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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Henry Belot and Emily Wind (earlier)

Aged care report released – as it happened

Anthony Albanese Climate Change Australia NT SMC UNRWA Labor
Older Australians with more wealth should have to pay more for the cost of their aged care, a government-appointed expert panel has recommended.
Older Australians with more wealth should have to pay more for the cost of their aged care, a government-appointed expert panel has recommended. Photograph: Paul Miller/AAP

What we learned, Tuesday 12 March

Thank you for joining us on the live blog today – hear is a wrap of the main news:

Thanks for sticking with us today. We’ll be back with you, bright and early, tomorrow.

Updated

Western Australia police have provided an update on the seven people – including four children – who have been missing since Sunday.

According to police, two vehicles left Kalgoorlie Boulder on Sunday between 10am and 2pm. Officers believe the group were returning to the remote community, Tjuntjuntjarra, 650km north-east of Kalgoorlie.

The force’s Mick Kelly said police believe the seven people are family members and members of the Tjuntjuntjarra community:

Concerns are held due to the fact that we’ve had severe weather and rain and more has been forecasted over the next 24 hours.

We are unsure of what food and water resources they have on board.

These are local members of the community of Tjuntjuntjarra and we are actively trying to communicate these people.

Kelly said efforts to find the group have been affected by the weather conditions. The group were travelling on an unsealed track.

A helicopter search for the group was abandoned earlier today due to poor visibility.

Updated

Four children and three adults missing in flood-affected region of WA

Western Australia police has serious concerns for seven people – including four children – who are missing in a remote and flood-affected region of the state.

According to police, two vehicles left Kalgoorlie Boulder on Sunday between 10am and 2pm. Officers believe they were travelling to Tjuntjuntjarra, 650km north-east of Kalgoorlie.

Here’s the statement from police:

The first vehicle is a beige coloured Toyota Landcruiser registration number ‘A683’, which is believed to contain an elderly driver.

The second vehicle is a white Mitsubishi Triton registration number ‘KBC8881’, which is believed to contain an elderly driver and five other occupants of which four are children aged between 7-17 years.

Concerns are held for the occupants of these two vehicles due to serious weather conditions. It is unknown how much food and water the occupants have in their possession.

As my colleague Mostafa Rachwani pointed out a few moments ago, the state has experienced heavy rain and flooding in recent days.

Updated

Land routes into WA remain cut off due to rain

Heavy rain and flooding has cut off road and rail links into Western Australia.

The Eyre Highway has been closed since the weekend and is likely to remain out of operation for several days.

The Trans-Australian Railway line has also been affected, with key freight routes running between WA and South Australia through the Nullarbor closed amid the rain.

Parts of WA experienced more than half a year’s rain in 24 hours over the weekend, with more than 155mm of rain recorded at Rawlinna, 900km east of Perth, since 9am Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast totals of up to 130mm for parts of the Goldfields, Eucla and south interior districts on Tuesday.

Updated

Christmas Island is being battered with heavy rain and strong winds, and could be facing a tropical cyclone in coming days.

Will Parker from WeXplore Travel sent this video to Guardian Australia, showing some of the weather chaos.

Matildas sell out again

Australia’s love for the Matildas shows no signs of abating, with their next home game against China in May selling out in a matter of hours.

The match against the world No 19 team is one of two farewell friendlies the Matildas will play before kicking off their Olympic campaign in Paris.

The fixture at the 53,500-capacity Adelaide Oval will mark the 13th consecutive sellout crowd for the team and one million fans through the gates since 2017.

The Football Australia (FA) boss, James Johnson, said the unprecedented demand was “a testament to the growing popularity and support for football in Australia”.

We are confident that the upcoming matches for both the CommBank Matildas and the Subway Socceroos will continue to draw full stadiums, reaffirming the strong connection between our teams and their supporters.

FA said a limited number of tickets for the Adelaide game may be released closer to the date, while tickets for the second friendly against China in Sydney on 3 June go on sale from this Friday.

Updated

Tasmanian Labor leader reiterates support for AFL team

Tasmanian Labor leader, Rebecca White, has sought to make it clear the state’s proposed AFL team would not be at risk if she is elected later this month.

The proposed AFL stadium at Macquarie Point has been a controversial issue in Tasmania, with the issue featuring in debate ahead of the election on 23 March.

Here’s what White told the ABC a few moments ago:

The team is not in jeopardy under a Labor government.

I grew up around regional football. It has been a part of my life forever and I support us getting our own team.

We have been very clear that what we want to do is sit down with the AFL and make sure we have a great deal for Tassie, which hasn’t been delivered so far. I take on face value the fact they will work with us, if we are elected to government. There is no risk to the Tasmanian team.

Updated

Bob Katter clashes with fellow MP Ross Cadell over supermarket inquiry

The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, says Ross Cadell should not be removed from a Senate inquiry into supermarket pricing.

Independent MP Bob Katter has demanded Cadell be replaced on the committee after the pair clashed at a press conference earlier today.

You can see a bit of that clash in this video:

Littleproud has defended Cadell’s conduct, while also attacking Katter’s. Late last month, Katter and fellow independent MP Andrew Wilkie dressed up in pig suits at Parliament House to protest against the supermarkets.

Here’s what Littleproud told the ABC:

What Ross Cadell showed today was the frustration of many producers, particularly in Orange. Producers that have been done over by Coles and Woolworths. They are wanting a voice. But don’t want stunts. They want adults in the room. Not people dressed up in pig suits trying to bring attention in an undignified way. This is a serious topic.

Updated

WA rail link remains closed after record rains

The only rail line connecting Western Australia to the rest of the country is likely to remain closed for several days as parts of the state experience more than half a year’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

The Trans-Australian Railway line, a key freight route running between WA and South Australia through the Nullarbor, has been closed since Sunday with floodwaters inundating parts of the track.

The Eyre Highway – the main road connecting WA with SA – was also closed due to flooding, but re-opened on Tuesday morning.

More than 155mm of rain has fallen on Rawlinna, 900km east of Perth, since 9am on Friday, while the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast 24-hour totals of up to 130mm for parts of the Goldfields, Eucla and south interior districts.

Average rainfall in those areas is about 260mm a year.

Updated

Local share market stabilises

The local share market has closed marginally higher, stabilising after Monday’s 1.8% plunge, as traders await another inflation readout from the US that could determine the path of interest rate cuts.

AAP reports the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Tuesday finished up 8.3 points, or 0.11%, while the broader All Ordinaries gained 9.4 points, or 0.12%.

The Australian dollar was buying 66.18 US cents, from 66.15 US cents at Monday’s ASX close.

Updated

Minister admits people in Gaza ‘clearly need help ‘

Cabinet minister Murray Watt has been asked what would need to happen before the Australian government restores $6m in emergency funding for UNRWA.

Australia was among more than a dozen donor countries to suspend funding to the agency in late January, after the Israeli government alleged that 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

Here’s what Watt told ABC a few moments ago:

I think there is widespread recognition not just within the government, but right around the world, that we do need to see more aid delivered into Gaza at the moment.

The conditions that people are living in our horrible and they clearly need help.

The issues with UNRWA have been widely ventilated and it is appropriate that an investigation is undertaken. But I know that [foreign minister] Penny Wong is working incredibly hard to have this situation resolved and to explore the best way to get aid in where it is most desperately needed.

Updated

Opening round balances out MCG grand final: Longmire

Switching to sport for a moment: Sydney Swans coach John Longmire has declared it is only fair to keep the interstate opening round on the AFL calendar if the grand final is to be played exclusively at the MCG.

