What we learned, Friday 27 February
That is where we’ll wrap up the blog for the day, but let’s recap the big stories:
RBA research found that banks’ cheaper mortgages are pushing up the cash rate.
State and federal attorneys general will meet in Sydney on Friday, with antisemitism and online hate at the top of the agenda.
Remains found in Tasmania have been provisionally identified as missing Belgian tourist Celine Cremer.
Character references will be scrapped in Victorian sentencing hearings.
NSW shadow health minister said fungus deaths at a Sydney hospital are “shocking”.
Angus Taylor said Grace Tame “got it wrong” and it’s “not good enough” that the PM could not condemn her.
SA premier warns residents to prepare for “highly unpredictable” weekend weather.
Updated
WA Police charge 20-year-old man with preparing for terrorist act
A 20-year-old man in regional Western Australia has been charged with preparing for a terrorist attack.
In a statement on Friday, the Western Australia Joint Counter Terrorism Team said they had been investigating the man’s online activities.
That led to the execution of a search warrant at a residence in the Wheatbelt.
The man was charged with acting in preparation for a terrorist act, possessing a prohibited weapon, two firearms offences and using a carriage service to menace or harass.
He is due to appear in Perth magistrates court today this afternoon.
Updated
Major hip-hop festival cancelled after local partner misses payment deadline, festival says
Major hip-hop festival Rolling Loud has been cancelled a week before it was scheduled to go ahead in Sydney and Melbourne.
The festival’s social media page said it was “disappointed” to announce the cancellation but that local promoters had failed to meet payment deadlines.
Unfortunately, our local partner, Primuse Entertainment, failed to meet critical payment deadlines and related obligations. These ongoing delays left us without the necessary guarantees so close to the event. We will not compromise the safety or experience of our fans, artists and vendors.
All ticket purchases will be entitled to a refund.
… This one hurts.
Primuse Australia said in a statement given to Rolling Stone:
We are aware of media reports regarding Rolling Loud Australia. As the local promoter, we are currently in discussion with Rolling Loud and will provide an official update as soon as possible. We ask fans to wait for confirmed information, which will be communicated directly via our official channels.
It comes as another blow to Australia’s beleaguered music festival scene, which has seen several festivals cancelled as the industry has struggled to bounce back from the pandemic hiatus due to a multitude of reasons you can read about here:
Updated
Police pre-emptively reject police watchdog findings into DV fatality
The New South Wales police have pre-emptively rejected a police watchdog investigation which criticised the police’s response to a domestic violence fatality.
Lindy Lucena was killed in January 2023 by her partner, Robert Hubner, who has since been convicted of manslaughter. Police arrived 55 minutes after a call was made warning a man was “bashing the hell out of this woman”.
Barrister Timothy Smartt, who acted as legal counsel for the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, criticised in a submission to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission’s investigation that it undertook the investigation at all.
He wrote that the police had done their best in “trying circumstances” and urged the watchdog be “careful” in its language to avoid giving the impression that Lucena’s life could have been saved if the police had responded differently.
Greens MP Sue Higginson, who referred the incident to the police watchdog, questioned police in budget estimates a short time ago over their decision to engage Smartt as their legal counsel.
She noted that Smartt had acted for Jacob Hersant, who was jailed after losing an appeal against a conviction for performing a Nazi salute. He also acted for American influencer Candace Owens in the high court after she was barred from entering Australia for Holocaust denial.
Lanyon responded:
I don’t actually know about the engagement of that barrister, but what I can say is there would be a panel of legal providers that our office of general counsel used to operate on behalf of the New South Wales police force. And, as you know, legal counsel, be they barrister, be they solicitor, appear for a range of people.
Updated
Independent MP Allegra Spender has responded to the prime minister calling Grace Tame “difficult”.
On ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Spender said Tame was wrong for saying “globalise the intifada” because it is “a dangerous and divisive statement”.
However, the MP also defended her “enormous contribution to this country”:
It feels like a lot of people just don’t believe he didn’t mean it … he should be a bit more honest about that.
I think it is a word that is used in relation to women.
She’s strident, she’s outspoken, she’s courageous.
Those are other words that the PM could have used.
Updated
As the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, confirms negative gearing changes are on the table before the May budget, the Independent MP Allegra Spender has welcomed the move.
Spender has told ABC’s Afternoon Briefing she thinks it’s a “good thing he looks at this” and believed any taxes raised must be given back as income tax cuts, particularly on wage earners.
She said the tax system needs to be “rebalanced” towards young people, so they have money in their pocket to buy their first home.
“Simplicity” should also be one of the elements the government considers, she said, warning that the tax system should not be made more complicated.
Updated
The Bangkok Post is reporting that a 58-year-old Australian tourist has died after an alleged beating in Phuket.
In response to Guardian Australia’s questions about the incident, a department of foreign affairs and trade spokesperson confirmed that they are providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Thailand.
In a statement they said they were unable to provide further details as the family has requested privacy.
We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time. They have requested privacy at this time.
Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.
