What we learned – Friday 24 July
That’s all for our live coverage today.
Before we go, let’s recap the day’s top headlines:
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Jim Chalmers has claimed rightwing political parties will “prey on” voter insecurities about a worsening economy while championing “anti-worker” policies.
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Australia’s resilient labour market continues to be a bright spot in the nation’s economy.
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The world’s longest-range commercial aircraft has been greeted by plane-spotters and aviation enthusiasts after arriving in Melbourne on Friday morning.
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The prime minister has spoken to his new UK counterpart, Andy Burnham, who was sworn in on Monday, congratulating him on his appointment and invited him to visit Australia.
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Australian exports sent to the US will be hit with a 12.5% tariff as the US president imposes levies on more than 80 nations.
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The ABC 0mbudsman is reviewing two episodes of Four Corners by former reporter Mahmood Fazal following concerns about the veracity of sources.
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Australia’s peak medicines regulator has issued product warnings for several type 2 diabetes and obesity-related drugs over the potential to cause a “rare but severe” form of eye disorder.
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The entire Queensland police pistol arsenal – more than 14,000 weapons – will be replaced by new guns.
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Socceroos star Cristian Volpato has allegedly tested positive for cocaine, after police stopped him speeding over a harbour bridge.
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Liberal MP Julian Leeser tells royal commission his son no longer feels safe at Jewish events.
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Trade minister Don Farrell has described the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 12.5% tariff on Australian exports because Australia is not doing enough to combat forced labour as “crazy”.
Thanks for joining us and have a lovely weekend!
Updated
Conference fight looms on Husic’s Israel resolution
As we reported earlier, Ed Husic is fighting internal resistance as he attempts to pass a resolution at Labor’s national conference condemning Israel’s war in Gaza and urging the government to withdraw officials from Australia’s embassy in Tel Aviv.
The Maritime Union of Australia has agreed to second Husic’s proposal, meaning it’s a step closer to being debated on the conference floor on Saturday.
The government has been working to avoid a debate on Israel and Palestine overshadowing the conference, which has been carefully stage-managed to avoid public conflicts.
Guardian Australia understands Husic’s resolution has several elements, including one clause recognising the 2024 decision of the International Court of Justice that Palestinians in Gaza have a “plausible” claim to be protected from acts of genocide.
It would also support trade sanctions on goods linked to illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, back the investigation and prosecution of dual nationals who had fought with the Israel Defence Force and withdrawal of defence and trade officials from Australia’s embassy in Tel Aviv.
Katie Shammas, executive officer at Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), urged delegates to support Husic’s call.
Israel is committing genocide in Palestine and Labor must help cut off the supply of weapons, investments and political support for these atrocities.
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Churches and charities urge stronger federal gambling laws
A coalition of civil society groups and experts have urged the Albanese government to take stronger action on gambling laws, in a joint submission to the parliamentary inquiry into Labor’s new laws.
The submission - led by the Alliance for Gambling Reform and Wesley Mission - said the government needed to go further with its proposed wagering changes. In the submission, they said:
The Prime Minister [stated] he had three clear goals in relation to these reforms: to break the connection between wagering and sport; to minimise children’s exposure to wagering advertising; and to reduce the saturation of gambling advertising across the internet, radio and TV channels. This Bill does not meet these goals.
Indeed, the groups claimed some of the government’s changes would weaken existing laws, rather than strengthen.
They welcomed the government’s proposals, and the moves to strengthen self-exclusion regulator Betstop, but said “the Bill, as currently drafted, does not go far enough to meaningfully reduce, or indeed prevent gambling harm in Australia. The evidence is clear that stronger, more comprehensive reform is both necessary and achievable.”
Their submission was endorsed by more than 20 more groups, including Anglicare, the Uniting church, ACOSS, DV Connect, and a range of financial counselling, health and suicide prevention organisations.
The top recommendation from the Alliance for Gambling Reform and Wesley was for “a statutory pathway to a full prohibition on all gambling advertising across all platforms - broadcast, digital, email, smart TV’s, venue, and sponsorship - within three years of commencement.”
They also called for a ban on all inducements (such as bonus bets and loyalty incentives) as well as urging the current “opt-out” model for online gambling ads be changed to an “opt-in”. AGR and Wesley said:
Gambling advertising should only be delivered to users who have actively elected to receive it.
Behavioural research consistently shows that most people never change default settings. The burden is placed on individuals — including parents — rather than on government and industry.
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‘To reflect modern Australia’: Labor passes motion to report on diversity in party
Back in Adelaide, Labor delegates have passed a motion to increase multicultural diversity within the party, and to report progress annually on the action.
The motion also includes encouraging each state branch to form multicultural Labor networks to increase the engagement, participation and the election of culturally and linguistically diverse members.
Osmond Chiu speaks on the motion, and says while Labor has made a lot of progress, there’s a long way to go.
[This motion] sets an expectation there will be reporting on diversity of endorsed candidates and commits to invest in the talent pipeline. These changes will help our party better reflect modern Australia.
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‘I am shocked’: Former ABC reporter reacts to removal of episodes
Former Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal says he is “shocked” by the ABC’s decision to remove two of his episodes amid concerns about the veracity of sources.
Fazal’s employment was terminated by the ABC in May after he appeared on an unauthorised external podcast in 2025, managing director Hugh Marks told Senate estimates.
The ABC announced today it has removed from its digital platforms the Four Corners programs reported by Fazal: Meth Highway (2024) and Cocaine Nation (2023) and associated content.
In a statement posted to social media Fazal said the announcement was “the first I was made aware of by the broadcaster that an investigation into my work was underway.” He said:
The decision to remove these episodes was apparently made before the investigation was completed. I have not been contacted by the Ombudsman, nor have I been told what the apparent issues are.
It is a deeply worrying precedent for the ABC to remove investigative journalism from its flagship programme, apparently in response to what appear to be external criticisms.
Updated
Trade minister Don Farrell describes US tariffs on Australia as ‘crazy’
Trade minister Don Farrell has described the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 12.5% tariff on Australian exports because Australia is not doing enough to combat forced labour as “crazy”.
Speaking to ABC’s Afternoon Briefing this afternoon from Adelaide, Farrell said it was “absolutely the wrong decision”.
Overwhelmingly, we purchase more goods from the United States than we sell them. You don’t do this to a good trading partner like Australia.
Farrell said a recent discussion with US trade chief, Jamieson Greer, on the topic was “acrimonious” because he did not accept that Australia didn’t have a strong enough system against slave labour. But he did concede it could be improved.
It can be better. We’re trying to improve it, but the idea that the Americans should impose this tariff, an increase in tariff on us for this reason, is just crazy to be honest with you, and the idea that India or Pakistan has a better regime in terms of modern slavery than Australia is simply incorrect.
Read more:
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A low key afternoon at the ALP conference
It’s been fairly quiet this afternoon at the ALP national conference, and like yesterday there have been no fights on the floor (despite previous conferences being well known for their robust debate).
Even the gambling issue earlier was all sorted in the background so when the amendments came up for a vote, there was no one in opposition.
The afternoon’s session has focused on workers’ rights – they’ve supported amendments on paid parental leave which would call for the party to work “with unions and employers on pathways for parents to access 52 weeks paid leave”.
