What we learned today, Thursday 4 December
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the day’s main stories:
The Victorian government will slash 1,000 public service jobs – including more than 300 executive positions – and merge several entities, as part of its response to an independent review which it claims will save $4bn.
Alleged paedophile Joshua Dale Brown has been charged with 83 new offences, after being accused of sexually abusing babies and toddlers while working in Melbourne childcare centres.
Communities across large parts of Australia have been urged to take precautions as temperatures begin to soar ahead of severe and extreme heatwave conditions, with parts of western Sydney expected to reach the low 40s by Saturday.
Bushfires were raging in Tasmania, with the fire service warning lives and homes were at risk.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has rejected the Reserve Bank’s suggestions the Australian economy may not be able to grow any faster, and says GDP growth figures are “very positive and very promising”.
The Australian Border Force has detained six foreign nationals who arrived in Australia by boat after police find them in remote Western Australia.
The federal government has received the Trump administration’s review of the Aukus submarine deal and is “working through” its findings, the acting prime minister, Richard Marles, has confirmed.
The high court will hear a challenge to an appeals court ruling that overturned the approval of the largest coalmine expansion in New South Wales.
We will see you here again for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Australia receives Aukus review from Trump administration
The federal government has received the Trump administration’s review of the Aukus submarine deal and is “working through” its findings, the acting prime minister, Richard Marles, has confirmed.
But the government does not intend to release the long-awaited report, with a spokesperson confirming to Guardian Australia that its publication was a matter for the US.
The future of the deal to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines was uncertain for months after the Pentagon ordered a review to examine if it aligned with Donald Trump’s “America-first” agenda.
Any fears inside the Australian government were eased after Trump publicly endorsed Aukus when he hosted the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, at the White House in late September.
Trump’s navy secretary signalled at the meeting that the US wanted changes to address unspecified “ambiguity” in the deal. Albanese confirmed he was aware of what changes the US wanted but would not publicly disclose them.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Marles confirmed the government had been provided with the review. He said:
We are in receipt of the Aukus review now. We’re working through the Aukus review, and we very much thank the United States for providing it to us.
What’s really important here is the United States is completely supportive of Aukus, as the president of the United States made clear, and all of us moving ahead in his words, full steam ahead. And so this is a program that we are doing, meeting all of our milestones. It’s fundamentally important in terms of Australia’s national interest, but this really is very central to the United States’ national interest as well.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed in Senate estimates that it had received a copy of the review.
The department’s secretary, Jan Adams, and the foreign minister, Penny Wong, told the hearing they would not answer questions on the report’s contents.
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More on the social media high court case delay:
The NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick says a delay in his high court challenge against the federal government’s social media ban will bolster the case because there will be real-world negative consequences to draw from.
The ban on under-16s accessing a range of social media platforms is set to come into effect from next week. The high court said further directions for the case would occur on or after 25 February 2026.
Speaking to Guardian Australia shortly after the high court’s decision this afternoon, Ruddick, who runs the Digital Freedom Project, said:
I believe that over the course of that period of time when this ban will be in effect, it’s going to cause a lot of unforeseen negative consequences. And so there is a … silver lining in this delay, which is that, we’ll have real-world experience about how people are getting around it, and … we believe it’s going to cause all sorts of unforeseen problems, and a delay is not a bad thing.
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High court challenge to social media ban hit with delay
A high court challenge against the federal government’s social media ban for under-16s has been delayed to at least February next year.
Two young people, 15-year-olds Noah Jones and Macy Neyland, will test whether the ban robs them of the implied right to freedom of political communication in the high court.
Jones and Neyland are being supported by digital rights group the Digital Freedom Project – an initiative led by NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick.
Chief Justice Stephen Gageler ruled on Thursday afternoon that the special case will be listed for further directions on or after 25 February 2026.
Ruddick announced yesterday they would drop an attempt to place a court injunction on the ban set to come into effect next week.
You can read more on that story here:
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Matt Canavan accused of ‘killing blue-collar jobs’ in anti-renewables stance
In a Senate estimates hearing, the minister for science, industry and innovation, Tim Ayres, has accused the Nationals senator Matt Canavan of “killing blue-collar jobs” in his opposition to renewables.
In a testy exchange about the fate of Tomago, Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, Ayres told Canavan:
Every time you go and stand in front of some new wind development and say that it shouldn’t happen, you are killing blue-collar jobs. Every time you campaign against solar or transmission, you are killing blue-collar jobs. And you ought to stop.
Canavan later asked Ayres:
Are there 100,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in this country since we signed up to net zero?
Ayres responded:
It’s got nothing to do with net zero … nothing at all. It does matter if you have a decade of dysfunction and delinquency, and it turns out that the kind of net zero fetishism that you and others have engaged in has consequences for ordinary people. When it takes hold of a government and wrecks a government, and causes it to create disinvestment and sovereign risk, it has a consequence.
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Coalition says cut in aerial patrols could explain boat arrivals
The Coalition has questioned whether a reduction in aerial surveillance of Australia’s maritime borders contributed to a boat with six foreign nationals being able to land in remote Western Australia.
The shadow home affairs minister, Jonno Duniam, says the arrival of the people, reportedly from China, meant that at least eight boats had illegally reached the Australian mainland as part of at least 37 attempts since Labor came to government.
He said there had been a 20% decrease in aerial surveillance hours under Labor compared to the Coalition’s tenure in government.
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Victorian premier ‘angry’ as childcare worker hit with more charges
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says she is “angry” and has had her trust broken after police revealed this morning that a worker who allegedly sexually abused babies and toddlers at Melbourne childcare centres was facing 83 extra offences.
