What we learned today, Thursday 15 May
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Thanks so much for joining us. Here were today’s major developments:
Larissa Waters has been unanimously endorsed by the Greens as the new leader of the party. Fronting the media, she called for “politics with heart” and said the party wanted to work with Labor to “get shit done”.
Australia’s unemployment rate stayed at 4.1% in April after the economy recorded a bumper month of jobs growth.
The Liberal candidate Tim Wilson urged his scrutineers in Goldstein to “knock out informal votes being counted” for the independent Zoe Daniel, warning her team has done so “with extreme precision” as the contest tightened this week.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) has released images of those allegedly responsible for last year’s Adass Israel Synagogue arson attack in Melbourne, while also reiterating its suspicion it was “politically-motivated”.
A man has been hospitalised after being bitten by a shark at Port Noarlunga, South Australia.
And the AFL great Robert Walls, who won multiple premierships as a player and coach, has died aged 74.
Updated
Lidia Thorpe says she would not rejoin Greens ‘even if my daughter became leader’
The independent senator Lidia Thorpe also appeared on ABC Afternoon Briefing after the appointment of Larissa Waters as the new leader of the Greens.
Last term, Thorpe quit the party in opposition to its position on the voice to parliament. She said there was no chance she would return:
Even if my daughter became the leader of the Greens, I would not join the Greens. Absolutely not … I love being an independent. I get to decide what is best based on the Blak Sovereign Movement guiding me and sometimes that does not sit well with the Greens so I left with good reasons and good luck to them.
Thorpe was also asked about widespread criticism in the last parliament for heckling King Charles, and being suspended from the Senate.
Do you think you would do things differently in this parliament?
She replied, “no, I think I will continue to bring down the colony”.
I think I will continue to tell the truth, which justifiably hurts these politicians and the racists in this country. So I will continue to be the activist that I am and I will continue to fight for justice for my people.
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Liberal Zoe McKenzie says gender quota ‘options need to be on the table’
The Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie just appeared on ABC Afternoon Briefing after her recent re-election to the seat of Flinders.
She said she was “very happy” with the Liberal party’s new leadership team:
They are doing the right thing and they are listening and engaging and they are encountering the result we got with a great deal of humility and a great deal of energy from what we need to do as a party going forward.
I absolutely believe that Sussan and Ted have the ability to get us in the strongest possible place for the next election. We really must look at the platform of policies that we took to the Australian electorate but we must also think about the changing nature of Australian election … Australian politics is changing and has changed forever. We must think about it as not a Labor versus Liberal competition any more.
On gender quotas, she said “options need to be on the table”.
I’ve been nervous about quotas because I could not bear to be somebody about whom it was said she only got there because of a quota and that is the terrible potential consequence of implementing in a candid way.
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Parents for Climate reaches settlement with EnergyAustralia over emissions claims
A parent activist group has reached a settlement with one of Australia’s largest energy companies after mounting a court challenge claiming customers were misled about greenhouse gas emissions, AAP reports.
Parents for Climate was set to claim in the federal court that EnergyAustralia misled more than 400,000 customers using its Go Neutral products.
It was claimed the company marketed the products as “carbon neutral” due to the purchase of offsets, saying consumers would have a “positive impact on the environment” by purchasing them.
But the court was told on Thursday the parent group would file to discontinue proceedings as a settlement had been reached between the parties, with a statement on the agreement to be issued on Monday.
The lawsuit would have been the first greenwashing case launched against an energy firm in Australia.
The charity, represented by Equity Generation Lawyers, was seeking a declaration that EnergyAustralia misled customers about greenhouse gas emissions, a corrective statement to customers and restrictions on its future marketing.
EnergyAustralia withdrew its Go Neutral products for new customers in November, but a spokesperson for the company said it was committed to offering customers clean energy solutions.
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Police appeal after allegedly unprovoked chemical assault on woman in Sydney
In New South Wales, police are appealing for help from the public as they investigate an allegedly unprovoked chemical assault on a woman in Sydney’s north-west.
Police allege an unknown woman approached a 27-year-old woman at the intersection of Norfolk Road and Callistemon Close in North Epping about 6.15pm yesterday.
The woman allegedly splashed an unknown liquid from inside a cup she was holding at the woman, which landed on her face, clothing and headphones.
The 27-year-old woman contacted police and a short time later attended Ryde hospital where she was treated for a chemical burn.
Police established a crime scene and patrolled the area but were unable to find the woman.
Updated
Woman charged over fatal crash at Auburn South primary school in Melbourne
A woman who was behind the wheel of a car that crashed into a primary school in Melbourne’s east last year, killing a boy and injuring four other children, has been charged.
In a statement issued this afternoon, Victoria police said detectives from the force’s major collision investigation unit charged the woman on Tuesday in relation to the fatal crash at Auburn South primary school in Hawthorn East.
The 40-year-old woman was charged with careless driving and failing to have proper control of a motor vehicle, police said.
Police allege the car veered off the road on Burgess Street and crashed through the school’s fence and into a group of children just after 2.30pm on 29 October.
Grade 5 student Jack Davey, 11, suffered critical injuries in the crash and died on his way to hospital.
Four other students – three girls and one boy, aged between 10 and 11 – were taken to hospital and treated for serious injuries, police said.
Police said at the time they had arrested the driver at the scene and that she was released pending further inquiries.
Her passenger, a primary school-aged child, was not injured, police said.
The woman has now been summoned to appear before the Melbourne magistrates court on 15 July, police said.
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Waters says she will take a different approach to Adam Bandt:
I’m a different person to Adam. I take a different approach, and I’m really proud as a woman to have worked on issues for women’s health and equality that I have.
I won’t shy away from that, but I lead a really strong team, and we are committed to delivering for people and planet, and we will be firm but constructive under this government and any future government.
On her comments about getting “shit done” – is that a concession under the previous term the Greens slowed things down in the Senate? Waters says no. She goes on:
No, that’s a mere colloquialism. As a woman who likes to speak plainly, it’s definitely not a reflection on anything that’s come before. It’s, I think, a reflection of what people want from their parliamentarians. They’re sick of the arguments.
They’re sick of the navel-gazing. They want to know that we’re here to deliver for the community, and I’m letting them know the Greens are here for that.
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Greens want to work with Labor to ‘get shit done’, Waters says
Larissa Waters says the Greens want to work with Labor to “get shit done”.
There’s a chance now for real reform that helps people, and that’s what the Greens want to encourage and work with the Labor government to do.
They can’t blame anyone else now, because we’re saying here, we will give you the numbers in the Senate to pass good reforms that helps people and helps the planet. People elected us to get shit done, and that’s what we intend to do.
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‘This team provides the skills and the grunt that we are going to need,’ Hanson-Young says
Sarah Hanson-Young is asked why she didn’t contest the Greens leadership. The South Australian senator says:
This team that we have had elected by our party room today, I think is the best team for us at this moment. We have just been through what has been an extraordinary election campaign …
We had strong results in the Senate and we sadly lost not just colleagues, but our leader in the house. This team provides stability. This team provides the skills and the grunt that we are going to need for this next three years.
