Hamer to run for Liberals in Victorian state seat
Amelia Hamer, the Liberals candidate in Kooyong for the May federal election, is set to make a tilt for the state seat of Malvern.
Several senior Liberal sources have confirmed Hamer will nominate for the blue-ribbon seat, setting up a preselection battle with Liberal Women’s Council chair Jacquie Blackwell, who has the support of former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who lost Kooyong at the 2022 election.
Barrister Lana Collaris and Xavier Boffa, executive director of the Samuel Griffith Society and a former adviser to former state Liberal leader John Pesutto, are also expected to run for the seat.
The contest comes after another former state leader, Michael O’Brien, announced he would not recontest the seat at the 2026 state election after two decades in parliament. The electorate, which takes in some of Melbourne’s most wealthy suburbs such as Armadale, Malvern, Kooyong and Toorak, has always been held by the Liberals. At the 2022 state election, O’Brien actually bucked the statewide swing against the party and increased his margin.
Hamer’s backers have noted Hamer – who lost by about 1,500 votes to Monique Ryan in Kooyong in May – secured 58% of the Malvern booth vote.
The Victorian Liberal party executive met on Thursday night and set a 31 October deadline for preselections, after they held them open to allow more candidates to come forward. Here’s our coverage at the time:
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Gigawatt of power a week needed to maintain ‘democratic lead’ on AI
US and its allies – Australia included – are going to have to start generating a gigawatt of energy on a weekly basis to develop the infrastructure needed to maintain a “democratic lead” on AI, while Australia has the potential to develop its own frontier AI, according to an Open AI executive.
Chris Lehane, Open AI’s chief global affairs officer, told an audience at SXSW Sydney this afternoon that “Australia occupies a really unique position” in that it has a very high AI user base, 30,000 developers, 35 tech unicorns, “a tonne of talent”, a fast-growing renewable sector, fibre optics connections with Asia and is a Five Eyes nation.
He continued:
You can see a world where if the Australian government and private sector wanted to create infrastructure here that could stand up a frontier model that’s possible. Now, I think it’s probably very difficult to have one that would be solely Australian – it would probably have to be in partnership with one of the big frontier models.
He added Australia was “one of the few countries in the world that the US government will probably be pretty comfortable working with”:
What we’ve seen around the world is that AI actually ends up being an interesting framework or pathway for countries to work with the US government. It doesn’t have any of the pre-existing sort of narrative or issues that are associated with other aspects of trade.”
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More on Open AI’s Chris Lehane:
Open AI’s chief global affairs officer says China and the US are engaged in a “very real competition” to shape the future of global AI, pitting democratic and autocratic values head-to-head.
“We don’t necessarily think about this as a fight as much as it is a competition, but it is a very real competition, and the stakes are pretty significant,” he told an audience at SXSW Sydney this afternoon.
He said US-led frontier AI models will “inherently be built on democratic values”, while those of China will “probably” be built on autocratic values.
He continued:
The infrastructure of the AI age is made up of the following: It’s chips, it’s data, it’s energy and it’s talent, and whichever country is more effective at marshalling those resources to maintain the competitive lead right now – the US does have that lead, it’s not insurmountable – is going to be the country that does determine whether the world is built on democratic AI or autocratic AI.
One of the two will end up being the player that the rest of the world builds on.
When asked whether he was confident that America would remain a democracy, he said:
Democracy, as others have said, tends to be a very messy process – but you know, the US has demonstrated over time that it gets this stuff right.”
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Open AI breaks rank on copyright restrictions
Open AI has broken ranks with the Tech Council of Australia over copyright restrictions, saying that it is “going to be in Australia, one way or the other”.
Chris Lehane, Open AI’s chief global affairs officer, said he had witnessed two different directions countries had gone in when it came to copyright restrictions.
One way was to take a US-style fair use approach to copyright, allowing for the development of frontier AI, while the other was to maintain a historic or more restrictive approach to copyright, limiting AI’s scope, he told a SXSW Sydney audience this afternoon.
We will engage in either country – we will find ways to work with those who want to build up big frontier models and have robust ecosystems, or those who just want to have much more narrowly defined AI.
We will work with them under either scenario, regardless of which decision … they make.
Scott Farquhar, the Tech Council chief executive and Atlassian co-founder, has previously said Australian copyright law “hurts a lot of investment of these companies in Australia.”
When asked whether Australia could lose investment in AI development and datacentres if it didn’t loosen its copyright laws to fair use, Lehane said:
No … We are going to be in Australia, one way or the other.
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Ministers have ‘strong appetite’ for environment laws overhaul: Watt
The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has provided an update on his virtual meeting this morning with his state and territory counterparts.
He said:
It’s clear from the dozens of stakeholder meetings I’ve had, and the feedback from State and Territory Ministers today, that the current laws are outdated, and aren’t working for the environment, business or the community.
There was a strong appetite from all jurisdictions for a system that reduces duplication between federal, state and territory processes, sets clear expectations of project proponents and makes decisions in a timely manner.