As AAP reports, Longmire floated the possibility of one day moving the grand final interstate, though conceding such a move was probably “off the agenda” for now.

The AFL’s inaugural opening round proved a hit with local fans across four games between the emerging Brisbane and Sydney markets last weekend.

Here’s what Longmire said:

The MCG has the grand final every year, I think that’s just a reality that everyone accepts that it’s very difficult to get everything equal and we deal with that all the time.

Having a couple of games up here probably balances it out OK.

Updated

Surplus ‘virtually impossible’ for NSW: treasurer

A surplus in the New South Wales budget was far less likely following recommendations from the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) to reshape the GST carve-up released on Tuesday.

The state treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said a surplus was now “virtually impossible”.

He said:

It will take a miracle. Equally, I want to be clear that this is going to pile even more pressure on the state’s triple-A credit rating, which was already under immense pressure from the moment this government was sworn in.

He said the government would not make any “sudden jerk movements” on service delivery and would instead “calmly and methodically work our way through this decision”.

The treasurer also took aim at the Commonwealth Grants Commission process, saying that “a system this absurd cannot last”.

You can read more on this here:

Updated

Seniors body says transparency essential in user-pays aged care model

National Seniors Australia says there must be transparency and a robust complaints system if the government decides to require wealthy Australians to pay more for the cost of their aged care.

A government-appointed expert panel has recommended the user-pays model, potentially from a resident’s superannuation balance, in a bid to reduce financial pressure on the struggling sector.

Chris Grice from National Seniors Australia has spoke to the ABC about the proposal:

From our perspective, if there are contributions that will apply going forward, there must be transparency. People have got to understand it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s personal, individual, or the government, there should be transparency as to how money’s being spent.

Also, importantly, there has to be a robust complaints system.

Updated

Alleged Nazi salutes at Melbourne cinema sparks police probe

Police are investigating after Nazi salutes were allegedly performed and racial slurs yelled by a group of people during the screening of a Holocaust movie.

As AAP reports, the salute allegedly occurred at Cinema Nova in Carlton on Saturday night as moviegoers watched Zone of Interest, which is set at Auschwitz concentration camp.

A Victoria police spokesperson said the force “understands incidents of anti-Semitism can leave communities feeling targeted, threatened, and vulnerable” and should not be tolerated:

It is believed a group of patrons performed a Nazi salute and called out a racial slur at a cinema on Lygon Street about 9.15pm.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be determined and the investigation is ongoing.

Updated

Vacancy rates drop as rents increase in most capital cities

Some more tough news for renters: Vacancy rates in Sydney, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne and Brisbane have all fallen, according to SMQ research.

The total number of rental vacancies Australia-wide now stands at 30,161 residential properties across Australia, down from 32,108 in January.

According to SMQ Research, this has led to an increase in capital city asking rents. Unit rents jumped by 1.2% in the 30 days to 12 March. Melbourne recorded the fastest increase at 1.5%, while Darwin and Hobart recorded declines in rents of 2.1% and 0.1% respectively.

Here’s the managing director of SMQ Research, Louis Christopher:

Our rental market update today reveals a further decline in rental vacancy rates cross the nation.

Most likely the fall in rental vacancies was driven by increased demand from tertiary students following the start of campus semesters for 2024, as well as graduates entering the workforce for the first time.

It is a seasonal demand increase we see at the start of each and every year but is most certainly problematic due to the fact the current rental market remains in crisis.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. Henry Belot will guide you through the rest of our rolling coverage today. Take care!

Government opens consultation on ‘buy now, pay later’ draft bill

The Albanese government has opened consultation on draft legislation to regulate “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) products.

In a joint statement from the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and assistant treasurer Stephen Jones, they said the government is committed to “a financial system that leads to good consumer outcomes with appropriate safeguards in place”.

The pair note that BNPL products have created new opportunities in the economy, adding as much to $18.4bn to GDP and supporting more than 120,000 new jobs, according to the Australian Finance Industry Association.

But at the same time, BNPL products aren’t subject to the same regulatory framework that applies to other credit products, the pair noted.

This can lead to poor product disclosure, inadequate dispute resolution processes, excessive default fees and unaffordable lending practices that lead to hardship and financial stress.

That’s why the government is taking action to regulate BNPL. The draft legislation released today amends the law to bring BNPL into line with other types of credit. This will ensure Australians can continue to enjoy the benefits of BNPL while receiving appropriate protections.

Under the proposed reforms, BNPL providers will be required to hold an Australian credit licence, and take steps to ensure they are lending responsibly.

Exposure draft legislation can be found on the Treasury website, and submissions will remain open until 9 April.

Updated

Paul Fletcher touted ‘real benefits’ of fuel standards reform in 2017 op-ed

Circling back to Anthony Albanese’s earlier press conference, where he revealed Paul Fletcher had approached him about fuel standards policy when the Coalition held government:

My colleague Daniel Hurst has found this op-ed from Fletcher, published in August 2017, arguing that reforms to Australia’s fuel efficiency standards “has the potential to deliver real benefits”.

Liberal MP Fletcher held ministerial office from 2015 to 2022, under PMs Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. Here is what he wrote about fuel efficiency standards back in 2017:

Fuel efficiency standards are about reducing fuel costs and carbon emissions at the same time. Eighty per cent of the global vehicle passenger fleet is subject to fuel efficiency standards, but Australia has none… If Australia had fuel efficiency standards in line with comparable nations, estimates of the fuel saving per passenger vehicle could be above $500 per year, or nearly $28 billion in total by 2040.

Given the long distances travelled in regional Australia, the savings could be even greater for people living outside the main cities. Consumers could also benefit from accessing better vehicles as manufacturers are currently holding back some of their latest fuel efficient stock from Australia.

Fletcher wrote that it was “important to get the balance right and fully understand the implications of any changes” before deciding on a timetable for reform, but argued fuel efficiency standards have “the potential to deliver real benefits”.

Updated

Pokie venues ‘lack understanding’ about money laundering: watchdog

Pubs and clubs across Australia have demonstrated “a lack of understanding” about how poker machines can be used to launder the proceeds of crime, the financial crime watchdog has warned.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre’s (Austrac) manager of regulator operations, Brad Brown, said this was despite high-profile warnings from law enforcement agencies.

In 2022, a joint law enforcement agency inquiry into money laundering in NSW found billions of dollars in “dirty” money being gambled in pubs and clubs in the state every year.

Brown told the Regulating the Game conference in Sydney that many unnamed organisations had not improved their practices since then:

We have concerns in pubs and clubs with electronic gaming machines around the identification of risks. Many clubs, pubs and clubs are continuing to be reliant on manual transaction monitoring.

We have concerns around a lack of understanding about the risk posed in the sector more generally. In particular, the main risks that were called out by the New South Wales Crime Commission’s Project Islington, which exposed spending and lifestyle considerations and activities. That is: persons gambling the proceeds of crime.

Updated

Opposition calls for more information on aged care report

The shadow minister for health and aged care, Anne Ruston, just spoke to the media from Adelaide after the release of the aged care taskforce report.

Ruston said the opposition has been providing bipartisan support on this issue “for quite some time now” and remains committed to supporting “sensible changes” to ensure the sustainability of aged care into the future.

But she said if the government wants genuine bipartisan support, it needs to provide information to them quicker:

Disappointingly, the government has had this report now for three months and we only received it over the weekend.

Ruston was asked what specific elements of the report the opposition supports. She said it was “wide-ranging” and there is “not enough information for us to make comments on anything specifically”.

