What we learned, Thursday 11 June
Thanks for staying with us today. We’ll wrap up the live blog there.
Here were today’s top stories:
-
KPMG is now facing a third probe, this time from the top accountants organisation CAANZ.
-
Queensland will conduct a Human Rights Act review.
-
Kiis FM has lost listeners after Kyle and Jackie O’s exit.
-
A Melbourne local council has mourned a “tragedy” after a burnt homeless man’s death was ruled not suspicious.
-
Media company Seven’s owner has announced job cuts and restructuring.
-
Brittany Higgins has a new job fighting the “rise of misogyny” and far-right politics in Australia.
-
Anthony Albanese has cast doubt on One Nation’s claimed donations boom. One Nation said it would audit donations to prove authenticity.
-
Angus Taylor said he had no plan to carve up seats with One Nation.
-
Bridget McKenzie ruled out a One Nation seat split from the Nationals and challenged Albanese to share Labor’s donation data.
-
Tony Burke brushed off the One Nation threat, saying Pauline Hanson “hates my part of Sydney”.
-
Jim Chalmers said Taylor was privileged and out of touch in his criticism of Labor’s budget.
We’ll be back tomorrow morning.
Updated
Government officials agree ‘like-for-like’ support unlikely after proposed NDIS removals
Government officials agree that NDIS participants removed from the scheme as a part of the Albanese government’s proposed changes to remove more than 200,000 people by 2031 will not necessarily receive “like-for-like” support.
Officials for the NDIS and health department are appearing at the Senate inquiry into the bill. They’ve just been asked about a submission today from states and territories, which warned they could not – and had not agreed to – offer adequate services to support them.
One of the department’s first assistant secretaries, Anthea Long, said it was “correct” that participants will “not necessarily receive like-for-like supports outside of the scheme” but that programs, like Thriving Kids, are “better targeted and designed”.
State and territory disability ministers warned there is “a significant risk that people with disability will end up in hospitals or other settings that are inappropriate and unable to meet their needs, or have no access to services at all”.
Government modelling last month revealed 241,000 people on the NDIS are expected to exit the scheme by June 2031 under eligibility changes beginning in 2028, and a further 110,000 people who would’ve entered by that time would be diverted away.
Read more:
Updated
Jim Chalmers says tax changes good for the economy
Jim Chalmers says limiting the CGT changes to housing would have “replaced one distortion with another” and the budget’s tax reforms will boost national productivity by driving investment into more productive assets than bricks and mortar.
“The tax reforms are motivated by allocative efficiency, a core tenet of economics which is about getting investment flowing to where it is most productive,” he told an investment bank conference this afternoon.
He said research by the Reserve Bank and the Bank for International Settlements showed poorly designed tax settings can divert money away from where it is most useful.
This speaks to the challenge we must confront in our economy: a tax system that funnels investment into established housing at the expense of other important parts of our economy.
After copping heavy criticism from entrepreneurs and small business groups about the proposed changes to the CGT discount, the treasurer repeated that 90% of “active businesses remain eligible for very significant CGT concessions”.
He said the debate had also ignored the $3.5bn in the budget aimed at supporting young businesses, including two-year loss carry back for companies with revenue under $1bn and loss refundability for startups.
Ahead of next week’s two-day Senate committee hearing into the legislation for the tax changes, Chalmers said “we do recognise there are some specific issues for small and start-up businesses with low or zero cost base, and we have been engaged in targeted consultation with these sectors”.
Shortly I will publish a policy position paper seeking feedback on our proposed approach.
Updated
‘Show me yours’: Nationals challenge Albanese over One Nation donation call
Bridget McKenzie has challenged Anthony Albanese to “show me yours” after the prime minister challenged One Nation to prove it was raising the amount of money it claimed.
One Nation now says it will audit the donations to back its claims. Its website has shown donations for its “fire the liar” campaign steadily increasing by about $900 per minute since 3pm today, now at $2,147,478.
McKenzie told the ABC:
I don’t disbelieve the figure … Incredible glass jaw by the prime minister in wanting real-time donation data from his political opponents … A political party put out an ad saying: ‘this guy’s a liar and he’s damaging our country’. And Australians said yes.
And I guess what I hope to see is every single cent of that money spent fighting Labor candidates in Labor seats and taking seats from this prime minister …
I think what the prime minister’s wanting is real-time donation data. I want to see how much the CFMEU has given in fundraising nominations or preselection supports for Labor party MPs. I can’t get that data from the prime minister. So I guess it’s a case of “show me yours” and he can ask for other people to show them theirs.
McKenzie was asked about how the Nationals were doing on fundraising. She the Victorian Labor state government had been particularly helpful in boosting Victorian Nationals membership numbers.
I’m not going to give you real-time data on the National party’s fundraising but I am going to tell you our membership is increasing here in Victoria in particular. We’re holding our fundraisers and they’re very, very well attended.
Updated
McKenzie rules out One Nation seat split from Nationals
Bridget McKenzie, the Nationals’ Senate leader, has backed Angus Taylor’s rejection of suggestions the Coalition work with One Nation to split up electorates to contest.
Asked if the Nationals would carve up seats with One Nation, McKenzie told the ABC:
I think this is a very odd discussion to be having this far out from an election campaign … [Taylor] has made it very, very clear that that is not a discussion that the Liberal party is having. It’s not a discussion that the Liberal party is interested in having.
Asked if it was a mistake for Liberal frontbencher Tony Pasin to suggest the idea, McKenzie said:
Tony’s obviously giving [Anthony Albanese] an opportunity this morning, but … this is not on the table.
Updated
KPMG facing third probe from top accountants organisation
KPMG is now facing a third significant probe after a whistleblower alleged leaks of clients’ confidential information.
