What we learned; Tuesday 15 July
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. Thanks for following along, Nick Visser will be back first thing tomorrow morning.
Until then, here were today’s major developments:
Traditional Owners have warned their communities will be the first climate refugees in Australia after their case arguing the federal government breached its duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change was dismissed.
More families will be contacted by Victorian authorities to get their children tested for sexually transmitted infections after police established alleged paedophile Joshua Dale Brown worked at four more childcare centres.
Australian journalists in China for prime minister Anthony Albanese’s visit were blocked by local authorities and questioned about their visas and recording permissions.
The former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas, who was injured during an interaction with police, has pleaded not guilty to three charges.
And the Country Fire Authority “strongly condemned” a group of volunteer firefighters for writing offensive slogans about the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, including “ditch the bitch” on their truck.
Updated
Bodies of elderly man and woman found in Sydney house
The bodies of an elderly man and woman have been discovered in separate rooms at a house in Sydney’s south, NSW police say.
About 2pm today, police responded to concern for welfare reports at a house on Knight Street in Arncliffe.
The bodies of a man and woman were located in different rooms in the house, police said, and were “believed to have been at the location for a considerable amount of time”.
Whilst identities are yet to be confirmed the man is believed to aged in his 70’s and the woman in her 90’s.
A crime scene was established, and an investigation was underway.
Updated
Queensland man facing charges after baby’s death
A man has been charged with manslaughter after the death of a seven-month-old boy in a rural Queensland town on Sunday.
Emergency services were called to a park off Gympie Curra Road in Chatsworth, Gympie, about 10.40am on Sunday, 13 July, after reports the baby was found unresponsive.
The child was transported to hospital for treatment but he was declared dead that evening.
After investigations, Queensland police arrested a 42-year-old man, who was known to the child, in Bundamba today. He has been charged with manslaughter (domestic violence) and is due to appear before Ipswich magistrates court tomorrow.
Updated
I’ll hand over now to Caitlin Cassidy to run you through the evening’s news. Thanks for staying with us today.
Man charged over allegedly detaining teen while pretending to be a police officer
A man who allegedly impersonated a police officer and detained a teenager at a Sydney supermarket has been charged.
The 59-year-old man allegedly stopped a 16-year-old boy at a supermarket in Forest Lodge in the city’s inner west at midday on Friday, before taking out a silver badge in a black leather wallet.
Police said the man accused the boy of stealing from the store then took him to an office at the back of the supermarket. The boy’s mother came to the store soon after, where it is alleged the man again claimed he was a police officer and showed the same badge before demanding she pay $500.
The woman purchased a gift card from the store, police said. Local police were notified that afternoon and began investigating.
The man was arrested at Balmain police station and charged with take/detain person with intent to obtain advantage, impersonate police officer and exercise powers/functions, stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (personal) and common assault. He was given bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday 23 July 2025.
Shadow home affairs minister lists demands for action after antisemitism report
Shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie has urged the Labor government to focus on a visa crackdown, inquiry into universities and a dedicated law enforcement taskforce, in its response to Jillian Segal’s antisemitism report.
The government is mulling its response to Segal’s 49 recommendations, handed down last week. There’s no public timeline for when the government will respond or give its path forward on addressing antisemitism, but home affairs minister Tony Burke has downplayed the prospect of stripping universities of funding, and said immigration authorities already screened for antisemitic sentiment.
In a statement, Hastie said the Coalition backed the antisemitism report and said the opposition would “work constructively” with the government on its response. But he claimed Labor was “doing too little too late.”
He said the Coalition had already “consistently advocated for more action in the areas identified in the plan”, noting specifically the opposition’s calls for a dedicated law enforcement taskforce, more action to cancel the visas of anti-Semites, a judicial inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities, and “preventing taxpayer money going to organisations with extremist views”. He said:
It shouldn’t have taken a report for the government to finally consider serious action.
The Special Envoy’s plan makes it clear that there is an antisemitism crisis gripping Australia, and it is past time the prime minister stopped admiring the problem and started showing leadership. The Coalition stands ready to work constructively with the government to implement the plan’s recommendations.
Updated
Marles prepared for ‘usual’ Chinese monitoring of war games
The deputy prime minister has said the government is prepared for “business as usual” Chinese surveillance of a key Australian-United States war game ensuring the fitness of Australia’s defence force.
Richard Marles, also Australia’s defence minister, said the ongoing 35,000-person Talisman Sabre exercise could be surveilled as it had been in the past. He told the ABC:
It certainly has [been watched] in past iterations of Talisman Sabre, so that would be business as usual. We are obviously prepared in the event that occurs. It will be what it will be.
The war game is undertaken every two years and jointly planned by Australia and the United States while including 17 nations. It is key not only to certifying the ADF’s capabilities but also improving collaboration with the US, the deputy prime minister said.
Marles further said it was important that Anthony Albanese had directly raised Australia’s concerns about China’s lack of notice over live fire exercise in Australian waters in his meeting with Xi Jinping on Tuesday. He said:
It is about being consistent with China in relation to what our position is, that is the importance of dialogue of this kind. Nobody is expecting every issue to be resolved between Australia and China in a meeting of this kind but it really is important that China has a clear understanding of where we stand.
Updated
Albanese cites ‘different system’ in Chinese security confronting Australian reporters
The prime minister has attributed confrontation of Australian journalists by Chinese security guards to China’s “different system” when asked if he was concerned by the incident.
Members of media crews covering Anthony Albanese’s visit to China said they had been followed by local authorities early today and told to hand over their footage and not leave the area. Asked if he held concerns, Albanese said:
I’m here, paying my respect to the media here. That is what I do. China has a different system obviously with the media, but certainly I am here, being accountable, I came straight here, and I’m going straight back.
You can read more about the incident here:
Updated
PM says China and US ‘separate’ relationships for Australia
Anthony Albanese said Australia’s relationship with China is separate from its connection to the US after discussing options for further economic engagement with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Asked about how the United States had featured in his conversation with the Chinese president, Albanese said the conversation had focused on the relationship between Australian and China. He told reporters:
Our relationship with China is separate. China is a major trading partner … Trade with the US is important, but is less than 5%.
What Australia is doing is engaging not just with China, but we engage as well with our partners around the world and we increasingly want to see a diversification of our trade.
Albanese said Xi raised no concerns over his government’s tightening of the foreign investment regime or plans to take the port of Darwin back into Australian hands.
