What we learned: Wednesday, 14 January
With that, we will wrap the blog for the evening. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow – take care of yourselves.
Until then, these were today’s biggest news headlines:
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has said she may take legal action against the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, after claiming he made “defamatory” remarks against her following her disinvitation from Adelaide writers’ week.
Influential Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie has confirmed he will vote against Labor’s tough new hate laws in a special sitting of parliament next week.
The Nationals senator Matt Canavan says the Albanese government’s proposed hate speech laws are “undemocratic, unconstitutional and so vague that they could easily be used to unjustly silence legitimate criticism of government policy”.
Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, said a proposed bill targeting hate speech after the Bondi terror attack could be “deeply perverse”.
A bid to ban extremist groups following the Bondi massacre is already working, a Labor MP says, as Australia’s most prominent neo-Nazi groups announce they will disband.
Joel Davis, a member of an Australian neo-Nazi group, has applied for bail for a third time after he was charged over an alleged threatening message targeting independent federal MP Allegra Spender.
An Islamic prayer hall associated with the controversial cleric Wisam Haddad, which had come under scrutiny since the Bondi massacre, has announced it has permanently closed after the local council moved to shut it.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the bridge used in the Bondi terror attack would be a “ghoulish reminder” if it was left standing and should be torn down as the local council is set to determine the structure’s fate.
Last year was the third-hottest year on record globally, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
There are now more than 700 structures either destroyed or significantly damaged as a result of the bushfires across Victoria.
The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has dismissed a bid to block the construction of the 63,000-capacity main stadium for the 2032 Olympics at Barrambin/Victoria Park in Brisbane.
Craig Silvey’s publisher, Allen & Unwin, is putting promotional work for the 43-year-old author on hold while he faces allegations of possessing and distributing child exploitation material.
Updated
An applicant has responded to the federal environment minister to reject a bid to halt the 63,000 main stadium for the 2032 Olympics, at Barrambin/Victoria Park in Brisbane.
Several groups applied to Murray Watt to use his powers under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 to block the stadium. He rejected one emergency application on Wednesday, but is still considering three more made under a different section of the act.
Save Victoria Park spokesperson Rosemary O’Hagan said the Aboriginal history of Barrambin (also known as Victoria Park) is well documented. It is heritage listed.
She said:
The Crisafulli government knew this history when deciding to build stadiums in the park. They chose to ignore it.
The state government passed laws last year exempting the construction from the Queensland’s planning, environmental protection and Aboriginal cultural laws.
Acting planning minister Ros Bates welcomed the decision, which she said was “another step towards delivering a 2032 Games Queenslanders can be proud of”.
She said:
New planning legislation introduced last year incorporates engagement and consultation as part of a comprehensive cultural heritage management plan.
These laws are working well and enable GIICA to progress the Brisbane Stadium and the wider delivery plan on time and on budget, with appropriate safeguards in place.
Planning minister Jarrod Bleijie last year said that the government will proceed with their plans regardless of the outcome of the consultation
Police investigate theft of ‘significant quantity’ of poppy capsules in Tasmania
Tasmania police are investigating the theft of a “significant quantity” of poppy capsules from a regulated farm in the state’s northern midlands.
Police said in a statement:
The Department of Health advises that poppy plants are toxic and ingestion can be life-threatening and should be treated as an emergency – call 000 immediately for an ambulance.
Anyone with information about the theft – believed to have occurred during evening hours between Friday, 9 January and Monday, 12 January – to contact police.
It is believed that a vehicle or multiple vehicles were parked adjacent to the crop during this period and would have been visible from the Midland Highway.
The crop is located between Tunbridge and Campbell Town.
Police are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have observed a Black VW Golf parked on the side of the highway near poppy crops or motorists passing through this area who were operating a dash camera at the time.
Updated
Hastie to vote against Labor’s hate speech laws
Influential Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie has confirmed he will vote against Labor’s tough new hate laws in a special sitting of parliament next week.
A leadership rival to the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, Hastie accused the government of trying to rush through controversial legislation without proper scrutiny, even after the Coalition demanded urgent action in the wake of last month’s Bondi Beach terror attack.
In a lengthy post to Instagram, Hastie said he’d oppose the bill because it represents “an attack on our basic democratic freedoms”, including freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Those three freedoms are fundamental to any democratic society. They’re hard won, and they’ve served Australians well for more than 100 years. This bill will reduce them, and that’s why I’m voting no.
Hastie said prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was showing contempt for normal parliamentary process by rushing the bill through, and called for the royal commission into antisemitism to complete its work first:
Wouldn’t it be wise if we waited for the royal commission to report its findings and then act prudently as a parliament so that we make the best possible changes if they are needed?
Updated
Neo-Nazis surveilled after hate laws prompt disbanding
A bid to ban extremist groups following the Bondi massacre is already working, a Labor MP says, as Australia’s most prominent neo-Nazi groups announce they will disband.
Draft laws to be debated next week when parliament returns early would introduce a framework to outlaw hate groups that fall below a threshold to designate them a terrorist organisation.
Organisers, supporters and recruiters of listed groups face up to 15 years in jail and members will face seven years behind bars.
Josh Burns, a Jewish Labor MP, said it was a “fundamentally good thing” the National Socialist Network said they would disband after the draft legislation was released on Tuesday.
However, he said they will continue to be surveilled.
Burns told ABC Radio on Wednesday:
We will make sure that their track record of promoting hate and promoting their hate-filled ideology is continued to be monitored.
I don’t trust their public statements for one second, so we’ll have to make sure that organisation and the members aren’t continuing to promote or recruit.
- AAP
Updated
Man freed by High Court handed jail for visa breaches
A man previously freed from indefinite immigration detention by a landmark High Court ruling has been jailed for dozens of breaches of his visa conditions.
