That's it for today, thanks for reading
Here are the main stories on Monday 15 September:
Millions of Australians are at risk from rising sea levels and heat deaths will soar, national climate risk assessment report warns.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says the PNG defence treaty to be signed in Port Moresby will be an “upgrade” to security relationship.
Albanese also remains coy about the prospect of an impending meeting with the US president, Donald Trump.
Queensland police investigating 20 deaths linked to “end of life service business”.
Infighting and the sacking of a frontbencher have left the federal Coalition with its worst-ever primary vote result in Newspoll history, with One Nation appearing to have scooped up disaffected voters.
ANZ will pay $240m in penalties to settle five misconduct claims with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic), the largest penalty issued by the commission.
Western Australia will get two new public holidays.
We will see you here again on Tuesday.
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Inaction on climate crisis ‘will be seen as culpable negligence’, Andrew Forrest says
The founder and executive chair of Fortescue, Andrew Forrest, says the Australian climate risk assessment underlines that countries and companies who “have put their head in the sand” when it comes to fighting the climate crisis will soon be seen as committing “culpable negligence”.
Forrest said in a statement on Monday:
Climate action is no longer tomorrow’s problem. Inaction condemns the people we love around us to rising costs, destruction and lost opportunities. The Government’s own, well-anticipated climate risk assessment now makes this obvious to everyone.
Some countries and companies have put their head in the sand. This will soon not be seen as excusable inaction. It will be seen as culpable negligence.
No community in Australia will be spared the escalating costs of climate change. A recent Nature study directly links more than 200 heatwaves since 2000 to emissions from the world’s biggest carbon polluters.
Lethal heat and humidity is closing in and the evidence is everywhere. It includes our own companies. Our business leaders, like government, are becoming directly culpable if we continue to kick the can down the road. We must demand they act.
Shareholders, community leaders, all Australians: please no longer allow companies to hide behind vague, conditional 2050 pledges while continuing with business as usual. They are condemning our communities, our workers and our children to face the worst impacts of climate change.
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Albanese coy on prospect of Trump meeting
Albanese was also asked on Sky and the ABC about the prospect of a meeting US president Donald Trump in coming days.
He was coy, but didn’t deny it was possible, though wouldn’t confirm a time. Albanese told the ABC:
I’m saying that we will meet when we meet – obviously there are things that occur such as the funeral of course as a result of Mr [Charlie] Kirk’s tragic murder [which] will occur on Sunday, there are a range of events occurring as well that means that the arrangements will be finalised when they are finalised.
Albanese clarified that didn’t mean the meeting had been scheduled for Sunday, but that he mentioned this as another reporter asked him earlier about whether the meeting would occur that day.
I gotta tell you as I go around Australia or indeed anywhere else, it is journalists who are obsessed by this.
He also wouldn’t be drawn on what he could discuss with Trump, including the US withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. Albanese was then asked what he described as a “hypothetical on a hypothetical”: If he did meet Trump would he invite him to address the Australian parliament. Albanese responded:
Any US president will always be welcome in Australia of course as our other world leaders.
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PM says PNG defence treaty will be an ‘upgrade’ to security relationship
Back to the PM in PNG. Anthony Albanese is speaking with the ABC now from Port Moresby. He has said that the defence treaty to be signed with PNG on Wednesday will be made public.
He will not be drawn on whether PNG “had chosen us over China”, as asked by the ABC presenter, but says that the agreement respects PNG’s sovereignty, despite the concerns of some local politicians.
It’s certainly an upgrade to the relationship, I will have more to say once we have signed the agreement going forward, I think that’s the respectful thing to do rather than foreshadow it all, it’s an upgrade in our security relationship to a treaty level to the sort of level that we have with the United States and … other allies so it is important going forward.
It’s increased interoperability, it’s increased engagement and security relationship … our economic relationship is important and our people to people relations as well.
It means that Papua New Guinea is choosing … it’s own interest, going forward, and it’s sovereignty.
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Springwater flows set to resume in Murray Darling
Important spring water flows will resume in some areas of the Murray-Darling Basin in New South Wales after the commonwealth lifted a pause on environmental watering in some parts of the state.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder had put a statewide temporary stop to environmental flows last month amid a legal stoush with the Minns government over how environmental water releases should be interpreted under the NSW non-urban water metering policy.
