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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Elias Visontay and Emily Wind (earlier)

‘A long way to go’ on combating domestic violence, PM says – as it happened

Mark Dreyfus Australia the National Press Club AUSTRAC
Anthony Albanese has written on X of his government’s determination to end domestic violence.
Anthony Albanese has written on X of his government’s determination to end domestic violence. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

What happened Tuesday 9 July, 2024

With that, we’ll end our live coverage of the day’s news.

Here’s a summary of the main news developments:

Thanks for reading. Have a pleasant evening.

Updated

PM says government ‘determined to end’ domestic violence

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says Australia has “a long way to go” in combating domestic violence after several recent alleged incidents dominated headlines.

In a post on X, Albanese wrote: “Again, we have seen lives stolen, futures torn away. Every death is its own universe of devastation. Communities are hurt, and the families and the loved ones left behind carry the sorrow with them for the rest of their days.”

“As hard and heartbreaking as this news is, we cannot turn away from it. Our nation, our society, all of us owe those we have lost more than that.”

Albanese concluded: “my government is determined to end this violence. Together we can make this change. We must”.

Updated

Australia commits $6.3m to prevent Pacific bank closures

More than $6m in commonwealth funds will be used to bolster financial security in the Pacific to ensure banking services don’t close down.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, used an address to the Pacific Banking Forum to announce $6.3m would address banking closures and urge Australian lenders to stay open abroad.

“The message we are sending today to the entire Pacific family is clear: you can bank on us,” he said in Brisbane on Tuesday.

“Australian banks like Westpac and ANZ provide vital ... services to the region and have been in the Pacific for more than a century.”

The extra funding will go toward developing digital identity infrastructure among Australia’s neighbours and enhancing compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing requirements.

The forum was a key outcome of last year’s meeting between the US president, Joe Biden, and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.

AAP

Updated

Dingo DNA: scientists say predators share little ancestry with introduced domestic dogs

Scientists have for the first time recovered DNA from the remains of dingoes between 400 and 2,700 years old to find the predator’s population was well established across the Australian continent thousands of years ago.

According to the researchers, modern dingoes share little genetic ancestry with domestic dogs introduced into Australia from Europe but are instead descended from ancient dogs and wolves from China and the Tibetan plateau. Dingoes were closely related to modern New Guinea singing dogs, the research confirmed, with both sharing a common ancestor.

Dingoes arrived in Australia between 3,000 and 8,000 years ago, the research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said, and probably came with Pacific traders on boats.

Scientists gathered ancient DNA from the remains of dingoes held in museums, recovered from Indigenous sites around Sydney and from caves in South Australia and south-west Western Australia.

Dr Sally Wasef, an expert on ancient DNA from the Queensland University of Technology and a lead author of the research, had the job of cutting the ancient specimens – mostly bone and teeth – for DNA analysis.

She said she was amazed when the results of carbon dating found several of the east coast specimens were between 700 and 2,700 years old.

“I thought they were fresh samples so I was really shocked,” said Wasef, who has done previous genetic work on Indigenous remains, Egyptian mummies and world war victims.

Read more:

Updated

NSW energy minister Penny Sharpe ‘unimpressed’ by federal opposition’s nuclear plan

The federal opposition has lately gone quiet on its controversial plan to build seven nuclear power stations, starting from the mid-2030s. (Some sections of the media – such as the Daily Telegraph – are continuing to push the proposal even if the politicians are moved on.)

Anyway, the NSW energy minister, Penny Sharpe, has made it clear where she stands, telling a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (Ceda) lunch that she “can’t overstate how unimpressed” she was with the idea, arguing it would “smash a hole through the policy certainty and investment plans” for her state.

She listed some of the “important questions. All unanswered”:

What are the costs of building nuclear reactors and who is going to pay? How long will these reactors take to build? How do we manage the exit of coal-fired power in the meantime? How much of the task to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will nuclear reactors deliver? Where will the waste go? How much will electricity bills increase? How will the rollout of renewables be impacted?

Sharpe said her state would “not be giving up its future economic prosperity for a policy thought bubble designed to play politics. A thought bubble that ignores the scientific reality of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a matter of urgency.”

NSW, as it happens, is one of the states with a ban on nuclear energy that would have to be scrapped before nuclear plants were to get built. (The opposition suggested the Hunter Valley and Lithgow as two of their seven sites – if they get a chance to act on their pledges.)

Updated

Environmental protester released on bail

The 21-year-old who was sentenced to three months in prison on Monday under New South Wales anti-protest laws has been released on bail after their sentence was appealed.

Laura Davy had secured themself to a piece of machinery during a climate protest at a Newcastle coal terminal on Sunday as part of a rolling climate protest by Blockade Australia that is now in its 15th day.

The activists have been undertaking daily actions that have involved standing atop trains and hanging suspended above railway lines to call for a change to economic and political systems to achieve meaningful climate action.

Davy, who is from Tasmania and is among a number of people who travelled interstate for the protest, has been released from bail under the condition they return to Tasmania within 48 hours and do not enter NSW for any other purpose other than their appeal, which has been set for September.

More than 30 people have been arrested since the protest began on 25 June, with most receiving between a $750 to $1,500 fine, according to a Blockade Australia spokesperson. Davy’s three-month prison sentence was the harshest conviction faced by the protesters yet.

Under the anti-protest laws passed by the former NSW Coalition government in 2022 with the support of Labor, protesters who block major facilities – such as railways, ports, transport facilities or infrastructure – can face a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment and $22,000 in fines.

The NSW Greens’ spokesperson for justice, Sue Higginson, called for the laws to be repealed in the wake of Davy’s sentence:

The fact is no one, no matter who they are, should be subjected to a term of imprisonment for engaging in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience as part of their political and moral objection.

Updated

Many thanks for joining me on the blog, Elias Visontay will be with you for the next little while. Take care.

Albanese says ‘we cannot turn away’ from family and domestic violence

The prime minister has released a statement following a number of alleged domestic violence incidents across the country in recent days.

In a statement shared to social media, Anthony Albanese wrote:

So much work is being done to rid Australia of family and domestic violence. Yet as the tragic events of recent days have reminded us, we have a long way to go.

Again, we have seen lives stolen, futures torn away. Every death is its own universe of devastation. Communities are hurt, and the families and loved ones left behind carry the sorrow with them for the rest of their days.

As hard and heartbreaking as this news is, we cannot turn away from it. Our nation, our society, all of us owe those we have lost more than that.

My government is determined to end this violence. Together, we can make this change. We must.

Updated

BoM predicts damaging winds and thunderstorms across WA

The Bureau of Meteorology has published a severe weather update for parts of Western Australia, for damaging wind, showers and thunderstorms.

The Bureau said damaging winds are expected from Perth all the way down to Albany, with a cold front making its way across the coast to Perth by this evening.