Walter Bongomin, 37, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Brisbane District Court to one count of an offence relating to monitoring conditions of certain bridging visas.
The charge related to 24 occasions when Bongomin failed to comply with his requirement to report daily to immigration authorities by phone.
The offending led to Bongomin, who was born in Uganda, to be arrested and taken into custody in January 2025.
Bongomin’s time in custody was equal to having served nearly all of the mandatory 12-month minimum sentence, his defence barrister said.
The mandatory sentencing guidelines allow offenders to serve some of their minimum sentence in the community rather than in custody.
Bongomin’s barrister said:
He plans to obtain work when he is released. He has a forklift ticket, a white card [construction site safety course] and certificates in logistics.
Judge Ken Barlow heard Bongomin had a long criminal record in Queensland and other states. Judge Barlow said:
You have a history involving unlawful use of motor vehicle, serious assaults on police officers, and quite a number of assaults in 2023 ... It’s not surprising your visa was cancelled on character grounds.
Bongomin was released from immigration detention following the November 2023 High Court ruling in NZYQ v Minister for Immigration that found indefinite detention was unlawful.
Judge Barlow said Bongomin’s breach of visa monitoring was more serious than other cases and would have seen him sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment or more if he had not pleaded guilty. He continued:
It doesn’t mean you can’t demonstrate to the community during your stay in Australia that you can reform yourself, be of good character and contribute properly to the community in Australia which you are fortunate to be a part of.
Bongomin was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment to be released immediately after already serving 351 days. He was placed on a $1,000 good behaviour bond for 12 months.
Updated
Victoria premier, Jacinta Allan, was asked earlier about health workers’ industrial action currently under way. She says the government is continuing to negotiate on a pay deal in good faith:
We’ll continue to support all of our healthcare workers for the work that they do in caring for Victorians. We’ll continue to negotiate in good faith with the hospitals and the industrial partners who are engaged in these negotiations, and also thank the work of healthcare workers who have arrangements put in place to ensure that ongoing care is continuing to be provided.
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Key event
Labor powerbroker not vying for US ambassadorship
Labor powerbroker Stephen Conroy says he is not a candidate to replace Kevin Rudd as Australia’s ambassador in Washington.
Rudd made the surprise announcement that he would leave the role on Tuesday, a year ahead of schedule.
Conroy, a former communications minister turned lobbyist, was named among possible frontrunners, along with former Labor defence minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, and senior public servants, Greg Moriarty and Justin Hayhurst. Trade minister, Don Farrell, could also be considered for the role.
But Conroy told Sky News he would not be considered for the job.
“As flattering as all the media speculation is, I’m not a candidate,” he said on Wednesday.
Liberal MP, Zoe McKenzie, joined One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, in proposing former opposition leader, Brendan Nelson, for the job. Nelson is a former ambassador to Nato and led the Australian War Memorial in Canberra before joining Boeing as a senior executive.
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Hi there, I’ll now be with you until this evening.
That’s all from me. Jordyn Beazley will take things over from here. Take care!
Minns says bridge used in Bondi attack should be torn down
NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the bridge used in the Bondi terror attack would be a “ghoulish reminder” if it’s left standing and should be torn down as the local council is set to determine the structure’s fate, AAP reports.
Minns said victims and families should have the final say on the bridge, but believed it would be better if it was removed. He told reporters today:
I’d just hate it to be a ghoulish reminder or even exploited by reprehensible people in the future.
We can’t allow one of the most beautiful places on earth to be remembered forever only as a place of horrible terrorism, because it’s so much more than that.
Australians have been able to reclaim Bondi Beach as a place of hope and light in what was an absolutely horrible crime, and they’ve been able to do it in a short space of time.
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Environment minister dismisses bid to block construction of Brisbane Olympic venue
The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, has dismissed a bid to block the construction of the 63,000-capacity main stadium for the 2032 Olympics at Barrambin/Victoria Park in Brisbane.
A first nations group submitted five applications last year to halt construction under the federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984.
One of the applications has been dropped. Watt dismissed a second on Wednesday.
“In accordance with federal cultural heritage law, I have decided not to make a declaration under section 9 of the Act. However, I have instructed my department to appoint an independent facilitator to work with the relevant parties,” Watt said, adding:
The purpose of the dedicated facilitator will be to avoid harm to cultural heritage, and inform any future decisions relating to the specified areas.
His department continues to assess the three remaining applications, Watt said.
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Victorian premier on underworld figure arrest: matter is before the courts
Allan was also asked about the arrest of Kazem “Kaz” Hamad, an exiled underworld boss connected to Victoria’s ongoing tobacco wars, in Iraq overnight.
The premier says given the matter was before the courts, she wasn’t in a position to comment beyond acknowledging the work of authorities.
It’s difficult to comment in detail. Victoria police have been doing a huge amount of work to crack down on the illegal tobacco trade, making a number of arrests, shutting down a number of operations, and they’re being supported by the strengthened work that’s being undertaken by a licensing regime that’s being established.
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Senior fire official surprised Victoria fires weren’t worse
Jason Heffernan, the chief officer at Country Fire Authority, has been asked whether more could have been done to stop the blazes. He responds that he was surprised it wasn’t worse. He goes on:
We were exceeding, in some parts of the state, the threshold that we saw in black Saturday [where the] fires were not stoppable, if you did not put the fire out in the very early incidences of those fires.
We had over 200 fires, bushfires, grass fires, in the state of Victoria, on the 9th of January … Out of those, 12 became major fires – so there were successes.
But I said it in the lead up to the catastrophic day … that if a fire took hold it would strive rapidly, it would spread fast, and they would be uncontrollable and unsuppressable and unfortunately, that’s what we saw.