A little earlier, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary, Sally McManus spoke to the conference, and welcomed the government’s announcement on AI, warning, “If we do not act, a few billionaires will control our future.”
Next up, the conference will debate on the ALP’s constitution, which will also – no doubt – be pretty low key.
BUT, as my colleague Dan Jervis-Bardy brought you a little earlier, it looks like Labor MP Ed Husic will be bringing some heat to the conference tomorrow, when the party debates a resolution further condemning Israel’s war in Gaza.
And with that, I’ll hand over the blog to my colleague Achol Arok, who’ll see you through the rest of the day. Have a good weekend.
Government to close Climate Active certification scheme
The Albanese government will scrap a controversial carbon neutral certification program.
Climate Active certified products and businesses that voluntarily purchased offsets as ‘carbon neutral’. More than 100 companies have withdrawn from the scheme in recent years amid concerns about the integrity of carbon offsetting.
The government said on Friday it would close the program but was seeking feedback on two options: simply closing Climate Active, or closing it but retaining some voluntary standards and guidance.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said ending Climate Active was “a good call” and the scheme was “a marketing tool to mislead consumers and investors to buy products that did not yield genuine emissions reduction”.
Climate Council senior advisor Ben McLeod said the scheme “was always a distraction from the real job: cutting climate pollution at the source”.
Jennifer Ansell, chief executive of Arnhem Land Fire Abatement said the voluntary carbon market remained crucial, provided opportunities for remote Indigenous communities, and allowed companies not captured by the safeguard mechanism to “be part of the net zero journey”:
We would like to see something in place so those companies can know they’re achieving those things.
Ed Husic fighting for Labor to further condemn Israel’s war in Gaza
The Labor MP, Ed Husic, is facing internal resistance as he pushes for the party’s national conference to adopt a resolution further condemning Israel’s war in Gaza.
Guardian Australia understands the outspoken backbencher has drafted a resolution on Israel and Palestine ahead of debate on the party’s foreign policy platform on Saturday morning.
But it was unclear as of Friday afternoon if the resolution would actually be debated.
Sources said factional powerbrokers were attempting to convince left-wing unions not to second Husic’s proposal, meaning it would lapse without reaching the conference floor.
The government - including the foreign minister, Penny Wong - has been working to avoid a messy debate on Israel and Palestine overshadowing the conference.
Jewish groups and Israel’s embassy in Canberra have been publicly putting pressure on the party to water down the draft text, which they claim is not critical enough of Hamas’s role in the Gaza war, while pro-Palestine supporters within Labor are pushing to strengthen the language.
The right faction-aligned shoppies union has reportedly prepared an amendment to resurrect the platform’s call for Hamas to disarm, after it was dropped from the draft text.
Husic was contacted for comment.
Reject ‘antiseptic centrism’, Wayne Swan tells Labor party’s national conference
Staying the with ALP national conference, a former party president, Wayne Swan, says Labor can’t “fiddle around the edges” any more when combating a surging One Nation.
Swan is speaking at another event in the fringe section of the ALP national conference, hosted by the Chifley Research Centre.
The former federal treasurer says social democratic parties globally have sat idle or even encouraged the uneven distribution of wealth, which now needs to be fixed. He tells the event:
I called it antiseptic centrism, which is the notion that you can just fiddle around the edges. It’s not going to work anymore.
I think [that] did a lot of damage to such political parties who were partially responsible for the fact that we were so weak and on the receiving end of such drubbings around the world.
We’ve got to be much more active in shaping our outcomes and making sure that we spread our prosperity much more evenly.
Swan adds that the social democratic governments around the world need to be, “more aggressive in creating wealth and then spreading it around more easily.”
He points to Labor’s reforms of the stage three tax cuts that gave all workers tax relief, and more recently the changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts as meaningful reform.
Government welcomes news EREA to pay victims of Christian Brothers schools abuse
The federal government has welcomed news that Edmund Rice Education Australia will help pay compensation to victims of abuse in Christian Brothers schools and orphanages.
EREA was set up in 2007 to take over former Christian Brothers schools, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property from the Christian Brothers for nominal amounts of $1.
But when the Christian Brothers announced it was going broke last month, and could no longer afford to pay survivors, EREA declined to help. It said it would not sell its vast property wealth to help the Christian Brothers pay survivors and declined to volunteer itself as a defendant to replace the Christian Brothers in court cases.
That changed on Friday, when EREA announced it would assumed responsibility for unresolved and future court claims, as well as claims for compensation through the government-run national redress scheme.
In a statement, social services minister Tanya Plibersek said:
The past few weeks of uncertainty have been difficult for victim survivors of abuse in institutions run by the Christian Brothers. They should never have been put in the position of wondering whether their claims would be met.
No level of compensation can undo the profound harm experienced by victim survivors of child sexual abuse. But we know that redress – including counselling, apologies, and financial compensation – can play an important role in helping survivors feel heard, believed and supported.
We now expect that EREA, like all Redress Scheme participants, will act in good faith to resolve all current and future redress matters concerning them or the Christian Brothers.
What’s on at the ALP conference ‘fringe’?
Let’s return to Adelaide, where, as we’ve brought you earlier, the Labor party’s national conference is taking place.
Over on the other side of the Adelaide convention centre is the “fringe” section of the conference. It’s a staple of the event and features two dozen stalls - this year ranging from the Labor environment action group to Make it 16 – a group of advocates pushing for the voting age to be lowered.
The fringe section also has events running by Labor affiliated groups, interest groups and other advocates talking about politics or policy - some of which are attended by or host MPs.
A short time ago, Dee Madigan (a regular contributor to the ABC’s Gruen, and who has led the creative strategy for Labor’s 2022 and 2025 campaigns) was talking to a packed out room.
She was chatting social media and algorithms, and while there’s all sorts of awful stuff online, Madigan says even if it’s negative, engagement is good for Labor.
“Don’t worry about angry comments, encourage them!” she says, but warns “never let members read their comments”.
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Julian Leeser calls for audit on university courses that teach about Israel and Palestine
Julian Leeser, who is the shadow minister for education, has told the royal commission that universities should undertake an audit of classes which teach about Israel and Palestine.
Leeser says he has been “very concerned” about university antisemitism since before 2023 and that”
I’ve been particularly unhappy with the responses that I’ve received [from vice chancellors] in relation to their failure to … properly audit courses to see what is being taught about Jews and Israel, and their failure in particular to audit courses dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict to ensure that both sides are presented in the best way possible so that students are best prepared to make their own mind up.
Among the recommendations he put to the commission was for the government to legislate that all universities adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, instead of choosing their own definition as is currently required. The IHRA definition is contentious because of concerns it could be used to shut down criticism of the state of Israel.
Leeser also said all universities should undertake “an audit of what’s being taught about Jews and Israel in their classrooms” and “remove antisemitic materials if they’re present”.
He said universities that taught about the Israel-Palestine conflict should make sure their course materials came from “credible sources” of “both sides” and that it was “balanced”.
Asked how to ensure classroom content was “balanced”, he said:
You will see people say, oh, we’ve got balance here. Because we’ve got one perspective from, say, the Palestinian side and one perspective from the Israeli side.
But one of those perspectives is a full-throated defence by advocates of their position. And the other perspective is not at all.
