The day’s headlines
And with that, we are going to put this blog to bed. But before we do – let’s re-cap the big headlines for today:
No longer acceptable for Labor MP to remain in parliament, premier says
Six unaccounted for in ‘truly tragic’ Russell Island house fire
Daniel Andrews says he won’t front inquiry into Commonwealth Games cancellation
Shane Drumgold resigns as ACT director of public prosecutions
Thank you so much for spending part of your day with us.
We will be back tomorrow - until then, stay safe.
Updated
Key event
Drumgold disputes he engaged in deliberate or underhanded conduct
Continuing on with Shane Drumgold’s statement, the ACT DPP said he disputed many of the adverse findings that the report made about him.
“While I acknowledge I made mistakes, I strongly dispute that I engaged in deliberate or underhanded conduct in the trial or that I was dishonest,” Drumgold wrote.
“The findings relating to my forensic trial decisions are difficult to reconcile with those decisions having been made in the context of a robust adversarial process, with a strong and experienced defence team and an eminently qualified judge who presided over the trial. It is difficult to reconcile the findings with trial judge’s expression of gratitude at the end of the case, for the exemplary way all counsel conducted the trial.”
“Although I accept my conduct was less than perfect, my decisions were all made in good faith, under intense and sometimes crippling pressure, conducted within increasingly unmanageable workloads.”
He confirmed that he would leave his position from 1 September.
“My career has been driven by a fire burning within, lit by an early life spent surrounded by the pain of chronic inter-generational social injustice. This fire has fuelled a life that took me from a disadvantaged Housing Commission estate to an esteemed leadership role within the legal profession,” Drumgold wrote.
“Unfortunately, I find the fire has been extinguished, and try as I might, I cannot reignite it.”
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Key event
Drumgold maintains his decisions were made in good faith
ACT director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold says he disputes many of the findings of the Sofronoff report into the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann, but has confirmed he will quit the role effective from 1 September.
In a lengthy statement, provided to Guardian Australia, Drumgold admitted some of his conduct was “less than perfect” but maintained his decisions were made in good faith.He blasted the release of the report to selected media outlets before it was provided to him or the ACT government.
“The pre-emptive release of the Report to the media has denied me procedural fairness. It has deprived the ACT Government of the opportunity of considering my conduct objectively,” he said.
ACT attorney-general Shane Rattenbury said earlier today that he and Drumgold met last week, where the pair agreed Drumgold’s position was “not tenable” following the publication of the independent board of inquiry’s findings. Drumgold confirmed this in the statement.
“Although I dispute many of the findings of the Inquiry, I accept that the premature publicity surrounding me means that my office, the Courts and most importantly the ACT public, could not presently have faith in the discharge of the functions of the Director of Public Prosecutions,” he said.
“Accordingly, I have decided to retire from my role, effective 1 September 2023. I hope everyone involved in this matter finds peace – and I wish you all well.”
Drumgold’s statement begins with laying out statistics around sexual violence allegations, including the large number of alleged victims who do not report their experiences to police, and the “serious concerns I then held about the way an investigation and trial of DPP v Lehrmann were handled”.
“In my mind, the handling of the case was reflective of the chronic problem in Australia with the way our legal institutions deal with allegations of sexual violence,” Drumgold wrote.
He said he hoped that the Sofronoff inquiry would focus on issues around victims not reporting sexual violence, and the experiences of those who do report allegations.
“Instead, the findings largely focused on myself,” Drumgold wrote.
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WA to make decision soon on cultural heritage laws
The West Australian government says a final decision about changes to its controversial cultural heritage laws will be made soon, amid reports it plans to dump the month-old legislation.
The deputy premier, Rita Saffioti, said the government has continued to consult with stakeholders and denied the federal government had pressured it to abandon the new laws.
“No final decision has been made in relation to the future of the act, that’s something that’s going to happen soon,” she told reporters on Sunday.
“All options are on the table and nothing has been ruled in or out.
“A priority will be to make sure Juukan Gorge can never happen again.”
According to the West Australian, the Labor government foreshadowed a backflip on the legislation at a briefing with big resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday.
