What we learned today, Tuesday 9 December
We’ll leave our live coverage of the news there for today. These were Tuesday’s top stories:
Anika Wells has referred her travel expenses to the parliamentary watchdog for investigation.
The Reserve Bank governor said further interest rate cuts were not “on the horizon” after the RBA left its target rate on hold.
The Victorian government delivered an apology to First Nations people, with a motion passing the state lower house.
The name of the firefighter who died battling a blaze on NSW’s mid-north coast has been shared.
Politicians and media heavyweights gathered for Graham Richardson’s funeral.
Telstra’s chief executive revealed the company did not immediately notify the communications minister of a death after a triple-zero connection failure.
Domestic air fares have surged in part due to Qantas’s and Virgin’s market dominance, the consumer watchdog found.
Barnaby Joyce said One Nation’s growing popularity was part of a global rightwing swing.
Penny Wong and Richard Marles discussed Aukus when they met Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth in Washington.
An aurora australis is forecast for tonight, and the BoM has advice on how to watch.
Updated
First home buyers battling for shrinking share of market
First home buyers are typically buying homes priced under $760,000 but the share of homes within that budget has shrunk to just over one in 10, new analysis shows.
The average first home buyer’s purchase has risen in price from about $560,000 to about $760,000 in the five years from 2020 to 2025, according to KPMG analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
The share of homes within that budget is shrinking, though. While the average first-time purchase price could afford 30% of properties in 2020, it covers just 12% in 2025.
The average first home buyer could only afford 5% of homes in New South Wales in 2025 – unchanged from 2020. In South Australia, where average first-time budget could have bought 75% of homes in 2020, it only buys 25% in 2025.
Households would also now need to earn incomes of about $180,000 to service the average first-time loan, compared to $150,000 in 2020.
Aurora australis tonight – how can you watch?
An aurora australis could appear later tonight, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast.
Visible aurora could be seen in Tasmania and southern parts of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia during local night hours.
Adelaide and Perth are set to have clear skies, providing the best chance of seeing the lights. Melbourne and Hobart may have some cloud cover.
The colours displayed by the aurora will appear overhead and be easier to see with the naked eye for those living closer to the south pole, the BoM says. For those further north, auroras will appear closer to the horizon.
The BoM recommends skywatchers find a location with low light pollution and an unobstructed view to the south.
Auroras result from disturbances to the Earth’s magnetic field, as charged particles interact with gases and dust in the atmosphere. The astronomical incident follows an even bigger aurora event last month, generating stunning sky colours across Australia’s south:
Updated
Victorian government makes formal apology to First Nations people – video
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, made a formal apology to First Nation people earlier today for the harm inflicted upon them by the state and colonisers.
The apology was previously agreed to in the statewide treaty, signed into law in November.
Watch the moment below:
Airline ordered to pay families of MH370 victims
A Beijing court has ruled that Malaysian Airlines must pay 2.9m yuan ($A618,830) each to the families of eight passengers who went missing in the mysterious disappearance of the MH370 flight more than a decade ago, AP reports.
Six Australian citizens and two residents were among the 239 people on board the Malaysia Airlines flight bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when it was lost on 8 March 2014. Most of the passengers were Chinese and their families in China have continued to seek answers.
The court ordered the airline to pay each family compensation for the death of their loved one, funeral expenses, and damages stemming from emotional distress, it said in a statement on Monday.
Although it is not known what happened to the passengers, they have been declared legally dead. There were 239 passengers and crew members on the flight that disappeared after departing Kuala Lumpur for Beijing in 2014.
The Malaysian government said last week it would resume a search for the missing plane on December 30. Read more here:
Firefighters warn Tasmanian blaze will put lives in danger
The Tasmania Fire Service warned locals in Stieglitz, on the state’s north-east coast, to leave immediately in a new bushfire emergency warning.
An uncontrolled bushfire is expected to put lives in danger and may destroy homes, generating thick smoke and showers of embers, the TFS has warned.
Firefighters were attending the blaze at Dianas Basin, near St Helens, as it travelled between Aerodrome Road and Jetty Road, Stieglitz.
Smoke and ash was expected to make it difficult to see and breathe and conditions would change quickly, the TFS said in an alert.
Updated
Key takeaways from RBA interest rate decision
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock spoke after the RBA left interest rates on hold and does not expect to cut rates in coming months.
Here’s what else the governor said:
Rate hikes are a serious option. Bullock said the board didn’t “explicitly consider” raising interest rates today but it did discuss raising if recently observed rapid price rises start to spread.
Inflation’s pick-up is worrying and doesn’t appear to be a one-off, but the RBA still wants to wait and see whether it endures into the new year before changing rates.
Energy rebates have confused inflation forecasts made the RBA’s job harder. Now the federal government has decided not to extend them, the bank expects less distortion.
Economic growth and job markets are looking strong. “A lot of the downside risks seem to have abated a bit,” Bullock said.
The forward view is becoming clearer, so the RBA’s commentary is losing some of characteristic caution: “Now, the message clearly is [about] upside risks so we can be a little bit clearer.”“
Over the course of the press conference, markets became more certain rate hikes are on the way, signalled by the Australian dollar rising above 66.5 US cents and the ASX200 slipping slightly to close at 8,585.9 points.
Updated
Firefighter who died battling blaze named
A “treasured and long-serving” New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighter who died after being struck by a falling tree in a bushfire has been named as John Lohan.
The divisional commander was killed in Nerong on the state’s mid-north coast on Sunday night. He had been working in a “critical leadership role on the fire ground, ensuring the safety of his firefighters and the community”, the NSW NPWS said.
Lohan, 59, had been based at the service’s Lake Munmorah depot for almost 30 years and had been deployed to fires across the state.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Lohan’s family thanked the public for their support and said they were “deeply grateful to John’s coworkers for their compassion and strength”.
The ongoing contributions of the men and women of the NPWS, they said, “often go unrecognised, and we truly value the role they play on the frontline every day”.
The news of John’s passing has come as a profound shock to us all. John was a great father, loving brother and wonderful friend to everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed.
Updated
X expected to comply with the social media ban
Elon Musk’s X platform is the only one out of the 10 named as needing to comply with the under-16s social media ban that has not publicly confirmed whether it will do so and what it will mean for its users.
However, the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, told ABC RN this morning that she had spoken to X about how the platform was planning to comply.
She said:
I actually had a conversation with X a week or two ago, and they actually walked us through how they were going to comply. They haven’t communicated to the user base, which is a bit disappointing because that is best practice.
X has not responded to requests to confirm it would comply with the ban. In September, X argued the start date should be delayed by six months, arguing there were concerns about the lawfulness of the ban.
X’s Australian regulations page still says “anyone above the age of 13 can sign up for the service” as of Tuesday afternoon.
The ban is due to commence at 12.01am tomorrow in times local to each state and territory.
Anika Wells self-refers expenses for investigation
The communications minister, Anika Wells, says she has referred her entitlement spending to parliament’s expenses watchdog but maintains she believes she has remained within the rules.
