What we learned today, Sunday 4 February
With that, we are going to wrap the blog on this Sunday. Here are a few of the top stories:
The search for a missing Ballarat woman has entered its second week with police making a public appeal for CCTV and dashcam footage.
Shadow Finance Minister Angus Taylor has confirmed the opposition will oppose attempts to introduce vehicle efficiency regulations if re-elected.
The Coalition would also seek to overturn changes that recognise the “right to disconnect” in law and industrial relations reforms that allow casuals to become permanent workers.
Superannuation providers have hit out at the Coalition’s refusal to back away from plans to allow young people to spend their super on buying a house.
We will see you back here again for more news tomorrow.
‘Waiting in silence’: POWs honoured on 20th anniversary
Anthony Albanese spoke at the 20th anniversary of the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial in Ballarat on Sunday, saying the stories of former prisoners of war came from a different chapter in the nation’s story.
It tells of the sacrifice, courage and mateship of the men and women who served our country in war, and asks us to honour the POWs among them, for whom captivity meant waiting in silence.
The names of more than 35,000 soldiers, sailors and nurses are inscribed on a 130-metre granite wall covering both world wars, the Boer War and Korean War.
One of them is former bombardier Tom Uren, a Labor Party icon and mentor to Albanese, who was captured by Japanese forces in 1942 while serving in Timor Leste.
I will always think with wonder of how Tom endured years of such depravity and cruelty – and emerged as a tower of humanity.
He knew that the very worst could bring out the very best in us. And I believe those values are at the heart of what it is to be an Australian.
The memorial is an eloquent expression of the powerful spirit that helped prisoners endure their captivity and a testament to their patience, perseverance and humour, the prime minister says.
While the breath of life remained, the spark of creativity enlivened their hands, shaping relics of a time and place no words could comprehend.
War-time diaries and documents recounting life on and off the battlefield have made a valuable contribution to recorded history, as well as the objects and artworks handcrafted by many POWs during their imprisonment.
Heartbreakingly, these artefacts often came home without their creators.
And for family and friends, they became a window onto the unimaginable — and a final, precious gift from their dear ones.
- AAP
Updated
Is my home spying on me? As smart devices move in, experts fear Australians are oversharing
Take a look around your home and chances are you have one, or at least you have considered the convenience of having one.
They are the devices and appliances that can be remotely controlled – otherwise known as smart devices – which over the past decade have become core features of the modern home. Think of the TVs that allow you to flick through various streaming services, the smart fridges that can have their temperatures moderated and contents checked from afar, the robot vacuum, air purifiers, or one of the big tech companies’ virtual helpers to play music or dim the lights.
But as the technologies gather, share, aggregate and analyse the data collected, that convenience has come at a cost: privacy. Experts say consumers should be aware of how much personal information they are trading, and what that information is used for.
“I think it’s very concerning, particularly because we don’t have up-to-date privacy legislation in Australia, and for that matter, it’s a big problem globally as well,” says Katharine Kemp, an expert in law and data privacy at the University of New South Wales, who warns that little is known about where the collected data ends up.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Jordyn Beazley:
NSW police officer charged with drink-driving offence
An off-duty New South Wales police officer may lose his job after being charged with drink-driving over the weekend.
Police involved in Operation Nabbed were conducting random breath testing along the Hume Motorway on Friday night when they stopped a 35-year-old man at about 9.20pm.
The man tested positive on a roadside breath analysis and further testing returned a reading of 0.102.
A statement by NSW police said the officer’s licence has been suspended and “his employment status is currently under review”.
The officer has been charged with drive with middle-ranged prescribed concentrations of alcohol and ordered to appear before Picton local court on 21 March.
Updated
Bill Shorten: Harold Mitchell a ‘Renaissance man’ interested in everything
Federal Labor’s Bill Shorten has also taken to social media to issue a tribute for advertising executive Harold Mitchell.
Shorten says he was “shocked” to hear of Mitchell’s passing, describing him as an “avuncular, renaissance man who was energetically interested in everything and everyone.”
