What we learned, Thursday 14 August
We will wrap up the live blog here for the evening. This is what made the news today:
The Albanese government confirmed it will permit salmon farming to continue in Macquarie harbour in Tasmania, despite concerns from conservationists about the risks to the endangered Maugean skate.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said the media should be “very careful about the fact that Hamas will engage in propaganda because what is happening is the international community are united about isolating Hamas, about supporting a peaceful way forward”.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, sharply criticised the Labor government after the ABC received a leaked document from Treasury that includes a number of recommended outcomes for the productivity roundtable, which isn’t scheduled to take place until next week.
The unemployment rate has dropped to 4.2% in July, almost reversing a surprise jump to 4.3% the month before.
Luke O’Neill, the former CEO of the Wiggles Group, has filed a Fair Work claim in the federal court.
The CSIRO has officially opened a new building in Canberra, named “Diversity” – which includes a combined 13m specimens from the Australian National Wildlife Collection and Australian National Insect Collection.
Two Norwegian nationals have been jailed for attempting to smuggle 80kg of cocaine into Australia in 2023.
234 children were in custody in NSW in June, an increase of 34% since the same month in 2023, the state’s crime statistics bureau said.
David Stratton, the revered Australian film critic and beloved co-host of television programs The Movie Show and At The Movies with fellow critic Margaret Pomeranz, died aged 85.
The Australian federal police allege that a man accused of having child abuse material on his device at Sydney airport had AI-generated child abuse material found among the images.
Westpac’s third-quarter net profit hit $1.9bn for the three months to 30 June, a 14% climb over the first half of 2025.
Telstra’s profits have bounced back 31% after mobile phone plan users paid out a couple more dollars each than they did the year prior.
Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.
Updated
Why people are coming to Australia or going away for a holiday, according to the ABS
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has published a list analysing why people visit Australia or head overseas, covering the last financial year.
In the data, the bureau reveals:
43% of people visiting Australia are here for holiday travel.
Three of five Australians going overseas were travelling for a holiday.
Kiwis make up 17% of visitors coming to Australia.
There was a 102% rise in trips from India compared to ten years ago, with the median duration of stays doubling.
Visitors from Japan have a median stay of six days compared to the overall median of 12 days.
Indonesia was the No 1 destination for Australian trips at 14%.
Japan was in third after NZ, representing a tripling compared to ten years ago.
The US has dropped from the third most popular destination last year to fourth, and the number of people travelling to the US is 25% lower than it was 10 years ago.
China is in the top five, after the USA.
Updated
Tasmanian police continue search for missing light plane
Tasmanian police say searching off the north-east coast of Tasmania and Flinders Island has not located any sign of a missing light plane or its occupants, Gregory Vaughn, his partner, Kim Warner, and their dog. They were reported missing almost two weeks ago.
The plane has not been sighted since it departed George Town airport at 12.45pm on 2 August.
Improved weather and visibility on Thursday allowed a Westpac rescue helicopter to conduct sweeps in Tasmania’s north east and over the Furneaux group of islands, but no wreckage or debris was spotted.
No decision has been made on suspending the search.
The missing plane is a small two-seater Bristell S-LSA in a distinctive green colour, pictured below.
Updated
ASX closes breaking eight-session hot streak
Australia’s share market has hit a fresh intraday record, but couldn’t find the buyers to top its best close as the materials sector broke an eight-session hot streak, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 hit 8,899.1 during the session, but finished 39.6 points, or 0.45% higher, to 8,866.7 as the broader All Ordinaries rose 39.4 points, or 0.43%, to 9,142.5.
Seven of 11 local sectors finished higher, led by a 1.2% rebound in financials as they recovered from Wednesday’s CBA sell-off and a rally in utilities stocks after Origin soared almost 6% on strong earnings.
Raw materials finished in the red for the first time since 1 August, as iron ore prices rolled over and weighed on large cap miners.
The Australian dollar is buying 65.49 US cents, up from 64.32 US cents on Wednesday at 5pm.
Updated
‘Strong relationship’ between PM, Treasurer, Gallagher says
Gallagher is asked if there is tension between the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers. She said it’s important for the PM, the treasurer and the finance minister to work very closely together.
We have some role in deciding or looking at how to fund or looking at how to say no between the three of us, we all have a role to play there. So it’s an important relationship, and it’s a strong relationship. And we get a lot of things done.
She said it was an equal role across the three of them in discussions, and it is a “very constructive relationship, and it’s an important relationship”.
We’re all deeply involved in making sure that we deliver on those commitments we took to the last campaign and deliver on the ones that we had underway before the election.
Updated
Roundtable outcome not decided in advance, Gallagher says
Gallagher is asked about leaked Treasury documents suggesting pre-decided outcomes from the roundtable next week if they’re all agreed to before the roundtable has occurred.
She says “not at all” but says they’re ideas and issues that have been raised – around the national construction code and cutting environmental red tape, for example – but nothing has been decided yet.
I can certainly tell you - and I operate at a pretty high level - that nothing has been predetermined or pre-decided. Issues have definitely been raised … along with the ones reported by the ABC.
My department has provided me advice with issues that have been raised with me, like around procurement, for example, which is one of those issues that’s raised fairly constantly with me by the private sector. I see it as part of the normal preparation and planning for the roundtable.
