What we learned today, Tuesday 23 September
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Here are the day’s main stories:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, addresses a UN conference on the government’s formal recognition of Palestine, but again fails to meet the US president, Donald Trump. The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, says he has “no doubt” there will be such a meeting “in the near future”;
The federal opposition dug in on criticism of Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine as a sovereign nation and accused Albanese of flawed comparisons with Jewish history;
Australia’s medicines regulator and chief doctor reject US claims linking the use of paracetamol in pregnancy to autism and ADHD;
The Victorian parliament’s new integrity watchdog has botched its first investigation – into the manure dumped out the front of premier Jacinta Allan’s office – by issuing defective notices;
A man accused of terrorising women in the early 1990s across Sydney, who was dubbed the Night Stalker, has pleaded guilty to 13 charges;
A NSW police officer is charged with assaulting Hannah Thomas during a pro-Palestine protest in June;
Tasmanian police have formally suspended a search for a light plane that went missing last month in the state with two people on board; and
Victoria police have charged an eighth teenager with murder after the stabbing deaths of 15-year-old Dau Akueng and 12-year-old Chol Achiek in Cobblebank in Melbourne’s west earlier this month.
We will see you again for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Matt Thistlethwaite: Hamas does not want two states
The assistant foreign minister says the government has gone “directly against” what Hamas wants by recognising Palestinian statehood.
Speaking with the ABC a short time ago, Thistlethwaite said that as part of a coalition of nations, Australia could make a big impact.
That is why the two-state solution conference at the United Nations in New York is all about: joining 150 other nations to say that enough is enough. There is a humanitarian catastrophe happening in Gaza, people are being denied food and water and medical supplies. Aid workers have been at killed and the hostages, nearly two years on, have not been released.
He said the Albanese government had “gone further than any other Australian government has ever gone on it recognition of Palestine” and that it was “using this as a means to try and bring this conflict to an end”.
In response to claims the recognition was a reward to Hamas, he said:
Hamas do not want this, they have always said they do not want two states. We are going directly against what they want.
He said opposition leader Sussan Ley’s letter to the Republicans was “more about her warding off the challenge that has come to her from the right wing hawks in her party” than it was about “good Australian foreign policy”.
For them to try and undermine the position of the Prime Minister and the nation of Australia, at an international forum like the United Nations, is a disgrace. I think it says everything about the quality of her leadership.
Read more here:
Updated
Palestinian foreign minister says delegation ‘should have been’ in New York to witness state recognition
Dr Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Palestine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, says she is frustrated that a Palestinian delegation could not attend the UN General Assembly in New York because their US visas were denied.
Speaking with the ABC a short time ago, she said:
This was an historic moment and we would have loved to be joining the meeting in New York and celebrating this historic moment … we should have been there.
She said recognition was “long overdue” and was a legal, moral and ethical reward for Palestinians.
It’s their right to have a state of their own. That right is enshrined in international law. And today most of the world is saying yes to recognition and yes to the rights of the Palestinians and yes to the right of people to self-determination and yes to compliance with international law.
She said nonrecognition was a “reward to the extremists who do not [recognise] the two-state solution”. But the priority, she said, was a ceasefire, “because our people are being slaughtered on a daily basis”.
Read more here:
Updated
‘Extremely dangerous’ Ragasa super typhoon caught by Australian storm chaser
An Australian storm chaser has captured the “ferocious” conditions as Ragasa, the first super typhoon of the season, battered the Philippines.
Jason from Orebound Images, filmed the wind, rain and storm surge from a balcony in Basco on Monday.
Just one of the cool sights I saw off my balcony in #Basco yesterday.
— Jason H (AU) 🇦🇺 (@OreboundImages) September 23, 2025
We may have missed the inner core but I'm happy to add this one to the list of extremely memorable WPAC chases over the years. Something tells me we may have quite a big back-end to the season up here 😎 pic.twitter.com/9jhgx4rflq
Not sure where the video attachment went with this post, but anyway.. https://t.co/LPZBxjs30l pic.twitter.com/plYwvAgc0V
— Jason H (AU) 🇦🇺 (@OreboundImages) September 23, 2025
According to Weatherzone, Ragasa - known as locally in the Philippines as Nando - is the first super typhoon to form in the Northwest Pacific region this season. Its eye measured 74km diameter on Monday, with peak wind gusts of around 324 km/h near its core. Weatherzone said:
One of the standout features in the satellite images of Ragasa is the presence of mesovortices, which are small-scale circulations of air near the typhoon’s eyewall.
Mesovortices in the eye of a typhoon can be extremely dangerous as they are capable of producing very destructive winds.
Ragasa is expected to move towards the west over the next few days, taking a path that will impact parts of the Philippines, China and Vietnam.
Hannah Thomas’ lawyer calls alleged police action ‘cowardly, gratuitous’
Hannah Thomas’ lawyer has released a statement after a police officer was today charged with assaulting her during a pro-Palestine protest in June.
Thomas, a former Greens candidate, was arrested and charged alongside four others at the protest in Sydney on 27 June. She sustained a serious eye injury after she was arrested.
Thomas’ lawyer, Peter O’Brien, says civil action will be filed over what “we allege was a cowardly, gratuitous and compensable act of violence by a serving NSW Police Officer”.
He said the alleged conduct of police was an “indictment on the way in which government and police are manoeuvring to criminalise and suppress protest and dissent in this state: this is of significant concern for all interested in the preservation of democracy in NSW.”
Updated
Search for Tasmanian light plane called off
Tasmanian police have formally suspended a search for a light plane that went missing last month in the state with two people on board.
Tasmania police inspector Craig Fox said extensive search operations had been conducted for the missing plane since 2 August in Tasmania’s north:
Considerable search efforts have been undertaken, utilising resources such as the Tasmania police helicopter for aerial searching and police vessels out on the water, but unfortunately the light plane, and its two occupants and their dog, have not been located.