Joshua Dale Brown, 27, has now been charged with 156 offences, after an additional four alleged victims were identified.
Allan said:
Families must be able to trust that their children are safe in childcare.
Victorian parents will be angry and distressed by these additional allegations – I am too.My thoughts are with the impacted families, and all Victorian families who are dealing with this news.
As these matters are before the courts, I won’t say or do anything that may jeopardise the court process.
The allegations this year have broken the trust of Victorians, and they’ve broken my trust too.
She said the government had introduced four pieces of new legislation to parliament, with three passed, and that “the safety of children is my highest priority – and the highest priority of this government”.
Updated
High court to hear mining company appeal against climate decision
The high court will hear a challenge to an appeals court ruling that overturned the approval of the largest coalmine expansion in New South Wales.
The case will be the first time the high court will adjudicate on the issue of climate change.
The court has granted mining company MACH Energy leave to challenge the decision by the NSW court of appeal in July that found in favour of a community group that challenged the company’s expansion of its Mount Pleasant coalmine in Muswellbrook.
The court of appeal found the independent planning commission was required and failed to consider the impacts of all emissions associated with the Muswellbrook project on the local environment, including from the exported emissions – known as scope 3 emissions – when the coal is sold and burnt overseas.
The ruling was considered a significant legal breakthrough that could have wider implications for future fossil fuel project proposals in NSW.
A MACH Energy spokesperson said since the decision the company had “pursued all available options to ensure the continuity of this important project”:
Now that the High Court has agreed to hear the appeal, MACH Energy is actively preparing a comprehensive case around the validity of the approval of Mount Pleasant.
The Denman, Aberdeen, Muswellbrook and Scone Healthy Environment Group (DAMS HEG) said it looked forward to defending its “historic win” in the high court.
Its president, Wendy Wales, said if the community group was successful in defending the court of appeal decision it would “create the precedent Australia needs”.
Anita O’Hart, principal lawyer at Johnson Legal, which is representing the group, said “our client welcomes the opportunity for the matter to be heard in the High Court of Australia”:
The assessment of climate impacts caused by NSW coal mining is an important issue of significant national interest and our client looks forward to being heard in the High Court.
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Lives in danger and homes may be destroyed in Tasmanian bushfire
Another bushfire emergency warning has been issued in Tasmania, this time for Dolphin Sands, north-east of Hobart.
The Tasmania fire service says people should seek shelter now as an uncontrolled bushfire travels from the south of Dolphin Sands Road and east of Cambria Drive.
According to the statement, it “is expected to put lives in danger and may destroy homes now”.
There is expected to be thick smoke, and showers of embers which may cause fires all around you.
Spot fires may threaten your home before the main fire arrives.
Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.
Tasmania Fire Service is attending. Conditions are expected to be changeable.
Updated
Man dies after being pulled unresponsive from Sydney tidal pool
A man has died after being pulled from the water in Sydney’s east on Thursday afternoon, NSW police say.
In a statement, police said emergency services were called to a tidal swimming pool at Double Bay about 2.30pm after reports of a concern for welfare. The incident occurred at the Murray Rose Pool, more commonly known as the Redleaf pool.
Officers found an unresponsive man had been pulled from the water by members of the public.
He was treated by NSW ambulance paramedics but died at the scene.
Police have established a crime scene and an investigation has commenced into the incident.
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Sydney tunnel delays a ‘failure of privatisation’, says roads minister
Returning to the hours-long delays experienced by Sydney drivers in the M4 tunnel, the NSW roads minister, Jenny Aitchison, has described the closure and delays as “a failure of privatisation”.
“This tunnel is privately operated and, while Transport [for NSW] has been working incredibly hard to provide offers of assistance and practical support through technical engineering and even materials to try to get this tunnel reopened, at the end of the day it is a decision of Transurban about how they operate and manage the tunnel.”
One of the lanes has now reopened. Transurban has been contacted for comment and is expected to provide an update on the tunnel closure shortly.
The government is now in the process of negotiations with the company, which has a majority stake in the state’s private motorway tolls – including WestConnex assets such as the M4 – to unify tolling in the state.
Aitchison said Transurban had indicated to her that it would be refunding tolls collected from affected road users today.
Road users are being advised to avoid the area and use surface level roads.
All citybound lanes of the tunnel remain open. You can view up-to-date information on the incident on the NSW government’s Live Traffic website here.
Updated
Drivers left stranded for hours in Sydney tunnel amid fears of roof collapse
Drivers have been left stranded for up to four hours in Sydney’s M4 motorway tunnel, after fears of a concrete roof collapse saw the closure of all westbound lanes, causing delays on surrounding roads.
About 6am this morning, Transport for NSW advised the tunnel was closed westbound between Haberfield and North Strathfield due to “emergency roadworks”.
In a press conference this afternoon convened by the NSW roads minister, Jenny Aitchison, as the issue persisted almost eight hours later, the Transport for NSW coordinator general, Howard Collins, said the toll road’s private operator Transurban had closed the road after an overnight inspection.
He said engineers had identified an issue with “shockcrete”, a form of sprayed-on concrete which separates the tunnel from a waterproof membrane and the sandstone above.
“The engineers … who were working for Transurban last night discovered a couple of large bulges in the tunnel roof. And quite rightly, for safety reasons, they were concerned that if there was a major issue with this shockcrete, it could fall on vehicles.”
Collins said Transurban had advised they were working to reopen one of the lanes, but said all lanes would close again at 10pm tonight.
Aitchison said she had seen reports on social media of drivers being stuck for up to four hours.
