What we learned today, Tuesday 29 August
Thanks for joining us – that’s where we will leave our live coverage for today.
Here’s a summary of today’s news:
The former ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, has filed legal proceedings against the board of inquiry that issued damning findings about his conduct.
Former freedom of information commissioner Leo Hardiman has made explosive allegations in the Senate about his former agency and its most senior leader, saying his efforts to solve a vast FOI backlog were deliberately frustrated.
The independent senator David Pocock has ruled out voting for Labor’s petroleum resource rent tax changes.
The Albanese government announced the “rewiring the nation” deal between the federal and WA governments. The deal will provide up to $3bn to expand and modernise the electricity grids in the south-west and north-west of WA.
The Bureau of Meteorology has declared Australia is not yet in the grip of an El Niño climate pattern, keeping the nation on an alert for the system that can increase the risk of a hot and dry summer.
Facebook has suspended a key fact-checker which monitors and debunks online claims after repeated criticisms from Indigenous voice no campaign leaders and some conservative media outlets about the fact-checker’s work.
Qantas has acknowledged it has been scheduling more domestic flights than it can actually operate, but has denied it is doing so deliberately to shut out competition.
A council in Sydney’s north will investigate banning gas in new businesses and homes after the City of Sydney took similar action earlier this month.
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry has recommended that the state abolish stamp duty and replace it with a broad-based land tax in a bid to tackle housing affordability.
Steel manufacturer BlueScope has been ordered to pay $57.5m for attempted price fixing, representing the highest penalty ever imposed for cartel conduct.
The Australian defence force will purchase new, smart sea mines with delivery expected to commence this year. In a statement, defence says the smart sea mines will reinvigorate its maritime mining capability, with the mines deployable from submarines, ships and aircraft.
Updated
Climate change to present ‘acute’ challenges, RBA’s Bullock says
Michele Bullock, the soon-to-be next Reserve Bank governor, is presenting a lecture at ANU in Canberra on climate change (streaming here).
The RBA, of course, is set up to deal with uncertainties but global heating is going to amplify many risks for a nation that already has one of the most variable (especially for rainfall) climates in the world.
Bullock, now deputy RBA governor before her elevation to the top post on 18 September, said monetary policy makers were familiar with dealing with supply shocks – such as Covid or Russia’s war on Ukraine – but the potential for prolonged disruptions posed new challenges.
On the other hand, there were also uncertainties about technology and the speed with which climate, economic and social systems could adapt.
“Climate change and the actions taken in response will have broad-ranging implications for the economy, the financial system and society at large,” Bullock said, including affecting price stability, employment and stability of the financial system.
The timing and intensity of effects are uncertain, and these could be severe and irreversible if tipping points are reached.
The energy sector, meanwhile, is one sector with “much uncertainty”. Can renewables be added to the grid fast enough, and if not, will coal-fired power plants have to be extended - with the increased risk of breakdowns of ageing equipment.
We may get some views about near-term interest rates in the Q & A session. In the meantime, here’s our running article:
Updated
Protesters interrupt event ahead of incoming RBA governor’s speech
Incoming Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock is delivering a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra tonight.
But her introduction by ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt was briefly interrupted by a small group of protesters with a megaphone.
We didn’t quite catch what the protesters were chanting before security guards swiftly whisked them away.
Schmidt, who shook his head, introduced the new RBA governor again:
We have activist students, even these days, even if I do feel sometimes they’re somewhat misguided in how they place their activism. I am now going to, once again from scratch, introduce our speaker tonight, Michele.
Bullock acknowledged the awkward interruption, saying:
That’s not what I thought was going to happen when I started to speak. But anyway, we are on a university campus and I’m pleased to hear that there is still some activism that goes on, even if it’s at my expense.
There were a number of photographers there for Bullock so expect to see some shots of the incident.
Updated
Australian Grand Prix tickets sell out within five hours
Race-day tickets for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in March 2024 have sold out within five hours of being released.
More than 100,000 people had registered for early access to tickets – the highest number for an Australian sporting event on the Ticketmaster platform.
Tickets went on sale at midday Tuesday and the allocation for Sunday, when the main race is held, was exhausted within two hours.
The chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Travis Auld, encouraged fans to secure tickets for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday while they still could.
He said:
The record-breaking number of pre-registrations and the rate of today’s sales demonstrates that fans are just as excited as us for next year’s Formula One event in Melbourne.
The Victorian minister for tourism, sport and major events, Steve Dimopoulos, said the high ticket demand for the 2024 race was “great news for jobs, local businesses and our economy”.
He said:
We’ve officially declared next year’s Grand Prix as a major event, so race goers will be better protected by ticket scalpers and more fans have the best possible chance of seeing their racing idols compete for the chequered flag.
By declaring the Grand Prix a major event, tickets can not be resold for more than 10% above their original value.
A record number of fans passed through the gates at the 2023 event earlier this year, with more than 440,000 attending over the four days.
The Australian event is the third on the F1 season calendar and will run from 21 to 24 March at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
Updated
Former FOI watchdog flagged possible resignation ‘six months prior’
Information commissioner Angelene Falk has said former FOI commissioner Leo Hardiman flagged his potential resignation six months prior to him publicly releasing a statement.
During the Senate inquiry into the FOI regime, Falk conceded Hardiman had made a remark in late September or October 2022 about needing to reconsider his position if the government did not provide additional funding and resourcing for his FOI team in the May 2023 federal budget.
Liberal senator Paul Scarr and Greens senator David Shoebridge questioned why Falk hadn’t previously revealed this comment under questioning during earlier Senate estimates hearings.
Falk said Hardiman’s claims this morning had jolted her memory.
She said:
It’s really after hearing the evidence this morning that that has come back into my mind with more force. I must say that I probably didn’t attach a lot of weight to the remark that he made at the time. It seemed to be a passing remark in the context of talking about the budget.
The information commissioner said she had been advocating for more FOI resources for years, insisting she could not recall Hardiman asking specifically for “more human resources” and in “as timely a manner as possible”.
Falk said:
I have been acutely aware of the resources issue. I have made eight budget bids in the five years I have been in this role, and met with ministers and written numerous letters in relation to this issue.
Updated
RMIT confirms Meta has ‘temporarily suspended’ fact-checking service
A spokesperson for RMIT has said it stands by the accuracy of its fact-checking and is currently in the process of renewing RMIT FactLab’s accreditation with the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN).
The spokesperson said Meta had temporarily suspended its service and understands this decision relates to its accreditation with the IFCN.
The comment comes after the shadow minister for cyber security, James Paterson, posted to X/Twitter a letter he wrote to Meta criticising the Fact Lab’s decision to label Peta Credlin’s reporting over the length of the Uluru Statement from the Heard as “false information”.
In a reply from Meta, which Paterson also posted to X/Twitter, Meta said it ended its relationship with RMIT Fact Lab after finding its accreditation with the IFCN had expired, and complaints had been made to IFCN about RMIT’s fact-checking on information relating to the Voice.
The RMIT spokesperson said the IFCN had confirmed that FactLab’s fact-checking meets the standards and adheres to the IFCN’s code of principles:
RMIT FactLab stands by the accuracy of its work to date and remains dedicated to slowing the spread of viral misinformation and disinformation through its fact checks.
Fact-checking aims to bring transparency to debate and reporting on issues of public importance and does not involve the removal or censoring of information.
Updated
Man jailed for throwing bucket of sand at Melbourne City goalkeeper
The man who threw a bucket of sand at Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover during a pitch invasion in late 2022 has been sentenced to three months’ jail.
Alex Agelopoulos stormed the pitch with other Melbourne Victory fans during the A-League Men derby at AAMI Park in December and picked up the bucket used to dispose of flares, throwing it towards Glover. The goalkeeper was hit in the face, concussed and required stitches.
Agelopoulos is also banned from attending matches at AAMI Park for five years and his sentence includes a community corrections order, including extensive random drug testing and supervision for 18 months after his release.
The 23-year-old’s lawyer lodged an appeal and Agelopoulos was granted bail until a December hearing.
Magistrate Rosemary Falla said:
There is no place for this type of offending in any sport, especially a sport you claim to love.
The pitch invasion came as football fans protested against the decision of the APL to sell the A-League grand finals to New South Wales for the next four years, instead of them being played at the home of the top-ranked team.
Melbourne Victory was hit with a record $550,000 fine for the incident.
In sentencing other pitch invaders earlier this month, Falla described 17 December as a great day of shame for Football Australia and Victoria:
It remains inexplicable why you and your cohort behaved in the way that you did.
You all profess to love the game and yet totally disrespected it.
– with AAP
Updated
Continuing on from our previous post:
At Tuesday’s hearing, MPs repeatedly raised the high rates of cancellations out of Sydney, especially on the Sydney-Canberra route – which nears one in 10 flights – and questioned if Qantas was hoarding the slots.
Andrew Finch, general counsel and group executive at Qantas, preempted the questions and said in his opening statement: “We completely reject these assertions [slot hoarding], which are broadcast without a skerrick of evidence”.
However, Scott Zeglin, Qantas’ head of strategy and fleet, later acknowledged the airline had lost slots on Sydney-Canberra, and that the airline could soon hand back slots on the route.
It’s not been at acceptable levels in Sydney-Canberra, we’ve lost slots, we’ve not satisfied the 80-20 on that market. And so as we look towards our future schedules, it will likely require fewer flights, which is not necessarily a benefit to customers in terms of customer choice.
Updated
Qantas scheduling more flights than it can operate
Qantas has acknowledged it has been scheduling more domestic flights than it can actually operate, but has denied it is doing so deliberately to shut out competition.
Airline representatives made the admission as they were grilled at a parliamentary inquiry into promoting economic dynamism, a day after CEO Alan Joyce also appeared before a separate senate committee.
The inquiry had previously heard various airport chiefs as well as Rex Airlines repeat allegations that Qantas has been strategically scheduling then cancelling flights out of Sydney airport to block competitors from launching rival services. By spreading cancellations across all services, critics argue Qantas can ensure no one service is cancelled more than 20% of the time, a threshold forcing the carrier to forfeit a slot.
Ryde council joins Sydney push to ban gas in new homes
A council in Sydney’s north will investigate banning gas in new businesses and homes after the City of Sydney took similar action earlier this month.
The City of Ryde voted last week to have council staff prepare a report by October on how they could potentially enact planning changes to achieve “all-electric” new developments across the local government area.