Heffernan says he is stressing this because he knows many firefighters are “hurting” in the aftermath:
There are a lot of firefighters out there right now that honestly are blaming themselves for what happened on the 9th of January and the reality is, there is nothing they could have done other than warn the community, get the community out of harm’s way and fight fires where it was safe to do so.
In the majority of cases, it was just simply not safe to do so ... Knowing what we were up against, I am surprised that we haven’t seen more devastation in communities.
I went to bed on Friday night thinking and praying and hoping that there wouldn’t be much more devastation and loss on the Saturday and I think it’s down to the hard work of our emergency service personnel, our firefighters, our volunteers ... Now, that could have been much, much worse.
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Grass length would have made little difference in Longwood fire, official says
Going back to Victoria premier Jacinta Allan’s press conference earlier:
The premier has also responded to a report in the Age that grass on the verge of the Hume Freeway near Longwood was significantly longer than the state’s fire-prevention guidelines suggest prior to the deadly blaze.
Allan says the length of the grass would have made little difference during the catastrophic conditions:
The members of the CFA I spoke to in Natimuk on Monday talked about how the fire started in grasslands and it took off at a pace and a ferocity because of the extreme, catastrophic conditions that the weather was causing … Even where there was no grass, it just burnt straight through because of the ferocity. So we’ve got to remember the conditions … and not cause additional concern and alarm to communities who are recovering and rebuilding.
Heffernan adds:
I said at a press conference probably in jest the other day that you could mow your lawn quite short, and under those conditions, the dryness, the winds, the fire would still cross it. And that’s what we in fact did see in talking to our members and farmers in Natimuk, they were telling me about the fire going across fallow paddocks – that’s how fast and dangerous those conditions are.
He says he raised the issue of prolific grass growth as a result of rain in November with local councils and government and was “comforted” to see “slashers out there … put to work across the state”. But he warned against complacency:
One of the concerns I have right now, as a result of the heat that we have had, the grassland curing is far more advanced than what it ordinarily would be at the moment. So again, that elevates those risks, which is why, yes, we are talking about … want[ing] community to think about the next one, because we still have many weeks of the fire danger period to go and we still need to be prepared and be ready to act should that be required.
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New report reveals 2025 was third-hottest year on record
Last year was the third-hottest year on record globally, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO said 2025 had continued a three-year streak of “extraordinary global temperatures”, with surface air temperatures that averaged 1.48C above pre-industrial levels.
The year was Australia’s fourth-warmest since national records began in 1910, with the mean annual temperature at 1.23C above the 1961 to 1990 average, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Prof Lesley Hughes, a climate councillor and leading scientist, said:
This latest climate data reveals what Australians are already experiencing: pollution from coal, oil and gas is heating our atmosphere and oceans, driving worsening extreme weather and battering Australian communities and ecosystems.
Anjali Sharma, a climate activist, described the report as “another reminder that the status quo is failing young people”, adding:
In 2025 we saw climate extremes intensify in ways that directly threaten young people’s health, safety and futures – from extreme heat to worsening fires, floods and air pollution. The science has been clear for years, and now the lived reality is undeniable …
Decisions made today about climate pollution will shape the world my generation and the next are forced to live in; yet there is still no law in Australia that requires decision-makers to properly consider the harm their choices cause to children and future generations.
Prof Ian Lowe, an emeritus professor at Griffith University, said:
From western Europe’s hottest June ever to extreme marine heatwaves around Australia, the data reveal a climate system under severe stress …
Our federal and state governments are still behaving as if a climate change response is less important than propping up our fossil fuel industry, with hugely polluting projects still being approved.
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Bushfire structure losses grow to 700
The Victorian emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, says there are now more than 700 structures either destroyed or significantly damaged as a result of the bushfires across the state – up from more than 500 on Tuesday.
He goes on:
Within that number, 228 homes are now destroyed, 15 homes have been damaged, and we know there’s over 450 outbuildings that have also been part of those numbers.
Wiebusch says Ravenswood and Harcourt have lost 54 homes, up from 51 on Tuesday, Longwood has lost 142, up from 90 and Walwa, on the NSW border, has lost nine structures, up from four.
Our thoughts are obviously with those communities and those that have suffered those impacts, and as the premier has already spoken to, the recovery hubs are the best place to seek that support.
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CFA chief warns Victoria to remember: ‘our peak fire danger is in February’
Jason Heffernan, the chief officer at Country Fire Authority, has further detailed the burnout operations underway today. He says:
We are starting our burnout operations where control lines have now been constructed, and firefighters will now be removing fuel between the main fire front or areas that might be smoldering to the control lines, making sure that we’ve got nice, hard containment ahead of any future weather we might see in the next week or so.
Heffernan says while he was in “awe” of the work communities had done to prepare for the fire season, he had noticed some of the most vulnerable in the community had been most affected. He goes on:
What I mean by that is it’s the elderly, it’s the infirm, it’s the disabled, it’s people who perhaps couldn’t clean their gutters, who perhaps couldn’t clear the leaves around their homes, that perhaps couldn’t get their property quite right before the season.
My message to Victorians, today is: Our peak fire danger is in February, please don’t think that this event is it. There is every chance that we can see weather patterns come in the next couple of weeks, it could see a return of very hot conditions, very strong, northerly winds and again threaten more communities across Victoria.
Victoria firefighters using better conditions to bring blazes under control today
The Victorian emergency management commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, told reporters in Castlemaine firefighters will use “favourable” conditions today to bring the 12 blazes across Victoria under control. He says this may lead to “additional smoke and fire”. He says:
For example, here today at the Harcourt fire at Mount Alexander, they are putting in some controlled burns to burn out areas that haven’t burnt out yet, to try and bring that fire under control. There’ll be examples of that on the Longwood fire, on the Walwa fire, parts of the Otways fires and also the Gippsland fires that are still continuing across our state.
