What we learned today, Monday 13 July
We’re going to leave our live coverage there for this evening.
Here are today’s top headlines:
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The Australian federal police has contacted more than 120 families as it investigates alleged offending by a former Sydney childcare worker.
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The former partner of a woman whose body was found near Toowoomba at the weekend has appeared in court for the first time after being charged with her murder.
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Sam Neill, the versatile New Zealand actor whose career spanned Oscar winners and blockbusters such as The Piano and Jurassic Park, has died aged 78.
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An academic at UNSW was subjected to Nazi salutes by students in his business class, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.
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The Albanese government has announced it will roll out digital passenger cards to all Australian international airports and seaports after a “successful” trial on Qantas flights into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
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The federal government has been accused of exploiting international students and permanent residents after non-refundable visa fees were quietly hiked by up to 200%, placing Australia well in excess of other western countries.
Thank you for joining us. See you tomorrow for another day of breaking news.
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First cargo flight lands at Western Sydney airport
The first cargo flight has landed at Western Sydney International (WSI) airport.
The Qantas A321 freighter touched down at 2pm this afternoon – part of preparations to ensure the new airport is ready to open for business.
The airport’s domestic cargo precinct is due to formally open 26 July. Passenger aircraft are supposed to commence operations in October.
More than 120 families contacted as AFP investigate alleged offending by Sydney childcare worker
The Australian federal police (AFP) has contacted more than 120 impacted families about alleged offending involving child victims, who were identified during an investigation into a former Sydney childcare worker.
The AFP confirmed the 35-year-old man has been charged with 329 offences allegedly committed over a 16-year period, following the discontinuation of a non-publication order at court today.
A multi-agency Local Contact Point (LCP) has been activated, giving parents and carers access to more information about the man’s employment history and appropriate support resources.
The federal police commenced “Operation Moonbi” after a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an online user uploading a file depicting child abuse.
The AFP linked the man to the alleged illegal online activity and executed a search warrant in Glossodia, in Sydney’s north-west, on 20 June 2025, where electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis. The AFP will allege an examination of the man’s devices identified child abuse material.
He was charged with eight counts of online child abuse material offences on 10 July 2025, and later charged with additional offences in April, June and July 2026.
The AFP acting commander Luke Needham said:
The AFP has been in contact with 121 families, based around Australia and internationally, who we have positively identified their child as being depicted in child abuse material.
As a result of our comprehensive investigation and extensive victim identification process, we allege this matter currently involves 136 victims …
We urge any victim-survivors to seek support or talk to a trusted person if today’s news has caused distress.
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Call for investigation of Australian’s death in Bali detention
An Australian man detained in Bali for allegedly breaking residence rules has been found dead, with a premier calling for a thorough investigation, AAP reports.
Perth father Cameron Hughes, 39, was taken into custody on Friday, accused of breaching visa conditions after separating from his wife.
He shared an eight-year-old son with her and had reportedly been living in Bali for 15 years, where he ran a car restoration business.
Hughes was awaiting deportation at the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office on the island when he was found unconscious and unresponsive in a bathroom attached to his cell.
First aid was then administered and he was transferred to a local hospital but died of a suspected heart attack on the way to the facility, Ngurah Rai Immigration Office said in a statement.
The family of Hughes described him as a “beautiful person”, in a statement given to the ABC, saying there were unanswered questions about the circumstances of his detention and cause of death.
“We will be working closely with consular staff to understand what actually happened, and work with them to understand the full extent of the situation,” the family said.
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Queensland domestic violence minister responds to claims she cut funding
Queensland’s domestic violence minister, Amanda Camm, has responded to claims she cut funding to services in last month’s state budget.
The opposition claimed on the weekend that she had cut $38.5m in funding, and repeated a call for her to resign. Most of the funding, $22.5, had been going to fund implementation or oversight of the 188 recommendations of the 2022 Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.
In a brief press conference on Monday, Camm said the government was “on track to deliver upon all of the Women’s Safety Justice Task Force recommendations”, though she wouldn’t give a timeline for when they would be completed.
“The funding that you’re referring to, that Steven Miles is out pedaling, was time-limited funding attached to Women’s Safety Justice Task Force deliverables. It’s been delivered,” Camm said.
In February last year, Camm quietly eliminated the role of Independent Implementation Supervisor for the taskforce, a role that had been responsible for public reporting of progress on recommendations. In its last update, the supervisor noted that the government had yet to commit to an operating model for a police integrity unit in Queensland, a recommendation of a later, related inquiry.
It was Camm’s first Brisbane press conference since Labor called for her to resign last month after children in the child protection system were made to sleep on the floor of a public service office. She ended the combative press conference abruptly after 12 minutes.
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Criticism of Israel is antisemitic when it becomes prejudicial, royal commission hears
Professor Josh Keller, representing the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (AAAA), has told the royal commission that criticism of Israel falls into the antisemitic category when it is prejudicial towards Jewish people.