I think it’s going to be a really interesting and exciting opportunity to pull everyone together in a room and start talking all of these things through.
Asked what she thinks the low-hanging fruit that the roundtable can address, Gallagher said the roundtable needs to happen first to consider what the outcomes are.
Updated
Work needed before universal childcare, Gallagher says
The finance minister, Katy Gallagher, has said the prime minister has a priority of moving towards universal childcare. She told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing there is a need to build the workforce out first to provide that work.
Even if you went out tomorrow and said, ‘This is what we’re providing,’ you wouldn’t have the workforce or the centres to provide that care. And so that’s why, in the last budget, we had money set aside to help build more centres, particularly in areas where the market isn’t building them.
But also, how do we support – through wages and improvement in wages – people considering early education and care as a job? And also, within that, how do we support skill development, professional development, within that profession, similar to how we’ve seen other professions like nursing professionalised so that you actually think you’ve got a career in that, as opposed to … not huge opportunities unless you become trained at a teacher level?
We’ve got to do all of those bits of work before you can start saying that you can deliver universality.
Updated
Woman charged with manslaughter over death of baby during home birth
A 36-year-old woman who was working as a midwife will face court on Thursday charged with manslaughter following the death of a baby during a home birth near Newcastle last year.
Police allege that the woman - who had privately practiced as a midwife - attended a home in October, 2024 to assist a woman with a home birth and allege over the following two days the midwife did not act upon signs of complications and requests by the woman to attend hospital.
The woman giving birth attended John Hunter hospital, where the baby was delivered by emergency caesarean. Police allege that the mother and baby suffered significant medical complications as a result of the incident and the baby died in hospital on 10 October 2024.
The 36-year-old midwife was charged on Thursday morning with manslaughter and reckless grievous bodily harm. She was refused bail to appear before bail division court 2 today.
Updated
South coast man charged over alleged AI-generated child abuse material
The Australian federal police allege that a man accused of having child abuse material on his device at Sydney airport had AI-generated child abuse material found among the images.
The 58-year-old NSW south coast man has been charged with three child abuse material offences including allegedly possessing more than 1,000 illicit images and videos involving minors as young as one.
The man was initially arrested on 3 August 2025 after Australian Border Force officers allegedly found child abuse material on his device after he was selected for baggage examination at Sydney airport.
An AFP examination of the man’s device allegedly found AI-generated child abuse material that featured the man.
Following a search warrant executed at the man’s home on 8 August, a USB and desktop computer was seized. Police alleged the devices contained more than 1,000 images and videos of child abuse material, as well as bestiality material.
The man has been charged with one count possessing child abuse material obtained using a carriage service, one count of producing child abuse material, one count of possessing child abuse material, one count of possessing bestiality material, and one count of failing to comply with bail acknowledgement.
He is next expected to appear in Parramatta local court on 30 September, 2025. AFP detective acting superintendent Luke Needham said:
Online simulations, fantasy, text-based stories, animations and cartoons, or material which is created using AI are all illegal. Producing and possessing this material, even by AI, normalises this behaviour and contributes to the harm of children.
The AFP and its partners will not rest until alleged perpetrators are apprehended and put before the courts.
This month the NSW government introduced legislation to make the production of a sexually explicit deepfake designed to be a genuine depiction of a real person an offence punishable by up to three years’ jail.
Updated
Asic takes Mercer Super to court over alleged investigation comms failures
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Asic) has alleged superannuation fund Mercer Super failed to tell the regulator about investigations into serious member service issues, including incorrect insurance premium refunds for dead members, it has alleged in new proceedings launched today in the federal court.
Asic alleges that between October 2021 and September 2024, Mercer Super had inadequate systems in place to comply with the reportable situations regime. Asic alleges Mercer Super failed to report seven investigations at all, and another investigation reported more than a year late.
Asic’s deputy chair, Sarah Court, said:
We allege a pattern of longstanding and systemic failure by Mercer Super to comply with the law.
These aren’t just technical breaches. Allowing investigations into significant issues to drag on for months or, in some cases, over a year without reporting them to ASIC demonstrates a lack of care for customers and can put more at risk.
Asic is seeking declarations and penalties from the court. Mercer Super said in a statement it acknowledges the action, has cooperated with Asic during the investigation and is currently reviewing the claim.
We note that Asic has expressly stated in its pleading that it does not allege that [Mercer Super] set out to deliberately mislead Asic in respect of the matters set out in the claim.
Updated
Greens say figures on children in custody ‘devastating and predictable outcome’
Sue Higginson, the Greens’ spokesperson for justice, claimed the figures on the number of children in custody were directly linked to NSW premier Chris Minns’ controversial youth bail laws. The reforms make it harder for 14 to 18-year-olds charged with serious break-and-enter and motor vehicle theft offences while on bail to get bail again.
Higginson said in a statement:
Premier Chris Minns’ youth bail laws are doing exactly what he designed them to do, locking up more children and young people, for longer, before they have even been found guilty of anything. …
This is a devastating and predictable outcome. We know that locking up kids is the most criminogenic thing we can do to them, it increases the likelihood of reoffending, entrenches disadvantage and drives higher crime rates.