The Labor councillor Penny Pedersen is leading the push for electrification in Ryde, mainly on health grounds, citing research compiled by Doctors for the Environment Australia showing gas appliances can reduce indoor air quality and cause or exacerbate illness.
Pedersen said:
While most of our planning controls have been removed from New South Wales councils, we still have development control plans, which in this case can be used to protect our community into the future from being locked into rising gas prices and the risk of serious health issues.
We can help future residents avoid more childhood asthma and energy poverty.
The City of Sydney, which encompasses inner-city suburbs and the CBD, recently asked its staff to investigate how to amend the council’s planning controls to require all new residential developments to be completely electric, following similar moves by Waverley and Parramatta councils.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has ruled out following Victoria and the ACT in implementing a state-wide ban on new gas connections and said that council-led bans are not enforceable.
Updated
Continuing on from our prior post:
Padma Raman, the CEO of ANROWS, said the report showed that for many migrant and refugee women who experience sexual harassment, the reality is the harassment “is not only sexist, but racist”.
We must consider how all women experience sexual harassment in the workplace, recognising that race, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation and ability, as well as sex, all intersect.
This research shows it’s time to have a national conversation on the experiences of all women who experience sexual harassment in the workplace and to recognise that migrant and refugee women have unique experiences that require unique solutions.
The lead researcher of the report, Prof Marie Segrave from the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, said:
The findings reinforce the importance of paying careful attention to the conditions of work, including employment security and recognising that across Australia women are managing unsafe work conditions that will not be improved with a one-size-fits all response.
Updated
Survey of migrant and refugee women finds alarming level of sexual harassment in the workplace
The first national study to investigate migrant and refugee women’s experiences and responses to sexual harassment has found alarming rates of sexual harassment, with those in temporary or casual roles more vulnerable to harassment.
The study released today by ANROWS surveyed more than 700 migrant and refugee women from across Australia.
It found 46% of migrant and refugee women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the last five years, and of those 37% didn’t tell anyone what had happened. Many respondents perceived their race or religion to be one of the motivations for the harassment.
In a third of the incidents, women had been threatened or warned not to report what happened, including receiving advice from family, friends and colleagues that reporting would not help their situation.
Updated
Information commissioner denies telling former FoI commissioner not to raise staffing levels with her
One of the allegations the former FoI commissioner Leo Hardiman made to senators this morning is that the information commissioner, Angelene Falk, told him to not raise issues of staffing levels with her.
Here’s what Hardiman said in his opening statement:
[Falk] said to me that I should not be involving myself in the kinds of issues I had raised with her – that is, the approach to management of the IC review workload and backlog. I found that suggestion extraordinary given both my statutory responsibilities and my relevant experience and skills. I accordingly rejected it.
However, Falk has refuted that happening in her afternoon appearance at the Senate inquiry into the FoI regime.
I did not say anything to that effect. I’m very confident of that and the reason why I’m so confident is that matters of the most efficient structure of the organisation, and of the FoI branch, in particular, were the subject of discussions. I put forward a number of suggestions for his consideration.
Falk told the Greens senator David Shoebridge she had, however, recalled “one passing remark” from Hardiman but said there wasn’t anything further than that.
Updated
Pocock calls for windfall profits tax and PRRT changes
On ABC Afternoon Briefing, Pocock proposed a windfall profits tax and explained his concerns about Labor’s PRRT changes.
Asked about tax changes to increase revenue, he said:
We could start with a windfall profits tax. Many have been calling for it, we’ve had years where fossil fuel companies have made eye-watering record profits not by anything special that they have done ... These are Australian resources that they are getting extraordinary profits from due to the war in Ukraine, and yet Australians are not enjoying a share of that.
Pocock described PRRT as an example of “low-hanging fruit”. He said the Albanese government “is really disappointingly going for the weakest target”.
Offshore LNG has paid zero cents of petroleum rent tax, instead of saying we should probably pay your fair share for our gas, they are simply wanting to bring forward the payments.
Updated
Pocock rules out supporting ‘weak’ PRRT changes
The independent senator David Pocock has ruled out voting for Labor’s petroleum resource rent tax changes.
Pocock, the Greens and Jacqui Lambie Network have all pushed Labor to go further in collecting more revenue. The Greens argue it is “not clear” the changes – designed to net $2.4bn over four years – will capture any additional revenue, rather than simply bring forward tax that would be paid in later years.
In an interview on Sky News, Pocock described the changes as “embarrassing” and “weak”:
🚨Independent Senator David Pocock tells @aclennell he categorically will not support the government's PRRT changes in their current form.
— Cam Reddin (@CamReddin) August 29, 2023
He says the proposal to bring forward revenue by reducing deductions is "embarrassing" & "weak" #auspol @SkyNewsAust
The Coalition has suggested they would like to see greater investment in gas production, but has not decided its position on the PRRT. On Sunday the shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, cited the fact the opposition hasn’t yet seen the legislation.
Updated
Information commissioner tells senators she needs time to respond to criticisms
The Office of Australian Information Commissioner, Angelene Falk, is up now at the parliamentary hearing into the country’s FoI regime.
Earlier today, the former FoI commissioner Leo Hardiman made a series of allegations against Falk’s leadership and character, which he said contributed to his decision to resign in March this year.
Hardiman also alleged the cultural problems at the OAIC were “entirely a product” of Falk’s leadership.
Falk said on Tuesday afternoon she took issue with a number of Hardiman’s comments but said she had “very limited opportunity to consider the matters” heard this morning and needed a “reasonable opportunity to respond”.
Updated
‘No option’ but to Taser Indigenous man in fatal arrest, Queensland police officer tells inquest
Some news from AAP on the first of three days of evidence for the inquest into the death of Ashley Charles Washington:
The Queensland police officer who apprehended Ashley has told the coroner’s court he had no option but to repeatedly fire his Taser.
Sen Const Jamie Williams, of Toowoomba’s dog squad, was the first officer to encounter Ashley after he allegedly burgled a home and assaulted its resident before leaving the scene at 6.35pm with money and a pair of scissors.
Williams told the hearing he was a lone officer in a marked police vehicle with his police dog.
The inquest was shown six minutes of footage from Williams’ body-worn camera that showed him intercepting Ashley on the street and telling him to get on the ground.
In the footage, Ashley can be heard yelling incoherently and screaming before Williams attempts to grab him, then deploys the police dog.
Williams testified that Ashley stabbed him in the head with the pair of scissors and he heard the dog yelping after being repeatedly stabbed.
Ashley is then hit by wired probes from the Taser and falls to the ground before getting up and being stunned again by Williams, who proceeds to deliver four cycles of electric shocks before other officers arrive and pin Ashley to the ground.
Williams told the inquest that using his stun gun was his only option other than drawing his weapon.
You can read more on this story here:
Updated
Albanese is asked about the 4% pay rise for federal MPs and public office holders. He tells reporters in Adelaide:
The remuneration tribunal decides all of these things – and that’s as it should be ... I have no role – and that’s as it should be. You do not want politicians determining their own conditions.
Updated
Albanese says “people in Canberra making decisions has not led to a circumstance where the closing the gap targets are being met”.
We need to do better in health, in education, in housing. And the way to do better is to involve people and ask what their views are because we know that the most successful programs – Indigenous Rangers, community health programs – are ones in which Indigenous people have taken ownership of the processes.
Updated
Albanese speaks in Adelaide on eve of referendum date announcement
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is currently speaking in Adelaide about the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
He says South Australia will be a critical state in deciding the outcome of the referendum and he will be visiting a number of times in the lead up to Australians casting their vote.
Tomorrow I will be giving a speech alongside Peter Malinauskas and we will be announcing the date of the referendum, where Australians will have the opportunity to say yes to recognition, yes to listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about matters that affect them in order to say yes to getting better results.
Updated
Bureau of Meteorology maintains ‘El Niño alert’ outlook
The Bureau of Meteorology has declared Australia is not yet in the grip of an El Niño climate pattern, keeping the nation on an alert for the system that can increase the risk of a hot and dry summer.
Australia has been on an “El Niño alert” since May, meaning there is a 70% chance of the system locking in place. In an update this afternoon, the bureau said:
Overall, atmospheric indicators suggest the Pacific Ocean and atmosphere are not yet consistently reinforcing each other, as occurs during El Niño events. El Niño typically suppresses spring rainfall in eastern Australia.
The World Meteorological Organization declared the onset of an El Niño in July, following on from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
But the bureau has stopped short of making the declaration, pointing to a lack of tell-tale signs in the atmosphere.
Updated
ABC journalists defamed former commando to protect their egos, court told
Some news on the Heston Russell trial via AAP:
The former army commando Heston Russell enjoyed an outstanding reputation before the ABC seriously defamed him to stroke its own ego, his barrister has told a court.
Russell is suing the national broadcaster over two articles, from October 2020 and November 2021, that claimed commandos from the platoon he led executed an unarmed prisoner in Afghanistan in mid-2012 because there was no room on a helicopter.
The second ABC article reported an investigation into the platoon had been confirmed by the defence department when it had not been and linked to the earlier article.
Russell was named as platoon leader by the broadcaster. He denies the allegations and is suing for damages, saying his reputation was ruined and his feelings hurt by the reporting.
His barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, told the federal court on Tuesday the ABC seriously harmed Russell’s public standing and had admitted doing so.
The articles by journalists Mark Willacy and Josh Robertson were wrong, she said, and the ABC could not prove the allegations, forcing it to rely on a defence that publishing them was in the public interest.
We have more on this story here:
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology has still not yet declared an El Niño in its latest outlook for Australia released today, maintaining the outlook at “El Niño alert” level.
More to come from my colleague Graham Readfearn on this shortly.
Updated
Law Council warns FoI regime undermined by bureaucratic delays and lack of funding
The Law Council of Australia is concerned the country’s FoI regime is being undermined by bureaucratic and administrative delays and a lack of adequate funding.
In an appearance at a Senate inquiry into how freedom of information laws operate on Tuesday, the Law Council president, Luke Murphy, said an effective regime is critical to the integrity of Australia’s democratic institutions.
But a series of challenges were threatening to undermine it.
Murphy said:
These challenges appear to be arising due to, for instance, bureaucratic and administrative delays, excessive document redaction, underresourcing, and an overreliance on statutory exemptions.
These systemic practices shield information from public scrutiny, restrict transparency of decisions made by commonwealth agencies, and limit timely and informed public discourse on government policies.
The Law Council called for the office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the FoI watchdog, to be properly resourced in order to foster a pro-disclosure culture among agencies, as well as more proficiently process decision reviews.