And Larissa asked me to take on the role of manager of business, and I said I would, and I would do it with all the gusto, all of the effort and all of the loyalty I have in my bones.
Updated
‘We are not going to take a step backwards,’ Faruqi says
Back to the Greens’ press conference.
The Greens deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, says it’s “exciting” as it’s the first time the party has had two women in the leadership positions.
She says she’s ready to “do the work” and thanks the millions of voters who backed the Greens at the election.
Faruqi says:
[There’s] tens of thousands who for the first time voted Green in areas that we haven’t been able to reach before, have backed our bold election agenda. Migrant and multicultural communities have in the tens of thousands – across Sydney, across Brisbane, across Melbourne – backed our strong stand against the genocide in Gaza and for us telling the truth about what is happening.
To the rightwing media, to the billionaires, to the big corporations and to the Albanese government, this is our message: we are not going to take a step backwards on action on climate, on the environment, on housing and for justice for Palestine. Our voters have put us there to fight for people and the planet, and that is exactly what we will be doing.
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Albanese notes this year is the 80th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, adding Australia was one of the first nations to support “that noble cause”.
We did not wait for permission from colonial powers on the other side of the world. This was Australia’s choice, and it was driven by Australian values in supporting Indonesia’s independence …
I thank you, Mr President. I thank you for the one-on-one discussions that we were able to have today … I thank you for the extraordinary welcome and the generosity in which we have been received here. It has indeed been an extraordinary honour for me to represent the country that I love here in the region that we share …
I look forward to continuing to build on our relationship on a personal level. But importantly as well, to build on the relationship between our two nations. Terima kasih [thank you].
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PM tells Indonesians: ‘I want us to aim higher, go further and work even more closely together’
Albanese says the strengthening of investment in Indonesia is “vital”, but “it is not inevitable to convert extraordinary potential into concrete progress”.
He says the US government, business and civil society “need to demonstrate greater engagement and ambition”.
That is what has driven me since I came to Indonesia for my first bilateral leaders’ meeting as prime minister nearly three years ago, to build a partnership between our nations that matches the scale of the growth and transformation that is under way … to seize our common opportunities and the strength and resilience that enables us to deal directly and respectfully with our differences.
He points to a defence cooperation agreement agreed to last year, while adding “I want us to aim higher, go further and work even more closely together”.
Updated
Albanese speaks in Indonesia about his first bilateral meeting since re-election
We will return to Waters, however the prime minister has just stood up in Jakarta.
Anthony Albanese says he is “absolutely delighted” to be there for his first bilateral meeting following his re-election, and fourth visit to Indonesia as PM.
I have come to our region first because our region comes first to us. I am here in Indonesia because no relationship is more important to Australia than this one. And no nation is more important to the prosperity and security and stability [of our region] than Indonesia.
This is the fastest-growing region of the world in human history, and Indonesia is central to that growth. Already the fourth-largest nation in the world by population and projected to be the fifth-largest economy in the world by the end of the next decade. The growth and transformation is a credit to the hard work and aspiration of the people.
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Waters goes on to send “all of my love” to the former leader Adam Bandt, who lost the seat of Melbourne.
We miss him desperately and he was a wonderful leader for this party, and all of our love goes to him and his family. We hope to welcome him back.
She says the Greens intend to “continue to grow”, acknowledging they are a Senate dominated team with one lower house seat.
We got so close in a number of lower house seats to turn those seats Green … So folks, we’ll be back. We’re here and we continue to show up for the community and continue to try to represent them and their interests.
So it’s been an absolutely humbling day. And this is a big job, but I will give it my very best. And I’m proud that we have such strong women leading this party.
I’m proud that we have a Queenslander leading the Greens for the first time, and I commit to you that as a former environmental lawyer, as a proud feminist, that I will always work for equality and I will always work for nature and for the community and to help people.
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Waters calls for action on the climate crisis, strong laws to protect nature and addressing inequality, including strong funding for public services.
We are the Greens, of course we stand firm always on social justice and human rights, whether that’s First Nations justice, whether that’s a free Palestine, whether that’s peace and human rights globally, we will always be there calling out atrocities, calling out a genocide and standing strongly on social justice and human rights.
Waters calls for 'politics with heart' after being elected Greens leader
Larissa Waters stands up next.
She thanks everyone for “waiting out here in the cold” for the press conference and says she is “thrilled” to have the support of her colleagues to be Greens leader.
I’m the fifth leader of our wonderful party, and I pay tribute to all of our previous leaders. And I really want to thank my party room colleagues for their support today.
It’s never been more important to have a strong Greens team in parliament. The issues that people are facing are getting harder and are getting worse. We need strong action on the climate, on nature, on the housing crisis, on the cost-of-living crisis. And we need our parliament to work to actually meet the needs of the people that it’s been elected to represent.
She acknowledges her team, including the deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi.
I feel so strengthened by the sentiment of the room and by this amazing team. We’ve got a lot of work to do because people are really hurting and the planet is hurting, and we need a parliament that actually delivers for people and has the courage and the boldness and the heart to deliver some help to people. So I’m calling today for a progressive parliament and a politics with heart.
Updated
Greens press conference begins
Nick McKim is addressing the media now.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young … was elected unopposed by consensus into that role … I stay on as our whip and I was elected unopposed by consensus into that position.
And Senator Penny Allman-Payne is our deputy whip. That was a contested ballot, contested by Penny and Senator Dorinda Cox. And the results of that ballot were eight votes to Penny and four votes to Dorinda.
So I hope that gives an indication with full transparency about the process and the outcomes of the meeting. And I’m now thrilled to hand over to the new leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Larissa Waters.
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Waters calls for ‘politics with heart’
The Greens have released a statement following the unanimous election of Senator Larissa Waters as their new leader.
The leadership ballot was uncontested.
As we mentioned earlier, Mehreen Faruqi will remain deputy leader and Nick McKim will continue as party whip. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will be the Greens manager of business and Senator Penny Allman-Payne will be party room chair and deputy whip.
Waters said she called for “politics with heart”.
For a progressive parliament that gets outcomes for people and genuinely tackles the problems we’re all facing. This parliament could achieve real progress: climate and environment action, dental into Medicare and free childcare.
The Greens will be firm but constructive in our approach with the Labor government, and work for outcomes that help improve people’s lives and protect nature and the climate.
Updated
Mehreen Faruqi remains as Greens deputy leader
The Greens are due to start a press conference any minute now in Melbourne with the new leader, Larissa Waters, expected to announce the results.
Mehreen Faruqi, who was deputy leader under Adam Bandt, will continue in the role under Waters.
Nick McKim will continue as the party whip with Penny Allman-Payne as deputy whip and party room chair.