The peak accounting body, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, has announced broad inquiries into ethics and confidentiality at the biggest Australian accounting firms.
The big four consulting and accounting firms – KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC – would be reviewed, as will four other top firms.
CAANZ reviews major firms’ behaviour every three years but today said it would do an extra targeted review urgently. A spokesperson said:
The CEO-directed reviews announced today are separate to and over and above that regular cycle, directed at specific ethical standards.
KPMG leadership and partners were already set to be hauled before a federal parliamentary inquiry and Australia’s corporate regulator. CAANZ was also already investigating three KPMG partners who self-reported.
CAANZ has also welcomed the federal government’s announcement of a review of corporate whistleblower protections, in the wake of the KPMG whistleblower’s disclosure.
KPMG Australia has said it had made “significant” efforts to respond since it became aware in early 2024 but it dismissed the allegations in initial investigations. KPMG International said it took appropriate action on all reports on its whistleblower hotline and had supported KPMG Australia’s response. Read more here:
Updated
Nearly 60% of all charity revenue goes to just 306 organisations, new data shows
Just 306 organisations attracted 57% of all revenue raised by Australia’s 53,641 charities in 2024, new data from the charities regulator shows.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission today reported revenue to registered charities hit a record $239bn – $17bn higher than in 2023 – of which $118bn came from governments and $83bn from sales of goods and services.
Donations and bequests accounted for $14.8bn, the second-highest result on record, behind the $18.9bn in 2023 which included Australia’s biggest one-off donation on record (when billionaires Andrew and Nicola Forrest donated $4.9bn to their Minderoo Foundation).
The 306 biggest charities received a combined $136bn in revenue. The 16,160 smallest received $0.2bn and the next 16,139 received $3.1bn. In other words, the top 0.6% get 57% of revenue while the bottom 60% get 1.4% of total sector revenue, by the ACNC’s calculations. The ACNC commissioner, Sue Woodward, said:
This highlights how much less financial capacity these charities have across key measures.
Expenses in the sector grew faster than revenue, rising $18bn to total $231bn across the sector. Most of the increase was due to rising employee expenses. Woodward said:
Demand for support is rising as more people feel the squeeze. Charities are responding by hiring more staff where they can – but at the same time, they’re being hit with higher costs for wages, insurance and utilities.
Charities reported 3.9m volunteers in 2024, a record high. Clean Up Australia had 1.1m while Surf Life Saving clubs across Australia reported more than 250,000 volunteers.
Updated
Queensland to conduct human rights act review
The Queensland government has announced a review of the state’s human rights act and anti-discrimination legislation.
The attorney general, Deb Frecklington, announced on Thursday that former supreme court judge Peter Flanagan would be appointed to conduct the review.
Frecklington has previously ignored the recommendations of a previous review conducted under the act.
Flanagan will also review changes to the state’s anti-discrimination laws passed under Labor. They were legislated in 2024 after a three-and-a-half year consultation process on the existing legislation.
Frecklington indefinitely halted implementation of the law last year on the basis that they were rushed, arguing there was insufficient time for consultation. She did so by amending an unrelated bill after its parliamentary committee process had ended, meaning there was no consultation on her legislation.
Flanagan will also review the functioning of the Queensland human rights commission, established under the act. Under his terms of reference, which were published today, he is also to consider “how to best protect the rights of victims of crime” and whether a further review is necessary.
“This review will allow us to take a holistic view of Queensland’s human rights and anti-discrimination frameworks, ensuring they are fair, effective, and fit for purpose,” Frecklington said.
The review will commence next week and is due to be completed by 31 March 2027, with the final report to be tabled in the legislative assembly.
Updated
Burke brushes off One Nation threat, says Hanson ‘hates my part of Sydney’
Tony Burke has brushed off One Nation’s warning that his western Sydney seat is under threat, saying Pauline Hanson “hates my part of Sydney”.
Hanson listed the home affairs minister’s electorate of Watson among a raft of Labor-held seats that her rightwing populist party would target at the next federal campaign.
Watson is among the most multicultural seats in the country and is home to the suburb of Lakemba, which is a significant hub for Australian Muslims.
Hanson earlier this year claimed that people “feel unwanted” in Lakemba in comments that attracted condemnation (and invitations for her to visit the suburb).
Asked on Thursday if he was worried by Hanson’s threat, Burke said:
She hates my part of Sydney, and she said so. And this is where I’m really conscious, people shouldn’t pretend to be patriotic if they hate modern Australia. I love Australia and I love Australia for who we are, not for some fake idea of the nation that we’ve never been.
And so, you know, One Nation always run in my part of Sydney, they’ll run again. It’s a democracy, everybody’s welcome to run. But I have to say, as a message to people who want to demean their fellow Australians, we’re a better country than that. And please, people should not pretend to be patriotic if their actual view is that they hate modern Australia.
One Nation polled 3.2% in Watson at the 2025 federal election, down 2% from the previous ballot.
Updated
Privileged Angus Taylor is out of touch, says Jim Chalmers
Jim Chalmers earlier today said Liberal leader Angus Taylor’s privileged upbringing meant he was out of touch with the challenges of mainstream Australians, and accused One Nation’s Pauline Hanson of doing the bidding of her billionaire backer.
Revisiting parliamentary attack lines from February – when the treasurer memorably described the opposition leader as “born with a silver foot in his mouth” – Chalmers this morning told Labor faithful at a conference that “not everybody is born already at the top of the ladder like Angus Taylor was, not everybody fails upwards like he has”.
And unlike One Nation, we vote the way workers need us to, not the way Gina Rinehart tells us to.
Defending the government’s proposed changes to investor taxes and negative gearing, Chalmers said:
Our opponents who say we’re pulling up the ladder don’t understand there’s not much point in a ladder with the first few rungs missing.
