
What we learned, Wednesday 13 August
We will wrap up the live blog here. This is what made the news:
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, signed Australia to a joint statement with 29 international partners decrying the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Belinda Allen, a senior economist at the Commonwealth Bank, expects the RBA to wait until November before cutting again – but that could depend on how the data unfolds.
The Commonwealth Bank recorded $10.25bn in annual cash profits – up 4% – and delivered a bumper $2.60 payout per share to shareholders.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he is up for “big reform” as his government heads into a long-promised productivity roundtable next week.
The Australian Federal Police said a man was arrested at Sydney Airport after an incident where a police firearm was discharged inside the T2 domestic terminal.
The NSW government is considering a temporary ban on e-bikes, e-scooters and other e-mobility devices on trains and metro services amid growing concerns about the fire risk of lithium-ion batteries.
The commonwealth ombudsman has found the Department of Home Affairs wrongfully detained 11 people in the past year, including an Australian citizen and another person improperly held for 18 months.
David Southwick, the Coalition police spokesperson, described the Victorian government as “all talk and no action” when it came to introducing tougher protest laws.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers said the government was focused on other measures when asked about the unions’ suggestion of a four-day work week.
Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.
Updated
Ombudsman warns more resources needed for investigating whistleblower complaints
The Commonwealth Ombudsman says his agency needs more resourcing to investigate complaints made by whistleblowers about the handling of their disclosures.
The federal government’s whistleblowing system is complicated but, put simply, a public servant wanting to shed light on potential wrongdoing has to submit a public interest disclosure (PID) to their agency’s PID officer.
The PID is assessed by the officer to determine whether it’s valid, and then allocated for investigation. If a discloser is not satisfied with the investigation, it can go to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
In cases where a PID officer identifies a conflict of interest – for example, allegations against the agency’s senior bosses – it can also be referred to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
It’s a regime that’s been heavily criticised since it was introduced because many would-be whistleblowers get sucked into a bureaucratic and legally technical blackhole.
The ombudsman, Iain Anderson, described it this afternoon in a parliamentary inquiry as an “overly complex, overly prescriptive regime” in need of serious simplification.
But perhaps the most interesting revelation was that the ombudsman only has 1.5 staff members on hand to deal with any complaints.
While Anderson admitted the number can “fluctuate”, he also conceded “it probably wouldn’t have been more than four or five at the most”.
Meanwhile, Anderson noted the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption had about 25 staff to handle referral and investigation complaints.
Updated
Tim Wilson says wages growth is coming from the public sector
The shadow small business and jobs minister, Tim Wilson, has downplayed the wage growth figures released today, saying public sector wage growth is “borrowing from future generations”.
He told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
This is a problem with this government; they are spending more either directly on public sector jobs or they are building out a private economy dependent on public expenditure, not on a long-term, sustainable private sector-led economy that expands the economic pie that grows in the interests of all Australians.
The host, Patricia Karvelas pointed out that it was not “factually correct” that wage rises had been achieved from borrowing.
He said the Coalition wouldn’t say whether it approved what might come out of the economic roundtable until the government’s agenda was clear, and he accused unions of “gaslighting” workers by proposing a four-day work week that had already been shot down by the government.
He argued it was a piece of “theatre” that would let the government look sensible by rejecting it.
Updated
Hello, Josh Taylor here taking over from Natasha May for the remainder of the day.
Updated
Rishworth: Australia’s Palestine recognition decision is about ‘excluding Hamas from the process’
Asked about whether she is worried about comments made by the terrorist group Hamas welcoming Australia’s recognition of Palestine, Rishworth says:
Hamas is going to use whatever they can to promote propaganda. They are a terrorist organisation … This move is about excluding Hamas from the process.
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Rishworth: ‘flexibility’ key to government’s stance on work/life balance
Asked about the ACTU’s proposal for a four-day working week, Rishworth says the laws the government has passed already allow for flexibility.
She says flexibility has driven the government’s position on work-from-home and requests for flexible arrangements, including hours and location for caring responsibilities. “It is about finding a better balance.”
Rishworth has shied away from saying if she agrees with the ACTU’s position that a four-day working week could “deliver improved productivity and allow working people to live happier, healthier and more balanced lives”.
What is key to the laws that we have passed is around flexibility.
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Employment minister says enterprise bargaining is driving wages growth, productivity
Amanda Rishworth, the minister for employment and workplace relations, has been speaking on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing about wages data released today.
She says the re-invigoration of enterprise bargaining is driving wage and productivity increases with a “record number of employees covered by enterprise bargaining”.
Rishworth says it is not only public sector growth that is responsible for “broad based growth”.
Updated
AFP charge man after disturbance at Sydney airport that saw police firearm discharged
A 41-year-old man was charged after an incident at Sydney airport this morning that saw the discharge of a police firearm, as we reported earlier.