- AAP
Updated
Fines on table as tax avoidance crackdown ramps up
Tax advisors who help their clients avoid Australian laws could be subject to hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties as part of the biggest crackdown on misconduct in the nation’s history.
Strengthening regulator powers and integrity in the tax system will also be part of a Commonwealth push to restore public confidence.
A scandal involving confidential federal tax briefings being leaked by a former PwC partner Peter Collins cast a shadow over private consultancy work for governments at all levels.
Police are investigating allegations Mr Collins illegally shared tax policy information which he had access to under a federal government contract.
The Albanese government will introduce sweeping reforms to crack down on multinational tax avoidance.
We have more on this from Josh Butler here:
- With AAP
Updated
Consumer confidence in the spotlight
A string of interest rate hikes has knocked the confidence of consumers around, although an extended cash interest rate pause may be cause for hope.
Two confidence indicators – the ANZ and Roy Morgan weekly survey and the Westpac and Melbourne Institute monthly survey – have been stuck well below long-run averages as consumers face higher prices and surging borrowing costs.
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to keep interest rates on hold for a second month in July may be enough to lighten the mood, although the surveys may also capture the lagging nature of cash-rate movements.
Many households have been insulated from the full impact of the interest rate hikes thanks to low fixed-rate mortgages, and even variable-rate customers are yet to feel all 12 of the cash rate increases due to the delayed flow through to bank accounts.
There’s also more financial pain on the horizon for renters.
Rents have been rising and are expected to keep going up due to an imbalance between supply and demand driven by a boost in migration, lower construction, and a trend toward smaller household sizes.
Both the weekly and monthly consumer confidence reports will be released on Tuesday.
- AAP
Updated
Auction clearance rates down
Auction activity has dropped this weekend after three weeks of increases with 1,742 homes going under the hammer.
This is lower than the 1,913 auctions held last week but above the 1,471 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s weekly summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 71% across the country, which is higher than the 70.2% preliminary clearance rate recorded last week and the 64.9% actual rate on final numbers.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 702 auctions with a clearance rate of 69.1%
Melbourne: 761 auctions with a clearance rate of 71.9%
Brisbane: 83 auctions with a clearance rate of 74.6%
Adelaide: 105 auctions with a clearance rate of 76.7%
Canberra: 82 auctions with a clearance rate of 71.4%
Tasmania: One of two auctions were successful
Perth: Two of five results collected so far were successful
Updated
Qld fire update expected
We are expecting Qld police to provide another update on the fire that destroyed three homes on Russell Island, south-east of Brisbane.
Police and fire investigators have been searching for five boys and their father who are feared dead.
I will bring you that soon.
Updated
Vic firefighters want enhanced presumptive cancer laws
Professional firefighters want Victoria to follow the lead of their West Australian counterparts and expand the number of cancers included in presumptive legislation to 20.
The WA government on Saturday announced it was expanding the number of cancers covered under presumptive legislation from 12 to 20.
The eight additional illnesses are thyroid, pancreatic, skin, cervical, ovarian, penile, malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer.
The change means current or retired career or volunteer WA firefighters who are diagnosed with the cancers will be presumed to have developed their disease because of their work.
United Firefighters Union Victorian Branch Secretary Peter Marshall said it was time for Victoria to follow suit.
Western Australia has just announced that it will now deliver the same cancer protection for its firefighters as those working for the Commonwealth, in Tasmania and the ACT.
“Firefighters working in these jurisdictions will now be covered for 20 deadly cancers instead of just 15, as is the case here in Victoria.
Victorian firefighters are exposed to the same toxins, face the same risks and develop the same cancers as other firefighters across Australia.
A bill, raised by the Greens, to expand the number of cancers covered under Victoria’s presumptive legislation is expected to go to a vote in the week beginning 14 August.
- AAP
Updated
Three deaths following suspected South Gippsland mushroom poisoning
Three people have died and another is in critical condition after a suspected poisoning from eating wild mushrooms at a recent lunch together in Victoria’s East.
The four people, two men and two women, became ill after eating lunch together in their home in Leongatha, the state’s Gippsland region on July 30.