In a statement just now, the minister said:
I remain confident all my travel and expenses is within the framework but for the avoidance of doubt I have self-referred my expenditure to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority for an audit.
Wells has come under criticism from the Coalition for her spending on family reunion travel but the scrutiny is now widening to other members of the government and Coalition members as well.
Updated
Minister’s office misled on triple zero death, parliamentary inquiry hears
Anika Wells’ office was wrongly assured that a person had not died after failing to connect to triple zero in late September, leaving her and her department in the dark about the fatality until a last-minute notification from Telstra ahead of the telco’s appearance at a senate inquiry.
Federal communication department official Sam Grunhard made the explosive revelation in evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday afternoon.
Grunhard said Telstra contacted the department on 24 September to advise him that a person had died in Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, after failing to connect to triple zero.
After Telstra and TPG Telecom confirmed that the matter was under investigation, Grunhard said he notified Wells’ chief-of-staff about the incident.
The suspected death was not publicly revealed by Wells, who was in New York on the trip that has ignited her ongoing expenses controversy.
But in a major twist, Grunhard revealed that two days later, on 26 September, TPG told him there was “no fatality associated with the incident”.
He told the committee:
So of course, I immediately then pass that information on to the minister’s office, and I can tell you, everybody in the department and the minister’s office were very relieved to learn that, in fact, there was no fatality associated with this incident.
He said the minister’s office and the department continued to believe there had not been a death until Telstra contacted him late on Monday to “raise a concern that there seemed to be a difference in understanding about the 24 September incident”.
Life sentence for former nurse after killing Toyah Cordingley
A former nurse must serve a 25-year non-parole period for fatally stabbing Toyah Cordingley, seven years after her body was discovered on an isolated beach, AAP reports.
Rajwinder Singh, 41, was on Tuesday given a life sentence a day after being found guilty of murder in Cairns’ supreme court after a four-week retrial. He had pleaded not guilty to murder.
Singh, 41, repeatedly stabbed Cordingley and slashed her throat at a far-north Queensland beach in October 2018 before fleeing to India, spending years in hiding.
Cordingley, 24, was discovered by her father half-buried in sand dunes at Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, a day after she failed to return from walking her dog.
A jury reached a guilty verdict on Monday after about seven hours of deliberating.
Singh’s first trial ended in a hung jury eight months ago.
Updated
RBA decision ‘a small mercy’, says Australia Institute
The progressive thinktank the Australia Institute has released a statement about the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold the cash rate.
The institute says it shows the RBA doesn’t really know which way inflation is trending.
Greg Jericho, chief economist at the institute, says if the RBA had hiked rates today in response to the most recent inflation data, it would have been a brutal knee-jerk reaction, especially with real wage growth slowing. In a statement, Jericho says the slight uptick in inflation is likely to be short-term, due to the ending of government power bill subsidies:
The truth is, market predictions of rate hikes and cuts will swing with new data on inflation, economic growth, real wages and unemployment.
The RBA has chosen to wait and see. That’s at least a small mercy for mortgage holders a fortnight out from Christmas.
Updated
Parliamentary review of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps listing as state sponsor of terrorism
Parliament’s powerful Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has announced the start of a review on the listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Under Australian law, listings are made through changes to the Criminal Code.
The move follows revelations from security agencies that the Iranian government allegedly used third parties to order a fire bombing attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, along with an arson on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney.
Listing activates criminal offences for directing, financing, recruiting and supporting state sponsors of terrorism, with penalties of up to 25 years’ imprisonment.
“This is the first organisation listed as a state sponsor of terrorism under laws recently passed by the Australian Parliament,” the PJCIS chair, Raff Ciccone said.
“The committee’s review will give the Australian community an opportunity to have their say on the listing of the IRGC and ensure that appropriate processes have been followed”.
Public submissions are open until 23 January next year.
Bullock says further interest rate cuts are not ‘on the horizon’
The RBA governor, Michele Bullock, has essentially ruled out further mortgage relief, saying further cuts are not “on the horizon”.
Speaking at a press conference in Sydney, Bullock said “given what’s happening with underlying momentum in the economy … it does look like additional cuts are not needed”.
“I don’t think there are interest rate cuts on the horizon for the foreseeable future.”
The RBA board did not consider the case for a rate hike at today’s meeting, she said. But members did “discuss quite a lot” what might lead them to lift the cash rate next year.
“We did consider and discuss quite a lot what were the circumstances and what might need to happen if we were to decide that interest rates had to rise at some time next year,” she said.
Updated
RBA governor says rate decisions will be made ‘meeting by meeting’
Asked if it was plausible that a the board could decide on a rate hike in February, Bullock says the board will monitor whether inflation is persistent:
If inflation continues to be persistent and looks like it is not coming back down towards the target, then I think that does raise questions about how tight financial conditions are and the board might have to consider whether or not it’s appropriate to keep interest rates where they are or in fact at some point raise them.
I wouldn’t put a timing on that. It’s going to be a meeting by meeting decision.
Updated
Bullock: there was no cut on the table
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, is speaking to reporters at a press conference in Sydney.
Speaking about the RBA’s decision to leave interest rates on hold at 3.6%, Bullock says the board did not consider the case for a rate cut:
There was no cut on the table and no one suggested that there be a cut.
Updated
Opposition claims RBA cash rate decision ‘tragic news’ ahead of Christmas
The shadow treasurer, Ted O’Brien, says the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold the cash rate is “tragic news for households” ahead of Christmas:
The government promised Australians the opposite of what they are delivering. Everybody is being held back, everybody is being left behind. The opposite of what Labor has promised.
O’Brien says Jim Chalmers has failed to “stop his spending spree and he has failed to start growing the economic pie”. He says there are “too many” young Australians who cannot afford to buy a home:
Every time they try to look at that online mortgage calculator, the numbers just do not add up. Today’s decision will continue to see it very difficult to add up. In fact, next year it will be even more expensive for young Australians who want to enter the property market.
Updated
Jim Chalmers says “millions of Australians would have preferred more rate relief”, after the Reserve Bank held its cash rate at 3.6%.
The treasurer in a statement noted that a rate cut wasn’t on the cards - a recent jump in inflation made sure of that.
No surprise that Chalmers is focusing on the positives: mortgage holders have had three rate cuts this year, he said, and inflation at 3.8% is a lot lower than the 7.8% post-pandemic peak at the end of 2022:
While inflation has ticked up recently, this is partly due to temporary factors and it’s something we’ve seen in many parts of the world.
The outlook for rates remains distinctly darker.
The RBA board’s statement suggested members are more worried about inflation than they were at their last meeting six weeks ago.
The central bank’s language gives little hope for a fourth rate cut, although it is well short of endorsing the judgement in financial markets that a rate hike is inevitable in 2026.
“We know there is still more work to do and people are still under pressure, which is why we’re continuing to roll out responsible cost of living relief including tax cuts for every taxpayer, slashing student debt, cheaper medicines and more bulk billing,” Chalmers said.