Ministers acknowledged that these reforms are essential to achieve national, state and territory priorities like building more homes, delivering more renewable energy and producing critical minerals.”
You can read our analysis about the meeting and the proposed laws here:
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‘Giant hail’ warning issued for NSW mid-north coast
The bureau of meteorology has warned that “very dangerous thunderstorms with giant hail” have developed over the NSW mid north coast.
In its 3.15pm update, the bureau also warned that large possibly giant hailstones, damaging winds and heavy rainfall could hit the state’s central tablelands, hunter, north west slopes and plans, central west slopes and planes, and upper western forecast districts.
A map of the warning area shows it takes in Dubbo, Mudgee, Parkes, Orange, Kempsey and Taree, and other surrounding towns.
The next update is due at 6.15pm.
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‘Serious concerns’ for Tasmanian hiker as heavy snow hits search
Rescue crews hold “serious concerns” for a bushwalker who has been missing for almost a week in waist-deep snow and icy conditions.
Tasmanian man Daryl Fong had set out on a day hike in the Mt Field national park area, about 60km north-west of Hobart, on Saturday morning.
The last known contact was about 3am on Sunday when he texted a friend, advising that he had been delayed and intended to seek shelter and camp in the park overnight.
The 30-year-old’s friend contacted the police on Monday, concerned about Fong’s welfare, leading to search crews deploying later that day.
Search crews are also continuing to look for 76-year-old Peter Willoughby, who went missing in Hollybank forest reserve in north-east Tasmania on 5 October.
– Australian Associated Press
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Parents armed with get-ready guides ahead of social ban
The federal communications minister, Anika Wells, and the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman-Grant, spoke to media earlier after addressing state and territory education ministers about the social media ban for under-16s, which comes into effect in December.
As AAP reports, a host of resources have been launched for parents and teachers ahead of the social media age ban, including how to deal with cyberbullying or deepfake image-based abuse.
Delivered via the eSafety website, the resources include guides for kids on what the ban means for them, how they can download their archives from apps and where they can seek mental health support.
Wells said:
This law is happening, it’s happening on the 10 December and it will change lives. We want children and parents to have peace of mind and we want young people, young Australians to have three more years to learn who they are, before platforms assume who they are.
From 10 December, companies must take reasonable steps to find underage users and stop under-16s accessing the social platforms, as well as provide an accessible complaints process for users. Tech giants face fines up to $50m if they do not comply.
About 1.5 million accounts will be deactivated across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube and X. Inman Grant said more social media platforms would be revealed in coming weeks.
– Australian Associated Press
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Allan says closure of Victoria cohealth GP clinics a result of former government’s neglect
Returning to the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan was also asked about the closure of three cohealth GP clinics in Collingwood, Fitzroy and Kensington in December.
She blamed the “pressure” on the primary care system across the country:
This comes as a result we’ve seen, we saw the best part of a decade of neglect from the former Liberal National federal government, who are responsible for the primary care sector, for the GP sector.
[The former federal government] just simply didn’t fund it, didn’t support it, didn’t keep up with the growth and the demand for people wanting to reach out and seek support from their GP.
She says the Victoria government established urgent care centres, which have since been adopted by the federal Labor government:
We’ve also established initiatives like the Victorian virtual emergency department, we’ve established the rollout of people being able to get more care at the chemist instead of going to the GP.
But [it] is absolutely clear, as a result of this decision by cohealth that there is more that needs to be done, which is why our health minister has been in contact with the federal health minister.
Here’s more on cohealth’s closure from our medical editor, Melissa Davey:
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SA police complete latest phase of search for missing four-year-old
Tomorrow, it will be three weeks since four-year-old Gus Lamont went missing from his family’s homestead in outback South Australia.
SA police have confirmed that the latest stage of the search has wound up today with no evidence of the toddler found.
Gus’s grandmother had seen him playing on a mound of dirt at 5pm on Saturday, 27 September at their home near Yunta, which is about 300km away from Adelaide in the state’s mid-north. Half an hour later, when she went to call him in, he was gone.
After an initial, intense week’s search, police scaled back the operation. But on Tuesday they announced a new and expanded search zone, based on advice from survivability experts and others.
It is now a recovery operation.
SA police said in a statement that it remains a priority to return Gus to his family, and they will continue investigating his disappearance and considering future searches. The statement said:
Police had been hopeful the extensive ground searches would uncover any evidence of Gus, but this has not been the case.
The fact Gus is a small child, the terrain is extremely rugged, harsh and subject to changing weather conditions has made the searching difficult and more challenging for those involved. Each of these factors may have contributed to the lack of evidence discovered.
Gus’s family have cooperated fully and are being supported by a victim contact officer, the statement said.
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NSW parliament’s legal showdown over 120-year-old law set for December
The New South Wales parliament will face a legal showdown on 9 December over its ability to compel witnesses to give evidence to parliamentary committees and punish those who refuse.
The premier’s chief of staff, James Cullen, is taking legal action against the parliament in the state’s court of appeal to avoid fronting an inquiry examining the leaking of confidential minutes from a report into the proposed sale of Rosehill racecourse to media.