Updated

Use frozen Russian funds to build new hospital: envoy

Australia should use frozen Russian assets to rebuild a critical hospital hit in a barrage of missiles, Ukraine’s ambassador has said as the federal government condemns the attack.

As AAP reports, Vasyl Myroshnychenko branded the incident as horrible and “one of the worst attacks ever”.

That was a very important children’s hospital, it was specifically dealing with some very complicated cases. The brand new building which was recently completed, which included the cancer ward and toxicology ward … when you can think Russia cannot go lower, they are always finding a way.

He later told reporters in Canberra he would welcome Australia joining a security guarantee signed with G7 nations and hoped for a new military aid package when Nato members meet in Washington.

Updated

SNAICC questions where $250m is going in Alice Springs

Catherine Liddle, chief executive of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC), says there is a “lack of transparency” around where the $250m in federal funding allocated in Alice Springs is “hitting the ground”.

SNAICC is the national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

In a statement, Liddle told Guardian Australia there has not been visible progress made since a meeting held among key community organisations, in response to the first youth curfew in April.

The April Alice Springs curfew was a circuit-breaker, not a solution. It was enacted in response to escalating issues involving young people, who were not safe and were being exposed to concerning levels of violence.

We need to be looking at sustainable solutions, a view clearly articulated at a meeting organised by the NT and federal governments in April.

SNAICC said at the time this meeting should have been the first step in designing community-led solutions to issues that have been decades in the making. This does not seem to have happened.

Concerns were also raised at the meeting about how $250m, plus another $48.8m in federal funding commitments was hitting the ground. There seems to be a lack of transparency and accountability to the community.

Liddle said the April curfew showed “many families crying out for support,” and “a focus on investing in family and children during the early years is an approach that works and can turn the tide for communities like Alice Springs.”

SNAICC has raised the need for community-run child and family hubs to deliver early education and care, that support older children to access school and education and connect to other services such as accommodation, therapeutic care, finance, employment, return to country, DSS and other supports.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) has been contacted for comment.

Updated

Continuing from our last post: Unemployed people who had difficulty finding work had more issues with labour market barriers in the year to February 2024, such as having insufficient work experience or facing competition from too many applicants for available jobs.

The year’s jobs slowdown also meant a smaller share of Australians were able to leave their jobs to take up better opportunities, falling to 27% of those leaving jobs after hovering at 33% the previous two years.

Chasing a change is still the most common reason for leaving a job, but today’s data suggest it’s increasingly out of reach.

While the ABS data doesn’t cover the months since March, the labour market has broadly stayed steady at that slightly weaker position, with job advertisements falling by 17% in the year to June according to data released yesterday by jobs marketplace SEEK.

The number of Australians swapping jobs falls for first time in three years

The number of Australians switching jobs has fallen for the first time in three years, adding to signs the post-Covid jobs boom has faded.

Job mobility was 8% over the year to February 2024, down from recent highs of 9.6% the previous year, according to ABS data released today.

Rising economic pressures saw the number of people made redundant increase for the first time since the pandemic, with 233,800 people retrenched in the year to February compared to the previous year’s record low of 182,700 people.

Today’s release substantially covers the calendar year 2023, during which cost-of-living pressures became a drag on Australians’ spending and business activity, cutting the number of jobs on offer and pulling unemployment up from record lows.

The new data confirms the country’s hyperactive post-Covid jobs market had weakened by February, drawing 2.6m people into employment compared to 2.9m the previous year.

Laura Tingle asked Mark Dreyfus to elaborate on the point he was making:

When people apply to Israel a standard that is not applied to other countries, then potentially it’s antisemitism. When people deny to Israel its right to exist, when people pretend that Israel was not created by the United Nations in 1948 and is absolutely a full member of the United Nations – those sorts of things.

I can go on, but I’d be giving you a long list of antisemitic approaches to Israel. I’d say again, as a matter of principle, when people criticise Israel in a way that they would not dream of applying to another country, then you are at the point of antisemitism.

Tingle: So it’s about approaches to Israel, as opposed to actions by Israel?

Dreyfus: Well, the question was directed at – when is criticism of Israel antisemitism? I’m saying there absolutely can be criticism of Israel which is antisemitism.

And with that, the press club appearance has wrapped up.

Updated

Mark Dreyfus says criticism of Israel ‘absolutely can be’ antisemitic

Back at the press club, Mark Dreyfus was asked whether the government considers criticism of Israel to be antisemitic? He responded:

It absolutely can be.

Not always. I criticise the government of Israel from time to time, I don’t think I’m antisemitic. Other people criticise the government of Israel, and I don’t think they’re antisemitic.

But when people are singling out Israel and applying a standard to Israel that they do not apply to other countries, then potentially there’s antisemitism going on.

Updated

Business conditions deteriorating but price pressures ease off a bit

If consumers were feeling glum (see earlier post), businesses report an uptick in confidence, according to NAB‘s latest monthly survey.

It’s now at the highest level since early 2023, a remarkable result given retailers, in particular, are reporting poor turnover given many shoppers are trying to spend less.

Business conditions, though, have continued a slide that began in late 2022 (an outcome that doesn’t quite square with firm sentiment).

One reason for confidence improving seems to be an easing in price pressures, including for labour costs. Those were up 1.8% in quarterly terms, dropping from the 2.3% pace registered in May.

Product price growth was also lower, dropping to 0.7% in June from 1.1% in May (in quarterly terms).

NAB economist Gareth Spence said:

Overall, our take on the survey is that it continues to signal another soft quarter in Q2. But also that capacity utilisation is still high with demand and supply yet to fully normalise. Price pressures continue to ease in a trend sense though the data certainly remains bumpy.

The RBA will be taking note but the key stat between now and their next board meeting in four weeks’ time will be the June quarter inflation figures. They land on 31 July.

Mark Dreyfus was again asked about accountability and responded:

The report held people accountable and named people as accountable. There is still disciplinary proceedings occurring within processes of the Australian public service, so we’re not quite done. And I think you should keep asking the question.

Maybe ask me again in a year’s time, but we’re not quite done.

Updated

Dreyfus defends robodebt royal commission

A reporter asks about the one-year anniversary of the robodebt royal commission report being handed back to government on Sunday, and asks about the community sentiment that restorative justice has not yet been fulfilled.

Here was Mark Dreyfus’ full response:

We moved swiftly when we came to government to establish a royal commission, which is always an unusual thing to. We aimed for it to be a very short and sharp royal commission, and it was, and the report could not have been more direct. It exposed what occurred here, which was that hundreds of thousands of Australians suffered grievously as a result of the illegal conduct of the former government.

There were suicides and some people’s lives were permanently ruined and we are not going to get them back. We’re not going to be able to make good to those families and we’re not going to be able to absolutely repair the lives of some people whose lives were damaged.