Inflation pick-up may not be one-off, RBA warns
The Reserve Bank has warned of signs of a broad rise in inflation, after previously claiming rapid price rises were likely to remain temporary.
Consumer prices have risen faster than expected in recent months, in part due to one-off jumps in air fares, jewellery and childcare and medical costs.
But the RBA’s monetary policy board said price hikes could spread and there was now more of a risk of inflation rising than falling. The RBA statement read:
The data do suggest some signs of a more broadly based pick-up in inflation, part of which may be persistent and will bear close monitoring.
Recovering spending from households and businesses could become part of the unanticipated problem, the bank warned:
The pick-up in momentum has been stronger than anticipated, particularly in the private sector. If this continues, it is likely to add to capacity pressures.
Updated
That’s all from me. Adeshola Ore will take things from here, before Luca Ittimani brings the blog home this evening. Take care.
NSW RFS issues leave now warning for residents near Capertee national park
Residents near New South Wales’ Capertee national park have been told to leave now as an out-of-control bushfire burns nearby.
The RFS issued the emergency warning a short time ago, advising residents in the area of Home Hills Road near Bogee that they were in danger. The agency said:
If you are between Marsden Road and Capertree River on Home Hills Road, you are at risk.
Leave now in a northerly direction along Home Hills Road and Glen Alice Road towards Rylstone.
Emergency Warning: Home Hills Rd Fire, Bogee (Lithgow LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 9, 2025
A bush fire is burning near Home Hills Rd, Bogee. If you are in the area of Home Hills Rd, you are in danger. Leave now in a northerly direction if the path is clear towards Rylstone. https://t.co/V432bL5FIV pic.twitter.com/E4yNoSVkAw
Queensland parliament to sit for just 14 weeks next year
Queensland’s parliament will sit for just 14 weeks – 46 days – next year, under the new LNP government.
It’s the briefest parliamentary schedule since the pandemic, except 2024, which had fewer sitting days due to the election that year.
Parliament sat for as long as 49 days during Labor’s last term, but typically about 46.
There are also more days of estimates hearings under the LNP, which means fewer days debating and passing bills. There will be just 33 ordinary sitting days, with parliament wrapping up in November.
Parliamentary sitting days are particularly significant in Queensland because the state does not have an upper house to review government decisions and as a result its committee system is more partisan than other states. That makes question time one of the few opportunities to keep governments accountable; there will be just 37 next year.
The Labor opposition often criticises the government for lacking a legislative agenda. The brief sitting year will do nothing to quieten the allegation.
Updated
RBA leaves cash rate target on hold at 3.6%
The Reserve Bank has left its key interest rate on hold, as widely expected by economists. The official cash rate remains 3.6%.
Markets had predicted there would be no change, with traders betting the RBA would next hand down a rate hike by August 2026.
We’ll bring you more from the interest rate-setting board’s statement in just a moment.
Updated
95% of participating staff vote for no confidence motion against UTS vice-chancellor
95% of staff at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) who participated in a recent motion voted to declare no confidence in vice-chancellor Andrew Parfitt.
The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) said today more than 1,500 UTS staff participated in the vote, which came after controversial plans to slash hundreds of jobs and suspend enrolments in more than 120 courses.
Dr Sarah Attfield, the UTS branch president for the NTEU, said in a statement the “powerful response from staff confirms what we have already known and felt deeply for many months now – the vice-chancellor’s plans are not aligned with a public institution, and staff have little faith in his leadership”. She went on:
Staff are exhausted, demoralised, and fearful. We have seen our colleagues pushed to the brink, courses slashed, and the student experience threatened – all while the VC and his executive ignore the people who keep this university running.
Today’s results send a clear message to the public and UTS Council: the vice-chancellor has lost the mandate to lead.
Updated
Tasmania Fire Service issues watch and act warning for St Helens
Tasmania Fire Service just issued a watch and act warning for a bushfire in Diana’s Basin near the town of St Helens on the state’s north-east coast.
Officials said the fire is heading towards Diana’s Basin and is expected to impact the area beginning at 2pm.
The fire is expected to be difficult to control, and embers, smoke and ash may fall on the region and surrounding areas, which could threaten individuals or property before the main fire.
Officials said:
Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.
Take action now to protect yourself, your family, and your home. If you have made a bushfire plan, check it now.
Decide early if you are going to leave, and make sure you have a clear path to a safer place.
.@tasfireservice has issued a Bushfire Watch and Act - Diana's Basin, St Helens - Prepare to leave for Diana's Basin and surrounding areas. For more information, go to: https://t.co/j2taquUZFJ or listen to ABC Local Radio. pic.twitter.com/RPAAfEZOKP
— TasALERT (@tasalert) December 9, 2025
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Peak welfare groups say report highlights failures across employment system
Australia’s peak welfare groups have responded to the ombudsman’s report on jobseekers, highlighting the failures across Australia’s employment system.
The Acoss CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie, said:
This report demonstrates widespread harmful action against low-income people and complete lack of oversight of private providers, alongside the thousands of illegal payment cancellations already identified.
In a system that hands employment service providers $1.2bn a year, the lack of robust independent oversight is unacceptable.
Antipoverty Centre spokesperson and jobseeker recipient Jay Coonan called for the immediate pause of suspensions:
Payment suspensions cause immeasurable damage to our lives, destabilising people when we are already struggling to survive. This scandal must end, not when the government decides what tweaks it would like to make to this system, but now.
And the executive director, Kasy Chambers, said the report shows that for-profit employment service providers and the compliance system are hurting the people who rely on them:
The Ombudsman has found that providers are making incorrect decisions, keeping poor records, and giving people unclear or misleading information about their payments.
These failures are leading to unfair suspensions and penalties for people on the lowest incomes. Even when suspensions are overturned, the stress and hardship that a person faces after having their income taken away is irreversible.
Updated
Tasmania’s Dolphin Sands reopened to residents after fire
Tasmanian residents who fled from bushfires last week will be able to return to their properties this afternoon.
Nineteen homes were lost to a blaze in Dolphin Sands on the state’s east coast on Thursday. Dolphin Sands Road reopened to local traffic from 1.30pm today, emergency services said.
Southern Regional emergency management controller, commander Jason Elmer, said:
Thanks to crews working tirelessly to clear debris and restore damaged infrastructure, and with wind conditions easing, the situation has improved enough to allow safe access for local traffic.
There are still significant safety factors to consider, so police roadblocks will remain in place on Dolphin Sands Road to ensure access is only provided to local residents.
Residents were warned to wear protective clothing and try not to disturb dust and ash given the possible presence of hazardous materials, including asbestos.
Updated
Ex-nurse denies threatening to hurt Israeli patients
A former nurse will be tried for allegedly threatening violence towards Israeli patients after a video of an inflammatory rant from a hospital went viral, AAP reports.
Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 28, made the alleged threats on an online video chat platform in February, while they were working a night shift at south-west Sydney’s Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital.
