What we learned today, Friday 23 June
That’s where we’ll leave the blog for today – thanks so much for joining us. Here is a wrap of the day’s biggest stories:
The Russian government has launched a high court challenge to laws designed to stop it from building a new embassy close to Parliament House in Canberra.
Families in some parts of Sydney where all the local high schools are single-sex will have the option of a co-educational school from 2025, the state government has announced, while others will have to wait until 2027.
Anthony Albanese has said the solicitor general agrees the Senate’s decision to twice delay the $10bn housing Australia future fund constitutes a failure to pass the bill, which is the first step towards a double dissolution election.
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has again refuted claims of a “cover-up” by the state’s police force following the Tasering of a 95-year-old grandmother.
Queensland’s police commissioner defended an officer’s actions after “confronting footage” emerged of him repeatedly punching a man involved in a head-on crash in Brisbane’s north.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced the inaugural national cybersecurity coordinator will be air vice-marshal Darren Goldie.
The Victorian Greens and Liberals have lashed out at the Andrews Labor government for suddenly hiking transport fares amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The Labor premier, Peter Malinauskas, has backed his federal colleagues in rejecting the Greens push for a rent freeze – despite a majority of Australians supporting the idea.
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding across metropolitan Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.
Updated
More pollies good for democracy, electoral experts say
An increase in the number of politicians would improve democracy but skepticism remains on whether territories should gain more senators, an inquiry has heard, AAP reports.
Electoral experts on Friday discussed the viability of current representation in parliament at a hearing of the committee examining the 2022 federal election.
While opinions differed on whether the territories should gain more senators, there was general agreement on raising numbers in the lower house.
Electoral analyst, Ben Raue, said:
It is good for democracy ... It brings voters closer to their representatives. It gives them more options in parliament, more MPs to express their views.
There’s also advantages for the way that the Senate operates if you were to elect at least seven members per state (at a half-Senate election) in terms of it being less likely to have deadlocks.
Millions to get slice of $815m in insurer payouts
Insurers have overcharged Australians by $815m and will be required to repay it back to 5.6 million consumers, a report by the corporate watchdog has revealed.
ASIC’s report, When the price is not right: making good on insurance pricing promises, found insurers did not have adequate product governance, had unnecessarily complex pricing promises, and did not have adequate oversight over those promises.
It comes as several insurers face legal action over allegations of unfair terms and misleading customers.
Deputy chair of ASIC, Karen Chester, said:
It is beyond disappointing that despite past ASIC warnings and action, it took our further direction in late 2021 for general insurers to comprehensively find, fix and repay their customers for these broken promises. Earlier action by insurers would have avoided much of the consumer harm we now see, with $815m in remediation.
It’s now up to the boards of general insurers to ensure the prompt and full repayment of the $815m owed to their 5.6 million customers, implement the fixes needed and rebuild consumer trust.
Updated
Driver charged after school bus runs off the road
A bus carrying more than 40 Victorian school children and staff has run off the road north of Adelaide, AAP reports.
Police said no one was injured in the incident on the Augusta Highway on Friday morning which left the bus, which was towing a trailer, became bogged in a paddock north of Port Wakefield.
The bus was carrying 42 children and five school staff.
The 53-year-old driver was charged with driving without due care and driving a heavy vehicle while fatigued.
He was bailed to appear in Kadina magistrates court on 21 August.
Updated
Russia’s high court challenge scheduled for Monday morning, according to reports
The ABC is reporting that the Russian government’s high court challenge will be heard on Monday morning at 9.30am.
Russia is seeking an urgent injunction against laws that cancel the lease on its proposed new embassy site in Yarralumla, Canberra.
The Australian government rushed those laws through last week, citing national security concerns due to the site’s proximity to parliament.
Earlier on Friday, the home affairs minister Clare O’Neil said the commonwealth had been advised of looming high court proceedings.
She said the challenge was not unexpected. Prime minister Anthony Albanese said he was confident the law would survive Russia’s challenge.
If you’re just catching up on this story, more details of the stoush here:
Updated
Motorists rescued from flooded roads as deluge hits SA
Seven swift water rescues marked a night of drama across Adelaide and surrounding hills as residents and motorists were battered by heavy rain and localised flooding.
Many roads were closed and more than 2000 properties were blacked out at the height of the deluge from Thursday night until Friday morning.
The State Emergency Service responded to more than 250 calls for assistance with some properties inundated and roads closed as rivers and creeks surged.
SA SES chief of staff, Derren Halleday, has reminded South Australians to avoid driving through flooded roads:
Floodwaters disguise the road, including potholes, submerged obstacles such as large branches or parts of the road which have been washed away.
Government rejects report it had thrown in the towel on multinational tax reform
The Albanese government has dismissed a report in the AFR today (which ran prominently on page one) claiming the government had “bowed to pressure” over its plans to tighten tax controls on multinational companies.
The report was based on reactions to amended legislation introduced to parliament on Thursday – shepherded through by assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh – which the paper said had been “wound back ... significantly”.
In particular, the government had given up trying to require 2500-odd big firms to publicly disclose their tax compliance, including the rate they pay in each country in which they operate – or so the paper said.
One government official said the AFR appeared to have jumped the gun because the consultation hadn’t finished. The legislation that had been submitted wasn’t the whole package the government had in mind.
The official word from minister Leigh is that the government is “progressing work” on the multinational tax integrity package.
Leigh said:
The government will also continue to engage with stakeholders on our commitment to introduce a public country-by-country reporting regime.
Over the coming months, we will further engage on the appropriate level of disaggregated reporting. This will build on refinements we have already made to align more closely with the European Union’s public country-by country regime.
