What we learned, Monday 4 August
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big headlines:
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) issued flood watch warnings for large parts of Newcastle and the lower Hunter region. The alerts come amid evacuations overnight in Gunnedah in the New England region.
The federal government will provide $20m in aid for organisations to deliver food and medical supplies into Gaza. The aid announcement followed mass protests in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on Sunday, with thousands of demonstrators, including state and federal Labor MPs marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Anthony Albanese is also seeking a call with Benjamin Netanyahu as soon as possible. Bob Carr says the prime minister would be “wasting his breath” if he mentioned a two-state solution on the call.
Labor MP Ed Husic said more and more Australians had grown concerned about the impact of Israel’s war against Hamas on civilian populations.
Tasmania police will continue searching for a small plane that went missing en route from the state’s north to NSW on Saturday.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said he does not regret voicing his opposition to the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest but said he respected Australians’ right to protest.
While Susan Ley expressed concern about Sydney being thrown “into chaos for hours” and mused about people accessing emergency services, with the additional police deployed to monitor the event.
Anthony Albanese appointed Krissy Barrett as the new commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. It’s a historic appointment, which will see Barrett become the first woman to lead the agency.
A Chinese national has been charged with alleged foreign interference by the Australian Federal Police. In a statement, the AFP say the woman has been accused of covertly collecting information about a Canberra Buddhist association on behalf of a public security bureau of China.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again.
Updated
All Brisbane domestic airport passengers forced to re-screen at security after metal detector fault
Passengers in Brisbane airport are all having to be re-screened by security after a fault with a metal detector, the airport has said:
Due to a technical fault with a single metal detector at Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal, all people within the terminal are being re-screened.
The fault was quickly identified and there is no safety or security threat.
However, it will take some time to rescreen all passengers and staff, delaying flights.
We apologise for the inconvenience and thank passengers for their patience and understanding.
Our care team has been activated and is on the ground to support passengers.
There is no impact to the International Terminal.
Updated
Homeless support organisations issue call for action
A coalition of leading organisations has urged both the Victorian and federal governments to address the growing crisis facing children and families experiencing homelessness.
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare – the peak body for children and families for Victoria and Tasmania – is calling for immediate action alongside others organisations like Launch Housing and Anglicare.
Deb Tsorbaris, CEO of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, said:
Children are being placed in environments that are unsafe and traumatising. We are seeing families fall through the cracks, and children becoming invisible in a system not designed to meet their needs.
Updated
Bob Carr says PM calling Netanyahu over two-state solution would be ‘wasting his breath’
The former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr has responded to the prime minister’s plans to call Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu. He said:
If the prime minister is ringing Netanyahu to say, ‘we support a two state solution’, he’s wasting his breath. Netanyahu opposes a two state solution.
Carr, who marched at the head of the protest across Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday, reiterated calls for Australia to sanction Israel and recognise Palestinian statehood. He said:
I don’t understand the diplomatic strategy that says it suits Australia’s interests being the last country to recognise Palestine. We’ve got neighbours to our north who can expect better of us. I refer to Indonesia and Malaysia in particular.
Why are we giving the world the impression that we’re some kind of timid laggard?
Updated
Thanks for your attention this afternoon, Cait Kelly will see you through the rest of the evening’s news!
Julian Assange’s brother explains decision to join Sydney march
Julian Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton has appeared on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, explaining why they decided to march at Palestine Action Group’s “March for Humanity” yesterday:
There’s a huge amount of outrage in the community and that outrage turning to action, particularly across the harbour bridge, so symbolic for marches across the decades, it was a time to, for Julian to show his solidarity with the Palestinian cause, with the suffering that’s happening in Gaza, and to really elevate it as much as he could.
He did actually do a protest in Cannes (at the Cannes film festival), where he wore a shirt with all the children who were under 5 who lost their lives in Gaza. It’s a cause that’s very close to his heart. So when I made the phone call to him and said, ‘I think we should do this, I think you should go’, he was 100% behind it.
Updated
Former hostage Dr Moore-Gilbert calls for protest group to denounce portrait of Iranian dictator displayed at Sydney rally
Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert says it was “profoundly disturbing” to see a portrait of Iranian dictator Ayatollah Khamenei shown at the Palestine Action Group’s protest yesterday.
In a statement posted online, Moore-Gilbert, the British-Australian academic who survived 804 days as a hostage to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said:
I support the right to protest in Australia, including calling for an end to the war in Gaza. However, it was profoundly disturbing to see an enormous portrait of mass-murdering Iranian dictator Ayatollah Khamenei, holding a rifle no less, positioned directly behind the group of prominent Australians leading the march.
... I’m not convinced that everyone in the front row of the protest knew what was being waved behind their heads.
