What we learned, Thursday 21 August
We will wrap up the blog here for the evening. This is what made the news:
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, wrapped up the three-day economic reform roundtable, outlining ten areas where the government can begin work.
Chalmers and the Coalition frontbencher Ted O’Brien clashed at the roundtable, in a debate about Labor’s spending commitments in the federal budget.
Unions and the leading tech industry lobby group have agreed to work together on a model for payment for the use of creative content in training AI.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed Anthony Albanese in a new interview with Sky News, saying the Australian PM’s reputation is “forever tarnished”.
A planned pro-Palestinian protest for Brisbane later this month can not cross the Story Bridge, a court ruled, but protesters have refused to rule out marching across the bridge.
The Australian share market hit a historic high as companies report strong profits and falling interest rates boost confidence in the economy.
Commonwealth Bank reported a surge in hopeful homebuyers looking for loans after interest rate cuts, which have together boosted a $200,000-income household’s borrowing capacity to more than $1m.
The Bruce Lehrmann defamation federal court appeal wrapped up one day early.
Heavy rain has brought dozens of flood warnings to parts of NSW.
Police located two bodies during their search for two men who went missing when a car crashed into a river north of Sydney just before midnight last night.
Thanks for your company, and enjoy your evening.
Updated
Flood impacts may continue into the weekend, says BoM
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines has just given an update on the widespread rain that has brought flood risk to much of NSW today.
He said it would be “the last day of significant rain across eastern parts of NSW”.
But even as that rain clears by Friday morning, flood impacts could well linger through Friday and into the weekend, after what has been a pretty prolonged run of wet weather across the east coast.
Hines said the weather system was tracking eastwards towards the coast, clearing over inland areas this evening, and would move out over the sea in early tomorrow morning.
A major flood warning is still in place for the Namoi River, while a moderate warning is in place for the Peel River, and minor warnings are in place for the Nepean and Barwon rivers. Hines said these rivers may not peak until the weekend, with Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra at risk of minor to moderate flooding in the next few days.
Sometimes it just takes 12 to 24 to 36 hours for the wet weather to roll downhill and get into the river network.
Updated
Second man charged over alleged role in Melbourne synagogue arson attack
A 20-year-old Meadow Heights man has been charged over the alleged Adass Israel Synagogue arson attack in December 2024.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) executed a search warrant at a Meadow Heights home last Thursday and seized a number of items, including electronic devices, for examination.
Police allege the man is one of three who broke into the synagogue and deliberately set it on fire.
In July, a 21-year-old Werribee man was charged over his alleged role in the synagogue break-in, and a 20-year-old Melton man was charged for allegedly stealing a communal crime car used to drive to the temple.
The Meadow Heights man was charged with criminal damage by fire (arson) and placed in custody. He is expected to appear in the Melbourne magistrates court next Wednesday.
The AFP acting assistant commissioner, Nick Read, said the investigation was ongoing:
This investigation has been one of the highest priorities for the JCTT. I want to reassure the community – especially the Jewish community – that the AFP, together with Victoria Police and ASIO, are working relentlessly to bring this investigation to its conclusion.
Updated
Lehrmann appeal wraps up a day early
Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation appeal in the federal court has concluded a day earlier than expected.
The appeal, which began on Wednesday, was expected to run for three days.
Lehrmann’s lawyer, Zali Burrows, made multiple attempts during the hearing on Thursday to adjourn for the day.
Earlier, Burrows said she did not have certain documents with her and requested an adjournment for the day. But Justice Michael Wigney said the hearing needed to proceed and an adjournment was not acceptable for senior counsel who would then have to return on Friday for a brief period of time.
Wigney said the full federal court would reserve its judgment, with the justices to hand down a decision at a later date.
Updated
‘Welcome conversation’ on tax, Chalmers says
On tax, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said there was a welcome conversation and debate on the future of the tax system, and there is support for government consulting to address the priorities of a fair go and intergenerational equity, affordable and responsible business investment incentives, and making the system simpler and more sustainable.
Chalmers said of the tax discussion in the roundtable that there were lots of ideas raised and “some of them not consistent with each other”.
And really the spirit in the room was to try and help government make the kind of tax reforms that would be helpful, whether to workers in an inter-generational sense, business investment, sustainability, simplicity.
And so we undertook to be as respectful as we could to the contributions that people made to structure our work in those three areas and to work out the best way to involve them without necessarily opening up another 18 months of very public tax review when a lot of the issues are pretty well known.
He said changes will be put to cabinet, and saying some such as road user charges he wanted to work on sooner rather than later.
‘Heartening discussion’ on AI, Chalmers says
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said there was “a very heartening discussion” about AI at the economic reform roundtable, and while not everyone came to agreement, “we got a bit closer”.
The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, examined the copyright aspect of training AI models, Chalmers said, “and we’re respectful f that.”
But in the room, by sharing understandings in this question, people got a little bit closer together. Not a unanimous view yet, but a little bit closer together. And I see that as a very good thing in terms of the overarching legislative question.
He said the government will do a gap analysis on whether there should be one AI act, or whether existing regulation can cover it.
He said there was a lot of appetite to do more work on jobs and skills on AI.
The government will also examine what can be done to modernise procurement, make better use of data to improve government services, and noted that there is already a review of the data act completed that looks at reforming the legislation.
Chalmers outlines areas for reform that government can move quickly on
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, then goes on to outline the areas where there is urgency or the government can move quickly on reform.
That includes:
Working to abolish nuisance tariffs, saying there could be “hundreds more” knocked off
Reducing complexity and red tape in the National Construction Code
Accelerate the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation legislation.
More red tape cutting, cutting compliance costs and better regulation, with a regulatory reform bill to be introduced this year
Improve the ‘tell us once’ principle so people don’t have to supply the same information over and over
Accelerate work on the national AI capability plan, including looking at data centres for resourcing.
Investor front door pilot starting next month
Road user charging – but the final model is not settled.
Chalmers speaks following end of economic reform roundtable
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking at a press conference following the end of the three-day economic reform roundtable.
Chalmers says high living standards is the holy grail, and a more productive economy is how it is delivered.
There were 29 hours of discussion, he says, and 327 different contributions. He thanks those who participated, and says “a lot of the hard work begins now”.
There were 10 clear and broad areas of consensus, he says. The reform directions are:
A single national market
simplifying trade and reforming tariffs
better regulation and how we cut the clutter
speeding up approvals in national priority areas
building more homes more quickly
make artificial intelligence a national priority for Australia
attracting capital and deploying investment
building a skilled and adaptable workforce
a better tax system
modernising government services.
