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.
Updated
Bonza to begin running flights to Darwin and Alice Springs
The fledgling budget airline Bonza will begin flying to Darwin and Alice Springs, as it seeks to challenge dominant players Qantas and Virgin by introducing low cost and unserved routes to the Northern Territory.
Bonza will add 12 new flights a week to and from the territory with three new routes – Sunshine Coast-Darwin, Gold Coast-Darwin and Melbourne-Alice Springs, a total of 116,000 seats a year.
The airline’s expansion to their 20th and 21st destinations was the result of Northern Territory government’s territory aviation attraction scheme.
Flights are on sale today with the Sunny Coast-Darwin route starting on 29 November, Gold Coast-Darwin starting on 1 December and Melbourne-Alice Springs starting 12 December.
The announcement from Bonza comes as it claims it cannot enter the Sydney market due to slot access issues at the airport – an issue coming under increasing scrutiny as various parliamentary committees examine competition in aviation.
The Bonza CEO, Tim Jordan, said:
This initiative from the NT government will increase airline competition, create local jobs and provide a purple jolt to the Territory’s tourism and associated industries. We welcome the gamechanging move, which will mean more affordable travel options for Territorians to leisure destinations.
The Northern Territory chief minister, Natasha Fyles, said:
The Territory government has been relentlessly pursuing more commercial routes for the NT – and today’s announcement is a result of this work. This is a huge coup for Territorians.
Updated
Pilot escapes helicopter crash at Queensland dam with injuries
A pilot has made a lucky escape after a helicopter crashed into a dam in Queensland’s Scenic Rim.
Emergency services were called to a private property at Tarome at about 2.45pm on Wednesday afternoon.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said the helicopter had been called to extinguish a fire at Tregony, which had been burning for several days.
The helicopter had been collecting water when it hit the surface and rolled. The pilot escaped the wreckage and swam to shore, according to QFES.
Queensland ambulance services confirmed the man was injured but had been airlifted to Toowoomba hospital as a precaution.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Updated
Those who vote no won’t be harmed if our people have a voice – we will all flourish when we come together, Yuwallarai woman and Uluru Statement from the Heart signatory Kirstie Parker argues:
Updated
Qantas internal metrics judged customer satisfaction ‘at zero out of a possible 20%’
Qantas noted its internal metrics for executive performance – rated on a scorecard taking into account safety, emissions and other factors – judged customer satisfaction “at zero out of a possible 20%”.
As a result, the board cut short-term incentives for senior executives by 20%, including for Vanessa Hudson, the former chief financial officer who replaced Alan Joyce as CEO several weeks ago.
The board will also withhold the balance of short-term incentives from the past financial year for senior executives while the ACCC legal matter – which alleges the airline sold tickets to thousands of flights that had already been cancelled – progresses.
Next financial year, customer satisfaction outcomes will have a greater weight when determining Qantas executive bonuses.
Updated
Former Liberal party director and John Howard chief of staff dismisses no campaign arguments
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.
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Central Land Council rejects Kerrynne Liddle’s calls for investigation into their operations
The Central Land Council executive also had some strong words for another prominent No campaigner, Alice Springs-born SA senator Kerrynne Liddle.
The executive rejected Liddle’s calls for an investigation into their operations:
We are proud of the CLC’s record of good governance, strong democratic community engagement and 10 years of unqualified financial audit reports from the Australian National Audit Office, and the year-long performance audit in 2022-23.
The CLC is one of very few organisations providing real assistance on the ground to some of the most remote and disadvantaged communities and homelands in Central Australia.
We do not understand why Senator Liddle does not support our work.
We all want organisations delivering services to our people to be accountable and transparent.Government services account for the lion’s share of expenditure aimed at closing the shocking gap in life outcomes between our people and other Australians.
Instead of singling out our community-controlled land councils it would be more useful to look at how much government money allocated for alleviating Aboriginal disadvantage actually hits the ground.
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Chalmers says developer’s comments ‘insensitive, shocking and wrong’
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said property developer Tim Gurner received the “appropriate amount of kicking” for suggesting unemployment needed to dramatically rise to create more productive workers.
Speaking at a Walkley Foundation event on Wednesday, Chalmers said the developer’s comments were insensitive and inaccurate:
We expect unemployment to tick up a bit, but our goal, our aspiration, our objective is to try and keep as many people in work as we can.
… [Gurner] received the appropriate amount of kicking. I thought it was insensitive, shocking and wrong.
Australia’s unemployment rate is at 3.7%, which is a historically low level.
The Gurner Group chief executive made the controversial remarks at a property summit last week, attracting fierce global criticism, including from prominent US democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The millionaire developer later said he regretted making the remarks and that they were wrong. Gurner said:
My comments were deeply insensitive to employees, tradies and families across Australia who are affected by these cost-of-living pressures and job losses.
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Qantas to ‘work through’ issues surrounding company’s unlawful actions: chairman
Goyder has said “there must be accountability” for the airline when it is found to have acted unlawfully.
In Qantas’s annual report released on Wednesday afternoon, Goyder addressed the ACCC’s legal action alleging the airline had sold tickets to thousands of flights it had already cancelled, as well as a separate ruling that the airline had illegally outsourced 1,700 ground handlers for which it now faces hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation bills.
Goyder said:
On any matter, management and the board only take a course of action if they believe it’s lawful. However, we also accept that there must be accountability where those actions are found to be otherwise, and we will work through these and other issues with relevant stakeholders.
Updated
‘Short-term incentives’ for senior executives to be reduced in next financial year, says Qantas chair
The Qantas board chairman, Richard Goyder, addressed the “loss of trust” that has hit the airline’s brand.
Goyder said:
As we move through our recovery, management and the board are acutely aware of the need to rebuild your confidence in Qantas.
We’re also conscious of the loss of trust that has occurred because our service has often fallen short of expectations, compounded by a number of other issues relating to the pandemic period.
In recognition of the customer and brand impact of cumulative events, the board has applied its discretion to reduce short-term incentives for senior executives in FY23.
Updated
Qantas paid Alan Joyce $21.4m in 2022-23
The former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was paid $21.4m in the last financial year.
Joyce’s pay was revealed in Qantas’s annual report, released on Wednesday afternoon.
The Qantas board is yet to made a decision on a further $14.4m in remuneration that is subject to clawback provisions.
Short-term bonuses for Joyce and other executives, as well as other incentives are either being reduced due to reputational damage sustained, or delayed as the airlines awaits the outcome of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission legal action for selling tickets to flights that had already been cancelled.
The extent of Joyce’s pay packet has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, as the airline was hit with a series of sagas that saw him bring forward his retirement as CEO.
A Qantas statement said:
In the case of Alan Joyce’s remuneration for FY23, in addition to $2.2 million in short term bonuses that have been withheld, a further $8.3 million of a total adjusted $21.4 million is subject to clawback should the Board determine that necessary.
When combined with additional long-term incentives already granted, a total of $14.4 million is subject to malus and clawback if considered necessary.”
Updated
Regional university forms giant human ‘Yes’
Staff and students at the University of Wollongong have used their bodies to create a giant “Yes” on campus in support of an Indigenous voice to parliament.
The UoW was one of the first universities in Australia to formally support a yes vote in the referendum, and was the only university to allow staff to continue working this year on the 26 January public holiday.
Today, hundreds gathered to create a giant, human-formed “Yes”, captured by drone in support of the campaign ahead of the 14 October vote.
The vice-president of Indigenous strategy and engagement, Jaymee Beveridge, said the constitution represented the efforts of “many years of consultation, listening and wordsmithing”:
The introduction of an entity to provide advice and solutions on matters relating to our people is long overdue. Bureaucrats and politicians should not continue to make decisions about us – without us.
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Ticks to be accepted as yes votes in referendum while crosses invalid for no votes, court rules
Ticks on the voice referendum ballot paper will count as yes votes while crosses will be invalid, the federal court has ruled, rejecting a challenge brought by United Australia party senator Ralph Babet and Clive Palmer.
On Wednesday, Justice Steven Rares ruled in favour of the Australian Electoral Commission, rejecting an argument from Babet and Palmer’s lawyers that ticks should also be invalid if crosses are not accepted as valid no votes.
Rares explained that a cross is used “both as a means of selecting one of two or more choices and as indicating a negative choice” and is therefore “inherently ambiguous”.
“Unlike a cross, which has more than one signification, either approval or disapproval … the tick approves or selects the affirmative as the voter’s answer,” he said in an oral judgment.
Updated
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. My colleague Elias Visontay will lead you through the rest of today’s news. Take care!
Jason Clare thanks Barry O’Farrell and Cathy Freeman for yes support
At a doorstop press conference this afternoon, the education minister, Jason Clare, thanked Barry O’Farrell and Cathy Freeman for supporting the yes campaign for the Indigenous voice to parliament.
In particular, Clare thanked O’Farrell for his support as a former Liberal premier of NSW:
And I make that point because this is not a Labor idea, it’s not a Liberal idea. Importantly, it’s not the idea of politicians. This is the idea of Indigenous Australians.
It’s important that it’s not the idea of politicians, because politicians have failed here. And the gap that still exists between Indigenous Australians and non Indigenous Australians proves that. It proves that this is a mess. And voting yes is a chance to clean up the mess. Voting no equals no solutions.
