What we learned; Monday 14 July
It’s time to wrap up our live news coverage for the day. Here’s what’s been keeping us busy.
The PM was part of a discussion between Chinese steelmakers and Australian iron ore producers, including the chief executives of Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Hancock and Dr Andrew Forrest – who said he called on Anthony Albanese to form a bilateral agreement based around green steel and green iron with China in the face of threats from artificial intelligence.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers responded to reports in the ABC this morning after the broadcaster mistakenly received advice given to the Labor government on taxes and housing by mistake after the ABC filed a Freedom of Information request.
Backpacker Carolina Wilga thanked authorities “from the depth of her soul” – and provided the first details about how she lost her way in the wheat belt region of Western Australia.
Police alleged there was more than one person responsible for a fire at a Sydney childcare centre in the early hours of the morning after they forced entry into the building.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating a video of a person claiming credit for the vandalism of three cars outside a defence industry business linked to Israel, while clad in a black balaclava and standing in front of a Palestinian flag.
Adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance antisemitism definition would be “disaster”, said the author who helped draft it. Israel’s ambassador to Australia said it was “essential” for the federal government to adopt the definition.
An attempt by the New South Wales government to reintroduce koalas to a forest in the state’s far south has failed after more than half of the moved animals died.
Thanks, as ever, for joining us. We’ll be back bright and early tomorrow.
Updated
Greens question ‘due diligence’ around Labor’s antisemitism envoy pick
Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to reports the husband of antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal is co-director of a company that made a major donation to rightwing conservative lobby group, Advance.
In a statement, Faruqi said:
The Prime Minister has questions to answer as to what due diligence was conducted prior to Ms Segal’s appointment.
These revelations just add to the problems of an antisemitism report that does more to stifle free speech than to protect minority groups … the whole system of ‘envoys’ is redundant when we already have a Race Discrimination Commissioner empowered to combat all forms of racism.
If the Prime Minister was serious about tackling racism - in all its forms - his government would commit to urgently funding and implementing the National Anti-Racism Framework, which provides a blueprint for an anti-racist Australia that protects everyone: First Nations people, Jews, Muslims, and other racialised minorities.
Read more here:
Updated
PM needs to have ‘intimate’ discussion with Trump about Aukus, Hastie says
Andrew Hastie has responded to Anthony Albanese’s comments calling for some “perspective” about a potential meeting with Donald Trump.
The shadow home affairs minister told the ABC the PM’s comments were “not fair at all”.
I think, 250 days since President Trump was elected, and the US is our closest security partner, and we have this intergenerational Aukus that needs to be realised in the next few years – it’s obviously under review, and I think it needs the prime minister’s attention.
I think he needs to go to Donald Trump and have an intimate conversation with him about the Aukus and many other issues, particularly given that it is such a close partnership we have.
He said that part of those talks must be calls for transparency about operational arrangements with the US, including a US naval communications facility on the north-west coast and Pine Gap.
It is important if a conflict arises we have an understanding with the US on our role and what that means for our sovereignty and national interest. [These are the] things the prime minister needs to be talking about with President Trump.
Updated
Opposition has ‘questions’ about Palestinian grandmother who fled Gaza
Andrew Hastie says the opposition has “questions” about a Palestinian grandmother who fled Gaza and who was detained by immigration authorities after a predawn raid in Sydney last week.
“Was she part of the cohort of 2,600 visa holders that were referred by home affairs to Asio last year? And if so, how many more other people are there who are potentially security risks who were granted a visa in a very haphazard and rather quick fashion after October 7. It doesn’t show the system’s working. I mean, there’s a lot of ifs,” the shadow home affairs minister told the ABC just now.
He then said the security check system was working – but was working too slowly.
This should have happened last year when the visas were initially issued, and that’s our problem … So the question is, how far through the 2,600 visas are they in terms of security checks?
Read more here:
Updated
German backpacker who went missing in WA outback says she got lost after hitting head in car crash
Backpacker Carolina Wilga has thanked authorities “from the depth of her soul” for their “incredible” support – and provided the first details about how she lost her way in the wheat belt region of Western Australia.
Police have released a statement from the 26-year-old who was last week found alive and well after going missing in dense scrub for almost two weeks.
“Some people might wonder why I even left my car, even though I had water, food, and clothing there. The answer is: I lost control of the car and rolled down a slope. In the crash, I hit my head significantly. As a result of the accident, I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost,” she said in the statement.
The German national said she now “felt part of” the Australian community.
I am deeply impressed by the courage, helpfulness, and warmth that has been shown to me here. Western Australia has taught me what it really means to be part of a true community. Here, humanity, solidarity, and care for one another are what truly matter – and in the end, that’s what counts most.
I am certain that I survived only thanks to this incredible outpouring of support. The thought of all the people who believed in me, searched for me, and kept hoping for me gave me the strength to carry on during my darkest moments. For this, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Especially to the police investigators, searchers, the German Consulate, the medical staff and the wonderful nurses who took care of me with so much compassion.