What was introduced this week included an amendment that would limit the amount of interest expenses that firms can deduct for tax purposes from 1 July 2023. “This tax integrity measure is estimated to result in a gain to receipts of $720m over the four years from 2022-23,” he said.
We’ll have to see what the final country-by-country disclosures look like but the Fin’s report may turn out to be a bit of wishful thinking on the part of a few large companies.
Updated
Senator pays tribute to Daniel Ellsberg
Greens senator Jordan Steele-John has paid tribute to Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers, and called for his passing to be a reminder “that we can never be complacent when it comes to protecting whistleblowers”.
Steele-John wrote on Twitter:
Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers and showed the world that the US government was actively lying about the devastation occurring in Vietnam and the lengths the government would go to keep it hidden.
Over 50 years on and the campaign for peace and for the freedom of the press has never been more important or relevant.
He called out the imprisonment of Julian Assange and the case of David McBride, who is awaiting trial in the ACT for leaking classified defence documents to journalists, as whistleblowers who should be protected.
Daniel Ellsberg should be a role model for peace activists everywhere. His passing should be a reminder that we can never be complacent when it comes to protecting whistleblowers.
— Senator Jordon Steele-John (@SenatorJordon) June 23, 2023
Updated
Sydney public high schools to go co-ed in Labor shake-up as parents face tough choices
Families in some parts of Sydney where all the local high schools are single-sex will have the option of a co-educational school from 2025, the state government has announced, while others will have to wait until 2027.
Parents have been lobbying for change for years, and in the lead-up to this year’s state election, Chris Minns pledged parents would have guaranteed access to co-educational public schools within Labor’s first term of government.
On Friday, the education department confirmed families in some single-sex school intake areas in parts of the inner west and south-west of Sydney would be able to enrol their children into a co-educational public high school in 2025, while all NSW students would have guaranteed access by 2027.
School communities will be communicated with prior to enrolments opening, with proposed 2025 changes to intake areas expected to be confirmed by term 1 of 2024, focusing on suburbs with a high concentration of single-sex high schools.
Company behind chemical warehouse inferno fined $3m
The company behind a mammoth chemical warehouse inferno that left a worker hospitalised and sent plumes of smoke billowing in Melbourne has been hit with almost $3m in fines, AAP reports.
Chemical waste recycling company Bradbury Industrial Services Pty Ltd, now in liquidation, operated out of several warehouses in Melbourne when its Campbellfield premises went up in flames on 5 April 2019.
The blaze started when an employee was decanting the dangerous liquid toluene, which can be susceptible to a buildup of electrostatic charge, from a 1,000-litre container into a 60-litre drum.
WorkSafe in 2015 handed Bradbury an improvement notice to better store dangerous chemicals at the Campbellfield warehouse and warned the company about the explosion risk from static charges.
It took firefighters four days to extinguish the blaze and the smoke from it forced nearby businesses to evacuate and several schools to close.
The fire also polluted local waterways and led to a six-month clean-up operation, estimated to have cost about $6.5m.
Updated
Flood watch issued for parts of south-west Northern Territory
⚠️ #Flood Watch issued for WESTERN INLAND RIVERS. Flooding may occur next week. 1-5mm rain forecast from Sunday, with falls increasing to 10-20mm from Monday. See https://t.co/WGlUM8fr6X for details and updates; follow advice from @ntpfes @secureTerritory #NTfloods pic.twitter.com/KM4CuXXGrJ
— Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory (@BOM_NT) June 23, 2023
Tasmanians are also being warned to monitor conditions in the north-east parts of the state.
.@SESTasmania has issued a Flood Advice - Nile River - Monitor conditions for Deddington to Nile and surrounds. For more information, go to: https://t.co/j2taquUZFJ or listen to ABC Local Radio. pic.twitter.com/6TJEnHuIys
— TasALERT (@tasalert) June 23, 2023
Updated
Thanks Natasha, and Happy Friday! I’ll be with you for the rest of today.
Thanks for your attention this Friday, Jordyn Beazley will take you through the rest of today’s developments! Have a lovely weekend and stay warm.
If you missed the PM’s press conference this morning, catch yourself up on the Russian squatter drama here:
Updated
Russia flags high court challenge over embassy stoush
The Russian government has flagged it will launch a high court challenge to laws kicking it off its proposed new embassy site in Canberra.
The government last week passed legislation to cancel the Russian government’s lease on the Yarralumla site, citing national security concerns over its proximity to Parliament House.
A spokesperson for the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, confirmed to the Guardian that the Russian government has now informed the commonwealth of its intention to commence proceedings in the high court challenging the laws.
The Russian Federation has informed the commonwealth of its intention to commence legal proceedings in the high court, in which they will challenge the validity of the legislation on constitutional grounds. Russia’s challenge to the validity of the law is not unexpected. This is part of the Russian playbook.
Updated
NSW premier refutes cover-up allegations over police Tasering of 95-year-old woman
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has again refuted claims of a “cover-up” by the state’s police force following the Tasering of a 95-year-old grandmother.
Minns said lessons would be learned from the investigations into the tasering of Clare Nowland, who later died in hospital.
During a press conference on Friday, he said:
We’ve sat in parliament all week, and on several occasions, the NSW opposition have made what we both regard as outrageous allegations ... that there had been a cover-up. There can be a dispute about the media release … but you can’t use that as an excuse to claim that the investigation was a cover-up.
The comments come after documents revealed that mentions of paramedics, a knife and a Taser were removed in the police’s first statement about the incident. The opposition has alleged there was a cover-up relating to the release of information to the public.