At the heart of the dispute was whether environmental water should be treated as “take” in the same way as water extracted by irrigators and comply with metering rules.
Late last week, the state government updated its water management regulations to clarify when river operators need a water licence to release water for the environment.
The NSW water minister, Rose Jackson, said:
I know the delay on some environmental water flows in the past few weeks has caused concern. That’s why as soon as we found this technical issue, I asked my department to respond as an absolute priority.
In a statement published Friday, the Commonwealth Environment Water Holder Dr Simon Banks said the amendment meant the pause on environmental water could be lifted in some circumstances, including scheduled environmental watering for the Macquarie Marshes:
I am now satisfied that our regulatory obligations can be met for planned in-stream, within-channel watering actions in the Barwon-Darling, Lower Darling and Murray. I am also pleased to be able to progress important watering actions in the Macquarie Marshes and the Murrumbidgee.
Banks said while this was good news for the environment and NSW communities, it was likely some other watering actions would need to remain paused “for some time, while NSW works to ensure metering compliance or alternative measurement methods are assured for remaining actions”.
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PM speaks to media in PNG
Anthony Albanese says that the defence treaty he is in PNG to sign will elevate the country to a similar armed forces relationship that Australia shares with the US and New Zealand.
Albanese is speaking to Sky News from Port Moresby, where he is set to join in the country’s celebration of it’s 50th year of independence.
He said the significant defence agreement underlined the important role that Australia played in the region.
We are the security partner of choice, and that’s a good thing for democracies in the region.
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Australians should be reassured not alarmed about climate risk, Coalition says
The federal opposition says now is the time to “reassure Australians” and not for “alarmist language” after the release of a landmark report on the risks of the climate crisis.
The national climate risk assessment, released on Monday, revealed the far-reaching social and economic impacts of global heating, including the potential for a surge in heat-related deaths and an increase in the number of coastal communities at risk of flooding, erosion and inundation.
In a statement, the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, and the acting shadow energy minister, Ted O’Brien, said climate change was a “global problem, and it demands global action”.
The statement said:
Australia cannot make a difference on its own, but we must play our part. The Coalition will always support sensible action to reduce emissions, strengthen resilience, and protect communities.
Our nation has the capacity and resources to meet the challenge of climate change with the right policies and priorities. This is a moment to reassure Australians. What Australians do not need is alarmist language being used to distract from Labor’s failures.
Ley and O’Brien said the government’s 2035 emissions target, expected to be released later this week, must be “credible” and Labor must be upfront about the financial cost to households and businesses.
We need to reduce emissions, but not at any cost. If Labor cannot outline the cost and a credible pathway, why should Australians trust them not to force households and small businesses to pay even more? Don’t look at what Labor says, look at what it does.
It’s worth remembering the Coalition is considering ditching its commitment to net zero by 2050 as part of a post-election review.
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Independent authority finds NDIS pricing arrangements are ‘not working’
NDIS pricing arrangements are not working, says the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA), after consulting participants, providers and stakeholders.
The government has released the consultation snapshot, but has refused to release IHACPA’s final report on pricing, claiming public interest immunity, and maintaining that the release would “undermine cabinet deliberations”.
The consultations found pricing “doesn’t reflect the reality of delivering services” particularly in regional areas and for people with complex disabilities.
Participants said pricing isn’t helping with choice of services or access, while providers told IHACPA pricing doesn’t take into account the complexity of some cases that can impact resourcing. Where providers are unable to hire sufficient or quality staff, this can result in “lower worker to participant ratios, and potentially unsafe environments”.
The snapshot also states the “one-size-fits-all” model has an adverse impact on participants rural and regional areas. It states:
A one-size-fits-all model doesn’t account for the differences between states and territories, nor between metro, regional and remote areas. This means inequitable access and service delivery. Remote participants are most affected, especially in rural and remote areas where the cost of delivering services is higher …
We found that the current NDIS pricing model is causing big ripples in unintended ways for participants, providers and the disability sector.
The consultation was done between June and November 2024.
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Teacher charged with multiple sex offences against student arrested at airport
A teacher who worked at a school on the NSW’s Central Coast has been charged over allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Police said on Monday that the teacher, a 42-year-old man, was arrested a day after they began their investigation.