Gregory Vaughan, 72, and his partner, Kim Worner, 66, from Deloraine, were in a light sport aircraft that took off from George Town airport about 12.45pm on Saturday, 2 August. The plane did not arrive at its destination in central NSW as scheduled, prompting family members to raise the alarm.
Fox said no new search areas had been identified and inquiries suggested the two missing people had not been in contact with anyone or aviation authorities since they left George Town.
A report will be prepared for the coroner, police said.
Updated
Victoria parliament’s new integrity watchdog clears MPs in manure investigation
The Victorian parliament’s new integrity watchdog has botched its first investigation – into the manure dumped out the front of premier Jacinta Allan’s office – by issuing defective notices.
In a report tabled on Tuesday, the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission made no finding of misconduct by Liberal MPs Bev McArthur and Nicole Werner, who assisted an angry farmer to deliver a box of cow manure to the door of Allan’s parliament office on 20 May.
They said the duo cooperated fully with their investigation. However, the commission midway through “became aware of a technical issue” with their investigation request notices as they were approved by a commissioner but issued by their staff:
Consequently, in the interests of transparency, fairness, and accountability, the commission has decided not to consider the evidence collected through the original request notices.
The commission decided not to reissue the notices because “repeating investigative interviews and evidence collection is not proportionate to the nature of the alleged conduct”.
The Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission was established in late 2024 to investigate all bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and victimisation complaints made against sitting MPs.
According to its 2024/25 annual report, tabled on Thursday, it has received 13 referrals since 1 January. Of those, seven were dismissed because they did not fall within the jurisdiction of the watchdog.
Updated
Police dog and handler injured after freeway collision in Melbourne
A Melbourne police dog named Rocco survived a freeway collision after being ejected from a patrol vehicle on Monday night.
Victoria police charged a man over the collision, in Melbourne’s north-west, which left Rocco and his handler injured.
Police alleged a white Mercedes-Benz collided with the rear of a police vehicle in Tullamarine at about 10.45pm last night. During the incident, Rocco the German shepherd was ejected from the police car.
The dog is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and his handler was treated at the scene for minor injuries and taken to the hospital for observation.
The driver of the Mercedes, a 19-year-old man, stopped at the scene and was unharmed. A passenger in the vehicle, a woman, 21, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The man has since been charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, driving in a dangerous manner, unlicensed driving and probationary driver using a prohibited vehicle.
He was bailed and is due to appear in court in January.
Updated
Two Labor MPS will not recontest their seats in next election
Two Victorian Labor MPs have announced they will not recontest their seats at the 2026 state election.
Bayswater MP Jackson Taylor and Melton MP Steve McGhie both announced their plans on Tuesday afternoon.
Both MPs were first elected at the 2018 “Danslide” election, with Taylor winning the eastern suburbs seat off the Liberals for the first time since 2006 after having served the local community as a police officer, a police prosecutor and a councillor.
He issued a statement on social media saying it was the “right time to step back” ahead of the birth of his second child. Taylor wrote:
Being in politics and public office has given me incredible opportunities to work with our community and achieve things together that I’m immensely proud of. But it has also meant a lot of time away from my family. This hasn’t been an easy decision, but after nearly 10 years in public life, including my time on council – it feels like the right time to step back.
McGhie, meanwhile, won the western suburbs seat – and fended off challenges since – after 13 years leading the Victorian ambulance union. He wrote on social media that it was time to “pass the baton and create space for fresh energy and new ideas to the next generation”:
From the moment Dan Andrews encouraged me to put my hand up, it has been an absolute privilege to serve. I am grateful to have worked under the leadership of strong Labor Premiers, first Daniel Andrews and now Jacinta Allan.
Allan issued statements thanking both men for their service. Both will serve until the election. Labor will begin the process of preselecting candidates next week.
Updated
That’s all for me. Adeshola Ore will take it from here. Enjoy your Tuesday!
Sydney’s Night Stalker rapist pleads guilty to 13 charges over attacks against women in 1990s
A man accused of terrorising women in the early 1990s across Sydney, who was dubbed the Night Stalker, has pleaded guilty to 13 charges.
The man appeared before Downing Centre local court on Thursday, weeks after the serial rapist was unmasked as Glenn Gary Cameron. His identity had remained a secret since he was arrested more than 18 months ago due to suppression orders.
Cameron, now 61, was accused of assaulting at least eight women while in his 20s between 1991 and 1993 in Sydney’s inner-west and eastern suburbs, specifically Moore Park.
Cameron was arrested in February 2024 at Sydney airport after a breakthrough in forensic technology helped police progress the 30-year-old cold case.
He had initially faced 36 charges, including 19 counts of aggravated sexual assault involving a threat to inflict actual bodily harm on a victim with a weapon and eight counts of indecent assault.
Read more:
Queensland’s premier declares he’s ‘not interested in fairweather friends’ from big corporates
David Crisafulli is giving his first state of the state address, an event organised by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.
The premier repeated an oft-heard line about the state being “open for business”, but said that “should not be misconstrued as a chance for corporations to transfer their liabilities and the business downside to Queensland and to the Queensland government”.
The state government is currently under pressure by the resources sector to slash coal royalties after a string of coalmine closure announcements last week the mining lobby blamed on the state’s progressive royalties scheme. Crisafulli said:
We’re not interested in fair-weather friends who come running for the dollars when things are good, then abandon Queensland … in the name of shareholder profits when the going gets tough.
Meanwhile, Glencore has also threatened to close its giant Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery.