Minns said it was an operational policing decision as to how many next of kin should be notified before releasing details to the public.
The state police minister, Yasmin Catley, said she would not be standing down from her position.
Updated
Russian squatting matter a ‘slow moving semi-international farce’: David Shoebridge
Greens senator David Shoebridge says cameras, including belonging to the Australian Federal Police, are camped out outside the site that the Russian Federation had planned to become its new Canberra embassy.
Those cameras of course are trying to catch a glimpse of the Russian diplomat reported to be squatting there to stymy the Australian government’s attempts to take the land back.
Shoebridge describes the entire saga as a “slow moving semi-international farce.”
There’s cameras camped outside the site (including AFP) wondering if there’s still anyone there. It’s a slow moving semi-international farce. pic.twitter.com/YHO2P3mzI9
— David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) June 23, 2023
Updated
Crown pays out $1.2m in missing worker entitlements
Almost 200 Crown casino workers have received $1.2m in back pay from the entertainment giant and a search is on for others who are owed money, AAP reports.
The company must also pay $350,000 to the Commonwealth Consolidated Revenue Fund after it signed an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Impacted staff worked in a variety of roles at Crown’s Melbourne and Perth casinos including as food and beverage supervisors, concierges, receptionists, administrative workers, hairdressers and massage therapists. The casino incorrectly classified them as award-free from July 2014 until June 2020.
The group should have had higher salaries and entitlements, including penalty rates, with amounts paid back ranging from $5 to $66,714.
So far 192 workers have been paid but the company is searching for eight others who must claim the money within the next 180 days.
Updated
SES receive over 250 requests for aid in Adelaide floods
Back to the deluge in Adelaide overnight. The SES say they have responded to over 250 requests for assistance in metropolitan Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills, following heavy rain overnight. Those requests for assistance include seven swiftwater flood rescues and many fallen trees.
(1/4) Between 9am yesterday to 9am today, @SA_SES received over 250 requests for assistance. A majority of these were related to flooding & severe weather, including seven taskings for swiftwater rescues—mostly as a result of vehicles driving through floodwater pic.twitter.com/2z1NpJRi6X
— SASES (@SA_SES) June 23, 2023
Emergency crews have responded to more than 250 calls for help during a night of torrential rain. A couple has been rescued from their car at Eden Hills where a creek burst its banks and stormwater drains overflowed. The latest in 7NEWS Adelaide at 6pm. #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/Q6xd6Es6dE
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) June 23, 2023
The SES also say there is reduced threat for the failure of a dam in Lenswood.
#FLOOD Advice REDUCED THREAT MESSAGE issued for dam failure at Swamp Rd, Lenswood. The risk of a dam failure has reduced. More info: https://t.co/G7DLjn5ldv ID:532/3
— SASES (@SA_SES) June 23, 2023
Updated
We mentioned earlier during Albanese’s press conference that the PM noted the solicitor general agrees the Senate’s decision to twice delay the housing future fund constitutes a failure to pass the bill.
Our chief political correspondent Paul Karp has the full story on what could be the first step towards a double dissolution election:
Updated
Water and sewerage bills to pump up in Victoria
Water and sewerage bill prices are set to rise in most parts of Victoria, with hikes hitting regional Victorians harder than their metropolitan neighbours, AAP reports.
The Essential Services Commission has reviewed price proposals from the state’s water companies and says bills will jump on average by $74 in the regions and roughly $22 in and around Melbourne from July 1.
Customers of South Gippsland Water, Coliban Water, and East Gippsland Water will cop the highest price increases, with their quarterly water bills to increase between $93 (7.5%) and $111 (9.6%).
The independent regulator’s pricing director, Marcus Crudden, said:
In Victoria, water businesses must provide payment assistance to households and small businesses.
If you’re having trouble keeping up with your water bills, contact your water business and ask for help.
Updated
Birmingham on Russian squatter: ‘It does not feel like the PM is taking this matter seriously’
Birmingham has said the matter does relate to national security and “it does not feel like the PM is taking this matter seriously”.
The comments some after Anthony Albanese described the incident as “some bloke standing on a blade of grass” who poses no threat to Australia’s national security.
It does not feel like the PM is taking this matter seriously. He seems to want to cast it aside as a bit of a joke. Ultimately this is a simple case of whether the law of the land has been complied with and the prime minister should expect that to be the case in order to take that seriously.
Updated
‘Government should be looking at all legal avenues’: Birmingham on Russian squatter
The shadow minister for foreign affairs, Simon Birmingham, is speaking in Adelaide now on the Russian diplomat squatting to prevent his government’s eviction from its planned Canberra embassy.
If the law of Australia has terminated Russia’s lease on that land then Russia should not be occupying that land. Every Australian expects Australian law to be upheld and be upheld fairly and equally for all.
Asked if the diplomat will should be used by force if necessary, he said:
It is not yet clear whether such a request has been given but the government should be looking at all legal avenues available to them to ensure that the law is respected and adhered to.
Updated
Jason Clare on voice misinformation: ‘it’s the same old Liberal party and the same old BS’
However in a similar vein to the PM, the education minister, Jason Clare, is calling “BS” on the Coalition’s arguments on the voice.
Appearing alongside Ley on the Today Show, Clare said misinformation needed to be called out:
The Liberal party are up to their old games here.
When Mabo first happened they said you would lose your backyard and that was BS. When we issued an apology to people who were stolen away from their mums when they were still in nappies, Peter Dutton said that would cost Australians $10bn, and that was BS.
And a lot of this is BS too. It’s the same old Liberal party and the same old BS.