He was caught attempting to leave the country Sunday evening and arrested at Sydney airport. Police will allege he was intending to travel to South Africa via Perth.
The man was charged with seven counts of sexual intercourse with a child between 14 and 16 years, three counts of intentionally sexually touching a child between 10 and 16 years, and grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity.
Police will allege the teacher assaulted the teenager on multiple occasions in August and September.
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Queensland police investigating 20 deaths linked to 'end of life service business'
Queensland police have charged a Gold Coast business owner with allegedly operating a business supplying veterinary drugs to aid in suicides.
Gold Coast Det Insp Mark Mooney said the police are investigating the deaths of 20 people who have died as a result of what he called an “end of life service business”, including in Victoria and New South Wales.
A 53-year-old man from Main Beach has been charged with two counts of aiding suicide and several drug offences including trafficking dangerous drugs. An 81-year-old woman from Southport and an 80-year-old man from Ashmore have also been charged with drug offences, over the same alleged incident.
“Toxicology confirmed the cause of death as acute pentobarbitone toxicity, a drug commonly used by veterinarians to euthanise animals, and is tightly controlled under Queensland law,” Mooney said.
Police allege the man obtained the drugs through a “front” charity set up to euthanise whales.
Instead he offered a range of services to aid people’s death, including wills and finding a person after their death. It’s alleged that he did so as a “business transaction”, “just for pure money”, Mooney said.
Mooney said detectives were also investigating other deaths from as early as 2021.
“The alleged conduct involves deliberately targeting vulnerable people and exploiting them in their most desperate moments,” he said.
Voluntary assisted dying is legal in Queensland but is strictly regulated under state law, and requires an application to a regulatory body.
The maximum penalty for aiding suicide is life in prison.
Last year, the Queensland coroner labelled the state’s euthanasia laws “inadequate”, warning that “further calamity and heartbreak” will be caused if reforms were not made.
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PM lands in PNG
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has landed in Port Moresby. He is expected to speak to media there later this afternoon.
He has travelled to the country ahead of the celebration of Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of independence.
NSW Coalition slump in polls, but leader appears safe for now
A new Resolve Strategic poll revealed a further slump of 4 percentage points in the NSW Coalition’s primary vote since its last poll in July, adding to the party’s fears of a drubbing in March 2027 and the pressure on opposition leader, Mark Speakman.
But despite the new poll and the disappointing result in the Kiama byelection on the weekend, Speakman appears to have stared down the doubters, and possible challengers have retreated.
Sources said they did not expect a spill motion at the party room meeting to be held Tuesday morning. The frontrunner to replace Speakman, Liberal MP for Vaucluse, Kellie Sloane has ruled out calling a spill as has the MP for Manly, James Griffin.
Unless a backbencher moves an “empty chair” spill – calling a spill without a nomination – the leadership unease in NSW looks set to simmer on, without resolution.
The statewide Resolve poll, taken before the byelection on 8-11 September shows the NSW Coalition primary vote at 28%, compared to a Labor primary vote of 38%.
If repeated at the general election, the result would see the Coalition lose a swathe of marginal seats, leaving it with less than 30 seats in the 93-seat NSW parliament.
The issue for the NSW Coalition is that changing the leader may make little difference. Polling points to far more serious and ingrained problems for the conservative side of politics.
Two polls on federal voting intentions, released on Monday, were even worse than the NSW result.
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NSW warned to expect late bushfire season amid rain-driven growth
NSW can expect a late onset to the bushfire season this summer, as the rural fire service says heavy rain this year has driven higher growth in bushland areas, creating the risk of fast-moving grass fires.
The NSW emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, has given a press conference today alongside the NSW rural fire service (RFS), which is releasing its annual outlook this week. He has warned 2024-25’s severe flooding and cyclone events have hampered efforts to meet hazard reduction burning targets, expected to be limited further by a wetter than average spring.
“What we’re really focused on this year is getting out of the complacency. We’ve had about a year or so of rain, and there’s been a lot of focus on floods, rightfully so, but our attention needs to turn to the upcoming fire season. Now, with the rain, we see a lot of growth that’s developed, and as a result of that, as soon as we get some dry hot weather, that grass will start to dry out and become quite easy for burning.”