Updated
CBA reverses decision to cut 45 jobs for AI
The Commonwealth Bank has walked back its decision to cut 45 jobs in its customer service direct business that were planned to be replaced by an AI voice chatbot.
A spokesperson for the bank said the decision “did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations” and it was an error.
We have apologised to the employees concerned and acknowledge we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required.
We are currently supporting affected employees and have provided them with choice regarding continuing in their current roles, pursuing redeployment within CBA or to proceed with leaving the organisation. We are also reviewing our internal processes to improve our approach going forward.
The Financial Services Union said FSU members at CBA had found since the decision call volumes were rising, and management had to offer overtime to account for the extra calls.
Finance Sector Union national secretary Julia Angrisano said:
This is a massive win for workers, proving what can be achieved when members stand together — but let’s be clear, this is no victory lap.
CBA has been caught out trying to dress up job cuts as innovation. Using AI as a cover for slashing secure jobs is a cynical cost-cutting exercise, and workers know it.
Qld protesters refuse to rule out marching on Brisbane’s Story bridge
Pro-Gaza protesters have refused to rule out marching across Brisbane’s Story Bridge, after a court ruled against them on Thursday.
Justice for Palestine Magan-djin spokesperson, Remah Naji, spoke outside Brisbane magistrates court after Chief Magistrate Janelle Brassington ruled the planned Sunday march would be too dangerous.
“The plan is still to assemble at one o’clock at Raymond Park. Justice for Palestine is going to convene, and we’re going to make a decision publicly (about whether to march) over the next couple of days,” she said.
Naji said the group were also considering an appeal.
In court, the group’s lawyer, Angus Scott, argued that even a judgment against them would not improve public safety, because the protest would go ahead anyway.
Chief magistrate Janelle Brassington said her refusal of authorisation of the protest does not make the public assembly unlawful, it just denied it special protections against civil and criminal liability.
Naji said she was prepared to be arrested for the cause.
Personally, I’m prepared to do everything in my power to pressure my government to act in accordance with international law.
Updated
Queensland chief magistrate rules public safety would be threatened by Gaza bridge march
Chief magistrate Janelle Brassington ruled that the planned Gaza march could not go ahead because of a risk to public safety.
She said the rally would require closing all six lanes of the Brisbane Story Bridge, blocking emergency vehicles.
And she accepted submissions by acting assistant commissioner for Brisbane region, Rhys Wildman, that the police could not prevent people climbing on to footpaths attached to the bridge. They have been closed since March for repairs due to engineering concerns.
My view of the situation is this, with all of the good intentions of the organisers … with respect they don’t have the expertise, the experience of the Queensland police service and those that must make those judgments.
There is a significant risk to public safety as indicated by the experts in this matter.
Updated
Rankine slur ‘offensive, hurtful and highly inappropriate’, AFL chief says
The chief executive of the AFL, Andrew Dillon, has said the homophobic slur used by Adelaide Crow’s star Izak Rankine that led to the player’s four-match ban was “offensive, hurtful and highly inappropriate.
Dillon told reporters that the incident was called out by players and acknowledged by Rankine as wrong.
I know people in the LGBTQI+ community are hurting when an incident like this occurs. One incident is one too many and the factor of multiple incidents in the last 18 months shows there is still much work to do.
He said the four-match ban was a significant price to pay, but the behaviour is not acceptable. He said even though it will mean Rankine will miss the finals, “a game is a game and that is what we took into account”.
He said there was a “compelling medical submission” made during the decision-making process but would not go into detail.
Dillon also commented on choosing rapper Snoop Dogg as the grand final entertainment this year, saying the artist has changed and is now a grandfather, philanthropist, helps rehabilitate youth and has performed at both the Super Bowl and the Olympic closing ceremony.
Updated
NSW SES has responded to more than 760 callouts this week
The NSW SES has provided an update on callouts it has received amid this week’s heavy rainfall and flood warnings.
It now says it has responded to more than 760 callouts since Monday, and more than 400 incidents in the past 24 hours, including six flood rescues.
That includes the search for two men who went missing after a vehicle crashed into the Macdonald River last night. As reported earlier, police say two bodies have now been found, although they have yet to be formally identified.
It also includes a man who was rescued after he was trapped in a vehicle in flood waters at Douglas Park, south-west of Sydney, early this morning.
Further flood rescues have also been undertaken at Albion Park in the Illawarra, Ourimbah on the Central Coast and Hawks Nest on the mid-north coast.
According to the NSW SES’s website, there are now 35 warnings in place across the state, including “watch and act” warnings for Goangra in the state’s north-west, and Yarramalong on the Central Coast. Residents of Gunnedah and the Tamworth suburb of Calala have been told to “prepare to isolate”.
Updated
Pro-Palestine protesters ordered to cancel planned march across Brisbane’s Story Bridge
Pro-Palestine activists have been ordered to cancel a planned protest march over Brisbane’s Story Bridge in a court hearing this morning.
It’s unclear whether organisers will follow the order, made in the Brisbane magistrates court. They refused to commit either way when asked earlier this week.
Chief magistrate Janelle Brassington approved an application for a ban by the Queensland police service, made on the basis of community safety.
It’s the second time this year a group has been banned from marching over the bridge for the same reason. An active transport group was blocked in May.
In a statement earlier this week the police said they had participated in mediation with organisers Justice for Palestine Magan-djin on Monday, but couldn’t come to an agreement.
More than 100,000 protesters marched over the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month after overcoming a court challenge by New South Wale police.
“The QPS respects the right to peacefully assemble; however, this must be balanced with the need to ensure public safety and minimise disruption to the broader community,” a spokesperson for QPS said, on Tuesday.
Updated
Lehrmann’s lawyer argues Lee's description of rape different from Network Ten's
Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer says the federal court judgment that her client raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019 found it was a “soft rape” but was characterised in a Network Ten broadcast as a “violent” assault.
Lehrmann is appealing against the ruling that he was not defamed by Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, and that on the balance of probabilities he raped former Liberal staffer Higgins in Parliament House in 2019 before the full court of the federal court.
Solicitor Zali Burrows, acting for Lehrmann, said she didn’t like to use the term “soft rape”.
“But I have to use it,” she said.
“No doubt the media are going to make fun of that, but it was pleaded as a violent rape.”