The state and federal governments recently presented the company a bailout plan. Crisafulli said “we will leave nothing in the tank to get this deal done”:
But it can’t be one-way traffic. Glencore needs to be prepared to amend their business model and commit to investing in the asset to ensure the continuity of a business – whoever may run it in the future. It’s a partnership. It’s two way street.
Updated
Australia’s aerial fire-fighting fleet to ramp up soon
The National Emergency Management Agency’s acting head, Joe Buffone, says Australia’s aerial fire-flighting fleet will ramp up significantly from next month ahead of the summer.
Buffone told a media briefing this morning there was just one Black Hawk helicopter in the national fleet at the moment, but the remaining 161 aircraft promised in May last year would begin filtering in from early October.
NEMA’s boss said it was important that aircraft in the fleet could be utilised for different weather responses. For example, he said, a helicopter last year dealt mostly with flood responses despite having a primary responsibility for fire-fighting.
In response to some criticisms about the federal government not yet accepting recommendations from the 2020 bushfire royal commission, Buffone said:
The important thing is that we have the aircraft, the right mix of aircraft, for the season ahead and, in particular, as we said, our focus is shifting to this multi-use capability, which allows us to have aircraft for longer periods of time, more effective and [which can] actually can be used across multiple hazards.
Updated
Police officer charged with assault after Hannah Thomas injured at pro-Palestine protest in Sydney
A New South Wales police officer has been charged with assaulting Hannah Thomas, who sustained a serious eye injury after she was arrested at a protest in June.
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 and underwent two rounds of surgery to her right eye and will soon undergo a third.
Earlier this month, the office of the director of public prosecutions (DPP) dropped all three charges against Thomas.
Read more:
TGA aware of Trump’s claims, but says ‘robust studies have refuted’ them
The TGA said it is aware of announcements by the US administration that use of paracetamol in pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of autism and ADHD in children, though a causal association has not been established.
Their statement continued:
Whilst there are published articles suggesting an association between maternal paracetamol use and childhood autism, they had methodological limitations. More recent and robust studies have refuted these claims, supporting the weight of other scientific evidence that does not support a causal link between paracetamol and autism or ADHD.
… International peer regulators including the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom have reiterated that paracetamol should continue to be used in line with product information documents. Following evaluation in 2019 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that scientific evidence regarding effects of paracetamol on childhood neurodevelopment was inconclusive.
Medicines regulator and nation’s chief doctor reject US paracetamol claims
Australia’s current chief medical officer, Prof Michael Kidd, and the medicines regulator say they “join with other global medicines regulators, leading clinicians and scientists worldwide in rejecting claims regarding the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, and the subsequent risk of development of ADHD or autism in children”.
A statement issued moments ago by the Therapeutic Drugs Administration says:
Robust scientific evidence shows no causal link between the use of paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting these claims.
Paracetamol remains the recommended treatment option for pain or fever in pregnant women when used as directed. Importantly, untreated fever and pain can pose risks to the unborn baby, highlighting the importance of managing these symptoms with recommended treatment.
Pregnant women should speak to their healthcare professionals if they have questions about any medication during pregnancy.
Updated
Defence should not be ‘first port of call’ after disasters, emergency management head says
The head of Australia’s emergency management agency says the army should “not be the first port of call” during catastrophic weather events as he delivered a sobering outlook for the upcoming high-risk season.
In a media briefing this morning, Joe Buffone, acting head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), spoke of the increase in adverse weather events in recent years, such as floods and bushfires, but said the agency’s work extended to other crises, including those in national security and biosecurity.
Buffone said a key takeaway was that defence should not be called in every time there’s a weather emergency unless it is absolutely critical.
He said:
Defence [has] a critical role in actually defending Australia. That’s their primary role. What they will do, though, is that they still will support, you know, significant disasters – in particular, in the urgent emergency, life-saving space, but they are not looking at continuing to support recovery efforts unless it is of a scale that they need to support. They’ve got to focus on their primary role, which is defending Australia …
The key message is Defence … cannot be the first port of call in a disaster.
Updated
AI datacentres could force an early water price hike, regulator warns
The NSW price regulator just announced a price hike for Sydney water but warned another could come early if new datacentres are quick to arrive.
Large volumes of water are used to cool the vast warehouses which store and process data. New AI models such as ChatGPT make heavy use of them.
Open-source estimates suggest Australia already has 265 datacentres, with Amazon among the companies investing billions to build the projects in Sydney and Melbourne, and the NSW government has reportedly approved 90 more.
Sydney Water told the independent pricing and regulatory tribunal it expected such centres to consume up to 250 megalitres a day, about one-sixth of Sydney’s present water consumption. Local councils argued it could be even more than that.
Ipart warned it may need to hike prices earlier than usual if datacentre installations accelerate before the next scheduled 2029-30 review, but for now it believed existing projects could be covered under the existing system. Its report read:
There is a possibility that Sydney Water may need to expand its system capacity materially over the next few years, potentially at significant additional cost. It may also sell more water than we have allowed for in setting prices … [and if so] we may consider reviewing and setting new prices before 2029-30.
Updated
Former CMO Paul Kelly: Trump’s announcement ‘cruel’ to pregnant women
Australia’s former chief medical officer says the Trump administration’s announcement tying paracetamol to autism is “cruel” to pregnant women and unnecessarily puts blame on parents of children with autism, without evidence backing it up.
Prof Paul Kelly told Guardian Australia he believed the announcement was a use of “mal-information” – twisting information to reach a certain end:
I don’t think it’s about protecting children from autism. I do worry that it’s part of a smoke screen for larger announcements which may well involve vaccines, which has been a long-held view of the current secretary for health in the Trump administration, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Kelly also said the announcement goes against the best evidence we have, which was a Swedish study published last year of almost 2.5 million births, “essentially put the issue to bed. There is no link between paracetamol and autism.”