I think there’s some very good high level recommendations that have come from the taskforce and I commend the taskforce for the work they’ve done. But there isn’t enough information that sits behind those recommendations for us to assess what it is they’re intending to do.

Asked about the suggestion that older Australians with the means should contribute more for their aged care costs, Ruston again said there wasn’t enough information:

It is very difficult to be able to provide an answer to a question like that, when we don’t know what the intention [is] in terms of the overall deliberations about the response by the government. We stand very open, we’ll support sensible reforms, but we’ll also like to know what the details behind those reforms are before we make any commitment.

Updated

Gambling sector being exploited by organised crime: watchdog

Australia’s financial crime watchdog has warned the gambling industry continues to be exploited by organised crime.

The blunt assessment, delivered to a room of industry leaders in Sydney, came days after the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) confirmed it had commenced an enforcement action against gambling giant, Bet365, over allegations it failed to properly verify customer IDs. Bet365 declined to comment on Austrac’s enforcement investigation.

Austrac’s national manager of regulator operations, Brad Brown, told the Regulating the Game conference that despite recent reforms, the gambling industry remains a concern. He did not name any specific companies before making this assessment:

The gambling sector continues to be exploited by organised criminals. Anonymous individuals and high value customers continue to launder money through gambling. These individuals and organised criminals can be domestic, in Australia, or they can be international customers.

Online gaming services are highly accessible with mobile applications and the Internet dominating the interaction with customers and therefore, limiting face-to-face interactions which may provide an opportunity to generate behavioural suspicion.

Brown said Austrac would deliver a national risk assessment of money laundering and counter-terrorism in the gambling sector in coming months.

Updated

Here is a video of Brian Jokat, a passenger on the LA800 flight from Sydney to Aukland that dropped mid-air yesterday, describing his experience on board:

Australia’s housing stock rises 2% to $10.4tn: ABS

As prime minister Anothony Albanese talks up the government’s $4bn Indigenous housing plan, the ABS has coincidentally given us some context for those numbers.

In the December quarter of last year, the total value of residential dwellings in Australia was $10,397.1bn, up $196.8bn from the tally three months earlier.

All states and territories saw a pickup in values, with NSW dwellings worth almost $1.2m on average. By contrast, those in Victoria came in at $895,000 on average:

That differential between NSW (especially Sydney) and other parts of Australia is quite stark. The costs of housing must pump up the cost of doing business in the state.

Speaking of business, the latest NAB survey has found the economy “remained resilient” going into the new year although inflation remained “a challenge despite slowing growth”.

The good news is trading conditions and profitability lifted in February and conditions were no back above their long-term averages. (Retail and construction were two notable sectors struggling with higher interest rates.)

Not so positive though were poor confidence levels and forward orders, while retail prices were up 1.4% in quarterly terms. The latter was “a sign that further progress on inflation is unlikely to be smooth over the months ahead”, NAB said.

In trend terms, the level of conditions remained strongest in WA, Queensland and NSW (despite those expensive dwellings). Victoria was weakest but remained at +6 index points, NAB said.

Updated

Dutton ‘hasn’t given a serious policy speech since he became leader of the opposition’: PM

Q: Opposition leader Peter Dutton has offered to debate you any time, anywhere on nuclear energy. Are you happy to take him up there?

Anthony Albanese responded that Dutton “hasn’t given a serious policy speech since he became leader of the opposition”.

When pressed on whether or not he would debate him, Albanese said Dutton could expect a response when his energy policy is released:

It’s thin air at the moment … When they release their policies, you’ll hear a very clear response – not just from the Labor party in the parliament and outside, but from the community as well, including the communities where these giant nuclear reactors are going to go.

Updated

PM says Coalition ads on fuel standard ‘just another scare campaign’

Changing topic, and the prime minister is asked about full-page ads printed in today’s papers, arguing that Labor’s fuel efficiency standard is going to raise the price of cars.

Our environment editor, Adam Morton, has broken down this argument here. This also comes as Polestar and Tesla have quit Australia’s auto lobby over its campaign against the government’s proposed vehicle efficiency standard:

Responding to the question just now, Anthony Albanese said the argument that fuel efficiency standards will lead to increased car prices is “just another scare campaign”.

Just another scare campaign from an opposition that said, quite frankly, some pretty extreme things during the Dunkley byelection. And what people did was they had a look at the billboards [that were] driven around polling booths, they had a look at the scare campaigns, and they rejected it.

The truth is that there are only two countries in the industrialised world that do not have fuel standards – they’re Australia and Russia. Now, Vladimir Putin isn’t my role model for any policy, let alone the standards of vehicles, and I don’t know if people are conscious of the level of Russian presence in our motor vehicle fleet, but I haven’t seen too many driving around. What I see is motor vehicles that were built in the United States, that were built in Japan, that were built in South Korea, that were built in Europe. All of them are built under systems that have fuel standards …

Albanese said that ministers from the previous government promoted fuel standards “because its common sense and they said that it would not add to the cost of vehicles”.

Paul Fletcher, when he was the minister, approached me [when] I was the shadow minister and we gave support to what was sensible policy. Those were the days when the word “opposition” didn’t mean that you had to oppose everything. But under Peter Dutton’s lack of leadership, that’s it – just saying no to absolutely everything, except apparently nuclear reactors, is the only thing they’re in favour of.

Updated

‘I had that security’: PM references upbringing in public housing

Anthony Albanese referenced his own upbringing in public housing while speaking about the importance of housing as a key first step to addressing compounding inequalities:

We know that we want to have practical actions to improve the lives of First Nations people, and that the first step in that, before you can address health problems, before you can address getting kids to school and getting people educated, and getting people the opportunity of a good, well paying and secure job, is a secure roof over someone’s head.

That doesn’t just apply here. One of the reasons why I’m standing here as prime minister of Australia is the fact that I had a secure roof over my head of public housing, which was council owned, but I had that security and that gave me and my mum that security of a start in life. That gave her the opportunity to encourage her young son to stay at school, to be able to consider the opportunities that I’ve been able to get. What I want to do is hold open that door of opportunity for as many people as possible. That’s what I’m about and that’s what my government is about.

You’ll see announcements over the next couple of days going beyond housing, which is all about opportunities.

Updated

‘We accept that’: PM on ‘additional costs’ of regional housing

Taking questions from reporters, Albanese is asked about the building quotas as part of the funding initiative.

The government has outlined the initiative will involve “up to 270 homes a year”, and a reporter asks if there is a minimum number – “without that, how will there be accountability?”

Albanese responded:

One year we might get 280, and one year might get 260. The funding agreements are there, we have it in place.

He is also asked about the costing, with the program costing $4bn for 2,700 homes. Albanese said this costing is “over a period of time” and accounts for inflation, plus local employment:

Many of them are in very remote communities that we’re looking at. This community [of Binjari] is pretty close to Katherine, but some will be more isolated. We’ll be rolling out some of that housing and with that comes additional costs. We accept that. What we want to make sure is that it is not underfunded … This is an ambitious program, but it’s the right program, that’s properly funded between the two levels of government.

Updated

PM announces ‘much needed’ $4bn remote housing plan for NT

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to the media from Binjari in the Northern Territory, as he announces a $4bn remote housing agreement.

The 10-year commitment between the federal and NT government’s has been made in a bid to close gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, aiming to halve overcrowding in the territory.

It involves a pledge to build 2,700 homes in remote areas – up to 270 a year, based on three-bedroom homes.