Same old Liberal Party, same old BS. pic.twitter.com/aJPlbpPjT0
— Jason Clare MP (@JasonClareMP) June 22, 2023
Updated
Ley: ‘we don’t want the referendum to fail, but the proposal as it stands is not acceptable’
Back on the voice, deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley has accused the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of proceeding with the referendum in order to stick to his “political timeline.”
Earlier this morning, Ley told the Morning Show:
We don’t want the referendum to fail, but the proposal as it stands is not acceptable. Peter Dutton, sensibly, has said let’s press pause, let’s build consensus. This is an offer of friendship, of working constructively with the government.
… If the voice goes down and loses support, it risks the whole mission of reconciliation in this country. Taking a step backwards.
I think it is time for the prime minister to consider whether he just wants to stick to his original timeline, which I believe is a political timeline, or whether he actually, genuinely wants to work with all members across the parliament to support something as critical as constitutional recognition of our First Australians.
Updated
Bureau says heaving rainfall in a half hour period increased flash flood impacts
Heavy rainfall of up to 20mm in a half hour resulted in significant increase in flash flood impacts, the bureau said:
The river rises through the Mount Lofty Ranges: we saw through the Onkaparinga river levels exceeded the minor flood level yesterday evening and peak below the moderate flood level in the early hours of this morning in a couple of locations in the upper part of the catchment around Oakbank and Woodside.
There is still a minor flood warning out for the Onkaparinga River. We aren’t expecting to see further significant flooding given there is not any more rainfall in short term forecast for the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Updated
Adelaide experiences fifth wettest day in 10 years
The bureau of meteorology provided this update on the situation in South Australia at a press conference a short while ago:
We saw a low pressure system develop across the south [of] the state yesterday. This resulted in some significant and widespread rainfall across South Australia.
The top rainfall totals in 24 hours to 9am were through the Mount Lofty Ranges where we saw totals of around 50-100mm recorded. The top total was at Woodhouse where we saw 96mm.
Across the metropolitan area, we had rainfall totals of around 20-50mm mark through the same timeframe. In Adelaide we saw a 42mm that makes it the wettest day since last June. At the fifth wettest day in the last decade.
The bureau said conditions are easing up today but further showery and wintry conditions are expected across the weekend in association with a secondary deep pressure system. The secondary system will be further south and not as close to the coast.
Updated
The latest flood warnings in South Australia after heavy rain overnight:
#FLOOD Advice MESSAGE issued for dam failure at Swamp Rd, Lenswood. If you are in this area you should prepare for flooding. Move valuables to a safe place and, if safe to do so, clear drains and gutters. More info: https://t.co/8DclHt4uMd ID:532/2
— SASES (@SA_SES) June 23, 2023
#FLOOD Watch and Act MESSAGE issued for Waterfall Gully Rd. If you are in this area you should prepare for flooding. Move valuables to a safe place. Consider going to a safer place if the path is clear. More info: https://t.co/E9Fu0uVzPr ID:531/3
— SASES (@SA_SES) June 23, 2023
Updated
Queensland scraps Covid-19 alert system amid flu outbreak
Meanwhile AAP has this update on Covid-19 in Queensland:
The state’s traffic light advisory for Covid-19 will be scrapped as the state faces the threat of an early wave of flu cases.
Influenza cases have spiked since the start of winter, with 200 people already being treated in hospital, and are expected to top Covid-19 admissions before the end of the month.
About 250 people are still being treated for Covid-19 in Queensland hospitals, with most patients over the age of 65 and not up to date with their vaccinations.
Health minister Shannon Fentiman told reporters today:
I can announce with the chief health officer that we will be monitoring Covid much like any other respiratory illness.
The traffic lights, as Queenslanders have come to know them, will end from today.
Covid does not pose the same threat that it once did, and we are going to treat it much like we treat the flu.
Updated
Victoria records 35 Covid deaths and 244 people in hospital
There were 3,425 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 10 people are in intensive care.
Numbers continue to drop following the May spike in cases, with this week’s 35 deaths significantly lower than last week’s 113.
This week we reported 3,425 new cases with a daily average hospital occupancy of 244 and 10 patients in ICU. 35 deaths were reported in the past 7 days.
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) June 23, 2023
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/ZSCQSEF3lS
Victoria public transport fare hikes punishing voters for ‘out of control’ budget, opposition says
Opposition spokesperson for public transport, Richard Riordan, says the Victorian government is punishing commuters by increasing public transport fares in the midst of a cost of living crisis. From 1 July, a single fare will increase from $4.60 to $5 while a daily fare will go from $9.20 to $10. Riordan says:
Andrews’ budget is out of control and the average commuter whether you’re in the city or the country, it’s an extra 10%. And that of course, is only months before fares will go up again in early January. So it’s a sad day. It’s a frustrating day as cost of living pressures continue to rise.
He says the change comes into effect at the same time winter works commence and more than half of Melbourne’s rail network will have bus replacement services:
It’s an incredibly cynical move from the Andrews government in the middle of winter, when they’re set to have nearly 70% of our rail network closed for months, people will be standing in buses outside in queues and paying for the privilege. Once again Victorian commuters will be paying more and getting less because the Andrews government has lost control of the budget … If you’re going to be delivering substantially fewer servicess or less reliability, then it’s a bit rich charging Victorian commuters 10% more for the privilege.
Updated
Victorian Greens condemn the state government’s decision to raise ‘Myki fares above inflation’
The Victorian Greens has lashed out at the state government’s decision to increase fares by almost 10% – saying it will make cost-of-living pressures worse for commuters.
From 1 July, a single public transport fare will rise from $4.60 to $5 while a daily fare will go from $9.20 to $10. The changes amount to an 8.6% cent hike, which is above the 6.8% increase in the consumer price index over the past 12 months. It is the first fare increase since 1 January 2022.