Abu Lebdeh faced a local court on Tuesday to plead not guilty to two charges including threatening violence, setting the scene for a trial, likely in late 2026 or early 2027. The former nurse will face the NSW district court in February to be arraigned before a trial date is set.
Her former colleague Nadir also faced the Downing Centre local court on Tuesday on a single charge of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. He is yet to enter a plea.
Police have said there is no evidence any patient was harmed and that the alleged offending would rest on the nurses’ intention. Both Nadir and Abu Lebdeh have been prohibited from working as nurses nationwide by Australia’s health practitioner watchdog and their registrations have been suspended in NSW.
Updated
Apology motion passes Victoria’s lower house
The apology motion has passed Victoria’s lower house 56 votes to 27.
The Coalition called for a division on the motion, meaning each vote had to be counted, to cries of “shame” from the Labor benches.
Once the motion was carried, Labor and Greens MP stood to applaud the public gallery, which included Rueben Berg and Ngarra Murray, the co-chairs of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Jill Gallagher and Travis Lovett.
Several members of the public gallery wiped away tears.
Updated
Back to the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s second report into the system designed to penalise jobseekers…
Launching the report, the ombudsman, Iain Anderson said:
People needing income support are economically vulnerable and may also have other vulnerabilities that require special consideration. The high rate of provider decisions being overturned by DEWR and Services Australia raises concerns that providers are not adequately considering job seekers’ circumstances and calls into question the fairness and reasonableness of decision-making that results in the loss of vital financial support.
The remediation strategy for the 964 job seekers affected by the unlawful cancellations is not fair and reasonable. It requires job seekers to undertake extensive efforts to retrieve historical information to support additional claims for compensation in circumstances where the agency was responsible for the error.
Stigmatisation of unsuccessful job seekers as people who are reluctant to accept employment may contribute to the limited oversight of providers and possible narrow administration of the program.
Updated
Telstra didn’t discuss triple-zero death at minister meeting
More on Telstra with chief executive, Vicki Brady, revealing the telecom giant knew of a triple-zero death on 24 September: Telstra spoke with Anika Wells’ office on 20 October – almost a month after the death – to discuss the investigation into problems with the Samsung devices.
Asked if the death was raised at the meeting, Brady said: “Not that I can recall.”
The death also wasn’t raised at a separate 7 October meeting between Wells and telco bosses in the aftermath of the 18 September Optus outage, which was linked to three deaths.
Telstra’s general counsel, Lyndall Stoyles, said Telstra referred to a “particular incident” at the 20 October meeting “but not the details of the incident”.
The Liberal senator, Sarah Henderson, asked:
Wasn’t it material that you also raised that someone had passed away on 24 September? I know you advised the department, but it just seems such a missing and critical piece of information that this matter wasn’t raised with the minister directly?
In response, Brady said:
We had briefed the department, and they, ACMA and New South Wales Ambulance were all investigating. So that was what we were relying on.
Stoyles said based on its conversations with the department on 24 September, it believed the minister’s office would be notified.
Guardian Australian has contacted Wells for comment.
Updated
Telstra boss says company did not tell minister about death after triple-zero connection failure
Telstra was aware a person had died after failing to connect to triple zero on the day it occurred – but did not directly raise it with the communications minister, Anika Wells, in two subsequent meetings.
The chief executive of Telstra, Vicki Brady, gave the explosive evidence while fronting a parliamentary inquiry into the triple zero network in Canberra on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, TPG Telecom boss Iñaki Berroeta revealed a person in Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, had died on 24 September after their incompatible Samsung device was unable to connect to the triple zero network.
Berroeta said TPG only learned of the death on Monday after it was notified by Telstra, which operates the emergency call system.
The death occurred while Wells was in New York promoting the government’s social media ban, the $94,000 travel bill for which has ignited a controversy about her expenses.
Fronting the committee, Brady revealed NSW Ambulance emailed Telstra on the morning of 24 September to advise them that a person who had failed to connect to the network had died.
The committee heard that Telstra contacted the federal communications department on the day of the incident and provided the ambulance service with details for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (AMCA).
Updated
Jobseekers losing payments due to service provider errors
The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s second report into the system designed to penalise jobseekers has found employment services providers are making large-scale errors that penalise jobseekers, with little oversight for the department.
In August, the ombudsman found 964 jobseekers had their payments unlawfully cancelled between April 2022 and July 2024 by the automated IT system that underpins the “mutual obligations” framework.
Now, the final report has found that job providers are setting unrealistic targets, with a three-month study from this year showing 51% of jobseekers are not capable of meeting them.
The Ombudsman also found that providers are not meeting requirements to record proper information about a person’s full circumstances, leading to wrongful cancellation and suspension decisions. On top of this, it also found that DEWR and Services Australia’s strategy to remediate job seekers affected by unlawful income support payment cancellations is not fair or reasonable.
Bluesky brings in age assurance in Australia
X alternative platform Bluesky has said it has brought age assurance measures to Australia, despite the platform not currently being named as needing to comply with the under-16s social media ban.
In a post on Tuesday, the company said:
We’ve upgraded our age assurance system to comply with upcoming laws in Australia and other regions, and to restore access to people over 18 in Mississippi.
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, told Senate estimates last week Bluesky had been assessed as being “low risk” due to there being approximately just 50,000 Australians on the platform, and very few young people.
But the regulator is mindful that teens may migrate to platforms not currently included in the ban after tomorrow, and more may be added as time goes on.
Bluesky said that from 10 December it will require new users to complete age assurance using Kids Web Services. Users 18 or over will have full access to the platform, and users who are between 16 and 18 will not be able to access adult content such as pornography on the platform.
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Brisbane City Council to vote on AirBnB tax proposal today
The local law would only apply to less than 500 dwellings let on the short stay market, in low density areas of the city. There were about 4000 properties in the market at last count, the BCC said, which is about 1% of the city’s available housing stock.
Under the local law owners would be required to get a development approval before listing their properties on the short-term market and pay a fee.
The council said the law would respond to reported concerns by neighbours of short stay residences about security, overcrowding, noise levels, disruptive and anti-social behaviour, damage to shared or common areas, parking availability, increased insurance costs; and cleanliness of common areas.
The police “ensures the amenity of residents in the vicinity of short stay accommodation is safeguarded,” a council document attached the new proposed local law reads.
It also “requires that a contact person be nominated to manage all complaints related to short term accommodation bookings and activities, which must be available for contacting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”.
The local law will go to public consultation before going to a final vote and taking effect next year.
Marles reflects on Richardson’s mentorship and love for Labor party
Defence minister Richard Marles reflected on Richardson’s mentorship during prepared remarks earlier during the state funeral. He said they connected in the aftermath of the Rudd and Gillard governments, saying:
Before long we were speaking together often. … As I faced the kind of difficult situations, which are really the bread and butter of politics, Graham was always there with advice.
He was so encouraging about taking the difficult steps necessary to get the job done. … I was just one of many people who was the beneficiary of his mentorship. And so it is absolutely right to say that Graham’s mark lives on in the current generation of Labor politicians.