What an announcement like this does do is places blame on parents of children with autism “with no evidence that that’s the case.” Kelly said:
That feeling of blame and of guilt is really common and incredibly dangerous and not a helpful emotion.
He also says it’s “cruel” to tell pregnant women in real pain or experiencing a fever not to take medication that is safe and effective.
Read more about what Australian experts are worried about here:
Updated
Why are Sydney’s water bills rising by hundreds of dollars?
As we reported earlier, Sydney Water has gained permission to hike its prices 14% on 1 October.
NSW’s independent pricing and regulatory tribunal says the increase is necessary to cover the rising costs of water distribution. The hike will give Sydney Water an extra $179m per year to cover its day-to-day operations, including rising costs for water purchase and treatment.
The price increase will weigh more on the variable usage charge, which relates to how much water a household uses up, rather than the fixed fee to connect to the water service. As a result, Sydney customers are expected to cut back their water usage in response to the price hike, meaning water usage will stay at about the same level for the next five years despite a growing population.
The fee increase will also cover an increased spend on capital works so Sydney Water can replace ageing infrastructure and build new connections, storm water connections near the new Western Sydney airport and network expansions to cover greater use of the city’s desalination plant
An extra $180m has been allocated toward works on the city’s ocean-draining sewers, which some experts believe are to blame for thousands of debris balls or “fatbergs” washing ashore in the last year.
Difficult weather, among other factors, has made it harder to carry out expansions of networks around the outfall sewers at North Head, Bondi and Malabar. Ipart suggested the additional spend after NSW Health and the Environment Protection Authority called for the sewers to be prioritised. The review read:
We have sought, and will continue, to protect consumers from unjustified price increases for water and wastewater services. However, increases in maximum prices are required now to fund efficient expenditure to deliver reliable and safe water services and to reflect a fair contribution between today’s customers and future customers.
Updated
Eighth person charged with murder over Cobblebank stabbing deaths
Victoria police have charged an eighth teenager with murder after the stabbing deaths of 15-year-old Dau Akueng and 12-year-old Chol Achiek in Cobblebank in Melbourne’s west earlier this month.
In a statement, police said a 15-year-old boy was charged in relation to Dau’s death. He is due to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
Last week, police arrested seven males, aged between 15 and 19 after raids on homes in Melbourne’s north and west by homicide squad detectives. They were interviewed by police before charges were laid on Friday afternoon.
A 19-year-old Thornhill man, two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy were charged with the murder of Dau.
A 19-year-old Caroline Springs man, an 18-year-old Wollert man and a 16-year-old boy were charged with the murder of Chol.
Myer sees sharp uptick in threatening behaviour against staff
Myer has warned of a steep increase in threatening behaviour against its staff, prompting the retailer to support the use of body cameras and personal safety alarms for employees.
The department store chain said in financial results released today there had been a 79% increase in incidents of threatening behaviour over the past 12 months, including verbal or physical abuse.
The company said:
With customer violence against retail workers on the rise, resulting in significant increases in abuse, and incidents involving weapons, the company supports both government policy and technology-based solutions, such as the roll out of body-worn cameras and personal safety alarms, to equip the Myer team in addressing this growing trend.
The retailer said it had reduced theft levels from the prior reporting period by boosting in-store security and other measures such as employee safety cameras.
Myer shares are being sold off heavily today, down 30%, following the release of its financials. The department store chain reported a 30% slide in annual net profit to $36.8m, excluding impairments.
‘Lack of management capability’ at Sydney trains body
The rail review has also identified significant issues with the way the body which runs the day-to-day operations of the city’s trains, the Rail Operations Centre (ROC), responded to the incident.
The review found that the continuation of delays into a second day appeared to be have been caused by “lack of management capability in dealing with an incident of this kind”.
Asked if anyone has been dismissed from the ROC, the Sydney Trains chief executive, Matt Longland, says there have been a “handful of changes”:
I have made a number of changes to the leadership, both in engineering and also in operations, and people have left the organisation ... I don’t want to go into the detail of individual circumstances. I don’t think that’s appropriate ... we are committed to improve the way of working at the ROC and also in the way that we respond to incidents on site.
Updated
More than 120 wire issues detected since Sydney trains incident
The NSW transport minister, John Graham, has given a press conference following the releasing of a “sobering” review into rail safety on Sydney’s train network, as we reported earlier.
Graham says since the incident on 20 May a network-wide digital scan has identified 126 additional points of interest on the network, which have now been resolved.
The review, led by transport industry expert Kerry Schott and commissioned after an overhead wire snapped and fell on to the roof of a train, found the wire was first observed to be beyond its operational capacity – or “condemning limit” – during a network-wide inspection commissioned in 2020.
This inspection was outside the normal program of maintenance, and the issues with the wire were not acted on, although it was visually inspected as recently as April this year.
The Sydney Trains chief executive, Matt Longland, says the network has “let down passengers down”:
I do apologise for what they had to experience over those two days. The gaps in process, in technology and in systems, were made very clear by the review team. I think the key standouts were the fact that this wiring fault should not have occurred. It should have been picked up in the inspection process and it could have been avoided. Secondly, the response and the repair took far too long.
Updated
Insurer RACQ allegedly disguised premium hikes with false figures
A top Queensland insurance company allegedly disguised premium hikes as high as 40% by overstating how much customers had previously been billed.
RACQ received complaints about the allegedly misleading price claims just two days after it began sharing them but continued to use them for five years, the corporate regulator has alleged.
The Australian securities and investments commission has taken RACQ to the federal court, as it focuses on insurers’ failures to be fair and show good faith to customers, Asic’s deputy chair, Sarah Court, said, adding:
During a cost-of-living crisis, we believe RACQ misled thousands of customers by including false comparison pricing in their renewal documents. … Customers were potentially left paying more.