Updated
Emergency warning issued for Tasmanian fire
The Tasmania fire service has issued an emergency warning for Levendale, about 50km north of Hobart.
It said in the warning that:
An uncontrolled bushfire at Levendale is travelling towards New Country Marsh Road, Levendale and surrounding areas which is expected to put lives in danger and may destroy homes as early as now.
There is expected to be thick smoke, and showers of embers which may cause fires all around you.
Spot fires may threaten your home before the main fire arrives. Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.
Tasmania Fire Service is attending. Conditions are expected to be changeable.
Updated
Young Nats urge scrapping of social media ban
The federal Nationals’ youth branch has called on the government to dump the under-16s social media ban, amid a growing Coalition push against the world-leading laws coming into effect from next week.
Coalition members including leader Sussan Ley, Andrew Bragg and Matt Canavan have voiced alarm at the looming 10 December commencement, despite the opposition waving through parliament legislation that specified the date and the party’s former leader Peter Dutton championing the ban.
The Young Nationals have urged the government to scrap the law entirely, saying it would hurt regional Australians.
You can read more on that story here:
Updated
New Australian military assistance and sanctions welcomed by Ukrainians
Members of Australia’s Ukrainian diaspora have welcomed new military assistance and sanctions announced by the federal government on Thursday.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, and the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said Australia would give Ukraine another $95m for the war against Russia, and impose new sanctions targeting 45 so-called shadow fleet vessels, being used to support Russia’s efforts to circumvent sanctions imposed by Australia and like-minded partners.
Kateryna Argyrou, the chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, thanked the Albanese government.
“Even as peace talks continue, Russia has shown no sign it is ready to negotiate for peace,” she said.
“It has continued to maintain its maximalist demands, and has only escalated its daily missile and drone attacks on innocent civilians and grinding assaults on the frontline.”
Argyrou said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was not genuinely seeking peace.
This is why Australia’s support will be deeply appreciated by Ukrainians. The aid is desperately needed now and will help Ukraine continue to resist Russia’s ongoing aggression.
Following a year in which no military aid was announced for Ukraine, we hope this signals the Albanese government’s determination to provide the timely, steady, and effective aid that Ukraine requires – and will continue to require to defend itself.
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Pop, smut and Swift: what Spotify Wrapped 2025 reveals about Australian tastes
It may be Fred Again, Donna Summer or Barkaa. Your musical “listening age” could be 21, 57 or three. You have listened to 14 minutes or 40,000.
But it’s not likely to feature much Australian content.
On Thursday morning, Spotify released its annual data dump, revealing to users their top songs for the year, the albums they loved the most, the artists they could not get enough of and the audiobooks they devoured.
The platform has also published Australia’s Wrapped list, revealing who we collectively, as a country, listened to and loved together. The results are in – and it is clear: we adore pop and smut.
But notably there were no Australian artists in our top five favourite albums or top five favourite songs, unless you count New Zealand-born and South Korean-debuted Rosé’s collaboration with Bruno Mars – at least she lived in Melbourne for a bit.
Read more here:
Legal and women’s groups warn against standalone offence to criminalise coercive control in Victoria
Legal and women’s groups have urged the government not to introduce a standalone offence to criminalise coercive control in Victoria.
Victoria’s attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, on Wednesday announced the government would introduce legislation to parliament next year to create the offence – despite previously maintaining the state’s laws already included coercive behaviour in its definition of family violence.
The policy backflip came after the new opposition leader, Jess Wilson, made the reform her first election commitment and Liberal MPs introduced bills on the issue to both houses of parliament.
On Thursday, several groups including Djirra, the Federation of Community Legal Centres, InTouch, Law and Advocacy Centre for Women, No to Violence, Safe and Equal and Women’s Legal Service Victoria, issued a joint statement saying they did not support a new offence. They said:
We are concerned the criminalisation of coercive control will lead to unintended consequences, particularly affecting marginalised communities such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from migrant and refugee communities, LGBTIQA+ communities, and women with disabilities, who are often wrongly identified by police as primary aggressors instead of those in need of safety.
We also know that criminalising coercive control does not necessarily make victim survivors safer. Evidence from other states that have implemented standalone coercive control legislation shows that criminalisation does not reduce harm, nor result in increased prosecutions.
The groups said coercive and controlling behaviour was already recognised in the state’s definition of family violence and in family violence intervention order applications. They said the criminal justice system needed to make “better use of this existing mechanism”.
They said both sides of government need to work with victim survivors, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and legal groups on any proposed changes to ensure “they do not cause unintended consequences or harm to victim survivors”.
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Park continued:
People are coming in droves. They’re coming because they’re sick. They’re coming because they haven’t been able to manage a condition through primary care, like our generation often was able to, and therefore when they present at our hospitals, particularly at our EDs, the level of intervention needs to be much greater.
They go from perhaps a category four to a category two patient. That’s because we have not had that regular intervention with primary care. We’re not out there chasing customers. We’re out there trying to provide acute public hospital services. At the moment, we’ve being asked to provide acute public health services as well as aged care as well as NDIS, but we won’t give you any funding for it.
It’s absurd that people think in the commonwealth departments that that’s how a health and hospital system run. I would love for one of these public servants to spend a day in the shoes of someone at one of our big EDs, to see what type of patients are coming through the door, and then go back and say that the advice is you lock the gate at six o’clock. It’s absurd.
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NSW health secretary not ‘putting out a neon sign’ for overcrowded hospitals, minister tells commonwealth
The commonwealth and states remain in a stalemate over the public hospital funding agreement, with state and territory leaders accusing the commonwealth of “going backwards” on its commitments and dismayed at the prime minister’s suggestion that states should reduce hospital activity. The health ministers at all levels will be meeting together on 12 December.