Justice Michael Wigney disputed Burrow’s characterisation of “violent rape” and said the allegations were that it was “forceful”.
Burrows said Higgins’ allegation that her leg was pinned during the alleged assault and she suffered bruising was a “different type of rape to what your honour found”.
Justice Wigney said Lee made no finding about the alleged assault being “violent” or “soft”.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
Updated
Victoria police lay 127 more charges over alleged illegal recording device at Melbourne hospitals
Victoria police have laid 127 additional charges to six already laid against a 27-year-old Croydon man over an alleged illegal recording device in Melbourne hospitals.
The alleged offending occurred at the Austin hospital in Heidelberg, the Royal Melbourne hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
The charges relate to allegations of stalking, producing intimate images and installing an optical surveillance device.
It is alleged a mobile phone was used as a recording device in staff toilets at the three hospitals.
The man was first charged last month relating to the alleged offending initially identified at the Austin hospital.
The man will appear at the supreme court tomorrow.
Police say they are investigating further medical facilities where the man worked between 2020 and 2025, and further alleged victims are expected to be identified.
Updated
Two dead after fuel tanker and transport truck collide head-on north of Brisbane
Two men have died in a catastrophic truck crash after a fuel tanker and another heavy vehicle burst into flames on a major highway, AAP reports.
Emergency services attended the D’Aguilar Highway at Nukku, north-west of Brisbane, before 6am on Thursday after reports the tanker and a heavy rigid transport truck were involved in a head-on smash.
Both drivers – men aged in their 30s and 50s – sustained critical injuries and were treated by paramedics, but died at the scene. Reports have suggested the vehicles burst into “incredible flames” upon the collision.
Up to 13 fire crews attended the scene. A 1km exclusion zone boundary has been established, encompassing the D’Aguilar Highway, the northern end of Nukku Rd and southern end of Nukku Boundary Rd.
NSW estimates hears patient ‘fears that he will die’ if he returns to Blacktown hospital – video
That’s all from me, thanks for sticking with us. Josh Taylor will take things over from here. Take care.
Allegra Spender’s One Big Idea: Australians could keep more of their wages if we rebalanced taxes on other forms of income
Independent MP Allegra Spender has one big idea during the ongoing economic roundtable that she shared with Guardian Australia: A dual-income system that would encourage people to invest in themselves while reducing incentives to split or reclassify income to exploit lower tax rates.
Read more here:
NSW police find two bodies after car crashes into river north of Sydney
Police have located two bodies during their search for two men who went missing when a car crashed into a river north of Sydney just before midnight last night.
NSW Police said emergency divers began a search of the area, about 20km north of Wisemans Ferry, earlier today and found the missing vehicle at about 11.20am. Further searches led to the discovery of the bodies, which have not been formally identified.
Another man, 24, was able to escape the vehicle last night. He did not require treatment by paramedics.
Police said earlier they believed the trio were a father and his two sons.
Updated
NSW SES urge communities that may be isolated by flooding to stay up-to-date on alerts
ASX200 hits a record 9,000 points as Australian share market surges
The Australian share market has hit a historic high as companies report strong profits and falling interest rates boost confidence in the economy.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index surpassed 9,000 points for the first time on Thursday, after the combined value of Australia’s 200 biggest share market-listed companies rose nearly $30bn this morning.
ANZ is holding at a market value of more than $100bn, a record it briefly hit for the first time yesterday. NAB is also at a record high capitalisation of $130bn, with rising bank share prices among those pushing the index over the line.
Miners led the growth on Thursday, while market darling CSL has begun to claw back ground after a shock restructure announcement dashed its stock price back to 2019 levels.
The index surpassed 7,000 points at the start of 2020 before the pandemic wiped a third of the market’s value. It took until July 2024 to surpass 8,000 points, and just over a year later has hit 9,000.
The broader All Ordinaries index, which captures the 500 biggest publicly listed companies, surpassed 9,000 points in July and is now sitting at more than 9,250 – it’s climbed a little faster than the ASX200 has in the last year.
The ASX200 held above 9,000 points for an hour just after midday and has since slipped to 8,993. We’ll be monitoring and will update readers when markets close at 4pm.
Updated
Flood rescue pictures emerge from south-west Sydney
We have some images from a flood rescue earlier today. Crews from NSW Police, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Ambulance and NSW Rural Fire Service all assisted a multi agency effort led by the NSW SES.
We reported earlier on this rescue, in Douglas Park, south-west of Sydney. A man attempted to drive through flood waters, which reached the headlights of his vehicle before he was trapped.
The driver was rescued and is unharmed.
Updated
$50m fund for mid-north coast and Hunter flood victims
This week’s flood risk follows several major rainfall events this year, including floods in May which devastated the mid-north coast and Hunter Valley, claiming the lives of five people.
It coincides with the announcement of a $50m housing support package for those affected by the May floods by the NSW and federal governments.
The funding includes provision for caravans and self-contained pod homes for residents whose homes were uninsured or uninhabitable, allowing them to stay on their property during repairs.
In a “first for flood recovery”, support is also being given to renters, with one-off grants to support those facing financial hardship to relocate.
Updated
Whitehaven Coal CEO promises investors ‘bright future’ after profit pressure
Whitehaven Coal has recorded surging revenue – and emissions – after taking over two mines in Queensland, telling investors rising coal demand will support further expansion.
The new mines saw coal production rise to 39 megatonnes in the year to June, up from 24.5Mt the previous year, though falling coal prices meant revenue overall only rose from $3.8bn to $5.8bn and went backwards for Whitehaven’s New South Wales operations.
Production costs also surged, halving annual underlying profits to $319m and cutting the year’s total dividend to 15c per share, down from 20c over 2023-24.
The share price slipped 3% after the company’s annual report was published this morning but recovered after an investor call where Paul Flynn, Whitehaven’s managing director and chief executive, told investors rising Chinese demand was set to boost sales, prices and profit margins:
These scenarios just point to a bright future.
The chief financial officer, Kevin Ball, told investors Whitehaven hoped to “under-promise and overdeliver” on its projections of lower costs and slightly lower production, with rain the only bad news on the horizon.
Unmentioned in the call was the surge in Whitehaven emissions in its first full year of operating the two Queensland mines, up from 1.3Mt carbon dioxide-equivalent to 2.2Mt CO2-e combined scope 1 and scope 2 emissions.
Updated
CommBank home loan applications soar after rate cuts
Commonwealth Bank has reported a surge in hopeful homebuyers looking for loans after interest rate cuts, which have together boosted a $200,000-income household’s borrowing capacity to over $1m.