Updated
Tony Burke wishes Nauru removal deal had been in place 10 years ago
Tony Burke has said he “wished” the $2.5bn deal with Nauru to remove refugees or stateless people whose visas have been cancelled to the tiny Pacific island had been implemented a decade ago after the government’s loss in the high court yesterday.
The home affairs minister was asked how much the commonwealth might have to pay people wrongfully held in indefinite immigration detention after the high court ruled against the government’s attempted defence yesterday.
The decision could pave the way for hundreds of affected people to launch damages claims, expected to put the government on the hook for millions of dollars in compensation.
At a press conference today, Burke said the situation would not happen due to an agreement made with Nauru last year.
The deal means those who cannot be returned to their country of origin, because they are at risk of persecution or because they are stateless, can be removed to Nauru with 30-year visas. It is expected to cost Australia at least $2.5bn to remove about 350 people over three decades.
Burke said:
What we have established now, which I wish had been established a decade ago, is a system where if someone won’t go to any other country, we have an arrangement with Nauru, where people can go there … the situation [high court loss] will not occur again, because we now have the agreement with Nauru.
Read more:
Updated
Council mourns ‘tragedy’ as burnt homeless man’s death in Melbourne ruled not suspicious
Police say they do not believe the death of a homeless man in Melbourne’s east this week was suspicious.
The man was found dead with burn injuries in parkland in Donvale on Tuesday afternoon. Arson squad detectives attended the scene but not homicide detectives. After a postmortem examination on Wednesday, police said they would not be treating his death as suspicious.
The man has still not been formally identified so his next of kin are not aware. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The local government, Manningham Council, had not been notified of anyone sleeping rough in the area before the man was found. A council spokesperson said:
We’re deeply saddened by the death of a person in Donvale, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.
Everyone deserves the dignity of a safe and secure place to live. We recognise that homelessness and sleeping rough in public spaces is not illegal. We are continuing to work closely with a range of local service providers to support those experiencing homelessness, and those doing it tough in our community.
Updated
Thank you Nick Visser and hello readers, I’ll be steeering the blog for the next couple of hours.
That’s all from me. Luca Ittimani will take things from here. Take care!
NSW police force rife with ‘harassment, undermining and belittlement’ of women, review finds
Every female employee of the NSW police force who participated in a wide-ranging review into its culture had experienced or observed “overt or covert harassment, undermining and belittlement”, a scathing report has found.
Undertaken by former Victorian equal opportunity and human rights commissioner Kristen Hilton, the review – released Thursday – found a rampant culture of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination existed within the force.
Many of those who had spoken out about the conduct feared being “punished” for doing so, the report said.
“Based on this data, it is clear that bullying, incivility, discrimination and victimisation are occurring at unacceptable levels within [the police force] and present systemic risk,” Hilton wrote.
“Many also acknowledged that things had improved over time in NSW police force.”
Read more here:
Watch: Inside a crypto scheme that cost investors millions of dollars – documentary
When Guardian Australia senior reporter Sarah Martin heard a friend’s hairdresser had invested in a cryptocurrency scheme called HyperVerse and potentially lost all her money, she decided to investigate. She soon found many more members of the scheme, in Australia and around the world.
In this short documentary, interviews with former HyperVerse participants are woven through Sarah’s recounting of the rabbit hole she fell down as she investigated the scheme, how it worked, and tried to find out who was responsible for it all.
Updated
Peter Weir receives lifetime achievement award at Sydney film festival ceremony
Peter Weir, the director of Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli, was presented with the inaugural lifetime achievement award from the Australian Film Television and Radio School on Wednesday night.
At an event hosted by Sydney film festival, the AFTRS council chair, Rachel Perkins, called the now-retired 81-year-old director and screenwriter “the greatest film-maker this country has produced”.
Perkins, who founded and co-directed the film production company Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022, said: “As Aboriginal people, we felt seen in your films.”
Weir was able to “define what we call Australian culture”, Perkins said of the themes of mateship and anti-authoritarianism in 1981’s Gallipoli.
Read more here:
Updated
Ivan Milat murders may have begun in early 1970s, NSW MP suggests
Continuing on from the previous post …
NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham, who is chairing the inquiry, said he believed Milat’s murders date back to the early 1970s involving several victims whose cases remain unanswered for decades, AAP reports.
Rowland’s family believe her abduction and murder was sexually motivated and may have been the start of Milat learning his predatory behaviours.
The family claim at numerous junctures police could have connected Rowland’s death to Milat.
Buckingham said policing had come a long way, but in the past had involved a bias against some victims, including Aboriginal people.
Becoming emotional at times during his testimony, Kevin Docherty, whose twin sister, Kay, disappeared 47 years ago, touched on how his family was forced into playing detectives themselves.
“This was not our job, but families do this for their loved ones,” he told the inquiry on Thursday.
Updated
Families of suspected Ivan Milat victims claim cover-up
Missing evidence, hidden files and incomplete investigations are some of the challenges families of Ivan Milat’s suspected victims say they have faced in their quest to find answers, AAP reports.
The family of Keren Rowland, who was found dead after disappearing one night in the early 1970s, haven’t given up hope of uncovering the truth about what happened to her.
They believe she may have been the first victim of the notorious serial killer, and argue if police had made the connection early on he could have been stopped much earlier in his lethal campaign.
Rowland’s younger brother, Steve Rowland, appeared on Thursday at a NSW parliamentary inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons between 1965 and 2010.
“We have and will continue to search for answers but we’re finding it incredibly difficult to get the same support and help from the investigating authorities,” he told the committee.
Rowland disappeared on 26 February 1971 after spending the evening at the Canberra Show. She was 20 years old and was five months pregnant.