I do hope however that those who were pictured marching in front of Khamenei’s portrait denounce the presence of this image…
Updated
Hill understands Gaza protests but says ‘government has acted’
Julian Hill was asked by Patricia Karvelas about Ed Husic’s statement about yesterday’s protest:
Ed Husic says those protests were a wake-up call for Australian politicians. Was it?
Hill:
Not for me, I’d say. I don’t have unique special knowledge. I’ve been talking on this and I represent a community in south-east Melbourne that feels this viscerally. I have Jewish friends, Palestinian friends, I represent an area with a large Muslim population. But it’s gone beyond particular areas. Australians want the killing to stop. The protests we saw on the weekend were an expression of that feeling.…The government has acted and I understand, you know, people are upset, we’re not always acknowledged or given the credit for the steps and the actions, the practical things we have done.
Updated
Hill says potential Albanese/Netanyahu call important to convey PM’s message directly
The assistant minister for international education, Julian Hill, was on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing speaking about the government’s announcement it will increase international student places by 25,000 in 2026.
While on the program he was asked about what the prime minister would achieve in seeking a call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu:
I have known Albo next year 30 years. I met him in 1996. The characterisation, if you have a conversation with Albo in public, and in private, you will get the same person. It’s one of the very rare features of the man, he’s authentic.
It’s important that world leaders convey these things directly. They may not be comfortable conversations, but it’s important at the leader level the messages the foreign minister has been reported as sending to the ambassadors and others are reinforced to the leader level.
Updated
Married couple, dog missing as light plane disappears
Police remain cautiously optimistic as efforts continue to locate a married couple and their dog who were on a light plane that has gone missing, AAP reports.
No distress call was made from the green two-seater plane which disappeared during a flight across Bass Strait, Tasmania police’s northern commander, Marco Ghedini, said.
Family members raised the alarm about 5pm on Saturday when the plane, carrying a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s from northern Tasmania, failed to arrive at its destination.
The light aircraft left George Town airport in Tasmania’s north about 12.45pm on Saturday and was headed to Hillston airport in central western NSW via Leongatha in Victoria’s south-east.
An extensive search operation continues, with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority co-ordinating efforts in northern Tasmania, Bass Strait and southern Victoria. Several boat crews are also scouring the waters for the missing pair.
Updated
Foreign interference charge is a first by the AFP
Giving a press conference just now, the AFP’s counter terrorism and special investigations assistant commissioner, Stephen Nutt, said:
This is the first time the AFP has charged a person with foreign interference that allegedly involves targeting members of the Australian community.
Foreign interference is a serious crime that undermines democracy and social cohesion. It is a crime carried out by or on behalf of a foreign principle that involves covert and deceptive conduct or threats of serious harm or menacing demands.
Updated
Chinese national charged with alleged foreign interference
A Chinese national has been charged with alleged foreign interference by the Australian Federal Police.
In a statement, the AFP say the woman has been accused of covertly collecting information about a Canberra Buddhist association on behalf of a public security bureau of China.
The woman appeared in ACT magistrates court today to face one count of reckless foreign interference. She was arrested and charged on Saturday, after homes were searched in Canberra with electronic devices seized. AFP said these devices will undergo forensic examination.
The operation was launched after the AFP received information from Asio. In a statement the AFP said:
The AFP will allege the woman, who is also an Australian permanent resident, was tasked by a public security bureau of China to covertly gather information about the Canberra branch of Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association.
It is the third time a foreign interference offence has been laid in Australia since new laws were introduced in 2018, and the first time relating to alleged community interference.
Updated
Executive Council of Australian Jewry releases statement on Sydney Gaza march
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has released a statement regarding yesterday’s Harbour Bridge protest.
The statement acknowledged the majority of those who marched did so in solidarity with civilians in Gaza, but said the rally had ignored the hostages held in Gaza.
Co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said:
Our national landmarks are there to bring Australians together. This march did not do that.
Any genuine concern for humanity would have also included the forgotten people held against their will in Gaza, the tortured and broken innocents held underground for nearly two years.
Updated
Sussan Ley welcomes new AFP commissioner
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has welcomed Krissy Barrett’s appointment as the new commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.
Barrett will be the first woman to lead the agency, replacing outgoing commissioner Reece Kershaw.
Barrett has worked in law enforcement for nearly 25 years, including as deputy commissioner responsible for national security.
With more than 20 years’ experience in the AFP, including in counterterrorism and as deputy commissioner, Ms Barrett is well-equipped to lead the AFP in its important work in defending Australia’s national security.
We thank the departing commissioner, Mr Reece Kershaw APM, who has tirelessly served the Australian community for more than 30 years, including almost six years as the head of the AFP, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Updated
SA Police investigating sudden death of two people in Bordertown
SA Police are investigating after two people were found dead at a property in Bordertown. Officials said they were called to a home around 11pm local time on Sunday evening for a welfare check on the occupants.