In the meantime, the NSW health minister, Ryan Park, sent a strong message to the commonwealth at a press conference this morning:
It beggars belief that a commonwealth government in this day and age would suggest that we try to reduce or manage our demand better. [Health secretary] Susan [Pearce] is not putting out a neon sign for people to go to Blacktown, Westmead or Bankstown hospitals. People are going there because they’re unwell. They’re going there because they haven’t been able to access primary care.
They’re going there because they’re older and they can’t get a residential aged care facility and they can’t get a home care package. They’re going there, staying there and getting stuck there because the commonwealth government hasn’t invested in its part of the health system, and its part of the health system that it’s responsible for is around aged care, NDIS and home care support.
So to say to Susan and the team at NSW Health, just pull back your demand, is absurd. We are not out there chasing customers, folks.
Updated
That’s all from me. Nino Bucci will take it from here. Take care.
Housing Australia says most 5% deposit scheme borrowers ahead on their repayments
Only 11 claims have been paid out against the more than 250,000 first-home guarantees issued by the government since the 5% deposit scheme began in January 2020, Housing Australia says.
As at the end of November, 267,000 households have taken advantage of the popular measure, which is aimed at helping people buy their first home with only a small deposit.
Housing Australia officials at estimates said 75% of all loans in this scheme were ahead on their repayments as at the end of October, while 23% were on schedule.
That left 0.6% of loans where the borrowers were behind in their repayments, and another 0.8% were in hardship.
The Reserve Bank says low-deposit loans are inherently riskier, but the experience five years into this scheme suggests borrowers are faring well so far.
Updated
Tasmania fire service issues bushfire emergency for region near Hobart
The Tasmania fire service has issued a bushfire emergency warning for the rural region of Glenlusk, about 8km from Glenorchy, a suburb of Hobart.
.@tasfireservice has issued a Bushfire Emergency Warning - Glenlusk - Evacuate now for Glenlusk and surrounding areas. For more information, go to: https://t.co/j2taquUZFJ or listen to ABC Local Radio. pic.twitter.com/SyU2zUd6TS
— TasALERT (@tasalert) December 4, 2025
Officials say an uncontrolled bushfire is travelling through the area, which is imminently expected to put lives in danger and damage homes.
There is expected to be thick smoke, and showers of embers which may cause fires all around you.
Spot fires may threaten your home before the main fire arrives.
Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.
Officials said those in the area need to act now to survive, activating their bushfire plans and moving to a safer location.
Updated
Public health group issues ‘plea’ to reverse absorption of independent VicHealth agency
The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has launched the Save VicHealth campaign after the Victorian government announced it will slash 1,000 public service jobs, with independent health agency VicHealth to be absorbed by the Department of Health as part of a restructure.
VicHealth is one of the world’s first health promotion foundations, and the PHAA says closing it “… will prove a disaster for the health of the people of Victoria and must be reversed”.
“I make a personal plea to Premier Allan,” the PHAA CEO, Adj Prof Terry Slevin, said.
Please think beyond the immediate pressures, and do not fold one of the world’s leading preventive health agencies into the health department where the enormous pressures to address the urgent will inevitably shrink commitment to the important work of thinking and acting on initiatives to stop Victorians getting sick in the first place.
The Victorian Greens health spokesperson, Dr Sarah Mansfield, said without VicHealth, powerful corporations will not face proper scrutiny:
VicHealth has always been willing to take on the big corporate interests that harm Victorians’ health, like the junk food industry, big tobacco and alcohol, and gambling – something the Allan Labor government has repeatedly demonstrated they’re too afraid of doing.
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Border force detains six foreign nationals after police find them in remote WA
Authorities have found six men in remote Western Australia who arrived by boat.
First reported by the WAtoday newspaper, WA police confirmed in a statement that an off-duty police officer found two men on Monday, north of Kalumburu. Police found four additional men in the Kalumburu area on Tuesday.
A police spokesperson said “the men were conveyed to Kalumburu Multi-Functional Police Facility for medical assessment”.
It’s understood Australian Border Force officials have detained the six men. The ABF would not comment on the matter.
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Former head of global drug syndicate jailed
A Canadian national who was the head of the Sam Gor syndicate has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Victorian court.
Tse Chi Lop, 62, was sentenced in the Melbourne county court on Thursday for a conspiracy to traffic commercial quantities of illicit drugs within Australia from 2012 to 2013.
He pleaded guilty on 7 November 2025 and will be eligible for parole in 10 years.
The Australian federal police said in a statement that it established Operation Volante in 2012 to investigate Sam Gor, which at its peak was the biggest trafficker of methamphetamine to Australia.
The AFP commissioner, Krissy Barrett, said the sentencing marked the end of one of the most high-profile investigations in the AFP’s history:
Operation Volante is a culmination of 14 years of hard work and perseverance from our investigators and international network.
This investigation highlights that the long arm of the AFP can reach criminals across the world.The AFP will continue to supercharge our global operations to defend and protect Australia’s future from domestic and global security threats.
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ABC announces artists for New Year’s Eve broadcast
The ABC announced its star-studded lineup for New Year’s Eve, featuring a slate of international and local talent to ring in 2026.
Spice Girls superstar Melanie C will lead the bill, alongside Australia’s own Matt Corby and The Cat Empire. Peach PRC, Marcia Hines and Casey Donovan will also feature.
Newcomers Don West, Jem Cassar-Daley and Ayesha Madon will round out the bill.
The ABC is also expected to have a special tribute to Play School, which turns 60 next year.
