What we learned today, Wednesday 22 October
That’s all for now, here’s what we covered today:
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, walked back her calls for the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, to be sacked.
Anthony Albanese’s official jet made an unplanned stop in St Louis, Missouri, after an accident involving an RAAF crew member.
Lidia Thorpe referred the Northern Territory’s attorney general, Marie-Claire Boothby, to the territory’s anti-corruption body.
A New South Wales police officer will now face a second charge over the alleged assault of Hannah Thomas.
Victoria police’s chief commissioner, Mike Bush, admitted it was the “wrong decision” to use a police helicopter to travel to a conference in Tasmania.
A Melbourne man was charged after he allegedly stole $9,000 in Labubu dolls earlier this year.
US-based Air T has made a bid to buy Rex Airlines more than a year after the airline entered voluntary administration.
Tasmania police recovered the body of a man believed to be missing hiker Daryl Fong.
Brittany Higgins reportedly dropped her appeal against the Western Australian supreme court decision that she defamed Linda Reynolds in a series of social media posts.
Thanks for joining us – stay safe in the heat and wind. We’ll be back again tomorrow.
Updated
Lidia Thorpe refers NT attorney general to anti-corruption watchdog
Lidia Thorpe has referred the Northern Territory’s attorney general, Marie-Claire Boothby, to the territory’s anti-corruption body after it was revealed she failed to disclose she was related to a man who was spared prison in September over a hit-and-run car crash that killed an Aboriginal man.
Thorpe said she was not accusing Boothby of any misconduct yet but believed the series of events raised “serious questions” about the case.
Jake Danby, 24, was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order in relation to the crash in June 2024. Danby hit two Aboriginal pedestrians, killing one, and fled the scene.
He then boasted about the incident to friends, according to text messages tendered in court. Danby wrote that it was “pretty funny watching them roll around on the road after going over my bonnet” and described the crash as a “two for one combo”.
Danby is Boothby’s sister’s son-in-law. Boothby told the ABC at the time she had previously informed the chief minister, Lia Finochiaro, that Danby was her sister’s step-son.
“I have never attempted to hide the fact that the driver was an extended family member,” Boothby told the ABC.
“At all times I have acted with integrity in carrying out my functions as attorney general.”
A spokesperson for Boothby said she “has had no involvement in this matter”.
Thorpe’s complaint to NT’s Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (Icac) claimed the territory’s attorney general’s department had tried to suppress communications between the courts and the media.
The Victorian federal senator said:
This isn’t just about one case. First Peoples are systematically discriminated against in the criminal legal system, we have no trust in it, particularly when we see government departments interfering behind the scenes.
Icac needs to get to the bottom of this, and the NT attorney general can’t just shrug it off. If she denies involvement, she should welcome an Icac investigation.
Updated
Telstra finds some Samsung phones not correctly connecting for triple zero calls
Telstra testing has found dozens of mobile phone models are “not correctly connecting” for triple zero calls, advising customers with one of 11 older Samsung Galaxy devices they will need to replace them.
In a statement on its website, Telstra has advised the issue relates to when a user’s primary mobile network is unavailable, when mobile devices are designed to automatically connect to another available network to place a triple zero call. In Telstra’s case that is Optus or Vodafone in Australia.
The statement says:
As part of our device testing, we’ve identified a number of older mobile devices that are not correctly connecting to the Vodafone mobile network to make triple zero calls, when the customer’s primary mobile network is unavailable. These devices need to be updated or replaced to make sure they work reliably in an emergency.
The network says 11 Samsung Galaxy devices that were released at least seven years ago will need to be replaced, while about 60 other Samsung devices can be fixed with a software update.
Telstra is reaching out to customers via email or SMS to advise them what to do based on their device. Under federal legislation, the network is required to block devices that are not configured to access emergency call services from accessing Australian mobile networks 28 days after they have been notified.
A full list of the impacted devices can be found here. Optus has published a similar message on its website. In a statement, Samsung said it was working with its carrier partners “to ensure all devices operate reliably in every emergency situation”.
A spokesperson for Vodafone said Telstra had advised it about the issue, which they described as “not a fault of the Vodafone network, but a limitation in how certain devices were originally configured to search for emergency connectivity”. The network has also identified users on its network that are affected and is offering them support.
Updated
Geelong Cup cancelled amid dangerous winds
The Geelong Cup, a key lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup, has been cancelled as dangerous winds played havoc at the Geelong Racing Club on Wednesday afternoon.
As the BoM issued a severe weather warning for several parts of Victoria, a decision to postpone racing came shortly after 2pm as fierce wind gusts of up to 76km/h hit the track at Geelong.
Some hospitality marquees had to be evacuated and parts of the running rail were knocked down.
With the dangerous conditions persisting, a call to abandon the remainder of the day’s racing was made an hour later.
Just three races were able to be run, and the remaining races, including the Geelong Cup – the winner of which earns a place in November’s Melbourne Cup – will now be rescheduled.
Racing Victoria indicated the remaining six races would be run on Thursday, at the same times as originally scheduled.
NSW police officer faces second charge over alleged assault of Hannah Thomas
A New South Wales police officer will now face a second charge over the alleged assault of Hannah Thomas, who sustained a serious eye injury after she was arrested at a protest in June.
