What we learned today, Thursday 23 October
We’re ending our live coverage there. Here’s what we learned today:
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said the government’s changes to environmental laws would be a ‘handbrake’ on investment.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott welcomed ADF personnel being sent as part of Trump-led Gaza peace force.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, arrived back in Australia after his quick trip to Washington DC.
Andrew Hastie ruled out any switch to One Nation and urged his Coalition colleague Barnaby Joyce to stick to the Nationals.
Pauline Hanson dismissed speculation Joyce could lead One Nation.
The chair of BHP downplayed concerns over a reported Chinese embargo on the company’s sales.
There were 1,700 calls to SES for help across NSW and Victoria after Wednesday’s wild winds.
The NSW opposition unveiled its high-density housing plan for Sydney’s inner west.
Millions of Christmas Island’s red crabs are on the move for annual migration.
Thanks for joining us! We’ll see you again tomorrow.
Updated
Optus executives depart following triple-zero outage
Optus has announced the departure of its chief information officer and chief financial officer just weeks after last month’s triple-zero outages.
Optus’s chief information officer, Mark Potter, will step down from his role to be replaced by John McInerney, while the chief financial officer, Michael Venter, will be replaced by Andy Giles Knopp, both external appointments.
In a statement posted to its website, the telco described the changes as “part of planned leadership transitions”.
In a statement, Optus CEO Stephen Rue said Potter’s departure came after “long-term and open discussions”.
Mark has decided that early next year is the right time to leave Optus after four productive years and having laid strong technology foundations for Optus’ transformation plans. I wish him all the best with his next chapter.
Incoming CIO John McInerney brings a wealth of experience and a proven ability to lead complex transformation programs. I look forward to working with him as we work to evolve our IT capabilities to better serve our customers.
Both Michael and Mark will remain with Optus until March 2026 to ensure a smooth transition during this period of substantial change.
Updated
Alan Joyce looks forward to ‘setting the record straight’ in tell-all memoir
Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will publish a memoir about his 15 years at the helm of Australia’s national carrier, in which the controversial executive says “nothing will be off-limits”.
Joyce’s publisher, Hardie Grant Books, has today announced the acquisition of the book. In a statement, Joyce said:
I’m looking forward to setting the record straight – the book will be a forthright and honest account of my time as CEO of Australia’s national flagship. Nothing will be off limits.
Joyce, who was born in Dublin, moved from running the airline’s low-cost carrier Jetstar to take over Qantas itself in 2008. His early tenure included the QF32 engine failure and the grounding of the airline’s entire fleet in 2011 during an industrial dispute with unions.
His departure in September 2023 in favour of the current CEO, Vanessa Hudson, came after a string of legal scandals and public anger at poor customer service, including the airline’s decision to put an expiry date on hundreds of millions of dollars in Covid-era credits – at a time of high fares and a record $2.47bn profit. His final pay packet was later cut by $9.26m.
Updated
RAAF member injured on prime minister’s plane discharged from US hospital
The RAAF member injured on Anthony Albanese’s plane has been discharged from hospital in the United States.
The crew member on Albanese’s jet for his trip to Washington DC was taken off the aircraft when it had to make an unscheduled stop in Missouri. He was taken to a local hospital after sustaining an injury.
A defence department spokesperson told Guardian Australia: “Defence can confirm that the member has since been discharged from hospital and will return to Australia in due course.
“Our highest priority is providing support to the member and [we] request that their privacy be respected.”
Updated
More than 370 jobs to be axed at UTS, vice-chancellor tells staff
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) will push ahead with more than 370 job cuts as part of the next phase of its controversial restructure, management has confirmed.
In an email to staff on Thursday, the vice-chancellor of UTS, Prof Andrew Parfitt released the latest operating model change proposal, which he said would be subject to consultation until December. The proposal outlined a standardisation of support and career services and increased digitalisation of organisational processes.
Parfitt said the proposals in their current form would now lead to the loss of 344 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles and 32.7 casual academics, with total savings of $85m. Initially, the university was seeking a combined saving of $100m, with a reduction of 400 FTE roles.
Parfitt said:
While any potential job losses are distressing, the reduced number of proposed reductions from 400 to approximately 374 FTE is welcome and reflects the considered thinking that has gone into developing these proposals.
The UTS restructure has faced backlash from academics, students and the NSW Labor government since the educational institution announced the temporary pause of enrolments for nearly a fifth of its courses. Almost half of Australia’s universities have restructured in the past year.