RFS commissioner Trent Curtin, who took over from outgoing commissioner Rob Rogers in July, has warned that areas which burnt in the 2019-20 black summer bushfires have now regrown and can sustain fire again.
“We’re expecting fast-running grass fires to occur, that will impact communities, that will potentially threaten lives. We want to make sure everyone is prepared for those grassfires.”
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That’s all from me, thanks for sticking with us. Nino Bucci will be your shepherd on the blog for the rest of the day’s news. Take care.
Gout Gout says he is ‘ready to rumble’ for World Athletics Championships debut
Australian teenage sprint phenomenon Gout Gout has declared his legs are “ready to rumble” before his major international debut on Wednesday at the World Athletics Championships.
The 17-year-old participated in a panel session with international press today, his only pre-meet media opportunity, as he prepares to contest the 200m in Tokyo. Gout was asked what his legs would tell him if they could talk.
“They’ll be ready to go, like in F1 when the cars are warming up the tyres,” he said, making a swerving gesture with his hands. “They’ll be just … ready to rumble, that’s what they’d say”.
The confident teenager said he did have some nerves about his major international debut.
Read more:
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Five takeaways from the Pacific Islands Forum
China, the climate crisis and security concerns dominated the agenda as Pacific leaders gathered for the region’s most important annual meeting, last week.
The week-long Pacific Islands Forum (Pif) in Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, brought together Australia, New Zealand and 16 Pacific countries and territories at a time of fraught geopolitical tensions, and with accusations of outside interference in the region never far from the headlines.
Here’s everything you need to know:
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Greens say ‘chilling’ national climate risk assessment makes net zero ‘imperative’
The Greens said the party is deeply troubled by the findings released in today’s national climate risk assessment, saying any commitment less than net zero by 2035 would lock the planet into exceeding 2C of warming and set off a host of climate-related ills.
Larissa Waters, the Greens’ leader, said in a statement:
The revelations about Australia’s future under climate change detailed in this report are chilling. … The climate crisis is a risk to our safety, to nature, and to our economy and productivity. This report must be a wake-up call for Labor ahead of their 2035 climate target decision …
If Labor fails to set a science-based climate target then it’s crystal clear: they have utterly prioritised coal and gas profits at the expense of community safety and nature.
The Greens went on to lambaste the government’s decision last week to formally extend the North West Shelf gas project, calling it Albanese’s “most polluting fossil fuel project so far”.
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Ballarat was promised ‘more and better homes’, but residents are still waiting
People living in the Delacombe public housing estate were moved out to make way for new “affordable” homes in 2023 – but construction is yet to begin.
In 2021, the state government announced it was going to deliver more housing in the estate as part of its $5.3b Big Housing Build project to address Victoria’s critical social housing shortage. It said more than 60 old dwellings in the estate would be demolished, to be replaced with a mix of social and affordable housing.
Relocation was completed in late 2023, with residents uprooted from their neighbourhood but promised first right of return to new homes that would be “energy efficient and environmentally sustainable”.
Two years later, and four years after the plan was announced, building has not begun.
Read more here:
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Western Australia set to get two new public holidays
WA premier Roger Cook will introduce legislation this week to add two new public holidays to the state calendar after a public review period into the idea.
The state will get two new holidays: Easter Saturday to align with other states, and a new day called Show Day, which will coincide with the first Monday of the September/October school holidays.
Three other holidays will be shifted: Labour Day to the second Monday in March; WA Day to the second Monday in November; and the King’s Birthday to the second Monday in June.
If passed, the new schedule will take effect in 2028 to allow for a two-year implementation period.
Cook said in a statement yesterday:
Striking the right balance was essential and I believe this new schedule ensures our economy remains the strongest in the nation, while workers get the break they deserve.
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Bird of the year nominations are open
Which of the 830 bird species that call Australia home (or at least one of their homes) should make it into the 2025 Australian bird of the year poll?
Australia has the greatest diversity of avian life in the world, home to nearly one in 10 of the world’s 10,000 living bird species. And we love to celebrate it.