Two Korumburra women, aged 66 and 70, passed away in hospital on 4 August.
A third person, a 70-year-old Korumburra man, passed away in hospital last night.
A 68-year-old Korumburra man remains in hospital in critical condition.
In Victoria, there are two types of poisonous mushrooms found at this time of year. The yellow staining mushroom, which looks very similar to an edible one, can cause gastro issues and severe pain if eaten and the Death Cap mushrooms, which contain enough toxins to kill an average-sized adult.
Investigators executed a search warrant at a residence in Leongatha yesterday.
Detectives also interviewed a 48-year-old Leongatha woman who was released pending further enquiries.
The investigation surrounding the exact circumstances of the incident remains ongoing and police are liaising with the department of health in relation to the matter.
The Victorian government has advised people not to pick and eat wild mushrooms in Victoria unless they are experts.
Professor Brett Sutton, Chief Health Officer said in a statement in April:
Unless you are an expert, do not pick and eat wild mushrooms in Victoria.
People should urgently attend an emergency department if they believe they’ve eaten a poisonous mushroom. They should also take any remaining mushroom with them for identification.
In most cases, the sooner treatment can begin, the better the outcome. Do not wait for symptoms to occur before seeking medical attention.
There is no home test available to distinguish safe and edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms.
Updated
Shane Drumgold resigns as ACT director of public prosecutions
Shane Drumgold has resigned as the ACT director of public prosecutions, following the findings of the inquiry into the handling of the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann.
ACT attorney-general Shane Rattenbury, in a statement this afternoon, said that Drumgold on Friday “sent a letter advising me that he would be vacating his position as ACT Director of Public Prosecutions.”
It came after a meeting a day earlier, where the pair agreed his position was “no longer tenable”.
“On Thursday last week, I spoke with Mr Shane Drumgold to discuss the contents of the Sofronoff Report. In light of the commentary in the report, Mr Drumgold and I agreed that his position as Director of Public Prosecutions was no longer tenable,” Rattenbury said.
“I can also confirm Mr Drumgold has been provided a full copy of the Board of Inquiry Report. The ACT Government will make a detailed statement in response to the Sofronoff Report early in the coming week.”
The news was first reported by news.com.au on Sunday. The Sofronoff report investigated the handling of the investigation and prosecution of rape allegations against Lehrmann.
Brittany Higgins alleged Lehrmann, a former colleague, raped her in Parliament House in 2019. Lehrmann, who pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent, has always denied the allegation of rape and no findings have been made against him.
Lehrmann was tried by the ACT supreme court in October but a mistrial was declared due to juror misconduct. Prosecutors later dropped the charges against him because of fears about the impact a second trial would have on Higgins’s mental health.
More to come.
Updated
Hello everyone, this is Cait Kelly and I will be with you for the rest of the afternoon.
There’s some breaking news out of Queensland where a serious crash has taken place on the New England Highway.
There are not many details yet, so I will bring you more on that as we know what the situation is.
ROSENTHAL HEIGHTS: Police are on scene at a serious traffic crash on the New England Highway at Rosenthal Heights, south of Warwick.
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) August 6, 2023
The Highway is likely to remain closed for several hours.
Motorists are urged to avoid the area, or expect long delays. #qldtraffic pic.twitter.com/N5bV9TRoKy
Updated
That’s all from me for now, I’ll be handing over to my colleague Cait Kelly to take you through the rest of the day.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake has his parts of Western Australia overnight.
We detected an 5.6 magnitude #earthquake near Gnowangerup, Western Australia about an hour ago. There have been around 1,500 felt reports so far from all over southern WA, incl Perth more than 300 kms away. If you felt it, you can submit a report here: https://t.co/6RW9duIoag pic.twitter.com/tTHZo2qPty
— Geoscience Australia (@GeoscienceAus) August 5, 2023
The quake hit a read in the west and was by residents 300km away in Perth.
Bureau of Meteorology super computer delays ‘very concerning’ ahead of summer
Preparation for this summer’s weather extremes from fire alerts to cyclone warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology could be affected by the bungled introduction of a new super computer, despite many millions being spent on consultants, insiders say.