The prime minister said he had discussed economic ties between the two governments, including a forthcoming review of Australia and China’s trade agreement first signed in 2015:
President Xi Jinping and I agreed dialogue must be at the centre of our relationship. We also discussed our economic relationship which is critical to Australia, we spoke about the potential for new engagement in areas such as decarbonisation. …
If you don’t have communication, you can have misadventure and misinterpretation.
Updated
Albanese and Xi discuss Australian held in China
The prime minster has said he had raised the case of Yang Hengjun, an Australian detained in China, with Xi Jinping but was not expecting an immediate outcome, as his government continues diplomatic efforts to secure Yang’s release.
Anthony Albanese told reporters after meeting with China’s president:
You wouldn’t expect there to be an immediate outcome, and that is not the way things work. The way it works is by that patient calibrated advocacy. What Australians do, what my government does and I point to the record of my government when it comes to these issues.
Asked about Yang’s friends and family’s criticism of his government’s efforts to end Yang’s detention, Albanese hit back:
I am certainly not going to comment on what the family of someone who is detained here or anywhere else [says]. That would be inappropriate and insensitive. I understand the pressures that are on people when a loved one has been incarcerated.
What we will do, though, is put forward our views in a diplomatic way in order to try to maximise an outcome.
Updated
PM has ‘constructive’ meeting over military activity
Anthony Albanese has raised concerns over China’s military buildup and naval activity in Australian waters in talks with the Chinese president in what he described as a “very constructive” meeting.
The prime minister is in Beijing to meet his Chinese counterparts including the president, Xi Jinping. Albanese told reporters he had told Xi Australia’s government wanted peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region and reaffirmed Australia’s support for the status quo in Taiwan.
Albanese also said he had flagged Australia’s concern over the Chinese navy’s activity in Australian waters in early 2025. He said:
President Xi Jinping said that China engaged in exercises just as Australia engages in exercises … [and] I said what I said at the time: it was within international law, there was no breach of international law by China, but that we were concerned about the notice and the ways that it happened, including the live fire exercises.
Updated
Australian MP praises embassy staff in reporters’ confrontation with Chinese security
An Australian assistant government minister has praised embassy officials’ response after Australian journalists in China were blocked by local authorities and questioned about their visas and recording permissions.
Patrick Gorman was asked whether the reports about the journalists in China for prime minister Anthony Albanese’s visit were disturbing. He said:
We have very different political systems, very different. We know where there are different systems, there are different approaches.
We in Australia believe in a free, robust press … I can’t comment specifically on what has happened in Beijing but it does sound like embassy officials did an excellent job as they always do.
Journalists covering the PM’s visit reported being approached by as many as eight security officers, who asked about their authorisation and told them to wait for police. The men later demanded camera crews hand over their footage.
Australian diplomats spoke to the security guards, who followed journalists to their bus. They were initially told not to leave the area but were allowed to depart without incident. You can read more here:
Updated
NSW police officer charged with possessing child abuse material
A New South Wales police officer has been arrested and charged with accessing restricted computer data and possessing child abuse and bestiality material.
The 38-year-old senior constable was charged with misconduct in public office, two counts of possess child abuse material, person possesses bestiality material and three counts of access/modify restricted data held in computer. He was suspended with pay and his employment status is being urgently reviewed, NSW police said.
The man had been attached to NSW police’s northern region command and had his electronic devices seized and forensically examined in May, two months after the force first began investigating reports of unauthorised access of the police computer system, police said.
Investigators arrested the senior constable at Hornsby police station just after 9am on Tuesday after extensive inquiries, NSW police said. He was refused bail to appear at Hornsby local court later on Tuesday.
Updated
Finance department completes investigation on PwC Australia
The finance department has completed an investigation to determine whether consultancy firm PwC Australia should continue to be banned from bidding for new work with the federal government.
In November 2024, the department and PwC Australia agreed on the firm’s exclusion from new work while it grappled with the fallout from a damaging scandal that saw its entire government consulting business divested for just $1.
The Australian federal police has confirmed it is still investigating how confidential Treasury information about draft taxation was shared by some former partners to win private sector work. Officers began a search of Pwc Australia’s headquarters in November.
On Tuesday, the finance department confirmed a decision about PwC Australia’s ethical soundness had been made, but the decision has not yet been made public. It may not be immediately released.
PwC Australia has argued the firm’s culture, internal processes and governance have been significantly overhauled since the damaging scandal.
While PwC Australia no longer seeks consulting work with the government, the finance department’s decision will be an external judgement on its response to the saga and ability to move on.
Two senators who led parliamentary investigations into the firm, Labor’s Deborah O’Neill and the Green’s Barbara Pocock, both argue the ban should be extended, citing an ongoing police investigation.
Updated
Homelessness NSW calls for more social housing as share of tenants in rental stress grows
Homelessness NSW called on the state to up its investment in social housing amid new figures that show a growing number of renters are facing rental stress. The call comes amid new data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that shows 28% of renters nationwide now spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
Dominique Rowe, the CEO of Homelessness NSW said:
The deepening housing crisis is pushing more people onto the streets because they simply can’t keep up with soaring rents.
With more than 65,000 households waiting for social housing – some for up to a decade – we need bold, ambitious action that meets the scale of the problem.
The group is calling on the NSW government to increase social housing stock from 4.7% to 10% and for a 30% increase in baseline funding for specialist homelessness services.
Torres Strait elder: 'We will be the first climate refugees in Australia'
Traditional Owners have warned their communities will be the first climate refugees in Australia after their case arguing the federal government breached its duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change was dismissed.
Uncle Pabai Pabai, a Boigu Traditional Owner and Uncle Paul Kabai, a Saibai Traditional Owner, brought the case in 2021, claiming the Australian government breached its duty by failing to prevent or deal with damage in the Torres Strait linked to global heating.
The federal court today dismissed their landmark case. You can read more from Lisa Cox here:
The two leaders said they felt shock and pain at the decision. Uncle Pabai said:
My heart is broken for my family and my community. Love has driven us on this journey for the last 5 years, love for our families and communities. That love will keep driving us.
Aunty McRose Elu, a Saibai Elder, said the two leaders had fought the case on behalf of all communities of the Torres Strait.
I feel deep grief in this moment. … We will be the first climate refugees in Australia. I’m burdened with that heaviness.