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PM shares his top artists on Spotify Wrapped
Anthony Albanese has shared his top five artists from his Spotify Wrapped, as many of us have today.
What’s been on the prime minister’s playlist this year? A lot of Australian music.
The NT’s King Stingray took the top spot, Sydney band Middle Kids came in at number 3 and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at number 5.
Taylor Swift and Portishead’s Beth Gibbons rounded out the list.
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Road tests find no EV in Australia that lives up to its claimed range on a single charge
Electric vehicles are not travelling as far as their manufacturers promise, with independent road tests showing all models analysed have failed to meet their advertised range, AAP reports.
One popular small car produced the worst EV result to date in the latest tests, pulling up more than 120km short of the distance printed on its sticker. At the other end of the scale, Tesla’s latest Model Y SUV was only a few kilometres short of its claim.
The Australian Automobile Association released the findings on Thursday with another four electric car road trials held as part of its $14m Real-World Testing Program.
Read more here:
Man who had visa cancelled after attending neo-Nazi rally leaves Australia
South African Matthew Gruter has left Australia, after having his visa cancelled following his attendance at a neo-Nazi rally in Sydney last month.
Gruter was taken into immigration detention in the early hours of 18 November, following the rally outside NSW state parliament. At the time, his group White Australia said he was planning to fight deportation “via every possible angle”, raising nearly $30,000 in an online fundraiser after he was taken to Villawood detention centre.
But government sources told Guardian Australia on Thursday that he had left the country today, paying for his own flight out.
White Australia had complained about government and media scrutiny in a post on social media on Wednesday, criticising “media hitpieces, doxxing, bank accounts closures and even deporting one of our members.”
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, had previously said the man had “very limited” options to appeal, because the visa was cancelled by a ministerial decision, saying last month he expected Gruter “will be gone very soon”.
“What could be a clearer example of someone showing they don’t care about cohesion in Australia, than turning up to a Nazi rally?” Burke said at the time.
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NSW police investigate alleged attack on runners in Clovelly
Police are investigating an alleged attack on a running group in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
In a statement, police said emergency services were called about 6.50am to Ocean Street, Clovelly, following reports of an assault. The force said:
Officers attached to eastern beaches police area command were told a man had allegedly damaged a vehicle before attacking a group of runners.
Police arrested a man in his 20s who was taken to Prince of Wales hospital for assessment.
NSW paramedics have treated two males for minor injuries.
Inquiries are continuing.
The Australian reported the man allegedly bit and struck runners from the Coogee run club. The club does a 5km run in Clovelly at 6.15am on Thursdays, according to its Instagram account.
The club was contacted for comment.
Updated
Alleged sex offender Joshua Dale Brown faces 83 new charges, Victoria police say
Victoria police have laid an additional 83 charges against a former worker at multiple childcare centres in Melbourne, saying they have now identified four additional alleged victims.
Officials said Joshua Dale Brown, 27, has now been charged with the dozens of new offences related to his work at three childcare centres; the Nino Early Learning Adventures in Point Cook; Only About Children in Williamstown; and Aussie Kindies Early Learning Centre in Keilor.
In total, Brown has been charged with 156 offences. He remains in custody
There are now 23 childcare centres where it is known Brown worked. That number has not changed since July.
The families of the four new alleged victims have been notified and are being provided with “all available” support.
Police said in a statement:
Importantly, Victoria police has been in close liaison with the Department of Health and the chief health officer has advised no children will require further testing.
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NSW Health urges vigilance against mosquito bites after early virus detections
NSW Health is urging people to take steps to protect themselves from mosquitos this season after earlier than expected detection of two viruses borne by the insects.
Officials said Japanese encephalitis was found last week in the Horsham rural city council region in Victoria and a positive sample of Kunjin virus was detected in western NSW at Cowra. Both viruses can cause brain swelling.
Dr Stephen Conaty, NSW Health’s director of health protection, said he was concerned by the early detections:
Mosquito numbers will likely increase with warmer weather, and we remind everyone in NSW to protect themselves against mosquito bites, which can cause diseases such as Japanese encephalitis and Murray Valley encephalitis, and infection with Kunjin virus, Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus
There are 60 LGAs in NSW that are considered higher risk for Japanese encephalitis, and residents who live or work routinely in those areas are eligible for a free vaccination.
Steps to avoid mosquito bites include using repellent on exposed skin, wearing light, loose-fitting attire and avoiding the outdoors during peak mosquito times at dawn and dusk.
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Two NSW police employees charged for separate assault offences against women
Two members of the NSW police force were charged yesterday for separate incidents, with one facing domestic violence charges against a 21-year-old woman, and another for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Yesterday, a 22-year-old unsworn NSW police employee was charged after reports in October that a 15-year-old girl had allegedly been sexually assaulted in the Coffs Harbour area during November 2024.
The unsworn employee was charged with three counts of having sexual intercourse with a child under 16 years, three counts of aggravated sex assault against a victim under 16 years, intentionally sexually touching a child under 16 years, and using a carriage service to solicit child abuse material.
The man has been suspended from the force without pay. He was initially refused bail, but on Wednesday was granted conditional bail to appear before Coffs Harbour local court in January.
Another police officer was charged for a separate incident yesterday after he allegedly assaulted a 21-year-old woman known to him at a home in Mortlake while he was off-duty.
Police said in a statement:
The woman was taken to Concord hospital for treatment of facial and leg injuries.
About 1pm on Wednesday 3 December 2025 police arrested and charged a 28-year-old man – a probationary constable attached to a central metropolitan region command.
The officer was charged with stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm (domestic), assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage cause actual bodily harm (DV), break and enter intend to commit serious indictable offence, possess prohibited drug, and possess ammunition without holding licence/permit/authority.