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Victorian police acknowledge impact of Stanley Turvey’s criminal activity on public
Victorian police have thanked members of the public throughout north-east Victoria and New South Wales who have “been subject to some of the criminal activity of Stanley Turvey over the past 48 hours”.
I’d like to acknowledge the impact on those communities, both the individual victims that were involved, the witnesses that witnessed what took place, and the broader community.
During questioning from reporters police would not go into specifics of the shooting today which has left Turvey deceased.
Updated
Gunman Stanley Turvey shot dead by Victorian police after three-day manhunt
Victorian police have just given a press conference from Shepparton in regards to the shooting of gunman Stanley Turvey.
Turvey is dead after being shot by police following a dramatic three-day manhunt across Victoria. Police say that midday on Monday, police attended an address outside of Shepparton and were confronted by Turvey, who discharged a firearm into the air, prompting police to retreat.
Police then chased after him as he left the scene in a vehicle. Victorian police allege he took a person hostage and at gunpoint, made them drive to a NSW address.
He was unfortunately not arrested at that time and fled from the area.
Police allege that around midday yesterday Turvey was also involved in an armed robbery and took a further stolen vehicle, using his firearm in a robbery.
Following 48 hours of intense searching and investigation, police say they attended an address this morning where a special operations coup took place, where Turvey produced a firearm.
[I’m] not going to go into the details of what actually occurred at that location because that’s part of the coronial investigation that will now take place, but you can conclude the police have taken the action that is required to shoot Stanley Turvey and unfortunately, he is now deceased.
… The homicide squad will now undertake an investigation [to determine the] circumstances of what has taken place.
Updated
Triple j Hack podcast Who’s Gonna Save Us wins CNN climate reporting award
The team at triple j Hack have taken out an international climate reporting award for their podcast Who’s Gonna Save Us.
Triple j Hack’s Jo Lauder, Ellie Grounds and the whole team behind the podcast were today announced as winners of the CNN award in the audio (radio/podcast) category, as part of the 2023 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards.
The announcement reads:
This engaging podcast tells the story of people who are standing up for their convictions and pushing back against organizations and companies acting with disregard for the climate crisis.
… Highlighting how everyone can take action, the podcast speaks to audiences in a way that sounds like an everyday conversation.
Updated
What’s the go with Qantas?
Qantas was already facing court action from sacked workers and angry customers before Australia’s consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), alleged the company sold tickets for flights it had already cancelled. Adding to the turmoil, Qantas’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, announced he was moving up his retirement date, two months ahead of schedule.
Where did things go wrong? My colleague Antoun Issa has got you covered with this new video:
Updated
Sydney on verge of record-breaking recorded temperatures
Let’s take a minute to look at Sydney’s temperature records for September.
34.6C is the current record for the hottest September temperature at Observatory Hill. This record was matched yesterday, but not quite surpassed.
The temperature at Observatory Hill has climbed up to 33.8C this afternoon, so we will keep an eye on that.
Yesterday, Sydney airport reached its highest September temperature in 23 years after reaching 35.9C. Its previous record was 35.6C, set in 2000.
The temperature there has already gone up to 35.7C so far today, so we will also watch how that changes throughout the afternoon.
Updated
Equity must be key to AI regulation, universities say
Addressing equity needs to be front and centre of any regulation on artificial intelligence, peak university bodies say.
Speaking at a public hearing into the use of emerging technologies, the head of the Australian Technology Network of universities, Luke Sheehy, said their first recommendation was to place access and equity at the heart of governments’ collective response to generative AI.
We must ensure that … financial resources are not a barrier to success. Equally, we must also ensure that these tools are used in a socially responsible way.
Societal bias, structural racism and overt discrimination of underrepresented and vulnerable groups can be replicated and amplified when using generative AI models, resulting in continuing disadvantage and harm.
The Group of Eight’s head, Vicki Thomson, echoed his concerns.
It poses both opportunities and risks. Risks such as unethical behaviour or cheating potential, risks to privacy and intellectual property, perpetuating bias and equity of access is also a major concern … what we need to do is balance the risks and the opportunities with the need for academic and research integrity.
Thomson, however, added that attempting to prohibit the use of generative AI in higher education was “impractical and undesirable”:
That train has left the station.
Updated
Universities say AI is cause of ‘excitement’ and ‘apprehension’
Group of Eight Ceo Vicki Thomson has hailed artificial intelligence as a cause of both “excitement” and “apprehension” amongst educators while urging the federal government not to lag behind the rest of the world on innovation.
Appearing at a public hearing into the use of AI in the education system alongside university leaders, Thomson said there was “no question” it would change the tertiary sector but Australia needed to be on the front foot.
What is concerning, given this is such an important subject, is that Australia is lagging behind competitive nations when it comes to our investment in AI and in doing research more broadly.
She pointed to the EU’s target for €20bn each year towards artificial intelligence, and a £1.8bn program in the UK over the next seven years.
The government has committed $100m in the last budget which is welcome and that is to support business to integrate quantum and AI tech into the technologies but we’ve got a lot of ground to make up.
Australia’s spending on research and development is among the lowest in OECD nations, equating to just 1.8% of GDP.
Updated
Pizza Hut Australia informs customers of data breach
Pizza Hut has just sent an email out to an unknown number of customers, alerting that there has been a cyber security incident.
According to the email, Pizza Hut says it became aware of a cyber security incident in early September where “an unauthorised third party accessed some of the company’s data”.
The company added it took “immediate action” to protect customers.
Pizza Hut said in the email the data impacted relates to customer record details and online order transactions help on the Pizza Hut Australia customer database. This includes information such as a customers name, delivery address, email address and contact number.
The email reads:
If you have a Pizza Hut Australia user account, it also includes unusable masked credit card details and secured one-way encrypted passwords.
The credit card details we hold cannot be used to make fraudulent payments and all credit card payments are processed securely by an approved payment platform.
Our day-to-day operations are not impacted and we are continuing to securely process orders online or over the phone for our customers.
Pizza Hut said a “small proportion of customers” are impacted but did not give a figure in the email. The company says the Office of Australian Information Commissioner has been notified of the data breach.
We will work to bring you more information as we can.
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NSW fires updates
The NSW RFS says there are currently 65 fires burning across the state, with 19 yet to be contained. More than 700 firefighters and incident management team members are working to contain these fires.
The RFS has warned that forecast winds are expected to worsen into the afternoon.
As of 1pm, there are 65 fires burning around the state, with 19 not yet contained. Over 700 firefighters and incident management team members are currently working to contain these fires. The forecast winds are expected to worsen into the afternoon. https://t.co/SwFG8PzKTA pic.twitter.com/A9IZifooui
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 20, 2023
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Indigenous Central Land Council executive condemn Jacinta Price comments
The Central Land Council executive have expressed disappointment in Senator Jacinta Price at a meeting in Alice Springs.
Senator Price, last week at the national press club, said that colonisation had a “positive impact” on Aboriginal people, who now have “running water, food”.
The CLC executive - 90 elected members who represent 75 communities across nine regions - said such comments are an insult to the survivors of the Coniston massacre in 1927. They said:
We, the CLC executive, want you to know that her remarks are hurting members of our community and homelands and we reject her position.
The senator’s denial of history and its ongoing impacts is disgraceful.
Her remarks are hurting the families of the stolen generation, those who lost their land, their wages and their opportunities.
They are an insult to those who survived the Coniston massacre, the hundreds of Warlpiri, Kaytetye and Anmatyerr families, who were terrorised and murdered in 1928.
Her remarks are hurting the descendants of survivors of all the massacres that have been well documented and appear on the massacre map of Australia, which shows how extensive violent attacks were across the country.
What is not on the map is the administrative violence, pastoral violence, and wholescale theft of our land and waters.
There is a direct link between these historical truths and the gaps we want to close.
They also said water security and poor water quality remain major issues for Indigenous people in central Australia.
Our families still do not all have access to affordable healthy food, drinkable water and sustainable water supplies.
Many of our communities live with water stress, food insecurity, exorbitant costs and living conditions that would not be tolerated by any other Australians.
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RFS shares pictures of NSW fires
The NSW Rural Fire Service has shared more vision to social media of the fires it is currently fighting across the state.
Firefighters are battling a fire in the Monkerai nature reserve, 10km north-east of Dungong in the Hunter region.
The fire is burning in an easterly direction, the RFS says, with no current threat to properties.
Advice: Bee Box Fire, (Dungong LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 20, 2023
Firefighters are currently on scene of a bush fire burning in the Monkerai Nature Reserve, 10km to the north east of Dungong. The fire is burning in an easterly direction. There is currently no threat to properties. https://t.co/SwFG8PzKTA pic.twitter.com/ymeUoMvnD1
RFS firefighters are also battling a blaze near Silverdale Road to the west of Wallacia, in the Wollondilly area:
Advice: Silverdale Rd, Wallacia (Wollondilly LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 20, 2023
Firefighters supported by aircraft, remain on scene of a bush fire burning near Silverdale Rd, 2km to the west of Wallacia. The fire is currently burning in between Silverdale Rd and Bents Basin Rd. https://t.co/3QyPI84ofT pic.twitter.com/tnEFq58gni
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Prime minister Anthony Albanese is in Newcastle today, and has just shared these photos on social media:
Australia is great at making things, and we want to do more of it.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 20, 2023
These trains and boats are made and maintained right here in Newcastle.