The leadership role was not contested and did not go to a ballot.
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Di Natale congratulates ‘terrific’ new Greens leader Waters
The former Greens leader Richard Di Natale has congratulated the party’s new leader, Larissa Waters, on her win.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Di Natale described the Queensland senator as a “terrific deputy” during his time as leader.
Larissa has fifteen years experience in parliament working hard to strengthen our democracy, create a more just society and uphold the rights of women.
She was a terrific deputy during my time as leader and I always appreciated her policy expertise, friendship and her sheer hard work.
Listen to our interview with Di Natale here:
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PM politely declines honorary citizenship offer from father’s home town
Anthony Albanese has politely declined an offer to be an honorary citizen of the Italian city of Barletta, the birthplace of his late father, Carlo, due to constitutional legal concerns.
An article published in the southern Italian outlet Corriere del Mezzogiorno confirmed the symbolic honour was proposed by the mayor of Barletta, Cosimo Cannito, after the PM’s re-election:
Cannito described the prime minister’s political journey as a source of immense pride for the Puglia region in southern Italy.
Carlo worked as a steward on an Italian cruise ship where he met Maryanne Ellery, Albanese’s mother. The PM believed Carlo had died in a car accident until he was 14. After his mother’s death, Albanese met his father in 2009 in Barletta, visiting again in 2013 prior to his death a year later.
The mayor, Cannito, said Albanese’s personal story had allowed the city to be “brought to the forefront of the world stage”.
It is the success story of a man who, starting from the other side of the world, was able to rediscover his origins and now claims them with pride. And this makes the entire community of my city proud to have him at the helm of a great country like Australia. We await him again with open arms, to celebrate him as he deserves.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Albanese was unlikely to accept the honorary title while serving in parliament, which had been diplomatically relayed to the regional city council.
Updated
Thank you for joining me on the live blog today. Handing over now to the great Caitlin Cassidy, who will keep you posted with the afternoon’s news.
Goldstein gap narrows with Wilson leading Daniel by just 294 votes
The Liberal candidate Tim Wilson urged his scrutineers in Goldstein to “knock out informal votes being counted” for the independent Zoe Daniel, warning her team has done so “with extreme precision” as the contest tightened this week.
Wilson was last week declared the projected winner of Goldstein, a seat he lost at the 2022 election, but the gap in votes has narrowed considerably in recent hours, with the former assistant minister now leading by just 294 votes.
Read the full story from Henry Belot and Tom McIlroy here:
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Marles rejects ‘factional assassin’ blow from dropped cabinet minister
The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, was pressed by reporters over Labor’s cabinet reshuffle a short while ago.
Asked if the dumped cabinet minister Ed Husic was right in calling him a “factional assassin”, Marles said:
I’m not going to go into that. The contribution Ed Husic and indeed Mark Dreyfus have made has been really significant. This is a difficult process. We have a lot of really talented people and I am confident about the ministry in place in terms of the way we go forward. But there are many more people within a caucus that would be able to perform the role admirably of being a minister than there are positions available and ultimately that is a very good problem to have.
Pressed again by another reporter – “are you a factional assassin, though?” – Marles said:
I do not accept that. They are difficult processes, collective processes.
Updated
Queensland senator Larissa Waters has been elected the new federal Greens leader.
The minor party’s 11 senators and lone MP met in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon to agree on its fifth parliamentary leader after Adam Bandt was unexpectedly ousted from Melbourne at the May election.
We are awaiting further details, which should come shortly.
Updated
Larissa Waters elected new Greens leader
Larissa Waters has been chosen as the new Greens’ next leader after Adam Bandt’s loss.
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Economists tip RBA rate cut next week despite strong jobs figures
Economists are saying the Reserve Bank of Australia will still cut interest rates next Tuesday, despite Australian Bureau of Statistics figures today revealing a big jump in employment in April and yesterday’s solid wages growth figure.
The unemployment rate was steady at 4.1% – as generally predicted – but the 89,000 monthly lift in the number of employed people was more than three times what the experts expected.
The Reserve Bank monetary policy board – which meets on Monday and Tuesday – takes into account the strength of the labour market when it makes interest rate decisions.
Crudely, the stronger the jobs market (the lower the unemployment rate), the more upward pressure there is on wages and, therefore, inflation.
But with inflation under 3%, the bumper jobs numbers “won’t stop a rate cut” on Tuesday, Paula Gadsby, a senior economist at EY, said.
“In addition to a likely interest rate cut next week, further cuts are certainly possible by the end of the year,” she added.
That’s also the consensus view among economists following the release of today’s ABS stats.
NAB’s senior markets economist, Taylor Nugent, says the RBA needs to get the cash rate to the “low 3s relatively quickly, but the risk quite clearly sits with (a) slower path of easing”.
Financial markets reckon the RBA’s cash rate will drop from 4.1% now to 3.35% by the end of the year – or three cuts.
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Seven news chief quits to become inaugural CEO of NRL’s Perth Bears
After only one year in the role, Kerry Stokes’ news chief, Anthony De Ceglie, has quit Seven West Media to become the inaugural chief executive of the NRL’s Perth Bears.
The shock defection was announced by the Australian Rugby League Commission chair, Peter V’landys, today.
“To succeed in Perth, you need a well-connected local who knows how to get things done and has a can-do attitude,” V’landys said.
“Anthony is a brilliant operator with a proven track record, and a genuine Western Australian, and I am excited about what he can do for us as we grow rugby league in the WA market.”
A former editor-in-chief of the West Australian, De Ceglie was responsible for Seven News, Sunrise, The Morning Show and Spotlight, as well as 7news.com.au.
De Ceglie was the mastermind behind introducing a satirical segment, hosted by Mark Humphries, and horoscopes to the 6pm news. Both initiatives have since been dropped.
The Perth Bears will enter the NRL competition in 2027.
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Police release images of Adass Israel Synagogue arson attack
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) is releasing images of those allegedly responsible for last year’s Adass Israel Synagogue arson attack in Melbourne, while also reiterating their suspicion it was “politically-motivated”.
It remains a terrorism investigation. In a statement, the JCTT said investigators had reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV and were releasing footage to “encourage members of the public, and those with knowledge of this crime, to come forward”.
The CCTV shows a blue Golf sedan drive past the synagogue multiple times before parking outside the main entrance. Three individuals dressed in hoodies and masks emerge and use an axe to damage the entrance before pouring jerry cans in the building and igniting it.
Police said:
The individuals fled the synagogue shortly after and drove away in the Golf towards the western suburbs.
Police allege the Golf was a stolen car that was also used in other offences before the synagogue arson, including the Lux nightclub arson in South Yarra in November 2024, and an arson and shooting that occurred in Bundoora on the same night as the synagogue arson attack.
The AFP assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt said police believed there were “multiple offenders directly and indirectly linked to the synagogue arson”.