NSW police said the 33-year-old senior constable, who last month was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, was on Wednesday also charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
The new charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, and the maximum for the assault charge is five years imprisonment.
Last month, the office of the director of public prosecutions (DPP) dropped all three charges against Thomas, and all but one charge against the other four protesters.
Thomas was arrested and charged alongside the four others at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on 27 June that was attended by about 60 people at SEC Plating.
Thomas, a former Greens candidate in the prime minister’s seat of Grayndler, was taken to hospital and underwent two rounds of surgery to her right eye. She will soon undergo a third.
NSW police said the officer would face Bankstown local court on 18 November.
Updated
Trade minister downplays effect of critical minerals deal on China relationship
Don Farrell, has just been speaking on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing. Asked about the implications of Australia’s framework agreement on critical minerals with the US on China, which has a near complete hold over the sector, he says:
I think Australia learned in the couple of parliaments ago what it means if you put all your eggs in one basket. And I think what this agreement does, it gives alternative sources of the critical minerals that are so important into the future. So yes, this does mean that America has more choices in terms of where it buys its critical minerals. But of course, for Australia … we’ll have the financial resources to develop these products and improve the prosperity of both our businesses and our workers in this country.
Farrell has not yet spoken with his Chinese counterpart since the US deal, but says: “We have a very good relationship with China.”
The prime minister, before he went to the US, was of course spending some time in China, he built a very strong relationship with the president of China. China is our largest trading partner by a long way … I don’t think the agreement with the US will have any impact on that at all. As I say, I expect to be warmly welcomed when I attend the big trade fair in Shanghai in a few weeks’ time.
The trade minister is also asked about Sunday’s incident in the South China Sea. He says:
I’m not the defence minister and I will leave comments on defence matters entirely to him.
Updated
Cancer Council concerned by ‘sustained, frequent and escalating’ use of vapes
In a statement, Cancer Council Victoria said while the study found smoking prevalence was lower than for vaping but still concerning, with 16% of participants reporting current smoking in 2024. About one in nine (12%) reported current dual use of both vaping and smoking products.
“Particularly concerning was the level of sustained, frequent, and escalating use of vapes over time, with almost half of the cohort reporting vaping across multiple years and 14% reporting daily vaping for two or more years in a row,” the Cancer Council Victoria statement said.
An encouraging finding was that vaping appears to have stabilised or slightly reduced between 2023 and 2024, which aligns with other Australian data suggesting that vaping may have stopped increasing among young people.
Study finds substantial increases in vaping among young people as age increases
A study which recruited 1,181 young people in Melbourne at the age of nine and surveyed them annually until 2024, when they turned 21, has found substantial increases in vaping prevalence as age increased.
It is the first Australian longitudinal data looking at patterns of smoking and vaping across adolescents among one cohort of young people, with the findings published overnight in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.
In 2024, 17.2% of study participants aged approximately 21 years old reported daily vaping and 29.5% reported current (at least monthly) vaping. The study found:
In contrast to arguments that vaping is largely short-lived among young people, almost half of these adolescents were estimated to be vaping across consecutive waves (of data collection), and 17.3% persistently vaped at least four days per week.
Among those who initiated vaping, more than one-third reported escalating use, and about one in five reported at least monthly vaping when they first reported use.
Updated
Wind gusts of 120km/h in western Victoria
Mount Gellibrand in southwest Victoria has seen wind gusts of 120km/h at 2.58pm local time, as a low pressure system brings strong and damaging winds across southern Australia.
Mount William in the Gariwerd/Grampians region saw gusts of 109km/h earlier in the day (11.18am). Port Fairy, Portland and Warrnambool have all recorded winds above 90km/h.
The Bureau of Meteorology expects widespread 90 to 100km/h winds to move into Melbourne by the afternoon, with stronger gusts possible through coastal areas and the Dandenong Ranges.
A watch and act warning has been issued by VicEmergency for coastal areas from the SA border to Codrington, asking people to prepare to take shelter due to destructive winds.
Environment minister confirms how new laws will deal with climate crisis
The federal government is at the pointy end of negotiations over it’s environment law reforms, with the environment minister Murray Watt telling Guardian Australia today he was still optimistic the laws would be passed before Christmas.
Watt’s office has just confirmed how the new laws will deal with climate crisis, and it is likely to come in for some harsh criticism from environment groups and the Greens, some of which had been asking for a “climate trigger” in the legislation.
Proponents of projects with expected greenhouse gas emissions above 100,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year will have to disclose them – something they’re not currently obliged to do – but this would exclude any emissions that come indirectly from their activity such as when fossil fuels are burned by a project’s customers.
Projects will also need a plan to reduce emissions, according to a statement from the minister’s office. Watt said:
By ensuring projects disclose their emissions, for the first time the public will know exactly what to expect from new projects and how they are accounting for our key climate policies, like the Safeguard Mechanism.
The safeguard mechanism covers Australia’s highest emitters – those that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2-e per year – and requires them to reduce emissions each year. Watt added:
It’s up to the Coalition and the Greens to decide whether or not they want to support these important reforms, or team up to keep the broken laws we have now, which aren’t protecting the environment and are stifling business investment.