Australian Federal Police said they responded to the airport’s T2 domestic terminal amid reports a man was acting suspiciously. When officers tried to speak with him, they allege he became verbally and physically aggressive and they arrested him. AFP acting commander Scott Raven said during a press conference the firearm was discharged during that arrest:
During his arrest, the AFP firearm was unintentionally discharged. The circumstances of how the firearm, which was a short barrelled rifle, was discharged is now subject to an internal investigation.
Thankfully, there were no injuries as a result of the incident.
The man has been charged with one count of obstructing or resisting a commonwealth official and one count of creating a disturbance at an airport. The first penalty faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison for a first offence, and the disturbance charge faces a maximum fine of $3,300.
He has been granted conditional bail and will appear before court in Sydney on 1 September.
Updated
If you want to read more about the news we brought you earlier that Home Affairs wrongfully detained an Australian citizen, Tory Shepherd has the full story:
Sussan Ley: Hamas endorsement of Palestine recognition decision tells Australians PM ‘got it wrong’
The opposition, leader Sussan Ley, has called on the prime minister to urgently rethink his decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN next month after Hamaspraised the decision.
Ley told Sky News a short while ago:
And now it’s quite clear that the prime minister is completely out of his depth. We have one of the co-founders of Hamas – a listed terrorist organisation – praising our prime minister today, in fact, lauding his political courage.
Now the endorsement of his decision by a listed terrorist organisation is exactly the reason the Coalition has opposed it and would revoke it in government.
It’s up to the prime minister now to explain what he does next. Does he stick with this process? Does he recognise? But he needs to rethink it.“The prime minister’s eating ice-creams in Queensland, making jokes. Meanwhile, a listed terrorist organisation overseas is cheering on his foreign policy. I think that tells all Australians he has got it wrong. And it really is time for him to rethink this urgently.”
Updated
Huge lobbying action at Victorian parliament by teachers today
If you’re around Victoria’s parliament today and wondering why there are hundreds of teachers in the corridors, it’s part of what’s been described as the “single largest lobbying event ever” held in the building.
The Australian Education Union brought more than 100 public school teachers, school leaders and education support staff to hold 45 meetings with Victorian Labor MPs.
They’re unhappy the government has pushed back its commitment to fully fund the Gonski reforms by three years, which effectively cuts $2.4bn from public schools.
AEU Victorian branch president, Justin Mullaly, says Victorian public schools “are the only schools in the nation in this situation”. He says:
Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in Australia and every school in the state is affected – that means the learning and wellbeing of every student is impacted. Full funding delivered without delay would enable schools to better meet the diverse needs of all students, improve learning outcomes, and guarantee that every student in every classroom has a fully qualified permanent teacher.
Updated
That’s all from me, thanks for sticking with us. Natasha May will be your guide as the news rolls in. Take care.
Victoria premier also says four-day week not on her radar
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was asked earlier to weigh in on the ACTU’s plans to propose a four-day working week at the federal government’s productivity roundtable. How would this affect her plan to enshrine the right to work from home two days a week?
Allan told reporters:
That’s not something that we’re currently considering.
My focus, in terms of supporting flexibility in workplace arrangements that are good for workers, good for families and good for the economy, is supporting more working from home.
Updated
Power returning to NSW south coast after Telstra outage
And that Telstra outage should be over soon. Telstra just had this to say:
The issue was caused by an onsite power issue. Power is now restored and we’ve seen services progressively coming back online since 1:45pm. Mobile services are now fully restored and most NBN and fixed services are restored, we are working on full restoration for the remaining small number of fixed services.
Thanks to everyone for their patience while we got this sorted.
Updated
Telstra outage affecting more than 100,000 services on NSW south coast
Telstra says a large outage is affecting more than 100,000 services, including mobile phones, NBN, ADSL and the public telephone network, along NSW’s south coast.
The company says it will update the situationby 4.30pm.
Updated
Hamas welcomes Australia’s decision to recognise Palestinian state as Labor maintains group will have no role in future leadership
Hamas praised Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN next month in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald. Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a co-founder of the terrorist group, said the move was an “important step” for people in Gaza. He told the Herald:
We welcome Australia’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights.
This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination.
We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia’s example and translate their positions into practical steps to support the Palestinian people and end their suffering under occupation.
A government spokesperson responded to the statement in remarks to the SMH, saying Hamas “always tries to manipulate facts for their own propaganda,” adding media has a “responsibility to make professional judgments to not promote propaganda of terrorist organisations to get cynical headlines”.
What Australia has done is contribute international momentum towards a two-state solution, which Hamas opposes. We are supporting the Arab League’s efforts to isolate Hamas.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers maintained earlier this afternoon that Australia would work to ensure Hamas has “absolutely no role” in the future leadership of a Palestinian state.
Updated
Dead dolphin washes up on Adelaide beach amid algal bloom
An adult common dolphin washed up dead on a popular Adelaide beach on Wednesday morning, wildlife officials said.
South Australia is reeling from an algal bloom and officials said a necropsy will be done to investigate the animal’s cause of death, including any effects from the bloom. The dolphin was found on Henley beach.