RACQ sent more than 570,000 renewal documents to customers from 2019 to 2024, telling them their new premium alongside their “last period premium,” which Asic alleges was often higher than their actual spend the previous period.
Asic alleges one customer had been charged about $5,030 in the prior period but faced a new premium of about $7,030, a 40% hike, but RACQ’s notice quoted a “last period premium” figure of $6,930 incorrectly suggested they were facing a hike of just 1.5%.
RACQ said it had clarified its communications, updated its renewal polices and self-reported comparison price notice issue to Asic, and was working with the regulator and conducting a review, adding:
We are disappointed this has happened and apologise to our members as this is not in keeping with our high standards or the experience we strive to offer.
The federal opposition dug in on criticism of Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine as a sovereign nation and accused prime minister Anthony Albanese of flawed comparisons with Jewish history. Albanese announced recognition at the UN in New York this week, joining about 150 countries.
The shadow foreign minister, Michaelia Cash, said his speech included
“a deeply flawed and offensive parallel” with Jews.
She pointed to Albanese’s statement that the Palestinian people shared “the same hope that sustained generations of Jewish people”. Cash said:
Mr Albanese has shown appalling judgement. By equating Israel’s legitimate historic struggle with a terrorist-led movement, he has insulted Jewish history and betrayed Australia’s values.
In doing so, he has diminished the unique historic plight of the Jewish people and given legitimacy to extremists who openly reject Israel’s right to exist.
Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine is incumbent on the Palestinian Authority recognising Israel’s right to exist. Labor is pushing Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war and provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
Cash’s statement says Labor is rewarding terror group Hamas for its 7 October attacks against Israel.
Rewarding terrorists while hostages languish in captivity sends exactly the wrong signal, that violence and kidnapping are pathways to international recognition.
Deputy PM says lack of meeting with Trump unrelated to recognition of Palestine
Asked if the lack of a meeting had anything to do with Australia recognising the state of Palestine, Marles says “no” and continues:
The government has taken a position in respect of the recognition of Palestine which recognises the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people to statehood. It’s entirely consistent with positions that have been held by successive governments – Labor and Coalition – over many decades in support of a two-state solution. Our government is no different in supporting that.
We believe that a two-state solution is ultimately the only way to seeing an enduring peace in the Middle East. And our recognition of Palestine – along with the United Kingdom and Canada and a range of other countries – is part of a natural progression towards that.
Updated
Richard Marles says he has ‘no doubt’ Albanese and Trump will meet
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, is speaking to reporters in Launceston about Australia’s relationship with the United States and the meeting between Albanese and Trump that hasn’t happened.
Marles says:
The prime minister and president have spoken on a number of occasions. Indeed, literally just in the last few days by phone. I’ve got no doubt that, at some point in the near future, there’ll be a meeting between the prime minister and the president.
The fact of the matter is that the relationship between Australia and the United States is in a good place. We have the lowest tariff rate of any country in the world. We have a very significant agenda in terms of our relationship in respect of defence and security. And that work in pursuit of Aukus, for example, continues at a pace. We’re very confident about the relationship.
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Bowen says energy transition is a ‘remarkable story of optimism’
The climate change minister told the forum that the energy transition presented “remarkable opportunities” for households, highlighting the uptake of solar panels and home batteries in Australia.
Bowen said:
So put these two stories together, that the world is taking action and that consumers and individuals and households and small businesses can take control of their own energy use with the right policy settings, then we have a remarkable story of optimism to tell. A story that this is not too hard.
Yes, it is hard, but it is not too hard. And we can reject this all too hard-ism that so often infects the debate, that yes, climate change might be real and maybe it’s important, but it’s all too hard, so we shouldn’t worry.
Updated
Bowen urges UN to reject ‘too hard’ argument on climate action
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has urged the global community to reject the “all too hard” argument that opponents of climate action are using to justify delays to the green energy transition.
In a speech to the United Nations during Climate Week in New York, Bowen said the world was decarbonising at a “very rapid pace” as he challenged the “doom and gloom” about a slowdown in global action to slash emissions. He said:
Climate denial is still with us but it takes new forms. All too hard, they said, it’s all too hard. Or no one else is doing enough. Why should we do this when the rest of the world isn’t moving? And that’s an easy message and narrative for the deniers and the delayers to communicate when there’s plenty of doom and gloom and stories about how the world is not proceeding with action on climate change. We know though it isn’t true. Two trillion dollars of investment in renewable energy, twice the investment in fossil fuels.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House, and swift decision to again withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, has prompted renewed concerns for the fate of the global goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C.
Without referencing the US, Bowen said Australia would like “to see more right around the world” on climate action.
But we can’t pretend that things aren’t happening.
Bowen and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, have this week submitted Australia’s new 2035 climate target to the UN, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions between 62% and 70% from 2005 levels.
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Peak industry body says paracetamol continues to play ‘valuable role in public health’
Consumer Healthcare Products Australia (CHP Australia), a peak industry body representing many of the country’s distributors and makers of healthcare products, maintains that paracetamol continues to play a “valuable role in public health”.
The body, which represents 85% of the non-prescription medicines market, pointed to the TGA’s continued classification of paracetamol as safe for use during pregnancy. CHP Australia said in a statement:
Paracetamol is one of the most widely used analgesics, with a long-standing safety record supported by decades of research and everyday use. Globally, paracetamol remains the only option for pain and fever considered appropriate for use during pregnancy, when taken as directed and under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
CHP Australia supports ongoing, independent, high-quality research to further strengthen the evidence base. We also believe it is essential that regulation and public health advice are informed by the best available science, and that Australians are empowered with clear, evidence-based information to support safe and effective self-care.