I am shocked to hear of the passing of my friend Harold Mitchell. An avuncular, Renaissance man who was energetically interested in everything and everyone. There can only ever be one Harold Mitchell. I am privileged to have known him. My thoughts are with his family. Vale. pic.twitter.com/gvUxZItyQ5
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) February 11, 2024
Updated
Harold Mitchell: An ‘extraordinary man’ with an ‘extraordinary life’
Former Victorian Labor MP Philip Dalidakis posted a tribute on social media, describing Mitchell as “an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life”.
I had known Harold for over 20 years but our relationship changed when I became a cabinet minister and we worked together on many aspects of soft diplomacy, using the arts in particular to strengthen our people-to-people relationships.
We were due to catch up soon as he remained fascinated by my mother’s story of coming to Australia as a refugee, having been born in Shanghai from German Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. On that score, he recently sent me a NY Times article on that very issue, which resulted in another warm exchange with an agreement we would catch up soon. That’s how it always was, uncomplicated, to the point, but always warm and engaging.
Sadly, our catch up will now have to wait (a while).
His loss is great, his legacy enormous and we were better for his being and poorer in his passing.
Updated
Tributes flow for Harold Mitchell
TV, ad industries mourn loss of influential businessman and philanthropist Harold Mitchell
Free TV Australia says it is “deeply saddened” by the death of its former chairman, legendary ad man and philanthropist Harold Mitchell, aged 81.
The Melbourne-based businessman was the founder of Mitchell & Partners and executive chairman of Aegis Media Asia Pacific, among other positions.
Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair, says:
Harold’s contributions to the industry cannot be overstated.
… He left a lasting and important legacy at Free TV, having significantly changed the industry for the better and contributing to the sustainability and growth of free-to-air television in his time as chairman.
… He never lost his passion for the industry and remained in touch on every key issue even after stepping down as chairman right up until recent weeks.
Mitchell was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the community through leadership and philanthropic endeavours in the fields of art, health and education, and as a supporter of humanitarian aid in Timor-Leste and the indigenous community.
Prof Trevor Kilpatrick, the director of the Florey Institute – of which Mitchell was board chair from 2012 to 2020 – says he was sad to hear about Mitchell’s death.
[Mitchell] was hugely proud of the Florey and was a very generous philanthropic donor whose substantial donations have supported scientists to conduct world-leading research here in Melbourne.
Updated
Auction activity drops this week but remains strong
Auction activity has dropped this weekend with 1,551 auctions held.
This is slightly higher than the 1,482 auctions held at the same time last year but lower than the 1,712 auctions last week.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 76.2% across the country, which is higher than the 73.9% preliminary rate recorded last week and the 68.3% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 615 auctions with a clearance rate of 80.4%
Melbourne: 618 auctions with a clearance rate of 73.1%
Brisbane: 147 auctions with a clearance rate of 71.1%
Adelaide: 103 auctions with a clearance rate of 86.2%
Canberra: 60 auctions with a clearance rate of 61.2%
Tasmania: One auction held.
Perth: Seven auctions held.
Labour market softening but some resilience expected in Thursday data release
Australia’s labour market is softening around the edges but the overall story remains one of strength.
A fresh batch of Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force data is slated for release Thursday and tipped to show more signs of resilience.
In December employment fell by 65,100 people, the largest monthly decline since the Covid-19 lockdowns.
The jobless rate hung on at 3.9%, still lower than pre-pandemic trends but above the lows of 3.4% reached in late 2022.
Job ad numbers, indicative of labour demand, have ticked higher in recent months after steady declines in 2023.
Unemployment is expected to rise as higher interest rates cool the economy, but the Reserve Bank of Australia is aiming to preserve as many of the post-pandemic job gains as possible.
- AAP
Updated
Man dies after crashing in popular Murray River water ski race
A man has died following a crash at Echuca’s Southern 80 water ski race, in rural Victoria, this morning.
Emergency services were called to the Murray River near Moama at about 10am because of a report a man had been seriously injured while water skiing.
On arrival, the paramedics found the man had died at the scene. NSW Police say he is yet to be formally identified.
Today was the last day of the Southern 80 Water Ski race, an annual competition which attracts water sport enthusiasts from around Australia and internationally to compete across three days over 80 kilometres on the Murray River.
Steve Shipp, the president of the Moama water sports club made a statement shortly before 1pm saying:
Unfortunately, during this morning’s events at the 2024 Southern 80 water ski race, there was an incident involving one of our competing teams where a skier fell and could not be revived at the scene.