Updated
Thanks Emily for guiding us through today’s news! I’ll now be with you for the rest of today.
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today! I’ll leave you with my colleague Jordyn Beazley, who will guide you through this evening’s news. Take care.
AFSA says limited resources and ‘vexatious’ applicants hamper FoI efforts
Back to the freedom of information inquiry, and the Australian Financial Security Authority is now fronting senators.
The AFSA national manager of government business, Elyse Herrald-Woods, has told the inquiry its FoI functions are hamstrung by limited resources, “vexatious” FoI applicants and little guidance from the information watchdog.
Herrald-Woods said the small agency has a 0.5 full-time equivalent officer to deal with its FoI functions, who she said deals with around 40 to 50 applications each year.
She continued:
We question whether the [FoI] regime has, in some instances, moved too far towards the rights of the applicant when the regime can be, and in our experience is, weaponised by those who seek to cause harm and detriment to government agencies and officials.
AFSA is currently dealing with three applicants displaying unreasonable behaviours and who have either gone through the escalated review processes, or are currently going through those processes. These are just the resource-intensive applicants, there is no clear threshold for identifying when an applicant might have become potentially vexatious as it may include, but is not limited to, harassing or intimidating an individual or agency staff unreasonably interfering with an agency’s operations using the FoI Act to circumvent access restrictions imposed by a court.
Herrald-Woods added the office of the Australian Information Commissioner has provided AFSA with little to no guidance and it is still awaiting advice on how to deal with the “vexatious” applicants.
Updated
Australia pledges funding to upgrade two of Tuvalu’s critical boat harbours
Australia’s minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, has announced funding for infrastructure in Tuvalu during a visit today.
The federal government will provide $21.4m in co-financing to the Asian Development Bank to support upgrades to two of Tuvalu’s critical boat harbours.
The project will rehabilitate the Niutao Harbour and construct new harbour facilities at Nui, which will bolster transport connectivity for passengers and cargo.
A statement from Conroy reads:
This critical infrastructure will also strengthen Tuvalu’s resilience to climate change and deliver significant local job opportunities, including opportunities for women.
It is an honour to be in Tuvalu to strengthen the ties between our nations.
— Pat Conroy MP (@PatConroy1) August 29, 2023
I met Prime Minister Kausea Natano & Minister for Foreign Affairs Panapasi Nelesone.
Together we are striving for a properous, peaceful and resilient #BluePacific. pic.twitter.com/lSPbxKVukf
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Victoria should abolish stamp duty to help tackle housing affordability crisis, inquiry says
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry has recommended that the state abolish stamp duty and replace it with a broad-based land tax in a bid to tackle housing affordability.
The state’s upper house economic and infrastructure committee had examined stamp duty, with experts telling the inquiry it deepened the housing affordability crisis.
In the final report, made public on Tuesday, the committee said the Victorian government should “urgently explore” reform options including abolishing stamp duty in favour of a broad-based land tax. It said a national approach to the issue was preferred but in the interim the government should pursue state-based solutions:
Implementing comprehensive and uniform reforms is an opportunity to promote housing accessibility and affordability, stimulate economic growth, and create a fairer and more efficient housing market for all Australians.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has previously rebuffed calls to scrap stamp duty in favour of a broad-based land tax. But the government has flagged an overhaul of the state’s planning laws to increase housing supply.
Updated
Australian steelmaker fined record $57.5m for cartel conduct
Steel manufacturer BlueScope has been ordered to pay $57.5m for attempted price fixing, representing the highest penalty ever imposed for cartel conduct.
The federal court ordered the fine on Tuesday after finding the company and one of its former representatives attempted to induce steel distributors and a manufacturer to enter into agreements to fix or raise prices for steel products.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which pursued the legal action, said in a statement penalties needed to be sufficiently large to deter even large companies and their employees from breaching competition laws.
The ACCC commissioner Liza Carver said:
This should serve as a strong warning to all businesses and individuals that attempting to fix prices with competitors will have very serious consequences, even if the attempt fails and they do not reach an agreement.
Cartel conduct is illegal because it cheats Australians by increasing the prices consumers and business customers have to pay, and by restricting healthy economic growth.
BlueScope said in a statement it would consider its options:
BlueScope has 28 days to file any notice of appeal, should it decide to do so.
BlueScope is the biggest manufacturer of flat steel products in Australia, which are widely used in the construction, automotive and transport industries.
The court imposed a $575,000 penalty against a now former BlueScope employee involved in the price fixing attempt, which the court said could not be recovered from an insurance company.
Updated
Amazon tells competition inquiry its presence in Australia has benefited consumers
Amazon says its arrival in Australia has benefited Australian customers, pointing to Wesfarmers’ launch of a bundled delivery and Disney+ product to compete with them.
In December, Wesfarmers launched the Disney+ OnePass bundle, which gives subscribers access to free delivery for Kmart, Target, Catch and Bunnings Warehouse and a monthly subscription to Disney+ for $14.99 a month.
Speaking at a parliamentary committee on economic competition, Amazon’s senior manager for economic policy in Australia, Michael Cooley, said this was brought in direct competition to Amazon’s Prime membership, which offers similar subscription to Prime Video and free delivery for $9.99 a month.
He said:
We’ve seen a lot of innovation in the space and we think, in fact, some of that in any event has to do with Amazon’s entry into Australia.
Cooley said Amazon has 14,000 Australian businesses selling on Amazon’s online marketplace, and rejected suggestions that Amazon preferenced its own products over those sold by third-party sellers on the platform:
Our focus is on ensuring that customers get the best available offer. And as a consequence, using various factors, we actually try to identify products that we think the customers actually want to buy, whether that’s an Amazon-sold product or whether that’s a third party ... The percentage of sales that are occurring on Amazon has steadily increased in favour of third parties over the years and years now.
Updated
Education union considers boycotting high school nuclear submarine program
Australia’s major education union is considering boycotting a high school program encouraging students to design nuclear-powered submarines.
Earlier this year, the New South Wales Teachers Federation came out in opposition to Aukus, backed by the Australian Education Union’s (AEU) federal executive.
The AEU told Guardian Australia it opposed militarisation and would consider its position on the defence department’s Nuclear Powered Submarine Propulsion Challenge later this week.
The nationwide program provides high school teachers with learning resources to help students design their own engineering plans for submarine nuclear propulsion. Winners get a trip to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia to see how submarines work.
The AEU opposes Aukus and joins the growing chorus of concern that the security pact … compromises the pursuit of an independent foreign policy and has the potential to drag Australia once again into foreign conflict and war.
Recent alarmist, war mongering commentary, deployed to bolster unsubstantiated predictions of an inevitable war with China, is of deep concern … for our public education communities.
Motions for a boycott have already been passed in some chapters of the union, including one that said “we resolve to refuse to refer students to this program … and we will refuse to promote it within our schools”.
The AEU said the government’s commitment to public revenue on military expenditure came amid a “serious underfunding” of public schools and higher education.
A massive transference of public wealth to private armament manufacturers will constrain public expenditure in all government portfolios for decades to come.
Updated
Minns defends transport minister after new department boss’s donation revealed
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has defended the transport minister, Jo Haylen, after it was revealed her pick for department secretary, Josh Murray, donated $500 to her campaign ahead of the 2023 election.
Speaking in Bega on Tuesday, Minns said he was first made aware of the donation “a couple of days after” Murray was appointed to the senior public service position.
Asked when he learned of the donation, he said:
My understanding is that that was in a brief communicated to my office a couple of days after the appointment, maybe three days after, but I have to check the exact date.
Minns said the donation was not disclosed to the panel that Haylen set up to interview people for the role before she ultimately chose him.
He said Haylen had followed the correct process, backed her decision to appoint Murray and did not believe “purchasing a ticket to a fundraising dinner constitutes the minister being influenced in terms of her public duty”.
Updated
Meta has ended relationship with RMIT FactLab after voice complaints, Paterson claims
The shadow minister for cybersecurity, James Paterson, claims that Meta has ended its relationship with RMIT FactLab after it became aware of complaints about “possible bias” or “unfairness” in RMIT’s factchecks relating to the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
The decision was detailed in a letter sent to Paterson from Meta after the shadow minister complained the platform had labelled a report by the Sky News presenter Peta Credlin about the length of the Uluru statement from the heart as “false information” based on factchecking by RMIT.
Meta did not address in its letter, which Paterson shared publicly on his X account, whether or not Credlin’s report had been labelled false incorrectly. It said it decided to end its relationship with RMIT after finding its accreditation with the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) had expired, and complaints had been made to IFCN about RMIT’s factchecking on information relating to the voice.
Meta said it would review its decision once the IFCN has considered whether RMIT FactLab’s certification should be reinstated.
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Farrell quizzed on whether Taiwan can be admitted to big trade deal
Don Farrell is asked some questions about the big regional trade deal known as the CPTPP – and whether Taiwan could be admitted. This is a thorny issue because China also wishes to join.
The trade minister attempts to play a straight bat. He repeats the government’s usual position about the CPTPP deal being a high standard trade agreement, and that any further accession applications after the UK would need to be approved by consensus.
In an apparent slip of the tongue, he describes Taiwan (a self-governed democracy that China claims as its own territory) as a country:
We’ve now taken a decision of all of the countries in the CPTPP to review what will happen next in terms of free trade agreements with countries including Taiwan.
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Watt says resumption of barley trade with China ‘could only have happened under Labor’
Speaking at the same press conference south of Perth, the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said of the resumption of the barley trade with China:
Today is a great day for Western Australia.
Watt takes the opportunity to make a domestic party-political shot:
This is a direct result of the Albanese government’s calm and consistent manner in our approach to China and stabilising that relationship with our most important trading partner. Frankly this could have only happened under a Labor government. We saw what happened when the Morrison government was in power and that relationship with China unfortunately went sour.
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Farrell confident China trade restrictions will be lifted ‘in a short space of time’
The trade minister, Don Farrell, has expressed confidence that other trade impediments imposed by China will be removed “in a short space of time”.
Farrell and other ministers holding a press conference at the Kwinana Grain Terminal, south of Perth, to mark the departure of the first China-bound shipment of barley since hefty tariffs were removed. (The shipment left the terminal at 7.15am today.)
Farrell said of the removal of the barley tariffs and the departure of the first shipment:
The two states that were most badly affected by the barley bans by the Chinese were WA and SA and I’m so pleased that we’ve managed to lift those tariffs and give the opportunity to the Chinese consumers, particularly the beer drinkers, to have some of the best barley in the world to make their beer.