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The Laneway presale is starting
Sydney festival fans vying to see Chappell Roan and Wet Leg can now access Laneway’s presale, with Melbourne’s presale set to open in about an hour. The presale for the events in Auckland, the Gold Coast and Adelaide have already begun, and Perth’s opens up in a few hours.
The lineup is stacked next year after Charli XCX was at the top of the bill for the 2025 event. Indie icon Alex G will appear alongside PinkPantheress, Lucy Dacus, Role Model and Wolf Alice, among many others.
Local acts include Armlock, Shady Nasty and The Belair Lip Bombs.
The presale will be open for 23 hours in each city before general sales open tomorrow for any remaining tickets. Good luck!
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Sydney water bills to rise $168 in a year for typical households
Sydney water bills will rise by nearly 14% in the coming year, with typical households set to spend an extra $168 annually or $3.23 a week after the government set new prices.
The new prices will go into effect from 1 October.
Sydney Water and Water NSW today received permission to hike their fees, which will see households with an annual bill of $1,220 spending $1,388 in a year’s time and $1,695 in five years’ time.
The NSW independent pricing and regulatory tribunal’s decision would see the typical household bill rise by nearly 12%, plus inflation, which is above 2%. Prices will rise just over 5%, plus inflation, for each subsequent year until 2030.
The tribunal said it recognised the bill hikes could add to cost-of-living pressures on customers and said it had called for the state government to offer water bill rebates to a wider share of people in need of income support.
Sydney Water had asked for an even bigger bill increase of $4.70 a week to fund its proposed $32bn spend on the city’s sewerage system over the next 15 years.
Waste would have continued to be pumped into the ocean off the city’s famous eastern suburbs beaches plan, as you can read here:
Anthony Albanese addresses UN conference on two-state solution – video
In his first address to the United Nations in New York, Anthony Albanese spoke at a special conference on the two-state solution for the Middle East, saying Gaza “is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe” and recognition of a Palestinian state means “real hope” for Palestinians.
Ley maintains Australia ‘needs the meeting’ with Trump
More on Albanese being left off Donald Trump’s meeting schedule during the UN general assembly:
AAP reports opposition leader Sussan Ley said Australia had a “long shopping list of issues” that needed to be discussed with Trump, including tariffs on Australian goods and the $368bn nuclear-submarine deal under the three-nation AUKUS partnership, AAP reports.
“We need the meeting,” she told Nine’s Today program on Tuesday, adding:
We need it to be calm, we need it to be considered, and we need our prime minister to be there, standing up for our national interest.
Justice to hand down judgment on scale of Lattouf penalty tomorrow
Justice Darryl Rangiah will hand down his judgment at 10.15am tomorrow on what the scale of a separate penalty should be for the ABC’s breaches of employment law in the Antoinette Lattouf case.
In June the federal court found the ABC contravened section 772 of the Fair Work Act by terminating Lattouf for reasons of political opinion and breached five clauses of the ABC’s enterprise agreement by removing her from air three days into a five-day contract.
The court ordered that the ABC pay Lattouf compensation of $70,000.
Now the federal court has considered a second payment, which is a penalty for breaching the Fair Work Act.
The ABC, which admits it acted unlawfully, submitted the total penalty imposed should be between $37,560 and $56,340 and Lattouf has submitted it should be $350,000.
Her lawyers argued for the maximum penalty because of “significant pressure” put on senior management by Ita Buttrose, the broadcaster’s former chair, to sack Lattouf.
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Overhead wire that caused Sydney trains incident identified as a risk in 2020
A high-voltage wire that fell on the top of a train in Sydney in May, trapping 300 passengers and causing massive commuter disruption, was identified as a risk in 2020, but never entered into defect management systems and was not repaired, a rail safety review has found.
The Minns government released the findings of its heavy rail safety review today, commissioned after the incident near Homebush. The government committed to implementing all 12 recommendations in the review.
The review found the recovery of services after the incident, including a three-hour operation to detrain trapped passengers, was too slow, and communication with the rail operations centre was inadequate, contributing to delays.
The recommendations, which include an overhaul of the heavy rail network’s maintenance systems, will be supported by an investment of $458.4m over four years.
The NSW transport minister, John Graham, says Sydney’s rail system is “not up to scratch”:
Incidents are inevitable from time to time on a rail network the size and age of Sydney’s, but the missteps and mishandling of the response ensured two days of chaos on our city’s public transport system when a well-managed response could – and should – have limited disruption to one day.
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Andrew Bragg says Australia being ‘treated like dirt’ by Trump administration under Labor
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said Australia has been “treated like dirt” by the Trump administration after Anthony Albanese was left off the official meeting schedule with the US president during his visit to the UN general assembly.
Bragg spoke to Channel Nine’s Today this morning, casting doubt on Kevin Rudd’s work as ambassador to the US:
I think it’s very embarrassing. Australia has been treated like a piece of dirt by this administration.
Perhaps sending [Kevin] Rudd was actually not in Australia’s interests, and also the way that Mr Albanese has conducted his diplomacy, he’s also been a disaster.
I mean, we’re being punished, frankly, and it’s now very embarrassing.
Albanese invites Macron to visit Australia
Anthony Albanese has invited French president Emmanuel Macron to visit Australia after the pair met on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York.
The pair, who have a strong personal rapport, met for about 40 minutes after Macron hosted a special conference on the two-state solution in the Middle East.
A readout of the meeting said the two leaders welcomed Australia and France’s close ties and effective cooperation on several global issues, including support for Ukraine, the energy transition and regional matters in the Indo-Pacific.
They agreed to work closely together on the proposed Australia-EU free trade agreement, as well as a new security and defence partnership between Canberra and Brussels.
Albanese praised Macron for his leadership on European security, including in his role as co-chair of the Coalition of the Willing group working on peace arrangements for Ukraine.