Emergency services say wild weather risks remain in NSW
Despite a break in the rain, NSW SES has urged Sydney commuters to “take care”.
“Never drive, ride or walk through flood water,” said the NSW SES assistant commissioner Sean Kearns.
More than 300 SES volunteers were deployed across Sydney, responding to at least 560 incidents including flood rescues, inundated properties, leaking roofs and fallen trees.
Kearns said:
Further rainfall is forecast to continue today across Sydney and surrounding districts, including the Central Coast and Hunter regions, with additional heavy rainfall possible before conditions ease by Saturday morning.
Debris and water remains on some roads after last night’s storms and flash flooding.
Updated
How does this potential 100ml downpour compare to South Australia’s other flooding events?
Malinauskas says:
In recent memory of South Australians, we did see a 61mm rain event on December in 2016. That rain did happen in a pretty short window and resulted in isolated flooding events in metropolitan Adelaide.
In February 2014, similarly there was 75mm of ran that occured in the city itself. Now that happened over a longer period of time but there were isolated flooding events on.
So we have seen events like this in the past, but in the event of the high end of the forecasts are realised and we do see 80mm of rain on Sunday or 100 mils across the weekend, we should anticipate there will be flash flooding events in some locations.
The premier acknowledged the rain will be “much needed” in some parts of the state, and welcome for pastoralists and the grain growing community, but an unwelcome risk to the livelihoods of others, such as grape growers.
SA premier warns residents to prepare for ‘highly unpredictable’ weekend weather
As flooding is predicted across parts of South Australia, premier Peter Malinauskas is holding a press conference warning residents to prepare themselves for the “highly unpredictable” weather event:
We are anticipating a highly unpredictable weather event throughout the course of this weekend.
South Australia faces the prospect of a tropical storm system over many parts of South Australia, regional communities and also potentially metropolitan Adelaide.
The tropical nature of the weather system is something that South Australians don’t regularly see, but it isn’t without precedent.
He is urging people to prepare as rainfall in metropolitan Adeialaide and other parts of the state is expected to reach more than 100ml over the course of the weekend.
If the rain comes in high intensity in a short period of time, people should anticipate flash flooding, Malinauskas warns.
Updated
A senior NSW police officer has said it has proposed to speak to the women and children with links to Islamic state fighters before they return to Australia.
However, deputy police commissioner David Hudson said it’s the women and children’s right to choose if they speak to police or not, and they have “no power to exclude” them from entering the country.
Hudson told budget estimates that five adults and seven children are expected to return to NSW. He said a joint investigation into the individiuals is being conducted by the NSW police, ASIO, and the AFP.
Asked if the cohort of Australians repatriated in 2022 spoke to agencies, he said:
A lot of that was done by Commonwealth agencies overseas before they were put on the plane and came back.
He said the monitoring of Australians that returned in 2022 and the children that returned in 2019 remains ongoing.
Updated
Australia will eventually deliver its last letter, AusPost chief says
Australia will eventually follow Denmark’s lead and abandon its letter service, with deliveries of handwritten notes, Christmas cards and household bills destined to become a thing of the past.
The volume of letters sent across the nation is at a 90-year low and steep declines continue, Australia Post group chief executive and managing director Paul Graham said, telling AAP:
Eventually there will be a day when we’ll deliver the last letter. I don’t know when that is, but that business is structurally broken and will never recover.
While letters from individuals represented only 3% of the 734.2m sent in the six months to December 2025, businesses and government agencies were also shifting to digital correspondence.
The delivery of a record 283m parcels in the last half of the year helped Australia Post record a modest $50.4m pre-tax profit, according to its half-year results released on Friday.
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That’s all from me! Natasha May will take things from here as the weekend beckons. Take care.
Magda Szubanski in remission from cancer
Beloved comedian Magda Szubanski says she is breathing a sigh of relief after announcing that her rare blood cancer is in remission, AAP reports.
The Kath and Kim star shared the news on her Instagram on Friday, about nine months on from being diagnosed with stage-four mantle cell lymphoma, described as a “rare and fast-moving blood cancer”.
“I wanted to share the fantastic news, which is I’ve completed chemo and I am now in remission – so phew, big relief,” Szubanski said on Instagram.
It’s not a cure, but because I got a good remission, that hopefully means I’ll keep the cancer at bay for a good long time.
Updated
NSW counter-terrorism minister unaware where women and children linked to Islamic State will reside
The counter-terrorism minister for New South Wales said she was unaware where the women and children detained in Syria over links to Islamic State fighters will be residing when those that are from the state return.
Yasmin Catley, who is also the minister for police, said while under questioning in budget estimates earlier today that she had been briefed by the senior police officer David Hudson and the departments handling the matter but is not an active decision-maker in the process.
Catley said the matter is being handled by the premier’s department, and the department of communities and justice.
The shadow minister for counter-terrorism, Anthony Roberts, said after the comments were made that Catley being briefed was not enough. He said:
It beggars belief that the police minister does not know where these individuals will be settled, or which communities will be directly impacted.