It’s been a wonderful development. We haven’t finished the job yet. Part of my role since coming to this position 15 months ago has been to stabilise our relationship with the Chinese government.
We’ve removed a whole lot of impediments … but we still have more to do. We’ve got to lift the restrictions on wine, on lobster, on hay, on a range of beef products.
We’re working on those, it will take a bit of perseverance, it’ll take a bit of persistence and it will take a little bit of time, but I’m confident that the good working relationship that we’ve now achieved with the Chinese government will in a short space of time result in all of those restrictions being removed.
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Andrew Leigh was also challenged on what the national interest considerations were that resulted in rejection of Qatar.
Leigh repeatedly referred back to the transport minister Catherine King’s comments “that there was no single decisive factor”.
He said:
In this particular case, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to speculate on the factors ... that were driving another minister’s decision under the national interest.
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Labor keen to see more airline competition, Leigh says
The assistant minister for competition, Andrew Leigh, has been asked about the decision not to allow more inbound flight slots for Qatar Airways.
Leigh said the transport minister, Catherine King, had explained this decision was “based in the national interest, not around any single factor”.
He said:
As a range of my colleagues have noted, the level of complaints against Qantas from Australian consumers has been considerable. My ACT colleagues Alicia Payne and Dave Smith have pointed out that it’s pretty frustrating for Canberrans when you catch a flight to or from Sydney to have one in eight chance for that flight gets cancelled. And that’s up to Qantas to account for ...
We’re keen to see more competition. I know that there’s a range of airlines that are looking to fly more into Australia and the particular case of Qatar, they’re not banned from flying into and resuming, the flights into Canberra.
In response to another question on the same, Leigh repeated “certainly I would hope to see more airline competition”.
I look to Europe with its range of low-cost carriers and see what looks like an even more competitive ecosystem. So, moving us moving us towards that, I think is a long-term goal.
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Andrews dismisses Commonwealth Games inquiry as a political stunt
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has arrived at parliament a little bit later than expected. He says he wasn’t feeling well last night but is now good to go.
He’s first asked about evidence provided to the federal inquiry into the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games on Monday. The inquiry heard from Commonwealth Games Australia leaders who said they did not request a confidentially agreement over the $380m settlement to cancel the games.
Andrews says the Victorian government didn’t request it either:
[It] is a standard form provision for a commercial negotiation and settlement, nothing more, nothing less. The dollar value and all the other details are in the joint statement, which was provided very soon after – literally hours after – the deal was inked a couple of weeks ago.
He said given they reached an agreement, it wasn’t necessary to provide details of the mediation process.
Andrews also dubbed the Senate inquiry a political stunt:
Seriously guys, the notion that anyone in the Victorian government is going to be lectured to by Bridget McKenzie … it’s not going to happen. It’s a political stunt. The auditor general is appropriately properly looking at these matters and has access to all documents including cabinet documents.
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Second varroa mite emergency zone extends into Victoria
Varroa mite has been detected near Balranald in the NSW Riverina district, impacting beekeepers with hives in Victoria within the 25km surveillance emergency zone put in place by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
This is the second emergency zone extending into Victoria following the detection at Euston last week.
Victorian beekeepers within the surveillance emergency zones will not be allowed to move their hives into, within or out of the zones at this time.
Victoria’s chief plant health officer, Dr Rosa Crnov, has confirmed that no varroa mite has been found in Victoria.
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Sydney man arrested for alleged role in 240kg methamphetamine shipment
A Sydney man has been arrested for his alleged role in facilitating a 240kg shipment of methamphetamine to Australia, in a joint investigation between the Australian federal police and border force.
Three men, aged 44, 46 and 71, were arrested in Hong Kong for their suspected involvement in the venture. They have been released by Hong Kong authorities, pending further enquiries.
The Hong Kong customs and excise agency (HKCE) seized the methamphetamine in July and discovered it was destined for Sydney. HKCE substituted the methamphetamine with an inert substance and allowed the shipment to continue, in consultation with the AFP and ABF.
It arrived at an address in Silverwater, western Sydney, on 23 August and police will allege four men were observed unpacking the container before AFP officers entered the premises to execute a search warrant.
A 28-year-old Sydney man was arrested for his alleged role in coordinating the importation of the consignment, renting the Silverwater delivery address and organising for it to be unpacked.
The other three men were released pending further inquiries.
The AFP Acting Supt Jeremy Staunton said this investigation showed how international partnerships developed by the AFP have tangible benefits for the Australian community.
The man is expected to face Downing Centre local court on 1 November.
In Australia, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline is 1800 250 015
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Some more details on purchase of sea mines for the Australian Defence Force:
Sea mines have been on the government’s agenda for years. Scott Morrison’s defence update in 2020 flagged plans for “mine warfare capabilities to secure Australia’s maritime approaches and sea lanes, focused on modern, smart sea mine systems”.
At the start of this year, the Department of Defence said it was “accelerating the acquisition of smart sea mines”. At the time the Nine newspapers reported the total cost was expected to be between $500m and $1bn.
In a statement issued today, defence confirmed that it had evaluated market options last year and “selected RWM Italia to provide the capability under a multi-million-dollar contract”.
The statement said delivery was expected to commence in 2023, but the quantity and types of sea mines to be acquired would “remain classified”.
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Defence signs multimillion-dollar contract for smart sea mines
The Australian Defence Force will purchase new, smart sea mines with delivery expected to commence this year.
In a statement, defence says the smart sea mines will reinvigorate its maritime mining capability, with the mines deployable from submarines, ships and aircraft.
The statement reads:
Rapidly deployable and technologically sophisticated, the smart sea mines will provide a new level of deterrence to potential adversaries.
Defence selected RWM Italia to provide the capability under a multimillion-dollar contract, which includes the provision for the transfer of technology and expertise to Australia to enable local manufacturing and maintenance of the sea mines.
This includes potentially providing electronics services and recurring maintenance; and potentially filling the sea mines with Australian-made explosives and assembling them in Australia.
The quantity and types of sea mines that defence will acquire remain classified.
Air Marshal Leon Phillips, who is chief of the guided weapons and explosive ordnance, said the acquisition of sea mines would ensure the ADF had “the capability it needs for the 21st century”.
He said:
The reinvigoration of a maritime mining capability for the ADF will increase its ability to deter through denial any adversary’s attempt to project power against Australia through our northern approaches, and protect Australia’s economic connection to our region and the world …
Rapidly deployable and technologically sophisticated, smart sea mines will provide a profound step-up for the defence of Australia.
The level of technology involved in this acquisition will take our forces to the cutting-edge of modern military hardware.
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Apple warns fraud and rip-offs could rise if app stores opened to competition
Apple has expressed fears that laws that require the company to let developers charge for services outside of the in-app payment system will lead to fraud and consumers being ripped off.
There is the possibility that Apple and Google could soon face similar legislation in Australia to that recently launched in South Korea and the Netherlands opening up the app stores to competition both in terms of alternative stores and in-app payment processes.
The company’s vice-president of products and regulatory law, Kyle Andeer, told the parliamentary committee examining economic competition that Apple was worried about potential fraud as a result of the change in South Korea.
Andeer said:
I think we’re still in early days. I will say we have significant concerns that will increase fraud, it will increase misleading subscriptions, and subscription traps.
We are very concerned as you open it up and allow for alternative payments, that these risks will come to even greater light. And so we’ve got some significant concerns in particular when it comes to digital payments, because I think, in some ways, this is one of the more dangerous areas and something particularly when it comes to children that we’re worried about.
Andeer echoed the earlier comments from Google arguing that app store markets were highly competitive, and only a “small handful” of the richest and most successful developers pay the full 30% per transaction fee Apple levies on transactions in the app store.
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Date set for Victoria’s suburban rail loop tunnelling to start
Some news from earlier this morning, via AAP:
Digging on Melbourne’s suburban rail loop will start in 2026, with a group of companies chosen to tackle the tunnel.
The consortium, dubbed Suburban Connect, will start using their tunnel-boring machines in the loop’s 16km eastern section between Cheltenham and Box Hill.
The government expects it to create 8000 direct jobs.
The consortium includes global companies CPB Contractors and Ghella and Acciona Construction.
Deputy premier Jacinta Allan said the second contract would be awarded next year for the tunnelling between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
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ACT attorney general speaks on Sofronoff inquiry in ACT parliament
The ACT attorney general Shane Rattenbury has also spoken about the inquiry in the ACT legislative assembly.
Rattenbury reveals he received a letter from the NSW director of public prosecutions Sally Dowling SC about a “significant factual inaccuracy” in the Sofronoff inquiry report earlier this month.
Dowling expressed concern about a paragraph in the report that referenced a case in NSW. The Sofronoff report said a NSW supreme court judge had ordered a stay of proceedings in that case because of concerns about the complainant’s credibility. The report suggested it was a case where prosecutors should have acted to discontinue proceedings.
But Dowling said the case was discontinued by her office and that an application for a permanent stay was never heard.
Dowling said the Sofronoff report appeared to mix up an article in the Australian, in which the Australian federal police expressed views about the conduct of prosecutors in the case, and attribute those comments wrongly to a NSW supreme court judge.
Dowling’s letter, tabled in parliament, said:
The quotation that appears in the report, which is purported to be the opinion of the presiding NSW supreme court judge about the principal crown witness, appears to be drawn from the first paragraph of the news article. That paragraph paraphrases the views of the Australian federal police, and is not attributed to the presiding judge.
In my view, this matter is not an example of a failure by the prosecution to identify a case where there was no reasonable prospect of conviction because of the “unanswerable problem of credibility of the crucial witness” as suggested by the report.
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ADF conducts operation to combat illegal fishing in Pacific
The Australian defence force has conducted 17 missions and patrolled 686,000 square kilometres in an operation to combat illegal fishing in the Pacific.
According to a statement from the Department of Defence, the ADF worked alongside Pacific partners to protect Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati’s fishing industries and economies by deterring illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing in the region.
Major general Scott Winter said the ADF is committed to working with Pacific partners to enhance regional maritime security:
Australia and the ADF are steadfast in our commitment to our Pacific partners, as we understand the enormous threats illegal fishing and transnational crime have on the region’s fishing industry and economies.
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ACT government confirms Shane Drumgold’s legal action underway
ACT chief minister Andrew Barr has confirmed that Shane Drumgold, the outgoing director of public prosecutions, has commenced legal proceedings seeking a judicial review of the Sofronoff inquiry’s findings.