Albanese government ministers Chris Bowen and Malarndirri McCarthy emphasised the case was first brought against the Liberal government led by Scott Morrison, in a statement responding to the federal court judgment. They said:
Unlike the former Liberal Government, we understand that the Torres Strait Islands are vulnerable to climate change, and many are already feeling the impacts.
Where the former Government failed on climate change, the Albanese Government is delivering – because it’s in the interest of all Australians.
Updated
Mother of accused double murderer attends NSW court as case faces more delays
The mother of a former police officer accused of murdering two men with his service weapon attended court as her son’s case faces further delays, AAP reports.
Beaumont Lamarre-Condon has been charged with two counts of murder over the deaths of flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, and TV presenter Jesse Baird, 26, in February 2024.
Lamarre-Condon is accused of shooting the couple at Baird’s Paddington home in Sydney’s east, before bundling their bodies in surfboard bags and dumping them at a rural property. They were found after Lamarre-Condon, 29, handed himself in.
He has been remanded in custody, but more than a year later has not yet entered any pleas. Lamarre-Condon did not appear in Downing Centre local court on Tuesday, when his legal team sought leave to withdraw from his case after “an issue arose”.
Lamarre-Condon is facing two counts of domestic violence-related murder and two aggravated break and enter charges. New South Wales police allege the attack was premeditated and followed a months-long campaign of “predatory behaviour” targeting Baird.
Updated
Victorian Liberal Sam Groth condemns offensive slogans on CFA truck
The Victorian deputy Liberal leader, Sam Groth, says he “condemns” the offensive slogans emblazoned on a fire truck at a rally attended by his party’s leader at the weekend.
“Ditch the bitch” was written on a fire truck at a rally against the state’s new emergency services levy, attended by Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin in Werribee on Sunday.
Groth told reporters while he stood with volunteers “when it comes to repealing the government’s emergency services tax” he “in no way” supported the “sort of language that was used”.
He went on:
At previous rallies ... when Brad, myself and other members of our team have seen signs of this sort of nature or signs targeting certain individuals, we have been very clear that those are not appropriate to be held at those protests.
We want to make sure when people turn up, the focus is on the issue at hand, and not language or signage that targets an individual in the way that we’ve seen. We absolutely condemn those sorts of actions in every possible way.
Updated
Thanks to Nick Visser for taking us through Tuesday’s news. I’ll be with you for the rest of today.
That’s all for me. Thanks for sticking with us through the morning’s news. The great Luca Ittimani will guide you through the afternoon.
Updated
Education union says university governance ‘completely broken’
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) says university governance is “completely broken” after a new report into staff on governing bodies found a secretive culture was operating behind closed doors.
The NTEU report, released on Tuesday, interviewed 26% of the 81 publicly listed staff representatives serving on university senates and councils.
More than half (59%) described the governance culture as “very negative”, reporting bullying, intimidation and exclusion. Some 71% were unable to report back to staff, despite being elected to do so, and 90% said agendas and minutes were not publicly available.
The NTEU national president, Dr Alison Barnes, said university governance was “completely broken”.
Decisions are being made behind closed doors by people with no connection to the daily realities of staff or students. For too long, universities have acted like corporations – chasing rankings and surplus targets – while governance boards rubber-stamp decisions that have harmed the people who make education and research possible.
The report recommended university councils and senates be made up of at least 50% elected members, with the majority to have experience in the public sector.
Updated
NSW police yet to withdraw protest charge against Hannah Thomas as promised as she pleads not guilty
New South Wales police are yet to withdraw a charge against pro-Palestine protester Hannah Thomas that relied on a rarely used emergency power introduced in the wake of the 2005 Cronulla riots.
Thomas was arrested and charged alongside four others at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on 27 June that was attended by about 60 people at SEC Plating. The 35-year-old was taken to hospital, with her lawyers alleging a police officer punched her in the face. Last week, Thomas underwent a second round of surgery amid fears she could lose sight in her right eye.
The former Greens candidate had her matter briefly heard in Bankstown local court on Tuesday, where her solicitor, Stewart O’Connell, said Thomas would plead not guilty to three charges: resisting police, failure to comply with a move on direction, and refusing or failing to comply with a direction to disperse.
The last charge is yet to be withdrawn, despite the assistant commissioner Brett McFadden saying last week it would be.
Read more here:
Albanese says dialogue must remain central to Australia-China relationship
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, delivered opening remarks a moment ago during his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, praising the economic relationship between the two countries which allows trade to flow “freely to the benefit of both countries, and to people and businesses on both sides”. Albanese said:
Australia will remain a strong supporter of free and fair trade …
Australia values our relationship with China, and we’ll continue to approach it in a calm and consistent manner guided by our national interest, by which we regard very much as the relationship being positive is just that. It is in our national interest, and indeed, in the interest of the region as well.
Albanese added dialogue between Australia and China needed to remain “at the centre of our relationship”, saying:
I welcome the opportunity to set out Australia’s views and interests and our thinking on how we can maintain peace, security, stability and prosperity in our region. And I look forward very much to another productive conversation with you today both at this meeting.
Updated
Small businesses say they will still struggle if surcharges removed
The Reserve Bank’s proposal to eradicate card surcharges could leave small businesses much worse off than big companies, payment system experts warn.
Removing surcharges for credit and debit card payments and other reforms proposed by the RBA on Tuesday do not go far enough to address the fees faced by businesses including retailers, restaurants, cafes and convenience stores, the Independent Payments Forum (IPF) said.
The IPF said its participants, which included more than 100,000 small firms, would struggle to stay in business if forced to drop surcharges.
A cafe selling a $5 cup of coffee would see its profit margin halved if it had to cover the system cost, with profit per cup falling from 16.5c to 8.5c, paying networks the 8c difference which would previously have been covered by surcharges, according to IPF analysis. The alternative response of lifting prices to cover lost surcharge revenue could make small businesses less competitive.
Big businesses are less likely to surcharge and typically pay less for payment systems, but small firms pay more and rely on the charges to offer customers competitive prices, IPF co-founder Bradford Kelly said. He said:
The proposed regulatory options fail small businesses and the local communities they serve. Rather, they benefit big business, big banks and big offshore companies.
Kelly said the RBA should consider alternatives including capping the card scheme fees businesses pay. The Reserve Bank’s Tuesday report instead recommended the surcharge removal be paired with a separate cap on charges and increased fee transparency, which it estimated would save small businesses $185m per year.
