What we learned, Wednesday 9 July
It’s time to wrap up our live news coverage for the day. Here’s what’s been keeping us busy:
Donald Trump threatened a 200% tariff on foreign pharmaceuticals. Australia exports about $2bn worth of pharmaceuticals to the US each year. Jim Chalmers said the pharmaceutical benefits scheme was “not up for negotiation” in the light of a potential 200% tariff, while Ed Husic said US pharmaceutical firms potentially stopping clinical trials in Australia was an “absolutely bonkers suggestion”.
Business leaders welcomed Anthony Albanese’s confirmation he was heading to China at the weekend, ahead of his second meeting with Xi Jinping.
Affinity Eduction group said it would install CCTV at all its childcare centres after charges were laid against one of its former staff.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, responded to calls for him to rescind a provisional approval for Woodside’s North West Shelf project.
Qantas confirmed the data of 5.7 million customers was stolen in a cyberattack last week.
Significant land and air resources have been deployed in the search for a missing German backpacker in Western Australia.
A man died after being badly burned in an explosion and fire that tore through a retirement unit in northern New South Wales.
Victoria police are investigating homophobic and neo-Nazi graffiti that was sprayed on the side of a well-known gay pub in Melbourne over the weekend.
As ever, thank you for joining us today. See you again bright and early tomorrow.
Updated
Affinity group to install CCTV at all its childcare centres after charges laid against worker
Affinity Education Group – the childcare provider which owns 10 out of the 20 childcare centres on the Victorian government’s list of centres in which Joshua Dale Brown worked – says it is “deeply distressed” by the charges laid against Brown.
The 26-year-old Melbourne childcare worker has been charged with allegedly sexually abusing infants and children in his care.
Affinity CEO Tim Hickey said in a statement this afternoon:
I am deeply sorry for the distress this is causing our families – no family should have to go through this.
We are committed to supporting every family impacted and will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities as the investigation continues.
We also welcome any review of regulation that strengthens safeguards, enhances accountability, and ensures the highest standards of safety and care for every child. Our educators and staff share the deep concern over failings when they occur in the early childhood education and care sector. The safety, wellbeing, and development of every child must always come first.
In the statement, Affinity said it has a “zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse or misconduct involving children” and that the “safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is – and always will be – our highest priority.”
It said it was strengthening safety measures, including the installation of CCTV across all centres, seeking parental preference regarding who assists their child with toileting or nappy changes and rolling out personal device lock boxes nationally.
Updated
Husic describes Israeli minister’s plan for forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza as ‘new cell block in open air prison’
Ed Husic has described the Israeli defence minister’s plans to force Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah as a “a new cell block within [Gaza’s] open air prison”.
Speaking with the ABC a shirt time ago, the Labor MP said this week had particular significance for violations of international law.
“Friday will mark 30 years since the horrific events of Srebrenica in Bosnia. In just a few days, 8,000 men and boys were killed, an episode that was later … declared an act of genocide … The world said we would learn from that,” he said.
Fast forward, he said, and constructs being put forward could see “the potential displacement of Palestinians”:
Even before October 7, Gaza was likened to an open air prison because of the strict conditions, the movement limitations that have been placed on Gaza.
These proposals … are sort of building a new cell block within that open air prison and it’s no wonder the UN and others are deeply concerned about it.
You’re treating people in their daily lives as they’re going through a prison and forcibly interning them in that way – it does not give grounds to a more secure region. All it does is create further division and a feeling that people are not treated like second class, but third, fourth, or fifth class citizens within a country that should be declared as a state of its own in terms of Palestine.
Updated
Husic: potential tariffs on PBS ‘no way to treat an ally’
Ed Husic, the member for Chifley, says potential 200% tariffs on Australia’s pharmaceutical benefit scheme is “no way to treat an ally”.
“It’s bad for them and it’s bad for us. Because we provide pretty critical inputs to the production of US medicines. It would drive up the cost of their medicines,” he told the ABC a short time ago.
He said US pharmaceutical firms potentially stopping clinical trials in Australia was an “absolutely bonkers suggestion”:
It sounds to me some of their executives have been squishing too many cans of Budweiser on the forehead and have lost perspective.
I have lost count of the number of times that pharmaceutical executives have sung the praises of Australia as a place to conduct clinical trials, great medical researchers, rule of law, a country with an advanced healthcare system and a market where they can undertake this type of testing securely.
We need to have perspective across the relationship between the US and Australia and emphasise to our American friends some of the acts they’re taking are acts that are against their own self-interest and are no way to treat an ally.
Updated
Early education minister says laws to withdraw funding to childcare providers that are ‘doing the wrong thing’ are on their way
Senator Jess Walsh says while the vast majority of children in early learning are safe, “we’re not there” when it comes to keeping all children safe.
Speaking with the ABC a short time ago, the early education minister said legislation to better protect young children was well on its way to parliament:
There is no doubt there is a minority of providers doing the wrong thing. They’re putting profit ahead of child safety. And that’s why we’ve bringing legislation to the first sitting of parliament to make sure that in those circumstances we can withdraw commonwealth funding from those providers.
We’re really concerned about … this small minority of providers who are doing the wrong thing, who are prioritising profit over children and who should not be in the early learning sector.
If providers persistently do the wrong thing, we’ll withdraw your funding, because there’s no place for providers like that in this sector.
She also said a national regulatory body akin to a commission could be part of the early learning sector’s longer term future.
Updated
McKenzie to Rudd: ‘Do your job, please’
Bridget McKenzie has not held back on her views about Kevin Rudd.
Speaking about the ambassador to the US, the shadow infrastructure minister told the ABC she would “like” Rudd “to do his job, please”.