Keller said the organisation he represents has around 250 members from more than 30 universities with “diverse” political views, including towards the current Israeli government, but predominantly composed of Zionists.
Keller said you could be critical of the government of Israel without being antisemitic, adding “I share some of those criticisms”, but antisemitism was a “prejudicial form of how people talk about or feel or act about the Jewish people living in Israel”.
One survey released by AAAA, which had 548 self-selected respondents, found cases of “direct harassment” if Jewish staff had “divergent views” from their peers. As an example of what he described as antisemitism, he pointed to a sticker on a university campus that featured the Star of David and the phrase “we stand with baby killers”.
“For many Jews, regardless of how you feel about Israel, the Star of David is a symbol of Jewish people,” he said, which he said created a heightened sense of “paranoia”.
When you’re calling a group of people baby killers, that is not only not true, it’s invoking the most immoral act that any human being could possibly do.
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Teen arrested over alleged stabbing in Cairns
A teenager has been arrested over an alleged stabbing at a high school in Cairns.
Queensland police were called to an incident at a Cairns education facility today, after reports a 15-year-old had suffered a wound to his abdomen.
He was transported to Cairns hospital in a stable condition.
According to police, a second 15-year-old boy left the area on foot and was found by officers in the nearby suburb of Kanimbla, about an half and hour later.
The teenager was taken into custody and is helping with their enquiries.
There is no ongoing threat, police say.
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Jewish woman overheard a student praising Hitler in a university library, royal commission hears
A diversity and inclusion worker appearing as Ms Cohen, with strong ties to Israel, has told the royal commission that she overheard deeply antisemitic remarks on a university campus.
Her two children attended childcare on the campus of Macquarie University, and she often used its library facilities. On 7 April last year, she was attending a virtual meeting in an open space when she heard someone repeat “the Jews”.
I immediately felt on edge … I could feel that it was hateful.
She went to listen to the student, who was unleashing a tirade of antisemitic remarks to his peers, including that he had watched Hitler’s speeches which “make sense in today’s context”, and that rabbis were willing to “kill” and “eat” non-Jewish babies.
She asked for help from the campus’s security, and said the guard was compassionate and said he would issue a report. Two days later, she logged her own incident report. She didn’t hear back, and followed up in October and again in December, when she told the vice chancellor she would contact the media if he didn’t act.
Suddenly, heaven and earth was moved and the incident was acknowledged and an investigation started.
She was later told the outcome of the investigation couldn’t be shared due to privacy obligations.
Sam Neill, star of Jurassic Park films, Peaky Blinders and The Piano, dies aged 78
In sad news: Sam Neill, the versatile New Zealand actor whose career spanned Oscar winners and blockbusters such as The Piano and Jurassic Park, has died aged 78.
Prime minister, Anthony Albanese, paid tribute to Neill in a post on X, saying he earned “a special place in Australian hearts”:
Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.
Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.
He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.
The actor’s death was announced on Monday in a statement shared on his Instagram account. No cause of death was given, but Neill had only recently revealed he was cancer-free after being diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in 2022.
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Jana Armstrong’s former partner appears in court charged with murder after body found near Toowoomba
The former partner of a woman whose body was found near Toowoomba at the weekend has appeared in court for the first time after being charged with her murder.
Dharminder Singh covered his face and appeared to sob as he appeared in Toowoomba magistrates court via video link, charged with the murder of 30-year-old Jana Armstrong.
Armstrong, the mother of a four-month-old baby, went missing on 7 July. Her car was found a day later near her home in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown.
Singh, a 48-year-old taxi driver, has been charged with the support worker’s murder (domestic violence offence), arson and breach of a bail condition. His lawyer indicated outside court that Singh intends to plead not guilty.
Read the full story:
Students for Palestine co-convenor says resistance to colonisation has involved ‘both mass non-violence and violent resistance’
Yasmine Johnson’s testimony at the royal commission into antisemitism concluded with cross-examination where she was pressed on her position that Students for Palestine was calling for the end of violence. She was pointed to an address she made at a socialist conference last year, where she said “Israel cannot continue to exist”.
Johnson backed her comment, which she said was made in the context that “it is a state that is premised on the systemic destruction of Palestine”.
She continued:
The violence going on in the world today in terms of Palestine is being carried out by Israel on an extreme scale. I mean, there have been 70,000 people killed in the last two and a bit years … I think the resistance of people against colonisation has always involved elements of both mass non-violence and also violent resistance. I think it’s hard to believe that there would be a contention that slaves did not have the right to use violence when opposing slaveholders.
As to her position on Hamas, Johnson said she was “not a political supporter” of the terrorist group, adding:
Nor am I here to condemn the actions of people who have been in a concentration camp by Israel for decades. I support a land of genuine democracy and freedom for all people regardless of race or religion in the entirety of the region.
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‘Patients miss out’: calls for reform to pharmacies
Doctors and general practitioners have called for urgent reforms after a report accused the pharmacy sector of putting profit over patients, AAP reports.