Hospitality businesses have criticised the proposal and small business payment network Tyro has seen its share price slip 7% today, but its competitor Square welcomed the reform. Commonwealth Bank had called for an across-the-board surcharge ban in January. You can read more here:
Updated
Queensland government rejects plans for coalmine near Bundaberg
The Queensland government rejected a plan for a proposed coalmine in the Bundaberg region earlier today after the state’s attorney general found it was not in the public interest. Fox Resources applied for an exploratory mineral development licence in 2019 for a large region of agricultural land about 20km north of Bundaburg.
That application was rejected by Queensland’s previous Labor government in 2022, but the decision was overturned in late 2023, prompting Fox to reapply. The rejection today ends that process.
The attorney general, Deb Frecklington, said in a statement “many significant community concerns were raised about the potential impacts of a future coalmine on the region’s agricultural industry, water resources, environmental values, liveability, and tourism industry”.
Updated
830 more families to be contacted by Victorian health officials over precautionary testing
Victorian chief health officer Dr Christian McGrath issued a statement confirming 830 additional families will be contacted by his department as a result of the new information provided to police about Brown’s work history.
He said precautionary testing will be recommended for about 800 children. McGrath said:
We’re contacting around 830 families after new information was provided by Victoria police as part of its ongoing investigation, to offer wraparound supports and provide testing recommendations. This is obviously a highly distressing situation, and I want to reassure all families being contacted that the potential exposure risk to an infectious disease for their child remains low.
Our recommendation for testing is a precaution and the test results we’ve received to date as part of this investigation reaffirms that the risk is low.
He said there remains no wider public health risk and the infection can be treated with antibiotics.
Updated
Sharpe asked why government did not make koala deaths public
Sharpe was also asked why the government had not made the koala deaths public when they occurred in April. The incident, and the translocation project itself, only came to light when it was reported by Guardian Australia this week, prompting calls from the NSW Greens for a review.
Sharpe said:
OK, so it’s July. The point I’d make here is that the investigation is under way. We actually need to get to the bottom of it. My preference is not just to say, look, some koalas have died, and I don’t know and isn’t that sad.
The way that I want to deal with these matters is that we’ve had this terrible incident, we’re doing an investigation, and I want to provide people with all the information about what actually happened. And people don’t actually speculate.
Sharpe said while translocation projects happened successfully “all around the state”, this one “has not gone well, but no one is hiding from that”.
Updated
NSW environment minister says government ‘deeply upset’ over koala deaths
The NSW environment minister, Penny Sharpe, says the Minns government is “deeply upset” after several koalas died following a failed attempt to reintroduce them to a forest in the state’s far south and a full investigation into what occurred is under way.
Sharpe said at a press conference:
The reality is that we do translocations, and sometimes, unfortunately, they have not been successful. This particular translocation is actually under investigation.
We’re of course deeply upset about the fact that these koalas did not survive but we’re also getting to the bottom of it and doing a full investigation of what occurred here.
Guardian Australia revealed on Monday that seven of 13 koalas selected for the translocation project in April had died, two with signs of septicaemia, and the remaining animals were taken into care. The environment department said six koalas had since been returned to their original habitat in the Upper Nepean state conservation area and were healthy.
The translocation project was aiming to re-establish a koala population in an area of the South East Forest national park near Bega where the species is locally extinct.
Sharpe said on Tuesday translocation projects involving a range of species were happening all over the state and many had been successful. She said the government needed to get to the bottom of why the south-east forest project had failed:
It is not just necessarily the fact that they were translocated. We need to get to the bottom of that. There is a role for translocation, we’ll continue to do that. This is obviously a tragic event, but we’re determined to get to the bottom of it.
Updated
X lawyers fire back at eSafety commissioner in case over how social media company handles terror content
Lawyers acting for the eSafety commissioner in a case against X over the notice issued to the company over how it tackles terror content were accused by X’s lawyers of attempting to turn the hearing “into a royal commission into certain aspects of X”.
This week the administrative review tribunal (ART) is considering whether the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, was correct to issue a notice to X in March last year to report on how it deals with terror content on its platform.
When lawyers acting for eSafety raised in cross-examination of an X employee whether she was aware that X’s owner, Elon Musk, had “referred to the eSafety commissioner as the commissar”, X argued Musk’s view was irrelevant.
Government barrister, Stephen Lloyd, said X was trying to argue that eSafety was being “unduly adversarial” in its dealings with X, and X broke off negotiations at a critical point before the notice was issued. He said:
It was the leadership of their company that took an aggressive approach.
X’s solicitor argued “this is an attempt by the eSafety commission to turn this hearing into a royal commission into certain aspects of X”.
The case is being heard over the course of this week.
Updated
Four more Victorian childcare centres added to alleged paedophile’s work history
More families will be contacted by Victorian authorities to get their children tested for sexually transmitted infections after police established alleged paedophile Joshua Dale Brown worked at four more childcare centres.
Earlier this month, the 26-year-old childcare worker was charged with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims, aged between five months and two years old.
Authorities at the time released a list of 20 childcare centres where Brown worked between January 2017 and May 2025, along with his known employment dates, and urged about 1,200 children be tested for infectious disease.
Police on Tuesday issued a statement confirming four more childcare centres – Kids Academy Waratah Estate in Mickleham and Milestones Early Learning centres in Braybrook Greensborough and Tarneit – have been added to Brown’s work history.
Ten of the 20 centres already identified have also been updated based on new information provided to police, who have also removed Papilio Early Learning in Hoppers Crossing off the list after they found the information Brown had worked there between 22 August 2024 and 12 March 2025 was incorrect.
Police said authorities were now contacting families affected.
Acting Cmdr Janet Stevenson said:
We are working through a large amount of information that has been provided to us. Each piece of information has to be individually assessed and verified before it can be used as part of the investigation or released to the public. I understand there are people who will be frustrated and I want to reinforce that this is a continually evolving and changing situation. What hasn’t changed is that this investigation remains the highest priority for Victoria police.
Updated
Australian reporters in Beijing for PM visit stopped by Chinese security guards, questioned about visas
Australian journalists in China for prime minister Anthony Albanese’s visit were blocked by local authorities and questioned about their visas and recording permissions, a journalist with the ABC said this afternoon. SBS reported its journalists – alongside those from Sky News, the ABC, Channel Nine and Channel 7 – were filming in an area of Beijing before they were approached by Chinese security guards.
