of the northern rivers coastline in NSW, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

The warning area includes Ballina, Lismore and Byron Bay, with damaging winds and large hailstones forecast over the next several hours.

Updated

Pay rise peace deal for NSW firies but union fight not over

An interim peace deal over pay has been struck between NSW firefighters and state officials, AAP reports, but their union warns it is not backing down on claims for a major wage increase.

A stop-gap agreement for a 3% rise, backdated to February, shifts the industrial dispute to formal arbitration to resolve the parties’ outstanding issues. Some 6800 firefighters would benefit from the deal that followed a 4.5% pay rise delivered in 2023, the state government said.

The Fire Brigade Employees Union is seeking a wage rise of 20% over three years to help members with cost-of-living pressures in a dispute that led to hundreds of firefighters protesting outside state parliament in March.

The interim deal will mean the parties move to the Industrial Relations Commission for arbitration. Union state secretary Leighton Drury said the provisional deal did not change the broader pay demand for members.

We hope that the Industrial Relations Commission and the new judges will see the worth of professional firefighters for what they do for NSW. We’re still aiming for 8, 6 and 6 [%] over three years.

The NSW government has offered all public-sector workers a blanket 10.5% pay rise over three years, including a mandatory superannuation increase, well short of the figure demanded by several key unions. The pay dispute has led to mass strikes from nurses and midwives in recent weeks as their union pushes for an immediate 15% pay increase.

Updated

Tomorrow’s weather forecast

The Bureau of Meteorology has published a national weather forecast for tomorrow – the first day of October.

Updated

Insurance industry accuses NSW of trying to roll out ‘health tax’ on policyholders

Earlier today, the NSW government said private health insurers failing to pay their fair share of public hospital bed bills are costing New South Wales $140m each year (you can read more details earlier in the blog here).

But as AAP reports, the industry has in turn accused the state of trying to roll out a “health tax” on policyholders to shore up an ailing hospital system.

Private Healthcare Australia, an industry group, said most insurers paid a mandated federal rate for single rooms but NSW wanted a higher “preferred rate” to meet the budget revenue target. The health funds currently paying the NSW preferred rate represented about 10% of the state market, it said.

Chief executive Rachel David said members of big funds, including HCF, would be forced to pay more under a higher private-insurer contribution on rooms. Some health insurance premiums could go up by $114 per year if changes were made, leading to thousands dropping out of the private system, she said.

David described the push as a “secret plan to legislate a health tax”:

We understand the NSW government is under significant budget pressure, but imposing a tax on people working hard to contribute to their own healthcare is not the solution.

Updated

Police allegedly find 44kg of cannabis in car after it hit kangaroo in NSW

A man has been charged with commercial drug supply after police allegedly located cannabis inside his car after he hit a kangaroo in New South Wales.

Officers were called to the Sturt Highway, about 25km west of Darlington Point, 1pm last Friday after a car hit a kangaroo.

After inquiries, police searched the vehicle and allegedly discovered more than 44kg of cannabis leaf in the vehicle’s boot.

A 30-year-old man was arrested and taken to Griffith police station where he was charged with supplying a prohibited drug in a commercial quantity.

He appeared before Wagga Wagga local court on Saturday and was formally refused bail, to appear before Griffith local court today.

Updated

Showers and storms forecast for parts of WA

The Bureau of Meteorology says showers and storms will impact parts of northern and central Western Australia today. Severe storms may bring damaging gusts to parts of the Pilbara and Gascoyne, it said.

LNP leader claims underdog status on first day of Queensland election campaign

The Queensland opposition leader, David Crisafulli, has insisted he’s the underdog, despite another poll suggesting the Labor government is in for a drubbing.

A poll by the Financial Review and Freshwater Strategy this morning forecast a 56-44 two party preferred result in favour of the Liberal National party opposition, with Labor’s primary on 30 and the LNP on 43.

Crisafulli was also regarded as “better premier” by more Queenslanders, 46% to 30%. He said:

If you went to watch a sporting game and one team had won 11 of the last 12, you would think that side is probably the favourite, right? So let’s call it what it is – we are trying to create what, in historical terms, has been rarely done. We have to win more than a dozen seats.

In an epic 52-minute press conference in Cairns on Monday, Crisafulli refused to rule out putting the Greens ahead of Labor on LNP how to vote cards. In 2020, the LNP helped kick out deputy premier Jackie Trad for Greens MP Amy McMahon by recommending preferences.

The Labor party know that there is a real prospect of a larger contingent of Greens giving them preferences, giving them supply and enabling a fourth term and 14 years in office, and nothing will distract me from what would be a chaotic parliament. And I’m asking Queenslanders if they want change vote for it, both put the LNP number one.

Updated

Social media in spotlight at parliamentary committee as parents share stories

Hello from Canberra where the parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society is holding a public hearing. It will hear from stakeholders about the impact of social media on society and democracy.