The new computer, dubbed Australis II, is twice as powerful as its predecessor but has been sitting idle for a year. It may not be fully operational until mid-2025, according to a timeline shared to staff and seen by Guardian Australia.
The crux of the problem is not hardware but the implementation of what was conceived as a five-year program – labelled Robust – to reduce bureau vulnerability to a cyber-attack after a 2015 hack.
The full cost of Robust has never been disclosed but staff estimate it will top $500m and may approach twice that sum by completion.
Consultants from Deloitte and Accenture, among others, have won tenders worth tens of millions of dollars. Some contracts have been extended for years and at a higher price despite Robust’s delays. All up, about $978m in private sector contracts were listed for 2022, with the majority understood to be related to the program.
For more on this story, read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam.
Updated
No simple fix to China trade issues
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Labor senator Murray Watt also said that resolving trade issues with China was not transactional and would not necessarily be returned with a prime ministerial visit to Australia’s largest trading partner.
Rather a visit would take place “in due course”.
Securing the barley tariff removal was the result of a united ministerial, departmental and industry effort and Watt thanked all involved.
We definitely see this as a template for how we would like to resolve the issues that remain for wine.
There are some other products, in particular things like beef processing establishments, that remain having trade impediments and we’d like to see them resolved as quickly as possible.
– AAP
Updated
China’s barley tariff decision model for things to come
Australian wine makers and beef processors have been given hope the removal of China’s tariffs on barley can be used as a template for future resolutions on their products.
But the federal government is tempering expectations about when Anthony Albanese will visit Beijing.
Last week the Chinese government confirmed that it would not continue with the crippling taxes on Australian imports due to “changes in the market situation of barley in China.”
Under the Albanese government trade impediments have been reduced from $20bn to $2bn but the majority of Australian wine exported to China still face duties of more than 200%.
The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, told Sky News on Sunday the Chinese government had not received concessions from Australia in return for resolving the barley dispute.
We’ve been very consistent in our position, arguing that we think that we should be following a rules based trading system, that we thought these tariffs were unfair and what we’ve also argued is that [a resolution] is in the interest of both countries.
- AAP
Updated
Daniel Andrews says he won't front inquiry into Commonwealth Games cancellation
Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, says he will not appear before a federal Senate inquiry probing the state’s cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Nationals senators Bridget McKenzie and Matt Canavan on Thursday urged Andrews to “front up and explain” the cancellation at the federal inquiry. While the premier cannot be compelled to appear, Canavan said he had written to Andrews this week asking him to attend.
Speaking to reporters, Andrews said he would not front the inquiry.
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry will separately investigate the cancellation of the games.
Asked if he would attend, Andrews said he would “wait and see.”
Updated
‘Confronting scene’ at tragic Russell Island fire
Three people have been transported off Russell Island after sustaining injuries during the fire.
Paramedics took five minutes to respond to the “confronting scene” and were among the first to arrive at the blaze.
The three patients are all adults and have been transported to the PA hospital and Redlands hospitals.
The house was already ablaze when they arrived and there was “very little hope” that those inside could have been rescued.
Updated
Russell Island fire worst for a long time
The Queensland Fire Service say the fire on Russell Island is one of the worst fires they have had for a long time.
Obviously these sorts of events, gratefully, don’t occur very often. […] Yes, it’s obviously one of the worst fires we’ve had for a long time.
A search is currently under way to find people and animals before further investigations can be made into the cause of the fire.
The investigation will be led by Queensland Police Service due to the number of fatalities.
Like any small community, when you get a tragedy like this, it touches multiple people.
Updated
Six unaccounted for in ‘truly tragic’ Russell Island house fire
Queensland police are giving a press conference after a fire on Russell Island where six people are unaccounted for, including one man and five young boys, including a three-year-old boy.
Police say they are still unsure about the circumstances of the fire.
There were seven people home at the time of the fire, including a 28-year-old woman who managed to escape the fire unharmed.
She is extremely distressed at this point in time.