The Reserve Bank’s first two rate cuts in February and May delivered CBA a 12% jump in pre-approval applications in June and July, compared to the same two months in 2024. First home buyers have been squeezed out by surging prices but kept pace, with an 11% jump.
New South Wales and Queensland saw outsized jumps in applications, up 25% and 16% respectively, while Victorian interest stayed relatively flat, CBA said.
Pre-approval applications point forward to more home loans and purchases. The first half of 2025, including the first two rate cuts, saw CBA home loans rise 2%, according to its mid-year report.
With a third cut in August, variable home loan rates around the country have fallen by about 0.75% on average, which CBA calculates has increased borrowing capacity by about 7%. That allows households with $150,000 to now borrow an extra $40,000, while a combined $200,000 income’s loan size has leapt $66,000 to over $1m.
Updated
Midwifery numbers won’t be cut but discussions at RPA ongoing, NSW minister says
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, has promised no midwifery jobs in the state will be lost despite workforce planning at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred hospital threatening to cut 20 full-time roles.
After protests in July, the proposed cuts were paused. Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst told NSW budget estimates the community still hadn’t been provided with any updates since then, and asked the minister if he was able provide an update on whether those midwifery staff cuts will go ahead.
Park replied:
I want to be very clear on this, no jobs will be lost as a result of that workforce planning. But those discussions are still taking place and are ongoing …
So no intention to make any cuts in relation to midwifery numbers. What I’ve got to do is make sure that we will deliver those midwifery, maternal, antenatal, postnatal, birthing services where people are having children. So obviously, there are parts of our state where we have big population growth and … therefore women are having more births than in other parts of the state.
Updated
Lehrmann appeal adjourns for early lunch break after judge rejects requests from his lawyer to end day early
Bruce Lehrmann’s federal court appeal has adjourned for an early lunch break after multiple requests from his lawyer for the court to finish for the day.
As she rose to begin her scheduled reply, Zali Burrows repeatedly asked the full federal court to adjourn for the day, saying she needs further time to address matters that arose yesterday. Burrows said:
I’m instructed that there’s been some assertions made in respect to the transcript which may not be correct. We need this time to check this as well.
Burrows says “quite a few matters” arose yesterday afternoon which she wants to address.
But Justice Michael Wigney said the court was “inclined” for her to commence her reply immediately. He says nothing that occurred this morning could affect her ability to respond to the proper appeal, not the qualified privilege matter.
We recognise the difficult position you’re in but really it’s important that this matter be concluded as soon as possible and certainly within the three days allocated.
Burrows began her reply by asking for clarification about a question Justice Craig Colvin asked on Wednesday about a ground in Lehrmann’s appeal.
Barrows said her client was challenging Justice Michael Lee’s “underlying findings” in his April 2024 judgment.
Asked by Justice Michael Wigney what “underlying findings” Burrows challenged, she said there were “a few” and she wanted to address this later.
Wigney said this was a “central issue” in the appeal and asked if Burrows understood the reference to the “underlying facts”. He said it was not apparent from Burrows’ written submission that she challenged any of these facts.
Wigney then agreed to Burrows’ request for an early lunch break and said the federal court would adjourn until 2.15pm.
Updated
Man rescued from flood waters south-west of Sydney
Platz says rescue operations have included the search for two men who are missing after a car drove into the Macdonald River near St Albans, north of Sydney, as we reported earlier.
They also include the rescue of a man at Douglas Park, south-west of Sydney, earlier this morning.
In this particular instance, a man was travelling through some flooded waters. The water had reached the headlights of his vehicle, and New South Wales SES volunteers attended and were able to rescue him through a tethered approach.
Updated
NSW SES responds to more incidents as roads close and communities watch flood advisories
The NSW SES and the Bureau of Meteorology are giving a joint press conference about the flood risk from today’s continued heavy rainfall.
NSW SES assistant deputy commissioner Debbie Platz said the SES has now responded to more than 500 incidents, including five flood rescues.
Platz said the weather system is now affecting “most of the east coast of NSW and into the north-west area of the state”.
We are starting now to see road closures across many parts of NSW, and these road closures are going to cause isolation to many communities. So again, we urge everybody in NSW, in these impacted areas, to monitor our website very closely to see what is going to impact you.
Updated
Pocock says ANU’s leadership has taken ‘sledgehammer’ to the university
Pocock accused the ANU’s management of taking a “sledgehammer” to the institution. Addressing the rally, Pocock said he would “continue to fight” alongside students and staff to push for change:
We have to continue to push for better governance, for more transparency, and for a way forward that actually takes into account the students and staff here and the very people who have built this university …
It’s been really hard to watch the way that council and senior leadership have gone about the so-called proposals, and the way that they’ve taken a sledgehammer to this university.
Earlier this month, Pocock called for ANU’s chancellor, Julie Bishop, to step aside until an ongoing review by the regulator into the university council’s culture and oversight of its financial position was completed.
A spokesperson for ANU said it acknowledged implementing widespread change was “significant to our operations, our services, and most critically of all, our people and the fabric of our campus” but did not comment on requests for Bishop to step aside.
All future changes under Renew ANU will be achieved without involuntary redundancies, and no further change plans will be released in 2025. We know this period of transformation hasn’t been easy and we thank and acknowledge the work and dedication of our community to support ANU during this time of change.
Updated
David Pocock fronting student-led rally at ANU against job cuts
Independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock, is fronting a student-led rally at the Australian National University ANU today protesting against job cuts and ongoing restructuring at the embattled institution.
The protest, which kicked off at 11am on ANU’s Kambri Lawns, comes after the university announced on Wednesday there would be no further involuntary redundancies as management seeks to find $250m in annual savings. Students will be calling for ANU to cease going ahead with the existing proposed job cuts, estimated at about 130 by the National Tertiary Education Union, and for the government to commit to more funding for higher education.
Last month, about 100 students gathered to protest against the proposed changes, which include the disestablishment of the Australian National Dictionary Centre, the Centre for European studies, the Humanities Research Centre and the ANU School of Music.
A spokesperson for ANU said they knew it had been a “challenging period of change” in the community and implementing “change of this scale is significant to our operations, our services, and most critically of all, our people and the fabric of our campus”.
The university has reached an important milestone by achieving $59.9m in savings to date towards the salary reduction target of $100m. This brings us a step closer to returning the university to a financially sustainable footing.