And our National Reconstruction Fund will kick-start more local manufacturing.
It will mean more good, secure jobs. pic.twitter.com/xdPGjWL2oZ
Albanese travelled to Newcastle today to meet with the member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon, and to visit Varley rail maintenance.
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Social services sector warns welfare payment boost ‘means nothing when it is so low to begin with’
More than five million Australians on welfare have had their payments boosted today, AAP reports, but the social services sector is warning the increases don’t go far enough.
People on JobSeeker, youth allowance, Austudy, ABSTUDY and the youth disability support pension will receive an extra $40 per fortnight in addition to the $16 increase from indexation from Wednesday.
But the Australian Council for Social Service said the higher rate was still less than half the minimum wage. The Council’s CEO, Cassandra Goldie, said an incremental increase “means nothing when it is so low to begin with”:
We’re punishing people for being unemployed. It’s cruel to expect anyone to be able to meet the basic cost of living.
Greens senator Larissa Waters called on the government to increase the single parenting payment age limit, with welfare cutting off when a child turns 14.
Parents of kids who are 14, 15 and 16 deserve the same level of support.
But the social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, said it offered practical assistance to Australian households:
It means more money in the pockets of those doing it toughest, and that will make a difference.
Updated
Further to our last post: It is new information that the politician’s open letter regarding Julian Assange was published in the Washington Post, but the actual contents of the letter were revealed last week.
You can read the full report from my colleague Daniel Hurst here:
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Open letter for Julian Assange’s release signed by 60 Australian MPs
More than 60 Australian MPs across the political divide have signed an open letter, published in the Washington Post, calling for the release of jailed journalist Julian Assange.
The letter reads in bold text:
As Australian Parliamentarians, we are resolutely of the view that the prosecution and incarceration of the Australian citizen Julian Assange must end.
We note with gratitude the considerable support in the United States for an end to the legal pursuit of Mr Assange … in defence of free speech and independent journalism.
I joined fellow MPs in signing the letter that ran in the Washington Post calling for the release of jailed journalist Julian #Assange. I believe the right and best course of action would be for the United States' Department of Justice to cease its pursuit and prosecution of him. pic.twitter.com/GIw8fjUFUA
— Zoe Daniel (@zdaniel) September 20, 2023
The letter is signed by co-convenors of the Bring Julian Assange Home parliamentary group – independent MP Andrew Wilkie, Labor MP Josh Wilson, Liberal MP Bridget Archer and Greens MP David Shoebridge – plus 60 other members of parliament.
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An additional $97m needed for salary increases in justice system, Law Society of NSW says
The Law Society of NSW has welcomed wins in the state budget for housing and closing the gap initiatives, but hopes an additional $97m over four years for the justice system will “fund more than overdue salary increases”.
President Cassandra Banks welcomed funding to modernise grant application systems at Legal Aid NSW. She said housing stability is a “major factor in reducing contact with the criminal justice system”.
Investments in programs for the homeless, children in out of home care, those with mental health issues, domestic and family violence (DFV) victim-survivors and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a positive step.
The budget includes an additional $9.5 million to allow Legal Aid to use the latest technology to manage applications those who need legal help and private practitioners who deliver these services for disadvantaged clients.
Banks said an increase of 14% for Legal Aid “appears generous” but increases in staff costs “may well consume a significant portion of this funding while limiting increased access to justice”.
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‘Absolute unit’: Huge goanna safely removed from school
It’s been a whirlwind morning here on the blog. I reckon it’s time for a quick reprieve, so I present to you this “absolute unit” of a goanna:
An "absolute unit" of a goanna has been captured at a Sunshine Coast school after he was caught red-handed trying to steal lunch from local school children.
— 10 News First Queensland (@10NewsFirstQLD) September 20, 2023
Stuart McKenzie from @SnakeCatcher247 was called to remove the beefy reptile from school grounds after he was reportedly… pic.twitter.com/ntu0WGBZWp
As 10News reports, this huge goanna was captured at a Sunshine Coast school after he was caught trying to steal lunch from the local school children.
Stuart McKenzie from the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers was called in to remove the reptile from the school, saying he was “gobsmacked” by the sheer size of it:
When we arrived we were absolutely gobsmacked at the sheer size and thickness of this modern-day dinosaur! What an absolute unit.
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Socceroos to start 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in Melbourne
Football fans rejoice, the Socceroos will play at home in less than two months, not long after the Matildas play three Olympic qualifiers in Perth.
Melbourne’s AAMI Park will host the Socceroos’ first 2026 World Cup qualifying match in November.
It will mark the start of the second round of qualification for the men’s tournament in North America, with the Socceroos entering the qualifying at this point thanks to their third-place rank in Asia.
Australia is in qualifying group I with Palestine, Lebanon and either Bangladesh or the Maldives - this round also counts for qualification into the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The match on 16 November will be played against the victor of a Bangladesh v Maldives clash on 12 October.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said that after introducing some new young players in the last 12 months the team was in a “great position” for their qualifying campaign.
It has been a little while since we’ve been able to play in Australia and enjoy the support of a home crowd, which provides a huge lift for the squad.
The Victorian football community are great supporters of our national teams, and we’re excited to get back to AAMI Park and start our journey towards 2026.
Tickets will go on sale on Monday 25 September. In the same international window the Socceroos will play another qualifier against Palestine on 21 November with the location of that match yet to be confirmed.
Wong on the voice to parliament: ‘another important step’ in reconciliation
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour also asked foreign affairs minister Penny Wong about the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum. Amanpour said:
… polls show that support is low, around 45%.
A: do you think it will pass? B: if it doesn’t [pass], what does it say about, to the world about Australia’s commitment to Indigenous [people], especially at this time when all countries are trying to reckon with it?
Wong said Australia, like so many countries around the world, has had a “journey” of reconciliation with First Nations people.
We’ve had many steps. We had the referendum in 1967, in which changed our constitution for the better. We’ve had the apology to the stolen generations, which was given by Kevin Rudd, an Australian prime minister in the government in which I served.
So, this is another important step.
Referenda are hard to win in Australia because of the nature of how our voting, of what is required to change the constitution. But, you know, we remain hopeful and we remain … focused on the future. Because ultimately, this is about that future and whether or not we can have a future in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia can walk together.
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Tasmanian Fire Service provides an update on the Coles Bay fire
The Tasmanian Fire Service said firefighting crews, supported by three aircraft, are working to bring the Coles Bay fire under control.
Level 2 road closures remain in place, with Coles Bay Road only accessible for emergency vehicles.
The TFS deputy chief, Matt Lowe, said that rain overnight had dampened fire activity, with no reports of injuries or structures being impacted by fire.
We had six crews overnight doing structural protection and to date we have had no reports of any structures lost or any injuries at this time.
Our plan for today is to gain a comprehensive picture of the fire damage, however early indications suggest around 700 ha has been burnt at this stage.
Our key priority is to return residents to their homes & businesses once deemed safe.
Lowe said the Coles Bay and Swanwick township is not under immediate threat, however awareness and vigilance should be maintained.
Our priority is to assess Coles Bay Road, including nearby trees that may have been damaged, and undertake any remedial works so that the road can be opened as soon as possible.
Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
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Beekeepers to ‘learn to live’ with deadly varroa mite
Beekeepers will have to learn to live with the deadly varroa mite following a national decision to shift from eradication to a management approach, AAP reports.
The invasive mite was first detected near the port of Newcastle in NSW in June 2022.
More than 14,000 hives were euthanised in the following four months as authorities tried to halt the spread.
Despite a $100 million effort to eradicate the pest over the past 14 months, scientific data and advice suggested the strategy was no longer possible.
The National Management Group, which manages the spread of varroa mite across Australia, made a unanimous decision on Tuesday to transition its approach to addressing the biosecurity issue confronting beekeepers and the pollination industry.
Non-compliance by some beekeepers, a recent spike in new detections and over a wider area made eradication a non-viable option, the group said.
The varroa mite mainly feeds and reproduces on larvae and pupae, causing malformation and weakening of honey bees and transmitting numerous viruses.
There have been more than 260 outbreaks identified in the Newcastle region, on the northern NSW coast near Coffs Harbour and as far inland as near the Victorian border since the parasite was first detected.
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Australia has ‘very ambitious set of targets’ for rewnewables, Wong says
Penny Wong was also confronted about the climate crisis, in light of her acknowledgement that it is the Pacific’s No 1 national security issue.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour asked the foreign affairs minister:
And yet, the government is expanding coal mining this year. A new one opened in May, facing legal action from green groups this week. Can you honestly say that your record on climate is in the right direction?
Wong replied:
Look, Australia has been a very fossil fuel-intensive economy. I mean, that is a reality. And so, part of what we are having to do is to transition, you know, a very carbon-intensive economy to a clean energy economy, and that is a big task.
And in many ways, it reflects the task that the global economy has to engage in. Because, of course, there are still many nations who are opening new coal-powered stations who are going down that path.
So, you know, we have a very ambitious set of targets. We will be, by 2030, in excess of 80% renewable energy. When we came to government, we were just over 30%. That’s a big transition in a short space of time.