Barr told the ACT legislative assembly:
These proceedings will obviously occur in the context of the appropriate judicial review provisions. Accordingly, it is not appropriate for me to comment further in relation to the findings and processes associated with its report and its release.
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Google speaks on app store competition in Australia and New Zealand
Google has defended its app store against accusations the company is taking too much from app developers and misusing its market power.
Google, along with Apple, has frequently faced questions over their respective app stores, and whether the up to 30% cut the companies can take on in-app transactions is hurting competition and consumers in the store.
Google’s representatives told a parliamentary committee examining economic competition that contrary to claims of a lack of competition, Google and Apple face competition in the app store market from other companies including Samsung, Huawei, Amazon and Microsoft.
Google’s head of public policy in Australia and New Zealand, Lucinda Longcroft, told the committee claims made from Epic Games and others did not account for the fact that 97% of developers do not pay anything.
She said:
Google’s business model is unapologetically to support the wide App Store and developer community. We hear from large developers such as Epic, but not from the smaller ones, those that actually make up the bulk of the $639 million of value that app store developers achieve in Australia.
Longcroft said the fees Google charges to the largest apps that make over $1m per year helps the company provide a platform that is safe and secure and invest in building services. She said that 99% of the 3% who do pay fees just pay 15% on each transaction, not the full 30%.
Our billing structure is one which serves the great majority of Australian users … that are downloading safe and secure apps and have access to a vibrant app developer community here in Australia and globally.
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Senate inquiry hears former FoI commissioner felt threatened by agency head
Former FoI commissioner Leo Hardiman had told a Senate inquiry that agency head, information commissioner Angelene Falk, tried to intimidate him after publicly announcing his resignation in March.
Hardiman issued a public statement at the time of his resignation, criticising the state of the FoI system and lamenting his lack of power to bring about change.
Following his statement, Hardiman said he caught the bus to Sydney to meet with Falk instead of flying, a practice he adopted to save money for his vastly under-resourced branch:
When we went in there, I would say that her behaviour towards me was an attempt to intimidate me into spilling the beans about my resignation because she didn’t have control of this. She literally just stared at me, glared at me, would not take her eyes off me. She tried to gaslight me, put words in my mouth, and I just said ‘I am not discussing my resignation with you’.
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Shane Drumgold begins legal proceedings against Sofronoff inquiry
The former ACT director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, has filed legal proceedings against the board of inquiry that issued damning findings about his conduct.
The case has been listed on the ACT supreme court list for 14 September 2023, though no further details about the case were included.
Guardian Australia understands Drumgold’s legal team had been contemplating a judicial challenge to the inquiry’s findings for some time, though Drumgold has declined to comment. He could not be reached immediately on Tuesday.
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Rewiring the nation statement on loans, clean energy and jobs for WA
More details on the Albanese governments new renewable energy agreement with Western Australia:
A statement on the “rewiring the nation” deal says the government will provide up to $3bn to WA through concessional loans and equity investments, through the clean energy finance corporation, towards new builds and major upgrades to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) and the North West Interconnected System (NWIS).
An investment of this scale is expected to support around 1,800 construction jobs and unlock future projects across WA, the statement says.
Initial modelling suggests that in 20 years’ time, the SWIS grid will need to have up to five times more electricity than is available today as new industrial users connect to the grid.
The WA premier, Roger Cook, said:
This significant package means we can accelerate the development of key energy transmission projects to facilitate decarbonisation, while also building on my government’s climate action plan and initiatives already underway towards more secure, cleaner, reliable and affordable energy supplies.
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‘Want to see how it plays out’: no formal review of Victorian bail laws set
On the possibility of a review of the bail laws 12 months after they are enacted, Jaclyn Symes said she was concerned about such a firm deadline:
I don’t like the deadline ... You want to see how it plays out. You want to have the data to back up any decisions that you’re making and frankly, I want people focused on the running of the system and continually giving me updates as opposed to a formal statutory review, which can actually distract from the operation of the rules. That would be my concern about a specific date.
Symes, however, said she was committed to monitoring the laws:
I’ll continue to monitor these laws I have. This is something I’ve been working on for such a long time. This is the most complex piece of legislation I think I have brought to the parliament in my time as attorney. I want it to work. I’m going to keep a pretty close eye on it, if it needs tweaks down the track.
Updated
Bail laws under scrutiny this week in Victorian parliament
Victoria’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, has also defended her bail laws, which will be debated in the lower house this week.
The family of Veronica Nelson, who died while on remand in a Victorian prison, have argued they have not gone far enough to reduce Aboriginal deaths in custody.
Symes said has met with Nelson’s family and is happy to meet with them again. She told reporters the main discrepancy between the bill and what the family is calling for is a difference in how a bail test would apply:
Our bill proposes that [for] low-level offending … it’s easier to get bail. But for serious offences, such as rape [and] murder, it’s very difficult to get bail and the test that applies means that you have to show exceptional circumstances why you should be bailed.
Frankly, I’m comfortable with where we’re starting … I think that having a stronger test, a differentiated test based on the seriousness of the offending is appropriate.
[I’m] always open further conversations, law reform never stops and I’ll continue to talk to people about their views but it’s fair to say that with bail reform going through the parliament today - there are people who think we haven’t gone far enough and we’ve got people who think we’ve gone to far. That’s often where I find myself.
Updated
Gold Coast still a no to hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games
The acting Queensland premier, Steven Miles, says the state government’s position on a potential rerun of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games has not changed - it’s a no.
The Gold Coast mayor, Tom Tate, has spent the last few weeks trying to win back the games from Victoria, after they were abandoned by premier Daniel Andrews. He yesterday claimed the federal sports minister, Annika Wells, had indicated she could consider the idea if the Queensland government got on board.
But Miles told media this morning the state government isn’t keen on another Commonwealth Games:
As I’ve said repeatedly, we’re absolutely focused on delivering the best Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032 … That’s absolutely our focus.
He said the state government would be too busy on the Olympics to organise another major sporting event:
We are focused on the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. That’s certainly enough work for me to do, because we want to make sure it doesn’t just deliver the best games ever, but also the homes and the jobs that our young people need.
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The Victorian attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, said work around anti-vilification protections is “incredibly complex”, with legislation to be introduced to parliament in 2024:
Rather than just broaden it to another range of cohorts, including our LGBTIQ+ community members, we want to actually make sure the laws are fit for purpose… We want to take the time to work out what is best for our state and, bearing in mind that there’s a lot of opposition to outlawing certain behaviours when it comes to political expression and freedom of speech and the like, this is complex work.
Symes said the government is trying to stamp out horrid forms of hate, and crafting laws to respond to this is not easy:
My motivation is ensuring that we send the right message to our most vulnerable Victorians that this government’s got your back, we will protect you.
… We’re out in consultation now and it’ll be legislation for the parliament next year.
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Legislation to ban Nazi salute and symbols being introduced today in Victoria
Victoria’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, has arrived at parliament, where she will be introducing legislation to ban the Nazi salute.
Asked why the government fast-tracked this bill but is yet to introduce stronger legal protections for LGBTQIA+ community, she said:
In relation to comments about further protections, we are advancing anti-vilification protections. We currently have a system that applies to multi faith organisations and communities - we want to expand that to other attributes.
We’ve given that commitment, and we will also be looking to strengthen both the civil and criminal responses to behaviour in Victoria that is, frankly, most of us believe is unacceptable.
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PM announces renewable energy agreement with Western Australia
The prime minister Anthony Albanese is giving a speech at the leadership matters breakfast in Perth this morning, urging a yes vote on the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum.
According to a copy of the speech released by his office, Albanese announced a “ground breaking” new agreement between the federal and WA governments.
The “rewiring the nation” deal will provide up to $3bn to expand and modernise the electricity grids in the south west and north west of WA.
Albanese said:
Building the renewable energy infrastructure which will power growth north and south.
The clean, reliable energy that will enable us to grow export industries, in energy-intensive sectors, while still reducing our emissions.
Unlocking greater prosperity today – and investing in sustainability for tomorrow.
That’s a priority here in WA – and it’s an urgent task for the nation as a whole.
According to 7News Perth, Albanese’s speech has attracted a record audience with more than 1400 people in attendance.
PM Albanese urging a Yes vote “to get better results” at a #LeadershipMatters speech in Perth that has attracted a record 1400+ audience @7NewsPerth pic.twitter.com/bW3qstRxqR
— Jessica Page (@JessicaPage7) August 29, 2023
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Victorian Greens call for further action on far-right extremism
The Victorians Greens leader, Samantha Ratnam, has welcomed the government’s new bill to ban the display of the Nazi salute but is urging the government get to the root of why the far-right is growing in the state.
The Greens are concerned “the government isn’t doing enough to stop these hateful ideologies from growing in strength in the first place”, Ratnam said, also calling on the government to implement the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry into far-right extremism:
I asked the attorney general recently in our chamber about a neo-Nazi rally in Sunshine West where a poster with a slogan read, ‘Australia for the white man’. I can tell you that’s just as frightening for someone like me, as seeing a Nazi salute or a Nazi symbol. It’s really important that the government takes the threat of far right extremism seriously and gets to the root of why these extremist ideologies are growing in strength and number.
Greens MP Gabrielle di Vietri also called on the government to introduce further anti-vilification protections for the LGBTQIA+ community:
Our queer community is facing escalating levels of hate and Labor has kicked the can down the road for far too long. That’s why the Victorian Greens are joining the community to urge the government to act now before it’s too late to protect our LGBTQIA+ community.
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Continuing from our last post:
NSW transport minister Jo Haylen said she has answered all the questions she’s been asked truthfully, and that “we’ve been really honest and open here”.
She told Sydney’s 2GB radio:
We’ve made the declarations we were required to make. I’m really pleased that in NSW we have such strict donation laws and individuals are required to disclose those donations.
I’d never give a senior public service job, a really important job, to someone just because they made a $500 donation to my campaign. That’s absurd.
Josh Murray’s appointment to the almost $600,000-a-year transport secretary role has come under scrutiny after Haylen revealed her office intervened for her pick to be added to the selection process before she made the final decision to hire him.
The premier has previously conceded that the $125,000 recruitment process for the position was unnecessary.
Jo Haylen rejects conflict of interest over NSW transport secretary appointment
The NSW transport minister, Jo Haylen, has insisted she did not have a conflict of interest when she hand-picked a former Labor staffer who had donated to her campaign to lead her department.