A spokesperson for SA’s department for environment and water said in a statement officials do not believe marine mammals are at particular risk from the event:
Marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and seals are not believed to be at immediate risk from the algal bloom as it is believed only animals with gills are at immediate direct risk.
The significance of the algal bloom effects on the availability of species that marine mammals prey on is not yet clear.
The death of marine mammals, while unfortunate, is not an uncommon occurrence, particularly during the winter months.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said in a statement on Instagram:
Our oceans and beaches are sick and dying.
This is a national disaster devastating our communities and environment, and it requires a national response. South Australia can’t manage this climate catastrophe on our own. Our communities, businesses and tourism industry need support.
Updated
Bystander at Sydney airport recounts helping officers subdue man during incident this morning
A bystander at Sydney airport this morning described the moment Australian Federal Police officers arrested a man before a police firearm discharged, as reported earlier by Guardian Australia.
William, who did not give his last name, told 2GB in an interview he and his travel companion were in the airport’s T2 domestic terminal when the arrest took place. The man, who said he is a former NSW Police dog handler, helped restrain the unnamed person amid a terminal “full of people”. William told 2GB:
We saw this fellow struggling with the two AFP officers. It’s gone to the ground. The AFP officer’s long firearm has gone to the ground and was underneath the fellow. As we went to restrain him, the shot has been discharged.
William added that he jumped into action without thinking, saying: “You just do. When these things happen. I didn’t really think.”
Updated
Chalmers says four-day working week hasn’t been government’s focus
Chalmers was asked about the ACTU’s plans to propose a four-day working week at the productivity roundtable. The treasurer said while he had heard the proposal, the government was focused on other measures:
Our interest here is in making sure that people can balance their work and family responsibilities. That’s what motivates our position on work-from-home and some of these other contentious areas in recent times.
We haven’t been working up a policy for a four-day week. That hasn’t been our focus. Our focus in industrial relations has been abolishing non-compete clauses, protecting penalty rates, extending paid parental leave …
That’s our industrial relations agenda, and what motivates our agenda.
Updated
Chalmers says government has always been clear on calls for hostages to be released
Treasurer Jim Chalmers was just asked about the Israeli embassy’s statement during a press conference in Canberra. Chalmers said the government had always been “very clear on our position on the release of the hostages”, saying the recent decision to recognise a Palestinian state was about seeing a two-state solution that excluded Hamas from leadership.
Chalmers said:
First of all we’ve been very clear on our position of the release of the hostages. The announcement the prime minister and foreign minister made this week is about isolating and excluding Hamas from the future leadership of Palestine, a state of Palestine.
We see recognition making our contribution to the international progress and momentum behind this question as an important step towards a two-state solution. And a two-state solution is all about making sure that families in Israel and in Palestine can raise their kids in peace.
Hamas will have absolutely no role in that.
Israeli embassy says Australia should up demands for release of hostages
The Israeli embassy in Australia said it was deeply troubled a recent joint statement condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza only had “vague wording” calling of the release of hostages held by Hamas since the 7 October attack in Israel.
Australia was among a group of 29 signatories calling for urgent action to end starvation and the blocking of aid into Gaza yesterday. The statement urged “immediate, permanent and concrete steps must be taken to facilitate safe, large-scale access for the UN, international NGOs and humanitarian partners”. It ended with a call for a ceasefire to end the war and for “hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered”.
The Israeli embassy said while it shared concern for the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, “it is deeply troubling that the plight of Israeli hostages, men and women, held by the Hamas terror organisation is reduced to a single line at the bottom of the statement,” adding:
These innocent civilians are starving in underground tunnels …
We have yet to hear the Australian government speak with the same urgency about their humanitarian situation. Pressure must be placed squarely on Hamas to release them immediately, as their continued captivity is a grave violation of international law and basic human decency.
In recent days both prime minister Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Penny Wong have repeatedly stressed the need to see all remaining hostages released after announcing Australia would soon recognise a Palestinian state.
The plight of the Israeli hostages demands far more attention than the vague wording of today’s joint statement. pic.twitter.com/Nh4N9VlxoT
— Israel in Australia (@IsraelinOZ) August 13, 2025
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Greens say Victorian government ‘really misread’ public sentiment on protest laws
David Southwick, the Coalition police spokesperson, described the government as “all talk and no action” when it came to introducing tougher protest laws. He told reporters outside parliament:
We keep hearing words from the premier – strong words, no action, and then winding back those words and watering them down and giving us weak laws. That’s not what Victoria expects. We need tougher laws and consequences … We can’t wait till the end of the year. That’s just ridiculous.
But the government’s walk back was welcomed by the Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, who said the government had “really misread the Victoria public” when it floated the “draconian laws to crack down on people’s right to peaceful protest”. She said:
The Victorian people know that the right to peacefully protest when you see something that is unjust is a fundamental right in a democracy and the Victorian people don’t want to see the Victorian Labor government go down the path of Trump’s America or even the New South Wales government that are trying to crack down on the fundamental right to peaceful protest.
We’re really glad that it looks like Jacinta Allan might have to go back to the drawing board.