When they arrived they found a man, 47, and woman, 41, dead inside. The pair were in a domestic relationship, police said.
Detectives and forensic response units were on scene and investigations will continue. Police are not seeking any suspects in the matter.
Updated
That’s all for me, thanks for sticking with us. Natasha May will be your news guide from here. Take care.
Fire and Rescue NSW had no disruptions to service during Sydney protest
Fire and Rescue NSW said there were no disruptions to emergency responses yesterday during the large march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At a press conference earlier today, opposition leader Sussan Ley expressed concern that people who needed emergency services may have “had to wait or couldn’t actually get them”.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said:
There were no disruptions to any emergency responses by Fire and Rescue NSW during the bridge protest.
FRNSW was able to plan ahead and deploy its flexible resources as required.
Australia will spend $130m to woo international tourists, including new ad featuring Nigella Lawson and Robert Irwin
The government will soon launch a $130m campaign to appeal to international travellers, including a series of ads set to roll out in China, the US, UK, India and Japan. The television and online ads are centred on a 3-minute video featuring Ruby the Roo and a slate of international and local celebs, including Robert Irwin, Nigella Lawson, Heartbreak High star Thomas Weatherall and others.
The government says every dollar in tourism investment leads to $14 in return to the tourism industry.
Check out the full ad below:
Updated
NSW Greens say Minns seeking to ‘override the will of the people’, will work to roll back police powers to move on protesters
Sue Higginson, the NSW Greens justice spokesperson, said she will introduce a measure in parliament this week to remove police powers to move on peaceful protesters, saying NSW premier Chris Minns had sought to “override the will of the people and is influencing the police with his personal opinion and his own ignorance and arrogance”.
Higginson’s remarks come after the major protest over the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday. She said in a statement:
Labor premier Chris Minns is acting strangely and is not listening. He has lost authority over his own caucus and on matters too significant to ignore. …
The premier has come out saying he has no regrets about his fierce opposition to the history-making march for humanity and is now making clear his opposition to future marches across the bridge … The question now really has to be: where was the premier? What was more important for the premier that he could not attend the march for humanity? …
Protest in NSW is a critical feature of our democracy, and the state’s response to protest can make the difference between whether it is safe, peaceful and understood.
As reported in the blog earlier, at a press conference earlier today Minns did not rule out changes to legislation to make it harder to organise demonstrations that would cross the bridge. He said the public has a right to protest but he was tasked with protecting that right and the need for public safety.
Updated
Greens back ACTU calls for levy on coal and gas exports and rollback of negative gearing
The Greens have thrown their support behind a proposal from the Australian Council of Trade Unions to roll back negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts, as well as impose a 25% tax on coal and gas export revenue.
Sally McManus, the secretary of ACTU, told ABC’s Insiders this weekend the government needed to “bite the bullet” on such policies to help young people get a leg up. McManus said the union, which represents about 1.8 million workers, believes the major changes would be in the national interest. The ACTU secretary will be at treasurer Jim Chalmers’ upcoming economic roundtable.
Greens leader Larissa Waters agreed with the ACTU proposals on Monday, which echo changes the party has long called for, saying:
Australia urgently needs comprehensive economic reform that tackles both the housing crisis and the climate crisis.
The Greens would be happy to see reforms in all of these areas come to the Senate and to work with Labor to pass them.
Updated
Police CCTV shows man in Scream mask approaching Melbourne synagogue – video
Current AFP commissioner leaving role after more than a decade: ‘It takes a toll on family life’
AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw said earlier he is leaving the role a year early after saying the job had taken a toll on his family life. Kershaw said earlier:
I’m coming up to almost 11 years as a commissioner and, as you’d appreciate, it takes its toll on the family life. Being a grandfather has changed me dramatically, and I need to be there for my family.
I want to give back to the Australian community in some other capacity down the track but it has been an incredible journey for myself. I am very grateful and privileged to have been able to serve the community.
Updated
PM says he is not surprised Australians marched in Sydney en masse yesterday
The prime minister said it is a good thing for people to peacefully protest in a healthy democracy, saying he was not surprised “so many Australians have been affected” by the images coming out of Gaza. Albanese said at a press conference:
Yesterday’s march was peaceful and an opportunity for people to express their concern about what is happening in Gaza.
It is not surprising so many Australians have been affected in order to want to show their concern at people being deprived of food and water and essential services. And so the demonstration in a democracy, it is important people be able to express themselves.
Albanese went on to say that the march’s approval was a decision for the courts and it was important for the rule of law to win out.
