What we learned; Thursday 29 May
That’s the end of today’s blog and we’ll leave you with this wrap-up for the evening:
This winter will be warmer and, in some places, wetter than average, the Bureau of Meteorology says. Some states also have an increased risk of fire.
Actor and comedian Magda Szubanski has been diagnosed with a “very rare, very aggressive” form of blood cancer. She said the diagnosis has been rough, but she is hopeful about her recovery.
One Nation won an extra Senate seat after the AEC confirmed upper house results in WA and Queensland today. The party will now have three senators, including Pauline Hanson.
Sussan Ley defended the demotion of women in shadow cabinet amid criticisms the number of women in leadership had fallen.
A man has been arrested three decades after a NSW woman disappeared, and three years after her cold case was reopened.
The ACCC is investigating why it’s so expensive to sell a house in Australia. News Corp’s REA Group, the company behind realestate.com.au, is being investigated amid complaints over its market dominance.
Australia’s rates of bowel cancer in people under 50 are the highest in the world, and early onset cases are increasing by up to 8% per year. What are the early signs, and how can young Australians get tested for it?
Have a good one, see you bright and early tomorrow.
Updated
Modernist works by Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso head to Australia for the first time
Modernist artworks from Germany’s Museum Berggruen are on show in Australia for the first time, including big names such as Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso, the AAP reports. Cézanne to Giacometti: Highlights from Museum Berggruen is the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra’s winter blockbuster show.
The museum collection has been touring internationally while its Berlin building is closed for renovation, and the exhibition has already visited half a dozen cities and been viewed by about a million people. But the Australian version is different – it’s no out-of-the-box show, instead integrating art from giants of European modernism with works by Australian artists.
The exhibition opens Saturday and runs till September 21.
Chinese paraglider accidentally found himself more than 8,000 metres high
In today’s yikes moment, a Chinese paraglider survived after an updraft carried him more than 8,000 metres into the air in the Qilian mountain range in northern China – a height in-line with flight paths and nearly the elevation of Mount Everest. He has been banned from flying for six months after footage of the ordeal went viral. Check it out below:
And read more from The Guardian’s Helen Davidson here:
• This post was amended and the video removed on 31 May after it emerged that some of the footage of the flight appears to have been AI generated
Updated
Deaths in custody remain ‘matter of concern for the nation’, Malarndirri McCarthy says
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said the issue of deaths in custody remained a matter of concern for the nation after the death of an Indigenous man in Alice Springs this week. The 24-year-old died after being restrained by police who intervened during an altercation at a Coles supermarket. McCarthy told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
Even the high rates of incarceration of First Nations people is a matter of concern across Australia, but especially here in the Northern Territory. We have to look at these issues, we have to look at the opportunity for anything other than jail time.
McCarthy said the man’s death had led to an “incredibly difficult” and “very traumatic time for families”.
Updated
WA teal MP says North West Shelf decision based on ‘fundamental problem’
WA teal independent Kate Chaney, who represents the seat of Curtin in Perth, said she opposes Labor’s decision to extend the life of Woodside’s contentious North West Shelf gas development until 2070. Chaney told Afternoon Briefing:
Like any project, it should go ahead when it stacks up and takes into account environmental, cultural issues and climate impact. This has not taken into account climate impact …
This is a project that is being approved through 2070, when my kids will be grandparents, and I just don’t buy that this is a necessary decision to make now, given what we know about the climate impact of the project.
Chaney went on to say environment minister Murray Watt’s decision was based on a regulatory framework that does not take climate impact into account.
And that is the fundamental problem.
Updated
Kevin Hogan says Coalition should ‘absolutely’ aspire to have more women in leadership
Shadow trade minister Kevin Hogan was asked about criticisms that Coalition leadership had fewer women than under Peter Dutton’s final shadow cabinet. Hogan told Afternoon Briefing:
I think that should always be an aspiration that we have ... I think we should always aspire to have more women representatives.
Hogan went on to say that Dutton’s shadow cabinet had a similar make-up of men and women in the last parliament, but “that made no difference to people’s voting intentions”.
But I take your point.
You can read more here:
Updated
One Nation wins extra Senate seat, with Tyron Whitten claiming the sixth spot in WA
The Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed upper house results in WA and Queensland today, with exactly the same results in both states: With six seats on offer in each, both have elected two Labor, two Coalition, one Green and one from One Nation.
In QLD, the LNP’s Paul Scarr was first elected, alongside colleague Susan McDonald; Nita Green from Labor was elected second, alongside Corinne Mulholland. Larissa Waters, the Greens leader, came fifth and Pauline Hanson’s deputy Malcolm Roberts came in sixth position.
In WA, Labor’s Ellie Whiteaker was first elected, alongside Varun Ghosh; Slade Brockman for the Liberals was second, with Matt O’Sullivan; the Greens’ Jordon Steele-John was re-elected in fourth spot, with Whitten coming sixth.
It will take One Nation to three senators, alongside Hanson who is up for election next term.
Whitten, according to a bio on One Nation’s website, “believes in a strong national energy policy that prioritises Australian resources, making power more affordable and reliable. He will also fight to end the reckless mass immigration policies that are driving up housing costs and putting immense strain on infrastructure and essential services”. The bio adds:
Our government is selling out Australians with policies that benefit corporations and global bureaucracies while leaving our own people struggling. It’s time to put Australians first.
Updated
Ayres says Albanese will stand up for Australia if he speaks with Donald Trump at G7 next month
The ABC’s Patricia Karvelas asked Ayres how the prime minister will advocate for the country after the tariff ruling at next month’s G7 summit in Canada. He said:
I think what you’d expect to see is Anthony Albanese as the Australian prime minister standing up for Australia’s interest in a calm and consistent way. It certainly won’t be, as you say, begging any global leader for anything. We do things the Australian way here.