Now is your chance to make sure you get to vote for your favourite. The Guardian and Birdlife Australia are taking nominations now to help shape the list of 50 birds the country will be asked to vote for next month.
Share your thoughts here:
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Landmark climate report shows ‘every Australian has a lot at stake’, minister says – video
Barnaby Joyce says Coalition risks being ‘replaced’ as a movement
The Nationals MP and former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has used a morning TV appearance to offer a plan for the flagging Coalition, but does not believe replacing Sussan Ley as leader is the answer to their fortunes as there’s “not a great number to pick from”.
Joyce told Sunrise that he had a five-point plan to turn things around for the party. It appeared he had four points – one of which was sticking a map on the fridge – and two somewhat relevant opinions, but let’s not quibble. Joyce said:
Number one, get a map of Australia and stick it on your fridge and from that point on, just start worrying about them. Don’t worry about climate conferences or worry about what’s happening in the Middle East or worry about the fact that you’ve got people coming in – worry about the cost of living.
The next thing is basically pick three issues that are binary, that you’re all for them and Labor’s all against them or you’re against them and Labor is all for them because that helps you define the map on the fridge.
The third thing is put your best team on the paddock, not your best mates. Put your best team on the paddock and follow through with that.
Then I would say the Labor party’s been there before, after Julia Gillard they were down at the same numbers and came back. So you can come back. You’ve really got to focus.
The last thing I will say, if you don’t come back in the next three years, as a political movement, you might be replaced by another one.
When asked if Ley was safe, Joyce responded:
It’s not about Sussan, it’s about making sure you have the right people for the right positions because you want to present as competent across the field.
You haven’t got a great number to pick from, to be complete and frank.
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Albanese laments moving his electorate office because of ‘aggressive protesters’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has told ABC Perth he has relocated his Sydney electorate office because people attending funerals at a church next door were being abused by protesters.
Albanese announced the decision yesterday, saying his hand had been forced by repeated protests outside the office in the inner-west suburb of Marrickville. Many of those protests have been against the war in Gaza. He said in a statement on Sunday:
Sadly, over the past two years, aggressive protesters have repeatedly blocked access to the electorate office for people seeking assistance.
This has also significantly affected churchgoers attending the neighbouring St Clements Church, including disruption to funerals and other church services.
The office will reopen in a new location in the electorate of Grayndler soon, he said.
Albanese told the ABC today that:
People were being abused going to funerals.
It just does my head in that people think that a cause is advanced by that sort of behaviour.
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Man charged after allegedly making Nazi salute at Lions-Suns AFL game
A 39-year-old man has been charged with allegedly making a Nazi salute at the weekend’s Lions-Suns AFL game in Brisbane, according to Queensland police.
The man allegedly made the salute during the national anthem and welcome to country before the game, according to Mark Kelly, acting deputy commissioner for regional operations. He was arrested at the ground during the game, Kelly says.
Kelly says police acted on reports from other people at the match.
He says the man is not believed to have planned to commit the act in advance and police have not identified any links he has with far-right groups.
He was charged with one count of public display of giving Nazi salute and has been issued with a lifetime ban from the AFL.
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AFL State of Origin to return next year, WA to host Victoria in Perth
The AFL’s marquee State of Origin fixture will return next year to end a 27-year hiatus, with Western Australia to host Victoria in Perth on Valentine’s Day. After a clamour from fans and players for the state-based rivalry’s return, the 2026 game will be played at Optus Stadium.
The last time an Origin game was contested between state teams was in 1999, when Victoria beat South Australia by 54 points at the MCG, but South Australia was overlooked this time after strong lobbying from the Western Australian government.
It follows a successful Indigenous All-Stars clash at Optus Stadium earlier this year, when 37,865 fans turned out to watch the representative side beat the Fremantle Dockers. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon says:
State football is one of the great traditions of our game, with fans and players alike calling for its return for some time and we are thrilled to see it back.
Origin inspires passion, state pride and draws upon years’ old rivalries that are central to the history of our game and our very greatest players. It will be a special moment to see a Big V and a Sandgroper jumper back on the field before we start our 2026 AFL premiership season.
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Queensland government to appeal Emma Lovell killer’s sentence to high court
Queensland attorney general Deb Frecklington will appeal to the high court to increase the sentence for Emma Lovell’s killer.