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Julian Leeser tells royal commission his son no longer feels safe at Jewish events
Back to the antisemitism royal commission, where the Liberal MP Julian Leeser has been giving evidence.
Leeser has recalled his own experience on 14 December, the day of the terror attack in Bondi.
He was attending an outdoor Hanukkah event in northern Sydney at the time.
Holding back tears, he says he remembers his son’s fear when the news broke.
Leeser had made a speech at the event saying he “recognised that it had been a tough year for the Jewish community, but hoped that things would be better”, when a rabbi pulled him aside and said 50 shots had been fired at Bondi.
He told the rabbi they should get down as quickly as possible, because they didn’t know if what had happened at Bondi was more coordinated, and that:
When I came down , it was apparent that people had been killed in the events at Bondi … By that time there were lots of adults who were sharing pictures … And they’re in disbelief.
My son at that time was seven and my daughter was three. And my son had overheard the adults talking about the fact that people had been shot and killed in Bondi. And he cried inconsolably … He sat with his legs crossed saying, ‘Dad, are we going to be safe?’.
This has affected him deeply.
Leeser said he couldn’t guarantee to his son that they would be safe. Since then, he has been afraid to attend synagogues and outdoor communal events.
What sort of Australia are we setting up that a seven-year-old child doesn’t feel safe going to a place of worship?
That’s not the Australia I know and love and it’s not the Australia I want for my children or anyone’s children.
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Socceroos star Cristian Volpato allegedly tests positive for cocaine
Socceroos star Cristian Volpato has allegedly tested positive for cocaine, after police stopped him speeding over a harbour bridge, AAP reports.
The 22-year-old, who represented Australia at the World Cup earlier in July, was caught speeding twice overnight, NSW police said on Friday.
Driving a BMW, Volpato was allegedly clocked at 109 km/h - nearly 50 km/h over the designated speed limit - when police stopped him on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge at 1.10am on Friday.
He was subjected to a roadside drug test which allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine, police said in a statement on Friday.
A secondary sample of oral fluid was taken for further analysis.
His international driver’s licence was suspended for six months.
AAP has contacted Football Australia for comment.
Updated
Jewish Australians threatened by ‘academic and cultural left’, Julian Leeser says
Julian Leeser has told the royal commission that Jewish people are most threatened by “neo-Nazis”, “radical Islamists” and the “academic and cultural left”.
Leeser says he has witnessed an increase in antisemitism in recent years, including personally as a federal member of parliament, recalling his posters being graffitied with Hitler moustaches, swastikas and dollar signs.
He said:
As a member of parliament, you’re regularly criticised for what you do … People can say, I don’t like your party, or I don’t like the way you represent our community.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those things … But what I found quite a lot as a member of parliament is that I am not subject to that sort of criticism, but I’m subject to an antisemitic criticism of what I do.
Leeser says antisemitism has evolved over time, but is currently most damaging amongst “neo-Nazis”, “radical Islamists” and the “academic and cultural left”.
He said:
In the Middle Ages, Jews were hated for their religion. In the 19th and 20th century, they were hated for their race. Today, they’re hated for their nation state.
We find anti-Semitism in three main vectors in Australian society. In the far right among neo-Nazis, among radical Islamists, and among the academic and cultural left.
And I’m subjected to anti-Semitism as many Jewish Australians are on through all those vectors and in particular in relation to conflating Jewish Australians as being responsible for the actions of the government of Israel.
Julian Leeser tells royal commission he ‘worries about the future’ of the Jewish community
Liberal MP Julian Leeser has told the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion that “one of the wonderful things” about Australia is the Jewish community have been here since the First Fleet and “flourished in every imaginable aspect of Australian life” - but their position has “declined”.
He said:
My particular sense of what it means to be an Australian Jew is that this country is such an amazing place … and that’s the thing I’m most sad about in the last few years, that I feel the position of Jewish Australians has really declined … and I worry about the future of the Jewish community and my family in this country.
Leeser is appearing at the fifth round of hearings this week, which is examining the relationship between police and Jewish security groups after calls for governments to entirely fund the community’s security needs.
The member for Berowra - the first Jewish person to represent the Liberal party in the federal house of representatives - persistently lobbied for the commission in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
He was previously a chair of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and a councillor of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
Hi, I hope you’re having a nice day. I’ll be with you on the blog for the next little while.
That’s it from me today. Handing over to Catie McLeod to take you through the afternoon.
Gina Rinehart offers bonuses for Australian swimming medals as funding gap exposed
Freestyle king Kyle Chalmers has welcomed potential windfalls for Australia’s Commonwealth Games swimmers after Gina Rinehart offered up cash bonuses for medals and world records.
Amid a spate of high-profile athlete withdrawals from Glasgow 2026, Dolphins squad members have been given a significant incentive to take part. Billionaire Rinehart has confirmed she will deliver the same bonuses that were on offer in the pool at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Individual swimmers will pocket $20,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze and $30,000 for a world record. Relay team members will also be rewarded with $7,500 per person for a world record, $5,000 for a gold medal, $3,750 for silver and $2,500 for bronze.
The swimming bonanza comes as many athletes in other sports lament a lack of financial support, despite Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) providing a $5,000 grant to every member of the Glasgow team.
Chalmers said:
I’m super grateful to have the support of CGA to get us here, but to be able to have some medal incentive, it gives us a lot more purpose and reason.
Otherwise you get a medal and the uniform ... so [I’m] very grateful to have supporters.
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Spike in kids’ crisis calls spotlights health challenge
More than a third of young Australians (36%) met criteria for anxiety, mood or substance disorders, up from 23 per cent in 2007, according to a report led by Sydney University researchers.
AAP reports those in the 16-24 age cohort suffering severe disorders rose from 14.7% to 24%, according to the study examining national survey data to 2022.
Co-lead author Tim Slade, a professor from the Sydney University’s Matilda Centre for Mental Health and Substance Use, said the problems facing young people go beyond simply feeling more stressed.
We are seeing higher rates of severe mental disorders that can profoundly disrupt daily functioning, and have lasting consequences for wellbeing the professor from the university’s Matilda Centre for Mental Health and Substance Use.
A mental health condition can often begin in a person’s early years and, without the right support and treatment, become entrenched throughout their life.
The report meshed with data from Kids Helpline, run by the charity Yourtown, which showed a dramatic spike in calls.
The free service has fielded 2965 crisis calls from those at risk so far in 2026, up 26 per cent on the same period in 2025.
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Man previously accused of killing Melbourne teen loses bid to have final charge dropped
The man previously charged with killing 19-year-old Melbourne woman Isla Bell has failed in his attempt to have the final charge against him relating to her death thrown out.
Marat Ganiev, 55, was initially charged with the murder of Bell, 19, after her remains were found in a bag in a Dandenong rubbish tip on 20 November 2024, about six weeks after the night police believe she died.
Ganiev was charged with murdering Bell on 7 October 2024. Police alleged he killed the young woman at his St Kilda property and put her body in a fridge, which was then wrapped in plastic and tape, removed by a second man, and driven around Melbourne for days before being dumped.
He later had his charge downgraded to manslaughter and it was then withdrawn entirely in May, a week before his scheduled trial, with prosecutors saying they had insufficient evidence. Ganiev was then charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Ganiev applied to the supreme court on 14 July for a permanent stay on his case, with his barrister arguing that the prosecution’s decision to file a new indictment a week before the trial was an abuse of process.