But, there have been hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation paid by the commonwealth government. We’ve had a successful class action brought against the commonwealth government as a result of that illegality, and I would like to think that the robodebt royal commission remains there as an absolutely salutatory warning to Australian public servants and future Australian governments that, when an act of the Australian parliament directs certain things occur, that has to be obeyed. Because that was the problem – there was clear legislation but successive ministers directed that that legislation not be followed. That was all exposed in the royal commission.

Updated

Consumer sentiment takes another dip on rate rise fears

Worries that the stage three tax cuts that kicked in on 1 July might stoke inflation might seem to be overblown if the consumer sentiment surveys are any guide.

The monthly measure compiled by the Westpac–Melbourne Institute found sentiment dropped 1.1% to 82.7% in July.

Some 60% of those surveyed expect the Reserve Bank to lift interest rates again – a view that no doubt added to the gloom of borrowers, at least.

A weekly gauge compiled by ANZ and Roy Morgan echoed Westpac/MI’s take, with confidence dropping to its second-lowest level for the year.

Notably, inflation expectations were lower, a result the RBA would like to see.

In the meantime, it’s worth noting that investors have lately pared back their view the RBA will hike interest rates at the 5-6 August board meeting. It’s now about a one-in-four chance, according to the ASX rate tracker. (The first rate cut, though, isn’t priced in fully until November 2025 (ie 16 months away).

Updated

Dreyfus says government committed to office of special investigator

Taking questions, Mark Dreyfus said the government is “fully committed” to the office of the special investigator – which is responsible for addressing potential criminal matters raised in the Afghanistan Inquiry Report.

Dreyfus said:

That is why the office of the special investigator has been funded in successive budgets. You rightly identify that only, as yet, one person has been charged, and I’m not going to comment further on whether or not there will further charges.

But it would be apparent to anyone in this room who is familiar with … the published version of the Brereton report, the degree of difficulty that there is in war crimes investigations. That said, I think Australia can be very proud of the fact that we are one of the very few countries in the world that has embarked on war crimes prosecutions of our own servicemen. And it remains work in progress.

Updated

The Austrac CEO, Brendan Thomas, says criminals are still using “traditional methods” like cash, banks, real estate and casinos to launder money – even as new financial options open up.

As we have reported, Thomas is at the National Press Club with the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, to talk about money-laundering and terrorism financing. Thomas, in a statement just released by Austrac, said “the domestic Australian drug market is worth at least $12.4bn per year” – and that all this money needs to be laundered by criminal groups.

The exploitation of digital currencies is increasing. This helps criminals move funds quickly, cheaply and with what they perceive as a degree of anonymity.

Thomas said retail banking, remittance and exchanging cash are the preferred methods for terror groups to launder money and send it overseas.

Social media and crowdfunding platforms have also become integral to fundraising terrorist activities.

Updated

Austrac CEO says domestic drug market’s value at least $12.4bn

The chief executive of financial crime agency Austrac, Brendan Thomas, is up now:

If we take just one type of crime alone – drug dealing – we know, through the good work of our colleagues at the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, that the value of the Australian domestic drug market is at least $12.4bn a year.

That’s $12.4bn of illegal money. All that needs to be laundered through the Australian economy every year. And that’s one single type of crime.

Updated

Dreyfus:

In the real estate industry, there was an investigation by the Australian federal police and Victoria police into an organised crime syndicate that resulted in 52 people being charged with money-laundering, proceeds of crime and other offences.

Assets worth over $47m were seized, including 60 properties and income generated from rental properties. In a separate investigation, the Australian federal police seized more than 3,000 acres of Tasmanian farmland that was purchased by Chinese nationals using the proceeds of crime.

Updated

Dreyfus says the government has committed $166.4m in the budget to implement anti-laundering reforms:

We’re committed to regulating tranche two entities to prevent further abuse of our financial system. We are also committed to simplifying the regime to make it easier for business.

We want to modernise the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act to ensure that it keeps pace with the increasingly digital instant nature of our global financial system. Closing the gaps that we know increasingly sophisticated professional criminal organisations can exploit.

Updated

Commonwealth DPP has secured more than 240 convictions for money-laundering offences: Dreyfus

Dreyfus:

Over the past four years, the commonwealth director of public prosecutions has secured more than 240 convictions for all money-laundering offences.

Just last year, the AFP-led criminal assets confiscation taskforce remained criminal assets worth over $352m – a staggering $214m more than the previous year. Real estate accounted for 65% of those assets.

This is a concerning statistic but it’s not surprising. We know the laundering of large and illicit sums through real estate, both residential and commercial, is an established money-laundering method in Australia.

Updated

Mark Dreyfus addresses Press Club

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, is up at the Press Club now. His speech is addressing how criminals are using casinos, real estate and luxury goods to launder their money.

He said:

It’s a disturbing but inescapable fact that Australia is at serious risk of exploitation by criminals seeking to launder illicit funds.

Each year, trillions of dollars are generated from illegal activities such as drug trafficking, tax evasion, people smuggling, cybercrime and arms trafficking.

Updated

Queensland premier turns first sod on CopperString transmission scheme

The Queensland premier has turned the first sod on a $5bn project to connect Mount Isa to the national energy grid.

The CopperString project will connect the north-west minerals province to the rest of the country for the first time, enabling the exploitation of $500bn of minerals such as cobalt and vanadium.

More than 840km of new transmission wire will be required to do the job.

The premier, Steven Miles, and other top brass gathered in Hughenden to make the announcement. The energy minister, Mick de Brenni, said:

This is the largest addition to the national electricity grid since we connected the state of Tasmania nearly 20 years ago.

Bob Katter used the press conference to beg Miles for investment in the proposed Hughenden irrigation project. With water, Hughenden’s population could grow more than 20 times, he said.

Please, premier, we need the water to make this town another Emerald or another Mareeba or another Griffith in New South Wales.

Put the water in. There’ll be 20,000 people living here, and they’ll be building statues to you. And I promise I’ll shoot any birds that do anything on those statues.

Miles later brushed off questions about the water scheme at the press conference.

Updated

Zoe Daniel welcomes appointment of special envoy on antisemitism

The independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, has also welcomed the appointment of a special envoy on antisemitism:

Along with several other MPs, I have been pushing for this important post for some months as a practical way of addressing the surge in antisemitism after the terrorist attacks on October 7.

I hope it will help contribute to social cohesion as well as the safety, security and wellbeing of the Goldstein community.

Updated

ANZ-Suncorp deal gets final stamp of approval

ANZ’s $4.9bn acquisition of Suncorp’s banking arm will be complete at month’s end after the merger received the last authorisation required, AAP reports.