Updated
Abbott on Joyce: ‘What we need at the moment is a good, strong Coalition’
The former prime minister is asked to weigh in on the departure of his former minister Barnaby Joyce from the Nationals, amid speculation the Queensland MP could join Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. After praising Hanson’s “second incarnation” as a politician, he says:
I’m a friend of Barnaby’s. I admire him. I can understand his frustrations, but I very much hope he sticks with the Nationals … What we need at the moment is a good, strong Coalition. That’s what we need.
Asked if the Coalition’s calls for the ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, to be sacked is a sign of strength, Abbott says:
I actually think that a former prime minister can usually do a very good job in Washington … We’ve had a lot of former politicians in that position. And look, Kevin has the pester factor, if I may say. So that makes him particularly useful when you’ve got to lobby Congress, and it seems that Kevin really did mastermind this critical minerals deal, which I think is all to the good.
Updated
Abbott welcomes ADF personnel being sent as part of Trump-led Gaza peace force
Up next on Afternoon Briefing is the former prime minister Tony Abbott, who is promoting his new history book Australia: A History, which he has described as “an account of our past that’s positive, while not oblivious to our mistakes”.
Abbott, whose book describes the Myall Creek massacre, is challenged on his attitude to Indigenous oral history. He says:
The true story of Australia is by no means all bad. It is not even mostly bad. It is mostly good, and if I may say so, I have tried to contribute to the good story.
Questions move to foreign policy, following the news that an Australian defence force officer has been deployed to be part of a Donald Trump-led Gaza peace taskforce. Abbott says:
The more Australia is involved in the affairs of the world the better … because I have no doubt about their quality and their capability. I believe that Australian military personnel are always useful. I would be very happy to see us there.
Updated
eSafety commissioner says she has been doxed by neo-Nazis, rules out second term
Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has been speaking on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing about some of the finer points of the incoming social media ban for under-16s. Inman Grant, who started in the role in 2017 with her current contract expiring next year, is asked if she will seek to continue in the role. She says:
I think if I make it to ten years, that’s a pretty good run. I think it’ll be time for someone else to take the reins. As you said, it’s a very bruising role. I mean, I’ve just been doxed again on Telegram by Australian neo-Nazis to a UK-based neo-Nazi group. So when it puts yourself, but mostly your family and your kids, in jeopardy, it does make you take a step back.
She continues:
It is a difficult job. It’s also a privilege and an honour. I think we’ve made a real difference in young Australians lives … This is what I’m hearing from the European Union, from the Canadians, from everyone else, that we’ve set a standard in Australia.
Updated
Ongoing hacking incident ‘intended to harm’ Western Sydney University, vice-chancellor says
A swathe of personal information including bank account details, tax file numbers, legal and visa details have allegedly been leaked in a major data breach “intended to harm” Western Sydney University.
WSU first notified its community about an alleged data breach in April, which dated back to the beginning of January. The university believed about 10,000 people were affected.
The vice-chancellor of WSU, Prof George Williams, apologised for the impact the cyber incident was having and said the university was doing “everything we can to rectify this issue and support our community”.
Williams said NSW police had on Thursday approved the release of personal information that had allegedly been accessed and exfiltrated. He also alleged fraudulent emails were sent to some community members on 6 October which used stolen data.
The stolen information included contact details, employment and payroll details, bank account information, tax file number, visa information and legal information, among others.
Updated
Estimated 50,000 older Samsung devices to be blocked from mobile networks in a month
It is estimated about 50,000 older Samsung devices will be blocked from being able to connect to mobile networks in Australia, after Telstra and Optus yesterday advised the devices weren’t able to connect to Vodafone’s network in the event that both of their networks are unavailable and a user needs to call triple zero.
Under federal legislation, devices that in some circumstances cannot connect to triple zero need to be cut off from mobile networks. Customers will be advised if they need to upgrade their phones, and their existing devices will be cut off from the networks in the next 28 to 35 days.
The device models are:
Galaxy A7 (2017)
Galaxy A5 2017
Galaxy J1 2016
Galaxy J3 2016
Galaxy J5 2017
Galaxy Note 5
Galaxy S6
Galaxy S6 edge
Galaxy S6 Edge+
Galaxy S7
Galaxy S7 Edge
Newer Samsung devices may need a software update in order to continue operating. Telstra has provided a list of those devices on its website.
The shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, has blamed the government’s handling of the 3G network shutdown last year, which led to some devices being forced off the networks if they couldn’t make triple zero calls over 4G on any network.