Updated
No pay rise for MPs and departmental chiefs
Members of parliament and the bosses of federal government departments and agencies won’t get a pay rise from 1 July, after the independent remuneration tribunal ruled not to proceed with an increase.
A comprehensive review of pay arrangements for all offices under the jurisdiction of the tribunal is underway, and could result in an increase at a later date.
Annual pay increases are usually delivered at the start of the new financial year. MPs and senior office holders got a 2.4% pay rise in July last year, and 3.5% in 2024.
In conducting its review of pay and conditions, the tribunal considers inflation, private sector wage growth, the national minimum wage and other metrics.
“While this approach will result in a reduction in real remuneration, it preserves existing relativities and allows the tribunal to consider remuneration outcomes in a more integrated and considered manner,” the tribunal said in a statement.
The current review is expected to be finalisd ahead of decisions in 2027.
JB Hi-Fi says it takes compliance ‘very seriously’ after allegations of misleading discounts
JB Hi-Fi has responded after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced it had raised concerns with the electronics retailer about allegedly misleading “Was/Is” pricing.
In a statement, the retail chain said:
JB Hi-Fi takes its compliance with the law very seriously and has strong compliance processes in place regarding comparison pricing.
The issues identified occurred in a small number of limited circumstances and, as acknowledged by the ACCC, were due to inadvertent errors.
JB Hi-Fi has fully cooperated with the ACCC at all times to resolve the matter and has contacted the 206 customers to arrange remediation.
The company will refund the affected customers more than $250,000 combined.
Updated
Investor home loans fall 20% post-budget but owner-occupiers stable, says Westpac
Investors have cut back on home loans but owner-occupier applications are stable since the budget reformed property taxes, Westpac has reported.
The bank had already seen home loan applications slump from 35,000 a month at the start of 2026 to 30,000 a month in mid-May. Since the budget, applications are tracking at 27,000 a month.
Westpac’s chief executive for consumer, Carolyn McCann, told analysts this morning the post-budget fall was almost all investors and owner-occupier demand had been flat.
Investors no longer account for four in every ten Westpac home loans, but still make up three in every 10, which McCann said was close to the historical average. She suggested investor demand could come back:
Keep in mind, that’s only three weeks. So we’re expecting people are sort of sitting on their hand a bit while they understand the rules.
New builds, which are exempted from the reforms, accounted for just 6% of Westpac investor loans in April. McCann predicted investor demand for new housing would be “much higher” in future.
Social media ban affecting over 16s with disability from accessing social media
A survey of 118 children and young people with disability, and parents and caregivers, has found while the under 16s social media ban continues not to work, it is also making it more difficult for users over 16 to access social media through age assurance measures.
The survey, conducted by Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) found 24% of those young people and children over 16 who were asked to verify their age were unable to access social media due to the age assurance technology used by the platforms.
Despite that, 95% of under-16s with a disability were still accessing social media in some way, according to the survey, and zero reported feeling safer online since the ban came into effect.
Just 4% of parents reported their child being safer online.
The survey found 86% of children and young people with a disability under 16 said the social media restrictions are not fair, compared to 83% of 16-25-year-old respondents, and 70% of parents or caregivers.
Updated
Auction clearance rates slide further to 47.3%
Most homes listed for auction across Australia have failed to sell for two consecutive weeks, new Cotality data shows.
Auction clearance rates were around 65% at the start of 2026. They have averaged 64% in the last decade.
But the share of homes that sold fell to 46.3% in the first week of June, from 49% in the last week of May, as buyers step back from the housing market.
Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra each had auction clearance rates below 50%.
Just 34.1% of Brisbane’s 134 auctioned homes sold, the city’s lowest rate since June 2020. More than half – 76 – of those homes passed in at auction.
The number of homes up for sale slumped to 1,175, given most states had a long weekend for the King’s Birthday on Monday. It’s expected to pick back up to 2,192 this week.
Interest rate rises and the budget’s tax reforms have helped slow Australian auction markets, but it’s not all good news for first-home buyers, as you can read here:
One Nation to ‘audit’ donations to prove authenticity
One Nation says it will undertake a “forensic audit” of the donations it has received in a fundraising drive this week, in a bid to prove to Australia’s political establishment that the contributions are real.
As of midday Thursday, a donation tracker on One Nation’s website claims the party has received nearly $1.9m in contributions for its campaign in Labor-held seats. However that figure is unverified though, as the party does not disclose its donations in real time and the website provides no details of purported donations.
Liberal and Labor figures have cast doubt on the veracity of the donation amount. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, when asked about the figure Pauline Hanson claims to have raised, said today: “Did she, though? Did she, what evidence is there?”
One Nation figures are furious about the doubt cast on the fundraising drive by Liberal and Labor. A One Nation spokesperson told Guardian Australia the party would undertake a “forensic audit” of the donations to prove they were authentic. The spokesperson said a report would be released publicly in some form, but did not give a timetable.
The spokesperson said the party had received about 28,000 individual donations, with the highest being about $15,000. Each of these donations is below the Australian Electoral Commission’s disclosure threshold for donations, which is set at $16,900, and therefore none of those would be captured or published by the AEC – meaning the only way to verify the donations, or know their source, is if One Nation voluntarily publishes that information.
Updated
Wells says parents see the social media ban as ‘untidy’ but right
Ahead of an expected announcement in the UK, and as Australia marks six months of its under 16s social media ban, the communications minister, Anika Wells, has admitted to the BBC that parents have seen the process as “untidy” but the right thing.
Wednesday marked six months since ten platforms were required to remove under 16s accounts from their platforms. Wells told the BBC that there have been 5m accounts removed for the 1.2m Australians between 13 and 16 – a figure that the government has refused to break down by platform.
Wells said that was a “huge result” but said social media platforms were using tactics to “undermine” the ban in Australia to ensure other countries do not follow in our footsteps.
