What we learned today, Friday 31 July
That’s where we’ll leave things for the day. Thanks for reading. Here are today’s top stories:
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The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption Operation Rosny held another day of hearings, with evidence given that a group of young conservative Liberal power brokers accused of soliciting illegal donations used some of the funds to pay for a bucks night.
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The London-headquartered HSBC confirmed it will close all Australian branches over the next 18 months after selling its local mortgage and personal loan portfolio to the global asset giant Blackstone.
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Integrity expert Geoffrey Watson SC appeared before the Queensland inquiry into the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) where he defended his report into Victoria’s building industry and its allegations against underworld figure Mike Gatto.
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David Gibson, who was discharged from the military in 1989 because he was bisexual and chair of GLBTI Rights in Ageing, said it was time for the prime minister to issue an apology to service personnel who experienced discrimination at the hands of the Australian Defence Force.
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A funeral was held for Layla Jeffery almost a month after her body was discovered in Victorian bushland, with the teen remembered as shy but confident, and sassy but considerate.
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A three-year investigation into one of Australia’s worst bus crashes handed down its report, finding that the 10 fatalities in the Hunter Valley in 2023 could have been reduced with better protections for ejected passengers.
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And a Queensland driver was fined after being involved in a stunning crash in which a car became airborne and then stuck in the side of a bus in Brisbane.
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Teen Layla Jeffery remembered at funeral service in rural Victoria
Layla Jeffery has been remembered at her funeral as shy but confident, sassy but considerate, almost a month after her body was discovered in bushland, AAP reports.
Jeffery, 13, was discovered dead near Donald, in Victoria’s rural west, on 9 July after she left home five days earlier.
A boy, 16, has since been charged with murder.
Mourners filed into Donald Memorial Hall for her service this afternoon.
Many wore black hoodies and Hello Kitty accessories, Layla’s favourite clothes.
Her mother, Tahlia, wore a pair of fleece-lined tartans Layla had ordered, but never got to open.
Layla’s aunt, Kaitlyn Cheyne, told mourners her niece was “something of a paradox”. She said:
She often disliked being perceived and liked to simply exist quietly alongside those she loved most.
She was both shy and confident in many different ways; funny, sassy, kind, generous, stylish, sweet, cheeky, loving and considerate.
I could go on and on and on, but it would still never be enough words to express the depth of her character, or the loss we are all feeling.
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H5 bird flu detection in seagull ‘significantly widens’ geographical spread of virus, experts say
BirdLife Australia says the suspected detection of H5 bird flu in a seagull in South Australia “significantly widens the area across which the virus can be spread”.
The South Australian government said this morning state tests returned a suspected positive result for H5 bird flu in a silver gull – or seagull – found at Robe on the Limestone Coast. Samples have been sent to the CSIRO for verification.
Seagulls are one of Australia’s most common birds.
BirdLife said the development increased the risk the disease would spread into new places – including wetlands, inland or urban areas. Gulls are highly mobile, gather in large flocks, mix with other species, and are known to scavenge on carcasses.
BirdLife national affairs adviser Sean Dooley said:
The reason silver gulls elevate our concern is that they move around far more widely than greater crested terns.
That broadens the area across which the virus could appear next.
He said governments and communities would need to be extra vigilant in more places and “targeted surveillance will need to broaden beyond the coastline”.
What we’re seeing now suggests very strongly that we’re at the beginning of a long and difficult fight against a virus that has decimated wildlife populations overseas.
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Icac hears of friendship breakdown between members of Reformers
Returning to the Icac’s Operation Rosny, the inquiry has heard this afternoon about how relationships between some members of the conservative right factional Liberal group the Reformers began to break down.
That includes the friendship between today’s witness, Robert Assaf, and Christian Ellis, who yesterday we heard had founded the Reformers together in 2017 after forming a strong bond while working on the No campaign for the same-sex marriage plebiscite.
Assaf said he later came to distrust Ellis, including in relation to the payment of finder’s fees to him for finding Ellis new clients.
Ellis ran Beckington, a registered lobbyist set up by the group, which allegedly took on funds under the guise of consulting services to support branch-stacking efforts, including from schools governing body Catholic Schools NSW, Beckington’s first client in 2019.
The inquiry heard that in 2021 Catholic Schools NSW CEO, Dallas McInerney, allegedly wanted to end the relationship with Beckington. Assaf said he gave the following advice to McInerney on multiple occasions in an attempt to keep payments flowing to a different company, run by Reformer Jeremy Greenwood.