Updated
ASIC sues Budget Direct, alleging insurer overcharged thousands of customers
Tens of thousands of Budget Direct customers lost promised insurance discounts worth a total of $3.3m in savings, the corporate regulator claims in a new lawsuit.
AAP reports ASIC launched legal action against Auto & General Services Pty Ltd, the insurer managing Budget Direct products, after 39,000 customers were alleged to have been overcharged for premiums over several years.
The misconduct occurred between March 2020 and July 2024, the regulator says. It is seeking declarations and fines from the court.
Budget Direct allegedly promoted significant discounts of up to 30% for customers who purchased car, home or motorbike insurance policies online.
ASIC alleges the advertising was misleading because customers were not told the online discounts would be removed following any changes made to their policies, such as a change in address.
The average premium discount loss amounted to almost $100. ASIC claims Auto & General first became aware of the problem as early as 2016, but failed to inform affected customers for years.
Sarah Court, the ASIC deputy chair, said in a statement:
Australians should be able to take insurers at their word, especially when it comes to discounts that influence their decision to take up a policy and compare it to other products in the market.
We allege Budget Direct’s conduct was misleading and deprived tens of thousands of Australians millions of dollars in savings they were promised.
Sinkhole appears in Sydney CBD, prompting one school to close
A large hole has appeared at an intersection in Sydney’s CBD after flash flooding on Thursday evening.
It is located next to Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral, at a busy intersection between College Street and Prince Albert Road.
The front wheels of a Coles delivery truck fell into the hole on Friday morning, prompting an emergency response involving at least two tow trucks, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
A burst water pipe may be responsible, with Sydney Water cutting off the supply for nearby buildings. A spokesperson for St Mary’s Cathedral said it remains open for “business as usual”, but its toilets have been closed.
However, the adjoining St Mary’s Cathedral College confirmed that high school students had been sent home. “Primary students, kindergarten to year six, are being collected by parents and carers,” a college spokesperson said, noting the school should reopen on Monday.
Updated
Sydney’s Inner West council will march in the Mardi Gras parade
Sydney’s Inner West council will march for the first time on Saturday during the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
The council, including about 80 people, will march under a banner reading “Lots of love from the Inner West”. The float will celebrate programs to support LGBTQI+ residents, including the opening of Newtown’s pride centre, support for drag story time and the new pride history walk.
The mayor, Darcy Byrne, said in a statement:
The Inner West has long been a place where diversity is celebrated and equality is fought for. This year, we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our community in one of the most powerful public displays of solidarity.
This partnership is just the start. We’re committed to working with Mardi Gras on a longer-term relationship, as we look towards the festival’s 50-year anniversary in 2028.
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Brisbane childcare centre fined $14,500 for losing three-year-old for 30 minutes
A Brisbane childcare centre has been fined $14,500 after losing track of a three-year-old student for nearly 30 minutes, according to the department of education.
The incident took place on 23 June 2023 at Only About Children Morningside, in south Brisbane. The Early Childhood Regulatory Authority took action against the service’s approved provider for failing to adequately supervise children at all times, protect children from harm and hazards, and ensure a child did not leave the premises.
According to a spokesperson for the department, the three-year-old left the premises unnoticed before a member of the public alerted the service after observing the child outside.
The child was located about 20 minutes later.
The case was heard in the Brisbane magistrates court on Friday.
Magistrate Lewis Shillito issued a $14,500 fine on the provider plus $2,500 in costs paid to the department. He said it was “good luck, not good management” that the child was not harmed, according to a department spokesperson.
The provider had no previous convictions and accepted responsibility, the spokesperson said.
Updated
NSW police minister said state likely to see police using more drones
The police minister has said she will be advocating for police to use more drones to respond to crime across state after a trial, the first of its kind in Australia, which is underway in the rural town of Moree.
The police commissioner Mal Lanyon has said that the trial, which will run for six months, is not about surveillance but about increasing capability in an emergency such as “an operational matter like a break and enter”.
Police minister Yasmin Catley was asked about the trial during budget estimates. She said:
It’s excellent technology, and remarkably cheaper than a helicopter, for instance. So I think going into the future, this is the sort of technology that police will be able to use very successfully as another tool, if you like, in their toolbox.
It’s top notch. It’s excellent. And I think that we will see more of this, and I’ll certainly be advocating for more of it across the state and regional areas.
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BetStop report finds people can gamble while self-excluded
The report Statutory Review of BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register, tabled to parliament on Thursday, found that people can gamble while self-excluded in a number of ways, by changing names, using other accounts or due to mismatched data.
One person lost $70,000 while supposedly excluded by registering to gamble using a different first name, email address and phone number, the report found.
While gambling industry stakeholders consider circumvention of the register to be low, the report found “actual numbers are unclear”.
Keno is not part of the self-exclusion register, despite the report finding that some online Keno offerings allow consumers to spend up to $1,000 every three minutes. The report recommended that these products be covered by the exclusion register as soon as possible.
The report also found the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) received 669 complaints related to the register between 2023 and 31 August 2025.
Just 21 of these were investigated, with 12 of those investigations complete by 31 August 2025.