She said the government was aware of teens circumventing the ban, and this is why five of the platforms are being investigated by eSafety to face potential fines of up to $49.5m per breach.
Wells urged the UK to follow, while acknowledging the issues with the process. She said:
This is the right thing. All of the feedback I’ve received from Australians, Australian parents in the six months since we have attempted this has been: ‘thank you for trying, we appreciate this wasn’t going to be perfect, it is untidy. That’s what parenting looks like in the modern age.’
Albanese asks ‘what evidence is there’ after Hanson claims $1.5m donations boom
Anthony Albanese has cast doubt on Pauline Hanson’s claims One Nation received $1.5m of donations in a day of fundraising this week.
After a reporter in Sydney cited Hanson’s claims to have raised the money, Albanese said:
Did she though? Did she though? Did she? What evidence is there?
It is an example of slogans being put forward, are not substance. And people can say all of these things. They get a run in the media. They had an ad for their fundraising campaign, effectively, free ad in one of the mainstream publications here, yesterday.
We’ll continue to actually be interested in making a difference to people’s lives and that is what we will focus on.
Albanese did not directly answer when asked if he believed that Hanson had raised the $1.5m. He said:
Well, you work it out. You know, I … no idea, nor am I … you know, this is someone who got a plane worth more than that given to her by Australia’s richest person.
So that [$1.5m] pales in significance with the size of a single donation which was given, showing, I think the interest that One Nation represents. It is not battlers, they vote against battlers each and every time.
Updated
Onshore immigration detention centre staff to strike
Staff at Australia’s onshore immigration detention centres will strike for the next two days over what they describe as “US-style labour practices”.
The US-based private prison operator Management and Training Corporation assumed control of the onshore detention system last year, through its local subsidiary Secure Journeys.
The company and the main staff union, the United Workers Union, are negotiating a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which has reached a stalemate.
The UWU says workers are now engaging in two-hour rolling stoppages at immigration detention centres on Thursday and Friday.
Surya Nagulapalli, United Workers Union lead organiser, said:
Members have raised serious issues about their rostering and pay rates that threaten the ability of Immigration Detention Centres to be run in a safe, sustainable way.
It is beyond belief that the moment Secure Journeys took over this contract a year ago it sought to cut jobs, cut critical roles and cut the standards of Immigration Detention Centres. Despite more than 10 rounds of bargaining, Secure Journeys – which is being paid $2.3bn to run these centres – has shown they are not willing to address members’ concerns in a meaningful way.
Instead, they continue to import US-style labour practices, cutting the overall labour force at commencement of the contract and keeping wages low, at the expense of Detention Services Officers and detainees.
In a statement last week, during prior strikes, a Secure Journeys spokesperson said the company has made “a fair and balanced offer” to workers regarding wages, conditions and rostering, “while recognising the realities of operating in an immigration detention environment”.
“Secure Journeys’ commitment to maintaining safe and secure operations and detainee welfare remains our top priority,” the spokesperson said.
Updated
Kiis FM loses listeners after Kyle and Jackie O exit
The Kyle and Jackie O show’s former Sydney breakfast slot on Kiis FM has dropped 3.5% in the first full radio survey since the $20m a year duo were taken off air in March.
Jackie “O” Henderson and Kyle Sandilands have both taken legal action in the federal court against Kiis FM’s owner, Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), after their contracts were terminated.
The federal court case is scheduled to begin on 12 October and is expected to run for 10 days.
The Kiis FM breakfast show has slipped to third place in Sydney’s FM ratings with 8.2%, behind Smooth FM (11.4) and Nova (9.5), according to the survey which ran from 1 March to 23 May. The slot has had multiple hosts including Smallzy, Mike E and Abbie Chatfield.
Overall, the Sydney breakfast ratings were won by 2GB’s Ben Fordham with a 15.6% share, down from 16.8%.
• This post was corrected on 11 June 2026, the original version had incorrect ratings figures for Ben Fordham.
Updated
Disability ministers issue warnings over NDIS overhaul
State and territory disability ministers are ringing alarm bells over the Albanese government’s proposed overhaul of the NDIS, warning they cannot deliver “like-for-like services” for more than 200,000 participants expected to be shifted off the scheme by 2030.
In a submission uploaded to the NDIS inquiry this morning on its third and final day of public hearings, the joint submission warned curbing the scheme’s growth was important but must not be prioritised over participant safety, wellbeing and life outcomes.
The submission said:
Without a careful, coordinated approach that aligns these changes with broader improvements across the disability support system, there is a significant risk that people with disability will end up in hospitals or other settings that are inappropriate and unable to meet their needs, or have no access to services at all.
States and territories are not in a position, and have made no agreement, to deliver like-for-like services to people who are exited from the NDIS.
The Albanese government’s NDIS bill is designed to dramatically curb the $50bn-a-year scheme’s growth by reducing category budgets from later this year and the number of Australians with disabilities who can access it from 2028.
Without these changes, the government estimates it will cost $117bn a year in a decade’s time.
Read more:
Updated
Albanese criticises notion One Nation and Coalition could strike a deal and says Liberals ‘giving up almost two years’ before election
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, heaped criticism on any notion the Coalition could strike a deal with One Nation amid the latter’s surging popularity.
Albanese, speaking in Sydney, was asked about Pauline Hanson and a claim in The Australian this morning from Tony Pasin, a Liberal frontbencher, that One Nation and the Liberals should split seats. The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, said this morning there is “no plan” to carve up seats”.
The prime minister had this to say:
That says it all about the way that the once-mainstream Liberal party has become just a fringe party, almost giving up almost two years before an election is held.