The man – who cannot be identified because he was 17 at the time of offending – was convicted of Lovell’s murder, on Boxing Day, 2022. He was initially sentenced to serve 14 years in prison, and was set a non-parole period of 70% of the total.
But in August, the Queensland court of appeal reduced the non-parole period by about a year-and-a-half, to 60% of his total sentence.
Frecklington says the state government will argue that the court was wrong to find that “special circumstances” existed. Frecklington says:
I’m not ever going to apologise for my direction here to ensure that we do apply for special aid to the high court, irrespective of the outcome, because we have made a commitment to the people of Queensland that we will keep them safe, and that is exactly what we do.
What this is about is to ensure that [Emma’s husband] Lee Lovell and his daughters know that we will leave no stone unturned in relation to the offender’s sentence.
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Hiker found safe in Snowy Mountains after eight days
A man who went missing while hiking in the Snowy Mountains has been found safe, eight days after he was last heard from, police say.
In a statement, New South Wales police say the man, 57, set out backcountry skiing and hiking from Guthega power station in Kosciuszko national park on 4 September, and was last heard from two days later.
Police launched a land and air search that found him near Valentine Hut, in the Snowy Mountains back country area at 1pm yesterday. He has not required medical treatment.
NSW police:
Police would also like to remind members of the public that when heading out for a hike or a bush walk, people should have a fully charged mobile phone, along with additional charging devices.
A man who went hiking and skiing in the Snowy Mountains has been located safe.
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) September 14, 2025
Following ongoing searches, at 1.00pm on Sunday, 14 September 2025, the man was located safe in the Snowy Mountains back country area near Valentines Hut, in the Kosciuszko National Park.
MORE… pic.twitter.com/oBpqGGdgWu
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Head of Asic says ANZ has ‘betrayed the trust of Australians’ and ‘needs to change’
Joseph Longo, the chair of Asic, is speaking after announcing a landmark penalty against ANZ earlier this morning. Longo said:
Time and time again, ANZ has fallen short. Time and time again, ANZ has betrayed the trust of Australians.
Trust is essential in financial services. Customers, government and regular need to be able to trust that banks will deliver what they promise and uphold appropriate standards of behaviour. Today, many Australians will be questioning their trust in ANZ.
The fundamental and significant issues require urgent attention and the ANZ board and its executives need to reflect upon them. ANZ needs to change.
Read more:
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‘The cost of action is smaller than the cost of inaction’
Chris Bowen maintained there is still time to rein in the worst effects of climate change, saying that while Australians are already living in a changed world, “it’s not too late to avoid the worst of the impacts”.
He said:
As the report makes clear, the difference in terms of impact between 1.5 to 2 degrees [Celsius warming above preindustrial levels], let alone 3, is very real for Australia.
It’s also important that we remember while this report is clearly confronting, the economic evidence of action for our country is one with the best renewable energy resources in the world is very real. We have the best renewable resources, we have great jobs and investment opportunities so if we get it right, the opportunity for our country is enormous, just as a risk if we get it wrong is very real.
Bowen added:
The cost of action is smaller than the cost of inaction, under any scenario.
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The report finds millions of Australians are at risk from rising sea levels
The number of heat-related deaths in Sydney could surge by almost 450% if global heating surpasses 3 degrees, according to a landmark report that finds no Australian community would be immune from the “cascading, compounding and concurrent” risks of a worsening climate.
The report also lays bare the heightened risk from rising sea levels on Australia’s populous coastal communities, including flooding, erosion and inundation.
It found that by 2050, 1.5m coastal residents would be at risk, rising to more than 3m by 2090.
The federal government on Monday released the long-awaited national climate risk assessment, providing the most detailed picture of the severe and far-reaching social and economic impact of the climate crisis for Australia.
Read more here:
Bowen says 'every Australian has a lot at stake' in climate crisis
Chris Bowen, the climate change minister, is holding a press conference after the release of a major new report that finds no Australian community would be immune from the “cascading” risks of worsening climate change.
Bowen said:
One thing that is very clear from this climate assessment is that the whole country has a lot at stake. Every Australian, regardless of where they live, has a lot at stake.
Importantly, the report makes clear that the pattern of natural disasters that Australians are used to is not a reliable guide into the future.