Racing was immediately suspended and since been cancelled.
The club is cooperating with NSW Police and Transport for NSW-Maritime in their investigation into the incident.
As a ski racing family, we are here to support the affected family and team members as well the wider ski racing community in this terribly sad time.
Updated
Sacrificing super to buy houses no solution to housing crisis, industry says
The superannuation industry says Coalition plans to get young Australians to sacrifice their super to buy a house will only make the housing crisis worse.
The comments follow an interview Coalition shadow treasurer Angus Taylor gave ABC Insiders on Sunday, where he appeared to double down on the proposal.
Super Members Council executive general manager of strategy Matt Linden says:
Demanding young Australians sacrifice their super to get a house is not the solution to housing affordability; it will only make matters worse. It leads to higher house prices, higher mortgages and far less super for the individual when they retire, which in turn puts significant further pressure on the age pension.
The devastating consequences of schemes like this, which undermine super’s preservation rules, is that it puts the cost burden of this generation’s retirement on to our children and grandchildren whose future taxes will have to pay far more for the pension.
There’s ample research that shows the super for a house scheme won’t make houses more affordable, won’t lead to new homeowners but instead will be incredibly harmful to individuals’ savings and [to] society at large.
Updated
A ‘raft of unanswered questions’ remain as Australia’s first psychedelic therapy clinic opens
Australia’s first psychedelic therapy clinic opened its doors this week, charging patients $24,000 for nine months of treatment.
But the Melbourne clinic admits – and critics concur – there are still many unknowns about the approach.
Since July, psychiatrists have been authorised to prescribe MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, and psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, for treatment-resistant depression.
Australia became the world’s first country to legalise the medical use of psychedelics when the Therapeutic Goods Administration announced in February 2023 that the substances would be down scheduled, contrary to its previously stated position. In commentary published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, some neuropsychologists and neuroscientists said they feared the decision was driven by the influence of lobby groups instead of health experts and evidence.
But the decision has allowed Clarion Clinics to open the first dedicated facility for prescribing the drugs, headed by psychiatrist and chair of the department of psychiatry at Monash University, Prof Suresh Sundram.
For more on this story, read the full report from Natasha May.
Updated
Skaters warned about Adelaide ice rink potential carbon monoxide poisoning
Visitors at an ice-skating rink have been treated in hospital after suffering suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
A group of 16 people attended Royal Adelaide Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning after visiting the Ice Arena in Thebarton, an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, on Saturday.
Some of the patients needed oxygen.
All are now in a stable condition and are expected to make a full recovery, SA Health says in a statement.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, tiredness, nausea and, in more severe cases, shortness of breath.
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier says anyone who has attended the rink and has symptoms should seek medical help.
Pregnant women and very young infants are also advised to be checked regardless of symptoms.
Fire crews have been at the arena since last night to determine the cause of the incident.
- AAP
Updated
Autistic boy faced terror charges unprecedented for an Australian child
The lawyer for an autistic teenage boy who was charged with terrorism offences after being targeted during an undercover police operation says “the entire saga” has had an enormous impact on the child and his family.
Last week, Guardian Australia revealed the case of a boy known as Thomas Carrick, who was charged with terror offences after his parents contacted police asking for help with the 13-year-old’s fixation on Islamic State.
Thomas was charged with two offences in October 2021 but was granted a permanent stay two years later.
His lawyers, Sam Norton and Nick Jane, had not seen a case like it. A child had never been charged with the offences Thomas faced.
It’s important to understand that [he was] on incredibly strict bail conditions for two years and the AFP tried to have his bail revoked multiple times in circumstances where they never charged him with further alleged offending.
The impact on him and his family of the entire saga has been enormous.
For more on this story, read the full feature by Guardian Australia’s justice and courts reporter, Nino Bucci.
Updated
Pro-Palestine rallies planned this weekend for capital cities
With weekly pro-Palestine rallies being held across Australian capitals, here are the details of the planned protests for this weekend:
Sydney: 1.30pm at Hyde Park.
Melbourne: 12pm at the State Library of Victoria
Perth: A rally was held on Saturday, at 4pm in Fremantle.
Brisbane: 3pm at Emma Miller Place.