Updated
Former senior Australian of the year and renowned scientist dies aged 87
Former chief scientist of Australia, Dr Jim Peacock, has died at the age of 87.
Peacock, a molecular biologist, held the role from 2006 until 2008 and was also a former president of the Australian Academy of Science and senior Australian of the year in 2013.
Current president of the academy, Prof Chennupati Jagadish AC, said Peacock had made a “significant effort” to attend an annual event held by the body six weeks ago and would be remembered as a champion of the field.
Jim made outstanding contributions to Australian science, agriculture and science education over many years.
Peacock was responsible for the development of insect-resistant cotton in Australia, removing the dependence on agrichemicals, and established the CSIRO discovery centre in Canberra.
Hume says calls for Rudd to be sacked ‘little bit churlish’, praising his ‘good work’
Earlier, Liberal senator Jane Hume was asked on Sky News about what she made of calls from colleagues including Sussan Ley for Kevin Rudd to be sacked or resign. Here’s what she said:
There is no doubt that that the president made a bit of a goose of Kevin Rudd, and perhaps so he should for those ill-advised, ill-considered tweets that he made, but that was a while ago. I think, though, that the call for Kevin Rudd to resign or stand down, the call for his position to be untenable now, is probably a little bit churlish.
The work, clearly, has been done on critical minerals and rare earths by Kevin Rudd personally, and I think that he should be acknowledged for that good work. This really was … a team Australia moment. We’ve got an outcome that was in the national interest. It’s something that we should acknowledge and celebrate.
Updated
Ley walks back calls for Rudd to be sacked as ambassador to US
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has walked back her calls for the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, to be sacked after she said his position was “untenable” after his awkward exchange with Donald Trump.
At a press conference in Sydney earlier today, Ley was asked about comments made by Liberal senator Jane Hume on Sky News this morning in which the former shadow minister, now a backbencher, said it was “a little but churlish” to call for Rudd’s termination.
Ley said she “welcome[d] all the comments from my talented backbench”.
Asked if her calling for Rudd to be sacked was a “captain’s call”, Ley appeared to distance herself from her earlier position. She said:
Kevin Rudd is the prime minister’s choice for ambassador. It’s a big job. What was clear yesterday was that the prime minister has a lot of catching up to do with respect to the relationship with the US and the next steps.
I welcomed yesterday that important first moves and meetings have happened, but there is a lot more to happen, including the relief on tariffs that other countries have been able to secure.
Updated
Prime minister’s plane back in the air after crew member’s medical emergency
Following an unscheduled stop in Missouri due to a crew member’s medical emergency, Anthony Albanese’s official jet is back in the air and headed back toward Australia.
An RAAF crew member suffered an injury. Just a few hours after taking off from Washington DC, en route to Sydney, the plane diverted to St Louis to allow the service member to be helped off the plane and taken for medical attention.
Neither Albanese, his travelling party, nor members of the media onboard the plane were harmed. The jet stayed around two hours on the ground, to allow for some refuelling.
Updated
That’s all for me. Penry Buckley will take over from here. Take care, and stay hydrated.
China lobs accusations at Australia after flare incident
China has accused Australia of attempting to “cover up” illegally entering its airspace over a disputed territory in the South China Sea on the weekend.
On Monday, the Australian government alleged a Chinese fighter jet had released flares dangerously close to an Australian aerial surveillance plane conducting a flight over international waters near the Paracel, or Xisha, Islands. The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, said the act was “unsafe and unprofessional” and could have resulted in harm to personnel and damage to the aircraft.
But China’s defence ministry has hit back at the statements, claiming Australia “confuses right and wrong and shifts the blame to China in an attempt to cover up the despicable behaviour of its military aircraft illegally invading Chinese airspace”.
China’s defence ministry spokesperson, Jiang Bin, said its fighter jet’s actions were “legitimate, lawful, professional, and restrained”.
Australia, in its infringing and provocative actions against China, falsely accuses China’s rights protection actions of being ‘unsafe’ and ‘unprofessional’. Such fallacies are unfounded. We urge Australia to immediately cease its infringing and provocative actions and propaganda, strictly restrain the actions of its frontline naval and air forces, and avoid damaging the relations between China and Australia and between the two militaries.
Yesterday, the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said China’s claims Australia illegally entered its airspace were “factually incorrect”.
Sydney temperatures climb 10C in 90 minutes
Weather observations at Sydney’s Observatory Hill show the mercury has climbed more than 10C in a period of 90 minutes.
Temperatures were 26.5C at 12.30pm, and had reached 37C just before 2pm.
The heat was expected to continue to rise as winds increased and pushed heat towards the coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
If Sydney CBD gets to 39C as forecast, the city’s October heat record of 38.2C, set in 2004 at Observatory Hill, would fall.
More here:
Updated
Home affairs issues direction preventing staff from bragging about security clearances online
The secretary of the home affairs department, Stephanie Foster, issued a new direction to public servants and contractors prohibiting them from disclosing or alluding to their access to security classified material online.
The new direction came after the Asio director general, Mike Burgess, warned in August that public servants and security contractors with access to sensitive national security information were making it easy for spies to target them, including by posting on LinkedIn.