Speaking to the media now, Albanese pointed to a family who have just moved into their new home a few days ago, which is up-to-date with wheelchair access:

That’s what we want to achieve here in the Northern Territory and in remote communities. In addition to that, we’ve met a young apprentice here who helped work on the home. We want to use our housing program to assist with our employment program … This is much needed delivery and my government is determined to make a difference.

Albanese also flagged further announcements tomorrow, “because we know that there’s so much to be done”.

Updated

Universities propose ethics body to advise on ‘profound’ questions

Leading Australian universities are requesting $33m from the federal government to establish the world’s first institute for ethics.

The University of Sydney, the Ethics Centre and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have teamed up to propose the Australian Institute of Applied Ethics, which would act as an independent body to advise on “profound ethical questions” that face the nation.

According to research commissioned by Deloitte, a 10% improvement in ethics and the flow on to better trust in institutions would produce an uplift on GDP of $45bn per annum.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, professor Mark Scott, said the need to strengthen “ethical infrastructure” in the public and private sector was “urgent”.

The bodies have requested a one-off investment of $33.3m from the federal government to establish the institute.

Vice-chancellor of UNSW, Prof Attila Brungs, said ethics must be “reconceptualised” as critical to solving the “intractable problems of our time”.

From improving productivity, to climate change, to closing equity gaps.

Updated

WA cut off as parts receive half annual rainfall in 24 hours

The main land route connecting Western Australia to the rest of the country is likely to remain closed for several days as parts of the state experience more than half their annual rainfall in 24 hours, AAP reports.

The Trans-Australian Railway line and the Eyre Highway, key freight routes running between WA and South Australia through the Nullarbor, have been closed since the weekend with water over roads and railways.

More than 155mm of rain has fallen on Rawlinna, 900km east of Perth, since 9am on Friday, while the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast 24-hour totals of up to 130mm for parts of the Goldfields, Eucla and South Interior districts.

Average rainfall in those areas is around 260mm a year.

The Bureau said a “near-stationary trough” over the south-east of the state would remain until the middle of the week, with heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding possible.

The east-west rail line is expected to remain closed until later in the week, the Australian Rail Track Corporation said. The renowned Indian-Pacific train service that operates between Perth and Sydney via Adelaide has been cancelled as a result.

Updated

‘You have my permission … to skip school’: Lidia Thorpe on student strike for Palestine

As Caitlin Cassidy reported earlier, Students for Palestine has organised a second strike for this Thursday, calling on Australia to break its military and diplomatic ties with Israel.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe posted a video in support of the strike, and said she would personally sign absentee notes for students:

You have my permission, personal permission, to skip school and get on down and stand with Palestine … If you need a note for the teacher, I’ll be happy to write it.

This is your future, you are the young people, and you are part of the solution going forward.

Updated

Ex-treasurer says economy 'in pretty good shape'

Former deputy Liberal leader and ex-treasurer Josh Frydenberg had some upbeat things to say about the Australian economy when he fronted up for a 20-minute discussion at the AFR summit in Sydney this morning.

Now chairman of the local operations of investment bank Goldman Sachs, Frydenberg said he was “glass half-full” about the economy. Households were “hurting, no doubt” given the many interest rate rises and the cost of living.

However, we have “peak rates” from the Reserve Bank and inflation is coming down. While unemployment might tick up, “it’s still relatively low”, he said.

“Overall, I think the economy is in pretty good shape,” Frydenberg said, in comments that might suggest he’s not about to re-enter the political fray and thrash the Albanese government’s economic record.

As for the nuclear energy “debate”, he said people should be “open-minded about it”, not that he’d raised the issue back in his first speech to parliament in 2010. “Now as people look to how difficult this transition is [to get off coal and gas], and how costly it is”, nuclear energy “has to be one” of the technologies that are looked out, Frydenberg said.

On an earlier economics panel, the AFR finally got around to asking just one of the four participants the nuclear energy question despite Peter Dutton’s advocacy speech kicking off the day.

Danielle Wood, the new productivity commission chief, said it was important to be “technology neutral”. However, a lot of people she knew and respected think nuclear energy “won’t stack up”.

Not an expert in the field herself, Wood said “timeframes and costs matter a lot”, details many of us will be looking forward to seeing when the Coalition formally releases its energy policy soon.

Updated

NSW youth justice reforms ‘knee-jerk law and order responses’, Greens say

Circling back to the New South Wales government’s $26m justice reform package (which we detailed in an earlier blog post just before):

The NSW Greens justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson, has accused the government of introducing “knee-jerk law and order responses” that will keep more children trapped in the criminal justice system.

She said:

No one wants to see young people engaging in crime, but all of the evidence before us shows that tougher, punitive measures do not reduce the incidence of crime – it just further traumatises the kids and damages social cohesion.

A sensible and caring response to youth crime is doubling down on diversionary and other support services that improve well being and reduce the rates of offending and recidivism.

We need to be looking beneath the surface of youth crime, not just cutting the top off of the problem when it is politically expedient.

Updated

Judge rules Mehreen Faruqi can use academic and social media evidence in Pauline Hanson racial vilification case

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has had a partial win in terms of what evidence she can present in the racial vilification case she has brought against senator Pauline Hanson.

Faruqi launched legal action against Hanson in the federal court last May, after the One Nation leader told the Greens senator to “pack [her] bags and piss off back to Pakistan” in a tweet. Hanson had tweeted in response to Faruqi’s thoughts on the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Hanson is fighting the racial vilification claim and has argued freedom of political speech.

The case will be decided without a jury, and last week the judge was asked to consider what evidence Faruqi can tender in support of her claim.

Through her lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou SC, Hanson attempted to stop Faruqi’s legal team from including responses to a social media survey Faruqi launched, asking people of colour how they felt seeing Hanson’s tweet, and the academic views of three racism experts, as part of their evidence.

Justice Angus Stewart heard Chrysanthou’s arguments against parts of the evidence Faruqi’s team had hoped to rely on and dismissed most of them, although agreed that Hanson’s senate motion “it’s okay to be white” was protected under parliamentary privilege and could not be relied on.

The case will begin in the federal court next month.

Updated

NSW to make it harder for teenage offenders to get bail, create social media ‘posting and boasting’ offence

The New South Wales government will introduce legislation to make it harder for teenagers to get bail and create a new offence for “posting and boasting” about involvement in crimes on social media.

The changes were announced by the premier, Chris Minns, on Tuesday as part of a $26m justice reform package.

He pointed to regional crime rates remaining higher than in metro areas and an “emerging phenomenon of offenders posting recordings of their offending behaviour on social media” as reasons for the changes.

Minns said:

I have travelled to many regions since coming into government, including Moree. I’ve spoken to mayors, police area commanders and local communities who have said we need to do more when it comes to crime rates, so that’s what we’re doing.

We know there is no easy solution but the reforms we are announcing today look at the big picture at a whole-of-community level, to really intervene and help prevent crime and give young people a chance at life.

As part of the proposed legislation, the bail act would be changed to include an extra hurdle for 14- to 18-year-olds charged with committing certain serious break-and-enter or motor vehicle theft offences while on bail for the same offences and seeking further bail.

Offenders could also have an extra two years added to any prison term for posting material that “advertises” involvement in motor vehicle theft or break-and-enter offences online.

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Missing cabinet documents on Iraq war to be released

Further previously secret cabinet documents on Australia’s involvement in the Iraq war will be made public later this week, AAP reports.

On Thursday the National Archives of Australia will release 14 documents from 2003, including National Security Committee records about war deliberations.

The extra documents were misplaced and not initially handed over to the national archives in 2020 by the Morrison government, when the bulk of cabinet records from 2003 were transferred in line with protocols.