Updated
‘This is not question time’: Chalmers clashes with O'Brien at economic reform summit
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and the Coalition frontbencher Ted O’Brien have clashed at the government’s economic reform roundtable, in a debate about Labor’s spending commitments in the federal budget.
Thursday is the final day of the roundtable event, and discussions are focused on budget sustainability and tax reform. Speakers including Treasury boss, Jenny Wilkinson, and the Grattan Institute chief executive, Aruna Sathanapally, are addressing the meeting.
Outside the cabinet room, O’Brien said he told Chalmers should set spending limits for the new parliamentary term, and stop adding to the budget deficit:
I set a test for the treasurer today to stop the spending spree, which starts with the introduction of quantifiable fiscal rules.
O’Brien did not elaborate on the debate but participants said the back and forth was heated, before Chalmers told O’Brien “this is not question time”.
The NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, intervened in the back and forth and suggested the meeting should return to possible reform options going forward.
Speaking during a break in the roundtable, the ACTU secretary, Sally McManus, said participants wanted Chalmers and O’Brien to stick to the meeting agenda and avoid a political fight in the cabinet room. She said that behaviour was better suited to parliament:
There was a bit of a political exchange that went on that felt a bit like question time.
It was like, ‘OK, guys, you can do that in question time, the rest of us here don’t really get to do that’.
Updated
Chrysanthou says Lee failed to take into account Higgins’ contemporaneous complaints
Sue Chrysanthou SC, says Justice Michael Lee’s criticism of the program’s allegation of a political cover-up of the alleged rape failed to take into account Brittany Higgins’ contemporaneous complaints.
She says material issued by the prime minister’s office in 2021 also confirmed “most of what Ms Higgins” said regarding her contemporaneous complaints about the alleged rape.
Chrysanthou says by the time of broadcast, Lisa Wilkinson and her producer Angus Llewellyn had “no doubt” that there were contemporaneous complaints to the police, to the minister (Linda Reynolds) and to the rape crisis centre about the allegation:
They had given Mr Lehrmann an opportunity to deny that that had occurred. As a matter of caution they didn’t name him, given they didn’t hear back from him, and that wasn’t the point of their story anyway.
Updated
Chrysanthou says Wilkinson was convinced Lehrmann would respond to questions
Sue Chrysanthou SC, says Lisa Wilkinson understood her producer Angus Llewellyn had sent questions to Bruce Lehrmann about the rape allegation three days before the program was aired on 15 February 2021.
Chrysanthou says her client was not part of the decision about the timing of the questions sent to Lehrmann:
She was so convinced that he might respond, she was preparing interview questions.
In my client’s mind, she’s sitting there in her makeup chair, drafting interview questions in case Mr Lhermann decides to speak. That was her state of mind.
Chrysanthou says Wilkinson, who agreed in the witness box there were no issues on the timing of questions sent to Lehrmann, had “no power to change it.”
Chrysanthou says no one else who was sent questions, including “busy ministers” and “political operatives”, complained about the timeframe to respond:
The “factual dispute” is that Lehrmann claims he did not see the questions before broadcast.
This was the one issue, uncorroborated by any document, that the trial judge accepted Mr Lehrmann on.
More ‘watch and act’ alerts issued for NSW amid heavy rainfall
The NSW SES has issued additional “watch and act” warnings for communities across northern NSW and the Central Coast.
Residents of Yarramalong, 36km north of Gosford, have now been warned moderate to heavy rainfall could cause flooding along the Wyong River.
In the last hour, additional watch and act warnings have been issued for the north-central town of Gunnedah, and the Tamworth suburb of Calala, with residents of both told to prepare to isolate.
They join an existing “warning and act” warning for Goangra, where heavy rainfall brings the risk of flooding on the Namoi River.
The NSW SES now has 33 warnings in place across the state.
Unions chief says agreement with tech industry on use of creative content in AI a ‘breakthrough’
Unions and the leading tech industry lobby group have agreed to work together on a model for payment for the use of creative content in training artificial intelligence.
Speaking to reporters this morning at the sidelines of the third and final day of the economic reform roundtable, Sally McManus, the secretary of the ACTU, described yesterday’s agreement with the Tech Council of Australia as a “breakthrough”:
There was discussion with the Tech Council and ACTU about wanting to address the issue of paying creatives, journalists and academics for their data (and) their creative work that they do.
That’s quite a significant shift, and it’s one we really welcome.
McManus said tech companies were already “rushing ahead’ in their exploitation of content to train large language models.
They’ll be crawling all your data. And people whose livelihoods depend on their creative output deserve not to have that stolen from them.
And so we’re committed to doing everything we can to address that. It was, I think, a big thing for the Tech Council to step up and say, ‘This is something we’re prepared to work on with you.
McManus said that she continued to advocate for an overarching AI act to address the potential risks from the technology, but that business groups remained opposed to such a measure.
Still, there was more commonality on the broader challenges of AI than she anticipated going into yesterday’s sessions.
None of us want to see AI used in a way that’s going to destroy jobs. None of us want to see AI leading to the, you know, theft, as is happening now, of the work of creatives and journalists and also academics.
The Tech Council has been approached for comment.
Updated
Lehrmann appeal: Sue Chrysanthou says Lee was ‘distracted by the so-called cover-up’
Bruce Lehrmann is appealing Justice Michael Lee’s April 2024 judgment, which found the former Liberal staffer was not defamed by Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 when The Project broadcast an interview with Brittany Higgins in 2021 in which she alleged she was raped in Parliament House.
Sue Chrysanthou SC, for Wilkinson, says Lee was “distracted by the so-called cover-up” alleged in the broadcast. She said:
The reason we lost section 30 is because His Honour could not accept that enough was done on this so called corrupt conduct of cover-up.
Chrysanthou said Lee concluded the Network 10 broadcast demonstrated the allegation of rape was the “minor theme” while the alleagtion of a cover-up was the “major theme.”
Chrysanthou says this is an acceptance of the fact the program was “not really about Mr Lehrmann”.
The appeal, expected to finish on Friday, is before the federal court’s full court of justices, Michael Wigney, Craig Colvin and Wendy Abraham.
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More on the men missing from a vehicle that crashed into a river north of Sydney
NSW police say police divers are on scene and will begin a search for two men missing after a car drove into a river north of Sydney late last night. The accident took place about 20km north of Wisemans Ferry.
One of the missing men is in his 20s and the other is in his 50s. Another man in his 20s was able to escape the vehicle. Police say they believe the trio are a father and his two sons.