Haylen was adamant she wouldn’t resign as she defended herself in a tense interview on Sydney’s 2GB radio on Tuesday morning, the day after it was revealed Josh Murray made a $500 donation to her campaign before the state election in March.
Haylen conceded she hadn’t declared the donation to the NSW premier, Chris Minns, but said she had declared everything she was required to declare and she didn’t have a conflict because she had no private interest in Murray’s appointment as transport secretary.
She said Murray paid $500 for two tickets to a fundraising event.
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Concerns over ‘false narrative’ in federal court case against Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
A Senate inquiry probing Australia’s FoI system has heard concerns that the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner may have allowed a “false narrative to be given to the federal court” while defending itself in a case brought by former senator Rex Patrick.
Patrick is suing the OAIC in the federal court over its delays in processing applications for reviews of government FoI decisions.
Former FoI commissioner Leo Hardiman said the OAIC was promulgating a narrative to the court that it could do nothing about the lack of resources it had for its FoI work, and that only the government could earmark funds for the FoI function.
Hardiman said he raised concerns about the narrative, because the OAIC itself had the power to divert departmental funding towards FoI.
He was asked whether the OAIC “corrected the narrative to the court”. Hardiman said he was unaware of whether that occurred.
Greens senator David Shoebridge said:
I am deeply disturbed about the agency allowing a, I’ll use my term, false narrative to be given to the federal court to defend Mr Patrick’s legal proceedings. I assume that is a matter that troubles you as well?
Hardiman responded:
Yes. I did sort of press the issue in my meeting with the legal officers in the OAIC and the deputy commissioner. My understanding is that the issue was raised with counsel, I wasn’t involved in any of these discussions, but my understanding is that it was raised with counsel, and the message that came back to me was ‘it’s not a risk, and it’s not going to be raised, and we’re not worried about that issue’. And it was kind of left there.
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Membership numbers for A-League women’s clubs break records after Women’s World Cup
A-League Women clubs are already smashing membership records six weeks out from the start of the new season, thanks to a spike in interest due to the Matildas’ World Cup success.
You can read the full story by my colleague Jack Snape here:
This follows news from yesterday that retail turnover rose 0.5% in July, with a Women’s World Cup effect creating a 1.3% increase in spending up in cafes, restaurants and takeaway outlets.
My colleague Peter Hannam reported that clothing and accessories (eg Matildas gear) picked up 2%. You can read more here.
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Casino operator Star posts $2.4bn loss despite tax boost
AAP is reporting that Star Entertainment Group has posted a $2.44bn loss, despite an impressive lift in revenue, after impairment costs of its casinos and legal issues smashed its bottom line.
The troubled casino operator on Tuesday reported gross revenue for the year ending 30 June increased 22 per cent to $1.87 billion.
But changed operating conditions, increased casino duty rates, an increase in the discount rate and softness in earnings left the gambling group with a yawning $2.48bn non-cash impairment for the year.
Star’s chief executive, Robbie Cooke, said to call it a challenging year would be an understatement:
The consequences flowing from the damage to our social licence are felt daily by team members on multiple levels, reinforcing the critical need to understand the privilege and responsibility that comes with holding a casino licence.
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‘Attempts to manhandle me’: former FoI commissioner
Circling back to former freedom of information commissioner, Leo Hardiman, who is speaking to a Senate inquiry.
Hardiman says there were “attempts to manhandle me” from the outset after his appointment in early 2022.
I would say from the very outset there were attempts to manhandle me. Demands that I would tell the [information commissioner, Angelene Falk] absolutely everything I was doing. I wouldn’t make a decision about FoI matters without discussing them with her first.
He told the Senate that weekly meetings with Falk devolved into a one-way conversation and then said he had never encountered a “person like the information commissioner” in his 30-year career.
With hindsight, I look back at this and I regret that I wasn’t assertive enough in the relationship in the beginning. That said, I have never encountered a person like the information commissioner or her approach to relationships of that kind in my 30 years as a Commonwealth public servant.
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Victorian Greens aiming to amend government bail bill
The Victorian Greens justice spokesperson, Tim Read, says the party will be moving amendments to improve the state’s bail bill.
If passed, the government’s bill would ban people charged with specific low-level offences from being remanded, and repeal two bail offences introduced by the previous Coalition government.
But the changes fall short of a proposal by the family of Veronica Nelson, a First Nations woman who died while remanded in a Victorian prison. Known as Poccum’s law, their proposal is supported by 56 Indigenous, legal and human rights groups.
Read says the Greens share a similar view on the government’s bill:
We look at this legislation with mixed feelings on the one hand, we’ll obviously be supporting a bill that implements some of what Aboriginal organisations, human rights organisations and the Greens have been calling for for five years … so they’ve come a long way and that’s to be commended, but not far enough.
Read says the Greens will introduce amendments to the bill that are included in Poccum’s law, including removing the controversial reverse onus provisions:
Reverse onus provisions put the onus on the accused to justify why they should get bail a regardless of their vulnerabilities, their disabilities – it’s on them to justify why they shouldn’t be locked up, often for a victimless or trivial crime. So we’ll be introducing amendments to try and remove those reverse onus provisions.
We’ll also be introducing an amendment for a 12 month statutory review and ongoing statutory reviews because if the government can learn anything from this really sorry saga, it should be that each time they tamper with the bail act, that it’s probably not going to be the last time, it’s probably going to need further work.
Here’s more on Poccum’s law:
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Staffing shortages contributed to huge backlog in FoI cases
Leo Hardiman, the former freedom of information commissioner, is continuing evidence to a Senate inquiry.
He is not holding back.
Hardiman said that in September last year, he met with his boss, the head of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Angelene Falk, to point out the “screamingly obvious issue” that he did not have enough staff to get through a massive backlog in FOI review cases. He said there were obvious structural changes that should have been made to resolve the issue earlier.
I think it caused visible shock in the information commissioner. There was silence at that statement and a visible moving back in the chair at the suggestion. I concluded that conversation by saying to the IC that if it was not possible to get more resources... I felt that I would likely have to resign my appointment because I just would not be able to fulfill my statutory obligations.
Hardiman:
My recollection is that in the next conversation that I had, that was after I returned to Canberra... the information commissioner said to me that I should not be involving myself in these matters, in other words in the restructure, thinking about the structure of the team, how to manage the workload, how to increase work flows within the IC review caseload.
Greens senator David Shoebridge responded:
You were the FoI commissioner, how could you not do that?
Hardiman:
I was flabbergasted.
Updated
FoI members felt ‘complete overwhelm’: former commissioner
The former freedom of information commissioner Leo Hardiman said there was a feeling of “complete overwhelm” among senior members of the FoI branch, that senior members of the OAIC treated FoI as of secondary importance, and that cycles of panic gripped the office ahead of Senate estimates hearings and key points during a federal court case brought by former senator Rex Patrick. He said there was a practice at senior levels of developing narratives designed to put the office’s performance on FoI in the best light while distracting from real issues.
Hardiman said the cultural problems were “entirely a product” of the leadership of the information commissioner, Falk.
Try as I may, I simply could not change that culture and its performance on the FOI functions.
He said he introduced structural changes but realised that the FoI review backlog would not be reduced without more staffing.
Resignation was an incredibly difficult, in fact the most difficult decision of my career, to contemplate. but I could not, with the necessary sense of integrity, play the game of maintaining the status quo. Change was desperately required and it was not going to occur if I continued on.
Updated
Former FoI commissioner fronts Senate inquiry
The former freedom of information commissioner, Leo Hardiman, has just delivered an explosive statement to a Senate inquiry, airing a series of criticisms of his former agency’s approach to FoI and the leadership of Angelene Falk, the information commissioner.
Hardiman resigned from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) earlier this year and the Guardian has previously revealed internal documents showing a tense relationship between him and Falk, in which he had complained about limited staffing and of being ignored.
He told a Senate inquiry on Tuesday morning that the FoI branch was understaffed, treated as secondary to the office’s privacy functions, and that the OAIC leadership ignored the key problems causing a massive backlog in FoI decision reviews, and had deep cultural problems.
He said:
[The problems] included serious staff and resourcing issues, a significant lack of appropriate focus on the main problems in the performance of the FoI functions, particularly the [information commissioner] review functions, a lack of sufficient engagement with FoI technical issues … unproductive relationships with related agencies.
Updated
Victorian opposition responds to legal action chaos
Victoria’s shadow treasurer, Brad Rowswell, has fended off questions about impending legal action against the Liberal party’s leadership team and an unexpected press conference by one of its MPs.
Overnight, the Liberal party leadership team was served with defamation concerns notice by anti-trans rights activist Kelly-Jay Keen following her appearance at a March rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.
In the concerns notice, lawyers for Keen-Minshull demanded leader John Pesutto’s team, including deputy David Southwick, upper house leader Georgie Crozier and deputy Matt Bach, publicly apologise and pay compensation for claims made against her.
Rowswell said he had seen the reports but wasn’t focused on them. He told reporters outside parliament:
I’ve seen those reports, I’m not aware of the detail. What I am concerned about or what I think Victoria is concerned about, frankly, today is the fact that the Andrews Labor government has been telling porky pies when it comes to the debt level of the state.
He then went on to talk about how mortgages, groceries and utilities have all gone up before being drawn back to the matter by reporters – is he concerned the looming defamation action is a distraction for the Liberals? Rowswell replied:
I am 100% focused on the things that I believe Victorians tell me what matters to them. As I say, I’ve seen those reports, but my focus is on the Victorian people not being screwed further quite frankly by by more taxes as a result of government waste and government overspending and government overreach.
Rowswell was also asked about a press conference attended by former leadership aspirant, Brad Battin, on Sunday concerning a 2013 crash involving the premier’s wife. Sources have told Guardian Australia Battin did not inform Pesutto’s office about the event. Roswell stayed on message:
Again, I’ve seen reports on that. I have no further comment to make other than my focus today is on the state of the economy.
Updated
Victorian treasurer says he is not concerned about possible credit rating downgrade
The Victorian treasurer, Tim Pallas, says a Moody’s analysis of the state’s debt almost made him choke on his breakfast.
The ratings agency had forecast Victoria’s total debt will hit $226bn by 2026/27, about $55bn higher than the $171bn figure in the May budget.
Pallas says Moody’s analysis uses gross debt figures rather than net debt, which is not the state’s accounting practices. He told reporters at parliament:
Firstly, the story today. I had a look at it this morning and I almost choked on my wheaties. They pulled out a special sauce for this one I gotta say .. the Moody’s number that was used in the in the article really demonstrates is gross debt as opposed to the net debt. Broadly speaking, the difference between gross and net debt is you incorporate not just the general government sector, but all of the quasi trading entities into the debt of the state.