I am simply beyond grateful to have survived. Thank you Australia – you are amazing,” she said.
Read more here:
Updated
Murray Watt: ‘It is a fact that there are security tensions with China’
Murray Watt says Australia’s relationship with China has “stabilised” – but that security tensions remain.
Speaking with the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing just now, the environment minister said:
It is a fact that there are security tensions with China. We’ll continue to speak up for Australia’s interests when they arise. And we’ve made the point – and Minister [Penny] Wong has made the point – that we want to see a region where no one power dominates and no one is dominated, that’s what we’ll be working towards. But in the meantime, we can seize those massive trade opportunities.
He said when Anthony Albanese meets with President Xi Jinping tomorrow, he will be raising security matters, trade matters and human rights matters.
Updated
Faked text messages sent after daughter’s death ‘didn’t feel right’, distraught mother tells court
A mother has broken down in court while recounting the desperate messages she sent her daughter, believing the young woman had taken her own life, reports AAP.
Instead, Lachlan Young was the one sending the texts from Hannah McGuire’s phone after he allegedly murdered the 23-year-old and burned her body in a ute in remote bushland in Scarsdale, south-west of Ballarat.
Young has admitted to killing his former partner and sending the fake suicide note to her mother.
But the 23-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming it was a spontaneous incident.
McGuire’s mother, Debbie, today told the Victorian supreme court she woke about 3.40am on 5 April 2024 to a text purporting to be from her daughter.
It stated Hannah was sorry and she thought it was the right decision.
“I tried messaging Lach but he doesn’t want anything to do with me now,” the message shown to the jury continued.
“Please check in on him – this is going to break his heart.”
Debbie McGuire’s series of responses were shown to the jury, where she repeatedly asked where her daughter was and urged her not to do “anything silly”. She broke down as she read aloud some of her responses, telling the court Hannah’s messages “didn’t feel right”.
Updated
Hannah Thomas was punched in the face by a police officer, her lawyers claim
Body-worn camera footage shows a police officer punched the former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas in the face during a pro-Palestine protest, her lawyers have claimed, resulting in “extensive and serious injury to her eye”.
Thomas’s lawyers at O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors have said the 35-year-old will sue the state of New South Wales and called for police to withdraw the two criminal charges against her.
Thomas was arrested at a 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.
As a Greens candidate, Thomas ran against Anthony Albanese in the seat of Grayndler at the federal election.
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 footage. Thomas has been charged with resisting police and refusing or failing to comply with a direction.
Read more here:
Data breach affects federal government’s migration agents registry
The federal government’s registry authority for migration agent services has suffered a data breach after its own search tool returned results of internal documents about specific agents.
The authority said it became aware on 6 May of the issue affecting the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) portal that made the internal documents available for view and download when an agent’s name was searched.
The authority shut down the portal immediately and said the breach was a “small and isolated event” that was not the result of a malicious or criminal attack.
The authority determined a small number of documents concerning six people were affected, and included their names, registration number, business contact details, and commentary about the agents that was collected as part of the authority’s work.
The portal is back online after resolving the issue, which has been reported to the Australian privacy commissioner.
Updated
Census trial will include new questions on sexuality and gender before full survey in 2026
The first census questions on sexual orientation and gender will be sent out to thousands of households as part of a practice version of the 2026 nationwide survey, AAP reports.
More than 60,000 homes have been chosen by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to take part in a test census in August in order to make sure the real event runs without incident. The test will include questions set to be in the 2026 census, including the first set of questions in a national census about sexual orientation and gender for people over 16.
Questions about sexuality were to be scrapped from the questionnaire, but the federal government backtracked on the decision in 2024 after criticism from LGBTQI groups. Census general manager Jenny Telford said of the test participants:
By taking part, you’re helping us to improve the next census for everyone and ensure it produces high quality statistics.
Updated
Thank you, Nick Visser. I’m Daisy Dumas and I’ll be at the helm of our live news coverage for the remainder of the day.
Updated
What exactly are ‘green iron’ and ‘green steel’?
There’s been discussion today during the prime minister’s visit to China about “green steel” and “green iron”, but what exactly are they?
The prime minister has been accompanied to China by representatives of Australia’s biggest iron ore miners, as part of a push to promote the sector’s decarbonisation plans.
The Fortescue executive chair, Andrew Forrest, said in Shanghai today that he would like to see a bilateral agreement that would “generate a serious jobs boom in both China for green steel, and particularly for Australia in green iron”.
Green iron refers to iron produced using renewable energy, rather than relying on coal and coke – the latter is derived from coal – in the production process.
Fortescue’s Christmas Creek green metal project is designed to use renewable energy and green hydrogen technology, along with an electric smelting furnace, to produce it.
The ultimate goal is to achieve the production of carbon-neutral iron on an industrial scale.
The metal would be sent offshore, mainly to China, to feed industrial plants that would also utilise renewables to make and power the production of green steel.
That steel would underpin the construction sector.
Forrest has previously warned that Australia’s iron ore-rich Pilbara risks becoming a wasteland if it doesn’t transform, given China’s push to clean up its steel-making processes.