He was refused bail and appeared before Burwood local court today.
Police said the officer’s employment status is under review.
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Union responds to Victoria public sector job cuts
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has claimed victory following the release of the independent review into the Victorian public sector by the government this morning.
Despite telling reporters in February there was scope to cut 2,000-3,000 jobs – or 5-6% of the VPS – the government has only committed to 1,000.
CPSU Victorian branch assistant secretary Mitch Vandewerdt-Holman says the union was able to “defend” against further cuts. He says:
The report now confirms that 619 of the 1055 jobs to go have already been implemented, and we’ve been fighting every single one of those cuts. We will continue to fight to save as many jobs as possible.
Vandewerdt-Holman says he was “quite pleased” executive roles made up a third of the job losses:
Speaking as a former public servant to myself, I can say that I had observed and had colleagues report to me the sheer level of frustration that it took to get signoff – and that is a direct result of the proliferation in the senior executive service, which has increased by 200% since 2014.
He says there’s “definitely more room” to cut further executive roles.
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Victoria opposition responds to Silver review
Victoria’s opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has described the review into the public sector as a “$4bn admission of failure”. She says:
Labor’s mismanagement and top-heavy bureaucracy is driving Victoria deeper into debt and starving critical funds from the frontline community safety, health and housing services Victorians deserve.
This report issues a stark warning over the dire impact Victoria’s soon to be $1m an hour interest bill is having on our capacity to deliver frontline services now and into the future.
These supposed savings are a drop in the ocean. Since this report was handed to Labor in June, Victoria’s net debt has grown by almost twice the claimed savings Labor’s cuts will deliver.
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Digital Freedom Project abandons injunction sought on social media ban
There will be a directions hearing in the high court at 4.30pm this afternoon for the challenge of the under 16s social media ban, but the leader of the Digital Freedom Project – which is bringing the challenge – says an injunction to stop the ban going into effect won’t be sought.
The head of the group, Libertarian MP in NSW, John Ruddick, posted on X on Wednesday afternoon that the group would not be “having half a fight” on an injunction at the hearing, and instead will be seeking the earliest possible date for a full hearing.
He said:
We are putting all of our efforts into the full hearing and convincing the justices of the high court that this law is unconstitutional.
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Electricity prices projected to fall 5% over next five years
Household electricity prices are projected to fall by about 5% over the next five years as renewable energy pushes down costs, according to the Australian Energy Market Commission.
But in a report on residential electricity price trends, the commission has also warned that prices could rise by 13% between 2030 and 2035 unless new renewables, battery and transmission projects are fast-tracked.
The AEMC chair, Anna Collyer, said that keeping prices affordable through to the 2030s would require increasing momentum in deploying renewables and batteries.
Our analysis clearly shows renewable energy and batteries drives prices down …
The risk of prices rising after 2030 only emerges if we slow down renewable deployment just as coal plants retire. This is a timing challenge, not a technology cost issue. With the right pace of investment, we can manage the energy transition while keeping prices stable.
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Treasury secretary says ‘clear signals’ crucial for clean energy investors
The Treasury secretary, Jenny Wilkinson, says “a clear articulation of government policy” is crucial for investors to confidently make the green investments the country needs to reach its emissions reduction goals.
The Coalition recently dumped its commitment to net zero, and said that it would reorient government incentives towards fossil fuel energy sources, including extending the life of coal-fired power plants.
Wilkinson, speaking at Senate estimates, said there had been “a significant transformation” in the energy system over the past 15 years.
There’s no question that there’s further investment that has to take place. It’s the combination of moving to net zero, but it’s also in the management of the retirement of existing generators which are coming to the end of their life.
From a Treasury perspective … what’s important is that clear [signals] are provided to the private sector to enable them to make those decisions, and that investments that are made are consistent with what the long run objective or the long run needs of the economy are.
So that’s where a clear articulation of government policy in relation to its objectives, around net zero, but also around other factors is really important for the private sector to have the confidence to make those sorts of investments.
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Brittany Higgins says she feels like she can ‘breathe again’ after Bruce Lehrmann’s court loss
Brittany Higgins says she feels “like I can breathe again” after Bruce Lehrmann lost his appeal against a defamation judgment on Wednesday, which found on the balance of probabilities he had raped her.
Higgins wrote on Instagram that she was thankful to the court, her defence team and to Channel 10 for being “such ardent supporters of survivors of sexual assault”.
While on the face of it this was a defamation case against a media outlet, in reality this was once again a rape trial. I cannot begin to tell you how retraumatising it is to have your rapist weaponise the legal system against you for daring to speak out.
Higgins went on to say she still believes in the “importance of speaking out about gendered violence”, urging everyone to “keep talking”.
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Continuing on from last post …
Symes says an independent review by Helen Silver recommended the merger of 78 entities – which would have saved the government $427m – but the government will only merge 29 at this stage.
Symes said:
That is not necessarily indicating that we won’t go further in the future. It’s a recognition that some of her recommendations will take some time. For example, her recommendation to combine a lot of the workplace regulators is something that has merit, but right now, I’ve got a piece of legislation in the parliament that affects the labour hire authority. Now is not the time to merge in other entities into that organisation.
Symes also admits to an error in her media release, saying these mergers will save $27m not $427m.
She won’t provide a breakdown of how the government estimates it will save a total of $4bn. She says this estimate has been calculated by the Treasury.
Of Silver’s recommendations, the government has accepted 27 in full, three in part and 15 in principle. Seven have been rejected by the government.
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About 332 of the cuts are coming from executive levels of public service.