Greens MP, Sam Hibbins, said the increase would make inflation worse:
Urban transport fares is a measure used by the ABS to calculate the inflation rate. By raising Myki fares above inflation, the Victorian Labor government is actually making it worse. Governments should be lowering public transport fares for everyone, not stinging people who are already feeling the pinch.
A spokesperson for the government said they froze public transport fares in 2021 and increased them below CPI in 2022, while this year’s increase was delayed by six months to ease pressures on Victorians. They also spruiked Labor’s election commitment to bring regional fares in line with metropolitan Melbourne, which has been in place since March.
The spokesperson said:
Since the introduction of the regional fare cap, Victorians have saved millions of dollars – travelling from the regions or exploring every corner of regional Victoria.
Updated
That’s it from the PM’s press conference. Now for some news out of Victoria’s parliament.
‘No-alition’: Albanese lumps Greens and the Coalition together for delaying future housing fund
Albanese lumped the Greens together with the Coalition as part of what he calls the “No-alition” after they joined to delay consideration of the government’s housing future fund this week.
The Greens and the Coalition combined in what is a new No-alition in blocking this legislation.
It is completely irrational for the Greens political party to say they support more public housing and then block legislation of a $10bn housing future Australia fund which will result in 30,000 additional social housing units including 4000 reserved for women and children escaping domestic violence.
The time for these political games is well past. This is not the first time it’s been deferred, it’s the second. I don’t understand what the thought processes are behind doing this. It is quite irrational
Updated
Solicitor general backs government’s view on housing bill's failure to pass, PM says
Our chief political correspondent Paul Karp asks about the fate of the stalled housing bill and Albanese reveals the solicitor general backs the government’s view that Senate’s decision to twice delay the housing future fund constitutes a failure to pass the bill.
Karp:
What does the solicitor-general think of the housing bill and has he advised that it being delayed twice is a failure to pass?
Albanese:
We have received that advice. … we won’t be releasing advice to the government because we don’t do that.
Karp:
Does it back your public statements that that’s a failure to pass?
Albanese:
Yes, it does.
Paul will bring you more on this shortly.
Updated
PM thanks supporters of voice in parliament while calling for more people to rise to occasion
Albanese calls for people to rise to the occasion the voice demands, paying special tribute to Julian Leeser and Bridget Archer, who he says have risen to the occasion.
Albanese says if Australians do rise to the occasion it “will be like the Apology.”
People opposed it for years after years after years. Said it will have all of these consequences which were not true.
It was a moment of national unity. I pay tribute to Brendan Nelson then who rose to the occasion as well, even though some in his own party were opposed to it.
Leadership is not about just doing the easy things, it is about doing things that are hard. Changing our constitution is hard.
There is no certainty but it requires leadership and if not now, when? And if not under my pride prime ministership? Under whose?
Updated
Albanese condemns Indigenous voice arguments from members of parliament that ‘are not true’
Albanese is calling out some of the members of parliament for putting forward arguments about the voice he says they know are not true:
People can have different views about it, respectfully, and can have a view that the constitution should never change or from a range of perspectives might come to the position of not supporting a change. I respect that.
But some of the arguments that are put forward, that people know are not true. The people putting them forward know are not true, the fact that this does not have any veto right over any parliamentary legislation,
I don’t believe that senators arguing that a road in Victoria was going to be the subject of the voice believe that that is the case. I don’t think that the people who ask questions in parliament this week about interest rates and the Reserve Bank don’t understand that the Reserve Bank is independent and the idea that the voice is going to sit around and the governor of the Reserve Bank is going to say, ‘oh, I wonder what the voice thinks?’
Like, seriously.
Updated
PM stands by his comments that Dutton’s speech about the voice ‘lacked empathy’
Albanese says he stands by his comments made in parliament that the opposition leader, Peter Dutton’s, speech about the voice lacked empathy.
Let’s be clear about some of the questions that were asked in the parliament this week.
… The fact that the Senate sat until 4am last Saturday answering questions about some road in Victoria and whether that would be a priority is in my view disrespectful of those Indigenous Australians, including people like Linda Burney, the Indigenous affairs minister, who cares passionately about closing the gap that is there.
I think that is disrespectful and I think I said yesterday in the parliament that the leader of the opposition’s speech lacked empathy and I stand by that.
So Dutton wasn’t quite on the money when he said this morning that those remarks were made “off the cuff” and that he suspected the prime minister “regrets it.”
Updated
PM not concerned by possibility of further legal action from Russia over embassy cancellation
Albanese says he’s not concerned by the possibility of further legal action from Russia.
Reporter:
Has a compensation claim been filed by Russia for the building on the site and does it concern you, this suggestion of further legal action?
Albanese:
No, we actually support the law.
Russia has not been real good at the law lately. Russia has abrogated its responsibility as a nation state, and particularly as a member of the security council, their illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine shows its contempt for the rule of law, for national sovereignty and for the way that it conducts its affairs.
Australia will stand up for our values and we will stand up for our national security.
And a bloke standing in the cold on a bit of grass in Canberra is not a threat to our national security. I think frankly that Russia’s response here – we did predict that they wouldn’t put out a media release welcoming the legislation.
And one of the pieces of advice we sought and we gave the cross-benchers and the coalition – and we thank them again for their support – was that we needed to act in the way that we did swiftly by passing the legislation through, the site is secure and we are comfortable with our position.
