What we learned today, Saturday 1 October
And that’s where we’ll leave things for the day. These were the main events:
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, signed “accession treaties” formalising Russia’s illegal annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk – marking the largest forcible takeover of territory in Europe since the second world war.
The Ukrainian government asked Australia to help it build support in the Pacific as it looks for more international aid to repel Russia’s move to annex parts of the country.
Health experts warned it is too soon to end mandatory Covid isolation and called for the release of the health advice that informed the government’s decision.
Peter FitzSimons announced he will step down as the chair of the Australian Republic Movement when his term ends in November.
In a speech at the CPAC conservative political conference, the former prime minister Tony Abbott described Australia as a “prison island” in its approach to Covid restrictions and lockdowns.
Thanks for joining us and we’ll be back with you tomorrow.
Updated
Dolly Parton festival brings joy to NSW central west
As we get ready to wind down the blog for the day, I’m going to leave you with this wonderful report by Stephanie Gardiner at AAP on Australia’s first Dolly Parton festival:
Dolly Parton says life in her Tennessee mountain home is peaceful as a baby’s sigh, while crickets sing in the fields nearby.
Though Narromine is 15,000 kilometres away, Parton’s ode could almost be about the rural town in central-west NSW.
The community of 6,000 is home to Australia’s first Dolly Parton festival, with crowds of people adorned in pink, sequins, butterflies and platinum blonde beehive wigs filling the main street on Saturday afternoon.
Strains of Parton’s I Will Always Love You and 9 to 5 drifted over the palm trees and spring blossoms on Dandaloo Street, while cardboard cutouts of the country queen stood in every window, including a farm workwear shop.
While the roads leading to Narromine were muddy and riddled with potholes from recent flooding, Dolly fans flocked in under blue skies and sunshine.
Narromine local Susie Rae, who organised the festival to put her hometown on the map, said she expected to sell 700 tickets but ended up with almost double the crowd.
“It’s been so tough for so long, with the drought, the mouse plague, Covid and now floods, that’s why the vibe is so good,” Rae said, wearing a rhinestone-covered outfit from Tennessee that arrived at her farm gate on Friday afternoon.
Posters lined the post office windows with Parton quotes like: “We cannot direct the wind, but we can direct the sails.”
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology says there is a risk of flooding in parts of eastern Australia again next week.
Rain and storms over #WA and #NT are delivering heavy falls as a surface trough drags down moisture from the tropics 🌩️
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 1, 2022
This trough will move east across the country, with a renewed #flood risk for the eastern states next week.
Latest: https://t.co/EBqo9nq6RJ pic.twitter.com/42GyuZyw5b
Young man shot in bustling party district of the Gold Coast
A 20-year-old man is fighting for life after what police believe was a random drive-by shooting in the bustling party district of the Gold Coast, AAP reports.
The shooter remains at large as police say there appears to be no “rhyme or reason” behind the Brisbane man being hit with a shotgun round at Cavill Avenue early on Saturday.
The young man was walking with two friends about 4.30am when a black Ford Ranger ute drove past them, firing a single round through the passenger side window.
The 20-year-old was hit in the chest, with no known motive behind the shooting, Supt Scott Knowles told media.
“It doesn’t appear that the victim, or his friends, knew anybody that was causing any problems, or had any issues with anybody,” Knowles said. “(There) doesn’t appear to (be) any rhyme or reason as to why this incident occurred.”
The victim was taken to Gold Coast hospital where he was awaiting surgery. He suffered internal bleeding and his condition remained critical.
Police later found the Ranger engulfed in flames at Pallara, about one hour north-west of where the 20-year-old was shot.
Updated
Over 500 South Australian Iranians and supporters have marched through Adelaide’s CBD calling for personal freedoms and human rights in Iran. It’s the second protest here after the death of #MahsaAmini @abcnews @abcadelaide pic.twitter.com/mJeDyUfGHD
— Evelyn Leckie (@Evelyn_Leckie) October 1, 2022
These flyers are being distributed on tables at the CPAC conference in Sydney pic.twitter.com/03VR3zado2
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) October 1, 2022
Too soon to end mandatory Covid isolation, AMA Victoria says
AAP reports the head of the Australian Medical Association’s Victorian branch has warned the scrapping of Covid isolation requirements has come too soon after a string of major events that could lead to a spike in infections.