In the new direction, Foster states there is a “pressing need” to address the issue. She said:
Security clearances afford personnel privileged access to Australian Government security classified information and resources. Public disclosure of security clearance information and indicating or alluding to access to security classified information makes personnel, and the entities they work for, vulnerable to targeting, including cultivation and exploitation, or cyber and physical security compromise, by foreign powers.
The home affairs department will work with social media providers to “access publicly available data to identify non-compliance” the direction states.
Online platforms covered by the direction include all publicly accessible websites, social media, and other platforms like LinkedIn, but would exclude Hansard.
Non-government entities under the direction must by 1 December establish a similar policy prohibiting disclosure of information about security clearance online, and train staff on foreign interference and espionage as part of annual security awareness training.
Temperatures now above 36c in Sydney CBD
Temperatures shot up more than 8 degrees over the last hour in the Sydney CBD. It’s now 36.8 degrees, according to readings from Observatory Hill.
The Bureau of Meteorology says Parramatta is 38.5, Coogee is 38.2, Richmond is just above 38, and Canterbury is 37.3.
Updated
‘A perfect coincidence’: rare red lightning captured in New Zealand skies
A trio of photographers in New Zealand have captured images of “red sprites”, or red lightning, one of the rarest light phenomena in the world, in which luminous crimson flashes appear in the sky.
New Zealand photographer Tom Rae and Spanish photographers Dan Zafra and José Cantabrana set out to shoot the Milky Way over the Ōmārama Clay cliffs in the South Island on 11 October when they chanced upon the extraordinary event.
The photographers thought they would be lucky to get clear skies that evening, but their night turned into “an unforgettable one”, Rae told the Guardian.
Updated
Lawyer says NSW police have spent ‘enough time, money and resources on these charges’
Dr Josh Pallas, the legal director of Climate Defenders Australia, who is representing 50 others who were charged under the same section of the act as the four protesters who had their charges dismissed, said yesterday’s decision was “decisive and clear”:
Following the court’s decision, we call on the police to promptly withdraw all s 214A charges against the Rising Tide arrestees.
The police have spent enough time, money and resources on these charges. The police as prosecutors must act in the public interest, and the public interest – and the interests of justice – can only be served if these charges are withdrawn.
Last year’s protest had faced multiple hurdles from the police and the government before going ahead. The court sided with the police’s decision to knock back the protesters’ form one, which would have protected the protesters from being charged under the anti-protest laws and Summary Offences Act.
The New South Wales government had also imposed a maritime exclusion zone around the port which restricted anyone entering the water over a four-day period in a bid to stop the protest. However, Rising Tide challenged this in court, which found the move invalid and an improper use of the act.
Updated
Lawyer for protesters who allegedly tried to block coal ships says charges should be dismissed
A lawyer representing 50 protesters who allegedly attempted to block coal ships in the port of Newcastle last November has called for the charges against them to be dropped after four others had their charges dismissed yesterday.
133 people were arrested and charged during a protest demanding greater climate action held last year, which will again take place at the end of November. At least 50 of those people are facing charges under section 214A of the Crimes Act, which makes serious disruption or obstruction of a major facility an offence and carries a maximum penalty of 2 years in prison.
Four protesters – Noah Bruce-Allen, Roisin McSweeney, Andrew George and Joanna Gardner – had the 214A charge against them dismissed in Newcastle local court yesterday after a magistrate found there was a lack of reliable evidence over whether they had yet entered the shipping lane at the time of arrest.
They are the first of the 133 protesters charged at the protest, which was held by Rising Tide, to have their matters finalised in court.
Updated
Scott Farquhar praises Tech Council CEO’s contribution to the sector
Since Kassabgi became CEO, the tech council has taken a prominent role in public debate over the role of artificial intelligence in Australia.
Most recently the council’s chair, billionaire Scott Farquhar, has been pushing for the federal government to give AI companies an exemption to copyright law that would allow AI to be trained on the works of creatives without paying them for the privilege.
Kassabgi said in the note that under his leadership that the TCA had expanded and has been set up in a stronger financial position for the future.
I’ll always be one to promote and support the TCA in any capacity, especially as we change the conversation on AI, and ensure we take our piece of the innovation pie. I’ve never been more confident about the future of Australian tech, especially with the growth of emerging companies in climate and health.
Farquhar said in a statement that Kassabgi has been a valued contributor and asset to TCA and the Australian tech sector.
Updated
Tech Council’s chief executive resigns 16 months into the role
Damian Kassabgi, the chief executive of industry lobby group the Tech Council of Australia, has resigned from the role just 16 months into his tenure, citing difficulty in work-life balance while living in regional northern NSW.
Kassabgi told members in a note on Wednesday that he intends to resign as CEO, but will remain in the role until “well into the new year” when a new CEO is found. He said:
The reality for me being in regional Australia with a young family means that I am looking to find a better and healthier balance (than being on planes all the time).
As many of you know, I love the sector and always saw this role as giving back to an industry that has been good to me and my career. I am looking to stay in the role as the board finds a replacement to ensure a smooth transition.
Updated
Sydney CBD temperature still in the mid-20s as western suburbs start to heat up
City workers, including those at the Guardian’s Sydney office, have been watching the temperature amid forecasts for extreme heat. But the mercury has hovered in the mid-20s here most of the day.