Updated
O’Neil agrees with PM’s assessment of Russian embassy squatter not being a national security threat
Clare O’Neil backs the PM on his assessment of the threat the squatter poses:
The national security concern that we were seeking to manager was the proposal to build a second Russian embassy a stone’s throw from Parliament House.
The parliament worked together in a way that’s somewhat unique these days to deal with that matter very expeditiously.
As the PM has said, and a bloke sitting on the site is not a national security threat for this country.
Albanese chimes in:
Particularly when it is so cold out there.
Updated
Russian embassy squatter not a national security threat, PM says
Turning to the matter of reports this morning a Russian diplomat squatting on the Canberra site previously leased by the Russian Federation, Albanese says the government doesn’t regard “some bloke standing on a blade of grass” as a national security threat.
Albanese says with the laws enacted last week to evict Russia from the site, his government took “decisive action” to respond to the national security threat presented by having a Russian embassy next to Parliament House:
On the 15 June, the home affairs act of 2023 terminated the Russian Federation’s lease that they had proposed for a diplomatic presence next to Parliament House, so make no mistake, last week the parliament did take decisive action to resolve a national security challenge presented by this site.
We are confident of our legal position and our national security committee, and when we considered this of course we anticipated that Russia would not be happy with our response.
… But can I make this point? The national security threat that was represented by a Russian embassy on-site are not the same as some bloke standing on a blade of grass that we don’t see as a threat to our national security.
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Albanese reiterates the referendum will take place later this year
Albanese now turns to questions on matters outside cybersecurity. He reiterates the referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament will be held later this year despite the opposition’s calls for the government to rethink their timeline:
I am committed to having a referendum. The legislation has been passed and I have said, as I have said now continually, the referendum will take place in the last quarter of this year.
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Albanese suggests turning phones off and on to thwart hackers
The PM is urging all Australians to use a simple trick for thwarting phone hackers: turning your phone off for five minutes a day.
In speaking about the need for all sectors of Australian society to play an active role in the national response to cybersecurity, Albanese said:
It is important that we – if you will excuse the pun – marshal all of our forces in the best way possible…we need to mobilise the private sector, we need to mobilise as well consumers.
We all have a responsibility. Simple things, turn your phone off every night for five minutes. For people watching this, do that every 24 hours, do it while you are brushing your teeth and whatever you are doing.
This is a task for all of us, a task for the private sector in particular, to get much better at ensuring security issues are dealt with but it’s also of course a responsible thing for government to show leadership and the air marshal will certainly be doing that.
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O’Neil backs air force commander’s experience as necessary in cybersecurity incident response
On why an air force commander was appointed, rather than someone with greater cybersecurity industry experience, O’Neil says Goldie has both the technical and operational experience necessary in cybersecurity incident response:
Air marshal Goldie has been responsible for managing security in the air force. Cybersecurity is a part of every security issue that the air force faces. He has significant experience that regard.
Something that I don’t think is understood in this area is that cyber incident response is not principally a technical problem, it is an operational problem.
If you think about Medibank and Optus, the ones I think our nation’s most familiar with, a lot of the issues are very practical and operational. How to replace the driver’s licenses of millions of Australians? How do we replace that passport, ensure that we are working across government to get information of the dark web that should not be there.
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Cybersecurity coordinator to work with companies and citizens under attack, says O’Neil
O’Neil says “one of the most important things air marshal Goldie will be doing” will be working with companies under attack and working with citizens to manage cyber incidents.
O’Neil says she doesn’t want to pre-empt whether Goldie will advise companies on whether or not to pay ransom, but reiterates the government’s position is that ransoms should not be paid.
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Home affairs minister says national cybersecurity is an ‘absolute mess’ hence why Goldie’s appointment is necessary
The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, steps up reminding Australians of the “absolute mess” of the state of cybersecurity the government inherited.
She describes Goldie’s appointment as the first national cyber coordinator as a “really important part of the jigsaw puzzle” being put in place as part of the Albanese government taking control of the problem.
She describes why a coordinator is necessary:
He will drive the work across government in cybersecurity with force and velocity that is needed to meet what is a very substantial and seriously growing challenge for our nation.
As the PM said coming at his roles broadly will be to lead work of cybersecurity across government. This is really important because what we have seen in the Australian government, common to governments overseas, is that cybersecurity responsibilities are strewn across a whole range of parts of government departments and indeed in the private sector and community as well.
So air marshal Goldie’s role in part will be to bring part of that activity together.
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Albanese calls Australia’s new cybersecurity coordinator a ‘vital component’ to tackling emerging technology
Albanese explains what Goldie will be doing in this new role, which he describes as a “vital component of what modern government needs to do” to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities that come from advances in new technology:
The coordinator together with the national office of cybersecurity within the office of home affairs will ensure that we are well-positioned to respond to the opportunities but also the challenges that are there in this digital age.
In this role, air marshal Goldie will support the minister of cybersecurity to lead the coordination of national cybersecurity policy, responses to major cyber incidents, work of whole of government cyber incident preparedness efforts and, of course, strengthening commonwealth cybersecurity capability.
This work will be done in collaboration with key policy operational and security agencies. It builds on the work that we are doing, not just in government, but also with the private sector.
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Air force commander appointed nation's first cybersecurity chief
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has just announced the inaugural national cybersecurity coordinator will be air vice-marshal Darren Goldie. He will commence his term on 3 July.
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NSW records 85 Covid deaths and 1,288 people in hospital
There were 5,570 new cases in the weekly reporting period, and 31 people are in intensive care.
Numbers continue to trend downwards with less than half the cases NSW were seeing at the beginning of the month.