Updated
Tim Ayres says Labor will keep pushing Australian interests after US court blocks Trump tariffs
Industry and science minister Tim Ayres said the Labor government would continue to focus on advancing Australia’s interests, saying he was reluctant to comment on a recent court ruling that blocked US president Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs. Ayers said the most “sensible” approach would be to wait and see what happens in the US court system rather than get too excited by the move, adding to the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
What we want to do is keep squarely focused on Australia’s interest …
[The tariffs are] an unwelcome development in terms of the bilateral relationship, the bilateral economic relationship, but what I’m concerned about as well, and the government is concerned about, is the impact on the rules-based order and the global trading system that Australia relies upon so much.
Updated
Queensland begins review of puberty blockers
Queensland’s review of puberty blockers has begun. Health minister Tim Nicholls banned all public prescribing of puberty blockers for transgender children in January. They are still available for cisgender children. He also ordered a review to be led by psychiatrist Ruth Vine.
It will inquire into “the strength of the evidence base for using Stage 1 and Stage 2 hormones to treat gender dysphoria” among other things. According to its terms of reference, the review “may consider” published grey literature, including the Cass Review which led to a ban on prescribing puberty blockers in the United Kingdom.
A review completed last year recommended the state government double funding for the Brisbane-based Queensland Children’s Gender Service and improve regional coverage. Nicholls has announced the government will not implement its recommendations.
A range of health bodies including the Australian Medical Association called for the ban to be lifted.
Queensland Health director general David Rosengren said the state government had commissioned an independent review because “the evidence supporting the use of these therapies is contested”.
Public consultation was opened today. It closes on 29 July. The review is due to be completed by 30 November.
Updated
More on Magda Szubanski’s diagnosis
As reported earlier, actor and comedian Magda Szubanski has been diagnosed with a “very rare, very aggressive” blood cancer.
Szubanski has spoken publicly before about being diagnosed with osteoarthritis and autoimmune arthritis. During an on-camera appearance for the ABC show Magda’s Big National Health Check, she learned she was at risk of developing diabetes and high cholesterol. She told the Guardian in 2022 she was “taking my chronic health conditions more seriously, because I tend to just ride roughshod over them”:
But I’m a long way down the path – I don’t know whether I can turn around or not, to be really honest. I certainly haven’t given up.
I’m a compulsively honest person – there is a lot of Sharon Strzelecki in me. But fame can be tricky. I’ve been addressing some of the health issues that have come up since during the show, but I won’t say more, I don’t want everyone in my business.
Read more here:
What are the early signs of bowel cancer? And how can young Australians get tested?
Australia has the highest rates of bowel cancer in people under 50 in the world, with early-onset cases in that demographic rising by up to 8% a year.
It’s the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 44, and experts say it’s important to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms that are often dismissed.
The most common signs and symptoms of early-onset bowel cancer are blood in the stool, abdominal pain, a change in bowel habits and unexplained weight loss. So who’s eligible for screening?
The Guardian’s Natasha May has more here:
Victorian branch of AMWU calls for Labor to recognise Palestinian statehood
The Victorian branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) has called for the Albanese Labor government to recognise Palestinian statehood and redouble efforts to call for a ceasefire in Gaza – adding to growing public comments from inside the Labor tent for more action.
We’ve reported in recent days on Labor grassroots members urging the government to go further, including considering sanctions on Israel and recognising Palestine. Former foreign ministers Bob Carr and Gareth Evans have also lent their weight to such calls.
The state secretary of the Victorian branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), Tony Mavromatis, said the Labor government should move toward recognition of Palestinian statehood, sanctions on the Netanyahu government, an increase in humanitarian aid and for a genuine ceasefire in Gaza. Mavromatis said:
Now that the Albanese Labor government has been re-elected with a large majority, it is the opportune time to take a bold stand on this and other issues. We just came out of a highly contested election where the Palestinian issue featured prominently. My members see the result as an endorsement of Labor’s policy on Palestine, which calls for recognition before a solution is reached.
As a union that has been active and vocal on Palestine, we lend our support to all those within the Labor caucus and movement to urge the prime minister and the foreign minister to announce Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood at next month’s UN high-level conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
Mavromatis said AMWU members were supportive of sanctions on individuals and institutions guilty of human rights violations, and backed protests against the Netanyahu government. He added:
The Australian Labor government needs to persist with calling for the immediate and genuine ceasefire in Gaza, an end of encroachment by Israeli settlers, militia and military into the West Bank, the full reinstatement and increase of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank, including the continued stabilization of UNWRA, and respect for international law and human rights.
Updated
Thank you for joining me on the live blog today. Handing over now to Nick Visser who will keep you posted with the afternoon’s news.
More than 7,000 insurance claims from NSW regions affected by floods
Insurers have received more than 7,000 claims from the mid north coast and Hunter regions affected by floods, the Insurance Council of Australia says.
There were about 6,000 claims yesterday.
“Claims numbers have been steadily increasing over the past week as residents and business owners have been able to get back into properties to assess the damage and begin the clean-up,” ICA said in a statement.
The Insurance Council and insurers are focused on assisting communities in the recovery and have prioritised making clean-up and claims guidance as accessible as possible.
This includes direct text messages to policyholders, updates in insurer apps, and having representatives on the ground in centres across the region.
There are now Insurance Hubs in Taree and Port Macquarie.