A review by the Grattan Institute concluded the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which represents about 70% of community pharmacies, unduly lobbies the federal government.
The review claimed dispensing fees, about $9 for an average medicine, were unjustified and rules that generally stopped pharmacies from opening within 10km of each other prevented competition.
The guild has donated $2.5 million to political parties in the past five years, making it the largest healthcare donor.
The report says there is also a need for more transparency around the Community Pharmacy Agreement - some $25 bn of federal government funding for 6,000 community pharmacies over five years. The report says:
(Pharmacy) profits have surged while patients miss out on cheaper medicines and choices about where to get them, and taxpayers pay too much.
The Australian Medical Association, the nation’s peak body for doctors, and the Royal Australian College of GPs have called on the government to act on the report’s recommendations.
Association president, Danielle McMullen, said:
We know that archaic pharmacy location rules restrict patients’ access to cheaper medicines and pharmaceutical services.
They mean Australians pay more for medicines than they need to, and they do not guarantee supply or safety for Australian patients.
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Social justice movements don’t rest on ‘never offending anyone’, pro-Palestine convenor continues in royal commission testimony
Johnson also refuted testimony from previoous witnesses that the pro-Palestinian movement was justifiably making people in the Jewish community feel unsafe.
She said she had also used the term “globalise the intifada”, which the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has described as “hateful” rhetoric. She said intifada meant “acts of mass resistance by Palestinians against their oppression”.
She said:
Every phrase we do use becomes a controversy … I don’t think the legitimacy of social justice movements rests on them never offending anyone … The primary concern in a democracy when we’re talking about free speech cannot be simply whether somebody’s feelings will be hurt by something or not.
I don’t think the Palestine movement is responsible for anyone’s lack of safety … We are the ones calling for an end to violence. We are the ones calling for an anti-racist movement. To interpret it otherwise, I think, can only be an attempt to defend Israel and its actions.
Zionism is a ‘racist project’: pro-Palestine convenor continues testimony
Johnson says the pro-Palestine encampments were a “form of anti-racist protest” and were opposed to antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.
The state of Israel is not inherently tied to Jewish people and its actions are not because of Jewish people. It’s a political project … I think making the claim Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza is necessary. This is something we have heard the United Nations commissions of inquiry find … that what Israel is doing in their eyes is a genocide.
She said there had been “denial of this fact” and expresses “deep concern” over statements put forth by the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, earlier in the royal commission “that questions even the number of deaths in Gaza”.
My grandmother lost every living relative in the Holocaust. This gives me a sense that being Jewish should mean fighting for that to be the end of genocide forever.
Asked if all Zionists supported genocide, she said Zionism “in itself, is an ideology which supports the existence of the state of Israel, and that is a racist project”.
She also confirmed she had chanted “from the river to the sea”, which some Jewish people see as the call for the forced removal of people from Israel. She said it was a “call for an end to what is happening in Gaza … we are calling for the ability of all peoples to live free from discrimination”.
That’s all for me. Ima Caldwell will take things from here. Have a nice Monday!
Jewish student and pro-Palestine activist tells royal commission the legacy of the Holocaust ‘demands me to say never again’
A co-convenor for Students for Palestine and education officer in the National Union of Students, Yasmine Johnson, is appearing before the royal commission.
Johnson, who is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust, has been active with Students for Palestine since 2019. The group operates on 21 campuses across the nation and was involved in establishing pro-Palestine encampments in 2024. She says Students for Palestine was set up “to demand freedom for Palestinians”.
She says her family background animates her sense “that I have to fight for justice in Palestine”, including by establishing encampments.
That legacy demands me to say never again.
Johnson refutes previous testimony that the encampment at the University of Sydney had connections to Hizb ut-Tahrir, telling the royal commission she “wasn’t aware of this” and that it was students who stayed there overnight. At its peak, there were more than 100 tents.
We had reached a point in 2024 where Israel had begun to systematically ethnically cleanse Palestinians, to blockade food and water, and we felt there had been no action by the Australian government to do anything about this … The intention of protests is often to cause discomfort amongst people in power.
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Affected by the Telstra outage? Fill out its online complaints form
Telstra has posted some new details on its blog today if you were impacted by the outages last week that bedeviled mobile users nationwide.
We want to apologise again for the disruption these issues had on our customers and the broader community. We know how much you rely on our network – for work, for travel and to stay safe – and we take that responsibility very seriously.
The company is encouraging residential users to fill out its online complains form if you were affected. Small business customers are asked to do the same, including calls for compensation. Telstra says:
If your business experienced a direct financial loss because of these issues, you can request a compensation assessment by lodging a complaint through the same online complaints form.
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Is the most popular song played on Australian radio stations the product of generative AI?
An Australian producer has gone from a little-known artist to a viral sensation in a matter of months, with his hit song catapulting on to global charts and receiving thousands of radio spins.