Justice James Elliott on Friday disagreed, finding the prosecutors were within their right to file a fresh indictment.
Read the full story here.
Entire Queensland police pistol arsenal to be replaced by new guns
The entire Queensland police pistol arsenal – more than 14,000 weapons – will be replaced by new guns.
The arsenal, made up of Austrian-made .40 calibre Glock pistols, has just gone through a recall, after a flaw was discovered in a weapon earlier this year.
About 1% of weapons had a fault making them effectively fully automatic, firing constantly while the trigger was pulled.
Police minister Dan Purdie used parliamentary estimates to announce the government would replace the old weapons – some of them dating to 1998 – with new 9mm Glock 45 Generation 6 service pistols. The weapon was introduced earlier this year.
More than 14,000 new service pistols will replace aging firearms, first issued almost three decades ago.
Queensland will become the first policing jurisdiction in Australia to upgrade its entire handgun fleet to the latest Generation Six platform.
Every frontline officer will have a modern, reliable equipment designed to give them greater confidence when responding to the most dangerous situations imaginable.
The replacement will cost $14m, with new weapons arriving from the end of this year.
Updated
Microsoft Teams outage resolved
Earlier we reported there was an outage for Microsoft’s meetings platform Teams, affecting users in the Asia Pacific region.
The company now reports the issue is resolved.
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Queensland police integrity working group met just twice this year, parliamentary estimates hears
The committee responsible for setting up Queensland’s police integrity unit met just twice this year, parliamentary estimates has heard – and the substance of both meetings will remain secret.
The unit is years late.
The landmark A Call for Change inquiry into domestic violence recommended in November 2022 that an independent organisation to investigate all complaints against police be set up “within 18 months” in order to end what it found was a “culture of impunity” caused by the practice of having police investigate police.
Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission chair, Bruce Barbour, criticised the then-Labor government for delays on the project in 2024. A working group had been set up but there’d been little more progress, he said at the time.
On Friday Barbour told estimates that the commission had had two conversations with government about the “potential” police integrity unit in 2026, both in April.
Those discussions were categorised as cabinet in confidence, and so I’m not in a position to say anything further in relation to that.
Barbour told the committee the commission hadn’t received any additional funding for anything associated with a potential police integrity unit”, nor any additional funding for police oversight. He said commission’s current funding covers the responsibility.
The CCC investigates fewer than 1% of complaints made to it about police, with many complaints referred back to the police or other government departments.
Only one person was charged with a corruption offence last year.
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Barnaby Joyce’s wife Vikki Campion bans 7.30 from farm after dog incident
Vikki Campion, a journalist and the wife of the One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce, says ABC’s 7.30 is banned from their property after a clip from the show went viral.
In the video, Joyce had yelled at a dog to “sit down!” while he was doing an interview from the New England farm.
Since then, the MP and his wife have been peppered with questions, prompting Campion to take to her Substack to defend Joyce and her working dog Stella.
Stella was barking because she was protecting her family, like the boys that I was trying to put to bed, from a vehicle that she saw as suspicious. I’m not going to question her judgment on that.
She then banished 7.30 from their farm.
For years, I have personally set up cameras, lights and internet connectivity to assist Sydney media to interview Barnaby, often without ever so much as a thank you.
Never again.
ABC 7.30 is banned from my property.
If Barnaby wants to do it, he can do it in Sydney or Canberra, in a studio where lights and microphones and cameras are done for him, just as they are for Ferguson, where he is at least on equal footing to a host who thinks she knows more about our farm than we do.
Guardian Australia has sought comment from ABC.
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Labor secretary Paul Erickson cuts debate time as conference runs overtime
Debate time has been cut down from three minutes to one minute for delegates, as the conference starts going overtime.
Paul Erickson, the national secretary, has moved to speed up the debate, just for the current chapter that deals with health and the NDIS to try and get back to schedule.
The conference was already running overtime this morning, spending half an hour on amendments to the environment portfolio which got cut off yesterday afternoon.
At the opening of the morning’s session, the ALP vice-president Mich-Elle Myers said the consequences of going over yesterday meant she was stuck still chairing the session after having had “too good a time with my comrades last night”.
(Last night the left and tight factions were out having their factional dinners – the right’s was at the SkyCity casino, while we’re told the left had theirs in a warehouse space).
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Jewish community allocated $209m from home affairs for security since 7 October 2023, royal commission hears
The Jewish community has been allocated more than $200m since the 7 October Hamas terror attack in 2023 towards security measures, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.
Appearing on Friday, Amy Dyde, assistant secretary in the Department of Home Affairs, said Jewish communities had experienced an increased risk environment since the attack where community centres and places of worship were increasingly targeted by antisemitic attacks.
She said five protective security grants had been delivered by Home Affairs from 2023 to 2029, totalling at just over $209m. The funding was provided to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ). Asked why that was an appropriate way to allocate the grants, Dyde said:
In October 2023, there was an urgent need to roll out immediate funding to the community, noting the increased security risks. Commonwealth grants can typically take … many months to develop. And it was determined that utilising the ECAJ to administer that funding would, one, be more expeditious for the community, but two, more importantly, the ECAJ have a very important role in sitting across the Jewish community … It’s also important to give the Jewish community autonomy over where that funding is utilised within the community.
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Delegates support voluntary assisted dying amendment
The conference is currently debating the ability to access voluntary assisted dying via telehealth - and it’s a genuine debate today.
Caitlin Tough, an ACT representative, says voluntary assisted dying is healthcare and says the current laws stop a person accessing VAD being able to have a support person on the phone or video call with them while they meet with a health professional to talk about their options.
She tells the floor:
A doctor may lawfully have a conversation across a desk, but they face criminal risk for the same communication by telephone or video.
The problem is that two Commonwealth criminal code provisions, written well before telehealth became routine, before anyone had voluntary assistant dying as we know it now, stops this from happening, and the burden is falling heavily on people who are extremely ill, who cannot readily leave their home or live a long distance from an authorized practitioner or their family does to support them.
A critic of the policy spoke said, “I think we all agree this is complex, nuanced, and shouldn’t be done over a Zoom call.”
While there were a fair few “no’s” in the room, voting against the amendment, the amendment was passed without a division.
TGA warns of potential links between ‘rare but serious’ eye disorder and GLP-1 related drugs
Australia’s peak medicines regulator has issued product warnings for several type 2 diabetes and obesity-related drugs over the potential to cause a “rare but severe” form of eye disorder.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) warning concerns the GLP-1 RA class of medicines, currently marketed in Australia as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
The TGA says the eye disorder, non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), may result in permanent visual impairment and there are no available treatments.
The regulator says it is aware of 36 reported cases of the eye disorder associated with the drugs.
Australian product information documents have been updated to reflect the new warning and patients prescribed the drugs are urged to “seek urgent medical attention if they experience sudden vision loss, including partial loss of vision”.
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Labor ‘failed’ exporters with US tariffs, Canavan claims
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has blasted the Albanese government over news that Donald Trump would level 12.5% tariffs on many Australian goods, claiming Labor had “failed” exporters.
Canavan, the shadow trade minister, was upset Australia had not received at least the lowest level of tariffs, noting the United Kingdom and Canada faced 10% trade barriers.