If he was, the prime minister would be able to pick up the phone and we wouldn’t be having to be worried about reviews into Aukus [and] a $2bn export industry potentially at risk.
We’ve got issues with copper, we’ve got issues with steel and aluminium, and we’ve got calls from the US to increase defence spending that we continually ignore.
So, on a raft of issues, there is an issue with the Australian-US relationship and it’s the ambassador’s main job to smooth those waters and if he was doing his job, things wouldn’t be as clunky as they seem to be.
Updated
Opposition agrees PBS not on the table in Trump trade tariff dispute
In a rare display of unity, Bridget McKenzie has echoed Jim Chalmers by saying the pharmaceutical benefits scheme is not going to change in the face of potential new US tariffs on Australian pharmaceuticals.
The shadow infrastructure, transport and regional development minister told the ABC a short time ago:
There’s always been a bipartisan approach to protecting the PBS. That hasn’t changed. We are gifted with universal healthcare in this country and it’s something the Coalition strongly supports. We back Medicare, we back our PBS, and that doesn’t change.
We’re equally concerned of news out of the US that our $2bn pharmaceutical export industry to the United States seems to be again under question.”
That’s where the consensus ended. She went on to say:
We hope the government is successful, bearing in mind the difference is we had an ambassador that could push on an open door at the White House, I don’t believe Ambassador Rudd has the same relationship with the White House. And indeed, our current prime minister doesn’t have the personal relationship with President Trump that we would like him to have, 240-odd days after the US election.
Updated
Chalmers says he hopes shadow treasurer brings ‘constructive approach’ to productivity roundtable
Jim Chalmers says next month’s productivity roundtable is “a real test for the opposition” – and that he hopes his counterpart Ted O’Brien brings a “constructive approach” to the meeting.
The treasurer told the ABC just now:
We’ve extended an invitation to the shadow treasurer in good faith … the opposition in the last term that said no to everything, to obstruct everything, to make no real positive contribution to the future of our economy and the future of our country.
I hope the shadow treasurer and the leader of the opposition has learned from that. From the comments that Mr O’Brien made today, I’m worried he hasn’t.
Updated
Chalmers says PBS 'not up for negotiation' in Trump tariff fight
Jim Chalmers says the government will continue to defend Australia’s pharmaceutical benefits scheme with its US counterparts.
Speaking on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing just now, the treasurer said the Albanese government had told the US administration that “our pharmaceutical benefits scheme is very near and dear to us, we won’t be diminishing it or trading it away in the interests of trying to secure a deal in this instance”:
We will continue to maintain, indeed, strengthen the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. It’s a very important part of our health architecture, it helps a lot of people, we’re making medicines cheaper and that’s not on the table when it comes to the engagement, the negotiations that we’ve been having and will continue to have with our counterparts in Washington DC.
The point I’m making is our pharmaceutical benefits scheme is not up for negotiation.
Updated
Chalmers says government still examining the ‘costs and consequences’ of potential Trump tariffs on copper and medicines
Jim Chalmers says the government is “working through the potential costs and consequences” of potential new tariffs, including on Australian pharmaceuticals, posed by the US overnight.
The treasurer has just told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing:
We will work through this in the usual methodical way to understand any potential impacts on our own industries. Some of these issues have been in the public domain for a little while now, some of the other issues – around potential tariff on copper, for example – are relatively more recent, and so these announcements were only made overnight.
When it comes to pharmaceuticals, there’s an indication that President Trump will take some time to think through these issues.
So, we’ve got an opportunity to continue to engage with the Americans, also to engage with our own industries to properly understand the possible consequences of what has been proposed overnight.
Updated
German backpacker missing in WA
Significant land and air resources have been deployed in the search for a missing German backpacker in Western Australia.
Police have reiterated their concern for the welfare of 26-year-old Carolina Wilga, who has not been heard from for more than a week. She was in the Beacon area of the Wheatbelt region at the time of her last contact with friends on Sunday 29 June, police said.
Police believe she visited a convenience store on Stirling Terrace, near the intersection of Goomalling-Toodyay Road in Toodyay on 28 June.
Wilga had been backpacking in Australia for the last two years and lived mainly in hostels, police said.
Police described Wilga as having a slim build, frizzy or curly long dark blond hair and brown eyes. She has several tattoos, including one which depicts symbols on her left arm. She may have been travelling in a black and silver 1995 Mitsubishi Station sedan, with WA registration 1HDS 330.
On Wednesday, WA police urged anyone with any information or footage in the area of Beacon and the north-east Wheatbelt area between 29 June 2025 and 4 July to contact Crime Stoppers.
Updated
Man dies after explosion in NSW retirement unit
A man has died after being badly burned in an that explosion tore through a retirement unit in Kingscliff, northern New South Wales.
The 85-year-old suffered severe injuries in the suspected gas explosion on Monday morning and had been taken to Royal Brisbane hospital in a critical condition.
Police said on Wednesday the man had died and that a report would be prepared for the coroner.
On Monday, Fire and Rescue NSW said it was investigating whether a fire, which destroyed the demountable home, was caused by a leaking LPG system. At the time, the fire service said an 83-year-old woman sustained minor burns to her face and body and was in a stable condition at Tweed Valley hospital.
Updated
Murray Watt accuses Greens of ‘grandstanding’ on Murujuga World Heritage bid
Environment minister Murray Watt has responded to calls for him to rescind a provisional approval for Woodside’s massive North West Shelf project from the Greens’ leader, Larissa Waters.
Waters said earlier that rescinding the approval would improve the chances of the Murujuga rock art complex being added to the World Heritage list during a meeting in Paris later this week. Watts has responded, saying:
For over 20 years, the traditional owners of Murujuga have been fighting for its World Heritage listing. The Albanese government is proud to support this First Nations-led nomination. It’s disappointing to see the Greens party choosing to grandstand on this issue, instead of supporting the wishes of Murujuga’s traditional owners.