Police say the house has been “burnt to the ground” in a “truly tragic” event for the local community.
These are a young man and young boys that could have become men into the future.
Police say nine other people have sustained minor injuries including smoke inhalation as there were two adjoining homes.
Updated
Federal opposition 'have rocks in their head': Gee
Former nationals MP, Andrew Gee is scathing of the current tactics of the federal opposition:
You can’t just be governed by polls.
You would never do anything meaningful. Like, you’d never stand for anything. You’d never fight for anything. You’d never move the country forward.
Gee posed the question: that if the vote doesn’t get up, where does that leave conservative side of politics?
I think a lot of the entrenched opposition is misguided politics. There’s clearly politics washing through this whole thing
Labelling the voice ‘Orwellian’ or saying that it’s going to ‘racialise Australia’. If people think that is the way to political salvation they’ve got rocks in their head.
I think that’s the road to political ruin.
Let’s just say now I am quietly confident that the voice is going to get over the line. But let’s just say it doesn’t. So where does that leave the conservative side of politics? They will be seen by a large section of the community as reconciliation wreckers. Nations overseas who wish us ill will say, ‘look at that. That’s Australia’.
I can tell you opposing the voice, that’s not going to get your seats on the northern beaches back. It’s not going to get you Wentworth. It’s not going to get you in. It’s not going to get your Rebekah Sharkie seats. At some point, if this does not succeed, there’s a lot of people, there’ll be a big feeling of emptiness. But politically I think it is the the road to ruin for them, and to borrow from JFK, that type of victory will be ashes in their mouths because they will have lost that traditional liberal base, a large swath of it that has always carried them into power.
Updated
Andrews not regretful
A reporter asks Andrews if he regrets allowing Fowles to remain in the party following the alleged 2019 Canberra hotel incident.
Andrews said he was not a “regretful person”:
I’m focused on the future. I’m focused on doing what’s right.
Andrews publicly supported Fowles after the 2019 alleged incident. He said the alleged assault was a “more serious issue.”
Updated
Andrews not speculating on whether MP should resign from parliament
Asked if Fowles should resign from parliament, Andrews said it was a matter for the Ringwood MP:
I’m not going to speculate on that.
Andrews said the alleged incident was “utterly different” to when Fowles was accused of kicking through the lower half of a door at the Abode Hotel in Canberra in July 2019 to get his luggage.
It is conduct that is allegedly much more serious and of a totally different nature to what occurred.
Updated
Let’s not waste another moment, Andrew Gee says in passionate Garma address
Former Nationals MP Andrew Gee has just delivered a passionate endorsement of the yes vote. Gee talked about the Freedom Ride led by Charles Perkins in 1965 which went through his electorate to highlight racial discrimination against Indigenous people, where decades later similar disadvantage remains.
Gee:
Let’s not waste another moment, the time is now.
Julian Leeser is speaking now.
We can’t continue with the same old, same old and this is our opportunity for change.
Karvelas asks him about polling showing a drop in support for the yes vote.
No doubt we are the underdogs in this campaign. But let me tell you what gives me confidence.
We, the parliament are asking for your permission (to change the constitution). And thousands of Australians are signing up for the yes campaign. To talk to our fellow Australians.
We have people, they have bots.
And it’s our job to go out there and convince our fellow Australians to vote yes.
Updated
At Garma festival, the key referendum panel members are being introduced:
Kate Chaney Ind Member for Curtin
Julian Leeser Lib MP for Berowra
Marion Scrymgour, Labor Member for Lingiari in the NT
Dorinda Cox Greens Senator for WA
Andrew Gee, former Nationals MP for Calare
Host ABC’s Patricia Karvelas said “prominent no campaigners declined an invitation to attend but the panel has a broad spectrum of views” on the voice.
Updated
Fire spreads across multiple properties in Queensland
Six people, including five children, are missing after a fire broke out in a home and spread to multiple properties on an island off the coast of Brisbane.
The blaze started at the home on Russell Island just after 6am on Sunday and is believed to have razed about three premises.
The five children and a man, who lived in the home where the fire broke out, are unaccounted for, Queensland Police said.