Updated
Queensland police appeal for information after drowning death of young child
Police in Queensland have asked the public for any information after a seven-month-old baby drowned in the rural area of Chatswood on Saturday.
Officials said emergency services were called to a park about 10.40am amid reports the young boy was found unresponsive. He was transported to hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead later that night.
The mother and father of the child are assisting police with their inquiries. Officials have asked anyone who was at the park off Gympie Curra Road between 9-11am on 12 July to contact police.
Det Insp Craig Mansfield told the media this morning homicide investigators had been called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death, which he described as “unexplained”, but not suspicious.
No one has been charged in the matter.
Updated
Israeli ambassador says it is ‘essential’ for Australia to adopt definition of antisemitism
Israel’s ambassador to Australia said it is “essential” for the federal government to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
Amir Maimon posted on X that the IHRA definition of antisemitism was needed for “clearly identifying and combating hatred against Jews in modern society.” He wrote:
It provides a framework that recognises harmful stereotypes, double standards, and new forms of prejudice… No other definition so clearly ensures that contemporary antisemitism is named, understood and confronted wherever it arises.
That definition is contested in some quarters, with concerns it was increasingly being used to conflate antisemitism with criticism of Israel. However it was endorsed by Anthony Albanese when he was opposition leader, as well as Scott Morrison when he was prime minister.
Guardian Australia has reported Labor MPs and rank-and-file members are concerned about the wider adoption of this definition, after antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s plan last week outlined a recommendation to “require” its broader take-up by governments and public institutions.
A 2023 open letter from more than 100 Israeli and international civil society organisations – including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union – asked the United Nations to reject the IHRA definition because it is being “misused” to protect Israel from legitimate criticism.
Maimon’s post today on X continued:
In 2021, the Australian Labor Party joined key democratic allies including the US, UK, Canada, Germany and France in endorsing IHRA.
It uniquely affirms Jewish self-determination and closes loopholes exploited to reinvent antisemitism in modernity.
Updated
Aus shares flat as traders assess threat from Trump’s latest tariff pronouncements
The local share market has clawed back its morning losses to move slightly into the green despite more tariff threats from Donald Trump, AAP reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 2.7 points, or 0.03%, at 8,582.8 about midday on Monday, having been down as many as 21.8 points in the first few minutes of trading.
At the weekend, the US president posted on social media that he would impose 30% tariffs on the European Union and Mexico from 1 August – but leaders of the EU and Mexico said they would keep negotiating with Trump, so the threat might be a negotiating tactic.
City auction markets stay strong
The Reserve Bank decision to hold interest rates steady last week has not dampened enthusiasm for property auctions, with the market recording another strong weekend.
Clearance rates across the state capital cities held above 70% for the fifth consecutive week, with Sydney (76.2%), Adelaide (75.6%) and Melbourne (70.5%) recording very strong results, according to Cotality data.
Clearance rates refer to the percentage of properties sold at auction compared to the total number of properties listed to go under the hammer, with results above 70% viewed as an indicator of strong buying demand.
The clearance rate across state capitals was 72.2%.
The auctions occurred just days after the RBA held rates steady at 3.85%, in a surprise decision that denied further mortgage relief for millions of households.
Most economists expect the RBA will still need to lower rates as early as next month as long as inflation continues to moderate.
Home prices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin are at peak levels, while Melbourne and Hobart are also rising again.
Chalmers says ‘of course’ government interested in ways to simplify the tax system
At his presser earlier, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said both he and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had made their stances on GST changes “pretty clear” but did not rule out hearing ideas on the matter at a productivity roundtable next month. Chalmers said:
Both the prime minister and I have made it pretty clear when it comes to the GST, we had a view about that historically and that view hasn’t changed. We have tried not to artificially limit the ideas of the states or others that [they] will bring to the roundtable. We’ve tried to have a relatively open mind, but you have all heard me talk about the GST before.
Chalmers also spoke about the complexity of the tax system, saying the government was “of course” interested in ideas about how it could be simplified.
When it comes to … [the] complexity and the tax system, of course we are interested in ways to simplify the tax system. When we speak with tax experts and people that have a view about tax reform, they’re interested in efficiency and equity and simplicity, and other design principles like that. …
The views we have expressed publicly, is if there are ways we can simplify and consolidate regulations in our economy, then that would be a good thing for productivity as well so long as we don’t trade away reasonable standards and protections for people.
Updated
Authorities investigating video of a person claiming credit for vandalism of cars outside defence industry business linked to Israel
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating a video of a person claiming credit for the vandalism of three cars outside a defence industry business linked to Israel, while clad in a black balaclava and standing in front of a Palestinian flag.
The video, first reported by Guardian Australia last week, included a claim that an “anonymous cell” torched three cars at Lovitt Technologies. The company supplies parts to the global F-35 joint strike fighter program.
The anonymous group claims Lovitt Technologies was targeted due its support of the joint strike fighter program. The jets are used by Israeli military and their global supply chain has been subject to fierce political debate in Australia and a major legal challenge in the UK.