Updated
Inside the Bradfield recount: painstaking and polite, but sometimes heartbreaking
The Bradfield recount is being held in a warehouse in Asquith that appears to have been used for a number of northern Sydney electorates, but on my visit only Bradfield is being counted. A space is set aside as a break room for scrutineers, with large teams for the teal candidate, Nicolette Boele, and the Liberal, Gisele Kapterian, who finished just eight votes ahead after the first complete count.
Given there were more than 6,500 informal votes in Bradfield (5.51% of those cast), the potential for decisions over validity to settle the outcome are obvious.
Each candidate has at least enough scrutineers to have one watching every person counting. The regular counting space is divided into a series of bays. Each bay is dealing with one polling place at a time.
The first part of the process is to conduct a fresh first-preference count. Ballot papers are already in bundles of 50, in first preference order.
Each counter takes one bundle at a time and removes the rubber band, then carefully checks each ballot to ensure it is formal and that the first preference is correct. It is then laid on a pile facing the scrutineers, who can observe it. This process happens more slowly and carefully than you would expect for an election night count.
Read the full story:
Winter to be warmer than average across Australia, BoM says
Winter will be warmer and in some places wetter than average this year, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
“While winter is a time for cooler weather, the winter long-range forecast shows day and night temperatures are likely to be above average across Australia for this time of the year,” BoM said in its forecast.
Rainfall is also expected to be above average for interior and central parts of the country, while parts of the tropical north, south-east and south-west will see rainfall in the typical range.
This includes in parts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania that have been affected by prolonged dry conditions as well as parts of New South Wales recently impacted by severe flooding, BoM said.
This winter forecast follows an autumn which was much wetter than average in the north and east of Australia, and much drier than average in many southern parts.
There is also an “unseasonal increased risk of fire this winter” across parts of South Australia and Victoria.
Updated
ACCC ‘concerned’ about ensuring competition in real estate sector
Australia’s consumer watchdog says it is “concerned” about ensuring strong competition in the real estate sector after confirming it is in the early stages of investigating REA Group.
REA Group, the News Corp-controlled real estate listing giant that runs realestate.com.au, confirmed to the ASX this week that it is being investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
That follows a Guardian Australia investigation last year that revealed a series of complaints about the way REA Group is using its market dominance, including to drive up real estate listing fees.
The ACCC usually conducts its investigations on a confidential basis. But, following REA Group’s statement to the ASX, it said:
Naturally, the ACCC is concerned to ensure there is strong competition in the important real estate sector. As the investigation is ongoing, the ACCC won’t comment further at this time. The investigation is at an early stage, and we’re yet to form a view.
Updated
Magda Szubanski diagnosed with stage 4 blood cancer
Magda Szubanski has been diagnosed with stage 4 blood cancer and says she will be “lying very low” while she undertakes treatment.
The Australian comedian and actor posted the health update to her Instagram, saying “it’s rough”:
Lovelies. Well. Some not great news. I’ve been diagnosed with stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma – a rare and fast-moving blood cancer. It’s serious, but I’ve started one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol), and I’m lucky to be getting absolutely world-class care here in Melbourne.
I won’t sugar-coat it: it’s rough. But I’m hopeful. I’m being lovingly cared for by friends and family, my medical team is brilliant, and I’ve never felt more held by the people around me.
I’ll be lying very low while my immune system takes a hammering, so if you see me out and about – don’t hug me, kiss me, or breathe anywhere near me! Wave enthusiastically from a safe distance and know I love you madly.
Szubanski says the cancer is obscure and was only discovered incidentally by a breast screen, where they found her lymph nodes were up. Her caption continues:
TBH, I’ve been feeling pretty ratshit for ages. So I asked for extra bloods and – voila! So the take away is – get tested and listen to your body!
Updated
Pace of productivity could lead to adjustment in RBA rates forecast
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock says Australia is no longer walking the “narrow path” to getting price growth under control, but a surprise rise in underlying inflation could be an indication of more obstacles along the road.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported trimmed mean inflation – which provides a less volatile read of prices than the headline figure – ticked up from 2.7% to 2.8% in the 12 months to April.
While monthly figures tend to bounce around and the RBA places greater emphasis on quarterly data, a spike in dwelling costs could concern the central bank if replicated over the coming months.
The rates market continued to price in a two-thirds chance the RBA would cut rates at its next meeting after the ABS release.
The Reserve Bank forecasts the trimmed mean to fall to 2.6% by the middle of the year and stay there for the foreseeable future.
That’s partly predicated on the RBA’s belief declining labour productivity will rebound into growth by the end of 2025, which would defy the experience of the past decade and more.
Speaking to media following the bank’s board meeting last week, Bullock said the RBA would have to adjust its forecasts if the ambitious productivity prediction did not come to fruition.
“There’s a great deal of uncertainty about productivity,” she said. “I can’t tell you what’s going to turn it around.”
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Slate of Senate ‘button presses’ in WA, QLD and NSW coming soon
Election-watcher Kevin Bonham reports we should have the results of several so-called “button presses” today and tomorrow, which will divvy out election preferences for the Senate. The button in question is actually a computer routine that will determine the Senate results.
In WA, the button press is set for 3.00pm eastern (1.00pm local time)
In QLD, the button press is set for 3.30pm today.
In NSW, the button press is set for 9.30am tomorrow, 30 May.
The buttons have already been pressed in the NT, ACT, TAS, SA and VIC. You can read about some of those results here:
Updated
Court rejects application for cycling group protest on Brisbane’s Story Bridge
An application by a cyclist advocacy group to hold a protest on Brisbane’s Story Bridge has been shot down in court this morning.
Magistrate Ross Mack ruled for the Queensland Police that the demonstration would risk community safety by blocking emergency vehicles. The Story Bridge has been closed to pedestrians and cyclists for months. The route is one of the few safe cycling routes in Brisbane.