In a statement, Samsung said it was working with Australian carriers on the issue. A spokesperson for Vodafone said Telstra had advised it about the issue, which they described as “not a fault of the Vodafone network, but a limitation in how certain devices were originally configured to search for emergency connectivity”. The network has also identified users with Samsung devices on its network that are affected.
Updated
Greens condemn Albanese’s ‘photo-op’ critical minerals deal with Trump
The Greens senator and resources spokesperson Steph Hodgins-May has issued a condemnation of Australia’s framework agreement with the US on critical minerals.
As we reported earlier, bosses at mining company BHP praised Anthony Albanese’s meeting with “fierce” Donald Trump for the pair’s push to mine and process the resources.
In a series of posts on X, Hodgins-May said while Australia needed critical minerals for the clean energy transition, it was “reckless to shackle ourselves” to Donald Trump “with no assurances to protect our planet and communities”:
BHP executives cheering on the PM and Trump’s minerals deal tells you everything. When you’re on the side of fossil fuel giants and right-wing leaders like Trump, you’re historically not working for working people and the environment.
This deal signs us up to fuel America’s military – one of the world’s largest polluters – for the sake of a photo-op, while giving a potential US veto on who we sell to and invest with in the future.
Updated
Labor’s environment law revamp in jeopardy
The Albanese government’s second attempt at rewriting federal environmental protection laws is in jeopardy after the Coalition joined the Greens in criticising the proposed changes, leaving Labor without an obvious partner to get it through the Senate.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, claimed the nature laws were a “red light” for jobs, warning the Coalition would need far more convincing before agreeing to support the plan.
Ley’s sharp criticisms mark a significant shift for the opposition, which had appeared open to a deal after a series of “positive” meetings in recent weeks between the environment minister, Murray Watt, and his Liberal counterpart, Angie Bell.
Labor was hopeful the Coalition would be more likely to endorse the plan under Ley, who as environment minister in the Morrison government commissioned the Samuel review that has inspired the changes.
The Greens have separately accused Watt of drafting pro-business laws that are worse for the environment than the existing ones, signalling it was unlikely to support the legislation without major concessions.
Read more:
Updated
That’s all from me, thanks for sticking with us. I’m going to make like a Christmas Island red crab and hand over to Penry Buckley. See you!
Updated
More from the tragic drownings of a British surfer and his friend who jumped in to save him
An “inexperienced” British surfer and a friend who jumped in to save him have been identified as the two men who died in rough waters off a popular pier in Victoria during wild winds on Wednesday.
Emergency services were called to Frankston beach in Melbourne’s south-east after reports of two men in trouble in the water about 5pm, as the state was lashed by intense wind gusts.
In a press conference on Thursday, Victoria police inspector Mel Nixon said the men, who were found unresponsive in the water, were a 36-year-old British national and his friend, a 43-year-old man, whose nationality was not specified.
The pair have not yet been formally identified.
Read more here:
100,000 public sector workers demand better conditions during New Zealand ‘mega strike’
An estimated 100,000 nurses, teachers and public sector staff walked off the job in New Zealand on Thursday to call on the government to better fund and resource public services, in one of the country’s largest ever strikes.
The so-called “mega strike” brought together workers from multiple sectors, including more than 60,000 school teachers, 40,000 nurses and salaried medical specialists and 15,000 public service staff.
Despite extreme weather forcing the cancellation of events in Wellington and other regions, tens of thousands gathered at rallies across the country, where they held signs, chanted and demanded the government invest in education and health.
Members from multiple unions voted to strike after collective bargaining with the coalition government stalled. While each union has demands specific to their sector, the complaints were broadly consistent: inadequate pay, unsafe staffing levels, not enough resources, and poor working conditions that put the wellbeing of workers, patients and children at risk.
Read more here:
Sussan Ley says changes to environmental laws would be a ‘handbrake’ on investment
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said the Albanese government’s long-promised revamp of national environmental laws would stifle industry and undercut Australian jobs.
She said during a press conference this afternoon that the changes would counter any promises made in the critical minerals deal the prime minister signed in Washington DC earlier this week:
Industry is genuinely concerned that under Anthony Albanese’s environment laws, these wouldn’t even get a start.
What is clear is that these laws are a gift to our overseas competitors. They’re a red light to jobs and they’re a handbrake to investment and development, the sort of investment and development this country has always needed and always relied on.
Updated
Hastie says Trump’s jab at Kevin Rudd was ‘theatre’
Andrew Hastie says US president Donald Trump’s jab at Kevin Rudd earlier this week was “theatre” and “really good TV” but praised the US ambassador for copping it on the chin and getting on with the job.