Unesco’s advisers have recommended the World Heritage committee refer the Murujuga nomination back to Australia, after raising concerns about “acidic emissions” from nearby industry, including Woodside’s Karratha gas plant.
The government has been lobbying Unesco and members of the 21-country World Heritage committee to ignore that recommendation – saying it was based on “factual inaccuracies” – and instead vote to inscribe Murujuga on the World Heritage list.
Updated
Thank you, as ever, Rafqa Touma. Let’s get straight on with the rest of the day’s news.
Thanks for following along the live blog with me today. Handing over now to the great Daisy Dumas, who will keep you posted on the afternoon’s news.
Australia has ‘business and trade opportunity of a lifetime’, Smart Energy Council CEO says – video
John Grimes advocated for an acceleration of a renewables energy strategy during a speech at the National Press Club today, pointing to the “staggering national advantage” Australia has compared to the rest of the world.
“If you put a solar panel in Australia and the exact same solar panel in Germany, get this, the one in Australia will produce up to four times more energy than the one in Germany,” he says.
Rain, winds, hail and snow forecast to lash south-east Australia
A cold front is bringing wind, rain, hail and snow to south-east Australia in the next 24 hours.
Adelaide can expect moderate to heavy rainfall – “welcome rainfall for much of southern South Australia, after what’s been a very dry few months,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s senior meteorologist, Dean Narramore, said in a severe weather update.
Warnings are current for the Flinders and Mount Lofty ranges and through the western parts of SA, where winds of 90km/h or more are forecast. “That’s strong enough to bring down trees and power lines and cause possible power outages and some minor property damage,” Narramore said.
Those impacts are going to continue into eastern parts, and then into southeastern parts, of the country as we move through tonight and into tomorrow.
The cold front will move into western parts of Victoria this afternoon, bringing widespread showers with local hail and thunders. It will sweep across Victoria, southern NSW and northern parts of Tasmania into the night.
Rain showers and snow will also develop through alpine areas, with possible blizzard conditions, Narramore said.
Widespread snow is also expected to develop through eastern Victoria and south-east NSW tonight and into early tomorrow morning. Snow will also fall in Tasmania, the NSW central tablelands and potentially towards the Barrington tops.
As the cold front weakens tomorrow, eastern NSW can expect strong winds, particularly in elevated areas.
Large swells are forecast for the South Australia coastline, on the high tide from Kangaroo Island down to the WA border. “For those that live on the coast there, the high tide, we could exceed the highest astronomical tide of the year,” Narramore said.
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Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings will bring ‘lasting reform’ to NT police, says anti-racism officer
The woman in charge of eliminating racism within the Northern Territory police says the findings of an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker will mark the beginning of “lasting reform” towards “a police force that all Territorians can trust”.
Leanne Liddle, an Arrernte woman and former police officer, fronted the media in Alice Springs alongside the acting NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, on Tuesday, a day after the coroner found the officer who fatally shot the 19-year-old was “racist” and “worked in and benefited from an organisation with the hallmarks of institutional racism”.
“The coroner’s findings are deeply confronting, but they’re not new to many Aboriginal people,” Liddle said. “What matters now is how we respond.”
Read the full story:
Katter calls for Trump-esque protectionism bill in response to Chinese manufacturing
Bob Katter says Trump’s tariffs underscore “America’s bid to protect its industries” and “Australia’s dangerous failure to do the same”.
The independent member for Kennedy said “Trump’s protecting his industries from the uncontestable, government-backed mega-production coming out of China” in a statement:
[China] builds factories that produce things, freeways and tunnels that create wealth and economic generation. That money, in turn, produces value. It’s deflationary, not inflationary.
The Chinese government doesn’t throw money away on ego monuments and feelgood ‘net zero’ whims. It builds factories that produce things, freeways and tunnels that create wealth and economic generation. That money, in turn, produces value. It’s deflationary, not inflationary.
The Australian government, on the other hand, have obliterated our production sector in favour of ideology and self-indulgence.
His statement said Katter’s party and other regional cross-benchers will pitch an “omnibus” bill “to reshape Australia’s economy and re-establish essential industries”. Katter said:
This delusion must stop. Australia must follow America’s lead and start protecting our own industries, primary producers and manufacturers.
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Look at this tiny dog that helped save a hiker trapped in a glacier
A small pet dog has been hailed a “four-legged hero” after his owner fell down an icy crevasse in the Swiss Alps. The helicopter air rescue company Air Zermatt said:
While the man was stuck in the glacier ice, his faithful companion … was left at the edge of the crevasse.
They credited the pup for drawing their attention to the location of the hiker, who was then extracted and taken to hospital.
Read the full story from Deborah Cole here:
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Australian shares dip as Trump’s tariffs target copper
The Australia share market has lost ground as Donald Trump expands his trade war with steep new tariffs on copper and pharmaceuticals.
At midday on Wednesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 27.2 points, or 0.32%, to 8,565.3, while the broader All Ordinaries lost 25.5 points, or 0.29%, to 8,803.2.
Overnight, the US president said drug manufacturers would be given a year or so to move manufacturing to the US, otherwise they would “tariffed at a very, very high rate, like 200％”.
Trump also flagged the White House would be imposing 50% tariffs on copper, which the US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said could begin at the end of July or start of August.
Copper prices surged after the comments, ending the trading day up 13.1% for their strongest one-day gain since 1989.