Updated
Two men arrested by police investigating Lux nightclub fire
Two people have been arrested as part of a Victoria police investigation into a suspicious fire at Lux nightclub in South Yarra last November.
At 6am, police executed warrants at three homes in Pakenham, south-east of the CBD. Two Pakenham men, aged 22 and 21, were arrested and will now be interviewed by detectives.
Police allege at least four men attended the venue shortly before 1.50am the morning of the fire and forced their way into the premises. They allege the men used an accelerant to set it alight, before leaving the area in a blue sedan.
It appears at least one of the people involved sustained burn injuries as a result of lighting the fire, however no one else was injured. The resulting fire was significant and caused over $10m worth of damage. Police are continuing treating the fire as suspicious and believe it was a targeted attack, however the exact motivation for the arson remains unclear.
Police allege the sedan was initially stolen from the driveway of a property in Croydon on 12 November last year.
There is nothing at all to indicate that the men arrested today were directly involved in the synagogue fire, or that the fire at Lux nightclub was a political attack.
No charges have been laid.
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Emergency services were called to the Port Noarlunga jetty about 9.45am today after reports that a man swimming in the water had been bitten by a shark.
He was helped from the water and treated at the scene by paramedics, before being taken to hospital in a serious condition, South Australia police said in a statement.
Swimmers were evacuated from the water.
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Man bitten by shark in South Australia
A man has been hospitalised after being bitten by a shark at Port Noarlunga, South Australia.
The man, in his 40s, is in a serious condition with injuries to his thigh, SA Ambulance Service said.
More details soon …
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Australian rules football great Robert Walls dies
The Australian rules football great Robert Walls, who won multiple premierships as a player and coach at Carlton, has died aged 74.
The Australian Football Hall Of Fame member had been diagnosed with cancer two years ago and he died on Thursday morning.
Walls, who also coached the Brisbane Lions and Richmond, played in Carlton’s 1968, 70 and 72 premiership teams.
He then coached the Blues to the 1987 flag and is a club legend.
A tough centre half-forward, Walls played 259 games for Carlton and Fitzroy from 1967-80.
He immediately went into coaching, first at Fitzroy and then the Blues, Lions and Tigers.
A famously combative personality, after his coaching career ended in 1997 Walls became a respected AFL commentator.
His wife, Erin, died of cancer in 2006, soon after his Hall of Fame induction. He is survived by three children and his partner, Julie.
“Having battled cancer for more than two years, Robert did it his way and chose to end a fight that had seen him spend more than 250 nights in hospital during the past two years,” the AFL said in a statement.
Walls “passed away peacefully in his unit overlooking the MCG”, it said.
Having spent the last couple of weeks tidying up his affairs and catching up with family and close friends, he chose that over more and more hospital visits for treatment.
– With reporting from Australian Associated Press
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Adass community warned of ‘confronting’ vision of synagogue being set alight
The ultra-Orthodox Adass community in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs has been offered support before the public release of “confronting” vision showing their synagogue being set alight in December.
Community leaders were told this morning the footage would be released by police today. Police also warned community leaders to prepare their congregation for the distressing vision.
This is the statement issued to the kehilla, which means congregation, by Adass leaders this morning:
Victoria Police have contacted the Kehilla this morning to advise that they will be holding a Press Conference at 2pm today. They will be releasing footage from the shul recorded on the morning of the fire. They will seeking public assistance if anyone recognises or can identify anything from the footage. They have warned that the footage may be confronting for members of our Kehilla. If you have any questions or require any support please be in touch with the Kehilla board.
Police released the vision as part of a public appeal for information:
CCTV released today shows the blue Golf sedan drive past the Adass Israel Synagogue multiple times before parking outside the main entrance on 6 December 2024. The footage shows three individuals dressed in hoodies and masks get out of the vehicle and use an axe to damage the entrance of the synagogue. The footage shows at least two individuals commence pouring the contents of red jerry cans inside the entrance of the synagogue, before entering the building. It shows the individuals making multiple trips to the Golf to get more jerry cans, which were poured inside the synagogue before the liquid was ignited.
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Greens gather to elect new leader
The Greens’ 11 senators and sole remaining lower house MP will meet at 1pm to decide a new leader for their party after Adam Bandt unexpectedly lost the seat of Melbourne at the federal election.
Senators Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters and Mehreen Faruqi are seen as possible successors. But those involved in choosing the new leader have been unusually tight-lipped – ignoring or politely declining calls and texts from the media.
We’ll bring you the news from their meeting as soon as we have it. Until then, you can read about how the process works, and what to expect, here:
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Record share of Australian women employed in April, ABS figures show
A record share of women were employed in April, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures.
Some 60.80% of all women over 15 years old had a paid job, slightly higher than January’s previous record of 60.78%.
In a joint statement, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and minister for employment and workplace relations, Amanda Rishworth, said it was the only time since records began that the unemployment rate had been in the low 4s concurrently with headline and underlying inflation in the RBA’s target band.
The total unemployment rate remains 4.1%, and 89,000 new jobs were created in April. The number of women in work was up by 65,300 jobs.
Chalmers said “amid all the uncertainty and volatility in the global economy, our labour market remains an encouraging source of strength”.
Low unemployment and much lower inflation is a remarkable combination and means we are well placed and well prepared for the challenges coming at us from abroad.
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Daniel responds to Wilson’s message to Liberal scrutineers
The independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, has responded to Tim Wilson’s call for Liberal scrutineers to “knock out informal votes being counted for the Teals”.
The call was contained in leaked WhatsApp messages that show Wilson warning Daniel’s scrutineers were “knocking out votes for us with extreme precision”:
If the teals keep knocking out votes and we are not doing the same. The votes will be the votes. The difference is whether we have scrutineers to knock out informal votes that are being counted for the teals.
In response, Daniel says:
As always, I thank my volunteers for their participation in an open honest democratic process.
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Almost one in five young Australians think it’s reasonable to track a romantic partner online
Almost one in five young adults think it’s reasonable to expect to track a romantic partner online, new research from the eSafety commissioner shows, raising concerns about coercive control.
About 2,000 Australians aged 18 to 75 were asked whether they agreed with expectations and attitudes associated with tech-based coercive control in intimate relationships, including monitoring a partner.
Some 18.6% of 18- to 24-year-olds agreed expecting to track an intimate partner whenever they wanted using location sharing apps was reasonable, dropping to 13.6% of all participants.
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said young people had become so accustomed to a certain level of online tracking that it didn’t seem strange to expect similar digital access in a romantic relationship.
As a country, we’re grappling with how to stem the devastating tide of intimate partner violence. But if we want to change these behaviours, we must challenge underlying attitudes that endorse and normalise controlling and monitoring behaviours in romantic relationships.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say preventing tech-based coercive control, and the attitudes that condone it, can save lives.