Protest organiser Kathryn Good said they wanted the Brisbane City council to designate one of the bridge’s six lanes of car traffic as a protected walking and cycling route until the bridge can be repaired. They had planned to hold an 8am protest on the bridge on Friday, but Magistrate Mack approved an application by the police blocking the plan. Good said:
I think they’ve put the rights of motorists not to be inconvenienced for a single hour – what we were proposing – over the rights of people not to be inconvenienced for months on end.
Brisbane City council designated a lane of Coronation Drive for active transport when its neighbouring cycleway was rendered unsafe by the 2022 floods. But Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said designating part of the Story Bridge for cyclists and pedestrians would inconvenience more motorists because the bridge is busier. Schrinner said:
The Story Bridge has city-wide implications. So there’s much wider implications in the traffic network. And certainly we did the modelling for Coronation Drive, we believed that that was OK to do then, in terms of the implications. The same modelling has been done for the Story Bridge, and the impacts are major. In all parts of the city there’s a flow-on effect.
He said the bridge ordinarily accommodates about 100,000 people a day by car and bus and 4,000 by foot and bike.
So we’re talking about 4% of people using those (transport modes) basically not being concerned about the 96% of people either using car or bus. And we are concerned about everyone who uses the bridge. But in the end, we need to support the movement system of the city.
Brisbane City council plans to conduct footpath strengthening, likely to involve putting a second deck on the bridge. There is no estimate for the length of time the project will take.
Ironically the bridge will be closed for several hours on Sunday for the Brisbane marathon.
Updated
One-off payments available from tomorrow for those hit by floods
People affected by the severe flooding on NSW’s mid-north coast can apply for financial assistance beginning tomorrow to help cover essential costs related to the declared natural disaster.
Eligible individuals will receive a one-off payment of $180, or up to $900 per household, to help cover costs including food, clothing, medicine and emergency accommodation.
Applications open at 9am on Friday 30 May, and people can apply via the Service NSW website or app, or in-person at recovery centres.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said:
We know it’s going to take more than hardship grants for these towns to get back on their feet, but we are getting the ball rolling with essential support.
Updated
CBA to reduce fixed mortgage rate as lenders price in more cuts
Australia’s biggest lender, Commonwealth Bank, is cutting its one-year fixed rate home loan by 40 basis points, as banks start pricing in a string of anticipated cash rate cuts.
The Reserve Bank cut the cash rate by a quarter percentage point last week to 3.85%, prompting financial markets to up their bets of further decreases this year that could take the rate towards 3.1%.
Lenders adjust fixed rates according to market pricing and their assessment of future rate changes. All of Australia’s major bank lenders announced a 25 basis point cut for their variable home loans in response to the RBA decision.
Sally Tindall, data insights director at financial comparison site Canstar, said:
Fixed rates have been falling fairly consistently this year and we expect this activity will continue as banks price in the increasing likelihood of further cash rate cuts.
CBA’s fixed rate cuts aren’t groundbreaking, but rather a bid to inch closer to its key competitors.
CBA will be the sixth lender to cut its owner-occupier fixed rates since the RBA decision, according to Canstar.
Liberal Gisele Kapterian ahead by only one vote in Bradfield recount
The margin is down now to just one vote between Liberal Gisele Kapterian and independent Nicolette Boele in the Bradfield recount, with Kapterian in the very slight lead.
Updated
Don Farrell says Labor examining US court’s tariff injunction
The trade minister, Don Farrell, says the Australian government is closely studying the ruling of an American court placing an injunction on some of Donald Trump’s tariffs, and says the trade barriers on Australia remain unjustified.
A federal trade court on Wednesday (US time) blocked Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency powers law. The ruling from a three-judge panel at the New York-based court of international trade came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority, left US trade policy dependent on his whims and unleashed economic chaos.
In a statement, Farrell said the government was considering the issue.
We will study this ruling of the US federal courts on reciprocal tariffs closely and note that they may be subject to further legal processes through the courts.
The Albanese government has been consistent in the view that these tariffs on Australian imports into the US are unjustified.
Farrell said the government would “continue to engage and strongly advocate for the removal of tariffs”.
The Albanese government will always stand up for Australia’s national interests, including Australian jobs and Australian industries.
Updated
The Queensland Fire Department rescued three tiny kittens from under a bridge in Gatton – and they have since been named Blaze, Asher and Smokey.
“On Monday, three tiny kittens were found soaking wet and clinging to a concrete pier under Davies Bridge in Gatton,” QFD said in a post to social media.
“After a member of the public called for help, Gatton auxiliaries responded and carefully rescued the scared trio.
“They’ve since been named Blaze, Asher, and Smokey! A reminder that a small act, like making a phone call, can help save a life fluffy or otherwise.”
Updated
Thermomix pays $79,200 in penalties over false NDIS claims
The consumer regulator says kitchen appliance maker Thermomix has paid $79,200 in penalties after the company allegedly falsely suggested two of its products had been endorsed by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says it issued Vorwerk Australia Pty Ltd – which trades as Thermomix in Australia – with four infringement notices for allegedly making false or misleading representations to consumers online.
The ACCC alleges that in November 2024 and March 2025, Thermomix made false or misleading representations on its website promoting the Thermomix TM6 cooking product and Kobold cordless vacuum and mop as being endorsed through the NDIS or registered by an entity administering the NDIS.
This included allegedly describing the products as “NDIS approved”, “NDIS-registered product”, “NDIS-consumables”, “NDIS assistive technology” and “NDIS equipment”, the ACCC said.