(A joint select committee includes MPs from both the House of Representatives and the Senate and includes members from across the parliament.)

The morning was spent mostly hearing from those involved in the media sector, including the MEAA and youth media juggernaut The Daily Aus.

That part of the hearing focused on the impact of social media on news, and how designating a social media company (under the media bargaining code) may have negative impacts, by leading to social media companies just banning mainstream media from its platforms. (The argument being it wouldn’t stop people going to the platform for their news, but they wouldn’t be receiving it from trustworthy sources.)

There has been a shift in the committee now, as the MPs hear from parents who have lost children to suicide and advocates for children’s mental health. They would like to see the social media age ban to apply to anyone under 18.

The Heads Up Alliance, a group of parents who have formed an organisation to lobby on this point, have told the committee they want the opposition and government to go to the election with the strongest policies possible.

Ali Halkic, who is appearing at the committee representing his son 17-year-old son Allem, who suicided after a cyber-bullying campaign, described social media as “a cancer that’s infesting our young children”.

My son was so beautiful and confident. And he was probably vulnerable at the same time, because he was never exposed to bad words or evil or anything like that. But at the end of the day, as a parent, we have rights, and ... a lot of people won’t agree, but 16 and under, they should have no choice (to join social media). We as parents should be able to govern what we allow and what we wouldn’t allow.

  • Lifeline: 13 11 14

Updated

Queensland LNP kick off election campaign in Cairns with youth crime announcement

LNP leader David Crisafulli has kicked off the Queensland election campaign a day early with a press conference in Cairns.

In an unsurprising move, today’s announcement is on youth crime.

Crisafulli promised to spend $100m to fund “gold standard early intervention”. Half of the program would pay to expand local programs, designed to redirect children away from youth crime. The other half would fund international programs.

Crisafulli said:

I will never walk away from the need for strong laws. That is the reason we are we are. It’s a generation of untouchables, and there has been no consequences or actions, and you’ve got to set that. You’ve got to set that. But at the other end, good societies and compassionate societies, and they get a chance for people to turn their life around.

The election will be held on 26 October.

Updated

Asked if he was disappointed that news was leaked of Treasury looking at negative gearing and the capital gains tax, Jim Chalmers responded:

It’s not really worth getting too worried about it.

Asked if any housing initiatives or housing programmes were part of that underspend, Katy Gallagher responded:

There is one programme and it’s relating to the remote housing. It’s essentially delays in milestones being met through the states on a remote housing programme, and a lower than expected take up of home builder.

She said the decision there was $300m.

Labor ‘unconvinced’ of impact on housing supply if negative gearing reforms made

Circling back to negative gearing, Jim Chalmers was asked if there’s a way that changes could happen in a way that would actually boost supply?

He responded that “supply is our primary consideration and that’s what has motivated the $32bn worth of initiatives that we have announced”.

And one of the reasons why the changes that you’re asking me about are not part of our policy – and as the prime minister said last week – is that he is unconvinced and we are unconvinced of the impact on supply.

And so overwhelmingly building more homes for Australians to make it easier for people to find somewhere to rent or buy, that is our north star here.

Updated

Chalmers warns that cancelled visas possible for anyone ‘who seeks to invite discord in Australia’

Moving topics, Jim Chalmers was asked about reports of protesters waving Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne at the weekend – and whether he believes that warrants being disqualified for a visa on character grounds, if they are on one?

He said that “any indication of support for a terrorist organisation is completely and utterly unacceptable – whether it’s Hamas or Hezbollah.”

These are listed terrorist organisations, and I think any support for a terrorist organisation should and will immediately draw the attention of our security agencies.

Now, there is a higher level of scrutiny for people who are on a visa, and the home affairs minister has made it really clear from day one that he will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to invite discord in Australia.

Updated

Jim Chalmers was asked to clarify foreign investment laws, and which country leads in terms of declined requests.

He said that no specific requests were raised by his counterparts in China, where he visited recently.

And in terms of knockbacks, there have been some investment bids knocked back, but they haven’t all been from one country. I think something like a bit more than 90% of bids from China have been approved. There have been some that haven’t been, but if you look at the ones that haven’t been approved, they haven’t all come from one place.

Asked what areas are being knocked back versus what areas are being approved?

Yeah, it’s a case by case analysis of risk. And I’ve identified in our Foreign Investment Review Board reforms the kinds of things that we are especially attentive to.

Updated

No plan to ban Chinese EVs, Chalmers says

Jim Chalmers is asked how confident he is that there are no security concerns about Chinese made electric vehicles, or other technologies like solar.

This comes as the US banned Chinese-made EVs, and Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce invoked last week’s Hezbollah members’ pager explosions in raising his concern about technology he claimed could be made with a “malevolent purpose” by a “totalitarian state”.