Updated
Chalmers accuses political opponents of defending ‘broken status quo’
Jim Chalmers has accused his political opponents of engaging in a “truly absurd” effort to defend a “broken status quo” from tax reforms, as he claimed a noisy minority of vested interests were overshadowing the silent minority who stand to benefit.
“Too often the story of this budget is told by the biggest beneficiaries of these current arrangements, not the biggest victims of the broken status quo,” the treasurer said in a speech to the ALP’s national policy forum this morning.
Our job is to make the right decisions for the right reasons, to represent those voices who aren’t already amplified by the usual suspects with political or commercial skin in the game.
The government has released a range of Treasury analysis showing most Australians would be better off under the proposed changes to the capital gains tax and negative gearing, alongside a $250 working Australians tax offset from next year.
“Those reforms are motivated by three main goals: making it easier for people to buy their first home; cutting taxes for workers again, and again; and better aligning the tax treatment of labour and asset income,” he said.
With One Nation riding high in the polls, Chalmers said the three rightwing parties wanted to replicate the divisive politics seen overseas.
The irony of their position is they want to change the government in order to leave everything as it is – a truly absurd proposition.
Updated
Mal Lanyon says it’s hard to read some of the accounts of harmful behaviour within NSW police
Mal Lanyon, the NSW police commissioner, said the experiences he read in the report are “simply unacceptable”. He went on:
It’s very hard to read some of the personal accounts … they are human, they are my officers, I expect them to have a safe and respectful workplace …
That’s why I’m firmly committed to making sure we implement the recommendations.
Updated
NSW police minister and commissioner speaking after sweeping report into culture
The NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, and NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, are speaking after the release of a report into the culture of the force, which found bullying, discrimination and harassment within the organisation after interviews with about 5,000 current and former officers and staff.
Catley said Lanyon had accepted all 29 recommendations included in the report, saying the government was “taking this very seriously, because it’s the right thing to do”. She said during a press conference:
We want the NSW police to reflect the community that it serves, and this review goes a lot to making sure that we do that.
We want to be transparent. This is a time to reset … to build a future workforce within the NSW police.
Lanyon said NSW police was moving in the right direction, but that there was more work to do. He went on:
What it shows to me is a healthy organisation, an organisation where people care … and want to make it better … I am committed to improving the NSW police force.
He confirmed the report found harmful behaviours were present in the NSW police force, including bullying, discrimination and harassment, behaviours he said “were unacceptable and will not be tolerated”.
I have made it clear, and I have made it clear to our workforce that that is not the culture that we will have in the NSW police force.
Updated
States and territories ‘unequivocally’ cannot support NDIS exits under proposed federal changes
The states and territories argue there’s a “significant risk” the Albanese government’s proposed changes to the NDIS will leave people with disability in hospitals or other inappropriate settings.
The submission, which has only just been uploaded, was read out in part by Greens senator, Jordon Steele-John, this morning on the third and final day of public hearings for the inquiry.
Steele-John said the joint submission said the federal bill would undermine the original intent of the NDIS and focused heavily on expenditure constraints without a clearly defined broader ecosystem.
The senator said the submission concluded the states and territories “unequivocally” are not in a position and have made no agreement to deliver like-for-like services for people who are exited from the NDIS due to the proposed changes.
The pace of the inquiry, which has reportedly received more than 4,000 submissions but has so far only uploaded about 500, has been heavily criticised over the last few days with the majority of witnesses saying it should not pass in its current form.
Read more:
Updated
Deepest and most extensive whale graveyard discovered in Indian Ocean
The oldest, deepest and most extensive whale graveyard yet discovered has been found in the south-eastern Indian Ocean, with fossils dating back more than 5m years.
Whale falls – the term for dead whales that sink to the ocean floor – are not uncommon, but most have been found at depths of less than 4km (2.5 miles). By contrast, the newly discovered necropolis reaches depths of more than 7km, and extends hundreds of miles across the sea floor.
What’s more, researchers found decaying carcasses teeming with life.
Read more:
Continuing on our from last post …
There were sales of 11 of the products during the relevant period, while six products did not sell.
The ACCC said the it had decided to resolve the matter “administratively” without taking further formal enforcement action, because:
The allegedly misleading “was” prices were largely due to system errors or human error, some of which JB Hi-Fi proactively took action on prior to the ACCC’s investigation.
JB Hi-Fi also cooperated with the ACCC’s investigation and has taken steps to prevent similar issues in the future.
The ACCC noted JB Hi-Fi had offered compensation to affected consumers, and that the number of affected products was “small”.
JB Hi-Fi has been contacted for comment.
You can read more about how other major retailers (Woolworths and Coles) have used “Was/Is” comparative pricing, here:
ACCC announces JB Hi-Fi to refund customers $250,000 over allegedly misleading ‘Was/Is’ pricing
The consumer watchdog says JB Hi-Fi will refund customers more than $250,000 after the electronics retailer allegedly offered misleading discounts on products including laptops and a VR headset.
In a statement this morning, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced JB Hi-Fi had agreed to the refunds after it raised concerns the retailer may have misled consumers.
The ACCC said it discovered the allegedly misleading use of “was/is” comparative pricing during an investigation that monitored JB Hi-Fi’s online product pricing from March to September last year.
The regulator alleges JB Hi-Fi promoted 17 products as discounted from a previous higher price, when the products were either never offered for sale at the higher price, or only offered at the higher price for a short period, or only offered at the higher price long before the promotion.
In total, 206 consumers bought one of the products when they were advertised with an allegedly misleading “was” price.
Updated
Brittany Higgins has a new job fighting ‘rise of misogyny’ and far-right politics in Australia
Brittany Higgins has been appointed as the executive director of the Vida Fund, with her role focused on “countering the rise of misogyny and far-right political movements in Australia”.