The anonymous group has also shared videos of the vandalism and that appear to have been filmed by one person wearing a GoPro camera. The videos match CCTV footage released by police earlier this week.
A police spokesperson said “at this time there have been no links established between this incident and several others which occurred on the same weekend including a fire at an East Melbourne synagogue and an affray at a CBD restaurant”.
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team includes representatives from the national spy agency, Asio. The spokesperson said:
The matter is now being investigated by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which includes personnel from Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Investigators are aware of a video which has been circulating where a group has claimed responsibility for the incident. This video is being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.
Updated
Childcare centre founder ‘heartbroken to learn of another senseless attack’
Play to Learn put out a statement after a second suspicious fire at one of their childcare centres in the space of just three days.
The founder and director, Jade Luci, said:
I am heartbroken to learn of another senseless attack on our new Castle Hill centre at 1:30am, but gravely relieved that no one was harmed.
Our fire systems activated even before emergency services arrived, doing exactly what they were designed to do and we’re deeply grateful to the Castle Hill fire brigade and police for their immediate response.
I want to reassure every family that there are no internal concerns, no staff issues, and no grievances at Play to Learn. Our team is strong, united, and deeply committed to the wellbeing of our children.
We will reopen soon, stronger, safer, and more determined than ever.
Updated
Police allege more than one person responsible for second childcare centre fire
Police allege there was more than one person responsible for a fire at a Sydney childcare centre in the early hours of the morning after they forced entry into the building.
Det Supt Naomi Moore told reporters a short time ago that the alleged suspected offenders forced entry into the rear of the Play to Learn centre in Castle Hill and started a fire in a rear room.
“The sprinkler systems extinguish the fire fairly quickly,” she said.
It comes after there was another suspicious fire at a Play to Learn childcare centre in Turramurra – in Sydney’s upper north-shore – on Friday. Police are investigating if the two incidents are linked.
Moore said:
There are two locations that could have some potential links.
Moore said the childcare centre in Castle Hill would remain closed for a few hours while police conduct their investigations. She said:
That investigation we believe at some point in the coming days will be led by the arson squad.
It’s very concerning. There’s no doubt about that. Again, that’s a residential street, and it troubles us a lot. So as mentioned before, we will be putting plenty of resources into it today, and I’m really hopeful that the arson squad, assisted by my detectives and the region, will get an outcome for this shortly.
Updated
PM says he is focused on China but ‘will no doubt have meetings’ with Trump
Anthony Albanese was asked whether he was any closer to locking in a meeting time with Donald Trump.
Speaking in Shanghai just now, the PM replied that he was focused on China – and called for a “bit of perspective”.
“I will no doubt have meetings. I do note that in the Financial Review today, the comments saying I’ve been to the United States five times, I’ve been to China twice. Tony Abbott visited Beijing before Washington after his election, as did Malcolm Fraser, as did Kevin Rudd,” he said.
I think there needs to be a bit of perspective here, as much as I understand the fascination.
I look forward to a constructive engagement with President Trump. We have had three constructive phone conversations.
Updated
Albanese defends record on imprisoned Australians in China
Asked about the plight of Australian-Chinese writer Yang Hengjun, the PM said he would “always raise issues of Australian citizens” – and that he had done a better job of doing so than former governments.
“If you look at my record, it is not too bad, certainly compared with any of my predecessors,” Anthony Albanese said.
I believe that it’s a responsibility, whether it be here in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the United States and the United Kingdom, we have been successful at advocating for Australians. I will always do that.
Read more here:
Updated
Albanese says ‘nothing unusual’ in Chinese surveillance of Australian defence exercises
When asked whether the circumnavigation of ongoing Australian defence flotilla live drills by the Chinese were the act of a friend, Anthony Albanese said it was “nothing unusual” and “has happened in the past”.
Speaking in Shanghai just now, the PM said rather than seeing China as a stable alternative to the US, what he wants is “to see … a stable and secure region”.
The PM was asked whether there was an “ethical responsibility” for Australia to manufacture more iron ore before it leaves our shores.
He answered he was “not sure it’s about ethics, it’s economics”.
We have an interest in maximising the economic benefit. Part of that economic benefit will be about first mover advantage and about decarbonisation and making a positive difference. We see there are advantages that we can have. I have spoken about the opportunity of dealing with climate change, as well as the challenge.
Updated
Andrew Forrest asks for bilateral agreement with China on threats from AI
Andrew Forrest says he has asked Anthony Albanese to form a bilateral agreement with China in the face of threats from artificial intelligence.
Speaking in Shanghai, the Western Australian businessman said just now:
I asked our prime minister if he could work together with China to form a bilateral agreement where we escape the threats coming from AI to employment, both in China and Australia, and generate a serious jobs boom in both China for green steel, and particularly for Australia in green iron.
We forecast hundreds of thousands of new jobs, plus multiplier effects across this. Across China we have people. They want a peaceful long-term relationship with Australia. Across Australia, we have people who want a peaceful, long-term relationship with China. The prime minister has brought us into the realm of that peaceful long-term relationship.