The minutes recorded discussions of a parliamentary committee, whose report had not yet been released, and so were privileged. Cullen was summoned by the privileges committee to appear last Wednesday as part of an investigation into the leak, but did not attend.
On Friday, the matter was heard for directions for the Justice Julie Ward in the court of appeal. She set the hearing date for 9 December.
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Victorian premier asked about alleged CBD stabbing attack
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was also asked about the stabbing as she attended the opening of a new building at Bendigo Special Development School in her local electorate.
She described the alleged attack as an “act of shocking, brazen violence”:
“It’s sickening, and my thoughts and support go to the victim and her wider family, who are also supporting her [in] what is no doubt, an incredibly difficult and traumatic time. And I restate that no one who commits such a brazen violent act on our streets should be on our streets. It was sickening. And I want to thank Victoria police for moving swiftly.”
Asked whether she was aware of the incident prior to the footage being made public on Thursday, Allan said:
In terms of the identification of victims and their perpetrator – they are very serious matters, and we would not want to see anything occur that would obstruct justice being done in the matter of this sickening, violent offending.
Battin raises questions about delay in releasing footage of allegedly random Melbourne knife attack
Brad Battin also criticised the police for not releasing the footage of the attack for two weeks and makes some fairly serious, speculative claims.
He says:
This is a pretty violent incident that’s happened in the middle of a main street in the middle of the CBD. The Victorian community deserves to know. They should have known, and it’d be very interesting to see if the Victoria police informed the minister or the premier, and then were asked to not put that media out. I think that would be the most disappointing aspect, if they’re trying to cover up part of their crime crisis in the state.
I can’t say they have or haven’t, but it’d be very interesting to see what the Victoria police do inform the police minister of and what the police minister makes a decision on what to do.
The premier has been contacted for comment.
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Victoria opposition leader Battin: latest alleged knife attack proof government’s machete ban not working
The Victorian opposition leader, Brad Battin, says an allegedly random knife attack in Melbourne’s CBD is proof the government’s machete ban “isn’t working”.
Footage of the alleged attack, which occurred near the intersection of Little Bourke and Spencer streets on the morning of 2 October, was made public on Thursday and drew immediate condemnation from the premier, Jacinta Allan, who described it as “absolutely sickening”.
A woman has been charged with intentionally causing injury and committing an indictable offence while on bail. She faced court on 3 October and was remanded in custody.
Speaking from the scene of the alleged attack today, Battin reiterated his plans to introduce Jack’s Law and “break bail, face jail” rule if elected in 2026:
The Victorian government have failed when it comes to knife crime, and their only answer is a machete ban that isn’t working. The Victorian Liberals and Nationals know the only way to take knives off the street is to give the police the powers and the resources. That’s why we would bring in Jack’s Law.
The law, introduced in Queensland in 2023 after the stabbing death of Jack Beasley in 2019, would give police the power to use metal detectors on people anywhere in the state where knife crime is viewed as a risk.
Asked whether such a law would prevent a random attack from occurring, he said it would “make a big difference”:
These would make a big difference, because the police would be going around and searching people to ensure that we don’t have knives on the street. Will it stop every bit of crime? Probably not, but what it will do is send a clear message that Victoria Police are going to take knives off those that are the most serious offenders here in the state.
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Sculpture by the Sea organisers say sculptures are engineered to withstand storms
The organisers of Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea say its outdoors sculptures are built to withstand coastal weather conditions, as severe storms forecast for northern and central parts of the New South Wales approach on the day of the exhibition’s launch.
As AAP reports, the outdoor art show has unveiled another showcase today amid a sea of challenges, including a last-minute funding shortfall and questions about safety, as it fights its lead installer in the Fair Work Commission.
Asked by Guardian Australia if organisers are worried about the severe storms forecast for NSW later today, a spokesperson says:
“Sculptures are engineered for the conditions that are to be expected on the coastal route.”
Promoted as the largest free outdoor sculpture exhibition in the world, the annual Sydney event is expected to attract about 450,000 people over its three-week run.
– with Australian Associated Press
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Minister: US politicians are ‘evangelical’ about Aukus
The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, claims American politicians are “evangelical” about the future of Aukus, even as the Labor government sweats on confirmation from an official review that the Trump administration will forge ahead with the pact.
Conroy and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, are in Washington DC this week, days before the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, flys to the US capital to meet Donald Trump next week.
High on the PM’s agenda for discussions will be critical minerals, defence spending, tariffs and the Aukus agreement. Australia is confident the American review of Aukus – signed by former president Joe Biden – willapprove of the nuclear submarine agreement, and some news outlets have reported the review will tick it off, but the Pentagon told Guardian Australia yesterday that the review was still going on.
At a DC press conference today, Conroy said:
I’ve been met with huge positivity around Aukus in my engagements. At a congressional level, I was meeting with senior leaders in Congress who were evangelical about the importance of Aukus, who expressed real confidence that it would continue, and I also met with real positivity in my engagement at the Pentagon on the same issue.