A “worryingly low” 33.5% of gamblers were aware of the self-exclusion register, the report found, while awareness levels among the broader community were even lower.
Responding to the report, the minister for communications, Anika Wells, said: “It’s fantastic that the independent review has confirmed BetStop is making a meaningful difference in protecting vulnerable Australians from gambling harm”.
Updated
NSW responds to Labor backbenchers attending anti-Herzog protest
Returning to NSW budget estimates, where police minister Yasmin Catley has again been asked about Sydney’s anti-Herzog rally.
Catley was asked if she supported the actions of the four Labor backbenchers that attended the protest. She said:
I think people have the right to protest, and I should say they have the right to peacefully protest. I myself have peacefully protested, as many of your colleagues have.
But to go on then and to be part of that antagonism and violence that we saw, no, I do not agree with that. I do not think that community leaders should be part of that.
Liberal MP Damien Tudehope asked Catley if the MPs acted in a manner that “incited violent action” and she said she didn’t notice any evidence of that.
Tudehope noted that two of those backbenchers who attended the protest – Stephen Lawrence and Cameron Murphy - were not present at the budget estimates today despite being members of the committee.
Asked if she made requests for them to not be present, Catley said she hadn’t.
Meta takes another swipe at social media ban
Instagram overnight announced new features that will alert parents if teens are repeatedly searching for suicide or self-harm-related terms. However, the company said that due to the social media ban in Australia, this tool will only be available for parents of teens aged 16 and 17.
Under the changes, parents will receive alerts via app notifications, email, SMS and WhatsApp. The company is also developing ways for AI interactions to alert parents.
This comes as the company faces a trial in the US over allegations that Meta deliberately addicts and harms minors.
In the Australian announcement, Instagram noted the limitations the social media ban would impose on this new feature.
Given Australia’s social media ban, teens aged 13-15 are not able to have a social media account and therefore there are no parental supervision tools available for this age group. Rather than blanket bans, we believe tools like this demonstrate the value of giving parents more visibility and partnership online where safeguards, supervision features, and crisis interventions can be put in place.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
Angus Taylor says Grace Tame ‘got it wrong’ and it’s ‘not good enough’ that PM could not condemn her
Opposition leader Angus Taylor says Grace Tame “got it wrong” when the former Australian of the Year chanted “globalise the intifada” at a protest against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Asked on 2GB this morning about whether he believed the prime minister, Anthony Albanese’s, explanation of why he called Tame “difficult” at a News Corp event, where he was asked to describe public figures in one word, he said he meant that her life had been “difficult” – Taylor somewhat sidestepped the question.
Taylor said:
At the end of the day, she said that, she was chanting, globalise the intifada. Now, globalise the intifada is a call to violence. That’s what it is. She said it unambiguously, and the prime minister could not condemn her – and frankly, that’s not good enough. He lacks moral clarity in the way he approaches these issues. It’s simple, if someone calls for violence, you condemn it.
Asked to play his own word association game, Taylor responded to Tame’s name:
She got it wrong. Globalise the intifada. It should be condemned by all of us.
On Thursday, Albanese said: “Now there are other issues, such as the language that Grace Tame used, that I disagree with, at the demonstration that was held in Sydney.”
Updated
Man trapped after crane tipped over in Brisbane
A man is trapped inside a crane that has tipped over and struck a power pole in east Brisbane.
Police are on the scene of the incident in Hemmant, after being called at about 8.25am to reports a crane had tipped over and struck a power pole. In a statement they said:
The male driver of the crane remains trapped and emergency services are working to extract him from the vehicle.
Guardian Australia understands the man’s condition could be serious but he has yet to be formally assessed as the scene needs to be made safe so paramedics can do so.
Updated
Monique Ryan wants gambling harm classified as a public health issue
Independent MP Monique Ryan will introduce a private member’s bill to federal parliament next week, seeking to have gambling classified as a public health issue.
In a proposed amendment to the Centre for Disease Control Act, Ryan’s bill would seek to broaden the definition of public health matters to include the impacts of gambling harm, such as financial distress, mental health and impacts on families.
Coming as the NRL and AFL kick off their new football seasons, Ryan’s bill will be supported by members of the cross bench who have been agitating for further reforms to wagering laws, including around advertising of gambling products. It is unclear if the bill will receive wider support in parliament.
“Experts have repeatedly documented the health impacts of problem gambling, but no Australian jurisdiction gives its health authorities responsibility for managing these issues,” Ryan said.
Classifying gambling as a ‘public health matter’ under the remit of the Australian Centre for Disease Control will kick off national action on a health emergency that demands the Albanese government’s full attention.
Ryan said classifying gambling harm as a public health issue would lead to better national action, including data collection and strategies to address the issue.
Updated
AEC proposes major changes for Tasmanian’s federal seats
More than a quarter of Tasmanian voters would be shifted to a new federal seat under a proposed redrawing of the state’s electoral boundaries.
The Australian Electoral Commission released the redrawn maps for public consultation on Friday, proposing changes in four of the state’s five federal seats.