Adelaide: 2pm Sunday outside Parliament House
Hobart: A rally was held on Saturday at 11am at the corner of Goderich and Lindsay.
Updated
School build may have killed ancient miracle fish
A “miracle fish” may have been snuffed out in its Sydney habitat by bungled construction work at a nearby government high school, local environmentalists fear.
The climbing galaxias (Galaxias brevipinnis) belongs to a species line reaching back to Gondwanaland. It was only identified in the Manly Dam region in Sydney’s north – the fish’s most northerly known location in Australia – in 1998.
Photograph: Greg Wallis
The fish breathes through its skin and uses large pectoral and pelvic fins as suction cups to scale even waterfalls. Elsewhere, fish larvae rely on reaching the sea to start feeding but this population had somehow survived becoming landlocked by the dam.
Heavy rain last month, however, triggered an overflow of sediment from the Forest high school works site into Curl Curl Creek, the last Sydney waterway populated by the climbing galaxias. More then two weeks on, the creek remains turbid, conditions that will probably limit the fish’s ability to catch mayflies and other insects.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam:
Updated
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is in Ballarat with the infrastructure minister, Catherine King, to visit the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial.
The PM will give a speech for the 20th Anniversary Service at 11.15am.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
Updated
Three dead, one critical in Armidale head-on crash
Three people have died, and one person is in critical condition following a head-on collision between two SUVs in the Armidale area of NSW.
Emergency services were called to New England Highway, Armidale, about 6.50pm on Saturday following reports of a crash.
Officers found a black Holden SUV and a silver Mazda SUV, both damaged due to the collision.
The driver of the Holden, a 27-year-old man, and his passenger, a 27-year-old woman, died at the scene, along with a 41-year-old man who was the Mazda driver.
The front seat passenger of the Mazda – a 34-year-old woman – was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Armidale Hospital in a critical condition.
A crime scene has been established and an investigation commenced. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
- AAP
Updated
Barnesy returns with special Flesh and Wood 30th anniversary show at Bluesfest
Jimmy Barnes has announced his first return tour after open heart surgery late last year.
Barnes was admitted to hospital on 27 November with bacterial pneumonia but complications from an earlier surgery caused him to become very unwell.
His condition deteriorated as the bacterial infection spread to his heart, forcing Barnes to undergo open heart surgery.
Hi it’s @jane13barnes here. Sharing a couple pics from earlier this morning… I’m happy to let you know that our Jimmy has made it through his surgery and is now recovering in the ICU. We’re so grateful for the incredible medical team looking after him. Thank you all 🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/TCyBsBRa4d
— Jimmy Barnes (@JimmyBarnes) December 13, 2023
It’s less than eight weeks since the surgery but the singer is recovering well.
Every day I’m getting stronger. Every day I’m pushing myself a little bit further. I’m excited about getting back on stage, in front of the band and playing for you all. And what better way is there to kick it off than the legendary Bluesfest Byron Bay with a really special celebration of Flesh and Wood. I really want to thank everyone for their support and good wishes while I was ill. The family were passing on your messages of care and it really lifted my spirits.
Barnes’ return will kick off at Bluesfest over the Easter Long Weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of his album Flesh and Wood, which reached No 2 in Australia in December 1993.
Updated
Dutton: Turnbull has called me worse things than ‘thug’
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he found Joe Biden a “remarkable person to deal with” during his meetings with the US President, refusing to wade in to criticism about his candidacy.
Dutton told Sky News any issue about who would lead the US is a matter of American domestic politics, adding that he would work closely with former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd, who now serves as Australian ambassador to the US, and would not seek to remove him if the Coalition won government.
The Opposition leader was also asked about comments from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who described Dutton as a “thug” during an episode of ABC’s Nemesis program.
Dutton shrugged off the comments saying, “to be honest, ‘thug’ is probably one of the nicest things I’ve heard him say about me.”
I think when you look at Julia Gillard and you look at John Howard, these people have moved on with grace. I think Julia Gillard, even though she wasn’t a great prime minister by any objective analysis, she was a decent person, she honoured her party, she gave credit to her successors, she did everything she could to keep Labor in power or to win the next election. And she’s conducted herself with great grace and dignity since then and her reputation has only been enhanced.