He said in a statement:
Seventeen countries were given a flat 10 per cent rate. Australia was not one of them.
Australia is subject to a 12.5 per cent tariff rate, the same rate as Russia, China and Venezuela.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, said many of Australia’s top exports to the US – including beef and gold – would be unaffected due to exemptions.
But Canavan said Labor should have done more, claiming the government had “failed to take meaningful action against forced labour in international supply chains, despite years of warnings.”
He called on Labor to “provide a full account of its engagement with the United States and a clear plan to have the tariffs removed.”
Labor’s failure to act has weakened our trade position which Australian farmers, exporters and manufacturers will now pay the price for.
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Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia agrees to help compensate Christian Brothers abuse survivors
The entity that holds vast property wealth gifted to it by the Christian Brothers has agreed to help compensate abuse survivors in full, in a stunning reversal following weeks of public pressure.
The Christian Brothers, a Catholic order with an appalling history of clergy abuse, last month announced it was going broke and could not afford to meet civil claims from abuse survivors, instead proposing a scheme to sell of its meagre holding of 36 properties and splitting the proceeds between a range of creditors, including survivors.
The announcement triggered significant scrutiny of property transfers worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a related entity, Edmund Rice Education Australia, which were made for amounts of $1. EREA, which now runs former Christian Brothers schools, had previously refused to sell those properties to help pay for survivors and had resisted attempts by survivors to nominate it as the defendant to their court cases, instead of the Christian Brothers.
But the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia announced today it had changed its position. They have agreed with the Christian Brothers Oceania Province to develop a revised scheme of arrangement that will “compensate victims and survivors of historical abuse claims against the Christian Brothers in full”.
Dr Stephen Brown, chair of the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia, said:
By supporting a revised scheme of arrangement we are committed to supporting those who have suffered abuse.
We support the revised scheme because it is simply the right thing to do for victims and survivors to provide them a just and sustainable pathway.
This decision will also support the long-term sustainability of the educational ministry, including more than 44,000 students entrusted to EREA’s stewardship.
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Microsoft investigating Teams outage
Tech giant Microsoft has said it is investigating an outage to its Teams platform used for meetings, which is affecting users in the Asia-Pacific region.
In a post on X, the company said:
We’re investigating an issue causing impact to joining or creating Microsoft Teams meetings or calls for users in the Asia-Pacific region.
DownDetector reported outage reports for Teams began just before 10.30am AEST, peaking at 11.09am.
Microsoft was approached for comment.
Worker dead, another seriously injured after mine crash
A worker is dead and another has been seriously injured after a truck collided with a vehicle at a remote mine, AAP reports.
Emergency crews arrived at the Peak Downs coal site, operated by the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, in central Queensland near Mackay about 5am on Friday.
A worker died while another suffered “potentially life-threatening injuries” and was taken to Moranbah hospital, Queensland Ambulance Service said.
Operations at the mine located in the Bowen Basin have been suspended as investigators head to the site.
The resources health and safety Queensland CEO, Claire Cooper, said in a statement:
A worker has died and another has been injured in a serious incident that occurred at a Central Queensland coal mine earlier today.
Preliminary information indicates two vehicles collided at the site early this morning.
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Synagogue congregation described as ‘genocidal’ and ‘maggot rat Jews’ in unknown phone call, royal commission hears
Victoria police did not log a phone call to a synagogue where the congregation was described as “genocidal” and “maggot rat Jews” as a prejudice-motivated crime, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.
Appearing on Friday morning, Victoria police assistant commissioner, Martin O’Brien, was asked about an incident in October 2025 where a synagogue congregation received a phone call from an unknown woman. The woman allegedly abused the caller, stating the Jewish community were “genocidal”, that their “days were numbered” and that they were “maggot rat Jews”.
There was no incident fact sheet (IFS) recorded in the police report, which is required for any prejudice-motivated crime that relates to racial, political or ideological circumstances, O’Brien confirmed.
Another incident, where a 5.5m swastika was graffitied on to a construction site, was similarly not recorded as an IFS.
Assistant commissioner of the Australian federal police, Stephen Nutt, is next to appear before the commission but will give evidence in closed hearings due to the sensitive nature of his testimony.
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Labor to debate allowing access to voluntary assisted dying via telehealth
Day two of the ALP national conference is under way, with the health portfolio now under debate.
This will include debate on an amendment to allow access to voluntary assisted dying via telehealth.
The amendment reads:
Labor will remove barriers that exist in federal law to the provision of end-of-life care (including via telehealth) as part of lawful access to voluntary assisted dying in the states and territories, while maintaining appropriate clinical safeguards.
Later on, the conference will also debate enshrining a conscience vote on issues involving voluntary assisted dying in Labor’s constitution. The other issue that Labor members get a conscience vote on is abortion.
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ABC ombudsman to review deleted Four Corners episodes by former bikie turned reporter
The ABC 0mbudsman is reviewing two episodes of Four Corners by former reporter Mahmood Fazal following concerns about the veracity of sources.
Fazal’s employment was terminated by the ABC in May after he appeared on an unauthorised external podcast in 2025, the managing director, Hugh Marks, told Senate estimates.
The ABC announced today it has removed from its digital platforms the Four Corners programs reported by Fazal: Meth Highway (2024) and Cocaine Nation (2023) and associated content.
This action has been taken following concerns identified about the veracity of certain sources used in both programs.
The matter has been referred to the ABC Ombudsman for an independent review of whether the programs complied with the relevant editorial standards as set out in the Editorial Policies. The ABC will consider whether any further action will be required once that review is complete.
The ABC is committed to the highest standards of editorial integrity. Maintaining the trust of Australians depends on upholding those standards, and we take any concerns about our journalism seriously.
The ABC said the decision to remove the content is separate to the internal investigation which led to Fazal leaving the ABC earlier this year.
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Goldminer shrugs off earthquake’s impact on production
Two earthquakes in central western NSW have weighed on the output of the world’s biggest goldminer, as it continues to keep an eye on costs after a sharp rise in the oil price, AAP reports.
Dual-listed Newmont Corporation holds the Boddington and Tanami goldmines in Western Australia, along with the Cadia mine in NSW.
At dawn on 19 June, a magnitude-3.4 underground quake was recorded at its Cadia site, about 25km south of Orange.
The jolt came just two months after underground operations at the site were suspended for five weeks following a magnitude-4.5 earthquake that trapped employees in underground refuge chambers for more than 10 hours.
Both quakes resulted in halts to production and Newmont chief executive, Natascha Viljoen, told an earnings call on Friday that the company was still learning from the events, although it was pleased its emergency procedures worked and there were no injuries.
Attributable gold production at Cadia fell to 34,000 ounces in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, down from 94,000 ounces in the first quarter. It was also sharply down from 104,000 ounces in the second quarter of 2025.
While Newmont mined plenty of gold from its other mines across the world, including in the US, Canada and Mexico, overall fourth-quarter production slipped 1% to 1.29m ounces from the previous quarter.
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Protecting children from inducements in games and social media part of gambling amendments
Labor will adopt amendments into its platform calling for stronger action on gambling inducements in games and social media, and to ensure relevant national regulators report back to parliament yearly to show their action on minimising gambling harm.