Marles said Richardson didn’t need to help as he was already a “giant” of politics, but did so out of his love for the country.
[His actions were a] demonstration for how much he loved the Labor party, how much he cared about Australia. And for those of us who were the beneficiaries of his advice … he cared about us. Graham Richardson was a man with a big heart. …
Graham, you were magnificent, and mate, I will miss you very much.
Updated
Victoria Greens say it is important to ‘talk about what we are saying sorry for’
Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, has told parliament her party is supporting the apology motion but stressed it was important to “talk about what we are saying sorry for”.
She says since colonisation there have been “swift, brutal and systematic” attempts to “wipe out Aboriginal people, to wipe out their culture, their language, their children and their future” and lists several of the 50 massacres that are recorded across Victoria:
And that is why today we say sorry.
Sandell says it would be “negligent to ignore” the fact the apology comes just a week after the Victorian government passed laws to uplift serious crimes committed by children as young as 14 from the children’s court to adult courts.
She says this will have a “disproportionate impact on First Nations children”, as the bail law changes have led to a rise in First Nations women being remanded in custody.
Sandell says:
Looking back now on Victoria’s true history – back to the actions of people in the 1800s, the 1900s, I believe most of us in this place would be horrified and say ‘people should have known better. Right now, we cannot deny it, we do know better. I fear that in 10 or 20 years time a new parliament, filled with new people, will have to stand in this exact place and apologise again, for policies enacted this year, that governments knew would destroy more First Nations peoples lives.
Victoria opposition leader speaks on apology motion
Jess Wilson, the Victorian opposition leader, says while her party will not support the apology motion, they are sorry for the past laws and policies that have hurt Aboriginal Victorians. She says:
To all Aboriginal Victorians listening today, I say this plainly. I see the injustice in our history. I see the disadvantage that still exists today, and I am determined that we must do better. We accept that this parliament and government’s past have authored laws and policies that have hurt and caused injustice and disadvantage to Aboriginal Victorians, and for that, we say sorry.
She says while today is a “historic day” it is not unprecedented, citing Liberal premier Jeff Kennett’s 1997 apology to the Stolen Generations.
She says that unlike today’s motion, the apology in 1997 was brought forward by “both sides of parliament, with Premier Kennett working in collaboration with then opposition leader John Brumby on a form of words, both sides of the house could endorse.” Wilson goes on:
I want to emphasise that the difference in approach between the Coalition and the government represent a policy disagreement on the most effective method to achieve meaningful outcomes and improvements for indigenous Victorians. They do not represent a disagreement on the need to achieve these outcomes and improvements.
She says if elected next year, she wants to work with Rueben Berg and Ngarra Murray, the co-chairs of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, to address disadvantages and create opportunities for Indigenous Victorians. Wilson says:
Noel Pearson speaks of the three great threads of our shared Australian story – our rich Indigenous heritage, our significant British inheritance and our incredible migrant success story – all three strands are worthy of acknowledgement, of celebration, but in acknowledging that, we must also acknowledge the significant disadvantage still confronted by our First Peoples and commit together to addressing it. My appeal to all Victorians is simple and goes to the love of this great country and how we as a nation have always prized a fair go. The continued disadvantage of our Aboriginal people diminishes us all. And on behalf of the Liberal and the Nationals coalition, I commit to addressing it if elected in 2026.
Mourners include Alan Jones, Tony Abbott and Tanya Plibersek
A slate of notable mourners are in attendance at the funeral today.
Albanese says Richardson akin to a Sydney landmark like the Harbour Bridge
Albanese said Richardson was a “master” at forging “unlikely friendships”, saying he was as comfortable in the “circles of the powerful, the famous and the wealthy” as he was being a grandfather.
“He was nearly as much a Sydney landmark is the Harbour Bridge,” Albanese said. “He loved and lived all of what politics can be.”
“I extend my deepest sympathies on behalf of the nation, to all who loved him.”
Victoria premier delivers state apology to First Nations people
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, is delivering an apology to First Peoples in parliament, acknowledging the “past laws, policies and practices that have contributed to systematic injustice for First Peoples”. She says:
Decisions made in this parliament over its long history have long denied the First Peoples of this land their rights and their self determination. Today, this parliament becomes a place of reckoning, and that reckoning has meaning for all of us who call Victoria home, we acknowledge the harm inflicted on generations of First Peoples and mark the beginning of a new era, one that embraces truth, honors justice and creates space for a shared future built in full view of the past.
Allan outlines the many separate harms caused by colonisation – laws that “took land, removed children, broke families and tried to erase culture”, “violence committed under the banner of the state and the colony”, destruction of sacred sites and forced removals to missions and reserves – and says “we say sorry” for each of them. She says:
From today, our hope is that your descendants and all Victorians hear these truths and move forward together in the knowledge of your legacies. We offer this apology with open minds, open eyes and open hearts. We know that words alone are not enough. This is why the State of Victoria has pursued treaty to create the enduring change that must follow. Let this be one act, one act among the many, that honors the truth and upholds justice.
Albanese pays tribute to Richardson's 'rogue's charm' in Sydney eulogy
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is delivering a eulogy at the state funeral for Graham Richardson in Sydney.
The PM said:
[There’s] no escaping the fact that Graham’s life was very colourful. [With a] rogue’s charm and an instinctive capacity to disarm.
It’s no secret that he played his politics hard, very hard.
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Victoria premier responds to opposition’s apology stance
The premier, Jacinta Allan, responded to the opposition’s decision not to support the apology motion. She says Jess Wilson “will forever be remembered for turning her back on the opportunity to join across the parliament to apologise for the past, because that is how we lay the foundations for the future”.
Allan went on:
It is absolutely unfathomable for the Liberal party to claim today the word treaty should be disassociated with this apology. You can only make this apology as a parliament, as a state, because you’ve acknowledged the truth of the past.
She accused Wilson of being “controlled by the extreme right wing of her party”, which the Liberal leader disputed.
Wilson responded:
It’s really disappointing from the premier that she’s decided to divide Victorians today, rather than working with us on a bipartisan motion. We only need to go back to the first apology in this place by Jeff Kennett to see how that could be done in a meaningful way.
Allan also disputed a report in the Herald Sun, which suggested reparations would be a part of the treaty. She said the documents the Herald Sun article were based upon were from a briefing provided to former leader Daniel Andrews prior to treaty negotiations beginning.
Allan said:
They were briefings from a different time. We have undertaken a respectful negotiations process … reparations are not part of the full treaty program.
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Some photos from inside the state funeral for Graham Richardson
Old politicos and media heavyweights gather for Graham Richardson’s funeral
Today’s state funeral for Graham Richardson is a gathering of the old political and media class.
Among the arrivals: Mike Gallagher who was NSW police minister in the O’Farrell government, Bob Hawke’s widow Blanche d’Alpuget, Ros Packer, widow of Kerry, and Kaila Murnain, a former ALP state secretary.
Media figures attending included Janine Perrett (whose career spans The Australian, Nine, News Ltd, Sky and the ABC) and Sky CEO, Paul Whittaker.