Queensland’s Office of Parliamentary Counsel has officially proclaimed legislative changes that passed parliament in June, paving the way for the merger to go ahead on 31 July.

The transaction, first announced in July 2022, was approved by the federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, on 28 June and by the Australian Competition Tribunal on 20 February.

ANZ said it would welcome Suncorp bank’s roughly 3,000 employees and 1.2 million customers into ANZ Group on 1 August. ANZ chief executive, Shayne Elliott, said:

This strategically important acquisition will boost ANZ’s presence in Queensland, add scale to our retail and commercial businesses and enable us to compete more effectively across the Australian market.

In return for the legislative changes allowing the deal to go ahead, ANZ has agreed to hire or place 700 people into a new tech hub in Brisbane over the next five years.

Updated

Executive Council of Australian Jewry ‘strongly supports’ Jillian Segal’s appointment

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry says it strongly supports the appointment of their past president, Jillian Segal, as special envoy on antisemitism.

President Daniel Aghion said:

The ECAJ strongly supports the appointment of an Australian envoy to combat antisemitism … [Segal] will bring deep knowledge of the issues and immense energy to the role, and we are confident that she will carry out her duties with integrity and distinction. We wish her every success in undertaking this vital work for the betterment of Australian society.

Updated

‘It is well past time for Putin to end this conflict’: Albanese

As the press conference wraps up, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, commented on the targeting of a Ukrainian school by Russia overnight:

A completely unacceptable action … These Russian missile attacks on several cities, including the children’s hospital, are just abhorrent. Russia’s actions continue to shock the world. At the Nato summit, where Richard Marles is representing Australia, no doubt this will be a topic as well.

But it is time, well past time for Vladimir Putin to end this conflict.

Updated

PM refers back to ‘statements’ expressing concern about ‘unacceptable loss of innocent life in Gaza’

Anthony Albanese continued:

I don’t discount at all, and we have expressed in statements – including statements have made with the prime ministers of New Zealand and Canada – my concern about some of the actions that have led to an unacceptable loss of innocent life in Gaza.

We made clear that we did not support actions in Rafah because of what would occur. I don’t say one different message here than what I would say somewhere else as well. We have been consistent in our view.

Updated

Labor’s position on two-state solution a long-held one, Albanese says

The prime minister reiterates his government’s stance on Gaza:

The Labor party’s position of support for the state of Israel and support for a two-state solution – with Palestinians being able to realise the legitimate aspirations they have for their own state, side-by-side with Israel – is something that has been there for a long period of time.

I myself have moved the resolutions at national conference on at least two occasions, going back a long period of time. There is nothing surprising about the position that we have taken. It is a position of principle and … those who advocate a one-state solution, which some on both sides of the debate have done, [are] in my view counter-productive to the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Updated

Labor caucus members ‘on exactly the same page’ concerning war in Gaza, PM insists

Q: Would you considering giving government MPs a conscience vote on issues of the war in Gaza?

Anthony Albanese said the Labor party was formed so “working people could advance their interests against more powerful interests in our society”, and that “we take action together.”

I must say, our 103 members of our caucus are on exactly the same page on these issues, exactly the same page. That is how you talk things through with proper debate, and that is how governments function.

Were a government to go in different directions about a range of issues, then the headlines every day in the newspapers would be the lack of coherence in the government, and I do find it quite ironic, somewhat, the journalists who have been advocating for this.

Updated

PM dismisses idea of inquiry into antisemitism

Taking questions from reporters, Anthony Albanese is asked if the government would support a judicial inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities, as the Coalition has called for?

He responded that “you don’t need an inquiry to know there has been a rise in antisemitism at some of the universities”.

What we are doing is acting, appointing an envoy. We are very clearly aware of what has occurred …

Updated

Four- to fivefold increase in antisemitism since 7 October, says special envoy Jillian Segal

Jillian Segal said rates of antisemitism were 400% to 500% higher than before 7 October, but added that it was necessary “to look beyond the numbers” and “see the individuals whose lives have been impacted in tragic and profound ways”:

The creation of this role shows a determination by the government to confront this evil and to ensure that it does not erode the goodness that exists in our society.

It will require a national strategy, coordination between communities, and all levels of government, education on what antisemitism looks like today, and deeper engagement between the Jewish and non-Jewish communities.

Updated

‘Antisemitism erodes all that is good and healthy in society’, says special envoy

Jillian Segal says she is “humbled and privileged” to be appointed special envoy on antisemitism. Segal told reporters:

Antisemitism erodes all that is good and healthy in a society. As such, it poses a threat not just to the Jewish community, but to our entire nation. Antisemitism is an age-old hatred. It has the capacity to lie dormant through good times and then, in times of crisis like pandemic, which we’ve experienced, economic downturn, war – it awakens.

It triggers the very worst instincts in an individual: to fear, to blame others for life’s misfortunes, and to hate. And it is often based on misinformation, on inaccurate rumour, and it can spread from individual to individual to contaminate the collective, damaging life for the entire community and leading to violence, as we have seen.

Updated

Role of special envoy on antisemitism to last for three years, PM says

Anthony Albanese wrapped up his speech with the following remarks:

I think that what is occurring here needs to stop. When you have the war memorials, for example, desecrated – as they were a short time ago – I just shake my head at how that can occur in Australia in 2024.

We are a place where, as a democracy, we encourage people to be able to have different views and to discuss these issues respectfully. But that’s the key word here – respect.

He also said the role of special envoy on antisemitism would be for three years:

We hope that there’s not a need to have ongoing work, but it has been a reminder over recent months that we just can’t take that respect and social cohesion for granted. We need to nourish it, we need to cherish it, we need to celebrate it and we need to support it. And that’s what this role will do.

Updated

The prime minister said the government would announce an envoy on Islamophobia “shortly”, who would play an important role in “working with that community to promote social cohesion”.

Updated

PM calls for continued reinforcement of ‘social harmony’

Anthony Albanese described Australia as a “microcosm for the world” and urged social cohesion.

He said in his own electorate of Marrickville, there were Jewish, Islamic, Greek Orthodox and Hindu people “all living side by side, enriched by our diversity – benefiting from the culture, the language, the food, the dancing, the music, the celebration of what we have built here in Australia”.

What’s clear is that we can’t take that for granted. What’s clear is that we continue to reinforce the need for social harmony …

I’m very proud to be the prime minister of Australia. We are the best country on Earth. But we need to continue to reinforce what are our greatest attributes, and that is respect for each other, respect for diversity, a place where people are valued regardless of their gender, their faith, their race, their sexuality – regardless of who they are.

A country where every person feels that they can just declare who they are and not be concerned that somehow that is going to subject them to attacks, to comments that are inappropriate, or in some cases, of course … violence.