The Liberal backbencher told 2GB there was no need to “relive the humiliation” when asked if the former prime minister should get sacked from his Washington DC posting.
Hastie said:
Well, I think Kevin Rudd got the job done in the end. He got the minerals deal and he got a seat at the table with President Trump and the prime minister, and frankly he made some unwise comments prior to becoming the ambassador, and we all make unwise comments.
And he sat there and he was humiliated by Donald Trump, first by [Trump] pretending not to know who he was, and then secondly by saying ‘I don’t like you and I think I never will’. But [Rudd] copped it on the chin for the country and we don’t need to relive the humiliation. We got the deal and let’s move on.
Asked whether he thought Trump really might not have known who Rudd was, Hastie disagreed:
That was theatre. This guy [Trump] does really good reality television and trolling the Australian ambassador was good TV, but in the end, Kevin Rudd copped it on the chin for the country and we move forward.
Updated
Andrew Hastie rules out switch to One Nation
Andrew Hastie has ruled out any switch to One Nation and urged his Coalition colleague, Barnaby Joyce to stick to the major party amid speculation he will soon announce the jump.
The former shadow defence and home affairs minister re-emerged on 2GB for an interview ahead of the parliamentary sitting fortnight next week.
He said:
I wouldn’t be elected if it wasn’t for the Liberal party so I’m very grateful for the opportunity the party has given me over the last 10 years to be a parliamentarian so I won’t be switching.
As for Barnaby, I don’t know what’s in Barnaby’s mind but I hope he stays within the Coalition because I think he does have a lot of experience, and he’s got some good insight obviously so I’m keen for Barnaby to stay with us and all this speculation about One Nation, obviously, is unhelpful to our cause right now as we’re trying to rebuild post-election.
Updated
Government plans to streamline support payment programs to better help vulnerable kids
Vulnerable children and their parents will have to jump through fewer hoops as part of an overhaul of $300m in support payments, AAP reports.
The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced on Thursday community organisations providing support payments to struggling families would benefit from a simpler process.
The government plans to replace five existing programs – Child and Parenting Support, Communities for Children, Family and Relationship Services, Specialised Family Violence Services and Family Mental Health Support Services – with one national program.
The reforms are designed to give providers more flexibility to tailor programs for different communities – an idea celebrated by children’s charity The Smith Family, one of the partners in the Communities for Children program. Plibersek said:
Community organisations have told us loud and clear – too much red tape and admin is holding them back.
We’re proposing to make changes so they can spend less time on paperwork and more time delivering services Australians rely on.
Updated
Australian shares slip as US mulls trade escalation
Australia’s share market is trading lower for a second session as the world’s two biggest economies proffer bargaining chips ahead of trade negotiations, AAP reports.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell 24 points by midday on Thursday, down 0.27%, as the broader All Ordinaries lost 21.3 points, or 0.23%.
The slip followed a weak Wall Street session amid reports the Trump administration was mulling software-linked export curbs on China ahead of trade talks over the latter’s rare earths supply restrictions.
The down-tick weighed on the raw materials sector and financials stocks, which each slipped more than 0.8% as large cap miners and the big four banks tracked lower.
Anthony Albanese lands in Sydney
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has arrived back in Australia after his quick trip to Washington DC. The PM’s official plane landed back in Sydney this morning.
He will soon depart Australia again, having previously announced travel to the Asean summit in Malaysia and Apec in South Korea over the weekend.
Read more about the prime minister’s first formal visit with Donald Trump here:
Updated
BHP bosses praise Albanese and ‘fierce’ Trump for critical minerals deal
Bosses at mining giant BHP cheered Anthony Albanese’s meeting with “fierce” Donald Trump for the pair’s push to mine and process critical minerals.
Australia and the US this week signed a critical minerals deal designed to break China’s near complete hold over materials essential to commercial, clean energy and advanced military hardware.
Ross McEwan, BHP’s chair, told the company’s AGM it was too early to judge the meeting on its outcomes but described it as “a very good meeting to start that conversation”.
Mike Henry, the chief executive, said the meeting was “symbolically significant” in showing the US was serious about mineral supply, which he said he’d already seen for himself:
Having had the opportunity alongside my peer at Rio Tinto for a an Oval Office meeting with the president of the United States and secretary of the interior, [Doug] Burgum, I was impressed on just how fierce the focus is in the US, getting more mines and processing facilities up and going in the US.