He says the Glass Flat fire, near Horsham, was now under control and it was expected the Streatham fire, west of Ballarat, was also expected to be brought under control today.
Wiebusch says there are 10 watch and act warnings and 19 advice warnings in place.
He says several roads remain closed, particularly near the Longwood fire, making it difficult for farmers trying to save their livestock:
Based on what we saw yesterday and what the incident control team were telling us last night, we will be starting aerial fodder drops in the Longwood fire footprint sometime in the next couple of days, to make sure that where roads are closed, that farmers aren’t trying to get out to that fodder, we will try and help them bring it in through the air.
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Queensland issues emergency alert for Mackenzie River area
Queensland emergency officials have issued an emergency alert for the area around Mackenzie River, urging those in the area to leave now to higher ground as localised flooding is happening now.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting that the Mackenzie River at the Tartrus Gauge will exceed the Major Flood Level.
Officials warn:
Properties are likely to be affected by dangerous riverine flooding caused by Ex Tropical Cyclone Koji.
Flooding may exceed previous flood events.
You should warn neighbours, secure belongings, monitor conditions and prepare to move to higher ground away from creeks and rivers.
Support measures also include up to 13 weeks of income support for sole traders, individuals
Kristy McBain, the federal minister for emergency management, said the support will help Victorians in need without delay. It will include up to 13 weeks of income support for sole traders and individuals who have or will lose work because of the bushfires.
That payment will be made through Services Australia and you can go on to the body’s website to learn more about eligibility. People across 18 local government areas and one resort alpine region will be eligible.
McBain said:
This support is immediate, it is necessary, and it is ongoing. We know recovery will take time and the Albanese and Allan government will stand with local communities to understand what those impacts will be long-term.
Victoria premier unveils nearly $100m in funding for recovery after bushfires
Victoria premier, Jacinta Allan, is detailing almost $100m in federal and state funding for the recovery of communities and businesses across Victoria devastated by bushfires. They include:
$15m to employ community recovery officers and set up “recovery hubs”, which Allan described as a “one-stop shop” for residents to access services and information from government and community organisations. The funds will be directed to councils, who will receive between $450,000 and $1.3m to employ recovery staff and deliver local programs, while community organisations can apply for grants of up to $75,000.
$16m in financial assistance for households impacted by extended power outages. Eligible households, who have been without power for seven or more days within a two-week period will receive $2,380 per week for up to three weeks. Full details here.
An initial $40m for grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers, to help cover the costs of clean-up and reinstating their enterprises. Grants will open as soon as possible and will be delivered by Rural Finance.
A further $10m in concessional loans to help primary producers cover essential costs such as repairing or replacing damaged equipment, rebuilding infrastructure, purchasing livestock and paying wages, rent and fodder. Loans of up to $250,000 will be available for producers who have suffered significant damage to assets, while loans of up to $100,000 will support those experiencing a major loss of income. These loans will also be delivered by Rural Finance.
Almost $12m for local governments to kickstart clean-up and repairs to local public spaces like parks, footy ovals, community centres, playgrounds and sporting fields. Councils will receive up to $750,000 depending on the scale of impacts. The fund will be open for two years.
$4m to provide financial counselling for communities impacted by the bushfires.
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Two arrested after series of alleged ATM ram raids across Victoria
Victoria police have arrested two people after a series of alleged ATM ram raids across the state over the last two months, which they claim caused more than $1m in combined damage.
Detectives allege the pair are linked to nine burglaries and attempted burglaries at a variety of businesses, which took place between November and January of this year. They will allege the events took place using stolen two trucks that were used to force entry into the businesses, including those with ATMs affixed to walls outside.
In total, four ATMs were stolen.
The men, 34 and 31, face charges of burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and criminal damage, among others. Both have been remanded to appear before court.
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South Korean superstars BTS coming to Australia in 2027 in first tour after military service
BTS, the South Korean supergroup, is heading to Australia in 2027 as part of a massive world tour, their first since a nearly four-year hiatus.
The seven members of the band had been finalising their compulsory military service, but will return to the music scene on 20 March. The tour will comprise more than 70 dates across Asia, North America, South America, Australia and Europe and be the first since the 2021-22 Permission to Dance tour.
Kpop fans will be able to see the septet in Melbourne and Sydney in February 2027.
Read more here:
Doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body
High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives.
One chemist called the concerns “a bombshell”.
Studies claiming to have revealed micro and nanoplastics in the brain, testes, placentas, arteries and elsewhere were reported by media across the world, including the Guardian. There is no doubt that plastic pollution of the natural world is ubiquitous, and present in the food and drink we consume and the air we breathe. But the health damage potentially caused by microplastics and the chemicals they contain is unclear, and an explosion of research has taken off in this area in recent years.
However, micro and nanoplastic particles are tiny and at the limit of today’s analytical techniques, especially in human tissue. There is no suggestion of malpractice, but researchers told the Guardian of their concern that the race to publish results, in some cases by groups with limited analytical expertise, has led to rushed results and routine scientific checks sometimes being overlooked.
The Guardian has identified seven studies that have been challenged by researchers publishing criticism in the respective journals, while a recent analysis listed 18 studies that it said had not considered that some human tissue can produce measurements easily confused with the signal given by common plastics.
Read more here:
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Al Madina Dawah prayer hall says it has permanently closed
An Islamic prayer hall associated with the controversial cleric Wisam Haddad, which had come under scrutiny since the Bondi massacre, has announced it has permanently closed after the local council moved to shut it.