The treasurer said “we don’t propose to ban EVs from any one country, but we do intend to continue to take advice from our relevant agencies”.

And if the situation changes at some future point, then we would take that into consideration. But as Chris Bowen has said, as I have said and I’m assuming others as well, we don’t intend to do what the Americans have done.

Updated

Chalmers says his job as treasurer is to seek advice on various proposals

Jim Chalmers was asked if he would look at the negative gearing modelling at all? He responded:

The sorts of advice that we seek from time to time is not especially unusual, especially when it comes to contentious issues. And frankly, when we’ve got housing challenge as acute as it is right now, I think it’s just doing our job – me doing my job as treasurer to seek advice on the various proposals that are in the public domain, and from time to time in the Senate.

Asked about negative gearing, Chalmers says biggest housing challenge is supply

A reporter asked: “People in your party and members of the caucus are eager for the government to be bold on negative gearing. Given you’re going to have some pretty schmick Treasury modelling on the subject, regardless of where it comes from, wouldn’t it be … responsible to at least keep that around, even if you’ve got a strongly-held view about your policy position?”

Jim Chalmers responded:

Well, we do have a strongly held view about our policy position because the primary challenge in housing right now is housing supply. And that’s why we found $32bn in three budgets, including $6bn in the last budget, to build more homes for Australians so that it’s easier to find somewhere to rent or buy.

Updated

Is a third consecutive surplus completely off the cards this financial year?

Jim Chalmers said a further update would be coming closer to Christmas:

But even if you take that budget forecast for this year’s deficit, which is around $28bn, don’t forget the deficit for that year when we came to office was going to be $47bn. So even where we’ve got a currently forecast deficit for the third year, it is a much smaller deficit than what we inherited from the Liberals and Nationals.

I’m not going to speculate about what that update might say when we release it closer to Christmas. Clearly, a $28bn deficit is hard to get rid of in one whack, but we will continue to make the right decisions for the right reasons and manage the budget and the economy in the most responsible way.

Updated

Chalmers: ‘We’ve deliberately ensured that we have found room for that cost-of-living relief’

Chalmers asked if surplus is justified in cost-of-living struggle

A reporter asked how the government can justify a surplus when a lot of Australians are struggling to pay the bills?

Jim Chalmers responded that “we don’t see a surplus as an end in itself”.

You know, one of the reasons we are proud of the consecutive surpluses that we’ve delivered for the first time in almost two decades is we haven’t done that or cost of living relief. We’ve done that and cost of living relief.

So we understand the pressures that people are under, we’ve deliberately ensured that we have found room for that cost-of-living relief.

Updated

Surplus not the ‘end game’ but it makes room for ‘important things’, Gallagher says

Katy Gallagher said the government doesn’t see “just reaching a surplus as the end game”, echoing Jim Chalmers’ sentiment from a moment ago. She said:

It’s so that we can make room for the important things that people really value in the community. More housing, better Medicare services, cheaper medicines, and cost of living help when they’re doing it tough. We’ve only been able to find the room to do that because of the approach that we’ve taken in the last budget, three budgets since we came to office.

Updated

Gallagher says surplus is the ‘culmination of a lot of work’

The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, was next up to speak to reporters.

She described the surplus as the “culmination of a lot of work over a couple of years” through the budget:

So that is finding savings, not just adding to expenditure but looking at ways that we can reprioritise spending, making ministers go back and do the hard work of looking within their departments. And they have all done that and Jim and I really appreciate the role that they have played in helping us tackle the budget mess that we inherited when we came to government.

Updated

Budget surplus is due to lower spending not higher taxes, Chalmers says

Jim Chalmers says the budget surplus is bigger “not because taxes are higher, but because spending is lower”.

Spending in the last financial year was much lower than anticipated at budget and revenue was lower as well. Spending was down by around twice as much as revenue was down.

He said the government doesn’t view a surplus as “an end in itself” but is about “fighting inflation, making room for cost-of-living relief, building a buffer against global economic uncertainty and also paying down the Liberal debt that we inherited”.

Updated

Chalmers speaks to reporters about budget surplus

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to the media from Canberra amid news the government will deliver a $15.8bn budget surplus – more than $6bn higher than the surplus predicted at May’s federal budget.

Chalmers told reporters:

These are the first consecutive surpluses in almost two decades. In our first year, a $22bn surplus, which was a $100bn turnaround. In our second year, a $15.8bn surplus, which is a $72bn turnaround. That $172bn turnaround in just two years is the biggest nominal improvement in the budget in a parliamentary term ever.

Updated

Deaths rise in June 2024 compared to previous year, ABS figures show

ABS releases provisional deaths data for January to June

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its provisional deaths data, for measuring changes in patterns of mortality.

The data covers January to June this year, and shows:

  • 91,319 deaths occurred between January and June 2024, 1.3% more than 2023 but 2.5% fewer than 2022.