The Queensland Ambulance Service treated nine people at the scene, including neighbours, and two were taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Fire investigators are waiting for the area to be declared safe before examining the scene.
Russell Island is eight kilometres long and nearly three kilometres wide and lies between the mainland and North Stradbroke Island.
It has a population of about 3,700.
- AAP
No longer acceptable for Labor MP to remain in parliament, premier says
Daniel Andrews says it was no longer acceptable for Labor MP Will Fowles to remain in the parliamentary Labor party after he resigned over an alleged assault.
Andrews released a statement on Saturday evening saying his office had referred the matter to Victoria Police after receiving information from a government employee about an alleged serious assault involving the Ringwood MP. He confirmed he had sought and received Fowles’ resignation from the parliamentary Labor party.
Speaking to reporters, Andrews said the alleged victim did not want to be identified:
It was no longer acceptable to me that Mr Fowles would remain a member of the parliamentary Labor party.
Fowles was accused of kicking through the lower half of a door at the Abode Hotel in Canberra in July 2019 to get his luggage. He immediately took a leave of absence to deal with addiction and other mental health issues.
Updated
A few photos from this year’s Garma festival.
WA cultural heritage laws: Indigenous group condemns reports of Labor backflip ‘within days’
An Indigenous group says it is devastated by reports cultural heritage laws that came into effect in Western Australia just over a month ago may be scrapped following a backlash from farmers.
The Labor government foreshadowed the about-face at a briefing with big resources companies and Indigenous groups on Friday, the West Australian reported on Saturday. An announcement is expected “within days”, it added.
On Saturday, senior Labor frontbencher Stephen Dawson would not confirm the reports in the paper.
No decision has been made by government at this stage.
I’m not denying anything, what I am saying is the conversations continue between the state government and the various stakeholders about the legislation and the way forward.
For more on how WA may be considering a backlash on heritage laws, read the full report:
Reports of heritage laws backflip
Parkin also spoke to Lorena Allam about reports the Western Australian government may backflip on new Aboriginal heritage laws.
The changes were introduced after Rio Tinto was allowed to demolish rock shelters Juukan Gorge, an act of cultural destructions that was considered on par with the demolition of the Bamiyan Buddha’s by the Taliban.
Parkin:
In terms of the decision to to stop the current legislation, obviously that is a decision for the West Australian government to make. That’s their responsibility.
From a campaign perspective, the two issues were being tied together, incorrectly.
So to have clear air now to make sure that the focus is absolutely … people can, in Western Australia and in the rest of the country, absolutely be assured that this is and always has been simply about recognition through a voice. That’s what’s going to be on the ballot paper later on this year. And Australians know that’s something they’re going to get behind.
The confusion was a bit confected in the way that they had been artificially linked together. I think it’s also important to note we heard yesterday from Tyrone Garstone, the CEO of Kimberley Land Council, he actually said that the legislation hasn’t been helpful for Aboriginal people either.
And they want to be able to make sure that whatever works, it works for Indigenous peoples, and it works for the broader community. Ultimately, everyone wants to see the cultural heritage in our country, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, protected. So I think from a campaign perspective, we’ve always been focused on that one thing, the vote, and I think that the decision has just made it a little bit simpler now in Western Australia.
Updated
Respect the Australian voters on referendum and inform them
Leading yes campaigner Dean Parkin is at Garma festival, where he spoke to Lorena Allam about the no campaign’s lack of an alternative plan if the voice fails:
All the no campaign’s got is distraction and deflection, and trying to desperately talk about anything other than the fact that we are going to recognise Indigenous peoples in the Constitution through a voice later on this year in the referendum.
It’s very important that we don’t allow those distractions to take hold.
We’ve got to be respectful to Australian voters, we’ve got to let them know what this referendum is actually about, and what it is most certainly not about.
Both sides actually agree that the status quo is not good enough. That what’s happening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - the fact that there’s an eight year life expectancy difference with non Indigenous people - is just not good enough.
The difference between us and them is they have no solutions. They are effectively saying, by voting no, we keep the status quo.