That’s going to change soon, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
Dean Narramore, a senior meteorologist with the Bom, said several Sydney suburbs are already hitting very high temperatures, but a weak north-easterly wind is keeping that heat from the CBD for now.
Every time we’re talking about heat everyone’s watching it like a hawk.
Right now, we’ve got just a very weak north-easterly, but the heat has already hit [the] western suburbs. It’s 37 in Richmond, Terry Hills 35, Olympic park 35, Canterbury 34. …
As we move through the day, the winds will push towards the coast [and bring the heat with them].
Narramore said the high temperatures were “almost in the city”, and the CBD should be boiling in the mid to late afternoon. Sydney International airport is currently sitting around 31c.
Updated
Queensland nurses vote to accept pay deal
Nurses and midwives have voted to accept a Queensland Health pay deal after an “epic ten-month” negotiation process.
The secretary of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU), Sarah Beaman, said 83% of nurses voted to take the agreement. She said the offer was worth about $1.8bn to the 60,000 nurses and midwives in the state’s public health system.
Nurses took industrial action for the first time in 23 years during the negotiations. Beaman said:
I note Queensland Health repeatedly threatened to strip nurses and midwives of backpay if they took protected industrial action to improve wages and conditions.
Because you stood strong, you and thousands of your colleagues will receive considerable pay increases, back pay and improved conditions. You will know your actions helped guide and protect the future of free care and the wellbeing of Queenslanders state-wide.
The EB12 agreement will now go to the Queensland industrial relations commission for certification, which is expected to take a few weeks. Nurses will receive backpay from April once the agreement is certified.
Updated
Prime minister’s plane makes unplanned stop in US after crew member requires medical attention
Anthony Albanese’s official jet has made an unplanned stop in St Louis, Missouri, after an accident involving an RAAF crew member.
Albanese’s jet – carrying members of his staff, public servants and members of the media – set off from Washington DC several hours ago, to arrive back in Australia on Thursday. But an RAAF member required medical attention following an accident on board, prompting an unplanned stop in the American midwest.
Albanese and other members of the official party are well, and there seem to be no other issues with the plane. It’s expected the plane will continue on to Australia as planned.
Updated
Here’s how to protect your pets in a heatwave
Parts of Australia are set to swelter through a scorching Wednesday, with temperatures in Sydney predicted to approach 40C and high fire danger forecast across most of Queensland.
While many will be taking to air-conditioned offices, shopping centres or beaches to escape the rising mercury, pets can struggle to keep their cool in a heatwave.
The RSPCA recommends several ways that pet owners can minimise the risk of their animals experiencing discomfort or even heatstroke.
Read more here:
Updated
First renders of Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop stations released
The Victorian government has chosen its preferred builder to build Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill stations on the Suburban Rail Loop, as it released the first renders of each.
The minister for the project, Harriet Shing, on Wednesday announced Place Alliance – a consortium which includes John Holland, Kellogg Brown and Root and Arup Australia – as the preferred bidder, meaning it will now be party to negotiations to build the underground stations.
She said the consortium had “deep experience delivering major and transformational infrastructure projects”, including Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel, Sydney Metro and WestConnex.
The two other shortlisted bidders Connexus and ESPA will now compete for the second stations contract for Cheltenham, Clayton and Monash.
Shing also announced on Wednesday that Terra Verde, the construction group selected to tunnel the northern section of twin tunnels connecting Glen Waverley and Box Hill, has moved on to the construction site at Burwood.
The $34.5bn SRL East will travel from Cheltenham to Box Hill, with 26km of twin tunnels connecting six new underground stations. The government has said it will be completed by 2035.
Updated
Legal challenge against Queensland’s ban on gender-affirming care in public hospitals begins
Supreme court of Queensland Justice Peter Callaghan will hear a challenge that, if successful, would overturn a health service directive which limits prescription of puberty-blocking hormones to transgender children in state hospitals. Cisgender children continue to have access to the treatment.
In January, the sex discrimination commissioner, Anna Cody, denounced the decision as “discriminatory”, saying it “has the potential to harm the physical and mental wellbeing of children in Queensland who are currently awaiting care”.
There were 491 children on the Queensland gender clinic’s waiting list at the time the ban was put in place.
Guardian Australia revealed earlier this year that director-general David Rosengren held just 21 minutes’ consultation on the directive – a legal requirement under the act – at the same time the minister announced the decision. That will form the basis for one part of Wednesday’s challenge.
The court is expected to hear several witnesses today. The challenge was launched on behalf of a mother of a transgender child; neither can be named for legal reasons.
There is also a separate human rights and anti-discrimination class action challenge against the decision currently before Qcat.
Updated
Victoria police commissioner says it was ‘wrong decision’ to charter police chopper to conference
Victoria police’s chief commissioner, Mike Bush, has admitted it was the “wrong decision” to use a police helicopter to travel to a conference in Tasmania instead of taking a commercial flight.
The Herald Sun on Wednesday morning revealed Bush travelled to Hobart using the Victoria police air wing on Monday afternoon to attend the annual Australian and New Zealand Police Commissioners Forum.
Police said Bush was joined on the flight by two support staff and the New Zealand police commissioner. They said the group did not take the police plane “due to strong winds in Tasmania”.