Updated
Reactions coming in after reports Victoria will scale back proposed anti-protest laws
There’s been a lot of reaction to our story this morning that the Victorian government will scale back its proposed anti-protest laws – including an outright ban on face masks at protests and attachment devices.
While the attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, would not confirm details in the report, she acknowledged that any laws on face coverings at protests would need to allow for their legitimate use. She said:
There are always legitimate reasons to do certain things and these are matters that need to be taken into account. There’s nothing unique in drafting and designing these laws. That’s why it’s important to engage and consult and listen really carefully to those who are impacted [and to] Victoria police.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, also admitted to difficulty legislating “safe access” areas around places of worship, which she had committed to introducing back in December:
There’s clearly some complexity with those sorts of laws but we are examining options.
Updated
PM welcomes wage growth figures
On the news out of the Australian Bureau of Statistics that the wage price index rose 0.8% in June, with 3.4% annual growth, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said it was “great news”.
We inherited a position where inflation was at 6%, real wages were falling, interest rates began to increase. Now what we have is inflation down to 2.1%, unemployment is relatively low at 4.3%, we have interest rates that yesterday decreased for the third time this year and we have real wages increasing. That is a good thing.
That means increased living standards and is I think welcome, just like the interest rate decision.
We are working very hard … inflation [is] down, interest rates [are] falling, real wages [are] increasing, unemployment [is] steady. That is the envy of the Western world in terms of economic outcomes that has been produced by the hard work that Australians have been producing, it is I think one of the reasons why we received the backing for a second term to continue our approach to these measures.
Finally, Albanese said he is available to meet with the US president, Donald Trump, at very short notice at any time and the government has been engaged with American colleagues on a ministerial level.
He said there have been three phone calls between him and Trump, including “a very warm” one after the election.
Updated
Albanese asked about EV road tax, four-day work week
Turning to other issues, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is asked about the potential for electric vehicle road users to be charged a tax. Albanese notes it has been an issue that has been discussed for a decade, and there is a need for money “to ensure roads are adequate”.
What we need to do is to work those issues through and to come up with a realistic plan that can be implemented, and we’ll await those discussions. I know Catherine King will obviously play a role in that as the transport minister.
On the union proposal for a four-day work week, Albanese said the government has no plans, but they’re welcome to put forward the idea.
The ACTU, of course, is entitled to put forward whatever ideas it likes. But that doesn’t mean, as I’ve said, that it’s government policy because someone put forward an idea.
Albanese said it was regrettable the Queensland government had pulled out of the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre but said there are opportunities in Queensland, and he has a constructive relationship with the state government.
Updated
Recognition to build on momentum for Middle East peace, PM says
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, wouldn’t comment on whether more protests around Gaza should go ahead, stating it’s worked out by state governments, and he won’t speak for the Queensland police in regards to a planned Brisbane protest.
He said the Australian government is “not writing Middle East policy in a backyard here in Brisbane” but said the government is trying to build on momentum for peace.
People are watching what is happening in Gaza. They’re watching it playing out. The catastrophe for humanity that is being played out there. And you can either watch or you can do what we can, which is to be a part of momentum - we’re not big players in the Middle East. What we are, though, what we can do is to add our voice to those who are saying: ‘Enough is enough,’ and we need to advance the long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Too many innocent lives have been lost.
Updated
PM holds press conference in Brisbane
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been taking questions at a press conference in Brisbane over Australia’s move to recognise Palestine.
He has repeated that Hamas can play no role in a future Palestinian state, and the Arab League and other countries in the region have made it clear that Hamas must have no role, and must lay down its weapons.
Asked if he is concerned that recogntion will harm Australia’s relationship with the United States, Albanese says Donald Trump has been an advocate for peace in the Middle East.
What is a way forward for peace and security after 77 years of conflict? The whole world, and indeed Australia, has been committed to a bipartisan support to a two-state solution for a long period of time. One of those states is Israel, the other is Palestine. In order for Palestinians to be able to satisfy their legitimate aspirations for their own state, Israel must be assured of security as well, and that is what the world is working towards.
NSW police arrest three on allegations of staging vehicles for a planned public shooting
NSW police have charged two men and a teenager in Sydney on allegations they were staging vehicles for a planned shooting in a public place.
Officials conducted a high-risk vehicle stop of a car in Sydney’s Blacktown shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning, using beanbag rounds and a police dog to intercept the vehicle. A man, 21, and a teen, 17, were arrested, with the older man sustaining a dog bite.
Officer arrested another man, 39, during a stop of an SUV in Granville around the same time. Police later executed a search warrant at a home in Willmot, where they allegedly seized a loaded revolver, cash and electronics.
Police have since alleged the 39-year-old and 17-year-old were involved in the staging of vehicles for the planned public shooting. The man, 39, has been charged with multiple counts including recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime, possessing an unauthorised pistol and driving a vehicle without a licence, among other charges.
