Good afternoon. The National Anti-Corruption Commission will reconsider its decision not to start a corruption investigation into robodebt, after a finding its initial refusal was “affected by apprehended bias”.
In June the Nacc declared it would not pursue an investigation into six individuals referred by the robodebt royal commission, due to separate public service investigations being carried out into five of them.
The Nacc commissioner, Paul Brereton, had delegated the decision not to pursue an investigation into robodebt to a deputy commissioner “to avoid any possible perception of a conflict of interest”.
But in a new report, the Nacc inspector, Gail Furness, found Brereton should have “removed himself from related decision-making processes and limited his exposure to the relevant factual information”. She found that his involvement “was comprehensive before, during and after” the decision not to investigate, which might have “impinged on the impartiality of the decision-making of the delegated deputy commissioner”.
After the announcement, a spokesperson for the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the government was “giving consideration” to whether a sealed chapter of the robodebt royal commission report naming the individuals should be publicly released.
Top news
Australia’s annual inflation falls to 2.8% | Australia’s headline inflation sank to its lowest level in more than three years in the September quarter, increasing the chance of near-term interest rate reductions as lower energy prices and elevated interest rates eased price pressures in the economy.
Cyclist Rohan Dennis appears in Adelaide court | Lawyers told the court Dennis is negotiating with prosecutors on charges relating to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins, after she was struck by his car in front of their home last year.
Coroner warns of foraged mushroom dangers | The death of a Melbourne woman after eating death cap mushrooms has prompted the Victorian coroner to call for an annual public health campaign on how to identify and remove deadly fungi, and how to combat suspected poisonings.
Melbourne primary school crash victim named | Floral tributes have been laid for 11-year-old Jack Davey, who was killed when a car crashed through the fence of his school yard on Tuesday, in what the Victorian premier called a “deep and terrible tragedy” that had “touched every corner of the state”.
Report highlights bail discrepancy between police and courts | Almost half of the people who are refused bail by New South Wales police are later released by the courts, according to a new report, which highlighted police’s risk aversion and desire to avoid the consequences of a poor bail decision.
Woolworths profits dive in cost-of-living squeeze | The supermarket giant said in an update that sales growth had slowed in October as shoppers sought out cheaper items with “deeper specials”, sparking an immediate 5% slide in its share price.
Biden clarifies ‘garbage’ gaffe | In a video address, the president made garbled remarks which many heard as calling Donald Trump supporters “garbage”. Biden quickly tweeted that he “meant to say” the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial remarks about Puerto Ricans were “garbage”. Trump, meanwhile, claimed “nobody loves … our Puerto Rican community more than I do”.
Alleged in-flight fistfight over Maga cap | Two women were removed from a British Airways flight bound for Texas after an altercation reportedly provoked by a disagreement over one passenger’s red hat, worn by Donald Trump supporters.
Matildas defender honoured with top award | The Matildas fullback Ellie Carpenter has been named International Women’s Player of the Year by the Asian Football Confederation, capping off her successful return to football from a serious knee injury.
In video
Kamala Harris makes ‘closing argument’ speech, calling for ‘new generation of leadership’
With the presidential race deadlocked a week before election day, Kamala Harris pledged to seek common ground in her “closing argument” speech from a park near the White House, where Donald Trump spoke in 2021 before a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol in a last-ditch effort to overturn his 2020 loss. Harris cast her opponent as a divisive figure, planning to leverage the power of the presidency against his political enemies rather than in service of the American people.
What they said …
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“Our leaders worked so hard and they made some incredibly courageous decisions but they didn’t have the tools in the toolkit that they needed.” – Mark Butler
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast about the Covid inquiry report handed down on Tuesday, the federal health minister said “trust is lost very quickly, and very easily sometimes, and it’s much harder to rebuild”. Butler said the establishment of an independent Centre for Disease Control would allow agencies to make sure that there are comprehensive pandemic plans in place next time.
In numbers
Readers continue to react to the Washington Post’s decision to forgo formally endorsing a presidential candidate, even as the paper’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, defended the move as an effort to restore trust in the media. The publication has now reportedly shed 10% of the 2.5 million customers it had before the decision was made public on Friday.
Before bed read
Rot, romance and renovations: the reality of buying a cheap old house on Instagram
From Germany to Japan, people are buying up draughty churches, leaky hotels and asbestos-filled schools for peanuts and turning them into dream homes. They can be larger than 3,500 square metres – but are they always a great deal?
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: WON. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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