He told the inquiry the advice “would have been something like”:
Christian’s a liar. He’s greedy. I don’t trust him, and I’m not sure he’s doing much for you at the moment. Jeremy seems to be picking up most of the slack. Jeremy’s starting his own company up, you may want to consider going to Jeremy.
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Victorian teachers vote to strike for third time this year in pay dispute
Victorian teachers will walk off the job for a third time in five months after negotiations stalled in their bitter pay and conditions dispute with the state government, AAP reports.
Earlier today, the Australian Education Union announced a 24-hour stop work action in Victorian state schools on 19 August after an internal meeting.
Unless the parties can come to an agreement, it will be the state’s third major teachers’ strike this year.
The most recent strike took place on 23 July, with school gates locked across Victoria as 20,000 educators descended on Melbourne’s CBD to demand better pay and working conditions.
The statewide strike took place a week after Victorian union members narrowly rejected a revised government pay offer.
The deal, which was opposed by 51.8%, would have increased pay for teachers and support staff by at least 28.3% over four years, with an increase of 12.75% by October this year.
The newly minted Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, who served as education minister under former leader Jacinta Allan, argued the latest rejected pitch was a “watershed moment for education” that would have made Victorian teachers the best paid in Australia.
The president of the Victorian branch of the teachers’ union, Justin Mullaly, said negotiations with the government had not progressed since the last pay offer was put on the table on 17 July.
Mullaly acknowledged the latest pay offer was “significant”, but said it was not enough to meet the needs of overworked, underpaid educators.
He said:
Only three-in-10 teachers are saying they’ll stick around until retirement.
That’s no good for our public education, that’s no good for our children and young people that we teach.
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Sloane has previously declined to provide running commentary on Icac’s hearings after other current shadow ministers were named during hearings, but Rath’s admission relates to conduct prior to the current inquiry.
In a statement today, she said:
I have spoken with Chris directly. I have expressed my disappointment about what occurred and made it clear to him the standards I expect of every member of my team. Those standards are high, and I expect them to be upheld at all times.
I respect the Parliament’s processes. It is not appropriate for me to simply substitute my own judgment years later for the findings and sanctions imposed by the Parliament after it had considered all the facts.
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NSW opposition leader backs minister linked to Reformers
The NSW Liberal leader, Kellie Sloane, has backed in a minister who has been linked to the conservative rightwing factional group called the Reformers, which is being investigated under Icac’s Operation Rosny.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that NSW Liberal shadow planning minister, Chris Rath, had been captured by wire tap helping members of the Reformers evade summons to appear before a 2023 parliamentary inquiry which preceded the Icac’s Operation Rosny inquiry.
In a statement, Rath, who later recused himself from the committee, said he was “apologetic” for the incident, which had been dealt with by the NSW Privileges Committee, which had issued him a caution.
Rath said in the statement:
This Inquiry commenced in the highly politically charged context of an election campaign, and at the time I didn’t comprehend the gravity of the allegations.
As resolved by the Labor majority Privileges Committee, the Clerk reminded me of my obligations, and I was, and am, apologetic. No further action was taken.
I am not under investigation by ICAC, nor have I been called as a witness to the inquiry or asked to provide any evidence.
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Hi, I hope you’re having a nice Friday. I’ll take it from here.
That’s it for me. Catie McLeod will pick up the blog from here. Take care!
Safety failings compounded deadly wedding bus crash
Fatalities in one of Australia’s worst bus crashes could have been reduced with better protections for ejected passengers, a three-year investigation has found.
AAP reports 10 mostly young wedding guests were killed in a bus tip-over at a roundabout in Greta in the NSW Hunter Valley in 2023, with a further 25 injured.
Driver Brett Andrew Button, 60, received a decades-long prison sentence for his role in the crash, as he was under the influence of an opioid painkiller and driving too fast at the time.
The Office of Transport Safety Investigations on Friday handed down an investigation report into the crash. Chief investigator Jim Modrouvanos said Button should not have been behind the wheel on the night of the crash, but added passenger protection systems had not worked effectively.
He said not all passengers wore seatbelts fitted in the coach and they were not issued with a pre-trip safety warning as was company policy.
Modrouvanos delivered 41 recommendations in total, and government regulators, operators and organisations have accepted wholly or in principle the 34 recommendations relevant to them.
They included strengthening medication management, developing a centralised driver performance system, increasing seatbelt management and a review of minimum rollover-protection requirements.