The 17-year-old has been charged with two counts of driving a conveyance without the consent of the owner and the participation in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, among other charges. The pair were refused bail and will appear in separate courts today.
The 21-year-old was issued a breach of bail and a court notice for driving while disqualified.
Updated
Extra money largely going to savings and offset accounts
More from CommBank:
Households are overwhelmingly sending that extra income to their savings and mortgage offset accounts. Customers under 55 had all been cutting back on their savings in the three months to June 2024. Over the same period this year, they all hiked savings, while customers aged 55 and up have hiked their savings even more.
Young Australians have also hiked their spend on nonessential goods, with under-35-year-olds boosting discretionary spending where they had been cutting back a year ago.
That age group also picked up their spending on essential goods – reflecting just how restrained younger workers had been a year ago when underlying inflation was still nearly 4%.
Updated
Victoria premier says working from home can help households with ‘precious time’
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held another press conference on her plan to enshrine the right to work from home two days a week.
Yesterday, she announced consultation on the plan had opened. Today she was joined with members of the plumber’s union to speak about how working from home benefits even those who are not able to. Allan says:
Not everyone can work from home, and I think the plumbers here demonstrate that … They’re married to someone who can work from home, they love someone who can work from home.
She says working from home two days a week saves families on tolls, fuel and parking, helping the household budget and giving “precious time” back to spend together instead of on the commute.
Allan says in just 24 hours more than 6,000 people have responded to the survey on the Engage Victoria website.
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Robodebt whistleblower says she has paid ‘very high price’ for speaking up
A robodebt whistleblower has warned of the “scrap heap” she continues to experience years after first raising the alarm on the unlawful scheme that affected millions of Australians.
Jeannie-Marie Blake, a former Centrelink employee, continued to work at Services Australia years after making complaints about the “income averaging” debt calculation program, but told a parliamentary committee this morning she ultimately left the role due to feeling extra “scrutiny” and “pressure” internally following her appearance at the robodebt royal commission.
Blake said:
A decade since I first blew the whistle on robodebt, and over two years since I gave evidence at the royal commission, I’m still suffering. I was so traumatised by my experience that I’m on workers compensation, barely subsisting on a fraction of my former salary. Ultimately, my family and my career have paid the very high price of speaking up. Meanwhile, those most responsible for robodebt have faced no real consequences …
Ultimately, robodebt was stopped, but we’re left here on a scrap heap, paying the high price for our sacrifice, a sacrifice that I made in the public’s best interest. I’m not the only one.
E-bike fire on a Melbourne train in March prompts caution around lithium-ion batteries
In relation to the news about NSW considering a temporary ban on e-bikes and e-scooters on trains and Metro services: Melbourne has seen that risk first-hand.
An e-bike caught fire inside a Metro train carriage in March, prompting evacuations and a response from Fire Rescue Victoria. The deputy commissioner for the service, Josh Fischer, said at the time:
Time and time again we are seeing incidents involving lithium-ion batteries. … Interstate and internationally we are continuing to see that risk grow.
Victoria is set to introduce new regulations banning e-scooters and e-bikes on trains and coaches, with only foldable e-bikes and e-scooters allowed on trams and PTV buses. Those draft regulations are set to come into effect on 30 September.
Public consultation on the changes ends on 18 August.
Updated
Opposition leader tells prime minister to fix domestic issues, not global conflicts
Anthony Albanese should be focused on the kitchen table, not a negotiating table in the Middle East, Sussan Ley says.
In op-eds and a series of media interviews this morning, the opposition leader took aim at the government, saying Labor had lost sight of the cost of living crisis for families after the government announced it would recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN general assembly.
The Coalition said yesterday it would reverse that recognition if it won government. In an op-ed for the Herald Sun, Ley wrote:
These are serious matters, but Australians expect their Prime Minister’s first priority to be the kitchen tables of this country, not negotiating tables 12,000km away. Day after day, he appears fixated on one foreign policy issue to the exclusion of everything else.
Yesterday, the Reserve Bank reduced the interest rate to 3.6%, the third interest rate drop this year, after 13 consecutive rate rises. It also downgraded its long-term outlook for Australia’s productivity growth.
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Parliamentary committee investigates creation of whistleblower protection agency
A parliamentary committee is looking into the creation of a whistleblower protection agency this morning.
Crossbenchers David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie introduced a bill which would create a new independent body to offer support and advice to public servants wanting to come forward to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nacc) or within their agencies about suspected misconduct within the government.
In its first term, the Albanese government said it would consider creating a protection body following the Nacc’s opening, but little progress has been made.
Jeannie-Marie Blake, a former Centrelink worker who raised the alarm on the illegal robodebt scheme, spoke of the need for such a body to give whistleblowers confidence to come forward. Blake said:
When I and others raised concerns, we were met with a stark message: resign, transfer or comply. The message was as blunt as that: ‘shut up or leave’. Our concerns were ignored, and instead, we received threatening communications, performance targets, threats of underperformance, Code of Conduct breaches were used to suppress dissent, daily emails reminded us that if we were to speak outside our team to anyone about our work, we could be terminated.