The Australian-based multinational company (which also hosted Albanese at its 140th birthday celebrations after his meeting) produces copper, a key metal for modern manufacturing, as well as iron and coal.
Read economics editor Patrick Commins’ take on the deal here:
Updated
BHP claims ‘good working relationship’ with China amid embargo standoff
The chair of iron ore giant BHP has downplayed concerns over a reported Chinese embargo on the company’s sales, saying the company has good relationships in China.
Ross McEwan said BHP would continue to improve its partnerships with Chinese distributors but dismissed worries about the standoff, speaking at the company’s AGM. He said:
We’ve had relationships in China now for decades and we have a pretty good working relationship. This is a commercial negotiation that’s going on every year.
The state-owned China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG) in late September reportedly banned its steel manufacturers from buying iron ore from BHP, as it negotiates future contracts for purchase prices.
BHP has stayed tight-lipped as negotiations continue. Its September quarter results, released on Monday, did not mention the standoff, but flagged sales to China could slow amid as the economy weakens.
Analysts have suggested the negotiations could be a strategic bid by Beijing to reduce prices of the crucial steel-making commodity, setting a precedent for deals with other Australian exporters Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group and Hancock Prospecting.
Read more here about the standoff:
Updated
AI chatbot companies asked to explain how they keep services safe
Four AI chatbot companion apps have been asked by the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to explain how they prevent harm on their services, with fines of up to $825,000 per day able to be sought if the companies fail to respond.
The companies behind Character.AI, Nomi, Chai and Chub.ai have been asked to explain how they’re protecting children from exposure to harms including sexually explicit conversations and images, and suicidal ideation and self-harm.
Inman Grant said the chatbots can “simulate personal relationships” and act as emotional support, but there is a darker side, with many of the chatbots “capable of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with minors.”
She said:
AI companions are increasingly popular, particularly among young people. One of the most popular, Character.ai, is reported to have nearly 160,000 monthly active users in Australia as of June this year.
These companies must demonstrate how they are designing their services to prevent harm, not just respond to it. If you fail to protect children or comply with Australian law, we will act.
These notices are in addition to incoming codes that will require AI chatbot services to assure the ages of users if those apps allow for adult content.
Updated
Greens say environmental laws are meant to ‘protect nature’
Watt’s other potential partner in the Senate is the Greens.
The party came out strongly against the draft laws after a briefing on Wednesday, labelling them worse than the “status quo”.
Appearing on the same Sky News panel as Hogan, Hanson-Young repeated those criticisms:
Our environment laws are meant to protect nature and the environment and what Murray Watt has put on the table, or is about to put on the table doesn’t look like it does any of those things.
Updated
Environment conservation reforms in doubt as Nationals, Greens criticise draft laws
The Nationals deputy leader, Kevin Hogan, said the party has major “reservations” with the federal government’s new nature laws in a blow to Murray Watt’s hopes of striking a deal with the Coalition.
The Greens’ environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, has also doubled down on her criticisms of the legislation, leaving Watt without an obvious partner to get it through the Senate.
As reported on Wednesday, the Coalition, the Greens and environment and business groups have received extracts of the new Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) ahead of its introduction to federal parliament in the upcoming sitting fortnight.
The new laws don’t include a so-called “climate trigger” but will create a requirement for proponents of heavy polluting projects to disclose their emissions, and how they intend to mitigate them, as part of the assessment process.
Hogan said that measure was just “one of the issues we (the Nationals) have”.
He told Sky News:
So we think this will just make it harder for industry to employ people. We think this will make it harder for industry to produce economic income for this country, and we see that all the time So we have reservations about this.
The Nationals were vehemently opposed to the Albanese government’s first attempt to reform the EPBC Act and resistance to the second iteration would make it difficult – if not impossible – for Sussan Ley to win support for it in the shadow cabinet.
Updated
What’s in store for the overhaul of national environmental laws?
Focus in Canberra – and elsewhere – is turning to the Albanese government’s long-promised overhaul of national environment laws. Dates are not locked in, but Labor plans to introduce legislation when parliament returns next week.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, and officials have been sharing parts of the legislation with interest groups. The Australian Conservation Foundation says what it has seen is not good enough.
Its acting chief executive, Paul Sinclair, said there had been “some progress on stronger rules for nature” and the commitment to create an Environment Protection Agency (EPA) was welcome, though the design had not been revealed.
But he said Labor was “nowhere on keeping trees in the ground and making sure the bush doesn’t end up under bulldozers”.
The government at the moment is at risk of being like a doctor that wants to cure lung cancer, but they don’t want to talk about cigarettes. You can’t have a nature law that doesn’t deal with deforestation, that doesn’t talk about climate change.