Australia is a major copper producer but exports very little to the United States, with most going to China and other Asian-Pacific countries. The US gets most of its copper from Chile.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
NZ Reserve Bank follows Australia and holds rate steady
New Zealand’s central bank has ended a run of six consecutive cuts, holding the official cash rate at 3.25%.
In a decision announced on Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) followed Australia’s lead from a day earlier, opting to take stock given the uncertain economic outlook.
The decision is seen as not a rate cut denied – just a rate cut delayed.
“If medium-term inflation pressures continue to ease as projected, the (RBNZ) expects to lower the official cash rate further,” the RBNZ’s governor, Christian Hawkesby, said.
Like Australia, headline inflation in New Zealand is back inside the RBNZ’s target band, last measured at 2.5% in April. But NZ has taken a decidedly different economic path in the post-pandemic tumult, falling into a deep recession in 2024.
The RBNZ cut from a high of 5.5% to current levels in the past six meetings.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
More on the Murujuga rock art world heritage bid
An ancient First Nations rock art collection could become a World Heritage-listed site as the federal government ramps up lobbying efforts.
Environment Minister Murray Watt will travel to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in France to try get the Murujuga rock art landscape in Western Australia listed as a World Heritage site.
Unesco advisers recommended in May that the nomination be blocked and referred back to Australia until nearby “degrading acidic emissions”, including those from a Woodside gas plant, were stopped.
But Watt, who said Australia had consistently shown international leadership in promoting First Nations people and combating climate change, wants to update the committee on conservation at Murujuga.
- with Australian Associated Press
Updated
Greens leader says gas project approval should be rescinded to help Murujuga rock art world heritage bid
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, says the environment minister, Murray Watt, should rescind his provisional approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension to give the nearby ancient Murujuga rock art a better chance of gaining world heritage status.
Watt is en route to Paris to lobby Unesco and members of the 21-country world heritage committee, who will decide sometime late Friday or early Saturday whether to put the Murujuga Cultural Landscape in the Pilbara region on the coveted world heritage list. Waters said:
We want to see this global treasure listed as world heritage. What we don’t want is to see it destroyed by acidic emissions from Woodside.
To give Murujuga’s ancient rock art the best chance of world heritage listing, Minister Watt should cancel the draft approval for Woodside’s 45-year extension on operating its gas proposal.
Unesco’s advisers have recommended the nomination of Murujuga be referred back to Australia for it to “ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions, currently impacting upon the petroglyphs”.
Watt has provisionally approved Woodside’s 45-year extension, but told the Guardian yesterday his department was still in discussion with Woodside over the conditions placed on the approval. The details of the conditions are not public, but they relate to the emissions from Woodside’s Karratha gas plant.
Watt and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation all argue Unesco’s advisers have relied on “factual inaccuracies” and say a monitoring program shows there’s no ongoing acidic emissions at the site.
Waters said the Greens were standing beside the Save Our Songlines group, which is also in Paris to ask the committee to hold to the recommendations.
Here’s everything you need to know on the issue just days ahead of the decisive meeting:
Updated
Muted buildup to Origin decider
Happy rugby league. With less than eight hours to go until tonight’s series decider, my colleague Jack Snape writes:
Personal adversity may have defined the buildup to the third State of Origin clash in Sydney on Wednesday, but in the tradition of rugby league’s great contest the bonds within a team will determine the winner of this year’s shield.
The shock death of the father of the Queensland captain, Cameron Munster, on the weekend, six months after the dad of the coach, Billy Slater, also passed away, has changed the tone in the countdown to kick-off.
There has been no talk of grubs, and fewer war analogies. When an eager journalist asked the Maroons coach whether he would “run a few missiles” at Blues marauder Payne Haas, who is managing a back injury and has trained only lightly in the lead-up, Slater gave him a withering look.
Guardian Australia will, of course, be blogging the finale live. Join my colleague Jonathan Howcroft here later.
Read more here:
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Sydney’s Downing Centre court complex closed until ‘late 2025’ after water damage
Sydney’s Downing Centre will be closed until “at least late 2025” after a burst water main flooded the centre and damaged the substation that powered it.
Last month a Sydney Water main burst outside the local and district court on Castlereagh St, flooding the centre and damaging an AusGrid substation, the Department of Communities and Justice said in a statement.
An electrical transformer and switchboard – two critical pieces of electrical and mechanical infrastructure – have to be replaced, electrical engineers identified in an inspection of the building. It is anticipated the process will extend into late 2025.
The building is still disconnected from the substation, with no confirmation on when power will be restored. The statement continues:
At this stage, the Downing Centre is likely to remain closed until at least late 2025 to ensure the building is safe and fully functional.
This closure period will also allow for upgrades to the Downing Centre to be brought forward, including improvements to public spaces and courtrooms.
Matters listed in the Downing Centre are relocated to alternative locations including John Maddison tower, Central court, King Street and Darlinghurst courts.
Work is also under way to secure more permanent locations for jury assembly, and heads of jurisdiction continue to work closely with the Department of Communities and Justice to facilitate access to justice.
Updated
Complaints rise again as telcos frustrate customers
Australians are becoming more frustrated with their phone providers, as the number of complaints escalated to the industry ombudsman when telcos can’t solve them continues to rise.
Analysis from the communications watchdog released today showed the rate of customer complaints being referred to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has risen for the third consecutive quarter.
The report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) says 7.1% of customer complaints were referred to the ombudsman, up from 6.9% in the previous quarter. Referring a complaint to the TIO means the issue was not able to be resolved between customers and their provider.
Two of the nation’s biggest telcos fared particularly poorly in the analysis, with Optus (31st) and TPG (34th) occupying spots near the bottom of the 36 ranked companies for rate of referred complaints.
Telstra – Australia’s biggest provider – was 18th, with 31 complaints per 10,000 services.