COVID-19 weekly update – Friday 23 June 2023
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 22, 2023
In the 7 days to 4pm Thursday 22 June:
- 5,570 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded: 3,269 rapid antigen tests (RATs) and 2,301 PCR tests
- 85 lives lost pic.twitter.com/Jps6Cq0vvq
Insurers to repay $815m over pricing breaches
General insurance companies will pay $815m to more than 5.6m consumers in compensation amid widespread pricing misconduct in the industry, the corporate regulator said today.
Many consumers did not receive the full benefit of promised discounts, benefits or rewards, a report by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) found.
These include multi-policy discounts, no claims discounts and loyalty discounts in the general insurance industry which covers motor and home insurance products, among others.
Asic said in its report:
The risks of pricing misconduct and resulting consumer harm have been known by general insurers for some years.
The payout equates to an average of $145 for each affected customer. Asic said:
If pricing promises are not delivered in full, consumers will be overcharged for their policies or not receive all of the benefits.
It can also exacerbate current pressures on access and affordability of general insurance for Australian households.
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Marles reiterates Indigenous voice will not mean a change to Australia Day
After the passing of the referendum bill in parliament this week, the government has been forced to clarify once again that the voice will not mean a change to the date of Australia Day.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has told the Today Show:
The line of questioning we heard from the opposition over the last couple of weeks, which goes to Australia Day and a range of other issues, is really an attempt to be spreading fear, be quite political, about an issue which should be above politics.
Ultimately this is about recognising our First Nations’ people in the constitution and …the voice is going to be focused on issues which particularly affect Indigenous Australians. That’s been very clear.
The opposition know that, but what we are seeing is really a political line of attack here, which is not seizing the greater moment for the country.
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Malinauskas rejects Dutton’s call for Indigenous recognition without voice
Back on the voice, Malinauskas would not support rethinking the referendum vote to solely be about recongition, as Dutton suggested earlier.
I’m absolutely big believer in the power of the voice to have a positive outcome on the lives of our Indigenous communities throughout the country. And I think that should be approached with a matter of urgency.
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Malinauskas condemns Greens for blocking housing bill
South Australia is receiving an additional $135m from the federal government to increase social housing due to the Greens’ persistence in blocking their housing future fund (Haff), but Malinauskas says he doesn’t think their push was worthwhile.
We believe the Haff is a very thoughtful, clever and quite frankly innovative policy and it’s one we need sooner than later.
While I understand the Greens’ enthusiasm for seeing more public housing across the country – an enthusiasm I share – I don’t understand on what planet the Greens think that blocking a piece of legislation that would see to a greater investment from the commonwealth in public housing than what was seen in the past is a good thing …
I think the Greens often take the view that they allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
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South Australia not backing freeze on rents
Back on housing: with the stalemate in the housing crisis at the federal level, attention is turning to the states as the Greens demand a system of nationwide rent freezes.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has ruled that out, but the state and territory treasurers will be discussing it when they meet today.
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has told ABC Radio he does not support unlimited rental increases, but isn’t in favour of rental freezes either:
We don’t support a cap on the size of rent increases because we’re desperately concerned about the signal that would send investors.
… That would send a signal to investors that isn’t consistent to one of building more stock which is what we need more than anything else.
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Committee asked to consider territory representation in parliament
The democratic merits of having more politicians in federal parliament will be examined by a committee looking at potential law reform, AAP reports.
Representatives from the Australian Democracy Network, Australian Conservation Foundation and Human Rights Law Centre as well as electoral experts will today appear before an inquiry examining the 2022 federal election.
They’re expected to provide advice about the principle of “one vote, one value” and proposals to increase the size and representation of parliament.
In an interim report, the committee recommended spending caps, real-time disclosure requirements and a lower donation threshold be introduced to reduce the election influence of donors with deep pockets.
But ACT independent senator David Pocock was disappointed interim recommendations did not reference territory representation in parliament.
The ACT and Northern Territory are represented by two senators each while all states are represented by 12.
Pocock wants territories to be represented by six senators and have their terms doubled to six years.
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PwC should not be banned from government work but should face ‘significant sanction’, Dutton says
Following the damning interim Senate report into PwC, Dutton says he does not believe the consultancy firm should be cut from all government work, but says a penalty needs to be incurred for the breach of trust:
I think where people have breached a contract, they’ve breached trust, there’s a penalty and the price that should be paid. I don’t know whether that’s the company or whether there’s a solution that the government can provide to it but there’s there’s a significant sanction that’s that’s required – no doubt the government will be looking into that right now.
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Dutton says referendum should just be on recognition, not voice
Dutton has called for a unifying 1967 style referendum just about recognition, saying there’s just not enough support for the voice:
All of the pollsters at the moment, and credible commentators, believe that it’s either going to fail in October or, best case scenario for the yes case, that gets up 51-49. And in that scenario, our nation is split down the middle.
I think there’s an opportunity to unite our country here instead of divide, and that is that we should proceed with constitutional recognition.
And I think the vast majority of Australians would support that. We would get our 67 moment where we would have 80 or 90% support. That would be a nationally unifying moment …
The proposal at the moment, of the voice, goes beyond, I believe, where the Australian public is. And I think it’s incumbent upon the prime minister in that situation, to find a unifying moment. The unifying moment is constitutional recognition with which we can all agree.
We can talk about the voice in legislation, combine together to draft that in a sensible way, and provide the practical outcomes that we want. But at the moment, there’s a great risk that they’re proposing in the words that people will vote on in October.
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Coalition supported referendum bill because it was Labor’s election promise, Dutton says
Dutton voted with the Coalition earlier this week to pass the referendum bill, but has now suggested Albanese drop it. So why did Dutton pass the bill to enable the vote in the first place?