He called for changes to the legislation to close loopholes allowing deforestation, set clear standards for nature protection and restoration, create an independent EPA with decision-making powers, and require consideration of “fossil fuel-driven climate impacts” when developments were assessed.
Watt yesterday again ruled out changing the laws so that developments could be refused on climate grounds.
More reaction to the proposed legislation is expected today.
Updated
Victoria police share further details on Frankston drownings
Victoria police just held a press conference to clarify some details of the men who died yesterday.
The pair were a surfer, a 36-year-old British national, and his friend, a 43-year-old man. Police described the surfer as inexperienced at the sport, saying he was in the water in a wetsuit before he became distressed.
His friend then jumped into aid him, but the pair were overcome by severe weather conditions.
Mel Nixon with Victoria police said responders were on scene within 10 to 15 minutes of a call for assistance coming in from a bystander. A police tactical operator also needed treatment after the episode after suffering a large amount of water intake during the rescue. Nixon said:
The weather conditions yesterday were obviously not appropriate to be in the water surfing, whether you’re experienced or you’re not experienced. It is a risk that you take that you put other people in danger.
They weren’t swept off the pier. They’ve actually jumped into the water to help. And, yeah, the conditions were that bad that he’s obviously succumbed to the conditions of the waves and the water.
Nixon said people should not go swimming or surfing in dangerous conditions.
You put yourself at risk, you put people that jump in to help you at risk, you put the emergency services at risk.
Updated
Two men who died off popular Melbourne pier swept into sea during wild winds
Two men who died in rough waters off a popular pier were swept into the sea during wild winds, sparking renewed calls for vigilance in extreme weather events, AAP reports.
The men, who are yet to be formally identified, were found unresponsive in the water off Frankston in Melbourne’s south-east at about 5pm on Wednesday as the state was lashed by intense wind gusts.
They were winched back to shore using a police helicopter but could not be revived, Victoria police said in a statement. Frankston city mayor, Kris Bolam, said:
This devastating event is a sharp reminder of the power of nature and the real risk posed by severe weather.
I ask everyone to stay safe, remain vigilant, and if in doubt, stay off the water and away from exposed coastal structures until conditions improve.
Updated
Some more details from the Christmas Island red crab migration
More than 60 million red crabs will participate in the migration, according to the Christmas Island national park. Roads are closed across the island and many crabs are already moving across the Red Crab Bridge, a specially designed overpass perfect for the crustaceans.
The crabs are a protected species under Australian law, and the national park had a quick reminder for anyone with some hunger pangs:
To answer your question: no, you can’t eat these crabs!
Updated
Police searching for suspect after man stabbed on bus in Sydney’s inner west
NSW police are searching for a man after an alleged assault on a bus in the Sydney’s Marrickville in the early hours of Thursday.
Officials said emergency services were called to the suburb just before 1am, where they were told a passenger, a 51-year-old man, had allegedly been stabbed in the arm and hand by another man. He was taken to the hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The suspect reportedly exited the bus and left the scene. The two men are not thought to be known to each other.
Police have established a crime scene and opened an investigation into the matter.
Updated
Australian house prices rising at fastest rate in nearly four years, data shows
Australian house prices are rising at their fastest rate in nearly four years, as buyers rush to auctions and owners put off selling amid expectations for a further upswing.
Capital city house values have sustained their longest continuous stretch of growth in a decade with a median increase of $35,000 in the three months to September, new data from Domain shows.
The median price rose $26,000 the previous quarter. Two in three Australians expect prices will rise further in the coming year, NAB research on Wednesday found, with analysts forecasting increases between $50,000 and $100,000.
Brisbane has overtaken Canberra as the second-most expensive house market, after Sydney, with median prices rising nearly $40,000 to hit $1.1m, over the three months to September.
Read more here:
Bridget McKenzie says critical minerals deal a win for ‘Team Australia’, if it gets up and running
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, the showed minister for infrastructure, said the new critical minerals deal announced during the prime minister’s visit to Washington DC this week was “mission accomplished for Team Australia”.
But she said the government would need to follow-through on the plan to make it a success and counter China’s influence on the global market for the key minerals.
She told RN Breakfast:
The almost easy part is signing the deal, the tough piece is going to be getting the delivery because I think we’re notoriously slow in this country about getting projects of this scale up and going.