The chopper ended up being grounded in Hobart on Monday night after a mechanical issue. It flew back to Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Bush said:
It was the wrong decision. We should have looked harder for a commercial flight. While there were no impacts on community safety or financial costs to Victoria Police as the flight fell within our contracted hours with the Air Wing provider, it creates a poor impression at a challenging time for our organisation.
Updated
NSW rural fire service urges people to be prepared, and take care during extreme heat
Trent Curtin, commissioner of the NSW rural fire service, urged people in the state to be prepared in case any dangerous fires break out today, or during the coming fire season.
Curtin spoke to ABC News, saying the service was asking everyone to “think about those conditions and pay attention to those conditions” as NSW braces for an extreme heatwave. He said:
Serious and potentially extreme fire danger conditions [exist] across New South Wales and into Sydney, the Illawarra and the Hunter regions.
Those highly populated areas in Wollongong, Newcastle and right across the Greater Sydney area could see extreme fire danger conditions this afternoon.
We’re asking everyone to think about those conditions and pay attention to those conditions.
Curtin said the unseasonably warm weather today “is a really good reminder that these conditions can come up really quickly and people should have their homes prepared for these types of circumstances”.
US senators say they hope relationship with Australia ‘continues to grow’ under Aukus deal
US senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jim Risch, the ranking member and chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, said they hope the reaffirmed Aukus submarine deal will only continue to grow the relationship with Australia after Anthony Albanese’s visit to Washington DC this week.
The senators, a Democrat and Republican respectively, said in a joint statement the Aukus deal would help counter China’s influence in the Pacific and benefit both nations:
It was our pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Albanese to the Capitol today. Australia has long been a true friend of the United States, and it is our sincere hope that our relationship only continues to grow, most notably with the continuation of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) agreement and the recently announced critical minerals deal.
Together, we will push back against adversaries like China that threaten us and our allies in the Indo-Pacific. We will work to ensure our critical mineral supply chains are free from Chinese coercion. And we will continue to bolster our security and economic cooperation for the benefit of both the Australian and American people.
Updated
Where did this record-breaking October heat come from?
As Sydney heads for a possible 39C on Wednesday, the weather bureau says Wednesday’s two extreme weather stories are connected – with a low pressure system and strong winds in the south driving the heat east.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist, Dean Narramore, explained that heat had built up through parts of Western Australia, inland Northern Territory and northern South Australia over the past few weeks, and was now being pushed east by the low pressure system moving across southern states.
This really strong weather system moving across the south has finally captured and dragged that heat across the country.
That’s why we’ve seen record heat over the weekend through WA and SA, and then that record heat is now moving to New South Wales and Queensland yesterday and today, as that system continues to drag that heat towards the east coast.
Further south [in southern SA, Victoria, and Tasmania] near to that low, that’s where we’re seeing widespread rain, and we’re going to see the really strong and damaging winds on the backside of the low.
Updated
Melbourne man charged after $9,000 in Labubus seized
A man in Melbourne was charged with four counts of burglary and two counts of theft after he allegedly stole $9,000 in Labubu dolls earlier this year.
Victoria police said they executed a warrant at a property on Tuesday, where they allegedly found 43 Labubus, including some that were special limited editions valued at $500 apiece.
The police said the dolls were allegedly stolen during four separate burglaries from a shopping centre in July.
The man was released on bail and will appear before court next year.
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NSW health minister urges people to stay cool and hydrated today
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, is urging residents to take steps to protect themselves today.
Park said people should ensure they are hydrated and stay cool, avoiding the outdoors when possible and keeping your home cool by closing doors, windows, curtains or blinds. He said in a statement:
Let’s also look out for another, our older friends and family; babies and young children; and pregnant women.
Signs of heat-related illnesses include slurred speech, loss of consciousness, muscle twitching, rapid breathing or a rapid pulse. Emergency departments see more presentations during times of high temperatures.
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BoM says parts of Sydney could ‘flirt with 40 degrees’ today as state gets steamy
Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said parts of Sydney could “flirt with 40 degrees today” as major heat settles over the state.
Hines said in a new release:
Sydney is forecast to reach 39 degrees today, a blistering day for the state capital, and all of the suburbs around the Sydney metro area are forecast to reach the high 30s.
And certainly not out of the question that parts of the city could flirt with 40 degrees today, and we will be very near record temperatures around the Sydney area for this time of year.
North of the city, Gosford and Newcastle are predicted to reach 39, while in Wollongong to the south residents should brace for a high of 37.
Parts of the NSW tablelands and western slopes are expected to be 12 to 15 degrees higher than their usual October temperatures.
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US company Air T enters bid to buy Rex Airlines
A US company has made a bid to buy Rex Airlines, administrators confirmed last night, more than a year after the airline entered voluntary administration, Australian Associated Press reports.
North Carolina-based Air T – which operates a number of aviation businesses in the US – has entered a sale and implementation deed with EY, the administrators of Rex.
“The sale and implementation deed is subject to customary conditions precedent for a transaction of this type including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by creditors,” the administrators’ announcement said.
The estimated return to the airline’s creditors is being determined.
No return to shareholders is expected and the company is no longer listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
The federal government has been propping up the airline to ensure regional and remote communities remain serviced, buying $50m in debt and loaning up to $80m.