In a post to Facebook this morning, the Al Madina Dawah centre wrote that it was “permanently closed”.
It comes after – in a move supported by the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns – the City of Canterbury Bankstown council said it has issued a “cease use” directive on Haddad, after surveilling the Al Madina centre on Kitchener Parade in Bankstown.
Following the move, the centre announced it would be “temporarily pausing operations until the matter is fully rectified”.
A spokesperson for the council confirmed the centre was moving to close, but said they had no further comment to make beyond their original statement.
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Neo-Nazi applies for bail for third time over alleged threatening message targeting Allegra Spender
A member of an Australian neo-Nazi group has applied for bail for a third time, after he was charged over an alleged threatening message targeting independent federal MP, Allegra Spender.
Joel Davis, 30, was taken into custody in Bondi on 20 November by Australian federal police (AFP) and accused of sending a “menacing message” about Spender, after she condemned a protest by neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network (NSN) at NSW parliament on 8 November, which Davis had attended as an NSN member.
He was initially refused bail due to risks he could commit a “serious offence”, despite his legal aid lawyer raising the imminent birth of his child. He was refused bail again last month, with the magistrate saying the factors raised by the defence did not meet “the high benchmark” set for a further release application.
At a local court hearing in Sydney this morning, Davis’s barrister, Sebastian de Brennan, said his client had filed a new application for bail yesterday, saying there were “fresh circumstances”, including a delay in the full provision of the prosecution’s brief. Davis has been charged with one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.
De Brennan said:
That is the only charge before this court, it’s now a situation where it’s close to two months since he’s been in custody.
De Brennan said his client would argue that “what he said on social media was in fact a philosophical term of art”, and would provide “some literature which goes some way in explaining that”. At his last bail hearing, Davis’s defence argued that one of the phrases – “rhetorical rape” – allegedly deployed in the message Davis is accused of sending “is used in heated, spirited political discourse”.
The prosecutor, Margaret Hegna, said the AFP would serve some of the evidentiary brief today, including mobile phone analysis reports.
Magistrate Greg Grogin said Davis’s bail application would be heard in the local court tomorrow, due to the high volume of matters before the court today. Davis is expected to appear via video link.
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For those wanting to follow our live updates on the Iran protests, you can find out rolling coverage here:
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Canavan says proposed hate speech laws ‘undemocratic, unconstitutional and so vague’
Nationals senator, Matt Canavan, says the Albanese government’s proposed hate speech laws are “undemocratic, unconstitutional and so vague that they could easily be used to unjustly silence legitimate criticism of government policy.”
Parliament will return on Monday to debate the laws, set to be rushed through in the wake of the Bondi Beach shootings. There is pressure on the Coalition and the Greens to support the plan.
Canavan says he won’t support the bill when it gets to the Senate on Tuesday, as he wrote in a lengthy post on social media.
We do not need new laws like this to defeat the radical Islamist extremism that have killed Australians. We already have laws against inciting violence. They should be enforced.
These proposed laws were only released today and the government plans to force them through parliament in just a week. Labor is giving people just three days to comment on the laws. It is a mockery of our democratic process.
The government’s laws provide unprecedented powers to the government to control the speech and communication of the Australian people. The laws define a “hate crime”. A hate crime can be anything that causes, or would cause, “serious harm to a person” based on conduct that targeted a person’s “race or national or ethnic origin”.
We already have laws that make it illegal to promote violence. They should be enforced instead of passing new laws that restrict the free speech of all Australians and not tackle the division that we have unnecessarily imported into Australia.
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SXSW festival ends run in Sydney and will not return in 2026
The South by Southwest Sydney festival will not return in 2026 after a three-year run on Australian shores.
The SXSW Sydney team issued a farewell message, saying “with a heavy heart” the event had reached its closing chapter:
It’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye while the momentum is so high. We’re still celebrating the success of this past year … You didn’t just attend an event; you came together to help us build a vibrant, global community that transformed the heart of our city every October.
While this chapter ends here, the connections made and the ideas sparked on our stages will continue to resonate. Thank you for making these past three years unforgettable.
The festival first came to Australia in 2023, showcasing Australian music, technology, film and more.
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Industrial action ‘unfortunate necessity’ unless premier comes to the table with better pay deal
The HWU lead organiser, Jake McGuinness, says:
This industrial action is an unfortunate necessity because of the Victorian government’s consistent and callous disregard for essential workers’ needs. These bans are targeted and carefully designed to protect emergency and critical services, but they will cause widespread disruption.
The union says it will run until 1 February, unless the premier, Jacinta Allan, comes to the table with a better pay deal for workers.
In December, the government offered workers a 3.75% average pay rise over two years, which the union described as an insult when compared to the 7% annual raise for nurses and midwives over four years.
The union has stressed the action doesn’t apply to emergency care and that children and pregnant women are exempt from the surgery bans.
Victoria healthcare workers escalate industrial action
Victorian healthcare workers will stop supporting elective surgery procedures, close hospital beds, cease cleaning and suspend the training of new staff, in an escalation of their protracted pay dispute with the state government.
Members of the Health Workers Union, which includes cooks and cleaners, orderlies and security guards, ward clerks, allied health assistants, theatre technicians and phlebotomists, will today escalate their industrial action.
Under the protected action, health workers will stop supporting category 2 and 3 elective surgeries, close one in four hospital beds, cease cleaning of non-clinical areas including offices, staff rooms and cafeterias and suspend the training and onboarding of new staff.
These actions are alongside existing bans on administrative activities, such as processing of private health insurance claims and Medicare reimbursements for hospitals.
Randa Abdel-Fattah threatens legal action over ‘defamatory’ comments from SA premier
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has said she may take legal action against the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, after claiming he made “defamatory” remarks against her following her disinvitation from Adelaide writers’ week.