The ABC’s Stephen Dziedzic recounted the episode on the broadcaster earlier this afternoon, saying:
We were down at the Drum and Bell Towers in central Beijing, a famous tourism landmark, to record pieces to camera for the evening news about the prime minister’s visit.
We were interrupted by local security guards … The Australian embassy here, best as we can tell, they have done everything necessary to alert the Chinese authorities, including the Foreign Affairs ministry, we had the necessary permissions and the right visas.
Nonetheless, perhaps that hadn’t been passed all the way down the chain and Australian journalists there were quickly surrounded by a number of security guards who said they were going to call the police and we didn’t have permission to leave.
Dziedzic added the group was ultimately able to board a bus after being assisted by local Australian officials and leave without further incident.
Updated
Victoria’s police minister says slogans ‘appalling’
Victoria’s police minister, Anthony Carbines, has also responded to the offensive slogans about the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, displayed at a rally on Sunday. He says the opposition leader, Brad Battin, who spoke at the rally, failed to call out the language used.
Carbines told reporters:
Those sorts of slogans are appalling, and shame on those who are engaged in that activity. We’ve seen this movie before, heading into other elections, and we’ve seen the opposition get pasted. It says a lot more about Mr Battin that he hangs around with people who behave in this way and doesn’t call it out. …
Really, the clock’s ticking on that bloke, and I’m sure whether it’s Matthew Guy or someone else, it won’t be long before he’s in the bin.
Updated
Chinese government media praises Albanese for visiting and finding ‘common ground’
A leading Chinese government media outlet has praised Anthony Albanese for building trust between Australia and China, ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with his counterparts in Beijing.
China Daily, the ruling Chinese Communist party’s (CCP) English-language mouthpiece, published an editorial celebrating the Albanese government’s engagement with China on Monday night.
The state masthead’s editorial, titled “Common ground prevails over differences” read:
Against the backdrop of rising tensions between the United States and many countries because of the US administration’s recent threat to levy higher tariffs on them from Aug 1, Albanese’s visit shows that the Australian side has a clearer judgment and understanding of China than it had under the previous Scott Morrison government.
China Daily’s editorial said the week-long trip – “notably long for a state leader” – demonstrated Australia was committed to deepening its Chinese ties amid global uncertainty. It continued:
Albanese’s visit demonstrates that countries with different political systems can find common ground and develop long-term cooperative bilateral relations.
Albanese’s visit offered “a good opportunity” for resumed talks on upgrading the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, the state masthead said. The prime minister will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping, the premier, Li Qiang, and the Communist party chair Zhao Leji today.
Updated
Boy getting brain scans after alleged plane hijack plan
A teen accused of trying to hijack a commercial flight is undergoing brain scans to determine whether he has a neurological condition, a court has been told.
The 17-year-old boy was tackled to the ground and arrested over the 6 March incident at Victoria’s second-largest airport, AAP reports.
Police allege he climbed through a hole in a fence at Avalon Airport, near Geelong, before making his way on foot to the aircraft about 2.20pm. About 160 passengers were on board the Jetstar plane, which was due to fly to Sydney.
The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared via video link at a children’s court hearing on Tuesday, when his lawyer sought a further adjournment.
The lawyer told the court the boy had undergone scans of his brain at a regional hospital and was due to have further scans in late August.
Doctors were assessing whether he had an “organic or physiological neurological condition”, the lawyer said.
The boy was also being psychologically assessed later this week, although the psychiatrist had flagged he would not provide a report until the scans were completed, the lawyer said. The magistrate allowed the case to be adjourned to October so the medical material could be obtained.
Prosecutors also successfully applied to withdraw four charges, including allegations the boy stole two 12 gauge shotguns and possessed a long arm firearm without a licence.
The teen is still facing charges including boarding a commercial aircraft while in possession of a firearm and making threats that he had a bomb in his bag.
During a March hearing, it was revealed a joint counter-terrorism taskforce was investigating the Avalon Airport incident and the boy may have communicated with a foreigner or foreign entity. Federal police successfully obtained a suppression on the identity of the foreigners, as well as the nature or content of the boy’s communications.
The nature or contents of documents allegedly found in the accused’s vehicle have also been suppressed. The magistrate on Tuesday extended those suppressions to the next October court date.
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Australians missing nearly $6bn of super as employers fail to pay on time
Employers are failing to pay millions of Australians nearly $6bn of superannuation on time, with workers missing out on a increasing amount of retirement income, according to new analysis from the Super Members Council.
The amount of super left unpaid to Australians rose by $600m in 2022-23 to hit $5.7bn for the year, the SMC found from Australian Taxation Office data.
More than 3 million workers missed out on some of their superannuation, including over 1 million in New South Wales and nearly 850,000 in Victoria. The average affected worker was out of pocket by $1,730, the SMC found.
The council’s deputy chief executive, Georgia Brumby, said proposed requirements for employers to pay superannuation close to their payday without delay could ensure workers were paid in full. She said:
Each week these laws are delayed, Australians are made $110 million poorer in retirement which means less money to pay the bills after a lifetime of hard work.
The sooner this legislation is introduced and passed, the more time and certainty it will give businesses and the super payment system to prepare – so all workers can get paid their super on time
The Albanese government in 2023 announced that from 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay super at the same time as employees’ pay, but this has faced some pushback from employers.
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Country Fire Authority condemns offensive slogans about Victorian premier
The Country Fire Authority “strongly condemned” a group of volunteer firefighters for writing offensive slogans about the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, including “ditch the bitch” on their truck.
Other slogans also emblazoned on the Pura Pura brigade truck at a rally in Werribee on Sunday were “Truck Jacinta” and “Raping the regions for the ring of steel” – a reference to the Covid-19 policy that separated Melbourne from regional Victoria.
The language has been criticised as “disgusting”, misogynistic and sexist by gender equity groups.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the CFA said it was unacceptable:
CFA strongly condemns the actions of a brigade over the use of inappropriate language on a vehicle during recent protests. When this matter was brought to our attention, CFA spoke with the brigade to express that this was unacceptable and to reinforce our behavioural standards. The offending slogan is being removed and we have been assured that the brigade understand the gravity of their actions. While we respect our members’ right to engage in actions relevant to their communities, they must uphold our values and behavioural standards at all times.