Roderick McRae has likened the government’s decision to a game of pass the parcel, in which another layer of restrictions was removed despite the pandemic continuing.
He has also backed calls for the release of the health advice that led to the decision, telling ABC TV:
We need to have full transparency [about] how these decisions were made, because they’re purely a social call.
Dr McRae said any spike in Covid-19 infection rates from large events such as the AFL grand final and the Melbourne Royal Show would take weeks to show up.
But Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar welcomed the decision, which he said was made after balancing various factors.
Updated
Public consultation begins on changing controversial law on electricity from burning native forest wood
Public consultation has begun to consider whether a controversial law classifying electricity from burning native forest wood waste as renewable energy should be amended.
The use of wood left over from logging for power generation is opposed by conservation groups, which say it is an incentive to keep felling native forests.
The Australian Greens have been calling on the government to reverse the Tony Abbott-era change to the law that allowed it to be classified as renewable energy.
A discussion paper was released on Friday and comes after a Senate committee recommended the government look at changing the law.
The Greens forest spokesperson, Janet Rice, said burning native forest wood was a disaster for the environment.
She said the process was an opportunity to reverse the Abbott-era change to the law which Labor opposed at the time.
Rice said:
The evidence heard by the Senate committee made clear that native forest biomass should not be classified as renewable energy.
If the means used to generate energy results in harm to threatened forest ecosystems and more carbon being emitted than coal, it simply cannot be classed as renewable or clean.
Updated
Cockroach thought extinct for 80 years rediscovered on Lord Howe Island
If this isn’t good news I don’t know what is! Rats: 0, cockroaches: 1.
A large wingless wood-eating cockroach, unique to Australia’s Lord Howe Island and thought extinct for more than 80 years, has been rediscovered, AAP reports.
The University of Sydney biology student Maxim Adams made the find in July at North Bay, a secluded sandy beach only accessible by foot or water.
Working with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment senior scientist Nicholas Carlile, the pair found families of Panesthia lata under a banyan tree.
“For the first 10 seconds or so I thought, ‘No, it can’t be’,” Adams said. “I mean, I lifted the first rock under this huge banyan tree, and there it was.”
The cockroach was once widespread across the Lord Howe archipelago but was thought to have become extinct following the arrival of rats on the island in 1918.
The Lord Howe Island board chair, Atticus Fleming, said:
The survival is great news, as it has been more than 80 years since it was last seen.
These cockroaches are almost like our very own version of Darwin’s finches, separated on little islands over thousands or millions of years developing their own unique genetics.
Updated
Thousands of students hit with historical debts after computer glitch
More than 10,000 vocational education and training students have been hit with historical debts after a computer glitch, AAP is reporting.
A system failure resulted in government loans, worth a total of $24.2m, becoming “stuck” in the student payment system, officials say.
Most are for amounts under $2,000, but about 3% of students have debts of more than $10,000.
The loans became repayable when the beneficiary’s income reached a set threshold, however they were only transferred to Australian Taxation Office accounts after a recent IT update.
More than 90% of the loans relate to study in 2017, with a total of 10,252 students impacted.
The skills minister, Brendan O’Connor, says:
I have been made aware that a number of historical student loans have unexpectedly been applied to students’ ATO profiles.
The previous Coalition government had student loans held up in its systems for several years after the relevant study was undertaken and we are still discovering and fixing instances of carelessness and incompetence.
I am determined to get to the bottom of what happened in this situation.
Updated
An epidemiologist’s view on dropping Covid isolation requirements
There has been a lot of discussion in the past 24 hours about the decision to drop isolation mandates – if we are ready, if it is safe and if it will make our cases go up.
I think by now you all know Catherine Bennett – the chair in epidemiology at Deakin University – so I will offer no introduction.
In her piece this afternoon she writes about how Covid is here to stay – which means we have to find sustainable ways to manage it:
Updated
First 10 pound British backpackers fly in to South Australia
The South Australian government says the first backpackers have arrived on heavily subsidised flights to begin working holidays, AAP reports:
The first of 200 British backpackers to take up the offer of cheap flights have arrived in Adelaide for working holidays.