Updated
Albanese speaking in Shanghai after meeting business leaders
Anthony Albanese is speaking live in Shanghai now.
The PM has just been part of a discussion between Chinese steelmakers and Australian iron ore producers, including the chief executives of Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Hancock and Dr Andrew Forrest.
“I think it says something about how significant the relationship is between the Australian businesses and Chinese businesses, and in particular the importance of Australian iron ore exports for steel production here in China, that there are four of the most senior business people in Australia represented here, and we have had a very successful discussion today with Chinese steelmakers about decarbonisation of the steelmaking process,” he said just now.
This is the first time that Australia’s iron ore leaders have met with China’s steel industry leaders, with an Australian prime minister here in China.
Updated
Chalmers says under current housing trajectories ‘we would fall short’
Chalmers said the government’s housing targets would be difficult, but said the advice given by the Treasury meant the government will need to “do better and do more” to meet its target. He said:
The point that the Treasury is making, the point that I understand and accept, is that the government will need to do better and do more to meet that target.
Under current trajectories we would fall short but that doesn’t mean that between now and over the course of the next four years we can’t consider ways and work with the states and territories and others, local government and others, on ways to build more homes.
Updated
Chalmers still believes government’s housing target will be met
The treasurer just responded to a question about the advice, which says a target for 1.2m homes in five years will not be met. A reporter asked if Chalmers still believed the target can be met.
‘Yes’, he replied.
He went on:
We have to be ambitious in housing and we are. And you know, I think it would be strange if a government like ours saw the obvious challenges in housing and decided anything other than to try to be ambitious about building many more homes for people …
It’s not the worst thing from time to time for it to be understood in the broader community that this will be a difficult target to meet but if we all do our bit, we all play our part, as the commonwealth has been willing to play, then we can build the homes that people desperately need.
Read more on that pledge here:
Updated
Chalmers on tax and housing advice from Treasury: ‘I don’t think it’s particularly surprising’
Chalmers went on to say the advice, provided to all incoming governments, was standard form from the Treasury:
I don’t think it’s particularly surprising that Treasury provides advice to in their incoming government brief.
I don’t think it’s particularly surprising that the Treasury has highlighted, as I have personally, that we need to do more to make the budget more sustainable.
Updated
Chalmers says he’s ‘pretty relaxed about it’ after Treasury advice accidentally sent to ABC
Treasurer Jim Chalmers responded to reports in the ABC this morning after the broadcaster mistakenly received advice given to the Labor government on taxes and housing by mistake after the ABC filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
The advice, written by the independent Treasury, reportedly included details from subheadings saying a sustainable budget could not be achieved without raising taxes and cutting spending. It also said Labor’s pledge to build 1.2m homes over five years would “not be met”. Chalmers just told the media:
Obviously Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions that advice can’t be always adequately captured in the subheadings which are reported in documents which are sent in error. What’s happened here is a Treasury official has sent those documents in error. That sort of thing happens from time to time.
I’m pretty relaxed about it, to be honest, because of course Treasury provides advice for incoming governments and no government typically goes into the detail of that.
Chalmers said the accidental disclosures weren’t dissimilar from what he had already told the media about difficulties addressing housing and the budget:
We have already made it really clear that we will need to do more to meet our housing targets. We have already made it really clear that we will do more to make our economy more productive and more resilient.
We have made it clear that we need to build on the progress we have made in repairing the budget so that we can make the budget even more sustainable.
Updated
Man charged after allegedly assaulting woman with axe and stealing her car in NSW
NSW Police charged a man on allegations he assaulted a woman with an axe then stole her classic sports car this weekend on the state’s south coast.
Officers responded to reports of a man armed with a hammer and axe around 1pm on Saturday in Worrigee, NSW. Police said officers arrived on the scene, where the man allegedly threw the axe at a police vehicle, retrieved it then ran to a home where he allegedly assaulted the woman, 66, while she was sitting in a Ford Mustang.
Police allege he hit the woman multiple times with the axe before stealing the car. He allegedly ran her over before fleeing in the vehicle. The woman was treated by paramedics and taken to the hospital in a serious but stable condition. She has since been transferred to another facility for further treatment.
Police later arrested a 25-year-old man after a high-speed pursuit. He was charged yesterday on multiple offenses, including custody of a knife in a public place, goods in personal custody suspected of being stolen, larceny and use of an offensive weapon to prevent lawful apprehension, among other charges. He was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was refused bail earlier today.
Updated
Australia to get its own low-Earth-orbit satellite system in 2028
Australia will get its own low-Earth orbit satellite system in 2028 as part of a consortium by Optus.
Optus and a consortium of organisations including iLAuNCH Trailblazer, HEO, Inovor Technology and the Australian defence department’s Defence Science and Technology group announced the plan on Monday in South Australia.
The satellite will be built in South Australia, and Optus will operate the spacecraft from Sydney when launched.
It may be a while before the Optus LEO satellite can be used for more commercial services, however, with the LEO satellite’s focus initially to be on monitoring space, and tracking items in space.