There are different models that people can adopt. I think that’s, frankly, the more dignified one, but people conduct themselves according to their own personalities and what happened in their childhood and the rest of us – I suppose that plays into it. But there are different models they can pursue, and each to their own.
Updated
Coalition would overturn any ‘right to disconnect’ policies, Dutton says
Opposition leader Peter Dutton says, if elected, he would overturn new legislation giving workers the right to disconnect.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Dutton also described additional changes around multi-employer bargaining and allowing casuals to transition into permanent work as “outrageous”.
The Opposition leader says these changes were being made “at the behest of the Greens and now the union movement as well.”
If you think it’s okay to outsource your industrial relations or your economic policy to the Greens, which is what the Prime Minister is doing, then you are going to see the continuation of the productivity problem in our country.
Updated
Treasurer: Australians earning $160k a year are ‘middle Australia’
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers agrees that a person earning $160,000 a year is in “middle Australia”.
Chalmers was asked the question during an appearance on Sky News on Sunday.
I think of middle Australia as the people who get up and work hard to provide for their loved ones and get ahead.
- AAP
Updated
Property investors won’t lose tax deductions, Chalmers says
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has ruled out changes to negative gearing and capital gains.
Property investors are under the spotlight as the focus of the tax reform debate shifts to wealthier Australians.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Chalmers said any changes were off the table.
That’s not something that we’re proposing, not something that we are considering, not something that we are working up.
For more on this story, read the full report:
Updated
Don’t ‘jump to conclusions’ about Barnaby Joyce’s footpath incident, Taylor says
On the images of Barnaby Joyce, who last week was filmed lying on a Canberra footpath after parliament, Taylor says “people like to jump to conclusions on these things.”
I’m certainly not doing that and I don’t think anyone should. I think the primary issue for us is Barnaby’s welfare and we will remain focused on that.
Asked whether Joyce is okay:
Well, he clearly wasn’t at the time. So that’s something that we’re going to focus on and we should focus. That’s always got to be the focus when these sort of things happen. But the jumping to conclusions we have seen, David, you know, it’s a bit of a habit in the modern world, I see that. But it’s not appropriate.
Updated
Renewables expansion puts prime farming land at risk, Taylor says
Taylor expands on the opposition to renewables:
As always, with any projects, there’s good projects and bad projects but 28,000km of transmission lines, and a big loss of prime agricultural land that we’re starting to see right across Australia, we think there’s a better way. [The Coalition’s] Ted O’Brien is working away on this. We already said quite a lot about energy policy in recent times and we’ll continue to.
What Taylor does not mention is the opening of new coal mines or expansion of oil and gas infrastructure.
Updated
Opposition will oppose vehicle emission standards that increase prices of popular cars
Asked about the new vehicle emissions standard introduced by the government this week, Taylor says “what we oppose is anything that is going to increase the price of the most popular cars in Australia.”
The most popular vehicles in Australia are the Hilux and the Ranger. If any vehicle prices [are] going to go up, it’s going to be those. Let’s be clear about that. And if you look at the documentation carefully, you will see there’s penalty provisions that they’re proposing of $100 per kilometre. For a Hilux and a Ranger, that is a very significant penalty and the idea that customers won’t end up paying that, you’ve got to be kidding. And we have seen this in other markets.
Taylor is also asked about calls from the Nationals to halt the roll out of renewables in the regions.
Well, it’s very clear that the 28,000km of transmission lines, and all that goes with it, is having huge impacts on our regions. We have to get it back under control.
Updated
Taylor: all we have seen from Labor is ‘crony capitalism’
Asked about the Coalition’s plans to undo Labor’s changes to superannuation, Taylor doubled down on the pledge, saying he will wait to see the May budget before commenting.
We are very ambitious to get the economy back on track. You just can’t have a hit of that scale unprecedented in our lifetimes. We can’t take a hit of that scale to Australian standard of living and whilst Labor thinks the answer is to just move money around to change the slices of the pie, the answer is actually to get back to basics.
Taylor also talked about how Australian standards of living “have collapsed.”
We opposed the government’s position, whether it’s competition policy, all we have seen from Labor is crony capitalism. Whether it’s a line in immigration with housing supply. I mean these are all crucial issues.