However, he said the Australian government wasn’t preempting the American decision, and he said he was “giving them space to conduct a review, just like we conducted a review, and the UK did”.
Conroy said he had briefed US navy leadership about Aukus, claiming there was “a real spirit of commitment to seeing Aukus through.
Congress is a co‑equal branch of the government, it’s very confident about Aukus continuing, and was really keen to talk about taking the next steps in it, and what are the next pieces of legislation to improve the licence free environment even further.
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NSW on alert amid risk of severe storms across the state
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning residents in NSW to prepare for severe weather this afternoon as a stormis expected to develop over northern and central parts of the state.
The agency said there was a risk of severe storms in the east and north of the state, including Wollongong, Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle. The NSW SES urged people to be prepared for extreme weather.
A widespread storm outbreak is expected to develop over central and northern New South Wales this afternoon.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 16, 2025
There is a risk of severe storms across the east and north of the state, including Wollongong, Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
Details: https://t.co/4W35o8i7wJ pic.twitter.com/5BuHU2IhdU
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Departments don’t have to process FoI requests from AI bots, committee hears
Bringing you back to the committee hearing into the government’s FoI bill, Greens senator David Shoebridge is pointing out that under the current legislation, departments don’t actually have to process an FoI request if they believe it’s from an AI bot (under section 11 of the act).
The home affairs department says it’s “aware” of that.
Earlier in the inquiry, the home affairs department said that it doesn’t have evidence of FoI requests being made by AI bots, but claimed the system was “vulnerable” to them. Here’s a bit of the latest exchange:
Shoebridge: AI bots have no right to get access to information, that if you can identify a request has come from an AI bot you simply don’t have to process it because the freedom of information act only gives a right to information to people, to persons, AI bots have no such right, you’re aware of that, aren’t you?
Brooke Hartigan, home affairs: The validity request at the moment is quite simple, it doesn’t require too much information from requester, so the advantage of the bill in requiring identity … if we can institute some more requirements in the submission of a request this will help us identify where things have come from.
Shoebridge also asked the department whether it had explicitly provided advice to the attorney generals department (when consulting on the bill) that requests from bots do not have to be processed. Carmen Saunders, Assistant Secretary of Privacy, FoI and Records Management at home affairs, said:
Not explicitly but everybody that is currently processing FoIs under the FoI act, we are aware you don’t have to provide information if it’s not to a human.
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Five people taken to hospital in Queensland after chemical leaks at Australia Post offices
Five people have been taken to hospital in northern Queensland after chemical contamination at two Australia Post offices.
A spokesperson for the Queensland fire department said it responded at about 6.30am to reports of a chemical leak at a post office on Morris Street in the Townsville suburb of West End, and also at a post office in the town of Charters Towers.
They said a pest control substance had leaked from a parcel on to other parcels at the post office, with traces then transported on a truck to the second location. Scientific investigation crews are on site at both locations, which are being ventilated.
A spokesperson for Queensland ambulance said five crews had attended across the two sites.
One person was taken to Townsville university hospital from the West End location for further monitoring, while four people with “mild symptoms” were taken to Charters Towers local medical services in stable conditions.
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No evidence of AI or bot-generated FoI requests but system vulnerable, says home affairs department
At the senate inquiry into the government’s controversial freedom of information bill this morning, we’ve heard from the home affairs department that it doesn’t currently have evidence of any requests being generated by artificial intelligence or “bots”.
The government, in introducing the reforms, said departments had been inundated with FoI requests – some that are “vexatious” or others that were generated anonymously including via AI or bots.
Home affairs representative Brooke Hartigan told the inquiry the system can’t actually tell if a request that’s come in has been created by AI, but that the system is “vulnerable” to the technology.
She also revealed the department has about 7,500 requests on hand.
Unfortunately, I can’t give you a statistic on how many might have been generated by AI or bot, it’s just not something our system detects. I can tell you we have about 7,500 requests on hand.
We don’t necessarily have evidence of it actually occurring to the department. What we’re aware of is the FoI system itself could be vulnerable to requests made by bots or generated by AI.
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McDonald’s opening blocked by inner Sydney council
The City of Sydney has rejected an application to open a new McDonald’s in the city’s inner west after community outrage.
Residents had campaigned against a proposal from McDonald’s for a $1.7m redevelopment of a real estate agency and clothing shop into a 24-hour fast food restaurant on King Street, the bustling main drag of Newtown, which has not had a McDonald’s since the 1990s.
About 1,500 people made submissions objecting to the development. Sydney resident Liam Coffey, who campaigned for the refusal online and at the planning meeting, posted on social media:
This is one small step for Newtown, one big step for the world and using our voice. More to come.
Resident submissions noted a McDonald’s was already open less than 2km away while the strip already was home to fast food chains, including a KFC that opened earlier this year and chicken restaurants Clem’s and Ogalo, which are close to the proposed site.
The council’s planning council rejected the proposal to applause from the gallery at a meeting on Wednesday evening. Representatives of McDonald’s or the developers did not attend.