There are currently 12,000 satellites operating in space, and the LEO’s work will focus on assessing space activity.
It comes as the federal government is developing plans to require mobile companies to use LEO type services to provide universal mobile outdoor coverage, but this will not address this immediately, officials said.
Update: This post was amended to clarify the LEO satellite is for monitoring space rather than commercial services.
Updated
Police investigating after man with suspected gunshot wound crashes car into tree in Melbourne
Victorian police are investigating after a man was found with a suspected gunshot wound after a car crash in a Melbourne suburb last night.
Emergency services responded to reports of a car that had driven through a park fence and crashed into a tree in the suburb of Roxburgh Park last night around 7pm.
The driver, a 30-year-old man, was taken to hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition. He sustained injuries in the crash, but is also believed to have a gunshot wound to his lower body. A woman, 26, was also in the car and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The exact circumstances of the crash are yet to be determined, but police said it appeared to be a “targeted incident”. A crime scene has been established.
Updated
‘Gross overreach’: Labor group urges Albanese to reject key parts of antisemitism envoy plan
A “groundswell” of Labor rank-and-file members are urging the government to reject key recommendations from the federal antisemitism envoy, according to an internal lobby group, urging a focus on anti-racism education rather than more contentious ideas such as stripping funding from universities and arts bodies.
Labor Friends of Palestine, an internal campaign group of members and politicians, said it was concerned about anti-Jewish hatred, but would be troubled about wider adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s contested definition of antisemitism, as recommended by Jillian Segal in a wide-ranging plan last week.
Three co-conveners of the group have written to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, saying they were “deeply concerned” about parts of Segal’s recommendations, describing her ideas about amending immigration law, changing school curriculums or potentially terminating funding to academics and artists as “gross overreach”. The group is also planning a campaign to gather further support from more Labor party branches.
Peter Moss, a co-convener of Labor Friends of Palestine, told Guardian Australia:
There is a groundswell of outrage among rank-and-file Labor members. There is deep concern about the use of the IHRA definition which has been deployed to stifle criticism of the state of Israel.
Read more here:
Updated
Scientists detect biggest ever merger of two massive black holes
Scientists have detected ripples in space-time from the violent collision of two massive black holes that spiralled into one another far beyond the distant edge of the Milky Way.
The black holes, each more than 100 times the mass of the sun, began circling each other long ago and finally slammed together to form an even more massive black hole about 10bn light years from Earth.
The event is the most massive black hole merger ever recorded by gravitational wave detectors and has forced physicists to rethink their models of how the enormous objects form. The signal was recorded when it hit detectors on Earth sensitive enough to detect shudders in space-time thousands of times smaller than the width of a proton.
Read more here:
AFP restrains $1m from alleged illicit vape sales
The Australian Federal Police has restrained more than $1m from two bank accounts after allegations the money came from illicit vape sales in Sydney and online.
Authorities conducted a joint investigation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) as part of an effort called Operation Smokestorm, which began in May. The AFP said it received intel from ANZ and Westpac about an account that allegedly received the proceeds of vape sales and later conducted search warrants on several storage units in Sydney.
Police said they seized some online branded vapes and handwritten inventories detailing vape flavours and qualities.
The money in the restrained bank accounts may ultimately be forfeited to the commonwealth. Jason Kennedy, an AFP commander, said in a statement:
The ability to restrain property suspected to be the proceeds of crime sends a clear message to criminals – if you commit crime, you not only risk a term of imprisonment, but we will also target your ill-gotten assets.
If these funds are forfeited to the commonwealth, they will be redirected to crime prevention and diversionary programs which benefit the community.
Updated
Lifeblood ban on many gay and bisexual men donating plasma ends today
Most gay and bisexual men and more transgender people are now officially eligible to donate plasma after Lifeblood’s updated rules on donation guidelines went into effect this morning.
Australian Red Cross Lifeblood announced the changes last month, which removed most sexual activity wait times which had previously excluded many LGBTQ+ people from donating plasma if they had sex in the previous three months. The group estimates about 625,000 more Australians may now be eligible to donate plasma, with around 95,000 additional donations expected to be made each year. Stephen Cornelissen, the CEO of Lifeblood, said:
We’re looking forward to welcoming many more people into our donor centres from today. Importantly, today’s change will allow those on PrEP to become the first in the world to donate plasma without a wait period.
More people from Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community can now donate plasma without a wait period, including gay and bisexual men, anyone on PrEP, transgender people in relationships with men, and others excluded by previous sexual activity rules. https://t.co/gTLnRZ7GV4 pic.twitter.com/MMjLlkhJND
— lifebloodau (@lifebloodau) July 13, 2025
Lifeblood is also moving forward on plans to open up blood donations to more people with an updated, gender-neutral questionnaire that could be introduced in 2026. Under the plans, all donors will be asked the same questions about sexual activity, regardless of gender or sexuality.