Abdel-Fattah released a statement on Instagram, saying she had never met Malinauskas or spoken with him amid the firestorm surrounding the festival. She said his comments on her grew more serious yesterday, prompting her to issue a concerns notice under the Defamation Act against the premier:
For the past week since I was cancelled by the Adelaide Festival Board, the South Premier Peter Malinauskas has made many public statements about me and my character. We have never met and he has never attempted to contact me …
Enough is enough. I am a human being, not a punching bag. My lawyers have today issued a concerns notice under the Defamation Act on Premier Malinauskas. This is his opportunity to undo some of the harm he has inflicted, and stop punching down.
Malinauskas is expected to speak in the coming hour.
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Trump official says Australia’s proposed hate speech bill could be ‘deeply perverse’
Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary of state for pubic diplomacy, said a proposed bill targeting hate speech after the Bondi terror attack could be “deeply perverse”.
Rogers, a Trump appointee, made the comments on X while responding to screenshots of the proposed legislation that note an exemption for people who quote directly from religious texts. She wrote:
A statute that imprisons you for calling to deport jihadist extremists – but provides safe harbor if you *are* a jihadist extremist – would be deeply perverse. Let’s hope this isn’t what Australia intends.
This could be a clumsy effort to avoid the disgraces seen in Europe+UK, where citizens are jailed for quoting the Bible or even praying silently.
But the problem with “hate speech” laws – one problem of many – is that they’re enforced by the kinds of people who coddle actual violent zealots, so long as they seem subaltern.
This could be a clumsy effort to avoid the disgraces seen in Europe+UK, where citizens are jailed for quoting the Bible or even praying silently.
— Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers (@UnderSecPD) January 13, 2026
But the problem with “hate speech” laws — one problem of many — is that they’re enforced by the kinds of people who coddle actual…
She went on to say religious freedom was a “core value” of the Trump administration, while warning that protecting speech “*only* if it’s religious, while arresting people for secular rejoinders, may distort the public sphere in ways that even progressive censorship enthusiasts dislike”.
Read more on the proposal here:
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More on Tom Silvagni’s December rape conviction
Continuing on from last post …
During his county court trial, Silvagni denied raping his friend’s girlfriend at his Melbourne home in the early hours of 14 January 2024.
The jury heard Silvagni went into the dark bedroom the woman was staying in and pretended to be the woman’s boyfriend before he digitally raped her twice.
In the days after, he doctored an Uber receipt to make it look like the victim’s boyfriend had left the house after 2.30am.
Silvagni admitted forging the receipt but said he did so because he panicked after being falsely accused of rape.
His identity had been suppressed from when he was first charged with rape in June 2024 until his conviction.
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Tom Silvagni files appeal against conviction
Tom Silvagni, the son of AFL great Stephen Silvagni, has filed an appeal against his rape conviction.
The 23-year-old was sentenced on 17 December to six years and two months in prison, with a non-parole period of three years and three months, after he was convicted of two counts of rape earlier that month.
A supreme court spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed Silvagni filed an appeal against conviction, though a hearing date was yet to be listed for the matter.
Century-old footbridge used in Bondi attack faces uncertain future
The 100-year-old Bondi beach footbridge two gunmen used in aterror attack may be removed for a permanent memorial commemorating the victims, AAP reports.
Some residents want the bridge to stay, but a local council report has found the structure is coming to the end of its life and will need to be taken down regardless of memorial plans.
Waverley council is set to determine the immediate future of the north pedestrian footbridge where the gunmen allegedly killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration on 14 December, as well as its sister bridge at the south end of the beach.
The mayor, Will Nemesh, will raise a motion to begin the process of investigating the feasibility of a memorial on the bridge site at an extraordinary general council meeting on Thursday night.
Waverley council says any changes will only occur after consultation with the Jewish community and local residents.
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More on central banks’ response of ‘full solidarity’ with Jerome Powell
Global central banks have issued an extraordinary joint statement offering “full solidarity” to the US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, in the face of the latest threat to his independence from Donald Trump’s White House.
“The independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability in the interest of the citizens that we serve. It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability,” the statement said.
It was signed by 10 central bank governors including the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, and the chair of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde. It was coordinated by the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements, which added its chair and general manager to the signatories.
Other signatories to the unprecedented statement include the central bank governors of Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Brazil, South Korea, Norway and Canada.
Read more here:
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Trump playing ‘very dangerous game’ with attacks on Jerome Powell, former RBA board member says
Warwick McKibbin, a former board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia, said the Trump administration’s opening of a criminal investigation into the US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, is a “very dangerous game to play”.
McKibbin spoke to RN Breakfast earlier, saying all countries who have independent central banks know “how important it is” to have the bodies be independent, saying Australia had done a review of the RBA recently that “led to restructuring and an improvement in the capacity of the bank to implement policy”.
So we’ve been through the review, we’ve seen what’s important, and I think that adds a bit of weight. All central banks understand this, as do all of the economic and finance officials in the US. So it’s a very dangerous game to play, and it’s surprising that it’s gone as far as it has.
He went on to say the volatility in the US could ultimately be good for Australia as capital is reallocated around the world, with a caveat that “this experiment hasn’t been done before”:
The problem is the US is the centre of the global financial system. This experiment hasn’t been done before, and this in the short term could induce a lot of volatility in the global economy.
But again, over time it could well be if Australia is seen as a well-managed economy, we could benefit from the reallocation of global capital.
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Ten Sydney Harbours’ worth of threatened species habitat approved for destruction in 2025, report finds
More than 57,000 hectares of threatened species habitat was approved for destruction by the Australian government in 2025 – the most in 15 years, according to analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
The ACF’s latest annual “extinction wrapped” report has revealed that the threatened species habitat greenlit for land clearing was about 10 times the size of Sydney Harbour – more than double the 2024 figure, and over five times the 10,426 hectares approved for razing in 2023.