Updated
Film critic David Stratton has died
David Stratton, the revered Australian film critic and beloved co-host of television programs The Movie Show and At The Movies with fellow critic Margaret Pomeranz, has died aged 85.
His family confirmed Stratton had died peacefully in hospital near his home in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
Updated
Australia’s Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson dominate Teahupo’o swell to win Tahiti Pro titles
Australian surfers Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson have dominated the waves at Teahupo’o to take out the Tahiti Pro titles, AAP reports.
Picklum out-pointed American rival Caitlin Simmers to win the women’s competition in a statement result before her Fiji world title charge. The Australian had already secured the No 1 seeding for the World Surf League finals later this month by reaching the final in pumping Teahupo’o swell.
With his win in Tahiti, Robinson has surged into the World Surf League’s finals at compatriot Ethan Ewing’s expense.
Read more here:
Two men charged on allegations of trying to fix football matches
A football team raised the alarm after two men allegedly approaching a Queensland player in an attempt to fix matches for financial gain, AAP reports.
Queensland police have extradited the men, aged 55 and 45, from Sydney and charged them after a months-long investigation into alleged attempted sports match-fixing at Gold Coast-based football games.
Police allege that on 12 May and 20 June, two employees of an offshore investment group acted as “player agents” and approached a football player on the Gold Coast in a “coordinated effort” to match fix in exchange for payment.
Match-fixing is the act of deliberately manipulating the outcome of a sports event for illicit financial gain, often involving betting or bribery.
Detective Ch Insp Melissa Anderson said there is no evidence that a game was compromised, but alleged it was an attempt at match-fix.
Police became aware of the alleged attempt after Football Australia made a complaint. The men have been charged with one count each of procuring a person to engage in match-fixing pecuniary benefit. They appeared before court today.
Updated
That’s all for me. Josh Taylor will guide you through the rest of Thursday’s news. Take care.
Childcare staff should report crimes to police, head of child abuse squad tells inquiry – video
Staff in the childcare sector who suspect or see abuse should first “report it to police” and not the regulator, the head of the New South Wales police child abuse squad, Det Supt Linda Howlett, said during a public inquiry into the childcare sector.
If you’re walking down the street and you saw someone being assaulted, nine times out of 10 most people would contact the police. I don’t really understand why this sector sees a criminal offence or an offence and they choose to report it to the regulator.
Number of children in custody in NSW up 34% over same month in 2023
234 children were in custody in NSW in June, an increase of 34% since the same month in 2023, the state’s crime statistics bureau said.
AAP reports it’s a reversal in a trend of declining numbers of children in detention, but the figure is still lower than it used to be, according to the bureau’s executive director, Jackie Fitzgerald. More than 300 children were in custody in June 2015. Fitzgerald noted:
Over the longer term, we have had much higher rates of kids in custody than we have now.
About 8% of kids in NSW are Indigenous, but the statistics bureau noted that in June, 140 Aboriginal young people were in detention, making up nearly 60% of the youth detention population.
The majority of children currently in NSW jails have not been convicted, with only 66 children in custody as a result of a sentencing. More than 70% of the children in jail are on remand while they go through the court process.
Updated
Nine says statement from top Hamas official actually came from his office
Nine newspapers have clarified that a statement attributed directly to a top Hamas official actually came from a spokesperson in his office and that the man himself is currently in jail.
It came after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said it should be “a warning to the media of being very careful about the fact that Hamas will engage in propaganda”.
Nine reported on Wednesday that the Hamas co-founder and senior official Sheikh Hassan Yousef welcomed Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine, praising Australia’s “political courage” and calling on other countries to “follow Australia’s example”.
But a statement on social media service Telegram, attributed to Hamas – which Guardian Australia has not independently verified – said the terror group “denies the issuance of any statement by Sheikh Hassan Yousef, detained in the occupation jails since October 19, 2023, on the Australian position regarding the recognition of the Palestinian state” and that Yousef had “no means of communication with any local or international press outlets”.
Nine clarified on Thursday that their earlier statement, attributed to Yousef, had been provided by Yousef’s political office in the occupied West Bank “which issues statements on his behalf,” and that his spokesperson on Thursday “confirmed it had released the statement and that Yousef was still in jail”.
Outlets, including Guardian Australia, had earlier referenced the Nine reporting and the quotes attributed to Yousef.
Nine on Wednesday had said: “Yousef, one of Hamas’ most senior leaders in the occupied West Bank, said in a statement to this masthead.”
Nine has now added a clarification to the original story, noting it had “been updated to clarify the statement was issued by Sheikh Hassan Yousef’s office and that he is held in prison. A subsequent statement issued via a Telegram channel in Hamas’s name has also been added to the story”.
Norwegian diving duo sentenced over thwarted $26m cocaine import plot
Two Norwegian nationals have been jailed for attempting to smuggle 80kg of cocaine into Australia in 2023.
A man, 53, was sentenced on Wednesday by the Newcastle district court to nine years’ and 11 months’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years and 11 months. His accomplice, a 35 year-old man, was already sentenced by the same court in March this year, to 10 years’ and two months’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of five years and nine months.
NSW police had received an anonymous tip-off that a bulk carrier from Brazil, due to arrive in the Port of Newcastle, was transporting illicit drugs.