The tourists were offered 10 pound or $17 flights to help fill workforce shortages in SA’s tourism sector.
The tourism minister, Zoe Bettison, says the backpacker market is an important part of the state’s visitor economy.
“They travel and experience what’s on offer, and they make a valuable contribution to the workforce bringing passion and vibrancy to sectors like hospitality,” she says.
The backpackers have already been connected with potential employers through a series of welcome functions.
Bettison says a number of the new arrivals have already secured positions, working as tour guides, bar attendants and hotel concierges.
Updated
Victorian Greens announce plan to build 200,000 affordable and public homes
Big banks and developers would foot the bill for a dramatic boost to Victoria’s affordable and public housing stocks under a Greens state election pitch, AAP reports.
The Victorian Greens leader, Samantha Ratnam, unveiled the party’s policy platform for the November poll in a speech to MPs, candidates, organisers and volunteers in Collingwood on Saturday.
The platform centrepiece includes a new plan to build 200,000 affordable and public homes over the next 20 years to ease cost pressures, reduce homelessness and create jobs.
Victorian Greens Leader @SamanthaRatnam is launching their election policy platform.
— Sharnelle Vella (@SharnelleVella) October 1, 2022
It includes 200k affordable and public homes over 20 years.
‘Political debate dominated by two men shouting at each other should be a thing of the past.’ @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/RZFpE0Jk77
Read more here:
Updated
Anti-racism protesters picket CPAC conference in Sydney
A group of around 100 protesters from anti-racism groups have picketed the CPAC conservative political conference in Sydney, chanting slogans critical of attendees and at one point attempting to gain entry to the International Convention Centre venue.
Progressive groups had planned protests of the event on Facebook, calling for supporters to picket the appearance of the former prime minister Tony Abbott, British politician Nigel Farage and conservative media personalities.
Around 1pm, during CPAC’s lunch break, a few dozen protesters assembled outside the venue with loudhailers and banners, accusing supporters of the event of being “far-right”.
“We must silence Sky News,” one protester told the group. Ironically, the only media covering their protest (besides your correspondent watching from afar) was a Sky News reporter, who sought to interview some protesters before the rally began.
A large police presence formed protective lines between the group and the entrance to the ICC building. At one stage, a protest leader led the group to run toward one of the doors of the venue, but police rushed to block the entrance.
CPAC attendees inside jeered the protesters, waving and taking photos. One attendee stuck up their middle finger at the crowd.
Updated
Man shot dead by police at Queensland’s Airlie Beach
Queensland police officers have fatally shot a man who allegedly advanced on them while armed with a knife, AAP reports:
Police fired four to five shots, killing a man who threatened officers with a knife at Queensland’s Airlie Beach.
Investigators say the 24-year-old approached two foot-patrol police on Shute Harbour Road early on Saturday morning.
It’s alleged the man was brandishing a four- to five-centimetre black-handled knife as he advanced towards the officers, who drew their weapons and gave some verbal commands.
Supt Graeme Paine said officers fired when the man continued to advance and he was fatally injured from the shots.
Paine said the officers involved were well-trained to identify and respond to different threats.
“The officers have done that. They do go through a process, even when it’s a split-second thing,” he told reporters on Saturday. “The officers do make an assessment and act based on that assessment.”
Paine said police were reviewing CCTV footage of the incident and speaking with several witnesses.
They were investigating if the man had been involved in other incidents earlier in the night and why he was carrying a knife in such a busy public area.
The man had been working in Townsville but was from Western Australia.
Paine said police were also investigating why the man approached police, and a forensic examination of the scene was under way.
“It’s a tragic circumstance for the family of the young man and also for the officers involved,” he said.
The shooting will be investigated by the ethical standards command with oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Updated
Man dies after being arrested following roadside drug test
A 25-year-old man has died in NSW police custody following a random roadside drug test, AAP reports:
A man has died a short time after allegedly returning a positive reading on a random roadside drug test and being arrested in south-west NSW.
The man, 25, was taken to Cootamundra police station after allegedly returning a positive reading for a prohibited drug on Friday about 6.40pm.
He had been pulled over in a Honda Civic in the small town of Stockinbingal, in the south west slopes region.
He was arrested and taken to Cootamundra police station, where a short time later concerns for the man’s health led to paramedics being called.