He says he doesn’t want to get in the way of Labor’s election promise:
The government went to an election with an election promise that they would go to a referendum. They promised that they would explain it to the Australian people and we’re not stepping in the way of a democratic process or a commitment given by the government. We’re not seeking to disrupt what’s a very important question for our nation.
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Dutton says Albanese is making ‘personal attacks’ on him over the voice
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has shrugged off the prime minister’s criticisms accusing his comments about the Voice of lacking empathy and being “unworthy” of the alternative prime ministership in parliament yesterday.
Dutton has told ABC Radio this morning:
I think the prime minister is under pressure on the voice, and I think that personal attacks just don’t have a place in this debate.
We all want a better outcome for Indigenous Australians. And I think, like in many debates, when people start to lose on the substantive issue, they go personal and I think it lacks any substance.
I think that was an off the cuff remark by the prime minister. I suspect he regrets it. And it doesn’t advance the debate.
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Flooding in Adelaide and Adelaide Hills
Overnight in South Australia, heavy rainfall has caused flooding across metropolitan Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.
The SES has responded to more than 240 requests for assistance, including seven separate swift water rescues as people became trapped in fast-rising flood water.
The majority of those calls were for flooding but others were also for trees fallen down and rockslides across roadways. Several roads remain closed this morning.
The SES is warning:
A Watch and Act Message has been issued for Waterfall Gully Road between Waterfall Terrace and the Waterfall Gully Car Park due to flooding, with the road closed.
A Flood Advice Message remains current for Swamp Road at Lenswood after a private dam spillway overtopped, resulting in localised flooding. Road closures are in place around Swamp Road.
There is also flooding near the Hahndorf exit of the South Eastern Freeway on Mount Barker Road at Verdun. Members of the public are advised to avoid these areas and check traffic.sa.gov.au for updates.
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Good morning! Thanks to Martin for kicking things off, I’m Natasha May and I’ll be with you into the afternoon.
Candidates to be revealed for Fadden byelection
Voters in the Queensland seat of Fadden will find out the full list of candidates for the upcoming by-election created by the resignation of Stuart Robert
The Australian Electoral Commission will today conduct the ballot draw for the July 15 by-election, triggered by the resignation of the controversial former Coalition government minister.
It is expected there could be as many as eight candidates on the ballot paper.
The Liberal National party hopes its candidate, Gold Coast councillor Cameron Caldwell, can retain the seat Robert held in 2022 with a 10.6% margin.
WA inquiry into justice for child abuse survivors
The support and compensation available to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in Western Australia will be put under the microscope, Australian Associated Press reports.
The WA parliament’s community development and justice standing committee has launched an inquiry into the options available to survivors seeking justice and restitution.
“Concerns have been expressed that there are barriers to accessing the civil court remedies, such as difficulty obtaining timely hearing dates,” chair David Honey said last night.
He said a lack of suitably qualified lawyers prepared to act on such matters and allegations some institutions were deliberately delaying some elderly survivor’s claims were also issues.
The inquiry will investigate the experience of survivors who have used the civil litigation process and the response from the courts, government and non-government institutions.
It will also examine the effectiveness of the national redress scheme, along with any barriers to timely resolution of civil claims and the support given to survivors who used it.
Other options to provide justice, resolution and compensation to survivors and their families will also be considered.
The committee expects to report its findings by June next year.
Anti-Aukus rally in Melbourne
We’ve reported this week on growing concern among voters about China, with three out of four Australians believing that the superpower will pose a military threat to the country within 20 years.
It’s not a view everyone shares and tonight the Australian Anti-Aukus Coalition is holding an event in Melbourne to rally opposition to the government’s plan to spend billions of dollars buying US nuclear-powered submarines – a deal universally regarded as a response to defence concerns about rising Chinese power.
The top speaker at tonight’s rally, which has the slogan “No to nuclear submarines – no to war. Yes to peace, jobs, climate Justice” – will be former Labor minister and rock star Peter Garrett.
It also comes as a parliamentary inquiry heard yesterday that the ABC should be given much greater funding to boost its Asia Pacific coverage in order to counter Chinese propaganda.
Claire Gorman, the ABC’s head of international services, told the inquiry into supporting democracy in the region that China is spending at least $3bn a year on international media, compared with $11m for the ABC.
Full story here:
Welcome
Good morning and thanks for joining us for our rolling news coverage today. I’m Martin Farrer bringing you the best overnight stories before my colleague Natasha May fires up.
The Albanese government is under pressure to freeze or cap rising rents after the Senate set up an inquiry into the crisis facing tenants in a manoeuvre by the Greens to force action by Labor in the long-running standoff between the parties. The Greens and the Coalition teamed up on Monday to delay consideration of Labor’s $10bn housing Australia future fund (Haff) until 16 October. And yesterday they did it again to establish the inquiry, which will provide an interim report by 23 September.
Alcohol control groups say restrictions reintroduced earlier this year in the Northern Territory amid a well-publicised rise in crime are having a positive impact, with police statistics showing a drop in family violence callouts, property offences and other antisocial behaviour. Police data revealed a 37% decrease in domestic violence assaults from January to April, the advocates said, while all other assaults dropped 35% and property offences were down 25% over the same time period.
Civil liberties advocates are pushing back against a plan by the New South Wales Labor government to stop climate activists from livestreaming protests on Facebook. Under pressure to curb the protests, Minns announced via the Daily Telegraph yesterday that he would request a meeting with the social media giant, alongside police, to see what they can do to “stop the broadcast of illegal acts” and try to limit their impact. Independent crossbench MP Alex Greenwich said it was a “deeply concerning” development.