A review launched in the wake of the missing documents found 82 cabinet records were not included when the documents were first handed over to the archives.

You can read more about the background to this story here:

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Central Land Council welcomes remote housing package for Northern Territory

Dr Josie Douglas from the the Central Land Council has welcomed the government’s $4bn remote housing package for the NT, saying the housing situation is “dire”.

Speaking to the ABC, Douglas said overcrowding is “extreme” in remote communities and people are living in houses that are decades old, with most needing upgrades.

It’s certainly a welcome funding boost. We know that the previous agreement was $1.5bn over five years and this contributed to reducing overcrowding by 4.4%. Overcrowding in the Northern Territory is at 54%. This means that [more] than half of houses, remote houses in the Northern Territory, are overcrowded.

This boost over 10 years is a very welcome announcement and it will have a positive flow-on effect in terms of accredited training, employment and pathways for employment in the housing sector.

Douglas said the council was looking forward to negotiating a tripartite agreement “that will sit over the funding agreement between the two governments”, to achieve an approach that is in line with Closing the Gap priority reform areas.

You can read more about the funding announcement earlier in the blog here.

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Students for Palestine to lead second strike this Thursday

Victorian students are set to go on strike for the second time in less than a fortnight, continuing calls for Australia to break its military and diplomatic ties with Israel.

Thursday’s protest, led by grassroots collective Students for Palestine, comes in opposition to the “flour massacre” in Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people.

University students plan to hold rallies on Melbourne campuses, while high school students will walk out of class before converging at the State Library, vowing to “disrupt” the city.

The most recent strike for Palestine on 29 February, attended by more than 1,000 people, led to the temporary closure of Melbourne Central and occupation of QV shopping centre.

Year 12 student Ivy Bertram said it was “so important” for students to strike:

We have organised the biggest student-led Palestine strikes in the world … and this week we’re doing it again. We want to show every politician … that our generation is for a free Palestine.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has backed the protests. He said young people had been “watching in horror” as children in Gaza were facing “starvation and famine”.

With 80% of Australians now supporting a ceasefire, here in parliament the government is feeling the public pressure. Peaceful protest works.

Victoria’s GST allocation to soar by $3.7bn

The Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) report also reveals that Victoria’s GST distribution is set to significantly increase by $3.7bn. It said:

Based on the Commission’s recommended GST relativities for 2024–25, Victoria would receive a significant increase in its GST distribution compared with 2023–24 (estimated to be $3.7bn). This is largely driven by its reduced capacity to raise mining revenue relative to other states as well as data revisions from the 2021 Census, which increased its urban population and urban density. The Northern Territory is estimated to receive the largest increase in per capita terms ($995 per capita).

All states and territories received more GST than last year, except for:

  • Queensland, which is set to receive $469m less; and

  • New South Wales, which is set to receive $310m less.

The CGC explained that their distributions “are estimated to fall, largely due to an increase in their relative revenue raising capacities”, particularly due to coal royalties.

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Western Australia’s GST deal costs $6.2bn, according to new report

The Commonwealth Grants Commission has released its latest report on the GST carve-up between the states and territories.

In February, the prime minister Anthony Albanese recommitted to a special deal the Morrison government struck with Western Australia that is estimated to cost the commonwealth $50bn over a decade.

The report said:

Western Australia’s GST distribution is estimated to increase in 2024–25 because of the operation of the GST relativity floor. Its relativity is set to the floor, which increased from 0.70 in 2023–24 to 0.75 in 2024–25. Western Australia continues to have a very strong fiscal capacity, driven by its capacity to raise iron ore royalties. However, Western Australia’s relative fiscal capacity is estimated to be lower than last year, largely due to strong growth in coal royalties raising the fiscal capacities of other states. Western Australia is estimated to receive $6.2 billion more GST in 2024–25 than it would have under the previous GST distribution arrangements.

The report said that WA’s GST deal “lowers the GST relativities of the other states” but the commonwealth’s “top-up to the GST pool and no worse off payments ameliorate this impact”.

'You wait for when we are gone’, farmer tells Senate inquiry

Australian fruit and vegetable growers have launched a scathing attack on the major supermarkets, telling a Senate inquiry that low produce prices are decimating family farms.

Orchard owner Guy Gaeta told the public hearing today that produce was often rejected without valid reason. He said high markups were imposed on fruit that was accepted, leading to steep prices for shoppers:

There won’t be any family farms left within five to 10 years; all you are going to have are corporate farms.

If you think that consumers are paying a lot of money for the fruit now, you wait for when we are gone.

The Senate inquiry, designed to investigate how big supermarkets set prices and use their market power when dealing with suppliers, is holding public hearings across the country.

Coles and Woolworths have consistently defended their pricing practices and relationships with the agricultural sector, pointing to supply chain costs to help explain some of the difference between wholesale and retail prices.

Farming groups have disclosed, often for the first time, the large differences between prices paid to suppliers and those charged to shoppers.

For example, the inquiry heard that a poultry farmer received 75 cents per chicken, before a tenfold markup was imposed on customers by the supermarkets “to cook it”.

Apple and cherry producer Ian Pearce told the inquiry he recently received just over $2.50 a kilo for gala apples – almost an identical price for the same produce in 2011 despite a sharp rise in production costs.

It’s just a terrible situation. What’s going to happen? You don’t reinvest, you can’t reinvest and I can’t see a future.

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Wells says aged care solutions will need bipartisan support to ‘land something that will stick’

Anika Wells said the government will need bipartisan support on this policy issue if it is going to “land something that will stick”.

She told the media:

Firstly, that’s what people expect of a political parties for something as important aged care, we should work cooperatively and set something down that is structurally sound and improves care.

For us to do that, the opposition, through the opposition leader’s budget reply, made clear a number of red lines … [today we can say] we can meet those requests – we can rule out a new levy, we can rule out a new tax, we can rule out any changes to the treatment of the family home.

We hope we can now work cooperatively with the opposition to land a response that everybody can support in the Parliament.

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Anika Wells responding to aged care taskforce report

The aged care minister, Anika Wells, is speaking to the media following the release of the aged care taskforce’s report today.

You can read all the details on this here, but a key detail is that the taskforce has recommended older Australians with more wealth should have to pay more for the cost of their aged care, potentially from their superannuation balances.

Speaking about the report, Wells said it is an “important next step towards delivering a sustainable aged care sector that provides high-quality care for Australians”.

With the number of Australians aged 65 years or older expected to more than double, and the number of Australians aged 85 or over expected to triple, and the number of centenarians expected to go up sixfold, it is clear we must start work now to fund a sustainable aged care service.

Over the next four decades, the Australian population aged 80 and over will grow to 3.5 million people, and our workforce is under pressure, with people aged between 15-64 years expected to decline as a proportion of our population.

We have already heard the next generation of people entering aged care want a different model, a different standard of care than those that have gone before them. We will have to be innovative to address this challenge.

As the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, did earlier, Wells ruled out a new tax or levy to fund aged care costs. She also ruled out any change to the means-testing treatment of the family home.

The government will announce its full response to the task force report in due course.

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WA ranked first, Victoria last on economic performance: IPA

Western Australia is the nation’s best economic performer while Victoria lags behind all other states, a new report reveals.

Australia’s western-most state leads other states on three measures including low taxes, energy prices and high wages growth, while coming in second for jobs growth and business investment.

High median rental prices of $630 was the only measure holding WA back.

Victoria came last, ranking behind all states across three measures: the highest taxes, state debt and energy costs.