The watchdog says it has taken compliance and enforcement action against a number of businesses for making “problematic advertising practices targeting NDIS participants” since it started targeting the issue in November last year.
In a statement, the ACCC chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said:
The NDIS does not provide specific approval for any particular goods or services.
Each NDIS participant has unique needs and what’s funded under their plan is determined individually, not through a list of approved products.
There are no categories of goods or services which are automatically NDIS approved or funded for all NDIS participants.
Misleading consumers experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage is of concern to us and we will not hesitate to take appropriate action.
Thermomix have been contacted for comment.
Updated
Chris Minns says flood assistance packages for businesses imminent
Minns says assistance packages are imminent for businesses affected by flooding in the NSW mid-north coast.
The NSW premier was speaking live from Taree:
The government announced in conjunction with the commonwealth government a range of assistance, and I want to make it clear we’re not done yet.
We know that particularly category C assistance for communities that have been hit particularly hard, businesses in particular is important. We are working with the commonwealth government on a package just for that and I want to make sure it is right and it helps the community, so we will announce that imminently. I explain that to the local MPs who want to make sure the assistance comes from the commonwealth and state governments for primary producers and small businesses in this part of New South Wales works … We know for a lot of these established businesses, if they do not get the crucial help and support in the next week or month or six months, then they may close their doors and there is virtually no chance of a similar business opening in their stead because a lot of these farms and family run businesses have been at it for generations and they just cannot start from scratch. We are acutely aware of that want to make sure we do a right and I assure everybody on the mid-north coast I have had extensive conversations with the prime minister and the package is not far away.
Updated
David Owens appointed as floods recovery coordinator for NSW mid-north coast
NSW Premier Chris Minns was speaking live from Taree a moment ago.
He has appointed former deputy police commissioner David Owens as the recovery coordinator for the mid-north coast.
Minns said:
This is to, I hope, give confidence or inspire confidence that the government will be here for the long haul.
This is a massive logistical operation and help is on the way. It is obviously already in the streets and the communities across the mid-north coast and the upper Hunter, but we need to be here for the long haul and that requires the permanent appointment of Mr Ownes to this important role.
Updated
PM lashes ‘predictable’ accusations on defence spending
The prime minister has backed his government’s defence spending after a report warned Australia’s current levels could fail to address threats.
In an era described by authorities as the most dangerous since the end of the second world war, the 2025/26 defence budget misses a “crucial opportunity” to prepare Australia’s military and defence industrial base for future challenges, according to an analysis released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, hit back at the report, noting his government had conducted a defence strategic review and would lift expenditure to about 2.3% of GDP within the decade.
“(The institute) need to have a look at themselves and the way they conduct themselves in debates,” he told ABC radio this morning.
It’s predictable and what we’re doing is getting on with the defence assets and providing the investment for those assets to be upgraded.
The government has committed to bringing forward $1bn in funding, though the report says no “significant uplift” is expected until after 2028/29.
The nation’s strategic environment was deteriorating rapidly, the report’s principal author and former Home Affairs department deputy secretary Marc Ablong said.
“Australia faces a real risk of being left behind at the very time when the potential use of the ADF as a military force is rising,” he told AAP.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Andrew Forrest’s mining company Fortescue says North West Shelf project approval ‘a step backwards’ on climate ambition
The mining company Fortescue Metals – owned by the billionaire Andrew Forrest, who says he aims to meet “real zero” carbon emissions – has sharply criticised the Albanese government’s approval of a 40-year life extension for the North West Shelf gas processing facility.
The company’s chief executive, Dino Otranto, said the idea that Australia could lock in fossil fuel projects until 2070 while still claiming progress toward net zero was “concerning”.
If Australia is serious about tackling climate change we must move beyond net zero and commit to genuine emissions reduction.
Extending high-emitting projects like the North West Shelf is not a credible long-term climate solution – it’s a step backward. More than that, it raises serious questions about how we define climate ambition in Australia.
We need to ask ourselves why we are rewarding companies that continue to burn fossil fuels, instead of incentivising those that are leading the way on decarbonisation. Every year, Australia pours billions into fossil fuel subsidies – public funds that should be redirected toward eliminating emissions.
Updated
New Victorian chief health officer appointment
The Victorian government has appointed Dr Caroline McElnay, the former director of public health in New Zealand, as the state’s chief health officer.
McElany led the New Zealand response to Covid-19 alongside then prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, and has previously worked in the UK.
The state health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, said McElany was appointed to the role due to her strong background in communicable diseases, environmental health and epidemiology. She said McElany also had a focus on increasing child immunisation rates in New Zealand, which is also “a priority for Victoria”.
The appointment marks the second high-profile New Zealander to take on a senior public role in Victoria in recent months. The Former New Zealand police commissioner Mike Bush was recently named as the chief commissioner of Victoria police.
McElnay will take over from the current acting chief health officers, Dr Christian McGrath and Dr Evelyn Wong, in August.
Updated
PM says North West Shelf gas approval ‘based on very strict conditions’ and says Indigenous traditional owners have ‘different views’ on the issue
Anthony Albanese also dialled into ABC Brisbane radio this morning to gloat about the State of Origin result, as well as comment on his Labor government’s approval of an extension to the massive North West Shelf gas project.
Asked about the concerns of Indigenous traditional owners in the region, and implications for climate change and emissions, Albanese defended his government’s decision to approve the enormous extension to the fossil fuel project.
“I’ve met with the Indigenous traditional owners there, around Dampier, around that region, and there are different views, let me say, on that issue,” Albanese said.
We have made a preliminary finding. Murray Watt, as the Federal minister, had to look at some of the issues which are there. He has made a preliminary determination, out there for comment, that is based upon very strict conditions, as well being provided.