I think we need to break that global stranglehold that China has on the supply chain. So it’s good from that perspective, but not if we can’t get the projects up. So those environmental approvals, the skill sets we’re going to need, our transport supply chains, et cetera, are really critical for this to be a success that it promises to be.
Cold case of missing toddler to take another turn today
A five-decade-old cold case of a missing toddler which has attracted international attention and a $1m reward is set to take another turn, Australian Associated Press reports.
Three-year-old Cheryl Gene Grimmer was abducted on 12 January 1970 outside a shower block at Fairy Meadow beach in Wollongong, on the NSW south coast, when she was enjoying a day at the beach with her mother and three brothers.
In the decades since, her case has been subject to multiple police investigations and a coronial inquest that determined Cheryl had likely died.
Cheryl’s disappearance is one of many missing persons and unsolved murder cases subject to a recently established parliamentary inquiry, to be chaired by NSW upper house MP Jeremy Buckingham.
A man had pleaded not guilty after being charged with Cheryl’s murder in 2017, but prosecutors dropped the case after the NSW supreme court ruled a confession inadmissible.
The man – known by the pseudonym “Mercury” – was a teenager when Cheryl vanished. He did not have a parent, adult or lawyer with him when he was interviewed in 1971, raising concerns about how he was cautioned by police.
The director of public prosecutions decided not to appeal against the court’s 2019 decision, and subsequently withdrew the murder charge due to a lack of other evidence.
But Buckingham has said he will name Mercury in parliament today.
Cheryl’s family had given Mercury a deadline to explain how he knew information contained in the confession. The deadline expired yesterday.
Buckingham said identifying Mercury was about achieving justice for Cheryl.
“The criminal justice system failed her 50 years ago and it failed her more recently with the inadmissibility of the confession,” he said.
“We now have a situation where it’s up to the parliament to use its powers.”
Updated
1,700 calls to SES for help across NSW and Victoria after wild winds
SES officials in Victoria and New South Wales responded to many calls for assistance last night amid damaging winds.
Victoria’s SES said volunteers responded to more than 1,400 requests, 1,000 of which were linked to tree-related incidents. The state saw wind gusts in excess of 100km/h, with some areas seeing gusts of 130km/h at times.
The state has fewer than 30 jobs outstanding, however, after a busy evening, officials told ABC News.
In NSW, volunteers responded to more than 270 calls for assistance over the last 24 hours. Most of the impacts from damaging winds were in western Sydney.
Updated
Coalition’s rezoning targets in Labor, Green and independent-held areas
The NSW opposition’s plan is for a staged development within an 800m radius of Erskineville station and 400m radius of Macdonaldtown, Newtown and St Peters stations, limited to the City of Sydney council area.
The total investigation area of more than 100 hectares could deliver up to 15,000 new homes. The plan includes expansion of local schools and new childcare centres, new parks, community facilities and sustainability standards, and new cycleways and safe walking links.
The Minns government’s reforms to planning laws are expected to pass parliament today. They will provide a fast track for approving housing projects in a bid to reverse the slide in housing construction numbers in NSW.
The Minns government has already identified four accelerated areas near transport nodes, and has altered planning laws to ensure other areas close to transport can be developed into low and medium density.
It has targeted areas on the north shore and east for high density development – traditionally Liberal areas. The opposition has identified the Long Bay jail site and now Newtown as its priorities, which are in Labor, Green and independent-held areas.
The shadow minister for roads, Natalie Ward, said under their plan the community can grow without forcing people further away from jobs and study.
The shadow minister for planning and public spaces, Scott Farlow, called it “a once-in-a-generation chance to bring new life to the inner city while protecting what makes it special”.
Updated
NSW opposition reveals high-density housing plan for Sydney's inner west
The NSW opposition will today unveil a plan to build up to 15,000 new medium and high density homes in parts of Newtown, Erskineville and St Peters in Sydney’s inner west.
But the idea is likely to be controversial because the area marked for redevelopment is largely made up of nineteenth terrace houses, some warehouses, and the Carriageworks art precinct.
If the Liberals and Nationals are returned to government in NSW in March 2027 they will designate 100 hectares for redevelopment around the area’s current railway stations, the NSW opposition leader, Mark Speakman, said.
It is within minutes of the city by train, and close to Sydney University and Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
“The plan is to protect the character of key heritage streets while focusing new homes near stations and on suitable redevelopment sites” Speakman said. “These are neighbourhoods with trains, hospitals, schools and universities on their doorstep.”
Our plan is about making sure the next generation can afford to live here too.
He said early estimates suggest the area could support up to 15,000 new homes, staged over time, with schools, childcare centres, green spaces and community facilities.