The report highlights a near-sevenfold increase in the rate of complaints about the worst-performing company being escalated to the industry ombudsman. Circles.Life racked up 152 complaints per 10,000 services – the most escalations out of the nation’s 36 largest telcos in the March 2025 quarter.
But its former customers may receive a reprieve – Circles.Life shut up shop earlier this year. Its customer accounts were acquired by larger provider Amaysim, which finished above the nation’s big-three telcos Telstra, Optus and TPG in Acma’s complaints-handling performance table.
That said, Amaysim was acquired by Optus in 2021 and uses the larger telco’s network, as did Circles.Life.
- Australian Associated Press
Updated
Travellers no longer required to take off shoes for security at US airports
For the first time in almost 20 years, travellers are no longer required to take off their shoes during security screenings at US airports, Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, announced on Tuesday.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has abandoned the additional security step that has for years bedevilled anyone passing through US airports, according to media reports.
The move puts an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost two decades ago, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.
“We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience,” Noem said in a statement.
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Australians could cut power bills by 90% if they made their homes more energy efficient, report finds
Luke Menzel, the chief executive officer of the Energy Efficiency Council, and other energy experts say political noise has often overshadowed the role of energy efficiency in Australian homes and how to cut rising household bills.
The latest of several reports to make the case for boosting energy efficiency is from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
IEEFA found Australian households could cut their power bills by more than 90% by implementing a range of energy efficiency measures.
Released on Wednesday, the report calculated potential savings of between 82% and 94% if households installed solar and a home battery and used efficient appliances – such as heat pumps, air-conditioners and electric induction cooktops.
Read more:
Speed limits reduced on local streets in Sydney’s inner west
The speed limit has been reduced from 50km/h to 40km/h on local streets in Sydney’s inner west this week.
The change applies to local streets in Enmore, Tempe, Sydenham, Marrickville and parts of St Peters and Petersham.
Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne said:
This reduction in speed limits on local streets will reduce crashes and fatalities while having almost zero impact on travel times.
Local people know that the vast majority of travel time delays is caused by sitting idle in traffic, not the speed that you can drive at.
Further still, in most of our local streets the narrowness means that it is not possible to travel safely at 50km per hour.
Victoria Road, Enmore Road, Bedwin Road and Edgeware Road will be reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h.
Transport for NSW is funding the change.
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Regional NSW art gallery eyeing cuts amid funding shortfall
At one of Australia’s foremost regional galleries, volunteers are helping carefully unpack artworks for an upcoming exhibition.
Armidale’s New England Regional Art Museum (known as NERAM) stages more than 30 shows each year, with staff and volunteers installing Lost in Palm Springs, which celebrates the desert landscape and architecture of California.
But having missed out on New South Wales government funding, NERAM may be forced to cut back on shows like this.
The gallery has relied on about $80,000 in annual state funding over the last decade, but it’s one of more than a dozen regional galleries in NSW that has recently missed out in the government’s four year funding program.
While many of these art institutions are run by local councils, NERAM is independent, without local government money to fall back on.
Director Rachael Parsons is working out what to do if a last-ditch two-year funding round is unsuccessful. She said:
If we are unable to find a last minute donor or brilliant idea to bring in more revenue, we are looking at what we cut.
Budget cuts would likely mean fewer exhibitions and reduced public programs at the gallery, which is a major tourist attraction and a hub for the town’s cultural life, Parsons said.
– via Australian Associated Press
Read more:
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Trump’s trade war will have ‘profound’ effects, RBA deputy governor warns
The Reserve Bank deputy governor, Andrew Hauser, has warned that Donald Trump’s trade war will have a “profound” impact on the global economy.
Speaking at the Australian Conference of Economists this morning, Hauser said it was “puzzling” that investors seemed unperturbed by the tectonic shifts in the global economic order.
Sharemarkets are higher now than they were before Trump announced his extraordinary tariff rates in early April’s “liberation day”.
“How worried are we about it (Trump’s trade policies)? We are very, very focused on it, the level of uncertainty is clearly elevated. The first round effects of these changes in US tariffs are probably relatively minor, but the effects on a broader global economy are profound,” he said.
Hauser, who joined the RBA from the Bank of England, used the experience of Brexit to explain how it can take years for the full impact of major shocks like Trump’s tariffs to become clear.
The day after Brexit happened, everyone thought the world would end, and it didn’t. But 10 years on, you’re seeing the profound effects of some of those changes for sustainable growth rates and for fundamental things in the economy.
Hauser’s comments came a day after the RBA board defied expectations to hold rates, but the official offered no fresh insights into what the central bank was thinking on that score.
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In pictures – traffic chaos after collision on Sydney Harbour Bridge
More photos are in of the traffic around the Sydney Harbour Bridge. New South Wales police warned traffic would be affected in both directions after a four-vehicle crash on the bridge during peak hour this morning.
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Qantas confirms 5.7 million customers affected by cyber-attack
Qantas has begun informing customers what specific data of theirs was taken in the cyber-attack last week, with 1.7 million of the 5.7 million customers having more data than previously reported including meal preferences, gender, and addresses for delivering misplaced luggage.
In an update on Wednesday, the airline said it had progressed a forensic analysis of the customer data in the compromised system, and as of yet there had been no evidence that the data had been released publicly.
The number of customers affected has narrowed down to 5.7 million after removing duplicate records.
Four million of these customer records are limited to name, email address and Qantas frequent flyer number, with the majority including their tier, and a minority including points balance and status credits.
For the remaining 1.7 million their records include some combination of the above, plus:
Address – 1.3 million. This is a combination of residential addresses and business addresses including hotels for misplaced baggage delivery.