What’s an immediately important takeout was it was peaceful. I don’t support when there have been breaches of the peace, which has occurred in the past. What we saw yesterday was peaceful demonstration in a democracy; it is important people be able to express themselves.
Updated
Krissy Barrett to be first female commissioner of Australian Federal Police
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is speaking after appointing Krissy Barrett as the new commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. It’s a historic appointment, which will see Barrett become the first woman to lead the agency.
Barrett has worked in law enforcement for nearly 25 year and most recently served as a deputy commissioner with the AFP, managing national security. She also worked on the Bali bombings investigation.
Albanese said:
The role of the AFP is critical to keeping our nation safe. There is no greater honour than wearing the uniform of those that serve and protect Australians. And we are so proud of our world-leading AFP and the work that they do. Krissy, we very much look forward to working with you as you take on the leadership of the AFP.
Her five-year term will begin on 4 October.
Updated
Major flooding hitting parts of NSW, with hundreds of properties under evacuation orders in Gunnedah
Around 230 properties in the NSW town of Gunnedah are under evacuation orders amid major flooding. NSW SES officials said more than 1,500 volunteers had attended about 2,200 incidents over the weekend. In Gunnedah, officials said the Namoi River is now at 8.4m and is expected to peak later this evening, although it will stay at a major flood level until at least Wednesday.
Debbie Platz, the deputy commissioner of the NSW SES, said on the ABC earlier:
We are monitoring 11 different river systems and all of them, anything from a minor to a major flooding, we do need people to stay really alert. So, concentrating on your Hazards Near Me app, where you live, where you work and where you’re travelling to, and also the SES website.
And we’ll provide you with the most up-to-date information that we can so that we can keep you and your family and friends safe.
Updated
Sussan Ley says protests that shut down major routes ‘not reasonable’
Opposition leader Sussan Ley was just asked about yesterday’s protest in Sydney. She expressed concern about Sydney being thrown “into chaos for hours” and mused about people accessing emergency services, with the additional police deployed to monitor the event. Ley said:
It’s not reasonable that we have protests that shut down a major arterial route. It’s not reasonable that we throw Sydney into chaos for hours and hours and I just wonder about the people who genuinely needed emergency services and had to wait or couldn’t actually get them.
So thank you to the police, thank you to the emergency services for what you did to keep Sydneysiders safe.
Ley encouraged NSW premier Chris Minns to take action to address such protests in the future. Ley said:
These events are overseas. This is the shutting down of a major city.
Updated
Minns on court allowing Sunday march: ‘I don’t want to make the same mistake twice’
Minns said he wouldn’t rush legislation because there’s a chance it could be deemed constitutionally invalid.
He said:
We thought we were on firm ground with the police rejection of the form one last Saturday, but the supreme court knocked it over. So I don’t want to make the same mistake twice, other than to say I have to examine all of this. I’m not ruling anything out. And I think even most reasonable people would expect that, yes, you do have, from time to time, massive demonstrations, even if it’s on the bridge, but knocking it out every week is just not something that we can consider forever.
Updated
Chris Minns says he will ‘look very closely’ at judgment allowing Harbour Bridge march
Returning to the NSW premier, Chris Minns, who spoke about the protest across the Sydney Harbour Bridge a short time ago.
Minns did not rule out changes to legislation to make it harder to organise demonstrations that would cross the bridge, saying the government was examining whether a precedent was set by the courts in authorising the march.
Asked if he would consider legislation, he said: “Look, I’m not going to announce something like that this morning.”
He then said:
There’s a few reasons for that. Firstly, we want to look specifically at the judgment. If it doesn’t provide a precedent, then the police will still make assessments on form ones, regardless of who puts in an application, whether it’s an anti-vax group ... or whatever the demonstration is. I’ll have to look at that very closely.
Updated
Joe Massa’s mother says toddler ‘would be with us today’ if the proactive question had been asked
Joe’s mother Elouise told the press conference had this question been asked on the day her toddler presented to the emergency department, she believed he would still be alive today:
When we were in hospital on the 14th of September last year, had I been asked “are you worried Joe is getting worse?”, had the healthcare clinicians been retrained and empowered to ask those simple five words – “worried they are getting worse?” – had that happened, I truly believe Joe Massa would be with us today, would be with his siblings.
So today it’s such an important day. It’s a day of proactivity. It’s a proactive tool, worried they are getting worse. Joe would be alive had that question been asked to us that day and had the clinicians listened attentively and purposefully to our answers.
So let’s look to the future … Let’s learn from the past, and let’s ensure that every single healthcare clinician across the emergency departments and elsewhere more broadly use this, are empowered and that parents are empowered to respond clearly and respectfully so that together we can save lives.