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NSW minister says inquiry into health system in western Sydney not necessary
Carter pushed Park on whether he would support an inquiry into the health system in western Sydney. Park said he did not because his government had already initiated a royal commission – the special commission of inquiry into healthcare funding.
Park outlined what was being done for western Sydney, but acknowledged there is “more work to do”:
One, we are rolling out ratios of that hospital, resulting in a significantly increased number of staff.
Two, we are expanding beds at both Mount Druitt and Blacktown to the tune of $120 million investment 60 increases in beds between both hospitals.
Three we will continue to focus on the patient experience at that and other western Sydney hospitals as a result of that investment, with more to do and a lot more improvement to go. We have seen significant improvements in the performance at Blacktown hospital. But there is more work to do.
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Claim patient ‘too scared’ to return to Blacktown hospital out of fear they would die there, NSW budget estimates hears
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, is appearing before budget estimates this morning and questions kicked off around the state of Blacktown hospital.
Opposition MLC Susan Carter asked Park about what has been done since patients were photographed sleeping on the floor of the hospital in September last year.
Park said on-time treatment has gone up from one in six patients being treated on time back in March 2023, roughly about 16.5%, “under us, most recent data says one in two being treated on time, roughly around 44%”.
Carter asked about a resident called Patrick who she said emailed his office on Monday:
This week he was forced to wait for 38 hours and 17 minutes in Blacktown emergency department. He wasn’t fed. He saw patients sleeping on the floor of the emergency department. He’s now too scared to turn up at Blacktown hospital because he fears that he will die there.
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Here’s a visual of the current state of flood advisories across NSW from the Bureau of Meteorology:
⚠️ A #MajorFloodWarning is current for the #NamoiRiver & #ModerateFloodWarning for the #PeelRiver including at #Tamworth, #Manilla, #CarrollGap, #Gunnedah & #Goangra. More areas have Minor Flood Warnings & Flood Watches current.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 21, 2025
Check the latest warnings: https://t.co/wa0JF8WNWj pic.twitter.com/6ZteZniNTz
A major flood warning is in place for the Namoi River and a moderate flood warning for the Peel River, including at Tamworth, Manilla, Carroll Gap, Gunnedah and Goangra.
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Netanyahu says Albanese’s reputation ‘forever tarnished’
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed Anthony Albanese in a new interview with Sky News. The Israeli leader expanded on his criticism of Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state in quotes teased from the interview, set to air in full later today. Netanyahu said:
I’m sure he has a reputable record as a public servant, but I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters.
When the worst terrorist organisation on Earth … when these people congratulate the prime minister of Australia, you know something is wrong.
The full interview airs at 8pm tonight.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 19, 2025
History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician
who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews.
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Some parts of NSW saw 115mm of rain overnight, with more to come
The Bureau of Meteorology said NSW’s Port Macquarie saw 115mm of rain in the 21-hour period to 6am this morning, with heavy falls in the nearby area. Helen Reid, a meteorologist with the bureau, said those conditions are expected to continue throughout the day along the entire east coast of NSW up to south-east Queensland.
Widespread falls of 40mm-80mm are expected from the Gold Coast down to the Illawarra in NSW, with 20-50mm forecast for the ranges and western slopes. But the Bom said higher falls are possible, with many flood warnings issued across the state.
Reid said the heavy rain will ease on Friday, but wet conditions will probably remain through the weekend in coastal regions.
Friday will start off as a wet day along the coast, but we’re likely to start to see the rain easing to patchier showers throughout the afternoon. Rainfall totals will still be moderate on Friday.
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Lehrmann appeal resumes
Bruce Lehrmann’s appeal against the federal court ruling that he was not defamed by Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson has begun for the day.
Sue Chrysanthou SC, for Wilkinson, is expected to finish her arguments this morning. Zali Burrows, for Lehrmann, will then start her response.
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Lehrmann’s written submissions published by federal court
Bruce Lehrmann’s written submissions have been published by the federal court ahead of the start of the second day of his appeal against his lost defamation case.
In the documents his lawyer, Zali Burrows, argues that the original judge, Justice Michael Lee, “misconstrued the meaning of the word ‘rape’”.
“The problem is that [The Project] broadcast clearly suggests a violent rape, where the complainant was in tears and repeatedly refused consent, of which repeated refusal the perpetrator must have been aware,” the documents released by the court says. They add:
That is quite different from a non-violent rape involving inadvertent recklessness as to whether there was consent.
Lehrmann is asking the appeal court to accept that Lee’s judgment denied Lehrmann procedural fairness and natural justice because “facts were not put to Mr Lehrmann” about “a version of the rape that His Honour found”.
We’ll bring you more from the appeal as the day goes on.
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What could be one of the biggest tax reform ‘prizes’?
We mentioned earlier that Aruna Sathanapally, the chief executive of the Grattan Institute, was doing a presentation later this morning to the roundtable on “a better tax system”.
We aren’t allowed in the cabinet room, but we have a fair idea what will be in that presentation. In Sathanapally’s submission to the talkfest, she outlined a number of reforms.
First: “The biggest tax reform prize in Australia would be to replace state stamp duties with general property taxes.”
Then there are a range of suggestions: curbing super tax concessions; halving the capital gains tax discount and winding back negative gearing; broadening and/or raising the GST; and redesigning the petroleum resource rent tax.
The submission also floats the idea of an inheritance tax and a corporate cashflow tax, reminiscent of what the Productivity Commission recently proposed.
Sathanapally said a tax reform package “might be needed to share the costs more broadly and to raise enough revenue to be able to compensate those who can least afford it”.
One such package could be a GST “grand bargain” between the commonwealth and the states, which would involve broadening and hiking the consumption tax to pay for boosted welfare and lower income tax.
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NSW SES has responded to 430 incidents in past 24 hours as official warns of ‘significant’ rain to come
Debbie Platz, the deputy commissioner of NSW SES, just gave an update about the weather situation across the state. She told ABC News:
This system is very widespread and … already we’ve had significant rain right up and down the east coast of New South Wales, but also significant rain inland as well …
That’s going to bring with it flash flooding and renewed riverine rises. Previously to this event, we had a system go through probably 10 days ago, and that system is still causing flooding along the Namoi and Barwon rivers.
Platz said the state is in for “significant” rainfall, saying it’s possible that in the Sydney area and in the north more than 100mm of rain is forecast, with some areas possibly seeing up to 120mm.