The PM went on to lay out Labor’s record on the environment and their progress on the renewable energy transition.
“When we look at the overall issue, if you take a step back, we are already more than halfway to delivering on our commitment of 82% renewables by 2030, in the energy grid. We’re up to 46% as we’re speaking here,” Albanese said.
Now, in order to get that investment in renewables, you do need firming capacity, whether it be batteries, hydro or gas, and that is what will encourage that investment and the transition to occur in Western Australia. They are closing their last coal-fired power station at Collie in 2027, they are moving to renewables backed by gas, and that will be a really important part of the transition that will occur.
Updated
Man charged with murder over fatal house fire in Sydney’s inner west
A man has been charged with murder after a house fire that killed an 80-year-old man in Croydon, Sydney’s inner west, yesterday.
Emergency services arrived at Irrara Street just after 4am yesterday to a house well-alight, NSW police said in a statement. Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the blaze.
The body of a man was found inside. It is believed to be that of an 80-year-old man who lived there.
Officers appealed to locate a 50-year-old man who also lived at the house. Later police were notified a man allegedly threatened staff with a machete before taking cigarettes at a service station on Parramatta Road, Haberfield, at 4:20am yesterday.
The a 50-year-old man was arrested at Woy Woy about 7:40pm last night. Police allegedly found a machete concealed in his pants.
The man has been charged with murder and domestic violence related damage of property with the intent to endanger life, as well as armed robbery.
He was refused bail to appear before Gosford local court today.
Updated
Margin narrows to two votes in Bradfield recount with Liberal candidate still in the lead
The margin is down to just two votes in the electorate of Bradfield, as a recount of votes sees Liberal Gisele Kapterian in the lead.
Electoral analyst Dr Kevin Bonham said yesterday independent candidate Nicolette Boele was showing a “net gain” on the recount – meaning she gained more votes than she lost as they were re-examined.
Updated
Key event
Paterson says Ley has signalled emissions reduction ‘is an important part of our agenda’
Opposition leader Sussan Ley has “signalled that emissions reduction is an important part of our agenda,” Paterson says.
The shadow finance minister was asked whether he would be comfortable if his party dumped net zero targets on ABC RN earlier this morning:
I’m not going to express a personal view, because we are now going through a policy review process following the election, and well before the next election, over the next three years, will outline all of our policies in this and other areas.
But Sussan has signaled that emissions reduction is an important part of our agenda, because she’s appointed my colleague, Dan Tehan, [as] the shadow minister for energy and emissions reduction, and it will continue to be an important priority.
Updated
Shadow finance minister says Coalition must to be strong on the economy to return to government
Paterson says the Liberal party “must have a strong lead over Labor on the economy” in order to return to government.
The new shadow finance minister said on ABC RN:
The economy is traditionally a strong brand … for the Liberal party. And if we are ever to return to government at the federal level, we must have a very strong lead over Labor on the economy, and that means better management of the economy overall, but better budget management as well.
I think it’s critically important that we make sure that our liberal values when it comes to the economy are in line with our policies. We need to make sure that we are always the party of lower taxes, and that we are always the party of stronger budgets.
Updated
Paterson says shadow cabinet appointments ‘a political process’
Paterson says he is disappointed for former education minister Sarah Henderson who was demoted to the backbench, “who did a great job in her portfolio and is a valued colleague as well”.
He also acknowledges senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price “would have preferred to be in shadow cabinet”.
Asked about her saying some appointments in the new coalition frontbench were not made on merit, Paterson told ABC RN:
We’d all like to be in shadow cabinet, but [Jacinta Nampijinpa Price] has been given a significant and senior role. Merit is the most important consideration in a reshuffle, but I’d be lying if I said merit is the only consideration.
This is a political process, and leaders have to balance states, they have to balance the house, representatives of the Senate. They have to balance gender. They have to balance the philosophical composition of their party rooms, and that’s no different for Labor or Liberal and it is a messy process sometimes, but I think Susan’s put together a really great team, and I’m really excited about some of the new colleagues that are stepping up into significant roles …
Updated
Paterson: ‘There’s always a bit of awkwardness in politics’
The shadow minister for finance and public service, James Paterson, says there is “always a bit of awkwardness in politics,” talking about his move into Jane Hume’s former portfolios.
Paterson spoke on ABC Radio National this morning:
There’s always a bit of awkwardness in politics. There always is a transition and a handover, often from someone who didn’t want to leave their portfolio or is expecting to do a different role.
All I can do, though, is work constructively with Jane to continue the good work that she did with her team in the portfolio, and now to hold Labor account for their performance in this area.
Updated
PM has ‘no doubt’ Queensland will rebound after Origin defeat
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is doing a couple of Brisbane FM radio spots this morning, starting with KIIS 97.3.
Unsurprisingly, Albanese – a New South Welshman – is asked about his state’s 18-6 win in the State of Origin opener on Wednesday night.
Albanese said:
It was a good game but it’s only the first of three (matches). (Former NSW coach) Wayne Pearce was telling us last night … the last time that New South Wales won three-nil was 25 years ago. So Queensland will come back, no doubt about that
The state of Queensland swung behind Labor at this month’s federal election, with then even opposition leader Peter Dutton losing his seat as the Liberal vote collapsed in the state’s south-east. Asked if he felt sorry for this vanquished political rival, Albanese said: “absolutely”:
It’s a tough game – you lose your job. On a personal level, I had an OK relationship. I’m not going to gild the lily, but you know we had a respectful relationship.
Updated
Ley says she is working ‘productively and respectively’ with David Littleproud because ‘that’s what the Australian people would expect of us’
Ley says she is working productively with David Littleproud “because that’s what the Australian people would expect of us”.