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Trial for mother and daughter over alleged Islamic State ties
Two accused women with links to Islamic State have been committed to stand trial as their cases are fast-tracked to the supreme court, AAP reports.
Kawsar Ahmad, 54, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, appeared in Melbourne magistrates court via video link on Friday as they entered their “not guilty” pleas.
The two women were charged with slavery offences in May after returning to Australia with other family members of former Islamic State fighters.
It’s alleged Kawsar migrated to the Middle Eastern country to join IS with her husband, Mohammed, Zeinab and their other children about January 2015. It’s alleged while in Syria in 2017, Mohammed bought a teenage girl as a slave for $US10,000.
The two women each made a bid for bail in June but only Kawsar was successful, with a magistrate finding she posed a very low risk to the community. Kawsar’s bail was extended to her supreme court date, with conditions including a prohibition from attending any mosques to continue.
Zeinab was refused bail because there was no compelling evidence she had renounced the terrorist group. She was remanded in custody after not making any further bail applications.
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Icac witness describes being ‘hangry’ before lunchtime break
The NSW Icac’s hearings have resumed after a break for lunch. Just before lunch, the Icac presiding commissioner, Fabian Gleeson, who has frequently intervened during Reformer Robert Assaf’s evidence today, told Assaf he had become “a bit argumentative in your response”.
“I believe they call that hangry commissioner,” Assaf said.
Gleeson said:
I’m not aware of what young people’s speak is these days, Mr Assaf. What I’d like you to do is to sit there, concentrate and answer a further question which council assisting has, and then we’ll adjourn. Understand?
The commission heard how Assaf, 30, came to be employed in communications at Catholic Schools NSW, the governing body for 600 schools in the state, in 2019, alongside Reformers associate Dylan Whitelaw, who gave evidence earlier in the week.
The Catholic Schools NSW chief executive, Dallas McInerney, is alleged to have arranged and approved payments to the Reformers to support branch stacking efforts through registered lobbyist Beckington, where Whitelaw later came to be employed.
Under intense questioning before lunch from counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, Assaf admitted that he knew that money being paid to Beckington was to fund work that Whitelaw was doing for the Reformers. “I knew that, yes,” Assaf said.
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Australia’s golden sprinters speak out on cycling defector: ‘Good riddance’
Leigh Hoffman has bade Matt Richardson good riddance after Australia’s gold medal in the team sprint on day one of the Commonwealth Games track cycling program, AAP reports.
Teammate Ryan Elliott also joked they had cleared Hoffman as their leader, checking his passport to make sure he will stay in the Australian program. While expressing sympathy for Richardson after a recent nasty race crash in Japan, his former teammates finally spoke freely about the shock defection.
Their big win over England was one of Australia’s three cycling gold medals at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, along with the women’s team pursuit and para-cyclist Tara Neyland.
But England gained some revenge for the Paris Olympics, beating Australia in the men’s team pursuit final. Two years ago, Australia narrowly downed Great Britain in a pulsating ride-off for gold. Soon after Paris, Richardson stunned the sport by switching allegiances to Great Britain.
Read more here:
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Toyota becomes airborne and then wedges in side of Brisbane bus
A Queensland driver has been fined after being involved in a stunning crash that saw a car become airborne and then stuck in the side of a bus.
The drama unfolded at Rocklea in Brisbane’s south on Wednesday evening. A blue Toyota Yaris hit a traffic island and was catapulted into the air before smashing into the side of the council bus. The back of the car was left protruding from the bus.
Watch below:
Continuing on from last post …
Assaf is then read a message sent to the group by former Liberal staffer Dylan Whitelaw in which he allegedly wrote:
Dallas has told me he got the commitment from Angus, the 15k injection plus a 3k monthly donation!
Assaf says he recalls the message but does not recall any donation being made by anyone in the Liberal party to the order of $15,000 and the monthly amount, “because it never happened … to my memory, like to my access of what I had access to, I never saw the money’.
Assaf concedes to counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC he did not have direct access to the account of former registered lobbyist Beckington, set up by the Reformers.
Dwyer: “So you don’t know whether or not additional money came into Beckington’s account, as injected by any other politicians, do you?”
Assaf: “I do not.”
Taylor, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, has today again denied he ever made payments to the group.
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‘I don’t think Angus worked out’: Icac witness does not recall opposition leader making donations
Icac’s Operation Rosny has again returned to the question of federal opposition leader’s Angus Taylor knowledge and support for conservative right factional group the Reformers.