Over the last 24 hours NSW SES has responded to 430 incidents.
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It’s day three of the roundtable. On deck: tax and budget sustainability
It’s day three of the government’s economic reform roundtable, and the two dozen or so attendees in the cabinet room will be discussing tax and budget sustainability.
Before booting out the media, Jim Chalmers in his opening remarks highlighted the “seven big intensifying pressures on our budget”.
While the treasurer didn’t list them all, the budget papers show the fastest growing major payments are (starting with the fastest growing): interest on the debt, the NDIS, defence, hospitals, medical benefits, aged care, and the child care subsidy.
“Five out of those seven are in the care economy,” Chalmers noted, adding:
The challenge on us is to convert the progress we’ve made in the near term in the budget, into longer term structural progress in the budget.
The treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, is presenting first up, followed by a session on efficiency in government services (including care).
The CEO of the Grattan Institute, Aruna Sathanapally, will give a presentation on “a better tax system” later this morning, which will be the topic of conversation for the rest of the afternoon.
At 4.20pm the treasurer is scheduled to deliver a “close and way forward”, which might include some “announceables”.
Don’t hold your breath for a major tax announcement, though: Anthony Albanese has already ruled out any new tax changes in this term of government.
Updated
Woman assisting police after baby found dead in drain in WA
A woman in her 30s is assisting police regarding the death of an infant who was found dead in a storm drain in Alexander Heights on Monday.
The woman is receiving appropriate care and support, WA police said last night, but “given the sensitivities” the police would not make any further comment.
Read our story on the discovery of the baby here:
National road toll highest in 15 years, with number of pedestrians killed up more than 27%
Australian road accidents have claimed their highest number of victims in 15 years, with the national road toll fuelled by a rising number of pedestrian deaths, AAP report.
Recent figures show the national road toll had grown to 1,340 deaths during the year to 31 July – an increase of 2.9%. But the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents during the year jumped by 27.3%, an additional 44 people.
Road toll figures showed an additional 38 people were killed on Australian roads during the last 12 months, with significant increases in Tasmania (up 41%), the ACT (14%), and Western Australia (12%).
The figures represented the worst road toll recorded since 2010 when 1,395 people died in road accidents, and showed Australia was failing to meet its goal to halve the road toll by 2030, Australian Automobile Association managing director Michael Bradley said.
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Prue Car says she is ‘doing OK’ amid treatment for breast cancer
NSW deputy premier Prue Car said she is “as well as you can be in the middle of chemo” after saying she would take time away to get treatment for breast cancer in June.
Car told 2GB this morning:
It’s a long and, at times, pretty brutal process, but I’m doing OK.
Car praised advancements in cancer research, pointing to the Cancer Council’s Daffodil Day today. But she noted every time she went in for treatment there was were hundreds of others there too, “having the same process for different types of cancers”.
We need to do better. We need to keep making the treatment less brutal. We need to ultimately find a cure, and we need to make sure that all those hundreds of people every day, of people having chemo right now for different types of cancer or going through surgery or radiation, that they can have a better chance of survival and thriving in their life once they’ve finished their treatment.
Updated
Dozens of flood advisories across NSW as heavy rain continues
There are dozens of flood advisories across NSW this morning after a night of heavy rain.
NSW SES is advising residents to stay informed from an area stretching from south of Sydney up to the Central Coast, the north coast, the New England region and the state’s north-west.
The agency wrote on social media:
With the morning commute in full swing, it’s important to take extra care and drive to the conditions.
Heavy rainfall is expected to continue today & renewed flooding is forecast for the coastal and north west areas of the state.
Stay safe on the roads during wet weather 🚗
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) August 20, 2025
With the morning commute in full swing, it’s important to take extra care and drive to the conditions.
Heavy rainfall is expected to continue today & renewed flooding is forecast for the coastal and north west areas of the state. pic.twitter.com/yrkFyFfXmU
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Butler says Thriving Kids plan will help bolster NDIS long-term
Health minister Mark Butler has said planned changes to the NDIS that will see children with mild to moderate developmental delays or autism diverted into a new program would both help kids and support the funding model behind the disability support service.
Butler spoke to RN Breakfast this morning after announcing the Thriving Kids program, which will begin in mid-2027.
The minister said this morning the change was about “making sure we can get cost growth down … but also build a system to support kids to thrive rather than expecting parents and children with relatively mild to moderate levels of developmental delay or autism to go on to a scheme built for permanent, significant disability”:
Change will take some time, obviously, particularly to build a system for thriving kids that parents have confidence in, that has the right emphasis points. But I think what the community is saying is they want a sense from their government that we get the need to make change.
They overwhelmingly think that this [the NDIS] is a scheme they should be proud of, that has transformed the lives of people with disabilities. But they’re concerned it’s costing too much and has too many inefficiencies and too many dodgy providers.
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ABC unveils new public comment guidelines for staff
ABC managing director Hugh Marks said new public comment guidelines sent to staff yesterday were not directly linked to the Antoinette Latouff unlawful termination case, but reflected a need to update how staff can communicate online so their remarks don’t reflect badly on the national broadcaster.
Marks spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, where he was asked about the origin of the new guidelines and if they were a direct response to the Latouff episode:
I think it’s not directly related to that particular case. I think when I started, there had already been some discussion around whether social media guidelines were going to continue to be appropriate or whether, I guess, a recognition that it’s not just social media where comments by some of our people can potentially reflect in an adverse way upon the reputation of the ABC and that we needed something that captured that much broader environment.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the guidelines place limits on what staff can and can’t say publicly, noting even private WhatsApp groups can be considered “public” in some settings. Marks told RN this morning:
If you’re in a public WhatsApp group, maybe discussing whether it’s a community group or whether it’s a group with 500 work colleagues, I think the broader the group, the more likely that is to be considered, you know, being at risk of being public comment. …
I think, again, if you were doing a conversation with a journalist, that’s a one-on-one WhatsApp message, then it would be reasonable to assume that that would also become public.
Updated
Two men missing after car crashes into river north of Sydney
Emergency officials are searching for two people missing after a car crashed into a river north of Sydney late last night.
NSW police said emergency services were called to the Macdonald River, about 20km north of Wisemans Ferry, just before midnight amid reports a car had entered the water. Officers found a vehicle in the river when they arrived. One passenger of the car, a man in his 20s, managed to escape but said his two companions had gone missing.
Officials this morning said the two other men have not been accounted for. The NSW SES and NSW rural fire service are searching the area for the missing pair.