Updated
New NSW healthcare question ‘designed to be proactive’, minister says
Park said the new tool will provide a proactive tool for families, as opposed to the reactive Reach protocol already in place.
Park said this fits into the work he is doing with the family of toddler Joe Massa, who died after waiting hours at Northern Beaches hospital emergency department with his parents’ concerns not being followed up.
This works in partnership with a piece of work that we are doing with the Massa family around enhancing Reach.
Reach is very much more a reactive lot of protocols. This question is designed to be proactive, designed to be asked regularly, even if the vitals are not indicating that there is a problem.
… The feedback that Eloise and Danny Massa provided me on day one when I met them was that they didn’t feel that they had been listened to and heard.
Updated
NSW children’s health workers will be required to ask families: ‘are you worried they are getting worse?’
As we mentioned in the blog earlier, the NSW health minister has today launched a new tool to support parents to raise concerns about their child’s condition if they feel it is getting worse.
Healthcare workers will be required to regularly ask families the question: “Are you worried they are getting worse?” in paediatric and neonatal observation charts in emergency departments. This will be implemented in all NSW public hospitals by October 2025 and will be extended into maternity and adult wards in early 2026.
The health minister, Ryan Park, held a press conference earlier this morning at the Sydney Children’s hospital, elaborating on what the program will mean:
So what does this mean? It means we will regularly ask this question as we do our rounds, as we do our transition, as we do our shift changeover, when another clinician or another allied healthcare professional or a nurse comes and sees our child, it’s all about making sure that we give the power to people who know their child the most, and that is parents and carers.
Park said if a parent is concerned, then it will trigger a series of clinical reviews.
Updated
NSW beaches to be extremely dangerous for days, surf life savers say
Beaches across NSW are expected to be “far too dangerous for coastal activities” in the coming days amid large surf and hazardous conditions.
Surf Life Saving NSW said life savers were issuing urgent warning to rock fishers, swimmers and boaters to stay away from the coastline, saying the entire state was seeing beaches hit with large surf. Those conditions come amid moderate to heavy rain across the state, and are set to remain for at least two days.
SLSNSW life saving manager, Oliver Munson, said:
Even in what profiles as our off-season, these hazardous surf events are something our lifesavers are always prepared for. The conditions are not isolated, the entire NSW coastline is expected to be hazardous for swimming, boating and rock platform-related activities over the coming days.
There have been three coastal drowning deaths in NSW since 1 July.
Meg Harris puts gold stamp on swim worlds but US pip Australia on medal table
Swimming with her eyes shut, Meg Harris put a golden exclamation mark on Australia’s world titles with a victory in the women’s 50m freestyle. Harris’ gold medal on Sunday’s last night of the titles in Singapore came amid silver medals to compatriot Jenna Forrester (women’s 400m medley) and Australia’s women’s 4x100m medley relayers.
Australia, with eight gold, six silver and six bronze, finished second on the medal tally behind the United States (nine, 11, nine).
The 23-year-old Harris, who is partially deaf, was stunned at her success – not least because she swims the entire lap with her eyes closed. She said:
It’s normal for me. I do it a lot in the 50m and in the 100m, I always do it on the second lap. So I’m not quite sure what it is, I do it in training as well, but I guess it’s just like trying to focus on my stroke … not 100%, that’s just what happens.
Read more:
NSW police minister says ‘nobody is being stopped’ from protesting
The NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, was asked about the protest across the Sydney Harbour Bridge a short time ago.
Asked if she recognised the need for a symbolic protest given the situation in Gaza, Catley said:
Police have facilitated more than 100 marches by this organisation in the past 20 months, so nobody is being stopped.
Let’s be clear about that, but each of those applications that are put forward will be assessed for their risk, and that’s exactly what we want the police to be doing.
Asked if she would consider legislation to “ban bridge protests”, she said that’s a “hypothetical”.
She then said:
The police will make these decisions. The Court made the decision to allow yesterday to go ahead. We absolutely respect that decision. But people are allowed to protest in this state, but they have to do it lawfully, peacefully and take the direction of police.
Ed Husic says some protest signs shouldn’t detract from march
Labor MP Ed Husic says a protester at the huge Sydney Harbour Bridge march on Sunday with a sign depicting Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should not detract from calls for an end to the war in Gaza.
Husic was one of the high profile marchers who crossed the bridge, part of the crowd of at least 90,000 people. He said the image of the Iranian dictator was not in the spirit of the event, telling Sky News this morning:
I’m obviously here as a member of parliament, not the chair of the Australian chant regulator authority.
There are, when you have so many people present, you won’t agree with everyone, and clearly people will pick out some things that were objectionable to other people, and I completely understand that.
That’s democracy, but I just think, I would hate for it to detract from the images of that aerial view of the Harbour Bridge, with so many people on it, that just want the hostilities to end, and particularly impact on kids.