Updated
Christmas Island’s red crabs on the move for annual migration
The migration of Christmas Island’s red crabs is in “full swing”, with roads closed in some places to protect millions of the crustaceans.
Every year, millions of the crabs emerge from the forest to travel to the ocean to breed, creating a red tide across the island. The Christmas Island national park said a massive spawning event will take place around 15 and 16 November, with a second spawning in mid-December.
“This forecast is based on current climatic indicators. The exact timing of the migration, spawning and return events depends on weather, tides and phase of the moon,” the park said.
Baby crabs usually return to shore three to four weeks later.
For a closer look at the red crab migration, check out our photo gallery from a few years ago:
Updated
Good morning, Nick Visser here to pick up the blog. Let’s see what the day has in store.
Defence plans spending cuts as Aukus costs soar – report
Australia’s defence chiefs have ordered “brutal” spending cuts as the costs of the Aukus submarine deal and new frigates soar, The Australian reports this morning.
Days after Anthony Albanese met Donald Trump to hail the $367bn Aukus pact, the Australian claims that the chief of the air force, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, has begun “reviews of capability and sustainment costs” as part of bid to “mitigate overspending” and “address budget challenges” across his service.
In addition, the paper reports, the chief of the defence force, David Johnston, has placed a limit of 150 days a year for reservists to work, down from 200.
The Australian claims it has seen a directive to air force personnel that a review of “capability priorities” would be carried out to guide air force investments and “ensure in-year affordability”.
“This may include project delays, scope reductions and divestments,” Chappell says, according to The Australian.
A second review will look at “sustainment priorities” with Chappell warning about cuts to aircraft flying hours through “reduction in rates of effort”.
“Air force must continue to implement measures to optimise ways of working, reduce cost and ensure every dollar spent focuses on delivering air force’s contribution to the integrated, focused force,” Chappell’s note says.
Updated
Military truck and car collide north of Brisbane
A military truck and a car have collided north of Brisbane, sending the defence vehicle rolling off the road and leaving the motorist injured, Australian Associated Press reports.
No defence force members were hurt but the car driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Queensland police said.
The collision occurred on Samford Road at Ferny Hills, north of Brisbane, at about 3.30pm on Wednesday.
The forensic crash unit is investigating.
The Department of Defence confirmed an Australian defence force vehicle was involved in the crash.
“No injuries were sustained by ADF personnel,” a department spokesperson said.
The welfare of both the civilian and ADF members involved is a priority and Defence’s focus is on supporting those involved.
Aerial images of the scene showed the truck had rolled off the road, while the car was seen partially crushed.
The crash comes less than a week after a soldier was killed and two others injured when an armoured personnel carrier rolled during a training course near Townsville.
An investigation into that incident is under way, and involves commonwealth and army officials along with police.
Updated
Hanson dismisses speculation Joyce could lead One Nation
Pauline Hanson has shut down speculation that Barnaby Joyce could replace her as leader of the One Nation party after speculation that the disgruntled former Nationals leader could defect to her party.
Speaking on Sky News last night, Hanson said:
It’s not going to happen, he’s not going to be leading the party, so that’s totally out of the question.
The former deputy prime minister announced his intention to quit the Nationals last week and not re-contest the New South Wales seat of New England, sparking discussion that he could be about to switch parties.
Hanson confirmed she had made an offer to Joyce to join One Nation, but he had not committed to joining her party and was waiting for the outcome of a bill he has introduced to parliament opposing Australia’s net zero commitment.
She said they spoke about six weeks ago and also had a phone call last weekend.
I’ve made the offer to Barnaby. I know he’s disgruntled with the National party. I know he’s passionate about getting rid of net zero. He’s introduced his bill to parliament, he doesn’t expect to get support ... So it’s going to be interesting how this unfolds,.
Hanson bristled at suggestions that Joyce could be a good replacement in the event of her retirement, but said:
My attitude is, if someone can do a better job than I can, fair enough... but don’t write me off at the moment.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories before Nick Visser takes the reins.
Pauline Hanson has shut down speculation that Barnaby Joyce could replace her as leader of the One Nation party after speculation that the disgruntled former Nationals leader could defect to her party. Speaking on Sky News last night, Hanson warned: “Don’t write me off.” More shortly.
Australia’s defence chiefs have ordered “brutal” spending cuts as the costs of the Aukus submarine deal and new frigates soar, according to reports this morning.
And there’s a big cleanup under way today after wild winds hit Melbourne and Sydney yesterday.