  • 16,855 deaths occurred in June 2024, 4.6% more than 2023 but 1.9% fewer than 2022.

  • There were 667 deaths due to Covid-19 in June 2024, the highest number since 753 deaths in January 2023.

You can read the full data online here.

Updated

Hip hop group Public Enemy to reschedule Australian concert dates

The hip hop group Public Enemy has announced its upcoming Australian concerts have been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Their tour included shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane throughout October.

Chuck D, the group’s frontman, needs to undergo immediate eye surgery and said in a statement:

I’m sorry to make you wait a little longer but I need to get this eye surgery done, so I can really rock the house for you and Bring The Noise. Stay tuned for the new dates.

The statement said all existing ticket holders would be notified of the new dates once confirmed, with original purchases remaining valid for the rescheduled date. Ticket holders can also request a refund.

Updated

NSW’s bushfire season officially begins tomorrow

Tomorrow marks the official start of the 2024-25 bushfire season in New South Wales.

In a statement, the New South Wales government said high fuel loads were presenting challenges for fire agencies across the state, with the RFS responding to more than 1,600 bush and grass fires since 1 July.

The minister for emergency services, Jihad Dib, encouraged people to prepare their bushfire survival plans:

We have already seen dangerous fire conditions in NSW, with recent hot, dry and windy weather rapidly drying out bush and grass land areas, increasing the fire risk. With high temperatures forecast this summer, we cannot be complacent.

And the commissioner of the RFS, Rob Rogers, said:

Consecutive years of wet weather have fuelled growth of vegetation like grass lands, particularly west of the Great Dividing Range. Grass fires can be especially dangerous because they start quickly and spread rapidly, destroying homes and stock.

Our firefighters are out on the ground doing everything they can to mitigate the risk of fire, but preparation is a shared responsibility, and we need property owners to do their part, too.

Updated

Australian shares round out September with fresh record

The Australian share market is ending the month with a fresh all-time high, AAP reports, while the local currency is also near a 19-month high.

In the first minutes of trading today, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index had climbed as high as 8,271.9, eclipsing the previous intraday record of 8,246.2 set on September 20.

Just before 10.30am, the index was at 8,249.8, up 37.6 points, or 0.46%, from Friday’s close.

Nine of the ASX’s 11 sectors were higher in early trading, all but consumer discretionary and telecommunications. The energy sector was the biggest gainer, up 2.0%, possibly responding to the threat of a broader Middle East war after Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In currency, the Australian dollar was buying 69.07 US cents, from 68.86 US cents at Friday’s ASX close. The Aussie breached the 69 US cent level briefly last week, but otherwise hasn’t traded that high since February 2023.

Updated

Penny Wong condemns reports of Hezbollah flags at Melbourne rally

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has responded to reports of protesters waving Hezbollah flags at a pro-Palestine protest in Melbourne at the weekend.

In a post to X, Wong wrote:

We condemn any indication of support for a terrorist organisation such as Hizballah. It not only threatens national security, but fuels fear and division in our communities. All of us – including every political leader – must stand together to reject terrorism and extremism.

AAP reported yesterday that a small group with Hezbollah flags – some holding what appeared to be framed photographs of the terror group’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah – joined the Melbourne event as speeches ended and people began to march.

Victoria police said the display of terrorist symbols was a commonwealth offence and “appropriate referrals will be made to Australian Federal Police as the lead agency concerning prohibited symbols”.

Organisers of the rally told AAP the group was not affiliated with those running the demonstration.

Updated

AFL grand final with no Victorian teams a ratings hit

Brisbane’s thumping grand final triumph over Sydney was the most-watched AFL decider since 2021, AAP reports, but still fell well short of the benchmark set by the Matildas in their groundbreaking Women’s World Cup run last year.

The Seven Network confirmed Saturday’s game had a national reach of 6.09 million and a national total TV audience of 4.024 million, including 655,000 on 7plus Sport, becoming the most-watched program of 2024. It was up more than 20,000 total TV viewers on the 2023 decider between Collingwood and Brisbane.

The figure arguably reflected the fact the game was between two non-Victorian sides, attracting interest from Queensland and NSW. The 2021 audience marker (4.11 million) is a difficult one to reach as that year’s grand final between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs occurred in Perth while many Victorians were in Covid-19 lockdowns.

Saturday’s figure was also well short of the Matildas’ efforts last year. The Matildas’ semi-final against England last August broke new ground as the most-watched TV program in more than two decades. It had an average audience of 7.2 million and a reach of 11.15 million, which didn’t include viewers on partner Optus Sport.

Excluding Saturday’s match, the AFL finals reached 8.5 million people, with the two preliminary finals reaching more than three million each.

Updated

Four Qantas flights delayed out of Sydney amid industrial action

According to AAP, one tracking website has shown four Qantas flights out of Sydney airport have been delayed so far amid this morning’s strike.