There was no safe, independent mechanism for staff to report concerns without fears of reprisals. If such a body had existed, I believe many more staff would have spoken out, and robodebt may have been stopped before it had even started.
Read more about Jeannie-Marie Blake’s story here:
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Home Affairs wrongfully detained 11 people, including an Australian citizen, watchdog finds
The commonwealth ombudsman has found the Department of Home Affairs wrongfully detained 11 people in the past year, including an Australian citizen and another person improperly held for 18 months.
In a report released on Wednesday, the ombudsman found that only one of the people wrongfully detained had made a civil claim against the government.
It made three recommendations, including that the department provide each “affected individual” with a personal apology, including an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and “assurance as to remedial actions the Department has taken/intends to take to ensure these errors do not occur in future”, and information about how to apply for compensation.
Iain Anderson, the commonwealth ombudsman, said most wrongful detention cases were a result of errors previously known to Home Affairs and could have been avoided if existing policies and procedures were properly followed.
The department accepted the recommendations.
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NSW considers temporary ban of e-bikes and e-scooters on trains and metro services
The NSW government is considering a temporary ban on e-bikes, e-scooters and other e-mobility devices on trains and metro services amid growing concerns about the fire safety risk of lithium-ion batteries.
Officials will open a public feedback period on the matter for three weeks, beginning today, to get a “better understanding of how a temporary ban would impact e-micromobility users, and alternative options for safe use on public transport”.
The proposed ban comes after several incidents on public transport overseas and a battery fire on a Melbourne metro train in March, as well as a fire in a lift at Blacktown station in Sydney in April.
Officials say NSW Fire and Rescue has reported 183 lithium-ion battery fires so far this year, more than a third of which are linked to e-micromobility devices. NSW transport minister John Graham said:
As the number of e-bikes and e-scooters in NSW surges past 1.3m, we need to find the right way to mitigate the fire risk on trains.
The risk of a lithium battery fire on a train in a tunnel or in an underground station is very concerning and the safety of our passengers and staff is our number one priority.
The ban would apply on carriages, platforms and station areas for Sydney Trains, Sydney Metro and NSW TrainLink services. Buses, light rail and ferries would be excluded as there is a greater ability to rapidly remove passengers in an incident. Mobility aids for disability purposes would also be excluded.
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ACTU will push for four-day work week ‘where appropriate’ at economic roundtable
Unions are pushing for a shorter working week at next week’s economic summit, as the prime minister says there’s room for bold ideas at the roundtable, AAP report.
The ACTU will call for a four-day week in sectors that can support it, arguing that this will allow workers to benefit from productivity gains and technological advances.
It will further argue that reducing working hours, from a standard five days a week, is key to lifting living standards. The ACTU president, Michele O’Neil, said in a statement:
Shorter working hours are good for both workers and employers. They deliver improved productivity and allow working people to live happier, healthier and more balanced lives.
Updated
Fewer households falling behind on loan repayments, CommBank says
Households have stopped falling further behind on loans over 2025 and are hiking their savings and spending on nice-to-haves, according to Commonwealth Bank.
More from Australia’s biggest bank’s financial results, out this morning: the share of customers behind on home loan payments by 90 days or more rose to 0.7% over the first half of 2025, but CommBank said that had now stopped rising.
Easing pressure on mortgage holders helped the bank save $76m, with impaired or unpaid loans costing CBA $726m in the year to June, down from the previous year’s $802m.
More customers are ahead on their minimum monthly loan repayments, with the share rising to 85% in June compared to just under 80% the previous year.
CommBank’s chief executive, Matt Comyn, said:
Pleasingly, many households have seen a rise in disposable incomes due to the recent relief from reduced interest rates, lower inflation and tax cuts.
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Sussan Ley says government’s algal bloom response has been ‘woefully inadequate’
Opposition leader Sussan Ley also spoke to ABC News this morning, saying she was disappointed with Watt’s remarks. Ley said:
The response so far from the government has been woefully inadequate. This is a natural disaster and it is a national disaster …
This needs a dedicated state and federal government approach that is for the longer term, because this is not just something that comes one day and goes the next. And our communities deserve so much better from their government. …
It looks to me like the prime minister is ignoring regional communities, ignoring domestic issues.
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Environment minister says SA algal bloom ‘more like a drought’ with long-term impact, rather than natural disaster
The environment minister, Murray Watt, said there is no doubt the ongoing algal bloom in South Australia is a “very severe environmental event,” but said while there have been growing calls to label it a natural disaster, the government was treating the bloom more like a long-running drought.
Watt has stopped short of the declaration in recent weeks, despite expert calls that the bloom is one of the worst marine disaster “in living memory”.
He told ABC News this morning the $14m in federal funding to help address it was akin to a package used during a longer-term phenomenon:
On the natural disaster declaration, and I realise there’s been many calls for that to occur, this is much more like a drought, in the sense that it is a long-running event and builds up over time. We’re waiting for weather conditions to intervene before it ends and that’s quite different to what we think of as natural disaster and the rapid onset [events] like floods and cyclones and bushfires that come through an area, leave a trail of destruction and move on.