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Greens’ First Nations Network rejects report it is working with Lidia Thorpe to elect Mehreen Faruqi as leader
The Australian Greens’ First Nations Network has slammed a story published in The Australian claiming the group is working with the former Greens senator Lidia Thorpe to elect Mehreen Faruqi as the party’s new federal leader, describing it as a “conspiracy theory” and “baseless”.
The report, published this morning, claimed “senior Greens figures” believed Thorpe was eyeing a return to the Greens after she left in 2023 and worked with the network to endorse Faruqi. Thorpe’s office denied the claims, and the now independent senator described them as a “beat up” on X this morning.
In a statement on Thursday, the network said Faruqi’s endorsement was initiated by grassroots members and passed by First Nations members with consensus.
The statement continued:
The suggestion that grassroots First Nations members are incapable of making independent decisions is not only absurd – it is deeply offensive. We are disappointed that so-called ‘senior Greens figures’ have chosen to spread conspiracy theories to Murdoch media outlets in an apparent attempt to advance their own personal agendas.
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Liberal Tim Wilson urges scrutineers to 'knock out informal votes being counted for the Teals' in WhatsApp messages
As the vote count tightens in Goldstein, Liberal Tim Wilson has urged scrutineers to “knock out informal votes being counted for the Teals”, according to leaked WhatsApp messages:
They are knocking out votes for us with extreme precision. If a full recount occurs, we will need a massive scrutineering team because every vote will need to be scrutinised and it will be a race to see who can knock out the most votes. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
If the teals keep knocking out votes and we are not doing the same. The votes will be the votes. The difference is whether we have scrutineers to knock out informal votes that are being counted for the Teals.
The leaked messages from a WhatsApp group called “Goldstein blue tsunami”, which lists Wilson as the administrator, said the narrowing vote should not be a problem but “highlights the EXTREME necessity for scrutineers to be available”. Wilson continued:
Sadly, this is something I am extremely good at doing, but I am legally prohibited from doing on this vote because I am a candidate.
When contacted, Wilson said there were plenty of Liberals scrutineering and that there was nothing unusual about this process of casting aside informal votes:
They are knocking out informal votes for us. We are knocking out informal votes for them. None of this is new.
Wilson said a recount would be likely if the margin was within 100 votes. He also cited material from Zoe Daniel’s campaign, seen by Guardian Australia, that instructed scrutineers to pay careful attention to Wilson’s votes:
We only challenge Tim Wilson’s votes.
No need to check that Zoe’s ballots are formal. Tim’s scrutineers will do that. When the counting is completed, there will be ballots where an objection has been made. This is the time when you can look at the objections made against votes for Zoe.
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Gambling regulator asked to intervene in dispute over AFL wagering revenue
Victoria’s gambling regulator has been asked to intervene in a dispute over how much gambling revenue the AFL should receive from each bet placed on the sport.
Internal AFL documents reveal the league initially wanted to charge all bookmakers a minimum annual fee of $20,0000. For some, this was lowered to $3,000 in 2025, $5,000 in 2026 and $7,000 in 2027.
The AFL also wants to increase the percentage of money it gets from each bet.
Several smaller bookmakers opposed to the plan have told Guardian Australia they were granted extensions of their current wagering agreement, with a revised offer to be made by the AFL at a later date.
But at least one unnamed bookmaker has asked for the Victorian gambling regulator to intervene in the matter, arguing the proposal is unreasonable.
Here’s a response from the regulator:
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission is assessing an application request from a bookmaker for a determination on the reasonableness of the AFL’s proposed new fee structure. We are not able to provide further detail on this matter until this assessment has been finalised.
The regulator will only intervene if there is no reasonable resolution in sight and it is clear that both parties have not negotiated appropriately. If that happens, the regulator can make a decision on the appropriate financial arrangement and recover costs.
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Telstra trials text messages via Starlink outside mobile coverage areas
Telstra has trialled sending text messages via Starlink’s satellites direct to mobile phones in Australia.
Since April, the company has sent 55,000 text messages testing out the capability ahead of a commercial launch. A live trial in the past week has seen the telco send text messages successfully to mobiles outside its coverage areas in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and NSW.
Telstra has also tested sending GPS coordinates and emojis via text.
The service for SMS messaging is expected to be launched in the coming months.
Last week, rival TPG announced it had sent a text message to a mobile in a limited coverage area in the northern tablelands of NSW using Lynk satellites with the Vodafone network.
The advances come ahead of the Albanese government’s plan for universal outdoor mobile coverage, which would use the satellite services for text messages and calls in areas with no mobile coverage.
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Refugee advocates call on Australia to lift ban on refugees who are still in Indonesia
Refugee advocacy groups are calling on the Albanese government to use talks with Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, this afternoon to improve the living conditions of refugees currently awaiting resettlement options in Indonesia.
In 2014, the Australian government announced it would no longer take asylum seekers and refugees registered with the UN’s Human Rights Commission in Indonesia after July 2014, which has left thousands stuck in limbo for years until a third country accepts them.
With the US’s Trump administration pausing its refugee intake program earlier this year, the Refugee Council is urging Australia to lift the ban and become a regional leader in refugee resettlement.
Anthony Albanese is joined in Jakarta today by home affairs minister, Tony Burke, and foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, for his first international visit since securing a second term.
Refugee Council ambassador, Sidiqa Faqihi, a Hazara woman from Afghanistan who was stuck in Indonesia for a decade before arriving in Melbourne in 2022, said life for asylum seekers in Indonesia was a “constant struggle for survival and a desperate fight to hold on to hope”.
She said:
It felt like existing without truly living. We are treated as invisible, without a national identity or the basic human rights that others. With limited settlement opportunities each year, many of us are left in a perpetual state of limbo, trapped in a cycle that can last for decades, often more than 20 years without a clear path to safety or a future.
Jana Favero, the deputy chief executive of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said the situation was “diabolical” and Australia must end its ban as a “moral and urgent imperative”.
We can no longer continue to burden our regional neighbours with our punitive policies based on deterrence and cruelty.
Burke’s office declined to comment.
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Unemployment rate remains at 4.1% for April after strong month for jobs
Australia’s unemployment rate stayed at 4.1% in April after the economy recorded a bumper month of jobs growth.
The number of employed people climbed by 89,000, including 59,500 full-time jobs and 29,500 part-time roles. Underemployment as a share of the total workforce – which measures those with jobs but who want to work more – inched up to 6%.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures come ahead of next week’s two-day meeting of the RBA’s monetary policy board, which is expected to lead to a rate cut on Tuesday. The consensus among economists had been for the key unemployment measure to hold steady in the month.
A resilient labour market through the surge in cost of living and climbing interest rates has been the backbone of Australia’s post-lockdown economy. After climbing off multi-decade lows of about 3.5% in 2022 and 2023, the jobless rate has stabilised at about 4% through last year and into this year.
Unemployment sits at least 1 percentage point lower than during the years leading into the pandemic, raising hopes that the economy can sustain this lower jobless rate without triggering higher inflation and higher interest rates.