There’s just one problem: music experts and other musicians are questioning whether he produced it. They claim Josh Fawaz’s most popular song, a cover of Madonna’s Like a Prayer which reached the #1 spot on the National Radio Airplay chart, could have been made using AI.
Read more here:
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Former University of Sydney academic takes aim at ‘aggressive’ pro-Palestine protests, royal commission hears
Dr Andy Smidt, an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame, has taken aim at staff and student pro-Palestine protests on university campuses.
Smidt was a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney in the Faculty of Medicine and Health for three decades until 2024. She told the royal commission into antisemitism that the campus environment changed significantly after 7 October. Her son, a student at the university, was offered a security escort on campus.
There were posters over every wall … saying some very aggressive things. They were about the intifada. There was one where there was a picture of a bulldozer that was demolishing something.
Participants in pro-Palestine protests at the University of Sydney have consistently denied claims of antisemitism from some Jewish groups. A joint statement published by 10 university encampments in 2024 said the protests had been peaceful and opposition to the state of Israel and Zionism as an ideology was not antisemitism.
Smidt said politics in the Middle East was “very complicated” but “symbols carry meaning”.
There is Palestine, there is also Hamas … A lot of this is about the Palestinian people having a home. OK. It’s very different from Hamas, where Hamas is a terrorist organisation that has stated their intent to wipe out Jews.
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NSW premier rejects recommendation for inquiry on removing state’s top prosecutor
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has rejected the recommendation of a parliamentary committee to establish a formal inquiry to see if there are grounds for removing the state’s top prosecutor from office.
Last week, an upper house inquiry voted 4-3 to find that the NSW director of public prosecutions (DPP), Sally Dowling, had authorised pitching a story to radio station 2GB about a sentencing hearing involving a young Indigenous person, and “falsely denied having done so” to the committee. Dowling has admitted her office pitched the story but denied under oath that she had authorised it – she and another DPP witness rejected the characterisation of the incident as a “leak”.
Asked about the incident last year, Minns said it would be “completely unacceptable” for the DPP to leak information. Asked about his previous comments at a press conference today, he said:
I think that [the committee] have come in very hard denouncing an independent judicial officer who serves an important role on evidence that at best is very different. The two people who gave sworn evidence to the committee said that the DPP didn’t leak the information. So I do stand by that view, but I’m not sure, I don’t believe the evidence supports the recommendations.
Since the findings, many have written in support of Dowling and against the recommendations, including 120 crown prosecutors, the Police Association of NSW, and the Public Service Association, the union for prosecutors. Defence Lawyers NSW, an incorporated association for criminal barristers and solicitors with more than 700 members, has written to the attorney general, Michael Daley, to say the report “raises questions that require further examination”.
Daley, who has hit out against the report, has instructed crown solicitors to brief senior counsel to conduct an independent review into the report, which will be led by Noel Hutley SC, a former Bar Association president.
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Richard Scolyer’s wife and children share snippets of family life
Though most Australians will remember Scolyer for his groundbreaking melanoma research and his public battle with brain cancer, his family have honoured the little ways he lit up their lives.
Scolyer’s wife, Katie Nicoll, remembered his mischievousness and determination:
Rich heard that it was recommended young children be read three books a night. So, he decided he’d read four or five, and he didn’t double up. Each child got their own four or five books.
His oldest daughter, Emily Scolyer, recalled how, despite his countless professional accolades, he always said his children were his greatest achievement:
Dad’s terrible singing voice became a staple on car rides, ferrying us to and from school and activities, and we couldn’t help but laugh and join in too. He would even accept small roles in our iMovie films, allowing us to direct him over and over again until we got our perfect shot.
I like to think we prepared him well for all of his media appearances over the last three years.
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Tony Burke says agencies ‘well practised’ if IS-linked woman returns to Australia
Home affairs minister, Tony Burke, says he is not acting as the “agent” for a woman linked to ISwho has been temporarily banned from returning home.
Sydney woman Hodan Abby was subjected to a temporary exclusion order on the advice of security agencies.
Speaking at a press conference today, Burke said the agencies are “well practised” if Abby chooses to return to the country.
If she doesn’t return to Australia, I don’t think Australians would be troubled by that …
Our agencies never stop collecting information. The hardest group, one of the hardest groups, to manage effectively were the 45 fighters who all returned before we came to office.
So our agencies are well practised at having to deal with making sure that Australians are safe …
There is a … very limited capacity under the temporary exclusion order legislation, and we’ve been using that to the limits of what we’re legally able to do …
The reality has been that the threshold really can’t be lowered, the high court has made that pretty clear.
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Royal commission, continued
Following his reporting of the incident, ACJ’s timetable wasn’t renewed. He said he was the only casual PhD student not to receive work for the following semester.
He went to the Fair Work Commission alleging UNSW College had taken adverse action against him as a reprisal for his reporting. The complaint was resolved, he said, after a “protracted and drawn out process which really impacted my wellbeing”.