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TGA maintains paracetamol still considered safe for use during pregnancy
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said while it does not provide clinical advice, paracetamol remained a pregnancy Category A medicine in Australia, meaning it is considered safe for use during pregnancy.
The TGA encouraged Australians to speak with their healthcare professionals for clinical advice tailored to their specific circumstances. The body said it monitors medicines after they are on the market for any adverse event reports, including paracetamol:
The use of medications in pregnancy is subject to clinical, scientific and toxicological evaluation at the time of registration of a medicine in Australia.
The TGA maintains robust post-market safety surveillance and pharmacovigilance processes for all medicines registered in Australia, including paracetamol. This includes detailed analysis of adverse event reports made by medicine consumers, clinicians and pharmaceutical companies, review of published medical literature, and close liaison with international medicines regulators.
The TGA currently has no active safety investigations for paracetamol and autism, or paracetamol and neurodevelopmental disorders more broadly.
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Everything you need to know about the electric vehicle revolution in Australia
Electric vehicles are increasingly common on Australian roads. But are we about to see the promised boom in new EV models? What about a thriving secondhand market? And are there enough charging stations to make “range anxiety” a thing of the past?
Last week, the Climate Change Authority (CCA) suggested half of all the light vehicles sold in Australia over the next decade would have to be EVs to meet emissions reduction targets. By 2035, it is expected that electric cars will make up 85% of sales.
Here’s everything you need to know about the journey ahead.
Wong says the opposition is ‘running a rogue foreign policy’ after Ley’s letter
Wong was not happy with Ley’s letter to US Republicans, telling RN Breakfast “the opposition of Australia running a rogue foreign policy is not in the nation’s interests”.
She went on:
Australia is strongest when our country speaks with one voice, and I think Australians know that, and it is a pity that Sussan Ley does not.
It is possible to back Australia and still be an effective opposition. And really, it’s time that Ms. Ley and the Liberals understood that. We know we’re strongest when we speak with one voice. We all understand that as Australians and the opposition should understand that too.
Sharma says Ley’s letter to US Republicans ‘perfectly appropriate’
Liberal senator Dave Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, said it was “perfectly appropriate” for opposition leader Sussan Ley to tell the United States her government would reverse Australia’s recognition of Palestine. Ley sent the letter to US Republicans ahead of Albanese’s addresss to the UN.
Sharma told RN Breakfast he was not bothered by the unusual step:
Firstly, it’s the Labor government that has overturned decades of bipartisan foreign policy consensus on how a Palestinian state should come about. It’s not the Liberals, it’s Labor that’s done that.
And secondly, it’s perfectly appropriate and normal for opposition politicians to have relationships with parliamentary counterparts in other parliaments around the world.
Sharma said he didn’t believe the recognition of a Palestinian state was helpful:
All it’s doing, unfortunately, is hardening opinion on both sides of the conflict, strengthening Hamas, but also, sadly, strengthening hardline voices in Israel’s government as well.
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Penny Wong maintains Australia only sanctions politicians ‘with others’
Foreign minister Penny Wong was questioned on RN Breakfast about Australia’s lack of sanctions on Israeli politicians over the ongoing war in Gaza. Wong said the country had imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers alongside other nations in June for inciting violence against Palestinians, but RN host Sally Sara asked why those sanctions hadn’t been extended to others as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened.
Wong said:
You may think that that is insufficient. We do this with other parties, and we have worked very closely with the United Kingdom and Canada and others to impose these sanctions.
Sara again noted Australia had not sanctioned any Israeli politicians in connection with Gaza.
“And to be clear, neither has any other country”, Wong said. “My point about that is: we sanction with others. That is how we have an effect”. She went on:
I understand that people are distressed by what is happening in Gaza. I am distressed by it. We all are. But you do what you can, and that is what we are doing: being here now with others, working with other countries, all of whom want to see peace.
Australians urged to take health advice from doctors, researchers and the medical community
Danielle McMullen, the president of the Australian Medical Association, stressed that paracetamol has been deemed by the TGA to be safe to use in pregnancy, although “of course like all medications we try to use it as little as possible when pregnant”.
The advice here in Australia sill is that paracetamol is a reasonable option and [a] safe option for pregnant women to use.
McMullen went on to stress that Australians should continue to take medical advice from experts. She told ABC News this morning:
Like we did as Australia during the pandemic, we really took strong health advice from doctors, from researchers, and from that medical community and our regulator. So I’d encourage Australians to still do the same.
Our chief health officers and medical officers are medical practitioners, and trained in analysing these studies and weighing up the pros and cons and translating that into information that’s understandable by the general public. So, really encourage people to talk to their doctors in terms of listening to health advice for our health officers and health ministers here to be listening to that health advice.
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Qantas flight rapidly descends, returns to Darwin in ‘unsettling experience’ for passengers
A Qantas flight from Darwin to Cairns rapidly descended yesterday after a pressurisation warning light went off shortly after take off, causing an “unsettling experience” for passengers, the airline said.
The flight, QF1889, was operated by Alliance Aviation and departed Darwin airport shortly after 6.30am on Monday. After about 20 minutes, the plane rapidly descended more than 6,000m in about six minutes, according to flight data.
The plane was then diverted back to Darwin. Qantas said in a statement:
The pilots received a pressurisation warning light shortly after take off on Monday morning and followed standard operating procedures.
We understand this might have been an unsettling experience for our customers and want to thank them for their patience and understanding.
The aircraft will be inspected by engineers before returning to service.
AMA president says no studies show paracetamol use in pregnancy causes autism
Danielle McMullen, the president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said this morning there are no studies showing paracetamol use in pregnancy causes autism.
McMullen spoke to RN Breakfast following US president Donald Trump’s assertion that the popular painkiller was linked to autism – even though it is widely considered a safe option to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.