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PM details today’s talks with Indonesia
The prime minister has told reporters his delegation to Indonesia will be talking defence and economy:
We’re talking about further strengthening our defence ties and also how we put our economic partnership, how we can build on that with investment. I look forward to discussions that I’ll have with the president in a formal sense, one-on-one this morning.
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Tony Burke speaks to home affairs department’s relationship with Indonesia
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, joins the prime minister and foreign minister live in Jakarta:
The relationship across every part of Home Affairs with Indonesia is incredibly important. That goes across the home affairs and counter-terrorism areas, through to matters regarding people smuggling and other forms of trafficking. All the way through to cybersecurity as well.
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Wong reiterates Indonesia’s importance to Australia during ‘this time of global uncertainty’
Foreign minister Penny Wong is also speaking live from Jakarta, reiterating the importance of Australia’s relationship with Indonesia “at a time of global uncertainty”:
Indonesia is just so important to Australia. It is so important to Australia bilaterally in terms of our relationship, our economic relationship, our strategic relationship. It’s so important to Australia in our region because Indonesia is the largest Asean country, whose leadership Asean looks to. And at a time of global uncertainty, what I would also say is that we recognise, the Albanese government, that our security and our stability comes from our region and from our relationships.
We see Indonesia as critical to navigating this time of global uncertainty. We know that economic resilience matters, it always matters and it matters even more so in a world which is more uncertain and more turbulent. You build your economic resilience with stronger regional relationships, the sorts of work that the prime minister is discussing, the economic relationship as well as the strategic relationship with Indonesia.
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Anthony Albanese holds press conference in Indonesia after informal meeting with President Prabowo Subianto
Prime minister Anthony Albanese says he chatted elections and the state of the world with president of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, who greeted Albanese informally upon arrival at his hotel last night.
Albanese is speaking live from Jakarta:
The relationship between Australia and Indonesia is so important. Important for our defence and security, important for our economic future, and important for the region.
I must say, I was very honoured last night that President Prabowo came to the hotel here and we sat down with our foreign ministers as well for just an informal chat prior to the one-on-one leaders’ meeting that we’ll hold this morning. It said something about the depth of the relationship and the extent of the friendship and warm relationship between our two nations, but also my warm relationship with the president that he came here [and] sat in the hotel room.
We had a really good chat about elections, about the state of the world.
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An update from Goldstein ballot counting
Another batch of votes counted for Goldstein has brought Tim Wilson’s lead down again to 302. There are just 951 envelopes left.
The independent Zoe Daniel, who is still holding on, needs the final envelopes to go two-to-one in her favour – but it looks like the last batch came close.
Updated
Former Liberal MP arrested, accused of breaching bail
A former NSW Liberal MP accused of sexually assaulting a teenager is in police custody after being accused of breaching his bail conditions.
Rory Amon, 35, has pleaded not guilty to five charges of sexual intercourse with a person aged 10 to 14.
But Amon was arrested on Wednesday night after police alleged he breached his bail conditions. He will front the Downing Centre local court later on Thursday.
The former NSW MP was arrested at the Day Street police station, in Sydney’s CBD, about 10pm on Wednesday. Police declined to detail the nature of his alleged bail breach.
Amon had been on bail awaiting a trial set down for February 2026. He is accused of presenting as a 17-year-old after matching with a boy on a website in mid-2017.
Prosecutors allege the boy, then 13, said he was 15 and later agreed to meet in person.
Prosecutors further allege Amon insisted on meeting in a private place and led the 13-year-old to a bathroom in a car park where the sexual assaults occurred on two separate occasions.
At the time, Amon was a local councillor and later rose to win the safe Liberal seat of Pittwater.
Shortly after his arrest last year, Amon said in a statement that he denied all the charges. He resigned from state parliament and from the Liberal party.
- Australian Associated Press
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Bishop congratulates Ley on assuming party leadership
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop, who unsuccessfully ran for the Liberal leadership in 2018, has congratulated Sussan Ley on becoming leader of the Liberal party.
Bishop was the first woman to contest the leadership of the party in its 75-year history and was Australia’s first female foreign minister. She unsuccessfully ran against Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton for the leadership.
My warmest congratulations to Sussan Ley on her election as leader of the Liberal party. It is an honour that brings great responsibility and Sussan will bring her boundless energy and determination to meet the challenges ahead. I wish her every success.
Updated
More on independent Zoe Daniel holding on to hope in Goldstein.
Another batch of votes counted have brought Tim Wilson’s lead down to 368. There are just 1211 envelopes left to count – meaning they will have to go two-to-one in Daniel’s favour for her to win.
Updated
Sussan Ley and David Littleproud meet for coalition negotiations
New Liberal leader Sussan Ley is hosting her Nationals counterpart David Littleproud in Albury today, as the two parties begin talks on a new coalition agreement.
The Liberals and Nationals have a formal agreement in each term of parliament – a secret document which governs how the two parties will cooperate as a combined entity in opposition or government.
After being elected Liberal leader, Ley is back in her electorate to be close to her mother, Angela Braybrooks, who is receiving end-of-life care.
Ley and Littleproud are expected to talk about the composition of the opposition frontbench, including demands from the Nationals for more positions after their relative size within the Coalition increased at the 3 May election. There is expected to be about 55 Liberals and 19 Nationals in the new joint party room.
Policy is also expected to be discussed, with the opposition yet to grapple with the cause of Peter Dutton’s historic loss.
Some of the policies rejected by voters include Dutton’s plan to build and operate nuclear power plants in Australia.
Some within the opposition are pushing to walk away from net zero carbon emissions targets. Nationals including Queensland senator Matt Canavan are leading the push.
Updated
The teal independent Zoe Daniel is hanging on to hope she might win back the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, despite Liberal Tim Wilson claiming victory.
Daniel posted on social media last night that she had “clawed back” from an approximate 1,500 vote deficit on Friday to 401 votes on Wednesday night:
I have every finger crossed that a batch of international postal votes lands in the next two days among a few other things that need to go our way.
No matter what, as always I am so buoyed by the love, support and ferocious determination that has been sent my way over the last week and a half.
To my volunteers who have been hanging over every, single, vote, no matter what happens, you will forever be my people.
Wilson and the Liberal party are confident he has won the seat. He voted in the Liberal leadership ballot earlier this week and is in the running for a position on the opposition frontbench under Sussan Ley.
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Lendlease confirms report of property deal with King Charles’ property company
ASX-listed construction and real estate company Lendlease have confirmed negotiations with King Charles’ property company are in late stages to enter a 50/50 joint venture for six development projects in the United Kingdom.
“Lendlease acknowledges a UK media report of negotiations in respect to its development portfolio in the UK,” said in a statement responding to media speculation on the deal.