It affected my feeling of belonging, it also really affected my studies.
He began working at UNSW College again but said his relationship with his supervisors had become “strained”.
I’ve experienced many other antisemitic incidents at UNSW … I stopped reporting them even though I knew it was so important [because] I was scared I was going to be fired again.
One incident he pointed to was being told by a student “we should really be more focused about children in Palestine than worrying about Jewish holidays” when he wished Chag Sameach [happy holidays in Hebrew] to another student.
Anti-Zionism is nothing about Israel but is just about bullying Australian Jews.
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Nazi salute performed towards a Jewish academic at UNSW, royal commission hears
A tutor and PhD candidate at UNSW says students performed Nazi salutes towards him during a business class. Appearing before the royal commission under the pseudonym ACJ, the academic said he was teaching a class for international students at UNSW College that had nothing to do with Nazism in 2024 when four students stood up and performed the salute.
He said he was “incredibly shocked, and offended and threatened” by the display.
“My grandparents had survived the Holocaust, the Nazis … murdered a huge proportion of my family. And so when someone does a Nazi salute at me it feels like they want to kill me.”
He said he wasn’t sure if the students knew he was Jewish, but it seemed clearly directed. The academic reached out to his direct supervisors, noting it was a crime to perform a Nazi salute in New South Wales and that he intended to go to the police.
He said the students were initially issued a formal warning. NSW Police then carried out an investigation, he said, and the students were suspended and required to visit the Sydney Jewish Museum. He asked for the students to be removed from his class and was refused due to timetabling.
Continued in next post
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Richard Scolyer advanced brain cancer treatment ‘by at least 10 years’
The melanoma researcher’s decision to volunteer for an experimental treatment after being diagnosed with a brain tumour has paved the way for other patients, University of Sydney emeritus professor of melanoma John Thompson AO said.
Richard courageously volunteered for a very risky form of treatment that had never been tried on brain tumours before in the hope that others might benefit from the information obtained.
This bold experiment probably advanced research into brain cancer treatment by at least 10 years in one giant leap and formal clinical trials of this form of therapy are now in progress.
I know that this gave Richard enormous satisfaction.
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Richard Scolyer the dolphin trainer?
In his youth, the joint 2024 Australian of the year had problems convincing others he was a doctor, his long-time best friend, Jim Finlay, told the state memorial service.
During the 80s, Scolyer had bleached blond hair, a deep tan and good looks, which meant people would not believe him.
So he would make up another occupation, Finlay said.
This one particular night, we’re out on the Gold Coast, he walked up to these two lovely young ladies and introduced himself as Rich, the dolphin trainer from Sea World.
Normally that would be a pretty good roast and would get conversation started.
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Melanoma patients’ tributes to Richard Scolyer shared at state memorial
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has read out messages sent to the Melanoma Institute Australia by patients hoping to honour the pathologist.
One tribute from a 10-year survivor of stage four melanoma said “the world is a better place because of you”.
Another came from a father whose son was diagnosed with stage four melanoma in 2020.
He was given just months to live, but in the last throw of the dice, they arranged to try immunotherapy. We were told it was just a 10% chance of success, and maybe even less than that.
Fast forward several months, multiple operations, multiple doses of the treatment, and then the dreaded follow-up scans.
I can still hear his oncologist’s shouting voice over the phone saying to my son ‘It worked. It worked. You are going to live.’
My son is now cancer-free, married, living the life that we never thought he’d have.”
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Jewish student called ‘baby killer’ and ‘genocide supporter’ by members of pro-Palestine student encampment
Back to Liat, who has given testimony before the royal commission. She says she was called a “baby killer” and “genocide supporter” by students who were part of the Australia National University’s pro-Palestine encampment. In one instance a protestor connected to the encampment, who wasn’t a member of the university, performed a Nazi salute.
She says she felt “physically unsafe”, and called out two particular chants they used as being antisemitic: “There is only one solution, intifada, revolution” and “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free”.
She says the use of the word intifada is “in reference to historical events … which involved the murder of Jews”. Pointed to the fact some proponents of the term “intifada” aren’t calling for violence to Jewish people but to the liberation of Palestinian people she says:
I think they should use a different word.
Liat says the “core part” of her identity is her Judaism, but she went through an “exhausting” mental toll of weighing up whether to be identifiably Jewish.
Every single day when I would make the walk into uni, I would have to pick, am I Jewish Liat today or regular Lia … I just didn’t want to open myself up to what I had observed being hatred levelled towards myself but also my peers.
NSW renters keeping longer tenancies, report finds
Renters’ rights reforms have helped tenants stay in their homes for longer, a New South Wales government reports says.
The government has analysed bond lodgment and refund data since October 2024, when parliament passed reforms requiring landlords to provide grounds for evicting tenants and limiting rent increases to once a year.
Tenants are staying in their homes for longer, with more than 20% of all rentals now lasting more than five years, from just 15% in October 2024. Rental tenure of one to two years, historically the biggest category, is also just over 20%.