The minister added: “It’s important that we don’t gild the lily or downplay its impacts in any way. We have to be honest to the Australian people”.
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Rooftop solar generated 12.8% of Australia's electricity in first half of 2025
The rooftop solar boom hit a new milestone in the first half of the year, with 12.8% of all electricity generation coming from the panels, according to a new report from the Clean Energy Council. That’s an increase from 11.5% in the same period a year ago, and up from just 6% in 2020.
There were more than 115,000 rooftop solar units installed across Australia in the first half of 2025, an 18% decrease from the same period a year ago. Rooftop solar remains on track to deliver what’s needed to the national target of 82% of electricity coming from clean energy sources by 2030.
Another key findingwas battery sales hitting record highs, with 85,000 units sold in the first half of 2025, bolstered by government incentives making the systems more affordable. That figure is a 191% increase over the same period last year.
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Scientists fear this ‘cute’ and ‘chonky’ flying fox could be one cyclone away from extinction
It’s the last native mammal on the island, but the “incredibly cute and fluffy” Christmas Island flying fox is critically endangered with no recovery plan and severely outdated conservation advice.
The flying fox is smaller and fluffier than many of Australia’s mainland flying fox species, according to animal ecologist Dr Annabel Dorrestein, from Western Sydney University, who has studied the species for nine years.
The bats are “incredibly cute” and “chonky”; a bit like teddy bears, Dorrestein said.
Christmas Island, located 1,550km off north-west Western Australia, originally had five native mammals – two rodents, two bats and a shrew. The rodents disappeared in the early 1900s. The shrew has not been seen since 1985 and is probably extinct.
Read more here:
Taylor says Liberal party ‘absolutely’ wants Nampijinpa Price to stay
Angus Taylor says that while Jacinta Nampijinpa Price had made mistakes, “by her own admission”, the Coalition “absolutely” wanted to keep her in its corner.
He spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, after Nampijinpa Price’s saga surrounding her remarks on Indian migrants, including her sacking from the shadow ministry:
We absolutely want her to stay with the Liberal party. We want more people in the National party, the Liberal party, whether it’s senators, members of the House of Reps, volunteers, members, we want more support for the Liberal arty across the board. We desperately need to rebuild the party at a difficult time. Jacinta is a talented member of the Senate, a valued member of our team.
She made mistakes by her own admission, I mean, there’s no doubt about that and Jacinta has said that. It’s disappointing, there’s no doubt, but it is critical now we get back on track, we rebuild the party, and we bring as many people into the party as we possibly can.
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Coalition support slumps to all-time low in latest polls
Infighting and the sacking of a frontbencher have left the federal Coalition with its worst-ever primary vote result in Newspoll history, with One Nation appearing to have scooped up disaffected voters, AAP reports.
The Coalition’s primary vote collapsed to 27%, the lowest since the poll began tracking first preferences in 1985, the Newspoll conducted last week and published in The Australian on Monday found.
Labor’s primary vote was steady at 36%, giving prime minister Anthony Albanese a commanding 58% to 42% two-party-preferred lead, his biggest margin since taking office.
The result comes in the wake of opposition leader Sussan Ley’s sacking of senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the frontbench, a move that exposed bitter internal divisions over migration, climate change and net zero policies.
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What misconduct did ANZ admit to?
Asic filed four proceedings related to the misconduct, including:
Acting unconscionably in its dealings with the Australian government while managing a $14bn bond deal, including incorrectly reporting its bond trading data and overstating the volumes by tens of billions of dollars for nearly two years.
Failing to respond to hundreds of customer hardship notices, in some cases for more than two years.
Making false and misleading statements about savings interest rates and failing to pay the promised rates to tens of thousands of customers.
Failing to refund fees charged to thousands of dead customers and not responding to families dealing with deceased estates within required timelines.
ANZ has admitted to the allegations.
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‘We made mistakes’: ANZ chair apologises for bank’s misconduct
The penalties must be approved by the federal court, but Asic said their size reflects the gravity of the misconduct.
ANZ’s chair, Paul O’Sullivan, issued an apology to customers and assured them the company had taken “the necessary action, including holding relevant executives accountable”, adding:
While we have worked hard to get regularity certainty on these matters, the reality is we made mistakes that have had a significant impact on customers. On behalf of ANZ, I apologise.