McMullen said:
There are no studies showing that paracetamol use in pregnancy causes autism. There have been some studies showing what we call an association between paracetamol use and autism in children, but there’s also been really large studies showing that there’s no association. And it’s important to remember that association doesn’t mean cause.
It could be that there’s a whole range of things that happened during pregnancies, and one of those was that the pregnant mother took paracetamol, but it also could be that she had a fever or there were genetic factors.
In fact, in autism, it’s most likely that autism is linked with genetic factors as its primary driver, but we really don’t know the full cause of autism.
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Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over for Martin Farrer. Let’s dive in.
PM says recognition of Palestinian state means ‘real hope for a place they can call home’
Anthony Albanese says Gaza “is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe”. He said:
For this, the Israeli government must accept its share of responsibility.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. Desperate people, including children, have been denied vital aid.
Aid workers have been killed trying to deliver humanitarian assistance, including Australian Zomi Frankcom. And journalists have been killed trying to bring the truth to light.
The prime minister has called on the world to choose a different path in the Middle East conflict, and received applause when he said Australia had recognised Palestine this week. Albanese went on:
In recognising Palestine, Australia recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the Palestinian people.
That means more than a seat, a voice and a vote in the councils of the world. It means real hope for a place they can call home.
Anthony Albanese addresses UN conference on two-state solution
Anthony Albanese is speaking at a special conference on the two-state solution for the Middle East, his first address to the United Nations in New York.
The prime minister has joined the event hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia.
The international community’s vision for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, always encompassed two states.
A state of Israel and a state of Palestine. Living side by side, within internationally recognised borders. And recognising each other’s right to live in peace and security.
Eight decades ago, those hopes for peace were consumed by conflict.
That has been the grim pattern of the years.
Opportunities not taken. Compromises rejected.
Good faith, betrayed. A cycle of violence and terror that has crushed generations.
Albanese says Australia joins with countries calling for the hostages to be returned immediately.
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Indonesia’s president implores all countries to recognise Palestinian statehood
Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, says countries recognising Palestinian statehood “have taken a step on the right side of history.”
Speaking at the United Nations in New York, Subianto called on countries yet to recognise statehood to do so.
“History does not stand still,” he told a special conference on the two-state solution hosted by Saudi Arabia and France.
We must recognise Palestine now. We must stop the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Ending the war must be our utmost priority.
We must overcome hatred and fear. We must overcome suspicion. We must achieve the peace that is necessary for the human family.
Prabowo says Indonesia is ready to play its part in the journey towards peace, including providing peace keeping forces.
The president’s speech ran overtime and the microphone was cut but he implored countries to act.
“Peace now, peace immediately. We need peace.”
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Monique Ryan quits parliament’s sports club over gambling lobby links, describing it as ‘influence by stealth’
Crossbench MP Monique Ryan has quit federal parliament’s sports club hours after it was listed as an official lobbyist group with clients in the gambling, alcohol and fossil fuel industries.
The Australian Parliament Sports Club was registered on the government’s lobbyist register on Monday, days after Guardian Australia reported concerns about its sponsorship from groups lobbying the government on policy.
The club allows companies to pay an annual membership fee in return for access to multiple social and formal events, which are regularly attended by federal politicians. Previously the company run by the club’s chief executive, Sports Hydrant, was listed on the lobbyist register.
The club has rejected claims its games are anything other than a chance for politicians and staff to relax and exercise and insist all rules have been followed. But Ryan said it provided its corporate members a chance to build “influence by stealth”:
To paraphrase Groucho Marx, I’m not signing up for any parliamentary sports club which serves up gambling industry lobbying with its early morning basketball games. I’m resigning from the club today.
The club’s registration has also drawn criticism from crossbench MPs Sophie Scamps, Allegra Spender, Kate Chaney, David Pocock and Helen Haines, who pointed out the prime minister’s position as the club’s chair.
While Australians wait for the government to take serious action on gambling harm, the Australian Parliamentary Sports Club – chaired by the prime minister himself – is acting on behalf of clients that include the gambling industry.
Last week, the club said it does not lobby on behalf of any of its corporate members. The prime minister’s office has previously been contacted for comment.
Butler seeks urgent advice on paracetamol safety after Trump makes claim
Health minister Mark Butler has called on the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to provide urgent advice on the safety of taking paracetamol during pregnancy, following suggestions – without evidence – by US president Donald Trump that the popular painkiller is linked to autism.
Butler urged pregnant women to seek medical advice before discontinuing taking the drug which is also used to treat fever, which can lead to serious complications during pregnancy, until the TGA had a chance to look at the report Trump had alluded to.
Paracetamol is considered a safe option to treat pain or fever during pregnancy, and is widely recommended by doctors for short-term use.
This is a very widely used drug as everyone knows, and we want to make sure that we look very closely at any announcement from the US, particularly if it comes through the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA.
We’ll look at it very closely, our TGA works very closely with the FDA obviously and I want to make sure that we have advice for pregnant women in particular, very quickly.
During a speech at a Charlie Kirk memorial service on Sunday US time, Trump suggested he and his health secretary Robert F Kennedy would make an important announcement in the Oval Office on Monday, local time, about a link between Tylenol, a paracetamol brand popular in the US, and autism.
The report is expected to recommend taking leucovorin, a form of vitamin B.
“I think you’re going to find it to be amazing,” Trump said. “I think we found an answer to autism.”
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will be in charge.
We’ll be bringing you all the news from New York, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is to address a UN meeting on Palestine.
Plus, health minister Mark Butler has called on the medical watchdog to provide urgent advice on the safety of taking paracetamol during pregnancy following suggestions by US president Donald Trump that the popular painkiller is linked to autism. More coming up.