The man was taken to Cootamundra hospital where he was unable to be revived.
The circumstances of the incident will be investigated by a critical incident team from Murrumbidgee police district, which will be independently scrutinised.
Random drug testing in NSW tests for the presence of cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamine and ecstasy, and requires secondary analysis after a first test.
Updated
Ukraine seeks Australia’s help to build support in Asia Pacific region
The Ukrainian government has asked Australia to help it expand a coalition of countries against Russian occupation, AAP and Reuters report:
The Ukrainian government has called for Australia to help build support in the Pacific as it looks for more international aid to repel Russia’s move to annex parts of the country.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, says officials have asked their Australian counterparts to help expand a coalition of countries opposed to Russia’s aggression.
He told ABC TV on Saturday:
I believe we will repel the Russians, I believe we will restore our sovereignty ... it all now depends on our friends, including Australia, if we can get enough weapons and equipment to be able to evict the Russians from Ukraine.
His comments follow the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, proclaiming his country’s annexation of a swathe of occupied Ukrainian territory after a series of referendums dismissed as shams by western nations.
The announcement of Russian rule over more than 15% of Ukraine – the biggest annexation in Europe since the second world war – has been roundly rejected as illegal, with the US, Britain and Canada all announcing new sanctions.
Myroshnychenko says it is vital for the international community to stay united in opposing the Russian occupation and for its support to help expand the list of countries backing Ukraine’s fight.
Ukrainian government has asked the Australian government to help us in the Pacific, and here in south-east Asia as well, in engaging with the partners in the region, because we need to have a big coalition supporting Ukraine in our fight for freedom and democracy.
China, India and several other nations abstained from voting on a UN security council resolution, introduced by the US, condemning Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine.
Myroshnychenko says it is important for allies such as Australia to continue sending weapons and other equipment to enable Ukraine troops to defend the country following Russia’s annexation move.
“For Ukrainians, nothing changes. We are there on a mission to liberate Ukraine, to evict the Russians from Ukraine and restore our sovereignty,” he says.
Ukraine previously asked for further Bushmaster vehicles, artillery and access to Hawkei protected light vehicles from Australia.
The government has said it continues to work with Ukraine by providing support to enable it to end the conflict.
Updated
‘World-leading’ frog facility opens at Melbourne Zoo to help save species
The Victorian and federal governments have launched a new “world-leading” frog-breeding facility at Melbourne Zoo.
The Amphibian Bushfire Recovery Centre houses breeding habitats for the spotted tree frog, Watson’s tree frog and the southern giant burrowing frog.
It is hoped the new facility will boost the populations of each species, which range from vulnerable to critically endangered under national environmental laws.
All have suffered dramatic drops in their wild populations made worse by the black summer bushfires in 2019-20.
The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, says the new facility will be a “lifeline” for some of Victoria’s most endangered frogs:
In recent years, our frogs have had an extremely tough time, fighting the impacts of disease and the devastating impacts of the black summer bushfires.
The recovery centre is the first dedicated disease-controlled amphibian facility in Australia.
It will allow for long-term management of the species through a biologically sealed and temperature-controlled area to protect populations from disease.
The breeding and research program aims to increase understanding about the frogs to improve conservation methods, control threats to the species and ultimately allow for their return to their natural habitat.
Updated
In a speech to the CPAC conservative conference in Sydney, former PM Tony Abbott described Australia’s response to COVID as “prison island” and claimed the Indigenous voice to parliament would “institutionalise discrimination” pic.twitter.com/6AXGytm441
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) October 1, 2022
Covid turned Australia into a 'prison island', Tony Abbott tells CPAC
The former prime minister Tony Abbott has described Australia as “prison island” in discussing the nation’s approach to Covid and lockdowns.
In a speech to the CPAC conservative political conference in Sydney, Abbott called on the Liberal party to be the “patriot party”. It came shortly after a panel, featuring the former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, described some of the current Coalition as “bed wetters”.
Entering to a standing ovation and cheers – one woman yelling “we love you Tony” – Abbott delivered the main keynote speech of the conference’s first day. In a wide-ranging address, Abbott described Labor’s proposed anti-corruption commission as a “star chamber”, opposed the Indigenous voice to parliament, and claimed Australia becoming a republic would be cultural “vandalism”.