Read more here:
Updated
Opinion: ‘The special envoy’s plan is the latest push to weaponise antisemitism in Australia, as a relentless campaign pays off’
Former publisher Louise Adler says in an opinion piece the plans to see all levels of government adopt the definition of antisemitism is “certainly guilty of overreach”.
Read more here:
Sinner calls Wimbledon title win ‘amazing’: ‘I am living my dream’
Jannik Sinner said he is living his dream after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in spectacular fashion to win his first Wimbledon title. The world No 1 beat the two-time defending champion 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to become the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title and clinch his fourth grand slam crown. He said after his victory:
It’s amazing to be in this position. We were talking before the match, we would never have thought to be in this position back in the days when I was young. This was only a dream; dream of the dream as it was so far away from where I am from.
I am living my dream. It’s amazing. I want to thank my team and everyone who came here from this special day. You give me so much emotions on and off the court and we try to keep pushing and become a better tennis player, but mostly a better person.”
Read more here:
NSW police seeking information after second childcare centre fire in four days
Authorities are appealing for information after a ‘suspicious’ fire at a childcare centre in Sydney’s west in the early hours of Monday morning.
The ABC reports the blaze took place at a Play to Learn facility in Castle Hill. Another Play to Learn centre also caught fire in Sydney’s Turramurra on Friday. NSW police said:
About 1:30am today, emergency services were called to a business in Excelsior Avenue, Castle Hill, following reports of a fire. NSW Fire and Rescue are on scene and have extinguished the blaze. There has been minor damage caused to the building.
Police said later this morning the fire ‘is being treated as suspicious and detectives are investigating whether the incident is linked to a fire in Turramurra last week’.
Police have established a crime scene and are investigating the cause of the incident.
Updated
Greens environment spokesperson calls for NSW premier to explain after koala deaths
Greens MP Sue Higginson, the party’s spokesperson for the environment in NSW, said the report on koala deaths was “deeply disturbing, tragic and cruel”. Higginson said in a statement:
This level of experimentation with our endangered koalas is cruel, was a catastrophic failure and should not have happened. The control settings around this translocation experiment were obviously fundamentally flawed and I don’t think the public would find this level of experimentation with our endangered koalas at all acceptable.
Higginson called on the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and environment minister, Penny Sharpe, to explain.
Koalas are not expendable, any and all translocation programs must be immediately stopped and the ethics and controls around such programs need to be reviewed transparently and publicly. In this case there needs to be an investigation as to whether animal cruelty laws have been breached.
Read more here:
Updated
More than half of koalas relocated to NSW forest died after failed attempt at reintroduction
An attempt by the New South Wales government to reintroduce koalas to a forest in the state’s far south has failed after more than half of the moved animals died, including two with signs of septicaemia, and the remaining marsupials were taken into care.
The translocation and deaths of seven out of 13 koalas in April were not made public by the government, prompting questions about whether something went wrong with the project and calls from the NSW Greens for a review.
The project was aiming to re-establish a koala population in an area of south-eastern NSW where the species is locally extinct. Translocation is part of NSW’s koala strategy to try to improve the trajectory of the endangered species, at risk of extinction in the state.
A spokesperson for the NSW environment department told Guardian Australia 13 koalas were selected for translocation in April and moved from “a high-density population” in the Upper Nepean state conservation area west of Wollongong to the South East Forest national park near Bega.
They said three koalas died within a two-day period in early April, which led the department’s project team to put the remaining 10 animals into a wildlife hospital. Four more koalas died.
Adopting antisemitism definition would be 'disaster', says author who helped draft it
Kenneth Stern, the director of the US-based Bard Center for the Study of Hate, said it is a “disaster” that Australia is considering the adoption of a working definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) as part of a plan to end anti-Jewish hatred. Jillian Segal, the federal special envoy to combat antisemitism, recommended last week the definition be adopted by all levels of government and said universities should face funding cuts if they fail to fight such hate speech, among other efforts.
Stern was the lead drafter of what was then called the “working definition of antisemitism” two decades ago, an effort to help experts and governments better monitor antisemitism over time and across borders, he wrote for the Guardian. The definition was later adopted by the IHRA in 2016.
But Stern described the plan to adopt it in Australia as a “disaster”, saying it was never meant to silence speech. He told RN Breakfast:
I think when you make things a free speech fight, that’s a problem. What I started seeing back around 2010 in the United States is the definition was being weaponised to go after pro-Palestinian speech, and a lot of that speech I don’t like either. But when you start having official definitions of what is a particular type of hatred, that leads to problems that are, in my country at least, the United States, reminiscent of McCarthyism …
We wouldn’t do that about racism, we wouldn’t do it about anti-Palestinian animus, we wouldn’t do it about other things. But it’s being used this way, you know, to go after speech. And what that does is not only harm democracy, it blinds us to how antisemitism actually works.
Updated
Watt says government remains set on ‘preserving the Great Barrier Reef forever’
Watt spoke this morning about renewed discussions over the Great Barrier Reef at the world heritage meeting in Paris last week. He said the Albanese government remains concerned about the health of the reef and rejected any claims the government was “turning a blind eye” to its health, telling RN:
We recognise that the Great Barrier Reef, along with all coral reefs in the world, is under pressure, particularly from climate change. There’s other factors that have been impacting on the Great Barrier Reef as well, such as runoff and water quality.