The pair were arrested on shore in January 2023 after witnesses on a ferry reported seeing them in the water of Newcastle harbour. They were each charged and pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to possess a large commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
Police divers retrieved six waterproof duffle bags hidden in the hull of the carrier, with 82 packages weighing about 80kg total discovered inside which tested positive for cocaine.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) divers later found two seabobs – underwater scooters – fastened to a pier pylon in the Hunter River in Newcastle. AFP Det Supt Peter Fogarty said the cocaine, which had an estimated street value of $26m, equated to about 400,000 street-level deals.
Updated
Victoria could save nearly $500m over 10 years by scrapping greyhound racing, estimates show
The Victorian government could save almost half a billion dollars if it follows Tasmania in phasing out greyhound racing in the state, according to independent analysis.
A policy costing by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), to be released on Thursday, estimates the government would save $451.6m between 2025-26 and 2035-36 if it stopped subsidising greyhound racing and closed the industry.
The figure is based on an estimated $687.4m drop in government spending on the industry over the decade, offset by a $235.8m loss in revenue, as Victorians would no longer be able to bet on greyhound races held in the state.
The analysis said the government “increased ongoing support” to the entire Victorian racing industry, which includes thoroughbred and harness racing, in 2024.
Read more:
Updated
20,000 home battery installations registered in month after federal rebate launched
Household battery payback periods can now be as low as four years in NSW and 7.3 years federally with government subsidies, according to new analysis by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC).
Strong market uptake is already evident, with around 20,000 battery installations registered in the month since the federal rebate – which gives a 30% subsidy on home batteries – launched, reflecting improved affordability for Australian households.
Residents in NSW can also claim hundreds of dollars against a battery from a state-based scheme if they connect it to a virtual power plant provider.
The AEMC said the analysis provides evidence for how the broader energy system might need to adapt to maximise benefits for all Australians.
Updated
Watt confirms salmon farming to continue in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour
The Albanese government confirmed it will permit salmon farming to continue in Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania, despite concerns from conservationists about the risks to the endangered Maugean skate.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, wrote to three environment groups on Wednesday notifying them of the widely expected decision, which follows the passage of amendments to Australia’s nature laws to protect the salmon industry earlier this year.
The groups, including the Bob Brown Foundation and the Australia Institute, had asked the government in 2023 to reconsider a 2012 decision to allow salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour without an assessment under Australia’s environmental laws. Watt said all relevant information had been carefully considered before reaching his decision:
The Albanese government remains committed to the protection of the Maugean skate, including through our funding of oxygenation measures in Macquarie Harbour.
Eloise Carr, director of the Australia Institute Tasmania, said:
Minister Watt is trying to put an end to this issue through this decision, but it’s not going away. Whether the changes to the EPBC (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation) Act apply to Macquarie Harbour remains an open question.
Updated
Labor taps former journalist as pick for Kiama seat vacated by Gareth Ward
NSW Labor has nominated the former journalist Katelin McInerney to run as its candidate in a state byelection in Kiama that will be held on Saturday, 13 September
The byelection follows the resignation of the seat’s former MP, Gareth Ward, who is currently in jail awaiting sentence after being convicted of one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three indecent assault charges.
Ward had held the seat since 2011 – originally as a Liberal, but he won the seat as an independent in 2023 – despite the charges hanging over him. Labor is playing down expectations, with the NSW premier, Chris Minns, saying in a statement:
We have to be realistic about the challenge ahead. This will be a tough seat for Labor to win – but Katelin knows her community, she understands their priorities, and she will work tirelessly to deliver for them.
The Liberals have not yet announced their candidate but opposition leader Mark Speakman said Wednesday he thinks it is important to give people a choice.
Katelin McInerney said of her selection:
If I have the honour of being elected as the member, I will be a strong local voice and deliver more for our community. I will make sure that we continue to deliver the critical infrastructure and services that our community needs and relies on.
Updated
Age assurance trial preliminary findings ‘strong on hype and rhetoric’, stakeholder says
One of the members of the stakeholder advisory board for the trial of technology to keep under 16s off social media from December has challenged the interim report findings that the technology can be “private, robust and effective”.
Electronic Frontiers Australia’s chair, John Pane, said in a statement on Thursday the findings – released in June – were “strong on hype and rhetoric and difficult to reconcile with the evidence.”
Pane, who was a member of the stakeholder advisory board, described the interim report as “political talking points”, and the assessment of vendors’ privacy practices appeared to be a “tick-box compliance” of checking privacy policies rather than a thorough examination.
Pane said there was concerning evidence that personal data, including biometric data, could be held by the age assurance companies for access by law enforcement or regulators. He said:
From a privacy and information security perspective, this is an absolute nightmare!
The final report was provided to government at the start of August. It has not yet been release publicly, and EFA has not seen a copy of the final report.
Updated
Landmark CSIRO ‘Diversity’ facility opens, safeguarding 13 million specimens
The CSIRO has officially opened a new “Diversity” building in Canberra – which includes a combined 13 million specimens from the Australian National Wildlife Collection and Australian National Insect Collection.