The electoral commissioner, Jeff Pope, said about 27% of Tasmanians would change electorates with the vast majority coming from adjustments to the seats of Clark, Franklin and Lyons.
The seat of Bass in the state’s north would also be drawn while the electorate of Braddon, which covers the north-west and west coast, would remain unchanged.
Pope said:
All proposed changes are driven by the need to balance current and projected enrolment across electorates but also to have electorates that reflect connected communities of interest and natural boundaries wherever possible.
Feedback on the proposed redistribution is open until 27 March.
The commission is also seeking feedback on a potential renaming of the seat of Franklin, which was named after Sir John Franklin, the lieutenant-governor of Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen’s Land) from 1837-1843.
Tasmania swung behind Anthony Albanese’s team at the 2025 election, with Labor picking up Bass and Braddon and retaining Franklin and Lyons.
The independent MP, Andrew Wilkie, comfortably held Clark.
Updated
Police have new system to flag neo-Nazi groups’ use of form one system
NSW police minister Yasmin Catley said the police have implemented a new system that would better flag any potential neo-Nazi rallies if they seek authorisation from police.
Last November, the police came under fire after a neo-Nazi group gained police authorisation via the form one process to hold a rally outside NSW parliament.
The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, said that while police had allowed the protest, neither he nor the NSW premier knew it was taking place, and blamed a breakdown in communication.
Catley told budget estimates a short time ago:
They’re implementing a new system when it comes to form ones, and it would have been picked up on the way through when they lodge it in the first place.
Updated
Afterpay owner to cut 40% of its workforce, citing AI tool benefits
Afterpay owner, Block, is cutting 40% of its global workforce, from 10,000 to under 6,000, co-founder Jack Dorsey, has announced, amid AI “fundamentally” changing the company.
In a note to staff, which Dorsey also posted on X, he said the decision to cut staff was not because the company was in trouble but because “something has changed”.
“We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company and that’s accelerating rapidly.”
Staff are being offered redundancy payments of 20 weeks plus one week per year of tenure, among other benefits, and can say farewells to fellow staff until the end of Thursday, US-time.
Block announced the cuts days after Australian-based software giant WiseTech announced it would cut 2,000 jobs over two years – about 30% of its workforce – as the company said AI tools had fundamentally changed writing software for ever.
Telstra’s and Accenture’s joint AI venture announced 200 jobs to go earlier this month, and CBA previously announced job cuts due to AI but later backtracked last year.
we're making @blocks smaller today. here's my note to the company.
— jack (@jack) February 26, 2026
####
today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. that means over 4,000 of you are…
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Bob Brown says he will apply for top job at new environmental regulator
Veteran environmentalist and former Greens leader Bob Brown says he will apply to be the first chief executive of the Albanese government’s environment protection agency.
Brown, who has devoted his life to stronger protection of Australia’s forests, was a critic of weaknesses in the government’s nature legislation that passed the parliament late last year.
One new commitment arising from those laws is the establishment of a national environmental regulator and the job to lead it has just been advertised.
In a statement this morning, Brown said “I’m it” and the job “is not difficult”. Brown told Guardian Australia that he definitely plans to apply:
I will ensure that proponents, including coalminers, gas frackers, native forest loggers, krill extraction companies and other marauders of the natural environment get the regulatory certainty that has, so far, been missing.
‘Safeguarding Australia’s environmental assets’ will be achieved and what’s left of the nation’s Indigenous and natural heritage will be safe.
No more hollow promises, back-door deals, weasel words and bulldozer-led solutions.
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Farrer byelection to be a tight race, but Ley calls for faith in Liberals
Farrer’s byelection will be a close-run race, with the Coalition facing challenges from independents and One Nation, but Ley said the area “has always been well served by the Liberal Party” and urged her constituents to stick by her party.
The election of a Liberal Member in the Farrer byelection is vital for the betterment and ongoing strength of our region and I know that Angus Taylor can and will ensure the Party continues to enjoy the support, trust and confidence of the people of Farrer.
Australia is best served by Coalition governments and I particularly wish every one of my (now former) colleagues well as they work diligently and determinedly to win government.
Read more about that race here:
Sussan Ley formally resigns from parliament
Former opposition leader Sussan Ley has now formally resigned from parliament, with a byelection in her seat of Farrer to be held in coming months.
Ley, who signalled her intent to quit parliament after losing the Liberal leadership to Angus Taylor earlier this month, said she had today written to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to advise of her immediate resignation from parliament. In a gracious statement this morning, Ley said she will not return to parliament to give a final speech: “I am confident that my efforts and achievements over 25 years will speak for themselves”.
Naturally, I am sad to no longer represent my electorate of Farrer. I love the wide western plains of New South Wales, the country towns along the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers and the thriving cities of Albury and Griffith; communities that it has been my enormous privilege to serve for almost 25 years.
Her formal resignation is the trigger for a byelection to be called, with the timing of such a poll to be decided by speaker Milton Dick. His office has been contacted for comment.