In a preceding panel with the former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker, Abbott claimed the voice to parliament would “institutionalise discrimination”.
The former PM joked that he was a “staunch monarchist and climate sceptic”. He spoke several times of the Covid pandemic, describing government interventions as “virus hysteria” based on a “neurotic fear of death” and “treating normal life as a health hazard”.
Abbott said lockdowns had put people “under virtual house arrest”. He said Australia’s response had made the country a “prison island”. Abbott also criticised the “climate cult” and said he didn’t understand “gender fluidity”.
Deves, who failed in a bid to win back Abbott’s former seat of Warringah at the May election, joined a panel earlier in the day – a live episode of the Sky News Outsiders talk program featuring the conservative media personalities Rowan Dean, Rita Panahi and James Morrow.
Deves, who attracted huge controversy for her opposition to transgender women participating in female sports, alleged she’d been silenced by the Liberal party and the media during the election. Dean claimed if Deves had been able to talk publicly, the Coalition would have won the election.
Deves recorded a worse primary vote in 2022 than Abbott did in 2019, as Zali Steggall increased her margin.
In the panel, Deves described gender-affirming medical procedures as “experimenting”.
The Sky News hosts claimed many in the Liberal party were “bed wetters”, criticising the support expressed for the voice to parliament by shadow Indigenous affairs minister, Julian Leeser.
Updated
Showers will ease before the @NRL Grand Final kickoff on Sunday. By the time the winning team is holding the premiership trophy aloft, it will be a cool but dry 14 °C.
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) October 1, 2022
Follow all of the game-day weather at https://t.co/1LYoMJwj7D or the #BOMWeather app. #NRLGrandFinal #NRL pic.twitter.com/T0IPqLj5B5
NSW at greater risk of grass fires as official bushfire season commences
Communities in NSW are being warned of a greater risk of grass fires as the official bushfire season commences.
Record-breaking rainfall has triggered rapid vegetation growth and more rain predicted for spring will bring added risk.
The state’s emergency services minister, Steph Cooke, said while the focus remained on flooding around the state, it was important communities also prepared for bush and grass fires.
Cooke said:
The rain has triggered rapid vegetation growth which is going to become a threat as it dries out. All it takes is a few days of hot, dry and windy weather for fire conditions to deteriorate.
Grass fires move at three times the speed of a bushfire which is why communities need to be aware of the risks and ready to respond.
The Rural Fire Service commissioner, Rob Rogers, said people living in or travelling to fire-prone communities should have a fire survival plan.
Rogers said:
Recent rain has led to good grass and crop growth across the state especially in western areas of NSW and we have already seen more than 1,000 grass fires across the state since July.
Updated
Western Australia’s plastic cup ban comes into force
Good morning everyone.
In Western Australia today a ban has commenced on the sale or supply of single-use cups for cold drinks.
The state’s environment minister, Reece Whitby, says the ban will stop up to 181m cups from going into landfill and litter each year.
In an Australian first, McDonald’s is replacing about 17.5m plastic cold beverage cups and lids in McCafés across WA with fibre and paper cups.
The ban on single-use cold drink cups brings to an end the first stage of the state’s plan to reduce plastic pollution, which Whitby described as “nation-leading”:
This is another positive step in reducing our impact on the environment, which has the public’s overwhelming support.
Nine items have been phased out as part of WA’s “Plan for Plastics” first stage since July, including plates, cutlery, drink stirrers, drinking straws, thick plastic bags, expanded polystyrene food containers, helium balloon releases and unlidded containers.
Whitby says people who require single-use plastic items to maintain their quality of life, such as those in the disability, aged care and health sectors, will be ensured a continued supply.
Consultation will now commence for stage two of the plastics ban.
Updated
With that, I am going to end my stint on the blog. Thank you everyone – you made my morning.
I will now hand you over to Lisa Cox who will take you through the afternoon. Stay safe!
Updated
Jacinta Price likens Indigenous voice to ‘racial separatism’ at CPAC
The Coalition senator Jacinta Price has described the government’s proposed Indigenous voice to parliament as “racial separatism”, and said criticism of those opposed to the proposed constitutional change was “inhumane”.