The planning committee’s report also warned of increased “littering, attraction of vermin and odour” as well as street and footpath congestion, noting NSW police had advised it expected increased reports due to the traffic issues and antisocial behaviour attracted by 24-hour fast-food outlets.
Similar concerns saw the council reject a separate McDonald’s proposed for nearby Redfern in May. McDonald’s was also forced to withdraw its proposal to put a new restaurant in Crows Nest in the city’s north in August, amid community concerns including about “unacceptable” odours.
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Labor’s McBain on Jane Hume: regional Australians aren’t ‘slow-talking drongos’
Labor’s Kristy McBain, based in the regional electorate of Eden-Monaro, has put out a press release slamming Hume’s comments.
She says:
Senator’s Hume’s attempt at humour clearly shows who the Liberal Party of today is – out of touch, arrogant, and completely focused on themselves. It’s one thing to have a crack at their Coalition partner, it’s another to insult the entirety of regional Australia.
People in Geraldton, Geelong and George Town don’t need smarmy lectures from arrogant Liberals who think once you step out of an inner-Melbourne laneway we are all slow-talking drongos.
McBain invited Hume to her electorate, where she offered to “shout her an excellent chai latte from my local cafe Infuse in Tura Beach, a macchiato from 4 Seeds in Queanbeyan or a croissant from Honorbread in Bermagui”.
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Jane Hume says she is ‘too fond of good coffee’ to join Nationals
Liberal senator Jane Hume joked she would “have to speak a lot slower” if she joined the Nationals, saying she was “too fond of good coffee and free markets” to join the regional party.
The tongue-in-cheek comments have been criticised by Labor’s regional development minister Kristy McBain, who accused the Melbourne-based politician of insulting regional Australia – calling her opponent “smarmy” and “arrogant”.
The former minister, who is now on the Liberal backbench, was on Sunrise this morning when asked about Nationals leader David Littleproud’s comments that he’d welcome any Liberals who wanted to switch parties.
This comes amid simmering tension between the Coalition partners, including Jacinta Price’s switch from the Nationals to the Liberals so she could run for the Liberal deputy leadership, which didn’t end up happening.
Asked if she would take up Littleproud’s offer, Hume grinned and deadpanned:
Well look, I do look very fetching in an Akubra, Nat, I’ll tell you that much. And I’d have to speak a lot slower and talk about the regions more often down in cocky’s corner. But, look, no. To be honest, I am too fond of good coffee and free markets to join the National Party.
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Pocock calls on Labor to ‘fix Australia’s broken nature laws’ amid reports of rushed changes
Independent federal senator David Pocock has called on the Albanese government to “fix Australia’s broken nature laws” amid reports it plans to rush through the most significant changes to the national environmental protection regime since 1999.
In a post on X, the ACT senator shared an analysis by Guardian Australia political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy on the government’s plans to make changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act).
Jervis-Bardy reports that the federal environment minister, Murray Watt, wants to pass a big re-write of the commonwealth nature laws this year, encouraging miners to lobby the Coalition to work with Labor to help rush it through parliament in the final three sitting weeks.
Pocock says:
Labor has a chance to fix Australia’s broken nature laws
Concerning that they’re working with Coalition to stitch up a bad deal & ram it through parliament without scrutiny
Govt should strengthen these laws to protect the places and species we love
Watt will brief state and territory environment ministers today about the changes, which aim to finally act on recommendations from Graeme Samuel’s review of the EPBC Act after Anthony Albanese controversially shelved the previous iteration before the May election.
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Titmus: ‘It has been nice to just be home at five o’clock’
Titmus goes on to say she has been enjoying the “little moments” since stepping back from the sport.
It has been nice to just be home at five o’clock and in the kitchen and cooking dinner and having a glass of wine with my family. All these normal things that an athlete gunning for Olympic gold does not get to do.
If you’re looking for a great read on the swimmer’s retirement, look no further than this analysis by Kieran Pender.
“For a swimmer who has always been distinctly individual, always followed her own path, the decision should perhaps come as no surprise,” he writes.
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Ariarne Titmus: ‘I’m leaving at the right time’
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus, who announced her shock retirement from swimming this week, has just spoken to the ABC.
Titmus, who has said the seed for her retirement was sewn by a cancer scare before the Paris Games, says she has “definitely made the right decision”.
I’m glad that I’m leaving like this. I’m not leaving through injury or my performance dipping, I’m leaving at the right time. I still love the sport, off the back of the great Olympic Games, so I am happy with that.
People forget that in swimming you start young. I first represented Australia at 14 and then made the senior national team when I was 16 so I have spent a decade representing this country. I have so much to look forward to in my life and hopefully people will see the work that I will continue to do.
Titmus, who is retiring as one of the greatest distance swimmers of all time, says she hopes to continue to be involved in the sport through broadcast and commentating.
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Camper lost for nine days found after lighting fire to alert rescuers
A camper lost for more than a week in remote bushland in eastern Victoria has been found alive after lighting a fire to draw the attention of searchers, police say.