Tenancies of two to three years have declined, as has rental stock churn, which could show the ban on no-grounds evictions has improved stability, the report found. It did not mention the role of house prices, which have also likely risen too high and forced renters to keep renting for longer.
About 499,000 new rental tenancies have begun since October 2024 while just 466,000 tenancies ended. Labor’s minister for fair trading, Anoulack Chanthivong, said the growth in active tenancies showed the reforms had protected renters while giving confidence to landlords.
While the rental market is proving resilient to reforms, the state’s only major planned change will be to allow rental bonds to be portable, with a trial starting in August.
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Richard Scolyer ‘opened his big heart to us all’, Albanese tells state memorial
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has honoured the legacy of the pioneering cancer researcher Richard Scolyer, who continued his work even as he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer that Scolyer described as a “straight path to death”.
Richard was without question one of our brightest stars.
As he faced up to his new reality, no one would have begrudged him retreating into the shelter of his family and friends.
Yet that is not what he chose. Instead, he opened his big heart to us all, and what Australia got to see was a man absolutely determined to change that straight path.
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Richard Scolyer remembered as a ‘true communitarian’ at state memorial
The governor general, Sam Mostyn, has laid out the ways the pioneering cancer researcher touched the lives of those around him.
This was a true communitarian. His radical, inspiring honesty and openness as he and his family and close friends faced his biggest battle, is a lasting and generous gift to us all.
Lycra-clad cyclists from cancer charity Tour de Cure, Scolyer’s carers, his colleagues, fellow 2024 Australian of the year recipient, Georgina Long, and his family were among those gathered at the Sydney Opera House for his state memorial on Monday.
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Jewish student says friends ‘stopped talking to me entirely’ due to her Zionism after 7 October terror attack
A Jewish student who is appearing under the pseudonym Liat has told the royal commission she lost her friends after the 7 October Hamas terror attack because of her Zionism.
Liat moved to Canberra in 2022 to study at the Australian National University and describes herself as proudly Zionist, with both her parents born in Israel.
After the 2023 terrorist attack and subsequent Gaza conflict, she said she lost the vast majority of her non-Jewish friends. In one instance, she said, someone at a theatre afterparty told her “we’re not friends any more, you’re a Zionist”.
I was very taken aback and deeply hurt that someone so flippantly could just go, ‘well, you’re of Israeli heritage, you can’t possibly be my friend’ … The majority of the people who were my friends at the time just stopped talking to me entirely.
Liat said you could critique Israel without being antisemitic but she hadn’t seen “examples that accuse Israel of doing things without playing on those [antisemitic] tropes”.
She pointed to an article in a magazine distributed by ANU’s student association which described Zionism as a far-right political project and the state of Israel as run by proponents of genocide, which she said “plays on the very classical antisemitic trope that Jews are particularly murderous”.
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ASX slips as Iran claims strait of Hormuz closed again
The Australian share market has dipped as the US war on Iran heats back up.
Iran has claimed it has closed the strait of Hormuz after trading strikes with the US but Donald Trump has said the waterway is still open.
The news has lifted world oil prices, with Brent crude up from US$76 a barrel on Saturday morning to US$79 this morning. Markets’ reactions have been more muted than they were on Thursday, when strikes resumed in the first place and Brent rose to US$80 – still well below the US$115 a barrel it reached in May.
Australian shares have taken a small hit. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index is down 0.14%, falling back below 8,800 points to 8,794 this morning.
Resmed, AGL Energy and Virgin Airlines have seen some of the biggest share price falls, respectively down about 4.4%, 3.7% and 2.8%.
Miner BHP and ANZ bank shares are each up almost 0.5%, CBA is up about 0.2%, Westpac and NAB are flat and Macquarie is down 0.45%. Ampol and Viva, the petrol retailers, are up at least 1.3%, enjoying a steady rise over the last fortnight with fuel prices set to rise once more.
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State memorial for Richard Scolyer to begin
A state memorial for Prof Richard Scolyer, 2024 Australian of the year and pioneering melanoma researcher, is about to get under way.
Hundreds of people – including the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the governor general, Sam Mostyn – are expected to attend the Sydney Opera House on Monday morning as Scolyer’s family and loved ones celebrate his life.
I’ll be bringing you updates throughout the service.
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Royal commission to hear from Jewish staff and students ‘verbally abused’ and ‘physically assaulted’ on university campuses
Counsel assisting at the royal commission, Zelie Heger SC, says there have been “significant concerns” raised in submissions to the commission about antisemitism at universities, which also have to balance “different rights and freedoms”.
She says this block of hearings will hear evidence of Jewish staff and students being “verbally abused, intimidated and even physically assaulted on campus”, including a Nazi salute being given to a Jewish teacher in the classroom and Jews being called “baby killers or genocide supporters”.