Former Greens leader Adam Bandt, the ACF’s new chief executive, described the year-on-year doubling as “really distressing”.
A lot of people don’t know that Australia is a global deforestation hotspot … every year, we lose more forest than the loss from the entire palm oil industry in Indonesia. The nature that we love is under threat like never before.
The ACF report also noted that 42 new plants and animals were added to Australia’s list of species facing extinction.
Read more here:
NSW man to face court on allegations of threatening federal parliamentarian
A NSW man will face court on allegations he threatened a federal parliamentarian in December.
The Australian federal police (AFP) said today it received a report on 16 December from the parliamentarian’s office regarding threatening phone calls in which a person allegedly made multiple threats to kill the parliamentarian.
The AFP allegedly linked a man, 43, from the Sydney suburb of Greystanes to the calls and a search warrant was executed at a home in the area, with police seizing electronic devices.
The man has been charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He will face court today.
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NSW appoints two coordinators general in wake of Bondi terror attack
The NSW government has appointed two coordinators general in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, saying the pair will work to lead “ongoing community support and ensure people continue to receive coordinated assistance”.
Joseph La Posta, the CEO of Multicultural NSW, and Michele Goldman, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO, will work together to ensure services are delivered “at the right time” for victims’ families, survivors and the eastern suburbs and Jewish communities.
“A key priority will be active engagement with community leaders and organisations to help rebuild wellbeing, strengthen social cohesion and support long-term recovery,” a statement announcing the move said.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement:
Our message to everyone effected by the horrific antisemitic terror attack at Bondi one month ago is clear – we are with you for the long haul.
The appointment of these Coordinators General is a key way that we’ll ensure the support efforts for the Bondi community are organised, appropriate and effective.
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Adelaide arts leader says he understands ‘kneejerk’ reaction to disinvite Abdel-Fattah, but said it was the wrong call
Greg Mackie, a former Adelaide city councillor and the founder of the Adelaide festival of ideas, said he understands the decision taken by the board of the Adelaide festival and Adelaide writers’ week to disinvite Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, but said it was an “ill-judged”, “kneejerk decision” that resulted in fierce criticism.
Mackie spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:
I feel I understand the decision taken by management of the Adelaide Festival Corporation to pull the plug this year, given the heat in the room. … I can absolutely understand the massive amount of internal and external heat that has been generated as a result of this decision.
He went on to say that despite that understanding, the decision to disinvite Abdel-Fattah was taken “too late”. He also said it seemed to him to be a desire to “play ball” with the SA premier, Peter Malinauskas.
It is therefore understandable, I think – ill-judged, but understandable – that the former, now former, board took the kneejerk decision that they did, but it was the wrong decision.
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Bridget McKenzie says taking guns from ‘law-abiding citizens’ not the ‘appropriate response’ to Bondi tragedy
McKenzie was asked if there were any changes to gun laws that she would support. She told RN:
State ministers met with the federal government last week. And, you know, I don’t think there’s unanimity amongst them about their response to the gun buy-back at all. …
This was an attack on our Australian Jewish community. Taking guns off law-abiding citizens is not the appropriate response.
She went on to claim Anthony Albanese was leaning into politics, rather than action.
His refusal to even acknowledge or speak honestly about the reality of how this came to occur is why he’s got his response wrong. This is pure deflection. And by lumping it all in together, it makes it clear. If he was really serious, he would take on his own constituency in western Sydney and deal with the actual problem at its source.
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Bridget McKenzie concerned there’s not enough time to work through hate speech and gun reform legislation
Bridget McKenzie, the shadow minister for infrastructure, said she is concerned there is not enough time to work through upcoming legislation on hate speech and gun reforms after the Bondi terror attack.
McKenzie said the timeline, with parliament coming back early next week, meant a “very short inquiry for a piece of legislation of this significance [compared with] when we had the marriage equality debate in this country, when we looked at the voice as a country”. She told RN Breakfast this morning:
Those pieces of legislation were subjected to long and lengthy and appropriate scrutiny by the parliament, by the broader community, by the experts, so that we, as a parliament, could get it right …
Unfortunately, the prime minister has chosen to play politics with this bill. He’s lumped migration changes in with the management of firearms and obviously in with hate speech laws. So there’s a lot to unpack and not enough time before we debate it to actually get those opinions from the experts.
McKenzie was asked if it was “fair” to criticise the government when many in the opposition called for Anthony Albanese to move quickly to make changes after Bondi. She said:
It was right and appropriate that we as an opposition seek to work with the government to call a royal commission to actually bring parliament back to move motions of condolence and support for our, particularly our Jewish community …
But when it comes to a piece of legislation, that should go through the appropriate processes of parliament so that we can get it right.
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Victorian officials working to see residents return home as 11 bushfires remain active
Victoria fire officials are warning residents to stay focused on safety efforts even though all fires in the state have been downgraded to watch and act warnings or lower. 11 are still active.
Chris Hardman, the chief fire officer at Forest Fire Management Victoria, said it was still “incredible dangerous” in many areas where fire has moved through, pointing to the danger of unsound trees. He said crews were working to provide access to those who have evacuated and have not yet been able to return home.
Hardman told ABC News this morning:
The priority for us at the moment is clearing roadsides and getting community back in to properties as quick as possible, and doing everything we can to help farmers get fodder and other critical care to their stock.
… The last thing we [want] is more people being killed and injured by going into areas that have not been made safe. But crews will be making those areas safe as a priority.