That’s not the kind of situation we’re dealing with here and that’s why we’ve come up with a support package which is probably a bit more like how we respond to droughts with state and federal governments responding to thinking about the short-term needs and long-term needs.
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CommBank borrowers took out extra $34bn in home loans in last financial year
Borrowers took out an additional $34bn in home loans, up 7% from June 2024 to June 2025. Personal loans also picked up by $400m.
The bank delivered shareholders a dividend payout of $2.60 per share, to a total of $4.85 over the last 12 months, up from the $4.65 it paid in 2024.
The value of CBA shares has risen greatly over the last 12 months, from $134 a year ago to nearly $180 today – one of the most overvalued stocks on the market, according to some analysts, with UBS last week saying it should be worth something more like $120. But CommBank said its success was Australia’s to share, noting in its annual report:
CBA paid [in second half 2024 and first half 2025] dividends to over 800,000 direct shareholders, indirectly benefitting over 13 million Australians through their superannuation.
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CommBank records $10.25bn in annual profit
The Commonwealth Bank has recorded $10.25bn in annual cash profits – a 4% lift – and delivered a bumper $2.60 payout per share to shareholders.
The gap between the interest CommBank pays deposit holders and the interest it receives from borrowers widened to a net interest margin of 2.08%, up from 1.99% over the year to June 2024.
In its annual report released this morning, CommBank said the improvement mostly reflected a change in its investments and was partly squeezed by competition with other banks to offer good deposit interest rates.
That saw the bank’s net interest margin narrow slightly for its household and business lending, by 0.03 and 0.04 percentage points respectively.
Australians deposited an additional $34bn in CommBank accounts over the year to June, with savings deposits up 10% over the year and transaction account deposits, which do not receive interest, up 11%.
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Fatima Payman doesn’t regret leaving Labor over Palestine stance, and would not go back
Independent senator Fatima Payman said she has let “bygones be bygones” after leaving Labor last year amid major disagreements over the government’s action on Palestine, but said she was hopeful after seeing Anthony Albanese say Australia would recognise a Palestinian state.
Payman spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying the recognition should just be a first step, pointing to calls for targeted sanctions and further accountability. Payman said:
It’s great to see that the government’s finally catching up with what’s morally right and politically necessary. It’s a monumental step, definitely long overdue, but we can’t stop at this. …
I’ve let bygones be bygones. I have not regretted the decision of leaving the Labor party. It’s unfortunate that it, you know, the whole thing panned out the way it did. But I know that … I was on the right side of history.
Host Sally Sara asked Payman if she would go back to the Labor party.
“No”, Payman said.
It’s ridiculous that it’s taken them this long. You know, symbolism matters, but saving lives matters more.
Coalition will support roundtable ideas that ‘reduce red tape and regulation’, but there are limits
James Paterson, the shadow finance minister, said the Coalition will support the Labor government if “good ideas” come out of the economic roundtable, saying those that “reduce red tape and regulation” would earn the opposition’s support. But Paterson told RN Breakfast that support was not endless:
We’re open-minded about anything that can improve productivity because it is so critical to our prosperity as a country. Where we have reservations is if the government tries to do things it doesn’t have a mandate for because it didn’t earn it at the election. For example, increasing taxes.
Labor didn’t tell anyone before the election that they would raise taxes, and a hand-picked roundtable of people in Canberra doesn’t provide them the mandate they failed to earn at the election.
Man arrested after police firearm discharged inside Sydney Airport terminal
More from the incident at Sydney Airport this morning, as we reported earlier in the blog:
The Australian Federal Police said a man has been arrested at Sydney Airport after an incident where a police firearm was discharged inside the T2 domestic terminal.
An AFP spokesperson said the agency has launched an investigation into the incident and a crime scene has been established. There were no injuries and there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Sydney Airport said earlier the airport is operating as normal.
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Chalmers says he is in complete agreement with PM on productivity roundtable
Chalmers was asked about recent suggestions by Albanese that those hoping for dramatic reform from the roundtable should lower their expectations.
The treasurer said he was completely aligned with the prime minister, saying the event next week would build on an already ambitious agenda:
The point that the prime minister made last week is the same point that I have made, which is that this economic reform roundtable is not to make decisions, it’s to inform the government’s decisions. And that’s the point that we have made all along.
We are aligned. We have an ambitious agenda that we’re focused on delivering, and this economic reform roundtable is a good opportunity to shake the tree for more ideas in our economy. And the people who criticise this process appear to be saying that we should consult less with the business community or the union movement or the community more broadly, experts and economists.
Chalmers says rate cut ‘welcome relief’, but warns unpredictable economy must keep nation on its toes
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said yesterday’s interest rate cut is “welcome relief” to millions of Australians, saying he has confidence the country is on the “right track” addressing inflation and seeing real wages.