Former NSW premier, Bob Carr, and a host of former and current NSW ministers were also seen arriving.
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Vic opposition won’t support apology to First Nations people
The Victorian opposition will not be supporting the apology. Their spokesperson for Aboriginal affairs, Melina Bath, has told reporters it is “symbolic” and “divisive”, as it mentions the treaty.
But, as the premier mentioned at her press conference, the apology was a commitment as part of the state’s treaty negotiations.
Bath went on:
The apology – as written by the premier and provided to us last night at 5pm, speaks to the need for action and the importance of treaty. Clearly, the premier knew that this type of apology would not be palatable for the Liberals and Nationals.
At a separate press conference, Liberal leader, Jess Wilson, echoed this argument:
We have a difference of position on the treaty that is well known and unfortunately, the government has not put forward a motion that we cannot support, despite that fact we understand the importance of the apology today … I’ll be speaking to that in the chamber and acknowledging the past hurts. But unfortunately, the government has chosen to politicise this rather than working with us.
While Bath suggested Coalition MPs may not be in the chamber for the apology, Wilson later clarified they would be but would not be supporting the motion.
Victorian government prepares to deliver apology to First Nations people
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and minister for treaty and First Peoples, Natalie Hutchins, held a press conference this morning ahead of a state apology to be delivered in parliament this morning to First Peoples.
The apology, which acknowledges the impacts upon First Peoples since colonisation, was a key recommendation of the Yoorrook Justice Commission and was a commitment of the state’s treaty - the nation’s first.
Allan says:
To move forward into the new treaty era, to move forward acknowledging the truth, to move forward in unity and partnership, an apology is necessary. An apology that acknowledges the past but it’s also part of building that stronger, better future ... It’s about changing the practices of the past that haven’t closed the gap, that haven’t addressed the injustices that have held so many First Peoples back from the opportunities others have had.
Hutchins says the apology is far broader than one delivered by former premier Jeff Kennett in 1997 to the Stolen Generation:
Our apology today is around acknowledging the findings that have come through Yoorrook, the injustices that have happened caused by government policy time and time again and have had huge effects on our First Nations Peoples, things like being denied the ability to speak language after settlement, being connected to land, being connected to traditional owner groups, they’re very significant matters that have continued to affect many generations. We heard stories throughout Yoorrook of Aboriginal women not being able to give birth inside Victorian hospitals and giving birth on the verandahs of those hospitals, of servicemen returning from service and beating being treated in their communities with disregard. These are the things that we are apologising for and acknowledging today, and they should not be underestimated.
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14-year-old on electric motorcycle dead after collision with 4WD in Melbourne suburb
Victoria police are investigating after a fatal collision in a Melbourne suburb last night in which a 14-year-old boy on an electric motorcycle died.
Police said emergency services were called to the Diamond Creek area around 10pm amid reports of the accident, which took place between the teen and a 4WD vehicle. The boy was treated at the scene, but could not be revived.
The driver of the 4WD, a 22-year-old man, was questioned and released pending further inquiries. No charges have been laid.
An investigation is ongoing.
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NSW government releases long-awaited review into greyhound racing
The Minns government has released a series of measures it says will improve integrity and animal welfare standards in the greyhound racing industry in NSW.
The measures are in response to the release today of the final report of an inquiry led by Lea Drake, after concerns about industry body Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW), which has identified significant governance and operational failures within the organisation. The inquiry received more than 1,600 public submissions and more than 80,000 documents, as well as conducting 31 days of hearings.
The government will issue GRNSW a new operating licence legally requiring the organisation to address key recommendations, including increasing oversight of greyhound rehoming programs, prioritising domestic rehoming programs where possible, as well as transparent funding for animal welfare.
It has also issued a list of key activities to boost greyhound welfare that must be complied with by 30 June 2026. They include undertaking analysis of greyhound breeding practices as well as reviewing euthanasia policies.
It comes on the day the government announced its plan to redevelop the site of the greyhound racing track at Wentworth Park in Glebe into green space, to support more than 7,000 homes in the area.
But the government has played down the idea of a ban on the sport. The minister for racing, David Harris, said today that “greyhound racing is an important industry across our state”, adding:
The government is committed to ensuring the NSW greyhound racing industry is competitive, responsible and sustainable with the highest standards of governance, animal welfare and integrity, improving reporting to the Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission (GWIC) on greyhound deaths from unknown causes.
Read more about the plan to redevelop the greyhound racing track at Wentworth Park:
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Smoky haze over parts of Sydney, with impacted air quality stretching up to Newcastle area
Many Sydneysiders woke up to a smoky haze over the city as dozens of bushfires burn across the state, including on the Central Coast.
The NSW air quality monitor is reporting fair or poor air quality readings across Sydney and up to the Newcastle area, as well as in the lower Hunter and Lake Macquarie regions.
The government says smoke from hazard reduction burns and bushfires may be experienced across NSW over the coming months, which may impact air quality.
You can find health advice for bushfire smoke here, which includes spending more time indoors or in air-conditioned venues.
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Another potential death linked to triple zero connection failure
The boss of telco TPG Telecom revealed a second customer might have died after failing to connect to the triple zero network using an incompatible Samsung phone.
Iñaki Berroeta revealed details of the case during evidence to a Senate inquiry that is examining problems with the emergency service network in the wake of a string of outages.
In his opening statement, Berroeta expressed his “deep regret” about a known incident on 13 November in which a customer using an incompatible Samsung device failed to connect to the triple zero network, and subsequently died.
He revealed the customer was notified via text message on 7 November that it would need to accept an urgent software update in order to make emergency calls, or the device would be blocked on 10 December.
This tragic incident happened around a week later.
Berroeta went on to reveal a second, previously unknown, incident from September, in which a customer from Wentworth Falls in New South Wales was unable to connect to triple zero after dialling with an older Samsung phone.
The customer was able to contact emergency services via an “alternative option” five minutes later and an ambulance was deployed, he said.
But Berroeta said on Monday, TPG was notified by a Telstra staff member that “there might be a person that passed away related to this incident”.
He said the telco has contacted NSW Ambulance but they were unable to verify the details.
We knew about the device not being able to make a call at that time, we investigated that device, including getting in contact with that device, but we did not know that there might be some person passed away.
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‘Blue Blob’ googly eye case back in court today
The infamous “Blue Blob” case, in which a woman has been accused of damaging public art by sticking googly eyes on it, is in court again today.
Amelia Vanderhorst, from Mount Gambier in South Australia, has been charged with damaging the town’s $136,000 Cast in Blue sculpture after the eyes could not be removed without damaging the surface.
Locals refer to the sculpture, which represents a “giant mythical megafauna creature” reimagined in blue, as the Blue Blob.
According to the ABC, Vanderhorst did not enter a plea at her first court appearance in November, and the magistrate advised her to find a lawyer before today’s hearing.
The 19-year-old will appear today charged with property damage.