Updated
Minns adamant state will not ‘water down’ gun laws amid proposal to enshrine right to hunt in NSW
NSW premier Chris Minns was adamant the state would not “water down” gun laws amid concern the Labor government will pass a bill to enshrine the right to hunt in state forests and on crown lands.
Walter Mikac, whose family was killed in the Port Arthur massacre, wrote a letter to Minns urging the premier to abandon the plans. Mikac told the Daily Telegraph the proposal was “pretty scary” in a recent interview.
Minns was asked about that letter earlier today, saying he planned to respond to it and that he would be happy to meet with Mikac. Minns said:
I just want to make the point that we will not be voting to water down gun laws in New South Wales. That’s very important that they stay consistent following the horror of the Port Arthur massacre. I’ve got a hung parliament, individuals, parties are entitled to put their legislation, and we’ll review it, but we are not going to water down gun laws in this state.
Health minister says tool will recognise parents know their children best
If parents or caregivers indicate they believe their child is getting worse, it will trigger a review by a senior healthcare worker.
The new program will be implemented in all NSW public hospitals by October 2025 and will be extended into maternity and adult wards in early 2026.
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said:
When you bring your child into our hospitals, we know that you know them best. Parents and carers can recognise small changes in a child’s condition sometimes before healthcare workers can observe changes in things like heart rate or breathing.
Feedback from parents and carers is critical in capturing information about a child who is becoming seriously unwell. When your doctor or nurse asks: “Are you worried they’re getting worse?” we need you to tell us even if it is something small, because if you’re worried, we’re worried.
Updated
NSW launches new ‘Worried they are getting worse?’ patient escalation tool
The NSW health minister is launching a new tool today to support parents to raise concerns about their child’s condition if they feel it is getting worse.
Healthcare workers will be required to regularly ask families the question – “Are you worried they are getting worse?” – in paediatric and neonatal observation charts in emergency departments and inpatient units across the state.
The new tool, which will be introduced in addition to the Reach program already available, follows the case of toddler Joe Massa, who died after waiting hours at Northern Beaches hospital emergency department with his parents’ concerns not being followed up.
The “worried they’re getting worse” tool is based on research from Monash University which found parental intuition better at spotting child illness than vital signs.
Updated
Minns stresses protest organisers worked with police, but march was ‘logistically difficult’
Minns said he would not criticise protesters’ right to demonstrate, but again said it was a difficult, abbreviated timeline to organise. He said:
It’s just that it’s a logistically difficult thing to navigate because you’ve got a confined space and an overwhelming number of people. And when that happens at the football stadium or Homebush, it’s pretty straightforward, it happens every week.
When police have got a couple of days to organise it on the Harbour Bridge, usually a seven-lane highway, it’s tough, it’s difficult.
Updated
Gaza protest does not mean ‘open season on the bridge’, NSW premier says
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said he does not regret voicing his opposition to the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest, but said he respected Australians’ right to protest. Minns said during a press conference a moment ago that it was his job to “be on the side of public safety”, saying the government was in a difficult position balancing that need with the right to demonstrate. He said:
Firstly it was a massive crowd, over 100,000 people. If the weather wasn’t appalling I think it would’ve been even bigger than that, maybe even double the size.
I accept that there’s a huge groundswell … It’s a difficult one for the government. We have to balance public safety and the public’s right to protest … alongside running a big city like Sydney. Ultimately my job is to be on the side of public safety.
Minns went on to say: “No one should believe that it’s open season on the bridge”:
We can’t knock out the bridge every weekend. There can be a demonstration every weekend. But I need to weigh up public order, community safety with the public’s right to protest …
We’re not going to have a situation where the anti-vaxxer group has it one Saturday … and then the weekend after that an environmental cause … A big city like Sydney couldn’t cope with that.
Updated
Plibersek says Australians want to send a message there’s been ‘too much death’ in Gaza
Tanya Plibersek, the minister for social services, said Australians understand the importance of protest in a healthy democracy, but said people wouldn’t want to see “the Harbour Bridge shut down every weekend” akin to yesterday’s mass march in support of Palestinians.
She told Sunrise this morning:
At the end of the day, I think Australians do want to send a message that there has been too much death, too many people have lost their lives and we want to see the hostages return, we want to see humanitarian access to Gaza, we particularly don’t want to see children starving to death as a result of this conflict …
I don’t think this is something that should happen every day. But within reason, we have a peaceful right to protest in this country and if protest organisers arrange things with police with sufficient warning, if the crowd behaves well … It’s part of our democracy.
Updated
Government handed report on age assurance technology trial
The federal government has been handed the final report of the age assurance technology trial that will inform the government on the types of technologies used to implement the under-16 social media ban from December.