Updated
Large-scale energy generation demand to grow 21% over next decade but investment pipeline ‘healthy’
The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) has released its annual report on the investments needed to ensure the national electricity grid remains reliable for the next decade.
It found the outlook had improved from a year ago – assuming all expected investments in new generation, storage and transmission connections that have been promised are delivered on time and in full.
Aemo’s chief executive, Daniel Westerman, said the report showed “the 10-year investment pipeline to manage energy reliability is healthy”. But he said the large number of electricity stations due to retire over the next decade – 11GW worth of them, nearly all of it coal power – meant the “timely delivery” of new infrastructure was critical.
The operator is forecasting demand for large-scale electricity generation will increase by 21% over the next decade, mainly due to “the rapid expansion of data centres, accelerating business electrification and the broader inclusion of prospective industrial energy users”.
It said a “small reliability gap” of 80MW was forecast in Queensland this summer due to “reduced generator availability, higher forecasts of maximum demand and delayed project commissioning”, and warned capacity would be needed to cover this.
A larger reliability gap of 390MW is forecast in South Australia next financial year if the Torrens Island B gas plant retires as previously planned – but the modelling did not consider a recent in-principle agreement to extend the generator’s life for two years.
Updated
Good morning, and welcome to Thursday morning. Nick Visser here to take over for Martin Farrer. Let’s get to it.
‘No gap’ for children in transition from NDIS to Thriving Kids, minister says
The health minister, Mark Butler, said there would be no gap in support for parents of children with mild to moderate developmental delays or autism under the $2bn plan to shift those children from NDIS coverage to the Thriving Kids program.
Butler told ABC’s 7.30 program that there is a two-year run-up time before Thriving Kids comes into effect, with services to roll out from next year to give parents confidence they will get the support they need.
The children currently on the NDIS will be entitled to remain on the NDIS, he said, but he reiterated his belief that he doesn’t think, in the long term, the NDIS is “the right scheme for kids with mild to moderate developmental delay or autism.
We’ve only really given parents one option for the last several years - the one port in the storm has been the NDIS. I think that there should be another option. But I’m going to make sure that that option is fully up and running before we start diversion from the NDIS, that’s the only right thing to do.
On fraud in the NDIS, Butler said more work needed to be done, and there needed to be a more robust system of provider registration, noting only 16,000 of the 260,000 service providers are currently registered.
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Business Council of Australia says ‘broad agreement’ on pausing national construction code
Bran Black, the chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, said following the wrap-up of yesterday’s meetings of the economic reform roundtable there was “pretty broad agreement” to take a pause on the national construction code.
He told ABC’s 7.30 program last night there was also scope for agreement on reform around the federal approvals system and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The devil is in the detail and there are lots of issues that are still to be finalised, but if you can agree upon the structure, which is broadly in line with the recommendations of Graham Samuel, that’s an excellent spot.
On AI, there remains disagreement with the union movement over workers vetoing the introduction of AI into workplaces. He said AI is just “affecting roles” and not “replacing roles” for the most part, and existing laws can address the issues that are emerging.
He said regulation should not be introduced unless it is needed, and provisions in the Fair Work Act already cover consultation for workers where there are significant changes contemplated for workforces.
What we are concerned about is that if we rush to regulate now, if we rush to regulate too early, then we will miss the opportunity associated with the technology. And if we do that, perversely, we may see the type of outcome that we’re trying to prevent, and opportunities moving overseas and jobs being lost. We don’t want to be in that situation.
Updated
Bruce Lehrmann returns to court for second day of appeal hearing
Bruce Lehrmann will return to the federal court in Sydney at 10.15am today for day two of his appeal against Justice Michael Lee’s April 2024 defamation judgment.
The federal court found the former Liberal staffer was not defamed by Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 when The Project broadcast an interview with Brittany Higgins in 2021 in which she alleged she was raped in Parliament House.
Yesterday, Lehrmann’s lawyer, Zali Burrows, apologised to the full bench of the federal court, justices Michael Wigney, Craig Colvin and Wendy Abraham, for her client’s failure to appoint an experienced barrister. Burrows said Lehrmann could not afford to pay for the services of a silk.
It set the stage for a rocky morning for the appellant as Burrows put her case on four grounds, fielding multiple questions from the bench and choosing to delay much of the detail of her case until after Ten and Wilkinson present their submissions.
Sue Chrysanthou SC, for Ten, will be first up today, and she told the court she expected to finish her reply in about one hour.
The court will then hear from Burrows, who will respond to submissions from Chrysanthou and Ten’s silk Matt Collins KC.
The case has been set down for three days.
Antarctica at risk of ‘abrupt changes’ that could have catastrophic consequences
Antarctica could undergo abrupt and potentially irreversible changes that have catastrophic consequences unless urgent action is taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a review by 21 Australian and international scientists.
Published in the journal Nature, the review of published Antarctic science found changes facing the southern continent were interlinked and putting pressure on the global climate, sea level and ecosystems.
It highlights several risks, including:
The “severe risk” that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could collapse. If that happened, it could raise sea levels by more than three metres and threaten coastal cities and communities across the world.
The accelerating disappearance of sea ice floating in the ocean around Antarctica. This has a range of knock-on effects, including worsening warming by increasing the amount of solar heat retained in the ocean and increasing the risk that species that rely on the ice, such as emperor penguins, could go extinct.
The potential rapid slowdown of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation, which could alter the world’s climate for centuries. Among other changes, it would mean vital nutrients stay at the seafloor instead of being recirculated back to the surface, where biological systems depend on them.
Dr Nerilie Abram, the chief scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division and the study’s lead author, said:
The only way to avoid further abrupt changes and their far-reaching impacts is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to limit global warming to as close to 1.5C as possible.
Governments, businesses and communities will need to factor in these abrupt Antarctic changes that are being observed now into future planning for climate change impacts, including in Australia.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the best overnight stories and then I’ll be handing over to Nick Visser.
A study by 21 Australian and international scientists reports today that Antarctica could undergo abrupt and potentially catastrophic changes unless urgent action is taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions. More shortly.
It’s the final day of the government’s economic roundtable today. Yesterday there seemed to be consensus over a pause to changes to the nation’s construction code, to give builders more certainty and hopefully speed up new housing.
Plus, today Bruce Lehrmann’s appeal hearing continues in the federal court, as he tries to reverse his loss in a defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson. We’ll bring you all the developments from that hearing as they come today.