Date of birth – 1.1 million
Phone number (mobile, landline and/or business) – 900,000
Gender – 400,000. This is separate to other gender identifiers like name and salutation.
Meal preferences – 10,000
Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said:
Our absolute focus since the incident has been to understand what data has been compromised for each of the 5.7 million impacted customers and to share this with them as soon as possible.
From today we are reaching out to customers to notify them of the specific personal data fields that were held in the compromised system and offer advice on how they can access the necessary support services.
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Heavy traffic after crash on Sydney Harbour Bridge
Traffic is affected in both directions after a four-vehicle crash on Sydney Harbour Bridge this morning, with no reports of serious injuries.
Two vehicles collided head on before crashing into two other cars, New South Wales police were told.
Two drivers were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for minor injuries, and have been taken to hospital in a stable condition.
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Alleged homophobic and neo-Nazi graffiti sprayed on side of Melbourne gay club
Victoria police are investigating homophobic and neo-Nazi graffiti that was sprayed on the side of a well-known gay pub in Abbotsford in Melbourne’s inner north on the weekend.
The incident happened in the early hours of 6 June at the Laird on Gipps St in Abbotsford. The graffiti included a gay slur and a neo-nazi symbol, it is understood.
A spokesperson for Victoria police said it was under investigation:
Police are investigating after an offensive slogan was graffitied on a licensed venue in Abbotsford on 6 July.
Officers were called to the Gipps Street venue after the graffiti was located.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The owners of the Laird posted on Facebook on Sunday they had covered up the graffiti with pride flags ahead of an event at the pub on Sunday.
We had some vandalism overnight that you don’t need to see when coming to relax and hang with friends.
Leave it be, City of Yarra graffiti removal are on the case, and they were caught on our security cameras. See you soon.
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Four-vehicle crash on Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak hour
Emergency services are currently on scene after a four-vehicle crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this morning.
Two vehicles collided head-on before crashing into two other cars, New South Wales police were told. They responded to reports of the crash just after 8am.
Two drivers were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for minor injuries, and have been taken to hospital in a stable condition, NSW police said.
Police warn traffic is affected in both directions.
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Understaffing in childcare is affecting children’s safety, survey says
Understaffing in childcare is impacting children’s safety, early educators have said in a survey.
The United Workers Union’s early childhood education and care quality and safety survey of more than 2,000 early childhood educators “exposed systemic issues that made it impossible to deliver the required quality of care,” UWU said in a statement.
The “vast majority of educators” said “understaffing is putting children at risk”, the statement said.
The survey was conducted before a Melbourne childcare worker was charged with allegedly sexually abusing infants and children in his care.
In the survey, 77% of educators said they were operating below minimum staffing requirements at least weekly. And 83% strongly agreed that a “common staffing loophole”, which UWU says allows centres to move educators between rooms and count educators not on the floor towards minimum staffing requirements, “compromises the safety and wellbeing of children”.
Carolyn Smith, the UWU’s early education director, said:
The hard truth is that more than three quarters of educators say they are regularly staffed below minimum requirements in their rooms.
We need to support educators to do their best work, and our survey results show that the system is failing them and, in turn, the children in their care.
While examining the tragic events revealed in Melbourne last week, we also need to understand the alarm that is being sounded by educators.
One educator from Victoria said: “I can’t even guarantee the safety of the children and myself. I feel sad, unsafe and stressful every day.”
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Man arrested at Brisbane airport over alleged spiritual ‘blessings’ scam
Another person accused of being involved in a syndicate leveraging cultural superstitions to scoop up cash and jewellery has been charged.
A 62-year-old man faces fraud and criminal group offences related to the alleged scam, which police say convinced women to hand over money and valuables to be “blessed”.
They were told not to open bags meant to contain their valuables, which the alleged fraudsters had switched out, according to police.
New South Wales police allege it’s the work of a “fly-in, fly-out” criminal syndicate.
The alleged scammers typically come to Australia from China for short stints to carry out the fraud, convincing older women that their money and belongings needed to be “blessed” to avoid bad luck, police claim.
The man was arrested on Friday at Brisbane airport and extradited to Sydney on Tuesday. This follows the arrest of a 63-year-old woman at Sydney airport on Thursday night.
Detective superintendent Guy Magee said the alleged scammers typically targeted older Asian women, exploiting cultural superstitions.
More than 50 individuals are believed to be connected to the alleged scam across the east coast of Australia, with 11 arrest warrants issued. Police have received reports of more than 80 incidents across Sydney since 2023. They are trying to find a further seven people believed to be involved in the syndicate.
The alleged scams are believed to have netted $3m in cash and valuables.
– via Australian Associated Press
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Markets pricing in 90% chance of RBA rate cut in August
Undaunted by the Reserve Bank’s surprise decision to hold rather than cut rates yesterday, financial markets are now pricing in a 90% chance of a move lower at the next meeting on 12 August.
Michele Bullock, the RBA’s governor, made it clear yesterday that the bank’s board believed rates were on the way down, and it was more a question of taking a more cautious approach.
That wrong-footed most economists, and analysts on Wednesday morning were tempering forecasts for an August cut, with Westpac saying “there is a small chance even this is delayed”.
By the time of the next meeting the RBA will have another jobs report and, crucially, inflation figures for the three months to June.
Markets are still expecting two or three more cuts by the end of the year.
For investors, though, there is a much bigger game in town, and that’s Trump’s confounding tariff policy.
That said, talk of copper and pharmaceutical tariffs overnight were received reasonably calmly on Wall Street and the local sharemarket is set to open only a little lower, according to futures trade.
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Andrew Forrest and other business leaders to join Anthony Albanese on China trip
Business leaders have welcomed Anthony Albanese’s confirmation he is headed to China at the weekend, ahead of his second meeting with the country’s president, Xi Jinping.