Reformers member Robert Assaf has been read a message from Catholic Schools chief executive, Dallas McInerney, which he screenshotted and sent to the Reformers group chat, in which McInerney wrote:
I have breakfast club with ministers this Thursday morning, who can I get an update from? Re SCD [state council delegate] progress in the last six to 12 months. I want to shake down Angus for 10k.
Assaf says he remembers the message, and he says he thinks the ministers included former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and current NSW Liberal MP Anthony Roberts. Asked if the update McInerney requested was for the purpose of “shaking down” Taylor, he says: “I don’t know about that. I don’t think Angus ever went anywhere.”
Asked if Taylor made a donation, he says: “I don’t think Angus worked out … I don’t recall any minister ever giving us money.”
Taylor, Roberts and Perrottet are not accused of any wrongdoing.
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Governor general Sam Mostyn on the ‘growing catastrophe’ in our democracy – Australian Politics podcast
Two years into her role representing King Charles, Australia’s head of state, the governor general, Sam Mostyn, says she has observed a “woeful lack of understanding” among the adult population about the civic underpinnings of Australia’s democracy – beginning with the constitution.
Mostyn speaks to our political editor, Tom McIlroy, at Admiralty House in Sydney about her decision to focus on a wide-ranging civics education for modern Australia, to address the “growing catastrophe” that undermines democratic participation.
Take a listen:
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Penny Wong welcomes Trump’s Gaza peace announcement
The Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, welcomed the White House’s announcement that a peace plan for Gaza has been agreed, saying the Albanese government wanted to see the reconstruction of the Palestinian territory.
But Wong said Australia also wanted to see more detail about the US announcement.
The US president, Donald Trump, on Thursday announced an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas, calling it a critical step toward a new Palestinian government in Gaza. There was no immediate statement from Hamas or Israel on the agreement.
In a statement, Wong said Australia “wants to see the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, which has been endorsed by the United Nations Security Council”.
We have been clear that Hamas must disarm and play no role in the State of Palestine and we welcome any progress towards this outcome.
Wong went on to say there was still “a long road to recovery in Gaza, securing long-term peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and building a successful Palestinian state that delivers for the Palestinian people”.
Australia continues to work with partners to respond to the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza and to push for the free flow of aid. Together with our partners, Australia will continue to do what we can to contribute to a just and enduring two-state solution.
We thank the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye for their ongoing work to advance the agreement and look forward to receiving further detail on this announcement.
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Calls for Labor MP Luke Gosling to stand down from special envoy role
Prominent politicians have called for Labor MP Luke Gosling to step down from his special envoy role after assault charges, Australian Associated Press reports.
The member for the Darwin-based seat of Solomon was charged on Thursday over allegations he assaulted the NT administrator, David Connolly, earlier in July.
Gosling, 54, has been charged with two counts of assault.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said he should stand aside from his role as special envoy for defence, veterans’ affairs and northern Australia until legal proceedings had concluded. Senator McKenzie told News 24:
It’s an important part of our democracy of keeping integrity within our Westminster system that the prime minister does do the right thing and stand Mr Gosling aside until his name is cleared or until the matter is dealt with in court.
Liberal senator James Paterson on Thursday also said he hoped Gosling would move aside.
The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, would not be drawn on whether her colleague should move aside from his role. She told Channel Nine:
As you can appreciate, because the matter is before the court, I’m limited in what I can say.
The commentary around this matter needs to be handled very seriously.
In a statement after his arrest, he said: ‘These are ridiculous allegations that I categorically deny”.
I’ve had no dealings with the administrator since congratulating him following the announcement of his appointment late last year.
Gosling’s lawyer, Marty Aust, on Thursday said the charges were “completely and utterly denied and will be contested”.
Read more here:
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Ben Carroll appoints new head of Department of Premier and Cabinet
The new Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, has announced the appointment of Chris Barrett to head the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
The move means the current department secretary, Jeremi Moule, will leave the role. Moule was appointed by former premier Daniel Andrews during the Covid-19 pandemic and retained by his successor, Jacinta Allan, when she became leader in September 2023.
Barrett is currently secretary of the Department of Treasury and Finance and will step down from that position to take up the new role. Carroll said Barrett would begin at the DPC on Monday, adding: “I look forward to working with him to deliver a new direction for Victoria.”
Barret’s appointment is another sign of the shift underway under Carroll’s leadership. As we wrote this morning, Carroll is a member of Labor’s right – and is the MP from the faction to lead the party in Victoria since 2010.