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Joyce says he hasn’t left to ‘go to the Labor party or to the Greens’
Joyce added just now on RN Breakfast:
It’s not as if I’ve resigned to go to the Labor party or to the Greens. I’m on the same side of the political fence and I think that explains it as best I can.
If it’s hurt people, I apologise deeply. But if you want to continue on in politics and serve your nation, it was the most efficacious way to do it.
As I said, I’m 58, not 85. And there is more work to do.
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Joyce says he is not abandoning his electorate and is taking a risk going after a seat in the Senate
Barnaby Joyce, the newly minted member of One Nation, says he has not abandoned his electorate, adding that he will maintain “a laserlike focus for the next two years”.
Joyce spoke to ABC News this morning after Monday’s announcement, saying his relationship with the Nationals had broken down in an “irreparable way”. He added:
I think I have more to offer and there’s big issues in front of us.
The point is I’ll be retiring from New England. I’m not elected to the Senate, I’ll have to campaign for a seat that I would have to win in the Senate for New South Wales. So I don’t see this as jumping ships into a completely sure position, this is taking a large risk, and I’m taking it, and we will see how we go.
Read more from our report yesterday:
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Snapchat argued iMessage, Messenger should be included in ban
Snap Inc told the eSafety commissioner in October that if Snapchat was included in the under-16s ban, then other messaging services should also be added.
Snapchat, which is complying with the ban and is removing users under 16 ahead of the ban beginning tomorrow, told eSafety in a letter in October – obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws – that it was primarily a messaging service, which should be exempt from the ban, but if it wasn’t then other similar services should be included.
Snap said:
If Snapchat is considered in scope as an age-restricted social media platform, we anticipate that services such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Messenger, each of which also offers ancillary services like location sharing or broadcast sharing in addition to messaging, would be deemed similarly in scope after a fair and consistent application of the rules.
An even-handed approach will help build trust and confidence in the framework and ensure that dominant players abide by the same rules as everyone else.
Messenger, iMessage and WhatsApp have not been included in the first 10 platforms asked to comply with the ban by tomorrow.
Guardian Australia reported on Tuesday that the company warned there would be difficulty enforcing the ban using facial age assurance after a 14-year-old was able to pass as being aged 16 or over on Snapchat.
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NSW RFS downgrade major alert for Bulahdelah bushfire, warning to continue monitoring conditions
The NSW Rural Fire Service downgraded the advice level for the large bushfire in Bulahdelah on the state’s mid-north coast late last night, saying conditions had eased across the fireground and firefighters were getting the blaze under control. Four houses have been lost in the area.
Another fire in Koolewong, where 16 homes have been destroyed, is also being controlled after burning at least 134 hectares.
Update 11:59pm: With easing conditions across the fireground the alert level has been downgraded to Advice. Those in the vicinity should continue to monitor conditions.
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 8, 2025
The #RFS is working closely with partner agencies to ensure a safe and coordinated process for allowing residents affected by the Nimbin Rd Fire, Koolewong, to return to their properties. We understand how important it is for residents to access their homes as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/sUoUPVYBUI
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 8, 2025
There are more than 40 fires currently burning across NSW, all of which remain at advice level this morning.
Officials have urged communities to stay up to date on emergency alerts, adding conditions could change at any time. The fire danger rating remains high for much of the state today.
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Hogan added that saying he was “gutted” would not be overstating his feelings on Joyce, telling RN:
I’ve always quite liked Barnaby. I’ve felt our relationship has always been OK. But yeah, look, I’m really, you know, to say gutted is probably not overstating it.
There’s a thing, you know, to go to the crossbench, there’s a thing to leave the party, but then to actually join now another party, and he will be campaigning for us not to win seats, or us to not get Senate spots, I think is a real blow.
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Kevin Hogan says no one ‘gobsmacked’ by Barnaby Joyce’s decision to join One Nation
Kevin Hogan, the deputy leader of the Nationals, compared Barnaby Joyce to Mark Latham after the former said yesterday he would join One Nation.
The only other person I can think of that has left who has been a previous leader of a political party and joined One Nation is Mark Latham. And Barnaby Joyce joins those ranks as having been a previous leader of a party and joining One Nation. But I’ll leave others to make their judgment about that.
Hogan said Joyce’s move was “obviously very disappointing for us and very hurtful in some ways”, telling RN Breakfast this morning:
Barnaby has said this: he doesn’t want to be on the backbench. He doesn’t like where he sits. So I don’t think there was much that could have been done to stop that.
David [Littleproud] was always saying publicly and privately to Barnaby that the door was open for him to return. And obviously, he’s very disappointed that he left. So, look, I think it was always going to be a tough call. And I think no one is, you know, gobsmacked that he’s made the decision yesterday.
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No tsunami threat to Australia after large earthquake near Japan
The Bureau of Meteorology said earlier there is no threat to Australia after a powerful, 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan overnight.
The temblor prompted evacuation orders and tsunami warnings in Japan, which were later downgraded to advisories.
The BoM said all of the Australian mainland, islands or territories would be unaffected by the quake.
No #tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 7.7 #earthquake near HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 8, 2025
Latest advice at https://t.co/EweHZ4nAfb. pic.twitter.com/JijJzyf4y3
Domestic air fares surge amid Qantas, Virgin dominance
Domestic air fares rose faster than inflation in October as Qantas and Virgin reaped the rewards of a busy sport finals season, the consumer watchdog has found.
School holidays around the country coincided with crowds of fans flying interstate for Brisbane’s AFL and NRL grand final triumphs over Victorian teams in Melbourne and Sydney.
Late September and October saw 5.5 million domestic passengers as a result, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest airline report.
Qantas and Virgin added 45 extra flights to meet the demand but services were more full than normal, with 84.4% of seats taken compared with an average of 81.6% over the last year.
That saw air fares hit the highest level in three years, accounting for inflation, the ACCC said. Prices and revenues have risen since 2022 despite jet fuel prices, a major component of airline costs, falling.
If another airline could match the two majors, prices might fall, but there is little competition and therefore less incentive for Qantas or Virgin to reduce ticket prices, the report read.
Virgin accounted for one-third of all domestic flights in October and Qantas, including Jetstar, accounted for nearly two-thirds, with other companies battling for the remaining 2% of passengers.
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RBA to announce final cash rate decision of the year today
The Reserve Bank is expected to keep the cash rate at 3.6% today, and the focus will be on any clues for whether the monetary policy board thinks it might have to hike the rate in 2026.
Data over recent weeks has shown an unexpectedly sharp rebound in inflation, while national accounts and household spending figures have pointed to an accelerating economy.
Financial markets are now putting a roughly 50% chance on a hike by May, and have fully priced in a move higher by August, according to ANZ.
Economists have also largely abandoned forecasts for rate cuts in 2026, with a handful predicting a hike next year.
The decision is at 2:30pm, and the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, will give her final press conference of the year an hour later.
Updated
Good morning everyone, Nick Visser here to take the reins. Let’s get to it.