Negotiations are in the late stages with the Crown estate to enter a 50/50 joint venture for six development projects within Lendlease’s UK development portfolio to release longer-dated capital at or slightly above book value, halve its future funding obligations, accelerate master planning with government clients and generate future fee income.
Lendlease expects the joint venture will create an industry-leading alliance with deep sector and local experience to accelerate planning and project delivery.
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Queensland environmental defender stripped of funding despite Liberal election promise
Queensland’s Environmental Defenders’ Office is set to lose $500,000 state government funding, in breach of an election promise. The cut will take effect in July.
Shadow minister Sam O’Connor publicly promised to maintain the funding last year.
In an open letter to premier David Crisafulli, 36 of the state’s leading conservationists and environmental described themselves as “shocked” by the decision.
They compared it to a similar decision made under Premier Campbell Newman to cut $97,000 in funding in 2012 – also its entire state allocation.
“You also made a promise personally to QCC Director Dave Copeman on 29 August 2023 that funding for environmental organisations would not be cut,” the letter reads:
These commitments were warmly welcomed at the time, and recognised as a break from the former Newman government’s approach to cutting funding to community services including the EDO.
The current environment minister, Andrew Powell, was also minister under Newman.
The EDO provides advice and legal support for landholders and community groups who want to challenge development applications or environmental approval, including projects like mines.
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NSW police looking for man who assaulted two others in Clyde
Police are appealing for information after a man was stabbed and another assaulted at Clyde this morning.
Officers were called to James Ruse Drive about 3:40am, where a 54-year-old man had been stabbed in the neck and cheek and a 36-year-old man had been assaulted allegedly by a 28-year-old they were transporting from Villawood to Sydney airport, NSW Police said.
Police have been told the men were transporting a 28-year-old Tongan national from Villawood to Sydney airport when the incident occurred.
The two men are being treated at Westmead hospital for their injuries, which are not considered to be serious.
Officers and specialist police including the dog unit are searching the area.
Police ask anyone with information to contact crime stoppers, and have described the man they believe can assist with inquiries as “of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance, with a tanned complexion, a large build, about 180cm tall with black hair, dark eyes and is unshaven” and “wearing a black coat, black track pants and black and white sneakers”.
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Prime minister Albanese meets President Subianto on arrival to Indonesia
Prime minister Anthony Albanese was greeted by the president of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, upon his arrival in Jakarta last night. Albanese posted to Instagram:
I’ve come to Indonesia for my first overseas visit since the election because our region comes first.
Australia and Indonesia are the nearest of neighbours and the closest of friends.
Working with President @prabowo over the coming years, we will build stronger connections between our two countries.
It is the prime minister’s first international visit since being elected for a second term. He is joined by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke.
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Richard Di Natale’s advice for the next Greens leader
The Greens were on a high – until they weren’t. This election left the minor party almost entirely wiped out in the House of Representatives and without its leader Adam Bandt.
Before a vote on who will take the party forward, the former Greens leader Richard Di Natale speaks to Nour Haydar on what lessons can be learned from the election result and where to now for the minor party.
Listen here (or wherever you get your podcasts):
Andrew Hastie reveals ‘desire to lead’ Liberals one day after Sussan Ley takes top job
The shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie, has declared his “desire to lead” the Liberal party in the future after ruling himself out of the race for opposition leader following the Coalition’s crushing election defeat.
The 42-year-old West Australian MP spoke of his leadership ambitions in an interview on the Curtin’s Cast podcast produced by the John Curtin Research Centre, which was published online a day after Sussan Ley was appointed the Liberals’ first ever female leader.
Hastie confirmed last week he would not be a candidate for the Liberal party leadership despite having been urged by colleagues to stand. On Tuesday, Ley was elected by 29 votes to 25 over the former shadow treasurer Angus Taylor.
Speaking on the podcast with the thinktank’s executive director, Nick Dyrenfurth, and RedBridge Group pollster Kos Samaras, Hastie said he decided not to run for the leadership because of his young children and his long commute from Perth.
“I’d be foolish to say I don’t have a desire to lead, I do have a desire to lead,” he said. “But the timing was all out for personal reasons.”
Read the full story:
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Strawberry shields forever: bioplastic cuts fruit waste
Strawberries come packaged with a hidden environmental toll in Australia: a lot of clear plastic that does not get recycled. But researchers from the University of Queensland have developed a different way to keep the fruit safe while ensuring biodegradable punnets can return to the farms from which they came.
The co-director of the Centre for Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing, Dr Luigi Vandi, partnered with PhD candidate Vincent Mathel to produce the bioplastic material in an effort that has taken three years.
Their environmentally friendly packaging uses biodegradable plastic produced by bacteria and blends it with pine sawdust to give it added durability.
Among the world’s largest plastic consumers, Australians used 3.9 tonnes of plastic in a year and recovered 14.5%, the most recent government statistics show.
When University of Queensland researchers considered developing biodegradable plastic to address the issue, strawberries were a natural focus due to the amount of plastic used to transport them.
“There’s about 125g of strawberries in a punnet and the punnet itself is maybe 12g to 14g, which is quite a lot,” Dr Luigi Vandi told AAP.
- Australian Associated Press
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Queensland rocket launch delayed until Friday
The first Australian-made rocket was set to be test launched into orbit from north Queensland today, but has been delayed due to a system issue.
Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies got the green light from the Australian Space Agency to launch the Eris TestFlight1 from 7:30am this morning. This would be the first orbital launch from Australia in more than 50 years and the first Australian made rocket to attempt orbit, the company said.
But they have had to halt plans:
No launch today. Our team identified an issue in the ground support system during overnight checks; and we are now in an extended hold while we work through it.
The next target for launch is Friday morning.
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Jobs data poised to help pencil in draw down on rates
The Reserve Bank is watching closely as the last data domino falls before a pivotal rates meeting.
The RBA’s preferred measure of inflation – the trimmed mean – fell back into target at 2.9% in April, but tightness in the labour market remains a concern for the central bank.
Joblessness is expected to remain at 4.1% when the Australian Bureau of Statistics releases labour force data for the month of April today. It is the last major data news before the RBA board reveals its interest rate decision on Tuesday and could give it a final green light to cut rates.
The rates market has fully priced in a 25 basis point cut, while a majority of economists expect the board to drop rates for a second time this cycle, after its move lower in February.
The central bank has predicted the jobless rate to come in at 4.2% for the June quarter but unemployment has held below that level since July 2024.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Colourful price tags at Australian chemists may trick shoppers into buying full-price items, Choice says
Promotional price tags used by major chemists may be enticing shoppers towards products that are not discounted at all, with new research finding bright labels are confusing one in three customers.
Consumer advocacy organisation Choice found that some pharmacies said they were offering discounts from the recommended retail price (RRP) despite having never charged the higher rate, which is a suggestion from the manufacturer.
Other products had colourful supersized tags that obscured smaller shelf labels offering the same prices, meaning some customers thought they were getting discounts that did not exist, Choice’s senior campaigns and policy adviser, Bea Sherwood, said.