The role will see Higgins lead an effort to put gender equality “firmly on the electoral agenda” and support “values-aligned” independent female candidates in upcoming elections, both statewide and federally.
She said in a statement:
Vida Fund was created to ensure gender equity remains a defining political issue in Australia, not just a one-off moment. We are entering a period where misogyny, extremism are becoming increasingly organised and visible. Vida intends to meet that moment with evidence-based advocacy, strategic campaigning and community-backed action.
The Vida Fund will also undertake new research into the role of gender in the rise of far-right political movements.
Updated
Seven owner announces job cuts and restructuring
Seven’s owners, Southern Cross Media, have announced a $150m cost-reduction program, including significant job losses and a restructure of its newspaper, radio and TV businesses.
SCM’s new managing director and chief executive officer, Rohan Lund, has told staff this morning the company’s business is “under immense pressure”.
“We will be saying goodbye to many smart, talented, and hard-working colleagues who have played a vital role in building both businesses,” Lund said in an email sent to staff.
According to an official ASX announcement, the cost-reduction program will lead to 250 to 300 people leaving the group before the end of this month.
Lund blamed the cuts on a tightening advertising sector and global macroeconomic pressures.
Seven told the ASX this morning market conditions “have deteriorated materially more than anticipated” and revenue for the 2026 financial year is lower than expected: falling from previous guidance of $1,910m to $1,920m to $1,860m to $1,870m.
Seven West Media’s print and digital mastheads include the West Australian, the Sunday Times and the Nightly.
Updated
Breast cancer and endometriosis drug Zoladex is being pulled from Australia. How will women be affected?
Thousands of women could be left without vital breast cancer and endometriosis medicine when AstraZeneca removes its treatment from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the private market, experts warn.
Zoladex will no longer be available in Australia from November, as the ABC first reported, but some existing patients will still be able to access it for an additional six months.
Breast Cancer Network Australia also says there have been increasing delays to list other critical breast cancer drugs on the PBS, which they fear is due to policy changes in the US and global uncertainty.
What will this mean for women who use Zoladex, and what happens next?
Charlton says Australia should learn lessons from resources boom for AI
In an apparent nod to comments made by independent senator David Pocock this week, the assistant minister for the digital economy, Andrew Charlton, said some of the response to the datacentre boom is “rightly or wrongly” shaped by the resources boom, in particular gas.
He said:
We had abundance – but we didn’t lock in our advantage early enough. We built for export before securing supply at home. We became one of the largest gas exporters on Earth and then watched households and factories pay more for gas dug up beneath their feet.
He said the boom set the terms, not the country, and it is important that Australia set the rules for datacentres now.
He said that is what the government is learning from experiences of backlash over new datacentres bringing higher electricity prices in places like the United States and that led to the so-called “triple lock” policy in Australia where datacentres are expected to cover their own electricity costs, have flexible demand and bring new energy supply.
Updated
Datacentres ‘most contested pieces of infrastructure’, Charlton says
The assistant minister for the digital economy, Andrew Charlton, said in the past two years, datacentres have become “one of the most contested pieces of infrastructure in the world”, with advocates saying it could bring a new wave of economic value, while critics say they are “giant sheds … creating few jobs and risking some of the same mistakes we made in the resources boom”.
In a speech to the Sydney Institute last night, Charlton said both sides contain important truths, but he said the boom was happening. He said:
It’s accelerating. And it’s likely to be larger and more consequential than anything we’ve lived through in recent decades.
The real question – which I will return to many times – is simpler: do we shape the boom before it arrives – or do we react after it’s here?
Charlton said the datacentre boom will be more profound than the resources boom, and Australia was an attractive location for the new centres.
He added concerns around energy use, water use and locations of the centres were legitimate, as well as ensuring Australia earns its fair share.
Updated
Convicted gang rapist Mohammed Skaf arrested and charged with nearly two dozen drug charges
Mohammed Skaf, a notorious gang rapist, was arrested and charged with nearly two dozen drug charges on Wednesday night.
NSW police said this morning two men and a woman will face court over their alleged involvement in a large-scale drug supply scheme after search warrants were executed in Sydney’s south-west overnight.
Police said they had allegedly seized large quantities of drugs, including cocaine, around $245,000 in cash, a vehicle and other items during searches in Greenacre.
Skaf, 42, has been charged with 24 offences, including 22 charges of supplying a prohibited drug. He has also been charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and knowingly directing activities of a criminal group.
He has been refused bail and will appear before Bankstown local court later today. Investigations are ongoing.
Skaf was convicted in 2000 for his involvement in the gang rapes of at least six schoolgirls in Sydney alongside his brother, Bilal Skaf, and sentenced to 23 years in jail. He was released on parole in 2021, which expired in 2024 at the end of his sentence.
Updated
James Paterson says any discussions about deals with One Nation ‘premature’
James Paterson, the shadow defence minister, said any chatter about preference deals with One Nation are “premature”.
Paterson spoke to RN Breakfast, saying the Coalition would need to make a final decision down the road when candidates are put forward at the next election. He said:
You cannot make a final decision about which candidates you’ll preference in each seat until you know who each of those candidates are, because some political parties, like One Nation, have demonstrated great difficulty in choosing appropriate candidates for public office in the past …
Paterson added the Coalition would “never” do deals on a national basis where they guarantee preferences.
I think, frankly, One Nation has a lot of work to do to get themselves into a fit state to contest the election.
Updated
Wong not ‘interested’ in One Nation’s fundraising
Wong says she isn’t concerned about One Nation’s fundraising efforts, but more about their policies. Pauline Hanson’s party says it has raised more than $1.5m in the last day, although those claims are unverified.