Catherine King, the federal transport minister, said last night’s announcement marked a positive step to bringing the airline out of voluntary administration.
The government has also entered an agreement with Air T around the restructure of financing arrangements in connection with the acquisition.
“This will allow Rex to keep flying and maintain critical aviation links for regional communities,” King said.
Rex went into voluntary administration in July 2024, after a failed bid to compete with rival airlines on capital city routes.
Police find body believed to be missing hiker in Tasmania
Tasmania police have recovered the body of a man believed to be missing hiker Daryl Fong, who went missing in the state’s Mount Field national park on Sunday 12 October.
Police said this morning search and rescue crews discovered the remains at 6pm yesterday after a lengthy search. Teams worked in difficult conditions, including waist-deep snow and gale-force winds during the effort.
Fong set out earlier this month on a solo hike, with the intent of photographing the Tarn Shelf circuit.
Insp Luke Horne said in a statement:
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all search crews, particularly the volunteers, who worked tirelessly in these extreme conditions. Their dedication and resilience are a vital part of our rescue capability and consistently go above and beyond.
Daryl’s family and friends have requested privacy during this difficult time as they come to terms with the loss of their son and friend.
No suspicious circumstances have been identified.
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Mayor of inner Melbourne council charged with assault
Stephen Jolly, the independent mayor of Yarra council in Melbourne’s inner north, has been charged with one count of common assault following an alleged incident at an election celebration party in November last year, which he claims was gatecrashed by masked intruders.
Speaking to Guardian Australia, Jolly called it a “bullshit charge” and said he would “vigorously, vigorously defend myself” should the matter go to court, saying he had numerous witnesses to back up his version of events.
In a statement on social media, Jolly wrote:
As this matter may go before a court, there are legal restrictions about what I can say other than I am totally innocent and look forward to vigorously defending myself, if I end up needing to. I will not be diverted from my job of representing the people of Yarra.
Rudd doing ‘a fantastic job’, Albanese maintains
Anthony Albanese is doing a round of breakfast TV appearances on his way out of the US. On ABC News, he said he’d had a “terrific meeting” with Donald Trump and his cabinet, saying he’d spent around three hours with the president.
“We have a very good relationship, and we can talk with each other at any time,” Albanese said.
In an earlier press conference, Albanese said Trump had given him a tour of the Oval Office, White House and its grounds, including seeing the president’s plans to build a new ballroom at the property.
Albanese said Australia would continue to “respectfully and diplomatically” make the case for US tariffs to be dropped, and that he’d tried making this case to Trump directly – but indicated the lack of such movement didn’t really sour his visit.
Nor did the altercation between Trump and the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd. Albanese said “it was fine”, noting Trump told Rudd that he was forgiven, and dismissing the president’s comments as “some banter”.
“It wasn’t, certainly, a significant moment … all’s good. Kevin Rudd’s doing a fantastic job,” Albanese said.
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Brittany Higgins drops defamation appeal – reports
Brittany Higgins has dropped her appeal against the Western Australia supreme court decision that she defamed Linda Reynolds in a series of social media posts, according to reports.
In August the state supreme court judge Paul Tottle ruled that the former defence minister’s reputation was damaged by a 2022 social media post from David Sharaz, which Higgins responded to, and an Instagram story published by Higgins in July 2023.
Tottle found Higgins had defamed Reynolds in an Instagram story on 4 July 2023, which shared a screenshot of headlines publicising Reynolds’ intention to refer Higgins’ $2.445m personal injury settlement to the federal anti-corruption body and accused her of mishandling her alleged rape and waging a campaign of harassment.
Higgins was ordered to pay Reynolds $315,000 in damages with an additional $26,109.25 in interest. She was also found liable for Reynolds’ court and legal fees which could amount to more than $1m
Higgins filed an appeal notice against the court’s judgment in September, but the ABC reported last night that she filed a notice to the WA supreme court to discontinue the appeal.
It comes a week after Reynolds launched bankruptcy proceedings against Higgins in an effort to claim more than $1m in damages and legal fees.
Critical minerals deal takes US-Australia relationship to ‘another level’, Albanese says
Speaking about the critical minerals deal with the US, Albanese told the breakfast event that it took the relationship between the two countries to “another level.”
In what those in the room took as a clear reference to China, Albanese said the supply of critical minerals would make an “enormous difference so that we reduce our vulnerability from people who would seek to manipulate markets in order to secure any potential advantage that they think they might achieve”.
“So we stand together,” he said. “It’s been a fantastic visit, I’ve got to say. And I’m overwhelmed by the extraordinary turnout.”
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PM says Australia and US face uncertain world, but ‘don’t have to question’ our relationship
In Albanese’s comments to the congressional breakfast, he also thanked US politicians for backing Aukus.
“We do live in an uncertain world. That’s the truth,” Albanese told the breakfast event, adding:
It’s moving in ways not just in international geopolitics but just with the transformation that we’ve seen with artificial intelligence, with technology and the impact it will have on the nature of work.
However, he said that – in an uncertain world – there were “some things which are your foundations, of which you don’t have to question”.
“One of the things we don’t have to question is our relationship” with the US, he said.