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Wong asked about safety for Australian Sikh community
Penny Wong also held a press conference in New York early today Australian time and was asked what safety guarantees she could provide to Sikh community members in Australia. Wong said:
We take the view as a government that Australian democracy is precious, that as a matter of principle, and as a matter of law, Australians of whatever persuasion have a right to peaceful protest, and in all circumstances we reflect that right in our public statements and in our private conversations with other governments.
You would also know we have, as a parliament, made very clear statements, but legislatively and as a matter of policy about the importance of Australian democracy being unaffected by external concerns.
The Indian government has labelled the accusations as “absurd”. You can read the latest on the growing row between India and Canada here:
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Penny Wong comments on India-Canada tension
Circling back to Penny Wong’s interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour:
Wong asked about the fallout from Canada’s claims that India may be connected to the alleged assassination of a prominent Sikh leader on Canadian soil.
The foreign affairs minister reiterated the Australian government’s position (see the story from yesterday) that “these are serious allegations and they are deeply concerning for all of us”.
She said investigations were “still underway”.
So I obviously, the Australian government, wishes to wait for those investigations being finalised. But we’ve made our concerns - we’ve conveyed our concerns about the allegations and we’ll keep abreast of the developments in these investigations.
Wong told CNN that Australia “has a view about the rule of law and we will always express that view”.
Asked whether Canada’s foreign minister spoke to Australia before the public statement, Wong said:
Yes. I wouldn’t go into details of diplomatic engagements and nor do you expect me to. But, you know, we have expressed our view about these issues to our Indian friends.
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10,000 residents of Victorian public housing redevelopment will be moved elsewhere
Back to Daniel Andrews’ press conference, where he is still speaking about Victoria’s housing statement.
He was asked about the redevelopment of the remaining 44 public housing towers in the state, and what will happen to the 10,000 residents who currently live there.
Andrews said this redevelopment is about “giving every one of those residents a brand new [home]” and dealing with “assets that are just crumbling [and are] not fit for purpose”.
They don’t have a future and pretending that [they do] is not doing the right thing by those towers residents. However, this will be a very challenging time. And there’ll be uncertainty for a number of people.
Andrews said existing residents will be treated with “the utmost respect”:
And it’s not just door knocking this morning… there’ll be people in place [to] talk through all those issues and make sure that everybody is supported.
The premier said it’s important to move people to “another house for a number of years” where they remain connected to schools, health services and other social supports.
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Ralph Babet’s court case calls for ticks on voice ballot to be binned
The United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet’s case about how ticks and crosses on the voice referendum ballot paper should be counted by the Australian Electoral Commission is being heard by the federal court.
Babet’s primary position is that crosses should be counted as votes against the voice, but it’s become clear from his counsel Philip Santucci’s oral submissions this morning that as a fallback position Babet wants ticks to be binned.
Justice Steven Rares explained that the “problem with the cross” on the ballot paper is that “people put crosses when they intend to agree with a proposition in the box”. The AEC therefore doesn’t know the voter’s intention.
To say that that has to count as a vote against the referendum – I don’t see how you can do that.
Santucci submitted that ticks can also have many meanings, they can indicate support, or a selection, or that a voter thinks it’s mandatory to tick the box but aren’t intending to support the proposition.
If the test is so “stringent” that alternative meanings are “enough to defeat the formality of the cross, it’s enough to defeat the formality of the tick”.
You could count crosses as a no vote, but if not - ticks and crosses must go.
Justice Rares is now questioning why a challenge is being brought before the referendum and not after, when it will be clearer whether the way ticks or crosses are counted might affect the result. He has also questioned UAP’s standing given the party is no longer registered.
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Ben Fordham under investigation for not disclosing Uber Australia deal
The media watchdog is investigating broadcaster Ben Fordham after he promoted Uber on air without disclosing in the broadcast that he had a commercial agreement with the rideshare company worth at least $25,000.
The probe comes after Guardian Australia revealed last month that the Nine Radio presenter has a “personal commercial agreement” with Uber Australia which he failed to disclose when referring to Uber on his top rating Sydney breakfast show.
In a business segment Fordham claimed he had taken up Uber driving as a “side hustle” in a tough economy and told his guest he had taken his first passenger.
A spokesperson for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) confirmed the investigation:
The Acma is investigating whether a business report broadcast on Ben Fordham Live on 2GB on 3 August 2023 complied with the Disclosure Standard.
The Acma will not be making further comment until the investigation is finalised and published.
According to Acma a “disclosure announcement” must be broadcast if a sponsor is paying more than $25,000 and is mentioned by a presenter who has a commercial agreement with that sponsor.
2GB does disclose that says Fordham has a commercial agreement with Uber Australia to “feature in, and assist in preparation of, video, radio and print advertisements for Uber Australia” and to appear at and host events.
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Indo-Pacific region at ‘greater risk of conflict’ than previous years, Wong tells CNN
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the Indo-Pacific region is “probably at a greater risk now of conflict than we have been for many years”.
Wong, who is in New York for a series of meetings and to address the UN general assembly, sat down for an interview with CNN’s chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour.
The interview spanned a range of topics, including the rise of China. Wong spoke about the need to work with other countries to ensure a balance in which “no one country dominates and no country is dominated”.
Amanpour suggested that “obviously brings us to the threat from China, as you perceive it, that it’s trying to dominate that region”.
In response, Wong made it clear that she didn’t adopt the same “threat” phrasing:
Well, I think great powers do what great powers do. So, I wouldn’t use the language but, you know, you obviously use your language.
Wong said countries like Australia must ensure they had a combination of “military deterrence, also economic strength and resilience, as well as diplomatic reassurance”.
She didn’t comment in detail about matters such as the mystery over the fate of China’s defence minister or the replacement of the foreign minister, but said Australia welcomed the US position to seek “responsible management of competition”. Wong said no one wanted competition to escalate into conflict. All countries, including middle powers like Australia, must “urge, encourage and expect the great powers to manage their competition wisely”.
Asked whether countries were stepping away from potential war, or taking steps closer towards it, Wong said:
Well, I think that we are probably at a greater risk now of conflict than we have been for many years.
And we have said these are riskiest strategic circumstances the world has seen for many years, and that means we all have to elevate our effort.
We all have to redouble our efforts to managing, ensuring that competition is managed, but also, to deal with some of the issues that, you know, you’ve been talking about on your program, how do we deal with inequality? How do we deal with climate change? You know, these are about peace and stability, as well as prosperity, and they are part of the agenda that all nations have to address.
We’ll have more updates from this interview shortly.
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NSW housing minister defends budget despite housing advocates frustrations
Back over to New South Wales, where housing minister Rose Jackson has defended her government’s budget after it was panned by housing advocates who claimed it was doing little to solve the housing crisis.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, she said:
We know there’s a lot of work to do... What we are doing is offering emergency funding to try and deal with the increased number of people that we’re seeing homeless, the increased demand for social and affordable housing and the overall housing crisis.
We know the reform journey is long. We know we have more work to do.
She said it was “really hard” to say when or if NSW would eventually be out of a housing crisis but believed the Minns government had the vision to achieve that goal.
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‘Biggest of its kind in our country’s history’: Andrews on state’s housing plan
Turning to social housing, Andrews said his government’s housing build is “the biggest of its kind in our country’s history”, pointing to the demolition of Carlton towers announced yesterday:
As my colleague Benita Kolovos brought us earlier, the government is going to undertake a massive redevelopment of all the remaining 44 public housing towers in the state.
Speaking to this, Andrews said:
Our 44 high-rise towers are old, they’re out of date, they are crumbling, they need to go. And in what is undoubtedly the biggest urban renewal project in our state’s history and I think potentially our nation’s history, all 44 of those towers will go, they will be replaced by 2051.
The first phase of those five towers will, both yesterday’s announcement and towers beyond, they will be gone by 2031.
This is a massive agenda to reimagine those spaces. They are prime locations. To put it perhaps the best way I can - this is not only replacing really old, out-of-date not fit for purpose houses with brand new, bright, safe, energy efficient homes, but these precincts are currently home … to 10,000 residents.
By the time we are finished redeveloping every single one of these sites, they will be home to 30,000 residents.
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Victoria’s residential tenancy law changes: new portable bond scheme
Andrews said the state government will sell and develop surplus government land – around 45 sites, delivering around 9000 additional homes.
Andrews said the government isn’t “in a position” to list those 45 sites as they go through various processes, but they will all have at least 10% affordable housing.
He flagged further changes to the state’s residential tenancy laws, with 130 changes already made. One is a portable bond scheme:
We will build that portability so the bond can simply move from one property to the next. It’s a simple thing but it will make a big difference, particularly at a time when it’s very, very expensive, removalists, all the other logistics, if you don’t have to find that extra money then that’s a good thing for you as a tenant.
There will also be a new dispute resolution process, he said, and more certainty over leases.
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Backlog of planning applications is ‘unnacceptable’, Andrews says
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said there is a backlog of around 1400 planning applications sitting on people’s desks and while it’s “not about blame”, it’s an “unacceptable backlog” that needs addressing.
We all need to work together to make sure that we clear that backlog and turn planning applications gathering dust on someone’s desk into homes for people to live in.
Andrews then speaks on the 10 activity centres the government is announcing, which my colleague Benita Kolovos already covered in detail earlier in the blog (details here).