The foreign affairs minister said:
I’m less interested in what Pauline Hanson fundraises and am more concerned about One Nation’s policies. Just as I am concerned about the fact that the Liberal party and One Nation seem to be working together and that it appears to be very clearly that a vote for One Nation is actually a vote for the Liberal party, and a vote for the Liberal party is actually a vote for One Nation.
Wong went on to say One Nation is “very good at provoking anger” but has “very little to say” about solutions.
Updated
Wong says Australia still working to see ‘negotiated end’ to Middle East conflict
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Australia still hopes to see a “negotiated end” to the conflict in the Middle East.
Wong is visiting the UK this week where she will meet with her European counterparts. She told Radio National this morning:
We’ve said for some time it’s obviously a fragile ceasefire, but we’ve also said that what Australia wants is a negotiated end to the war. That’s what we’re calling for, and that’s what we will continue to press for …
We’re not a central player in the Middle East, as we have said. What we can do is add our voice to others who are calling for a negotiated end to the conflict. It’s obviously one of the things we discuss today with the United Kingdom.
Updated
Are you a parent with thoughts on the social media ban? Let us know
The story about the social media ban and the prevalence of cyberbullying comes as the UK government edges towards introducing a similar measure.
If you’re a parent, we’d like to hear from you about whether the ban is working.
Updated
Taylor says ‘no plan’ to carve up seats with One Nation
The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, said there are no plans to carve up seats as part of a negotiation with a surging One Nation.
Taylor spoke to ABC News Breakfast responding to reports in the morning papers:
No, there’s no plan to carve up seats. We won’t be doing that … What we will be doing is focusing on a Labor government that’s taking this country in the wrong direction with higher taxes, with less houses, with immigration that has not been in line with our housing supply and with an energy system that is broken.
And that will be our focus. It won’t be carving up seats.
Updated
Continuing on from last post …
There had been no discernible drop in reports of online harm such as cyberbullying and image-based abuse from under-16s, according to the latest report from eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant in March.
Nevertheless, Bianca Quetti, a mother of teenage children, supports the ban.
My kids were 16 already when it came in … I’m not sure what other parents are thinking, but I would presume most would like it.
I mean, there’s probably a way around it, I’m sure they’ve all got a way around it. I think it’s not a bad thing.
Her 16-year-old daughter Taylah narrowly avoided the ban and said there was a lot on the internet she didn’t think young people should be seeing.
But she said not much had changed with the social media accounts of people at her school who should have been impacted by the ban.
“I don’t know if it’s really working that much … most of their accounts didn’t even get banned, so they’re still allowed on there,” she told AAP.
Updated
Jury still out on early impacts of child social media ban
A non-profit organisation that runs a helpline for young people says there is little sign of a dip in cyberbullying or image-based abuse in the six months since teenagers under 16 have been banned from social media, Australian Associated Press reports.
But even without a clear fall in reports of online harm, the early results are not necessarily discouraging, experts say, as the nation remains at the front of efforts to restrict under-16 access to social media.
Call patterns remained largely unchanged since the ban was introduced, a helplines operator said.
Yourtown, a non-profit, operates Kids Helpline and virtual services manager Tony FitzGerald told AAP it was too early to gauge any real difference.
From speaking to young people, particularly in that 13-16 age group the experience for them has been very inconsistent.
Some of them have had social media cut-off, whereas [some] have not had any impact in terms of their access to those platforms. It’s been a bit messy for that group.
Despite this, young people are moving to other platforms such as WhatsApp, which aren’t subject to the social media ban, to interact.
“We’ve seen young people come to us who would say they’re being cyberbullied on messaging apps,” FitzGerald said.
There’s a whole range of other platforms that are out there that are not subject to the social media minimum age restrictions that young people still are interacting on and they’re still experiencing harm.
Updated
Good morning, it’s Nick Visser back on deck. Let’s get into it.
New federal government funding for medical research
The federal government will spend an extra $100m over 10 years for high-level arthritis research, a condition which affects some 7 million Australians.
Anthony Albanese and the health minister, Mark Butler, will today announce a new arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions research mission, as part of the government’s Medical Research Future Fund.
The plan is designed to bring together key researchers, health professionals, industry and patients to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the debilitating condition.
The prime minister says:
For millions of Australians, living with arthritis isn’t just an ache or pain, it affects their ability to work, to stay active and to enjoy everyday life,
My government is investing in medical research because it is an investment that changes lives and strengthens our nation’s health.
Updated
New TGA crackdown targets illegal peptides
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced a crackdown on illegal peptides, labelling the unregulated drugs a “priority focus area“ due to a surge in imports and online advertising.
The medicines regulator said on Wednesday that peptides, frequently marketed for performance enhancement or anti-ageing, are increasingly being unlawfully advertised and supplied to Australians, threatening consumer safety.
Other current priority focus areas for the watchdog include melatonin, medicinal cannabis and weight loss medications.
TGA chief, Prof Anthony Lawler, said:
As the availability of unapproved peptide products has increased, so too has evidence of potential risk to consumers.
The TGA’s increased response to the import, supply or manufacture of unlawful peptides will include product seizures, infringement notices, import interventions and legal penalties.
The announcement follows a joint operation in April between the TGA, Australian Border Force and Victoria police, which seized $2 million worth of illegal steroids and peptides.
Despite peptides not being approved for human use, influencers are telling their audiences that injectable peptides are a new “glow up potion” for everything from back pain to chronic UTIs.
You can read more from Natasha May here:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
A non-profit organisation that runs a helpline for young people says there is little sign of a dip in cyberbullying or image-based abuse in the six months since teenagers under 16 have been banned from social media. More coming up.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced a crackdown on illegal peptides, labelling the unregulated drugs a “priority focus area” due to a surge in imports and online advertising. More details in a moment.
And the federal government has come up with $100m for more medical research into arthritis, to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