Speaking at the CPAC conservative political conference in Sydney, Price – the Northern Territory senator and Warlpiri woman – was critical of the Labor plan to institute the voice. In a keynote address to begin the two-day event, Price said she planned to use her time in politics to work against the “sycophantic, spineless Labor government”.
“I would like to pay my respects – to every proud Australian in the room today,” Price said at the beginning of her speech, shortly after a traditional Indigenous welcome to country from a group of performers.
Price, an opponent of the voice proposal, claimed the idea was “racial separatism”. She claimed she had suggested to the government Senate leader and foreign minister, Penny Wong, that Labor institute an “Asian voice to parliament”, which drew laughs from the audience.
In a wide-ranging speech Price also described gender-affirming surgery or treatments for transgender people as “playing God”.
In a later panel with Warren Mundine, the former Coalition candidate and president of the Labor party, and academic Anthony Dillon, Price called the voice a “terrible idea”.
Mundine claimed it was “a solution looking for a problem”.
Price claimed to attendees of the conference that they would be “called a name” if they voted against the voice proposal in a referendum.
“There’s nothing more inhumane than that,” Price said. She spoke of her own mother’s experience fleeing domestic violence and growing up in an Indigenous community before becoming a minister in the Northern Territory.
“If she can do that, she doesn’t need a voice,” Price said.
The two-day conference is set to feature further addresses from the former prime minister Tony Abbott, Coalition politicians Alex Antic and Matt Canavan, and One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts, as well as the Reform UK party president Nigel Farage, several former staffers for President Donald Trump, and numerous conservative media identities.
There is a large police presence at the venue ahead of protests from anti-racism groups expected later today.
Updated
The National Trust has criticised the New South Wales government’s plan to revamp and reimagine Sydney’s Central station, claiming that the scheme “presents a genuine and very real threat to Australia’s greatest station”.
Australian house prices fall again across capital cities
Sydney and Melbourne are no longer leading the house price decline, AAP reports:
Home prices have fallen again in every capital city bar Hobart but the rate of decline has slowed, especially in Melbourne and Sydney.
The two largest cities have been leading the march downwards in recent months but dwelling prices in Sydney and Melbourne only fell slightly in September, one real estate appraiser says.
The 0.19% dip was the smallest drop since PropTrack’s home price index first starting declining in April.
The more gradual pace of decline coincides with the typically busy spring season, and does not necessarily indicate an end to the downturn.
“The moderation in price falls does not herald the end of declines; interest rates have continued to increase and expectations of a hike in early October will push prices lower throughout spring,” the report said.
While the home market is expected to keep cooling off for the rest of the year, October is likely to be a busy month after public holidays in September held back activity.
Updated
Liberal party headquarters have seized on a routine review of Australia’s most recent federal election to claim Labor wants to give noncitizens voting rights.
Peter FitzSimons to step down as chair of Australian Republic Movement in November
After seven years, Peter FitzSimons has announced he will step down as chair of the Australian Republic Movement when his term ends in November.
In a statement, FitzSimons said he was “thrilled” by what the movement had achieved.
Building on your years of support, the fine work of my predecessors and the generosity of wonderful donors, we’ve been able to put the republic back on the agenda; have a strong movement with expanding membership; and, most importantly, to have for the first time in history, a ‘Minister for the Crown devoted to removing the Crown’.
FitzSimons said he was never going to be the one to lead the movement at the actual referendum and wants to tap out early so his successor can have a good run-up.
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II confirms that decision, as the whole campaign moves to a new phase. A new generation is now stepping up to lead the campaign, many of whom were too young to vote when the last referendum was held – some of them not yet even born.
As I go, I particularly want to thank you all for your wonderful support over my years; those who built the ARM from the ground up over the decades, and those who will take it forward from here. We are a great organisation, with a wonderful goal, and we are getting there! It has been an honour and the greatest privilege of my life.
He said his successor will come from the people who have been nominated for election to the body’s national committee.
These nominees will be revealed next Friday.
I encourage all of you to consider how you can support the Movement in the coming years as we work towards a national vote on a republic.
Updated
Gastro-oesophageal cancer drugs added to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
Australians with advanced or metastatic gastro-oesophageal cancers and those fighting advanced bladder cancer will now have cheaper access to treatments through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the AAP is reporting.