Chalmers said while inflation had fallen dramatically in recent months, what he called “remarkable progress”, the treasury must remain “always vigilant” amid an unpredictable economy:
We are never complacent about developments in the global economy. There is more than the usual amount of churn and change right now. It’s unpredictable, it’s volatile, it’s uncertain. And that’s why one of our key goals is to make our economy more resilient.
We will do that by making it more productive over time.
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Arrest made after incident at Sydney airport this morning
An arrest has been made after an incident at Sydney airport this morning. An airport spokesperson said there were no injuries, noting the facility was operating as normal:
Sydney Airport is currently assisting Australian Federal Police following an incident earlier this morning. No injuries occurred as a result of the incident. An arrest has been made and the airport is operating normally.
We’ll have more details from the AFP soon.
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Albanese says he’s up ‘for big reform’ ahead of productivity roundtable
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he is up for “big reform” as his government heads into a long-promised productivity roundtable next week. Albanese spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying his government had a strong agenda of promises from the last election, but said there is plenty of room for more ideas.
I had a really successful meeting with some business leaders on Monday evening in Melbourne. And some of the ideas that were kicked around there are really positive. They’ll feed into our processes. And that is how good government should operate. We’re an inclusive government. We are up for consultation and we’re up for ideas.
RN host Sabra Lane pressed the prime minister about how big the ideas could get, or if the status quo would remain. Albanese replied:
I’m up for big reform. … We are up for big reform, whether it’s strengthening Medicare, the changes to childcare, the benefit to education.
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Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Thanks to the always great Martin Farrer. Let’s get to it.
Tasmanian Greens declare they are unable ‘at this point’ to support state Labor
Tasmania’s minority Liberal government appears increasingly likely to continue ruling, with the Greens declaring they are unable to “at this point” support Labor.
The July 19 state election returned another hung parliament, with the Liberals (14 seats) finishing closer than Labor (10) to the 18 seats required for majority.
Jeremy Rockliff, the state Liberal leader, has been reappointed premier but both major parties have been trying to garner support from a crossbench containing five Greens, five independents and one Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP.
Labor’s leader, Dean Winter, has held talks with independents but has continually ruled out “doing a deal” with the Greens, despite needing their numbers to govern.
Winter has flagged a no-confidence motion in Rockliff when parliament resumes on the 18th.
Winter and Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff held a formal meeting on Tuesday. “At this stage we cannot have any confidence in the proposed motion to make Dean Winter the premier of Tasmania in parliament,” Woodruff said.
Mark Latham to defend claims of homosexual vilification against fellow MP
Mark Latham is set to defend claims of homosexual vilification against a fellow parliamentarian, Australian Associated Press reports.
The former federal Labor leader is due to give evidence at a civil tribunal in Sydney today after the NSW independent MP Alex Greenwich accused him yesterday of having an “abusive obsession” with him.
The case relates to a sexually explicit tweet the federal court has previously ruled as defamatory and subsequent media appearances made by Latham, who sits as an independent in the state parliament.
Greenwich has sued Latham for homosexual vilification and workplace harassment in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The online sparring match between the two politicians followed violent protests outside a church in Sydney’s south-west, where Latham was giving a pre-election speech in March 2023. About 250 mostly male counter-protesters violently attacked police and 15 LGBTQI protesters.
Here’s our report on yesterday’s hearing:
RBA could wait until November for another cut, economist says
Belinda Allen, a senior economist at the Commonwealth Bank, expects the RBA to wait until November before cutting again – but that could shift depending on how the data unfolds, Australian Associated Press reports.
“The governor did not rule out back‑to‑back cuts. Inflation appears under control, so any acceleration of the cutting cycle we expect would have to be driven by a deterioration in the labour market,” she said.
Allen said the most important data readings before the next meeting would be labour force surveys released on Thursday and in September, as well as economic growth figures for the June quarter to be released on September 3.
RBA staff lowered their GDP growth forecasts as they pared back their expectations for trend productivity growth from one per cent to 0.7% per year.
We’re reporting today on how borrowers might have to wait a few weeks to get the benefit of yesterday’s cut.
Penny Wong signs joint statement with 29 countries decrying Gaza situation
Overnight the foreign minister, Penny Wong, signed Australia to a joint statement with 29 international partners decrying the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
It said, in part:
The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation.
We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating.
All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment. Lethal force must not be used at distribution sites, and civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected.
The statement was signed by two EU representatives as well as the foreign ministers of: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser to take over.
Mark Latham will appear at a tribunal in Sydney today to defend claims of homosexual vilification against his fellow NSW MP. It comes after Sydney MP Alex Greenwich told the tribunal yesterday that Latham had an “abusive obsession with me”.
A leading bank economist thinks that the Reserve Bank will wait until November before cutting rates again after yesterday’s decision to reduce the cash rate by another 0.25% signalled some relief for borrowers. More coming up.
And Australia has signed a joint statement on behalf of 29 international partners saying the humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached “unimaginable” levels and urgent action is needed to halt and reverse starvation. It calls on Israel to facilitate a “flood” of aid into the territory.