The Victoria treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, said the state had a “situation where we have too many executives, too many in the top … and not enough entry-level positions and graduate positions”.
Those lower-level positions, she said, “are really necessary for career progression, adopting innovation, ensuring we are well placed to adopt AI and the like. So this is about a transformation of how the public sector will look in the future.”
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Allan says Victoria will always support a strong public service
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is speaking in Melbourne after the announcement of job losses in the public service.
She said:
Victorian families are watching every dollar in their household budgets and they expect their government to do the same and that’s exactly what we are doing. To do that, we need to examine how the government can continue to deliver those frontline services, but look at areas where we can reduce waste inefficiency and keep the public service focused on delivering those services for the future.
Allan maintained the decision was about ensuring the public service was robust in the future.
We’ll always support a strong public service because they are working to deliver those frontline services that Victorian people, working people and families, rely on.
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Victoria government to cut 1,000 public service jobs
The Victorian government will slash 1,000 public service jobs – including more than 300 executive positions – and merge several entities, as part of its response to an independent review into the sector it claims will save $4bn.
But the treasurer, Jaclyn Symes, hasn’t accepted all the recommendations of the review into the Victorian public service (VPS), led by Helen Silver and released on Thursday, which would have led to 2,068 job losses.
The government has accepted Silver’s recommendation to cut 332 executive roles across the VPS, saving $359m over four years. It has also accepted a recommendation to cap the number of VPS5 and VPS6 positions at 15%, saving $125m over four years, but this is not expected to lead to an immediate reduction in headcount.
The government estimates it will also save $50m by cutting CBD office costs and $113m on spending less on consultants and labour hire.
But the biggest savings come from overhauling the number of government agencies, boards and advisory committees.
Silver recommended 78 entities be either scrapped or consolidated and 90% of the state’s 90 advisory committees wound up – though the government has only supported the recommendation in part, committing to merging 29 entities.
Legislation will be introduced to parliament today to facilitate these changes.
Symes and the premier, Jacinta Allan, will be holding a press conference at 9am to provide more information on the changes.
Opposition agrees energy subsidies can’t last for ever
James Paterson, the shadow minister for finance, said he agreed the energy rebates couldn’t go on in perpetuity, saying they masked the true cost of the energy system. The Coalition has spent months hammering the Albanese government over energy prices, which has become a key feature of Sussan Ley’s opposition.
Paterson told RN Breakfast earlier:
Our priority would be fixing the energy system so that these kind of subsidies weren’t necessary … We want to have an energy system which is competitive and affordable, and we wouldn’t want to have in perpetuity, as I think the treasurer doesn’t want, subsidies which mask the costs of the energy system. So that would be our focus and our priority.
I think in the long term, everybody agrees with a budget heading to a $42bn deficit this financial year, it’s just not sustainable in perpetuity to pay these bills.
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Treasurer says Australians can’t rely on energy rebates to ‘go on for ever’
Chalmers was also asked about the future of energy rebates, saying he would make a decision on the matter in the final days before he locks down the mid-year budget update.
I’ve made it very clear … when I’ve been asked that people shouldn’t expect that those energy rebates will be a permanent feature of the budget. They are an important way that we’re helping people with the cost of living, but not the only way that we’re doing that. …
We haven’t finalised the mid-year budget update, but people shouldn’t expect those rebates to go on for ever.
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Chalmers says GDP growth figures ‘very positive and very promising’
Chalmers also said he was encouraged by the release of national accounts figures yesterday, which showed annual GDP growth hitting 2.1%, even though the quarterly pace of growth was a disappointing 0.4%.
He said he was not “for one second” disappointed in those figures himself, adding:
The reason for that is because the overwhelming story of these national accounts was a very substantial recovery in the private sector. We saw business investment absolutely galloping. We saw investment in the building of new homes growing strongly as well. We saw the fourth consecutive quarter of productivity growth.
And so, overwhelmingly, this is a very positive and a very promising story emerging out of these national accounts.
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Chalmers says $95m for Ukraine about supporting ‘brave’ effort to oppose Russian aggression
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the newly announced $95m in military support for Ukraine was about supporting the country’s “brave” effort to stand up against “Russian brutality”.
Chalmers spoke to RN Breakfast after Richard Marles and Penny Wong announced the plan this morning. He said:
We’re steadfast supporters of the brave Ukrainian people who are standing up to this Russian brutality and the end of this war can’t come soon enough, but it needs to be a lasting peace that does justice to the courage that the Ukrainians have shown.
All of these things are about supporting the bravery, the courage of the Ukrainian people in the face of these years now of completely unacceptable Russian brutality and aggression.
Continued on from last post …
The Health Services Union secretary, Gerard Hayes, was pleased to note that the Minns government’s response to the commission recognised the expertise of healthcare workers and that the government was “supporting the need to replace outdated awards to recognise the critical role our members play in a modern health system”.
The health minister, Ryan Park, said:
Today’s response does not mark the end, but the beginning of a new chapter of reform that supports and empowers health workers; embraces preventative care; ensures hospitals meet the health needs of the community; and secures NSW’s fair share of health funding.
We know the Liberals are determined to brush over this health inquiry – but they cannot rewrite their history of cuts to wages; cuts to staff; and delays in delivering the hospitals and beds our community needs and deserves.
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NSW government commits to make preventative health a government priority
The NSW government has formally responded to the special commission of inquiry into healthcare funding, accepting the recommendation that “preventive health should be made, and remain over the long term, a standing whole of NSW government priority”.