Inside temperature-controlled vaults are 55,000 birds, 17,000 orchids preserved in ethanol and the world’s largest collection of Australian insects and related invertebrates – including 2.4 million moths and butterflies and more than 1 million beetles.
The facility makes the collections, procured over 150 years, accessible to researchers, governments and citizen scientists around the world.
Relocating the specimens to their new home took around a year.
Dr Clare Holleley, the director of CSIRO’s Australian national wildlife collection, said nature is declining at a rate unprecedented in human history and the collections serve as a library of life on Earth and a resource for caring for the environment:
Collection specimens allow us to better-understand long term trends in environmental response and to help prepare species for the challenges of the future.
In this new building, we’re solving the problems that nature presents to us in real time.
Updated
Mint honours 50th anniversary of The Rainbow Serpent with coloured 20 cent piece
The Royal Australian Mint is releasing coloured 20-cent uncirculated coins to mark the 50th anniversary of the Australian children’s book The Rainbow Serpent. There will be an coin available in both a card, a special edition book, and a deluxe edition book.
The Rainbow Serpent was written and illustrated by Indigenous Australian artist Dick Roughsey, a Lardil man from Mornington Island. His first paintings were on bark using traditional pigments from soil and black from charcoal.
The Rainbow Serpent celebrates rock art that first appeared in Arnhem Land at least 6,000 years ago. The Royal Australian Mint’s acting chief executive, Emily Martin, said:
At the heart of this program is a 20c coin, a small piece of metal that ignites curiosity and wonder, especially among children.
The colourful artwork on these coins reflects the original book artwork and is stunning in both silver and gold.
The coin in card is $17.50, with the coin in book selling for $50 and the gold plated uncirculated coin selling at $85, available from today.
Updated
Unemployment drops to 4.2%
The unemployment rate has dropped to 4.2% in July, partially reversing a surprise jump to 4.3% in the month before.
The number of employed Australians climbed by 24,500 in the month, including a big 60,500 rise in full-time employment, offset by a 35,900 drop in part-time work.
The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirm that the jobs market has remained one of the few bright spots through the post-pandemic economy.
The jobless rate has shifted lower from its pre-Covid level of more than 5%, and the RBA expects it to stay at about 4.3% for the foreseeable future.
Michele Bullock, the central bank’s governor, on Tuesday said labour market conditions remained “a little tight”, but remains hopeful that inflation can be held below 3% without any substantial rise in unemployment.
Wage price figures released yesterday revealed pay rates climbed by 3.4% in the year to June – well above the 2.1% rate of inflation.
Updated
Australia-US relationship drifting, Ley says
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said the lack of meetings between the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and US president, Donald Trump, showed the relationship between Australia and the US is “drifting”.
Many in the room today are reflecting the critical juncture at this time in history and the importance of the alliance with respect to that with the strategic rise of China, with the conflicts in the Middle East, with the geo-strategic circumstances the way they are, this means the alliance is more important than ever and it is not right for it to be drifting the way it is and it is a call to action for our prime minister and our government to step in and do more.
Ley met with members of the US congress today, and said she raised that US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is a “good friend of Australia” but would not say whether any of the members of congress raised Australia’s position on recognition of Palestine as a cause for concern.
Hamas ‘cheerleaders’ for PM, Ley says
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is holding a press conference in Adelaide
Ley claimed while the PM has said he is not a “cheerleader for Hamas” in recognising a Palestinian state, “Hamas is a cheerleader for him”.
She told reporters:
When you have terrorists cheering on your foreign policy, you know that you have got it wrong. Now, we know that the prime minister said he made this decision because Hamas did not support it.
Hamas did not support his decision, but instead we see Hamas coming out in full-throated praise of the prime minister. He must reverse this decision because when terrorists are cheerleaders for your foreign policy, you need to think again and reverse that position.
For context, the prime minister has repeatedly said Hamas would be excluded from any future Palestinian government, and said the terror group was “manipulating facts for their own propaganda”.
Updated
Australian weekly grocery spend jumps 11% from last year, and is now $240 on average
An Australian household of four now spends $240 on groceries a week, on average, an 11% jump from last year, according to data from Canstar Blue.
That figure represents the biggest annual increase in the last five years, the group said. The figure was $216 a week on average in 2024, $207 in 2023 and $203 in 2022.
Canstar said that total puts the grocery budget for a small family at $12,480 a year, on average.
The group surveyed 2,800 shoppers, who rated different supermarkets across a series of categories, including price, customers service and value for money. More than 80% of respondents said they had changed their shopping habits over the last year to try to keep grocery costs down.
Updated
More on Atlassian billionaire Scott Farquhar’s thoughts on AI and Australian art
Australia should adopt US-style copyright law to allow artificial intelligence to suck up all creative content or risk harming investment in the industry in Australia, according to Atlassian co-founder, Scott Farquhar.
Farquhar, the Tech Council of Australia CEO, told ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday: “all AI usage of mining or searching or going across data is probably illegal under Australian law and I think that hurts a lot of investment of these companies in Australia”.
This is because, he said, Australia doesn’t have fair use exemptions coded into copyright law like the US does.
Farquhar’s claim overlooks that this is not a settled issue in the US, and could have devastating effects on creative industries.