The state came second-last in per capita economic growth, wage rises, productivity and retail spending. However, Victoria leads in terms of jobs growth while having the second cheapest median rental costs at $565.

The rankings come from an Institute of Public Affairs report which compares states’ performances against 10 economic indicators using data from the Bureau of Statistics and CoreLogic.

The IPA’s economic scorecard for Australian states is as follows:

1. Western Australia - First: Wage growth, tax burden, energy costs;
2. South Australia - First: Per capita economic growth, productivity growth, business investment. Last: wage growth;
3. Tasmania - First: Retail turnover, rental costs. Last: jobs growth, productivity growth, business investment;
4. Queensland - First: Debt burden. Last: per capita economic growth;
5. NSW - Last: Retail turnover, rental costs; and
6. Victoria - First: Jobs growth. Last: tax burden, debt burden, energy costs.

- from AAP

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Fire at Victorian shopping strip under control

A building fire at a shopping strip in Victoria is under control, with emergency services to remain on the scene until tonight.

As we reported earlier more than a dozen firetrucks responded to a fire in Sunshine West early this morning, which has reportedly impacted a number of shops.

Fire Rescue Victoria says the fire at Glengala Road is now under control, and emergency services will remain in the area until 6pm tonight.

Glengala Road between Simmie Street and the roundabout is closed.

There is no immediate threat to the community and no action is required, Fire Rescue Victoria said.

NSW police investigating alleged home invasion and shooting

New South Wales police are appealing for information after an alleged home invasion and shooting in Canley Vale last night.

About 11pm yesterday, emergency services were called to a home in Canley Vale following reports of a home invasion. On arrival officers were told several men wearing head coverings had forced entry into the home and threatened the occupants with a firearm.

A 42-year-old was assaulted before the men took cash and left in a black Audi Q5 SUV, police said in a statement.

Police also believe a shot was fired into a gate.

Paramedics treated the 42-year-old at the scene for a head injury and he was taken to Liverpool hospital in a stable condition.

Police have established a crime scene and commenced an inquiry into the incident. Anyone with information or footage is asked to come forward.

Man arrested after blaze inside derelict building in Sydney’s west

AAP has more details on the abandoned building fire in Sydney’s west, which we brought you just earlier:

A man has been arrested after more than 50 firefighters battled a ferocious blaze in an abandoned building at Granville early this morning.

At least 23 pieces of firefighting equipment, including aerial platforms and rescue units, were used to prevent the flames from spreading to vacant shops next door.

Firefighters were unable to enter the premises due to signs of potential building collapse.

The cause of the blaze was still unknown but police arrested a 42-year-old man at the scene. He was taken to Granville police station and is assisting officers with their inquiries.

Fire and Rescue NSW crews will remain on the scene to monitor the site for possible structural issues and potential hotspots.

The minister for women, Katy Gallagher, has shared some images from New York where she is attending the 68th session of the commission on the status of women.

According to a statement last week, Gallagher is leading Australia’s delegation at the commission, which includes:

  • Natasha Stott Despoja, member of the UN Committee on the elimination of discrimination against women;

  • Mary Wooldridge, CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency;

  • Dr Anna Cody, the sex discrimination commissioner;

  • Padma Raman PSM, the executive director of the Office for Women in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet;

  • Stephanie Copus-Campbell, the ambassador for gender equality, department of foreign affairs and trade;

  • Joslyn Eades-Tass, a civil society delegate and chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance; and

  • Khayshie Tilak Ramesh, a civil society delegate and non-executive director of YWCA Australia and former Victorian multicultural youth commissioner.

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RBA’s Hunter says GDP, inflation ‘in line’ with expectations

Sarah Hunter, the new chief economist of the Reserve Bank, is on an AFR business panel in Sydney this morning in her first public engagement in her role.

Asked for her view on the state of the economy, given its 0.2% growth pace at the end of 2023, Hunter said it was “in line with what we were expecting”.

It was clear that “households clearly are struggling at the moment” against “big headwinds coming through from inflation primarily”, she said.

Hunter also singled out business investment, noting it was “certainly” very strong at the end of last year (a vibe somewhat at odds with the vibe for much of the summit, which has focused on calls to boost productivity, growth, and so on).

Hunter also highlighted the January consumer price inflation number, which came in at 3.4%. That was well down from the 4.1% pace in the December quarter and not that far out of the RBA’s 2%-3% target range.

While warning that people should not read too much into the “experimental” monthly CPI figures, Hunter added that the 3.4% CPI figure too was “broadly in line” with what the RBA was anticipated.

No hints yet how the RBA board might be advised when it meets for two days from next Monday. (If Hunter did drop a hint she might be in for some media training, you’d have to think.)

For what it’s worth, markets are rating about a 10% chance that the RBA will cut its cash rate from 4.35% to 4.1% next Tuesday, according to the ASX tracker. By this gauge, investors don’t expect such a move until about August.

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Opposition leader Peter Dutton has shared some images from his speech at the AFR business summit this morning, and signalled the Coalition will release more details on its energy policy “in the weeks ahead”.

My colleague Peter Hannam covered Dutton’s speech earlier in the blog here.

Firefighters battle building fire in Sydney’s west early this morning

More than 50 firefighters battled a fire at an abandoned building in Sydney’s west overnight.

Fire and Rescue NSW said the fire broke out in the two-level Granville property around 3.45am this morning.

At least 23 fire appliances responded and fire crews prevented flames as high as 10m from spreading to vacant shops next door.

Signs of collapse on two sides of the building prevented firefighters from entering the premises. They used aerial platforms and it took more than an hour to gain control of the fire.

Crews are continuing to monitor the site’s instability and potential hotspots, FRNSW said. NSW police and fire investigators will work to determine the cause of the fire.

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Farmers to weigh in on grocery supply chain ‘imbalance’

Farmers and producers are set to give evidence about dealing with major supermarkets at a parliamentary inquiry into price gouging at the checkout, AAP reports.

A Senate committee examining supermarket prices is holding a hearing at Orange in the NSW central west today, with growers and agriculture groups to appear.

In its submission ahead of the inquiry, NSW Farmers has called for divestiture powers to be introduced, along with options to be developed to increase competition.

Orange-based cherry and apply farmer Guy Gaeta will also give evidence before the inquiry. He said many had turned their backs on working in the industry due to the treatment of farmers by the major supermarkets:

People don’t understand how ruthless the supermarkets are. Just to sell a zucchini it has to be perfectly straight - pretty soon they will expect bananas to be straight, believe me.

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Body of elderly man found after housing complex fire

The body of an elderly man has been found in the ashes of a housing complex fire north of Brisbane, AAP reports.

Emergency services were called to the facility in Burpengary following reports of a blaze inside one of the units about 9pm yesterday.

The residence was well alight when they arrived and the neighbouring units were immediately evacuated.

Once the fire was extinguished, an examination of the scene revealed the body of a person believed to be an 83-year-old male resident, police said.

He remains unaccounted for.

A crime scene has been declared and investigations into the cause of the fire and formal identification of the deceased are ongoing.

Investigators are appealing to anyone with information or relevant footage to come forward.

Asbestos detected in soil slated for construction of dog park in Queensland

Asbestos has been detected in soil slated for use at the construction of a dog park in south east Queensland.

Everleigh dog park in Greenbank is the first public space in the state to receive soil tainted by asbestos, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has confirmed.

The park is currently under construction and the area is not accessible to the public with remediation in progress.

It comes after several entities were identified as having received soil that was potentially contaminated with asbestos from a stockpile at the NuGrow waste facility in Ipswich.

Five sites that received the soil potentially tainted with asbestos are awaiting results.