Read the full story here:
The Greens are about to choose a new leader. Here’s how it works – and who could be Adam Bandt’s successor
The Greens will choose a new leader after Adam Bandt unexpectedly lost the seat of Melbourne at the federal election.
The party’s 11 senators and their sole remaining lower house MP – Elizabeth Watson-Brown, who held the Brisbane seat of Ryan – will decide on Thursday who should become the minor party’s fifth federal leader, with whoever claims the top job expected to address the media in the afternoon.
Senators Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters and Mehreen Faruqi are seen as possible successors. But unlike their major party counterparts, those involved in choosing the new Greens leader are unusually tight-lipped – ignoring or politely declining calls and texts from the media.
Read the full story here:
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Haka protest to land Māori party MPs severe bans
The New Zealand MPs who protested constitutional reforms with haka on the floor of parliament will receive suspensions believed to be the most severe ever issued in the institution’s 170-year history.
Last November, 22-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke became a global viral sensation with her dismissal of the treaty principles bill, ripping it up and performing the haka with her Maori party co-leaders.
The treaty principles bill was championed by the right-wing ACT party to redefine the Treaty of Waitangi in law – stripping rights given to Māori at New Zealand’s foundation.
The Māori party’s protest inside parliament was sent to the privileges committee, which resolved to suspend Maipi-Clarke, for one week, and Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, for three weeks each.
Judith Collins, the attorney general and committee chair, said it was the toughest punishment it had ever handed out and “the worst incident that we have ever seen”:
Make no mistake. This was a very serious incident, the likes of which I have never seen before in my 23 years in the debating chamber.
The haka, which has gained worldwide admiration as the preceding act to All Blacks rugby Tests, is not banned in parliament but requires permission from the speaker to perform and must not disrupt proceedings. Collins said the MPs deliberately intimidated the ACT MPs who championed the reforms, as they prepared to vote.
The Māori party have condemned the bans as “grossly unjust, unfair, and unwarranted” and, in a dissenting position within the report, as “reinforcing institutional racism”. It wrote:
The finding that our actions constituted ‘intimidation’ sets a dangerous precedent for Aotearoa. It frames Maori protest, haka, and the assertion of (Māori sovereignty) rangatiratanga as inherently threatening.
The punishments are likely to be rubber-stamped by the parliament next Tuesday and voted through by the three government parties – National, ACT and NZ First.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Thank you to Martin Farrer for rolling the live blog this morning. I’ll be updating you with the day’s news from here – let’s go.
Surge in complaints over telcos
Cash-strapped Australians fear being cut off from their phone and internet services as telcos refuse to support struggling customers, resulting in a spike in complaints, AAP reports.
Reports to the telecommunications watchdog about financial hardship or repayment issues were 71.9% higher between January and March, compared with the same period in 2024.
Despite complaints falling 8.2% since the previous quarter, the telecommunications industry ombudsman remains concerned.
Telcos need to do more to make sure people get the support they need if they’re struggling to keep on top of bills, ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said.
“It’s a stark reminder that the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact communities across Australia,” she said.
Recurring themes included companies refusing payment plans or extensions, offering unsuitable payment arrangements and service disconnection, suspension or restriction.
Updated
Zoe Daniel still yet to concede Goldstein after vote margin reduced
Although we have just mentioned that there are two seats in doubt – Calwell and Bradfield – Zoe Daniel is still yet to concede she has lost Goldstein in Melbourne.
The ABC called the seat for the Liberal Tim Wilson last week, seemingly ending the brief parliamentary career of Daniel, a journalist turned teal.
But she has declined to concede until all the votes have been counted.
She posted on social media on last night that she had “every finger crossed” that she could actually win the seat having seen Wilson’s apparently winning margin of 1,500 last Friday reduced to 401 votes last night .
“Friends. We have clawed our way back from an almost 1500 vote margin on Friday to 401 tonight,” she wrote.
“I have every finger crossed that a batch of international postal votes lands in the next two days and a few other things that need to, go our way.
“No matter what, as always, I’m so buoyed by the love, support, and ferocious determination that has been sent my way over the last week.
“To my scrutineers who have been hanging over every, single, vote, no matter what happens, you will always be my people. Thank you.”
More postal votes were expected to arrive before tomorrow although they have traditionally favoured the Liberals.
Updated
ABC calls Longman and Flinders for the Liberals
The ABC has called two electorates, Longman and Flinders, for the Coalition, leaving just two seats in the new federal lower house in doubt.
Longman incumbent Terry Young led Labor’s Rhiannyn Douglas by 355 votes on Wednesday evening, with only 750 votes left to count, leading the ABC to call the seat for the Coalition despite a 2.9% swing to the ALP. Young has held the Caboolture and Southern Sunshine Coast seat since 2019.
In Flinders, the Liberals’ Zoe McKenzie leads by 6,424 votes to independent Ben Smith. With 92.8% of the vote counted on Wednesday evening and actual preferences now being provided, the ABC projected McKenzie would secure her second term in the south-east Melbourne seat.
With the latest results, Labor has secured 93 lower house seats and the Coalition 43, with one seat to the Greens and 11 to independents and minor parties.
Labor is currently ahead in the Victorian seat of Calwell, but a formal redistribution of preferences is expected to take about a fortnight until a result is called.
The Sydney seat of Bradfield was previously called for the Coalition but was back in doubt on Wednesday evening after an apparent late surge in support for the independent Nicolette Boele.
Updated
PM to meet with Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta
Anthony Albanese will meet with the Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, in Jakarta later today as part of his first international visit since being elected for a second term.
The prime minister will be joined by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, in Jakarta in a meeting aimed at strengthening ties with the fast-growing neighbour.
Albanese said in a statement:
I am honoured to be a guest of President Prabowo Subianto. There is no country more important to Australia than Indonesia. We have a long history of cooperation and friendship, celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.
During the federal election campaign, a media report published by the defence news website Janes claimed Russia had filed an official request with Indonesia for permission for its military aircraft to be based out of an airbase on the island of Biak, in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province.
The Australian government’s position has been that there is “no prospect” of a Russian military base being established on Indonesian soil, a position reaffirmed by the Indonesian government.
An Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson said the government had not granted permission to any country to establish a military base on its territory.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Rafqa Touma with the main action.
Anthony Albanese will look to deepen defence and investment ties with Indonesia in talks with the nation’s president, Prabowo Subianto. The prime minister will meet face-to-face with Prabowo in Jakarta later today in his first overseas trip since Labor’s election victory. We have more details coming up.
The ABC has called two electorates, Longman and Flinders, for the Coalition, leaving just two seats in the new federal lower house in doubt. However, Zoe Daniel, the teal independent who saw her seat of Goldstein called for the Liberal Tim Wilson last week, has still not conceded and narrowed her deficit from 1,500 votes on Friday to 401 this morning. More coming up.