Read more here:
Updated
Former Wiggles CEO files Fair Work claim in federal court
Luke O’Neill, the former CEO of the Wiggles Group, has filed a Fair Work claim in federal court. The full details of the claim are not public, but it lists the application under the Fair Work Act citing allegations of “dismissal in contravention of a general protection”.
O’Neill left the company recently after being hired as its first CEO last year.
The claim lists the blue Wiggle, Anthony Field, as a respondent, as well as Wiggles general counsel, Matthew Salgo, and The Wiggles Holding Pty Limited.
Updated
Origin Energy’s underlying profits jump to nearly $1.5b
Origin Energy’s underlying profits have jumped by $300m to nearly $1.5bn for the year because it paid less tax on its gas production arm, offsetting falling earnings from electricity and gas.
The energy provider, which operates the Eraring coal-fired power station, reported sliding earnings in its annual report this morning.
Electricity pre-tax profit slipped $224m as retail prices fell and coal costs rose, while lower wholesale prices cut natural gas profits. That dragged underlying earnings down to $3.4bn from $3.5bn across the business.
Origin also sold less gas for less cash via its natural gas production joint venture, Australia Pacific LNG – the biggest gas producer on Australia’s east coast. That business segment paid Origin nearly $800m in dividends in the year to June, after paying $1.4bn the year prior – but this time, the segment had already paid tax.
That cut Origin’s annual tax bill by nearly $360m in the year to June.
Updated
NSW SES warns of flash flooding for parts of Central Coast
NSW State Emergency Services is warning of flash flooding on the Central Coast after heavy rainfall. The alert applies to residents of Corlette, Nelson Bay and Salamander Bay, with officials warning residents to never drive, walk or play in flood waters.
The Hazard Watch app currently shows a severe weather Watch and Act alert for Tomaree and its surrounds, with guidance that the situation may change quickly.
Heavy rainfall is causing flash flooding in Nelson Bay⚠️
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) August 13, 2025
A warning is current for residents of Corlette, Nelson Bay & Salamander bay due to flash flooding on roads and water entering homes.
NEVER drive, walk or play in floodwaters. pic.twitter.com/u6pjhUm17x
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Albanese says leaked Treasury advice doesn’t mean roundtable a ‘waste of everyone’s time’
The prime minister was asked about the leaked Treasury document given to the ABC this morning that includes recommended outcomes for the productivity roundtable taking place next week. Albanese said you would expect “Treasury to be giving advice about a forum that’s about the economy” and defended against a question if the event was a “waste of everyone’s time”:
Ideas are popping up all the time. You’re reporting on those ideas. Those ideas are getting assessed as they’re being made. Government will make decisions, to be very clear, governments make decisions.
What next week, though, is an opportunity for people to advance their ideas, to advance policies and that’s a really constructive thing. My government is unashamedly an open government.
Albanese insisted he is open to a “range of reforms”.
Albanese says media should be ‘very careful’ about repeating ‘Hamas propaganda’
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was asked about Hamas’ statement yesterday praising his decision to recognise a Palestinian state at next month’s UN general assembly.
Albanese said the media should be “very careful about the fact that Hamas will engage in propaganda because what is happening is the international community are united about isolating Hamas, about supporting a peaceful way forward”.
He went on about the media:
They shouldn’t repeat Hamas’ propaganda because it is Hamas which will engage in propaganda because they are being isolated. Because the world was horrified by the events of October 7 and the world condemns and says, including the Arab League, that Hamas must be isolated, it must be disarmed.
The hostages should be released and [we] have condemned what occurred on October 7. So I won’t be a cheer squad for Hamas and for its statements. What I’ll do is say that Hamas should be isolated.
Read more here:
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Victorian Greens slam ‘backroom’ deal on ethics committee appointments: ‘Like letting the fox guard the henhouse’
The Victorian Greens leader, Ellen Sandell, criticised a “backroom deal” between Labor and the Liberals she says has prevented any crossbenchers from being appointed to the parliament’s new ethics committee.
The creation of the committee was a key part of the parliamentary workplace standards and integrity bill, which was developed in response to an investigation by state’s integrity bodies into branch-stacking in the Labor party, as well as a 2021 review of workplace standards.
The committee is meant to promote integrity, oversee MPs’ codes of conduct and rebuild public trust but Sandell says this is undermined by its makeup:
This so-called ethics committee will be the only joint committee in the entire parliament with no crossbench representatives, controlled by the two parties with the longest track record of rorts.
It’s a calculated move so Labor and Liberal MPs can keep writing their own rules around MP behaviour, and avoid any scrutiny. It’s like letting the fox guard the henhouse. This Labor-Liberal backroom deal is nothing more than a protection racket.
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Westpac’s quarterly profit hits $1.9bn, up 14% over first half of the year
Westpac’s third-quarter net profit hit $1.9bn for the three months to 30 June, a 14% climb over the first half of 2025.
The bank said it is piloting new AI technology to enhance “real-time scam detection”.
Anthony Miller, Westpac’s CEO, said in a statement:
The resilience of both households and businesses has been aided by the reduction in interest rates and the moderation of inflation …
Our strong financial foundations provide us with the stability and capacity to support our people, customers, shareholders and the broader economy.
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Telstra records $2.3bn net profit, up 31% over last year
Telstra’s profits have bounced back 31% after mobile phone plan users paid out a couple more dollars each than they had the year prior.