Troy Milne, 61, went missing after leaving a campsite at Woodside Beach in Wellington shire to pick up supplies on Tuesday 7 October.
A multi-agency nine-day search was carried out to locate Milne, who uses insulin to treat his diabetes, after fears he had suffered a medical episode.
In a statement, Victoria police said he was found near his vehicle by Forest Fire Management Victoria staff at about 5pm on Thursday, after he lit a fire in the hope emergency services would respond.
Wellington police inspector Wayne Rothwell said finding Milne, who has been transported to hospital for treatment and observation, was remarkable.
It was a challenging search due to the huge area that Troy had been spotted travelling around so it was extremely difficult to narrow down where to concentrate our efforts.
Once Troy lit the fire, it drew the attention of our fire crews who quickly responded and located him.
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Gender balance introduced for NSW selective schools from 2027
Changes to the allocations of places for girls and boys in coeducational selective schools in New South Wales will address a growing gender imbalance, the state government says.
Applications for 2027 entry, which open on 6 November, will see an equal number of spaces for girls and boys at all selective and partly selective high schools in NSW, as well as opportunity classes in public primary schools.
The gender mix across all years in selective high schools is now 58% male to 42% female. The imbalance has grown in recent years, for example, falling from 45% of year 7 places being taken up by girls in 2019 to only 41% in 2025.
Cohorts at some schools are now more than 75% male, with parent feedback showing it had led girls not to accept places offered to them.
The acting minister for education, Courtney Houssos, says:
There’s a growing decline in girls accepting places in opportunity classes and selective high schools, and we want to ensure our schools have a healthy gender balance.
Entry to one of NSW’s more than 40 fully or partly selective schools is hotly contested. In May, riot police were called to manage out-of-control crowds at this year’s entry exams.
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WA police investigating fatal e-scooter crash
Police in Western Australia are investigating the death of a man after an e-scooter crash in a northern suburb of Perth earlier this week.
In a statement, a spokesperson for WA police said a 55-year-old man was riding an e-scooter in Warwick when he crashed at about 3.10pm on Wednesday.
The man was taken by ambulance to the Royal Perth hospital, but died from his injuries on Thursday.
WA police’s crash investigators are examining the scene and appealing for witnesses to call Crime Stoppers or share dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage online.
E-scooters are legal in WA for riders aged over 16, provided they do not go faster than 50km/h on main roads, 25km/h on shared paths and local roads and 10km/h on footpaths.
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Call for better workplace support around menopause
Women experiencing menopause are one of Australia’s fastest-growing workforce demographics, but they say shame, stigma and a lack of support is driving them to early retirement.
The affects of menopause on a woman’s career can be profound, with a 2021 study finding 83% of people surveyed said their work had been negatively affected by the hormonal change.
A report by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia found women who were unable to work during menopause would retire about five years early, forgoing thousands in potential retirement savings.
Kathryn Carter worked in a fast-paced corporate environment for years before experiencing early peri-menopause at the age of 39:
I had been incredibly privileged to have so much workplace support related to my fertility and pregnancy. Yet when I was then experiencing perimenopause, I was really taken aback by how limited the options were and how much stigma there was around the topic.
Ahead of World Menopause Day on 18 October, Carter says workplaces need to have open conversations to shift culture and become “meno-friendly”.
– AAP
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NSW police also investigating home invasion in Port Macquarie
Police said that multiple offenders reportedly entered a home just after 2am in Port Macquarie where they confronted a 26-year-old man and shots were fired. The 26-year-old man was not physically injured and two men fled the property soon after.
Officers will address the media about the investigations later this morning.
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Police investigating after two incidents of shots fired in western Sydney
The NSW police are investigating two public place shootings in Sydney’s west after at least two shots were fired into the air at a roundabout.
The police said in a statement:
About 1am today … emergency services were called to a home on Bluegum Avenue, Prestons, following reports shots were fired.
Officers attached to Liverpool City police area command arrived to find unknown people had fired at least two shots at a home before leaving the scene in a car.
[At] about 1.20am today … emergency services were called to Greenway Drive, West Hoxton, following reports of shots fired.
Officers attached to Liverpool City police area command arrived to find unknown people had fired at least two shots into the air at a roundabout, before leaving the scene in a car.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
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Minns says portion of struck-down anti-protest law regarding places of worship survives ruling
Staying with the NSW anti-protest law and which was struck down as unconstitutional in NSW yesterday.
Sarah Schwartz, a legal director at the Human Rights Law Center and executive officer at the Jewish Council of Australia, was on ABC a short time ago speaking about the supreme court decision. She said:
I think that what this ruling shows is that our politicians should be looking at ways of strengthening our democratic rights and institutions and acknowledging that that the right to protest is really fundamental to our democracy.
If government wants to make laws that are going to impact our fundamental rights and freedoms, they need to have a really good reason to do so. They’ve got to have a problem that they’re responding to, and evidence that the laws proposed will actually address that problem. And these laws do neither.
On Thursday, after the judgment, the premier Chris Minns said the government would take time to consider the ruling:
These laws were designed to strike the right balance between community protection and the freedom of political expression.