Hardman noted that it was still early in the summer and the threat of lighting or new fires would remain in an extremely challenging fire season.
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Publisher to pause promotion of books by Craig Silvey after charges laid
Craig Silvey’s publisher, Allen & Unwin, is putting promotional work for the 43-year-old author on hold while he faces allegations of possessing and distributing child exploitation material.
Police carried out a search warrant at Silvey’s WA home on Monday where detectives allegedly found him “actively engaging with other child exploitation offenders online”.
He appeared before the Fremantle magistrates court yesterday charged with distribution of child exploitation material and possession of child exploitation material and is due to appear in court again next month.
Last night Allen & Unwin said in a statement that the allegations were “deeply distressing”.
The publisher said it would not promote Silvey’s work while the case was ongoing.
We acknowledge this is an active police matter, and that Mr Silvey is entitled to procedural fairness and a presumption of innocence until the matter is dealt with by a court.
Given the gravity of the charges, Allen & Unwin will pause promotional activity of Mr Silvey’s work while the legal process takes its course.
We are unable to provide further comment while this matter is before the courts.
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Michele Bullock defends besieged US Fed chair
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, has joined 10 other leading central bankers from around the world to defend the embattled US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, amid a concerted attack from the Trump administration.
Bullock, along with the heads of the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Canada and others, signed a statement last night saying that they stood in “full solidarity” with Powell after the after the US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into him.
The legal action relates to alleged corruption in the refurbishment of the Fed’s Washington headquarters but has been denounced by Powell as punishment for his resistance to Donald Trump’s calls for more interest rate cuts.
The statement said:
We stand in full solidarity with the Federal Reserve system and its chair Jerome H. Powell.
The independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability in the interest of the citizens that we serve. It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability.
Chair Powell has served with integrity, focused on his mandate and an unwavering commitment to the public interest. To us, he is a respected colleague who is held in the highest regard by all who have worked with him.
Read our full story here:
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Good morning
And happy Wednesday. Nick Visser here to take the blog reins today. Let’s see what the news holds.
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UK may adopt Australia’s social media ban
Australia’s ban on under-16s using a range of social media apps could be copied by the UK after the nation’s prime minister told MPs that he was considering a similar scheme after becoming concerned about the amount of time children and teenagers are spending on their phones.
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer has previously opposed banning social media for children, believing such a move would be difficult to police and could push teenagers towards the dark web.
However, with cross-party political support growing for such a ban, Starmer told a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party that he had shifted his position.
“We are looking at Australia, there are different ways you can enforce it,” he told the meeting.
Read our full story here:
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Xavier Maher was one of the local people who waited for Jacinta Allan outside the hospital in Alexandra and told AAP those in fire-affected communities just wanted to be heard.
He said having the NBN down was a real blow for morale in a town already cut off from the rest of Victoria due to numerous road closures.
Since the weekend, Maher has held dinner parties to bring people together.
“The best medicine for everyone is humour,” he said. “It’s a tight community and we all look after each other.”
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Victoria premier heckled by angry residents on visit to fire-affected communities
A group of angry residents greeted the state premier, Jacinta Allan, when she visited fire-hit communities in central Victoria yesterday amid accusations that her government had not been prepared for the catastrophe that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed, Australian Associated Press reports.
Allan was at Alexandra district health offices to celebrate the efforts of staff who opened the centre to vulnerable and scared residents as a blaze bore down on them on Friday.
After the tour Allan briefed the media about disaster funding available to those affected by bushfires raging across the state.
But she avoided questions about the government’s preparedness failures for the 2026 fire season, stating the focus should be on supporting those affected, not spreading misinformation.
Outside, angry locals gathered after hearing of her arrival on a television news bulletin.
They demanded the premier meet them and answer questions about her support for the Country Fire Authority and rumours the town’s NBN had been cut-off on purpose.
Allan left the health service via the back door as locals spread out across the car park hoping to stop her in her tracks.
When they realised she had left, they yelled “shame” at her staffers.
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Louise Adler says Adelaide festival turmoil a ‘masterclass in poor governance‘
Louise Adler, the former director of Adelaide writers’ week, has told the ABC’s 7.30 program the turmoil surrounding the festival will be looked back on as a “masterclass in poor governance” and an “act of cultural vandalism”.
Adler said it would have been “untenable” for the event to go ahead this month after 180 writers pulled out.
I think this is a landmark, a watershed moment in the history of Adelaide writers’ week … We’ve had a succession of dramas of this sort, where political interference and donors and lobby groups have been able to come in and have an influence and an effect on what is programmed and what is not programmed.
Asked if the board was under pressure to remove Randa Abdel-Fattah from the lineup before the Bondi terror attack, Adler said she “wouldn’t know” if there was pressure exerted from the premier’s office or outside influences but there had been a “long story” of pro-Israel lobbyists arguing against the inclusion of Palestinian writers in festivals she had directed.
Adler said she was “quite confident” Adelaide writers’ week would be resurrected from 2027 and “rise from the ashes”.
From my point of view, there’s a very important lesson in here for the arts community, and those people who feel committed to a practice of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and inclusivity and civil discussion.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the top local stories this morning before I hand over to Nick Visser.
The former director of Adelaide writers’ week Louise Adler has told the ABC’s 7.30 program the turmoil surrounding the festival will be looked back on as a “masterclass in poor governance” and an “act of cultural vandalism”. We’ll have more on her comments in a moment.
Craig Silvey’s publisher Allen & Unwin is putting promotional work for the author on hold while he faces charges of possessing and distributing child exploitation material. More coming up.
And an angry mob greeted the state premier, Jacinta Allan, when she visited fire-hit communities in central Victoria yesterday, amid accusations that her government had not been prepared for the catastrophe that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed.
Let’s get started.