The PM is headed to Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu during a week-long trip.
Fortescue boss Andrew Forrest will be part of a business delegation joining the visit.
“The Prime Minister’s visit could not come at a more critical time for Australia’s future,” Forrest says.
To put it bluntly: if Australia and China provide the leadership, then – given the immense industrial platforms that exist in both nations – Australia could build its largest-ever industry in green iron, and China its largest in green steel.
The economic benefits would be profound for both countries: tens of thousands of new jobs, an upskilled workforce, and a solution to one of the world’s biggest climate threats – the global steel industry.
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Chalmers says US tariffs 'bad for Australia' and 'bad for the US'
Jim Chalmers says global trade tensions are a “substantial concern” to Australia.
The treasurer, who was speaking on ABC RN a moment ago, says Trump’s tariffs “pose a risk to the progress that the world has been making in our economies after Covid”.
Australian industries and workers, as well as trade in the region, will feel the impact of “escalating trade tensions around the world”, he says.
When we work through the possible consequences of what we’re seeing here, it does pose a risk to global growth. It does pose a risk to the progress that the world has been making in our economies after Covid. We’ve made it really clear on a number of occasions, these tariffs are bad for Australia. They’re bad for the US. They’re bad for the global economy. And so these developments, they are sometimes unpredictable. There’s been an element of volatility and uncertainty injected into the global economy.
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Explainer: could Trump force us to pay more for medicines?
Following on from the last post – some background on big pharma taking aim at Australia’s pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
Pharmaceutical companies in the US – where millions can’t afford life-saving drugs – have tried to interfere in Australia’s national, subsidised medicine system.
In Australia, prices for pharmaceutical medicines are capped at $31.60 if listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). It’s a far cry from the prices Americans pay (Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering drug that prevents heart attacks and strokes, can cost about A$2,000 in the US, and autoimmune drug Humira more than $11,000, for example). A report by research organisation Rand found that US drug prices were, on average, about 370% higher than in Australia and 278% above the OECD average.
Big pharma in the US wants to sell more drugs in Australia for more, with its demands entangled with the ongoing trade tariff war.
In March, The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) took aim at the PBS in a submission to the US government for not allowing them to charge Australians more and for delays getting their products to market.
Read the full explainer from Tory Sheperd here:
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Chalmers says Trump's threats of 200% pharmaceutical tariffs are 'very concerning'
Chalmers says Trump’s threats of a 200% tariff on foreign pharmaceuticals and 50% on copper are “very concerning developments”.
The treasurer says the Australian government is urgently seeking more detail. He is speaking on ABC Radio National:
Our pharmaceuticals industry is much more exposed to the US market, and that’s why we’re seeking, urgently seeking, some more detail on what’s been announced. But I want to make it really clear once again, as we have on a number of occasions before, our pharmaceutical benefits scheme is not something that [we are] willing to trade away.
We see the PBS as a fundamental part of healthcare in Australia … We’ll work through the announcement out of the US overnight. They’re obviously very concerning developments. We are talking about billions of dollars of exports to the US when it comes to pharmaceuticals.
So we’ll work through it in a methodical way, but we make it clear once again, as we have on a number of occasions in recent months, that the PBS is not on the table.
Australia exports about $2bn worth of pharmaceuticals – mainly vaccines and blood products – to the US each year.
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Chalmers says millions of people were hoping for interest rate relief yesterday
Jim Chalmers says “there were millions of people who were hoping for more rate relief yesterday and didn’t get it”.
The treasurer is speaking on ABC Radio National after the Reserve Bank left the cash rate on hold.
While he doesn’t “second guess decisions once they’re taken”, he says “it’s certainly the case that the market was surprised”.
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Trump: ‘TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025’
Donald Trump says more tariff letters are to come in the next “short period of time”.
The US president has been posting letters on his Truth Social account to the leaders of numerous nations including Thailand, Cambodia, Serbia, Japan, Indonesia and South Africa, informing them that America would continue with plans to level large tariffs on their exports of between 25% and 40%.
As of yesterday, Australia has not received a letter.
Trump posted to Truth Social today:
As per letters sent to various countries yesterday, in addition to letters that will be sent today, tomorrow, and for the next short period of time, TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025. There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change. In other words, all money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 - No extensions will be granted. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
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Trump threatens 200% tariff on foreign pharmaceuticals
Donald Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on foreign pharmaceuticals – which Australia exports about $2bn worth of to the US each year.
Speaking yesterday, the US president laid out plans to step up his controversial trade strategy – imported copper will face a US tariff of 50% in a bid to bolster US production of the metal, the administration announced. US copper prices rose 12% to hit record levels.
After providing manufacturers with around a year or a year and a half’s notice, pharmaceutical imports are also “going to be tariffed at a very, very high rate”, Trump said. “Like 200%.”
“We’re going to be announcing pharmaceuticals, chips and various couple of other things – you know, big ones,” he added, of the administration’s tariff plans.
Read more:
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Disappointment as Reserve Bank leaves rates on hold
From struggling retailers to squeezed mortgage holders, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s surprise call to leave interest rates on hold has left many disappointed.
Markets and economists were broadly in favour of a 25 basis point cut in July but the central bank board has decided to wait for more evidence on inflation before considering lowering the cash rate further.
Interest rates have already been cut twice this year as inflation tracks lower and the central bank’s focus switches to growth prospects and job market resilience.
RBA governor Michele Bullock acknowledged that households with mortgages would have been “very keen” for another interest rate cut to ease budget pressure. She said:
I’m also really conscious that we don’t want to end up having to fight inflation again.
The Australian Retailers Association described Tuesday’s decision as a “missed opportunity” to improve the outlook of a sector employing one-in-10 Australians.