And that’s exactly why we’ve been investing hundreds of millions of dollars to increase water quality, to make sure that the fishing industry operating around the reef is more sustainable, to build the resilience of the reef.
But look, we acknowledge that there’s still more to be done there. I think all Australians and the whole world have got an interest in preserving the Great Barrier Reef forever, and that’s absolutely the intent of our government.
Updated
Murray Watt says World Heritage decision on Murujuga won’t impact final decision on Woodside extension
The environment minister, Murray Watt, has claimed that the science is clear that “industry can co-exist with rock art” in the Murujuga landscape in WA, saying the recent decision to list the area on the world heritage list would not affect the government’s final decision on the extension of the Woodside gas project.
Watt told RN Breakfast of the world heritage committee decision in Paris this weekend:
It won’t apply to any decisions that are currently under way or that have happened previously.
But what’s important about this decision is that any future industrial development in that precinct would need to comply with the rules surrounding world heritage nominations.
This is a really special moment to have Murujuga listed for world heritage. … I said that we would be applying strict conditions and preservation of the rock art was central to my decision when I made that a few weeks ago. But I guess this is also a way of keeping future governments and future industry honest to make sure that it does have this extra layer of protection against any inappropriate development in the future. And that’s a good thing.
Updated
Albanese to raise concerns over Chinese steel dumping at roundtable
Anthony Albanese will raise Australian concerns over Chinese steel dumping as he urges industry leaders from both nations to work together to develop low-carbon steel production methods, AAP reports.
At a roundtable of Australian iron ore producers and Chinese steelmakers in Shanghai on Monday, Albanese will call on China to address an oversupply of steel in the global market.
Excess Chinese steel production – the result of prolonged economic stimulus and weak domestic demand – has flooded the international market in recent years, squeezing producers in places such as the US and Europe and precipitating allegations of dumping.
Australia imposed anti-dumping duties on steel imports from China but the World Trade Organization found they were improperly applied. Albanese will tell the roundtable this morning:
As both countries cooperate to advance decarbonisation, we also need to work together to address global excess steel capacity.
It is in both countries’ interests to ensure a sustainable and market-driven global steel sector.
Updated
PM uses trip to launch new tourism campaign aimed at Chinese market
Anthony Albanese has used his China trip to launch a new tourism campaign meant to encourage more holidaymakers to visit Australia.
The PM wants to boost the country as a destination for Chinese visitors, further increasing the interest of a market already worth $9.2bn in tourism – Australia’s largest tourist market by expenditure.
In Shanghai, on the first full day of his trip on Sunday, Albanese was on hand as Tourism Australia and Trip.com Group signed a memorandum of understanding which “promotes Australia as a premier tourist destination for Chinese travellers as well as visitors from other key Asian markets”, according to his office. The PM’s office said:
This partnership will provide a significant boost for Australia’s tourism industry.
Trip.com is one of the world’s biggest travel networks, used by more than 300 million travellers globally – including huge numbers in China and through Asia. Albanese said:
Not only is Australia’s beef, barley, red wine and rock lobster the best in the world – we’re the best place in the world to come for a holiday.
Expanding our tourism relationship with China will mean more jobs for Australians and a boost for Australian businesses.
Albanese’s six-day China trip continues today with an expected meeting with China’s premier, Xi Jinping, on Tuesday.
Updated
Grace Kim wins golf major after dramatic final round
24-year-old Grace Kim produced one of the most astonishing golfing fightbacks in history to join Australia’s illustrious group of major champions, AAP reports.
Kim recovered from four shots behind in a most dramatic final round to clinch victory over world No 2 Jeeno Thitikul on the second playoff hole at the Evian championship in France. Kim said after the astounding eagle-birdie-eagle finish:
I don’t know how it happened, really.
Grace Kim gets it done with an eagle on the second playoff hole 💪 She's a major champ! pic.twitter.com/KUBodnh1Il
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 13, 2025
It’s a huge achievement for me. I’ve had a lot of doubts early this year. I was kind of losing motivation. I kind of had to get some hard conversations done with the team. Yeah, kind of had to wake up a little bit.
So to be sitting here next to this trophy is definitely surreal.
Updated
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to Monday’s live news blog. I’m Nick Visser and I’ll be taking you through the morning’s news.
Anthony Albanese – who is now in China – will raise Australian concerns over Chinese steel dumping as he urges industry leaders from both nations to work together to develop low-carbon steel production methods. The PM has also launched a new tourism campaign to encourage more holidaymakers from China to visit Australia.
In response to an exclusive Guardian story, the New South Wales Greens MP Sue Higginson has described the deaths of seven out of 13 koalas in a conversation project as “deeply disturbing, tragic and cruel”.
And Jannik Sinner has exorcised the wretched memory of his painful French Open title capitulation by defeating his great young rival Carlos Alcaraz.