Telstra raked in an extra $235m from its mobile business in the year to June, a 4.7% rise in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
The company sold an extra 760,000 mobile services and now operates 24.9m plans. A third of those are postpaid users, who paid up an average of $54.15 each a month, a dollar more than they did in June 2024.
The company provided 56,000 fewer post-paid plans than it had a year earlier after closing 64,000 inactive accounts. Nearly 60,000 customers quit their prepaid plans and another 17,000 saw their services disconnected when the 3G network closed, though the remaining prepaid plan users paid Telstra over 8% more on average than they had the previous year.
The company announced net profit of $2.3bn in its annual report this morning, much higher than the $1.8bn it reported last year when it was having trouble with one of its consulting subsidiaries, Telstra Enterprise.
Telstra committed a further $800m spend on improving 5G performance and other mobile coverage, and said its Sydney-Canberra capital intercity fibre network will be extended to Melbourne by December.
It paid out a final dividend of 9.5 cents per share, as it did in its interim result earlier this year, and announced it will buy back up another $1bn worth of shares, having bought $750m already.
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Felt some shakes? There was a small earthquake in Victoria this morning
Melburnians may have woken up to some light temblors early this morning after a small, 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Mornington Peninsula around 4.40am.
Geoscience Australia said more than 500 people reported feeling the quake, stretching from Mornington to central Melbourne over to Geelong.
The epicentre of the earthquake seems to be just beneath the Main Ridge Bowls and Pétanque Club.
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Education minister won’t intervene in leadership crisis at ANU
The education minister, Jason Clare, won’t intervene in the leadership crisis facing the Australian National University and bullying allegations against the chancellor, Julie Bishop.
This week a prominent academic has alleged she was “bullied into near suicide” and alleged Bishop, the former foreign affairs minister, was “hostile and arrogant” in tearful evidence to a Senate inquiry.
Liz Allen, a demographer and senior lecturer at the Canberra institution, gave evidence to an inquiry considering governance in higher education in Australia, on Tuesday. Her claims have also been referred to the higher education regulator.
Bishop rejects the allegations but said this week formal processes were under way at ANU and it would be inappropriate for her to comment further.
In a new statement overnight, Clare said an expert reviewer would be appointed by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Teqsa). He said:
I am committed to strengthening university governance and ensuring universities are safe and welcoming places to work and study.
The work being undertaken by the expert council on university governance is critical to strengthening governance arrangements in our universities and I expect recommendations from them soon. The university regulator, TEQSA, is investigating this matter.
TEQSA is in the process of engaging an independent expert to review key concerns as part of its compliance assessment of ANU.
This person will have significant senior expertise in governance and public administration. We expect they will be appointed in the next few weeks.
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Israeli opposition lawmaker says Hamas’ message of praise to Australia a ‘problem’
Shelly Tal Meron, a member of the Knesset representing Israeli’s opposition, told RN Breakfast this morning she was deeply troubled after Hamas congratulated Australia over the upcoming recognition of a Palestinian state.
Meron said while her party, Yesh Atid, had a lot of criticism over Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza, Hamas’ support of Australia’s move reflected a problem with Australia’s decision. She said:
When Hamas representatives who are members of a terror organisation are congratulating the Australian government, it’s a problem. Because basically, what we’re saying is: OK, you can invade a sovereign country, a democratic western liberal country, and you can kill so many civilians, and you’ll be rewarded for that …
When you think about recognising a Palestinian state and doing it only one-sided, you know, without having Israel involved, I think that it’s basically very distorted because right now, what’s happening in Gaza? There’s a huge chaos in Gaza. Who is going to govern in Gaza the day after? Hamas is unacceptable. It’s a terror organisation.
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Ley criticises leak of Treasury advice before productivity roundtable
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, sharply criticised the Labor government after the ABC received a leaked document from Treasury that includes a number of recommended outcomes for the productivity roundtable, which isn’t scheduled to take place until next week.
The ABC published details of the pre-written list of ideas that could come from the roundtable, including a freeze on the National Construction Code and measures to speed up housing approvals. A spokesperson for the treasurer said the list’s preparation was standard procedure, and the government was not “pre-empting ideas” but “preparing for them as you would expect”.
Ley, however, claimed the leaks demonstrated the productivity roundtable was just an exercise that is “being choreographed”. She told Channel 9’s Today this morning:
It’s all been lined up. Statements are ready to go out. People are going there in good faith, and they want to see outcomes. They want to see us growing the economic pie, and they want to see Australians pay less tax and be rewarded for their effort. And I fear that none of those things are actually on the agenda at this productivity roundtable.
Meanwhile, there’s a growing list of broken promises. Your energy bills would come down. In fact, they’re going up … But tax is really the main thing on this productivity roundtable.
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Billionaire Atlassian co-founder says benefits of AI models outweigh concerns about fair use of artists’ work
Scott Farquhar, the billionaire co-founder of Atlassian and the chair of the Tech Council of Australia, said the benefits of artificial intelligence language models outweigh concerns about the use of artists’ work in an interview with ABC’s 7.30 last night.
