What happened Wednesday 20 September 2023
With that, we’ll wrap up our coverage of the day’s news.
Here’s a summary of the key developments:
Dozens of fires were burning across the east coast of Australia on Wednesday during the spring heatwave, with residents forced to evacuate homes.
Australia’s first widespread levy on short-stay accommodation and the redevelopment of 44 monolithic public housing towers have been announced by the Victorian government as part of an overhaul of policy.
Tony Nutt, the former federal director of the Liberal party and chief of staff to John Howard, has dismissed as “nonsense” and “bunkum” arguments against the Indigenous voice to parliament, a position at odds with the party and the former leader he served for a decade.
Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has been paid $21.4m for his final full year in charge, despite stepping down early amid a reputational crisis. Meanwhile, the federal court has ordered Joyce’s successor, Vanessa Hudson, to attend mediation proceedings with a union chief to settle compensation and penalty claims.
A fugitive gunman has been shot dead by police, ending a dramatic three-day manhunt across regional Victoria.
Have a pleasant evening. We’ll be back to do it all again tomorrow.
Government Covid inquiry
The federal government will tomorrow announce a special commission of inquiry into the Covid pandemic, the Australian Financial Review is reporting.
Phil Coorey reports that the panel will include three members - an economist, an epidemiologist and a public administration expert - to look into how Australia responded to the pandemic. Prime minister Anthony Albanese and health minister Mark Butler will reportedly announce the inquiry tomorrow.
Albanese was in Adelaide today and is understood to be there tomorrow too. The PM’s office and Butler’s office haven’t responded to inquiries about the AFR report.
Albanese promised a “royal commission or some form of inquiry” into the pandemic when Labor was in opposition.
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