What we learned today – Sunday 26 March
New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns went into Saturday’s election holding a marginal seat by a hair and leading a party that had not held power in the state for a more than decade, but woke up on Sunday morning as premier-elect.
Minns spent the morning touring his electorate and speaking to the media, promising he would govern “for all”.
Meanwhile, South Australia has become the first state to legislate an Indigenous voice to parliament, closing off North Terrance and holding a ceremony for the public to watch. Crowds began to gather on an overcast morning to watch the bill be enacted in a special signing ceremony held in public. It is thought the development will feed into the federal referendum by giving the yes campaign a practical example to point to.
Other stories today included:
The final results from the NSW election are unknown as counting takes a break before resuming on Monday.
The Coalition began Sunday morning with a tug-of-war about the future direction of the party. Liberal senator Andrew Bragg called for the party to avoid lurching to the right, while former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce says the influence of moderate Matt Kean cost the Coalition votes in NSW.
Federal attorney general Mark Dreyfus has refused to release the solicitor general’s advice that informed the final wording of the referendum question on the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Business groups want the federal government to pass the safeguard mechanism reforms before the end of the financial year to provide “certainty” to businesses.
Australia’s oil and gas industry has congratulated Chris Minns on his election win and called for the state to fast-track new gas projects.
Queensland’s LNP announced its candidates 18 months out from the next state election.
A woman was arrested in an anti-abortion protest in Sydney for allegedly breaching the peace.
With that, we’ll wrap up our live blog for now.
Updated
Pioneering Greens councillor to step down in Brisbane
Queensland’s first Greens city councillor, Jonathan Sriranganathan, has announced he will step down at the end of April, saying he is “ready for a break and some other adventures” after seven years in the job.
In a post to Facebook on Sunday, he said there were a “whole combination of factors” behind his decision to resign.
These include wanting more time with loved ones, the urge to put more energy into music and writing, a desire to explore other forms of grassroots activism, feeling a little worn out by racism and police harassment combined with such heavy public scrutiny, having to deal with overly-entitled people who think that how often grass gets cut in the local park is the MOST important thing I should be looking into, and of course, the banal pointlessness of sitting through mind-numbingly farcical council meetings every Tuesday where Labor and LNP councillors mostly just hurl insults at each other.
Sriranganathan also said that “perhaps the most important reason I’m stepping down is that I think it’s important that politicians don’t hold on to safe seats for too long, gradually accruing more power and influence while losing perspective.”
As the Greens’ first city councillor, Sriranganathan made political history as his election marked the start of the “Green wave” in Queensland.
Sriranganathan: If I’m honest, this role hasn’t always been easy. I’ve copped a lot more racism & police harassment than any other councillor I know of, but it’s also been a joy & an honour to connect with so many people & to help elevate so many important issues and struggles.”
— Eden Gillespie (@edengillespie) March 25, 2023
He will be replaced in his seat by Trina Massey, an arts worker and DJ.
Massey: As a queer Black Asian immigrant woman, I grew up not seeing people like me in politics. It means a lot to me to be able to elevate the voices of diverse intersectional communities in such a prominent role.
— Eden Gillespie (@edengillespie) March 25, 2023
Updated