The federal government has expanded the PBS listing of gastro-oesophageal cancer drug nivolumab, which could help up to 1,450 patients each year.
A bladder cancer maintenance therapy Bavencio has also been added to the scheme from Saturday.
Without subsidy, a course of nivolumab could cost more than $92,000 but that will now be cut to $42.50 for each script, or $6.80 for those on concessions.
The same cheaper prices will apply to Bavencio.
Updated
Peak housing bodies are calling for nationally consistent rental laws to crack down on bidding wars putting pressure on tenants in a shrinking market.
Says nothing about paying for replacement licences … buys full-page ads.
The marketing response begins from Optus with full pages ads in the paper and billboard ads.
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) September 30, 2022
Bit rich for them to claim there's a lot of misinformation when they haven't been providing any information. pic.twitter.com/oXILNEyhKb
For example, the site mentioned Operation Guardian, but doesn't say whether Optus will be contacting those 10,000 directly.
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) September 30, 2022
AFP has said they won't.
Updated
Josh Butler is in position at the CPAC, and will bring us developments as it goes along.
For something different, I have this for you all:
Updated
‘I managed to crawl right under the skin of Penny Wong’: Price
Price has bragged that her first speech to parliament ended in Penny Wong fleeing the chamber.
I managed to crawl right under the skin of Penny Wong.
She is now on the usual conservative cue cards – transgender Australians, climate change, cancel culture and race relations.
Price is criticising Wong for supporting Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, who had moved a censure motion against Pauline Hanson after she tweeted that Faruqi should “piss off back to Pakistan” last week.
Price said Wong was acting like she knew more about what Aboriginal Australians needed than their own communities.
I put it to Wong we need to co-design an Asian voice to parliament.
So that policies that affect Asian Australians can be their responsibility and any time I need expert advice on how to better improve Wong’s life, I can consult with the Asian voice.
Updated
Northern Territory senator Jacinta Price speaks at CPAC
NT senator Jacinta Price has taken the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Sydney.
She has started by paying respect to the proud Australians in the room.
She said she was listening to an unnamed Labor MP’s opening speech in parliament – who was saying Australia was suffering a racial gap.
I thought ‘thank you Lord for strategically placing me after my Labor colleague to deliver my first speech’.
There could be no better contrast.
No better way for me to announce to this woke, sycophantic Labor government that their statements were fashioned from fantasies and lies.
She says she hopes to Coalition will “be able to breathe fire back into the fighting spirit”.
Updated
Clocks to move forward for daylight saving on Sunday
October’s here and so many of us are about to switch to daylight saving time. From AAP:
Most Australians will lose an hour of sleep but gain – in theory – warmer weather, as clocks move forward for daylight saving.
At 2am local time on Sunday, Victoria, NSW, Tasmania, South Australia, and the ACT will fast forward to 3am.
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not observe daylight saving and the sunshine state is the only jurisdiction on the east coast that does not change time.
There have been renewed calls for another vote on daylight saving in Queensland, however, in February state government minister Yvette D’Ath rejected the idea.
At the time she said the issue was not a focus after a suggested referendum by the Brisbane lord mayor.
We have listened to the people Queensland who have previously said they do not want daylight savings.
Daylight saving ends when clocks are turned back one hour on the first Sunday of April.
Updated
Three NSW road deaths prompt police to urge caution over long weekend
Three road deaths across NSW, all involving pedestrians, have prompted a call from police for motorists to take care over the long weekend, AAP is reporting.
In the first incident on Friday night, an 80-year-old pedestrian died when he was hit by a car at Claremont Meadows in Sydney.
Within an hour a 32-year-old man was also hit by a car at Penrith and, while treated at the scene by paramedics, could not be revived.
Around the same time, emergency services were called to Murrumbateman on the Barton Highway where a woman was hit by a ute.
The 83-year-old was treated by witnesses but also could not be saved.
Acting assistant commissioner Trent King the three deaths were a very concerning way to start the long weekend.
Long weekends are a time for families and friends to spend together, not be told that their loved one has been killed in an incident on our roads.
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Defence minister Richard Marles to visit Honolulu
The deputy PM and minister for defence, Richard Marles, will visit Honolulu, US, from 30 September to 1 October 2022.