Updated

Not enough civil discourse in Australia, PM says

Anthony Albanese said he has found the lack of knowledge around antisemitism “quite shocking”.

I have spoken with members of the Jewish community … right around Australia who have not felt safe. Members of the Jewish community whose children are worried about wearing their school uniform in our capital cities. That’s not acceptable. Not acceptable, ever. And certainly not in Australia in 2024.

The prime minister said the rise of social media “has seen people thinking that they can take what are complex issues and convert them into 100 characters and to make statements that they never would – that they never would – face to face”.

We’re not having enough discourse in Australia which is civil, and the sort of slogans which are used have caused great damage and often come from a position of ignorance.

What we need to do is to make sure that the conflict that is occurring in the Middle East, that has caused a great deal of grief for the Jewish community, for members of the Islamic and Palestinian communities – Australians overwhelmingly do not want conflict brought here. What they want here is harmony, and for people to be able to get on with each other.

Updated

Prime minister announces special envoy on antisemitism

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to the media from the Jewish Museum in Sydney, where he has announced a special envoy on antisemitism.

He said he wants “all Australians – regardless of their race or religion – to feel safe and at home here in Australia”:

We have seen, since October 7 last year, a significant rise in antisemitism in Australia. That is why the government has made the decision to appoint a special envoy on antisemitism. I’m very pleased that Jillian Segal has agreed to take up that role.

Jillian has wide experience across our nation, in particular being a proud member of the Sydney Jewish community … It’s important that, as part of those ongoing efforts to promote social cohesion, that Jillian will advise myself and the immigration and multicultural affairs minister, but also engage with the community about how we can raise education.

Updated

Thousands of homes to be built in first fast-tracked hubs for NSW

Tens of thousands of extra homes could be built in the first mini-cities to be unveiled as part of a mass rezoning around NSW transport hubs, AAP reports.

Plans for an initial four transport-oriented development precincts have been unveiled as part of a strategy the state government says will “rebalance” housing growth around new metro stations and existing train infrastructure.

Kellyville and Bella Vista in Sydney’s north-west will be among the fast-tracked precincts as an existing metro line is linked up with a soon-to-open route under the city centre. More than 20,000 extra homes could be delivered in a blanket rezoning of the area around the two suburban stations.

Similar proposals at Hornsby, north-west of Sydney’s city centre, and Macquarie Park, in the city’s north, are tipped to provide 5,000 and 4,600 homes respectively.

The planning minister, Paul Scully, said:

People want to be able to buy or rent a home close to their friends and families and jobs supported by infrastructure, but the housing crisis across NSW, and especially Sydney, has made that almost impossible.

We’re focused on getting the balance right, between building new homes and protecting the character of communities … it doesn’t have to be an either-or choice.

Updated

Continuing from our last post: the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, told host Raf Epstein that if the government needed to provide more funding to hospitals to ensure patient care wasn’t affected, they would:

If the government needs to provide additional funding as we work through this budget setting process with hospitals, then we will do so. Because we are firmly focused on patient care. We are firmly focused on working with our hospitals. We have a world class health system in Victoria. My family has been blessed to be the recipient of that care over a number of years. So I’m really firmly focused on supporting the best patient care and the way we do that is to look at how we stabilise and provide sustainable budgets going forward.

Epstein asked: You would tip in more money than is currently in the budgeted year, if required?

Allan responded:

We’re going through a process at the moment. That will be finalised in the coming weeks. But I am indicating to you this morning, if there is the need to provide more support, in addition to the funding we’ve already provided through the budget, then government will look at doing that.

She said the budgets would be finalised in a “few weeks”.

Updated

Victorian government will contribute more money to hospitals if proposed budget cuts affect patient care: premier

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, says the government will chip in more money to the state’s public hospitals if it is found proposed budget cuts will affect patient care.

Late last month, hospitals submitted their annual budgets to the health department, who had asked them to find savings across non-clinical staff and services in a bid to rein in “waste and duplication”.

Some hospitals, however, said the cuts they were asked to make were so significant they would be required to impose hiring freezes and look at shutting beds and cancelling all weekend elective surgeries.

But when asked on ABC Radio Melbourne earlier this morning if she was concerned the cuts would affect patient care, Allan said they shouldn’t:

I want to also be really clear, Labor governments have always been on the side of hospitals and always focused on patient care. And speculation, as we’re seeing at the moment – there should be no cancellation of surgeries, or putting off staff in the context of setting the forward budget year.

Updated

Illicit tobacco linked to major crime boss seized

More than $6m worth of illicit tobacco, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and firearms have been seized in police raids on properties across Victoria alleged to be linked to an organised crime boss involved in the illicit tobacco trade, AAP reports.

The joint operation discovered 3.3 tonnes of illicit tobacco, more than $170,000 cash and 11 firearms as part of their investigation into the cultivation and distribution of illicit tobacco in Victoria.

Police executed 10 search warrants on properties across the state alleging they are linked to a significant leader of an organised crime syndicate involved in the illicit tobacco network.

Detectives searched five residential properties in Sydenham, Delahey and Melton South in Melbourne’s north-west.

A 30-year-old man at a property in Sydenham is expected to be charged, plus a 39-year-old man at another Sydenham property. A 47-year-old man living at a Melton South property was charged and was bailed to appear at Sunshine magistrates court in October. A 35-year-old man at a property in Delahey will also be charged.

Detectives also raided five large rural properties in Landsborough and Barkly in Victoria’s west where they didn’t find any illicit tobacco, although each property had evidence of recent tobacco harvest.

Updated

Gen Z most likely to host Olympic Games watch party

Gen Z are more likely to host a watch party for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, according to research from McCrindle.

41% of Gen Z said they were likely to host a watch party for Olympic events Australians are competing in, compared to 32% of Gen Y, 15% of Gen Z and 8% of Baby Boomers.

McCrindle social researcher Ashley Fell said that Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – are “leaning into the opportunity for social connection and community that the Olympics provides”.

Viewing parties proved extremely popular across Australia during last year’s Women’s World Cup, with people showing up in record numbers to support the Matildas.

Swimming (35%), athletics (33%) and artistic gymnastics (25%) are the sports Australians are most looking forward to watching in this year’s games, according to the research. Three in five (61%) said they felt a strong sense of national pride when watching Australian athletes compete.

McCrindle, a social research and demographics agency, based its research on a survey of 1,005 Australians between 7 and 10 June.

Updated

‘Heartbroken’ neighbour’s heroic rescue in deadly fire

A heroic neighbour who helped rescue children from a deadly house fire says he’s heartbroken that three young kids died in the catastrophic blaze, AAP reports.

Neighbour Jarrod Hawkins told ABC TV he acted on instinct when he realised the house was on fire after initially hearing “popping” sounds and presuming someone was trying to break into his car.