In a note on the trial’s website on Friday, the trial reported the 10-volume report had been submitted to government, and the timing of the publication was a matter for the government.
The trial said the final report builds on the interim conclusions released earlier and says the final findings “are supported by further analysis of the extensive data collected” in the trial.
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NSW SES says 200 cars trapped in snow over the weekend mostly free, but black ice remains a concern
Approximately 200 cars were trapped in snow this weekend after heavy falls blanketed the northern tablelands. The NSW SES said most of those cars have since been able to escape from that event as conditions eased, and the snow is no longer a major concern.
But black ice may be dangerous in the area around the region as the snow melts.
Emergency officials are urging drivers to travel carefully and be aware of changing road conditions. The NSW SES said:
If you do need to be on the roads, use the brakes gently and drive slowly.
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Man wearing Scream mask allegedly graffitis Melbourne synagogue
Victoria police are investigating multiple incidents of graffiti at a Melbourne synagogue after a man allegedly caused criminal damage to the building multiple times over the last six months.
Police said an unknown man arrived to the Torah Road synagogue at least five times between March and July on a black e-scooter before allegedly spray-painting offensive phrases on the building. During two incidents in July, officials said the man was wearing a “ghostface” mask from the Scream films that completely covered his face.
The man is thought to be of Caucasian appearance, bald and of medium build and bald. Police have appealed for information about the incident and released video footage from the synagogue, saying:
There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based behaviour.
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Albanese seeking call with Netanyahu as soon as possible after Sydney march
The prime minister is seeking to press his Israeli counterpart about the devastation in Gaza in an upcoming phone call.
Anthony Albanese is seeking a call with Benjamin Netanyahu as soon as possible after at least 100,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday to protest bloodshed and suffering in the conflict.
Guardian Australia has been told Albanese hopes to speak to Netanyahu as soon as a phone call can be locked in.
Separately, the assistant minister for immigration, Matt Thistlethwaite, told Sky News this morning a conversation between Albanese and Netanyahu is “being pursued” this week.
Albanese has said publicly more humanitarian aid was badly needed, amid international outrage about starvation.
Australia has been criticised by Netanyahu in recent months, including over government responses to high-profile antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Albanese said last week:
We have a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there, and Australia is willing to play our part there.
That is indeed something that is bringing, I think, legitimate criticism of the actions of the Netanyahu government. Too many innocent lives have been lost.
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Lynne McGranger wins gold at Logies, as Fisk dominates and Guy Montgomery named best newcomer
The Home and Away actor Lynne McGranger won the Gold Logie award for most popular personality on Australian television as she ends her record 32-year run playing the much-loved matriarch Irene Roberts.
McGranger is the longest-serving female actor in any Australian drama, having played Irene for nearly 33 years. She announced her departure in February and her final episode will air mid-August.
The ABC comedy Fisk was the big winner on Sunday, taking home best scripted comedy, best lead actress in a comedy for Kitty Flanagan for the second year in a row, best lead actor in a comedy for Aaron Chen, best supporting actress for Julia Zemiro and best supporting actor for Glenn Butcher.
Guy Montgomery, the host of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee on ABC, also won the Graham Kennedy award for most popular new talent. The New Zealander gave a bullish speech, telling Australia: “Suck it, we have one up on your country this time!”
Read more here:
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Brisbane cycling groups to make second attempt to block Story Bridge later this month
The Story Bridge – one of Brisbane’s few high-quality active transport routes – has been closed to anyone but motorists since March.
Brisbane city council refused to reallocate any of its six vehicle lanes, redirecting cyclists on a less direct route. The council halted an attempt to hold a protest on part of the bridge in May in the Brisbane magistrates court on the basis of community safety.
On 24 August, council will partly close part of its alternative at Kangaroo Point Bridge for the Brisbane fashion festival.
Story Bridge Active Travel Alliance organiser Kathryn Good said the group planned to hold a protest at 11am that day to protest both decisions. It will take the form of a fashion show. Good said:
Every day Brisbane commuters who normally use the Story Bridge shared paths are forced into a lengthy and unsafe detour. Brisbane city council, as usual, is unfashionably late to provide adequate active transport routes.
If Council can roll out the red carpet on the Kangaroo Point green bridge for a fashion show, they can certainly make space on the Story Bridge for the thousands of us just trying to get to work.
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Police continuing search for missing small plane near Bass Strait
Tasmania police will continue searching for a small plane that went missing en route from the state’s north to NSW on Saturday.
Authorities said the light plane was carrying two people and a dog on Saturday as it left George Town at about 12.45pm, on its way to Hillston airport in NSW. Search efforts are under way in northern Tasmania, the Bass Strait and regional Victoria in hopes of locating the aircraft. A Tasmanian police official said:
There has been no development overnight in regard to finding the plane, the two Tasmanian residents on board, or knowing their whereabouts.