More here:
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Consumer optimism restrained in July by rate surprise, survey finds
A measure of Australian consumer sentiment improved marginally in July, a survey showed on Tuesday, though optimism on the economy was tempered by a central bank decision to skip a cut in interest rates.
Reuters reports a Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey showed its main index of consumer sentiment crept up 0.6% in July, after an equally restrained 0.5% increase in June. The index was 12.6% higher than a year earlier at 93.1, but being below 100 still indicated pessimists outnumbered optimists.
The Reserve Bank of Australia surprised markets last week by holding rates at 3.85%. Matthew Hassan, Westpac’s head of Australian macro-forecasting, noted those surveyed before the decision reported an index reading of 95.6, while those surveyed after produced a reading of just 92. He said:
The reaction checked what would probably have been a solid rise. It still leaves the consumer mood stuck at ‘cautiously pessimistic’ levels overall.
Family finances compared to a year ago did enjoy a bounce of 5.0%, while the outlook for the next 12 months picked up by 2.6%. In a disappointing note for retailers, the index of whether it was a good time to buy a major household item dropped by 2.6%.
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Former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas pleads not guilty
The former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas, who was injured during an interaction with police, has pleaded not guilty to three charges. Thomas did not appear when her matter was briefly heard in Bankstown local court on Tuesday.
Thomas was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on 27 June that was attended by about 60 people. She was taken to hospital and last week underwent a second round of surgery amid fears she could lose sight in her right eye.
Thomas is facing two counts of refusing to comply with police and one count of resisting police. Four others who were charged at the protest also plead not guilty during a mention at the court on Tuesday.
On Monday, in a statement calling for charges against Thomas to be withdrawn, Thomas’s lawyers at O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors alleged that a police officer punched her in the face during the protest, resulting in “extensive and serious injury to her eye”.
Her lawyers said they had taken the unusual step of commenting on the case while criminal proceedings against their client were under way after viewing the police’s body cam footage.
They have flagged that Thomas will sue the state of New South Wales “for the actions of the NSW police officers connected to her apprehension, injury, detention, and prosecution”.
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25 more nursing home residents died of Covid in past week
The latest weekly figures on Covid-19 outbreaks and deaths in Australian aged care homes are out, and in the week leading up to 10 July, 25 residents died of the infection.
In the week prior (the seven days leading up to 3 July), there were 23 resident deaths from Covid, while the week before that, 27 people died.
According to the latest data from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 241 residential aged care homes are currently experiencing outbreaks, with a total of 1,597 active coronavirus cases. Of those cases, 1,159 are in residents and 438 in staff.
New South Wales homes are the most affected, with 86 nursing homes experiencing outbreaks, followed by 70 Victorian homes, 31 Queensland, 25 Western Australian and 24 South Australian.
Australian health authorities recommend those aged 75 years and over receive a Covid-19 vaccine dose every six months.
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More on a man’s death in custody in inner-Sydney
NSW police have just spoken about a man who died early this morning after paramedics were called to a unit block in the inner-Sydney suburb of Waterloo.
The assistant commissioner, Peter McKenna, said four officers were called to the area at 2.14am by ambulance officers after reports the man, 45, was possibly suffering from a mental health episode.
McKenna said the man was initially compliant before he allegedly became non-compliant and aggressively resisted ambulance workers and police officers. The man was then subdued by police and ambulance workers had the intention of sedating him, McKenna said, although it’s unclear if they were able to do so.
The man went into cardiac arrest shortly after he was subdued and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
McKenna described the incident as a death in custody. He said he was unaware of any arms being used other than handcuffs, and said the incident was captured on body-worn cameras.
A critical incident investigation is under way and all four police officers will be interviewed.
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AFL stadium front and centre as Tasmanians prepare for snap election on Saturday
The Mercury in Tasmania ran a major piece on the proposed $1bn AFL stadium in the state as voters prepare to head to the polls Saturday for a snap election. The AFL is set on bringing a team to Tasmania, but one of the major conditions was a new roofed stadium. A poll last month found Tasmanians overwhelmingly want the government to rip up that deal; and Saturday’s poll could result in a surge of anti-stadium MPs being voted into the state parliament, potentially scuppering the AFL deal.
The chair of the Tasmania Devils made his pitch on The Mercury’s front page, saying a majority government win for either party would be a boon for the project.
Read more here:
Murder investigation after baby found dead in Perth home
A murder investigation is under way after a baby was found dead at a home in Perth.
The infant, aged under 12 months, was discovered by in Balcatta yesterday north-west of the CBD.
St John WA sent multiple ambulance crews to the address after being called at 3.14am on Monday, a spokesperson said. Crews later took a woman in her 30s to Sir Charles Gairdner hospital.
Murder squad detectives were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, police said.
The investigation is in the preliminary stages and family members of the infant are assisting detectives with their inquiries.
Victorian officials investigating after hundreds of corellas reported dead
The Victorian conservation regulator and RSPCA Victoria are investigating reports hundreds of corellas died this weekend, after wildlife rescuers described birds that “fell from the sky” near Melbourne. Victorian officials were notified this weekend that a large number of the birds were found dead in the Melbourne suburb of Springvale.
RSPCA Victoria said:
RSPCA Victoria is investigating a report of an alleged animal cruelty incident involving non-native animal poisoning. Reports of animal cruelty involving native wildlife, including birds, will be referred to DEECA under the shared Memorandum of Understanding.
The conservation regulator also confirmed it had opened an investigation into the cause of the birds’ deaths.
Corellas are protected under the Wildlife Act of 1975 and there are hefty penalties for hunting, taking or destroying protected wildlife.
Hundreds of corellas have died in recent months in suspected poisonings.
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More on the Reserve Bank’s proposal to get rid of card surcharges
Not only does the RBA expect customers would save $1.2bn each year, but it also believes some businesses would be better off. Payment service providers like Square, Stripe and major banks are required to let businesses use surcharging, but the RBA wants to let them direct businesses to stop surcharging by July 2026.
Only one in 10 merchants are believed to use surcharges, with significant representation from the hospitality industry. While the elimination of surcharges would force some businesses to find more money for payment service providers, the RBA estimates inflation would pick up just 0.1% as merchants mark up the cost of goods and services to cover their payment system fees.
Payment service providers like Square, Stripe and major banks would also be forced to cut the fees they charge businesses to take card payments, with the RBA proposing to cap interchange fees at a lower level, benefiting nine in 10 businesses.