His leadership is expected to place a greater emphasis on economic management and fiscal restraint, and the decision to appoint the state’s Treasury chief to lead the DPC reinforces this.
More here on the factional shift under way in Victoria:
AFP says Pauline Hanson’s remarks about Muslims ‘do not meet the threshold’ for offences of hate speech laws
The Australian Federal Police said senator Pauline Hanson’s remarks earlier this year about Muslims “do not meet the threshold for relevant offences” of hate speech laws.
The AFP said in February it had received reported concerns about Hanson’s remarks after the senator asked on Sky News: “You say, ‘Well, there’s good Muslims out there.’ How can you tell me there are good Muslims?”
AFP officials said this morning it received several complaints following Hanson’s appearance on Sky. But, a spokesperson said:
The AFP has determined the comments do not meet the threshold for relevant offences, including within the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Act 2026.
The AFP has finalised this matter.
Reformers member tells Icac hearing he used factional funds to pay for bucks night
Returning to the NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny, Reformers member Robert Assaf is being quizzed over funding arrangements for the group.
In an often tense exchange with counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC he has been asked about the decision to move alleged payments to the Reformers from a bank account in the group’s name to Beckington, a registered lobbyist set up by the Reformers.
Assaf says the arrangement was to create “to the maximum benefit from a tax perspective because I think … we weren’t a registered charity, so it’s not tax deductible to donate to the Reformers bank account”.
Dwyer says: “That’s an explanation that you thought of overnight. Is that right?”
Assaf has also admitted to temporarily using payments to the Reformers to fund his or another Reformers’ bucks night. In a WhatsApp exchange in August 2020, Reformer Jean-Claude Perrottet wrote “Rob has the bucks cash coming back”.
Asked what this means, Assaf says:
I think you recall I referred to us being immature and young, using the account as an advance on our personal expenditure. This was one of those moments where we, I think, we had booked a venue for either my buck’s or [Reformer Christian Ellis’] buck’s. It required an upfront payment. I think it was cancelled maybe because of Covid, one of them, so it was waiting for it to get reimbursed.
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Taylor refused to answer multiple questions about Reformers payments, saying he won’t give ‘running commentary’
The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, is speaking in Western Australia.
He declined to answer any questions about any donations to the Reformers, a group of hard-right Liberal operatives that plotted to take over the party from the inside.
Taylor said:
No payment was made. I’m not going to give a running commentary on this … I have answered your questions and I answered the question several days ago. If you have another question I am happy to take it.
Taylor is not accused of wrongdoing.
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Dominic Perrottet’s brother to appear before Icac next week
Icac has also revealed the list of witnesses for next week. The first witness on Monday will be NSW upper house Liberal Damien Tudehope, whose name has come up frequently in hearings so far.
Many of the Reformers worked as staffers in Tudehope’s office, and Tudehope gave frequent talks at Reformers recruitment events. His former business partner Michael O’Hara, who the inquiry heard is alleged to have made illegal donations, was the inquiry’s first witness but has disputed whether his payments to the Reformers counted as political donations.
Tudehope, who has stood aside from his shadow cabinet roles during the inquiry, is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Next week’s witnesses also include Reformers members Jean-Claude Perrottet and Jeremy Greenwood. Yesterday the inquiry heard that Jean-Claude, the younger brother of former premier Dominic Perrottet, allegedly paid for memberships as part of branch-stacking efforts, forbidden under Liberal party rules. Dominic Perrottet is not accused of any wrongdoing. Jean-Claude has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Also appearing next week is businessman Frits Maré, a key witness at a 2023 parliamentary inquiry that preceded Icac’s inquiry. At that inquiry, Maré described being asked by members of the Reformers to contribute $50,000 to an operation to unseat Alex Hawke, the Liberal federal MP for Mitchell.
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Icac resumes as next week’s witnesses revealed
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Operation Rosny hearings have resumed this morning.
The inquiry is investigating whether a group known as the Reformers allegedly solicited or accepted illegal donations to recruit or renew members to the party – a practice known as “branch stacking”. The group wanted more conservative policies on same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia.
Yesterday’s witness, Reformers member Robert Assaf, is giving evidence again. Yesterday morning counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer, quizzed Assaf about federal opposition leader Angus Taylor’s knowledge of the Reformers activity, saying she would return to this later in evidence.
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eSafety study sees decline in teens’ social media accounts, but no behaviour changes
The first report from the long-term study eSafety commissioned to track the progress of the under 16s social media ban has reported a decline in children aged between 10 and 15 holding a social media account in the first three months since the ban came into effect in December from 52.4% to 42.1%.