Farquhar has advocated for an “urgent” overhaul of Australia’s copyright rules, saying they are out of step with other countries and training AI language models could unlock “billion of dollars of foreign investment into Australia”. But many artists have rejected that suggestion and said they should be compensated instead, saying allowing the models to do so would lead to “rampant theft” of intellectual property.
7.30’s Sarah Ferguson asked how about how “right now, AI companies are just gobbling up all of that material for free. That’s what the artists are calling theft. Do you think that should stop?” Farquhar replied:
I think that the benefits of the large language models and so forth that we’ve got outweigh those issues …
We have to work out what is fair use for these AI models. I don’t think it is nothing, that they can’t do anything. …
If someone had used my intellectual property to compete with me, then I think that is an issue, directly with me. If they’d used all the intellectual property of all the software on the world to help people write software better in the future, I think that is a fair use.
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EV drivers could soon face road user charges
On Monday the federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, flagged the possibility electric car drivers being hit with a road tax as more people switch to battery-powered vehicles.
And we are reporting elsewhere today that Anthony Albanese has signalled that next week’s productivity summit will tackle the issue of charging EV drivers to use the roads.
Money collected by the fuel excise helps fund the federal budget and is not directly allocated to roads, but some motoring groups have urged governments to adopt road pricing as EV uptake grows.
Last week, the AAA released Australia’s first independent testing of the battery range in electric vehicles. The federally funded program, designed to give consumers more accurate information, focused on cars made by Tesla, BYD, Kia and Smart.
The extended range variant of the BYD Atto3 had the largest discrepancy, according to the AAA, with a real-world range of 369km, 23% lower than the 480km achieved in laboratory testing. The Smart #3 had the lowest, with only a 5% difference.
The Tesla Model 3 had a real-world range 14% lower than the lab test. Tesla’s Model Y and the Kia EV6 both had a real world range 8% lower.
Despite showing a gap between lab and real-world results, the AAA and electric vehicle industry representatives said the results should reduce range anxiety among consumers looking to buy an EV.
The Electric Vehicle Council industry body’s head of legal, policy and advocacy, Aman Gaur, said the AAA’s results should “give confidence that EVs have more than enough range for everyday Australians”.
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Good morning, and thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started today. Nick Visser here to take up the reins. Let’s get to it.
Battery EV sales reach record high
The number of battery electric vehicles sold in Australia hit a record high in the three months to 30 June, with sales increasing by 63% when compared to the first quarter of 2025.
Data compiled by the nation’s peak motoring body shows 29,244 battery electric vehicles were sold in the latest three month period, up from 17,901 registered sales.
Battery electric vehicles accounted for 9.3% of all new cars sold during this period, according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), up from 6.3%.
The number of internal combustion engine cars increased from 205,911 to 226,306 during this period. But the market share of petrol and diesel cars remained steady at 72% thanks to the increase in electric and hybrid sales.
“In the first half of 2023, battery electric vehicles outsold hybrids nationally, but since then hybrids have outsold battery electric vehicles in eight consecutive quarters,” the AAA research said.
Medium sized SUVs remain Australia’s most popular car and represent almost a quarter of all new light vehicles sales. About 20% of these were battery electric vehicles.
A total of 314,185 new cars were sold during the three month period, up from 284,538 in the first quarter of 2025.
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Almost half of Australians experience cybercrime, study finds
Nearly half of Australians experienced some form of cybercrime last year, with the federal government urging people not to reuse online passwords and make sure they have multi-factor authentication on devices.
Some Australians are getting more confident in identifying online crime, which is leading to focus less on protective behaviours, with a whopping 22% of people experiencing identity crime
The Australian Institute of Criminology said online abuse, identity theft, malware and scams were the most common forms of online crime experienced last year. Their new report, Cybercrime in Australia 2024, was released this morning finding 9.5% of Australians were victims of fraud or online scams.
Another 26.8% experienced online abuse or harassment, 21.9% were victims of identity crime, and 20.6% encountered malware attacks.
“While some types of cybercrime declined compared with 2023, the report found protective behaviours – such as using strong passwords and security updates – remain worryingly low,” said Tony Burke, the minister for home affairs and cybersecurity.
The AIC report found only 50% of people used unique passwords for their online accounts, down from 53% the year before. Only 58% of people used multi factor authentication to login.
“Respondents were more confident in their knowledge of technology in 2024 than in 2023, which may lead them to place less importance on protective behaviours,” the AIC said.
Burke said Australians should take more care.
“Remember these three simple steps to stay safe online – always install the latest software updates, use unique passphrases, and enable multifactor authentication wherever it’s available,” he said.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then my colleague Nick Visser will be in the hot seat.
Almost half of Australians experienced some form of cybercrime last year, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Criminology, with close to 22% of people experiencing some sort of identity crime. In response, the federal government is urging people not to reuse online passwords and make sure they have multi-factor authentication on devices. More details in a minute.
The number of battery electric vehicles sold in Australia hit a record high in the three months to 30 June, with sales increasing by 63% when compared with the first quarter of 2025. Figures from the AAA shows 29,244 battery electric vehicles were sold in the latest three-month period, up from 17,901 registered sales. It comes as we report this morning that the government is ready to introduce road charging for EV drivers to make up for the decline in revenue from petrol sales. More coming up.