The opposition leader was asked if she would have preferred to sit alongside Michael McCormack as Nationals leader. Ley tells ABC News Breakfast:
I’ll work with whoever is elected and I’m working very productively and respectfully with David because that’s what the Australian people would expect of us – to be that united team going forward. Remember – we’re here to work for them.
Updated
Ley says Hume was not punished for her work-from-home advocacy
Asked about Jane Hume’s demotion from the frontbench, Ley says:
Everyone did not achieve a role in the shadow ministrial lineup. Jane is a terrific colleague and someone who will continue to do outstanding work representing the state of Victoria as a Senator. But this isn’t about who is sitting at what table and what role they have. It’s broader than that, Bridget. It’s about even of the 54 members of our party room having a role to play.
Asked if Hume was punished for her advocacy on work-from-home, Ley says “this is not about that”:
This is about putting the best team on the field and respecting Jane’s talents, everyone’s talents. The communication skills of so many of my team mean that they will feature prominently across the debate and carry that argument and that advocacy forward.
Updated
Ley defends demotion of women from shadow cabinet
Asked about why there were fewer women in shadow cabinet, Ley tells ABC News Breakfast:
Look, 40% of my shadow ministry is made up of women … The party is led by a woman. When we make the calls that we need to, I will be at the table for every single one of those big calls.
I will see those decisions through the prism of someone who, in my life, has worked hard, has saved hard, who’s had trials and tribulations, but who understands what it’s like to be a working mum, balancing home, family, job, rushing between here and there, being a carer and looking after your community as a volunteer as well. To bring that perspective to every decision that we make is a really important thing and one I’m looking forward to doing.
Updated
Ley says reformed Coalition presents a ‘very strong united team’
Asked about the short-lived Nationals-Liberal split, Ley says the Coalition reforming presents “a very strong united team”.
The leader of the opposition is speaking on ABC News Breakfast:
We had disagreements and they have been ventilated and they have been commented on. The most important thing is that when David Littleproud and I stood up yesterday to announce that the Coalition was officially reforming, we present a very strong united team on behalf of all of the Australian communities who sent us to Canberra to represent them, from the city to the bush to the suburbs, to every single corner of this country, and we want to work together because we are stronger together.
Whether you voted for Anthony Albanese or whether you voted for us, every Australian deserves, wants, and appreciates a strong opposition to actually take the arguments and the advocacy up to the government every single day.
Updated
Ley says she will listen to the Australian people and not lecture ‘from the top-down’
The leader of the opposition, Sussan Ley, says she won’t “lecture from the top-down” when asked how her leadership style will compare to Peter Dutton’s. She is speaking on ABC News Breakfast:
I said we would do things differently and I would bring a fresh approach, and I intend to be very consultative, very approachable, and to listen carefully, not just to my colleagues in the party room who have a vital role developing policy, harnessing the extraordinary talents that they all bring to that room, but listening to the Australian people, not lecturing from the top-down, listening from the ground-up.
I’m known for my work ethic. Australians would expect that from us. It’s tough times for many Australians out there. We got a tough message from them at the last election and we need to approach communities that we seek to represent with humility, understanding and above all, that listening and engagement.
Updated
Minns says he’ll ‘put the heat’ on insurance companies to pay out flood claims quickly
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he will “put the heat” on insurance companies “to make sure that they’re good on their claims” when asked about the Insurance Council calling for a $30bn flood defence fund earlier this morning. Speaking on ABC Radio National, Minns said:
Well, that’s a lot of money. I’d have to examine the details.
Look, we work with the Insurance Council, and I’m not going to come on your program and thump them, but I do have to say, I don’t think a solution to this from the Insurance Council is to say, early on in this natural disaster, ‘oh, we don’t think we can cover a lot of this, notwithstanding people having long term policies, the federal and state government should tip in $30bn.’
Everyone’s going to have to do their part … and that means insurance companies will have to step up and pay out claims quickly. And I don’t say that without evidence. I’ve spoken to families, family businesses in Tari who had settled flood claims from 2021 three months ago, and that is way, way too long for a policy to be honoured by insurance companies. And I’ll be putting the heat on them to make sure that they’re good on their claims.
Updated
McCormack says he expects Nationals to revisit net zero position eventually
McCormack expects the Nationals to revisit net zero by 2050:
I think we need to have a very serious discussion about that. When I go to places such as Crookwell, and others, where they have got huge wind towers, they have done their heft lift as far as making sure they put these massive turbines up, the solar … that are popping up all over, taking up arable country, farmland, you know.
I think regional Australia has done its fair share and we need to revisit that, given the fact the world, indeed America and other countries and other political parties in other nations, have really revisited this net zero. I think the Nationals will do the same.
Updated
McCormack says ‘never say never’ on Nationals leadership
McCormack was asked if he expects to ever lead the Nationals again:
Look, you never say never. I’m not going to draw a line through my name because that would be silly, but, look, it’s up to the party room. It’s the gift of the party room. I have always accepted that.
I had the great honour of leading the party for three and a bit years and being the deputy prime minister at the same time. [A] truly great honour. One that I’ll cherish. But if it comes to pass that the party decides that I’m the one to lead them again in the future so be it.
Updated
McCormack says Nationals ‘weren’t told everything that went on between Sussan Ley’ and David Littleproud
Asked if he thinks Nationals leader David Littleproud “misled the party room,” McCormack says “we weren’t told everything that went on between Sussan Ley and David”.
The Nationals backbencher spoke to ABC News Breakfast a short while ago:
We weren’t told everything that went on between Sussan Ley and David, and, you know, that was, I suppose, a thing that David chose to do.