We can now see the amendments agreed to by the minister (which avoids a fight on the floor of the conference) ahead of them being debated a little later today.
The amendments state that the government has a “responsibility to prevent harm, intervene early when harm is occurring and to support individuals experiencing harm”.
The amendments also include:
Labor will explore how to better prevent online gaming and social media platforms from offering children and young people embedded inducements within games and social media that incentivise and normalise gambling.
To support the effectiveness and impact of this work, we will endeavour to strengthen the powers of the relevant national regulators, who will report to parliament annually on their actions. Labor will continue to monitor the success of these actions to ensure the correct regulatory settings are in place.
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Chinese delegation departs from ALP conference
There’s been a few members of the diplomatic community spotted at the Labor conference this week – we saw the Danish ambassador on the same set of escalators the PM yesterday tripped on, and we’re aware of a few others.
There were also representatives from Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Canberra, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia.
But the Chinese delegation, who had made an appearance at the conference yesterday, is nowhere to be seen today and is understood to be back in Canberra. Some have linked their return to the presence of Taiwan’s representatives.
Diplomatic officials are able to come to the conference as “observers”, the same as another attendee who is not a delegate, MP, staffer, media or lobbyist, meaning they can watch all the proceedings on the floor, and have time to chat to anyone floating around.
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Vast majority’ of pro-Palestine protesters aren’t motivated by violence, royal commission hears
The “vast majority” of people who march in pro-Palestine protests aren’t seeking violence, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.
The former principal intelligence analyst at the Jewish Community Service Group (CSG) of New South Wales, Tahli Blicblau, said four converging ideologies had created the most serious threat environment for Jewish Australians’ in history: Islamic extremism, the extreme far right, the radical far left and conspiratorial movements.
This block of hearings is looking into security arrangements for the Jewish community, including risk assessments.
Blicblau was asked by the commissioner, Virginia Bell, whether the pro-Palestine movement was part of the radical far left threat.
Blicblau said she was talking about an “extreme fringe radical element” which may have some similar ideological drivers but was “anti-democratic, anti-Australian, anti-colonial generally which extends not only to Israel but also to Australia”.
Bell asked, “You’re not suggesting that individuals who march in protests about the Palestinian cause are motivated towards violence towards Jewish people, are you?”
She replied:
I would say the vast majority of them are not.
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Police seeking community assistance in alleged child abuse investigation
The Australian federal police have launched a new public appeal to help identify a boy as part of its ongoing investigation into former Sydney childcare worker Hamish Tait.
An image of the child was allegedly found on devices seized by police.
The photos, taken between March 2020 and July 2025, show a boy wearing Bluey-branded underwear who appears to have a distinctive freckle or mole on his body.
Police cannot release the images due to their sensitive nature, but hope the description could spark recognition.
AFP Detective Acting Inspector, Emmanuel Tsardoulias, said any information, big or small, might assist with the victim identification process.
We appreciate the information shared with the community may appear limited, however, any clue may assist with victim identification. Please consider the dates, locations and descriptions.
Anyone who has information is encouraged to contact the local contact point on 02 9765 1000. The LCP formally concludes on 26 July 2026. After that, the community can call the AFP on 131 237.
Police confirmed on Friday two children pictured in images released by the AFP last week were already known to them.
The AFP is also launching a fresh community appeal for information about an image depicting a two-tone T-shirt, taken from behind the child at a Putney childcare centre about 9 January 2018.
With AAP
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Ultra-long distance Qantas test flight touches down in Melbourne after 19-hour journey
The world’s longest-range commercial aircraft has been greeted by plane-spotters and aviation enthusiasts after arriving in Melbourne on Friday morning.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR, built for Qantas to fly about 20 hours nonstop between Sydney and London, completed a 19-hour odyssey from Toulouse, France that became one of the most-watched flights in the world.
More than 74,000 people tracked its path on flighradar24.com as it prepared to land.
Eleven-year-old Will took the day off school to watch its descent, appearing with a crowd of other enthusiasts on Sunrise.
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Labor avoids fight on gambling reform
An issue that was shaping up to be one of the more contentious policy battlegrounds has also avoided a fight on the floor – with some amendments to be agreed to today.
Gambling has been a hot button issue both inside and outside the party, and teams were working overnight to figure out how to get stronger commitments into the party platform.
Instead of a fight, the minister is understood to have agreed to the wording of the amendments (which we’ll bring you as soon as we get them).
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Aukus construction yards to be ‘pride of the nation’
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is speaking in Adelaide after announcing an extra $4.6 billion for construction yards that will build Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
In the coming years as we get to a number of north of 10,000 people, and they are jobs that will be here for generations to come.
This is a hugely significant facility in terms of what our nation’s industrial capacity is.
This will be the highest tech production line in Australia, it will be one of the highest tech production lines in the world.
I really want to thank the more than a thousand workers now, but thousands to come who will be building this facility.
They should be incredibly proud of what they are doing, and the outcome of this will really be the pride of the nation.
Aukus is expected to be discussed at Labor’s national conference on the weekend, following calls to review the plan.
Earlier, Marles said the issue had already been debated at the previous national conference, where iit received “overwhelming support”.
Farrell silent on donations from Chinese billionaire
Don Farrell, the trade minister and special minister of state, has brushed off questions about Anthony Albanese attending a fundraising dinner hosted by the son of a Chinese billionaire under scrutiny from the tax office.
The Australian Financial Review reported this week Albanese attended the event with 25-year-old Felix Lee, whose father, Phillip Dong Fang Lee, has made big donations to the Labor party.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Friday that Phillip Lee has been investigated by the ATO over large sums of money coming from China to Australia.
Other attenders at the fundraiser included the Commonwealth Bank boss, Matt Comyn, former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, the former Asic chairman James Shipton and former Future Fund boss David Murray.
Asked if the fundraising was appropriate, Farrell said he was “unfamiliar” with the media reports.
All of the issues in relation to donations are matters that are helped with and dealt with by the party administration.
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Australia’s largest exports to US exempt from latest tariffs
Australian gold, beef and copper will continue flowing into the US tariff-free, despite Donald Trump’s latest wave of levies.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, said those exports would continue to have a high volume of trade into the US.
The 67% increase in trade has been because those products – the value of those products, and the volume of those products – has been increasing.
I don’t see any reason to think that that’s not going to continue.
I think we will continue to have a high volume of trade into the United States.
But we’re always looking for new markets.
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Tariffs on Australian exports ‘completely unjustified’
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is speaking in Adelaide after the US revealed it would slap 12.5% tariffs on Australian goods in a trade move hitting dozens of countries that Donald Trump claims have not done enough to combat forced labour in supply chains.
Farrell said:
We do not believe it was justified.
We believe that – amongst all of the countries in the world -Australia does take the issue of modern slavery seriously, and will continue to do that.
The Albanese government believes that this imposition of higher tariffs on Australia is completely unjustified, and we will continue to lobby the United States trade representative to remove all tariffs on Australian goods.
Relationship between police and Jewish security to be probed as royal commission continues
The relationship between police and Jewish security groups is set to be examined after calls for governments to entirely fund the community’s security needs.
Across a fifth round of hearings in Melbourne this week, the anti-Semitism royal commission has been told the financial burden of Jewish safety in Australia is largely being worn by families, schools, places of worship and community groups, AAP reports.