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‘Most significant shake-up’: Andrews government wants 2.2 million homes by 2051
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is now speaking on the state governments housing statement.
He said this is the “most significant shake-up in one of the most important policy areas in decades”.
Andrews said the key to housing affordability is supply, announcing the government will deliver 800,000 new homes over the next ten years:
As Melbourne grows, as Victoria grows, that is critically important.
If we were just to do business as usual, keep going the way we have been, we would build about 540,000. That’s nowhere near enough. We got to deliver that … 800,000 over 10 years as a really big down payment on making sure that we have got more than 2.2 million extra homes by 2051.
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Victoria’s housing statement confirms massive redevelopment of public housing
As we also flagged the government is going to undertake a massive redevelopment of all the remaining 44 public housing towers in the state. The statement says:
Melbourne’s high-rise public housing towers were built after World War Il, between the 1950s and 1970s. They’re reaching the end of their useful lives, and no longer fit for modern living. Constructed at a time that pre-dates current building codes, the towers no longer meet the minimum standards Victorians expect … the towers fail against noise, sustainability, waste and recycling, bedroom area dimensions, room depth, ventilation, private open space, accessibility and minimum amenity standards.
Substantial investment would be needed to retrofit the towers. But even then, their design means that many tower homes would never be able to meet contemporary codes, nationwide energy rating schemes or accessibility needs for many households.
The government is starting with towers in Flemington, North Melbourne and Carlton, progressively retiring each building. From the statement:
Not only will the redevelopment mean households will move into a new home that meets every modern building standard - it’ll boost the overall number of social homes across these sites by 10 per cent, while also boosting the number of affordable and market homes across the sites.
The statement says around 10,000 people currently live across the 44 towers. Once redeveloped, the government anticipates around 30,000 people will live across the sites.
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Victorian housing statement: 60,000 new homes across Melbourne, granny flat approvals
Circling back to the Victorian government’s housing statement:
There’s a lot in the statement that we reported on this morning (you can read that here) but here’s some new interesting components:
The government is going to introduce clear planning controls to deliver an additional 60,000 homes around an initial 10 “activity centres” across Melbourne: Broadmeadows, Camberwell Junction, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Moorabbin, Niddrie (Keilor Road), North Essendon, Preston (High Street) and Ringwood. This will allow the construction of higher apartments, particularly around train stations.
They are also going to make it it easier to build a small granny flat at the back of houses. The statement says:
They can give families the space to grow together, provide a critical second income, or give kids somewhere to stay when they visit for the weekend. But for many, the burden of getting a planning approval has put building a second small home in the too hard basket … We’ll make it easier to build a second small home on your property.
Under the plan, homeowners won’t require a planning permit for second dwellings less than 60 square metres. Permit exemptions will also be introduced for things like extensions to sheds and carports.
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Firefighters battling fire in Lake Macquarie region
The NSW Rural Fire Service has shared video footage of the bushfire at Eraring, 5km north-east of Morisset in the Lake Macquarie region.
Firefighters are currently on scene of the fire.
In the first shot, you can see Eraring Power Station in the background.
Advice: Point Piper Rd Fire, Eraring (Lake Macquarie LGA)
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 20, 2023
Firefighters are currently on scene of a bush fire burning near Point Piper Rd, Eraring, 5km to the NE of Morisset. The fire is burning between Wangi Rd, Point Piper Rd and Chelmsford Ave. https://t.co/SwFG8PzKTA pic.twitter.com/eTD4sGYY01
The fire is burning between Wangi Road, Point Piper Road and Chelmsford Avenue.
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Victoria set to introduce 7.5% levy on Airbnb prices
I’ve got my hands on a copy of the Victorian government’s housing statement and can confirm as we’ve previously reported that it includes a 7.5% levy on short-stay accommodation.
The statement says:
While short stay accommodation - like Airbnb or Stayz - has become a popular feature of Victoria’s visitor economy, it’s also reduced the ability for many properties to be used for longer term accommodation.
In Victoria, there are more than 36,000 short stay accommodation places - with almost half of these in regional Victoria. More than 29,000 of those places are entire homes. These are places that cannot be used for longer-term accommodation or rented out on fixed term agreements - so it makes sense that they should provide some benefit toward the places that can.
We’ll introduce a levy on short stay accommodation platforms. The Short Stay Levy will be set at 7.5 per cent of the short-stay accommodation platforms’ revenue. And the revenue raised from the levy will go to Homes Victoria, supporting their work building and maintaining social and affordable housing across the state, with 25% of funds to be invested in regional Victoria. This also means other local council charges on short stay accommodation will be removed.
We’re expecting the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, to speak any minute.
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12-year-old girl has drowned, another rescued near Geelong
A young girl has drowned and another rescued in Ocean Grove, near Geelong last night.
Victorian police say two 12-year-old girls were swimming just after 6pm last night in Collendina when they got into difficulty.
A passerby entered the water and was able to rescue one girl, bringing her to the shore.
Police Airwing assisted in bringing the second girl to the shore.
CPR was performed, but unfortunately she died at the scene.
Police will now prepare a report for the coroner.
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Australian company named finalist for Prince William’s Earthshot prize
A Tasmanian seaweed company, Sea Forest, has been named a finalist for the prestigious Earthshot prize.
The prize, launched in 2020 by Prince William and David Attenborough, recognises contributions to environmentalism in five categories.
A finalist in the Fix Our Climate category, Sea Forest produces a seaweed-based livestock feed supplement that drastically reduces methane emissions from cow and sheep burps.
The feed supplement is made from Asparagopsis, a red seaweed native to Australian coastal waters.
Research led by CSIRO scientists has found feeding cattle with a diet containing 0.2% Asparagopsis decreased methane emissions up to 98%.
The prize winners will be announced on 7 November in Singapore.
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Bushfire, snow and flood alert in Tasmania
It seems Tasmania is experiencing the full spectrum of weather events today.
As we brought you earlier, firefighters are continuing to battle a bushfire at tourist town Coles Bay to bring it under control.
The wildfire is not yet contained but was brought down to a watch-and-act level on Wednesday morning.
Less than 100km from Coles Bay, it’s snowing at Ben Lomond, with a maximum temperature of 1C forecast for today.
Meanwhile, further south at Huon River, a flood advice alert has been issued for low lying areas.
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‘Better decisions … better health outcomes’: CEO of VicHealth to vote yes
The CEO of VicHealth, Dr Sandro Demaio, says he will be voting yes in the voice to parliament referendum.
Outlining why he’ll be voting yes, Demaio says enshrining a voice to parliament will bring important health and wellbeing benefits:
Listening to community voices has always been a pillar of my professional life. In my role as CEO of VicHealth, I’ve seen first-hand that when we listen to communities and factor their priorities into our thinking, we make better decisions, get stronger value for money, and ultimately reach better health outcomes and lower rates of chronic disease.
And the science supports this; we go further when we listen to individuals, families and communities on the issues that affect them. It’s also clear that reducing health inequalities benefits everyone and leads to a stronger health system.
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Melbourne teens arrested for alleged dangerous dirt biking
Three teenagers have been arrested after alleged dangerous dirt bike riding in Truganina, Melbourne two months ago.
Following an extensive investigation, officers executed five search warrants yesterday and the three boys, all aged 15, were arrested and subsequently charged with a range of traffic offences.
The trio were bailed to appear before a children’s court at a later date.
The arrests follow a separate incident in Trugania in July, where 15 people allegedly rode dangerously in front of a police vehicle.
Westgate police division inspector Jennifer Horgan said:
Westgate Highway Patrol is relentless in tracking down those who think they can endanger our roads and get away with it.
I’m urging parents to have a conversation with their children around the safe use of bikes as riding them on our streets and through parks illegally is not OK.
You might think it’s harmless fun but one day it could end in tragedy.
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Sydney areas already hitting 30C
It’s not even 10am yet, but some places across Sydney have already cracked 30C.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Penrith reached 31.2C at 9.30am.
Around the same time, Richmond hit 30.6C and Badgerys Creek recorded 30.4C.
We’ll continue to keep an eye on temperatures as the day progresses.
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Minns warns of ‘terrible summer’ ahead
Speaking to the media this morning, NSW premier Chris Minns warned it could be a “terrible summer”.
He said hazard reduction was running behind due to weather conditions over the winter periods:
We haven’t had perfect conditions for hazard reduction.
The fire services are working hard to meet the minimum that they can do between now and the really difficult period before summer.
We’re all going to have to be vigilant during the summer period because it could be a terrible summer.
A spokesperson from the NSW RFS said there are currently 63 fires across the state, with 11 not yet contained, just before 9.30am.
As the spokesperson noted, these figures are likely to fluctuate quite regularly as conditions change throughout the day. We will keep you posted on any major updates.
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Voice forum in Sydney’s east attracts 200 plus people
Tuesday night’s voice forum, hosted by the independent member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, attracted more than 200 people to the Diamond Bay Bowls Club in Sydney’s east.
Spender urged the yes-inclined crowd to support the voice as a “reasonable and modest” proposal to establish an advisory body that would benefit Indigenous Australians.
Julian Leeser, the Liberal member for Berowra on the other side of Sydney, also urged a yes vote. A self-described “constitutional conservative”, Leeser said he was “usually a person on the no case for changes to constitution”, but argued the voice proposal was a “very safe proposal” that had been brought forward by - and enjoyed the overwhelming support of - Indigenous Australians.