We do have a practical solution - the voice. It’s about allowing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to actually take responsibility for those issues that affect our communities. Give us a say on those issues, because we want to be part of those solutions. It’s as simple as that.
Updated
Albanese says he told Scott Morrison of support for voice referendum
Albanese says that he also offered his support to put forward a referendum on the voice back when he was leader of the opposition on the first day of parliament under Scott Morrison’s prime ministership.
On the very first day that Parliament sat, I sat with Scott Morrison. The only time I went into his inner office in the entire term as leader of the opposition. I offered him support. I said the same with Ken Wyatt, the Indigenous Affairs Minister. I appointed Linda Burney to work with her friend Ken Wyatt. But nothing happened. And Ken Wyatt has, of course, expressed regret that that hasn’t happened. He’s a good person. And he’s someone who’s campaigning very strongly to fulfil his ambition, which is constitutional recognition. And that’s why he’s a very important part of the yes campaign.
Updated
Voice referendum date revealed within weeks
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also spoken to Sky News on Sunday where he repeated that he had belief in the better nature of Australians ahead of any referendum vote on the oice.
Albanese said he will announce the date for the voice “in a couple of weeks” after consulting with the Australian Electoral Commission.
I’ll take a position to the Cabinet. And then we’ll make an announcement with plenty of time, plenty of notice for people.
Asked about the poll numbers, the Prime Minister said those who he spoke to at Garma were determined to succeed.
We’ve waited 122 years since Federation to recognise First Peoples in our constitution. We’re the only former colony in the world that hasn’t done that. And that’s why we need to get it done. And the beauty is, this is an Australian solution. We haven’t borrowed something from New Zealand or from Canada or from Scandinavia.
This is a uniquely Australian position that has come from the bottom up, this request, through the Uluru statement from the heart, where they are saying, ‘We want to be listened to, we’re not asking for a right of veto, we’re not asking to be the funding body, but we want to be listened to, because when that happens, we get better outcomes’.
Updated
PM welcomes China decision on barley and wants other impediments also removed
The Prime Minister is asked about Australia’s relationship with China and the easing of trade restrictions on Australian barley.
Albanese says any potential visit to China “isn’t a transactional exercise”.
I’ve said that I want to cooperate with China where I can, to disagree where we must, but also to engage in our national interests. That’s our position. But the decision that has been made is a very positive one. On barley, I welcome it. I want other impediments to be removed.
The PM says his government is hopeful of more dialogue between China and the US.
We need the big powers, China and the United States to engage, talk with each other, but we also have a role of talking. It is in Australia’s interests to engage with China and it is in China’s interests to engage with Australia, and as a result of the decision that we’ve made, they’ve made this weekend, they will get access to the best barley in the world and they will get better beer as a result of it.
Updated
Albanese says he has faith in Australian people
On the possibility of a treaty with the federal government, Albanese says that work is proceeding at the level of the state and that his focus is on “getting a voice as request, and getting constitutional recognition.”
On the results of recent polling that have showed a lack of support for the change, the Prime Minister says he has faith in the “generosity of the Australian people”.
Updated
PM urges people to look at the yes and no pamphlets
Albanese is asked about the word “Makarrata”, which has been subject to attack by the no campaign.
Why would someone disagree with the idea of Makarrata, with which is a Yolngu word for coming together after conflict - what that is about is just advancing reconciliation.
Asked about what the money has been spent on, Albanese says he is concentrating on the referendum.
What the no campaign insists on doing is talking about anything but what is in the question before the Australian people. I would say to your listeners, have a look at what the question is, have a look at the yesand the no pamphlets. The yes pamphlet with its optimistic appeal for hope and a vision for the future, and the no campaign quoting people, misquoting people who are not actually supporting it.
Updated
Opportunity to write the next chapter of the Australian story
The Prime Minister says that a no vote tothe voice would “be a clear sign that it doesn’t have the support of the Australian people”.
On whether the government would seek to legislate a voice in the event of a no vote, the Prime Minister says he is “focussed on success, not on hypotheticals of what will occur if it is not successful.”