Ley said she assumed the Liberal leadership“ with gratitude and humility” after the Coalition’s worst election defeat, thanking colleagues for the opportunity and saying her achievement of being the first woman to lead the Liberals was “a milestone for all women to be proud of”.
I hope I have paved the way for the next woman to be elected to, and succeed in, both these roles.
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NSW police to be out in force during Sydney’s Mardi Gras celebrations
The police will conduct high-visibility patrols and operations during Saturday’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade in Sydney as hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line Oxford Street.
NSW police said the 48th annual event would have more than 150 floats, 9,000 participants and many more revelers. Spectators should expect to see specialist officers, members of the public order and riot squad, mounted police and general duty officers.
“Our priority is ensuring that everyone attending the 48th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade can celebrate safely,” assistant commissioner Stephen Hegarty said.
Police have been working closely with parade organisers and the LGBTIQA+ community to ensure a fun and safe environment for participants, attendees and the community across the event.
With large crowds expected, we encourage people to use public transport, follow directions from authorities and to plan how to get in and out of the city particularly as there will be major road closures.
We want everyone to enjoy the festivities, but we also ask attendees to look out for one another, drink responsibly and know their limit.
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NSW police minister ‘sorry’ praying Muslim men came to Sydney protest
NSW police minister Yasmin Catley said it was unfortunate that the Muslim men who were dragged away while undertaking their sunset prayers at the anti-Herzog rally “went to a march and thought that was going to be peaceful, and it turned out not to be peaceful”.
Greens spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson grilled Catley over the protest a short time ago in budget estimates. Asked if she would publicly apologise to the Muslim community, Catley referred to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission’s investigation into alleged police misconduct at the protest:
Well, look, the reality is that … this is all going to come out, obviously, in the LECC inquiry, and I think that we should let it do its work.
I’m terribly sorry that they went to a march and thought that was going to be peaceful, and it turned out not to be peaceful.
Catley blamed the Palestine Action Group for not undertaking a static protest after being asked about the police violence used to disperse protesters.
She also repeatedly said that the group had “defied a court order” in going ahead with the protest. Higginson questioned Catley putting this in her evidence before budget estimates given the court challenge was not against the protest going ahead, but against the government declaring the Israeli president’s visit a major event under the state’s major event legislation, which gave the police expanded move on powers.
Catley said the parameters put around the protest were necessary because of the Bondi terror attack. She said:
We had seen a couple of years, two years in fact, of terrible unrest on our streets, particularly in our eastern suburbs, with our Jewish community. And then in December, when we saw that terrible terrorist attack where 15 people were murdered, our life changed forever here in this this town, in this city, in this state, and indeed in the country, and I think in relation to the parameters put around the protest of particularly after that event, I think that they were absolutely necessary.
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Sussan Ley’s career in federal politics could finish today
The former opposition leader Sussan Ley is expected to formally end her career in federal politics as soon as today.
Two weeks after losing the Liberal leadership to Angus Taylor, Ley is expected to resign as the MP for the NSW seat of Farrer on Friday, triggering a byelection ahead of the federal budget.
The Border Mail is reporting Ley will write to the speaker, Milton Dick, today and will not be present in parliament when MPs return to Canberra on Monday.
It will be up to Dick to decide when a byelection in the seat will take place. Ley has been the local member for 25 years.
Independent Michelle Milthorpe has already begun campaigning in the seat, and has already been endorsed by crossbenchers Helen Haines and David Pocock.
State Liberal MP Justin Clancy, independent state MP Helen Dalton and former Albury mayor Kylie King are all reportedly considering a tilt at Farrer.
The byelection will be an early test of Taylor’s leadership, and of One Nation’s surge in recent public opinion polls.
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Albanese should demand reparations from Israel, families of Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed say
The families of dead Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza have called for reparations and urged the Albanese government to hold Israel accountable.
Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed that the IDF had bulldozed parts of the Gaza War Cemetery – the resting place of Australian, British and Canadian soldiers who served in the first and second world wars.
The damage was concentrated in a corner of the cemetery that housed the remains of Australian soldiers.
The revelations caused widespread outrage, including from two families who spoke to Guardian Australia about the shock of learning their relatives’ graves had been bulldozed and that their remains were unaccounted for.
Now a third family has spoken out, saying the Australian government must do more to hold Israel and the IDF accountable.
Read more here:
Coles marks new phase of profitability as half-year revenue climbs to $23.7bn
Coles has recorded a lift in its half-year revenue to $23.7bn and rapidly expanded its margins across its supermarket business, marking a new phase of profitability.
The result coincides with reigniting inflation, led by rising housing costs including groceries.
Coles’ headline profit fell due to one-off payments of $235m linked to the historical underpayment of staff.
Australia’s second biggest supermarket chain reported a 12.5% jump in underlying profit to $676m for the six-month period, when those payments are excluded from its financials.
After a brief period of subdued profitability, Coles and Woolworths have started expanding their profit margins again, which often indicates there is a growing disparity between the prices paid to suppliers, and prices charged to customers.
The supermarkets tend to defend growing margins by arguing they are running more efficient businesses.