However none have been delayed at Melbourne and Brisbane airports, it reports.

Updated

Qantas engineers on strike – in pictures

As we flagged earlier, Qantas engineers went on strike from 7am to 9am today to secure better pay (more details earlier in the blog). Here are some photos from the strike:

Updated

For more on Peta Credlin’s relationship with politics and news, since she jumped from being Tony Abbott’s chief of staff to the media in 2016, Amanda Meade had this story on the weekend:

George Savvides won't seek reappointment as SBS chair

The government is recruiting a chair for SBS after the decision by George Savvides to not seek reappointment upon the completion of his second term in July 2025.

Savvides has chaired the board of SBS since July 2020, before which he was deputy chair from February 2017.

The minister for communications, Michelle Rowland, thanked Savvides for his service to the multicultural broadcaster.

Mr Savvides is a champion of diversity and has been instrumental in positioning the SBS as a distinct, contemporary public broadcaster for today’s Australia.

Under his stable leadership the SBS continues to deliver multilingual and multicultural broadcasting and digital media services reflecting our society, fostering social cohesion and celebrating and respecting Australia’s diverse way of life.

Updated

Dutton weighs in on Rudd travel bill

Peter Dutton was also asked about reports that taxpayers have funded $150,000 for Kevin Rudd to go on overseas trips from the US, since he was appointed Australia’s representative in Washington DC. Dutton said:

I think the message needs to be sent to Kevin Rudd that his spending needs to be in check, and he needs to make sure that it’s reasonable. And at the moment, I just think clearly it’s not.

Dutton was also asked if Rudd would have to look for a new job if he were elected PM.

Well, Kevin Rudd’s a former prime minister, so we owe him that respect. He’s also representing our country, and I think that depends on the administration in the US at the time and the job that the ambassador’s doing.

We support him being in that role and representing our country, but I think it comes with a special responsibility, particularly around expenditure.

Updated

Dutton says article detailing Credlin and Abbott’s influence on Coalition ‘not credible’

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, says an article in the Sydney Morning Herald detailing Peta Credlin and Tony Abbott’s influence over the Coalition is “not a credible story”.

Speaking to 4BC Breakfast radio today, Dutton said the journalist “never contacted” him but spoke with his office, who “gave him some detail, which I’m not sure really made it into the story, but it’s not a credible story.”

I’ve got a very good friendship with both Peta Credlin and Tony Abbott, but I wouldn’t have spoken to Peta Credlin twice this year. So sometimes, I think some of these journalists fill in the blanks and it’s not a credible story.

I’m very proud of my friendship with Tony and Peta and Brian and others. But I make up my own decisions and I think I’ve demonstrated that I’m happy to listen to a lot of people, but in the end, you’ve got to make the decisions that you believe are in our country’s best interests.

Updated

Social media and encrypted messaging apps banned from NSW police work phones

Police officers in NSW will be barred from using encrypted messaging apps and social media on work-issued devices, AAP reports.

NSW police said it had introduced security software that meant “social media and other personal apps will not work or be downloadable to NSWPF issued devices”. It “provides secured access to approved NSWPF systems and applications for all users,” a NSW police spokesperson said.

The move will impact about 17,000 officers who have been ordered to remove all communication software from their work-issued phones, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The restriction comes after an investigation by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission into claims of a police cover-up over an officer’s car crash in Sydney’s NorthConnex tunnel in 2023.

The watchdog urged NSW Police to consider whether the practice of automatically deleting electronic messages was consistent with official policy on keeping records, and to issue guidance on use of encrypted apps on work phones.

After the probe, police commissioner Karen Webb referred concerns officers were using encrypted messaging services to NSW police’s public affairs branch. The Professional Standards Command was “also currently reviewing other LECC positions and opinions from that same report”, a spokesperson said.

Updated

Sticking with the weather for a moment, and here are the national forecasts for Australia’s capitals, thanks to the Bureau of Meteorology:

Updated

Extreme heatwave conditions in parts of Top End this week

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting extreme heatwave conditions for parts of the western Top End this week.

It is forecasting maximum temperatures in the high thirties to low forties, with overnight minimum temperatures in the low to mid twenties.

Severe heatwave conditions have developed over central and northern parts of the Daly district and are expected to linger for at least the next week. Locations likely to be impacted include Acacia Hills, Bark Hut, Belyuen, Berry Springs, Nauiyu, Noonamah and Litchfield National Park.

Health insurers ‘sticking’ public on hospital bed costs

Private health insurers failing to pay their fair share of public hospital bed bills are costing New South Wales $140m each year, the state government says.

As AAP reports, the NSW government says 44 of 53 private health insurers pay their fair share of bed costs, which are government subsidised, but some large insurers unfairly profit from the system.