Quite frankly it would have been nice for the party room to have been told about the policy areas that were being taken as part of the Coalition agreement. I appreciate nuclear divestiture … and the regional fund were very important for the people we represent. But I think there could have been some other things on that list which could have been taken as part of the Coalition agreement.
I have been involved in Coalition agreements in the past, certainly with Scott Morrison, both in August 2018 and certainly after the 2019 election. But, look, David decides to go down that path. We have those four items in principle with agreement. The shadow ministry will now get on with the job of forming a credible opposition to what I think is a bad government.
Updated
McCormack says Liberals and Nationals ‘shouldn’t have split in the first place’
Asked if he thinks he’s been “punished” for advocating for the Coalition to reunify, he said “you have to ask David Littleproud about that”. The Nationals backbencher spoke on ABC News Breakfast a short while ago:
I thought it was important to get the two parties back together as quickly as possible. We shouldn’t have split in the first place. Last week was a messy week. When, honestly, there are people with their houses under water and now they’re cleaning mud out of their homes, you know.
It looked messy and people out in voter land must have looked and thought, what on earth are those people doing, naval-gazing, talking about themselves?
The Liberals and Nationals have been very good, very, very good for decades and it was, I thought, madness that we separated, but it’s taken a week, we’re back together and thankfully that is so.
Updated
McCormack accepts Littleproud demoting him to the backbench but ‘it would have been nice to hear a week ago’
Nationals backbencher, Michael McCormack, says “it would have been nice to hear a week ago” of his demotion to the backbench.
McCormack says Nationals leader David Littleproud brought up “generational change” when discussing the move.
He spoke on ABC News Breakfast a short while ago:
It had been foreshadowed in the media. It would have been nice to hear a week ago, but … that’s life, that’s politics. We move on.
And, yes, we had a discussion yesterday and [Littleproud] talked about generational change and, look, it’s his prerogative. He has the ability as the leader to pick the team that he wants and he’s done that. I accept that.
Updated
The Coalition is back together, what now?
The Liberals leader, Sussan Ley, and the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, have reached a new agreement, presenting a united front and announcing a new shadow frontbench. But with the Liberals facing a mammoth task ahead, and net zero commitments up in the air, could this mark the beginning of a rocky term for the Coalition?
Guardian Australia’s Nour Haydar speaks with Dan Jervis-Bardy about the Coalition’s short-lived breakup on Full Story. Listen here:
Thank you to Martin Farrer for kicking off the blog this morning. I’ll be updating you from here – let’s go.
Child raised alarm after couple found dead at a home
A nine-year-old girl raised the alarm before a married couple were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a home, police say.
The child alerted a family member who called police, with officers later discovering the “traumatising” scene in far north Queensland, Australian Associated Press reports.
“I have not previously been exposed to anything like this before,” Det Acting Insp Alina Bell told reporters in Cairns yesterday.
Police responded to a welfare check and arrived at a home in Mount Sheridan in Cairns at about 7.15pm on Tuesday.
They found a husband and wife – both aged 41 – dead in different rooms inside the home with gunshot wounds.
“We do not believe she was present or witnessed any of the incident that occurred,” Bell said of the girl.
“However that still doesn’t take away from how traumatising that will be for that child and the family members and friends moving forward.”
The child had been “alerted to the incident occurring” before reaching out to family members and neighbours, police said.
“That triple zero call occurred as a result of another family member calling us,” Bell said.
The married couple did not have a domestic violence or mental health history and were not known to police, she said.
Multiple firearms were located in the home, all registered to the husband.
Updated
Tasmanian government to hand down budget
Asset sales could be on the cards as a Tasmania’s Liberal government tries to reel in ballooning debt and deficit as well as fund its AFL dream, Australian Associated Press reports.
Tasmania’s treasurer, Guy Barnett, will hand down his maiden budget today, six months after taking over when his predecessor resigned over a ferry delivery saga.
Updated estimates for 2024/25, released in February, showed deficit for the financial year would rise from $793m to $1.2bn.
It also predicted net debt to reach $9.6bn by 2027/28, up from the previously slated $8.6bn.
Barnett recently refused to rule out the sale of state-owned companies, after the government commissioned a report to investigate potential privatisations.
The budget would contain a “very clear” path to surplus, Barnett said, despite the fact projected surpluses had been pushed back in recent years.
The estimated price tag for a new Hobart stadium, a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL, has risen from $755m to $945m.
The government is relying on borrowings to make up the difference, after pledging to “cap” its contribution to the project at $375m.
A larger spend is also needed to build the team’s high performance centre, which has blown out from $70m to $115m.
Costs have risen for a new port to berth delayed Spirit of Tasmania vessels in Devonport, with the latest figure up $188m to $493m.
Former treasurer Michael Ferguson, who was the minister responsible for the project, dropped his portfolios because of delays to the ships’ delivery.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the best early stories and then your morning blogger will take over.
It’s official – working from home is not to blame for the sharp drop in productivity in the wake of the pandemic, according to a report by the Productivity Commission today. Instead the commission points out that because people generally worked fewer hours during the lockdowns, when everybody started going back into the office when the pandemic ended productivity fell.
Rising debt, the ferry debacle and the ongoing question of a new AFL stadium hang over Tasmania’s finances as the Liberal government hands down the state budget this morning. Forecasts show the deficit could blow out to nearly $10bn by 2027/28, meaning that asset sales could be on the cards. We have more details coming up.
A nine-year-old girl raised the alarm before a married couple was found dead by police with gunshot wounds inside a home in Cairns. The child alerted a family member who called police, with officers later discovering the “traumatising” scene. More coming up.