The review of the NSW public healthcare system and how it is funded, led by commissioner Richard Beasley, visited every local health district and speciality health network across metropolitan as well as regional NSW, receiving 226 written submissions, hearing testimony from 225 witnesses over 70 days of hearings, including clinicians, patients, unions, providers and policy experts.
To summarise the 1,000-plus page report, Beasley found while the NSW health system is “a very good one”, he said it was in the main was a “reactive system” and called for greater focus on preventive health in order to avert the “substantial risk that it will soon be overwhelmed by what looms as a huge increase in healthcare demands by an ageing population with high expectations”.
In its response to the 41 recommendation, the government said it supports 18, supports in principle 11, notes 10 and does not support two.
As part of the response, NSW Health will review its approach to statewide clinical service planning over the next year, and develop a statewide paediatric plan to clearly define care pathways for the delivery of care to children across the state.
It will also establish a central workforce unit to better monitor data on workforce supply and demand to guide strategies that will help to address and prevent future workforce supply challenges as well as create a “chief wellbeing officer” for its staff.
The government says this is in addition to other work already announced and under way including the establishment of an internal locum agency, as opposed to the use of third-party locum agencies which used tactics to increase rates paid by the government in order to maximise their own profits.
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Man charged with murder after shooting in north-eastern NSW
NSW police have charged a man with murder after two other men were allegedly shot, one fatally, and another hit by a ute at a property in the NSW town of Eungella yesterday.
Police said emergency services were called to the property about 1.30pm on Wednesday. On arrival, paramedics treated one man, 41, for a gunshot wound, but he died at the scene.
Another man, 38, later sought treatment at a hospital for a gunshot wound as well.
Police then heard of a second incident nearby where a man, 45, was allegedly hit by a ute. He is being treated in hospital and is under police guard.
Later Wednesday, police arrested a fourth man, 36, after using dog squad teams to find him in bushland. He has been charged with murder and will appear in court today.
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Good morning. Nick Visser here to take the reins. Let’s giddy-up.
Chalmers rebuffs RBA suggestion economy stuck with slow growth
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has rejected the Reserve Bank’s suggestions the Australian economy may not be able to grow any faster.
Data on Wednesday showed the economy grew slower than expected in the September quarter, lifting annual growth to just 2.1% - still the fastest rate in two years, helped by a lift in productivity growth.
Inflation picked up over the same period, which in November prompted the Reserve Bank deputy governor, Andrew Hauser, to suggest the economy was hitting its speed limit, beyond which higher spending would push up prices.
Chalmers denied Australia was stuck at that speed limit, when asked on ABC’s 7.30.
He pointed to the productivity uptick:
The government’s economic plan is about lifting the speed limits on the economy, trying to make it more productive [but] you can’t turn these things around overnight … Today’s numbers represent good progress.
Higher growth and inflation, though, have lifted expectations for an interest rate rise. Asked how that would impact his economic credibility, Chalmers said:
“I don’t provide a running commentary on decisions taken independently by the Reserve Bank … We know there’s still challenges. Inflation is persistent.”
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Illegal cigarette sales distort economic growth figures
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is planning to account for illegal cigarette sales as years of falling legal purchases start to weigh on economic growth.
The ABS measures tobacco sales through supermarket chains’ scanner data but consumers are swapping away from legal sales toward black market tobacco and illegal vapes.
Legal tobacco sales have fallen 29% across the country in the past year, including a near-11% fall from June to September, dragging down overall measured economic activity. There’s no sign Australians are actually smoking 29% less.
To fix that statistical quirk, the ABS yesterday announced it would estimate purchases of illicit tobacco and vapes. Last night at Senate estimates, Matt Canavan, the Nationals senator, asked the deputy statistician, Brenton Goldsworthy, how that would work:
How are you going to do this? Are you going to infiltrate the gangs yourself, Mr Goldsworthy, to try and estimate the true sales volumes? I think you could pull it off.
The bespectacled, besuited Goldsworthy said consumption could be estimated with wastewater detection, a method used by the crime intelligence commission, but the ABS also needed to figure out where the tobacco was imported from and the size of profit margins going to the retailers – who in this case would be criminal gangs.
The new tobacco sales estimates would be included in GDP in about 12 months time, Goldsworthy said.
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Australia pledges more military support for Ukraine
Australia will give Ukraine another $95m in military support for the war against Russia and has beefed up sanctions against Moscow’s shadow fleet of oil tankers.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, announced the plan this morning, saying it brought Australia’s overall support for Ukraine to more than $1.7bn since the start of the conflict.
Together with New Zealand, the commitment from the Albanese government will go to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a Nato-led initiative to provide Ukraine with critical military equipment.
Included in the new funding is $43m in ADF materiel and equipment, including tactical air defence radars, munitions and combat engineering equipment, as well as $2m for the Drone Capability Coalition.
The final tranche of Australia’s gifted 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks will also be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
The new sanctions will target 45 so-called shadow fleet vessels, being used to support Russia’s efforts to circumvent sanctions imposed by Australia and like-minded partners.
“Australia is unwavering in its support for Ukraine,” Marles said. “These commitments will make a tangible difference in Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion.”
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best of the overnight stories before Nick Visser takes you through the day.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, have announced more support for Ukraine with another $95m in military support for the war against Russia. Australia will also beef up sanctions against Moscow’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, they said. More to come.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has rejected the Reserve Bank’s suggestions that the Australian economy may not be able to grow any faster. However, amid fears that the RBA might have to increase interest rates, Chalmers told the ABC’s 7.30 that “persistent inflation” was among the challenges he faced. More coming up.
And speaking of the economy, the sales of illicit tobacco are now so large that they’re going to become part of our official economic statistics, the ABS says.