He also noted the decision had no impact on the section of the law making it a crime to impede, harass, intimidate or threaten a person accessing a place of worship without a reasonable excuse. That offence carried a maximum of two years in prison.
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Labor MP says ‘weaponisation’ of event where IDF member spoke was catalyst for unconstitutional law
A New South Wales Labor MP has said the political catalyst for the government’s expansion of police powers to shut down protests near places of worship was a “big lie”.
Yesterday the supreme court found a law which gave police the power to move-on protesters who were near a place of worship – regardless of what the protest was about – was unconstitutional.
The police powers were expanded in February as part of suite of reforms by the Minns government aimed at curbing antisemisitm. The outspoken Labor MP Stephen Lawrence posted on his social media yesterday:
The political catalyst for the parliament passing this law was actually a big lie, the suggestion of an antisemitic protest at a synagogue in Sydney.
The Liberal party more than anyone else regurgitated the big lie. What actually happened was a protest was organised at an event about Israeli military industries featuring an IDF speaker at an undisclosed location. At the last minute organisers announced the non religious event at a synagogue and a protest occurred across the road in a peaceful way.
The weaponisation of this was part of the political environment that then led to the unconstitutional legislation. I hope in what is now a calmer time everyone reflects on this unhelpful distortion. We all need to be accurate and truthful in the interests of social cohesion.
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Hume says time of introspection for Liberal party is over
Jane Hume, who is not in Ley’s shadow cabinet, was asked if she thinks there’s a cost to having more inexperienced colleagues promoted to the ministry. She said:
It’s very important to make sure that we get renewal, but at the same time, we have those experienced wise heads there with the corporate memory and the experience of governments and oppositions past to make sure that we guide the right policy solution.
Hume, after being asked what her assessment is on the Liberal party becoming a “genuine option”, said “the time for introspection is over”:
Let’s get on with the job. We need to light up that policy agenda, make sure that we build a compelling alternative for ordinary Australians, because that’s what the Liberal party is all about.
She was also asked about comments made by backbencher Andrew Hastie that Australians are “strangers in their own home” and if she was concerned it would isolate the party from multicultural communities. Hume said:
The Coalition and the Liberal party in particular, have been great supporters of multicultural Australia for decades now, it was in fact the Liberal party that dismantled the white Australia policy, something that we’re particularly proud of.
Tim Wilson made a similar claim in 2018, giving the credit to Harold Holt. An RMIT fact check rated the assertion as “simplistic”.
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Hume: Ley describing Melbourne as Australia’s ‘crime capital’ just ‘explaining what every Victorian already knows’
The federal Liberal senator for Victoria, Jane Hume, was on ABC Radio National a short time ago speaking about crime in the state.
She was asked if it was appropriate for Liberal leader Sussan Ley to refer to Melbourne as the “the crime capital of Australia”. Hume responded it was “explaining what every Victorian already knows”.
She was then asked what the federal opposition’s policy is to address crime in Victoria is after, Hume responded:
Sussan and the shadow ministry team are putting together our policy agenda as we speak. It is only five months since the last election, but I don’t agree that there is nothing that a federal government cannot do. In fact, there are plenty of things that a federal government can get involved in to help states tackle crime, whether it be working for consistent bail laws across the country.
Hume also mentioned the need to stop threats against retail workers, and that the federal government has a role to play to tackle the “illicit tobacco space”.
My colleague, Benita Kolovos, wrote an analysis on this issue yesterday, saying there’s no question Victoria has a crime problem – but the federal Coalition parachuting in with talking points and a scare campaign is not the answer. Read more here:
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‘Conflicts of interest’ behind Australian parliamentary official’s $315k retirement payment, report finds
An independent “fact-finding mission” into a $315,126 retirement payment to a senior parliamentary department official has found “multiple procedural failures” including overpayment, a disregard for specialist advice and “excessive pressure” applied in the payment’s timing.
The report by Sydney barrister Fiona Roughley SC, released Thursday, found there were “conflicts of interest” and “conflicted persons” within the Department of Parliamentary Services involved in the decision-making process.
More on this story here:
Looming social media ban on docket for education parley
The government leaders responsible for enforcing a world-first ban on social media for teenagers will gather to hear how the initiative will work.
Education ministers from across the nation, whose armies of school teachers will help police the restrictions, will assemble for the high-level meeting on Friday.
Less than two months from the ban kicking in, the federal communication minister, Anika Wells, and eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, are set to speak to state education ministers on Friday.
The duo will unveil a resource package for both educators and parents to help them understand the laws and how to engage with kids on them.
From 10 December, platforms must take reasonable steps to find underage users and stop under-16s accessing the platforms, as well as provide an accessible complaints process for users.
- AAP
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Melbourne pro-Palestine rallies to pause after ceasefire
Melbourne’s weekly pro-Palestine rallies will be paused following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the activist group behind the demonstrations says.