Liberal MP Julian Leeser, whose persistent lobbying was instrumental to establishing the landmark inquiry, will appear before the commission on Friday to detail the rising tide of hate speech and its impact on the community.
We’ll be bringing you the latest on the blog.
Australia’s hidden pain forces many out of workforce
Millions of Australians living with chronic pain are fighting an invisible battle that extends far beyond health care.
It’s a condition that forces many to leave the workforce, with fresh research revealing that 42% of sufferers have had to stop working due to chronic pain, AAP reports.
The 2026 National Pain Report also revealed that 57% of respondents reported their conditions had affected their ability to work.
Advocate Kellie Jade Ellis told AAP:
I felt like I couldn’t disclose my chronic pain to any employer, there were times I was in a pain zone and I had to go home and I was definitely met with a lot of shame.
Drawing on responses from more than 6,000 Australians, the report also revealed that 72% believed costs have prevented them from accessing the health care they need.
The report argued there is a national pain gap currently existing, with one in five Australians living with chronic pain.
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Spotted in the common areas …
There are plenty of references to “comrades” here, and it appears that almost no one gets special treatment or privacy at the ALP national conference – not even cabinet ministers.
Walking into the Adelaide convention centre this morning, we spotted the health minister, Mark Butler, sitting at a public table in the common area of the centre typing on his laptop – perhaps writing up some last minute notes, or editing his address.
Day two of the conference will heavily focus on health measures and the NDIS – Butler’s portfolio – which he’ll introduce to the floor later this morning.
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King Charles steps out of a Tardis to open stripped-back Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow opened on Thursday evening (Friday morning AEST) to the surreal sight of King Charles and Queen Camilla stepping out of a Tardis – and a mechanical Loch Ness monster roaring the first few bars of Flower of Scotland.
The Tardis was a nod to the fact that police boxes were designed by the Scottish architect Gilbert MacKenzie Trench.
But the Doctor Who reference proved to be doubly apt given that the Games faced being exterminated until Glasgow stepped in after Victoria pulled out due to financial pressures.
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Queensland man charged for creating AI-generated posters depicting eight women as sex workers
A Queensland man has been charged for creating and distributing AI-generated posters falsely depicting local women as sex workers.
The man is accused of generating the posters since February 2021 but police only became aware after one was posted at a public venue in Gatton in May this year.
Queensland police allege the posters featured victims’ faces superimposed on to the bodies of women depicted performing explicit sexual acts.
The victims’ full names, social media usernames and employment details were also included alongside false claims identifying them as sex workers, police say.
A 52-year-old Cleveland man has been charged with 43 offences including 27 counts of distributing intimate images, six counts of unlawful stalking, four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, four counts of using a postal service to menace, harass or cause offence and one count each of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence and authority required to possess explosives.
He has been remanded in custody to appear before Brisbane magistrates court on 19 August.
To date, detectives have identified eight alleged victims, according to Queensland police.
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More detail on first suspected H5 bird flu case reported in Queensland
Queensland has reported its first suspected case of the deadly H5 bird flu, after a deceased petrel discovered on the eastern side of Moreton Island tested positive to the virus.
The chief veterinary officer, Allison Crook, said the bird had been discovered on the beach and had likely washed ashore.
We have had an enhanced surveillance program in place for bird flu for quite a while now, and this program becomes even more important following this detection.
Biosecurity agencies had moved from a “lean forward incident management arrangement” to a full stand-up, she said.
The agriculture minister, Tony Perrett, urged vigilance from the community and poultry producers but said there is still a low risk to human health and it is still safe to continue to eat chicken meat or eggs and there is no cause for panic buying.
He said stopping an outbreak was a major challenge, due to the risk that migratory birds could bring the virus into the state.
It’s a great tragedy that we’re seeing this in the wild bird population and the migratory birds. Thankfully, there’s been no detections, obviously, in the native wild bird population in this state. Something that concerns us all, particularly the vulnerability that sits around that.
So that’s why we’ve got to do our absolute best, that’s why we’ve been preparing, particularly across agencies within government, to make certain.
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Queensland has returned the state’s first suspected positive case of deadly H5 bird flu
A strain of bird flu with the potential to devastate poultry and native animal populations has been reported in Queensland.
H5 bird flu had previously been confirmed in migratory wild birds in other states, including NSW and Western Australia.
On Friday, the Queensland government revealed a suspected positive result had been returned after a dead petrel was found washed up on Moreton Island.
Samples from the animal are now undergoing further testing.
Results of the CSIRO’s testing will be communicated by the federal government.
There have been no detections in native birds, poultry, nor evidence of large-scale deaths in any animals in Queensland.
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Australia demands removal of ‘unjustified’ US tariffs
We’ve just got a statement from Australia’s trade minister, Don Farrell, in response to the 12.5% tariffs to be levelled by the United States.
These tariffs are unjustified, inconsistent with our free trade agreement, and should be removed.
Australia’s measures to combat forced labour and modern slavery are among the strongest in the world, and we are recognised globally, including in the US, for our leadership.
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Australian goods subject to US tariffs from today
The US trade action sets out that virtually all goods from Australia will be subject to the 12.5% tariffs, and that it will apply almost immediately.
The document says it will apply to goods entering from 12.01am US eastern time on 24 July – less than six hours from now – except for goods that had been loaded on to a vessel before that time and which enter before 12.01am eastern on 28 July.
The action, as it pertains to Australia specifically, states that after an investigation “the Trade Representative has determined to impose 12.5 percent tariffs on products of Australia” except for a limited number of exemptions.
“The Trade Representative has determined, in accordance with the specific direction of the President, that the tariff rate to be applied, and the scope of tariffs and exemptions are appropriate to obtain the elimination of the acts, policies, and practices determined to be actionable in the investigation” – that is, the claims of not doing enough to deal with forced labour.
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More detail on US tariffs as Australian exports in firing line
In some breaking news, the United States has announced it will hit Australian exports with a 12.5% tariff, in its latest trade move hitting dozens of countries that Donald Trump claims have not done enough to combat forced labour in supply chains.
We’ve contacted the trade minister, Don Farrell, for comment.
In a statement this morning, the US trade department claimed Australia was on a list of 54 economies it deemed as having “failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor”.
Other countries facing a 12.5% tariff include Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Other destinations on a separate list – including Canada, the European Union and Mexico – will be subject to a 10% tariff, after the US claimed they had only failed to “enforce” forced labour prohibitions.
In total the tariffs apply “to the top 60 U.S. trade partners covering 99.4% of U.S. imports”, according to a trade department statement.
The United States is the only country in the world to adopt, and effectively enforce, a ban on imports made with forced labor.
President Trump is asking all trading partners to join the United States in eliminating forced labor from global supply chains.
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‘The comments are wrong’: Hanson’s statements on domestic violence decried
Comments made by Pauline Hanson on domestic violence have been condemned by the deputy opposition leader.
The One Nation leader faced swift backlash earlier this week after she called domestic violence a “two-way street”, described paid leave for those experiencing family and domestic violence as “ridiculous”, and suggested the issue is taking police away from “real crime”.
The deputy opposition leader, Jane Hume, continued to decry the comments on ABC radio:
The comments are wrong.
I think it demonstrates just how out of touch on this issue they really are.