Albanese thanks Kevin Rudd for his work in Washington
Anthony Albanese finished up his second and final day of a lightning-quick Washington DC trip, meeting US congressional leaders and whipping up support for the Aukus deal while praising Kevin Rudd’s work as Australian ambassador.
At a breakfast event at Blair House – the president’s guest house, where Albanese is staying – the PM called the critical minerals deal a “gamechanger”, and championed the Aukus security partnership as central to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.
“I want to personally thank [Rudd] for the work that he does,” Albanese told the gathering of about 40 Democratic and Republican politicians.
If there’s a harder working ambassador on the Hill, then please let me know because Kevin works his guts out and he seems to know everything.
Albanese said Australia “has no greater friend or ally than the United States … We have stood side by side for over 100 years, through good times and through bad”.
Rudd, in his comments to the breakfast, thanked the congressional leaders for supporting Aukus. The ambassador said:
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, because without you, it would not be possible.
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Good morning
Nick Visser here to take things over. Let’s dive in.
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Total fire bans in place across NSW
Hot, dry and windy weather means high fire danger is expected across most of Queensland and NSW on Wednesday.
Extreme conditions are forecast, and total fire bans are in place in the following areas today: greater Sydney, greater Hunter, Illawarra and Shoalhaven, the Upper Central West Plains and North Western.
Insp James Morris, a spokesperson for the NSW rural fire service, said:
We’re likely to see very hot temperatures, very windy conditions and very low humidity – very dry across most parts. That combined with increased fuel loads – that’s the biggest risk.
Firefighting resources have been positioned in high-risk areas, with additional crews on standby and firefighting aircraft and specialist teams ready to respond at short notice.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson said:
We’re asking everyone to take the time now to prepare.
Clear leaves and debris from gutters and yards, move flammable materials away from your home, and check that hoses and pumps are working. Know your plan – if you live in a bushfire-prone area, understand your trigger points for leaving early.
NSW health authorities urge residents to take precautions ahead of hot weather
A NSW Health spokesperson has reminded people to take precautions in Wednesday’s high temperatures, given hot weather has the potential to cause severe illness requiring hospital admission, and can even be deadly.
Heat can also exacerbate people’s underlying health conditions (including heart, kidney, respiratory disease, diabetes and mental illness) and can result in people presenting to hospital emergency departments (EDs) and other health care services.
Simple prevention strategies include staying indoors during the hottest times of the day, closing doors, windows, blinds and curtains early to keep hot air and sun out in the day, staying hydrated and carrying a water bottle when outside.
People experiencing signs of heat-related illness like headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and cramps, should cool down right away, move out of the sun and seek shade or air conditioning, take a cool shower or bath if possible and take sips of water.
Don’t forget to keep your pets cool as well – we’ve assembled some tips for helping protect animals in a heatwave:
Sydney braces for potentially record-breaking heat
The Bureau of Meteorology expects today to be hot, dry and windy across large parts of New South Wales following days of record-breaking heat across several states.
If temperatures in Sydney’s CBD reach 39C as forecast for today, the city’s October heat record of 38.2C, set in 2004 at Observatory Hill, could fall.
The weather bureau expects temperatures approaching 40C in the western suburbs.
On Tuesday, both Queensland and New South Wales recorded their highest ever October temperatures.
The Queensland outback town of Birdsville broke a new record on Tuesday, hitting 46.1C at 2.28pm local time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, making it the highest October temperature recorded in the state. The state’s previous October record was 45.1C at Birdsville police station on 31 October 1995.
NSW also recorded its highest ever October temperature, with Bourke airport reaching 44.8C at 4pm local time on Tuesday. The previous NSW record for the month was 43.9C at Brewarrina on 31 October 1919.
Read more here:
The weather bureau has issued a warning for damaging winds for almost all of the state of Victoria this morning.
Strong northwest to westerly winds averaging 50 to 60 km/h with damaging gusts to 100 km/h are likely to develop over southwestern Victoria and elevated areas during Wednesday morning, then extend eastwards over the remainder of the warning area including Melbourne during the afternoon, the bureau says.
Damaging west to southwesterly winds averaging 60 to 80 km/h with gusts to 100 to 120 km/h are likely to develop over the far southwest later Wednesday morning, and shift eastwards over the southern parts of the Central district including Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula during the early afternoon, and into south Gippsland mid to late afternoon.
Destructive wind gusts to 130 km/h are possible about the coast west of Cape Otway during the late morning and afternoon.
Conditions are expected to ease over the north and west later Wednesday afternoon
The SES advises people to avoid travel if possible and steer clear of potential hazards, to check that loose items, such as outdoor settings, umbrellas and trampolines are safely secured, to move vehicles under cover or away from trees and to stay indoors.
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 with the main action.
Sydneysiders are bracing themselves for what could be the hottest October day ever recorded. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast that today will be hot, dry and windy across large parts of New South Wales and that temperatures in Sydney’s CBD could reach 39C, beating the city’s October heat record of 38.2C set in 2004 at Observatory Hill.
Meanwhile, there’s a severe weather warning for Melbourne and elsewhere in Victoria this morning for “damaging, locally destructive winds”.
In other news, a US company has put in a bid for the beleaguered regional airline Rex. More on that soon.