The study found, however, that many children retained their accounts after three months, and were using social media just as much as before, which the regulator blames on “ineffective implementation” of age assurance technology.
Most platforms included in the ban saw a decline in children reporting having accounts, however, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok reported the highest percentages of children still on the platforms.
Just over half (50.2%) of children still on social media in the study reported that the platforms had not asked them to confirm their age, while 18.2% reported their age had been incorrectly estimated. More children reported they had listed their ages as 16 or above to bypass the restriction (37.1%).
The report found that most children reported “little to no change” in offline activities or “potentially problematic behaviour” such as going without eating or sleeping or spending less time with family and friends due to being online.
And there was little change in family dynamics.
Some children shifted to messaging more (52.3% up from 40.5%) or playing online games (29% up from 26.4%).
Suspected H5 bird flu detected in seagull in South Australia
A seagull, one of Australia’s most common coastal birds, has been found with suspected deadly bird flu in South Australia.
The SA government said state tests returned a suspected positive result for H5 bird flu in the silver gull found at Robe on the Limestone coast. Samples have been sent to the CSIRO for verification.
The CSIRO also confirmed overnight that four birds at Kangaroo Island – one at Seal Bay and three at D’Estrees Bay – announced as suspect detections on Wednesday were confirmed positive.
There have now been 19 confirmed positive H5 bird flu cases in SA. A further 21 suspect cases are awaiting verification.
Jack Gough, the chief executive of the Invasive Species Council, said:
This is a significant step change in the scale of impact. We’ re now seeing multiple species at multiple sites. People are going to start seeing this in birds they recognise and connect to.
Politicians should be aware of how quickly public sentiment on environmental issues could shift.
Separately, the Victorian government said state tests had returned a positive result for bird flu in a second greater crested tern found at Portland. One case in a greater crested tern at Portland was confirmed on Thursday.
A Victorian government spokesperson said the second greater crested tern was reported by a community member. They said samples were undergoing confirmatory testing at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
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Albanese goes on one week of leave
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is taking a week of leave, his office has announced, with Richard Marles acting in his stead.
“The Prime Minister will be on leave from Friday 31 July until Thursday 6 August 2026,” reads a statement posted on Albanese’s website.
During this time, the Deputy Prime Minister will be Acting Prime Minister.
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Gina Rinehart responds after report she lobbied to move 2032 Olympic rowing to crocodile-inhabited river
Gina Rinehart has responded to a report yesterday that she had lobbied for a controversial plan to move the 2032 Olympic rowing events to the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, a natural habitat for saltwater crocodiles.
The Guardian’s Ben Smee reports the decision prompted significant backlash.
A spokesperson for Hancock Prospecting said in a statement yesterday:
Mrs Rinehart has also for decades been a huge champion of regional Australia and her insights expressed in the letter were done so for the reason of outlining the benefits hosting Olympic events would bring to a regional town like Rockhampton. Too often regional towns are forgotten.
Given that Mrs Rinehart is also the Patron of Rowing Australia, has been involved in the sport for many years, and she knows Queensland well, so it’s hardly surprising that she would offer insight on this matter, as other similar sporting representatives also did.
To suggest she has done so for any ulterior motive or to gain any kind of personal benefit is completely false!
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Conservationists say massive marine park expansion ‘a win’ for the ocean
Marine conservationists have said a federal government plan to massively expand marine park areas around two remote islands will be a win for the ocean.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, has announced this morning the government wants to add an area almost 10 times the size of Tasmania to marine parks around Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island that would ban fishing and mining.
Fiona Maxwell, oceans manager at Pew Charitable Trusts, said the proposal “represents a huge step forward in protecting Australia’s extraordinary marine life”.
Paul Gamblin, the chief executive of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said the step would “safeguard these underwater wonderlands” but the action needed to be replicated across federal waters.
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Proposal to add area almost 10 times size of Tasmania to two remote marine parks
The Albanese government wants to ban fishing and mining from an extra 671,500 square kilometres of ocean around Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island – an area almost 10 times the size of Tasmania.
The proposal is part of a review of 44 marine parks and, if it survives the current consultation period unscathed, would see the government reach its target to have at least 30% of Australia’s ocean estate in highly protected marine park zones by 2030.
The government said the two marine parks, hundreds of kilometres off Australia’s east coast, were ecologically significant as they supported a mix of cool and tropical marine habitats and were important corridors for migratory seabirds, cetaceans, fish and sharks.