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ANZ bank fined $240m for ‘widespread misconduct’ in Asic’s biggest ever penalty
ANZ has said this morning it will pay $240m in penalties to settle five misconduct claims with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic).
The bank admitted to engaging in unconscionable conduct in services provided to the Australian government, incorrectly reporting bond trading data to the government by overstating the volumes by tens of billions of dollars and to widespread misconduct across products and services that affected about 65,000 customers.
Asic said the “widespread misconduct” occurred over many years and was marked by ANZ’s “significant failure to manage non-financial risks across the bank”. Joe Longo, the chair of Asic, said in a statement:
Time and time again ANZ betrayed the trust of Australians.
The total penalties across these matters are the largest announced by ASIC against one entity and reflect the seriousness and number of breaches of law, the vulnerable position that ANZ put its customers in and the repeated failures to rectify crucial issues.
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Opposition welcomes shipyard funds but says defence remains underfunded and ‘under prepared’
Angus Taylor, the shadow defence minister, says any extra money for defence, including Aukus, is “welcome” but he believes the government had not spent nearly enough to create “a fit-for-purpose defence force at a time which is more dangerous than any time since the second world war”.
Taylor told RN Breakfast that the opposition still wants to see defence spending increase to 3% of GDP:
We just saw in the last week or so the Chinese Communist party on display, their propaganda parade, and it is clear that they have an influence that they haven’t had in the past. They’re militarising at an unprecedented rate. But we’re also seeing authoritarian regimes right across the globe flexing their muscles. And so it’s crucial that we see the investment necessary and we need to see it urgently.
Right now, this government is underfunding defence in a very substantial way.
We need this government to shift from rhetoric to readiness. We are under prepared.
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Government ‘very confident’ Aukus will deliver subs after extra $12bn for WA shipyard
Tim Ayres, the minister for science, industry and innovation, says the government remains confident Australia will get nuclear-powered submarines from the US after announcing a $12bn “downpayment” on a shipbuilding facility in Western Australia to prepare for them.
Ayres said this morning that getting the submarines remains the absolute objective of the Aukus deal, rejecting assertions that the US could back out of the deal. He told RN Breakfast:
I’m very confident that this agreement between Australia and the United States and the United Kingdom will be delivered upon in full and it is already well and truly under way. The arrangements between us and the United States on the submarines in particular is deep.
We are well on the pathway. There is a long way to go, but this is an important step for our national security, and we’re following it through diligently in the national interest.
Read more about the shipyard here:
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Closure of Albanese’s Marrickville electoral office is 'very sad', Marles says
Richard Marles says the closure of Albanese’s electoral office in Marrickville is “very sad”, saying a spate of protests there had not helped any causes but deprived locals of their ability to go to their local member.
The prime minister said the site would close after serving as Grayndler’s electorate office for more than 30 years. Albanese cited a string of protests there, many related to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Marles, the deputy prime minister, told RN Breakfast this morning of the decision:
I think it’s very sad. I think the kind of protests that we’ve seen outside of the prime minister’s electoral office over the last couple of years have been a complete disgrace. It does nothing to advance the arguments associated with any of these issues. It really, I think, ends up being much more about the protesters than the cause that they pretend to espouse.
It is certainly denying the constituents of Grayndler being able to go to their local member and the office of their local member and receive basic services. I mean, I think there is an intimidatory degree to what’s been going on here, but it is appalling behaviour that it has resulted in this moment.
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Good morning
Good morning, and welcome to Monday. Here’s what’s on deck this morning as we get the live blog rolling.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is due to travel to Port Moresby for Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of independence as the countries prepare to sign a major defence treaty. The deal will reportedly allow PNG nationals to serve in Australia’s defence force with similar pay and a pathway to citizenship.
Rooftop solar accounted for 12.8% of all electricity generated in Australia for the first half of 2025, the highest rate ever, according to the Clean Energy Council. More than a third of Australian households now have rooftop solar and the first half of the year also recorded a record-breaking 85,000 batteries sold amid new programs meant to encourage uptake.
We’ll see what else the day has in store. Stick with us.