Domestic violence is a scourge, it’s a national disgrace, it’s a serious crime and in an ideal world we’d like to see domestic violence not be a problem at all in society.
But I certainly don’t think we’re going to fix it by going on a podcast and calling domestic violence leave a holiday.
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US to slap 12.5% tariff on Australian goods
Australian exports sent to the US will be hit with a 12.5% tariff as the US president imposes levies on more than 80 nations.
The Trump administration unveiled the latest tranche of tariffs for countries over their “failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour”.
But Australia defence minister, Richard Marles, has hit back against the reasoning, telling ABC radio:
This, in our view, makes no sense.
Forced labour is definitely something which needs to be combated around the world, so we support that objective.
But we have laws, which are amongst the strongest in the world, and we’ve been making that point to the Trump administration.
We want to see freer trade and more trade flows between Australia and the United States. Both of our countries benefit from that.
We continue to make that argument to the Trump administration, both in terms of trade but also in terms of our stance in relation to forced labour, and that’ll continue to be our position and the way in which we advocate.
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Calls for de-escalation in Middle East as oil prices surge
Australia has more fuel now than it did before the war in Iran began, the defence minister has assured, as renewed hostilities in the Middle East drives a rise in oil prices.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose to its highest price since May as the US president, Donald Trump, warned of greater strikes on Iran.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, told ABC radio the government was not “sanguine” about the issue:
We absolutely need to see the strait of Hormuz be open and for freedom of navigation to happen there, for commercial shipping to be allowed through, and we very much call on Iran to allow that to be the case.
We need to see a restoration to the normal global fuel supply chain because it’s having a significant impact around the world.
But we do continue to call for a de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East
Our continued focus will be on ensuring that fuel supply going forward.
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Shipyards receives $4.6bn boost to deliver Aukus submarines
Construction yards that will build Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet have been given an additional $4.6bn in funding.
The money will go to the new submarine construction yard at Adelaide’s Osborne shipyard and adds to the $3.9bn announced for the shipyard in February.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, said:
This is really important in terms of delivering our future nuclear-powered submarines.
It is a process which will see parts of the yard handed over over the next 10 years.
But the first of those sheds actually comes into operation within a year and that will enable us to cut steel on our first submarine by the end of this decade.
The federal government’s announcement as Labor’s national conference continues in the South Australian capital.
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Albanese congratulates UK leader in first phone call
The prime minister has spoken to his new UK counterpart, Andy Burnham, who was sworn in on Monday, congratulating him on his appointment and invited him to visit Australia.
Burnham is the seventh UK prime minister in 10 years.
Anthony Albanese said the pair spoke about the Aukus defence pact, boosting trade and economic investment as well as the social media age ban for under-16s. The ban took effect in Australia in December, while the UK has followed suit on the policy, and announced a similar ban last month.
Albanese and Burnham also spoke about the challenges in the Middle East, artificial intelligence, and their shared passion for rugby league.
Qantas’s ultra long-distance plane to land in Melbourne after 19-hour test flight
A plane custom designed to complete some of the longest commercial flights in the world will land in Australia after embarking on a nonstop journey from Toulouse, France.
The Airbus A350-1000ULR, built for Qantas to fly about 20 hours non-stop between Sydney and London, is set to arrive in Melbourne on Friday morning as it completes its 19-hour trip.
The journey has attracted significant attention from plane and transport enthusiasts, with more than 12,000 people following its path on flightradar24.com.
Qantas’s Project Sunrise plans for nonstop services between Sydney and London have been delayed multiple times in previous years but flights are scheduled to start in October 2027.
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Thanks Martin Farrer for kicking off the day. It’s Kat Wong here to take you through today’s news.
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Markets fully priced for rate hike
Australia’s resilient labour market continues to be a bright spot in the nation’s economy, Australian Associated Press reports.
But despite the addition of more than 76,000 jobs in June, dark clouds are gathering on the horizon.
After the Australian Bureau of Statistics released another strong labour force report on Thursday, bonds traders ratcheted up expectations that the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates for a fourth time in 2026.
The market is now full priced in for a rate hike by Christmas. A few weeks ago it was a 50-50 bet.
The resurgence in rate fears is not all down to domestic factors.
Renewed hostilities in the Middle East have sent oil prices rising again and threaten to add fresh inflationary pressures to the economy.
While June quarter inflation data next week will be crucial to the RBA’s next rates decision in August, the figures could already be dated by the time they are released.
Brent crude oil prices have risen from $US72 a barrel to more than $US100 a barrel in recent weeks.
As a rule of thumb, each dollar higher the benchmark oil price results in about a cent per litre increase in petrol prices at the bowser.
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‘We’ve got other priorities’ over gas taxes, Chalmers says
Jim Chalmers has said the government has “other priorities” over a gas tax despite Labor members’ growing calls for reform.
The government was given the green light from party members and MPs at Labor’s conference on Thursday to extract a “fairer return” from Australia’s natural resources. Anthony Albanese shut down any prospect that would translate into a new gas export tax in the foreseeable future, as you can read here:
Chalmers told the ABC’s 730 on Thursday night:
I think that language in the platform reflected the balance that we have been seeking to strike … I acknowledge that there are people around the country and including people in our movement who would like us to go further. But we did take some important steps in that regard to get a fairer return.
He pointed to his past reforms to the petroleum resource rent tax and the government’s plan to bring in a gas reservation for Australia’s east coast, while noting the government wanted to maintain relationships with countries relying on Australian gas. He said:
The reason why a gas tax has not been on our agenda is because we’ve got other priorities, whether it’s reservation, the PRRT changes I’ve already made, or making sure that we are a reliable international supplier. That’s the government’s focus.
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Chalmers says ‘anti-worker’ One Nation and Coalition ‘prey on’ economic insecurity
Jim Chalmers has claimed rightwing political parties will “prey on” voter insecurities about a worsening economy while championing “anti-worker” policies.
The treasurer previewed Labor’s economic attack lines for the next election campaign in an interview from the party’s national conference in Adelaide with 7.30 last night. Chalmers claimed One Nation, the Liberal party and the Nationals did not have plans that would ease the pressure on workers. He said:
We’re actually acting to do something about it … our political opponents, they seek to prey on those pressures and those anxieties that people feel, at the same time as their anti-worker agenda would make things worse rather than better.
Chalmers said real wages had grown for most of the past two-and-a half years, the government had cut taxes “five times in three different ways” and unemployment was low.
But real incomes are set to decline, with high inflation meaning workers are set to have less money left over after they pay for essentials. Asked how he would address declining real wages, Chalmers said:
We’ve done a whole range of things to boost wages in our economy because, deliberately, we believe that one of the best ways to help with these cost-of-living pressures is to make sure that people are paid decent wages. That’s been our [Labor’s] reason for being for more than a hundred years.
You can read about how economic pessimism is helping One Nation here:
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before your regular blogger takes the reins.
Jim Chalmers has claimed rightwing political parties will “prey on” voter insecurities about a worsening economy while championing “anti-worker” policies. It comes as markets are now expecting another rate hike by the end of the year. He also continues to push back at rank and file Labor members’ calls for a new tax on gas exports, saying the government had “other priorities” for reform. More coming up.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Australia has said it is alarmed that Saudi Arabia could use its uranium enrichment deal with the US to build nuclear weapons. More details soon.
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