A recurring theme is Jewish staff and students being assumed to take a particular position on the conflict in the Middle East simply by virtue of being Jewish or being Israeli … There are diverse views amongst the Jewish community as to that conflict.
Many Jews are opposed to the actions of the government of Israel. Indeed, there are Jews who do not identify as Zionist or do not identify with the state of Israel at all … No one doubts the importance of being able to debate the conflict in the Middle East … But I anticipate the evidence will show that there have been instances where protest on these issues has crossed the line.
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Burke says IS-linked Australian woman Hodan Abby likely considering if she would ever return to Australia
Government officials are monitoring the location of the final woman with links to Islamic State who has not returned to Australia, but the prospect of arrest on arrival might deter her from ever boarding a flight back, AAP reports.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, revealed the government was keeping track of Hodan Abby’s location after an order stopping her return to Australia on national security grounds was lifted.
Burke said Abby would probably be weighing up whether or not to return to Australia, given she may face arrest on her arrival. He told ABC News this morning:
Anybody who made a decision to go and join Isis made an absolutely horrific decision, and we’ve got no interest in doing anything to help any of them back.
Our agencies are aware of her location … she’d be weighing up the different things she’s done and would be making a decision as to whether or not she in fact ever returns.
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Witnesses at royal commission subjected to ‘ugly antisemitic attacks’ after appearing, commissioner says
The royal commissioner, Virginia Bell, says Jewish witnesses have been subject to “ugly antisemitic attacks” after giving evidence of their own experiences of antisemitism.
The fourth block of hearings in Melbourne this week is examining the lived experiences of antisemitism on Jewish students and academics, including the response of universities to combat it.
Opening the hearing on Monday, Bell drew attention to the provisions of the Royal Commissions Act, which makes it an indictable offence to inflict any damage or disadvantage on a person on account of their evidence.
Four academics and students are giving evidence under a pseudonym on Monday. Also appearing is a co-convener of Students for Palestine and education officer at the National Union of Students, Yasmine Johnson, the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Hugh de Kretser, and Josh Keller of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism.
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Does Pauline Hanson really have a path to government?
One Nation’s spectacular rise from a distant 6% of the vote in the last election to first or second in some recent polls has upended Australian politics. It has also made it a lot harder to predict what exactly will happen at the next election.
Traditionally, pollsters and election experts would look at how preferences flowed in previous elections when estimating two-party preferred numbers, or translating polling into seat projections. This was fairly predictable when almost every seat would come down to a contest between Labor and the Coalition.
But, given the rise of One Nation, we are now in “unknown territory”, says George Hasanakos, head of research at DemosAu.
Read more:
More than 600 trombonists gather in Queensland for world record attempt
A fun story from the weekend: More than 600 trombonists gathered in Ipswich, Queensland, on Sunday to secure a new world record for the world’s largest trombone ensemble.
The group performed the piece 76 Trombones with, well, many more than that. Seizing an opportunity to toot their own horn, Ipswich’s mayor, Teresa Harding, said in a statement:
Ipswich has once again shown the world what can happen when a community comes together with passion, creativity and a willingness to dream big.
To see hundreds of musicians of all skill levels in Tulmur Place ready to try and set a new world record is an extraordinary achievement and one that every participant, volunteer and supporter can be incredibly proud of.
Participants travelled from across south-east Queensland and beyond to take part.
The previous world record of 368 musicians was set in Washington DC in 2012. A submission has been made to Guinness World Records for official verification.
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Australia’s ‘unfair’ visa price hikes: what’s changed and why it matters
The federal government has been accused of exploiting international students and permanent residents after non-refundable visa fees were quietly hiked by up to 200%, placing Australia well in excess of other western countries.
The peak body representing international students has warned prospective students to consider studying elsewhere, while critics affected by the scheme have accused Labor of trying to “out-One Nation One Nation”.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Support for Hanson’s One Nation slips in new poll
Pauline Hanson and One Nation’s popularity have slipped since her controversial Press Club speech with support shifting to the Coalition, according to new polling.
AAP reports support for One Nation fell by three points in July to 26%, while the coalition’s backing rose to 23%, in a Resolve Political Monitor survey released on Sunday night.
Labor remained at 28%, and support for the Greens was also unchanged at 12%.
Anthony Albanese made a comeback as preferred prime minister with 33% nominating him, up from 29% in June, with Angus Taylor sitting on 21%, two points higher than previously.
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Nearly 55% of homes sold at auction over the last week
Cotality reports preliminary data shows just under 55% of homes sold at auction over the last week, a decent rise after multiple weeks where that figure hovered below 50%.
In Sydney, 57.5% of homes sold at auction; in Melbourne, 56.2%; and in Adelaide 59.1%. Figures were still low in Brisbane (43%) and other capital cities, although there were far were auctions.
83 homes were withdrawn from auction in Sydney and 65 in Melbourne, the country’s two largest markets.