It sounds silly, I didn’t even think about it – I just sprinted straight over, kept smashing down the front door until I could get in. It was covered in smoke, I heard kids coughing and yelling to my right. Not knowing where I was going, I was just on my hands and knees trying to find out where I could go.

Once he found and rescued one child, Hawkins said he went straight back into the house and continued recovering others until emergency services arrived.

He is struggling to process that three children have died in such tragic circumstances while the survivors will be left traumatised.

I feel alright, mentally and physically, I’m just heartbroken for those kids that have to deal with that for the rest of their lives, it’s just not right.

They were known to a lot of people. Those kids were unreal, had great manners, very happy children, full of energy, just typical kids and unfortunately now three have lost their lives to a very serious incident.

Updated

More on the claims Chinese hackers have targeted Australia

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the attribution of the malicious activity was an example of Australia seeking to “engage with China without compromising on what is important for Australia and to Australians”.

The group, sponsored by the Chinese government, has targeted Australian government and private sector networks, the federal government claims.

A highly technical report, released today by Australian Signals Directorate, includes two case studies of alleged APT40 activity. Both cases are anonymised, so no specific information about the targets are shared, but one claims that the group stole hundreds of user names and passwords from an Australian entity in April 2022.

The report states that ASD “could not determine the full extent of the activity” but believes several hundred passwords were stolen, and the Chinese group was able to gain access to the entity’s systems so that hackers could have posed as legitimate users (including administrators) to gain further access or potentially compromise systems.

The report says: “The authoring agencies assess that this group conduct malicious cyber operations for the PRC Ministry of State Security.”

The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said attributing this activity publicly was among “increasingly important tools in deterring malicious cyber activity”.

The Albanese government is committed to defending Australian organisations and individuals in the cyber domain, which is why for the first time we are leading this type of cyber attribution.

Updated

Man charged with murder over alleged domestic violence stabbing in Sydney

A man has been charged with murder and will face court today after the alleged domestic violence stabbing of a woman in Sydney’s west yesterday.

On Tuesday afternoon police found a 21-year-old woman with two stab wounds to her chest, after responding to reports of a stabbing at a home in Kingswood.

Paramedics treated the woman, however she died at the scene.

About 7pm last night, officers arrested a 21-year-old man in Penrith. He was taken to Penrith police station and charged with murder DV.

He was refused bail to appear at Penrith local court today. Police will allege in court the man and woman were in a domestic relationship.

Updated

High-profile Queensland cult murder case delayed again

The Queensland trial of 14 members of the Saints religious group for allegedly causing the death of 8-year-old member Elizabeth Struhs has been delayed again.

The supreme court hearing was due to begin this afternoon after being delayed from Monday to allow the court to be modified. But it has been delayed until Wednesday this morning.

The group is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon, after a lengthy meeting in a court room to discuss the case in private.

Her father, Jason Richard Struhs, and religious leader Brendan Stevens, face charges of murder for allegedly denying the young diabetic girl insulin. Her mother, Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, has been charged with manslaughter, alongside 11 other defendants.

They allegedly attempted to use prayer to preserve the life of the 8-year-old. Prosecutors claim they knew their actions would probably cause her death.

Updated

Earlier, the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, said boarding facilities were needed in Alice Springs as one measure going forward.

Catherine Liddle weighed in on that suggestion:

I don’t necessarily know if it is boarding facilities, but certainly, people need safe places to call home. Now, if that means there’s an interim measure, then that’s a good thing.

But you’ve always got to be careful with boarding facilities, particularly when talking about Aboriginal children, because then you start erring into concepts like residential care, and that’s a whole different story.

Updated

‘No evidence that snap curfews work’, says SNAICC CEO

Catherine Liddle argued there is “no evidence that snap curfews like this work”.

She said what was happening in Alice Springs now, with the snap three-day lockdown, was different to what occurred in April – “a genuine circuit breaker”.

I do understand the need for, when we need to have short-term responses, but this isn’t it. Having curfews in a tool kit for police to use is not a sensible response … We need to be investing into the solutions.

Now, when we’re talking about children, we know that if you’re investing into early education and care, if you’re investing into juvenile diversion activities, we see significant differences in the outcomes for children and the likelihood of children coming into contact with the criminal justice system. You increase punitive measures, what you get is more crime. That is what the trends show.

Updated

Alice Springs curfew and circuit breaker terms getting mixed up, says Catherine Liddle

Catherine Liddle, the CEO of SNAICC – the national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children – has been speaking with ABC News Breakfast about the Alice Springs curfew.

Asked whether the snap curfew would serve as a “circuit breaker”, Liddle said the terms were getting mixed up:

A circuit breaker is significantly different to a curfew. Now, in April, we had a circuit breaker and that was an absolutely extraordinary collision of events where children were at serious risk of serious harm.

She said that during that circuit breaker, there were support workers on the street and efforts were made to ensure families had somewhere to go when they needed help.

And what [police] found during that period of time was that every child that they came into contact with had a family who said, ‘thank you for coming, let’s talk to you about what we need to do to help our children.’ That was the responses that needed to be invested in.

Updated

China-backed hacker group unmasked by Australia and allies

A cyber group acting on behalf of China’s powerful minister of state security has been blamed for espionage and hacks targeting the Australian government and private sector networks, AAP reports.

The Australian government has spearheaded the public attribution of malicious cyber activities to state-sponsored group APT40 alongside Five Eyes partners – New Zealand, Canada, the US and UK – and Germany, Japan and Korea.

It’s the first time Australia has taken the lead on a cyber advisory and the first time Japan and Korea have joined the nation in attribution.

The hacking group stole hundreds of usernames and passport words from one Australian entity in April 2022. The attribution was due to the diligence of the Australian Signals Directorate in uncovering the threat, the defence minister, Richard Marles, said.

In our current strategic circumstances, these attributions are increasingly important tools in deterring malicious cyber activity.

Australia would continue to engage with China without compromising on national security or interests, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said.

The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, said cyber intrusions from foreign governments were “one of the most significant threats we face”.

Updated

Burney repeats call for politics to be left out of Alice Springs curfew discussions

The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, has been making the rounds this morning, also speaking with ABC News Breakfast about the Alice Springs curfew.

She said the three-day curfew is “important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all” and echoed earlier comments:

You can’t arrest your way out of this. The judicial system is not the answer, but the community working with government is the answer. And that’s very much the way in which I’m pursuing the issues.

Burney also repeated earlier calls for politics to be left out of the conversation around Alice Springs:

I always try to put myself into the shoes of people involved in the situation. And if you imagine you’re a 15-year-old Aboriginal person in Alice Springs living in shocking conditions where the poverty is absolutely grinding and you can’t see a future, probably with FASD, then they’re the shoes that we need to stand in. I think the really important thing is to take the politics out of this.