He says that he’s not concerned about the possibility of the state’s credit rating being downgraded:
I think if you look at the commentary from both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, I think it’s pretty clear that the general perception is that the state still has headwind with regards existing credit rating but we have to work on this there’s no question about that. And as a government that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Updated
Images released of US marines killed in Osprey crash near Darwin
As we brought you earlier, the names of the three US marines who died in an Osprey aircraft crash on Sunday during a military training exercise have been released.
The deceased include 21-year-old corporal Spencer Collart, 29-year-old captain Eleanor LeBeau and 37-year-old major Tobin Lewis.
Here are some photos that have been released of the marines:
Three US marines remain in Royal Darwin hospital following the crash. One is in a critical condition, and two are stable. 17 others were taken to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and released.
Commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force in Darwin, Brendan Sullivan, said his thoughts and prayers remain with the families and all involved, and the MRF-D remains focused on supporting the ongoing recovery and investigative efforts.
Updated
Independents call for GST increase and tax on super profits as part of generational reform
Independent senator David Pocock, along with fellow independent Kate Chaney, were speaking on ABC RN earlier this morning to call for tax reform.
Chaney said an increase to GST “definitely needs to be considered”, pointing to Australia’s ageing population:
It’s not going to be popular politically, at least to start with. And that’s the problem, that’s why we don’t get reform on tax because no one likes to pay more tax, but we can’t move into the next 20 years with an ageing population and believe that we can expect a standard of aged care and NDIS without actually looking at where that money is going to come from.
… It would have to be accompanied by some redistribution adjustments so that it doesn’t become regressive, but I think it needs to be on the table. We need to have that conversation and work out where the money is coming from in the next 20 years.
Pocock said GST should be part of it, but other things should take an immediate focus, like taxing super profits:
We’ve just come through a period where fossil fuel companies are making record profits that they didn’t plan for, that are not due to anything that they’ve done, simply due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
… We’re setting ourselves up for failure by not having major parties that have the courage to have these harder discussions about revenue and tax and what is equitable.
Updated
‘Strong case’ to reconsider Qatar Airways slots: David Pocock
Independent senator David Pocock spoke to ABC RN earlier this morning, also weighing in on the governments decision to ban Qatar Airways from flying additional domestic routes.
Pockock argued this needs to be part of a broader conversation around a lack of competition:
[We’re] seeing what happens when you don’t have good competition laws, where you’ve got the duopoly of supermarkets making record profits when Australians are facing a cost of living crisis.
This is something that the parliament needs to step up and give the agency more power to actually ensure that there is more competition across airlines, across supermarkets, across a range of industries, where Australians are currently just getting price gouged because of the lack of competition.
Pocock said there is a “strong case” for the government to reopen this issue.
I’ve certainly heard from Canberra Airport about their concerns about the number of Qantas flights that are being cancelled going into into Sydney, which is really [creating the need for] more competition with other airlines being able to pick up some of those slots.
Updated
NSW opposition calls for clarity on transport secretary’s appointment
The New South Wales opposition is calling on the premier, Chris Minns, to immediately release documents outlining any conflicts of interest after it was revealed transport secretary, Josh Murray, made a donation to Jo Haylen’s campaign before she picked him to lead her department.
Limited details of the $500 donation were contained in emails that were released to parliament between members of transport minister Haylen’s team discussing talking points related to the appointment of the secretary.
Deputy opposition leader, Natalie Ward, said the donation raised “serious questions about the conduct and management of the appointment”.
She called on them to release key documents related to the donation.
She said:
The production of these documents will establish whether a conflict of interest was declared as required under the ministerial code of conduct and if it was appropriately managed.
If appropriate steps were taken, these documents should be easy to produce.
Updated
China relationship to be discussed today in Perth
Three federal government ministers will welcome the improved trading relationship with China when they hold a press conference south of Perth later today.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is due to visit a CBH Group grain terminal where the first China-bound shipment of barley since hefty tariffs were scrapped is expected to leave Australia in coming days.
He will be joined by the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, and the resources minister, Madeleine King.
Many ministers have been holding events in WA as the federal government held a cabinet meeting in Perth yesterday. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is expected to meet China’s president, Xi Jinping, in coming months, including potentially on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India next month and a trip to Beijing before the end of the year.
The Australian government has welcomed dialogue and progress in resolving trade impediments, but is continuing to press Beijing to remove other blockages including tariffs on Australian wine and restrictions on Australian seafood and red meat. It is also raising the cases of detained Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, both of whom have spoken out about their situation over the past few weeks.
Updated
Unions set date for planned strikes at Chevron
Gas sector workers at Chevron’s Australian operations will participate in rolling stoppages from 7 September, according to union representatives, as negotiations over pay and conditions stall.
The Offshore Alliance (OA) said in a statement it served Chevron with formal notice of the industrial action late on Monday.
The alliance said:
OA members will be participating in rolling stoppages, bans and limitations which will escalate each week until Chevron agrees to our bargaining claims.
The alliance consists of the Australian Workers’ Union and Maritime Union of Australia.
The unions have been negotiating on behalf of workers at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone liquified natural gas facilities in Western Australia to lock in industry standard wage rates and conditions in a sector that typically uses individual contracts. Chevron was contacted for comment.
Threats to Australian gas production have sparked volatility in global energy markets still grappling with the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Union representatives struck an agreement with oil and gas company Woodside last week that averted strikes.
Victorian state debt to grow to $226bn by 2027
The Victorian shadow treasurer, Brad Rowswell, says a Moody’s analysis predicting the state’s debt will grow beyond estimates in the budget should be raise alarm bells.
The ratings agency had forecast Victoria’s total debt will hit $226bn by 2026/27, about $55bn higher than the $171bn figure in the May budget.
Rowswell said:
We know that when ratings agencies send these signals and deliver these figures that it could mean a potential further downgrade of Victoria’s credit rating … we’ve currently got the worst credit rating of any state in the nation. If Victoria’s credit rating is downgraded, that means we’ve got a higher interest bill, and that means Victorians pay more. They’re already paying the most amount of tax of any state in the nation.
Updated
Opposition criticism for Qatar Airways decision grows
More opposition MPs have also criticised the decision to ban Qatar Airways from flying additional domestic routes.
As AAP reports, Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham said it was not clear cut why the government denied Qatar the extra routes and that it’s not the job of the government to protect Qantas’ profits.
He told Sky News:
We’ve had reasons thrown up in terms of behaviour of officials in Qatar, we’ve had reasons about Qantas’ profitability, we’ve had reasons about questions around purchasing of new aircraft.
It’s not the government’s job to automatically make Qantas profitable.
Of course, we want to see the national carrier be profitable and for it not to need government intervention or bailing out but there’s no transparency around the basis upon which the government formed this decision.
Updated
Decision to block additional Qatar Airways services ‘real concern’: opposition
The opposition finance spokesperson and chair of the Senate select committee into the cost of living, Jane Hume, spoke to ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning.
Hume was responding to comments made by outgoing Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, who appeared before a public hearing of the select committee on the cost of living yesterday.
Hume said it is a “real concern” the government didn’t approve Qatar Airways request for additional services into Australia following lobbying from Qantas:
That’s a real concern because of course if you have more competition, then it brings prices down.
This sounds like a deliberate attempt to bolster up Qantas and keep prices higher for longer.
Speaking on airline fares, Hume said Australia needs a strong airline but during a cost of living crisis, “we expect prices to come down for airline tickets as quickly as possible”:
I was in Alice Springs last week. They were telling me that because … airlines have reduced the number of flights into Alice Springs, and airline tickets have gone up in cost, that’s increasing the cost of groceries … It means there’s fewer tourists, and it’s getting harder to get workers, because they couldn’t get in and out.
Updated
US marines killed in NT crash identified
The names of the three US marines who died in an Osprey aircraft crash on Sunday during a military training exercise have been released.
The deceased include 21-year-old corporal Spencer Collart, 29-year-old captain Eleanor LeBeau and 37-year-old major Tobin Lewis.
Three US marines remain in Royal Darwin hospital following the crash. One is in a critical condition, and two are stable. 17 others were taken to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and released.
The commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force in Darwin, Brendan Sullivan, said:
We are deeply saddened by the loss of three respected and beloved members of the MRF-D family.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and with all involved.
At present, we remain focused on required support to the ongoing recovery and investigative efforts.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Australian Defence Force, Northern Territory police, Northern Territory government, CareFlight Air and Mobile Services, NT Health, National Critical Care and Trauma Response Center, and Tiwi Island government, who have come together to assist us in this difficult time.
Updated
Indonesian 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck 516km below ground
Reuters has reported more information on the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in the Bali Sea region of Indonesia this morning:
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Bali Sea region of Indonesia on Tuesday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
The quake’s epicentre was 203 km north of Mataram, Indonesia, and very deep at 516 km below the Earth’s surface, EMSC said.
The U.S. Geological Survey pegged the magnitude at 7.1. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there were no threats of a tsunami as a result of the earthquake that struck deep under the seabed.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties although a few accounts on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, posted videos of tremors being felt.
As we reported earlier, the Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed there is no tsunami threat to Australia following the earthquake:
No #tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 7.0 #earthquake near Bali Sea. Latest advice at https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/iA5CbBtdPi
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 28, 2023
Updated
Linda Burney suffered ‘mini-stroke’ in 2020, followed by surgery
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, has told Nine papers that she suffered a “mini-stroke”, followed by surgery for a hole in her heart.
Burney said she had the surgery for a hole in her heart in 2020, following a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, which is a brief stroke-like attack that resolves fully within 24 hours.
She said she feels “fantastic” now, having recovered with no health issues aside from an alteration to her voice, likely due to a side effect of medication:
I just feel fantastic now. There are absolutely no issues at all with my health.
What that’s done to me, and I think that’s why there’s a bit of a whispering thing happening, is that apart from me getting older, it’s changed my voice.
Updated
Virgin sought meetings with PM over Qatar Airways slot expansion
Hrdlicka pointed to Qantas’ record $2.47bn profit and said Virgin has sought “a number of meetings” with the prime minister Anthony Albanese around the Qatar Airways decision, but hasn’t heard back yet:
Everybody who supported getting this done because nobody wants to wait until 2028 for international fares to come back down where they should be.