They include:

  • Kangaroo Point, behind the new residential development on Thornton Street, C.T. White park;

  • Kingston, Groves Christian college;

  • Rosewood, Walloon State school;

  • Logan Reserve, new residential development at Stockland Halcyon Rise; and

  • Morningside, Downtown Toyota;

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Asking older Australians with means to contribute to aged care ‘meets community expectations’, says St Vincent’s

St Vincent’s has also called on the federal government to implement the recommendations of the aged care taskforce report in full, saying it will set the aged care system up to be “sustainable” for the next generation.

The expert panel recommended that older Australians with more wealth should have to pay more for the cost of their aged care, potentially from their superannuation balances:

St Vincent’s is Australia’s largest not-for-profit health and aged care services provider, operating 26 residential care sites along with in-home support. CEO Lincoln Hopper said:

Asking older Australians with means to contribute to their accommodation and daily costs of life – while government remains the majority funder of their care - is fair and meets the community’s expectations.

Hopper said fixing pressure points in the sector – such as addressing the challenges of providing complex care and the knock-on effect it can have in hospitals if not done properly – is “crucial”.

As a purpose-driven organisation, we’re particularly focussed on the taskforce’s recommendations to ensure a strong aged care safety net. We think what this report is proposing will achieve that.

These recommendations also pave the way for greater choice in models of care for older Australians.

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Coalition will soon reveal ‘potential host sites’ for six nuclear energy plants: Dutton

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has used his speech at the Australian Financial Review’s business summit in Sydney to step up his advocacy of nuclear energy.

Dutton said the Coalition would soon reveal the “potential host sites” for six nuclear energy plants. Those sites, though, won’t include Tasmania (which happens to be holding state elections later this month).

Much of the speech was an attack on the Albanese government’s “renewables wonderland”. The former police officer, who said he “comes from a business background”, called for a “mature conversation” about nuclear energy.

Dutton played up the technology as having the highest yield for the lowest amount of land. He said he would listen to communities but also offer incentives for them to give the social licence for nuclear plants. (Asked about the incentives, he didn’t elaborate.)

Had he attended the Summit yesterday, he would have heard Kerry Schott, former head of the Energy Security Board, saying nuclear “really does not make sense for Australia”, as the AFR noted in print today.

Dutton said nuclear energy would provide cheaper, consistent and “increasingly cleaner” power for Australia, recognising perhaps that going down this very long path would mean coal and gas remains in the power grid longer.

The hurdles, though, aren’t low, even if Lucas Heights has been operating a small nuclear reactor since 1966. As Hugh Durrant-Whyte, a professor and also NSW’s chief scientist told that state’s estimates last week: “Nobody in this country has even the faintest idea how to build a nuclear power plant.”

Dutton said he wants the “scientific facts” on the table, and for a debate with PM Albanese in the National Press Club. Perhaps having a few scientists on hand might be helpful to test the ideas fully.

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Fire in Victoria’s Sunshine West not a threat to the community: VicEmergency

More than a dozen firetrucks responded to a fire in Victoria’s Sunshine West early this morning, which has reportedly damaged a number of shops.

VicEmergency said the fire at Glengala Road is not a threat to the community but involves “numerous shops”. It said people should remain informed and stay away from the area.

Smoke will be visible from nearby roads and communities, VicEmergency says.

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Formerly missing 12-year-old now back with Sydney family after being released from hospital

New South Wales police say 12-year-old Hussein Al Mansoory, who was found safe and well after being missing for more than 48 hours, has been released from hospital and is back at home with his family.

Superintendent Simon Glasser told Sunrise it was “fantastic” to be able to tell the boy’s family he had been found safe:

We had one of our sergeants drive straight to their house, pick them up and bring them to the scene where they were able to meet up with him … they are ecstatic …

He was released from hospital early last night and [is] back at home with family.

While police are still confirming all the details as to how he ended up in a stairwell at a medical centre, police believe the boy simply walked into the stairwell and “wasn’t aware that the door was unlocked behind him, and he must have believed he was trapped inside”.

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50 treated and 13 hospitalised after ‘strong movement’ during Sydney to Auckland flight

Fifty people have been treated by ambulance crews and 13 people are in hospital after a flight from Sydney to Auckland experienced a “strong movement” mid-flight yesterday, that reportedly saw passengers suddenly thrown about the plane.

ABC News Breakfast has spoken to a passenger who was on board the flight, Brian Jokat, who said there was “no notification” of any rough movement ahead:

It was just instantaneous … People took flight inside the plane and if you were in the alleyways, you went forward and backward [and] if you were in your seat, you went straight up to the ceiling and bounced off the roof.

I just happened to be one of the lucky ones who was strapped in for that incident … I opened my eyes and the gentleman sitting next to me was on the roof of the plane. I thought ‘this is really strange’ and then, when he hit the turf a split second later and I just [thought] this is real, actually. And then mass chaos broke out on the plane.

Jokat said more than 50 people were injured and the roof of the plane was “broken in several places where people had went through the ceiling”. He said the experience was “really scary” and that he though the plane was going to go down – “you felt yourself almost at the top of a rollercoaster rise heading over the apex and heading down”.

Medics were on board “instantly” once they had landed, Jokat said, and passengers were clapping and joyous. Jokat briefly spoke to the pilot who reportedly said they had lost control of the plane after the gauges went blank for a second, but then “miraculously” turned back on and the plane righted itself.

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Victorian police investigating fatal shooting this morning

Victorian detectives are investigating a fatal shooting in Greenvale this morning.

Police said in a statement a man was located outside a Buchanan Place home just after 4.30am today. Paramedics tried to revive the man, who is yet to be formally identified, but he died at the scene.

A crime scene has been established and police said the exact circumstances surround the death are yet to be determined.

No arrests have been made. Anyone with information was urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Catholic Health Australia backs calls for wealthier Australians to contribute more to aged care

Catholic Health Australia has called on the government to swiftly implement the recommendations of the aged care taskforce, announced today.

Catholic Health Australia’s CEO, Jason Kara, said reforms are urgently needed, with most aged care providers running at a loss.

As our population ages and more people seek aged care, services will need additional funding to upgrade existing facilities and invest in new places.

The fairest way to deliver extra funding is to ask people who can afford it to contribute more for their accommodation and living expenses, costs they have covered over their adult lives.

Right now user contributions do not meet the cost of provision and research has shown people are willing to pay more for their aged care services.

A more sustainable funding model for the sector means services will be able to upgrade existing facilities and invest in new residential places, Catholic Health Australia says.

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Using super for house deposits increases property prices by $75k: Super Members Council

Allowing first homeowners to withdraw their super for a house deposit could see property prices rise by nearly $75,000 across Australia’s five largest capital cities, according to new modelling from the Super Members Council (SMC).

Using retirement savings for housing would inflame an already-inflated property market and push the major capital city median price up by 9%, it says.

The SMC modelled a scheme that would allow first home buyers to take $50,000 from their super for a deposit, as has been proposed. It found the scheme fuelled demand and led to price increases that “quickly exceeded the $50,000 first homeowners could withdraw from super”.

The model showed prices spiking in all capital cities, with Sydney’s median ballooning by almost $80,000 and Melbourne by nearly $70,000. Perth was the highest, spiking $86,000.

The SMC’s CEO, Misha Schubert, said allowing super withdrawals for house deposits could raise prices for everyone:

We all desperately want more Australians to own their own home, but this idea won’t achieve that – it would just make that goal even harder for first home buyers by making house prices even more expensive.