Everyone’s views are important, everyone’s views should be listened to, but we cannot get away from the poverty, the deprivation, the shocking living conditions and, quite frankly, young people not being able to see a future.

Updated

Push to expedite common antidepressant shipments amid shortages

Shortages of a common antidepressant have resulted in fears of stockpiling as the medical regulator works with manufacturers to expedite shipments, AAP reports.

Duloxetine is used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder and cannot be stopped suddenly.

The shortages from multiple suppliers have been blamed on an increase in demand and manufacturing issues. Expected supply dates range from mid-2024 to May 2025.

Shortages of some brands are only expected for a couple of months in the middle of this year, while others date back to September and December 2023.

“Medicine shortages are not unique to Australia,” a Therapeutic Goods Administration spokesperson told AAP in a statement.

They occur for many reasons and sometimes cannot be avoided – nevertheless, managing medicine supply is a priority for the Australian government and the TGA recognises the importance of reliable antidepressant supply.

While we are not responsible for co-ordinating the supply of medicines, the TGA takes shortages very seriously and works closely with sponsors to help minimise the effects on patients.

Patients should speak with their doctors about treatment options while supply is disrupted, the spokesperson said.

  • Lifeline 13 11 14

Updated

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price on Alice Springs curfew: ‘Underlying problems aren’t fixed through a curfew’

The shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning from Alice Springs, amid the snap three-day curfew.

Echoing what she said yesterday, the senator said that curfews are “really only temporary measures.”

A lot of the kids that are on our streets – I think I’ve been arguing for some time now that we need boarding facilities built for these kids. The Yipirinya School, the Elders from that school, have been calling for boarding facilities so that they can assist in the lives of these kids. These kids come from town camps and they’re some of our most marginalised. We need to look at the problem starting with them before they head down the road toward incarceration and the sorts of behaviour we’re seeing carried out on our streets.

Does she think the curfew will be extended?

I think it will probably be longer than three days. And if it is just three days, I have no doubt there’ll be another snap curfew, because the underlying problems aren’t fixed through a curfew.

Transmission line issue cuts power to about 25,000 customers in northern NSW

Energy issues are pretty prominent of late, not least issues about potential gas shortages in southern Australia. Cold weather bumps up gas usage for heating and, if winds are light, more gas is burnt for power generation – hence the strain on supplies.

Anyway, twitchy energy market players would have received a bit of a surprise last night when the market operator (Aemo) issued an alert of load shedding in New South Wales. That came without any of the usual forewarnings, such as so-called Lack of Reserve alerts.

It turns out Aemo had ordered Transgrid to shed 30 megawatts of power to the Lismore area from its big 300kv transmission line in northern NSW at 6.20pm Aest on Monday night. About 24,500 Essential Energy customers didn’t get their essential energy.

Transgrid said they worked closely with Aemo to restore the majority of power by 8.02pm, with the full load restored by 10pm. A Transgrid spokesperson said:

The outage was the result of a network constraint on a transmission line exacerbated by increased customer demand during the night-time peak, and wider network issues outside of Transgrid’s direct control. Load shedding was necessary to ensure the safe operation of the network. Transmission line repairs are being carried out.

Both Transgrid and Essential Energy issued an apology to affected customers.

Seems like the problem is resolved for now. Let’s hope so.

Updated

Wong condemns Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, children’s hospital

The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has denounced Russian missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities – including a children’s hospital – as “abhorrent”.

In a post to X, Wong said:

Russia’s missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities, including a Kyiv children’s hospital are abhorrent. We condemn the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals. Australia continues to support the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal, immoral war.

Updated

Durack Fire and Rescue station to Paris Olympics

Firefighters in the outer Brisbane suburb of Durack are getting behind their crewmate Aly Bull, who is gearing up for her third Olympic Games in Paris this month.

In a post to X, the Queensland Fire Department said:

Aly has been putting in the hard yards, working towards podium success in the K-1 and WK2 Canoe Sprint events in between shifts at Durack Station. Best of luck Aly, all of us at QFD will be cheering for you!

Updated

Man found dead in Gold Coast

A crime scene has been declared after a man was found deceased on the Gold Coast this morning.

Queensland police said they were called to an address on Nerang Street at Southport around 6am after a man had been found unconscious, and was later declared deceased.

Investigations into the circumstances of the death are currently under way.

Updated

Would Labor support the Greens proposed federal truth and justice system if it gets broader support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders?

Linda Burney said the model was “very judicial” and in her personal view, “it needs to be more of a community-led initiative that brings people together”.

We will look at it very closely but … it’s not about truth telling in this instance, it’s about the model of the commission that’s been put forward.

Updated

Will Labor support a federal truth telling body?

Linda Burney was asked about a bill introduced by the Greens last week to establish a federal truth and justice system, like the Makarrata commission proposed in the Uluru statement from the heart.

Will Labor support a federal truth telling body in this term of parliament?

Burney said the Greens advised her in advance they would be putting forward the bill, which has now gone to a committee.

Labor is still very committed to the issues of truth telling and we’re working very closely with states and territories. There’s only one state that doesn’t have a truth or treaty process underfoot and you know, the issue of truth telling is something that I’m seeing right across the country being done and in a variety of ways. It’s not just governments that are responsible for this, it is also communities that are taking it up with gusto.

Burney said in her view, the opposition has played an “absolute spoilers role” in Aboriginal affairs, when asked if they might support such a measure.

It was traditionally a bipartisan issue for many years across the parliament. I don’t feel like it is now. I feel very, very sorry about that.

Updated

Burney looking for ‘silver linings’ in outcome of last year’s Voice referendum

Q: This is the first Naidoc week since the voice to parliament referendum failed last October. How are you reflecting on the significance of that referendum this week?

Linda Burney:

The referendum result was heartbreaking. But you know what? There is some real silver linings in it: six and a half million Australians voted yes, we’ve seen the emergence of young Indigenous leadership come out of it, and we also saw very high yes votes in predominantly Aboriginal communities.

So I take those silver linings as really positive outcomes and also … the issue of Aboriginal disparity and disadvantage and the shocking statistics around Aboriginal wellbeing were on the national stage.

Updated

Leave politics out of Alice Springs curfew, Indigenous Australians minister says

The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said that when it comes to the Alice Springs curfew, politics needs to be left out of it.

Speaking with ABC RN, Burney said:

This issues in Alice Springs have been a long time in the making … [The issues] will only be addressed over a long-term funding commitment, which we’ve made from the federal government.

Burney said that police commissioner Michael Murphy made a good point when he said “this will only be solved if there is government and community working together, and that’s really, really important.”

Updated

GPs urge jabs as winter illnesses return with a vengeance

Cases of whooping cough, the flu and gastro have surged, AAP reports, with the spike in illness hitting children hard and adding “unprecedented” pressure on some hospitals.