Coles has lifted the margins on its supermarket business from 5.2% to 5.8%, which is significantly above pre-pandemic levels.
Coles is defending a federal court action brought by the consumer regulator over claims it offered “illusory” discounts on hundreds of products.
The judge has reserved his decision.
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Nine childcare centres face loss of government funding over safety standards
Nine childcare centres could have their government funding taken away for failing to meet minimum standards, under a crackdown aimed at better protecting young Australians, AAP reports.
Since August, the federal government has issued notices to more than 60 centres which have either broken the law or put children at risk.
Thirty of those are required to show they have fixed the issue by the end of February. The government says it is working with nine centres – the majority of which are daycare providers – that have failed to resolve the issues raised.
The operators could be blocked from receiving the government’s childcare subsidy as a consequence.
Friday also marks the start of mandatory child-safety training for staff in the early learning sector, and a national register of workers. More than 100,000 employees across Australia have already registered for the training, the government said.
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NSW shadow health minister says fungus deaths at Sydney hospital ‘shocking’
Sarah Mitchell, the NSW shadow minister for health, said revelations two people had died after an outbreak of fungal infections at a major Sydney hospital were “shocking”, calling for more transparency from the Minns government.
As reported yesterday, the Sydney local health district said the two deaths and four other infections resulted in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital closing its transplant unit temporarily. The infections occurred between October and December, and the SLHD is investigating the source. A spokesperson said on Thursday that fungal spores of the common mould aspergillus could be stirred up by construction works. RPA has been undergoing a major redevelopment since 2023.
Mitchell released a statement on Friday morning, saying:
The revelations that multiple patients died due to a fungal outbreak at Royal Prince Alfred hospital are shocking. Patients go to hospital to be cared for, not to be exposed to life-threatening infections.
The staff, patients and families of those who lost their lives deserve transparency.
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Victim-survivors need financial support to leave
More than two in three Australians want women to get direct Centrelink payments for 12 months to get their lives back after fleeing violence, research commissioned by Single Mother Families Australia (Smfa) has found.
The survey found about 72% of participants did not realise the struggles of women trying to get financial support. While there are support programs available, many applications are rejected, and Smfa wants to see ongoing help that gives women and their children shelter, safety and stability.
The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee 2025 report found victim-survivors are more likely to leave a violent relationship if they have a steady income.
The Smfa chief executive, Terese Edwards, said:
We must recognise that violence has an immediate and long-term cost for all – therefore reforming the systems that currently harm or inadequately protect women and children must be a priority – and simply money makes a difference.
Edwards will appear at the 2026 Family Violence Symposium today.
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NSW SES conducts dozens of flood rescues after heavy rain lashes Sydney
NSW State Emergency Service responded to nearly 500 calls for help after heavy rain in the Sydney region overnight.
That figure include 42 flood rescues as a deluge settled over the city. More than 100mm of rain fell in three hours in some suburbs, causing flash flooding, road closures and traffic impacts, the agency said.
In one part of Fairfield in western Sydney, about a dozen properties were evacuated due to flood waters inundating homes and six people were rescued in a nearby park after becoming stranded.
NSW SES assistant commissioner Dean Storey said the flash flooding showed how quickly dangerous conditions can develop in a storm, saying in a statement:
Flash flooding is a real risk and can occur quickly, without much warning.
That’s why we urge people to steer clear of flood waters and never drive through a flooded road – regardless of how safe you think it may be.
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Character references to be scrapped in Victorian sentencing hearings
Offenders convicted of any crime in Victoria will no longer be able to rely on character references during sentencing under changes being introduced by the state government – just weeks after NSW made the same move.
The Victorian attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, will use a meeting of the Standing Council of Attorneys General on Friday to announce she will bring legislation to parliament later this year to scrap the use of so-called “good character” references at sentencing.
She said this is currently happening in some cases of child sexual abuse but it will now become system-wide. Under the change, judges will still be able to consider a person’s prospects of rehabilitation, likelihood of reoffending and lack of previous convictions as mitigating factors.
Kilkenny said:
Victim-survivors of crimes are having to sit in court and hear that the person who harmed them is a ‘good person’ – that compounds the trauma, diminishes their experience and can’t continue.
Under Labor, safety comes first, and perpetrators must be held accountable for their crimes without excuses.
New South Wales was the first state to commit to scrapping character references earlier this month after a recommendation from a sentencing council review.
The review said good character was “based on a vague and uncertain concept, lacks evidence in support of its value in predicting a risk of reoffending or prospects of rehabilitation, and engages an unjustified form of moral and social accounting”, adding it can have a re-traumatising effect and encourage victim blaming.
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Don Farrell says Trump’s 10% tariffs ‘unjustified’
The trade minister, Don Farrell, is speaking to RN Breakfast about Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on Australian goods.
Farrell is in America to meet with his US counterpart, Jamieson Greer, where he will argue for the tariffs to be removed as he believes they do not benefit either country. He told RN:
We don’t think it was justified in the first place.