Leeser’s support for the voice led him to resign as shadow minister for Indigenous affairs when the federal parliamentary Liberal party chose to oppose it.
Gamilaroi man Geoffrey Winters, a former Liberal candidate in the seat of Sydney, urged Australia - “a country of good heart and great soul” - to vote yes, arguing the voice would have a profound benefit for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
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Former Liberal Party director dismisses ‘straw men and the scarecrows’ of no campaign
Tony Nutt, the former federal director of the Liberal Party and chief of staff to John Howard, has reiterated his support for voice, a position at odds with the party and the former leader he served for a decade.
“It’s just, it’s practical, and it’s constitutionally safe,” he told a Liberal-dominated Wentworth for the voice forum in Sydney’s east on Tuesday.
Discursive on the formation of Australia’s constitution, government bureaucracy, and the voice’s potential composition and operation (to be decided by parliament) Nutt dismissed - diplomatically - some of the ‘no’ arguments being made against the proposal.
It (the voice) is practical: when you actually strip away the straw men and the scarecrows … you do wonder at some of the arguments and some of the positions put by others.
Nutt’s position is in opposition to that of his erstwhile boss, former prime minister Howard, who has promoted a no vote, and urged opponents to “maintain the rage” against the proposal.
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New apartment developments announced ahead of Victoria’s housing statement
The Victorian government is set to release their plan to fix the state’s housing crisis today, but while we wait, the minister for planning, Sonya Kilkenny, has announced she’s approved five new apartment developments.
Guardian Australia understands her office is working through a backlog of approvals and is hoping councils will follow suit.
This includes the rezoning of the former Kingswood Golf Course in Dingley Village, which will result in the construction of about 800 new homes.
The former University of Melbourne site in Hawthorn will also be rezoned, to allow for the construction of about 300 new homes, which will include a 10% affordable housing component and new publicly accessible open space.
In Preston, homes will be converted to apartments at 30 St Georges Road, 32-36 Oakover Road and 47 and 49 Showers St Preston. It is expected this will lead to the creation of 480 new homes along with new public open space, retail premises and a shopping centre.
In Kensington, a planning permit has been approved for 477 homes under a build-to-rent model, while another has been approved in Geelong, to turn a home on 15 York Street into a block of 37 new homes.
Guardian Australia understands the government’s housing statement to be announced today will be accompanied by new design standards that will require apartments to be bigger, with better energy use and more natural light.
Here’s our preview of what we expected to see in the statement:
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RFS latest figures: 68 fires burning in NSW
There are currently 68 fires burning across NSW, according to the RFS as of 9am, with 17 of these not yet contained.
More than 600 personnel are working to contain the fires.
Speaking in Bexley this morning, NSW premier Chris Minns said:
It’s September and we’re already experiencing four days in a row of temperatures above 30 degrees with high winds. We are concerned about summer.
He urged people to make fire plans and prepare.
As of 9am, there are 68 fires burning across NSW, with 17 not yet contained. Over 600 personnel are working to contain these fires. Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter will experience extreme fire danger today. There is a TOBAN for Sydney, the Hunter and Upper Central West Plains. pic.twitter.com/bqwwFxvwNM
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) September 19, 2023
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Bushfire near Tassie tourist town remains uncontrolled
AAP has the latest on the Friendly Beaches bushfire near Tasmanian tourist town Coles Bay, reporting that firefighters are still battling to bring the blaze under control.
The wildfire near Coles Bay Road was at watch-and-act level on Wednesday morning, with a warning urging people in the area to seek shelter in place.
Tasmania Fire Service acting regional chief Greg Butters said everyone in the area had been accounted for and the extent of damage was being determined.
He told ABC Radio that 3mm of rain had dampened fuel loads around the fire, which has burned about 600 hectares.
There were reports of about 100 people sleeping in their cars at Coles Bay overnight as a result of the bushfire.
More than 700 properties at Coles Bay were without power on Wednesday morning due to fallen powerlines.
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Albanese calls referendum a ‘modest request’ that ‘should not be controversial’
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has been asked about his election night victory speech, and whether he would commit to the Uluru statement from the heart at the beginning of that speech if he had his time again.
Albanese told 2SM radio, “Yes”.
Because when are we going to get this done? It’s been 122 years… there’s provisions in the constitution to allow New Zealand to be the seventh state of Australia, but there’s no acknowledgment of the first peoples of Australia.
Now, every other country in the world has done it, this should not be controversial. This is a very modest request.
He spoke about Olympic champion athlete Cathy Freeman joining the yes campaign (you can read more about that here), and said she joins the “overwhelming majority of Indigenous Australians wanting to be recognised in our nation’s founding document”.
Albanese also said he wasn’t the only political leader to say there would be a referendum in his term:
That was the Coalition’s position as well before the last election, before 2019, before 2016.
Go back all the way to 2007, John Howard committed to it, within 18 months of his election that there was going to be a referendum for constitutional recognition ... I’ve been determined to restore faith in politics by doing what we said we would do and this is an opportunity to move the country forward. And there’s nothing to fear from this proposal.
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Ex-toll boss to take reins of Sydney airport
The former CEO of tolling giant Transurban, Scott Charlton, will take charge of Sydney Airport when its current chief, Geoff Culbert, steps down later this year.
On Wednesday morning, Sydney Airport revealed Charlton, who has also worked at Lend Lease before his career at Transurban, as Culbert’s successor. He will commence as CEO on 1 December, when Culbert finishes up.
Charlton said:
Sydney Airport is, in my view, the gateway to Australia, the economic heart of NSW and an iconic global infrastructure asset. I am excited and privileged to be given the opportunity.
It’s been a busy week for Sydney Airport, with Culbert appearing before a senate committee on Tuesday where he criticised Qantas as well as laws that dictate the airport’s capacity. You can read more here:
PM to visit Newcastle rail service, promising to build more trains in Australia
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will travel to Newcastle today with the member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon, to visit Varley Rail Maintenance.
Albanese told 2SM Radio one of the key election commitments he made was for more things to be manufactured in Australia:
And we know a few years ago, you might recall, a Liberal premier of NSW saying, ‘oh Australia and NSW aren’t good at building trains, that’s why we have to purchase them’.
Well, the trains and the ferries have been purchased from overseas … can’t go through tunnels, can’t go under bridges. There’s been problems with all of them. And when we make things here in Australia, we can be the world’s best.
Albanese said that’s why he committed to a national rail manufacturing plan, and the national reconstruction fund – to make more things in Australia around transport, renewables, medical science, value adding agriculture and defence capability.
And of course, the Hunter has been a great centre for industry and manufacturing and I want to see more of that.
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Government to launch review of Pfas contaminated land usage
Prime minister Anthony Albanese revealed that the government will launch a review of the use of land contaminated by Pfas chemicals used in firefighting foam on defence land.
Albanese told 2SM this issue was “put in the too hard basket by the former government” but “we need to deal with this”:
Pfas has had an impact and what this independent review will do is look at future land use and how it can be productive.
Albanese said if you have land that can’t be used for agriculture or the sources it had been used for previously as a result of Pfas, the “responsible” thing to do is look at how it can be used in a productive way.
Mr [Peter] Varghese, who will look at this, is doing that.
It’ll report back so that we can really have a win-win and it may well be that some of the projects, for example, that will come out of the defence strategic review provide an opportunity there.
But we know it’s had a particular impact around the Williamtown airport there … I was there for the expansion announcement just a little while ago during a previous visit.
This is a sensible mature response and Matt Thistlethwaite, the assistant minister for defence, will be on-site this morning in a short period of time I understand with Meryl Swanson to make this announcement.
Updated
Wong and energy minister attend UN general assembly in New York
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong is leading Australia’s delegation to the United Nations general assembly in New York this week, alongside climate change and energy minister Jenny McAllister.
She has shared these photos on social media from the delegation:
So many of the challenges we face demand truly global solutions, and the @unitednations is the only body where the whole world comes together.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) September 19, 2023
Australia is working with other countries to help the UN more become more fit for purpose and ready for the challenges of our time. pic.twitter.com/rSdUiKW67w
My colleague Daniel Hurst has been following her actions and brought us the latest earlier this morning here on the blog.
In case you missed it – Australia is set to join with 31 countries to argue a top UN court should hear Ukraine’s case against Russia (details here), and the Australian and German foreign ministers discussed the war during a meeting overnight (details here).
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Nuclear power a ‘cul-de-sac’ and ‘distraction’: Albanese
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has rubbished calls from the Coalition to start a conversation on use of nuclear power.
Albanese told 2SM Radio:
Gee whiz ... we’ve had conversations since the 1950s, I think, about this. The truth is it just doesn’t stack up. There’s no market. There’s no one going to invest in something that is the most expensive [form of energy] and will take an incredibly long period of time.
There have been reviews every time the Coalition gets elected. They have a review and it doesn’t lead anywhere. It’s a cul-de-sac ... which is a distraction from what we need to do with our energy grid.
The former government had 22 different policy announcements on energy and didn’t land a single one and now they’re talking about small modular reactors. Well, where are they operating? What is the commercial aspect to it? And when [opposition energy spokesperson] Ted O’Brien fronts up and does a press conference an investor who is prepared to invest billions of dollars in it, then he can be taken seriously or even when he comes up with a costing of his own policy, then that would be handy as well.