In a social media post on Instagram, Free Palestine Coalition Naarm and The Sit-Intifada said the weekly Sunday rallies outside the State Library would be halted after the ceasefire agreement last week:
We will be pausing the weekly protest initiative in response to the cessation of the Zionist offensive.
Melbourne’s pro-Palestine protests – which at its peak attracted more than 10,000 people – began shortly after Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack and were held almost every Sunday.
Good morning
Good morning, and happy Friday. I’m Jordyn Beazley and I’ll be taking you through our rolling news coverage this morning.
If you see anything you’d like to draw my attention to, you can reach me on jordyn.beazley@theguardian.com.
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First Peoples’ Assembly says not too late for Victorian Liberals to back treaty
Victoria’s First Peoples’ Assembly says it’s not too late for the opposition to back the state’s Indigenous treaty bill as it passed parliament’s lower house on Thursday.
The Coalition this week announced it would repeal the agreement – Australia’s first formal treaty with First Nations people – if elected next year.
The opposition already withdrew its support for the treaty process after the failure of the 2023 referendum to change Australia’s constitution to create a federal voice to parliament.
The bill passed the lower house with the support of Labor and Greens MPs. Opposition MPs voted against it. Assembly co-chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg urged the opposition to support the bill in the upper house:
Aboriginal voices from across the state have been clear that Treaty is the change we need to create a better future for our people. As the Bill moves to the upper house, my message to Liberal and National representatives is it’s not too late to again walk with us.
Parliament’s upper house will debate the bill at the end of the month. Once the bill passes parliament, as expected with the support of the Greens and other progressive crossbenchers, the government and the assembly will formally sign the treaty agreement.
Jacqui Lambie accuses parliamentary committee of 'stealth hearing' on controversial FOI bill
The independent senator Jacqui Lambie has accused a parliamentary committee of conducting a “stealth hearing” on controversial changes to freedom of information legislation.
The Senate referred the bill to an inquiry last month, which has now received submissions, will hold its first public hearing today and will make recommendations for the bill, which is due by 3 December.
But notably absent from the list of submissions and list of witnesses is former senator and self-proclaimed “transparency warrior” Rex Patrick, who looks like he’s been “censored” says Lambie.
The Tasmania senator also claims the committee did not provide advance notice to her office of the upcoming public hearing, despite her “strong interest” on the issue.
“I have moved amendments on this legislation ... but I wasn’t notified of the hearing in a timely way. There’s something unusual going on here – it’s like they’re trying for a stealth hearing on changes to legislation that is about secrecy and transparency.
What really blows me away is that the witness list has been published without consultation and it looks like Rex Patrick and [former ABC investigative journalist and barrister] Paul Farrell – two of the most experienced FOIers in the country – haven’t been invited to give evidence.
It looks like Mr Patrick’s very comprehensive submission on the bill, has been censored. Mr Patrick did accuse the prime minister of hypocrisy in his submission, but his accusation is grounded in fact.
Guardian Australia has contacted the committee secretary for comment.
Hail and storms forecast for Sydney this afternoon
Sydneysiders: batten down the hatches. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a storm is coming.
While the city is forecast to hit a high of 32C, it’ll get cloudier during the day and thunderstorms are likely in the afternoon and evening, possibly severe, with damaging winds and large hail.
Good luck out there.
For those outside the NSW capital, Perth will be sunny and 28C, Adelaide partly cloudy and 21, Melbourne cloudy and 20, Hobart showery and 16, Canberra windy and 27, and Brisbane sunny and 28.
Ley says Albanese must get 'concrete outcomes' from Trump meeting
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has challenged Anthony Albanese to extract “concrete outcomes” on Aukus, trade and tariffs from his meeting with President Donald Trump next week.
The prime minister heads to Washington DC on Sunday ahead of a White House meeting on Monday. It will be the first formal face-to-face meeting between Albanese and Trump, after a series of phone calls, a cancelled meeting in Canada and a brief chat in New York last month.
The Labor government is downplaying prospects of any immediate outcomes on the Pentagon’s Aukus review, tariffs on Australia, or a mooted critical minerals deal coming during Albanese’s trip. But Ley has continued the opposition’s criticism that Albanese hasn’t met Trump before now.
She said she’d written to Albanese saying she hoped to see an assurance on the American review of Aukus, “real commitment” on pillar two of the Aukus agreement on future technologies, a “deal” on Trump’s trade tariffs and progress on Australia becoming a supplier of advanced weapons systems.
Ley wished Albanese well, but yet again noted “this meeting could have, and should have, occurred sooner.”
When it comes to the prime minister stepping into the Oval Office, there is only Team Australia. But this must be more than a photo opportunity, Australians are relying on the PM to deliver.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories but then Nick Visser will be along to take you through the day.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has challenged Anthony Albanese to extract “concrete outcomes” on Aukus, trade and tariffs from his meeting with President Donald Trump next week.
The independent senator Jacqui Lambie has accused a parliamentary committee of conducting a “stealth hearing” on controversial changes to the freedom of information legislation.
And there’s an afternoon storm forecast for Sydney, with strong winds and large hail on the cards.