Barnaby Joyce says One Nation's growing popularity part of global rightwing swing
Nationals defector Barnaby Joyce says he believes One Nation’s increasing popularity is part of the global movement that explains the rise of Maga in the US and the recent success of other far-right figures, but joked he is much better looking than Nigel Farage.
But Joyce did not answer questions on the ABC’s 7.30 program on Monday night about whether he supported Pauline Hanson’s “long-running vilification of ethnic groups”.
Joyce first said he disagreed that Hanson did vilify ethnic groups, and then when asked about her comment that “we are in danger of being swamped by Muslims, who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own”, tried to divert the answer to one about the “extremities” of sharia law.
Asked “do you see any comparison with the rise in popularity of One Nation and the rise with the Reform Party in the UK under Nigel Farage?”, Joyce responded:
Yes, I do. And not only that, I think Australia’s late to the party, whether it’s Farage in the UK, whether it’s Le Pen in France, whether it’s Meloni in Italy, whether it’s within the Maga movement within the Republican Party of the United States, it’s a phenomen[on] across the world. Because Australia has compulsory voting, it’s stickier here, but now it’s happening.
Joyce also agreed with statements Hanson made earlier on Monday, that he would have no portfolio within the party, nor had they reached any agreement about a possible future handover in leadership.
He also largely backed what Kevin Hogan, the deputy Nationals leader, said about his reasons for leaving the party: that he did not want to sit on the backbench. Joyce said:
Well, Kevin is right to a degree. I believe that you’ve got to be as effective as you can possibly be, and I don’t believe … sitting in the corner of the Coalition for one and a half years, not getting a question … I’m 58 years old, not 85 years old, and I’m looking forward to giving greater service to our nation. And if I can get myself into a place that’s more efficacious, I’ll do precisely that.
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Albanese tells school students social media ban will ‘ensure Australian children have a childhood’
Anthony Albanese admits the under-16s ban on social media – coming into effect tomorrow – “will require some adjustment”, but told school students in a video address he believes it’s the right thing to do.
The restrictions – which will require TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and others to remove children from their services – begin on 10 December. Albanese has written to all state and territory premiers and chief ministers today, thanking them for their support for the change.
“While this profound change will require some adjustment in the short term, this is the cultural change Australia needs to deliver greater peace of mind for parents and ensure Australian children have a childhood,” the PM wrote in his letters to those leaders.
The PM’s office has also shared a video which Albanese made for young people, and which will be played to students in schools nationwide this week. In the clip, Albanese again concedes the impact the change might have on some children, saying: “If you have questions, by all means, reach out. Talk to your parents, your teachers, and your friends. And if you feel like you need more support, Headspace and Kids Helpline is there to assist.”
Explaining why the government is making the change, Albanese said: “You’ll know better than anyone what it’s like growing up with algorithms, endless feeds and the pressure that can come with that. That’s why we’ve taken this step to support you.”
He recommended under-16s “make the most of the school holidays coming up rather than spending it scrolling on your phone”, urging them to “start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there on your shelf for some time. And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family. Face to face.”
Updated
Reddit reportedly considering legal challenge to social media ban
Reddit says it has “deep concerns” about the under-16s social media ban coming into effect tomorrow, but has agreed to comply with the legislation.
However reports suggest the platform is considering a legal challenge.
In a statement this morning, Reddit claimed Australia’s law was “legally erroneous”, and went past its original intent.
Reddit said it would begin suspending accounts of users confirmed to be under 16, and require new users to be at least 16 to create accounts. Its statement notes, like YouTube, “Reddit will continue to be accessible to browse without an account”. The platform said it would use an “age prediction model” to estimate users’ ages, which it described as “privacy-preserving”, which includes verifying birthdates through a third-party identity verification provider.
“This is often achieved by sending a photo of a government ID or taking a selfie. Reddit will not have access to this photographic information,” the platform said.
Reddit’s statement said it was “concerned about the potential implications” of minimum age laws.
“We believe strongly in the open internet and the continued accessibility of quality knowledge, information, resources, and community building for everyone, including young people … By limiting account eligibility and putting identity tests on internet usage, this law undermines everyone’s right to both free expression and privacy, as well as account-specific protections,” the statement said.
“We also believe the law’s application to Reddit [a pseudonymous, text-based forum overwhelmingly used by adults] is arbitrary, legally erroneous, and goes far beyond the original intent of the Australian parliament, especially when other obvious platforms are exempt.”
The Australian Financial Review reports that Reddit has enlisted top legal representation and is considering a court challenge which may go to the constitution’s implied right of freedom of political communication. A Reddit spokesperson would not comment on the reporting or confirm whether a challenge was in the works, saying only: “The only decision we’ve made is to comply with the law”.
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‘Full steam ahead’ for Aukus deal as Wong and Marles meet Rubio and Hegseth in Washington
The Aukus submarine deal is going “full steam ahead”, Australia and the US have confirmed after a high-level meeting in Washington.
Associated Press reports US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, met their Australian counterparts on Monday local time for annual talks expected to focus on Indo-Pacific security and countering China’s increasing assertiveness in the region, including in the South China Sea and directed at Taiwan.
Rubio, Hegseth, Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and defence minister Richard Marles gathered at the state department but in remarks before the meeting none mentioned China by name.
“This is a very strong partnership, it’s a strong alliance, and what we want to do is continue to build on it. We think we have a lot of momentum behind this alliance,” Rubio said, hailing cooperation between Washington and Canberra on critical minerals, defence production and troop deployments.
The US president, Donald Trump, and Australian PM, Anthony Albanese, signed a critical minerals deal at the White House in October after China imposed tougher rules on exporting its own critical minerals.
“We have to have critical mineral supplies and supply chains that are reliable, and that are diverse, and not overly invested in one place where they can be used as leverage against us or our partners of the world,” Rubio said on Monday.
Wong said the alliance “has always been to ensure it delivers concrete benefits for our security and prosperity and for that of the United States. And Aukus is central to that: a win for Australia, a win for the US and a win for the United Kingdom.”
“We are full steam ahead,” Wong added.
Hegseth echoed her comments, saying that “as we move full steam ahead on Aukus, we applaud Australia’s upcoming delivery of an additional $1bn to help expand US submarine production capacity. We’re strengthening Aukus so that it works for America, for Australia and for the UK.”
Marles said they were “living in a much more contested world, where it really matters to be doubling down with friends and allies and, obviously, America is front and centre and foremost for Australia in that respect”.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser to pick up the slack.
There has been a high-powered meeting in Washington overnight, as the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, met Australia’s Penny Wong and Richard Marles. As you’d expect, they had warm words for the alliance between the two countries. They also confirmed it was “full steam ahead” on the Aukus deal to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia, with Australia due to give the US $1bn to kickstart production. More from the meeting in a minute.
Domestic air fares rose faster than inflation in October as Qantas and Virgin reaped the rewards of a busy sport finals season, the consumer watchdog has found. More on that shortly.
A leading economist has warned interest rates are unlikely to be cut for much of 2026 as the Reserve Bank meets for its final monthly meeting of the year. More details soon …
Updated