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School in North Turramurra closes over bushfire risk
Only one NSW school is non-operational today due to the bushfire risk.
Gibberagong environmental education centre in North Turramurra is non-operational today, according to the Department of Education website.
The school is located at Bobbin Head within the Ku-ring-gai Chase national park.
As explained in our previous post, this is one of the Sydney national parks that is closed today due to dangerous fire conditions.
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Sydney’s national parks closed due to dangerous fire conditions
As a precaution, a number of Sydney’s national parks will be closed today due to the forecast extreme fire conditions and the total fire ban.
The following national parks will be closed today, including all tracks, trails and visitor precincts:
Ku-ring-gai chase national park
Garigal national park
Sydney Harbour national park
A press release from the department of planning and environment says this is a “precautionary measure” with no immediate fire risk inside these parks.
Fire crews will be patrolling across Sydney’s parks and reserves today.
Additionally, all remote area campgrounds, walking tracks and trails will be closed in other parks right across the Sydney area.
Closures will remain in place for the duration of the total fire ban, but park visitors can check the national parks alert list to stay up-to-date on closures.
Further closures may be put in place at short notice if the fire danger escalates.
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Rising unemployment figures are expected, Minns says
Asked about rising unemployment figures in the state budget, NSW premier Chris Minns said “you’d expect that” given interest rates.
The budget papers tip unemployment to rise to 4.5% in NSW next year, and nearly 5% in early 2025.
Minns:
Look, you’d expect that. Interest rates are biting. It’s going to slow the economy as a result of pulling down inflation across New South Wales and the country.
We hope for a soft landing but we’re preparing for all eventualities and that’s precisely the reason … we paid off $15 billion worth of debt that had been accumulated during Covid and the previous government, to give us some headroom if we’re into choppy waters in 2024 and 2025.
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Minns says private sector will help ease housing crisis after budget announcement
Turning to the state budget that was handed down yesterday, NSW premier Chris Minns responded to disappointment from housing groups with only around 1400 affordable homes to be built over a 17-year time period.
Responding, Minns said the state government is going to look at lifting the public housing stock from what it is, and part of that will involve maintenance of existing homes.
He also said the housing crisis in NSW will be eased with the private sector:
So we looked at Waterloo South in the first instance, we have doubled the amount of social and affordable housing in that community. We’ll move on to the next community from there, but I have to say … the way we’re going the ease the housing crisis in New South Wales is with the private sector.
I could double that amount of social housing. I still need to produce 75,000 completions every 12 months and that means private capital and regular home builders in the housing market coming to the table.
But how do you encourage them to come to the table?
Minns said this includes fixed infrastructure like water, roads and public transport, and removing “red tape”:
… That has meant that New South Wales had 48,000 completions last year when it comes to new houses. Victoria, with a smaller population and not a bigger increase in immigration over the next 12 months, had 58,000. So we’re not even first on the eastern seaboard despite all the pressures we have in Sydney in particular.
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NSW premier acknowledges RFS’ hazard reduction delays due to wet winter
New South Wales premier Chris Minns spoke to ABC News Breakfast this morning about the spring heatwave being felt across the state.
Minns said he was “concerned” to see such hot conditions being experienced so early in the season.
He was also asked about the RFS’ hazard reduction burns, and whether enough has been done to prepare ahead of summer.
Minns said:
I think people would understand that you need the conditions to be perfect when you do hazard reductions because they, themselves, are inherently dangerous.
… I think the people of New South Wales understand they haven’t been able to execute that hazard reduction because we had a wet winter period, now unfortunately we’re moving into a dry period at precisely the wrong time.
So we need to get communities ready.
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‘We should have been preparing’ over last three years for bushfires, McBain says
Circling back to Kristy McBain’s interview on ABC RN.
The minister and former Bega Valley mayor remained diplomatic in her answers, but said more work should have been done over the last three years to prepare communities for bushfire and respond to the recommendations of the NSW bushfire inquiry.
McBain said:
I think it’s incumbent upon every state and territory government around the country to make sure that we are managing our land use effectively and properly and protecting communities across the place.
We had a New South Wales bushfire inquiry that took place after 2019-2020, and there should have been more work to make sure that we were dealing with those recommendations.
And that doesn’t come down to the last couple of months, that’s the last three years that we should have been preparing.
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NSW police confirm arrests of two men for Sydney drug kingpin shooting
NSW police have confirmed that two men have been arrested over the fatal shooting of Sydney cocaine kingpin Alen Moradian.
In a press release police said strike force detectives arrested a 42-year-old man about 6am today, who is expected to be charged with murder and other offences related to the coordination of the fatal shooting.
Police also arrested a 31-year-old man at the same time this morning, who is expected to be charged with murder.
Moradian was shot dead in his car in an underground car park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in June.
Police will continue their investigations.
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Community frustration over lack of land management since black summer
Minister for regional development Kristy McBain is speaking to ABC RN this morning about the extreme weather along the south coast this week.
She was previously the Bega Valley mayor during the black summer bushfires of 2019-20.
McBain spoke to frustration within her community ahead of the fire season, and said there’s a feeling that land management hasn’t progressed “substantially” since 2019-20.
I think the frustration stems not with our local RFS, who are largely volunteer group [and] doing as much work as they possibly can when weather permits. I think it’s perhaps a lack of investment in paid workforces to make sure that land management is a priority, and that’s across national parks, state forests, and then obviously with our RFS as well.
She acknowledged that “it’s incredibly hard for people who would like to see more work taking place”.
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Australia not ready for extreme weather, specialist physician body says
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians said this week’s heatwave is an “urgent reminder” that the federal government must release its national health and climate strategy to ensure the country’s healthcare system can become resilient in the face of climate change.
The college says finalising and funding the draft strategy must be expedited as we face a hot and dry summer.
President Dr Jacqueline Small said:
The Federal Government has prioritised reducing emissions within the healthcare sector, a goal all healthcare professionals support. However, the climate strategy must also ensure the healthcare system is better equipped to handle the ramifications of more extreme weather events.
The work must begin now to ensure our system does not just cope with a changing environment but can meet the challenges head-on and thrive.
Earlier this year the RACP and 12 other colleges released a joint statement warning that Australia’s healthcare system is not prepared to handle a climate emergency.
Small added:
Medical experts have been urging policy makers to take the risk to the healthcare system posed by climate change seriously.
With the probability of extreme weather events continuing, it is sadly very likely we will see more extreme events like we’re experiencing now.
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$2.7m support and resilience grants awarded to rural and regional projects
The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) has awarded more than $2.7m in grants to support over 200 communities, as the demand for support rises.
About 213 grassroots, not-for-profit organisations across rural Australia will receive grants ranging from $465 to $50,000.
FRRR’s place portfolio lead Jill Karena said the successive shocks of the Covid pandemic and various disaster events continue to ripple through rural and remote communities.
The mental health implications of this sustained stress are clear but so too is the commitment to improving things, especially by combatting social isolation.
The Wanta Aboriginal corporation’s Ngukurr Bagai social enterprise cafe project, based out of southern Arnhem Land, will receive $47,075 to create a community gathering space.
Meanwhile, Mapleton state school in Queensland will use a $6,588 grant to support a therapeutic drumming program.
These are examples of the increasing “creative recovery projects”, Karena said, as communities shift from responding to the immediate impacts of disasters and look towards long-term recovery and resilience.
Our research has confirmed these kinds of arts projects have a unique ability to build long-lasting community resilience and wellbeing, and local capacity for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
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One in seven Australian women in their late 40s have endometriosis, new report finds
One in seven Australian women between 44-49 have endometriosis, a new report has revealed.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s report on endometriosis has used data from health services and the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, to estimate the prevalence of endometriosis in two different groups of women: those born between 1973 and 1978 and those born between 1989 and 1995.
Almost one in 11 of women in the younger group, aged between 26–31, were estimated to have endometriosis.
The comparison showed that women in the younger group were getting diagnosed earlier, with over 9% of women born between 1989 and 1995 diagnosed with endometriosis by age 31, compared with less than 7% of women born between 1973 and 1978 diagnosed at the same age.
AIHW spokesperson Katherine Faulks said the earlier diagnoses could indicate greater awareness of the historically under-recognised condition amongst both the general public and health professionals.
Endometriosis is a progressive chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other parts of the body, which can affect fertility and lead to reduced participation in work, school and social activities.
The data also shows that the rate of hospitalisation has almost doubled in the last 10 years. In 2011-12 there were 160 hospitalisations for every 100,000 females, which has now jumped to 310 hospitalisations per 100,000 females.
The greatest increase was seen among women aged 20–24, with the rate doubling from 330 hospitalisations per 100,000 women 10 years ago to 660 now.
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New report combats ‘inaccurate assertions’ about teaching courses
Almost three-quarters of Australian teachers are satisfied with their training programs, a new report has found, undermining the suggestion poor course content is leading to workforce shortages in the field.
The Monash University study into the future of teaching, released on Wednesday, surveyed more than 600 teachers and their experiences of initial teacher education (ITE) programs.
Seventy-three per cent surveyed found their program was positive, while 22% rated it satisfactory and 5% poor. Teachers who qualified with a master of teaching had the highest level of satisfaction.