Small merchants who process less than $10m in card transactions each year would save about $185m annually. Larger businesses who currently enjoy lower fees and the payments industry would collectively be more than $1bn worse off annually.
Providers would also be required to report the fees they charge businesses to use their platforms, which the RBA’s consultation paper indicates would improve transparency and help businesses further cut card processing costs.
They are currently required to impose surcharges, but the central bank wants to let them stop charging the extra fees and publish fee data by July 2026. The bank will take public submissions on its proposal until late August and finalise reforms by the end of 2025.
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NSW police declare critical incident after man dies in Sydney
NSW police declared a critical incident after a man died in the inner-Sydney suburb of Waterloo early Monday morning. Officials said emergency services were called to a unit complex just before 2am amid concerns for welfare.
Upon arrival, paramedics assisted by NSW police tried to sedate the man, 45, who then became unconscious. The officers and paramedics attempted to revive him, but he was later pronounced dead at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
A crime scene has been established and a team with the state homicide squad will investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. The investigation will also be subject to an independent review.
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Card payment surcharges should be eliminated, RBA says
Customers would no longer have to pay any extra charges for using their debit or credit cards, saving $1.2bn each year, under a Reserve Bank proposal to reform card payments.
Surcharges on EFTPOS, Mastercard and Visa card payments would be eliminated from July 2026, while fees for businesses using card payments systems could also be lowered, according to an RBA paper released on Tuesday.
The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, said the declining use of cash had made it harder for Australians to avoid surcharges. She said:
We think the time has come to address some of these high costs and inefficiencies in the system.
The reform would go further than the Albanese government proposal in late 2024 to ban surcharges on debit cards only. Payment service providers had indicated it would be faster and less expensive to remove surcharges on both card types, the paper read.
Boele will defend legal challenge over Bradfield results, asks supporters for donations to help cover costs
The independent MP for the Sydney seat of Bradfield, Nicolette Boele, says she will defend the legal challenge to the wafer-thin result lodged by the NSW Liberal party on Monday.
Liberal Gisele Kapterian confirmed she would ask the court of disputed returns to rescrutinise a small number of ballots. She lost the seat by just 27 votes, after a month-long count from the 3 May federal election. Boele said:
For three weeks, our amazing volunteers scrutineered all 118,858 ballots cast. Other volunteers brought home-cooked meals. It was a beautiful example of community democracy in action.
We have absolute confidence in the work of the AEC and in the integrity of its processes.
Boele, who is set to take her seat in federal parliament next week, said the local community supported her win. She will seek donations from supporters to cover legal costs related to the challenge. Boele added:
The Liberal party has a legal team and enormous resources. I have community. But we can’t rely on volunteers in the high court, we need good lawyers and that is expensive.
If we win and the Liberal party is ordered to cover our legal costs, I’ll offer every donor a refund.
Everything we’ve worked for is on the line. The people of Bradfield have spoken. We have complete confidence in the process that’s led to this result.
In asking the court to recount a small number of ballots, the Liberal party’s bid is similar to the 2008 challenge in the Victorian seat of McEwen, when the former small business minister Fran Bailey defeated Labor’s Rob Mitchell by about 30 votes.
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Northern Territory police investigating after fatal helicopter incident linked to bird strike
Northern Territory police are investigating a fatal helicopter incident in north-eastern Arnhem Land yesterday after an aircraft allegedly struck a bird, which then caused the animal to “fatally strike” a passenger.
Officials said emergency services received reports the helicopter was carrying two occupants near Gapuwiyak before it was forced to make an emergency landing after the bird strike. The pilot was able to land the aircraft safely and was uninjured, but a 54-year-old passenger was killed in the incident. NT police said:
The impact allegedly caused the bird to fatally strike a 54-year-old male passenger. The pilot was able to land the aircraft safely and was uninjured.
Police and St John Ambulance attended the scene; however, the 54-year-old male was declared deceased.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
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Sydney man charged over attack on Stone of Scone in Scottish museum
A man from Sydney has appeared in a court in Scotland charged with “malicious mischief” following reports a glass case containing the Stone of Scone was broken in Perth, AAP reports.
It follows an incident at Perth Museum on Saturday afternoon when visitors reported a man in a kilt attempting to smash through the case containing the ancient artefact, which has long been associated with the monarchy.
Police said they had arrested and charged someone after a “disturbance” at the museum, which has the sandstone block as its centrepiece exhibition. On Monday, 35-year-old Arnaud Harixcalde Logan appeared at Perth sheriff court facing a single charge of malicious mischief.
The artefact, also known as the Stone of Destiny, was moved to Perth Museum in 2024. It has been associated with the Scottish and UK monarchies for centuries and was controversially kept in England at Westminster Abbey until 1996.
It was formally returned to Scotland in 1996 to go on display at Edinburgh Castle. Read more here:
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Court will decide if government has duty to protect First Nations people from climate change
A court will decide whether the federal government has a duty of care to protect First Nations people whose homes and communities are being threatened by the impacts of climate change, AAP reports.
At risk of becoming Australia’s first climate refugees, Uncle Paul Kabai and Uncle Pabai Pabai filed the landmark case against the government in the federal court in 2021. They claim it failed to protect their homelands among the Torres Strait Islands from climate change.
The uncles are seeking orders from the court that would require the government to take steps to prevent harm to their communities, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the best available science.
The court, which is due to hand down its decision on Tuesday, heard evidence communities on Boigu and Saibai could have less than 30 years left before their islands become uninhabitable.
The commonwealth has argued it is not legally required to consider the best available science or the impacts of climate change when setting emissions reduction targets.
Read more here:
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Albanese set to meet with Chinese counterparts in Beijing today
Political differences will bump up against economic opportunities as Anthony Albanese meets his Chinese counterparts in the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing, AAP reports.
Today’s bilateral meetings with the president Xi Jinping, the premier, Li Qiang, and the Communist party chair Zhao Leji – the three highest-ranking members of China’s ruling committee – mark the centrepiece of the prime minister’s six-day tour of the Middle Kingdom.
The optics of Albanese’s rendezvous with one of the world’s most influential leaders will be powerful. But it’s his meeting with Li, notionally the head of government in China, that will deliver any tangible agreements from the trip if they occur.
The meetings come as the Chinese-Australian free trade agreement passes its 10th anniversary and Albanese will emphasise the potential for further developing business links at a CEO roundtable hosted by the Business Council of Australia this evening.