Australia today is great value for inbound tourism, but it’s not great value because the expensive air fares to come into the country make the total value proposition unaffordable. Inbound tourism is a fraction of what it used to be and you know, it’s our collective jobs to make sure we have a strong voice to try to rectify that.
It is also worth noting that Virgin is a codeshare partner with Qatar.
Updated
‘Disappointing statement’ on keeping Qantas profitable: Virgin CEO
Speaking on ABC RN, Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka also responded to comments made by assistant treasurer Stephen Jones in relation to Qantas’ profits.
As reported in the AFR, Jones said Qantas’ record $2.5 billion profit was “a good news story” and that the Albanese government blocked extra Qatar Airways flights to keep the national carrier profitable.
Hrdlicka said it was a “disappointing statement”:
I’m sure that every CEO in the country was disappointed to hear that there’s one one company in the country that should be protected, and profit should be protected.
When put to her that Qantas is the national carrier, Hrdlicka said they’re privately owned, listed in the public markets and not government owned.
I don’t think the government had the full facts, and I’m surprised to hear that the basis for the decision would be to protect Qantas profits because that’s just super surprising and very disappointing if that was the case.
Updated
Virgin Australia CEO: Joyce claims of market distortion ‘a bit of a nonsense’
The chief executive of Virgin Australia, Jayne Hrdlicka, just spoke to ABC RN.
It comes after the outgoing Qantas chief executive, Alan Joyce, appeared before a public hearing of the select committee on the cost of living. You can read our full report on the hearing by Elias Visontay here:
During the hearing, Joyce defended Qantas’ lobbying of the government to reject a request from Qatar Airways to fly an additional 21 weekly services into Australia’s four major airports beyond the 28 it currently operates.
Speaking to ABC RN, Hrdlicka said seats need to be added where demand exists, and in Australia, this sits in the major capital cities:
That’s where the seats need to come, and that’s what Qatar has applied for.
It’s also a bit of a nonsense to say it’s a market distortion when there’s such little capacity that’s recovered, and Qantas and Emirates together as partners have roughly 45% share to Europe over the Middle East. And Qatar today has about 23%, and without even a 2% share to their total of the capacity between between here and you’re by adding these additional services.
So there’s no market distortion that can be argued as, as a reason not to add Qatar’s flights.
Updated
Victoria bans Nazi salute, symbols and gestures in public
The Victorian government will today introduce legislation to parliament to ban the Nazi salute.
The Victorian attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, says the Summary Offences (Nazi Salute Prohibition) Bill will “send a clear message that Nazi ideology and the hatred it represents is not tolerated in Victoria”:
Victorians have zero tolerance for the glorification of hateful ideology. We’re making sure people who use these symbols and gestures to harass, intimidate and incite hate are held accountable for their cowardly behaviour. While we wish making these laws wasn’t necessary, we will always tackle antisemitism, hatred and racism head-on – because all Victorians deserve to feel accepted, safe and included.
Once passed, anyone who displays or performs a Nazi symbol or gesture in public will face penalties of up to $23,000, 12 months jail or both.
Anything that closes resembles a Nazi symbol or gesture will also be covered by the laws, to ensure those who deliberately try to circumvent the ban will be captured.
Exceptions, however, will apply if the performance or display of a Nazi symbol or gesture is done in good faith for a “genuine academic, artistic, educational or scientific purpose”, or in the course of publishing a fair and accurate report of any matter that is in the public interest.
While the offence will not prohibit the trade or sale of historical memorabilia, traders will need to cover any Nazi symbols or gestures on items that are publicly displayed.
The legislation will come into effect immediately after passing parliament, with police given the power to direct a person to remove a Nazi symbol or gesture from public display, and to arrest and lay charges.
The legislation was fast-tracked after a group of neo-Nazis crashed a Melbourne rally in March and performed the Nazi salute on the steps of parliament.
Tasmania earlier this month became the first Australian jurisdiction to ban the Nazi salute.
Updated
7.0 earthquake hits Bali Sea, no tsunami threat anticipated
The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed there is no tsunami threat to Australia after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Bali Sea region of Indonesia on Tuesday:
No #tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 7.0 #earthquake near Bali Sea. Latest advice at https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/iA5CbBtdPi
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) August 28, 2023
Updated
WWF Australia calls on NSW government to stop logging in greater glider habitat
The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Australia is calling on the NSW government to stop Forestry Corporation NSW from logging one of the last known remaining strongholds of the greater glider, an endangered marsupial species.
As Guardian Australia’s environment editor Adam Morton reported, WWF and Wilderness Australia have written separately to the environment minister, Penny Sharpe, and the state Environment Protection Authority, calling on them to stop the logging and order an independent scientific survey of area:
In a statement, WWF conservation scientist Dr Kita Ashman said greater glider numbers have declined by up to 80% in the last 20 years due to land clearing, logging and climate change impacts.
In most other places where greater gliders were once abundant they are disappearing. To know this habitat is being logged is extremely upsetting.
… Aside from directly impacting the local population of greater gliders, the logging threatens the viability of the research that has been underway to protect the species.
Updated
Ministers announce air and missile defence projects worth $765m
The Albanese government has announced two air and missile defence capability projects, as part of implementing the recommendations of the defence strategic review.
A statement from the defence minister, Richard Marles, and the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, says the government has committed $765m to deliver the joint air battle management system – the second tranche of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar program.
The defence strategic review outlines that an “enhanced, all-domain integrated” air and missile defence capability is “critical in the face of Australia’s evolving strategic circumstances”, the statement reads.
[The joint air battle management system] will provide greater situational awareness of advanced air and missile threats and increased interoperability with international partners.
Conroy said:
I’m pleased to say today’s announcement will create a significant number of high-skilled secure defence industry jobs, boosting the local economy.
Updated
NT Osprey crash site operation begins third day as bodies not yet recovered
The bodies of three US marines killed in an aircraft crash are yet to be retrieved as emergency services begin the third day of a complex recovery mission, AAP reports.
Twenty US marines were transferred to Royal Darwin hospital on Sunday after a military exercise turned to tragedy when their Osprey plunged to the ground on remote Melville Island, 80km north of Darwin.
A large-scale rescue operation has been under way since the weekend to find the bodies of the three soldiers and return them to their families in the US.
The crash site was still covered in smoke and emergency responders were wearing breathing masks as they trawled through the rubble on Monday afternoon.
Of the 20 hospitalised marines, three remain for treatment with one in critical condition in intensive care.
Emergency services plan to be at the site for more than a week as they work through what led to the fatal incident.
NT police commissioner Michael Murphy said:
This recovery and investigation will be prolonged, enduring and complex.
We are planning to be at the crash site for at least 10 days.
Updated
Good morning and happy Tuesday! Many thanks to Martin Farrer for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you on the blog today.
If you see something you think needs attention on the blog, send me an email: emily.wind.casual@theguardian.com.
Let’s get started.
Queensland leads wage growth
Queensland leads the nation in advertised salary growth, as the industrial umpire’s award wage decision flows through, AAP reports.
The latest research by Seek shows advertised salaries rose by 0.4% in July, slightly higher than the rises across April to June.
Over the year, advertised salaries rose by 4.6%, up from 4.5% in the year to June.
“Advertised salary growth remains solid,” Seek senior economist Matt Cowgill said.
“The Fair Work Commission’s decision to raise award wages by 5.75% was likely a contributing factor here – but it’s notable that the most award-reliant industries, such as hospitality and tourism, didn’t see particularly strong growth.”
Queensland advertised salaries were up 5.3% over the year, following a growth trend that began in 2021.
The territories are lagging, with 3.7% advertised salary growth in the Australian Capital Territory and 2.5% in the Northern Territory.
The largest rises by industry were in insurance and superannuation (up 9.2%), community services (6.7%) and trades and services (5.9%).
The slowest growth was recorded in government (0.9% year-on-year), continuing a trend of slow public sector growth.
Updated
Albanese to speak in Perth
Anthony Albanese will speak in Perth this morning as he warms up for the announcement of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum date expected in Adelaide tomorrow.
South Australia and Tasmania are seen as swing states critical for the yes campaign to achieve a four-state majority in the referendum, with Western Australia and Queensland widely tipped to vote no.
The prime minister will address a breakfast meeting hosted by Seven.
Albanese called on Australians to be informed about the proposal and constitutional change as opponents push the slogan: if you don’t know, vote no.
Those spearheading the no campaign are painting the push to enshrine an Indigenous consultative body in the constitution as legally risky and divisive.
“It’s no different from prior to marriage equality ... the fear campaigns have not been realised just as the fear campaigns on the apology to the stolen generation have also not been realised,” Albanese said.
It comes as former Coalition foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop told a yes event in Perth that a no vote would. “send a very negative message to the world”.
“It’s not a front-of-mind issue for most people, but I know that Australia’s international reputation can be affected by a no vote. I have no doubt that it would be sending a very negative message about the openness, and the empathy, and the respect and responsibility that the Australian people have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
China claims to be ‘protecting’ Yang Hengjun
In Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, was asked at the department’s daily press conference about our story on the detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun.
He says he has a kidney problem which could kill him if he does not receive the proper treatment.
The man from the ministry was asked if he had any comment but his answer did not address the issue of the medical treatment, and instead repeated what he said was China’s previous position of “respecting” rights.
Wang Wenbin said:
We have repeatedly made clear China’s position on this individual case. We would like to stress again that China is a country under the rule of law. The Chinese judicial authorities try cases in strict accordance with the law.
They fully protect the legal rights of the individual concerned and respect and safeguard Australia’s consular rights including the right to visit.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’m bringing you the top stories this morning before my colleague Emily Wind takes the reins.
When a 64-year-old woman from south-eastern New South Wales was admitted to her local hospital the resultant discovery of the source of her pain was, to say the least, unexpected: doctors found a 8cm-long parasitic roundworm “alive and wriggling” in her brain in a case believed to be a world first.
A NSW government agency has been accused by conservationists of allowing a logging operation that is “smashing into the middle” of a forest that was home to a large population of greater gliders, an endangered marsupial species. Now they are calling on ministers to stop the logging in the 1,800-hectare site south of Canberra.
Anthony Albanese will speak in Perth this morning as he warms up for the announcement of the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum date expected in Adelaide tomorrow. It comes as former Coalition foreign minister Julie Bishop told a yes event in Perth that a no vote would “send a very negative message to the world”.
And China has spoken about detained Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who recently revealed he has an untreated medical condition, claiming to “fully protect the legal rights of the individual concerned”.
Updated