What we are doing it putting in place practical measures, but we will take the verdict of the Australian people in a referendum as something that has to be taken into account. Of whether they support it or not. I say this: That they do have the opportunity, not just to do something for Indigenous Australian -- Indigenous Australia, but to do something for all of us as well. We are here on the land of the Yolngu people celebrating a culture that is 65,000 years old, as part of the Australian story, but the Australian story isn’t finished. What Australians will have in coming months is the opportunity to write the next chapter, to write the next chapter that is more inclusive, that celebrates the connection that we have of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, but also makes practical change to close those gaps.
Updated
Albanese gives examples of voice models
Albanese is asked about the model for the voice and points to the local Yolngu community as an example.
The Dilak Council here, made up of 13 clans in this vast region of North East Arnhem Land have come together, for example, and they’ve done a lot of work on a bilingual school has been established. We’ve announced funding on Friday to extend that to the tertiary level. It is a bilingual school which is making sure that young Yolngu people from these communities are going to school more, are being retained at school for longer, are providing those opportunities in life.
Albanese says different regions – urban and regional – may be able to tailor their specific set up to their specific needs.
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We need to do things better: PM
Albanese says that the voice referendum is an “opportunity” that is a “gracious offer that has been worked through over a long period of time”.
If we don’t do it, Australians will ask themselves, ‘Is it good enough that there an eight-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, a suicide rate that is twice as high, if you have a daughter she is more likely to die in childbirth than a non-indigenous woman, if you have a son, he is more likely to go to jail than to university.”
We need to do things better.
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No is a vote for more of the same: PM
Albanese says the Voice referendum “hasn’t occurred in the vacuum” and says Dutton has failed to “listen as the very first point” in not supporting the form of constitutional recognition in “the form of recognition that they want”.
No, we know that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Many people in the republic referendum thought it would come around again.
That’s why I say to those people who include people who say, ‘It doesn’t go far enough so therefore I’m going to vote no’
Don’t think that other issues can be advanced by a no vote. A novote will be a vote for more of the same.
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PM says Dutton speaking in contradictions
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told ABC Insiders that Opposition leader Peter Dutton is speaking in contradictions.
He says he supports constitutional recognition - so both sides do. He says that he supports a legislated voice - so both sides do. The difference here is he is saying is, ‘Don’t put in the Constitution.’
The reason why Indigenous Australians have asked for it to be in the constitution is they want a form of constitutional recognition that has substance, not just style, that can’t be just dismissed on a stroke of a pen.
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Daniel Andrews to address resignation of state MP
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has said his government has been advised of an “alleged incident” involving a state Labor MP.
Andrews said his office was made aware of the incident, which took place on Thursday, and has since referred the matter to police after making further inquiries.
In a statement, Andrews said he had sought and received the resignation of the member alleged to have been involved.
Andrews is expected to address the matter at 10am.
- with AAP
Updated
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will speak to ABC Insiders host David Speers this morning, live from the Garma festival.
Coming up on #Insiders live from Garma Festival!
— ABC News (@abcnews) August 5, 2023
• 🔎Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
• 🎶 Dhapanbal Yunupingu
• 🛋️ Clare Armstrong, Dan Bourchier, and John Paul Janke
See you at 9am on ABC TV #auspol pic.twitter.com/ofwCnD0jRS
We will bring you all the latest as it unfolds.
Queensland man shot by police
A man has been shot dead by police at a house north of Brisbane.
Officers were searching the home in Burpengary East on Saturday afternoon when the 29-year-old man allegedly threatened them and was fatally shot, police said in a statement.
Paramedics were called to the scene about 5.25pm but the man was declared dead at the scene.
A crime scene has been established and investigations are continuing.
The Queensland ethical standards command is also investigating the shooting.
- AAP
Updated
Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is wrapping up his time at the Garma festival, which runs until Monday, after addressing those who had gathered. The prime minister did not announce the date for the upcoming referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament, but said it would take place later this year.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs, taking the blog through the day. With so much going on out there, it’s easy to miss stuff, so if you spot something happening in Australia and think it should be on the blog, you can find me for now on Twitter at @RoyceRk2 where my DMs are open.
With that, let’s get started ...