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Acclaimed rock music journalist Glenn Baker dead at 74
Glenn Baker, an Australian music journalist and rock historian, has died at the age of 74, his longtime friend and collaborator said this morning.
A tribute posted to Baker’s Facebook page this morning reads:
Glenn’s contribution to the Australian rock ’n’ roll music landscape was immense, but his family remembers him as a loving father of six and grandfather of thirteen. Glenn’s passion for music, travel, food and his family (still not entirely sure of the order) was, like his personality, larger than life.
Baker’s son, Orson, told The Sydney Morning Herald this morning his father had an “amazing life”.
He was so deeply involved in the music industry that we are talking about a man who absolutely had a life fully lived.
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Rose Davies makes history in Australian 5,000m one-two at Commonwealth Games
In the fading Glasgow light, the two fluorescent yellow figures powered around the final bend of the 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games, leaving the rest of the field behind.
Megan Keith, the young Scot who had broken the field apart with a mile to go, could not keep up. Behind her was Kenya’s last hope of making it six 5,000m women’s golds in a row, Caroline Nyaga, as well as Ugandan Esther Chebet and England’s Hannah Nuttall. All of them, now irrelevant.
Australian Rose Davies had stayed within this leading group for the entire race, before surging past Keith with 200m to go. History was in her grasp: a woman had never done the 10,000m-5,000m double at the Commonwealth Games.
Read more here:
Parents of Australian facing possible death penalty in Syria disappointed with government action so far
The parents of an Australian man facing the possible death penalty in Syria spoke to the ABC last night, saying diplomatic efforts to aid their son had not been fruitful.
Patrick Stevenson, 20, has been detained for seven months over the alleged shooting death of another Australian, Abdullah Glen Charles Burgess in December.
Angela Bell, Stevenson’s mother, told the ABC she was disappointed in her dealings with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) so far.
Bell told ABC’s 7.30 program:
They say … that their policy is that he shouldn’t have been travelling to Syria … and that’s where the conversation gets stuck. They use the word ‘limited’ a lot. They don’t use the word failure, but basically the sense is they … have limited capacity to help in this situation.
Bell said she hadn’t seen a “single document” detailing the charges against her son, and there was “no access” to him.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday while legal processes would “take their course overseas”, the government was providing support for Stevenson’s family.
Australia has no embassy or consulate in Syria.
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eSafety commissioner says court action against Telegram ‘very significant’
Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety commissioner, spoke to the ABC this morning after yesterday’s court action against Telegram over its alleged failure to detect and remove pro-terror material from its platform.
Inman Grant said she believes the effort is “very significant” and comes amid a “heightened moment in terms of our security”. She told RN Breakfast:
The scars are still very raw around Bondi. … These are platforms – and they may be doing more content moderation and we would encourage that – but not to the degree that Australian law requires them to.
The eSafety commissioner added the government had engaged with Telegram for two years, the first six months of which “they refused to engage with us at all”.
This is just upping the ante and it’s much more serious. And if they don’t comply when the court finds, or if the court finds against them, then they’ll be in contempt.
Telegram has rejected the allegations and says it will contest them in court. Inman Grant said the government is ready for that effort, saying the case had been made to make it “very difficult for them to challenge”.
Governor general warns of ‘growing catastrophe’ that threatens to undermine democracy in Australia
Australia faces a “growing catastrophe” from poor understanding of the country’s constitutional foundation, the governor general, Sam Mostyn, has warned as attacks on institutions and threats against elected officials undermine democratic participation.
Two years after her appointment as King Charles’s representative in Canberra, and as she brings a modern touch to the role of vice regal, Mostyn said that knowledge of how the country’s system of government operates was in steady decline and better civics education was needed.
“Where I see the most woeful lack of understanding … the basic understanding of the tenets of our democracy, is in the adult population,” Mostyn said.
Read more here:
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Icac revelations have left Angus Taylor’s colleagues anxious – and his factional enemies angry
After the opening days of an inquiry exposing a dark underbelly of the New South Wales Liberals, the prevailing mood among Angus Taylor’s colleagues is one of apprehension.
The federal opposition leader is not a specific target of Operation Rosny, which is investigating allegations of corruption against people associated with the NSW branch. He is not accused of wrongdoing.
But Taylor is the highest-profile person mentioned so far – and the political figure with the most to lose.