NSW Health estimates the average hospital bed cost at $1075 a day, with some insurers contributing just $474 a hospital bed. That is despite NSW Health already charging private health insurers below cost at $892 per hospital bed a day, the government says.

The NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said private insurers refusing to pay their bills robbed the public system of critical funds. Health minister Ryan Park said private insurers shifting costs to taxpayers was a “burden our health system can no longer shoulder”.

We’re seeing some of the largest for-profit insurers, who enjoy billions of dollars in profit each year, sticking taxpayers with the tab.

In June, the government said it reserved the right to take stronger action on the issue if it was unable to get a breakthrough with the private health funds. The problem arose after insurers withdrew from a deal struck in 2013 to pay the full bill of public hospital stays, the government says.

AAP contacted the Insurance Council of Australia for comment.

Updated

Sydney commuters vent frustrations amid year-long train shutdown

Commuters along the Bankstown line have been voicing their frustrations at the shift to buses while the train line is converted to a Metro service.

The Bankstown to Sydenham train service has been replaced by buses for at least the next 12 months while the conversion is completed, and some travellers said that has added up to 30 minutes to their commute.

Isabelle Oritz said she has had to wake up an hour earlier to get her bus into the city for her job.

I’ve had to load up on coffee to get here on time. It’s super annoying, and I don’t know how I’m going to survive the year.

It’s so inconvenient, and I’ve had to rearrange my life and schedule around it. There are thousands of people who are similarly being inconvenienced, all of us here are affected.

Asked if she feels it’s going to be worth it, she shrugs.

I hope the Metro will be quicker.

Updated

Birmingham labels Wong’s UN advocacy for two-state timeline ‘a foolish idea’

Q: Penny Wong told the United Nations a few days ago she wants a timeline set for a two-state solution in the Middle East. The Coalition’s formal policy is supportive of a two-state solution, so what was wrong with her expressing that view?

Simon Birmingham responded:

What’s wrong is that it’s a foolish idea that creates the wrong incentives. Just having an arbitrary timeline won’t solve the problems in the Middle East. What you need are clear preconditions. Preconditions in relation to the release of the hostages Hamas still holds, the surrendering of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure, the achieving of security commitments and agreements between the two parties.

Ultimately those steps and then, of course, the long-term fundamental issues that need to be resolved – agreed and secure borders, challenging issues about rights of return and citizenship rights – so just saying “we need an arbitrary timeline” isn’t going to secure peace because it leaves all of the difficult issues unresolved.

Wong told the UN general assembly on Saturday that “every country in this room” must abide by the rules of war, and Israel “must comply with the binding orders of the international court of justice”. You can read more below:

Updated

Birmingham demands ‘visas cancelled’ over Hezbollah flags at Sunday rallies

Simon Birmingham was also asked about reports that photos of Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah flags had been spotted at pro-Palestine rallies in Australia yesterday.

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, has warned of visa cancellations for anyone seeking to incite “discord” in Australia. Birmingham said he “absolutely” agreed with this approach and that “the government should be going further than that.”

These are despicable and reprehensible acts to see people celebrating the life of a terrorist and promoting the values or ideals of a terrorist organisation. It has no place in Australia. We should be seeing thorough investigations by the police.

Those investigations should be leading to criminal charges using the laws that have been put in place to ban the promotion of terrorist propaganda and symbols and slogans, as well as seeing visas cancelled. And the government needs not to just show words in relation to this, but demonstration actions and do so swiftly.

Updated

Shadow foreign minister responds to call for Hezbollah and Israel ceasefire

The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier, and was asked whether he supports calls for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

He responded that “obviously what we’re seeing are deeply troublesome times and we do wish to see a ceasefire and for peace to be achieved”.

Birmingham continued:

Now, how that is achieved is what matters. The statement released by the United States and other parties, including Australia, was calling for achieving … enforcement of what is known as UN security council 1701. It’s a longstanding resolution that Hezbollah has been acting continuously in breach by operating within southern Lebanon, by firing missiles and rockets into Israel continuously and this is the type of activity that precipitated Israel’s response and the conflict we’re seeing at present.

If we can see those terms achieved, if we can see 1701 enforced and Hezbollah taken out of action, then that can provide a basis for a peace that we would all wish to see that can end this type of suffering.

Updated

NSW police appeal for public assistance after alleged Haymarket stabbing

New South Wales police are appealing for public assistance after a man was allegedly stabbed at Haymarket yesterday.

Officers were told a 22-year-old man was walking near the light rail stop at Chinatown when he was allegedly stabbed in the back by another man, about 4.20pm on Sunday, who then ran away towards Darling Drive.

Paramedics treated the injured man at the scene who was then taken to St Vincent’s hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are hoping to speak to a man who may be able to assist investigators.