“Weak consumer spending and high business costs continue to put pressure on retailers,” ARA chief executive Chris Rodwell said.
– via Australian Associated Press
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Thank you to Martin Farrer for kicking off the live blog this morning. I’ll be updating you on the day’s news from here – let’s get into it.
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TGA’s new sunscreen safeguards
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recommended sunscreen manufacturers reformulate their products to add safeguards for two ingredients following a review into their efficacy.
It follows a Choice investigation last month which found some of Australia’s most popular sunscreens, including some made by Bondi Sands, Banana Boat and the Cancer Council, are falling short of the level of skin protection on the bottle – a claim disputed by providers.
The TGA said providers manufacturing sunscreens containing the active ingredients homosalate and oxybenzone, as well as the byproduct benzophenone, have been advised to add additional controls “to ensure sunscreens meet the highest standards of safety for prolonged and frequent use”.
The TGA said the review was prompted by “regulatory developments overseas, adoption of the Australian sunscreen exposure model external site and the TGA’s scientific literature review of sunscreen ingredients”.
A comprehensive public and stakeholder consultation will begin ... to help determine the level in sunscreens at which these ingredients remain suitable for use in Australian sunscreens.
All sunscreens available in Australia are safe. The TGA is not recommending a change in the use of sunscreens, nor are there any warnings, bans or recalls of any products.
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Australia in talks with Ukraine about a defence pact, documents suggest
Australia is negotiating a security agreement with Ukraine to boost defence cooperation and codify support following Russia’s invasion, Australian Associated Press reports.
Defence experts say such a pact could help bolster collaboration between the two nations to boost Australia’s capabilities.
Largely redacted briefing material prepared for the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, ahead of her December 2024 trip to Ukraine confirms the possibility of a security pact, but details remain classified.
Of the 28 bilateral security arrangements finalised with Ukraine as of late 2024, none were legally binding or included mutual defence or security obligations, one briefing document noted.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, did not comment on any specific provisions that had been proposed due to the sensitivities of negotiations.
But he pointed to broad areas of collaboration such as intelligence sharing, drone technology and humanitarian assistance that have been covered in similar bilateral security agreements between Ukraine and other nations.
A British pact pledged increased cooperation between defence companies and the Ukrainian army, including building military repair facilities and providing cyber defence technology.
Humanitarian provisions are outlined in Japan’s agreement, which pledges to provide medical treatment for wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
Japan and Ukraine also agreed to share and protect classified intelligence.
Ukraine has developed sophisticated drone capabilities after the three-and-a-half-year war that followed Russia’s invasion.
“The innovation we have, no one in the world has it”, Myroshnychenko said.
Oleg Vornik, the boss of an Australian company called DroneShield, said the war showed drones had become central to modern warfare, “necessitating rapid innovation in counter-drone technologies”.
The Australian company bolstered Ukraine’s defences by giving soldiers the ability to detect and disable enemy drones.
A bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Australia would significantly elevate the company’s ability to “operate more directly and responsively on the ground”, Vornik said.
He pointed to an arrangement in place between DroneShield and Ukrainian operators to ensure technology could be rapidly updated to tackle emerging threats.
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G8 Education to install CCTV in its childcare centres
Australia’s largest childcare provider, G8 Education, will install CCTV in all of its centres and allow parents to provide preferences on who conducts nappy changes and toileting after child abuse charges were laid against a former employee, Joshua Dale Brown.
Dale, 26, was charged with more than 70 offences relating to eight alleged victims aged between five months and two years old.
In an announcement to investors on Tuesday evening, managing director and chief executive of G8 Education Limited, Pejman Okhovat, said the team was “horrified and appalled” by the allegations.
“These allegations are deeply disturbing, and our hearts go out to all the children and families involved. I am deeply sorry for the unimaginable pain caused to our families and what they are going through.”
Okhovat said following the trial of CCTV in several centres, it would be rolled out to all operators in light of the allegations. In addition to greater parents’ choice over their children’s care, G8 would also commission an independent review into the incident following the police investigation and criminal proceedings.
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RecipeTin Eats cook upset her beef wellington recipe ‘entangled in a tragic situation’
Nagi Maehashi, the Australian cook behind RecipeTin Eats, says it is “upsetting” to have become “entangled in a tragic situation” after it was revealed her beef wellington recipe was used by Erin Patterson to lace a meal with death cap mushrooms.
During the trial, Patterson said she made multiple changes to the RecipeTin Eats recipe she was using to prepare the fatal beef wellington two years ago. It was a dish she had never made, but she wanted to try something special for her guests, she said.
The recipe is described on Maehashi’s website as “incredibly juicy, edge-to-edge rose pink beef encased in pastry boasting a flawlessly crispy base”. It is only available in her debut cookbook, Dinner.
In a post to Instagram on Tuesday, Maehashi requested journalists “please stop calling and emailing and texting and DM’ing me about the Erin Patterson case”.
It is of course upsetting to learn that one of my recipes – possibly the one I’ve spent more hours perfecting than any other – something I created to bring joy and happiness, is entangled in a tragic situation ... Thank you for respecting my privacy.
On Monday, Patterson was found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Rafqa Touma to guide you through the day.
Australia is in negotiations with Ukraine about a security pact that could see the two countries firm up cooperation on intelligence sharing, according to briefing documents prepared for the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong. More coming up.
One of the childcare operators at the centre of the abuse allegations in Victoria has told shareholders it plans to install CCTV in all of its sites and allow parents to provide preferences on who conducts nappy changes and toileting. More details shortly.
The health regulator has recommended sunscreen manufacturers add safeguards to products containing two ingredients amid concern about their efficacy. We have more coming up.