In other words: the Coalition is committed to opposing everything.
Updated
Erosion of trust in Australian politics ‘terrifying’, Taylor says
Angus Taylor is spending much of this morning’s ABC interview attacking the Labor government over its “calculated lies” and casting the government’s changes to the stage-three tax cuts as a “betrayal of the Australian people and broken promises.”
The shadow treasurer also links these “lies” to what he calls an “erosion of trust” in key institutions.
The first principle is deliver on what you say. And I don’t say that lightly. I mean, the erosion of trust, I have seen in recent years for leadership in every, every domain of Australian society, I think is terrifying for the implications for our future. So, we have got to get that trust back. That’s incumbent on you, on me, on everybody else. The second principle is lower, simpler, fairer taxes.
Updated
Shadow treasurer: no plans to hike GST, Coalition wants ‘lower, simpler’ taxes
Speaking to the ABC, Angus Taylor has ruled out raising the GST, instead promising a returned Coalition government would focus on “lower, simpler, fairer taxes.”
The shadow treasurer says also that he is “seeing people in food banks around the country I have never witnessed before.”
It is worth remembering the Coalition has not committed to increased social security payments – and tax cuts would make that more difficult over time as the government forgoes revenue.
Updated
Coalition won’t support changes to negative gearing, Taylor says
Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor says the Coalition won’t support changes to negative gearing because it doesn’t want “to see more competition in the housing market coming from industry super funds and international investment funds”.
Taylor told the ABC that solving issues in the housing market requires having “alignment between housing supply and immigration”.
The shadow treasurer says the Coalition will once again go to the election with a policy to allow people to dip into their super to buy a house but won’t discuss Coalition policies on capital gains tax changes or trusts.
We’ll announce all our election policies before the election but we’re not proposing to go down those paths. Let me be clear: we are absolutely committed to lower, simpler fairer taxes. We are absolutely committed to a back-to-basics economic agenda.
Updated
Last standing Liberal premier fights on
Australia’s only Liberal state premier is weighing his options after two renegade MPs rejected an ultimatum to ensure the minority government’s stability.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff threatened Liberal-turned-independent MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander with an early election unless the pair agreed not to vote against the government on any motions, bills and amendments.
The two former Liberals have been ensuring confidence and supply after defecting in May last year because of transparency concerns about a proposed AFL stadium and an underwater electricity and data cable that will further connect Tasmania and Victoria.
The move left the last Liberal state government in Australia with only 11 of 25 lower house seats, leaving it vulnerable to a no-confidence vote without the support of the independents.
Rockliff said on Friday that he would not call an early election this weekend, and talks with the two independents are expected to continue next week.
The standoff comes after Tucker in January threatened to “bring the government down” with a no-confidence motion if the government did not comply with several motions passed by parliament.
Tasmania’s next election is not due until mid-2025 and parliament is scheduled to resume in early March.
– AAP
Updated
Search for missing Ballarat woman enters second week
Police have expanded an appeal for dashcam or CCTV footage as they investigate the disappearance of the Victorian woman Samantha Murphy.
Murphy, 51, was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home in Ballarat East about 7am last Sunday to go for a run.
As they announced an on-the-ground search that has canvassed large areas of Ballarat would be scaled back over the weekend, police called on members of the public to submit any CCTV or dashcam footage covering the Ballarat East, Mount Helen and Buninyong areas last Sunday.
“Even if the footage does not depict Samantha, detectives are keen to review all footage in the areas between 7am and 7pm on Sunday, 4 February,” they said in a statement on Saturday.
For more on this story, read the full report from Guardian Australia’s Lisa Cox:
Updated
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning.
Meanwhile, Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers has appeared on Sky News this morning.
We will bring you all the latest as it happens.
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
The search for missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy has entered its second week with detectives appealing to the public for CCTV and dashcam footage of Ballarat East, Buninyong and Mount Helen areas. The 51-year-old mother left home on 4 February to go jogging and has not been seen since.
Australia’s only Liberal state premier, Jeremy Rockliff, is fighting for survival after two independent MPs rejected an ultimatum to prop up the minority government. The state is officially expected to go to an election in mid-2025, but Rockliff has pledged not to call an early election with negotiations expected to continue into next week.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