He is described as being aged about 40 or 50, of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or Caucasian appearance, about 170cm tall, of medium build, balding with dark hair and a short beard. He was wearing a dark top, blue or black pants with white writing on the front and white joggers.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Updated

Expert panel exploring end to native forest logging in NSW

A government-appointed panel is exploring the idea of ending logging in NSW native forests within four years, AAP reports.

In August, the government announced the appointment of an independent expert panel to lead consultations on what the forestry industry should look like in the future.

One of five options being put to stakeholders – including industry players – is an end to native forest logging within four years, with supply to be met through other sources. That lines up with the end of existing wood supply contracts from northern forests.

Stuart Blanch is WWF-Australia’s forests expert and says the inclusion of an exit option is a big deal:

I think this is the first time that a NSW government process has seriously consulted stakeholders on ending native forest logging. I think this is showing there’s enough people in government and parliament who think it’s safe enough to articulate this as a real issue they need to explore.

In a statement, the government said the panel had been tasked with consulting widely on the future of forestry in NSW, with its work to feed into an industry action plan.

We want input on what forests and a sustainable forestry industry will look like in the next 30 years.

Updated

Barnaby Joyce continues to tout ‘dangers’ of Chinese EV despite Coalition plan

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has again spoken of the “dangers” of Chinese EVs, despite Bridget McKenzie yesterday insisting that banning them in Australia wasn’t the Coalition’s plan.

Speaking on Sunrise earlier this morning, Joyce repeated his argument that China could blow up solar panels and electric vehicles – invoking Israel’s detonation of communication devices in Lebanon earlier this month. Joyce said:

We know with Hezbollah, Israel managed to blow up their pagers, that control of remote devices is certainly part of the new battlefield. We want to make sure Australians are safe, that we clearly disseminate where risks lie.

It is not only that, we also have 200,000 solar panels on the rooftops across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. James Patterson has brought this up in the past. I want to make sure Australians are safe there. It is precautionary.

The host noted that in his example, “this wasn’t China.”

Joyce began responding, “Any malevolent force that has the capacity to do that …”

Host: “Do you think that could happen here?”

Joyce: “I’m not a moron, but I am across the threat that any cogent and proper authority says, then I don’t dismiss it. They know vastly more than I do.”

Updated

Chalmers says he got advice on negative gearing changes because it was 'contentious'

Jim Chalmers was also asked on whether advice from Treasury was sought by himself on negative gearing and capital gains tax changes. He told ABC RN:

I get advice all the time on all the various issues in the economy, including negative gearing, and that’s not especially unusual …

Sometimes the advice comes unprompted, sometimes it’s sought by me. On this occasion, you know, when there’s a contentious issue in the public domain and we’ve got a severe shortage of housing, of course, treasurers get advice from their department on these sorts of issues, and that’s what’s happened here …

I got this advice because it was a contentious issue, it was in the public domain, and it was a big part of the parliamentary debate as well.

Updated

Treasurer details budget surplus

Moving now to news of the $15.8bn budget surplus: Jim Chalmers was asked if this is because of under-spending by certain departments, or actual decisions since May to reduce spending?

He responded:

Well, the $80bn in savings are decisions. The spending restraint is a decision, and a substantial amount of the improvement since May is in demand driven programs. There is some under-spending. We’ll detail that when we release all of the figures today …

The improvement from our expectations of the surplus in May to the final budget outcome that we’re reporting today is not about more revenue, it’s not about higher commodity prices, it’s not about more taxes – it’s about the less spending.

Updated

Treasurer raised trade restrictions on lobsters with Chinese leaders

Asked about the trade restrictions on Australian lobsters by China, Jim Chalmers said:

We’ve got a bit more work to do on lobster, but I was able to convey directly to Chinese leaders that we want to see the speedy resolution of those issues.

Chalmers says weakness in Chinese economy ‘big concern’ for Australia

Jim Chalmers has just returned from Beijing, where he co-chaired the first Australia-China Strategic Economic Dialogue.

The treasurer said there “couldn’t have been a more important time” to restart the dialogue with China.

It’s a really important part of stabilising the relationship, which is full of complexity and full of economic opportunity. And while I was there, the Chinese authorities announced some quite substantial steps when it comes to supporting growth in the Chinese economy. We’ve made it really clear that weakness in the Chinese economy has been a big concern for us. It’s a big part of the global economic uncertainty that we’re dealing with …

If you look at our Treasury forecasts in the budget, we’re anticipating the weakest few years of Chinese growth, really, since that economy opened up in the late 1970s [and] that’s been a big concern for us. We’ve been upfront about that, so any efforts to try and turn that around in China is a good thing for us.

Updated

Chalmers ‘very concerned’ about escalation of conflict in the Middle East

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has been speaking with ABC RN.

He was asked how concerned the government is about a broader regional conflict breaking out in the Middle East after an escalation over the weekend, with attacks from Israel on targets in Lebanon and now Yemen. Chalmers responded:

Very concerned. We don’t for one second mourn the death of a leader of a terrorist organisation, but we do mourn the deaths of innocent victims, and too many innocent lives have been lost already, and that’s why we need a ceasefire so that the senseless killing of families stops.