During the visit, the deputy prime minister will attend a trilateral defence ministers’ meeting with United States secretary of defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Japanese minister of defense Hamada Yasukazu, to discuss continuing trilateral cooperation and enhancing interoperability.
Marles said:
I look forward to seeing Secretary Austin, and meeting Minister Hamada in Honolulu to further drive our ambitious outcomes for trilateral cooperation.
The current challenging strategic circumstances mean that alignment between our nations has never been stronger, or more important.
Australia and the United States will continue to work bilaterally, and with our regional and global partners, to ensure an inclusive, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
I am committed to evolving the Australia-United States Alliance to respond to the tougher strategic environment.
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Moderate faction of NSW Liberals commits to gender parity quotas
From AAP:
The moderate faction of the NSW Liberals has committed to gender parity quotas ahead of the state election, breaking with party rules in a bid to appeal to modern voters.
NSW treasurer Matt Kean says the commitment means at least 50% of candidates selected for vacant seats would be female.
It comes as at least eight seats are up for grabs, with three cabinet ministers and five other MPs bowing out ahead of the March poll.
Mr Kean on Friday said he wanted to see as many Liberal women as possible running in NSW.
“I want to see more talented females coming into parliament and I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure that happens,” he said.
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We’ve had rain, we’ve had a bit more rain and well – rain on top of that.
September was another unusually wet month for Australia, according to @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/Dm74GWidRN
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) September 30, 2022
And year to date rainfall shows how much of eastern Australia has been wetter than usual. (Western Tasmania and the Top End quite the opposite, while south-west WA also relatively dry.) @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/y8WkmkQdcw
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) September 30, 2022
And the big wet goes on, with the coming week's predicted rainfall likely to cause more inland flooding in saturated regions. (Sydney now only needs about 70mm of rain to post a record wet year - with about three months of 2022 to exceed the 2194mm collected in 1950.) @BOM_au pic.twitter.com/Pc9X6LJo7G
— Peter Hannam (@p_hannam) September 30, 2022
I’ve got a really good read for your Saturday morning here
Ten years (!!) on from the misogyny speech, our political editor Katharine Murphy reflects on how it was framed at the time – and what has been gained since:
Victorian Greens to launch election platform
The Victorian Greens will on Saturday launch its election platform, proposing the reintroduction of a social housing levy on property developers and a requirement that 30% of homes in large developments are set aside for first-home owners.
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Good morning
This is Cait Kelly and I will be with you for the first half of this Saturday. Before we get going, let’s take a look at the big headlines from around the country this morning.
The big story of the day is Russian president Vladimir Putin signing “accession treaties” formalising Russia’s illegal annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk – marking the largest forcible takeover of territory in Europe since the second world war. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has meanwhile announced in a video address in Kyiv that his country is formally applying for fast-track membership of the Nato alliance. Expect a chorus of condemnation of Russia’s actions from Australian politicians throughout the day.
The Conservative Political Action Conference returns to Sydney today, with key speakers including Northern Territory senator Jacinta Price, former prime minister Tony Abbott and former leader of the UK Independence and Brexit parties Nigel Farage speaking today.
Health advocates have warned the decision to scrap mandatory isolation periods for people infected with Covid-19 risks putting more strain on the hospital system if more highly transmissible variants emerge.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese yesterday announced that national cabinet had unanimously decided to scrap the mandatory five-day Covid isolation rule from 14 October, with the exception of those working in health or aged care. Sick leave payments tied to the isolation period will also be phased out.
Millions of Australians are still wondering if they need to replace their passports as fallout continues from the massive Optus data breach. The company on Friday agreed to cover the costs for replacement passports following the company’s massive data breach.
But just how many of the almost 10 million Australians who had their identity data stolen by hackers is unclear, although it was confirmed this week that at least 10,000 parcels of ID were put on the dark web.
Australian federal police assistant commissioner of cyber command Justine Gough admitted on Friday investigators were trying to tally the number of affected Optus customers. The 10,000 people already confirmed as having their data exposed will be prioritised by a new AFP task force, Operation Guardian, established to shore up their security and prevent them from becoming victims of financial fraud.
And with that, let’s get into it.
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