My argument to my counterpart tomorrow will be that we want these tariffs removed. Firstly, because it’s in Australia’s interest to have them removed, because it simply pushes up the price of our product in the United States, but it also pushes up the cost of living for ordinary Americans.
Farrell added that “obviously, America is a very important ally for Australia, but they have to honour the terms of our agreement, just as we did with China”.
I think, as time goes by, it will be increasingly clear to the American government that the actions they’ve taken has taken them down the wrong track.
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Remains found in Tasmania provisionally identified as Celine Cremer, missing Belgian hiker
Tasmania police confirmed this morning remains found near the state’s Philosopher Falls last month have been provisionally identified as those of missing Belgian tourist Celine Cremer.
Cremer, who was 31, disappeared in June 2023 after heading to an ancient rainforest for a hike.
Police said expert reports had provided “compelling evidence” that the remains were likely hers, extending their condolences to her family.
“While this provisional confirmation will not ease their loss, we hope the outcome will provide them with some measure of clarity and closure,” Nathan Johnston, a commander with Tasmania police, said.
We want to thank community members for their ongoing support and interest in Celine’s case, and I want to acknowledge the extensive efforts of search and rescue personnel, partner agencies and volunteers who dedicated significant time and resources during the many search phases,
A report is being prepared for the coroner, who will officially identify the remains.
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Rowland says today’s meting reflects need for coordination between all states and territories
Michelle Rowland, the attorney general, said the meeting today will focus on online hate and that it is important all states and territories work together in coordination to better protect Australians.
Rowland told RN Breakfast:
It was very important for states to bring forward not only initiatives that they wanted to focus on, but how we can renew our shared commitment to protect all Australians from the spread of hate, regardless of where they live.
All states are looking at ways in which they can keep their citizens safe and it’s important we do this in a coordinated way.
Rowland went on to speak about key proposals after the Bondi attack, including a national gun buyback program. Some states and territories have resisted the scheme but Rowland said there remained “widespread community support” for it.
We have established a national gun buyback scheme that’s going to purchase surplus or newly banned or illegal firearms. And it’s going to be the largest buyback since the Howard government.
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Attorneys general meet to discuss antisemitism, online hate
State and federal attorneys general will meet in Sydney on Friday, with antisemitism and online hate at the top of the agenda. For the first 2026 meeting of the Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG), the group will discuss protecting Australians from the spread of hate, the federal attorney general, Michelle Rowland, said.
Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal and the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, will present briefings to the group. SCAG will discuss rising antisemitism in Australia, which Rowland’s office said needed “a coordinated and sustained response”, including in fighting hate via social media.
“There is no place in Australia for hatred of any kind – online or offline,” Rowland said.
Online platforms play a significant role in the prevalence and spread of hateful content – a borderless challenge that demands coordinated national action.
Segal said antisemitism was becoming “more organised, more visible and more harmful”, requiring responses in law, education and enforcement.
Inman Grant said the eSafety office was looking at online hate.
“I am also pleased to have the opportunity to canvass a range of aligned, systemic and individual redress initiatives that could further target the perpetuation of this caustic and corrosive content, and provide education and training for Jewish community leaders and educators,” she said.
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Banks’ cheaper mortgages pushing up the cash rate, RBA research finds
The Reserve Bank will be forced to keep the cash rate higher than it would have before the Covid pandemic because the banks have cut costs to offer cheaper mortgages, according to new RBA research.
Intense competition between banks has produced a cheap loan market, which banks have funded in part by skimping on customers’ savings accounts interest rates, the research suggests.
Banks now fund almost half of their lending with savers’ at-call deposits, up from 30% in 2011, researchers Sarah Jennison, Josh Spiller and Peter Wallis found. This has helped cut banks’ lending costs to their lowest levels since the global financial crisis, in part because, post-pandemic, banks did not lift the interest paid on those savings by as far as the RBA lifted the official cash rate.
At the same time, banks have competed for mortgage customers by offering lower rates and bigger cashbacks and discounts, the analysts found.
The average outstanding variable rate in December was about 5.5%, while the cash rate was 3.5%. In 2019, the same typical home loan rate was about 4% but the cash was about 1% – implying banks’ profit margin on home loans has shrunk.
With mortgage rates now lower compared with the cash rate, the so-called “neutral” level of the cash rate has automatically become higher, the researchers found. That implies the RBA now has to keep the cash rate higher than it would have pre-pandemic to enable the same level of lending growth.
Lending surged after just three rate cuts in 2025, adding to inflationary pressures and surprising the RBA, according to its deputy governor Andrew Hauser. This research helps solve part of that puzzle.
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Good morning
Hello, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to guide you through the morning’s news. Here’s what’s on deck:
In Sydney today, a meeting of state and federal attorneys general will address antisemitism and online hate.
In global news, high-stakes talks between the US and Iran over the future of Tehran’s nuclear program have ended with the Omani mediators claiming that “significant progress” – though observers found the brevity of Thursday’s second session ominous.
And Coles is in the spotlight again as it reveals its next set of profit results this morning, after spending the week defending allegations it misled shoppers during a marketing campaign.
We’ll have more soon.
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