Dfat checking whether Australians caught in deadly blaze at Bangkok pub
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) is investigating if any Australians were affected by a deadly fire at a pub in Bangkok overnight. At least 27 people were killed in the blaze and dozens more injured.
A Dfat spokesperson said:
Australians will be shocked to hear of the terrible loss of life in the restaurant fire in Bangkok. Our sincere condolences are with all those affected.
Australian officials are making urgent enquiries with local authorities to determine whether any Australians were affected. We stand ready to provide consular assistance.
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Digital passenger cards will be ‘much more efficient way’ to run the border, Burke says
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said the end of the physical passenger cards and a transition to digital forms would be a “much more efficient way” to run the border.
He told RN this morning:
At the end of a long flight, people might not be at their best, and nobody knows … the full address off the top of their head of the hotel they’re staying at, or remembers the phone number of their next of kin.
What actually happens to all those paper cards? They are used sometimes:
From a home affairs perspective, there are times when we need to go back to those cards for information.
And at the moment, you’re going through warehouses trying to find the right box that’s got the right set of cards to be able to then decipher someone’s handwriting.
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Great news for travellers: Australia to ditch paper arrival cards for incoming travellers
The days of filling out paper arrival cards are to end for millions of travellers arriving in Australia on international flights.
The Albanese government has announced it will roll out digital passenger cards to all Australian international airports and seaports after a “successful” trial on Qantas flights into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The paper forms, which ask passengers arriving in Australia for personal information and to declare any food, plant or animal products, have long been an annoyance for travellers arriving on long-haul flights.
Read more here:
Shadow education minister labels university leaders ‘weak and spineless’ over antisemitism
Julian Leeser, the shadow minister for education, said the time for universities “mucking around” on definitions of antisemitism were over.
Leeser spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:
Universities are the place where the next generation of leaders goes to be formed. And the fact that our vice-chancellors are so weak and spineless that they haven’t been able to crack down on this shows how much we need this definition adopted …
I think this week at the royal commission, this is the week where the vice-chancellors have to own up for their failures here, for their failures in allowing those encampments to persist and saying that that’s just the price Jews have to pay for free speech … for failing to provide a safe environment for Jewish staff and Jewish students, and allowing a culture of fear to take place.
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Burke says there was a ‘reason’ woman with links to Islamic State was singled out with temporary exclusion order
Asked on ABC Radio National about a travel permit issued to an Australian citizen with links to Islamic State, after previously having a temporary exclusion order imposed on her, Tony Burke said he wouldn’t be surprised if the woman decided not to return to Australia.
“There is a reason why one person stood out from others in terms of the temporary exclusion order information,” the home affairs minister said when asked about the woman.
Burke added of those who have already returned to Australia:
I was surprised when all the remainder of the cohort returned, but I think they weren’t quite expecting that some of them would be met at the airport by the Australian federal police because we already had the evidentiary burden there to be able to press charges.
The minister went on to say:
Everybody who went to join [Islamic State] made an unconscionable decision … and while they were there, there were a range of unacceptable behaviours across the cohort.
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Burke says definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campuses about keeping students safe
Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, is speaking this morning, as universities across Australia will be required to adopt formal definitions of antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Burke said the change was about making sure students felt safe on campus.
Time at uni should be a place where people feel completely safe. And clearly, for the last two years, for a whole lot of students, that just hasn’t been true …
It’s important that universities are given clear standards and metrics that they’re being measured against and that they’re measuring themselves against to make sure that the experience of a student in Australia, no matter who you love, no matter where you’re from, no matter what you believe, is an experience of safety.
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Richard Scolyer to be honoured in state memorial service at Sydney Opera House
Richard Scolyer, the 2024 Australian of the year, will be honoured with a state memorial service on Monday, after his death from brain cancer on 7 June. He was 59.
AAP reports dignitaries including the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, NSW premier, Chris Minns, and governor general, Sam Mostyn, will attend the service at the Sydney Opera House.
Scolyer will be remembered as the pathologist who turned melanoma from being a common death sentence into a largely curable disease, through treatment that activated a patient’s immune system.
The prime minister called Scolyer one of Australia’s brightest lights and biggest hearts in a tribute after his death:
Every day, this remarkable man – the cancer specialist who became his own subject – took us into his confidence and he lifted us all in the process.
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Welcome
Good morning, and happy Monday. Nick Visser to start off the week with the news of the day. Here’s what’s on deck:
Auction rates climbed slightly across the country, with the figures of homes sold in the combined capitals edging above 50% for the first time in weeks. Overall, 54.8% of homes sold at auction, including 57.5% in Sydney and 56.2% in Melbourne, the nation’s two biggest markets.
More than 350 people were charged under a new blitz targeting violent and sexual offenders on the NSW transport network. Officials said the operation involved high visibility patrols and proactive targeting of alleged offenders on buses, trains, ferries and the metro.
A state memorial service for pioneering cancer researcher Richard Scolyer will take place today at the Sydney Opera House. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and other leaders will attend.
Stick with us.
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