ITE programs are accredited teaching qualifications subject to government reform to improve the quality of education and generate a pipeline of teachers.
In recent months, they’ve been the subject of federal government criticism after a teaching expert panel, led by University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott, proposed strengthening standards for ITE programs and placing greater accountability on universities to prove their success rates.
The dean of the faculty of education at Monash, Prof Viv Ellis, said the research found teachers were generally well satisfied with their programs, contrary to “inaccurate assertions”.
Rather than focusing on the unsubstantiated claim that teachers are generally dissatisfied with ITE programs, we should instead focus on the willingness and capacity of ITE providers to continually improve these programs.
The survey also found just 35% of teachers found most of their continued professional development opportunities helped to make them a better teacher. Some 29% reported limited development opportunities, with 3% citing none at all.
Ellis said greater attention needed to be given to providing “regular, effective [and] continuing professional development” for teachers.
This will require a shift in focus from policymakers - away from the overwhelming emphasis on ITE and towards effective, system-wide [development] that becomes a regular part of teachers’ workload rather than a bolt-on.
‘First Nations people want structural change’, Burney says
Linda Burney describes the voice as “practical reconciliation”, noting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had sought a voice as a form of constitutional recognition.
In her speech later today, she will say:
Not a preamble. Not a footnote in the Constitution. First Nations people want structural change that can make a practical difference.
A mechanism that can make children’s lives better. Not just something that will feel good - something that will do good.
The Voice won’t solve every issue overnight. It won’t right every wrong. But if we get this right, we can make significant progress in almost every area.
Giving an example of a remote school attendance program, which she said had overseen declining attendance rates, Burney will speak of how she saw the voice operating.
As the Minister, I will go to the voice and say: ‘this school attendance program isn’t working’. Help me to get the best possible advice to fix it … From every corner of the country – about how we can do better.
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Voice referendum is a chance to change the system for young people – Burney
Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney says the voice referendum is “an opportunity to change the system that is letting the next generation down”, stressing the advisory body is intended to improve outcomes for young people especially.
In a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) forum today, titled Yes makes it possible, Burney will highlight the poorer health and life outcomes facing many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
The minister, according to an advance copy of her speech, will list statistics showing Indigenous people are less likely to finish school and have a job, more likely to not be on track developmentally, and other indicators around literacy and numeracy gaps.
“Every day I wake up, I think about those kids. Every day during this referendum campaign, I think about their futures,” Burney will say.
I’m 66. My great friend and West Australian legend, Senator Patrick Dodson is 75. This referendum isn’t about us. It’s about the next generation.
So when people ask you what’s this referendum about? When they ask “what’s in it for me” Tell them this: If you want a future where everybody has a fair shot in life – ‘Yes’ makes it possible.
Good morning everyone! Thanks to Martin Farrer for kicking things off. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be with you on the live blog today. I hope wherever you are, you’re staying cool in this heat today.
If you see anything that needs attention on the blog, send me an email: emily.wind.casual@theguardian.com.
With that, let’s get started.
Penny Wong and German counterpart urge Beijing to pressure Moscow
Sticking with Russia/Ukraine for a moment, and the Australian and German foreign ministers discussed the war during a meeting in New York overnight.
Meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Penny Wong and her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, vowed to continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary for Kyiv to end the war on its own terms.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Wong and Baerbock urged Beijing to pressure Moscow to end the war:
We call on all those with influence on Russia, particularly China, to exert their influence now to convince Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to end its illegal war.
We condemn Russia’s weaponisation of food, including its decision to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its attacks on Ukrainian agriculture, port and energy infrastructure. Russia’s war is causing immense human suffering, perpetuating sexual and gender-based violence, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, constraining growth, increasing inflation and elevating financial stability risks.
The two ministers also said they were concerned by “growing strategic tensions” in the Indo-Pacific region. In a message to China, they repeated concerns about the “militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea and unsafe behaviour at sea and in the air”. They said an international ruling in 2016 that rejected the basis for many of China’s claims in the South China Sea was “final and binding on the parties”.
On stalled trade talks, Wong and Baerbock voiced support for the goal of “swift conclusion of an ambitious free trade agreement between the EU and Australia, which will deliver commercially meaningful, fair and sustainable trade benefits and strengthen our strategic ties”.
On the climate crisis, they said greenhouse gas emissions globally must peak by 2025 and committed “to the phase out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”:
Australia and Germany are acutely aware of the impact of the climate crisis on Pacific Island countries and will support them in addressing this.
Australia to back case against Russia at The Hague
Australia will today join with 31 countries to argue a top UN court should hear Ukraine’s case against Russia.
Ukraine initiated the case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Ukraine argues that Russia is abusing international law by claiming its 2022 invasion was justified to prevent an alleged genocide in eastern Ukraine. Russia is seeking to have the case thrown out, arguing it is “hopelessly flawed”.
The ICJ is holding hearings to consider whether it has jurisdiction to hear the case. The Australian solicitor general, Stephen Donaghue, will deliver a submission to the ICJ today backing Ukraine’s case against Russia.
An Australian government statement says:
Russia’s attempts to use false allegations of genocide as a pretext to justify its egregious violations of international law in Ukraine undermines the rules-based international order.
Australia stands against such attempts and is supporting Ukraine and the international community in holding Russia to account.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Russia “must be held to account for its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine”. She added:
We stand with the people of Ukraine and the 31 other countries who are supporting Ukraine in this case - we are stronger when we work together to address shared challenges.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said Australia’s intervention before the ICJ “demonstrates Australia’s unwavering commitment to upholding fundamental rules of international law and the integrity of the Genocide Convention”.
Campers flee bushfire on Tasmania's east coast
Campers and residents near a tourist hotspot on Tasmania’s east coast have been ordered to seek shelter as a bushfire rages out of control, AAP reports.
Authorities first issued an emergency warning about 3pm yesterday for people to leave the Coles Bay Road area at Friendly Beaches if safe to do so.
That warning was upgraded to a seek shelter message shortly before 8pm, and was still at that level on Wednesday morning.
Tasmania Fire Service acting regional chief Greg Butters said the town of Coles Bay itself was not under immediate threat but vigilance should be maintained.
Aircraft and ground crew were fighting the blaze with strong winds expected to peak late yesterday, before reducing in the early hours of Wednesday.
Anyone in the Friendly Beaches area who has not evacuated should leave immediately to a nearby safer place.
The fire was about 20km north of the entrance to the picturesque Freycinet National Park.
Swanwick and Coles Bay remained under a “watch and act” alert, with people told to avoid the area.
Guests and staff at nearby Freycinet Resort have evacuated, while people have gathered at the designated Coles Bay boat ramp “safe place”.
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Cathy Freeman urges Australians to vote yes
Olympic champion athlete Cathy Freeman has urged Australians to back the Indigenous voice referendum, saying change was “urgent”.
The gold medal winning runner has become the latest Indigenous backer of the voice and the yes vote, joining the likes of football stars Johnathan Thurston and Eddie Betts, and tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley in calling for support.
"I'm voting Yes, and I'm asking that all Australians do too." pic.twitter.com/7Hy79EZlfN
— Yes23 (@yes23au) September 19, 2023
“I can’t remember a time when change has felt so urgent,” Freeman said in the latest endorsement of the Yes23 campaign.
In a video released overnight, Freeman called for voters to “stand together and show our support for Australians who need it most”, and spoke of her belief that the voice would help Indigenous kids get the “very best start in life, an equal start in life”.
Freeman, born in Mackay, won a famous gold medal in the 400m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as winning Commonwealth Games and world championship titles over her celebrated career.
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Extreme fire danger in parts of NSW
The early spring NSW heatwave will soon subside, with a late evening cool change coming to Sydney, but not before the mercury is forecast to hit 35C, which would be a September record for the city.
On Tuesday the provisional maximum of 34.6C at Observatory Hill equalled the record.
With the heat and wind comes bushfire fears. The NSW Rural Fire Service has declared total fire bans in the greater Sydney, greater Hunter and upper central west plains regions. Fire danger is set at ‘extreme’ in the first two of those three regions.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live blog of the day’s news. I’m Martin Farrer and we’ve got some big overnight stories to talk about before my colleague helms the main part of the day.
There are quite a few lines around the voice to parliament referendum this morning starting with the news that Gary Johns remains listed in official leadership positions with two major no campaign organisations, despite Warren Mundine distancing the campaign from the former Labor minister and hinting he would not be speaking publicly. And Cathy Freeman has appealed to Australians to back the voice, saying in a rare public comment: “We have the chance to be part of a moment that brings people together.”
An index charting Australia’s health, wellbeing and connectedness over the last 14 years will be released today and provides an insight into some major social trends. Katharine Murphy talks to the demographer behind the research and how trust, community interaction and national pride are declining under economic pressures.
The government has to have a more developed plan to shift to renewable energy from fossil fuels or it risks “missing half the equation”, climate scientists have warned. The message comes as the country faces its first bushfires of what is expected to be a torrid summer with the El Niño weather system now under way. Campers and people living in the Coles Bay Road area on the Tasmania’s east coast were told to seek shelter yesterday as a bushfire raged out of control. The NSW Rural Fire Service chief says there’s still “a lot to be done” to prepare for the fire season, and that’s also the subject of today’s Full Story.