Read more here:
Australia sends France 24 firefighters and two aircraft to tackle wildfires
Australia is sending firefighting teams to support rescue efforts in France, amid raging wildfires in Europe.
The government said a Chinook helicopter equipped with a 11,300-litre water tank and a support aircraft would be deployed, alongside 24 skilled aerial and ground crew from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
Officials said in a statement:
Together, they will support around-the-clock firefighting operations, providing much-needed relief to emergency services responding on the ground.
The wildfires in France are among the worst the country has experienced in decades, driven by multiple active fire fronts and a prolonged summer heatwave.
The NSW RFS is internationally recognised as an expert in bushfire management and represents the very best of Australian emergency management capability.
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Leaders gather for Garma festival
A children’s TV megastar, foreign dignitaries and thousands of visitors will converge on remote north-east Arnhem Land for the Garma festival, which carries the Yolŋu theme “Bukmak” – all of us, everyone, together.
The four-day celebration of Yolŋu life and culture kicks off on Friday at the Gulkula ceremonial site, about 40km from Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula, with organisers expecting between 5,500 and 6,000 people through the gates.
Foreign minister Penny Wong, education minister Jason Clare and Indigenous affairs minister Malarndirri McCarthy will be among those attending the gathering, which has become one of Australia’s most important forums for Indigenous policy and cultural exchange.
The political heavyweights will share the spotlight with Australia’s most famous blue heeler, with Bluey going bush for a special visit to Yolŋu country on Friday so families and djamarrkuli (children) can say yukurr (hello) and grab a selfie.
After dark, all five Bluey episodes translated into Yolŋu Matha by the ARDS team will roll out on the big screen, with the crew behind the dubs on hand to share the moment.
Garma is Australia’s largest Indigenous gathering, a four-day celebration of Yolŋu life and culture in remote north-east Arnhem Land.
Garma runs from Friday to Monday.
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Most Australians say they face barriers accessing dental care, survey finds
Three-quarters of the 25,000 Australians surveyed in the Australian Dental Association’s 2025 consumer survey said they faced barriers to accessing dental care, which could be forcing them to delay or avoid it.
The survey found cost was the biggest obstacle to regular dental care for young adults, but a lack of free time and reduced access to support were also factors.
Cost pressures outlined in the survey support a decades-long push to improve affordability of dental care by adding dental to Medicare.
The average cost of a dental check-up and clean in Australia last year was just below $240, according to Cleanbill’s 2025 National Dental Listings Report.
The association also says social media is driving a surge in cosmetic dental procedures.
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Indigenous community rejects $150m Fortescue payout
A legal battle involving Indigenous land rights is set to return to court after native title holders rejected a court-ordered $150m compensation payout, Australian Associated Press reports.
The federal court ordered in May that Andrew Forrest’s company Fortescue pay the Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation the sum in compensation for mining on its land without an agreement and destroying cultural sites.
Yesterday a meeting of Yindjibarndi native title body members voted unanimously to appeal the decision, in order to seek more from the miner.
Yindjibarndi Group chief executive, Michael Woodley, said:
It was a long, emotional day, which resulted in a decision by all attendees to put family and Ngurra [Country] first.
The decision represents the strong connection between Yindjibarndi People and our Ngurra, and what we hold as the key value of our community – that is, a successful future for the next generations.
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Good morning, blog readers. Nick Visser here to take the reins and guide us through Friday. Let’s get to it.
Federal, state and territories meet over reform of working with children checks
Attorneys general are meeting in Darwin on Friday to work on nationalising the working with children check – sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector.
But a fully nationalised system will only be in place under current timelines from mid-2028 – two years from now.
The Coalition in recent days has put pressure on the government’s timeline and accused it of delaying the national system.
The federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, says today the AGs will seek agreement on a baseline of criminal offences which will automatically bar a person from being granted or hold a working with children check (WWCC), and discuss minimum standards for WWCC risk assessment processes.
Rowland says:
All governments have made significant progress towards delivering a national approach to Working with Children Checks ... I am confident my state and territory colleagues will take the next big step today and agree on nationally consistent minimum standards and information sharing.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
State, territory and federal attorneys general are meeting today to discuss reform on working with children checks. The meeting has been sparked by serious allegations of safety breaches and child abuse in the childcare sector.
A farewell will be held for Layla Jeffery, 13, in Donald today. Layla went missing in July and a 16-year-old boy has been charged over her alleged murder.
And a legal battle involving Indigenous land rights is set to return to court after native title holders rejected a court-ordered $150m compensation payout.
Thanks for joining us.