Tasmania police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Victoria police are all assisting with the search effort, which includes a helicopter and several boats.
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Commissioner will be a ‘fierce advocate’ for Indigenous children, minister says
First Nations advocates and peak bodies have long sought a commissioner for Indigenous children. Indigenous children are almost 11 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children, and 29 times more likely to be in youth detention.
It’s taken 18 months for Hunter to be appointed to the role, after Labor first promised an independent national commission in February 2024. In a statement, the minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy said Hunter will be a “fierce advocate” for Indigenous children. McCarthy said:
The number of First Nations children in out-of-home care and youth detention is deeply distressing and will take a collective effort to turn the figures around.
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Sue-Anne Hunter appointed First Nations children’s commissioner
The government has appointed the first national commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, to help urgently turn around the high rates of First Nations children in out-of-home care and in youth detention.
Adj Prof Sue-Anne Hunter, a Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman has been chosen for the role, which she will commence later this year.
Hunter was a commissioner and deputy chair of the Yoorook Justice Commission in Victoria, and said in a statement that her role will help elevate the voices of First Nations children.
We are at risk of losing another generation to systems that fail them, to removal, out of home care detention and a bleak future. The work is urgent and the statistics are grim. But our children are not statistics, they are our future.
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Husic says politicians ‘underestimated’ how strongly Australians feel about Gaza
Labor MP Ed Husic said more and more Australians had grown concerned about the impact of Israel’s war against Hamas on civilian populations. He told RN Breakfast:
I think people in particular believe it’s just not right … To treat kids in the way that they’ve been treated in Gaza. It offends our values as people, and so people turned up in large numbers.
Husic went on:
I think Australian politics has underestimated how strongly Australians feel about this issue … I think this is a moment, a sort of wake-up call for Australian politics.
I think when I looked in that crowd – yep, you had the people that you would expect that have been there from the start protesting, but there was a lot of middle Australia there, and I think that’s something that can’t be ignored.
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Government announces $20m additional aid funding for Gaza
The federal government will provide $20m in aid for organisations to deliver food and medical supplies into Gaza.
The aid announcement followed mass protests in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on Sunday, with thousands of demonstrators, including state and federal Labor MPs marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said the latest funding brings the total aid provided by Australia to Gaza to $130m since war broke out after the October 7 attack.
In a statement, Wong said Australia has been consistently calling on Israel to allow the “full and immediate resumption of aid”, in line with the binding orders of the international court of justice.
The suffering and starvation of civilians in Gaza must end. Australia will continue to work with the international community to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and a two-state solution.
The funding will be distributed through organisations including Unicef, the UN World Food Programme, and International Committee of the Red Cross.
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Ed Husic says Sydney march ‘a wake-up call for Australian politics’
Labor MP Ed Husic has described yesterday’s pro-Palestine march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a “wake-up call for Australian politics” and said he was stunned by the sheer number of people who showed up to protest. Husic told RN Breakfast:
It was a tremendous example of peaceful assembly, of people coming out in force to let governments know how deeply they feel and how much they want governments to act on the concerns that they have, triggered by horrific images that we’ve seen out of Gaza …
I thought it was way larger than the 90,000. It did certainly feel like that.
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Flood warnings issued across Newcastle region, evacuations in Gunnedah overnight
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has issued flood watch warnings for large parts of Newcastle and the lower Hunter region this morning. The alerts come amid evacuations overnight in Gunnedah in the New England region.
NSW SES said they had received more than 3,600 calls and responded to nearly 2,100 incidents during a weekend of wild weather, including 25 flood rescues. Emergency crews are still searching for a 26-year-old woman who was swept away by flood waters in the Hunter region on Saturday night.
Further evacuation warnings are possible throughout the day, officials said. There are now 57 warnings across the state, according to Hazard Watch.
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Good morning
Good morning and happy Monday. Nick Visser here to take you through the first of this week’s news. Here’s what’s on deck:
The NSW State Emergency Service has issued multiple Watch and Act warnings for flooding in the lower Hunter, with large parts of Newcastle urged to heed guidance. There was major flooding in Gunnedah near Tamworth last night.
NSW police said the organisers of the pro-Palestine march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge were “very cordial” during the lead-up to yesterday’s event. But they said they were deeply concerned about a crowd crush and the sheer number of people who showed up, prompting the march’s cancellation midway through. No injuries or arrests have been reported.
The Logies have been awarded, with Magda Szubanski inducted into the Hall of Fame and soap star Lynne McGranger winning gold for her long run on Home and Away.
Stick with us.
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