SMC analysis found a 30-year-old couple who withdraws $35,000 each from their super today could retire with $195,000 less in today’s dollars – which would increase age pension costs, and likely be met with higher taxes.

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First stage of the national climate risk assessment announced

The effects of climate change on water security, the natural environment, human health, infrastructure and national security are among 11 areas of Australian society the Albanese government will focus on as it develops a national adaptation plan for climate change.

The government has released the first stage of a national climate risk assessment, which identities 56 significant risks Australia is facing as a result of climate change.

From those 56 risks, the government has chosen 11 for more detailed analysis that will inform work on a national adaptation plan to help people, the economy and ecosystems respond to the effects of climate change.

The 11 risks cover the natural environment; primary industries and food; regional and remote communities; health and social support; infrastructure; defence and national security; communities and settlement; water security; supply chains; economy, trade and finance; and governance.

The assistant minister for climate change and energy, Jenny McAllister, said the adaptation plan would establish a “comprehensive framework” for adapting to nationally significant, physical climate risks:

Australians know that the climate has changed. They feel it on hotter days and experience it in extreme weather events which occur more frequently. This work will help us better prepare for the small and big challenges that climate change brings.

This national climate risk assessment is long overdue. It provides an evidence-based national picture of the emerging risks climate change poses to Australia’s community, assets and services.

The second stage of the national climate risk assessment – based on further analysis of the 11 risks – is due at the end of this year. The adaptation plan itself is due in 2025.

A discussion paper on the adaptation plan can be found here and the government is taking submissions for the next month.

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PM says government ‘getting advice’ on restoring funding to UNRWA

Finishing up the interview, Albanese was asked whether Australia will be restoring funding to UNRWA.

This comes as former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans said the $6m in emergency funding should be released immediately, as Canada and Sweden have done:

Albanese said the government is “getting advice on that issue”, and added:

We doubled funding for UNRWA, we’re looking at a range of ways in which we can provide further support for Palestinians in Gaza who are suffering terribly.

We have called for a sustainable ceasefire, because what we know is that we see the pictures every night, there’s a catastrophic suffering occurring there, and we have consistently called for humanitarian aid, we’ve called for that to be able to be delivered to the people in Gaza.

We’ve called for a sustainable ceasefire, we’ve called for Hamas to release the hostages. And we have mourned the loss of all innocent life, whether it be Israeli or Palestinian, and we’ve also called for importantly, the political solution that is required, which is a two state solution, which I’ve called for, together with the prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand.

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PM says Labor not proposing any taxes or levys on aged care

Turning to aged care, and the prime minister was asked about a new report released today:

Can the government now rule out a levy to fund aged care? Albanese replied that the report has been released and “we’re certainly not proposing a new tax or levy”, and that the taskforce did not recommend this:

But we want to sit down across the parliament and get agreement going forward because this is a problem. Not for a year, or indeed for a term of government. This is a problem that arises from the ageing of the population that’s been identified for a long period of time …

The aged care sector isn’t currently in a financial position to meet the expected demand which is there to deliver on quality improvements that we need and to invest in the future that aged care needs, and we expect our older Australians to be able to live in dignity and with respect that they deserve.

Albanese refuted the idea this proposal “punishes” wealthy Australians, and said this is about making the system “sustainable into the future”.

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Albanese: federal government has not given up on treaty

Q: Has the government given up on a federal treaty with Indigenous Australians?

Anthony Albanese:

Well, treaties are being negotiated by states and territories, so we haven’t changed the position that we said before is the same, those processes are underway there.

There isn’t a single Indigenous community, of course, in Australia, it’s made up of a range of First Nations and those negotiations in places like Victoria [are] probably more advanced.

Each state and territory … is progressing, moves in their own way, whether it be Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, of course, has their voice in on a state level.

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PM confirms NT housing boost based on three-bedroom homes, ‘up to 270 a year’

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has been speaking on ABC radio this morning, discussing the $4bn Indigenous housing boost announced for the Northern Territory.

Josh Butler brought us all the details around this earlier here.

Albanese said Indigenous housing was a priority for the government because “housing is the key to other opportunities in life”.

If you don’t have a secure home over your head, if you have overcrowding, then you will have not just housing problems, you’ll have health problems. You’ll have problems with justice issues inevitably that come from the tension that come from overcrowded homes and communities.

And you’ll have difficulty getting education – it’s hard to see yourself having a greater opportunity in life if you don’t have that security of a roof over your head … that enables you to actually go about the other things that that we need to close the gap on.

Asked if $4bn is enough to close the gap on Indigenous housing, Albanese responded it is a “major step forward”.

Q: You say “up to 270 homes a year”, could it be less?

Albanese:

Well, we think that the costings that we’ve made … is spot on the funding that is available. But of course, it won’t be one-size-fits-all. There’ll be some homes that are just for smaller families, but homes by and large, it’s based upon three-bedroom homes because we know that families in these remote communities tend to have numbers of children.

Updated

Search engines to block ‘deepfakes’ from results

The eSafety Commission will from today require search engines to stamp out sexual abuse material on their platforms and bar their AI-generation tools from making such content.

As we reported last year, Australia’s online regulator will begin enforcing a new “search code” on platforms like Google and Bing, obligating them to address harmful material on their services.

Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, said the rapid rise of AI generation services - including those from Google and Microsoft - had rendered a previous version of the search code “obsolete”.

The new rules will require search engines to prevent child sexual abuse material being shown in search results, and block their AI tools from creating “deep fake” versions of that content.

eSafety is working on other industry standards around private messaging services and other apps that don’t fall within existing codes. Those new standards will also focus on the risks of AI-generated content.

Updated

Major boost to Indigenous housing announced for Northern Territory

The federal and Northern Territory governments have pledged to build 2,700 homes in remote areas, under a new $4bn housing agreement to be announced in Katherine today.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will announce the plan in the NT, a 10-year commitment in a bid to close gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians with the goal of halving overcrowding in the territory - a problem plaguing housing in remote Australia.

The $4bn plan is split between the two governments, with some money repurposed from other plans, and a new $844m commitment from Canberra.

The homes will be built across remote areas of the territory, with the location increasing costs for construction. Government modelling shows the cost of building an average three-bedroom in such areas would top $800,000.

The funding also includes money for repairs and maintenance, with plans for it to create local jobs and support Indigenous businesses. Albanese said:

We are committed to practical actions that improve the lives of First Nations people.

This landmark agreement between the commonwealth, Northern Territory government and Aboriginal Housing NT delivers a significant investment in remote housing in the NT over the next decade.

The Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, called it “an historic investment that will make a difference to the lives of so many Aboriginal people living in remote communities”:

Increasing housing supply will ease overcrowding, which we know is a major barrier to closing the gap.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning, and happy Tuesday – welcome back to another day on the Australia news live blog. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be bringing you our live coverage today.

Making news this morning: the federal and NT governments have pledged to build 2,700 homes in remote areas as part of a $4bn housing agreement to be announced in Katherine today by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese. The plan is split between the two governments, with some money repurposed from other plans and a new $844m commitment from Canberra.

From today, the eSafety Commission will require search engines to stamp out sexual abuse material from their platforms and bar their AI generation tools from making such content. We’ll have more on both these stories from our own Josh Butler shortly.

Moving to another announcement, and the government has released the first stage of a national climate risk assessment, identifying 56 risks the country is facing as a result of climate change. The government has selected 11 risks for more detailed analysis that will inform work on a national adaptation plan to help people, the economy and ecosystems respond. Lisa Cox will have more on this soon.

See something that needs attention on the blog? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s get started.

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