“It enables us to express our differences and to manage them, without our relationship being defined by them,” he will say. “This is about building stronger ties where our national interests are aligned.”
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Paterson says definition of antisemitism a ‘helpful tool’
Paterson was asked about the federal antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, and her recommendations the government adopt a working definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). He told RN Breakfast the definition would be a “helpful tool”, but would not be used to limit free speech, despite concerns from some sectors it would do so.
Paterson said:
I think the IHRA definition of antisemitism is important because what constitutes antisemitism is a highly contested thing. So people don’t naturally accept what constitutes antisemitism and, in many ways, maliciously seek to downplay or seek to avoid attributing things to antisemitism. So I think it has been a very helpful tool and it’s a helpful guideline.
No one in Australia, though, is proposing that IHRA should be legislated or that there should be consequences under the law for transgressing IHRA. And I don’t think anyone should propose that. I don’t think that would be consistent with Australia’s approach to free speech.
James Paterson says housing targets need to be ‘realistic’, not ‘delusional’
James Paterson, the shadow minister for finance, said housing targets needed to be “realistic” and “not delusional” after the Treasury warned the federal Labor government its policies were not ambitious enough to meet a promise to build 1.2m new homes by 2030. Patterson spoke to RN Breakfast, a day after the government accidentally shared details of the advice with the ABC under freedom of information rules.
Paterson said:
It’s certainly a good thing to have targets and it is a good thing to be ambitious, but the ambition has to be realistic and achievable and not delusional and I think we’re now getting into that level of delusion because a target of 1.2m homes by 2029 would require the government to be building about 250,000 homes a year when only about 170,000 are being constructed.
Read more here:
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Burke says media monitoring recommendations likely not more than simply watching and observing
The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, also took little issue last night with a recommendation in the report for the antisemitism envoy to “monitor media organisations to encourage accurate, fair and responsible reporting and … to avoid accepting false or distorted narratives”.
He said the envoy was already monitoring what happened in the media “all the time”.
Questioned over whether this was more than just watching and observing what was happening in the media and instead playing an “active role”, Burke said: “I’m not sure it is more than that”.
If you’re talking about monitoring, these are public broadcasters where what they do is public … in the same way any free-to-air TV is public and monitored and is watched. If there are examples where envoys believe there’s antisemitism, that’s something they would report on to the different networks and you try to make sure these things stop.
Mitchell Starc delivers one of the all-time great spells of fast bowling
Mitchell Starc has produced one of the all-time great spells of fast bowling, with five wickets in 15 balls putting Australia on course to sweep the Frank Worrell Trophy, AAP reports.
With West Indies chasing 204 for victory in the third Test in Jamaica, Starc took three wickets in the first over alone as the hosts fell to 6-22 at tea on day three.
Playing in his 100th Test, Starc also became the fourth Australian to reach the 400-wicket milestone and joined greats Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon.
And the left-armer did it in style, ripping the heart out of West Indies with a record-breaking spell at Sabina Park of 5-6 from five overs at Sabina Park.
Starc’s 15-ball five-wicket haul marked the fastest by any bowler in Test history, beating Ernie Toshack from 1947, Stuart Broad’s 2015 Trent Bridge effort and Scott Boland’s MCG heroics of 2021.
Each of those took 19 balls.
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take you through the day’s news. Let’s get to it.
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Check out the Full Story – on Segal’s antisemitism plans
As chance would have it, today’s edition of the Full Story podcast is about Jillian Segal and whether her recommendations have the potential to silence debate and dissent.
Political reporter and chief of staff Josh Butler and education reporter Caitlin Cassidy speak to Reged Ahmad about why the proposed antisemitism plan has some people worried.
Burke says objective of antisemitism measures not ‘cancelling people’
Burke was unwilling to weigh in on whether the federal government would take up a recommendation in the report for new powers to strip funding from universities who failed to tackle antisemitism, or if the issue had become “normalised” in higher education.
He said the objective was not to be “cancelling people” but “to never fall foul of the need to make sure that we’re combatting antisemitism”.
This is where a lot of the discussion – and I respect why – has gone straight to the edges of what would the punishment and the penalty be? The objective here is that you don’t end up in that world … We want to make sure that students can go to university and study without being harassed.
Asked if antisemitism was normalised at Australian universities, Burke said he was sure Segal “wouldn’t have put it in the report unless there were some Jewish students where that has been their experience”.
And as long as that’s been the experience of any students, that’s unacceptable.
Burke on Segal family’s Advance donations: Australia not a place where ‘you would blame a woman for decisions of her husband’
The minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, has defended the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, after it was revealed her husband had funded the right wing lobby group Advance Australia. Segal said she had no involvement in it.
Burke told ABC’s 7.30 on Monday, said he was only made aware of the donations when the reports came out but Segal wasn’t answerable for her husband’s decisions.
Advance is an appalling organisation. And that organisation does the opposite of pursuing social cohesion … [but] it’s a long time since we’ve been a country where you would blame a woman for decisions of her husband. And so with that in mind, I don’t think she’s answerable for her husband. She said she didn’t know about it. And I’ve got no reason to do anything other than believe her.
On the substance of Segal’s plan to address antisemitism and how comprehensively it would be adopted, Burke said she was independent of the government and had provided a report “to the government, not a report of the government”.
The prime minister made clear … that some aspects of the report can be implemented immediately, there’s some where you work through it slowly and there’s a whole lot where you hope that you can find pathways to avoid antisemitism where some of the recommendations never need to be considered because you found other pathways.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the stories that will make the news today and then it’ll be Nick Visser to take you through the day.
Tony Burke, the minister for home affairs, went on ABC’s 7.30 last night to defend the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, after it was revealed her husband had funded the rightwing lobby group Advance Australia. Segal said she had no involvement in it. More details on his comments soon.
Anthony Albanese will meet China’s president, Xi Jinping, the premier, Li Qiang, and Communist party chair Zhao Leji today – the three highest-ranking members of China’s ruling committee – in what will be the centrepiece of the prime minister’s six-day tour of the country. We’ll have more on this shortly as well.
And Hannah Thomas, the former Greens candidate who sustained a serious eye injury during her arrest at a protest in Sydney, will face court in Bankstown today. She is charged with hindering or resisting police and not following a move-on direction in an anti-Israel protest that police say was unauthorised. More coming up.