And so our primary concern here is the human cost, but obviously a broader regional war, the escalation of this very troubling regional conflict will have economic consequences as well.

Updated

Replacement buses begin for T3 train line in Sydney

Henry is one of the first people to take the SouthWest Link train replacement buses, and he’s pretty impressed.

The buses will be running free services from Bankstown to Sydenham for over a year, as the train stations are converted to the Metro line.

The recent migrant from Indonesia said he thought it was “good to see” the number of buses running on the service. Buses were arriving one after another, with services organised to be leaving Bankstown every four minutes.

It’s great, if they can keep it up. It would be very convenient if it stays this consistent over the next year or so.

Updated

Lambie backs changes to negative gearing for a maximum of two houses

Jacqui Lambie also spoke in favour of changes to negative gearing, as one of many moves needed to address the housing crisis. She said:

There’s got to be a lot of change if we’re going to put houses on the ground and we’re going to make them more affordable, there’s probably six or eight moves you have to make in this. And I believe negative gearing is one of them. And it should be maximum two houses.

'Nobody gives a stuff about a surplus': Jacqui Lambie

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie was on the Today show earlier, and was asked about news the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, will today reveal a $15.8bn budget surplus.

Lambie weighed in on this, and said: “Nobody gives a stuff about a surplus”. She continued:

Mate, I can assure you right now, people are doing it hard out there. Nobody’s talking about a surplus. And if they were, and they truly understood that, we’re saying, ‘well, how about you put some of that surplus out to us, so we can put bread and milk on the table for our kids and do that without raising the inflation.’

You know, surely with a surplus, people are really hurting out there. Honestly, give them more. Find a way to do it.

Updated

AMWU head gives more detail on Qantas engineers strike

The national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Steve Murphy, spoke with Sunrise earlier about the planned industrial action for Qantas engineers today.

Asked why the workers were striking, he said more than 1,000 highly skilled maintenance workers had endured “four years without a wage increase.”

The workers today are out on strike … for two hours. We want Qantas to come to the table and recognise the skill and contribution they make to Qantas’s reputation …

These are the workers that get you there safely. We check the planes to make sure they’re when they take off everything is safe. There is no car park at 30,000 feet. They have to get everything right first time …

Asked about the timing with the beginning of school holidays, Murphy said members “decided this was the most strategic time to put Qantas under pressure”.

They have never been put under pressure like this before. Qantas needs to come to the table and make sure they respect their workers.

Updated

Qantas engineers to strike during peak-hour flights

Qantas workers are set to escalate industrial action as aircraft-towing engineers prepare to walk off the job during peak-hour flights to secure better pay, AAP reports.

More than 1,000 engineers will stage walkouts today as union members push for a 15% rise in the first year of a new enterprise agreement, followed by 5% increases in subsequent years.

Flights between 7am and 9am at major airports in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth will “likely be affected”, the Qantas Engineers’ Alliance said in a statement yesterday.

A Qantas spokesperson said that over the past four days, “we have seen no disruptions to our network as a result of the industrial action from some of our engineering workgroups.”

We have contingencies in place and don’t expect Monday’s planned strike action to have an impact on customers, or their travel plans.

About 1,100 aircraft maintenance workers, which is about 45% of the airline’s engineers, are covered by the agreement under negotiation. Workers have been in negotiations since April, while their enterprise agreement expired at the end of June.

Qantas made a net profit of $1.25bn in the 2023-24 financial year, down 28% from the previous year.

Updated

Bankstown line officially closed for Metro upgrades

As we just flagged, the T3 train line from Bankstown to Sydenham has officially closed for Metro upgrades.

Here are some photos from the scene at Bankstown station, with buses beginning to replace trains ahead of peak-hour traffic:

And in other traffic news, the overnight XPT from Melbourne to Sydney is 50 minutes delayed.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning, and welcome to a new week on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be taking you through our live coverage this Monday.

The T3 train line from Bankstown to Sydenham in Sydney has officially closed today for Metro upgrades. We’ll keep an eye on any delays or impacts this morning as peak-hour traffic begins, but in the meantime, Mostafa Rachwani has the latest below:

Meanwhile, Qantas workers are set to escalate industrial action as aircraft-towing engineers prepare to walk off the job during peak-hour flights to secure better pay.

As AAP reports, more than 1,000 engineers will stage walkouts today as union members push for a 15% pay rise in the first year of a new enterprise agreement, followed by 5% increases in subsequent years.

Flights between 7am and 9am at major airports in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth will “likely be affected”, the Qantas Engineers’ Alliance said in a statement yesterday.

As always, you can read out with any tips, feedback or questions via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s get started.

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