The winter lurgy peak is still to come for northern parts of Australia popular with holidaymakers, prompting a leading general practitioner to urge anyone who hasn’t had a jab to roll up their sleeve.

More than 170,000 influenza cases have been confirmed so far in 2024, with 29% of them in children under nine years of age.

Infections in 2024 are already 27% higher than the first six months of 2023.

Those figures don’t give a complete picture as many people do not get tested, according to Royal College of General Practitioners rural chair Michael Clements, who says cases are likely to climb as the winter virus peak hits warmer areas in August or September.

We certainly are concerned that this is going to continue to increase and potentially overwhelm the hospital systems.

His comments echo New South Wales health minister Ryan Park, who attributed “unprecedented” demand on emergency departments in his state to a 30% jump in flu cases, combined with fewer GPs working in the community.

Victoria’s health department warns vaccine coverage of influenza remains “low” in all age groups including children, despite a sixfold increase in emergency department presentations due to the flu from April to June.

Updated

Board revealed to keep emission reductions on target in NSW

The inaugural chair and commissioners aboard a body hoped to help meet emissions reduction targets have been revealed, AAP reports.

The seven commissioners and their chair on the NSW Net Zero Commission, created in December when the state legislated targets, will report annually to the government about its progress.

The commissioners include the state’s chief scientist Hugh Durrant-Whyte, former Australian Renewable Energy Agency board members Maria Atkinson and Meg McDonald and Australian Research Council’s climate extremes centre director Prof Andy Pitman, among others.

Former New South Wales treasury secretary Paul Grimes has been appointed chair. Dr Grimes was also appointed to the commonwealth’s Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee in April.

The commission would help the state progress towards its ambitious emissions reduction targets, energy minister Penny Sharpe said.

The state has legislated targets to reduce emissions to 50% of its 2005 level by 2030, 70% by 2035 and reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Updated

Alice Springs mayor weighs in on curfew: ‘It’s just frustrating’

The mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Paterson, says it is a “rinse and repeat cycle” that has seen a second curfew imposed on the red centre.

Speaking to the Today Show just earlier, he said it had been “another tough weekend” and acknowledged this curfew is different to the last – which only affected youth – whereas this one covers everyone.

After the [previous] curfew … it was actually a really good period for the last ten weeks. Up until then … there was a sense of relief in the community. A lot of people were going out, yeah, it’s just frustrating.

As for the feeling among the community now, Paterson said “people are just over it”. He said that some long-term Alice Springs residents are moving and going elsewhere.

Over the last few years, we’ve had it tough. But, you know, we need to get back to celebrating why Alice Springs is so good and these things continually make it difficult. And, you know, it’s hard for our tourism market. It’s [hard to recruit] nurses and doctors.

Paterson said two licensed venues had been closed down amid the curfew, something that commissioner Michael Murphy said police had been considering yesterday.

Updated

New safe spaces announced for women and children escaping violence

The Albanese government has announced funding for 720 new safe spaces over the next three years, providing emergency accommodation for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence.

This will bring the total number of emergency accommodation places delivered under the safe spaces program across the nation to about 1,500, once the projects are completed.

The program provides a capital investment to fund the building, renovation or purchase of emergency accommodation. About 4,200 women and children are supported each year by the current sites.

A statement said the projects will have a focus on improving access for First Nations women and children, women and children from Cald backgrounds and women and children with disability.

The minister for social services, Amanda Rishworth, said:

Family and domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness and housing uncertainty for women and children across Australia, and we know there is an increased demand for emergency accommodation.

Projects will be funding in each state and territory, and are expected to be complete and delivering services by June 2027.

Updated

Burney on Alice Springs curfew: ‘No 1 priority should be safety of people in central Australia’

Yesterday a snap three-day curfew was announced for Alice Springs after a series of alleged violent assaults.

The curfew will cover parts of the CBD from 10pm to 6am, with police commissioner Michael Murphy stating a series of crimes at the weekend had contributed to the decision:

Overnight minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney released a statement on the curfew and acknowledged communities in the red centre had been “doing it tough”:

The temporary curfew is an operational decision for the NT Police – and the number one priority should be the safety of people in Central Australia.

As the Police Commissioner has rightly said, policing alone won’t solve some of the social issues facing Central Australia. That’s why investments in youth services, domestic violence services, schools and remote housing are so important.

The challenges confronting communities in Central Australia have developed over decades and solutions will take time. But with governments and the community working together, I am confident we will make progress.

Updated

Good morning

And happy Tuesday – thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the blog today.

As always, you can reach out with any questions, thoughts or feedback via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.

Let’s go.

Updated

Money launderers using casinos and property, Mark Dreyfus says

The attorney general has warned that serious criminals are using casinos, real estate and luxury goods to launder their money, with the government to release new risk assessments to target such businesses.

Mark Dreyfus will appear at the National Press Club on Tuesday to discuss terrorism financing and money laundering, alongside CEO of financial crime agency Austrac, Brendan Thomas.

According to advance notes of his speech, the attorney general says the government has “no tolerance for corruption or illicit financing of any kind”, warning of coming improvements to financial crime systems.

Dreyfus is expected to say:

We want to modernise the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act to ensure it keeps pace with the increasingly digital, instant nature of our global financial system – closing those gaps that we know increasingly sophisticated, professional criminal organisations can exploit.

Money laundering is not a victimless crime. We have to act. We cannot afford any further delay.

Dreyfus will warn that drug trafficking, terrorism and child exploitation are being financed by such money laundering, and specifically pointed to several business types.

Dreyfus will say:

The money laundering National Risk Assessment shows that criminals continue to exploit established and legal channels – such as cash, luxury goods, real estate, domestic banks, casinos and remitters to launder funds in Australia.

As I am sure Brendan will indicate, the insights and risk assessments provided by Austrac – such as those being released today – should be heeded by industry and used to inform their identification and management of money laundering and terrorism financing risks. Importantly, they also send a clear signal about high risk industries and those threats and vulnerabilities to which we must pay attention.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live blog of all the day’s news. I’m Martin Farrer and here are some of the top overnight lines before my colleague Emily Wind takes up the reins.

Fatima Payman’s resignation from Labor last week over disagreement about policy on Palestinian statehood has awoken a possibility that the party could face a serious challenge in inner-city seats from independents backed by Muslim groups and voters. We examine who the groups might be, which MPs they might target, and what it means for Australia if the politics of religious issues become more central.

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will tell the National Press Club today that the nation has to act to stop drug traffickers and terrorists exploiting real estate, banks, casinos and other legal channels to launder money and profit from their crimes. Dreyfus will pledge to modernise money laundering and counter-terrorism legislation in order to crack down on a current system that is “allowing criminals to profit from their offending”.

Updated

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